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DUBAI: It is the comeback no one could have predicted. Having disappointed fans with its lackluster final season only three years ago, many were skeptical about HBO’s highly publicized “Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon,” streaming in the region now on OSN+.
But the dragons have returned and so have the fans — and with gusto.
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen in ‘House of the Dragon.’ (Supplied)
Award-winning filmmaker, movie reviewer, and head of film at the SAE Institute in Dubai, Razan Takash, aka Razz Reviews, is not surprised that fans have returned despite previous disappointment, revealing that she herself tuned in despite a fair bit of cynicism.
She said: “I think people are coming back because the world that was established in the beginning (of ‘Game of Thrones’) was so fantastic. The horrific, horrific ending of GoT bothered a lot of people not just because it was bad. It was also because it was so bad compared to something that was so wonderful.
“Trying to remember the good times after a breakup is very tough. So (‘House of the Dragon’) is more like, ‘oh, this is why we were together in the first place.’ And that world is just so wonderful and immersive and even cinematic. It feels like a giant movie and is very engrossing and engaging. And I think people gravitate toward that, especially if the story is told well,” Takash added.
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For some fans, the lure of discovering more back story and lore to George R.R. Martin’s immersive world was too enticing to ignore.
UAE-based comedian and social media personality, Maha Jaafar, said: “I definitely loved ‘House of the Dragon’ a lot because I have always been curious about the back story of ‘Game of Thrones’ and the original story of where everything started. So, this answers a lot of questions, and it is very satisfying to a huge GoT fan.
“What I loved is reliving the GoT feeling again and having the same feeling. The magnificent locations and scenes in the show and all the details. Also, the thrill and excitement,” she added.
The fact that it took 1 episode of #HouseoftheDragon to make people fall in love with this world again proves that #GameOfThrones is the greatest series ever created. The impact it had on pop culture is unrivaled. The series changed the way tv shows are made.
Ashley Rite, vice president of marketing and growth at OSN+, noted the relief many fans felt when they sat down to watch the show, episode two of which aired on Sunday.
“As a ‘Game of Thrones’ fan myself, I am pleased to see the series exceed all expectations. ‘House of the Dragon’ is the fantasy series we’ve all been waiting for since our last excursion into Westeros nearly three years ago.
“Alongside some of the best storytelling on screen today, the series presents a strong cast, amazing sets, and incredible cinematic visual effects, making for pure anticipated viewing each week,” Rite said.
Paddy Considine in ‘House of the Dragon.’ (Supplied)
It is a narrative that runs through many of the fan comments online, with social media users breathing a sigh of relief that the new show was staying true to what made the initial seasons of “Game of Thrones” so addictive.
In a tweet, Saudi Arabia-based designer and series fan Mohanad, said: “I feel like I’m going back to the old ‘Game of Thrones’ atmosphere.”
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Series fan Saeed Arjumand told Arab News he was happy to be pulled back into the world of “Game of Thrones” despite the letdown that was the final season.
The Emirati illustrator and owner of Dubai-based comic books store Comic Stop said: “Originally, I had no hopes for the show. Most spin-offs or shows that try to follow in another’s footsteps seem to fall flat or fail. I think especially with this one, the end of ‘Game of Thrones’ left a sour taste in a lot of fans’ mouths. But I was happy to be proven wrong by the plot as it got me interested right away.
“So far, Prince Daemon is my favorite character, I love a good villain and (actor) Matt Smith is great. Matt Smith doesn’t take light roles and I feel lately he’s been branching out more to types of characters we haven’t seen him play. Everyone knows him from ‘Doctor Who’ as the good guy but it’s nice to see him play the uncle who just wants the crown,” Arjumand added.
The opening credits #HouseOfTheDragonHBO pic.twitter.com/afAal9Ld8f
UAE-based marketing specialist Manar Al-Harthi, said the prequel show filled a void left by “Game of Thrones.”
“Westors is filled with stories and legends yet to be told. After ‘Game of Thrones,’ I am just glad we have ‘House of the Dragon’ to fill that void. So far it did not disappoint, and I am looking forward to the seasons to come.”
Having read the book “House of the Dragon” is based on, reviewer Takash said she was excited to experience a series of “Red Weddings” in the coming episodes, referring to one of the most brutal and shocking episodes in “Game of Thrones” history.
Episode two of ‘House of the Dragon’ drew in 10.2 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max. (Supplied)
“It’s going to be very, very brutal, and very personal, more personal than it ever got on ‘Game of Thrones’ because it’s family members that are turning against each other. And it’s basically the beginning of the collapse of one of the strongest families in the mythology of ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.’”
Episode two of “House of the Dragon,” drew in 10.2 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max, which is available in 61 countries, according to Warner Bros. Discovery. This marks a 2 percent increase from the premiere episode, which was viewed by nearly 10 million people on those platforms, not including viewers who watched both episodes on international platforms licensed to air the show – such as OSN+ in the Middle East.
LOS ANGELES: Moroccan American Marwa Lahlou fulfilled a childhood dream when she was crowned winner at the Miss Arab USA 2022 pageant in Arizona, telling Arab News she overcame “severe bullying” to get to where she is today.
Now, the beauty queen is on a mission to champion her roots while celebrating her life as an American, a responsibility she says she does not take lightly.
“As an Arab American, I’ve done my best to represent both of my roots in the best way possible before the title. And now with the title, it’s a true honor and a big responsibility, and I’m willing to take it and I’m so happy to have it,” she said.
She was chosen out of 20 outstanding Arab American women for the prestigious title.
But when she first joined the contest, her victory dream seemed very much out of reach.
“Even from my relatives or close friends, they were like, ‘oh, I don’t think you can make it. You are short. You’re this. You’re that. It looks like a very tough competition.’ Which it was, definitely. All the contestants that were with me were amazing and great and smart and beautiful,” Lahlou said.
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However, it was not the first time Lahlou had overcome obstacles. Moving to the US from Morocco when she was 12, she struggled as one of the few Arabs in her school.
“I experienced severe bullying, unfortunately, my first year there, but I was happy, and I was proud and lucky to have supportive parents and family. I decided to not let that experience break me and instead shape me into the person I am today,” she added.
Lahlou gained a master’s degree in international business management and marketing from the University of New Haven, in Connecticut. She is also fluent in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish.
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The soon-to-be beauty queen began teaching English and American culture to Arabs moving to the US. Her community service mindset was shared by the Miss Arab pageant.
She said: “Their mission exactly matches my mission, helping those in need, helping refugees, helping children, the homeless, young women, being the spokespersons for people who need help. And they focus more on internal and inside beauty and intellect.
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“As an Arab American, I’ve done my best to represent both of my roots in the best way possible before the title. And now with the title, it’s a true honor and a big responsibility, and I’m willing to take it and I’m so happy to have it,” she added.
The annual pageant event returned this July after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. American Palestinian Joanna Rashid was the first runner-up, with American Lebanese Maria Bassil coming in as the second runner-up.
DUBAI: There has never been a television series more ambitious than “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The first season, which premiered on Amazon Prime on Sept. 2, cost a staggering $465 million to make — roughly 10 times the price of the first season of “Game of Thrones” 11 years ago — with a planned $1 billion for the intended five-season series on a whole. If any franchise can justify that kind of investment, though, it’s the world of Middle Earth.
“It just goes to show how universal J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories still are,” Markella Kavenagh, the series’ 21-year-old star (born the same year as Peter Jackson’s first ‘Lord of the Rings’ film was released), who plays the halfling Nori Brandyfoot, tells Arab News. “These stories highlight the importance of community, finding strength in vulnerability. Across generations, people see themselves in these stories.”
In the world of high fantasy, no story has ever come close to the global impact of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” (We’re classifying “Harry Potter” as low fantasy.) While wizards, dwarves and elves existed in tales long before the English author began crafting his own Elvish language and expanding it out into a sprawling story back in 1914, it was the publication of his masterful trilogy in 1954 that cemented them in the cultural imagination and changed the genre forever — an influence that grew even greater after its adaptation into three Academy Award-winning films in the early 2000s.
“The Lord of the Rings,” as it turns out, was actually the very end of the immense tale that Tolkien crafted, pieces of which have been published since his death in 1973. The true scope of his classic story of good versus evil spans thousands of years of invented mythology, and no attempt had been made to dramatize the tales of the time in which the ‘rings of power’ were crafted, the dark lord Sauron rose, and humans and elves united to defeat him — at least until Amazon turned to writers and superfans John D. Payne and Patrick McKay to do what many thought was impossible.
“In crafting this world, Tolkien always felt like he was discovering something that already existed. For us, it was more about parsing the clues he left behind, like dinosaur bones in the soil. It was a joyful process of collaboration with Professor Tolkien,” says Payne.
Payne and McKay worked closely with the Tolkien estate and a number of Tolkien experts to put together all the pieces so that their narrative was true to what the author had intended, and to figure out what had to be changed in order to ensure the multi-generational story made sense as a TV show.
“The biggest liberty that we took is compressing the timeline. If you tell Tolkien’s story documentary style, then human characters would be dying off every few episodes. With the estate’s blessing, we had to change that for the sake of a serialized story,” says Payne.
It wasn’t just a matter of mapping out Tolkien’s lore, but mining that material for stories and characters that could, as McKay puts it, “motor a 50-hour mega-epic,” and find actors that could do this world the same justice as the film trilogy’s celebrated cast once did.
“We have 22 series regulars in the show. For each of them, we knew we had to find a unicorn. One, they had to be a fantastic performer and a master of their craft, and two they had to have ‘Middle Earth’ in them. We saw hundreds of tapes, winnowed that down to a couple, then finally, the ones who came to the fore had something really special in them,” says Payne.
For the performers themselves, that process put them on a particularly long and arduous journey to the project. Ismael Cruz-Córdova, who plays Arondir, became the first person of color to play an elf in the franchise after a seven-month battle, guided by the singular belief that he could do justice to the role better than anyone.
Cruz-Córdova first auditioned in New York, then twice more in Los Angeles. Weeks later, he got the news he’d been dreading.
“I was filming in South Africa in the desert when I got my first rejection. I was ferocious about it. I said, ‘No, I’m going to keep fighting for this thing.’ Somehow, my agents were able to (get) me back in the process. I made a tape in my tent in the desert, traveled to the next town to find Wi-Fi, sent it off, and got another response saying no,” says Cruz-Córdova.
“I told my agents I was going to show up at the creators’ house and convince them, and they told me, ‘We’d like for you not to go to jail,’” he continues.
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Cruz- Córdova gave up his fight briefly, before he received an unexpected invitation to New Zealand, where the series was filmed. There, he was given a screen test with five others, pretending that his life didn’t depend on this moment, and finally secured the role.
“By the end, I was so tired. And I’ve been tired ever since,” Cruz- Córdova jokes.
With a cast made up of relative unknowns, Payne and McKay left themselves room to play in their five-season plan for each character, allowing the actors themselves to help define who these people would become as the story went on.
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Megan Richards, who plays Poppy Proudfellow — another halfling and best friend of Kavenagh’s character, was one actor whose real-life skills became a part of the show’s narrative.
“We knew Megan was an incredibly talented actress, but we learned on set that she’s an amazing singer. We thought, ‘How do we take advantage of that?’ So now Poppy sings,” says McKay.
“It’s one of those great moments in the show that we never would have been able to envision until we actually started developing it with an artist that you’re handing the role to. That ultimately became true for every character across the board,” adds Payne.
Each performer had a different process in figuring out their character. “I really found Poppy through her movements,” says Richards. “Our movement director gave me the direction to walk like a five-year-old child. That was the basis for all her movement, and then I was able to build in personality traits and personal things from there, just by figuring out how she walked.”
Ultimately, although many outsiders may focus on the gargantuan budget for “The Rings of Power,” for those making it, it was a true labor of love, and one the team is excited to see the world respond to.
The Bahraini pop star dropped her new single on Platinum Records last week and the accompanying video has already racked up over 1.3 million views on YouTube. The lively, danceable track is the first that Al-Turk has released in the Egyptian dialect, and the video plays on that country’s cinematic heritage with a glamorous old-school vibe.
‘Al Sa’aa Al Oula’
Jeddah-based synthpop artist Statues of Sinking Men (real name Abdulmalik Zubailah) cites Depeche Mode and Arabic indie veterans Cairokee and Jadal among his influences. His latest single is, according to his label Wall of Sound, about the “inner struggle of an outcast, who seeks an impossible love, sinking in his despair not by choice, but because he is forced to.”
‘Where Do We Go From Here’
The Lebanese indie outfit led by Sandra Arslanian have just released this second single from their upcoming album. It’s a subtle, evocative piece of melodic indie-pop which, Arslanian told Arab News, is “about seeking guidance from a trusted person. The person might have a mental health condition, such as Alzheimer’s, but it is her guidance within, her guidance to our hearts, that is sought.”
The Lebanese singer and composer’s latest release on Universal Music is a collaboration with the popular Algerian producer ElJoee and introduces some North African raï melodies to Yussef’s repertoire in what the label describes as a “Maghreb electronic track.” ElJoee was surprised at how well the pair worked together: “I never thought a collaboration with a Middle Eastern voice would go this good,” the producer said in a press release.
DUBAI: Things could have turned out very differently for acclaimed Indian chef Himanshu Saini, who runs the kitchen at Trèsind Studio in Palm Jumeirah’s Nakheel Mall. Right now, he’s one of the hottest properties in Dubai’s dining scene: Saini basically has free rein to create his own tasting menus for the 18-seat Indian fine-dining restaurant (he changes the menu up every four months) and has established it as one of the must-visit venues in the city. Trèsind Studio was awarded a Michelin star in the prestigious dining guide’s first Dubai edition earlier this year.
But he very nearly didn’t come to the Middle East at all. In 2014, the Delhi native was working as an executive chef in Mumbai when he was offered what seemed like a dream job in New York.
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“I was looking forward to it. I’d had this offer from Dubai to open Trèsind, but New York is New York, so I’d decided I was going to go there,” Saini says. “But I was really struggling in America: I wasn’t happy with the team, I wasn’t happy with the concept of the restaurant, I wasn’t being given a free hand to work the way I wanted to work, so within a month I decided to come to Dubai and take the opportunity to launch Trèsind.”
He hasn’t really looked back since. Which is perhaps as well, because as Saini tells it, there has never been a Plan B for him.
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“Cooking was something I always loved. I grew up in a big family, living in my grandparents’ house with about 50 people — extended family. So even though it was a home kitchen, it was run like a professional kitchen where everybody has an assigned job. Growing up in those surroundings, and in Delhi — which is a big foodie hub with lots of unique street food — I was always surrounded by food.
“In India, being a chef — 10 or 20 years back — wasn’t really a career your parents wanted you to pursue,” he continues. “Everybody in India wanted their children to become a doctor or an engineer, or a lawyer. But I wasn’t good at anything else. This career wasn’t really a choice so much as a necessity.”
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Here, Saini discusses flavors, theater, and the importance of simplicity.
Q: What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
A: When I cook, I try to maintain a harmony of flavors. I don’t shy away from using salt in desserts or something sweet in savory preparations. These are all mental blocks that cooks can have. A recipe is useful as a reference, but it’s always best to use your own palate. I always say to younger chefs that you should cook something you’d eat yourself a hundred times. If it’s tasty to you, then it’ll eventually be appreciated by others.
Is there a single ingredient that can instantly improve most dishes?
The generic answer would be salt. Like I said, I don’t shy away from using it in my desserts. But cooking isn’t about just one ingredient. And, for me, the humble ingredients in the kitchen are more important than any luxury ones: I don’t use expensive meat, I don’t use foie gras, or caviar — I’ll only use it if I can make better use of it than just serving it on top of a dish. The tomato is more important in my kitchen than truffle. The umami in the tomatoes is probably as good as the umami in the truffles; you just have to know how to respect that.
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What’s your favorite cuisine?
I always look forward to Indian or Thai food the most. They’re two cuisines which are very flavorful and full of aroma.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
My menu will sometimes have three or four broth preparations. It’s something I always look forward to. I find peace when I’m cooking broths. It’s so harmonious: You can have so many flavors. It’s delicate and needs a deft hand, but at the same time it’s full of aroma and flavorful. It’s something that a lot of people get wrong, but a good hearty soup or a good bouillon is something that’s one of my strengths. I get all the flavors in the liquid, but it’s still delicate and flavorful. I find peace in simple things: A few spoonfuls of broth can make my eyes light up.
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When you go out, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
It depends. Sometimes I go out to eat because I want to see what other restaurants are doing. In that case, I try to pick restaurants that I look up to and my professional side kicks in. But it totally depends on my intentions. If the intention is just to relax with friends, then I don’t judge — I’m not thinking about how the sauce is seasoned, or how the pasta is cooked. My brain won’t work in the same way as it does if I’m going out to, say, Ossiano, when I want to know what thought process has gone into the dish, why certain combinations have been used, where the ingredients have been sourced from.
So you’re able to turn your chef’s brain off sometimes?
Yeah. When I’m having a good time with my friends, I keep my mouth shut.
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What request or behavior from customers most frustrates you?
Since we’re a tasting-menu restaurant, the experience can take up to two hours. We do it that way because, for every preparation, the temperature is important, the way it’s being eaten is important… So I do get frustrated when people say, ‘Can you bring everything together?’ If it’s all served together, it’s not the experience we want to give. We want to be sure we’re serving the dishes at the right temperature, with the right texture. These small details make a big difference on your palate. A dish that has been kept on the table for more than two or three minutes, for me, is not as it should be.
At home, if you need to cook something quickly, what’s your go-to dish?
I’d probably make a spaghetti al olio. It’s my kind of dish: Super-easy, super-quick. My house is pure vegetarian — no meat, no eggs. My wife is pure vegetarian, so I don’t cook eggs at home, otherwise I would’ve said an omelet.
As a head chef, are you a disciplinarian?
No. I’m the opposite. In Trèsind Studio we have a maximum of 18 guests at one time, and we turn around two seatings every evening. All the guests face the open kitchen. For me it’s like a theater. I really enjoy working like that, I can see every guest and whether they’re liking it or not. In the kitchen, everybody’s doing their job and enjoying it. It’s very peaceful. It’s not a busy kitchen with loud noise. For me, it’s like meditation. You get that kind of vibe; everybody’s calm. Everybody knows what’s expected from them and I trust my team and I’m super-proud of them.
DUBAI: Is it really a red carpet without Arab designs? Certainly not.
The 79th edition of the Venice International Film Festival kicked off this week, and stars including Isabeli Fontana opted for head-turning gowns from regional couturiers.
Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana wore an off-white form-fitting dress with a long cape by Doha-based label Layla Atelier to the screening of Adam Driver’s “White Noise” at the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
The catwalk star added a glitzy bird-shaped brooch on her chest.
The Middle Eastern fashion house shared Fontana’s pictures on the page’s Instagram Stories and wrote: “We made it to the red carpet.”
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Fontana also wore a gown by Lebanese designer Rami Kadi. She opted for a multi-colored mini dress from the couturier’s Lucid Algorithms spring-summer 2022 collection. It is fully embroidered with ethically-sourced feathers and sequins that form a leopard design, featuring a jeweled bust with crystals.
US actress Julianne Moore, who is also the jury president, opted for sleek shoes by Romanian Jordanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi.
She paired the Robyn sandals with a silk dress that featured a heart-shaped bustier top and a black and yellow polka dot skirt from Maison Alaïa, which was founded by late French-Tunisian couturier Azzedine Alaia.