Game of Thrones - HBO TV Series

[The Gnome King]

AZ is known as a rather ultra-conservative state. We have a lunatic governor now as a result of her being "elevated" to the position after Obama "tapped" our previous democratic governor. We have laws here that make it legal to carry (and conceal) a gun on your person just about anywhere, and we're considered to have a very "wild wild west" mentality. (I say this as an NRA member who has taken speed-shooting classes and thinks our gun laws are too lax)

AZ is known to be VERY unfriendly to immigrants with our Sheriff proud of the fact that he sends police forces into Hispanic neighborhoods just to round up and deport/jail people here illegally.

AZ is also known to be rather racist as one of the last states in the nation to recognize Martin Luther King day, for example. It's a very right-wing, conservative state. So if you're, say, a tea party member - you might enjoy it here. Most liberals do not.

Interesting that you would want to live and work in America - I don't hear that from too many Brits. You do realize we don't provide health care for our most vulnerable citizens here and medical bills are the #1 reason people go into bankruptcy in this country? It's kind of a scary place to live. I'd love to live in England.

Ah wow Arizona does not sound like a friendly place when you put it like that.
I guess one of the problems is that you have different states which can be so diverse from one another so that like you say you have laws there that make it legal to carry and conceal a gun whereas in other states you may not.

I would love to be able to reduce it down to 'you pick the right state for you' but I know that essentially deep down, no state is ever truly right for there are flaws in all but at least you have more of a choice wherever I go in England it's all the same laws, so what's wrong one place is wrong everywhere else.

Yeah I understand that you don't provide free health care (still a strange notion to me as to why you don't, the NHS over here may not be fantastic, but the benefits outweigh the problems) but i've always been ridiculously healthy, so unless it's just that i'm uber healthy in England and no where else I should be ok if I moved.

If you'd love to live here then come on over! We need more Americans over here, though you will miss an awful lot. I had American friends while I was at University and they always went on about how they didn't have certain products here that you guys do in America and of course, the laws and government are so different but I'd like to think it's a more welcoming place because we do have the NHS, and benefits to help you get into work and various other incentives that welcome so many eastern europeans here, but I would like more American's to come over here.

It can be a beautiful country (when it's not raining).

Beautiful US states:

Washington state (Coastal, similar climate to England actually on the coasts)
Oregon state (Same)
Vermont (Very liberal, progressive and beautiful state)
Colorado (Colorado Springs is a military city but it is home to Garden of the Gods one of the most beautiful places in the US IMHO, plus it has Manitou Springs which is just too cool)

I like the rain, anyway.

I've traveled the world fairly extensively so basically I think I'd be fine with the culture shock aspect of it; finding jobs for my wife and partner might be hard though.

What is the citizenship application process like there?

PS - Half of our country doesn't understand why we don't have universal health care.

 

[tzimize]

just watched the preview on hbo.com looks good i'll check out the first episode and see if it grabs me enough to keep coming back

A convert... muhahaha!

Seriously I think this is going to be the best series out on HBO since "True Blood" - I just hope the ASOIAF fans don't ruin the experience by crying that everything in the series MUST be 100% true to the books...

I'm just wondering how it will be down the line...I mean...TV goes a lot faster than books...and with G.R.R.M.'s speed of writing...we'll be looking at a TV pause in the series long enough to give everyone involved gray hair.

At some point the series will catch the books, what then? :|

What then? Hopefully the TV series develops a life of its own and goes in whatever direction makes sense, like True Blood did. Nothing is written in stone that says it has to END like the books will (or maybe never will... lol) end!

Which is sort of what puts me off most series. That they never do in fact end. I like stories that come to a close, not just run out in the sand. This is one of the reasons I think Babylon 5 is one of TVs greatest feats.

I wish people would develop series as a complete story and just not end it when the fans dont care anymore :|

 

[Valksy]

Will see it on Sky Atlantic the day after in the UK. Can't wait!

I consider most home made British television to be utterly shit (kitchen sink drama, reality shows, cooking shows, soaps..fuck that garbage). If I didn't have access to Sky channels, I probably would give up television completely. This show is one of the reasons why Sky is great and why the BBC can go to hell.

 

[Arsen]

A Song of Ice and Fire is fantasy done correctly:

- Many, MANY people die.
- The danger and suspense is convincing and makes the characters triumphs look good in comparison to the rest.
- There are no black and white characters. Many of the people you detested in the first novel turn out to be "not so evil after all" and you as the reader realize that some were doing horrible things just to guard their families. One of the few series I've read where the other pespectives make you question your own loyalties as a reader.
- The prophecies and ends to certain matters are...unbelievable in how they turn out.
- People act like real human beings in here, have real emotions, and are just downright gray to the point where you can't exactly "hate" anyone...even Joffrey.

The one thing I think that'll be lost in the translation from the book to the show, is the unique histories, households, pasts of the fortresses and castles. Harrenhal and Dragonstone were BADASS because of that.

It's a damn good series.

 

[Batfred]

I really hope that it is good. Legend of the Seeker has been poor to say the least. What annoys me about that is that Goodkind even had involvement. Something similar scares me.

http://blog.hdscreencaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/bridget_regan_0004.jpg

 

[Spacewolf]

is there anyway to watch this online in the uk as its going to be shown on sky atlantic but i will be back at uni by then so i wont have sky and i really want to watch this

 

[Efrate]

I am skeptical, I tend to not like cross genre stuff, a lot tends to be lost in translation. I do enjoy SoIaF, especially as the fantasy becomes more prevalent as the series goes on, but I would like the books to finish sometime soon. Legend of the Seeker had a lot of potential though a lot of that I think was nerfed by it not being on a premium channel. If they do the into with the Others in the first episode I'll be friggin happy as can be, thats what I am gunning for.

 

[Wolfpocalypse]

i forgot all about this till i saw the article on the home page, cant wate its going to be fantastic, i just hope the production can live up to martins vision!

 

[MetalDooley]

I really hope that it is good. Legend of the Seeker has been poor to say the least. What annoys me about that is that Goodkind even had involvement. Something similar scares me.

http://blog.hdscreencaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/bridget_regan_0004.jpg

You have to wonder how much Terry Goodkind was involved though.I've seen a quote attributed to him that says he had no input on the show whatsoever.Legend of the Seeker was a decent show imo but they did take massive liberties with the source material.Instead of "based on Terry Goodkind's..." it should have said "very loosely based on.."

From what I've seen of Game of Thrones so far it seems that Martin is heavily involved in production so I expect it to stay more faithful to the novels that LotS did

Can't wait to see it.Will be relying on the internets though as I've no access to HBO or Sky Atlantic

Oh and awesome pic btw.

 

[The Gnome King]

I wish people would develop series as a complete story and just not end it when the fans dont care anymore :|

I'll give you that much, and I agree with you. I hate it when stories aren't finished. I like what Patrick Rothfuss said about stories when somebody asked him if his "Name of the Wind" series of books were going to go on and on... he said that he felt stories should come with an ending.

I don't know if I feel that way about ALL stories, but when you invest a ton of time into something like a series of long books or a years-long TV series, it is nice to get an actual ending as opposed to a fizzle-out-due-to-lack-of-interest.

 

[The Gnome King]

Not particularly. I am a huge fan of the books so yeah, unless the series is balls out awesome it will always come across as a pale imitation.

It's looking like the series WILL be balls out awesome.

And you know the author is working closely with them on the series, don't you? Do you feel that will have any ultimate effect on the show or not?

 

[Spacewolf]

There are no girls on the internet.


Nice puppet account OP! You secretly forever alone deceiver!

Is this to do with Lord of the Rings? If not look at Boromir. He's not even trying to look trustworthy.

funnily he is the main trustworthy character

Can't wait to see it.Will be relying on the internets though as I've no access to HBO or Sky Atlantic

What sites do you use for watching as im in the same boat

 

[MetalDooley]

Can't wait to see it.Will be relying on the internets though as I've no access to HBO or Sky Atlantic

What sites do you use for watching as im in the same boat

I'll probably download it rather than watch it online tbh.Should hopefully be on torrents on Monday

 

[Batfred]

I really hope that it is good. Legend of the Seeker has been poor to say the least. What annoys me about that is that Goodkind even had involvement. Something similar scares me.

http://blog.hdscreencaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/bridget_regan_0004.jpg

You have to wonder how much Terry Goodkind was involved though.I've seen a quote attributed to him that says he had no input on the show whatsoever.Legend of the Seeker was a decent show imo but they did take massive liberties with the source material.Instead of "based on Terry Goodkind's..." it should have said "very loosely based on.."

From what I've seen of Game of Thrones so far it seems that Martin is heavily involved in production so I expect it to stay more faithful to the novels that LotS did

Can't wait to see it.Will be relying on the internets though as I've no access to HBO or Sky Atlantic

Oh and awesome pic btw.

Yeah, she is special hot especially in that pic.

Regarding Goodkind, I had read the same contradicting arguments. If it wasn't for the books, it would have been a decent stand alone series. I just couldn't abide the "based on" bit as you state.

On Game of Thrones, there was a 10 minute preview the other day on Sky Atlantic and it was the first 20 pages of the book down to a tee. It was superb. Only 8 hours to go in th UK. Can't.... sodding.... wait!

 

[Motti]

I'm just hoping this comes to australia at some point, frankly it looks awesome.