I loved "The Sandman" and like to declare that it's my generation's Lord of the Rings. I'm sure Morpheus Lives bumper stickers are being produced soon. I really loved the "The Graveyard Book," too. It had the same kind of heart I saw in the Sandman.

I remember a pretty good skit where he went into a drug store and asked every employee "Where are the condoms? I want to know because I'm going to make love to a woman tonight." Given that I had recently had to buy condoms for a friend of mine who was also 18, but too embarrassed, I thought that was pretty funny.

"Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" was good. More conventional fantasy than Martin, but good. (Martin said it was part of the inspiration for A Song of Ice and Fire)

I've been retconning the accent as Tyrion kinda playing a role and putting on a performance, so he tends to speak with a sort of exagerated Westeros fop tone.

Pretty sure one was latched on to her left breast when you first see her.

Boo to your SPOILERS FROM BOOK 5 PREVIEW CHAPTERS:
I was hoping his punk ass was dead.

"Lemur, they were all killed at the Red Wedding. They weren't supposed to split up until after the wedding: "Three hosts will leave the Twins, but only two will reach Moat Cailin (from the south)"."

They made Yoren cleaner, too. Being hugged close to book Yoren would probably be as bad as seeing your father beheaded.

@Olive and Humbledore about schools
Actually, the answer is to just send your kids to shitty public schools, because it ultimately matters more what they're getting at home than at school.

I can totally see Stannis loving "Community" though I imagine his recaps would proceed more from the perspective that the whole cast deserved to lose some at least a finger or three. But I think he'd identify with Pierce.

That was a great scene. On his blog, Martin talked about how his original script called for a montage of all of the Starks lords arming themselves and leaving their castles. Which would have cost like half the show's budget. The ravens were better.

I remember Martin saying on his blog he'd originally written a 'call to arms' scene where all the lords of the North would be seen arming up and riding out of their strongholds to answer Robb's call. Which would have bankrupted the production. Which Martin must have known, but was just having fun.

Reportedly, he's not cast for Season 1, unknown whether he'll be in the series at all.

The first part is a good point. It might be out of place at Casterly Rock, but much less so in the field.

If I thought Dish Network was such an immoral company, I'd give them more money. But I don't, so I won't.

I'll note that Catelyn, who's widely ridiculed for her bad decisions, warns Robb not to send Theon to the Islands. It's an open question whether Theon still being a hostage would have kept Balon from attacking the North, but sending him there sure didn't help.

Dubyadubya,
It's flat out stated in the first book in one of the council scenes that Jorah is spying for Varys.

SPOILERS
I always took it that Theon was still pretty well-disposed toward Robb until he gets home and finds out that his father just hates his guts. Theon gets driven to being willing to attack the North by being shamed by Balon and Asha. Left to his own devices, I think Theon would have been perfectly willing to stay…

Good one, Watch Ranger.

The deer-butchering bothered the piss out of me. No fucking way does Tywin Lannister gut his own deer. Maybe in the woods, if he's out hunting, but not in camp. He's a great lord who's very concerned with possessing and being treated with the dignity of one. He's not going to do that, IMO. It's mainly a waste of his…