The Queen has been cast.

[Werthead]

Currently looking through a list of actresses from London, Ontario, as the 'never saw Big Ben' thing makes sense there (although I suspect that is not the right track, as that would be the actress herself, not her mother).

Rachel McAdams is the highest-profile actress from there, but her career seems to be launching into movies. I can't see the link with GRRM. She was the lead in The Time-Traveller's Wife with Eric Bana, who was in Troy and thus knows David Benioff, but that's two connections.

Ingrid Kavelaars appears to be the right age and has the right look. No connection with Pat Morita that I can see. Closest GRRM link was appearing in an episode of The Outer Limits (but not the Sandkings one).

[Ran]

George posted a remark in the comments, noting he had a bit part in two B&tB episodes ("Fever" and "When the Bluebird Sings"), but then goes on to note all the episodes he wrote, and all the episodes he was involved in as a story editor, supervisor, supervising producer, etc. (all episodes but for the pilot).

But then he adds this remark:

You guys need to read more history. Starting at the start.

I'm taking this to mean that we should be looking at George's first Hollywood work for our "six degrees" link: the new Twilight Zone. IMDB lists several episodes which he wrote the teleplay for or served as story editor on.

ETA: Some ripe sources for connections -- Richard Mulligan, Shelley Duvall ... Jeffrey Tambor, who shows up all over the place...

[iheartseverus]

There just has to be something more/different to the 'Big Ben' clue than the actor's mother not being British. I mean, I'm not British, but it doesn't follow that I'm a stranger to Big Ben. I've seen it, heard it, read about it, am familiar with it. Unless the mother in question has at some time made some statement like 'I've never been to London, don't know anything at all about London,' etc etc. And even that doesn't work, for me anyway. Has anybody in the Western world reached middle age without having heard of Big Ben? Tis' a puzzlement, to be sure.

[Brude]

GRRM has added a comment to his blog entry:

FWIW

I actually did cameos in two episodes of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The one in "Fever" is most prominent, but I'm in "When the Bluebird Sings" as well (and so is Parris). I also wrote thirteen episodes of the series, and was involved in all fifty-six (everything but the pilot, "Once Upon a Time in the City of New York") as a story editor/ script consultant/ producer/ supervising producer/ etc.

You guys need to read more history. Starting at the start.

More to chew on.

[The white rabbit]

There just has to be something more/different to the 'Big Ben' clue than the actor's mother not being British. I mean, I'm not British, but it doesn't follow that I'm a stranger to Big Ben. I've seen it, heard it, read about it, am familiar with it. Unless the mother in question has at some time made some statement like 'I've never been to London, don't know anything at all about London,' etc etc. And even that doesn't work, for me anyway. Has anybody in the Western world reached middle age without having heard of Big Ben? Tis' a puzzlement, to be sure.

Yes, I agree, it looks a little bit odd.

But (I am not native speaker) I would read the sentence: Her mother and the Big Ben are strangers, like: " They both are strangers" And Big Ben would be a person, not a a bell or tower.

[Brude]

Heh, 20 minutes and no responses - I think everyone is reading up on the history of Big Ben.

[daimonion]

I'm happy you guys do all the work for me and others. Man! This seems like a tough one!

[iheartseverus]

Yes, I agree, it looks a little bit odd.

But (I am not native speaker) I would read the sentence: Her mother and the Big Ben are strangers, like: " They both are strangers" And Big Ben would be a person, not a a bell or tower.

But logically, her mother is a stranger to about a hundred gazillion people, including you, me and everybody on this board, probably, in addition to being a stranger to about a million people named Ben, big, little or otherwise. I admit, I'm just dead-cold stumped on this one! I think Werthead's come closest by researching actors from London, Ontario. I mean, they're from London, yes, but not the London, and thus a 'stranger' to Big Ben? hmmmm...

[Mongrel]

I think she's Heather Graham.

My strong piece of evidence is the Miyagi clue; Heather appeared in the '93 firm Even Cowgirls Get the Blues in which Morita was an important character; and her character was notorious because despite having plenty of screentime she doesn't say a single line.

If anyone can connect the rest of the clues to her, I'd be convinced. Her mother is kinda famous (and certainly non-English), and Heather herself did appear in the Six Degrees of Separation film; but that alone doesn't fit GRRM's clues.

[Gabriele]

Damn, I need a life. :)

There's a Doctor Who episode called Aliens of London where some spaceship crashes into Big Ben (yes, I got that from Wikipedia; never watched the series) and one of the main characters is Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper. Though I'm not sure her movie mother Jackie is a stranger to Big Ben, and I have no idea how to fit the other clues.

Someone can go and check them; I need some tea now. :D

[ph2586]

She has no lines in common with Mr. Miyagi, but maybe she should

Maybe she is a karate instructor, or played one?

Or she knows good karate?

:stunned:

[2Legit2Quit]

I took a lot of what was being said at WiC and combined it with my own guesses.

Okay, here I go: Laurie Holden

George RR Martin said look at the start. And he has always said what started it all for him was when he wrote a letter to the Fantastic Four Comic book folks.(Doc said this over at the WiC boards.)

Laurie Holden played was in the Fantastic Four movie.

When I read that I got to thinking. Laurie Holden was in the Fantastic Four movie, and The Thing's real name is Benjamin Grimm=Big Ben. She was also in the Shield which starred Michael Chiklis who played Ben Grimm/The Thing.

Laurie Holden was in an Outer Limits episode, which Martin wrote an episode for(not the same episode).

As for the Mr. Miyagi clue, I have no idea.

I don't know. At least I tried.

Edit: For some errors due to typing fast.

[The white rabbit]

well, I have found this:

Big Ben - Fiction

The clock features in John Buchan's spy novel The Thirty-Nine Steps and makes for a memorable climax in Don Sharp's 1978 film version, although not in Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 original adaptation. A similar scene is recreated in the 2003 film, Shanghai Knights which culminates with Jackie Chan hanging from the hands of the clock.

In the monster movie Gorgo, the mother monster destroys the tower.

The tower is featured several times during the 2005 series of Doctor Who. It is destroyed in Aliens of London by a spacecraft that crashes into the River Thames; seen during the Blitz in The Empty Child; and is seen being rebuilt in The Christmas Invasion.

Individual clock faces were stolen by the evil Doctor Dredd in The Drac Pack, and a Jack and the Beanstalk style giant, who used it for his cuckoo clock (Secret Squirrel). The whole tower was stolen by the snake-witch Messina in Freddie as FRO7

The clock also features in the climax of the animated film Basil, The Great Mouse Detective.

An earlier film climax on the clock face of Big Ben appears in Will Hay's 1943 film My Learned Friend, although the scene is more slapstick than thriller.

Note 1: Shanghai knights featuring Jackie Chan who will be Mr. Myiagi in KK remake.

[Brude]

There's a Doctor Who episode called Aliens of London where some spaceship crashes into Big Ben (yes, I got that from Wikipedia; never watched the series) and one of the main characters is Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper. Though I'm not sure her movie mother Jackie is a stranger to Big Ben, and I have no idea how to fit the other clues.

Billie Piper is great, and is a huge fan favorite from Dr. Who, but I'd be surprised if it was her. Not impossible, but she's still quite young - only 27.

[Brude]

Note 1: Shanghai knights featuring Jackie Chan who will be Mr. Myiagi in KK remake.

Technically, the remake is called "The Kung Fu Kid" and Chan will be playing Mr. Han ('cause he's Chinese, not Japanese).

[Gabriele]

Billie Piper is great, and is a huge fan favorite from Dr. Who, but I'd be surprised if it was her. Not impossible, but she's still quite young - only 27.

Yeah, I liked the photos that came up when I researched her name. And she's done nude and lesbian scenes in Belle du Jour, so no problem on that front. :)

[ph2586]

I think someone said it before (here or at WiC I cant remember) that 2 or 3 months ago Ben Roethlisberger (a.k.a Big Ben)

had a big sexual scandal with a woman named Andrea McNulty. She said he raped her, he said 'I dont know her she is a stranger

to me'. Outstretched but maybe the maiden name of our queen's mother is McNulty? So she and Big Ben are strangers?

God we need to stop this...But George started these crazy farfetched clues...

Do we have many more to cast????? :smoking:

[The white rabbit]

She has no lines in common with Mr. Miyagi, but maybe she should

Maybe she is a karate instructor, or played one?

Or she knows good karate?

:stunned:

Uma "kill bill" Thurman ? :D

[ErikConrad]

I think she's Heather Graham.

...

There is also a link: Heather was in Broken(2006) together with Linda Hamilton, from Beauty and the Beast.

[Nathanael]

Based on what ph2856 said, I'm gonna suggest Alyson Croft.

If you go down, you'll see she played "Baby McNulty" in Trancers. I haven't checked any of the other clues, but she's had enough roles that there has to be a way to connect her to GRRM somehow. And her full resume says she did commercial work, one of which could have been for a waxing product.

So I leave the rest of the googling to you, because I'm at work and it's press day :lol.