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Game of Thrones WTF?

So, I'll admit that I missed the bit about Renly being gay in the books.  Guess I just sort of glossed over that because it didn't really mean much to me.  And I'll grudgingly admit that perhaps Stannis is having sex with Melisandre, even though it isn't overtly mentioned in the books I've read so far.  But . . .

Last night's episode had a whole lot of stuff I am pretty freekin' positive did not occur goin' on!

Don't recall reading anything about Dany's khalasar being slaughtered and her dragons stolen from her!  In my recollection [Spoiler Alert] she and her followers grow full and comfy in the city of Quarth and she accepts an invitation to visit the House of the Undying Ones to learn about her future and such.  The entire set up in the book is completely understandable, so why bother with the contrived business about stealing the dragons?  Seems like pointless dramatic license to me.

Then there's this bit about Arya using the mysterious Jaqen H'ghar to kill some random guard who saw her reading a missive she had stolen.  Where the eff was that in the book?!  As I recall, the second guy Arya has killed is some bully who slaps her around and threatens her.  I guess that's a minor plot change considering how they're compressing stuff for the series, but it's a bit more palatable to me than the faux dragon kidnapping I mentioned earlier.

Hmpff

And here's another bit on the casting so far:

Also liking the casting of Natalia Tena as Osha the wildling who ends up befriending Bran Stark.  And this Tom Wlaschiha who is portraying Jaqen H'ghar.  I loved Jaqen's character in the book, with the third person speech and all and this guy is doing a wonderful job making him seem real.

And like most casual folks, I had first seen Natalia as Nymphadora in the Harry Potter movies and thought she was kind of cool looking -- offbeat and such.  She's got a much bigger part in this ongoing series and frankly, after last night's nude scene, she's got a pretty bangin' body too.  I felt a bit like Theon there thinking how much I had wondered just what she actually looked like.

And I had meant to mention this in an earlier post, but I wonder if the actors involved in this series are enjoying not having to tamp down their accents on camera?  I've seen Liam Cunningham in a number of things, but have never heard his Irish accent like I have in Game of Thrones.  And all these other actors/actresses . . . it has got to be nice to just let your voice be itself with all the varied nuances of the British accents that exist and not be trying to sound like a non-descript American.

Still enjoying the series as a whole and if you haven't seen it yet, I recommend it highly.  Just remember, it is not for the faint of heart in terms of sex and violence.

An accident waiting to happen

Fitness guru Jennifer Nicole Lee draped herself in a slinky white dress to go out and about the other day. Now of course, she can pull this dress off. But unless you've got shoulders like a linebacker, that thing is going to be a bit problematic:

Bonus points if you correctly predict what desperate celeb will be falling out of this outfit in public sometime soon. A few years ago, my money would have been on Tara Reid but she's keeping a low profile these days.

Linds? Kim K.? Leann Rimes? New party girl Amanda Bynes? Who knows.

Rule 5 Sunday -- lithe blonde edition

This week's Rule 5 posting is one of those ubiquitous internet models -- a lithe (never get to use that word enough) leggy blonde named Ella.

She's pretty, poses like crazy, and has really amazing eyes.

Nice

*click on the thumbnails for full-sized images*

Rule 5 Sunday suggested by this.

Hat tips:
Jake Finnegan
The Daley Gator
The Classic Liberal
Say Anything Blog
Proof Positive
Reaganite Republican

Sox back at .500

Boston beat the White Sox 1-0 last night to get back to .500 after a wretched 4-10 start.  The guys are on a six game win streak with the possibility of a sweep today with Josh Beckett on the mound for the final game of the series.

Red Sox ace Jon Lester threw seven innings of shutout ball against Chicago ace Jake Peavy who got the complete game loss.  Bobby Valentine's developing closer sequence of Padilla, Morales and Aceves got the job done again as Alfredo got a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the win.

A lot of trolls and whiners at the Red Sox website were calling for Valentine's head after the rough start, but Bobby V's been doing the job the right way.  Letting guys settle in and seeing what they are capable of before pulling the trigger on a move.  He got pummeled for leaving Daniel Bard in too long against the Rays after Bard walked in the Rays winning run.  But when is it better to find out if you can trust a pitcher late in a game?  Now, with a hundred some games to recover from a loss?  Or in September when you're fighting for a playoff spot?  It's Managing 101 and Bobby's spot on with this.

Other news has Aaron Cook coming out of rehab.  With no openings in the starting rotation, Cook might be just the guy to plug into Aceves vacated long relief / set-up role.  That would solidify the bullpen immensely.

Every team in the AL East is at or above .500 now, and though Boston is still in the cellar, they are only 2 1/2 games behind division leading Baltimore.  Like I said earlier, this could be a fun season and perhaps the most exciting division in baseball this year.

Also want to shout out to the Orioles under one of my favorite managers -- Buck Showalter.  Like Bobby V., I always thought Buck was out of baseball way too long.  Glad to see him getting that team back on track.  From the little kid who modeled himself after Brooks Robinson at third base -- way to go Buck!  :-)