George R. R. Martin is bringing winter early to President Donald Trump.

The acclaimed author has compared the commander-in-chief to one of the most brutal, sadistic and despicable characters from “Game of Thrones”— King Joffrey Baratheon:

“I think Joffrey is now the king in America,” Martin said in an interview with Esquire published Wednesday. “And he’s grown up just as petulant and irrational as he was when he was thirteen in the books.”

Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire book series is the basis of HBO’s fantasy epic. Shortly before the 2016 election, he said Trump was “unfit to lead this nation.”

Actor Kit Harington, who portrays the character Jon Snow in the show, also commented on the current occupant of the White House — and revealed why he refuses to call Trump by his official title.

“Mr. Donald Trump — I wouldn’t call him President, I’ll call him Mister,” he said. “I think this man at the head of your country is a con artist.” 

Read the full Esquire interview here.

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”It became a worldwide cultural moment,” host Jeff Probst told the audience at the live “Survivor: Game Changers” finale, referring to the disappointing and shocking moment when Jeff Varner randomly outed fellow contestant Zeke Smith as transgender on the April 12 episode. 

The emotional tribal council was heartbreaking for Smith, who had not publicly come out as trans at that point, but it ultimately led to an important discussion about supporting people who are trying to be their authentic selves. 

“I was really scared because I didn’t know what was going to happen to my world. I didn’t know what the reaction was going to be,” Smith said during Season 34’s reunion show on Wednesday night. “What this experience has shown me is I have so much love in my life … I’ve never felt as loved as I do right now.”

The 29-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, was blindsided by the outing, but has since come to realize that the moment has only made him stronger. 

“When I transitioned, I was hit with a pretty big bout of depression, like a lot of people are, and I almost failed out of Harvard, I was living at home, I was alone, I was pretty helpless. And I started watching ‘Survivor,’ and I binged 20 seasons, and it took me away,” Smith said. “I got to go on an adventures with Ozzy [Lusth] and Cirie [Fields[ and with Sandra [Diaz-Twine] and it got me through. And, slowly, I got to put my life back together, but there was something ― there was a courage and a boldness … something inside of me knew I had to go play ‘Survivor.’ And I found that courage and that boldness in Fiji. I found it on the beaches. And in so many ways, ‘Survivor’ has given me my life back.”

As for Varner’s thoughts on the backlash, he, of course, knows he was in the wrong. “This has been very difficult. I got hit hard,” he said. “It was really ugly for a period of time.”

But then, as Varner explained, it changed after he admitted to his mistake and turned it into something positive.

“There’s a book in the works that I’m working on, it’s entitled Surviving Shame,” he added, to the surprise of some of his castmates. “And you get the first copy,” Varner told Probst. 

“I love that you’re turning this into something positive,” Probst concluded. 

Let’s hope more meaningful conversations continue. 

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Another successful season of “Survivor” has come to an end ― and the last person standing no doubt deserves the $1 million prize for their gameplay. 

After 39 days of intense competition, Sarah Lacina was named the winner of “Survivor: Game Changers” following a tribal council that switched things up a bit, focusing on each player’s strategy through outwit, outplay and outlast Q&As. Sarah earned the majority of votes from the jury, beating out runner-up Brad Culpepper and third place finisher Troyzan Robertson.

Tai Trang, Aubry Bracco and Cirie Fields were voted out earlier on in the finale episode. Cirie’s exit was particularly memorable as her torch was snuffed after a record-breaking three idols were played during tribal on Day 36. Not one person wrote her name down, yet she was sent home since Tai played two idols ― one for himself and one for Aubry ― Troyzan played his idol, Sarah played her legacy advantage and Culpepper won the immunity challenge. Technically, Cirie ended up being the only player who could be voted out. 

After the four-time player left, host Jeff Probst told the jury and the remaining five contestants, “A ‘Survivor’ legend goes out in legendary style.”

Despite it all, real-life cop Sarah, who admittedly “played like a criminal,” had a stellar run this season, managing to backstab the best of the best. “Game Changers,” of course, featured esteemed past players including Sandra Diaz-Twine, Tony Vlachos, Ozzy Lusth, Malcolm Freberg and Andrea Boehlke.  

A teary-eyed Sarah told host Probst during the live after-show, “I’m very proud of the game I played, I’m not proud of how I treated people.” 

Well, the jury members didn’t seem to mind the blindsides, Sarah. Congrats! 

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Like a moth to the flame, Blanche DuBois, opens the show as a curious creature drawn to a single light bulb; a stunning piece of imagery for a stunning ballet. “This vibrant adaptation by Scottish Ballet of the classic Tennessee Williams tale, A Streetcar Named Desire, brings the heat and music of New Orleans straight to The Music Center. The definitive Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is transformed into a powerful and emotional ballet that not only excites, but further enhances the story’s suspenseful take on lust, desire and betrayal that can only be conveyed by the honesty of dance.  In collaboration with director Nancy Meckler and choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, the production explores the boundaries of narrative ballet through a range of dance styles. Accompanied by a specially commissioned jazz-inspired score by Peter Salem that accentuates the sensuality of the dancers, Scottish Ballet’s  A Streetcar Named Desire is a one-of-a-kind take on an American classic.”

In this beautiful and dynamic production, Scottish Ballet pushes the limits and takes audiences on an emotional and chilling journey through the life of Blanche DuBois. “Our storytelling, unlike Williams’ play, begins by relating the story of Blanche DuBois while she is growing up in America’s Deep South. The year is 1935, and the lifestyle of the landed gentry is in steep decline. Blanche is a beautiful young girl with her life ahead of her”. Her life drifts in and out of ecstasy and turmoil. Finding out that her husband had been having an affair with another man resulting in him committing suicide and leaving home after the death of most of her family traveling to the sex-crazed; jazz filled streets of New Orleans night life scene. After being run out of town for seducing a young boy, she finds comfort in her only living relative, Stella who has taken up with Stanley Kowalski, an aggressive bad boy we know so well because of Marlon Brando.

The dancers of this company are stellar performers. According to an interview with Neckler Meckler, the dancers also went through some acting training to give voice the characters of Tennessee William’s play without words. It is truly a company of beautiful dancers that are quite focused and passionate about their art and conveying a story. Eve Mutso(Blanche) and Sophie Laplane(Stella) stole the show with pure energy and heart-wrenching performances.

“Scottish Ballet is Scotland’s national dance company. The esteemed company has built its reputation on strong bold work and vast touring. It regularly presents at premier theatres and events such as Sadler’s Wells and Edinburgh International Festival, as well as leading venues and festivals abroad including Europe, Asia and North America. Scottish Ballet continues to build on its heritage as a bold, adventurous company with ambitious creative programmes and touring, working with groundbreaking choreographers such as Ivgi & Greben, Bryan Arias, David Dawson and Crystal Pite.”

Make sure to check out The Music Center website for upcoming performances!

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