Ned, Arya and Jon I think qualify as the good guys. You could also possibly make cases for Cat, Tyrion and Dany, though they tend to not consider the full ramifications of their actions and as a result sometimes cause more problems.

BAND OF BROTHERS got solid ratings, but it was an absolute phenomenon on DVD. One report I read said that HBO financed THE PACIFIC almost entirely from the DVD profits they made for BAND OF BROTHERS, and that the new DVD/Blu-Ray sales of THE PACIFIC and Blu-Ray sales for BoB have been likewise stunning. So for half a…

It's more badass if you know that the king in question made the throne out of the swords of hundreds of lords who had sworn loyalty to him after being defeated in battle. Once assembled, the throne was melted into one piece in the breath of the king's dragon. Sweet.

I recommend the following excuse:

Same night, same time on HBO Canada, I believe.

A more concise list for April 2011:

The shot of King's Landing is a real Maltese city (Mdina, I think?) which has been tinkered with and enhanced. Hence it not matching the books exactly.

ROME-like brutality and awesomeness, easily. George R.R. Martin is a huge fan of ROME and said at the time that was the kind of attitude and writing he'd want to see in an adaptation of THRONES. Thus the universal happiness that it ended up at HBO.

I think it's a holdover from writing FEVRE DREAM.

No. But his mailbox is in the shape of a castle.

Book 3 and possibly 5 will likely be two seasons each due to the lengths of the books, so it's not an imminent problem (though the chances of the series going 7 years or more are unlikely in any case). In addition GRRM has given the producers a detailed outline of the rest of the story so they can finish the story…

This is a TV-only one designed to highlight only those locations of interest in Season 1: Winterfell, the Wall, the Eyrie, the Crossroads Inn and King's Landing. Presumably the map for Season 2 will be updated to include Pyke, Riverrun, Dragonstone and so on. HBO's aim seems to be to not overload the casual viewer…

The Last Train was an ITV drama, nothing to do with the BBC. And Outcasts is kind of 'okay', it's not brilliant, but not awful either.

This is nowhere near as bad as THE LAST TRAIN. That was almost unwatchable. OUTCASTS is reasonable by comparison.

Book 1 of the new version of CHUNG KUO is out today, at least in ebook and limited edition form. The standard-format hardcover will be out at the start of March (all editions in the UK only though, at least so far).