We made plans to go out for Peking Duck and, as usual, extended the invitation to Ashleigh who, as usual, blew us off, trotting out the old “But I’m a vegetarian” excuse. I pointed out that, in point of fact, she wouldn’t be eating any duck meat, only the crispy duck skin. “Look at it this way,”I told her. “Imagine there’s a duck that gets burned in a fire. A crack medical team removes its useless, roasted skin and replaces it with skin grafts, saving its life. Then, rather than go to waste, the skin is served in a pancake with a spring onion and a dab of hoisin sauce.” (All completely true by the way, except for the part about the crack medical team, the skin grafts, and the whole saving its life thing). Incredibly, even after that, she found the prospect of eating the duck skin off-putting. As a result, we were only three for dinner last night: Carl, Lawren, and myself.
I gave Carl directions to the restaurant and told him it was located right beside the Memphis Blues Barbecue House. His eyes lit up. “Barbecue?”. Flash forward several hours and we were at the Memphis Blues Barbecue House.
The place was packed, but we were more than happy to wait.
Actually, no. No we weren’t. What made the wait particularly frustrating was the fact that all the tables that eventually started freeing up were two-seaters, while the bigger tables and booths remained occupied – by couples! Honestly, would it have killed them to make their invisible dining companions stand for the duration of this particular meal?
Eventually, we were seated. We had beer and the always excellent Memphis Feast comprised of smoked sausage, pulled pork, brisket, ribs, riblets, smoked chicken, coleslaw, beans, and cornbread. I also ordered the night’s dinner special – lamb shoulder with collard greens.
No leftovers on this night. We finished up and headed out – unlike those two lingerers at the next booth who sat their and nursed their beers, oblivious to the crowd of waiting patrons at the front of the restaurant continued to swell. What a couple of jerks.
Dinner on this night was compliments of Lawren who treated us to a wonderful meal and thereby ensured himself gainful employment through the rest of SGU’s second season of production.
In today’s Olympic update – the IOC tries to force Australian athletes to take down their beloved kangaroo flag: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2010/s2810920.htm. For real. These are the same idiots who have had various sporting venues in town renamed because venues must be “clean”, devoid of any corporate advertising (because, of course, the Olympics is not about cash-grabs and opportunism), ensuring that the city’s taxi drivers have an even harder time getting people around the city.
In preparation for the upcoming Stargate: Universe season 1.0 dvd release, I’ll be holding a trivia contest for anyone interested in either winning a region 1 dvd or other cool prize. Early Monday, I’ll be posting 20 questions on those first ten episodes. First posters to answer all 20 questions correctly will win the grand prizes.
Mailbag:
06untouchable writes: “In other words… Are you – or anyone else in the Stargate family – a Hockey fan, Joe?”
Answer: Yep. Pretty much everyone in the writers’ room. Except for me and Carl.
Jojo writes: “There were many activities around town, most free!, that we got out and really enjoyed the events. You might be surprised and actually enjoy it. Even better, you might get some tickets and go to an event.”
Answer: I’ll be entertaining a friend from Tokyo for ten days during the Olympics so, yes, it might make sense to attend one of the free (hopefully food related) events or get tickets to winter Olympic events like ice sculpting and freestyle tubing.
PJR writes: “And, as a supplement to that, going i the other direction – looking backwards – what were the first concepts, mental images, feelings and ideas that would lead to SGU?”
Answer: This one is more of a question for Brad and Robert who created the show.
PJR also writes: “can the Ancients’ tech extend beyond creating wormholes to using natural black holes? Step into the other side(s)?”
Answer: Given all we know about the Ancients and their technology to this point, the answer would be no.
Christelle writes: “Sport’s Medias, here in france, say that there is not enough snow in Vancouver. Is it truth ?”
Answer: Actually, there is NO snow in the city and very little on the mountains. I hear they’ll be supplementing real snow with a mixture of coconut flakes, shaved ice, and mayonnaise.
Paula writes: “As for the traffic? It’s usually not as bad as feared.”
Answer: It will be as bad as feared given that they’ve closed off city access to all most cars.
Airelle writes: “How is your mom getting along at rehab? Ready to make it home if not yet? Felix votes for sooner and Baby. How are the pups feeling with out Brie?”
Answer: Mom is doing fine. She’s doing some walking but it will be a while before she heads home. Brie is still in town. She leaves for good this Sunday.
ZoSoAir writes: “Any idea if you will hold another contest entry any time soon?”
Answer: Funny you should ask. See above.
JenniferG writes: “Hi Joe, So how is ReFuel doing?”
Answer: It’s been doing very well since the change.
Shirt ‘n ‘Tie writes: “I notice that you have read both Freakanomics and SuperFreakanomics….any particular reason?”
Answer: They were recommended by my writing partner.
Kabra writes: “Did I miss the Patrick Gilmore Q&A???”
Answer: Nope.
Shiloh writes: “What’s your take on the Super Bowl?”
Answer: Saints all the way! In fact, everyone I know is rooting for the Saints – except for Peyton Manning-loving Carl.
Quade1 writes: “And we don’t wear the Vanoc accreditation badges to show them off, we wear them because you HAVE to wear them virtually everywhere you go.”
Answer: Really? They make you wear them a full week before the start of the actual Olympics when you’re walking around town or having dinner?
Overmind One writes: “The comment I made is based only on factual information. The ratings HAVE declined to almost half (season 1.0)…”
Answer: Actually, the ratings were steady, maintaining most of its audience from the season premiere, until the final episode. Was it a blip? Can’t say. The numbers for the back half will tell the story. More telling, on the other hand, would be the erosion in Atlantis’s ratings over its third and fourth season. By your own logic, this would suggest fans were tired of the old formula and wanted something new.
Overmind One also writes: “the DVD sales are flat…”
Answer: Actually, DVD sales in general have taken a major hit across the board (which may explain the delay in moving ahead on the movies). It’s not a phenomenon exclusive to SGU.
Overmind One also writes: “…and the reviews of the DVD (both BluRay and Regular) are negative. This indicates that a majority of people who have watched the show do not like the new direction. Most of those messages are very well written, but intelligent, educated people.”
Answer: Fan reviews have been mixed (as, quite frankly, they’ve always been when it came to the Stargate franchise). All the same, negative comments generally tend to outweigh positive comments. That’s not to say some criticism of the show isn’t valid, only that it’s kind of silly to point and say: “Hey, all these people agree with me, therefore I must be right!”
Overmind One also writes: “Mr Mallozi simply reacted in the same way to me as he did to Maureen…with hissy retorts.”
Answer: I’ve never reacted to you prior to your appearance here on this blog. In fact, I’d never even heard of you prior to your posts here. As for Maureen – again, feel free to point out where I reacted to anything she said with “hissy retorts”.
Overmind One also writes: “I have a right to be snarky when the show which I have paid money to a cable company to watch turns from an science fiction/action/adventure show into a drama/soap opera/reality show.”
Answer: The show didn’t change. SGU is simply a different show. You seem to be implying that you tuned into Universe expecting Atlantis and were disappointed. That’s unfortunate but hardly our fault.
Overmind One also writes: “Many are surprised it has gotten a season two, but I know how things go with contracts.”
Answer: Clearly you don’t. Certainly not in this case. If we’d had a two season guarantee from the outset (like SG-1 had when it premiered on Showtime), we would have announced it from the get-go or, at the very least, not had to impatiently await word from the network on a pick-up.
Overmind One also writes: “The style is derivative…too much BSG. Stargate HAD its own style, you sacrificed it to be more like BSG and Lost and Firefly…but BSG came out the most.”
Answer: The shooting style is far from exclusive to BSG, but I can understand how viewers who fixate solely on SF programming would draw that conclusion. You should check out The Shield. Great show.
Overmind One also writes: “But when people turn your show off, it affects your future as the producer of Stargate and its ancillary products and movies. Your reputation is at stake, and I know that is VERY important to you.”
Answer: Of course it is however, after 16+ seasons of television and two movies, I think our reputation is fairly solid. I certainly would be delighted with another fifteen years or so on the air but when the franchise finally runs its course (or, more likely, I end up running my course), rather than bemoan the end, I’ll instead look back on all we’ve accomplished – on all three shows – with great pride and the satisfaction of knowing that while we were respectful to fans and receptive to their opinions and critiques, we nevertheless remained true to our creative vision.
Your BBQ sounds wonderful, Joe. I’m still partial to Carolina BBQ, though. Glad mom is doing good! Give Brie goodbye kisses from me!
I’m pooped, gotta call it a night…but just wanted to wish you and your readers a good evening/afternoon/morning.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
das
Who is Maureen? ❓
Region 1 DVD? What about the rest of the world?
I hope that Brie has a nice weekend with the other hounds. Is she planning to keep in touch?
😉 😛
Oh, I love getting stuff for free! Can’t wait for the contest. Would you be willing to sign it? Not the actors, though.
I’d be curious to try your BBQ joint whenever I’m in Vancouver. Being a born-and-raised Memphian, I can attest to people being very snooty about how their roasted pigmeat is prepared.
It is unfortunate that unhappy viewers are more likely to comment about their feelings than the satisfied viewer who watches contentedly, waiting in silence for the next episode to air.
Hi Joe:
I suppose I really don’t expect an answer to this question, but, do you think that SGU could benefit from new writers? If you agree with me, then you are admitting the show could use improvement. If you disagree, you come across as close minded and inflexible. Or do you? I’m interested to read your response. Or, you could ignore the question entirely, which might suggest you don’t dare answer for political reasons associated with your coworkers. Not to back you into a corner, but, I’ve read in the past your reasons for ignoring questions. Which one of those reasons would this question fall under, if you choose to ignore it?
I’m not attempting to be a smart ass…I’m really just very curious.
Patricia
Omg Joe. I’ve watched like every ep of sgu at least three times. I really think I can do this. Unfortunately I believe I’ll be leaving on a plane flight at twelve for Ecuador. I’m gonna visit some missionary friends there and I might not be on the blog for a bit. So as long as it’s before midday, It might work!
So when exactly on monday?
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
@Overmind One: Get over it already.
G’night Joe! Tell Brie we’ll miss her cute face, but maybe she’ll send us some pics as she grows up, hey?
Wow, you’re going to need to hire a few temps to help you wade through the blog responses Monday. Might I suggest telecommuters? I’m up for it.
I vaguely remember being on a sports team where we were asked to cover any logos on our clothing with tape.
What? Peking Duck is just skin? Hmm … something’s being lost in translation at my local establishment.
Aww … what a sweet story with those two in the booth near you, falling in love over their beers, oblivious to the hubbub around them. The derisive stares of other patrons pass right through them as they lose touch with the rushing concerns of the rest of the world. Or am I reading too much into it?
@susan the tartan turtle
Maureen is Maureen Ryan, who gave SGU a negative review, followed by several disparaging comments in unrelated articles. Brad Wright, not Joe Mallozzi, commented on one of those articles. Stuff ensued. (I think that’s the basics without getting into an off-topic debate of sorts)
And Overmind One: You should be very much lauded… for your stupidity. You’re very much entitled to your comments, but seriously man, just walk away and take SGU like it is.
Sigh. I see all the whining continues. I guess I’d better go get some cheese…. All the hair tearing and rending of garments melodrama makes me hungry….
@das: (speaking of hungry) – Carolina BBQ, tomato or vinegar based? Vinegar based, no coleslaw is my preference!
@Joe: But, but hockey is one of the only team sports I understand! I hope you are able to suffer thru all the onslaught, better make those dinner reservations ASAP or you and your guest will be doing a LOT of cooking.
Pat Brie for all of us, we’ll miss her cute l’il face. Continuing best wishes for Joe’s mom, and I’m looking forward to the trivia contest. I can’t usually remember squat when I need to, only several hours later! C’est la vie…
Lisa
that BBQ looks good.
BTW people who linger at their tables after eating at restaurants piss me off too
A thought occurs to me…”keep fighting until you can’t keep fighting anymore.” It’s possibly from Firefly but really…it doesn’t matter…keep fighting Joe. I’m onboard and really…that’s all that matters no? 😉
I am taking ten students down to Lousiana next week…got any suggestions for excellent restaurants in New Orleans? Thanks!
You’ll look back “on all three shows”? Does that mean SGU will be the last of the franchise?
OMG, Carolina BBQ. Haven’t had that in ages.
Geez, the trolls are out in force, Joe. Yikes.
Oooh, contest. I’m usually horrible at these things, but I’m willing to take a shot at it.
Who is Maureen Ryan? Name does not ring a bell.
I thought of a power source, a Dyson sphere, but it is not invented by the ancients rather there are other races out there that are even more advanced than the ancients…
hmmm…no subspace there.
on to the kangaroo, I’ve seen it and it says autralia, what is inappropriate about it and who makes money off of it as a corporate trademark?
Tell me joe, do you like bechamel? can you make mayonnaise? What is your favorite consomme? i cannot use the accented letters because i know not the coding…
How do you like your eggs? I Make my french toast with vanilla i the eggs and then with a bit of the maple syrup after the toast is cooked, I will caramelize the syrup onto the bread in the hot pan, its really good that way and no drips, just you know you have to clean your pan immediately afterward or you will have a ard time getting that caramelized glaze off the pan, even if it is tefalon coated.
@Alexander of Houston:
on to the kangaroo, I’ve seen it and it says autralia, what is inappropriate about it and who makes money off of it as a corporate trademark?
Qantas?
@Matt Silver
Thanks for enlightening me. I thought that, maybe, she was somebody important but .. nah!
@ pastrygirl – Same here – vinegar based, no slaw. There’s a local guy who makes the best Carolina pulled pork, evah! Vinegar, crushed red pepper – not sure what else, if anything – but it’s the best I’ve had. Here’s a pic from this past summer of one of his piggies (cellphone pic doesn’t really do it justice, but you get the idea):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/piggypiggy.jpg
And here’s a write-up about the guy from a couple years back:
http://www.shorenewstoday.com/columns/cuisine_pages/jbsBBQ.htm
das
Oops, sorry about the coding. Just had the power go out for a moment (right in the middle of posting! AARRRGGHH!), so quickly restarted the computer, re-wrote my comment, and submitted before the power popped again.
I woke up about 2 am – wind’s starting up now, and we have a bit of snow, but still the threat of ice/rain since we’re just about on that freeze line. The branches are really heavy with wet snow, so I won’t be surprised if we lose power again…just hope not.
Well, back to bed for me!
das
Hey Joe,
Love the food presentation…makes me hungry just looking at the picture. The duck skin was a bit much even for me…ewww
Wow, “Overmind” I think I am reminded why I don’t read all your blog comments. You are indeed a patient man. I am looking forward to SGU’s return. Well, and the DVDs *grins*
Best to you Joe,
Always,
Cheryl 🙂
1.) I just saw the Australia news/Miranda Kerr bit this morning. I cracked up so hard. I’m glad he wasn’t fired. Although, one wonders how he will maintain his dignity at that job…
2.) I am actually jealous you get to be up in Vancouver during the Olympics. Not just because I would like to see them in general, but because, in fact, I know one of the Olympians! I doubt you’re much for figure skating, but if you do happen to catch it on TV, look for Mark Ladwig and Amanda Evora in pairs. I’m so proud of them!
3.) Glad to hear your mother is still doing well!
G’day Joe
To all those wanting to know who owns the Boxing Kangaroo – The Australian Olympic Committee owns the copyright.
Give a big goodbye kiss to Brie for me.
Aaaand…I’m wide awake.
Aaaand…our satellite was just taken out.
This is gonna be a looooong weekend. 😛
das
Hey Joe, i just wanted to pop by and say thanks to you and everyone making SGU. Here in Australia, the SGU pilot with extended scenes was just released and today i bought it. Wonderful 3 eps! I have a few mates who i got into SGU who happened to watch SGA, and all of them dont like it. They have watched and dont mind SG1 but i found interesting that none of them liked SGA. Do you think SGU appeals to more people than say SGA or SG1? I cannot believe some of the critisism of this show and i think the network has made a bad decision by not airing all 20 episodes together as i think people who are complaining about there not being enough aliens or shoot em up battles or whatever have a chance to whine and complain more since they can only judge the first 10 episode of a NEW show. I personally thought it was a strong first 10 episodes and cant wait to see more. Keep it up.
Hi Joe,
When will we start getting a sense of the major story arc for the show? I assume there will be some sort of conflict/problem/mission that will eventually kick in and start directing some events [outside of the attempt to return home]. Or am I wrong to assume that?
Send love to the pugs.
Hi Joseph!!!!!!
ça va ? Moi très bein 🙂
Alala je ne ne pourrai pas être végétarienne, ils ne savent pas ce qu’ils manquent!…humm votre dinner d”hier avait l’air super bon!!!
…vous me prometez qu’un jour ont se fera un restaurant ? …moi je vous le promet!
Un jeux pour gagner des dvd de la saison 1 de sgu…je n’ai aucune chance, surtout que ça sera en anglais et que je n’ai pas tout retenues de sgu moins que sga en tout cas…
Oui, c’est vrai que beaucoup de nos journaux disent qu’il n’y a plus de neige à Vancouver… voila 2 ans que je suis la météo de la ville avec attention, c’est vrai j’ai remarquer que le temps c’est bien réchauffé….bon finalement il n’ya plus d’obstacle au fait que je m’y installe un jour…mise à part peut être la fin du monde^^!
Bonne journée!
Bisou!
Oh man, that BBQ looks simply delicious. Why do I find myself becoming hungry every time I visit your blog?
@Overmind One
Here’s a tip for ya. It may sound crazy, but just bear with me, If you don’t like the show you can just stop watching. I know. It sounds like a strange thing to do, but I’m great at out of the box thinking.
Joe here it is,
Colts 28- Saint’s 14
Joe,
No pics of LULU and the Gang???Has Brie departed yet???
In preparation for the upcoming Stargate: Universe season 1.0 dvd release, I’ll be holding a trivia contest for anyone interested in either winning a region 1 dvd or other cool prize. Early Monday, I’ll be posting 20 questions on those first ten episodes. First posters to answer all 20 questions correctly will win the grand prizes.
For anyone?! Joe, please tell me the SGU contest is for everyone from all over the world! I’m not from the US, but would love to win the DVD. My DVD-player can handle a region 1 DVD. I’ve seen all episodes multiple times and am ready to answer 20 questions.
Even if it means waking up 4 a.m. and start waiting for your blog entry. Or if it’s early Monday then maybe I can answer before going to bed.
Oh, I admire you for answering last questions in today’s entry. Kudos. I would’ve been sooo fed up by now.
Re!!!!! Bon tout d’abord désolé j’ai écrit bein au lieu de bien dans mon précédent message.
Je voulais vous montrez une superbe création de vous que m’a faite une amie:
http://atlantisfannew1.skyrock.com/2777380050-Cado.html
Vous la trouvez comment? Moi je la trouve SUBLIME ♥
Hi Mr M!
Thanks for the answer. So Paul is a Freakenomics fan? Great book, as is the sequel.
RE: Contest…..Can you put me down for $15 on PG15….with a side of $10 on Das to win?
Don’t forget the other contest you have to organise, so that you can mention the Winner on the DVD commentary!!!! You know they’ll be knocking on the door any day now for you to do the commentary!!
Best to all
S’n’T
When SGU debuted I was expecting something like SG1/SGA and was deeply disappointed. I hated Greer and Rush and Eli was the closet person to the old SG1 “tone” of the entire cast. But, because I wanted it to succeed because some stargate is better than NO stargate I continued to watch. After about the 5th episode I began to adopt the show as something that has ties to SG1 but is something altogether different, and then I began to enjoy the show as much as I enjoy Sanctuary. Perhaps others might try this approach when it comes back in April.
My problem with the production team and MGM in particular is the over emphasis on DVD sales as the reason why there is no movement on the new movies. I strongly believe this is a huge mistake. New SG1 and SGA movies, I believe, would benefit SGU by keeping Stargate in front of the viewers (releasing movies during SGU’s off time) and that the budget for these movies are so low that making a profit is “stupid easy”.
MGM is no small indie movie house and promoting the new movies is something MGM is pretty good at. Not to mention SyFy, Space, Sky One, or whoever else wants to “buy in” the broadcasting rights of the new movies. There must be another reason the movies have been shut down for the time being, perhaps TPTB want SGU to become more engrained in the minds of the fans before they are thrown backwards to the old storytelling… or perhaps TPTB want to tell SG1/SGA stories in the same style as SGU and there is push back for that. Whatever the reason, the idea that “DVD sales are lacking” just doesn’t cut it.
Joe, I don’t know if you seen this site, http://www.the-numbers.com/ but its a decent site for real information, hard numbers, on sales.
Worldwide the Stargate franchise has several million hard core fans that would make any and every movie a hefty profit with DVD sales and TV Broadcasting, there simply cannot be a continuing denial about this. People who insist that that is the reason the SGA movie isn’t being made or that the O’Neill-heavy SG1 movie hasn’t been made are being disingenuous and I don’t understand why. I certainly don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I know something about this, I’m not grasping at straws here.
I wonder when the real reasons will become known to the fans. I’m not calling you a liar Joe, but I do believe you are simply stating the “position” of MGM about the movies and to put forth your own opinion about why would cause trouble for yourself.
can we have a daily hit talley on your site during the contest? Going to be fun seeing how many people try to win the prize. The Australian thing was amusing, in that painful sort of way that administrative twits are about such things. Impressed by how completely and snark-free you responded to Overlord. I predict further trolling to occur trying to bait youthough.
Anyways, freezing and mushy outside, more snow coming, so it’s off to work I go. I think it’s my day to drive the fire engine. Be glad you’re on the other coast!
oh, and you gotta come down to the eastern midatlantic seaboard. You want bbq, especially pork, this is the region to have it.
Thanks as always and have a fun, if poignant day with Brie.
Ooh the barbecue looks interesting, how’s the heart?
I’m wondering what the rule is on length of stay for a meal. Its a fine line. If I had to wait I would understand how frustrated those waiting would feel but I wouldn’t want to rush my meal. Of course I don’t really eat out at places that have huge queues.
I’m looking forward to the trivia contest. My friend and I get invited to everyone’s school/football/cricket/whatever trivia nights ‘cos we kinda rock (especially with obscure songs). Please make it hard, I’m feeling like a challenge.
Great news that your Mom is doing well. How does she entertain herself in between races up the hallway with Claude? Is there anything she needs?
With regard to the “Boxing Kangaroo fiasco” the IOC are so out of touch – a bunch of stuffed shirts. Sure its a trademark – of the freaking Australian Olympic Committee – they bought it. It actually doesn’t have anything to do with Qantas JeffW. Its a symbol of Aussie sport & our fighting spirit, ‘cos even when we’re down watch out, we’ll snatch that gold medal out of your grasp and say thank-you very much.
Cheers, Chev
Really looking forward to the trivia on Monday, Just wondering whether I will make the cut since I am in South Africa???
That said, when are we seeing some SG people in South Africa? I mean, you have a huge following here, even though most of the episodes we see are REALLY REALLY old on TV, I am fortunate enough to have access to HULU where I can stay up to date! Woohoo! I mean, I will even put you up in a 4 Star hotel if you guys come, and you MUST taste our traditional Zulu, and Afrikaans foods! You would go crazy for it… No-One makes a beef steak like a South African Braai!
Okay, thats enough of me, trying to get you to SA… for now…
I’ve always been really interested in the idea of the FURLINGS, knowing that they were one of the original 4 races which entered into the alliance, is it possible that we will be learning more about them during the episodes of the SGU? I mean, it’s safe to assume that all four of the races had a buy-in, in the creation of Destiny, since it was probably constructed during the time of the alliance and to study the universe far beyond their physical reach. Until they learned how to ascend, obviously.
Also, wouldn’t the Atlantis database have some information regarding destiny? It obviously would have been built before the construction of Atlantis and / or the war with the Wraith, and they would have kept monitoring it’s progress in case it might stumble upon any new advantage they could gain against the Wraith at that time? Since Atlantis is safely drifting somewhere on Earth, it’s quite easy for them to study the database now in peace?
That also said, Wouldn’t the sudden appearance of a City from out of space prompt the air force to come clean about the SG program? Or doesn’t that reality have anything to do with the SGU reality? Or is there some missing info we will only find in Stargate: Extinction?
Can we please see Eli having a decent shot at Chloe or at least someone that Chloe will get jealous off? Eli needs to find some confidence in himself somehow before he will get confidence in his intelligence. Once he does that, I am sure he will find some major breakthrough which will ultimately give the crew hope, even if just for a few episodes?
The ship Rush found will probably be from the first Sentient race the SGU team will encounter right? Will rush be the prime antagonist from now on? Considering that Destiny uses FTL and not Hyperspace, there will be no way for rush to “follow” Destiny as these two technologies have very different methodologies about travelling through space. Even if Rush is to jump ahead of destiny, he will have no way of matching speed or even to see them whilst they are in FTL. His only option will probably have to be to wait for them to jump out of FTL and / or to wait for them on the planet? Will the Destiny SG be getting an “iris”?
Okay, so many questions… Will wait a little longer to ask more. Don’t want to bore you 🙂
PS. You HAVE to come to South Africa. Hehe.
Hey Joe – great responses to some of the “criticism” that you’ve been receiving. I’m not sure I could have been so gentle. I’ve enjoyed SGU very much from the start (granted it DID take a little getting used to the change in style), but I’ve found that on watched repeated episodes I actually enjoy them MORE, picking up on stuff that I missed the first time.
Do you know if there will be a full season DVD release at the end of season one, or are they just going to do them by the half season?
Anyway, keep up the great work!
Snow Update:
Satellite is back! Woo! But trees are laying on the phone lines, so that’s not good. Hubby is out right now trying to bang some of the snow off. Already some of our trees have started breaking apart, and they’re forecasting this snow to continue until 8 pm.
Some pics of our back yard, incl. a broken cedar limb:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/snowday2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/snowday1.jpg
I’m posting while I still have power and connection. My parents have no power, which has me a bit worried, especially since we can’t get over to them.
das
Ok sweeett!
My Flight is leaving at like 1:30 so even more time. And I might have a connection flight that lands in America and since my parents have iPhones, I should be set.
Though even though I might not win it or be able to enter, i’m so happy to think when I return home I’ll see not only sgu season 1.0 on the shelves but Stargate resistance!!!!!!!!
So excited!!!!
Ya, actually we have been wearing them for the last 2 weeks. And as far as wearing them to diner, there are certain establisments that offer “workforce entitlements”, free food!!…if you have the accreditation, sorry Joe 😛
I do agree on the rebranding of facilities, completely stupid. They actually made us buy new jackets because the company logo was 1 inch too long, based on our level of sponsorship.
forgot to mention, the snow situation on the mountains is good now. Ever since they started hiring dump trucks to go pick up snow at Manning Park and drive it up to Cypress.
it woulda been cheaper to not have the Olympics, buy the homeless the houses, and burn money in their fireplaces!!
Hi Joe,
You answered Overmind’s question, and well you are patient and were very civil. But you said one thing that disturbs me, but I reread it and I think you were referring to someone else’s logic. You said this..
“More telling, on the other hand, would be the erosion in Atlantis’s ratings over its third and fourth season. By your own logic, this would suggest fans were tired of the old formula and wanted something new.”
I asumed you were being snarky since Season 4 grew from 1.7 Million viewers for the 1st half, to about 2.2 Million for the 2nd half, and Season 5 saw a steady 2.1 Million.
Meaning people were still liking SGA all the way till the end. In fact, Season 4.5 basically matched the total viewers for Season 2. Yes, I get all these numbers. :p
Can you just clarify what you meant to say. Thanks!
Anyway, I do hope SGU follows in the vain of SGA, which means a better performing 2nd half. 🙂
Went outside – it’s just about 32 degrees here – so the snow underneath is melting, which means that even though we have about 8-10″, we would really have a lot more if this wasn’t such a wet snow. But the temps are supposed to drop, and if they do all that slushy snow under the dry snow is gonna freeze, and it’s going to be treacherous! Eep! We should have had the winter olympics in Jersey! 😛
Good news (so far): Cat shelter is holding up! 😀
das
Sorry about Brie leaving but at least you know she will be well cared for.
I’m glad your mom is doing well but sorry she won’t be home soon.
That didn’t look like Memphis BBQ to me, too neat! I like all kinds of BBQ but my favorite is the tomato w/ vinegar based. It’s that sweet and tangy, plus the sloppier the better! If you are ever in Memphis, try Leonard’s BBQ. One of our friend’s uncle owns the place. It’s in a “not great” part of town, but the food is so good! They were featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives</i).
Are you sure that PG15 didn’t write some of your comments? You two sound remarkably the same in your logic!
Das: how is the weather there?
@DP
I didn’t know that about the duck either. My Cousin orders it all the time, and he gets this huge bag w/ a whole duck it. What are our restaurants doing wrong? 😉
@DasNdanger
I was wondering where you are on the east coast? I just looked out the window in Jersey and it isn’t that bad here. In fact I was planning on going out later so I can get supplies.
I hope things are not that bad for you either. Also, what was the name of the band last night? Are they local? Or do they play in other states? They sound like they might be worth checking out.
@Joe
Glad to hear your mom is doing very well in rehab. I remember that when that happened to my grandma, she never recovered THAT fast. That is great!!!
In regard to Overmind one’s comment on DVD reviews, I am convinced that people just like to gripe. If you need proof, look no further than the Lord of the Rings Blu-ray on Amazon. Not a single positive review and the release date isn’t until March…
Never mind that the DTS master audio track will be awesome! Never mind that the battles will look great in 1080p… Here’s a big one: never mind that the people who love the films are the ones giving the discs a bad review…
The only reason they do it is because they are upset that it isn’t the extended version. But none of those reviews say anything about the quality of the disc.
Take the Atlantis Blu-ray…
It got hounded on Amazon for only containing 2 episodes. You know what: I use it as a reference disc. I have never seen a blu-ray with a bit rate that high! And the Master Audio sound… Outstanding! Sometimes you have to take the negative with a grain of salt and just brush it off.
Best wishes.
Bryan M. White
just to clarify my final comment: I also own the entire series on standard DVD, but the picture and audio quality of the Blu-ray were sooo good that I could not resist. 😉
I haven’t commented before but just wanted to say that I love SGU. I think it’s a great new direction to take the franchise. There’ll always be some people who are negative. Just gotta take them with a grain of salt. Keep up the good work.
One second thing I forgot – I’d love to buy the SGU first half season on Blu-Ray, but money’s tight, so I’m going to have to wait until the whole season is released together, or ask for it for Christmas this year. Just pretend you’ve got one more Blu-Ray sale. (I did subscribe via iTunes though, if that counts!)
@ Tammy – ‘How’s the weather?’
Guess! 😀
@ Bryan M. White – We’re in South Jersey, near the coast. We have about 10″ – maybe more – and lots of drifting. We’re not going to get as much snow as the rest of South Jersey, but ours is heavy and wet and icy – and that means more chances of tree limbs and power lines coming down. Just heard that the power is down in a good portion of our county – we’re fortunate, so far. My brother lost power from about 3 am until 11 am, my parents lost power about 5 am, and still don’t have it back, and the hotel where my husband works has lost power, too – but they have two fireplaces, and aux. power so they can use their kitchen, etc. They evacuated one of their smaller hotels and brought everyone to the bigger one, and everyone is huddling around the fireplaces. Hubby is due in to work tomorrow at 8 am – he can go and stay overnight, but I’d rather he not, and just have the hotel pick him up in the morning with their 4-wheel drive truck.
There’s actually a dog show this weekend down here, too. I hear that the hall where it’s held has generators, and most of the people here for the show are in trailers with heat, etc., but still… NOT a good weekend for it! Not a good weekend for anything.
The township actually called us (auto call), informing us that a State of Emergency has been declared, and not to go out on the roads unless absolutely necessary. That allows snow removal equipment to do their job, and prevents accidents. I’m not complaining – I have a stocked pantry, everything from wine to single malt whisky, chocolate, books, snuggly cats and toilet paper. I’m good! 😀
das
Joe,
The BBQ looks great. I can’t believe you told Ashleigh that eating duck skin would be OK for her. You are a torturer extraordinaire. Looking forward to the contest though I stink with trivia, etc.
@ Bryan M. White – I checked out Alfred Molina on IMDB and you may be right about Raiders being his first movie role. But you never know with IMDB – it’s not always right. So, if you or I run into Alfred M. in the future – we should ask him about this. Deal?
Cheers
@Das
Wow. I didn’t realize we were in the same state! I am a few hours north of you. Not too bad here. Maybe about 2-3 inches. Its amazing the difference a few hours make.
My parents also got about 8 inches. I hope your husband did not have to go to work today. Best wishes, stay inside, stay safe.
Sincerely,
Bryan M. White
Das: beautiful pictures but I’m glad I’m not there! I can’t imagine how the hotel guests are handling things. If I’m going to be out of power, I would rather be at home.
I hope you guys don’t get ice. That is what gets us here, bad stuff.
Prayers going your way for power.
@artdogspot
Deal. 😉
Best wishes.
Bryan
DVD Region Codes:
0 – Worldwide
1 – Canada, United States; U.S. territories; Bermuda
2 – Europe (except Russia, Ukraine and Belarus); Middle East; Egypt; Japan, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho; French overseas territories; Greenland
3 – Southeast Asia; South Korea; Taiwan; Hong Kong; Macau
4 – Mexico; Central and South America; Caribbean; Australia; New Zealand; Oceania
5 – Ukraine; Belarus; Russia; Africa (except Egypt, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho and French overseas territories); Central and South Asia; Mongolia; North Korea
6 – People’s Republic of China; Hong Kong
Darn, no entering contest, but on a brighter note… I can play my DVD’s in Greenland. I must remember that, the next time I go. 🙂
@Shirt’n’Tie “RE: Contest…..Can you put me down for $15 on PG15….with a side of $10 on Das to win?”
I agree. PG has home advantage though and should be handicapped accordingly (Not permanently PG, just one tiny crushed sleeping tablet in a tin of Coke…) 😀
Hhmm. I noticed the BSG influence on SGU in both style and soundtrack. Considering I thought BSG was one of the best sci-fi shows ever made and Bear McCreary’s scores were brilliant, I was thrilled to see the influence. Now I have a new show to enjoy and possibly a new composer to follow, if I can find out who that is.
Each show is different. I thought SG1 set the standard, Atlantis took it in a slightly campier direction, and SGU is a bit darker. What’s not to like? Do we really want the exact same show for 15 years? (Braces for assault)
It seems there is no food you wouldn’t try, is there anything that you will categorically refuse to eat?
On the subject of SGU, is the planned ending of the show going to be the crew and Destiny comiing to Earth, or will there be some people that will remain stranded out there in the universe, and the crew will decide to go get them? I mean, in the previous stargates, everybody took care of each other. But in SGU, I feel you could get away with some characters leaving the rest behind. I’d buy it…
Joe, I feel sorry for you. When team USA smashes The Canadian Hockey Team for Gold that the angry rioting will probably leave Vancouver a smoking ruin.
@Tim Lade: I’m not Joe (obviously) but The Court of Two Sisters in the French Quarter is the restaurant I enjoyed most when I visited New Orleans in 2006. It’s not cheap, but the food is amazing.
@ Bryan M. White – There are several of us here from Jersey – it seems the SG/Mallozzi fans are clustered in three states – NJ, Florida, and Texas. Weird, eh?
@ Tammy – Oh, I wouldn’t worry about the hotel guests – they have a fireplace, and a fully-stocked bar. Those folks will be FINE! (Unless, of course, the fireplace catches the hotel on fire, and then…well…they’re screwed. 😛 )
So far, so good – the kitty shelter is holding up:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/snowday4.jpg
And the birdies are fed:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/snowday3.jpg
Hubby went with a friend who has 4-wheel drive, and they made it to my parents. Their metal shed fell down (that has a lot of yard stuff in it, some furniture, etc.), but they have a few other outbuildings. It’s gonna be a mess cleaning up, though. They plan to visit a few more of our older friends, if they can.
My brother (who’s going in for by-pass surgery in a few days) is okay – they have power – but my niece (ladyhgiggles from here) said that she went outside, and all she heard was the snap, crackle and pop of trees breaking apart.
And me? I stayed inside and took a nap. 😀
das
If you’d been tracking your Fuel visits on the mobile ap Foursquare, you’d have been the undisputed Mayor.
@Das, Love the pictures 🙂
@ Shiningwit – REALLY???! Wanna come shovel??! 😀
das
Oh, wait…I just noticed people were betting on me for some Mallozzi trivia contest. Unless the questions involve Wraith, I probably don’t know the answers…so put all your money on pg15 – I know I will!
Well…if I gambled…which I don’t…so…yeah. Whatever.
das
Joe, thanks for your answers to my questions. Appreciated – and I’d like to explore a little further, if I may.
I had asked about the creative origins of SGU [first concepts, mental images, feelings and ideas] and you, quite rightly, said it was more of a question for Brad and Robert who created the show. As I’d love to know for myself, and also from reflecting how this may help inform the happy/hissy debate going on about SGU (what it’s about, and the break with style), I would like to enquire further how – in the room – the vision for SGU, its difference and commonalities, was communicated to writers, etc. Possibly this can be shared, possibly not. But I appreciate the forum to be able to ask the question – and, maybe Brad and/or Robert could comment?
I had also asked a tech-Q about black holes being used by the Ancients for mega-jumps that would put wormholes to shame, and you answered – ‘Given all we know about the Ancients and their technology to this point, the answer would be no’. Might that leave the door open creatively for writers, or is the SG/SGU bible tightly defined?
Another tech-Q: I watched the Stargate Continuum movie again, and noted the hand-held ZP module that was used to power a gate. In SGU, does such possibility exist or were no units brought to Destiny? Or, even if they were they couldn’t provide sufficient power to reach Earth? I’d previously wondered how the Ancients worked with ZP Energy, especially to have a ship like Destiny on such a long voyage.
Thanks, again – and the duck meal sounds really good.
Patrick
Das, do the cats actually sleep in the shed. Surely it would be warmer inside? Unless they’re feral cats?
Can we get one more pic of Brie before she leaves, please? And of course it’s always great to see the rest of the gang.
@All those dealing with the snow storm… I feel for ya, praying all stay safe.
@das – beautiful pics, they make me nostalgic, tho I can’t say I am envious. I think I could deal with it for a day, living in the south turns one into a wimp.
Stay safe.
12.25am and the temperature is still 68F (20C) here in Cape Town.
Was looking at pictures of the storm on BBC but the last time I saw snow was 30 years ago so I can’t imagine hold cold it must be.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8501681.stm
Finally. Food I can appreciate.
FYI, I enjoyed SGU’s first half and look forward to the second half, especially if you come through with the surprises you promised (which, there’s no reason to doubt that you will).
@ deeinsouthafrica – They’re feral – most are spayed/neutered, but they are totally wild, except one who lets me pet him when it’s time to eat. He’s been around the longest – about 5 years. In the shed are three cat houses – one stuffed with hay, and the others with blankets and this fiber stuff that warms when cats sleep on it. The big box was to keep the snow from clogging up the front of the cat houses, and allow a clear space for them to eat. They slept in there last night, but haven’t seen them all day today – they often spend the day elsewhere – but now I’m not sure they’ll be able to get back here. We’re keeping dry food out, just in case – there are two who usually stay very close to the house, but I have yet to see them this evening. They’re probably dug in somewhere – we have about 20″ of snow – and still counting.
das
LOL! They just interviewed a guy trudging through the snow with a shopping bag – they asked him what brought him out in this terrible weather, and he said, ‘toilet paper!’
See??! I TOLD ya! #1 thing you do NOT wanna run out of in a snowstorm!
😀
das
What is the U.S. return date in April for SGU?
Do you make a point to DVR or get a copy of Stargate alumni in their work after Stargate?
Will we be seeing any episodes that have Lieutenant James playing a more intrical part in them?
Das: I’m glad your family are all ok.
Last picture of the day – that bistro table has 20″ of non-drifting snow on it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/snowday6.jpg
Temps aren’t supposed to rise above freezing all week, AND there is another storm coming on Tues-Wed that could dump anywhere between 3 inches to 2 feet of snow! AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!
I’m getting stir crazy already. 😛
das
“Answer: Actually, there is NO snow in the city and very little on the mountains. I hear they’ll be supplementing real snow with a mixture of coconut flakes, shaved ice, and mayonnaise.”
I think that would be worth a drive to Vancouver just to play in the artificial mixture.
@Das: Holy crap! Please take good care of all of you, including your feral kitties! Keep us posted. xoxo
@ Deni – Is ‘holy crap’ a Florida thing? I sent those pics to my sister and her only reply was, ‘HOLY CRAP!’ 😆 She’s both glad she’s home, and feeling guilty that she’s not here to help our folks (she left for home ahead of the storm – left 6pm on Wed., stayed overnight in VA, and arrived home at 4:00 pm Thurs. – she drives like the wind!).
Heya, Joey – do you look at my pictures and wish you were back in Montreal??! 🙂
Also, the boys looking so unhappy in those pictures reminds me – Did Carl ever forgive me for the skeevy thing?
das
So MSN had an article of the top 10 places to eat in Vancouver. How many of these have you visited and what were you opinions on them?
http://cityguides.msn.com/articles/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=22846628
Joe,
I am curious what DVD sales go into the decision on whether or not to move forward with the SG1 and Atlantis movies. Because frankly if your basing it off what happens with SGU sales thats ridiculous. As you have pointed out these shows are NOT THE SAME or even that similar. It would be like the Fox network saying something like seasons of the show The Simpsons are not selling so clearly putting 24 on DVD and expecting to make a profit is just stupid. Which if Fox did think that way they would more likely than not lose out on a lot of potential profit. However I do recall Joe Flannigan once upon a time saying in an interview that the decision to not make the SGA movie (at that moment) was being based on sales of Caprica (Why on God’s green earth would that be the case).
Now my beef here is that looking at Amazon.com figures (Yes, I am quite aware that these numbers do not reflect the entire market) SGU 1.0 really is not selling well its currently at 91 in the bestsellers for science fiction movies and television (STARGATE ATLANTIS season 5 is at number 73 on the same list). Now I generally look at this list in particular when new Stargate material is released and in the case SG1 and SGA both shows seemed to get number 1 on the bestsellers of all the television and movie DVDs for at least a few days and start to swim down the list from there. Mind you in the past its not a gradual climb up first. When things are released and are popular they tend to start high and work their way down usually it does not go the other way around.
Although Amazon.com is not the entire North American market it probably is a pretty good reflection of said market (based on the fact that Amazon.com is one of if not the largest internet retailer). And yes you could say well bringing up old seasons of SG1 and SGA are not fair because its not the current market. You could say that had SGA season 5 not been selling better (at least as it pertains to Amazon.com) than SGU currently. Now if I am completely off base please tell me. However before you say I cannot make such a comparison and it is completely ignorant on my part to do so. If you could disclose (just for shits and giggles) which is currently selling better SGU 1.0 or SGA season 5 that would be splendid.
And if my assumption on how Amazon figures reflect the market is right. Tell me would that not be in support of making the SGA and SG1 movies and perhaps cutting back on your NEW stargate flavor which is Universe.
@ Squall78
Hey there Squall! I know you from the SyFy forums as Pygmalion2008.
I really appreciate the fact that Joe has responded so candidly and completely at my rather testy comments about SGU. But as you already know, that is part of my style. I can dish it AND take it, and Joe served it up hot right back at me. I can totally respect a man like that.
About his comment with regard to fans “wanting something new” because of the ratings of Atlantis, he is right. But when we wanted something new, that didnt mean a drama/soap opera. I was completely ready for a new Stargate direction. But not a completely different genre and style. I was thinking more of a Stargate “nip and tuck” tweak, and not a total sex-change/gender reassignment.
You DO indeed get the numbers, and you were the one who told me that all the episodes were “in the can” over at SyFy. That really irks me. Why would thewy film the entire first season without pre-screening with at least a few fans or focus groups? No matter, we have what we have for now and the ratings will tell the story. I will be there in April, but no promises after that.
@ (others who have made useless comments regarding my comments and concerns)
Im not here to correspond to you or gain your approval or acceptance. I dont need it or want it. Please mind your own business. I am doing the same. I am only here to comment to Mr Mallozi and others who want to talk about SGU. I have no interest in any of your appraisals of my intentions or messages, and I am not soliciting or accepting any advice from any of you. Thanks.
@ Joe
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comments. I will take your responses into consideration when writing future reviews onj my websites regarding Stargate Universe and the promised “delight” we are supposed to see in the back half of season 1.
I would like to know why MGM is auctioning off Atlantis/SG-1 sets if there are Stargate movies on the horizon. Somehow, I doubt that they will be re-building those sets if the movies are approved. You have said that there has been no word about the movies, but doesnt the fact that sets are being auctioned off mean that the movies are not at all on the slate? SG-1 doesnt really need much in terms of sets, since SG Command has already been dismantled. And most of the stars of Atlantis already have new gigs…anything on any of this?
Having seen the ratings fall for Caprica the last few weeks and the trend for SGU, if the reality proves to be Syfy can not support soap operas will you adjust SGU back to a genre friendly story lines and speed up the rather dead slow pace to tell some genre style stories?
I am very disappointed that Caprica has started out so very slowly and may die before it can establish an identity or a following. I know SGU wanted to rid its self of the vast majority of its ageing and out of day fans, but don’t you think without some of the long time fans you may be weakening you survival rate. Everything I read from the NEWBYS’s indicates very little real support for the franchise. Defying Gravity and other attempts to be a space opera slowly developing itself have only failed, so how can you expect to be different. Like I said Caprica if any show should be expected to do well using BSG’s style of story telling and it just is not drawing a crowd. Granted Syfy has once again ran away from their former core audience with Caprica as well as SGU so the shows are beginning to lack any real identity to draw an audience. My belief is you disadvantage your selves running from your roots and I believe the few newbys for SGU have proved it with their attacks on the franchise in general. I just wish a niche channel would come along understanding their limitations and just program their channel and go after the genre but every channel betrays their base after some success occurs and they get greedy for more audience share and destroy what they already have. NBC universal has Chiller, and Sleuth niche cable channels but as soon are they get some following they will go general audience and get greedy and destroy years of good will. TV Land is doing the very same thing as has several others. Greed destroys, being the best over time builds a following and can bring reasonable success. USA has created the goofy character based shows and there are millions of us that automatically schedule our cable boxes to turn to their new shows because of trust and they may be the most successful cable channel. For over fifteen years the StarGate franchise built A LOYAL BASE but now I see it being destroyed before my eyes as well as a genuine hatred for the Syfy network for no legitimate reason except those in charge not understanding their audience and how emotional fans are about their GENRE shows. I can tell this, most of the broadcast network shows I watch if they were to be canceled I would just move to the next promoted show in that time slot but my Scifi shows are dear to me and losing them makes me fill like a widower or a angry divorced person. The Stargate franchise may have been the most important series and franchise of any in my life, so SGU is about a divorce for me. When SG1 ended it was like death in my family, SGA was a little easier but SGU is absolute betrayal. You are a victim of your own success, but you did it top your self.