The North remembers how to pirate 'Game of Thrones'

WITH ALL the pending war on "Game of Thrones," you'd think someone would try to take out the pirates.

According to piracy-tracking firm Excipio, Sunday's episode was downloaded a record-breaking 2.2 million times in less than half a day after it aired on HBO.

Winter is coming. And a lot of people don't want to pay for it.

The new "GoT" piracy record, the Toronto Sun reports, comes about a month after HBO launched the $15/month HBO Now with no cable deal required.

Since that hasn't had any effect, HBO is now planning to pay mercenary rates to Daenerys Targaryen and her flying dragons to end the problem.

Tattle has a friend who soon may become a legalized pot vendor out west.

He may want to hire Morgan Freeman as his spokesman.

Freeman's a big fan of the herb, and in an interview with thedailybeast.com, said it should be legalized "across the board."

Of course, the "Bucket List" actor, now in theaters in "5 Flights Up," is a fan for the medicinal purposes, having used it to ease the pain of a shoulder injury in 2008.

"Marijuana has many useful uses," he said, redundantly. "I have fibromyalgia pain in this arm, and the only thing that offers any relief is marijuana. They're talking about kids who have grand mal seizures, and they've discovered that marijuana eases that down to where these children can have a life."

"How do I take it? However it comes! I'll eat it, drink it, smoke it, snort it," Freeman said.

If there's one thing true about Taylor Swift, it's that the pop star has a ton of empathy.

Because if she doesn't have it, she's the best ever at faking it.

While her contemporaries compete to show more flesh, Taylor opts to show more compassion.

Us Weekly reports that on Mother's Day, Sunday, Taylor got a Tumblr message from Kaileen, a fan who called herself "iced coffee girl," claimed she needed a hug and revealed that Taylor's music had gotten her through the death of her mom.

Kaileen wrote that after her mom's death, "for a while, I felt empty," but Taylor's music "filled that hole."

Taylor, whose own mom, Andrea, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, wrote back, "Kaileen - I love you so much and can't imagine what you must be feeling today. You've lived through my worst fear. I'm so sorry you can't spend today with her. It's not fair, and there's no reason why you should feel okay about it. No one should ever expect you to feel normal today.

"I admire and respect your ability to put forth such a sunny, sweet disposition when you've been through something so dark and tragic so recently. I never would've guessed by your attitude or your posts. I never would've known if you hadn't told me. Sending you a huge hug today. Gonna go get iced coffee and cheers to you."

* A musical version of the movie "Beaches" will get a preview in Chicago.

The show, based on Iris Rainer Dart's 1985 novel about two best girlfriends, will begin previews in June at the Drury Lane Theatre. It made its world premiere last year at Virginia's Signature Theatre.

The 1988 film version of "Beaches," directed by Garry Marshall, starred Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey as women whose friendship is tested by a love triangle, failed marriages, single parenthood and a fatal illness. It featured the song "The Wind Beneath My Wings."

The stage version is written by Dart and Thom Thomas, with music by David Austin and lyrics by Dart. Eric Schaeffer will direct. Previews start June 24. If all goes well, producers are eyeing a Broadway run.

* As if the dysfunctional Kardashians couldn't get kreepier.

Hollywoodlife.com, citing a report by Star, reports that "Kris Jenner & Lamar Odom Allegedly Caught In Bed After Khloe Filed For Divorce."

* And in sort-of-related news, E! News reports that Selma Blair will play Kris Jenner in FX's "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson."

Kris was married to O.J.'s attorney, Robert Kardashian, although the couple were divorced by the time of the Simpson trial. Robert Kardashian will be played by David Schwimmer.

Also in the cast are John Travolta (Robert Shapiro), Cuba Gooding Jr. (O.J.), Ryan Murphy-favorite Sarah Paulson (Marcia Clark), Courtney B. Vance (Johnnie Cochran), Connie Britton (Faye Resnick) and Jordana Brewster (Denise Brown).

* Following Fox's announcement yesterday that the next season of "American Idol" would be the last, Ryan Seacrest's year-one co-host, Brian Dunkleman, tweeted, "I knew American Idol would never last without me #CANCELLED."

- Daily News wire services

contributed to this report.