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UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
You won’t see the head of former President George W. Bush in Game Of Thrones anymore. HBO has edited and altered the prop head of Bush that appeared on a spike in the series, the Washington Post first reported today. With less chin and a much smaller nose on the controversial head, HBO has restored the Season 1 episode to HBO Go and iTunes. HBO pulled the episode down digitally and also ceased shipments of the DVD box set featuring the episode after uproar broke out over the use of the former president’s head. It was DVD commentary by Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss that initially drew attention to the use of the head as a prop. “The last head on the left is George Bush,” the two say on the DVD. “George Bush’s head appears in a couple of beheading scenes. It’s not a choice, it’s not a political statement. We just had to use whatever heads we had lying around…” HBO later said they found the use of the Bush head “unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste.” The premium network had no word on whether new box sets of the series, with the edited head, will be heading to retail outlets soon.
(Photo: Washington Post)
Deadline's Dominic Patten - tip him here.
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So, are they adding to the DVD commentary, “HBO later digitally altered the image . . . “?
I’m taking a guess that they’ll have edited out that part of the DVD commentary.
I figured as much. I was just being rhetorical and snarky as usual.
No, just “who gives a fuck”
Can we put this sideshow to rest now?
That ellipses comes in right in the middle of the creators’ explanation. We’re making a story out of nothing here.
We’re still talking about this?
A silly non issue.
How cowardly of them to alter this. It was a ridiculous controversery that they never even should have apologized for.
So there just “happened’ to be a George Bush severed head lying around.
Why not call these guys what they are: Liberal haters. Of course it was a political statement.
“Liberal haters” would actually mean they hate liberals.
Grammer is fun when making a point
Kelsey Grammer?
There were a few famous heads laying around on the last swords and sandals show I worked, including Bush, Nixon, and Clinton. You rent those types of props in bunches. Stop assuming that everyone is out to forward an agenda or make a statement in opposition to your beliefs. If this country gets any more divided by stupidity and people jumping to conclusions we’re going to split right down the middle.
And your proof is what?? Your word? Pardon me if I dont believe someone defending people who ADMITTED they knew it was Bush’s head and used it anyway, and then POINTED out to everyone that it was there.
So dumb these guys ever opened their mouthes…
That’s hubris.
It still resembles Bush and everybody will now look for it. HBO did this to boost DVD sales they are being smart they could have easily deleted those few frames from the shot so why didn’t they? Because they want to make more money but they don’t want to seem too obvious about it. They are being very artificial about this they are fakes and hypocrites.
Conspiracy theorist “Dick Cheney” – You do realize the frame on the right is the altered image. You think this looks like Bush?
Shmaat do you realize your response makes no sense?
Enough with the fake outrage.
“…not a political statement”? Not only are they hateful liberals (sound better, actor? You’re actually correct), they’re also liars if they think we believe that.
If they really had that Bush head readily available, they would have it on a stick next to Bill Maher’s desk on his HBO show.
Maher is the real reason I canceled my subscription to HBO. Not because he’s left or right, but because he’s not as funny or smart as he thinks he is, and I can’t stand his preening mysogyny and overbearing grandstanding of superior minds.
This is one of the dumbest controversies I’ve seen in a while. What a waste of time and resources.
I’m wondering if those offended even saw the clip, literally 2 frames long with Bush’s head far off in the background. The picture being brandied about is both significantly cropped and zoomed in. They went out of the way to hide the head, and had it not been mentioned in the commentary no one would have noticed it. I guarantee you prop heads of other famous individuals and even presidents have been used in the same manner, but never noticed.
They went out of their way to hide it, then in the commentary they point it out as a joke. So who is the more foolish, the peole who did this as an inside joke and then told everyone about it, or those offended? I have to cast my lot with the offended since it is obviously done intentionally.
You can bet HBO is pissed… Probably has these guys on a short leash.
Yeah, they’re probably really annoyed at all the free publicity for their hit show. I’m sure they’ll now assign a “severed head prop” liaison for Season 3.
You realize how much this costs right?
I can guarantee nobody’s getting just a back slap. This ain’t your fraternity buddy.