Odds and otters

Since it looks like we’re not gonna get the 30-minute “Making Of” production on the www within the next half day or so, here are a couple quick hits on the FaB side of life:

The April Fools Joke That Never Was: We here at Winter-is-coming.net always support the bottom, seeking at all times to cater to that lowest common denominator, and that means occasionally entertaining people who enjoy a good joke at another’s expense. A number of April Fools jokes were batted about by Winter, HmR, and myself, but in the end we simply had too much other stuff to report on. One of my more “brilliant” ideas was to put up the announcement: Princess Myrcella Recast! and then stick a picture of Miley Cyrus at the top of the page. Now many of you may see this as cruel, even inhumane; who would do that to a kid?! (The answer is clearly: FaB would.) But my truer intent was a compliment; Aimee Richardson is probably one of our more loyal readers from the show (another being ol’ Miltos—but you can’t exactly announce Syrio as being recast, can you?), so why not reward her with a prank! Plus, her being a frequent reader makes it more likely she’d actually read that announcement on that page on that specific day. And yes, I was going to coordinate this with her parents (both on Twitter: @BreakParGolf and @Lesley_Rich — and both very smart, friendly people) ahead of time to ensure Aimee didn’t take a flying leap out her window. Consider it a hazing of sorts, but really just an appreciative nod to a girl who has, by all accounts, acquitted herself marvelously in the series (as has Callum playing Tommen, though I couldn’t prank him since he doesn’t seem to be online). This is a girl who began only as a “temporary Myrcella” for the pilot, but who persevered, kicked and clawed her way into the actual role. Good on her. We love ya, Aims. (Now everyone go follow her on Twitter @Aimee_P_R before she sends hate mail regarding Aimeegate!)

Speaking of Stand-Ins: A friend of mine who lives up in the northwest just (temporarily) adopted an otter that had been rescued from some sort of death trap made for another species of animal. The otter now walks with a noticeable limp, and was dubbed “Eddard the Otter.” I don’t have an actual picture of this newest Eddard, so the otter stand-in (below) will have to do for now. Good luck, “Ned,” and I hope you live as long and fruitful a life as our Eddard.

Daemons Infesting Your Brain: As some of you may or may not know, one of my “day jobs” is critiquing television programs for Daemon’s TV. Sometimes the shows are surprisingly good (Spartacus; Detroit 1-8-7) and sometimes eyeball-gougingly dull (Desperate Housewives; Traffic Light), but at the end of the day it’s a rewarding gig, and pretty much completely fun. My bosses are great. Plus it’s fun to see a more interested reaction from people when I say I critique TV for a living rather than the usual disdain at “I’m just a hack writer.” Sadly, I won’t be critiquing Game of Thrones. Daemon’s has another young lady who has been waiting patiently for over a year (I’m pretty sure she visits this site) for this show to air, and I don’t even think I could bribe her off of it. That said, Daemon’s TV offered me the chance to write a “5 Reasons Why” article about GoT, and so of course I took it. And here it is: 5 Reasons You Bloody Well Better Not Miss Game of Thrones. Those of you who remember my True Blood / Game of Thrones comparison/contrast will note I borrowed liberally from that article. Because nothing says “talent” like plagiarizing oneself. Enjoy!

• Published on 04/07/2011 at 3:08 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/20/2016 at 6:04 PM CDT