The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:28 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian will not be returning to The X Factor after just one season as co-host of the TV talent show.

Fox television on Monday announced that presenter and actor Mario Lopez would return for a second season but the statement made no mention of Kardashian.

An X Factor spokesman said Kardashian, 28, who with her California socialite sisters Kim and Kourtney rose to fame in Keeping Up With The Kardashians, would not be returning when the U.S. version of the singing competition returns in September.

"We really enjoyed working with her and wish her all the best in the future," the spokesman said.

Kardashian, one of the most popular faces on U.S. television, was brought in by X Factor creator Simon Cowell last year as part of a revamp that included the hiring of singers Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as judges after a disappointing first season in 2011.

A source close to the show said Kardashian, who had no previous experience as a TV host, was not asked to renew her contract.

Spears quit after one season and her replacement has yet to be named but Lovato will be back in September.

Kardashian married basketball player Lamar Odom in 2009, and the pair got their own spinoff show. She has more than 8 million followers on Twitter and has been in the news for several months over the couple's efforts to have a baby.

Lopez, a former actor, is the co-host of entertainment magazine show Extra and radio show On With Mario Lopez. He is also an author of several fitness books.

"I'm thrilled Mario is back for Season Three of The X Factor," Cowell said in a statement. "Hosting a live show and keeping the judges - especially Demi - in line, is not an easy job, but Mario is a pro and we are glad he's coming back."

Game Of Thrones returns to the small screen

Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:11 PM PDT

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series by George R.R. Martin, Game Of Thrones is an epic story of treachery and nobility set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years, and only the lust for power is eternal.

Just renewed for a fourth season, this Emmy and Golden Globe-winning HBO Original Series returned to Asia for its 10-episode third season on Saturday, 20 April at 9pm, exclusively on HBO (Astro Ch 411) and HBO HD (Astro Ch 431) with brand new episodes airing weekly at the same time.

At the end of season two, after the Battle of the Blackwater, the victors consolidate their power and rebuild King's Landing. But new challengers for the Iron Throne rise from the most unexpected places. Characters old and new must navigate the demands of family, honor, ambition, love and – above all – survival, as the Westeros civil war rages into autumn.

At the start of season three, the Lannisters hold absolute dominion over King's Landing after repelling Stannis Baratheon's forces. Yet Robb Stark, King in the North, still controls much of the South as well, and has yet to lose a battle. In the Far North, Mance Rayder has united the wildlings into the largest army Westeros has ever seen.

Only the Night's Watch stands between him and the Seven Kingdoms, but nobody knows what happened to its Lord Commander and the force he led beyond the Wall. And across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen – reunited with her three growing dragons – ventures into Slaver's Bay in search of ships to take her home and allies to conquer it.

Returning series regulars this season include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) and Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth).

Recently we had a chat with Gwendoline Christie about her character and some of the the challenges she faces shooting this award-winning TV series

In the show you wear heavy armour. It must be physically demanding. How does it feel wearing that and getting through a scene, or have you just gotten used to it?

I don't think I'll ever quite get used to it. By the end of the filming period, you tend to have a bit more resistance, but I do quite a lot of physical training in order to not only portray the character with as much reality as possible, but also there's a kind of resistance that you need to the elements around you when you're filming.

The armour is really heavy. They've done what they can to make it as comfortable as possible but you have to have a lot of internal strength. Traditionally the men wearing armour were incredibly fit and strong. And it just encourages you to really find the reality of what Brienne of Tarth is having to go through in order to pursue her sense of honour.

Brienne is a character of few words, but of great authority.

She speaks with her actions. Brienne of Tarth is exclusively married to her moral code and her sense of honour. And I think that maybe that is something which isn't so prevalent today, but it's actually very exciting to get back in contact with as an actor and a person because it's something so alien from our everyday existence.

The story we hear is that there was a website that was pushing for you to be Brienne even before you considered the part. Is that true?

It's actually true. A friend of mine told me there was something on the Net about me being involved in a HBO show. I saw there were all these forums with thousands of fans and I realised how much they loved Brienne. It was all very exciting, but I also realised that more than ever I had a duty to portray her well because a lot of people were very passionate about her.

Did you know anything about this character?

As soon as I saw the part I started reading the books and I couldn't believe that it was a part that I had always wanted to play. I saw a lot in her character that scared me and it intrigued me more to want to play her.

If it were up to you, who would win the Game of Thrones?

I'd like the Daenerys to win the Iron Throne and then the whole Westeros would return to a kind of Eden-like environment. But that probably won't be the most interesting end.

Game Of Thrones shows every Saturday at 9pm on HBO (Astro Ch 411) and HBO HD (Astro Ch 431)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Isnin, 22 April 2013