November 24, 2007

The t-shirt says “DEATH BIRD” on the front and “FALL FROM SKY” on the back. You’ll be excused for assuming it’s a reference to some lame heavy metal band (“Hey, Death Bird kicks off its Fall From Sky tour this weekend! Awesome!!”). In fact, there’s a story behind the Death Bird t-shirt.

Way back in Atlantis’s first season, then hot young upstart Martin Gero (as opposed to the miserable grizzled veteran he is today) wrote a little script called Childhood’s End which became his very first produced episode of Stargate: Atlantis. The experience wasn’t a wholly memorable one for poor Martin and, some day if you invite him to a con, you should ask him to regale you with behind-the-scenes anecdotes about this episode (which, I’m sure, he’ll be more than happy to supply complete with his trademark funny voices, faces, and sound effects). I remember we were sitting in Robert’s office, watching the previous day’s dailies, when one of the young actors said “Death bird fall from sky!”. Huh? Martin shook his head as if to assure us (but, in hindsight, I believe he was trying to reassure himself). “That’s not the line in the script,”he said. “He’ll get it right in the next take.” Next take: “Death bird fall from sky!” I could see the sense of panic slowly overtake Martin as we got to the third take: “Death bird fall from sky!” Well, at least the kid was consistent.

Even though the coverage was eventually re-shot and the proper line delivered, Martin still ended up disappointed with the final product. Although there are far more memorable lines that did make the cut (Teyla’s “It was too small to be a dart” in reference to a wraith probe that looks absolutely nothing like a dart is my personal favorite), Martin‘s favorite is the one that didn‘t: “Death bird fall from sky.” To commemorate the event, he had t-shirts made for the entire writing staff. I finally wore mine the other day (three years later) after Marty G. complained that we clearly hadn’t appreciated his largesse.

I wanted to follow his lead and done something similar to mark my low-point, Irresponsible, but the costs of supplying the writing department with what would amount to an entire wardrobe of gaffes proved a tad too costly.

Today’s pics: Death Bird - fall from sky.

Today’s mailbag -

Charles Schneider writes: “My puppy once got into a bag of puppy chow when I was away. He was still only a few weeks old, so his whole body ballooned up to hilarious proportions.”

Answer: Yeah, there was the time Maximus got into the trash and consumed the entire portion of Curried Fusilli we had tossed. He was so blimped-out that I was unable to get his harness on and, instead, had to carry him outside for his “walk”.

Thornyrose writes: “When exactly will the final cut of the final episode of season four be done? How many episodes of S4 do you actually have ready for airing at this time?”

Answers: The final cut is done but the episode has yet to be mixed and the visual effects aren’t finished. As for number of finished episodes - twelve I believe.

Anonymous #1 writes: “Sorry I don't know how long it has been since you've last visited Montreal but have you ever been to the Italian restaurant Scarolies?”

Answer: Yep. Not a bad restaurant.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Have you ever tried a Polish cucumber salad called "mizeria"?”

Answer: Fondy orders something very similar whenever we go to The Budapest.

AscendedTauri writes: “Did you try any of the 'Daily Flavor' creampuffs?”

Answer: Sadly, they only had original vanilla when Alex swung by.

Arctic Goddess writes: “What is a wok kitchen?”

Answer: It’s a separate kitchen attached to the main kitchen where we do our stir-frying.

Anonymous #3 writes: “You said that Teyla will be back in season 6...”

Answer: Sorry, that was a typo. I meant season 5.

Morgia a ecrit: “Je me demandais à quel endroit à Montréal Fondy avait acheté les chocolats.

Reponse: Suite 88 Chocolatier.

Annie writes: “is that a dog turd amongst the rubbish???”

Answer: That was my initial reaction when I spotted the mess - but closer examination revealed it was part of an overripe banana peel.

VinsFins writes: “Are we going to see the Apollo and Deadalus in more action?”

Answer: We will in BAMSR.

Anonymous #4 writes: “…you could have answered criticism of how the baby storyline is playing out without blaming the actress.”

Answer: Uh, I was being sarcastic.

Susan the Tartan Turtle writes: “ How come Lulu was at daycare and the others were left home alone? Are they more trustworthy?”

Answer: Evidently not. But she is a handful and daycare does tire her out - much to the delight of the pugs.

Michelle Lunsford writes: “I was curious if your chocolate sampling had ever included chocolate infused with tea flavors?”

Answer: Yes. Christopher Norman Chocolates has a Luxury Tea Collection made up of Lapsang Souchong, Rose, and Mango & Green Tea-Infused Truffles.

Catharine writes: “If the writers had decided to write Season eight (of SG-1) with Sam being pregnant, who would have been the father?”

Answer: No idea.

Tauri Sith writes: “Why don't you like kids?”

Answer: On the contrary. Sometimes, kids can be hilariously entertaining. Check out my December 26, 2006 entry: http://josephmallozzi.blogspot.com/2006/12/december-26-2006.html

Anonymous #5 writes: “Ah yes, because brute force is always so much better than diplomacy, eh? Let's apply the US model of international relations! Invade what isn't yours in the first place…”

Answer: Easy there, Sammy Soapbox. How does that apply to Atlantis? Given the threat the expedition has faced from both the wraith and the replicators, it makes sense that the military would step in as they are in a better position (ie. resources) to defend the city and our planet’s interests in the Pegasus Galaxy.

MaggieMayDay writes: “What part of Japan are you particularly fond of?”

Answer: Love Tokyo.

Anonymous #6 writes: “Hey Joe, any thoughts on the Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown?”

Answer: I prefer their sushi over their regular menu.