Game of Thrones

Michael Richards is one of the few people in the world who can relate to the criticism targeting the "Game of Thrones" cast as the show ends ... and he's offering them some sage advice.

We got Michael Wednesday at Sunset Plaza and asked what message he'd send to folks over at 'GoT' ... now that fans are bitching about an underwhelming final season ... and the "Seinfeld" star says it's all about perspective.

Michael lived through the same thing back in the day -- "Seinfeld" was hammered over the series finale -- and Kramer says the secret to dealing with the haters is appreciating what came before.

It's hard to find a "Seinfeld" fan who didn't hate the show's final episode ... and Michael explains how he's dealt with the backlash for all these years, and why 'GoT' stars would be wise to follow his lead.

As Sunday's finale nears, fans are fearful 'GoT' is heading down the same path as "Seinfeld" ... but Michael isn't buying the narrative that HBO's writers are rushing through the 8th and final season. Sorry, social media mob.

Check out our clip ... Michael says its extremely hard for any show to go out on top, and one bad game doesn't tarnish a career.

The "Game of Thrones" gods odds have spoken, and they got your boy, Bran Stark, sitting on the Iron Throne for the series finale ... but betting on him won't make you a bunch of cash.

WARNING ... MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The good folks over at SportsBetting.ag have set their new online betting odds for this coming Sunday's final episode ever, and the virtual bookies have Bran as the top pick for Ruler of Westeros. His ratio ain't all that good though for anybody -- just 1/1.

That means for every dollar you bet on Bran winning, you'll get exactly that amount back if it comes true ... not a huge payout. The house loses dough, so he's not ideal for anyone ... betting-wise, that is. We're sure he'd make a fine king on TV.

Now that we know neither Arya, Jamie or even Daenerys got around to killing Cersei themselves -- turns out, it was a bunch of rubble that got it done -- there are new bets on how the final episode will play out. Here's who gamblers have dying and surviving.

Jon Snow is the odds-on favorite to survive the whole thing at 2/5. Arya's survival rate is pegged at 1/1 ... and folks are betting on Dany to die by sword/dagger at 1/2.

Seeing how she just torched all of King's Landing -- killing thousands upon thousands of innocents -- A LOT of people are predicting her death ... so yeah, we don't see her living.

Some other fun bets being taken right now:

-- Will Ghost make one last appearance after that tragic no-pet goodbye? A 1/3 chance of yes, and a 2/1 chance at no. Ya gotta hope he does, that send-off was trash.

-- Will Tyrion perish after betraying Dany (again) and letting Jaime go free to be with Cersei? This one could go either way, but they seem to think he'll survive ... 1/1 odds for yes, and 2/3 odds for no.

It seems like whoever's making the final edits on "Game of Thrones" these days needs another Starbucks ... because they done messed up again.

Once again, eagle-eyed 'GoT' fans (or haters) noticed a big gaffe related to the hit HBO series' penultimate episode ... Jaime Lannister's right hand miraculously grew back in a promo shot.

(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)

As 'Thrones' fans are well aware of ... Jaime got his right hand chopped off in season 3 and has worn a fake gold hand ever since. But, in this still of his death scene with Cersei Sunday night, his real hand's back and clearly visible on Cersei's lower back as the 2 embrace for the end.

Oops.

There's also this -- some fans are pointing to a shoe worn by a soldier during a battle scene in the episode that appears to be a modern-day boot ... but it's hard to tell.

This comes on the heels of last week's major blunder, in which a modern-day disposable coffee cup was left visible on a table in a scene with Daenerys.

The cup was scrubbed out by HBO the next day for any streaming versions of the episode, but the damage was already done.

Not like the damage Dany did to King's Landing ... but still.

Aaron Rodgers was DEFINITELY in Sunday night's episode of "Game of Thrones" ... but the question -- did he die or what?!

The Green Bay Packers QB not only posted a photo showing himself in full #GoT costume, but he also participated in a promotional package for the episode.

Here's the problem ... Aaron's cameo (or cameos?) was so brief, there's a debate over whether he survived Daenerys Targaryen's dragon-led assault on King's Landing.

Rodgers was first spotted as an archer in the Lannister army -- but that doesn't match the costume from his IG photo.

There's also video of him helping (?) a woman during the assault on the city. And then, more footage shows a person who looks like Aaron getting consumed by a wall of flames while trying to escape.

So, was he an archer AND a King's Landing-er? Did he survive the fire attack?

Of course, Aaron ain't the only celebrity to make a cameo on the show -- Rob McElhenney from "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia" got an arrow through the face earlier this season.

Ditto for Martin Starr.

"Game of Thrones" fans had their fun, but now it's over ... HBO has digitally removed that disposable coffee cup seen sitting on a table next to Daenerys Targaryen from Sunday's episode.

As we reported ... the cup became the unexpected star of episode 4 of the hit show's final season when eagle-eyed viewers spotted it onscreen -- hardly for a second -- during a scene in "The Last of the Starks" while Tormund praises Jon Snow.

People originally believed the cup was from Starbucks, but 'GoT' Art Director Hauke Richter told us it's from a local coffee shop in Banbridge, Northern Ireland ... where they filmed.

Fans were shocked that 'Thrones' would make such a boneheaded mistake, but the show owned up to it ... with a double shot of humor.

HBO says the cup has now been edited out in the current episode available on HBO Go and will not be seen in any encore presentations or streaming/DVD versions going forward.

Arya Stark's riding high on "Game of Thrones" as the hero of the Battle of Winterfell, but she's not done killing big villains ... at least according to the oddsmakers.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

For the first time in the final season, the folks at online betting site SportsBetting.ag have listed Arya as the favorite to off Cersei Lannister ... at 7/5 odds. Cersei's brother/lover, Jaime, had been the only favorite to kill her up to this point -- he's now second at 7/4.

Those who watched Sunday's episode 4, "The Last of the Starks," know that Daenerys Targaryen wants to go scorched earth on Cersei and anyone who gets in her way ... but the odds are only 15/2 for her to do the deed. Same goes for Tyrion's odds.

As for the fate of Jon Snow and Dany ... oddsmakers favor Jon to be alive at the end of season 8 at 1/3 odds, but if you want to bet on him to die you get 2/1.

Dany is even money to live or die, and bookies don't expect she and Jon will tie the knot or conceive a child. It's a 5/2 payout for marriage and 2/1 for a baby.

Don't go dropping your rent money on 'GoT' accidentally leaving another disposable coffee cup in a scene either. The site pays out 15/1 if it happens, though.

Here are some other fun ways to make a buck watching the final 2 episodes. Good luck!

Who will perish first?
The Mountain 1/3
The Hound 2/1

Will Sansa and Tyrion marry?
Yes 5/1
No 1/10

How many dragons will be alive at end of season 8?
Over .5 (5/8)
Under .5 (6/5)

10:19 AM PT -- Hauke Richter, 'GoT' Art Director for the past 5 seasons, tells TMZ ... the notorious cup is NOT from Starbucks, but rather a local coffee shop in Banbridge, Northern Ireland near where they filmed.

Richter says despite the hoopla and theories about the cup, he's certain it was just an accident. He says similar mistakes -- like Vikings or Indians wearing wristwatches -- happen on TV and in movies all the time ... they're just not as high-profile as 'Thrones.'

He adds ... "We are usually so diligent that this does not happen. The shoot was very hard and demanding and it is likely that after a very tiring ep 3 shoot, this was simply overlooked by an exhausted crew."

"Game of Thrones" is down to its final 2 episodes, and while the impending battle between Daenerys and Cersei heats up ... somebody might get killed for a Starbucks cup.

Somehow, the hit HBO series -- that has spent millions upon millions of dollars and gone to great lengths to shoot some of the most epic and intricate scenes in TV history -- made a boneheaded mistake by leaving the branded coffee cup in the middle of a scene.

The Starbucks can be spotted at the 17:38 mark of the episode -- the fourth of the final season titled "The Last of the Starks" -- on a table near Dany as she observes Jon Snow being praised for his valor by his pal, Tormund ... and she's not too happy about it.

Also unhappy -- most likely the showrunners, writers, director and script supervisor of the episode.

Unless of course we're all fools, and we missed a Starbucks being built in Winterfell among all the other twisting plotlines ... or maybe George R.R. Martin included it in the books.

More than likely, though, this is just an unexpected gaffe ... one that even Bran didn't see coming.

Blake Griffin sure hopes Drake didn't seal Arya Stark's fate on "Game of Thrones" by shouting her out at the Billboard Music Awards ... him and everyone else, tbh.

We got the Pistons star outside of the Maxfield clothing store in WeHo Friday afternoon and asked him about Drizzy showing love to Maisie Williams' 'GOT' character Wednesday night when he mentioned her during his acceptance speech for the Top Billboard 200 Album.

ICYMI ... Drake made sure to plug Arya for "putting in that work last week" during Sunday's episode when she killed the Night King with some fancy dagger moves -- basically saving every living person in Westeros from eternal death in the process.

BTW, this is a spoiler -- and you should've seen it by now. If you haven't, well, here it is ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway ... Blake really, REALLY hopes the Drake curse doesn't kick in here for everyone's sake. Like he says, "I think we all need a little bit of Arya." Considering Champagne Papi's track record with supporting losing teams ... here's praying Blake's right.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas exchanged ring pops as wedding bands when they got hitched in Vegas ... and now the wrapper from Sophie's sweet bling is up for auction.

Jesse Grice, the Reverend Elvis who officiated the wedding, tells TMZ he found the wrapper from Sophie's ring pop and he's already posted it on eBay, and the bidding starts at ... a whopping 10 bucks!

The eBay listing is hilarious ... the description reads, "Joe Jonas ORIGINAL AUTHENTIC REAL WEDDING RING WRAPPER used by him in Las Vegas." We think it's decent condition too ... based on this -- "wrapper is in very good but slightly used wrapper on foil like material."

Jesse tells us he'll take whatever he can get for the one-of-a-kind piece of Sophie and Joe memorabilia ... but he's holding out hope the bidding reaches $1,000.

As you know ... Joe and Sophie tied the knot at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Vegas Wednesday night after the Billboard Music Awards. Nick and Kevin Jonas were Joe's groomsmen, Diplo and Khalid were celeb witnesses and country duo Dan + Shay sang Sophie down the aisle.

Joe and Sophie's nuptials were good for biz ... Jesse tells us the chapel's already seen an influx of tourists coming to take pics.

Screw a photo ... Sophie's ring pop wrapper is way cooler!

"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."

"Game of Thrones" fans got the battle they've been waiting for with Sunday's "The Long Night" episode, and it had a major impact on the betting world.

(SPOILER ALERT!!!)

If you haven't seen the epic Battle of Winterfell ... last chance to look away, but here's an updated rundown, from the oddsmakers at SportsBetting.ag, heading into the final 3 episodes:

Arya Stark -- currently the 'GoT' G.O.A.T. -- might not get to enjoy her Winterfell triumph for long ... she's jumped to 12/1 odds as the next character to perish, after being 33/1 last week.

She's not the favorite to die next, though -- that title goes to The Mountain at 11/4, followed by Rhaegal the dragon at 4/1, The Hound at 4/1, Grey Worm at 5/1 and Bronn and Euron Greyjoy at 8/1.

Interestingly, Jaime Lannister is 16/1 to die next, after being the fave last week at 5/1.

Cersei Lannister -- who hasn't even been seen in the past 2 episodes -- will be back in action next week and is moving up as one of the favorites to sit on the Iron Throne.

She's gone from 22/1 odds to rule Westeros last week all the way to 9/1. Tyrion's odds have also drastically changed -- he's now a top-3 favorite at 5/1, behind Jon Snow at 3/1 and Sansa Stark at 9/2.

Bran -- who was the favorite to rule the Seven Kingdoms at the beginning of the season at 2/1 -- is now 8/1 along with Daenerys Targaryen and Arya.

Other popular bets to make include who, if anyone, will kill Cersei. Jaime's the favorite at 3/2 while Arya is 5/2 and Tyrion is 5/1.

The strangest twist after episode 3, though ... Samwell Tarly is gaining bets for the last character to speak in the season finale. The action suggests there could be a leak from 'GoT' insiders, and he's now the favorite at even money.

And, for those of you who wagered the Night King would survive Winterfell ... we got 2 words for ya.

"Not today."

"Game of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin is UNLOADING on the New York Giants ... blasting the team for taking relatively unknown Duke QB Daniel Jones.

Martin -- the brain behind 'GoT' -- happens to be a HUGE fan of the New York football teams ... and like so many other G-Men fans, he's distraught over this weekend's draft.

"Daniel Jones from Duke at number six?" Martin wrote on his website ... "Yes, they need a young quarterback to groom as Eli’s successor. But Dwayne Haskins was right there. Why not him?"

Why not Haskins -- OSU's star QB -- is the question a lot of fans are asking.

"By every measurable Haskins is way better than Jones. Jones threw 52 TDs in three years at Duke, Haskins threw 50 in one year at Ohio State. Within fewer interceptions. Against much tougher opposition."

Martin didn't seem to like NY's 2nd 1st-round selection much more ... the pick the Giants got in return -- along with Jabrill Peppers -- for Odell Beckham Jr.

The team picked massive 342-pound DT Dexter Lawrence ... and Martin -- who doesn't hate the player -- added some context.

"All it cost us was a Hall of Fame receiver."

So, what's George's outlook for the upcoming season? Well, it ain't good.

WARNING -- "GAME OF THRONES" SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

Okay. This is pretty amazing ... Arian Foster's home security cams were rolling while he was watching "Game of Thrones" on Sunday ... and his reaction to the ending is AMAZING!!!!

Second warning ... here comes a spoiler!!!

The ex-NFL star was watching the Battle of Winterfell on his couch with some friends -- when he jumped up for Bran's final showdown with the Night King.

Third and final warning ... big spoiler coming your way!!!!

So, when Arya came out of nowhere LIKE A BOSS to stab that bitch-ass, ice-faced demon, Foster went crazy!!!!

You gotta watch the video ... Foster lets a scream you can hear -- even though the video has no sound!!!

Arian's buddy starts to dance on the couch ... even the dog gets fired up!

But now, everyone's gotta chill ... Jon Snow, Daenerys, Tyrion, Sansa and the rest of the gang have another battle on their hands next week ...

Cersei is waiting!!!!!

Now that we are half-way through the final season, it's time to go way back to the beginning.

Before these little lords and ladies were battling the White Walkers and setting their sights on the Iron Throne, they were just true-born free folk growing up faster than winter came. Grab your Valyrian steel and burn through this many-faced gallery of cute "Game of Thrones" cast kid pics to see if these fan favorites were raised to be kings, knights, or even a mother of dragons.

The night is dark and full of terrors ... but luckily these young wildlings are guaranteed to brighten up your day!

Pete Wentz is such an extreme "dork" for "Game of Thrones," he's almost apologizing for it, but he's also sharing some DEEP theories about the final season ... including who's next to kick the bucket.

We got Pete outside of Craig's Tuesday night in WeHo and our guy could barely get his question out about 'GoT' when Pete went full Thronee ... nerding out with conspiracy theories that, as he said, go way beyond who's going to end up on the iron throne. You can tell, he's been up and down several Reddit rabbit holes.

Check out the vid ... Pete's got his own ideas about Bran Stark, Melisandre and Grey Worm's fates as the stage is being set up for an epic battle between Westeros and the White Walkers.

"Game of Thrones" is all about winter right now, but the music that's on its way inspired by the hit show's gonna be way more fire than ice ... with some huge stars at the forefront.

TMZ's obtained behind-the-scenes shots of The Weeknd, SZA and Travis Scott on set while shooting the video for their track, "Power is Power." The trio's all decked out in clothes fit for the Seven Kingdoms ... in front of some iconic imagery from the show.

We're told the rappers/singers shot the video last weekend in L.A. Their collab is part of HBO and Columbia Records' release of "For the Throne" ... an upcoming album inspired by 'GoT.'

Other artists set to be featured on the album include A$AP Rocky, The Lumineers, Ellie Goulding, Ty Dolla $ign, Mumford & Sons, The National, X Ambassadors and the late Lil Peep.

Travis and SZA -- who we're told are huge 'Thrones' fans themselves -- have been teasing the vid for a bit ... but now we have another sneak peek.