Fireman Only Drinks Game of Thrones Beer During the Show's Season

Brewery Ommegang, a brewery based in Cooperstown, New York, has partnered with HBO to launch  a line of "Game of Thrones" inspired beers. The line features brews that pay tribute to the show, including Iron Throne, Valar Morghulis, Take the Black Stout, Three-Eyed Raven, Fire and Blood and Seven Kingdoms.

Steve Stewart, Orange County fireman and avid "Game of Thrones" fan, drinks only Ommegang's assortment of "Game of Thrones" beer during the spring when the show airs.

Q: How many of the beers have you tried so far?

A: So far I have tried Valar Morghulis, Fire and Blood and the newest one, Seven Kingdoms. It sells out pretty quickly online so I normally just get as much as I think I'll need for the season all at one time.

Q: Which beer has been your favorite of the three?

A: Valar Morghulis for sure. I love that it's sweeter, but not too rich. I really look forward to drinking it every Sunday during the show. I also go on a little "drink fast" every Sunday where I don't drink anything all day, not even coffee, until I drink the beer during the show. Sometimes I have to cheat and drink water, obviously, but I try to stay very committed to this drink fast every week. It hypes up the whole experience that much more.

Q: If you stopped watching "Game of Thrones," would you continue to order the beer?

A: No, I wouldn't. I mean, it's good beer and all, but it gets expensive. It's really just all about the experience and the ritual of it. It mostly just gets me even more excited about the show. Like for example, each Fire and Blood bottle has a picture of one of Daenerys' dragons on it, so there's three different designs for that one beer. So it's just cool to watch every week with a different dragon in my hand each time, you know?

Q: Do you and your friends all get together to watch the show and drink the beer each week?

A: We definitely get together, sometimes we'll watch it at one of our houses but other times we'll end up just watching it at the station. It's a nice bonding experience, and almost all of us watch the show now. But I rarely share my beer. Maybe that's selfish but it's expensive, and I can only order enough for myself. Sometimes the other guys order it for themselves too, but it's mostly just my own thing that I do.

Q: Which "Game of Thrones" beer are you drinking this season?

A: The new Seven Kingdoms one. I heard that Ommegang was coming out with a new beer for season six, and although I love my Valar Morghulis, I decided to give this new one a try. It's pretty good, but I definitely prefer the other.

Photo: http://winteriscoming.net/2015/09/16/our-review-of-the-two-rereleased-game-of-thrones-beers/

HBO Cracking Down On YouTube Spoiler Videos

HBO has been working hard to keep "Game of Thrones" episodes and spoilers under wraps this season and so far, nothing has really leaked. However, now HBO is going after YouTube members who are posting videos about predictions they have about the show prior to the next episode's premiere.

Spanish YouTuber Frikidoctor posts many videos regarding "Game of Thrones." He uses a combination of insider information from a friend close to the "Game of Thrones" set as well as his own theories to make videos of himself talking about what he predicts will happen in the series' next episode before it premieres. These videos do not violate or infringe upon any copyright laws because he is simply talking in Spanish into a camera about what he thinks will happen next in the show.

However, on Friday, May 6, Frikidoctor uploaded a video that contained his predictions for the third episode of season six that was set to premiere May 8. The video did not contain any "Game of Thrones" audio, video or material of any kind besides Frikidoctor speaking and his own introduction sequence. Just two hours later, HBO used YouTube's copyright system to claim copyright infringement and had the video removed.

Frikidoctor uploaded another video to YouTube on May 7 to let his fans know what had happened to his previous video.

 

HBO then reinstated the video on Monday, May 9, after the episode had premiered.

Essentially, HBO abused copyright law in order to remove content that was inconvenient for them in order to prevent any sort of spoilers before the episode premiered. This creates a clear issue because this means that HBO can exploit the copyright system for its own gain simply to hinder any type of discussion about the show that might contain accurate guesses or theories about the plot. Where do they draw the line then?

“So, they think that me dressed as a Mexican wrestler talking about predictions for episode three of 'Game of Thrones' is their property," Frikidoctor said in his video. "That it’s copyrighted material that belongs to them."

Frikidoctor states in his video that he hired a lawyer because he doesn't think "freedom of speech has been respected" in his case, but he is unsure if it is worth it to go to court over this incident.

For the time being, Frikidoctor states that he will not be posting anymore prediction videos until things settle down.

HBO has yet to comment.

Season 6 Episode 3: A Missing Character Returns

Rickon Stark has returned on tonight's episode of "Game of Thrones," but he's now in the hands of the show's biggest current villain: Ramsay Bolton.

Rickon has been away from the show even longer than Bran Stark (we haven't seen him since season three). In fact, last time we saw Rickon, he looked like this:

Fans have expressed mixed emotions on Twitter about the youngest Stark's return, some of which include:

Finally, #RickonStark is back to the game. #GameofThrones #GoT6

— Wawa Vesper (@wanidapetch) May 9, 2016

I am stressing over Rickon. I'm scared and nervous for him. #GameofThrones #rickonstark

— melly (@Melliss725) May 9, 2016

My God has every Stark son gone through puberty since last season? #RickonStark #GameofThrones #GameOfThronesSeason6

— ReallyRick (@ReallyRicks) May 9, 2016

Fans are also upset about the death of Rickon's dire wolf, Shaggydog. Now that Rickon's wolf is deceased, there are only three wolves still alive: Nymeria (who is missing), Summer and Ghost. Are the wolves lives clues to which Stark siblings will live and which ones will die? Will only Arya, Bran and Jon make it to the end?

It will be interesting to catch up on Rickon's story and to see what he and former House Stark servant Osha have been up to for the last two seasons. But now that he has returned, let's look back on what was going on when we last saw him.

In season three, when Bran, Rickon, Osha, Hodor, Meera and Jojen took shelter from a storm, Bran realized that his journey would take him north of the wall. Knowing that this would be unsafe for Rickon, he asked Osha to take his younger brother to House Umber. This House had pledged loyalty to the Stark family previously and Greatjon Umber was an ally to Robb Stark.

However, in tonight's episode, Smalljon Umber arrives at Winterfell and tells Ramsay that his father Greatjon had died and that he is now the head of his family's affairs. He states that because Jon Snow allowed the Wildlings to come south of the wall and live so near to his home, he is no longer loyal to the Stark family. He then presents Rickon and Osha to Ramsay as well as the head of Shaggydog to show Ramsay that he can be trusted.

But, can Smalljon really be trusted? The Umbers were loyal to the Starks for years...and with Ramsay gaining so much power in the North, House Umber could be looking for a way to get rid of him. Could this all be a plan to gain Ramsay's trust in order to ultimately defeat him? Are the Umbers attempting to steal Winterfell for themselves, or to give it back to the Starks?

Or maybe, things are actually as grim as they seem and Rickon's return will be short-lived. Who knows what Ramsay will do to him, considering that he didn't even blink an eye when he murdered his newborn baby brother during last week's episode. Also, he is definitely still bitter about Sansa escaping him...what better way to get revenge than to torture or murder her youngest brother?

Older Rickon photo: http://www.businessinsider.my/game-of-thrones-recap-season-6-episode-3-2016-5/4/#eZdYDqbiCP9oery2.97

Younger Rickon photo: http://www.idigitaltimes.com/does-game-thrones-season-6-episode-3-preview-promise-return-rickon-531356

Reckon refresher information: http://www.ibtimes.com/game-thrones-season-6-spoilers-where-has-rickon-been-theories-youngest-starks-future-2366333

Season 6 Episode 2: Jon's Fate Revealed

Finally, after a year of agony, we know Jon Snow's fate. In tonight's episode of "Game of Thrones," Ser Davos was able to convince Melisandre to try bringing Jon back to life. After a little sponge bath, some grooming and some chanting, Melisandre's magic ends up doing the trick. Even though at first it seemed as though the spell did not work, the episode ended with Jon opening his eyes and breathing once more. What a relief to finally know that Jon is alive again, at least for now.

"We ask the Lord to shine his light, and lead a soul out of darkness. We beg the Lord to share his fire, and light a candle that has gone out. From darkness, light. From ashes, fire. From death, life."

However, there could potentially be some backlash here. In season one, when Daenerys asks a witch to save Khal Drogo's life, her unborn son, Rhaego, ends up dying in Drogo's place. After he is saved, Drogo is in a permanently vegetative state and Daenerys decides to end his life anyway.

Also, in season three, Arya and the Hound meet Thoros and Beric. The Hound kills Beric and then Thoros brings him back to life by pleading to the Lord of Light in common tongue. Once alive again, Beric tells Arya, "Every time I come back, I'm a bit less."

We don't know how this resurrection will effect Jon, but he may come back "a bit less." Next week, will Jon be talking and acting normally, or will he be a changed man? And will that change be for the better or for the worse?

Also, how will he react when he remembers Olly's betrayal? 

In this game, when characters play with magic in order to manipulate life and death, there are consequences. I fear that there may be consequences to come for Jon Snow and those around him.

Photo: http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/what-jon-snows-return-means-for-game-of-thrones-20160502