Martin will kill off fan for $US20,000
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Game of Thrones fans know scribe George R R Martin can wield his pen like a executioner’s axe.
Now they can pay him to put their head on the chopping block.The fantasy author is offering readers the chance to appear as a doomed character in an upcoming Song of Ice and Fire novel to raise money for a wolf sanctuary in New Mexico.
For a $US20,000 ($A21,639.17) donation, fans can enter themselves in the draw.One female character and one male character are up for grabs, and fans can choose their own persona, from ‘‘lordling’’ to ‘‘whore’’.
If successful, the fan’s Westeros alter-ego will ‘‘certainly meet a grisly death’’.Appearing in a video message to explain the contest, Martin says those who pledge to the wolf sanctuary will also automatically be entered in a draw to win a special one-on-one experience.
The winner will get the chance to spend the day with him, share a helicopter ride and have dinner together.
‘‘Along the way we can talk about dragons, dire wolves, Game of Thrones,’’ he explains.
‘‘Anything you wanna talk about.’’
Martin and his wife have been great supporters of the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary - home to a group of nine rescued wolves nicknamed the ‘‘Westeros pack’’ - for a number of years.If the $US20,000 is a bit steep, other prizes on offer include one of Martin’s trademark Greek sailor caps ($US7500) or a signed script of the popular TV adaptation’s first episode ($US4500).Martin is currently at work on the sixth instalment of his A Song of Ice and Fire series.
AAP
Miley Cyrus car thieves arrested
Miley Cyrus’s brand new Maserati is back in the singer’s possession and two thieves suspected of stealing it have been arrested.
The singer, who is currently on tour in Europe, fell victim to burglars last weekend when thieves gained access to her California mansion and made off with her brand new Quattroporte and a haul of jewellery.
Cops recovered the $100,000 vehicle, which was not damaged, in Simi Valley, California on Monday and on Thursday, authorities arrested a male and a female in connection to the incident.Officers spotted the suspects, both in their 20s, walking in North Hollywood and recognised them from Cyrus’s security video footage, according to TMZ.
The jewellery stolen in the raid has yet to be found.It’s the second time Cyrus’s house has been robbed in the past eight months.Cyrus will be performing in Germany, Switzerland and Italy this weekend.
WENN
One Direction lookalikes cause chaos
A pair of One Direction lookalikes had to be escorted from one of the band’s gigs after fans thought they were the real deal.
Richard Dickinson and Liam Fergusson, who impersonate Harry Styles and Niall Horan in a tribute band, turned out to watch the group’s show in Edinburgh, Scotland on Tuesday night.
However, the 17-year-olds had to be rescued by security guards after they were mobbed by frenzied fans who mistook them for the real Styles and Horan, according to Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper.
‘‘It was the craziest thing,’’ Dickinson, who performs as Styles, said.
‘‘When we got into Murrayfield (the stadium) we were completely surrounded.‘‘People were running from the seated areas to the barriers.‘‘People were grabbing on to me. It got pretty bad.
‘‘The next thing I know this big security guard came and got us.‘‘We had to be escorted out the stadium. I was glad when it was all over.’’
WENN
Dannii Minogue slams paps who target kids
Dannii Minogue has joined a chorus of celebrities campaigning for their kids to be shielded from preying paparazzi.‘‘So it’s school pick up time,’’ she tweeted on Thursday.
‘‘Awful that paparazzi can sit with a long lens pointed at parents and kids at childcare facilities #makeitillegal.’’
Soon after, the X Factor Australia judge tweeted a link to a report to recent celebrity campaigns for a ‘‘no kids policy’’ for photographers.
Fans supported Minogue’s concerns for her young son, Ethan, with some even urging her to call the police.
‘‘Doesn’t make sense, when childcare and schools can’t take pics of kids without written permission from parents,’’ one person tweeted.
Minogue joins Frozen actress Kristen Bell and her husband, fellow actor Dax Shephard who have become outspoken critics of tabloid magazines who buy paparazzi shots of celebrities’ kids.
They decline to speak to such outlets and urge fans to boycott the publications.Meanwhile, Jennifer Garner and Halle Berry successfully campaigned last year for photo laws to be introduced to protect celebrities’ children.The Californian law came into effect on January 1.
AAP
Sofia Vergara still wants baby
Sofia Vergara’s recent breakup will reportedly not stop her from having a baby.
The Modern Family actress split from her fiance of two years, Nick Loeb, last month.However, Vergara reportedly does not intend on putting her plans for a second child on hold.
The 41-year-old actress will apparently use a surrogate and has already found a close friend who has volunteered to carry the child.
The star already has 21-year-old son Manolo with her ex-husband Joe Gonzalez.‘‘Sofia already took fertility injections and had her eggs frozen in preparation.
‘‘When Manolo was born, she was too young and scared to relax and enjoy being a mom.
‘‘Now she’s mature and successful enough to really appreciate the experience,’’ a source told Closer magazine.
Vergara and Loeb cited busy schedules and trouble finding time to spend together as the reason behind their breakup.
‘‘We are still very close but we believe (this) is the best thing for us right now,’’ the actress wrote on her WhoSay page.Vergara has been planning a second baby for a while.
Last April she froze her eggs and revealed that she would have to use a surrogate because she previously had radiation treatment for thyroid cancer.‘‘I don’t want to wait forever,’’ Vergara told US Weekly in 2013.
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