I'm ready for this to start already. Even more so because maybe it will convince Martin he needs to FINISH THE FUCKING BOOKS.

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I recently read the first two books on my Kindle, and I'm about to start the third one. I'm seriously considering re-adding HBO to my cable lineup for this series (I had shut it off after the Sopranos ended).

The episodes will be available to download a few hours after they premier. Just sayin' ...

Oh this sounds good, and Taborcarn me and the Hubby been missing HBO as well though the cost of Direct TV is like 9.99 a month + gah!

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

I had to call the cable company about getting a replacement box the other day, and they offered me HBO for $3 a month for the next 6 months. I'm catching up on Boardwalk Empire now.

How is that? I love Steve BusWTF, but I really don't care for ganster stories, so I keep putting off watching it.

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I think it's great so far, but it's definitely a gangster story.

Thought you guys might be interested, A Dance with Dragons has a concrete release date.

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/03/set-yo ... on-july-12

Of course, it's not actually finished yet. Just saying...

After 16 some "release dates" come and gone for that book, I remain skeptical. :p However, it is the first time George himself posted it, so I suspect it may come to pass.

Hopefully he keeps moving and finishes. :p

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I'm going to be skeptical with regards to the release date until the book is sitting on my Kindle App.

If they don't release the ebook version the same day as paper, I will burn this world to the ground.

(only a slight exaggeration)

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Yeah I'm not counting my chickens before the eggs hatch either. As far as HBO goes, I just hope they don't fuck it up.

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"I'm the best there is at what i do, bub, and what i do isn't very pretty"

Boromir ftw.

Anyone watch it last night? I thought it was pretty good. I have never read the series (blasphemy, I know) so I started reading it shortly after watching the show. I was pretty impressed with how they followed some of the dialogue, verbatim. The only real difference I noticed was the ages of the characters (tough to get away with showing Dani's tits if she's supposed to be 13 years old).

They've also agreed to a 2nd season already.

I watched (quite eagerly) but was having trouble telling if I was enjoying it because it was well done or because I knew what was coming.

Most of the people I know that watched and had never read the books said they enjoyed it, so I am hopeful.

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The fact that they're passing off Dany as 18 now didn't make her scene with Viserys any less creepy... /shudder

Another thought I had while watching is that Peter Dinklage is too handsome to play Tyrion, although I'm sure he could pull off the cunning Imp very well.

I don't think Tyrion was ever described as being particularly ugly, at least not until he got wounded in the battle for kings landing. He was just considered grotesque because he was a dwarf.

it's been a while since I've read the books though, so I could just not remember it.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Just got HBO free for 3 months! yay!

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

From the wiki. Either way, let's face it...the number of actors that would be able to do this role and have the physical requirements? Kinda limited. Dinklage is playing him perfectly...I'll forgive the lack of ugly.

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Yeah, unless they wanted to go to LOTR levels of CGI shrinking and forced perspective, there aren't many actor choices.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Yeah i think he's a good choice, it's just that i thought i even remembered Tyrion mentioned as having a hunch at one point. Even before being wounded he was always described as grotesque

My guess is the book's version of a "dwarf" is the fantasy version, whereas the TV show's version is the real-life version of someone with dwarfism, thus the differences. In any case, I found the TV show's version seemed more like a prick than what I have noticed in the book (probably due to how the introduced him, with the hooker). So far in the book (I am about 30% into the first book), Tyrion seems like an OK guy.

Tyrion was one of my favorite characters in that series. I don't know that I would have categorized him as an ok guy, but not really a villain either. Always interesting though. The last book that's out, where he's heavily featured, is fantastic.

I think Tyrion is one of the more honest characters in the story. He has family loyalty, and he makes no mistakes in making that clear, but he also is very aware of his family and their failings and works to better them/make up for them.

The slapping scene in episode 2 would be a good example of his approach to his family and Jamie's comment about "sometimes it is hard to tell which side you are on" with Tyrion's reply to that. Those things are a pretty honest summation of who he is and where he operates from as a character.

Anyway, I'm sold now. I think they are doing an excellent job on the translation to the show from the book.

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Tyrion bitchslap Joffrey was rewound and rewatched a few times at my house. It was just amazing.

I honestly expected the hound to be more...scary looking.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Ray Stevenson should've played the hound....or even better, Clancy fucking Brown!

Karl Urban could have done a good job too I think.

Clancy Brown wins though, but only if he used the Kurgan voice.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

I was a little skeptical about this early on, but I'm sold too. Pretty damn faithful rendition of the story - maybe not in every particular, but definitely in spirit. Acting is a cut above your average fantasy show (Lord Starkomir is great, of course), and the costumes and scenery are fantastic. Reminiscent of Rome (the other HBO series) in that respect.

My first complaint has been Baelish/Littlefinger. He seemed very...one note...in last night's episode during the brothel scene with Kat and Ned, which for a man as complex as he is going to turn out to be, has me a little worried. I am keeping the faith though.

And goddamn, could Dinklage own this show any more? Seriously. It belongs to him right now.

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They probably won't get all 97826 characters exactly how you envision them. And yes, Dinklage owns.

Ratings for last week were at their highest point yet. It seems that, at least for now, HBO has found a winner that is growing in popularity. This makes me happy...if for no other reason than perhaps it will put pressure on that fat old man to finish his goddamn books before he dies. :p

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Yes, I have no doubt that's why 5 is actually being released in a month. I overheard someone say that thought the TV show looks interesting, but now they don't want to watch it until they've read all the books in the series (including the unreleased ones).

I told them I hope they don't mind waiting 15-20 years for a TV show.

Well, Season 1 is over. I'm glad that they've already started production of season 2, but frankly kind of surprised that they did announce it for a date of Spring 2012. I was worried this might turn out like later-season Sopranos where seasons kind of pop up sporadically with large gaps in between.

Never read the series but I do like the HBO series.

I about choked when Stark actually got beheaded.
I about pissed myself when the Princess came out of the ashes with the baby dragons. (I knew she would emerge, but didn't think the eggs would actually hatch...)

Looking forward to season 2!

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.

I loaded Dance with Dragons onto my Kindle and I'm about 8% into it (at the start of the 5th chapter). I'll reserve judgment till I finish it, but the quality seems on par with the earlier books so far. No big plot turns yet, just re-establishing the characters we've been missing. Although I should warn people to even stay away from the chapter list to avoid spoilers.

Ok I've finished Dance with Dragons, and my lasting impression is that Martin really does not know what his overall plan for the series is and is just making things up as he goes. The major characters all seem to be stuck in neutral and just spinning their wheels. And he gives up on the whole "Feast for Crows and Dance with Dragons are two halves of the same book" concept when at the 60% mark ADwD moves past the timeline of AFfC and he returns to the viewpoints of some (not all) of the characters of that book.

I won't say I didn't enjoy the book since I still like Martin's style of writing and his knack for drama and deviousness, but I can't help but feel disappointed.

He said that right in the forward of the book (the 60% thing and the character stories merging back into a single tale). You should have been expecting it.

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Great show, never read the books, wife and I both love it; we watched the last nearly six episodes in one sitting.

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Kuwen Furyblades
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn
Champion of Faydark

Yes I was expecting it, didn't make it seem any less sloppy or poorly planned.