June 30, 2007

Those of your who bothered to read yesterday’s blog entry know all about the heart-rending email I received from the poor unfortunate who reached out to me from his death-bed in Argentina to request my help in founding an orphanage in his name. I was touched. Touched by the prospect of granting a dying man’s request. Touched by the prospect of helping the children. And, of course, VERY touched by the prospect of receiving 25% of the $38.5 million dollars this sad, heirless soul would be leaving behind [Please see last issue. Editor.]. Well, I sent poor (in the figurative sense only) Ali a response, informing him that I would love to help out in any way I could. And, miracles of miracles, I received another email from him this morning:

“Dear Hazzencockle,

I have received your mail, i really appreciate your concern to my ill-health and your willingness to help to set up the orphanage foundation and for the needy, may the ALMIGHTY ALLAH bless you.

Meanwhile i need your truthfulness towards this work of humanity since im now in my sick bed and cannot undertake this foundation myself .I will need from you to forward me your personal informaton of passpot and bank ,your home address and your tellphone number. As soon as i recieves this i will forward your information to the bank to transfer the money to you as my next of kin.

I am waiting to hear from you as soon as possible .

Thanks,

Yours trully,
Engr. Ali”

Yes. Yes! By all means, let’s get started on helping those troubled tykes. I drafted the following response and sent it on its way:

“Dear Ali,

Good to see you are strong enough to write back! Given how sick you sounded, I was afraid that dearth would claim you before we had the chance to break ground on that orphanage. Speaking of which, I wanted to quickly run some possible orphanage names by you:

Hazzencockle's Home for Wayward Youth

Aloysius P. Hazzencockle's Gift to the Children

Aloysius et. Al's Kid Crib

I'm working on a few more, but let me know if you have any ideas of your own or would be okay with one of the aforementioned suggestions.

Regarding the banking request - I invested $10 000 with the heir of a crown prince of Nigeria a few months ago and am concerned that I may have been scammed, so I have to be very cautious in my internet dealings. That said, your request comes at a good time as I was recently informed that I am the winner of $10 million in the U.K. Lottery, money I could use to help co-fund the orphanage!

I will be going to Europe to deliver the cash necessary to free up the funds (and pick up my winnings!) and since I'll be in the area, would it be possible to meet up? I could deliver the documents then.

I don't travel much so I'm not familiar with foreign lands (I assume they speak English in England? I'm not sure.) but I was wondering how close you are to the area? How long would it take you to drive from Argentina to Hounslow? If it's out of your way, maybe I can hop on a train and meet you for the afternoon instead. I have heard many lovely things about Argentina and would love to get my picture taken with a koala bear. If this can be arranged, it would be dandy.

Sincerely,

Aloysius P. Hazzencockle”

Kids and koalas aside, I was able to make a return trip to Monde Chocolat yesterday for another little chocolate run. Now I’m not a fan of white chocolate (which, technically, isn’t chocolate at all), but Fondy is and she picked up some of the house white chocolate bark with almonds the last time she was in. She ended up finishing the entire square in one sitting - and with my help no less. Under intense questioning, owner Karlo Flores revealed that the white chocolate used is very special in that, unlike most white chocolates, it is conched (the final step in the chocolate-making process in which the chocolate is massaged and kneaded for days to achieve a smoother texture and creamier product, mellowing out any acidic tones.), which is why it possesses such an invitingly creamy, buttery finish. I picked up two more squares in addition to a coconut and cashew variation. I also picked up 7 new selections from the Zotter line. Check ’em out: lemon polenta, paradise apples + liquid olives, beetroot with galingale, saffron rice, apple balsamic vinegar, organic beer, and date-shiitake. Of the ones I’ve tasted, I’d have to say my favorite is none. Call me old-fashioned, but I think I’ll stick with the bacon bits bar.

Q&A -

WayBeyondSoccerMom writes: “Hey, care to comment on the movie currently in post production that Martin Gero is producing, writing, and directing called "Young People F**king"?”

Answer: The movie was written by Martin Gero and long-time friend Aaron Abrams (for pics of AA, check out my second annual chocolate party blog entry), starring Aaron, and directed by Marty G. Yes, it’s a departure from the scifi genre - more F**king than wraith-blasting - but you won‘t have to be a fan of Martin to enjoy the movie. A funny and telling commentary on contemporary relationships. And then they all get culled at the end.

PG15 writes: “Would you or the rest of the writers create a gay or bi character on Atlantis?”

Answer: How do you know we haven’t already?

Mackenziesmomma writes: “I am going to be up in vancouver near the end of the month visiting my canadian heritage, where would you suggest i get some good sushi up there?”

Answer: It’s hard to go wrong in Vancouver. However, my favorites are Tojos and Yujis.

ChevronSeven writes: “Hey, Joe, I tore a ligament in my foot. Do I get a dedication?”

Answer: Yes. I dedicate this blog entry to ChevronSeven. But you’ll have to share it with Anonymous #7 who got an ouchy sliding into second base yesterday afternoon.

Jessica writes: “Will the "Common Ground" Wraith ever get a name, say Steve Jr. or something?”

Answer: How about Todd?

Patricia writes: “What are your plans for Canada Day? Are you doing anything patriotic?”

Answer: I’m doing my part to help the Canadian economy by working on my script.

Vecturist writes: “I know comic con is still a few weeks away, but do you have a list of restaurants you plan to try, or would you like some recommendations?”

Answer: I’d love some recommendations.

Anonymous #1 writes: “Has there ever been any consideration for an episode dedicated entirely to the B-Team of either Atlantis or SG-1?”

Answer: We did it in SG-1. It was an episode titled The Other Guys. And then there was Proving Ground. We have no plans to do a similar story on Atlantis.

Anonymous #2 writes: “With all the suggestions for scifi books, I'm a little sad that nobody seems to read Ray Bradbury anymore.”

Answer: I re-read The Martian Chronicles just last year.

NZ Jackie writes: “Is there one episode of SG1 that you would re-do...?”

Answer: I can only pick one?

Linzi writes: “I just heard SciFi have announed September 28th for the premiere of season 4. Will SciFi be world premiering (is that a word?) Adrift?”

Answer: Yes. Sci Fi will be airing the First-Time Anywhere World Premiere of Atlantis’s fourth season. First episode up: Adrift.

Lanzo writes: “They laid me off of my job yesterday. I don't know why, but I just felt the need to tell you that.”

Answer: Sorry to hear that, Lanzo. Hopefully a new opportunity will be coming your way soon.

Farscapefan writes: “Could you please tell me how big, or perhaps rather how small Claudia Black's part is in Continuum movie, so I can decide whether to buy this DVD or not…”

Answer: Just big enough to make you want to buy the DVD.

Firefly827347 writes: “I was watching kids TV with my 4 year old nephew (my mother forced me, honest) and flicked over to see that Mona the Vampire was on (it was about a pixie, sorry I can't be more specific...) and in the end credits the name Joseph Mallozzi popped up. :D How many eps did you do?”

Answer: Mona the Vampire was one of the shows I developed for television. I story-edited the first couple of seasons and wrote about a third of the episodes. Then the anti-vampire threads started appearing on the various Mona forums and it just got to be too much for me so I moved on to the calmer waters of Flying Rhino Junior High.

June 29, 2007

Every so often, sobering reality intrudes on the shallow mirth that typifies this blog. Today, I received a heartbreaking (unsolicited) email that I just happened to rescue from my junk folder through sheer luck, the grace of God, and a passing interest in a preceding message promising “Turbo Charged Grass Seed!”. At first, I assumed the email was spam, but I quickly realized how wrong I was when I read its contents.

It was a touching letter from a fellow named Al who, once a major investor in the field of oil and gas, suffered a debilitating stroke as a result of the shock he sustained “from the kidnap encounted from Nigeria militant group that rendered half my body paralysed”. (Lest I receive any posts criticizing my atrocious spelling, I’d like to make it clear that I’m quoting the email verbatim, heartrending spelling mistakes and all. As a result of his stroke, Ali is no doubt struggling to make due with half a brain. Give the guy a break.).

As if this wasn’t enough, Ali just received some terrible news. According to his doctor, he only has three months to live. And, even worse: “the said of it is that I have no close relative around”. Said indeed. Well, following something about spirituality and faith, he gets to the point (a.k.a. the part that involves me cashing in somehow): “I would want you to set up an orphanages foundation in my name and also donate the rest for my wealth to the missionary or charitable organizations as well as the needy, since my money would not have any benefitiary when I’m dead.” Bless his heart - provided it isn’t on the side of his body that has been left paralyzed in which case curse the sluggish organ that has no doubt hastened his premature demise. He goes on: “My account balance presently totaling $38.5M“ ! “I have set aside 25% of thise money for who ever will be willing to assist in this project as his/he reward.” Of course, helping the orphans is reward enough for me. Still, I suppose I could find some use for that other 25%.

More blah blah about faith and spirituality after which: “I am confined to an automatic wheel chair in the teaching hospital untill dearth comes calling” And sadly, I can only assume death will be not far behind. To finish: “I shall instruct the bank from my hospital bed to transfer every information you reqres including all legal documents for onward transfer to your account so that you can commence on this work of humanity.” Yes! As even the most casual reader of this blog can attest, there is no better candidate to perform work on humanity’s behalf than me.

I sent back the following message: “Dear Ali, I am sorry to hear about your hardships - the Nigerian militants, the stroke, the diagnosis, and the fact that you must spend what little time remains in a teaching hospital. I bet death can’t come soon enough. All the same, color me pink and delighted. As I have orphans of my own, I would be thrilled to help you spread the gift only money and 38.5 million dollars can buy. Count me in. Let me know what I can do. Sincerely - Aloysius P. Hazzencockle. P.S. How much is 25% of 38.5 million?

Naturally, I will keep everyone posted on my efforts on behalf of humanity. Who knows? If this works out and I put this money to good use, I may well follow in the footsteps of the great philanderers who have preceded me.

You know, I’ve often said that altruism is its own reward. Okay. Granted, it doesn’t sound like something I would say, but it’s true. I don’t write this blog for the positive feedback (Incidentally, today’s comments are disquietingly weighted toward the actors. Just saying.), or the chocolates (I prefer dark over milk.), but for the love of the art. And so, it really warm my heart to receive testimonials like the one I received yesterday from one Robert C. Cooper (photo included):

“While he will often jump up on my lap for a scratch while I'm sitting on the couch or my recliner he NEVER jumps up on me while at the computer. So imagine my surprise as I sat there checking out your blog when Oscar lept up and stuck his face in front of the screen. He wouldn't leave either. He just sat there staring as I scrolled down. Seems you have another fan.”

I sent back an email informing him that I was going to use his touching testimonial in today’s blog. His response:

“Not at all. Now that I think about it, I believe he may have wanted more info on Fondy's new business venture.”

Bless his furry little heart. And Oscar too.

Hey, has everyone picked up The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged, the first two books in the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie yet? What’s taking you?

Finally, since yesterday’s blog was dedicated to long-time fan Carolina and her twisted ankle, I’d like to dedicate this blog to Carolina’s fractured wrist. Now, is there anything I’ve missed, Carolina? Jammed finger? Elbow scrape? Did you bite your tongue?

Well, given that my recent act of kindness has filled me with a profound sense of inner peace, I think this would be the perfect time to field your comments and queries -

PG15 writes: “ 1). What are you going to do after you finish the first draft of "The Kindred Part 1"? Will it be finally time for an actual vacation then? 2). Is it just me, or does the anonymous posters seem more...rude?

Answers: I hope to finish the first draft next week after which I intend to do some reading, watching some DVD’s and, depending on the timeline, break ground on that orphanage. 2) No. It’s about par for the course, bless their bitter, vindictive little hearts.

Breeze writes: “Just got one question what type of laptop or computer do you use?”

Answer: I use a Sony VAIO for writing and editing my music demo (“Touched By the Feeling of Love‘s Loving Fingers” will be my first single).

Mackenziesmomma writes: “What is a good kind of sushi for a beginner?”

Answer: Try the spider roll. Seriously.

Meshel73 writes: “A friend and I are going to be on vacation in Vancouver from July 27th for two weeks. What restaurants do you recommend that we visit while we are there?”

Answer: Vij’s, Yuji’s, Tojos, Fuel, Bistrot Bistro, Le Crocodile, Sha Lin Noodle House, Feenies, Don Francesco, West - to name a few.

Redhooks writes: “Have you cast some guest stars just based on their "highlight reel" of past work or does it always require an audition?”

Answer: Depends on who we’re casting.

Anonymous #1 writes: “I heard there was a very big positive response to Joe and Torri's little display at last year's comic con. I noticed you didn't look too thrilled, though. A sign of things that annoyed you, perhaps?”

Answer: My God, you’ve found me out! I was positively enraged at the mere prospect of fans deriving any sort of enjoyment from Joe and/or Torri’s “little display” (whatever it was. Perhaps you’d care to enlighten me. Oh, wait. You only heard about it. BUT you were able to take note of my none “too thrilled” reaction. Well, get it all sorted out and I look forward to hearing from you. If I can manage to overcome the rage I feel at the mere mention of the incident in question.

Anonymous #2 writes: “ 1) can I mail you some of my world-famous, 70% Cocoa Lindt Dark Chcolate brownies with walnuts? 2) Will it ever be explained why the Wraith cannot feed on Ronon? 3) Ever considered a story where the Wraith gene is triggered in Teyla and she becomes a Wraith Queen for a day?”

Answers: 1) Why not. 2) It’s not that the wraith wasn’t able to feed. It was surprised by his defiance and, thus, figured he would make a great runner. 3) Something like that.

Pauline writes: “Would you consider using the same documentary style story episode as an insight into the day to day working of Atlantis?”

Answer: Possibly.

Crazymom writes: “GeekBoy's favorite scene of just about any SG-1 episode is Cam's reaction to Teal'c shooting at the stone wall: "Whoa! Bullets bounce!"

Answer: A terrific Ben adlib.

Tattle Tail writes: “As a person of good conscience, were you aware of a rebellious group who plan to hackle the panel at the comic con?”

Answer: Oooh, can’t wait. We’ll have truncheon-wielding security teams interspersed throughout the crowds, prepared to deliver a skull-crunching “whack of silence” should the need arise.

FarscapeFan writes: “The same question as yesterday: what is the chance that Claudia Black will join Ben, Chris, Michael and Amanda at Comic Con SG-1's panel?”

Answer: Claudia will not be taking part in the panel. Sorry.

June 28, 2007

I was treated to a double-feature today. Not one but two spanking new SG-1 movies. We started with Stargate SG-1: Continuum, written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood, which is a throwback to Stargate of yore: Jack O’Neill, the Tok’ra, plenty o’ System Lords, and an absolutely mind-bending plot to stick it to Earth. This one is a lot of fun and moves very, VERY quickly. After a quick lunch at Swiss Chalet where I ate some sort of club wrap that I believe was comprised of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and balsa wood (Mmmm. Everything tastes better with bacon.), we headed over to the editing suite for the second showing of the day: Stargate SG-1: The Ark of Truth, written AND directed by Robert C. Cooper which does a terrific job of wrapping up the many arcs we’ve developed over the course of the show’s last two seasons: Ancients, Ori, Doci, Priors, Tomin, ship battles - and a couple of villainous surprises.

As most of you know, Fondy and her business partner are in the process of setting up their very own dog spa. They hope to be up and running at the beginning of August. That should give them a good four months in operation before we at Stargate learn the fate of the show. If there is a fifth season (and I’m very hopeful given the episodes that kick off season four) then it’s full steam ahead. But, in the unlikely event that there is no fifth season, it’s nice to know that there will be somewhere I can finally put my reiki skills to good use. So, come November, if your pooch’s energy fields are looking a little out of whack, you know where to come fine me.

Oh, and I dedicate this blog entry to long-time fan Carolina who apparently twisted her ankle the other day. Come on, girl! Walk it off!

Pics: To all those who felt I looked too sad in yesterday's entry here's me looking ever-so-hopeful, the cryptic whiteboard title of a potential episode?, my friend Steve enjoys his schnitzel as much as the nice guy provided the next guy is me seated across from him taking his picture, Fondy's fixer-upper.

Mailbag -

Susan the Tartan Turtle writes: “Which Pug is shown in your blog? He/she looks cute. Is this a naughty pug or a good pug?”

Answer: That’s Jelly. And I have yet to meet a non-naughty pug.

Mackenziesmomma writes: “ So does that mean that you are definantly not bringing him home then? Does he have a name and description?”

Answer: That’s right. He won’t be black and his name won’t be Kobe (pronounced Ko-bay like the extremely well-marbled meat).

Rebecca writes: “Is there a remote possibility that Ronon will develop a crush on Dr. Keller in Season4?”

Answer: Yup. It’s possible Ronon develops a crush on Keller, possible he develops a crush on Shep’s skateboard, even possible he gives it all up to take a job as a fry cook somewhere in Delaware. At this point, anything is possible (except for the Delaware part. As things stand, he’s more likely to settle down in Iowa).

Shawna writes: “Do you ever have Stargate-related dreams?”

Answer: Yeah, I’ll often have magical dreams in which I’m working away on a script. Inevitably, I wake up and, sadly, return to grim reality. And that script I’m working away on.

Anonymous #1 writes: “ You're brave showing your face at comic con after offing two popular characters. If you really want to get a crowd you should include Paul and Torri in the lineup instead.”

Answer: Thanks, but I think the turn-out will be just fine all the same. See you there!

SueS writes: “ When you're walking down the aisles of the bookstore, how do you decide which books to purchase? Other than recommendations of friends, that is. Is it the cover art?”

Answer: Yup, it’s the cover art. I’ll read the jacket and if it doesn’t contain any of the following the phrases “uplifting tale”, “spans several generations of women”, or “will make you stand up and cheer Hurray for Life!”, chances are I’ll give it a shot.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Can a person be a foodie if he or she doesn't like a particular food?’

Answer: Yup. I for one don’t enjoy durian or kiwis.

Anonymous #3 writes: “ Do you think Atlantis can do that well on its own?”

Answer: I do.

Anonymous #4 writes: “Since you said the panels are scheduled for Friday, is there any chance that you or any of the actors will be at the Con on Saturday and/or Sunday? For example at the MGM booth?”

Answer: I don’t really know what the actors have planned, but I was aiming to spend the greater part of that afternoon wandering the convention center in search of Lou Ferrigno.

Anonymous #5 writes: “Is the panel at Comic Con with Rob, Michael, Chris, Amanda and Ben strictly for the movie Arc Of Truth or is it also for the ending of SG1?”

Answer: Sure. Rob Cooper will no doubt be happy to field any and all Stargate-related questions.

Ben writes: “Do you think you'll have time to get the final book of the harry potter series in when it releases?”

Answer: I will. I’ll probably be reading it at Comic Con.

Anonymous #6 writes: “ Because you know it's interesting that you bring Larrin in just when Teyla will be stuck off raising a kid or whatever.”

Answer: What’s even more interesting is your simple-minded assumptions that Teyla will be off “raising a kid or whatever”. Equally interesting is your desperate reach at connecting two obviously unconnected characters and storylines. Still, points for trying - or, as they say at your school: “That’s a silver star sticker for you!”

June 27, 2007

You know what I love even more than going to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner? Going to that same restaurant for lunch. As was the case today when I went to Fuel for lunch with Fondy, her business partner Shawne, and our friend Josie. Now the nice thing about going out with the girls is that I have the opportunity to try dishes I normally wouldn’t order. Dishes like the housemade ricotta and arugula salad, and the smoked chicken and romaine salad. In short - the salads. Now far be it for me to knock salads (even though I’m almost certain the sprouts that adorned my sunchoke soup were the culprit in my bout of food poisoning last month, and am ever-mindful of the Caesar salad that did in a fellow producer so badly that he was vomiting up blood - I mean, when was the last time an ailing diner pointed the finger at the braised veal cheeks? But I digress). I went in with an open mind and was rewarded. Both salads were very good. Not as good as my smoky chorizo sausage sandwich on a fresh Portugese bun with red pepper a side of sweet and salty red onion rings, but still very good. I suppose I could have had the salad as a side but my utterly delicious order of morel mushroom risotto topped with sea asparagus was already pulling side plate duty.

Like I said - the nice thing about going out with the girls is that I have the opportunity to try dishes I normally wouldn’t order. Except in the case of dessert because, to my frustration, it’s something they usually skip. And at lunch in particular. That warm caramel brownie with vanilla ice cream, cocoa, and cardamom soup had my name on it. But, alas, so did the script impatiently awaiting my return at home, so I skipped the sweets and headed back home where -

I finished Act the Third. I’m going to need to go over them and fine tune the dialogue but, hey, I’m not complaining. Top of page 37, start of Act Four, and I’m taking the rest of the day of to read.

Finished two books over the course of the past four days(ish). The first was Joe Abercrombie’s Before They Are Hanged, the second book in his First Law series. Now, as most of you know, I’m not a big fan of high fantasy. Earnest quests involving dwarves and elves and plucky princesses don’t do it for me. However, I was quite impressed with first-time author Scott Lynch’s book The Lies of Locke Lamorra - a nice mix of roguish adventure, rich world-building, and dark humor. Abercrombie’s work (The Blade Itself, and Before They Are Hanged) is very different in terms of the type of story told, offering up a wonderful cast of flawed adventurers, some truly heinous villains, and a titanic quest - fantasy tropes to be sure but, like Lynch, Abercrombie does a masterful job of setting these tropes on their respective ears. The flawed adventurers are maybe a little too flawed and keep getting, er, flawier. The villains are almost impossible to get a handle on. And as for that quest - well, I’ll leave it to the reader to check out the surprise Abercrombie has in store for them at book’s end. And, as an added bonus, dark doings and equally dark humor abound. I liked the first book in the series a lot but really loved this, the second. Now I have to wait until March of next year for the third installment.

In the meantime, I have more than enough books to keep me busy like, for instance, Iain M. Banks’ (not to be confused with Iain Banks who, incidentally, is the same author but writing in a different genre) Consider Phlebas. An incredibly inventive, thoroughly entertaining, off-the-wall space opera that, clocking in at some 470 pages, took me all of two days to get through. What can I say? The Eaters and their disgustingly rotund leader. The big-stakes game of Damage in which players bet lives (but not their own). The Clear Air Turbulence and its crew of misfit mercenaries led by a captain who never sleeps thanks to the fact that his brain has been partitioned in three parts so that while one third of his brain sleeps, two-thirds are always awake. All this amidst a interstellar war pitting the machine-minded Culture against the warrior Idirans with humans little more than bit players in grand affair. The Player of Games, his second book in this, his Culture Series, is on my list of Books to Read on Hiatus. If it’s as good as the first, I plan on picking up the entire series.

Next up, for a nice change of pace, I’ll be reading The SFWA European Hall of Fame: Sixteen Contemporary Masterpieces of Science Fiction from the Continent, a collection of “never before published in English” SF short stories.

On the viewing front: Finished the first season of Dexter the other day. Yerm. Flight of the Conchords, the new HBO comedy series focusing on a hard-luck two-man band struggling to make it in New York - punctuated by hilarious musical numbers! It’s dry, deadpan humor reminds me a lot of the original Office. It’s a welcome addition to an otherwise dreadful t.v. summer schedule.

Pics: chorizo sandwich, morel mushroom risotto, me mesmerized by some scintillating dinner conversation, Jelly enjoys the Summer sun and the dogwalker's hat.

Q&A -

Propagandor writes: “ Joe is there any question your supprised hasn't been asked yet? Something you were sure would come up. If so what would your answer be?”

Answer: As a matter of fact there is one big question that hasn’t been asked that I was sure would come out. And my answer to it would be: “You’ve got a lot of nerve asking me that but I admire your courage and will respond to your brave query. The answer is a surprising NO but “the red one” has always been considered a very strong possibility. Thanks for asking and that’s the last I’ll ever comment on this subject.

Imitation tofu writes: “Joe, are you planning on photographing any of your ice cream creations this summer? “

Answer: Yup, when the time comes.

Imitation tofu also writes: “What do you think that Jewel Strait and her character will bring to the CMO position that Paul McGillion and Carson Beckett could not?”

Answer: The question seems to suggest that we offed Beckett in order to replace him with Keller which wasn’t the case.

Mackenziesmomma writes: “ Can we get an update on the pug you are 'definantly not getting'?”

Answer: The pug we won’t be getting won’t be able to leave his mom until August which is when we won’t be getting him.

PG15 writes: “ I do live very close to Bridge Studios (around Metrotown), perhaps I should come down personally tomorrow to receive my prize?”

Answer: Sadly, the sets are dark for the next three weeks. However, do include your email in your next post. I promise not to approve it and share it with the all of the readers of this blog (but will sell it to that UK Lottery Corporation that has informed me I’ve won 10 million dollars in a recent draw I didn’t even enter. Here’s hoping you should be so lucky).

Sarah writes: “I believe you mentioned a while back that you had picked up season one of Veronica Mars. Have you watched it yet?”

Answer: Not yet.

Little Raven-Hawk writes: “Who is going to there for the panel at Comic Con that you know of?”

Answer: So far, I believe Michael, Chris, Amanda and Ben for the SG-1 panel with Rob Cooper being a strong possibility. As for the Atlantis panel, I believe Amanda, David, probably Joe and myself. Nothing has been finalized. That I know of.

Anonymous #1 writes: “By the way, are you going to AE07?”

Answer: I don’t even know what that is.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Why are the beds in Atlantis single beds?”

Answer: The Ancients were a very uptight race.

Vaberella writes: “I was watching Top Chef and was introduced to black chicken. Have you ever had it?”

Answer: Yup. I’ve always known it as Silkie chicken and have had it on more than one occasion. It’s very good.

Shawna writes: “In all honesty, how much does an actor's image play into the casting decision?”

Answer: It really depends what we’re casting for. For instance, if we’re looking for a beautiful Ancient to tempt Sheppard, we’re going to need someone who looks the part. That said, talent is still our first priority when it comes to casting.

Anonymous #3 writes: “Is there friendship growth between Teyla and Rodney this season?”

Answer: Yup. There’s a particularly sweet scene in Be All My Sins.

Platschu writes: “Can we hope that Brad Wright or Robert C. Cooper will make major announcement about the third SG series at the Comic Con in July?”

Answer: Don’t hold your breath.

June 26, 2007

Wow. My childhood reminiscences so resonated with fans that my blog has been inundated with posts from individuals undoubtedly touched by the fond memories I shared in yesterday’s blog entry. That and the fact that I would be announcing the winner of the first ever 2500 000th Blog Visit Celebratory Flocking Give-Away today. And so, without further ado, allow me to congratulate…

…drum roll, please…

PG-15 for being the first person to post a comment following the 250 000th visit at exactly 5:24 p.m. late yesterday afternoon. As the winner of this contest, PG-15 will receive the super-special one-of-a-kind chunk of discarded flocking from the set of Stargate: Continuum IN ADDITION TO a gorgeous machine-crafted cardboard carrying case AND a secret hidden cryptic Atlantis season four spoiler that PG-15 can feel free to share, torch (but nowhere near the flocking please as it is highly flammable), or keep to her/his/its little self. Again, congratulations to PG-15 and Bon Appetit! (Please do not consume the flocking as it is probably highly toxic as well. Enjoy!)

Well, after my one day off, I was back in the production offices today for the big Digital Media tour. Representatives from various media outlets (UGO, IGN, TeeVee, Shakefire, TV.com, TV Gasm, TV Squad, SyFy Portal, GateWorld, TVAholic, CHUD, Video Detective, ACED Magazine, Twitch film, DVD Verdict, Sci fi Meshes, Monsters and Critics, Media Blvd., Eclipse Magazine, The Movie Reporter, Yahoo, AOL, Below the Line, The TV Addict, and Zap2It - a few of the scheduled guests) were invited to the set to take part in a special Atlantis Q&A panel and crappy lunch. Four of us made up the panel: David, Rachel, Paul and myself. Brad was at the studio cutting Continuum (He invited us to a special producer’s cut screening for this Thursday morning. I‘ll be bringing the popcorn I won‘t eat as I don‘t like popcorn.) and although I invited him to join us (he has, after all, contributed his fair share to the Stargate franchise over the years), Brad respectfully declined, preferring a more spectatorial role in the proceedings.

I got to the office a little after 9:00 a.m.the lovely Rachel Luttrell already there, the equally lovely Leah Ehman (our Atlantis make-up department head) on hand to give Rachel the approving nod and then turn her proficient skills to salvaging what she could of the boys. David, who arrived soon after, was greeted by our publicist with an: “Are you going to change?” “Should I?”asked David. Nah. I thought he looked roguish. Paul rode in on his bike soon after. “What do you need?”asked Leah as I hopped onto the chair. “Make me look like her,”I requested, pointing at Rachel. Well, Leah is an accomplished make-up artist, but she can’t work miracles. Still, a little sponging here, a little brushing there, the application of some of that copper cream and I was camera-ready.

As we headed downstairs, the media began to file in. They were followed by the gang from Sci Fi: Bonnie Hammer, Mark Stern, David Howe, Lana Kim and many, many more. We made our way to Stage 6, the main Atlantis standing set, where the gate room had been magically transformed: media on one side, our foursome panel directly in front of the lit-up gate and flanked by event moderator Mark Stern.

The panel went very well, both Rachel and David offering up some very funny anecdotes - that I won’t go into here, instead allowing you to read all about them when the stories are filed. While Mars, David’s dog, ambled up and around (“Please, God, don’t let this dog sniff my crotch while the cameras are rolling?”), we fielded a bevy of Stargate-related questions.

Afterwards, we enjoyed (?) a catered lunch where I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with April MacIntyre of Monsters & Critics (whose 70 year-old father is a dedicated reader of this blog. Hiya!) and Michael Stailey of DVD Verdict. Over the course of our meal, we talked about everything from the rigors of producing a television show to that Sopranos season finale. And then, it was time for them to get back on the bus. They were heading to the set of BSG and I was heading home to write up today’s blog installment, maybe work on my script (but doubtful at this point), and read a little more of Consider Phlebas (more on my reading and t.v. watching tomorrow).

I also hear that we’ve more or less finalized the SG-1 and Atlantis panels for this year’s Comic Con. The panels will take place Friday afternoon and the traditional Sci Fi party will be held on Saturday night. The party, I’ve been told will be a co-hosted by one of our most ambivalent critics, none other than Entertainment Weekly, who are no doubt delighted by the opportunity to fest BSG even at the prospect of suffering our incidental but annoyingly necessary presence. We’ll try not to crowd the bar, guys.

Oh yeah - the ratings. They were great! Here’s hoping that the all-new episodes of Atlantis (premiering only on Sci Fi this September) perform just as well.

Today's pics: that sassy Rachel, the new Catwoman? Meeeow!, the lovely Leah, veteran producer-panelist Brad Wright offers us sage advice: "Try to make sense when you talk.", David enjoying a pre-panel coffee, the gang from Sci Fi arrive, David all smiles, Producer John G. Lenic there to keep us out of trouble, Mars - the fifth panelist, the media.

Hmmm. 177 comments and counting. Let’s see what I can do about fielding a few of these questions…

Propagandor writes: “Are those Becketts turtles in McKay's room?”

Answer: They be them.

Emma writes: “Deep fried mars bars....like 'em, hate 'em, not fussed?”

Answer: Put me down for “love ‘em”.

Imitation Tofu writes: “Joe, do you have access to those numbers? If that's true then the reported ratings + tivo and dvr later run ratings should = higher, more stable numbers throughout the season. Is that the case or are you going on assumption?”

Answer: The article in question seems to reinforce this assumption. Of course we’re caught in a bit of a squeeze between the entrenched system of gathering ratings numbers and our fast-developing technology that should be forcing us to rethink said system. Throw into the mix the fact that while Tivo and DVR seems to influence ratings, it isn’t a simple matter of factoring in this recorded programming because most viewers fast forward through the commercials, something they can’t do while watching something live.

Anonymous #1 writes: “So the possibility of Daniel doing a guest spot on Atlantis in season 4 - is that an ABA question, a CA question or a we're not sure yet question?”

Answer: That falls under the IP (It’s Possible) category.

Ltcolshepjumper writes: “Will we EVER see bathrooms, showers, or sinks in Atlantis?”

Answer: I mentioned in an earlier post that Carl Binder was working on the big Atlantis Toilet three-parter. According to Carl, however, he’s “having trouble with part two”.

Bugguy writes: “Any veggies you could see putting in a "stand alone" ice cream?”

Answer: Eeww. None.

Knightowl writes: “In Duet, there is a picture of the cat, but its a completely different cat than the one McKay gave to his neighbour. Has he had more than one?”

Answer: Yes. Also, he was taking to dying his cat for special occasions (like, for instance, the day that particular picture was taken).

PAT writes: “Ant Music or Prince Charming ?”

Answer: Ant Music.

Koreanturtle87 writes: “Have you evern been to Insadong? It's a korean bbq place on the Coquitlam/Buranby border.”

Answer: I haven’t. Any good?

Dajaje writes: “So how come McKay gets a patio and Sheppard doesn't?”

Answer: He likes to barbecue.

Cole j writes: “I guess my Man from U.N.C.L.E. photo album got pitched out years ago”

Answer: Both Paul and I loved Napoleon Solo!

IB writes: “Which country would you like to visit, but you never get the chance?”

Answer: I hear Singapore is nice.

Joseph writes: “I know you make ice cream, but what's the strangest combination you've tried that actually works?”

Answer: Vanilla-caramel popcorn.

Anonymous #2 writes: “I found a fabulous post on the TWoP forum that sums up what a lot of Weir fans…”

Answer: With all due respect, all that post does is sum up with said fan feels based on his/her assumptions of what went on behind-the-scenes, nothing more.

Ming writes: “ Have you had the opportunity to visit the Theo Chocolate Factory and take the factory tour in Seattle?”

Answer: No, but I do love their Bread & Chocolate bar.

Andrew writes: "Will iTunes sales have any effect on whether or not we get a season 5?"

Answer: Not form a network standpoint.

Anonymous #3 writes: “And the reason for the 25 year old CMO? Work experience week perhaps?”

Answer: First of all, when we were looking to cast the new CMO, we knew we wanted to cast a woman because we wanted another strong female character on the show. Secondly, when it came time to cast the part, we chose based on talent - and based on everything we’d seen of Jewel, we knew she was extremely talented (and has even exceeded our expectations in season four). As for her age - the entire Atlantis expedition is made up of geniuses, those at the top of their respective fields, yet those with the physical capability and mindset to be able to travel to another galaxy and leave everything they knew behind. Face it. At the end of the day, any casting decision we made (male, female, young or old) would have been met with derision by certain fans. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess you for one.

June 25, 2007

When I was a kid, I was a huge Star Wars fan. So much so that I must have seen the movie about twelve times during its first month in release. I also had a Star Wars scrapbook in which I collected all of the interviews, articles, and pictures I’d happened to come across. It was a big, fat green duotang replete with reflections and images of what I, at the time, considered to be the greatest movie ever made, and it still sits somewhere in my parents’ garage, no doubt sandwiched between my old handwritten short stories and my Adam and the Ants LP’s. Yes, at one time I was a fervent Star Wars fan. Fortunately, Return of the Jedi and the Ewoks came along to divest me of my obsessive passion. Still, in those early years, I would collect anything and everything related to Star Wars because I was that big a fan.

Nowadays, although I’m no longer driven by the same single-minded enthusiasm, I still consider myself a fan of certain shows, books, even authors. And while I won’t be scouring the various color publications for interesting photos to add to my Sopranos scrapbook, I still love coming across the occasional behind-the-scenes snippets that shed light on aspects of the creative process or offer up tiny but complimentary pieces to the ever-evolving puzzle that is the show/book/author.

In short, I can empathize with the fans. I often think to myself “If I was a fan of X, what would I like to see? What would I like to know about?” Well, a lot of the time, what I’d like to see and know about are things I know I’ll never be privy to. On the other hand, I’m always delighted whenever I come across an unexpected little tidbit that helps round out my overall appreciation for something.

Which is why, when it comes to this blog, I do try to include a variety of Stargate-related items for interested and obsessed. I try to mix it up - a few photos here, a few anecdotes there - always striving to reward the fans while ensuring they don’t become overwhelmed. I ask myself “If I was a fan of the show, what would I like to see?”

Well, how about a peek at the Art Department design package for Miller’s Crossing for starters? A look at the layouts for both Sheppard and McKay’s quarters perhaps? Yes? No? For all those itching to build their own Atlantis dioramas, here’s the goods.

Or how about a semi-regular Q&A section where fans can receive vague and often purposely confusing responses to their burning Stargate-related queries…

Dustin writes: “You forgot to post what we have to do to be submitted into the contest.”

Answer: Absolutely nothing. Everyone who drops by to say hi, compliment and/or complain is automatically entered. Winner will be announced in tomorrow's blog entry.

Arctic Goddess writes: “If I ask a question and want to pursue more detail in your answer, or want to discuss, oh, say, film studies in universities, would you continue to answer that question in an over all discussion, or do you only want to answer one-off questions, like the lightning round in a game show?”

Answer: I’ll consider any and all questions, and try to answer most. As for the ones I skip, it’s usually because they’ve Already Been Answered (ABA), I Can’t Answer at the risk of releasing a major spoiler (CA), or simply Won’t Answer (WA) because although I may be a little wacky, but I‘m not outright insane. For example…

Anonymous #1 writes: “…since you've only mentioned the names of three eps for Torri, does that mean she'll only be in three?”

Answer: ABA.

Anonymous #2 writes: “…will we see bloopers and outtakes on the season 3 dvds?”

Answer: ABA.

Anonymous #3 writes: “Hey Joe, ok Torri is in Adrift, Lifeline, This Mortal Coil...and which other, cause u said she was in four episodes.”

Answer: CA.

Anonymous #4 writes: “Can we expect some extra angsty sexual tension between Shep and Teyla this season?”

Answer: WA.

Anonymous #5 a ecrit: “Qui choisiriez vous shep/weir ou shep/teyla ou shep/mckay ou sheppard tout seul?”

Reponse: WA.

PG15 writes: “Has that last episode place in Season 4 been filled yet?”

Answer: No yet.

Ayla writes: “How's hiatus treating you? Writing going well?”

Answer: Reading and writing. I’m into Act the Third of The Kindred Part I. So far, so good.

Desi writes: “…chocolate & amaretto cheesecake topped with chocolate sauce…”

Answer: I’m intrigued. I’m enjoying an Amaro con Ameretti chocolate as I write this.

Amy writes: “Is there anything we can do to let TPTB know season 5 will be a smart move for them?”

Answer: The show’s producers and studio already know a fifth season would be a smart move for us. It’s the network that will need the convincing. But I have a feeling they already know. Seriously. What’s not to love?

Jen Kirk writes: “You seem to really dislike the "It was all a dream" solution on bringing Bobby Ewing back on Dallas. Since it's a non sci fi show (so there are some limitations) how would you have brought him back?”

Answer: He faked his own death. Granted, it’s a bit of a stretch, but at least they wouldn’t have had to discount an entire season. Hmmm. I wonder how that season sells on DVD?

Hannah writes: “If you were to introduce someone to SGA and SG-1, which episode(s) would you pick to get them hooked?”

Answer: SG-1 (2010, Heroes I and II, Window of Opportunity). Atlantis (Rising, Duet, Phantoms, Be All My Sins Remember‘d).

Imitation Tofu writes: “Downloading doesn't explain why the ratings started at 1.5 and have dropped since then.”

Answer: But according to a recent study, Tivo and DVR use does account for the drop.

Anonymous #6 writes: “How much say do female Guest Stars have in their wardrobe? If they are uncomfortable in a revealing outfit, will the costume department make it more conservative? Or will TPTB say "we need that male 18 to 25 year old demographic," get another actress?”

Answer: The costume department designs and makes the wardrobe for a given episode and will make whatever necessary alterations to ensure the actor or actress is comfortable. We have never made any costume decisions based on any desire to appeal to a certain demographic, nor have we ever replaced a performer for as silly a reason as you’ve suggested.

Jim from Jersey writes: “Are you a fan of hot or do you enjoy it mostly as an accompaniment?”

Answer: I love spicy foods. The entire first shelf of my refrigerator is dedicated to my hot sauce collection.

Alipeeps writes: “Dans le cas des contracts des acteurs, c'est parce qu'ils sont privés! Est-ce que vous aimieriez que votre chef discute les détails de votre contrat avec n'importe qui?”

Answer: What an impressive command of the French language! You put me to shame.

June 24, 2007

Own a piece of Stargate history! To celebrate the 250 000th visit to this blog, I will be giving away an item from the set of the movie Stargate: Continuum. Yes, you could be the lucky owner of a chunk of one-hundred percent bona fide Stargate flocking. “What the hell is flocking?”you may ask and “Did you even spell it correctly?” The answer to the latter question is “I don’t know.”, but the answer to the first is “Flocking (sic?) is that fake snow you see on sets intended to convey a sense of deep freeze fun.” And this particular chunk of flocking comes from the set of Stargate: Continuum, lovingly scraped off and discarded after filming wrap and now available for one fortunate individual.

The flocking, gorgeously displayed by the equally gorgeous Gary Jones in the picture above, comes in a beautiful carton box and will include its very own Unofficial Certificate of Authenticity (also pictured). Stay tuned! The winner will be announced in the days to come!

I’d like to take a moment to thank the fans (and Vaberella in particular) who spent countless hours deciphering the chicken scratch pictured in yesterday’s blog. To be honest, the writing was a lot cleaner and easier to make out in the smaller pics but, interestingly, the fact that it was that much harder to read seemed to lend credence to the possibility that I had mistakenly snapped a shot of genuine, though thoroughly lame and stage-weighty episode in which next to nothing happens between the opening tease and episode’s end. And it’s Part One no less! So, again, thanks and congratulations to all those who took the time to decode the simulated outline. Alas, the only genuine thing about those pictures was Carl’s less-than-enthused reaction to the chocolate.

Or was it?

Yeah, it was.

Hey, what’s on everyone’s mind?

Anonymous #1 writes: “In the season 4 previews it shows the female characters with their new uniforms unzipped down their front. So will we also be getting unzipped cleavage shots of Sheppard, Lorne and McKay?”

Answer: Whenever the producers check out some of the fan commentary, invariably the ones that give us the biggest kick are criticisms of the outfits our female regulars wear. They run the gamut from “Why did they make her wear that ugly dress?!” to “They put her in that outfit to make her look sexy!” Please don’t allow this to spoil your fun (and ours at reading the aforementioned comments) but how and what our actors and actresses wear is pretty up to them. Especially in the case of civvies where, in most cases, they’re wearing ensembles that they have hand-selected. Whatever they feel comfortable in is cool with us which is why when the Atlantis cast requested new uniforms for the show’s fourth season, we were more than happy to comply. Hell, there’s rarely a week that goes by that Jason isn’t in the costumes department, showing off his latest purchase he’d like to incorporate into Ronon’s ensemble. So, ultimately, if an actress would rather wear her jacket zipped down instead of zipped up tight in a tribute to Kilroy, that’s fine with us.

SMB Books writes: “Chocolate dipped pretzels - yay or nay? I say yay - love the sweet and salty combination!”

Answer: I’m afraid I’m going to have to say nay on account of the crunchiness.

Mackenziesmomma writes: “My question today is where will fondy be opening her wonderful doggy spa? Does she need help? ;) I am afterall a certified veterinary technician and a farmer…”

Answer: She’ll be opening her doggy spa on West Broadway and the corner off…hmm… don’t remember. Might be MacDonald. And she and her business partner are looking to hire. Swing on by, they could make use of your veterinary AND farming skills. Also, do you have any experience with doggy massages?

Alipeeps writes: “I'm caught between wondering how many hours fans are going to spend trying to decipher those whiteboards and wondering if you would really go to all the trouble of creating fake whiteboard notes just to wind people up/throw them off the scent... nah... not even you could be that nefarious..? Could you?”

Answer: Mmmmmaybe. Actually, it didn’t take all that long. It took me all of three minutes to write it up - which pretty much accounts for the quality of the actual handwriting. The “it was all a simulation” is the scifi equivalent to the horror movie/short story “it was all a dream” ending after which you sit back and mutter “So what the hell was the point of sitting through that?” The best example was, of course, the season-that-wasn’t on Dallas when they discounted an entire season to bring back the deceased Bobby Ewing. It was, it turned out, all a dream (“Hey, remember the past six months of your life you spent watching the show? Would you mind forgetting all about it? Great. And thanks for being such a loyal viewer.)

MP writes: “Now that SG-1 has more or less wrapped, are the sets going to be dismantled as with most cancelled shows or are they going to remain standing for occaisional use on Atlantis / more movies?”

Answer: If Atlantis does get that fifth season pick-up, a decision will have to be made on the SG-1 standing sets. We won’t be able to keep all of them.

Marsha R. writes: “If you do come to L.A., there's not only the possibility of corn tamales from you-know-where, but also access to AprylRae's aforementioned bbq pulled pork straight from her oven. Oh, and I guess we could throw in some chocolate (as dessert, not on the bbq).”

Answer: Where? Where?!

LogicSequence writes: “Seeing as you're a big fan of the food network, i was wondering if you have ever watched, or regularly watch some of the big cooking reality shows? Hell's Kitchen or Top Chef for example?”

Answer: I have in the past. Unfortunately, I’ve missed the first three episodes of this season’s Hell Kitchen which I hear has been pretty terrific/mortifying.

Amy writes: “I have deciphered everything on the whiteboard. One question: Is this real or is it all a simulation?”

Answer: Your deciphering of the whiteboard was only a simulation I ran to gauge your emergency preparedness skills. Congratulations. You passed.

Dee in South Africa writes: “Is this what "Foxy Loxy with Floppy Sockies" is, an anagram?”

Answer: You’ve found me out! Yes, Fox Loxy with Floppy Socksies is, in fact, an anagram of Office With Spooky Lox Sly Pyx. Now it all makes sense!

Anonymous #2 writes: “Can you tell us what the ratings were for Unending and First Strike?”

Answer: I won’t know for a couple of days.

Anonymous #3 writes: “When you go to a store such as the chocolate one in yesterday's pics, how do you shop? Do you browse?”

Answer: Yup, I’m a browser. I check the place out and pick up whatever strikes my fancy (hopefully a flavor that will alarm the guys back at the office).

Marion writes: “ Being the food lover you are, you've ever taken cooking lessons, and if it'd be something you'd like to do, and what kind of cuisine you'd like to be able to cook.”

Answer: I used to cook a lot as a kid, but really haven’t done much cooking since. I’d love to take some French cooking lessons. Of course that’s wholly dependant on my, uh, schedule next year.

Atlantisfannew1 a ecrit: “Croyez vous que Stargate aurai pu éxisté dans la réalité..? si oui es que les histoirs seraient identique?”

Reponses: Oui et oui.

Wolfen writes: “What are the chances we might see some Macross/Gundam-style transforming mecha on the show?”

Answer: Would love to but the visual effects budget on such an episode would be astronomical.

Anonymous #3 a ecrit: “1) les acteurs de SGA ont signés pour combiens de saisons? 2)qu'elle était la raison d'écarter TORRI dans cette saison 4, elle avait d'autres obligations? 3) sheppard sera t-il dévasté par la disparition de weir? 4) qui sera au COMIC CON de san diego cette année, vous y serez?”

Reponses: 1) Je ne peux pas répondre à cette question. 2) Je ne peux pas répondre à cette question. 3) Je ne peux pas répondre à cette question. 4) Au moment, je ne sais pas.

Expendable crewman writes: “Can you let me know how the Morrell book reads? Do I need The Blade Itself to enjoy Before They Were Hanged? Did you read I am Legend? What did you think? I just finished McCarthy's The Road.”

Answers: I don’t read a lot of horror but I do make the occasional exception based on the recommendation of others (as was the case with The Terror). I’ll let you know what I think once I read it. The Blade Itself is the first book in the series, so start with that. I’m halfway through Before They Are Hanged and loving it. I read I am Legend ages ago and need to re-read it. And funny you should mention The Road as Brad was in my office just the other day recommending it to me.

June 23, 2007

Hiatus is upon me. And it couldn’t have come soon enough. Finally, a much-needed break from being cooped up in my Bridge Studio office, stuck behind a desk, agonizing over dialogue and plot developments while the world outside passed me by. And so today, I took advantage of my newfound freedom by remaining cooped up in my home office, stuck behind a desk, agonizing over dialogue and plot developments while the world outside passed me by. On the bright side, I did complete Act The First of The Kindred Part I (formerly Rise of the Googlions Part I), and am pretty happy with what I’ve got so far. If all goes according to plan, I should get Paul a first draft by mid first week of July at the latest. He’ll have a good week and a half to do his pass (you know, correcting spelling oversights, adding adjectives to the action descriptions to make them all the more exciting to read) which should be plenty of time as we’re scheduled to have the concept meeting on our first day back.

But that seems a long way off. Right now, I’m in vacation/work mode - which is as easygoing as it gets for a writer - and besides working on this script, I have a few books to get through. I brought home 11 titles from library at work, some random selections, some (Scalzi’s Ghost Brigades, Abercrombie’s Before They Are Hanged, Pratchett’s Reaper Man, Banks’s Consider Phelbas) not so random. I’m assuming they should tide me over but I think I’ll swing by the bookstore later this week just in case.

I ran into Walter Harriman aka Norman aka Gary Jones this week who was in shooting a scene for Miller’s Crossing. We chatted a bit, talked Comic Con, and I snapped a couple of pics of him on-set and a few of him in front of this striking wall of plastic water storage containers. He also helped me out with a little something I’ll be telling you all about in tomorrow’s blog entry.

Finally, I know you’re all dying to know, so here’s the writers’ room consensus on the four Zotter chocolate bars I brought into the office yesterday -

Almonds with Grappa Raisins: Given the grappa is, in my opinion, the closest you can get to drinking actual rubbing alcohol, this bar was surprisingly good. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what grappa raisins are as I’d always assumed that Grappa was a peasant drink made from distilled twigs, stones, and old tires. Nevertheless, thumbs up all around.

Rowanberry or Mountain Ash: Still confused by the “OR“. At first blush, I did say I’d opt for the former over the latter but, after being overwhelmed this bar’s berry component, I’d like to revise that statement.

Mare’s Milk with Oats: Turns out it wasn’t the mare’s milk everyone ended up having problems with but the oats which lent the bar a neutral flavor but wet paper consistency. Twice I had to check to make sure I hadn’t mistakenly chewed off a piece of the wrapper.

Hot Chicken Ensemble: Once you get past the initial disappointment that this bar does not contain any actual chicken, it’s actually quite an enjoyable mix of homemade advokaat (an eggnog liqueur I often incorporate into my ice crams), white chocolate cream, chili, and milk chocolate.

Some of the more intriguing-sounding flavors I plan on checking out in the coming weeks include: coffee-plum with caramelized bacon, date-shiitake, paradise apple-liquid olives, and saffron rice.

And speaking of chocolates, thanks to Amy for the package that included my favorite 3400 Phinney Bread and Chocolate and the Vosges Red Fire Bar among many others. Regarding the slight request - you won’t know/not know until we get back from hiatus.

Finally, thanks for the thanks. As it turns out, some of the people involved in the production check out the blog every now and then (presumably to make sure I’m not libeling them), so they’ll be pleased to read it.

Today’s pics: My to-read selection, Gary shoots his scene, Gary looking sassy, Carl enjoys the competing flavors of rowanberry and chocolate.

Q&A -

PG15 writes: “Are you planning to go on another cuisine-y trip, or are you going to be too busy?”

Answer: That remains to be seen. I have a script to write and Fondy is opening up her doggy spa on August 1st. If anything, we may go away for a couple of days, maybe to L.A. so that Fondy can check out some of the high-end dog boutiques down south.

Anonymous #1 writes: “I have a question about Hong Kong, Im going there next week for two weeks and a lot of the time Im gonna be wondering around by myself while my dad's at work. do you have any particular recommendations for interesting things to do or places to go in the daytime?”

Answer: Take a day tour to one of the outlying islands. Check out my late 2006 blog entries and see if any of the outings I mentioned interest you.

Majorsal writes: “ Is it 100 percent settled that jack/rda won't be making an appearance on atlantis' season 4?”

Answer: While I can’t say with 100 percent certainty that he won’t be making an appearance (especially since we’ll still have three scripts to break when we get back to the offices in mid-July), at present we have no plans for his character on Atlantis.

Jen Kirk writes: “Could The Princess Bridge possibly be the Princess Bride????”

Answer: Sort of. The Princess Bridge was a terrific movie. However, it would have been perfect with the inclusion of a bridge.

Seahen writes: “1.) Did O'Neill only resign and kiss Carter the one loop we saw or did he do it more than that? 2.) Have you read anything by David Eddings?”

Answer: 1) It’s safe to assume that the kiss we saw was only the tip of the iceberg. 2) Haven’t.

Mackenzie’smomma writes: “I keep hearing the phrase the "Nobody really dies in Sci Fi" is that true?”

Answer: Depends who died.

Crh writes: “I was wondering about recurring guests like Gary Jones on SG-1 or Chuck Campbell on Atlantis. How does that work, schedule-wise? Do you know way in advance how often you'll plan on using them? Are (or, were, for SG-1 *sniff*) they beholden to the show schedules or were you guys limited by theirs?”

Answer: Once we break a story and we know we’ll need a character, we’ll tell John Lenic who will put a hold on the actors for the shooting dates. If an actor is unavailable, we can either write them out, write around them, or reschedule the episode (highly unlikely).

Valerie writes: “Could the fact that Atlantis and McKay won Spaceys influence the chances of the series continuing to season 5?”

Answer: Although winning the Spaceys was great, the fact that we won won’t enter into the mix when the time comes for Sci Fi to make a decision on the show’s future.

KGX2001 writes: “Joe, if you could make a chocolate bar, with any combination in the world, what would it be?”

Answer: Dark chocolate, marzipan, avokaat, butter, and a touch of salt.

Mags writes: “I'm spending a month in La Napoule (the south of France) and my last question to you (til Aug.) is have you ever been to that area (Nice, Cannes, etc)?”

Answer: I haven’t but I hear it’s beautiful and that the south of France blows Paris away in terms of food and friendly natives.

Paula writes: “I was thrilled to see the announcement that we're getting Season 4 in September!!!”

Answer: Good news for us as well since it means we’ll be airing a number of episodes before a decision on the show’s fate is ultimately made.

Anonymous #1 writes: “JM, the thing with you saying the plan was never to have the character leave permanently might be believable if the actress herself hadn't said that she'd been told she could "do some recurring work or walk away." The fact that you would offer her the walking away option shows that you would have been perfectly happy to lose the character altogether.”

Answer: We have general plans for the characters before we begin writing the season (nothing is set in stone). If, for any reason a obstacle arises (ie. Pregnancy, availability issues, the ACTOR DECIDES they’d rather not participate), then plans change. In this case, plans weren’t changed.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Had Amanda Tapping said "No", they would've choosen one of the other actresses they were considering.”

Answer: Or “actors”.

Crazymom writes: “Where were the Athosians? Did they leave them behind, or did I miss something?”

Answer: The Athosia...?...oh dear God NOOOOOO! No, check that. Yes, you did miss something. The Return I and II in which Atlantis’s new high and mighty landlords relocated the Athosians to another planet.

June 22, 2007

The second I walked into the chocolate shop, the counter woman’s eyes widened in recognition. “You’re the guy!”she announced. The guy? What guy? The guy from Stargate? The guy who dropped $100 on chocolate last time he was here? The guy who made off with her purse last Sunday afternoon in Stanley Park? “The blog guy,”she clarified as if reading my mind. Instantly, I was assailed by a totally different panic. What had I written about this place in my blog? Good? Bad? Indifferent? I was immediately on guard, expecting to be blindsided by a good old-fashioned hot chocolate throwdown. As it turns out, I needn’t have worried. Two men walked into the shop all smiles. One introduced himself as Karlo Flores, the owner of Monde Chocolat and welcomed me back.

Apparently, someone had tipped him off to the fact that I’d mentioned his new Burrard street business in a recent blog entry and he was eager to talk shop. Chocolate shop that is. We discussed the varied in-store selections - Michel Cluizel, Valhrona, the inhouse bark, frozen treats, and the exotic (some might even say downright bizarre) Zotter line of chocolate bars that covers everything from straight dark to mare’s milk with oats - then chatted about his own award-winning line of chocolate bars - Terra Nostra - the top-selling organic chocolate in the U.S. According to Karlo, his chocolate differs from most in that he doesn’t use soy lecithin as an emulsifier. The 73% Intense Dark I sampled was silky smooth with a nice snap. Apparently, Karlos will be offering his own handmade ganache in the coming weeks and intends to experiment with a variety of different flavors.

And speaking of experimental flavors, I decided to pick up five interesting-sounding bars from the Zotter line: “almonds with grappa raisins“, that “mare’s milk with oats” I mentioned earlier, something called rowanberry or mountain ash (if I’m being offered a choice, I’ll go with the former), “VinziSchilcher” (named after the brandy cream of the same name), and the intriguing “hot chicken ensemble” which, sadly, doesn’t contain any actual chicken but whose list of ingredients include chocolate liquor, almonds, egg yolk, and Williams Brandy. And, oh yeah, I picked up a dozen bars of my new favorite milk chocolate bar, the sublimely sweet and salty Chocolat Stella Finissimo Cioccolato al Latte con Pane Ticino which, Karlo informs me, is made by a buddy of his.

I intend to go back in a couple of weeks to check out his ganache creations. Yeah. Given all of the chocolate I got today, two weeks does sound about right.

Today’s pics: Karlo, Monde Chocolat, lookit all the chocolate!

Questions, comments, and quibbles (minor of course) -

Crazymom writes: “Do you have a favorite all-time movie?”

Answer: These kinds of questions are always tough. I love The Princess Bridge, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (with the exception of the dated musical interlude), and The Sting. Some movies that almost come to mind - that may not exactly be considered high art - include: Reservoir Dogs, Fudoh, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Karen writes: “I'm always looking for new types of sushi to try. What are your favorite types that you'd recommend?”

Answer: I’m big on the toro (tuna belly) nigiri, and spicy tuna sashimi.

Crh writes: “Any idea how long filming will be going for the SG-1 movies?”

Answer: Filming is more or less done. Robert just has to get around to getting that helicopter shot for Ark of Truth.

Crh also writes: “Have you ever been to Kansas?”

Answer: Never been but there are so many places in the U.S. I’d love to check out - including Kansas.

Smiley_face06 writes: “What do you like to watch on the Food Network?”

Answer: Pretty much any show but Food Jammers. And, yeah, I think Rachel Ray is a cutie.

Steph writes: “1) Have you ever read Terry Pratchett or Jim Butcher? 2) What's your favorite sushi ingredient? 3) I've no you've pulled some pranks with SG-1, but what about with Atlantis?”

Answers: 1) Pratchett. 2) The fish. 3) Well, there was the time I set a family of wild raccoons loose on set. Who’d have known those things could be so vicious.

Anonymous #1 writes: “Check out my late November - early December 2006 posts for a rundown of my HK trip.

Arctic Goddess writes: “Do you belong to the Writer's Guild of Canada or any other union? Are there any unions that you have to belong to?”

Answer: I have no choice but to be a member of the Writer’s Guild of Canada. Membership has its privileges however. Like that glossy WGC magazine I get once a month.

Anonymous #2 writes: “ Heard a rumor that if there is no season 5 for Atlantis that Stargate Universe would also not be made, at least till later down the road. Is there any truth to that?”

Answer: Nope. The two are separate entities.

Anonymous #3 writes: “Joe, have you ever been to Korea?”

Answer: Never been.

Ramia S writes: “Please, can you suggest me and to my friends a nice typical restaurant.”

Answer: Typical of what? Vancouver?

Ashley writes: “…as I understand it, Tapping crossed over to Atlantis because she still owed the Stargate franchise one year under contract after SG-1 ended.”

Answer: Amanda had a deal in place. We offered her the opportunity to come over to Atlantis and pitched her our idea of how we’d do it. She was given a choice and chose to accept. If she had chosen not to come over, we would have honored her wishes and looked elsewhere.

Anonymous #4 writes: “…it seems you only ever allow two females at most to be main characters on your shows.”

Answer: With the upcoming fourth season being the exception to the rule of course…

June 21, 2007

Boy, nothing quite turns your appetite like watching a wraith birthing scene. We were caught completely off-guard, munching away on pasta, pizza and wings when, suddenly, the sequence flashed up on screen. “Oooooooh,”moaned Alan. “Aaawwww!”screamed Alex. Carl made no noise, silently turning his head and vomiting back into his container of creamy tortellini. “Cool,”muttered Martin, eyes fixed, munching away unfazed. After lunch, I ran into Will Waring, the director responsible for bringing this horror to the screen along with Todd Masters of MastersFX. “Oh, yeah,”he enthused, “We almost drowned poor Morris (Chapdelaine who plays the birthing wraith) in methycil.” Methycil, for those who don’t know (like me until I asked) is used by productions looking to capture that disquietingly goopy je ne sais quoi. Just add a little water to its powdered form and you have oodles of movie slime, just the thing for salivating aliens, ectoplasmic explosions, and ooziferous wraith birthing sequences.

Well, I’m pleased to report that we made some headway on Martin’s script, Foxy Loxy with Floppy Socksies (Think about it! All the clues you need are right in the title!), hashing out some of the major beats and act breaks in an episode that promises to be a lot of fun. Once that was done, I wandered over to Stage 3 where Rob was shooting one of the outstanding scenes for The Ark of Truth. I snapped some pics of the big gun, then turned around and noticed everyone had donned protective gear for their ears. My cue to leave. Always a good idea before the shooting starts.

By the way, the Zotters chocolates were a big hit - some more than others. Surprisingly, people actually liked the celery, tuffle and port wine, and didn’t mind the bacon bits (“I can’t taste the bacon!”declared Paul although, for my part, I thought the salty cracklings were a noticeable but still subtly welcome contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate). Less successful were the chewy caramel and nougat variations. All very interesting but still, my favorite recent purchase was that bread and chocolate Chocolat Stella. I loved it so much that I’ll be swinging by Monde Chocolat on the way home and cleaning out their entire stock.

Catching up on the viewer mail…

PG15 writes: “Whenever you eat dinner at home, do you ever do something else at the same time? Like, watching TV or reading?”

Answer: Hate to admit it but whenever we eat dinner at home, we’re usually watching The Food Network.

Steph writes: “Out of all the character driven episodes, which one are you most proud of/looking forward to/etc?”

Answer: I can’t really pick one. There are a number of very interesting candidates: Reunion, Missing, Miller’s Crossing, Be All My Sins Remember’d, Quarantine.

Anonymous #1 writes: “If you have an extra spot to fill for Season Four, will you guys consider filling it with your shelved Carson story?”

Answer: Given the stories we’ve developed so far, that particular story no longer makes sense in the grand scheme of things.

Bugguy writes: “Oh and once again, if you keep eating that sushi, bad karma will visit you. I will see you in a professional sense. The worm D. latum is a really nasty customer, but you go on eating it...you're not feeling any cramping are you? Double vision? Tingling in finger and toes?”

Answer: My elbows sometimes get itchy. Does that count?

Copernicus writes: “1) Are you guys writing with the possibility of no season five in mind? That is to say, would you be able to wrap up SGA to your liking without significantly changing the back half of season 4 if it came down to it? 2) If you do hit season 5, and I hope you do, would you consider upping the number of episodes you make that year?
3) If you hit season 5 and are looking for an episode or two that isn't from your writing staff, would you be so kind as to let us know? I work quite cheap.

Answers: 1) We will be ending the season as planned. 2) That’s a network call. 3) Will keep you in mind.

Shawna writes: “Regarding chocolates, how do you feel about fruit/cream fillings? Nuts? Nougat?”

Answer: I’m not a big fan of anything fruity or chewy. Nuts are okay.

Vikitty writes: “The last time I was in HK was seven years ago - how did you find the environment and atmosphere?”

Answer: We loved it. Not somewhere we’d want to live, but definitely somewhere we’d love to visit on a regular basis.

Luke writes: “If I fly to vancouver for a holiday. Could I juset go up to Bridge Studios and order an autograph of any of the actors? Am I allowed to see or talk to them?”

Answer: Sorry. There are days when I can barely get past security myself.

Wwlh writes: “Hey Joe - you recently mentioned that you finished reading David Wingrove’s Chung Kuo. What were your thoughts?”

Answer: I thought Wingrove does an incredible job of world-building and creating a multitude of very interesting characters. Except the women who strangely don’t seem to possess much in the way of personalities (at least in the first book). I liked The Middle Kingdom a lot - up until the really over-the-top assault about two-thirds of the way through the book that was almost cartoonish in its gratuitousness and so over-the-top and silly compared to an otherwise very accomplished narrative.

Wraithkeeper writes: “When you're writing scripts, do you always write the scenes in the order that they'll air?”

Answer: Yes. One season builds to another and latter scenes draw from the ones before them.

Anonymous #2 writes: “ What will you be doing....and will you still be blogging about it?”

Answer: I’ll be reading, writing and, yes, blogging about the usual: food, work, and pugs.

Dorothea writes: “I have a breakfast question for you. Are you coffee, chocolate milk, tea, orange juice drinker for breakfast?”

Answer: I don’t do coffee or juice but will start my morning with a cup of matcha (green tea), do a work-out, then have my standard breakfast of: low fat yogurt, protein powder, All-Bran Flakes, and fruit.

Anonymous #3 writes: “You got rid Beckett AND Weir? Great move. NOT! Now you're bringing Carter onboard? Hope you have your resume updated.”

Answer: “Great move…NOT!”? Do people still say that? Makes you sound a bit dated. Just saying. As for updating my resume - Why? Are you hiring?

SMB Books writes: “…and you can get Sopranos stuff! What item from the series would you want?”

Answer: I want that 30 seconds of black screen that others have been raving about.

Pauline writes: “ You've probably been asked this before, but have you ever, or would you ever try Fugu (pufferfish).”

Answer: I thought about trying it the last time I was in Tokyo, but Fondy wouldn’t let me. Apparently she needs me around to take the dogs to daycare.

WHAT?!…Whales writes: “How is it that you keep killing Baal and/or his clones but the next time we see him/them, he/they always knows what happened to the previously killed Baal even though there was no interection with him before he was killed?”

Answer: Could you give me an example.

Ben writes: “Any plans for a "Future" episode of Atlantis, akin to SG1's "2010"? A kind of "What if?" episode, those are always interesting.”

Answer: Heh. Funny you should say that…

Ayla writes: “I have a theory. My theory is that the Stargate program really exists, and you guys are all in on it.”

Answer: Interesting theory. Hmmm. By the way, who else have you shared this crazy theory with? We may have to deal with them too.

Jen Kirk writes: “ Joe are you a Spinal Tap fan? That is my all time fave film. A friend of mine who is a professor in a Music Business program makes that movie required viewing and gives out a 100 question "quiz" with it for extra credit. How do you think you would do on it?”

Answer: I think I’d score a solid B+.