The key word there is "intentions."  The best shows I have loved exceeded their intentions.  I started watching Buffy because I was ok with the premise of a chick fighting vampires with Karate.  But it wasn't until the course of several seasons that you really got the most of the ever changing relationships, show dynamics, and set pieces that all sprout from their evolving intentions over time that I REALLY enjoyed it.  Sometimes it doesn't work, like with Dollhouse.  Sometimes the inverse is true, like with Lost.  Thus is the nature with any kind of serialized story telling.  Everyone's threshld is different, as are the preferences we possess that allow us to tolerate some of more and less of others.  But honestly, I'm glad that I've had friends who have told me to shut up, take my medicine, and stick with a thing because it does indeed pay off sometimes.

GoT does start to a bit of a slow burn, but trust me when I saw you'll want to stick with it just to see how much horrible shit can be thrown at good people.  In a way, its the inverse of Carnivale.  Carnivale's best episodes were front loaded, while GoT's are certainly 6-10.

I met April through my best friend Sean, whom she is a big fan of.  We all had dinner with the rest of the Cracked.com crew at some Bratwurst place in Downtown.  She is an absolute sweetheart, and very down to earth.  She is also tiny.  She's a nerdy girl, late bloomer who happened to become retardedly hot and is not shy about her body, nor her profession.  With that said, most of her free time is spent playing xbox, watching Dr. Who, listening to Dubstep, and taking baths.  We met up at Comic Con a few times, where she cosplayed as...April O'neil, with the yellow jumpsuit, red wig, and TMNT backpack.  She ditched thecostume though because her shoes were falling apart.

Long story short, she's every guy here's dream girl, with the possible exception of the banging dudes for money part.

To clarify, I do not seek out bad movies, nor are all awful movies made the same.  I do think that certainfilms have a charm to them that's blended in with their incompetence that can be riveting to watch at times.

It's a half prequel, but Godfather 2 comes to mind.

I am partial to Patton myself.

Hmm, I buy it.  He's got the look of Davos down.  So far, I'm pleased with what Im hearing of season 2.  The part of Lithuania they want to use for Storm's End is nothing short of breathtaking.

Stannis is indeed a huge part of the series.  He was mentioned quite a bit in the show, but only Renly was seen.  Someone best described him as "The Al Gore of Westeros," and that's not far off.  He's morally rigid, and a brilliant military tactician, but he is the opposite of Renly: he's loved by no one.  While his claim to the Throne is far more valid than Renly's, Renly is by far more popular and able to amass a larger army.  These aren't spoilers by the way.  The second book is entitled "A Clash of KINGS," for a reason.  With Robb King in the North, Joffrey sitting the Iron Throne, and Renly and Barratheon laying claim to it (plus one more mystery guest to be introduced later) the second season is truly going to see war.

I think the casting is a solid one.  I always envisioned Stannis as a bit beefier, and it will be interesting to see Dillane with a shaved head and dark beard.  What's more important is his chemistry with Melisendre.  The chick they go tot play her looks pretty spot on.  The character I'm most interested to see cast is Davos Seaworth, The Onion Knight.  He's a pirate who was Knighted by Stannis and has a pretty interesting arc. 

With all of this said....just like Azkhaban was arguably the best book, the 3rd book in A Song of Ice and Fire, A Storm of Swords is arguably the best in the series.  Holy.  Shit.

I'll say the inverse, where Act 1 should have been act 3 of a different movie...

Gangs of New York

I was WAY more interested in Priest Vallon vs Bill the Butcher than I was in Leo.  That story Bill tells where Vallon beats him to a pulp and Bil carves his own eye out in shame, where was THAT movie?

I will be there all 4 days.  Im staying at a house in Hillcrest when Im not passed out in friends hotel rooms.  The first ten people to see me and shout "I'M DOWN IN FRONT!" in my face will win their very own face punch and a spectacular view of me running away in terror.