Montreal Gazette

BRITISH AUTHOR KNOCKS GAME OF THRONES

Cornwell says TV series based on his novels is way better

- DOUG CAMILLI tellcamill­i@gmail.com

Sure, Bernard Cornwell understand­s why Game of Thrones is so popular. He just doesn’t think the TV series, based on George R.R. Martin’s interminab­le books, is any good.

Cornwell is the best-selling author of some fun Napoleonic­wars adventure novels, among many others. He has a new TV series right now, based on his Saxon novels, set in ninth-century England. Called The Last Kingdom, this eight-parter just started on BBC. And it’s way better than GoT, he tells the Telegraph:

“As much as I love George’s book, it doesn’t have that grounding in reality. Mine continuall­y has to come back to this real story — the making of England.”

The Guardian adds that Cornwell also called GoT “very, very dull.”

Hugh Grant is about to become a father again, says ETOnline.

Pay attention. This can be confusing: In September 2011, Grant and Tinglan Hong, a Chineseres­taurant greeter in London, welcomed a daughter, Tabitha. Then in 2012 he had a son, John, with Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein. By 2013, he was back with Hong, who gave him a son, Felix. Now it’s Eberstein’s turn again.

Hugh’s 55.

Can Leonardo DiCaprio do a German accent? We may find out: he just signed with Paramount to make a movie about the Volkswagen diesel scandal, Variety reports.

So far Leo is has agreed only to produce. There’s no script yet, no director, no actors, because N.Y. Times reporter Jack Ewing is just starting his book about the story. Ewing sold the idea, for a “midsix-figures” fee, to publisher W.W. Norton and Co. Then Norton sold movie rights to Paramount.

I’ll bet Leo will also star. The story is about a mid-level VW exec, see, who makes a shocking discovery and then must put his principles above … heck, you could write the rest yourself. Leo is 40.

The Rolling Stones — four guys with a collective age of 285 — were still touring this summer — you remember they were in Quebec City in July. TMZ.com saw the contract “rider” listing their backstage and hotel requiremen­ts.

They’re still rockers — booze must be available at all hours; hotel windows must be blacked out; they want unlimited Marlboro cigarettes, and access to all-hours dry cleaning.

But there’s also evidence the boys are getting old — they now require written instructio­ns on how to use the electronic­s in their hotel rooms.

I love Martha Stewart, not least for her savage instincts. Recently, you’ll recall, Blake Lively abandoned her own “lifestyle” website, Preserve, because it wasn’t making money. Good time for Martha to be gracious, yes?

Not so much. “Listen,” Martha says of Blake, “she’s a movie actress. Why bother with commerce right now? She’s at the top of her career ... I’m totally supportive, but … maybe you can’t do everything at the same time.”

“Totally supportive”! That’s a good one!

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