First off, congratulations to Lex, who wins the signed 2012 John Picacio A Song of Ice and Fire calendar. His quasi-vague guess was the closest we had. “The title is a play on Harry Potter’s “Daily Prophet” newspaper… but The Daily Raven is a semi-regular youtube news segment!” is mostly true!
Second off…
It’s about freaking time Winter Is Coming moved into the 21st century, right? So in answer to that we will now feature… video!
The Daily Raven—its name inspired in part by Harry Potter’s The Daily Prophet as well as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (props to The Critic and Purplejilly for guessing that)—is our foray into live interviews and features. Everything else that comes with that is cake.
And what is everything else? What isn’t it? The Daily Raven is a Game of Thrones-related news show that will feature live interviews, editorial commentaries, inside-the-show peeks, episode reviews… as well as some semi-vaguely offensive satire, among other things. (If we find it funny, we’ll probably do it. We’re not limiting ourselves just yet.)
The Daily Raven will not be daily… yet. Perhaps someday. But for now it will be quasi-weekly, and featured exclusively here at Winter Is Coming. And on YouTube. Probably.
And… we have a hostess!
I’m happy to introduce Simone Boyce as creator, hostess, and co-writer of The Daily Raven. Please note you should not confuse “Raven” Simone with Raven-Symoné. Just thought I’d get that out in advance.
Many of you may recognize Simone from her work at BoomTron.com (her Epic or Bust is fantastic), as well as her stint hosting Hobbit In 5 for TheOneRing.net. Simone is also funny as hell, and doubly awesome that she counts Grace Helbig and Greg Miller as comedic heroes. But for those of you who don’t know her, I concocted a totally staged interview! Here you go!
Fire And Blood: Welcome to the team, Simone! When did you first experience the awesomeness that is Winter Is Coming?
Simone Boyce: I think I first discovered it about two years ago through a Google search. I love the site!
FaB: You’re one of a handful of burgeoning geek girl correspondents assailing You Tube these days. A dorky yet rising star as it were! When did you first realize you were a complete and hopeless nerd?
SB: Well, lets see. I read “The Hobbit” as a child but 8th grade is when my geekiness started to get out of control. Embarrassingly, my “Lord of the Rings” obsession started because I wanted to impress a crush but I took it and ran with it from there.
FaB: When did you first hear about Game of Thrones?
SB: I was only like 8 years old when the first book came out, so I didn’t hear about until a few years ago when one of my friends was reading it. I wish I had discovered it sooner though!
FaB: Quick—favorite scene from season one?
SB: Any and all Jason Momoa scenes!
FaB: Seriously, I want him to play Daario. I’m starting a grass-roots movement. Who is your favorite character?
SB: Joffrey. Bahahaha just kidding. Arya for reals.
FaB: For reals is pretty real. The Daily Raven is your brainchild. How did you initially conceive it?
SB: With some raging hormones and a lot of Jell-O shots. No, actually I started a weekly recap of “Game of Thrones” on YouTube during season 1 (the now-defunct and legally stymied “Game of Thrones for Dummies” web series). I tried to break down some of the complex back-story and intricate family histories for people who weren’t familiar with the series. People seemed to like it, and I had fun doing it so I thought I’d bring back the concept for season 2. But “The Daily Raven” isn’t as much of a guide as it is a way to keep up with all the news. We’re just giving “Game of Thrones” fans the news in our own special way. Dark wings dark words, suckas!
FaB: How fantastic has it been thus far working with FaB? Don’t be meek. Tell us all how great he is.
SB: He’s pretty awesome. We spend more time laughing than actually working!
FaB: The “not working” thing sounds about right. You’re pretty tall. Do you reasonably believe that at any given time and for an appropriate reason, you could kick all of our asses? (The males at least. Fury seems slightly ferocious.)
SB: You had to get a tall question in there! Story of my life! You know, I’ve never been in a fight and I’ve always wanted to so don’t give me good reason! I imagine my fighting skills are comparable to River Tam’s.
FaB: Excellent Firefly reference. One of the earlier ideas I conceived for introducing the show was having you naked and tucked into a fetal position inside a giant egg-shaped suspended animation device. The only thing holding me back is I can’t seem to get the thing to actually put people into suspended animation. But if I can, are you open to that?
SB: You are out of control FaB!
FaB: I’m amazed Winter gives me the leeway he does. All of the Winter-is-Coming writers have pen-names taken from Westerosi house words. If you could have one, which motto would you take? As High As Honor? Growing Strong? Or do you tire of these lame height jokes?
SB: I would have taken Hear Me Roar, as I’m secretly envious of The Lann Clan. While I do hate them, deep down I want to be one of them. And yes I do tire of lame height jokes!! Sheesh!!
FaB: I’ll be sure to write more of those into The Daily Raven scripts. Last question: How do you feel about the color indigo?
SB: I painted my room indigo in High School.
FaB: I’m sure we’ll work together just fine.
(Translation: She’s pro-indigo. Basically we’re f***ed.)
Seriously, I’m really looking forward to doing this. We’ve written approximately 2 episodes already, and are crossing our fingers for a (hopefully not a jinx) potential live interview to land. There’s a fish on the hook! Once season 2 of Game of Thrones begins, we intend on doing weekly show summaries (ala “The Talking Dead,” props to Handmaiden of Dany).
From there… Comic-Con? Titan-Con? Who knows? The sky’s the limit, and The Daily Raven flies high.
You can follow Simone on Twitter @SimoneBoyce! You better damn well already be following me @Axechucker. (Winter, HMR, and Fury… enh. Follow them at your own risk.)
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46 Comments
First LOL
Lex! Send us your mailing address!
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
very cool :)
John-Michael LelievreQuote Reply
Only slightly ferocious, FaB? GRRRR FURY RISIN- oh look, something shiny!
The Daily Raven is going to be wicked.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
Good move guys. This will generate alot of interest and….attraction (of the lusty appeal)that will make WIC sell.
Looks like a new chapter is being opened.
surfKrakenQuote Reply
hello?? DAILY PLANET?? that one was way before than the harry potter series…
MikQuote Reply
Welcome to the team, Simone! Your ‘dummies’ work on GoT made the time between episodes bearable. Can’t wait to see what you and the WiC team raven-up for us.
sbj2k1Quote Reply
What? Did they really kill GoT for Dummies? Only discovered it after the end of S1, but I really liked it…
Anyway, welcome Simone!
Daniel MoitzQuote Reply
Great news, everyone!
Smart move gettin Simone, she’s much easier on the eyes than FaB :P
Also, how come I didn’t get anything for 2nd place! My guess was clearly the next closest after Lex.
the goatQuote Reply
the goat,
In the words of the mighty Viper, there are no points for second place.
John-Michael LelievreQuote Reply
Pretty cool, I guess.
sjweningsQuote Reply
… Hey!
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
LOL, WHAT?? I was totally taking a shot in the dark.
Awesome, thanks guys! :D
LexQuote Reply
John-Michael Lelievre,
Is this a school about combat? gentlemen?
Anyway, its much funnier if you know what my guess was.
Fire And Blood,
Are you really gonna dispute the truthiness of my statement? (still bitter about missing the Comic-Con meetup)
I keed, I keed. You would absolutely be the best looking Clegane brother.
the goatQuote Reply
Oops! I guess I like Potter more than Superman.
LexQuote Reply
LMAO Artest (or should i say metta world peace) asked her out on a date.
charlesQuote Reply
the goat,
You win or you die!
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Really!? Damn, this contest is even more deadly than jai alai. Knew I shoulda read the bylaws.
On the other hand, I did really want that calendar. So, y’know, no regrets.
163 entries…Ser Ilyn’s certainly gonna earn his check this month.
the goatQuote Reply
For serious: Welcome to the team Simone!
….but I really wished to see Fabio in a raven costume :P
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
theonering.net has been doing “The Hobbit in 5″ for quite some time now – with a hostess. Everything about “The Hobbit” movies updated each week in a 5 minute video. Glad to see the same sort of thing coming to this site!
LindaQuote Reply
The dominion of WiCnet is spreading!
WiCnet-producet videos was one thing I felt was lacking during season 1, and from what I remember GoT for dummies was one of the more enjoyable ones on Youtube, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing the result of this!
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Is it only youtube or will we maybe be able to subscribe through iTunes?
David BrewerQuote Reply
The Daily Raven is going to be wicked!! => seconded
You guys are sooo amazing!
And I so wish i had better internet…x_x”
Jéssica De Freitas MacielQuote Reply
Fantastic! Great news. Looking forward to checking this out.
HollyoakQuote Reply
Mrs. Boyce definitely needs a house name. She looks like a Sand Snake to me, so I would recommend Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken. ;) Triple U ftw!
Also looking forward to the Daily Raven.
JBirdQuote Reply
She charms the celebs, which is the main requirement of a great interviewer. And she’s tall, so all those big ego celebs (Ron Artest hey) get a bit of a reality check standing next to her. Finally, she comes off as very authentic, no fake geekiness to fit a role. I’ll bet the interview went something like this:
FaB: So you were awkward in high school?
SB: Yeah.
FaB: Welcome aboard!
John PearlQuote Reply
Er… is this a US/UK thing? “The Daily X” is just the default name of any fictional newspaper, because it’s so common for real (almost always low-brow) newspapers. We’ve got the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph (the exception to the low-brow thing), the Daily Express, the Daily Mirror, the Daily Star… and even the Sun used to be the Daily Herald. The Daily Courant was published in 1702.
WastrelQuote Reply
Wastrel,
I’m pretty sure in this case Daily Planet was referencing the newspaper that Clark Kent worked for when he wasn’t off being Superman, as Superman was waaaaay before Harry Potter. :)
Congrats Lex, and welcome Simone!
MiraxQuote Reply
Depends on the eyes! I’d take FaB over Simone, despite his unjustified hatred of Indigo.
purplejillyQuote Reply
I like Indigo (and tacos)
but I’m also team Others so…
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Yeah why no house words? HmR is taken but how about UUU, FDH, or HaH, even HWS, if minor houses count?
userjQuote Reply
Welcome Simone! Looking forward to this already.
The_Rabbit01,
Perhaps we could have a 5 second ‘credits’ sequence of Fabio in a raven costume? :)
JBird,
The Martell words would be a good choice, but looking at the picture of Simone with Kit she reminds me of Oona Chaplin, so how about ‘Honour, not Honours’?
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
She’s already established under her own real name, she doesn’t need a house name if she doesn’t want one. And if she does, well, she can pick it. Declaring house allegiance is a personal matter. :)
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
Cool cool cool. You did a great job with the ‘dummies’ video’s. This will probably be a lot better than those uncomfortable Elio&Linda segments.
KnurkQuote Reply
Great news! I’m really looking forward to this. You guys surely know how to build a buzz :)
G_LeeQuote Reply
Ey! where are you going to do the filming of this new-epic-best-tv-thing in the world?
DashQuote Reply
PLEASE tell me you’ll post transcripts of the video segments. I tend to be online at work, where we are unable to YouTube.
ConstanceQuote Reply
… yes, I realise that. My point was that this “it’s a Potter reference”, “no, superman was first” debate seems to ignore the fact that “the Daily X” has been the default name for news for the last three hundred years, and that there are thousands of real and fictional examples. It’s kind of like saying that the swords in GOT are a LOTR reference because LOTR has swords, and then someone else pointing out that actually Gladiator had swords in it first.
WastrelQuote Reply
I bet she’s from Tarth…
AzazelusQuote Reply
Azazelus,
I get a more Dornish vibe from her. I’ll vote for UUU.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
I was more talking about her height ;)
Simone Sand?
Simone of Tarth?
…or… the Wildling Warrior Princess Simone
AzazelusQuote Reply
The first blu-ray review is in, gives 5* to video and audio, niceee.
KnurkQuote Reply
She seems like a really cool girl. The Daily Raven sounds like it will be lots of fun. Congratulations, Lex, for guessing right!
DreamlifeQuote Reply
This is my first post on WIC and I just want to say I’m really excited for the Daily Raven and great job with everything!
EponymousMeQuote Reply
Tall geek girls rule!
<– 6'1" (184cm) geek girl here.
'fraid I'd tower over Jon Snow (er, I mean Kit) too.
'course I married a much shorter man, so ya never know. haha
LundyQuote Reply
I love Simone on H5! I especially love all of her nerdy T-Shirts :) She’ll be great for the Daily Raven.
freyar_88Quote Reply
I’m really late on this, but nice to “finally” know haha
you’re most welcome, Simone!
Thiago SlashQuote Reply