So THAT'S what emojis are for...

With the season 4 premiere of Game of Thrones rapidly approaching, Cara Rose DeFabio (via YouTube and the Emoji Foundation) brings us an iPhone masterwork wrapping up Game of Thrones so far. To say this is a work of sheer genius is an understatement.



It goes fast which may require multiple viewings to take it all in. Or perhaps take random screen grabs to turn into a trivia game for your next GoT viewing party!

I Hope I Remain as Timeless

Here's a great story about the origin of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is more or less exactly as old as I am. We finally got it on DVD some time ago as a replacement for the VHS copy my parents made for me off of good old WHEC in Rochester, NY. While we gained the lost footage pared away through the years by increasing amounts of commercials (no irony there whatsoever), we did lose a PSA recorded by a pre-Next Generation Michael Dorn as well as this essential Pavlovian moment:

We also have How the Grinch Stole Christmas! on DVD and can recreate the unparalleled one-two punch of CBS' lineup of the two greatest holiday specials of all time, period, the end. Nothing against Rudolph or Year without a Santa Claus, that's just how it is.

Just One (Sadly, Last) Thing

Great actor and occasional Hamilton student Peter Falk has died. Loved him in Columbo ("Just one more thing..."), The In-Laws ("Serpentine! Serpentine!"), and The Princess Bride ("You're a very smart boy. Shut up.").

RIP.

File under "Sadly Predictable" or "Where Will It All End"

Those watching HBO's Game of Thrones may not be surprised to learn that its widespread conflicts have spilled over into real life.

I'm not sure I would have watched this even if had HBO at home. Years ago JJV enthusiastically recommended the series to me (warning #1). I got about 100 pages in and encountered a [SPOILER REDACTED] event which indicated to me the high likelihood of the narrative never actually concluding. If I want that, I read history; the little fiction I read should have a beginning, middle and end, or in the case of The Lord of the Rings, a series of endings.

When the TV series began I read a piece about George R.R. Martin in The New Yorker chronicling the long wait for the next installment (A Song of Procrastination) endured, with a surprising degree of bad grace, by his cliffhung fans. It did not take a close reading to confirm my suspicion that Martin has lost control of his creation, which now lumbers about the countryside threatening (probably figuratively) to throw children down wells. No wonder the peasants have cleaned out the torch and pitchfork sections at Home Depot.

I feel kind of bad for Martin. He wants to finish what he has begun but He Just Can't. Maybe he should wrap it with a snowglobe shot or by having Eddard Stark wake up next to Suzanne Pleshette. It sure worked for this post.

Please, For God's Sake, Visit Cleveland

I have been to Cleveland three times so I cannot be swayed by this (NSFW sound) promotional video:



This is equally, uh, compelling and makes a good point at the end:



Now this makes me want to visit Cleveland just a bit more:



In terms of openings, though, nothing tops this:



I remember seeing that and thinking it weas the most amazing opening credits sequence I had seen on TV, but what followed was kind of disappointing, although it picked up in later seasons and I really liked "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?"