I almost passed out today – and I‘m not exactly sure why. It may have been my lengthy exposure to the on-set particulates that had most of the crew sporting breathing filters all morning. Or it could have been the mind-numbing reverb and thud-thud-thud of the big guns going off. Or it might have been the turkey burger I had for lunch. Then again, the fact that I‘ve been averaging about 5 hours sleep a night since the dogs joined me up on the bed may have been a contributing factor. Whatever. All I know is that one second I’m pacing, trying to work out this final scene, and the next the ceiling’s spinning, my world is reeling, and the only thing I’m thinking is “Who’s going to pick up the dogs from daycare if I end up in the hospital?” Thankfully, I did not lose consciousness and, after a minute or two, was back on my feet and back into that last scene which, at this moment, remains unwritten. As most of you no doubt know, the only thing tougher than writing a tag is writing the opening scene, followed closely by the middle scene of Act III, the first two scenes of Act II, and all of Act I. To be perfectly honest, the ends of Act II and III aint exactly a cake walk either. Also, coming up with the episode title is a bitch. As is doing the rewrite.
And, sometimes, spinning the story.
On the positive side, Act’s IV and V practically write themselves.
I took time off from the script yesterday to sit through some wraith auditions, enjoying a wide variety of nuanced performances covering everything from underwhelmingly somniferous to theatrically alarming. One enterprising young man even brought along his own cape for added effect. I sat back, relatively impassive, nodding occasionally throughout, piping up only at the end of each audition to offer a congratulatory “Great!” before redirecting my attention to the comment sheet the casting director had helpfully provided. “Controlled and confident,”I wrote next to one candidate – adding “Slight lisp?”. I’m thinking something like this might undermine a life-sucking alien’s terrifying onscreen persona: “Yeth, foolith human, your very life ith…What’s tho funny? Thtop that. Thtop it! I’m going to thuck your life! Theriously, knock it off!”
I’m often fascinated by some of the bolder decisions actors make when auditioning. Like the guy who came in a couple of years ago and read for the part of an alien…and did it with a French accent. Or the guy who came in yesterday and delivered an interpretation so spot on, so captivating in its unbridled audacity, that I vowed right then and there I would hire him – the second we write a part for a crackhead wraith.
Casting wraith is tough. Too arch and over the top and you risk being cheesy. Too subdued and you risk putting everyone to sleep. Still, there were some very talented actors who came in yesterday and, I’m happy to report, one who caught our eye as having the potential to really suck this year (and by “suck”, I mean “suck the life force from his helpless victims” because that’s what successful wraiths do).
Well, I’m pleased to see many of you weighing in with your thoughts on Smoke and Mirrors –
Rebecca – I agree with you. One of the great things about this anthology is that Gaiman offers up a variety of tales and demonstrates a deft touch with each genre. Horror, humor, fantasy, scifi, straight fiction – he does it all, and does it well. Given that so many of you have listed “The Price” as a favorite, I’ll have to go back and give it another read. While I saw the story as a twist on the superstitions surrounding black cats, a lot of you came at it from the perspective of a pet owner, responding to the cat’s loyalty and self-sacrifice. Interesting.
Thornyrose – You wrote “To watch how a perfectly good story was mutilated , with the author’s reluctant aid, hurt.” If you think it hurts you to read about, imagine how much it hurts the author. I remember the very first trip Paul and I took to L.A. when we were both struggling writers with no credits to our name. My enthusiasm at getting the opportunity to pitch our feature was somewhat tempered by the earthquake warnings that had me on edge through most of our stay. I remember running potential earthquake scenarios through my head as we took the taxi to the Holiday Inn (stand in a doorway, steer clear of windows and heavy furniture). Sure enough, on the first night there, I was awakened by a slow-building rumble that set the floor shaking and had me out of bed and scrambling for my clothes…until I realized it was just the air conditioner starting up. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of our stay. The meetings our then agent had set up were unproductive, with the exception of our chat with that nice young woman at Lightstorm (James Cameron’s company) and only because she provided us with a great restaurant recommendation. We returned home and put the script in a drawer until – our agent phoned to inform us our script was being optioned (a producer was going to pay us a nominal fee for the right to shop our script around and try to set it up)! Great! The producer loved the script! Who could we go after? Several names were bandied about. Will Smith! Bruce Campbell! Awesome! After a couple of months, it was – Christian Slater! Wesley Snipes! Yeah, okay! Then, eventually – Lee Horsley! That guy who takes his shirt off in the Pepsi commercial! Our unflagging optimism kept us committed, determined, and suitably ignorant to the process. Finally, a network was interested in producing the script! But they had notes. Not a problem. First note: They thought we did a great job with the villain. So good, in fact, that they found his eventual demise a real downer. “How about, instead of having the hero bury him under an avalanche of t.v. monitors, the hero befriends him?” Yeah, that was about when the shine started to come off the whole “movie business” thing. Eventually, after so many compromises and rewrites that we were sick of our script wishe we’d never started the process, the network executives were happy with it. We got THE CALL from the producer: The script was finally moving into production! Hurray! Then, two days later we got THE OTHER CALL from the producer: the network had cleaned house and fired those executives. Better luck next time.
AMZ – Yeah, you bring up another aspect of “Chivalry” that I really enjoyed – Mrs. Whitaker’s unexpressed delight at having Galaad spend time with her. She kind of reminded me of my auntie Jeanette minus the gruesome stories about a friend of a friend’s husband’s horrible luging accident or a neighbor’s co-worker’s cousin twice removed who gave birth to a baby covered in fur.
Iamza – I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the wedding tale.
Penny – It’s interesting you think the protagonist of “The Troll Bridge” surrenders to the troll because he believes he deserves his fate. Is it a form of self-punishment, or is it more a case of resignation to despair? Could you argue both?
Today = behind-the-scenes pics AND video. You guys are spoiled. Stargate today and the dogs tomorrow as Fondy has been missing them terribly and requested I put up some snaps.
Today’s blog is dedicated to Alipeep’s sister and Lucy. Wishing them a quick recovery.
Today’s pics:
Talking through the next shot, The MALP ready to roll, Setting up a puddle pass-thru, The control room poised for action, Ivon Bartok at work, Marty G. cogitates and protects his sensitive ears from shouting fans, Birthday Boy BamBam.
Today’s video: Wraith tech. Click on the link –
http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/ee164/BaronDestructo/?action=view¤t=Wraitheffects.flv
Today’s mailbag:
Jason writes: “Just wondering how many episodes Paul will be writing this season? It seems like his writing contribution has decreased some though I am sure he is busy with production matters or running the Oakland A’s and I continue to swear that he is a dead ringer for their General Manager Billy Beane.”
Answer: Paul is in the process of prepping his script, The Seed, which will be episode #2. Paul writes less originals because he handles all of the major rewrites. Between those, his general production duties, and running the Oakland A’s, he is incredibly busy.
Annie from Freemantle: “When do we have to have “Children of the Night” read by??”
Answer: Discussion on Children of the Night begins Monday, March 3rd. Plenty of time for you to finish up.
Michael Hervey writes: “As a writer, especially one who has to deal with such a limited time format as TV, you use shorthand to create situations. If a door closes with two people smiling at each other in a certain way, they’ve had sex. […] If a couple kiss or nearly kiss, they are now in a TV relationship.”
Answer: Uh, no they aren’t. There is a big difference between the first example (in which something is strongly hinted at) and the second (in which the moment is ruined, the kiss scuttled at the last minute). In fact, if you’re looking to read into the scene, the awkwardness with which the two part clearly suggests the opposite of what you are assuming. You can suppose that there is a mutual attraction there, but nothing more.
Where’s the link to the video?
I like the bigger pictures that you’ve been using.
That picture of Marty G. doesn’t really look like the other pics I’ve seen of him. Perhaps it has something to do with the large headphones he’s wearing?
Have a good night. (Hopefully you’ll sleep more than 5 hours tonight!)
I’m glad your alright and that you didn’t stumple and hurt yourself during your almost “fainting” spell.
Guess you answered my very late question about Fondy. I hope she’s having fun at least.
About “Troll Bridge” I guess you could argue both. I tend to put a negitive spin on everthing… But I agree that he could be resigning to despair. What did you think of “Babycakes” man that was a morrbid story… YIKES!
I don’t see the videos… But looks like you JUST posted so I’ll give it a few mins.
Have a good night.
Penny 🙂
There we go saw the video.. NEAT… what is it, ok I know it’s Wraith tech … guess I just have to wait and see. HAPPY B-DAY BAMBAM 🙂
Joe, can you tell us more about the auditions you have been involved in? I have been studying acting and taking lessons for a while now and have decided to start auditioning at the end of March. Can you give any advice in regards to what you are looking for in a Stargate actor? Thank-you for your time.
Ha, does this mean we’ll get a shot in one of Ivon’s Behind the Scenes specials where we see you taking a picture of him?
Also, I thought all the wraith had lisps, due to the teeth they have to wear? I thought David Hewlett (or maybe Joe F.) said in a commentary that it was difficult to keep a straight face when the wraith queen was talking, because Andee’s wraith dentures gave her a goofy lisp.
I think it’s nice that the first concern you had was for your dogs. That’s what makes you a good doggie parent. 🙂
Marty’s pic needs an “Excellent, Mr. Smithers” caption.
I’d always assumed that the green screen would have to cover the entire apperture of the stargate for effects shots. Huh, shows what I know.
Thanks for the guffaw you provided with your description of the lisping Wraith. My coworkers are more certain than ever of my insanity, which is not a bad thing, really. After hearing your own tale of L.A. madness I’m more impressed than ever that you stayed the course in your career choice. I hope there is an extra level of satisfaction to the job, reaching a stage where you have more influence on how your projects turn out, having sufferred the slings of outrageous fortune before. Happy Birthday to Bam Bam, and I hope the American Gladiator Project is still moving forward. I’ve enjoyed the comments on Gaiman’s book from everyone, though I haven’t the time at the moment to address posters individually. Thanks again for bringing a laugh to the end of a hectic day.
oooo, behind the scenes goodiness…makes being woken up by an earthquake worth the while
Hey Joe!
Careful, don’t over-stress yourself, think of the dogs…oh, and your friends on set. 😛 Yes, writing may be important, but your health is paramount. 😉
Thanks for the great pictures! It’s good to see the MALP in use again, don’t see that a lot now, heh.
Your daily reader and commenter,
– Enzo Aquarius
LOL!! Okay, just woke my husband up laughing at the lisping Wraith bit…LOL he says he forgives you. 😉
So just how much time does Paul get to do those major rewrites?
Sorry Joe, never had to make an amendment before:
Is that Alicia Vega in the first picture?
Any chance you can work a crackhead wraith ep into the back half of season 5? Please?
I had a similar experience yesterday (Monday) to your almost-fainting spell, and I also blame lack of sleep. I got extremely dizzy and had to go lay down for about an hour…not a good thing with a toddler running around. Thankfully he managed not to destroy the house.
My birthday is tomorrow (Wednesday), could I beg for an Amanda Tapping picture you may have been saving?
Today’s my birthday! woo hoo!! I also have a quiz in my class today wish me luck!! it stinks it has to be today but what can i do bribe the professor?
love the pictures please keep posting.
First, glad you’re okay. Sounds like you’re just doing too much…good for us, but not so good for you.
Second, thanks so much for the highlights from the Wraith auditions – I lmao over the lisping Wraith! Too funny! (While you’re at it with the Wraith – can you do something about those poofy wigs – like – BURN THEM??! Todd’s hair is fine, Bob’s hair was great…and Steve’s hair – that was simply perfect. But these thicker, straight-haired wigs just scream ‘Lookie! I’m wearing a fluffy WIG!’
As regards the promising Wraith auditioner, can you please keep him alive for more than 30 seconds? We were just looking over some wonderful Wraith pictures from the first few seasons, and were surprised with how much detail is put into a character who only has a second or two of screen time – and often only at a distance. Most notably the male Wraith from Instinct – a great facial tattoo that can’t even be appreciated in the show because the scene is too quick. If the effort is going into the make-up, it would be nice for the audience to at least have a chance to appreciate it.
Now – my real questions: do you have plans on developing additional Wraith characters besides Todd? (I don’t count Michael anymore because…well…he’s not really Wraith now, is he?)
And I know I’ve asked this before – but will we see Todd in more than one episode next season – and (hopefully) beyond? I’m really getting hooked on the character, as are many other fans, and we’d love to see him continue as a regular re-occurring character in the show.
And again – glad you’re okay. Get some rest…even your eyes (might have a little optical vertigo going on). Thanks for your time, and thanks for the great laugh – “I’m going to thuck your life!” – LOLOL!
das
Ah, coming up with titles is quite difficult, but also quite fun. I generally prefer those with clever plays on words, or multiple meanings, or those that just sound fun. Of course, the title I came up with for the Atlantis spec I wrote was the entirely uninspired “Trigger”. Which, when my cousin brought it up at Christmas, I thought at first she was talking about some sort of crime-fighting TV dog or something. (Although that could have something to do with it having been nearly three years since I wrote it.)
You know who you should cast as a wraith? Peter Wingfield. Ever since the Highlander joke, I can’t shake the thought that he’d make a great wraith. I mean, he made a good goa’uld. Why not?
Have you gotten over your earthquake phobia? They keep saying “the big one” is due to hit Vancouver any time now. Last week on the news I even heard something about emergency plans for if Mt. Baker erupts?!
Kick the dogs out of bed and get some sleep! You fainted…geez…and not even from manly hunger? The dogs gotta go. They all have nice, soft doggy beds from Fondy’s shop, right? They will be just fine on those.
Seriously, you gotta take better care of yourself!
Kimberly
Kick the dogs out of bed and get some sleep! You fainted…geez…and not even from manly hunger? The dogs gotta go. They all have nice, soft doggy beds from Fondy’s shop, right? They will be just fine on those.
Seriously, you gotta take better care of yourself!
Kimberly
(This is the third time I’ve tried to post this…Grrrr!)
*meekly raises hand* Um, Joe? Uh, er, may I have a blog dedication?
On Wed. 27 Feb., I have a quiz in one class and a midterm in ASL II.
Thanks.
In the third pic, is that a soldier in an olive drab earth version sg-team uniform? If so is there a reason we could know about?
Of all your duties running the office/show with Paul, what job do you find to be the most difficult? Based on what you’ve mentioned about the growth of your career it sounds like even early on you got a lot of comprehensive experience in story editing and post-production.
Being a creative person who’s taken on a lot of business responsibilities, what do you think of people in the industry who try to start from business and move towards creative?
I hope you are ok when was the last time you ate before your fainting spell my mom gets light headed if she doesn’t have protein for a few hours, was that the reason?
Can you tell Jason dreads were not what made me love Ronon what I love about Ronon is his intensity and there is no pretense with him in the ep Michael Ronon did not act like Michael was his friend he had nothing but contempt for him I thought that was a great contrast to everyone else he doesn’t play games I loved that. Ronon is my second favorite male character in the Stargate franchise second to only Daniel who I can’t wait see in season 5. Ronon is also one few characters I am sticking around for in Atlantis.
Could you please mention to Martin Gero if he puts a mention of Vala in the ep Daniel is in he would make alot of people happy she doesn’t have to be in the ep just mentioned because I know this about Daniel going to SGA not D&V going to SGA.
Can we look forward to any Jack & Daniel banter in Continuum what about any scenes with Daniel & Vala anything at all?
Good Luck with script and take care of yourself sounds like you making headway but remember to eat too that sounds funny saying that to you.
In fact, if you’re looking to read into the scene, the awkwardness with which the two part clearly suggests the opposite of what you are assuming. You can suppose that there is a mutual attraction there, but nothing more.
That might be what you’re hoping it said but Michael Hervey seems to be pretty on the money about what people read into such scenes, condition as audiences are to that kind of TV shorthand. The fact is, I’ve read a number of non-fandom reviews that have commented on exactly the same thing the fans have – that Keller seems to be hitting a new guy every week. Like it or not, when you see so little of the characters’ private lives as we do in the average episode one little instance stands in for a whole lot more significance than the same trivial event would in real life.
“You can suppose that there is a mutual attraction there, but nothing more.”
I think we might be able to suppose at least one more thing: that the show will in some way *follow up* on such a scene (in this case two scenes, really, both the almost-kiss in the infirmary and the interaction in the mess later). That’s why the script for Trio included a scene that addressed the Keller/Ronon situation. That one line from Keller would’ve forestalled the complete “wtf????” reaction to Keller’s rather innocuous flirtation with Rodney. Not to say that everyone would’ve liked it–far from it, I’m sure–but I think that most of us were just really confused when instead of the follow-up to Keller/Ronon that we were primed to expect, we got a hint of Keller/Rodney.
I honestly think you’re being a bit disingenuous with your responses, or perhaps just needlessly defensive. You had a script that addressed the viewers’ expectations in re: Keller/Ronon; the episode did not contain that scene, and yet we’re supposed to intuit from absolutely no further info on Keller/Ronon that their relationship didn’t go anywhere? If we were to base our expectations on the development of the Rodney/Katie relationship, we might well have deduced that the long stretch with no mention of the couple means that they’re halfway to their wedding. All I’m saying is that the expectation that the Keller/Ronon relationship was going somewhere was completely reasonable, while implying that viewers are ridiculous for assuming more than a mutual attraction is really not.
Joe:
Not to sound overly dramatic, but didn’t you have a dizzy spell about this time last year when you were exercising? I’m just wondering if there may be some sort of connection…
I’m looking forward to seeing you April 1st at Fuel.
Patricia (AG)
Salut Joseph, sa va ? Me voila, un peu plus tôt que d’habitude je sais mais je n’est pas réussi a dormir.
Cool ces photos, merci beaucoup de nous les faire partager^^! La video est super!
Rohh la chance des auditions je voudrais voir comment s a se passe au moin une fois dans ma vie! O_O Mais si y’en a qui on un accent francais prennez le! Tient en Parlant de sa, hier j’ai envoyer un email a Martin pour qu’il vous en parle, qui sais, il aura peut être plus de succés que moi^^. Je me demande si a force de vous en parler vous n’allez pas commencer a détéster tout les francais lol.
Bon aller énorme Bisou, je vous adore fort! =)Merci
adding “Slight lisp?”. I’m thinking something like this might undermine a life-sucking alien’s terrifying onscreen persona: “Yeth, foolith human, your very life ith…What’s tho funny? Thtop that. Thtop it! I’m going to thuck your life! Theriously, knock it off!”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHHAAHAH!!!
You bastard! I laughed so hard I had a coughing fit. So I suppose Daffy duck won’t make it past a Wraith Audition. Youuuuure dithpicable!!!
As for Children of the Night, thanks for answering my question. ..eek March 3rd! Considering I have about as much sleep as you do (sans pugkids as mine are real human kids) I have only read about two chapters. Yeah slap me.
Will try though… anyone got a programme on speed reading?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAM BAM!
As always your blog is definitely worth getting up in the morning for and todays was no exception. I chortled muchly over the lithping wraith, incidentally which bright spark decided to put an S in lisp?
I remember one summer barbecue a million and one years ago where the host had a terrible stutter with the result that everyone was offered B..b..b..b..b..b..b..b.ur..bur..bur..bur..HOTDOGS!
Thanks for the pics, especially Bambam!
Is that Kavan Smith I spy to the left of the MALP in the second picture?
I hope you’re feeling a bit better, I’ve been struck down with a cold and feel like death warmed up. And I think you should try that crackhead wraith thing, it could be interesting. 😉
That picture of Martin Gero reminds me Mr Burns(Simpsons) the way his hands are placed, now if only he said EXCEEEELLENT.. in the Mr Burns kinda voice.
Hey Joe,
Glad you didn’t pass out. Get better soon. A couple of my friends have the cold or are sick in some form at the moment but anyway.
I was wondering how long does an Act go for on screen and on paper?
And what courses or education did you do to become a wrtier?
Hi Joe,
Been working heaps & getting up way to early like 5am!
So I’m trying to catch up on your blog because I love reading your blog! I know that sounds really “THUCKY”
haha! I really do love your blog! You had me picturing a wraith with a lisp! Too funny! The piccies are always great!
Joe! Happy that your ok now! Make sure you try to get enough sleep & food! You dont wont to be sick when Fondy gets back!
Cathie
ROTFLMAO At the lisping Wraith! That was a laugh that I needed. And I really laughed to, not just a smile. I say it that way as I’m about to lose one of my dogs to Cancer. We did a follow up on his tumor removal today and found that it had grown back and spread. Now I have to decide on his life…more surgery does it give you enough time…blah blah…most people don’t want to read about it, so you may not even want to approve this comment. But I knew you would understand because a. You have let the dogs into bed with you and b. because you thought as you were almost fainting was of your dogs. So, you can understand what I’m feeling as my dogs are my kids too.
Thanks for the laugh at a much needed time. I look forward to more!
S
How are you feeling today? Any better? That’s just a little scary.
Get thee to a doctor if it happens again, young man.
So, does the green screen not have to cover the interior of the stargate completely? For some reason, I thought the green screen needed to cover the full circle inside the stargate where the ripple/water effect needs to be added digitally later. Or do you have a number of differently sized green screens that get used for different situations — some bigger than others for full gate shots, and smaller backing green screens for close-ups of people or MALPs going through the gate?
Wraith with lisps make me chortle. Especially since the WIBs (Wraith In Black) have been known to make sibilant hissing sounds on occasion to make them seem more intimidating…
Ah! I know how they keep you awake!
All that talking.
Do your pugs talk?
Hi Joe:
I hope you are feeling better today and that the dizzy spells have passed. I just saw Peter DeLuise on an episode of Supernatural the other night and I was wondering if he might be coming back to direct any episodes in Season Five?
Thanks!
Sabina
I hope that you have advised the dogs that the current sleeping arrangement is not going to last for much longer. Poor wee lambs!
Make sure you eat more chocolate to keep your blood sugar levels up 🙂
Joe
Just for you:
http://www.tcvh.com/screenclean.swf
Sweet 🙂 🙂
On “The Troll Bridge”, your thoughts Joe, and Penny’s got me thinking: why would he have been drawn back to the bridge and the Troll if he wanted to continue his life as it was? He could easily have avoided it. Was it a case of wanting to see what would happen when the Troll finally grew impatient to waiting? I think you could argue both, Joe, but I’m leaning towards it being some type of purgatory for him.
On the poetry, I really liked the way Gaiman used a style very similar to the original Beowulf in “Bay Wolf”. And the idea of a Baywatch-style Beowulf amused me (I thought I’d cringe, but didn’t).
I liked the strange format to “Eaten (Scenes from a moving picture)” too. The way he wrote it as a poem screenplay was something I’ve never actually seen before. And I couldn’t help but wonder what a producer or director would do if they were handed a script like that!
One thing I liked about most of the poems in this book is that they were more stories than pretty words and meters. I mean, a lot of the poetry I’ve read are images, nice words/phrases and good structures, but Gaiman’s poems in general read like stories complimented by a different narrative structure (or maybe I just find reading things like that easier than I should…possibly all the different versions of “The Canterbury Tales” I’ve read?).
Penny, I noticed your comment about “Babycakes” and I can’t resist commenting on that story. I thought it was very creepy, but also something to think about. Why was it so creepy? We know those kinds of things happen to animals (Gaiman even points that out), even now. And what I found intriguing about the story is that it was more horrifying to me to hear about it happening to a human baby. Which, in turn, horrified me even more (I’m just a horrified person at the moment, hey?), because why should there be different standards for humans and other animals? Who has the right to say whether it is better or worse to use babies or other animals? And I think that was the meaning within that story, like how far is too far and why? Have we already gone too far? “Babycakes” really got me thinking I guess.
Amz/Amy
Well, I’ve now seen The Kindred Part 1, Man that was a good episode. Having heard about massive spoilers (not from you but in general) I was avoiding your blog until i’d watched the ep.
I hadn’t realised just how much I’d missed Beckett until his two lines at the end. It’s like finding that last piece to the jigsaw puzzle that had found it’s way under the sofa.
The whole Teyla vision thing was very interesting and cool. I thought that the Rodney/Teyla commissary scene was very sweet and very Rodney.
The little character touches throughout were great, Ronon/Rodney when walking to the village and the Shep/Teyla conversation was wonderful.
I’m quite sad that there’s only two episodes left to this season I’ve been enjoying it so much.
Thank you.
hey joe,
have one of those questions that you may not want to answer do to up coming up.
with carsons return i was woundering if the epp “Misbegotten” played into this whole carson thing.
have a great day
barb
Laughed out loud… thanks.
oh cool children of the night begins on my birthday 🙂
Oh almost passing out is not good! I think you need an early night and try and get a proper sleep!
We dont like any real whumping – only of fictional characters ( okay you know that I mean Shep when I say that dont you?!)
By the way can I just say how excited I am about The Last Man!!! 🙂
SheppyD
Wonderful casting stories and photos, but you must take more care of yourself *tries to look stern*. Can’t have you in hospital now can we? We’d all go into withdrawal…
Seriously, hope you’re alright now.
Hmm, and talking of withdrawal I heard that mass panic was narrowly averted yesterday in the US when Starbucks closed its shops for training…fortunately, other coffee shops offered reduced or free coffee to the victims of Starbucks’ unthinking and unAmerican actions! Disaster averted! Thank goodness for their selflessness (!) in coming to the aid of withdrawing caffeine addicts!! (I wonder if cola sales soared as well?!)
Leesa Perrie
– still feeling rattled from the UK quake last night. The whole house shook, so much I wondered if a lorry had hit it for a sec or two… Damn, if that’s what a small quake feels like, 50 or so miles from the epicentre, well, I now have a much better appreciation of what folks suffer when bigger quakes hit.
Yes, we’re in shock in Britain; yes we should shut up and not whine as it was only a small one, but most people didn’t think we got them that size over here! Give us a moment to get over the surprise!
Hey Joe,
What will be Carson’s first episode next season? If you can’t give a title, can you give an episode number? I was curious to know. 🙂
Thanks!
Squall78
Bonjour Joseph,
Ça doit être très intéressant de faire passer des auditions aux gens. Je n’ai jamais passé d’auditions, mais j’imagine que ce doit être comme une entrevue, tu essais de dire ce que le patron veut entendre tout en restant toi-même et en essayant de te démarquer ! (Plus facile à écrire qu’à faire lol)Bon, juste parce que je passe la semaine à Montréal c’est en plein dans cette semaine que vous allez discuter du seul livre que j’ai lu. Bon, je donnerai mon avis à mon retour. Alors passes une belle journée!
Morgia
Hello Joe,
I seem to recall someone mentioning that you look at the Astronomy Picture of the Day site. If so, did you see the image of the Large Hadron Collider / Atlas Detector? I knew this was being built but hadn’t seen any decent updates in recent years. That’s an amazing image, too.
But looking at some of the wikipedia links to it brings up the question about “strangelets” or “strange matter”. Reading into that further makes me wonder if you’ve ever considered delving into that for a plot device. It would certainly be something for Rodney to wrap his expertise around 🙂
Not sure how it could be use other than the obvious: creation of strangelets start consuming everything around them, planets, stars, virtual particles, dark matter, whatever. If you have considered this, why wasn’t it used, or has it been filed under “still to come”? It’s not like SG1 didn’t expose us to modern particle physics to begin with 😉
Anyway, try and get more quality sleep. I know what it’s like to get sick from cutting back on sleep hours. Put a padded bench at the end of your bed; maybe that would help 🙂
Eric
JUHUUH!
I have a new job!! Finally!! And the one I wanted the
most!!
No more CVs, letters of interest, interviews…
I think SGA and this blog were the only things that kept me sane during all those weeks of waiting and hoping. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
And now I have the time to go through Smoke and Mirrors again, it´s been a month since I´ve read it and I can remember close to nothing about it. Mmh, ok, it didn´t leave a big impression..
T
Mom advice: it’s not good to ignore dizzy spells. Could be innocuous. Could be serious.
Re the pictures: I am always amazed at the sheer number of people milling about on a set between takes. What do all those people do?
Why would Beckett (if it is the real Beckett) help Michael? After the way he felt about the Hoffan people I don’t think he would have done anything like that again even if he was going to be killed by Michael.
Re the dizzy spell, maybe your blood sugar got too low, (ala McKay), and you need more chocolate!
We noticed in http://www.gateworld.net/sg1/s9/images/909_07.jpg.shtml Richard is wearing a wedding ring. Will that come up when he comes to Atlantis next season?
Will Michael attempt to assimilate the human population of the Pegasus Galaxy into his army of hybrids?
uh.. is 3 comments on one blog too many.
I just wanted to respond to Amz (Amy), I totally agree with your take on “Babycakes” I think that is why I was so disturburbed by the story because the story has a ring of beliveablity in it that is sickening. I guess I’m also disquested with myself because I didn’t have the same reaction when I think of this being done to animals, which I TOTALLY should.
Penny
hi joe!
first: your blog is really great. i´m looking forward to reading it every day. it is my major source of information….
i´m a big stargate sg1 & atlantis fan. unfortunately, austrian / german tv stations are over a year behind…. (thank god, there´s always the “internet option” <- won´t go into detail on that one). of course i always buy the dvds as soon as they are available here. i especially enjoy the comments and the behind the scene footage!!!
now to my question: i read in an article, that MGM’s Charlie Cohen appears in an episode of atlantis and has a cameo in Continuum (pushing Daniel in a wheelchair). i´d like to know in which episode of atlantis he can be seen?
thanks and greetings from austria!!!
michaela
Any chance of seeing a body swap episode in season 5?
I just watched the trailer for part 2 of Kindred on the SciFi site – much better than last week’s – but got me really scared.
From the trailer:
I get that the trailer could be misleading or how stupid could SciFi be to spoil the episode again for the fans, but I can’t help but feel a little scared….
A third attempt:
In the latest little promo for Ark of Truth at MGM’s website they put up graphics saying Lt. Col’s for Sam and Mitchell. Is that correct? I know you’ve said that Sam was a full colonel for both movies, and I don’t think you’ve said as to Mitchell.
Did you guys decide to go another way, or are the graphics wrong? Any clarification you could make as to Sam’s rank or Mitchell’s rank in Ark of Truth would be appreciated.
Lucy
Okay – it’s about 14 hours later, and I’m STILL laughing over the lisping Wraith! LOL!
Anyway – a quick question:
I see a lot of people comparing characters in SGA to those in SG1, and I wonder if you have SGA on the same character formula as SG1 (which, to me, translates as ‘predictable’), or are you taking SGA characters in new directions, without trying to match them up with a particular counterpart from SG1?
das
Yé!!!!! J’ai eu mes dvd de la saison 10 de sg1 !!! je suis trop contente! j’ai passer ma journée a les regrader! et je vu plein d’épisode commenter par vous 8)
J’adore votre voix^^!! Bon je doit y retourner, a demain; je vous adore fort♥MerciMerci!
Thanks for giving us a little insight into the audition process. As an actor in training I find this process very interesting. My (not-so)secret acting fantasy is to make it to the level of recurring character on a sci-fi show. I have been practicing my “Chevron 9 locked” monologue religiously.
I had a couple of questions.
1. Do you hold open auditions, or only go through an agency? I have a vision of a long line forming outside the studio doors of potential Wraith, practicing their hissing and slamming each other in the center of their chests.
2. Are the auditions cold readings, or do you have the actors do a monologue? (I imagine someone doing a Shakespearean monologue as a Wraith would be pretty funny – To suck, or not to suck…) Do you have a standard Wraith audition text, or is it episode specific. If it is a standard/generic text, would you mind sharing it?
I was reading an older posting over at Gateworld (if you can call 2 weeks older) regarding the Gen’i.
What was the reasoning behind killing Kolya?
He was a great villian and I thought I had read the actor was great to work with….so were there ulterior motives in killing him off.
Becky
Joe-
I know its early, but got any idea how Kindred Pt. 1 will fair as far a ratings go?
-Jen
So sorry to hear about your near fainting spell. That’s quite unnerving. I’m not going to give you lots of advice or anything, but you know, sleep is important! Says she who sleeps about 5 hours a night maximum and always has done! 😆
Thank you so much for dedicating this blog to Lucy. Suffice it to say, she was one very unhappy labrador puppy when I picked her up. Even now, some 11 hours after her op. she’s shaky, spaced out and very unhappy. 🙁 Makes me feel rotten for inflicting this on her. I’m sure she’ll bounce back tomorrow, but she’s one sorry puppy tonight. She didn’t even wag her tail at me when I picked her up! She even tried to wander back into the room she’d been recovering in, though there was a lovely golden lab bitch in there who she’d made friends with, I’m told!
Well, I saw what Tv Guide had to say about the season finale. How wonderful for it to be in the ‘top 21 gotta see’ shows! I’m really excited to find out why I’m going to be screaming and going bonkers though. I’m either going to love you and Paul to death, or will be quietly cursing under my breath at you both! I’m hoping it’s a mixture of both! 😆 I really am very excited! Can’t say I’ve been this excited about a season finale for a long time.
So, any chance of letting slip if there’s a Shepisode coming up in the first half of season 5? I have been horribly stressed about Lucy all day, especially when the vet said he’d phone by 2 and then didn’t. Besides Lucy loves SGA too. She watches it diligently with me. I’m sure she’d like to be thrown a bone! (Literally!) 😉
Do the Wraith have group feeding parties?
Wraith tech? The projector-looking thing? The Wraith have developed a better delivery system for their Powerpoint presentations?
Ha ha! The lisping Wraith thing has had me grinning for awhile now. I’ve caught up on my SGA now, and good LORD, was that a cliffhanger you’ve left us with! For every question you answered, you gave us more questions. I’m looking forward to Kindred Part 2, and I just wish iTunes would release the things faster.
I absolutely hate coming up with titles to stories I write or just for papers for english. I’m always asking my sister for help ’cause she’s really good at it.
And the lisp? Lol. I can just picture that happening. But no, it wouldn’t be very threatening.
Automatic burner response to dizzy spells: Drink some water! Seriously, stay hydrated. Lack of sleep might make you dizzy, but dehydration most assuredly will put you in a tailspin. Trust me, I spend days awake dancing in the desert, I know dizzy.
Lithping wraith, crackhead wraith, wheeeee!
That fainting thing sounds like stress, Joe. I have this thing where my body wants to shut down (I call it my reboot) every now and then.
But I’ve found that continuous stress or being really really nervous about something (i.e. my parents meeting hubby’s parents :D) can cause my body to wig out and need to shutdown.
But do try to get more sleep, and drink lots and lots of water. I’ve found that helps with me.
Juste pour vous dire merci pour vos super commentaires d’épisode dans les dvd, vous êtes vraiment un homme passionner, sa se voit que vous aimez votre metier.
A demain:)
Ps: J’ai adoré la scéne du monologue du vagin lol!
On the Keller/Ronan thing: Isn’t the truth here that people just want to see them having a relationship, because they caught a glimpse of some potential sexual chemistry and want it to reach some conclusion (ideally, on screen)?!!
If so, tough.
Life doesn’t always work out like that. And neither should it. I like that this has got people frustrated. Who’s to say what could happen in the distant future. (Stay tuned for season eight…!!!!)
I wanted to say I’ve loved how Michael has been developed into this really, cool, multi-layered scary character. After Friday I re-watched all the episodes that fit into the story arc. Between Todd and Michael we have a Wraith power struggle of the ages.
I just hope if Michael does survive into season 5 he doesn’t kidnap Teyla anymore..after “Kindred” part 1 that’s made three times now….lol
Joe you will have to stop this hedonistic life style you’re living while Fondy is away!
Similar thing happened to me a few years ago one minute fine walking into a room next I was literally sliding down the wall as my world spun out of control and the only position I could find that felt even remotely safe was cheek to cheek with the floor.
I had Labyrinthitis, this is not as my family assumed a made-up disease but a bonafide condition of the inner ear which meant that my brain was not getting the correct sensory input from my inner ear and was discounting any information my optic nerve sent.
Result proprioceptor melt down and a brain that didn’t know up from down.
And for the few weeks it lasted no driving, no anything except waiting for the next attack….‘Oye Vay’!
Hope you feel better.
Pauline
Hey Joe!
My question is does Ronon still have the feeding scar on his chest? I remember in “Tao of Rodney”, Rodney healed the scars on Ronon’s back. So doing so did he healed the feeding scar?
I agree with everyone, sounds like you’re stressed. So I’m sending you best wishes and “virtual chocolates” [][][][] from Australia – they don’t taste as good but it’s the thought that counts right?
Regarding the dogs, that’s where a clone would come in handy. Get a second bed for the dogs, put a Joe Mallozzi clone in it for them and you’ll be laughing (and sleeping too).
One question for today – what have you guys got in store for Major Lorne in Season 5?
Take care.
Cheers, Chev
*decloaking momentarily* I swear Joe, if you name that Wraith with the lisp “Gluteus Maximus” or “Bwian”, I am going to expire from laughter. Help me, I’ve fallen into Monty Python headspace and I can’t get out!!!
By the way, I loved “Midway” and very much enjoyed “Kindred I”. Also, you really made my week when you posted the photos from Sam’s desk. That was enough warm fuzzies to keep me going for quite a bit! Thank you, I needed that. 🙂
As for the book selections, I’m running behind (as per usual). I’ve enjoyed “Fast Forward” and still have 4 stories to go, with “Terror Bard” and “No More Stories” as my favorites. I’ve just started “Smoke and Mirrors” today and am enjoying it as well. You’ve got some darned good taste in books!
Anywho, thank you for posting all of these goodies and sharing your world with us. It’s appreciated more than you believe.
My thanks to you and the rest of the cast and crew. I’m ecstatic that you’re in production for season 5 and hopefully SciFi will not make us wait forever and fifty years to see it.
Brightest Blessings, all!
Oh! Also, any time you can get Chris Judge in as Teal’c it would absolutely rock the world!!! No exageration, at least not in my opinion. 😉
*recloaking before evening pain meds kick in completely*
Hi Joe,
Thanks for posting this! Hearing about the behind the scenes auditions was very entertaining.
I’m glad we can look forward to more Wraith in upcoming episodes for Season 5. I’ve got to admit that the Wraith or more specifically Chris Heyerdahl’s portrayal of the Wraith “Todd” are what got me back into watching SGA. After seeing “The Seer” I immediate picked up all of the back episodes for Seasons 1, 2 and 3 to catch up. The Wraith make great sci-fi antagonists — complex, sentient and dangerous — and I hope you and your writers will find ways to keep them active in the series, growing and developing in parallel to the SGA.
I see a lot of feudal Japan in their culture and Samurai ethics in the Wraith that the team has encountered. And having the SGA team suddenly appear in their world reminds me a lot of the arrival of Western culture in Japan in the late 1800’s.
You mentioned in a earlier blog entry that you once wrote a villain that was so good that the people to whom you were selling the story found his demise a real downer. It seems you’ve done it again. And Chris Heyerdahl’s Todd is the best of the them. A lot of us really find the Wraith fascinating and would hate to see them go.
I can’t wait to see the Season 4 final episode cliff-hanger, especially after seeing the trailor!