Enjoy!
Comments and questions welcome! The Daily Raven’s impressions of last night’s HBOGo preview for season 2 will be covered in the next episode. Here is the YouTube version of The Daily Raven: Episode 2.
Fire And Blood: Love the soapbox and agree 100%! As usual, give us your impressions regarding what you liked and what you disliked, and, if it please you, send a video response to our Viewer Question to Simone @SimoneBoyce on Twitter.
Loading ...
106 Comments
first? :o
I loved the video! thanks :)
Damián ErroQuote Reply
I hope they cast Jeremy Lin as the Red Viper.
TastesLikeTheSeaQuote Reply
Enjoyable stuff! Having a fun little webshow on WiC like this with an energetic host like Simone is pretty cool. Keep ‘em coming!
fevredreamQuote Reply
Thanks for the ep. Simone is the right show presenter!! She has the passion and energy. So far I have liked the episodes, so bring more!! ;)
RobbetQuote Reply
good video.
I had always pronounced it “Karth” in my head and not “Kwarth” like Ms Boyce – how does everybody else say it?
NewJeffCTQuote Reply
NewJeffCT,
Actually, I think I also say “Karth”… It may be one of those words that have different possible pronounciations.
RobbetQuote Reply
It’s spelled Qarth in the book, but I’m fine with either pronunciation.
As for the “color,” I have one word: MORE ASIANS! (And not just because I’m part Japanese.)
BemmaQuote Reply
I like the soapbox and its more personal touch.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Great episode. Keep up the good work!
Strong BelwasQuote Reply
how does changing the physical appearance of a character “enhance” the show? It might not take away from it but how does it add?
gswelcomeQuote Reply
Bemma,
I’m with you on that, though where could we cast them? I don’t think Dorne will do. Maybe the slavers? Or maybe the next book will take us to Yi Ti?
I feel like the slavers could go for a pacific islander/south east asian look.
Or maybe missandei? and all other Naathians.
GoralthemagnificentQuote Reply
I am totally fine with them using a black actor to portray Xaro. I was surprised that they cast Caucasians to play Quaithe and Pyat Pree, though.
I really hope the rumor going around that they’re going to kill Irri is wrong, because we need more Indians/Middle Easterners on the show! and I think she was a great character in season 1 and had great chemistry with Rakharro. Speaking of which, Naveen Andrews for The Red Viper!!!
I can’t do a video response, but what I would change most about season 2/book 2: somehow combine Dany’s story from ACOK, ASOS, and ADWD and bring as much of it as possible into season 2. I like her story in ACOK (House of the Undying!!!), but thought it was way too slow-paced in ASOS and ADWD. When they start advertising the ADWD season as being based on “a Dance with Dragons” I’m hoping we’ll get closer to the actual invasion of Westeros by Dany.
I think they are already doing that with Robb, which is good and it will make the Red Wedding that much more of a gut punch.
DreamlifeQuote Reply
gswelcome,
It might give them access to an actor that better fits the character they want to present.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
gswelcome,
I am in complete agreement that it enhances the show, simply by giving the audience a larger world to look at. George R. R. Martin is my favorite author of all time, but even I—a white male—realize his world is a very white one. It’s not a knock against him at all; he writes what he knows, and A Song of Ice and Fire borrows liberally from British and Western European history, which is, of course, caucasian in color.
The continent of Westeros is pretty much caucasian, with some of the Dornishmen giving it a splash of “something else.” By contrast, Essos is a mix of color… and a lot of that is caucasian as well, what with the Qartheen “Milk Men,” the blue-eyed blondes of Lys, and (especially) anyone of Valyrian descent, the stock of which the Targaryens spring from.
Casting vital roles such as Xaro (a “Milk Man”) and even Salladhor Saan (a Lysene) with ethnic actors helps show the world as bigger, bolder, and (yes) more colorful than ASoIaF canon would have you believe. To me, it feels more real. Ergo the “enhancement.”
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Dreamlife,
Would LOVE Naveen Andrews as the Red Viper.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Tsk! Surely she is far too hot to be a nerd!?
JOKE! :$ Jeez, hope that argument doesn’t start again this time.
RamahQuote Reply
Fire And Blood,
i suppose for people who don’t read the books it helps them grasp that this is a foreign land which will have people who look not “like us” meaning white. I can understand that I suppose but to me despite what this woman said it does smack of needing to add some ‘color’ to the sea of white. I suppose as a lover of the books and a purist I don’t really like to see basic changes like this. Necessary changes to the story to help adapt the books is fine but something like this I find slightly annoying. Just my opinion but I can understand if others don’t agree. As long as his personality isn’t adjusted at least I hope. I notice from the last trailer that Dany seems much more bloodthirsty than the books for instance.
gswelcomeQuote Reply
gswelcome,
I will also be disappointed is Xaro isn’t… well, Xaro. I was hoping for the large gemstone stud in his nostril, but oh well.
SPOILER:
He needs to be the most obvious closeted gay man ever. And to be able to cry a lot. Anything less than that will be a blander Xaro, in my view.
END OF SPOILER.
As far as Dany being bloodthirsty, I think the part where she’s yelling is more bluster than anything else—putting on a show for the Qartheen rulers. But we’ll see!
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Naveen Andrews would be pretty awesome as the Red Viper but I think he may be a bit to young? Hard to say. My personal choice is Alexander Siddig. But he usually plays characters of a noble temperament, I can’t see him playing a badass albeit borderline douchebag type like the Red Viper. You almost need a slightly younger Antonio Banderas type in that role.
How about James Frain? He played the sinister, seductive Spanish Ambassador Mendoza in Elizabeth…
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Little too white for a Dornishman, I think.
We have spoiler tags, you know.
Matt ChungQuote Reply
Joshua Taylor,
You think he’s too young? How old is the Red Viper supposed to be? According to wikipedia, Naveen is 43 (same age as James Frain). Also, having seen his work on Lost, Naveen could absolutely pull of the physical aspects of the role.
I have always pictured the Dornish people as Indian/Middle Eastern (olive skin), so I was hoping this would be a good opportunity to bring some more color into the series. For this reason, I just can’t picture James Frain as the Red Viper.
However….he would make a really good evil character. If he were younger, he would make a good Bolton heh. He has a relationship with HBO through his work on True Blood, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility to bring him into this show. He was great on TB.
DreamlifeQuote Reply
fevredream,
I agree, she’s got a good delivery and she’s of proper dork/cool ratio
DawnWielderQuote Reply
you guys might hate this but for some reason I found it enjoyable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OpJ7O4o-_c
just kind of a bridesmaids style comedy set in the tent with drogo
DawnWielderQuote Reply
Robbet,
:) have to agree, she’s does a good job
DawnWielderQuote Reply
Just want to throw in my support and say how much I’m enjoying these. I’ll admit, I kinda rolled my eyes at the announcement and figured I’d ignore these (wouldn’t be the first place to throw a pretty face into some videos to reel in more hits), but I genuinely think they’re a good addition and Simone Boyce really seems to know what she’s talking about. Thumbs up.
Undead HeroQuote Reply
Much better than the first episode. Still need to fix that shitty editing! It makes it painful to watch!
MeekyReekyRamsayQuote Reply
Really, really nice job. I loved the soapbox! It’s great that you talked about things that will then create discussion back on the site. It’s so much more interesting than to have someone talking at you. Great episode!
To answer the question, out of everyone I would change Dany’s storyline in ACoK. She went from the character with the most agency in GoT, to spending most of the book either wandering the desert or sucking up to people. I’m so glad that it looks like HBO beefed up her plot a bit this season, because she needed it.
KatieQuote Reply
I was happy when i heard that Xaro was being played by Nonso Anozie. I knew Xaro wasn’t black, but i kept picturing him as black in my head when I was reading. Just not as big. I think he will do a great job.
MeekyReekyRamsayQuote Reply
So hot
Ted furthmanQuote Reply
I’ve always said “Kwarth” in my head, but who knows? And I like the soapbox too! I agree, a little color never hurt anyone, especially across the sea with Dany’s storyline. I actually always envisioned Xaro as a middle eastern spice trader (think Persian or Turkish), despite GRRM’s descriptions. And while I love his glittering look from what we’ve seen, I’m hoping he’ll get some EVEN more flamboyant and fun outfits! :)
JessQuote Reply
YES LOL YES!
JessQuote Reply
Major improvement on The Daily Raven format. Great job!
I love that you put the WIC address with the little disclaimer underneath.. hahaha The scroll and seal are a fantastic combination.. seeing as that’s the main usage for secret spillage in GOT. Very creative!
Background color and picture were very attractive.. music is divine of course.. flash of tweet info very cool.. and the ending credits were very clear and bold. Very, very nice! ..and best of all.. I know which website to check out to satisfy my GOT obsession.
..and we have GOT HOMEWORK… lol
MimsyQuote Reply
Very enjoyable! The editing didn’t bother me last time, I think people are overstating that, but it is better this time. And I agree with Simone about the POC casting.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming, what have you become? Are you run by adolescent boys? In your eager rush to be popular, you’ve become shallow and vain. Why does the presenter have to wear such a revealing, low cut top? It’s not as bad as Aint It Cool News’s infamous Script Girl, but it’s pushing it.
I won’t be back to this website. Very disappointing, guys.
Lycan WitchQuote Reply
Really?
ok first off long time lurker first time posting.
I hate trolls that try so desperately piss in the punch bowl. Simone is a very atractive, real fan girl and this person “lycan witch”, a point of irony I will get to in a moment, is bitching like she is some mindless dingbat in one of GRRM’s one breasted dresses… Really is that all you could find to gripe about? have you read the books ? they are not really intended for the soft of heart or the prudish of sexuality. Coming from one with the name Lycan Witch I find this somewhat strange, as most modern depictions in books of lycans or werewolves tends to show them in a rather animalistic, sexual, ruled by instinct over intellect sort of way , and the term witch most commonly attached to a wiccan… well… hate to bring this up but many of there religious observances tend to involve a lot less clothing than Simone’s very nice form fitting top.
Heart of WynterQuote Reply
I didn’t realize casting had been an issue. Especially considering what a great job they’ve done so far.
John WQuote Reply
Her shirt isn’t extremely revealing. There is nothing feminist about thinking a woman should only wear shirts that show no cleavage. And given that Simone Boyce is a grown woman, I assume she chose her own clothing. She looks great.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
How dare she wear a shirt that is not in any way, shape or form atypical of what is stylish, acceptable, and common?
Seriously, you’re acting like a bunch of slobbering thirteen year olds dressed her up in a slave Leia costume and had her sucking on a lollipop the whole time while saying nothing of substance. She’s an attractive woman giving legitimate, knowledgeable insight into the very thing to which this site is devoted.
Wait a minute…Ginia? Ginia Belafonte, is that you?
AdrianQuote Reply
Living in a country where cleavage is never on show, I did find it a little distracting but other than than great video, Daily Raven thumbs up.
giantofstarkQuote Reply
I have some comments on this, and I mean all of this in the best way. I’ve watched both eps so far, and while I think Simone is a great host, I still feel emotionally unattached to it, because I don’t really know Simone, and I don’t quite “get it” yet.
But I WANT to get it, so please don’t take this as me being unsupportive or critical. So what’s the ultimate purpose of the Daily Raven? Is it aimed at us, the family here at the WiC website? Or is it meant for general GoT fans, and meant to be used as a marketing tool to draw them in to the WiC website so they can enjoy the fun here? Or is it both?
How is it getting made each week? Fab, are you or anyone else from the site writing the dialogue for Simone on this, or is everything she says just her own thoughts/opinions/etc? Would love to see a ‘behind the scenes’ of how you guys are making “The Daily Raven”. Who’s running the camera? Who’s editing it? Who decides the content?
I’m conflicted because I want to like it, but so far it’s kind of bland and generic. Again, I mean this in a supportive way. Maybe you’re going for bland and generic, to reach more viewers? Ease in the people who have never read the books, and therefore have just found the show because it’s on HBO? I’d love to hear more about the thought process behind it, and who’s actually running it. And what do you expect us to do with it? Do you want us to be supporting it by sharing it on our facebook walls, etc? Is one of the goals for it to get a lot of views and be really popular? Are you going to expect ppl to turn to it each week for the best post-show info?
If TDR (oh cool, it’s own acronym) is something meant to entertain us, here at the site, I’d like to see more site-specific content incorporated into it, so it feels more like something done by us, and for us.
For example, I think something I’d like to see on it is the addition of some WiC central content, like a rundown of the ‘Gates” of the week, and maybe have Simone read a few of the funniest tweets from FaB’s tweet review. Actually, it would be much better to have FaB read the funniest tweets, as I think his personality is suited to that.
Or you could ask site members to volunteer to record their voice reading tweets, and then have the guy here who’s the cartoonist draw funny pictures or animations to go with the tweets. There’s probably some phone or online app for that, right?
Then you could also choose a pic each week from Fury’s tumblr, and ask for captions to be submitted. Then pick a winning caption, and show the pic with the caption somewhere in the broadcast. This would let people feel involved with TDR, because they could be coming up with captions, and also it highlights flash up the best pics from Fury’s tumblr, or have a once a week photo caption contest, and show the winning photo with the winning caption.
I wouldn’t worry about the length of the show, let me tell you about a game my kids play called “Minecraft”, and the hilarious youtube videos by these two guys named Simon and Lewis, chit-chatting and joking as they play the game. And these episodes are 15-23 minutes long at a time, and we watch all sorts of them every day. on weekends it’s hours long fests of Shadow of Israphel or Sunshine of Israpony. It’s hilarious. So if you are making something funny, and quirky, that hits a niche audience, people will watch. You don’t have to make it 3-5 mins long like the ‘network’ little grab and go segments. Go longer! And go more personal more quirky, and involve us.
I also suggest part of TDR could be the weekly ‘wrap up’, which could be an actual Rap. I know FaB could do this, and maybe we could help, but we pick a popular rap tune in the public domain, and if there isn’t one, we have one of the musical people here make a simple rap for us, (isn’t Lex musical?) and we write a rap each week about each episode..
And didn’t someone design a House Gatewatch Logo? Did we pick house colors? I’d love to see that in the background for some of the segments. (If TDR is truly ‘our’ production)
I know I’ve suggested a lot here, but I will also offer my writing skills. I’m a very busy person but hey, I have time for fun! Anyway, there’s my outpouring of thoughts, ideas and suggestions, feel free to take all or none of it :)
purplejillyQuote Reply
as much as i hate to say it, xaro and salla really do seem to be there to fill a “virtual race quota” (or be token black guys if you like), especially after the whole “dorthaki are racist” deal
DegausserQuote Reply
I always imagined Qartheen being asian myself. Qarth seemed to have an exotic asian feel. Doesn’t matter much anyway, though.
BrockQuote Reply
Whose storyline should be changed? When I was in high school drama class I once read “My arm is broken” 100 different ways–amused, angry, surprised, upset, indifferent, and so on–100 ways. The class applauded wildly when I was done–maybe because the agony had finally ended? So here’s one: How about a five-minute soliloquy from Hodor? It would call upon every bit of the actor’s skill!
Pearson MooreQuote Reply
I LOVE Simone.
This Daily Raven deal is a fantastic addition to WIC. I’m going to be looking forward to each and everyone of these episodes, especially when the show starts.
The DarkStarQuote Reply
Liked this episode a lot more than the first one. Especially the soapbox part! Looking forward to more of that in the future, because opinions are more interesting and thought-provoking than rah-rah infodumps.
Oh, and thank you for losing the jumpy editing.
Cersei_IIQuote Reply
I agree on the Xaros’ ethnicity “issue”. I used quotes, because I don’t even think it was that much of an issue to begin with. There wasn’t a huge lot of people complaining, if I recall correctly. As for how the color change contributes to the story … I guess one way of looking at it would be, that in the books, Xaro is, despite being white, established as an exotic character. So … the fact that Nonso is black of skin(and also that the majority of Qarth is evidently white) only helps establishing that. Because I’m sure that we, as the audiance, won’t spend as much time with XXD, as Dany did(in the books).
PepiQuote Reply
I like the show, I like Simone, I’m not crazy about a soapbox segment, and I’d love to see the videos go a little longer. Keep up the good work!
GreatjonQuote Reply
I agree with that.
purplejilly,
Thanks for the detailed response and suggestions. I enjoyed reading it, and liked many of the things you say. There are others who are more competent to respond, so I’ll let them do it :)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
I’ve always imagined Essos coastal citys as North African/Middle eastern with Slavers Bay like the Persian Gulf. So for me having black merchants like XXD (from the central Essos/central Africa) in Quarth is kinda logical. I’am more annoyed that Pyat Pree and Quathe are white since i always pictured these people with a more Persian/Semitic look.
And yes i know that’s not the same as GRRM describes them in the books.
But Westeros – Narrow Sea – Essos was always Europe – Mediterranean Sea – Africa in my mind.
Oi!Quote Reply
ok, bit of a girly moment here :) …… Simone, did you do your own makeup for this? Because whoever did it, they did a really good job for camera work.
DayleQuote Reply
So.. No comments so far on the half-a-second joke “There is no Tyrell in me”? I found that pretty clever xD
Overall good, but I was expecting some puns or laughs as in ep1 and so far this episode has basically none. I really didn’t need a 5 minutes lecture on why having mr Xaro as a black guy is not a bad thing, I got it from the start.
Keep up the good work!
Ender985Quote Reply
Great vid! I really liked the soapbox segment, and hope that it gets used often, if not every time. Asking for a video response is a great way to get people involved, I think, however as I don’t have a webcam, I also like purplejilly’s idea of a tumblr caption contest every now and then, too. : )
MiraxQuote Reply
I see a lot of the cries of racism and sexism come up because of the whole “created world” dynamic of most fantasy. People who are looking to be offended take the fact that the world is a product of the mind of the author, and can’t distinguish between fantasy “this is what the author thinks the world should be” and fantasy “this is a world the author created to present challenges to his characters”.
With an adaptation to screen, visual cues and time spent on screen have more meaning than written descriptions and number of pages. As annoying as the Asiatic Lannister armor is, it’s an instant visual cue that the person is a Lannister. When a character is important, but doesn’t get a lot of time, they need sharp distinct visual cues to not blend in with everyone else. This is especially true with this series, where any particular character can suddenly turn out to become important.
Critical GeekQuote Reply
Improved over last time, less akward jokes ftw!
userjQuote Reply
Critical Geek,
Thank you for pointing out the obvious with such intellectual language
Ted furthmanQuote Reply
Great episode. Loved the soapbox segment. And nice production value too! Simone is a great match, knowledgable, funny, a true geek and it doesn’t hurt that she is easy on the eyes. ;-)
Omar BrownQuote Reply
The Soapbox is a really good segment. I guess it’s just Simone’s Opinion Piece on one of the discussion topics that float around. Great, that is something interesting. What I don’t need is a “news segment” at the beginning since most probably, everyone read/saw these little bits on the main page in text or picture. It’s faster than a video which you have to load ;) Now just make it into a video podcast on itunes (or is it already? I haven’t looked ;)).
So yes, keep going, it’s only the second video and it’s already quite good, even if it sounds a bit too scripted sometimes ;) The one thing that isn’t clear to me is what the spoiler level is.
HertoloQuote Reply
So where’s the male eye candy version of this Nothing I Didn’t Already Know commercial?
No offense, I’m just sayin’…
What’s fair is fair.
PatDQuote Reply
I didn’t watch the first one but after all the comments on it I figured I would give this one a shot. My feeling is basically: Meh. It’s not bad. It’s not wonderful. I’m not sure it adds anything.
Currently it seems like by the time the videos are up, they will be discussing “old” news. The new trailer has 500-some comments and if Simone talks about it a week from now, everyone will probably have already moved on. Maybe this would have been nice a few months ago, when we were desperate for any type of news. But with the rate we’re getting interviews and trailers now, talking about it a week later is far too late.
My biggest complain: Why the eff is it called The Daily Raven if it’s a weekly feature? :/
ChryseeQuote Reply
I dont know why they have to change Asha Greyjoys name, made no sense to me. I thought Xaro’s casting was fine but I was hoping for someone more Asian looking for Melisandre considering she’s from Asshai. Also Jaqen H’ghar is probably too european looking aswell. I suppose its no big deal, but some consistent geography would be good, I wouldnt expect there to be white people playing summer islanders. The main problem I have is that white european actors seem to get the opportunity to play most roles whereas black or asian ones are more likely to be typecast. An example is that abysmal prince of persia movie.
TinuvielQuote Reply
Who was that fake chick they brought onto GTV that everyone hated? I can’t help but equate Simone to her. (Except that people like Simone.) I’m really sorry, and I hate to be negative, but I can’t like this. It isn’t Simone herself, but how she’s presented and how it feels like WiC is trying very, very hard to appeal to fast-paced young adult males, regardless of their true intentions.
It all just feels extraneous, I guess. Needless.
I’m not gonna go as far as to say no one can enjoy this, though, or present my opinion as superior. I’m just weirdly alienated. Feel free to disagree.
Also, to Simone, if she happens to be reading: sorry for being mean. Totally not my intention to attack you.
Pink DragonQuote Reply
Tinuviel,
They changed her name because they felt it sounded too close to Osha. I think it’s understandable since it’s much easier to separate the names when you see them written compared to just hearing them. It’s also not exactly been uncommon for new viewers to have trouble separating the names in the first season.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Just wanted to let you know I feel weirdly alieniated too. And it’s nothing personal to Simone either on my part. She could totally become one of us, after a while. It’s kind of like Your dad says to you “Hey, my girfriend you’ve never heard of before is moving in this week, AND she’s goonna be your new mom, AND she is now going to be the public face of our family, and will be writing our annual Christmas letter to everyone we know, and will be putting weekly videos on youtube about what she thinks of our family. We aren’t really going to screen it or do anything with it, but it will be our hot new take on the family to the world. Great, isn’t that?” And we are all politely going… “okay, Dad..” hmmmm……
purplejillyQuote Reply
purplejilly,
I think that really hits the nail on the head for me as well (as did the suggestions in your earlier post). It’s nothing against Simone, as you yourself say, but there’s this awkwardness to it, in that the style of the videos doesn’t quite match the style of the site (I find WiC itself much more down to earth than this and more relate-able). Again, not to say that Simone or the script aren’t relate-able to someone, but there seems like a disconnect still between the website and the show.
It would be interesting to look at how TDR works as a promotional vehicle for the site though, as it does seem like something that is intended for people not already super familiar with WiC or following the production of GoT.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Also, in answer to the question, I think it would be interesting to expand on the roles of some of the less obvious characters. For whatever reason, Robb and Dany never really interested me that much, so, while seeing the logic in adding to their S02 storylines, I’m still not exactly excited about the prospect.
I think it would be interesting (and potentially useful) to look at more minor characters in greater detail. It would be neat to see more of Myrcella and her experiences on the way to Dorne, for instance, as I think getting to know her better earlier in the show would make what happens to her later more emotionally powerful.
I do like the idea of giving Jamie more to do this season as well, and the suggestion of an escape attempt, that many people have made, seems like something that could create interest without de-railing the storyline.
Also, perhaps some more Hound??? I would still love to see Sandor tell Sansa his story himself. ):
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Tinuviel,
I agree, I don’t think Osha is ever mentioned by name, so who cares?
Tyrion, Tywinn, Theon
Jeor, Jorah, Joffrey, Jory, Yoren
RR sure likes to mess with us hehe.
Omar BrownQuote Reply
Good video. Simone’s awesome.
Not sure what people’s problem is with the videos (whether they’re to everybody’s taste or not). I see them as an alternative marketing/comms channel, and a bit of fun, not a showcase for new or unique content (surely *that* would risk alienating people? Not very accessible after all).
Would people feel less alienated if Simone was writing posts instead of appearing in videos? I don’t remember people feeling alienated when new writers joined the team in the past.
JDPQuote Reply
Love it, you’re spot on!
Being in Australia, I wish this was more like my girl Natalie Tran, who does clever little skits, makes fun of herself, uses pretty foul language and then comments on people’s comments. http://www.youtube.com/user/communitychannel.
Dreaming I know.
Also appreciated the Minecraft tips–my kids are also inexplicably absorbed by building things with those little blocks so now I’m going to go watch those videos.
HildegardeQuote Reply
Hey. I’m no prude. If “The Raven” is going to continue as superficial eye-candy, at least balance the scales with a male version.
And if you’re taking a poll, I prefer dark hair with blue eyes.
In all fairness, Simone seems just as knowledgeable and invested in the series as the rest of us. But it’s the content and packaging I don’t like. It’s taken all these decades to get the genre to the level of quality that HBO is giving to GoT, and this comes off like a frat-boy setback, afaic.
If Simone wants to be taken seriously, she’s going to have to dig a little deeper for really thoughtful content. Also, she could put an attractive face to the effort without dressing so obviously. The push-up bra enhanced cleavage? I mean, seriously? Or is this WiC’s version of Roz?
Guess I’m spoiled. I expected a lot more from WiC. Don’t know what you guys were thinking…
PatDQuote Reply
I heard that about changing the name, HBO must think people are so dumb and stupid that they would mix up Asha and Osha.
Tywin’s Bastard,
TinuvielQuote Reply
I think the writers who joined in the past were already part of the site, and people were used to them, so it was natural. Like when they announced Fury was joining, and was going to run the official Tumblr for the site, I cheered, because I knew her, had seen her post many excellent discussions in the past, and had visited her awesome Tumblr when she was running it on her own. She had ‘paid her dues’ so to speak, and was an active, appreciated member of the site, so for her to step into a greater, and representative of the site role, was an easy transition. And again, I’m not knocking Simone, she seems great, and I am sure in time we will grow to love her too, it’s just some of us need a little adjustment time to get used to it!
purplejillyQuote Reply
On youtube, search for “Shadow of Israphel” – the episodes are numbered, there are about 36 of them now, about 15-20 mins each, and it’s an adventure map their friends made up for them, and they go exploring around the map. It’s like having two twenty something British older brothers for your kids, that will sit and chat and play games with them. LOL! Allthough since their intended audience is over 18′s, they do drop the f bomb and some foul language now and then, but most of it ispretty PG rated. If you have a girl playing Minecraft, my daughter’s favorite is Sunshine of Israpony, same guys, but they go into a Minecraft world where they all have been turned into my little ponies, and it’s very funny. That’s only 6 episodes long. Then just google yogscast and Minecraft in general, and they have all kinds of videos. Watching them is lots of fun!
purplejillyQuote Reply
Simone (and anybody else for that matter),
I know this is going to come off petty, but the correct phrase is ‘I couldn’t care less’, not ‘ I could care less’. By saying ‘I could care less’ means that you actually can care less, which means that it has some importance, ‘I couldn’t care less’ on the otherhand means it is the least of your concerns and that it has no importance. The incorrect usage of this phrase is equally as irritating as saying the word (which is actually not a real word) ‘irregardless’, the correct word is either ‘regardless’ or ‘irrespective’. The prefix ‘ir’ and the suffix ‘less’ mean the same thing, therefore it is a double negative.
I know this is going to get me some negative comments, but so be it. There is a very funny episode of American Dad titled ‘Irregarding Steve’. Check it out.
The Mourning StarQuote Reply
Me like and agree! Can you keep her talking for longer periods of time in the future?
loco73Quote Reply
By which I mean…wearing skimpier outfits with each progressing installment!? Sorry just kidding…
loco73Quote Reply
Really we can do that?!?!?! Bring on the lollipop-sucking-Leia-slave costume!
loco73Quote Reply
Thanks for all your support guys, we are glad you’re liking the show so far.
For all of you talking about my wardrobe…really?!? NO WiC doesn’t dress me…I wear t-shirts like this every day of my life. It is after all a t-shirt, sheesh.
Simone BoyceQuote Reply
MeekyReekyRamsay,
For some reason, I pictured Xaro as Xerxes from 300.
YerpQuote Reply
The Mourning Star,
You’re my hero :D Seriously, I support everything you say.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Makes you wonder if people would be going on and on about the wardrobe choices of a male host, doesn’t it?
Sigh. Heavy sigh.
TwinkletoesQuote Reply
I have a feeling they’ll complain no matter what you wear. Put on a t-shirt “too distracting”, put on a burlap sac “too prude”. Keep being awsome Simone and your soapbox is what many fans need to hear!
XenkanMonkQuote Reply
Just want to add my tuppence worth on The Raven. This is not me venting or needlessly complaining, I feel like my opinions have a purpose for once.
So, I had half a comment written along the lines of “if you don’t like it just don’t watch it” when I realised that I don’t want to not watch it, on the contrary, I would religiously tune in to a weekly (or whatever) video discussing the latest details of my favourite show in the universe if only it was put across in a more refined manner.
As a video editor, and also just as a 29 year old adult, I find all the jump cuts and green screen backgrounds really distracting stylistically and feel that a more straightforward and mature style of editing would reflect more accurately the adult and classy nature of the show.
I feel that the backlash against poor Simone’s wardrobe has probably not been helped by the general style of the show. If she wasn’t jumping around the screen so much, people may actually listen more carefully to her views and arguments, which are generally well informed and opinionated (a good thing for a presenter.)
I guess, that having seen the Raven, I just feel that WiC.net is potentially not the mature hot bed of discussion I once thought it was, and feel pushed towards getting my news from other sites which aren’t making such an obvious effort to be trendy at the risk of integrity (those tee-shirts are a whole other debate). I won’t of course, and that’s why I’m posting here, to try and give some genuine feedback that the guys at WiC.net can work on.
But hey, its just my opinion and perhaps the majority of readers go in for the more “youth orientated” fast-paced thing although, at the risk of repeating myself, I feel again that something more refined would better reflect the HBO show which has us all here in the first place, and which presumably attracts fans of high quality productions.
And if nothing else, its all fodder for the next episode of the Raven where, I’m sure we’ll see Simone dressed in a burkah, in case someone should catch a glimpse of her clavicle. Oh the shame!
ChristyQuote Reply
In my case, you’d be wrong. And for anyone, including Simone, who took away just that criticism from those who aren’t gung-ho about this videocast: you are selectively reading only what you want to see. If you want to ignore the valid critcisms, that’s on you. Good luck with your show.
Christy, Jelly, and others have all provided really thoughtful criticisms, which is what I thought was one of the purposes for this Commentary feature.
This.
I don’t recall anyone posting that the guys at WiC actually dress Simone. Jeez.
PatDQuote Reply
I found that distracting too. It was almost like a jump cut each time there was a paragraph break, and it didn’t seem to have a reason for her to be on a different side of the screen, except just to keep viewers awake. Instead, it broke my concentration as to what she was saying. Of course I don’t want her to go to the other extreme, and be sitting in a suit, in a stuffy old chair by a fireplace, intoning details like it’s Masterpiece Theater. We need something in the middle.
Also I’m curious about the “Rah-Rah HBO” speech in the middle, defending HBO and saying they don’t have to answer to anyone for their casting choices and there is no ‘quota’. I tend to be a conspiracy theorist and think there IS a quota, for skin color as well as female nudity at HBO. They may not give D&D the quota list, but I’m willing to bet they get ‘comments’ and ‘feedback’ during production encouraging them to loosen up a few more bodices. I’m sure they reverse-psychologize them with comments like; “Come on, why did you bring this production to HBO if you didn’t want to be AUTHENTIC and TRUE TO THE BOOKS – you know we are okay with nudity, let’s see a little bit more in this episode! Take advantage of the fact that it’s “HBO” and “NOT TELEVISION”! And so what’s a producer to do? Go ahead and get a little bit more AUTHENTIC! I’m jiggling off the point, but I’m wondering why we are defending and buttering up HBO here? I hope it at least gets you some perks!
purplejillyQuote Reply
To the critics,
I appreciate your feedback. Please know that I do. But I think you guys are making way more of this than you need to. Basically Simone and FaB came to me with the idea of having some sort of weekly video feature where we could cover the latest news, maybe do some interviews, fan reaction videos, etc. and then sprinkle in some humor as well (FaB is writing it after all). Seeing that we had no video content to speak of, I thought that sounded like a great idea.
There is no “obvious effort to be trendy” (unless you consider any video content at all “trendy” but since web videos have been around for at least the past 7-8 years and actual moving pictures much longer than that I don’t think you can call this trying to be trendy). And how does having a weekly video feature somehow negate all the other topics and content we offer? We’re no longer a “mature hot bed of discussion” because we post the occasional funny video? That makes no sense.
Look, the style of the video may not be for you. That’s fine. Different strokes for different folks. And, like I said, I appreciate the feedback from those who are offering suggestions on how to change or improve the feature. But I really, really hate when people insinuate that we are somehow sacrificing our “integrity” or “maturity” just because we post a weekly video. I feel kind of insulted by it because me and the rest of the WiCnet team put a lot of work into making this site as great as it can be, with lots of different kinds of content for people to enjoy and discuss. And denigrating all the other hard work that is done, simply because you don’t enjoy these videos, is hurtful.
Oh, and the comments about this video being pandering to some “frat boys” or “adolescent boys” is beyond insulting. Both to me, to FaB, and to Simone. Simone is an extremely talented presenter and video producer that loves Game of Thrones. She is a great fit to host something like this. Would you rather watch FaB awkwardly bumbling though the script? Or my amateur attempts at video editing? I’m guessing not. Simone is professional and talented. And what she wishes to wear on the video is completely up to her. (Well, I may try to get her to wear one of our t-shirts at some point.)
Anyway, sorry about this rant, I am cranky this morning. Bottom line: I want to provide as much interesting and unique content about GoT as I can, and I thought these videos would be another great way to do that. And, in my opinion, they have been.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
hear hear. Everytime this site does something new people are complaining this site ‘is going down the drain.’ It’s pretty obvious the number 1 focus of this site will always be to provide news around the show, there’s nothing to be afraid of people.
KnurkQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Just gotta say WiC, perfect response from all the negativity. While it’s just personally not my thing, I think the whole project is working great. Everyone is expecting it to be some work-of-art production worthy of some award, but from the beginning you all made it clear it’d just be some fun little way to keep peoPle updated! Not to mention it’s the SECOND episode…nothing is perfect that early, I would think that’d be obvious to most, especially all the long time readers of this great site.
tchls1Quote Reply
To add my two cents, perhaps unnecessarily, and repeat what I have tried to say on previous occasions: the “public face” of WiC.net is and will remain this very site. Our brand stand and falls with it, and none of the side efforts are high-profile enough to interfere, let alone be “damaging” – as some implied – to it and our mission: being the most informative and accessible site for news and rumours on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Other activities may just as well fill some niches, reward the interested readers, and bring more people over to the site to get informed, then. That’s reasonable, is it not?
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Pink Dragon,
purplejilly,
Steve Hugh Westenra,
Christy,
That’s a lot of “replies,” but just wanted to say I agree with you guys/girls. There’s something about The Daily Raven that for me, just doesn’t gel with my understanding of ASOIAF, GOT, and WIC.net. It’s still hard to describe what exactly I don’t like about the segment, but I do agree with those who said it inspires a slight sense of alienation. :/
LinaQuote Reply
Thank you WiC and HMR for responding, and clarifying. As I said, I’m not against it, nor against Simone, I just wanted to try and have a better understanding of it, and how it came about, and what its place is in the larger scheme of things. You’ve helped with that. I look forward to seeing how it goes, especially when the show gets back on the air!
purplejillyQuote Reply
I agree that HBO isn’t trying to fill any “race quotas”, or anything like that. They’re only trying to cast the best actor for the role, as per usual… but…
I always thought the “milk white” skin of XXD added a lot to his character (i.e. he’s milk white because he doesn’t work and is always shaded from the sun… as was common in European and Asian antiquity… i.e. the nobility was generally much paler than the peasant class for this very reason, so much so, that pale skin came to be associated with the nobility in many countries, ranging from Japan to England).
Plus, an extremely pale XXD comes off looking much more fragile than a not-so-pale XXD, in my opinion. Perhaps that’s my own prejudice, but I’m simply being honest. I’m sure Nonzo Anozie is a great actor, and he does look very regal and all, but I’m not getting anything close to the same vibe that I got from Xaro in the book. Perhaps I’m being unfair, since we haven’t even seen him act yet, but I would contend that skin color was pretty integral to his character. Sorry if that isn’t PC. I meant no offense to the pale or the not-so-pale.
Varamyr FourskinsQuote Reply
Agreed with that, it’s just that video is a visual medium, and when you’ve got a hot girl in a push-up bra with a low cut t-shirt, it gives a certain impression. It’s the kind of announcer you see on G4 and MTV, and it seems to indicate you’re going for a certain audience. It’s not necessarily a bad impression, but it’s maybe one some of us weren’t expecting. ( however others can’t get enough of it, as they posted).
If you had found a hot young guy, who wore an unbuttoned shirt and tight pants, you might have heard just as many howls and questions of “WTH?” but from the other half of the readership.
There’s no question that today’s viewers seem to prefer to look at hot people in their announcers – for example I think the Fox News women have really gone over the top lately – those women have full beauty pageant makeup on, with pageant hair. They are taking at least two hours a day to get prepped before they go on the air. It sets the bar pretty high.
That being said, I’m sure we will warm up to Simone and her cute wardrobe, she can make amends by wearing something indigo next time, so Fab can writhe and burn when he watches it :P
purplejillyQuote Reply
ATTENTION, ATTENTION, ATTENTION, “Game Of Thrones” Fans (especially Canadian ones), apparently HBO Canada, celebrating the release of “Season Two”, will be bringing to Canada, “Game Of Thrones: The Exhibition”, to run from March 9 to March 18, 2012. I don’t know if it will be available in several Canadian cities or just Toronto. Included are replicas of the Iron Throne (upon which visitors can sit their royal arses and have a picture taken), Melissandre’s dress (at least one of them), plus other props from Season One and Season Two, as well as pictures etc. Admission is free, so the free tickets can be reserved over the phone or in person. Below I included several links to the exhibit…enjoy! The even will be held at the Tiff (Toronto International Film Festival) Bell Lightbox, which is the current headquarters of the film festival. George RR Martin will be there on March 12 for a Q&A and a book signing…
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiffbelllightbox/2012/4600001261
http://tiff.net/gameofthrones
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/02/22/winter-is-coming-toronto-to-host-game-of-thrones-exhibit/
For more info just google the damn thing….oh and by the way the two George RR Martin attended events/workshop are already sold out…
loco73Quote Reply
Any time someone puts an awful lot of effort and time into an endeavor and it’s not received 100%, across the board positively, it’s bound to be hurtful. Even when that certainly wasn’t the intent. It elicited a strong reaction from me, mostly because I genuinely see HBO’s approach to the series as a genuine step forward for the genre. I’ve always appreciated this site’s great balance of wit and intelligence as a terrific supplement to the whole experience. TDR kind of bummed me out, and I responded to that feeling. Honesty can be painful… on both sides.
But the heck with it. I’m so psyched that the second season is just around the corner that I really don’t want to start it off on a bad note. So…
Best wishes, and all that, to Simone and TDR. It’s not my thing, but I hope it works out well for y’all.
Winter is Coming, babies. 4 more weeks! Can.not.wait. I have a reallly good feeling about this sophomore season.
PatDQuote Reply
He’s milk-white in the novels because all the Qarthians are milk-white, hence the Dothraki term for them, “milk men”. There’s nothing unique whatsoever about Xaro’s skin color, and it says nothing about him as an individual character.
Steven SwansonQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Well said. Nitpicking the show is one thing, but the criticism in this thread reeks of entitlement and a strange sense of close-minded exclusivity.
LexQuote Reply
Lex,
I feel like you calling people who criticized The Daily Raven entitled/exclusive is just as bad as people who said the segment makes this site seem immature (which, from reading Winter’s post, is what I gathered to be his biggest problem with the critique). See my paragraph #2 below please.
Moving on, just a few opinions to add:
1. Simone’s appearance shouldn’t be discussed. Focus on her work, her personality, whatever, but NOT her tshirt or her makeup or how attractive/unattractive you find her. It’s really depressing that whenever a woman tries to do ANYTHING (seriously…a webcast, or on the other extreme, even running for presidential candidacy), her appearance is always a topic of commentary, and more often than not a topic that resides more in the forefront than her achievements or shortcomings. Such behavior reinforces the deep-seated, completely unacceptable idea that women are only worth, quite literally, their face value. I’m sure many of the people who commented about Simone’s appearance didn’t mean it in such a serious way, but I worry that discussing looks will become an overall trend (it did happen in the first thread as well).
2. We all need to stick together! Season 2 is right around the corner, and then we’ll have our Episode Review posts with 500+ comments and all of us praising the show, nitpicking things, squabbling over details of the adaptation and freaking out over what’s to come! I generally think most of the criticism about TDR isn’t intended to be snide or biting, but just an expression of opinion. I think it’s fine to counter opinions or to criticize criticism, as that’s how debates get going and discussion moves forward. However, what I really don’t want to see right before we enter into our “high season” of discussion is people being maligned for their opinions. I’m not trying to scold or mom anyone right now; I just want to express that I’m terribly excited for Season 2 at this site and I don’t want division over TDR to spoil it. :(
3. I haven’t been an ardent supporter of The Daily Raven, and I agree with a good amount of the criticism offered by others. However, I also wanted to add that this is only the second episode, and I’m sure the team is still working out kinks. This type of work isn’t easy, and it takes a lot of time to complete. They might still even be trying to figure out exactly what this thing is supposed to be. Ever write a paper intro only to find that by the time you’re getting into your third or fourth page, whatever you said at the beginning doesn’t even relate anymore? Well, this might just be like that.
LinaQuote Reply
Lina,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, but… nope, I still think the criticism of TDR is entitled/exclusive. Talking about Simone’s appearance, or whether she’s “really one of us” is just ridiculous. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it, end of story. Not everything on this site is tailor made for you. (By “you” I mean anyone, not you or any specific person).
LexQuote Reply
Oh, and please keep the suggestions for improvement (which includes constructive criticism). As you said, that was only the second episode, and WiC.net strives to be better in everything we do :)
Thanks for the responses.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Lina, I agree with everything in your post!
yeah, but they posted it, and they ASKED for comments and suggestions. They didn’t post and say “Here it is! If you don’t like it, don’t watch it!” Those are two entirely different attitudes.
So I don’t think you are correct in calling people who shared their ideas and criticisms, as ‘entitled/exclusive’, because they were ASKED to share.
purplejillyQuote Reply
This episode worked much better, guys, so cheers for that! Loved the soapbox segment and the personal touch it brings, the script was clean and eloquent, basically my only beef with the video is that it ended so soon. Props for the music and the design.
And Simone, keep up the good work, you’re doing great!
MachaQuote Reply
Sorry, but this is more than a little naive and a lot disingenuous.
Like it or not (and none of the people commenting on her appearance have made it this way), presentation/image is everything on the internet. That’s why an entire enterprise of branding came about. It’s especially true for any video presentation online. If the comments made in this thread were actually read, not interpreted, it would have been apparent that they weren’t speaking to the intent of Simone and TDR, just its presentation. I don’t think anyone doubts that the effort isn’t 100% full of good intent. But in this world of superficiality that’s not how it represented itself to some. So, when asked to comment, we were honest.
Responding in a defensive way, or reducing our comments to anti-feminism does not promote discussion.
That’s the last I will post on the matter.
PatDQuote Reply
Oh, and just to add my two cents, because (as a long time lurker) I’ve seen this happen so many times I’ve lost count.
Sorry for being a bit of a Captain Obvious here, but people should keep in mind a simple fact: everybody is protective of their work, and it’s only natural to be. A 3 minute video like that has hours (and sometimes even days) of hard work behind it. So practice a little empathy and common sense while offering your input.
Constructive criticism does exist, and can lead to great results. It’s something your product can only benefit, so we should all welcome it, even if we follow it or not.
I tend to agree with people criticizing the transitions (and the whole MTV-like vibe, at least for the first episode), but at the same time I don’t see it as being that important. It’s made for fun, not for Cannes film festival. On the other hand, (most of the) people pointing it out do so because they care, and because they want everything about this site to be perfect, in their view.
I don’t see any harm in that, as long as everybody can keep it civil and -sometimes- control their urge to nitpick everything. It doesn’t make you smarter or more observant, it’s incredibly easy and anyone can do it, you should just ask yourself beforehand if there is a real need to do it.
Mkay, enough preaching on my part, back to the fun and to more pressing matters, and here I do have a question, sorry if it’s been answered already and I didn’t see it:
Is the length of current TDR episodes dictated by the fact that we haven’t had that much info to chew on, or was it the plan all along to keep it pretty short? Can I hope that, with the new season approaching, it will skip the 5 min mark, at least?
Cheers!
MachaQuote Reply
Hear Me Roar,
Thank you my friend (this said with a humble bow and a hat tip)
Also, on a serious note, my heart and prayers go out to a family in my neighborhood whose 15 year old son took his own life yesterday; such a tragic loss. Please remember to let your children and loved ones know that you love them.
The Mourning StarQuote Reply
PatD,
Maybe it’s just me, but I fail to see how comments that suggest that a woman is “too hot” to be genuinely interested in “nerd things,” or that she is trying to appeal to immature boys by wearing a low-cut t-shirt is NOT anti-feminist. It’s completely reductive.
The staff asked for critique, and I think criticism should refer to the brand of this site, not to Simone’s personal brand. If she were peddling herself here as a model or something similar in which appearance directly relates to her work, then the circumstances would be different. However, that’s not the context. She’s an ambassador of the WiC brand and should be treated as such. If she were wearing tattered clothes, if her hair were all dirty and messy, if she were drunk, I’d say there would be a reason to comment, as she’d be a bad representative of this site. But clearly that’s not the case at all, and comments about her attractiveness or wardrobe choices don’t really provide any constructive feedback on anything related to the mechanics and goals of this site.
Also, I fail to see the difference between “reading” or “interpreting” the comments posted here. By definition, reading is just interpreting the written word. Further, nothing posted here is fact, but rather all opinion. So it’s not as if I, or anyone, is reading something based in truth and “interpreting” it to mean something completely different.
And just to be clear, I didn’t intend to imply that anyone who commented on appearance doubted effort. My numbered paragraphs were meant to be three separate reactions to this issue, but I can see how they could be read as one. So again, I didn’t mean to suggest that people weren’t being honest with their critiques or that by offering criticism they somehow ignored the effort put into TDR. So sorry if that was how you read my post and if the link between those two ideas caused offense.
LinaQuote Reply
awesome video!
loved the soapbox! hahaha
Thiago SlashQuote Reply