Prince Philip Revealed; Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon

First up, a fun biography about Prince Philip, who turns 100 this June. It's mind boggling to me to think about being 100 years old. It wasn't a traditional biography in the chronological sense. Rather, it talked about how his early years and schooling influenced him. He had to be self-sufficient and spent a lot of years fending for himself. He tends to get frustrated with people who whine and complain and he's disappointed that his children and grandchildren have a different perspective on royalty. I can totally understand that. She also made a really good point about how he's been accused of having affairs but no one has ever come forward with a single shred of proof of any kind. After all these years, you think there would have been something (I for one never believe he did cheat on the Queen in the physical sense. I'm sure he flirted and things like that, but I really think he's very loyal to her and wouldn't do such a thing). 

"Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon" was written by a journalist, James Hibberd, who had an inside look at the show by being on set from day one. He interviewed a lot of the cast and crew and divided it up by seasons. It was a really fascinating look at the hit show. Of course he interviewed Dan and David (the showrunners who screwed it all up) and they insisted they always planned to end the show after season 7. HBO wanted more, and they compromised on season 8. They (and everyone else interviewed) insisted that the last few seasons weren't "rushed" (yes they were) and that the quality and story was just as good as the early years (no, they weren't). Everyone made excuses for the shoddy ending by saying it couldn't have ended any other way, really (yes, it could have. I could give you 15 different endings right now off the top of my head that would have made more sense). Hibberd says that at the last Comic-Con the cast attended the crowd cheered and cheered, so clearly the ending wasn't *that* bad. The crowd cheered because the actors did the best they could with the shit material they were given to work with. I don't blame them at all. Most people I've talked to don't. We know where the blame lies. 

At any rate, I'm looking forward to the prequel that should be coming on next year about the Targaryens. They've case Matt Smith, who, ironically enough, played Prince Philip in seasons 1 & 2 of "The Crown". Excellent choice! You know who else would be good at that show? Alexander Skarsgard. What has he been up to since "True Blood" ended? Oh, and Charlie Hunnam from "Sons of Anarchy". 

Seriously, they should just hire me to cast it :)