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Morning Update: Dumb Ways to Die Game of Thrones edition; 10 songs that ads have ruined

AdWeek: Dumb Ways to Die, Game of Thrones Edition, Chronicles Show’s Notable Demises Thus Far

“Dumb Ways to Die” could be the theme song of Game of Thrones. And now this parody, from Egor Zhgun, brings them together in celebration of the various gory, untimely deaths through the show’s first four seasons. Spoilers, obviously.

The HBO show’s fifth season premiered Sunday.

Mumbrella Asia: McDonald’s tells Indian youth to ditch the smartphone and live real life

McDonald’s is running a campaign that encourages people in India to put down their mobile devices and spend more time with their families and friends – preferably in its restaurants, enjoying its new Sharing Packs.

A film, created by Leo Burnett, features young people who place their smartphones face down and spend more time offline.

The New York Times: At the Head of the Pack, HBO Shows the Way Forward

In 2007, just as Tony Soprano faded to black, HBO fell into a deep slump. Forgettable shows like “John From Cincinnati” and “Tell Me You Love Me” did poorly, each lasting only a season. Its content cupboard was bare, and rival TV executives openly referred to the cable network as “HB-Over.”

That seems like ages ago.

“Anybody who was writing our epitaph was obviously doing so erroneously,” Richard Plepler, the chief executive of HBO, said last week, sitting in his corner office on the Avenue of the Americas overlooking Bryant Park.

Mashable: 10 songs that commercials have totally ruined

The world of TV advertising is responsible for utterly ruining a lot of very good songs.

From Michael Jackson butchering Billie Jean for Pepsi to the Four Tops singing really enthusiastically about Velveeta Shells & Cheese, you’ll be stunned by how many great tunes have been changed for the sake of a commercial break.

Below, we take a look at what we think are the 10 worst offenders. Have we missed out a song from a commercial that makes you cringe? Shout it out in the comments.

1. “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot

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