Woodstock 50 not canceled, organizer insists: 'It's going to be a blast' - syracuse.com

Is Woodstock 50 canceled? The 2019 festival’s principal investor said the three-day event in Watkins Glen, N.Y., has been called off and the county is set to “move on,” but Woodstock co-founder and 50th anniversary organizer Michael Lang insists the show will go on.

“We are committed to ensuring that the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture," Lang said in a statement via Woodstock Ventures. "Although our financial partner is withdrawing, we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners. We would like to acknowledge the State of New York and Schuyler County for all of their hard work and support.

"The bottom line is, there is going to be a Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, as there must be, and it’s going to be a blast.”

Woodstock 50 was scheduled for Aug. 16-18 at Watkins Glen International raceway with a lineup that included Jay-Z, Santana, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Chance the Rapper, John Fogerty, Janelle Monae, Dead & Company, Imagine Dragons, and Halsey. Financial backing company Dentsu Aegis Network announced Monday that the three-day 50th anniversary event had been canceled.

“...Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don’t believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees,” Dentsu reps said in a statement.

But Lang told The New York Times on Monday afternoon that "They (Dentsu) do not have the right to unilaterally cancel the festival.” Lang said all the acts have already been paid in full and plans to continue with another investor.

Billboard reports more than $30 million has already been spent on the festival lineup. Last week, a representative reportedly reached out to Live Nation and AEG for a $20 million investment to save the event, but both concert booking agencies declined. It’s unclear what other investors Lang might seek.

Getty Images

Woodstock Music Festival co-producer Micael Lang attends a celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock at the at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC on August 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

While the future of Woodstock’s 50th anniversary festival is uncertain, no refunds are required as tickets still hadn’t gone on sale (though some hotels and B&Bs in the area had already been booked). Cancellation rumors first emerged earlier this month when the ticket on-sale date was pushed back due to a late submission for a mass gathering permit.

Further concerns were raised when Lang said tickets would be $450 for three-day passes and reduced the expected attendance from 100,000 to 75,000. One headliner, The Black Keys, even dropped out due to an unspecified “scheduling conflict."

Still, the New York State Department of Health said it was “surprised” by the cancellation announcement, just 109 days before Woodstock 50 was scheduled to take place. A rep for the DOH told syracuse.com Monday that the cancellation was not related to the state permit application pending for the event.

Schuyler County Administrator Tim O’Hearn confirmed Monday that Woodstock 50 had been cancelled. Watkins Glen is located in Schuyler County, about 80 miles southwest of Syracuse and 150 miles northwest of the original Woodstock site in Bethel, N.Y.

“We have been in contact with the Chamber of Commerce, who has been trying to salvage something from the fallout of this decision,” O’Hearn said Monday, according to Spectrum News. “This was an opportunity for us to showcase our great natural environment... We will lick our wounds and move on.”

But if you’re not ready to move on, you can hold out hope for Lang to pull a rabbit out of his hat. The original Woodstock Music and Art Fair lost its venue in Wallkill, N.Y., in July 1969, but Lang reached an agreement days later at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, near White Lake.

More than 400,000 people attended the first Woodstock festival, held Aug. 15-18, 1969, at Yasgur’s farm in the Catskill Mountains. Performers included Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, Arlo Guthrie, Santana, Joe Cocker, the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The iconic concert was revisited in 1994 with a modern lineup of artists like Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, Metallica, Cypress Hill and Red Hot Chili Peppers in Saugerties, but Woodstock ’99 -- held at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y. -- was marred by riots, fires and allegations of sexual assault. Lang helped organize both anniversary events.

In the meantime, the original Woodstock site is still scheduled to celebrate its 50th anniversary in Bethel, N.Y. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts scrapped plans for a weekend-long festival, but will have four days of events: A free concert by Arlo Guthrie and a screening of the “Woodstock” documentary on the field Thursday, Aug. 15; Ringo Starr, Guthrie, and The Edgar Winter Band on the pavilion stage Friday, Aug. 16; Santana with the Doobie Brothers on Saturday, Aug. 17; and John Fogerty on Sunday, Aug. 18. Guthrie, Winter, Santana and Fogerty all performed at the original Woodstock festival.

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https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2019/04/woodstock-50-not-canceled-organizer-insists-its-going-to-be-a-blast.html

2019-04-30 11:13:00Z
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'Game of Thrones': The meaning behind Arya's Valyrian dagger, explained - Mashable

Bran was all like "just in case in comes in handy!"

Image: hbo

By Jess Joho2019-04-30 10:38:11 UTC

As unexpected as the big twist that ended Game of Thrones' "Long Night" was, the set up for Arya's Great War-ending dagger move traces all the way back to Season 1.

Digging into the Valyrian dagger's history on the show only adds layer upon layer of thematic meaning to Arya's clutch moment of  glory. And it also might even foreshadow Arya's next target: Cersei Lannister.

Image: hbo

In the Inside the Episode, David Benioff said they've known for about three years that Arya would be the one to deliver the final blow to the Night King. And its clear now they planted a lot of seeds during that time.

The Catspaw Dagger (as fans came to call it) was first introduced in Episode 2, Season 1 during the assassination attempt on a comatose Bran after his near-fatal fall from the tower. Luckily, both Summer and Catelyn were still around back then to save the future Three-Eyed Raven from getting Night Kinged. But it's one of Game of Thrones classic, full circle callbacks to have the weapon that almost killed Bran return several seasons later only to save him — and the entire world.

It's the perfect way to honor Catelyn, too, who would be so proud to know her daughter took up the the mantle of protecting the Stark kids from all threats, no matter the cost.

Later in Season 1, the dagger went on to become the key piece of evidence Catelyn used to accuse and arrest Tyrion for the attempt on Bran's life. That's because Littlefinger told her that the rare dagger was his once, before he lost it in a bet to the imp. We don't know if Littlefinger was lying there, since at the time he'd been scheming to stir up trouble war between the Lannisters and Starks. But we do know that Tyrion was not behind it (the assassination attempt was actually probably Joffrey's doing.)

Catelyn lives on in Arya now

Image: hbo

What matter most, though, is that the dagger that launched the first major war on the show — the Starks versus Lannister conflict that lead to the War of the Five Kings — was then eventually used to end the Great War.

But it goes even deeper than that. When next we saw the dagger, Littlefinger was giving it back to Bran in Season 7 while trying to ingratiate himself to the Stark kids who were suspicious of him. 

The dagger that launched the first major war on the show... was then eventually used to end the Great War.

"In a way that dagger made you what you are today," Littlefinger told Bran. "Forced from your home. Driven out to the wilds Beyond the Wall... To go through all that and return home only to find such chaos in the world, I can only imagine—"

"Chaos is a ladder," Bran said, cutting him off with a callback to the reasoning Littlefinger gave Sansa for his plots to destabilize Westerosi politics. Indeed, it seems as though Bran used the chaos of the Battle at Winterfell (like Theon charging the Night King) as a distraction to give Arya the ladder she needed to pull off her wild sneak attack.

Weirdly, Littlefinger turned out to be right, though: This dagger did cause a domino effect that lead Bran to become the Three-Eyed Raven, just like his fall from the tower. And that's also true for Arya. The dagger played a large role in making the War of the Five Kings happen, which lead to the Red Wedding. And the Red Wedding is what motivated Arya to go down the path to becoming an unstoppable assassin who could kill the Night King.

Brienne helped prepare Arya for the most important moment of her life

Image: hbo

Later in Season 7, Bran pointedly gives the dagger to Arya with a suspicious lack of explanation. Now we know it's because he saw what she'd do with it. And we also know why the show took the time to have Arya duel Brienne, when she wins by pulling out the dagger with her left hand in exactly the same way she did with the Night King in Season 8. 

That's even more impressive when you consider that, despite being right-handed in real life, Maisie Williams made a point to depict Arya as left-handed. And looking back, we can assume that she probably committed to this small detail so that there was precedent for the left-handed trick shot that saves the world.

But the foreshadowing to Arya's sneak attack carried over into Season 8, too. And not just because of the prophecy Melisandre reminds Arya of earlier in Episode 3. 

When Jon and Arya reunited in the Godswood in Episode 1, he's surprised by her sudden appearance. "How'd you sneak up on me?" he asks her. Well, she'll sneak up on a different King of Winter in the exact same spot two episodes later.

Arya's masterclass sneaking saved the entire world

Image: hbo

This all goes to show that on Game of Thrones, hindsight is always 20/20. Someone could have pieced all the hints together to predict this unpredictable twist, but the the foreshadowing only really becomes clear after the fact. And the exchange between Bran and Arya when he gives her the dagger in Season 7 might've foreshadowed yet another twist that flew over our heads at the time.

"I saw you at the crossroads... I thought you'd go to King's Landing," Bran tells Ayra after their reunion.

"So did I," she says. And when Sansa asks why Arya would go there, Bran explains, "Cersei's on her list of names."

At this point, we should take all of Bran's inexplicable actions, reactions, and creepy stares as hints at what's to come. So now we can't help but read this exchange as foreshadowing that Arya will go to King's Landing in the three remaining episodes to finally strike Cersei off her list. 

Because at the time, Bran said that his visions were all a jumbled, fragmented mess. He seems to have gotten a better grasp on them in Season 8. But back then it's entirely possible he confused a vision of Arya killing Cersei in King's Landing in Season 8 with her Season 7 choice to go to Winterfell instead of King's Landing first.

Arya and her daggar can wipe that smirk right off Cersei's face

Image: hbo

What's true is that — like the poetic justice of Littlefinger getting executed by Arya with the very weapon he tried to use to manipulate Bran — the Catspaw Dagger has become a symbol of Arya as the avenging angel of death for House Starks. Since its reintroduction in Season 7, she's now slain two of her family's most major enemies with it. 

And as we saw in the previews for the upcoming Episode 4, the show is not only going back to King's Landing but also seemingly returning to the Stark versus Lannister feud that started everything. It's also notable that in Melisandre's prophecy, she says that Arya will shut many eyes forever, "brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes." Walder Frey had brown eyes. The Night King had blue. And Cersei has green eyes.

Arya killing Cersei with the dagger might ruin the popular theory of Jaime as the valonqar. But don't forget that Arya can wear anyone's face, including Cersei's "little brother" Tyrion or Jaime.

Ultimately, though, Arya doesn't need to kill Cersei in order to complete the character arc that her list of names represents. Because to cope with the deaths in her family, Arya clung onto that list like her life depended on it. But after staring into the many faces of death with the Faceless Men and coming back home, she has chosen life, love, and family instead of revenge again and again.

The last enemy was death. And Arya conquered death without even needing her list.

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https://mashable.com/article/game-of-thrones-arya-valyrian-dagger-night-king-explained/

2019-04-30 10:38:00Z
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Maisie Williams responds to THAT huge 'Game of Thrones' moment with the perfect Instagram video - Mashable

Go, Arya, GO!

Image: hbo

By Sam Haysom2019-04-30 09:19:20 UTC

Warning: Contains ice-shattering spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, episode 3.

All men must die.

We know this. But we also know that it's possible — if you're well equipped with some ninja fighting skills and a pointy dagger — to delay the inevitable for a little bit.

Following Arya Stark's triumphant, world-saving act of heroism in episode three, Maisie Williams shared her reaction on Instagram.

It came in the form of a video of her co-star and BFF Sophie Turner singing "Crank That" by Soulja Boy, coupled with a photo of the Night King himself (swipe right).

"How am feeling after that episode," wrote Williams. "Not today bby."

Legend.

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https://mashable.com/article/maisie-williams-season-8-episode-3-instagram-reaction/

2019-04-30 09:19:00Z
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'Game of Thrones' Cinematographer Defends Battle of Winterfell's Darkness - TMZ

'GoT' Cinematographer Defends Ep. 3's Darkness ... I Promise We Shot 'The Long Night' Right!!!

4/30/2019 1:00 AM PDT

EXCLUSIVE

"Game of Thrones" Battle of Winterfell left fans cheering and complaining -- the latter due to it being too damn dark -- but the cinematographer wants to make it clear ... the gripes aren't his fault.

Fabian Wagner -- who was also the cinematographer on lauded 'Thrones' episodes like "Hardhome" and "Battle of the Bastards" -- tells TMZ, he's aware folks are upset that "The Long Night" looked TOO nightly, and he has an explanation.

First, Fabian believes the pixelation and muddy dark colors fans saw on their TVs and mobile devices are due to HBO's compression of the episode ... which leads to poorer visual quality. This is made worse if it's being viewed on a streaming service with a weak connection ... or in a room that's too bright.

As Wagner puts it ... "[GoT] has always been very dark and a very cinematic show" and should be watched in a dark environment. Ideally, this means viewing it like you would a movie -- in a dark theater.

Since that's not realistic for 'Thrones,' Fabian suggests making your viewing room at home as dark as possible, avoid watching on your phone or in places that are lit up ... and adjust your TV settings.

The cinematographer also points out ... the showrunners and director wanted the episode to be dark. Wagner says the battle scenes were intended to be intense, claustrophobic and disorienting -- like they would be in real life -- but not confusing.

Fabian says, "We tried to give the viewers and fans a cool episode to watch," and he believes they did, adding ... "I know it wasn't too dark because I shot it."

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https://www.tmz.com/2019/04/30/game-of-thrones-cinematographer-fabian-wagner-battle-of-winterfell-too-dark-explanation/

2019-04-30 08:00:00Z
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What The Creator Of Thanos Thought About Avengers Endgame And The Ending - GameSpot

Avengers: Endgame is finally in theatres, and it brings about an end to storylines and narrative arcs that started a decade ago.

One major storyline has been the Infinity Gauntlet narrative that's been the driving force of the interconnected stories thus far with the evil Thanos . Jim Starlin, who created Thanos (and Gamora and Drax) and also wrote the Infinity Gauntlet comic, has now shared his thoughts on Avengers: Endgame and Thanos's fate.

SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS ENDGAME FOLLOW BELOW

Speaking to IGN, Starlin said he was "amazed" and "flabbergasted" by the events of Endgame. "The up and downs that you have on it. There's some really heartbreaking moments mixed in with a lot of really funny little instances here and there," he explained.

Thanos is killed twice in Endgame; once by Thor, who lops his head off, and a second time--for good--when Tony Stark wields the Gauntlet and snaps Thanos out of existence. Starlin remarked that he was particularly impressed by the way actor Josh Brolin performed Thanos's final moments, when he accepted his fate and sat silently, awaiting his doom.

"His final moments in the movie I think are just priceless," Starlin said. "His demeanor once he realizes what's happening, I think that's just one of those little moments in film that everyone is gonna remember. It's like acceptance and taking it like a man, you know? I thought that was perfectly played."

Also in the interview, Starlin said the character Gamora in the Marvel movies is above all the closest representation of what he created in the comics.

You can watch the full interview here at IGN.

Read next: Chris Pratt Shares "Illegal" Avengers Endgame Video From Film Set

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https://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-the-creator-of-thanos-thought-about-avengers-/1100-6466550/

2019-04-30 05:37:00Z
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Despite Schuyler County announcement, Woodstock 50 organizers say show will go on - WBNG-TV

WATKINS GLEN (WBNG) — On Monday Schuyler County Administrator Tim O’Hearn said he was told the 50th anniversary concert of Woodstock, set to take place in August at Watkins Glen International, is canceled. However organizers of the three day festival say not so fast.

In a statement to 12 News Woodstock 50 organizers said:

“We are committed to ensuring that the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock is marked with a festival deserving of its iconic name and place in American history and culture.   Although our financial partner is withdrawing,  we will of course be continuing with the planning of the festival and intend to bring on new partners.  We would like to acknowledge the State of New York and Schuyler County for all of their hard work and support. The bottom line is, there is going to be a Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, as there must be,  and it’s going to be a blast.”

Monday, financial investor in the event, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Amplifi Live said it’s pulling funding stating:

“Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don’t believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name.”

Michael Lane, a Woodstock founder and organizer of Woodstock 50 said Dentsu executives don’t have the right to “unilaterally” cancel the event.

O’Hearn said earlier on Monday that the concert cancelled would cost Schuyler County millions of dollars, but “we’ll lick our wounds and we’ll move on.”

Jeremy Wilson, manager of Jerlando’s Pizza in Watkins Glen, said summer is a profitable time of the year and hopes some event can make up for it. If the festival is no longer in Watkins Glen, Wilson said it would be awful for hotels and its guests who would have to cancel plans.

While event organizers said it will go on, there’s no mention if it will still be at Watkins Glen or rescheduled at another time or place, still residents are in shock about the announcement they heard from O’Hearn Monday afternoon.

“There were going to be a lot of bands coming that you didn’t think would’ve came to Woodstock then others well known and respected, still shocking,” said Kyle Hancharik of Watkins Glen.

The festival lineup was released weeks ago with dozens of bands and well known artists to celebrate the 1969 Woodstock music festival in Bethel, NY. A Woodstock anniversary concert in Bethel is still planned to go on.

“Like” Michael Schwartz on Facebook and “Follow” him on Twitter.  

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https://wbng.com/news/top-stories/2019/04/29/despite-schuyler-county-announcement-woodstock-50-organizers-say-show-will-go-on/

2019-04-30 03:55:33Z
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Who dies in "Game of Thrones"? Proof that Ghost and both dragons survive "Game of Thrones" battle of Winterfell - CBS News

Tactical technology & "Game of Thrones"

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

After years of anticipation leading up to the epic battle between the living and the dead on "Game of Thrones," fans finally know the fate of their favorite characters — and the dreaded Night King — after Sunday's episode of the hit drama. However, two characters were notably missing from the post-battle scenes: Jon Snow's direwolf Ghost and one of Daenerys Targaryen's two remaining dragons, Drogon and Rhaegal.

Season eight's 82-minute third episode, "The Longest Night," depicted Ghost at the start of the battle of Winterfell standing on the front lines alongside long-time adviser and friend to Daenerys, Jorah Mormont, as well as the Dothraki army. The army was the first to fight the White Walkers and wights in the episode, running into the darkness with weapons blazing. However, as the flames extinguished, and some surviving soldiers came running back to Winterfell's gates in terror — Ghost seemed lost for good.

Daenerys' two surviving dragons, with the undead Viserion lost to the Night King's army, were also seen going into battle many times in the episode. The dragons fought Viserion above the clouds, set fire to many of the wights as they charged toward Winterfell — and Drogon even unsuccessfully attempted to burn the Night King to a crisp with its fire-breath. While one dragon is seen surrounding Daenerys as she mourns Jorah's tragic death, the other is nowhere to be seen at the end of the episode.

So, did they make it out alive? Well, fans won't have to wait until the next episode for the answer, because the new preview appears to have given it away.

HBO played the preview for the fourth episode after the credits rolled, and a few familiar faces make quick appearances in the clips. At the 18th second of the 40-second teaser, Daenerys and a group of victorious soldiers appear outside of Winterfell, with some carrying torches. Ghost also appears to be in the shot, standing in the crowd. Then, 22 seconds into the clip, a pair of dragons fly in front of Sansa Stark as she gazes from the turrets of Winterfell.

Two dragons appear to fly as Sansa Stark watches. HBO

Ghost, Jon Snow's direwolf, appears to be standing among a crowd outside of Winterfell in the trailer for the season's fourth episode. HBO

So, it appears the show's favorite animals have survived the bloody battle, but they may not be safe for long. As, "the last war" against Cersei and her followers is still to come.

Watch the full trailer below

Game of Thrones | Season 8 Episode 4 | Preview (HBO) by GameofThrones on YouTube

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2019-04-30 03:01:00Z
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