A Song of Ice and Fire, the TV series?
I totally freaked out when I heard that HBO is turning "A Song of Ice and Fire" into a TV series. Does grrm really need another distraction to keep him from finishing the books? And do I want my favorite literary scenes ever ruined by a TV version that could never do them justice?
However, after thinking it over for a few days, I'm starting to relax. First of all, they won't film the entire series; it's HBO so it'll get cancelled after the first or second season. (And even it doesn't get cancelled right away, they won't be able to film the whole thing because Martin won't be finished with the books in time.) And really, pretty much all of my favorite scenes are in book three, A Storm of Swords. With all the other stuff they have to cover, and the likelihood of cancellation, I doubt the series will even get a chance to ruin the Jaime Lannister transformation arc.
So I basically just have to worry about them filming book one and possibly book two. It doesn't really matter who they cast as Jaime, because he's an (apparently) one dimensional bad guy in book one, and he's barely in book two.
And it actually could be really fun to see TV versions of a lot of that stuff. I'm going to have a whole new medium in which to enjoy the decapitation of that sanctimonious Ned Stark! And maybe I'll be able to work up some sympathy for Jon Snow in the TV medium, because his book chapters are just so looooong and boring that I can never figure out why so many people like him.
Honestly, IMO so much of the success is going to depend on who they find to play Tyrion. He's the heart of the second book, and with his sense of humor and his moral ambiguity, he just takes the series so far beyond anything I've read before. What actor could they possibly cast who will be able to flesh out how fundamentally decent, yet heartbroken and cynical, Tyrion is? All the while making it believable that the rest of the world sees him as a monster?
Ooh! And I must say, if they do get to ASOS, it will be amazing to see the red wedding on film! (*is evil*)
Okay, and in non-fandom-related news, someone recently linked to this speech by Martin Luther King Jr about the Vietnam war. I hadn't read it before, and it's so incredibly relevant to the world today that it nearly made me cry.
A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies.
This call for a world-wide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men. This oft misunderstood and misinterpreted concept -- so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force -- has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man.
After reading this speech, can you imagine how he'd be labelled a traitor by the Bush administration today? I mean, he actually suggests considering the opinions and experiences of people who aren't Americans!
I had the misfortune to watch The O'Reilly Factor yesterday (Colbert was on), and O'Reilly was arguing that it was pretty much okay for two US border agents to shoot an unarmed Mexican man in the back and then cover up the murder. It's the same attitude that says it's not worth reporting how many Iraqi civilians have been killed, or that it's okay to round up foreigners and send them to secret prisoners with no legal recourse. They're not American, so who the hell cares, right? (*feels like throwing up*)
The only thing that doesn't really work for me in King's speeches is his invocation of religion. I don't think you need any religious justification to say that all human life should be valued and respected. But at the same time, it's amazing to see religion being used to justify love and kindness and human rights. I'm so used to seeing it used to justify hate and death. I guess it's all in the person doing the interpretation.
However, after thinking it over for a few days, I'm starting to relax. First of all, they won't film the entire series; it's HBO so it'll get cancelled after the first or second season. (And even it doesn't get cancelled right away, they won't be able to film the whole thing because Martin won't be finished with the books in time.) And really, pretty much all of my favorite scenes are in book three, A Storm of Swords. With all the other stuff they have to cover, and the likelihood of cancellation, I doubt the series will even get a chance to ruin the Jaime Lannister transformation arc.
So I basically just have to worry about them filming book one and possibly book two. It doesn't really matter who they cast as Jaime, because he's an (apparently) one dimensional bad guy in book one, and he's barely in book two.
And it actually could be really fun to see TV versions of a lot of that stuff. I'm going to have a whole new medium in which to enjoy the decapitation of that sanctimonious Ned Stark! And maybe I'll be able to work up some sympathy for Jon Snow in the TV medium, because his book chapters are just so looooong and boring that I can never figure out why so many people like him.
Honestly, IMO so much of the success is going to depend on who they find to play Tyrion. He's the heart of the second book, and with his sense of humor and his moral ambiguity, he just takes the series so far beyond anything I've read before. What actor could they possibly cast who will be able to flesh out how fundamentally decent, yet heartbroken and cynical, Tyrion is? All the while making it believable that the rest of the world sees him as a monster?
Ooh! And I must say, if they do get to ASOS, it will be amazing to see the red wedding on film! (*is evil*)
Okay, and in non-fandom-related news, someone recently linked to this speech by Martin Luther King Jr about the Vietnam war. I hadn't read it before, and it's so incredibly relevant to the world today that it nearly made me cry.
A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies.
This call for a world-wide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men. This oft misunderstood and misinterpreted concept -- so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force -- has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man.
After reading this speech, can you imagine how he'd be labelled a traitor by the Bush administration today? I mean, he actually suggests considering the opinions and experiences of people who aren't Americans!
I had the misfortune to watch The O'Reilly Factor yesterday (Colbert was on), and O'Reilly was arguing that it was pretty much okay for two US border agents to shoot an unarmed Mexican man in the back and then cover up the murder. It's the same attitude that says it's not worth reporting how many Iraqi civilians have been killed, or that it's okay to round up foreigners and send them to secret prisoners with no legal recourse. They're not American, so who the hell cares, right? (*feels like throwing up*)
The only thing that doesn't really work for me in King's speeches is his invocation of religion. I don't think you need any religious justification to say that all human life should be valued and respected. But at the same time, it's amazing to see religion being used to justify love and kindness and human rights. I'm so used to seeing it used to justify hate and death. I guess it's all in the person doing the interpretation.