So, as if you all don’t have enough to reading to do what with the two Book of the Month Club selections (The Princess Bride and The Time Traveler’s Wife are the titles we’ll be discussing in early January), I thought it might be fun to add a horror category to accompany the scifi and fantasy categories. Now, I know, I know. What has time to read three books a month? Besides me? Probably no one. Yet the added category will allow you Joe’s Book of the Month Club members to select from three very different genres. Given that we are already into December, I’ve decided to rob you all of your democratic right to vote and impose my will upon you by declaring Peter Straub’s Ghost Story next month‘s Horror Book of the Month. So there you go: The Princess Bride, The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Ghost Story.
By the way, I received two very interesting comments that, although they were posted a couple of days ago, were part of the November 26, 2007 entry so you may have missed ’em. Both had to do with fantasy BOTM club contender The Crooked Letter by Sean Williams. The first, was from Hugo Award winning editor Lou Anders who was kind enough to direct interested readers to Sample Pages of The Crooked Letter at http://www.pyrsf.com/chapters/crookedletter/crookedletter.htm
Also, Pyr Jill Maxick also swung by to offer participants of the book club a couple of free copies of The Crooked Letter (alas, limited to U.S.-based fans of the blog but, hey, I’ll see what I can do). I wrote her back and suggested that, instead of offering free copies of The Crooked Letter, she offer free copies of another one of Sean’s other works since I’d like to limit this giveaway to those who actually read the The Crooked Letter and weigh in with their thoughts by January 15th. So there you go: The Princess Bride, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Ghost Story, and The Crooked Letter.
Speaking of reading, I finished The Golden Compass last night. Yep. I‘m done with that one. Moving on to Alas, Babylon.
Finally, to all those of you asking -
Today’s mailbag -
Lorsexresol writes: “if Baron Destructo wanted his own personal chef- who would he kidnap?”
Answer: Probably Mario Batali. Bobby Flay would no doubt attempt to take over Baron Destructo’s position as chairman of The League of Aliens and Mutants for Evil.
Anonymous #1 writes: “Not wanting to state the obvious, but why let inflamatory statements from several unintelligent Anonymous speakers onto your blog to even cause issues with regulars, when you can just not approve their posts?”
Answer: There is a difference between inflammatory statements from unintelligent anonymous speakers and heartfelt differing opinions from anonymous posters. I’m not going to reject a comment simply because I may disagree with someone’s take or because they are critical of the show. Furthermore, if an individual is mistaken in some assumption, then I will approve the comment so that I can refute a given argument. As SGAKaz pointed out, there’s nothing wrong with a little healthy debate.
Fran writes: “Care to give us any tidbits into what we will see in Season 5?”
Answer: Some surprises in store for the show’s fifth season.
Annie writes: “What's the temperament of a French Bulldog compared to a Pug?”
Answer: Frenchies are lovable but tend to be bossy, stubborn and fairly energetic troublemakers. Pugs are equally lovable, but given extended periods of relaxation (a.k.a. laziness). Both are great dogs for kids but, given the choice, I’d probably go with a pug. That said, pugs are extremely trusting dogs and tend to get injured by over-enthusiastic children - so make sure the kids behave.
Demon Hunter writes: “Do all the cast and crew get to bring their dogs to work or is it only certain people?”
Answer: Anyone is free to bring their dogs to work with them.
Anonymous #2 writes: “So I hear you're ending all ship pairings in this season of Atlantis. Did I hear that right?”
Answer: No, you heard wrong.
Edward4th writes: “I’ve got more than enough canned food to last me until November 16th, the day I have to go pick up my mother at the airport." *checks date* So is your mom still at the airport waiting?”
Answer: I meant December 16th. I hope that’s what my mom meant too.
Michelle writes: “Wrong. Comments have been censored that didn't come close to breaking that rule. You're being misled.”
Answer: No idea what you’re referring to. On occasion, I have refused to publish comments if I’ve had enough of a certain personal squabble between posters or if a comment contains a spoiler I’d rather not put up for discussion.
Royal Nonesuch writes: “Can you regale us with any of teh agruments in teh writer's room?”
Answer: Oh, rarely does a story-breaking session go by when there isn’t some sort disagreement or argument in the writer’s room. But, as they say: What happens in the writer’s room stays in the writer’s room.
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112 comments:
After everyone has read and enjoyed/or not Time Traveler's Wife, remind me to share something about the author.
Joe,
So far we have seen Lorne under the influence of an alien entity, virus and drugs, and now it appears that he will be affected by Replicators in some capacity, will we get an episode were he just the luvable sarcastic Lorne we have come to love taking apart McKay with his wit hopefully?
Hey, I'm back! Loved, loved, LOVED Miller's Crossing. It was nice to see the level of trust and friendship between John and Rodney. Cheers to a great episode, and I know that the upcoming two parter will be great as well.
Speaking of weird...We're reading Shakespeare's Hamlet in class right now. I'm really enjoying it so far. Since you're known to be a Shakespeare buff, I'd like to ask two things: What is your favorite scene/line/etc from Hamlet, and have you ever seen The Abridged Shakespeare Company?
I'm not much of a fan of the horror genre, but I'll at least give the Straub book a try. So far I've finished Princess Bride and Alas Babylon, and am knocking out Golden Compass. I'm having to order the Williams book, but I've got Time Traveller's Wife waiting. I suspect that a good many of the readers read at about the same speed as ourself. This is a nice way to avoid getting into a rut with my reading.
How close are the writers coming to having the first scripts for season five ready? Has a date been set for the first filming, or will that be decided after the holidays? I'm looking forward to the mid-season finale, the more so since we've only a one month wait before picking up the back half of the season.
Okay.. went to the link for The Crooked Letter and it looks very intriguing.
Now to find time to read. I was just going to try to read The Traveler's Wife if I could locate my copy when we get home.
Dr. Mallozzi,
Does Rob Cooper or Brad Wright have any information on a high definition release for the Stargate movies on Blu-ray? Any information would be helpful.
--ussrelativity from the GateWorld Forum!
Joe, every season has episodes that don't have much to do with the season's main storyline!! Before "The Hive" you shown that Ford was ALWAYS able to get out of impossible situations and show up when he was thought to be dead!!! Any fan most likely believes that Ford survived the events of "The Hive" which leaves his storyline unresolved!!! Can you have an episode wear the team finds Ford, cures him, send him home to his grandparents, and be done with it??? Ford is one of those characters that you really want to have a happy ending!!! I have been waiting season after season to see if you resolve his storyline, so can you please????? Thanks
All this talk about the BOTM club makes me want to read the books this time around. :)
Hey Joe,
See if we can get some copies in Canada. I was just in the States and went to several B&N and alas there was no copy to be found and ordering would have taken longer then I was there. Might have to hit the used book stores when I get back to Comox. Ugh, so very anal when it comes to the condition of books that I read. Like the idea of the horror selection...as if my life was not already busy enough. Hope you are enjoying the snow, hubby told me to come home so that I could shovel the foot and a half that has fallen...so unusual for snow in Comox.
Do you look upon the dogs as your furry children? Or are they just pets?
What is Santa going to bring you and Fondy and the furry ones this year? It will be Lulu's first Christmas.
Has Lulu met cousin Mars - he could be her body guard and playmate.
I note that http://www.cafepress.com/savecarson has little doggie t-shirts. :-)
Arguements in the writers room should end in Rock, Paper, Scissors matches, the best of three rounds, the writer who defeats everyone, in an epic elimination round to end all rounds, gets the final say and everyone else has to go home in shame
what do you think?
By the way Christmas is coming soon. you looking forward to it?
Dear Baron Destructo,
As a huge fan of your evil, empire-ruling malevolentness, I am inspired to create a City of Villains character in homage to your evil self. May I be so bold as to enquire what specific superpowers you possess and, if you please, what colour scheme you generally prefer for your form-fitting spandex supervillain costume (not forgetting the all-important question for today's sartorial supervillain - cape or no cape?)
Yours grovellingly,
A. Fan.
Will you guys get any kind of break after the mid-season finale? Or will a few production people like yourself and the writers stay on to work more?
I read a recent blog post on sci-fi by "ATL" that described things at Bridge Studios as if they're were quieter than during principal photography season.
"Can you have an episode wear the team finds Ford, cures him, send him home to his grandparents"
Ford has no real purpose in the story line at the moment, honestly, the obvious reason why he won't come back is because, well he isn't needed, crazy guys on enzyme storys probably will never even come up again in the shows history
The Pegasus Galaxy isn't a magical place of fairys and magical elfs, people do die, people do go missing, presumed dead, we can't have everyone turning out alright at the end of the day, even if Ford was onboard the hive or not.. realism dictates that he died.
You should be asking!
Can we have an episode with Magical Fairys and Santa Claus delivering presents to all the orphans in the Pegasus Galaxy, and eventually coming to Atlantis to bring seasons greetings, and spread the joy of the christmas for one special day where the team forgets the problems they face in life :)
I believe that I was watching 'Window of Opportunity' where I saw the name Dr. Mallozzi as the author of a book that Jack was reading (I could be wrong). (But if I’m right) who decided to put that there and how did that come about?
I just now watched Miller's Crossing. I love to ponder and discuss ethics (mostly with myself), so I am glad to be able to chew on that one for a while.
It is the shades of gray that make a person interesting, and the decisions that come from a situation where a person must decide if they will regret it more for having done or for having not done something are the grayest of the grays.
"...if a comment contains a spoiler I’d rather not put up for discussion." Ha! I told you you wouldn't post my comment 'cause it was true. Well, I kinda asked, but whatever. I know 'cause of the preview of This Mortal Coil and the huge spoiler-er on Gateworld. So, uh, yeah...
"What happens in the writer's room, stays in the writer's room"
LOL....I bet you all would be fun to go with to Vegas! Hmmm...or maybe you'd be a bit scary to be with!?! Depends what kind of trouble all of you would be getting into...hehehe! ;~)
I am SO happy. I am getting SGA season's 1-3 for Christmas!!! Squeeeeee!
*blushing*
Sorry...that just burst out of me!
I'm also getting SG-1 season 1 for Christmas too!
*cover's mouth with hands to stop any involuntary noises from escaping*
:~D :~) :~D
Happily,
Kimberly
Joe,
Is Paul Mcgillion coming back for season 5? I know you said the door would be left open. Bringing Carson back would be the best thing that has happened to Atlantis since he was made full time.
So did you like the Golden Compass enough to read the next two books?
Does Mitchell get promoted too? (I hope not)
Eight more days and I can participate in the book of the month club! Looking forward to the Princess Bride.
Something I'm curious about. Atlantis is supposed to be a multinational organization, but so far the language we hear the most of, beside English, is Czech because David Nykl is Czech. So when you cast extras do you ask if they know how to speak another language, or do you teach them how to pronounce a phrase in a different language (ie. the German scientists in Season's two "Duet")?
I've tried to read The Time Traveller's Wife and never got too far so I'll miss that one. The others look good though. looking forward to seeing how The Princess Bride matches up to the film. I normally find the books better than the filmed version but have just come across an exception - Dexter. Watched the first series and loved it, went to read the free chapters of the new book they gave away with the DVD and really, really could not get into it. I'll just stick with the TV with those stories.
I'm a long time fan of both SG-1 and SGA (having literally grown up with the former) and I think perhaps this has spoilt me slightly with regards to Carter. Don't get me wrong, I like the changes that have been made so far with this season and appreciate seeing new (or actually perhaps not new, yet simply further developed facets that we saw coming through in the more democratic SG-1 team of the final two seasons) elements of Sam dealing with leadership, responsibility and moving away from 'her' team and Earth.
Yet I guess I as a long term SG-1 fan I am rather used to Sam Carter being able to always save the day in a scientific crisis - while I know this is not always true, 'Red Sky' being but one example, I think it is fair to say that most of the time, even while injured, grieving, unfamiliar with the technology Sam has often been able to come to a normally helpful conclusion. I bring this up because of 'Miller's Crossing' I know that I wondered why Carter was not present during some of the scientific scenes in this episode, while she may not be as familiar with the Pegasus nanites she does have a large amount of experience and intelligence to draw upon (something which was indeed referenced in 'Doppleganger' ). While I am of course aware that scheduling with the actors must be a tricky job, I was just wondering why there was a decision not to have Carter in this episode and also to ask if we were going to see any of Carter's scientific side this season?
Actually I'm probably answering my own question here but while I do wonder these things, I also appreciated that not having Carter coming running in to help sort out the problem allowed us the audience to focus on what was essentially McKay's problem and for us to feel his emotional stress and struggle with his guilt and the Wraith.
Thank you for reading this - rather long - ramble.
*chuckles* Enjoyed yesterday's vid of Lulu runnin' around in the snow. More power to her; I love snow but hate being out in it. :)
Darth Furball (aka The Grey Feline of the Sith) watched the snow fall from his Imperial domain (aka the living room windowsill).
Hey, just an odd question since I'm speaking of pets...Whatever happened to McKay's cat?? LOL Last we knew the "cute next door neighbor" had the furball...*votes for Rodney to be allowed to have his cat on Atlantis* ;)
Hi Joe,
Question, What have the Atlantis people been feeding their Wraith guest? And how long can the Wraith go between feedings?
How come with all of the behind the scene featurettes, both on the DVDs and online, none of them have been geared towards audio? You have a production team and a post-production team that I would love to see more information on. Is Sharpe Sound not willing to do any featurettes? Production Dialog, Post Dialog, ADR, Sound Effects, Music Editing, Foley performance and Editing, Mixing (just to name a few areas). Does the editing staff change too frequently to really warrant such a focus? I'm not talking about music composition either, although Joel Goldsmith does deserve his own featurette as well. It is unfortunate that while people are spending a lot of money on home theatre TVs and 5.1 surround sound systems that more time isn't spent spotlighting the work of sound designers, especially in the sci-fi genre, where a lot of interesting design work is done. On a side note, do you know if Stargate Worlds will be borrowing any of the sound effect assets that have already been created an put into stock (such as the sound of a zat gun), or will they have to recreate all of these sounds on their own?
Joe, just finished watching Millers Crossing, Tivo all the way, and can I just ask, where WAS that main console (the 3 sided one) from? I know its a re-use, but I've no idea where from? Argh, it nags! It nags!
Oh, and also, Jason's character saying he looked "dumb" in civvies? Owiie, he was a stunner!!
*swooon*
Hi Joe:
Can I donate a cat to keep Lulu busy? You seem like someone who is willing to put up with the insanity of some animals, so I'll tell you why I'd like you to have my cat.
Rusty is my daemon cat. He decided to check out a grocery bag that contained two cans of tuna still waiting to be put away after a shopping trip. He got his head caught in the plastic handle of the grocery bag, and freaked out. Rusty tore across the carpet with the bag still wrapped around his neck. The momentum of the bag, as he tried to cut left, carried him into a plastic garbage can, knocking it over. Then he recovered and raced down the hallway and into my son's room. This time, the bag did come away from Rusty and flew into my son, Stephen's, leg as he sat at his computer. By now, our terrified cat had taken refuge under my son's bed. As I ran into the bedroom after the cat, Stephen picked up the bag, still containing the two cans of fish, looked up at me and asked, "Who's throwing groceries at me?"
I'll bring Rusty out to Vancouver the very next time I'm there. He's fixed and all of his shots are up to date. What do you say, Joe?
Patricia
The Sci Fi Channel has part of their January schedule up and they've got the episode order for the second half:
Be All My Sins Remember'd
Spoils of War
Quarantine
Harmony
You mentioned that Harmony would be the 17th episode (August 13), but now it's the 14th. Is this change an error by Sci Fi or have you moved the episode airing order around since you last addressed it? If it there is a new order, would you please tell us what it is now?
Thanks a bunch.
hi, joe,
is there going to be an ep in s5 where sam's having plumbing probs at atlantis (show toilets), mckay's hitting on her (show bantering), and sheppard's trying to talk ppl into sacrificing themselves to todd (show dark shep) because he needs an operation for his elf ears situation (show elf ears)?
of course, we can't forget ronon losing his hair (show it being cut off by teyla) and telya with hormone probs (show teyla trying to cut everyone's hair off) because of being preggers.
(leave anyone out?)
oh, yeah, zelenka falls in love with mckay (don't show it).
sally :p
Joe, My brother is a avid reader like yourself! So, i might buy him one of the books that you have suggested for christmas! On another note I love horror films! The ghost story book sounds interesting i might even buy it for myself & read it! Thanks!
What did you think of The Golden Compass? I really want to see the movie & read the book!
Hope you are enjoying the snow!
Cathie
Yeah interesting someone brought up how long Wraith Todd can go without feeding. The more interesting question is what will they do about it next time? John Sheppard will surely save the day when that come I'll bet.
Really enjoyed Miller's Corssing. Thanks again for another great episode!
Did you catch the first part of "Tin Man" tonight? I thought that I saw Jason Schombing on there (Sg-1's Dr. Robert Rothman) but I saw no mention of him on IMDB. Thought maybe you knew.
Hope you had a relaxing weekend!
Thanks for responding re: Pug Vs French Bulldog. I'll get a pug. My kids are very gentle too, so when we get one, there'll be no problems. Better start saving!!
Is SGA shown on mainstream tv anywhere or is it strictly cable? Over here in Western Australia, season 2 ended a few months ago. It was on too late for me (which disgusted me no end... sheesh so many horrible shows on primetime)..
Hi,
May I suggest that those who can't locate the books to purchase might check with their local library? I've been amazed at the depth of the SciFi and Fantasy offerings from our county library system -- we can search online and have the books we want delivered to the nearest branch.
Demon Hunter writes: “Do all the cast and crew get to bring their dogs to work or is it only certain people?”
Answer: Anyone is free to bring their dogs to work with them.
so do ya'll have a person who watches the dogs while your busy working?
But, as they say: What happens in the writer’s room stays in the writer’s room.
I guess that means you won't be posting pics from the wet t-shirt contest. Damn! And I was hoping to make a calendar and retire on the proceeds! ;)
Any of the books you've read recently possibly sparked some new ideas for Season 5!?
Majorsal said: "is there going to be an ep in s5 where sam's having plumbing probs at atlantis (show toilets), mckay's hitting on her (show bantering), and sheppard's trying to talk ppl into sacrificing themselves to todd (show dark shep) because he needs an operation for his elf ears situation (show elf ears)?"
Joe, please don't have Sheppard operate on his elvin ears in S5. Hair/wardrobe/character changes I can stomach, but the removal of Sheppard's elvin ears will lead to the ruination of the entire show. They are a key aspect of his being. Removal of such would be akin to replacing him with a robot, broom, roll of quarters, or other such inanimate and/or uninspiring object.
Please don't make us start a "Save John Sheppard's Elvin Ears" campaign.
Will Mitchell's rank change during the two SG-1 movies?
Do you not like Bobby Flay? Something about him bugs me, I am not sure what it is? He took over "how to boil water". Too much ego maybe?
Do you have any holiday traditions? Or travel plans? I will be in Mexico in 9 days!
Joe, you realize that this special contest of yours only encourages the inane postings of lurkers the likes of myself who are otherwise happy to simply read and soak up the wisdom (and nonsense) that is this superb blog? I've been reduced to a fanchick who dials the radio station repeatedly, trying to become "caller #12"
Oh the shame. (insert smiley)
Joe,
SGA Season 4 is an election year in the Stargate Universe (Hayes was elected just prior to season 1). So will we see some political changes or political plots later this season or next?
any chance of seeing weir full time in season 5?
If your ever in San Francisco there is this place called Uncle Vito's on Powell and Bush street. Best Italian this side of Italy. Amazing. Meatball sandwich is to die for. Pizza suggestion: Mushrooms Artichoke and G-peppers. Pasta Suggestion: Really anything but their Pesto Fett with Chicken and Sundried tomatoes is great. Add your fav veggies like mushrooms or broccoli yum. Simply put great and undiscovered it is not on any tourist guides, limited seating cheap prices mainly to-go but dine-in avalible.
I just watched Miller's Crossing again and I think it was a good episode, while not the best and it was far from the worst so far this year (which is on average much better than S2 or S3 to me so far.) I just have two questions about bringing the Wraith to Earth. Would it not have been smarter for the people on Atlantis to stun "Todd" for the trip through the Midway station so that he wouldn't be aware of it? Does this come back to haunt us in the episode Midway?
To me, it would have been smarter to have "Todd" just assume he gated directly to Earth using a ZPM and not know about the bridge system that is now in place.
Also, the Wraith feeding on Wallace now gets the writers out of the dilemma of how to feed him for the next couple of weeks. I really wonder if that dilemma sparked the idea of this episode and then you guys thought this would be a good place to brink back the popular character of Jeannie? I guess we won't know unless someone mentions it on a commentary, because what happens in the writer's room stays in the writer's room until it we get the watered-down version in a DVD commentary. :D
What's the process of writing a script/story? How do you come up with plotlines for a story? How do you expand on an idea? Do you/How do you plan out a plot line (like plan out how you can use it in a later episode, season, arc etc.)?
Weird question: What's it like to have a queen? Lol.
Congrats to Martin Gero on his script for "Miller's Crossing". Great episode. Atlantis had great episode mix so far and the best is yet to come. Joe, can you tell us, if you know, is there going to be a 3 month break in the middle of the season like every year so far, or not. Thanks
"...pugs are extremely trusting dogs and tend to get injured by over-enthusiastic children - so make sure the kids behave."
Sadly, something happened to my best-friends dog because of it. One of her pugs was accidentally sat on as a puppy by her younger brother. He ended up with a lasting hip problem, and lips whenever he walks. Still, it doesn't keep him down :)
I was interested to see that you just finished 'The Golden Compass' (just in time for the movie release) but you're moving on to other books. Will you be continuing on with the rest of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy at a later date? They are extremely good books and the perhaps controversial subplot of the final book makes me wonder how they would handle it if they continued the series on film.
If Rodney were allowed to have his cat on Atlantis he could call the place Stargate Catlantis.
Bad joke. Crawling back into my hole ...
There is a thread on gateworld in which, the general assumption is: Someone stopped Morgan Le Fay from revealing the Saangral, other than the collective ascended ancients.(i.e. Omar De Sala.)
Can you get someone to comfirm or deny this?
It's my birthday on the fourth! (tomorrow here in Australia) Care to wish me happy birthday!
Lulu is one crazy dog. Just seen "The Seer" (hey I am in Australia) just wanted to say I loved it.
[i]Jedi said...
Question, What have the Atlantis people been feeding their Wraith guest? And how long can the Wraith go between feedings?[/i]
Ok - because you've asked that question the 2nd time, I will answer it. ;)
1.) Nothing :(
2.) About 3-4 months (->"Instinct")
Joe,
What comic book was Sheppard reading towards the end of Miller's Crossing?
Also, I really enjoyed the episode, particularly the latter half. This season, it seems like every decision the team makes has repercussions down the line that they didn't fully anticipate -- like, for instance, turning on the replicator attack code, only to have the replicators turn on human worlds in their fight against the wraith.
I'm looking forward to seeing the fall-out of Rodney's decision to inject Elizabeth with the repli-nanites, as well. I mean, what Wallace did in Miller's Crossing was no different, really, from what Ropdney did to Elizabeth back in the season opener -- Rodney just got luckyin the sense that Elizabeth's nanites fixed her, but now that Elizabeth is in the hands of the replicators...
Anyway, I liked this episode, and I liked the touch of John's darkness. I don't like what John did, but I certainly understand why he did it. John has to think of the people under his command in Atlantis and the people of the Pegasus galaxy. The sacrifice of Wallace, in that context, makes logical sense. And Wallace was responsible for Jeannie's condition, even if his reasons for putting Jeannie in that condition were also perfectly understandable in their own right.
Every one in this episode made choices to save those they love, and then they paid for them. There were no black and white choices -- only shades of grey -- and I think that's what I liked most about this episode.
I really hope there are more episodes like this one to look forward to. Thanks.
Good evening Joe! I have a question
Do the Atlantis crew have a member designated as hair-dresser? Particularly in the early days, when they had no contact with Earth, how did they keep their hair in such pristine condition(or in Sheppard's case, delectably ruffled?)
As always, enjoying the blog immensely!
I enjoyed MC because it was a stargate episode of old. Right back to the core what i like best - the behind the scenes stuff! Business and politics. Who makes the this and who built the that?
Some q's.
How do you feel your writing has evolved since your first episode to now? Do you look back on previous stuff and say "i would have done that differently"?
While i like the direction since Season 3.5 (the "war and the consequences of the decisions we make") i still feel that the episodes in general are too stargatey. SARCASM SHIELDS TO MAXIMUM! While, yes this is stargate, it would be interesting to have episodes that are more 'brawler'. They don't have to tie up so nicely with a bow at the end - i like when they don't.
Joe - your blog is proving to be entertaining and educational. Not only are you hilarious (in a good way), but I'm becoming quite well read thanks to the book club. And I'm very excited about the new category, and the chance/excuse to finally read a Straub book. I'll have to see if I can find all the books for this month somewhere.
What was the motivation for the new genre?
And another rather general question I'd like to see you answer: what are your thoughts on intertextuality?
Curse AT&T! I have been cut off from all civilization (aka the internet) on the week in which we had such a fantastic episode. Big and rather belated congratulations to Marty G for an episode that will be debated for a long time.
And I loved every minute of it!
It looks like you have yet more snowy weather headed your way. Batten down the hatches!
Hey Joe;
Read your interview with Sharon Gosling. I'm totally psyched about anything that involves Dr. Jackson and Atlantis. 2 questions.
1. Have you come up with a script or script ideas for Dr. Jackson since you talked to Mr. Shanks?
2. Do you know yet if we will see Dr. Jackson at the begining of S5 or will it be more towards the middle or end of the season?
I was just wondering why there was a decision not to have Carter in this episode and also to ask if we were going to see any of Carter's scientific side this season?
I'm just wondering why they even bother having anyone else there at all? I mean Carter (if you listen to her lobbyists) can do everyone's jobs all by her little, ol' speshul lonesome. So why not give all the Atlantis crew a well earned rest and let SuperSam really show us how to do it? She can maintain the city, beat the Wraith and bring peace to the Pegasus galaxy and give birth to Sir's triplets (Danny, Teal and Cammy) all without breaking a finger nail!!!! What a gal!
Will Mitchell's rank change during the two SG-1 movies?
Yes. And Browder and Shanks will still be ahead of Tapping in the credits. Build a bridge and GET OVER IT.
Joe,
I was rewatching Miller's Crossing last night - yes, it's that good, I had to rewatch twice to catch all the little nuances - and as I was cursing at the SciFi promos, I remembered someting you said awhile back. It was a statement to the effect that because of Tivo/DVR, the advertising on TV shows is changes, away from traditional commercials to banner ads and product placement (please correct me if I misunderstood or misrepresented your comment).
I just have to say, I found the banner ad on Miller's Crossing for "find the perfect Christmas toy" or some such TOTALLY annyoing, and I would never go to the site just because I found it so annoying for being a distraction to the show. maybe no a typical viewer reaction, but there you go. Advertising working in reverse - actually keeping people from buying.
I also HATED the fact that the SciFil logo and little "Tin Man" advert stayed in the lower right hand corner of the screen for the entire freaking episode of SGA.
Maybe you can pass along to you the SciFi execs sometime on a coffee break or something that some of the fans really, really hate the intrusion.
Product placement I can live with (tho I'm not likely to buy Evian just because I saw the label) but those banner ads and logos...they're driving me to iTunes where I don't have to put up with that nonsense.
Anyone else feel the same?
WB
1)Will Earth ultimately pay the price for their preemptive use of nanites?
2)Will the true extent Colonel Sheppard is willing to go for his team be revisited again this season?
Anonymous said...
You should be asking!
Can we have an episode with Magical Fairys and Santa Claus delivering presents to all the orphans in the Pegasus Galaxy, and eventually coming to Atlantis to bring seasons greetings, and spread the joy of the christmas for one special day where the team forgets the problems they face in life :)
Memo to JM:
Great idea..
Have the writers flesh it out a bit and we have the 200th episode done.
Martin Lloyd
Please say Beckett and Weir are back in season 5, and you guys are finally going to admit Keller and Carter just aren't working.
Now that you've turned Sheppard into Dr. Kevorkian, I won't be watching until I see my fav, original cast back, and writing that is more appropriate for families.
Hi Joe,
You received the snow on the west coast and we here on the east coast are getting 30 plus centimetres to day.
It's too bad that SciFi and the Movie Network here in Canada do not air Atlantis the same day. I always have to be careful reading your blog so I don't ruin the surprise on Monday nights. Could you put a good word in for me with Baron Destructo for some type of time manipulation device?
Thanks.
nicobar
I had to commit poetry today- based on Waterhouse's Lady of Shalott- you can tell I've had a lousy week, here it is
She's having a bad hair day and the kids have pissed her off.
She's had enough and wants to run away.
The housework's overcome her and the baby's got a cough
So she's taking to the river for today.
The chain is wet and slimy with an anchor at one end,
While the other end is fastened to the boat.
And it seemeth quite unlikely that she's going to start a trend
For tapestries instead of overcoats.
feel free to heckle :P
Sorry about yesterday's comment, my tongue was firmly planted in my cheek when I made it.
Any chance of us seeing Kate Hewlett again in Season 5? I really like the brother/sister story lines. And besides that Kate Hewlett like her brother is awesome.
Bonjour Joseph,
Quelle surprise de constater qu'il neige en ce moment (c'est ironique). J'espère que tu n'auras pas ce message deux fois, il y a eu un petit bog dans le système (moi et la technologie on est deux opposées)Hier soir j'ai regardé deux épisodes de la première saison de SGA. Je sais que je suis un peu en retard pour faire des commentaires, mais je le fais pareil. The storm et The eye sont vraiment de bons épisodes, j'aime le déroulement de l'histoire, le méchant Kolia, les personnages sont bien ancrés. J'adore. Comment fais-tu ta sélection pour ton club de lecture ? Es-tu conscients que tu peux encourager de jeunes auteurs ?
Bonne journée
I thoroughly enjoyed The Seer and Miller's Crossing. I loved seeing McKay and his sister together again. They are so fun to watch. Great scene between McKay and Sheppard discussing who will feed or be fed on by the wraith. How interesting and dark to have Sheppard come up with the solution he did for that dilemma. Might this come back to haunt him in the future? Hmm.
I missed National Pie Day. Is that Canadian? I don't get pie unless it's Thanksgiving or Christmas. Probably for the best.
Loved, loved, loved Millers Crossing. The interaction between Rodney and Jeannie. Rodney showing how much he really does love her.
Sheppard showing how far he'll go to save those he cares about.
And the humor: We're about even in the looks department, right.
Who's been lying to you?
That was hilarious!
No questions just kudos to the staff and actors/actresses of SGA!
[i]Anonymous said...
Please say Beckett and Weir are back in season 5, and you guys are finally going to admit Keller and Carter just aren't working.
Now that you've turned Sheppard into Dr. Kevorkian, I won't be watching until I see my fav, original cast back, and writing that is more appropriate for families. [/i]
Oh please! Carter and Keller are twice as good as the Weir/Beckett characters. When are you all going to quit whining. It isn't as if Joe can bring them back! The decision is up to folks other than him.
Sheppard isn't Dr. Kevorkian. Are you saying that you would have let Jeannie die or McKay sacrifice himself instead of the man responsible for the whole mess. He'd be up on murder charges if Jeannie died anyway.
And finally - family programming? I'm sure any kid old enough to still be up at 10pm has seen a lot worse and a lot more graphic TV than Millers Crossing.
Quote:
Answer: No, you heard wrong.
I suppose I'll rephrase the question. I hear you're ending the major ship pairings, i.e. Sheppard/Weir, Sheppard/Teyla, Ronon/Teyla; this season and replacing them with minor ship pairings, i.e. Ronon/Keller, Teyla/Supposed father of her baby, Sheppard/Larrin. Did I hear that right?
Salut Joseph =D
Oulala beaucoup de Lecture en ce moment!!
Lol, oui les frenchies son adorable!!!..et tétu ...lol
OUI, lol jespert que votre mére a bien compris la date ^^!
Questions:
1)Vous aimez l'opéra?
2)Quel est votre marque de voiture pérféré?
3)Combient avez vous de commentaires sur votre blog??
Voila, Merci, Gros KisouKisou!! Je vous aime trop, vous êtes le meilleur! a demain <3<3
Hi Joe. I enjoyed seeing Miller's Crossing over the weekend. Like a lot of others, I found the last ten minutes to be thought-provoking.
One thing that I really appreciated about both Miller's Crossing and McKay and Mrs. Miller was that these episodes showed off an intact, happy, traditional family in the Millers. (A rare thing to see on TV these days.) I especially liked that though Jeannie Miller chose to stay home with her daughter, that choice didn't mean that her intellect or her value to the community was in any way diminished. (Mr. Brains McKay was turning to her for help after all.) It was refreshing point of view.
Finally got to watch Millers Crossing. Shakes head in amazement at what the characters are becoming. I ended up sympathizing with Wallace and loosing respect for Sheppard. I'm still a bit stunned that Sheppard would resort to actually talking someone into killing themself, and what a horrible way to go. It made it even worse that Sheppard knew how horrible it was as he had experienced it himself. Will Sheppard or any of them ever suffer any consequences to their questionable deeds and in this case an immoral one.
Actually, I'm only Hugo-nominated, not winning. But give me time...
Thanks for the shout out.
anonymous says :
"Please say Beckett and Weir are back in season 5, and you guys are finally going to admit Keller and Carter just aren't working."
Hate to break it to you but theres no show in history that doesn't loose at least SOME of its main cast at some stage ...shows that tend to be long running need to come up with new and fresh ideas and sometimes that means dramatic cast changes! Yes I HATE the fact that Carson and Elizebeth got dumped ( I think most people do) but people need to give Keller a little slack! I think she's a really nice character!
"Now that you've turned Sheppard into Dr. Kevorkian, I won't be watching until I see my fav, original cast back, and writing that is more appropriate for families."
Every character has a dark side ...living in a different galaxy , facing death and danger and moral dilemmas constantly isn't gonna keep a character all sunshine and daisys! As for a family show - I think the very nature the show "life sucking vampires" wasn't that suitable for little families from season one ...not to mention that its on at 10pm? Not really a family time. But hey if you want family suitable you should petition for season five to have ponys and unicorns......I can just see the ratings now.
Thinking of Miller's Crossing, how much of the SG1 set is left? Is it pretty much all there and you're using it for storage? Are you keeping it just in case you need it for the next series?
Have all the cast signed on for season 5 yet or has that still to be decided?
What would happen if someone didn't want to come back and do another season or they did but they were already tied into doing something else. Would you try to get them back for atleast 1-2 episodes and write them out or does the end of season 4 leave them all facing certain doom?
Anonymous said...
Please say Beckett and Weir are back in season 5, and you guys are finally going to admit Keller and Carter just aren't working.
It's your opinion and I respect but for me the show is working really good with Carter and Keller (even if I liked Weir and Beckett too).
I hope Carter and Keller will be in season 5 with some appearances of Weir and Beckett.
Hi Joe,
I wonder if you'll get tired of all these people saying how fantastic Millers Crossing was? Well, if you are, sorry but here we go again .... just Wow! MC was absolutely spot-on in every respect. Kudos to all involved.
Although I'm a total SGA fan, this is the first time the storyline has really made me think about the wider implications of the on-screen events - i.e. in this case, what "war" actually means, in terms of the individuals caught up in the whole sorry, immoral mess that conflict of any kind inevitably becomes - no matter what the "justification". It's a long time since fictional TV has made me think at all, let alone about such an important issue.
I've also been very entertained by all the angsting going on about the *rights and wrongs* of Sheppard's actions. On the one hand, it's reassuring that in this incredibly cynical world there is still a huge amount of naivety (not to mention armchair lawyers and couch-potato moralists)and on the other it's actually quite scary .... Fascinating though.
For the record, I wouldn't have expected Sheppard to do anything else - desperate times, desperate measures. Do I like the character any less? Hell no - if anything, I admire Sheppard more for having the guts to make such a horrendous decision, especially as he was well-aware of the ambiguities of his actions. Who would have thought that the cocky fly-boy would come to this?
Sorry for the long post Joe, and I hope you don't mind my sharing my opinions with you and your band of devotees. Thanks to everyone involved with SGA .... don't know what we'd do without you!
Have fun in the snow!
Love
Janie
Do you ever read non-fiction books?
*waves*
"Mr M Says: Answer: No idea what you’re referring to. On occasion, I have refused to publish comments if I’ve had enough of a certain personal squabble between posters or if a comment contains a spoiler I’d rather not put up for discussion."
Or if they're extremely cheeky ;)
See I prefer a snarky response, I just don't do subtlety. LOL. Just say, "Cheeky, you're being too cheeky! Behave yourself!" That I get. Feel free to slap me down when I become unruly, i'm a big girl, I can take it. :P
*hugs*
I love seeing clips and photos of the dogs. Keep them coming. Pugs I am familiar with, but Lulu is the first Frenchie that I've had the pleasure of "knowing" even if it's only from your blog. She is adorable.
après plusieurs tentatives de questions et de sans réponses, je rééssais voilà:
Pourquoi la chaine SCIFI a t-elle diffusée une promo pour 2008 avec pour principale caratère weir? alors que son personnage n'est pas regulier!!!! il parait que la chaine ait montrée plus weir que sheppard où bien sam!!!! quel est l'intêret?
why???????
"Now that you've turned Sheppard into Dr. Kevorkian, I won't be watching until I see my fav, original cast back, and writing that is more appropriate for families."
Oh Anonymous I do have to ask if you've been watching the same show for the past four years that has included: alien vampires, genocide, torture, mass slaughter, burned up bodies and hybrid monsters as 'family viewing'.
Maybe Animal Planet may be more your speed but then again animals do eat each other to survive so perhaps Sesame Street, but I hear that show is controversial now, too
"quoting Joe" Speaking of reading, I finished The Golden Compass last night. Yep. I‘m done with that one. "
SFM - "...and???" (please be nice ... I fainted at Blood Donors yesterday and still not feeling 100%.
However, I was allowed to open my first Christmas present for this year - 2 (yes, not 1 but 2) Stargate dog tag necklaces (SG-1 and SGA address')and a Stargate mug!!
Will those who like emotional Shep-whumping get a squee-able scene when the poor guy realizes he could've fed 'Todd' a cow instead of Wallace?
Anne Teldy
Hi again Joe,
Please forgive my potentially stupid question but .... did the Wraith in Miller's Crossing actually know he was on Earth? If so, how did he know - I can't imagine there were signs up or anything ;) Please explain ... thank you!
Love
Janie
Anonymous said...
Please say Beckett and Weir are back in season 5, and you guys are finally going to admit Keller and Carter just aren't working.
They're working for me just fine. I do miss Weir and Beckett. Carter and Keller are doing a fine job.
Now that you've turned Sheppard into Dr. Kevorkian, I won't be watching until I see my fav, original cast back, and writing that is more appropriate for families.
My kids loved Miller's Crossing and they're smart enough to know that it's pretend. Even the eight year old figured out the show is science fiction and isn't real.
Besides, I find this far more appropriate than most of the crap on TV these days.
Isn't it wonderful how far Sheppard will go for his friends and those he considers family. But now that evil Wallace guy kidnapping Rodney and Jeannie and putting Jeanie's life in danger just to save his daughter is a scourge to humanity. How dare he go to such horrible lenghts to try and save his only daughter. This kind of behavour is only allowed for dashing heros.
Did the evil guy not research this before he started out on his evil plan.
Rules for dashing heros.
The hero doesn't have to follow the same rules as the rest of the mere mortals, doesn't every would be villian know this. Being the hero, or should I say dark hero now, allows him to be above the law and take matters into his own hands to get any outcome he wants. And if the hero is doing anything that involves saving a friend then this gives him free reign to sink to all sorts of low levels, and it actually makes the hero more likeable and interesting.
It's also ok lie and falsify documents, and make up a nice little story just in case there are any pesky higher up's who don't agree with the hero being so loyal to those he cares about. But no worries it makes him a really interesting character and leaves fans waiting in anticipation to see what other devilish dark deeds he has up his sleeve. But as long as the hero looks hot and reverts back to his quirky easy going nature from time to time there are no problems with his odd lapse into evil ruthlesness.
Rules for non heros. Read before you enter into your dastardly plan.
The hero always gets what he wants and you pay the price.
OPPS!!
I have a question!
How do I set my laser printer to stun?
Pauline
Just wanted to say that I enjoyed Miller's Crossing. I like episodes where the characters get to tread on morally questionable ground. It would be boring if the good guys were perfectly good, and the bad guys nothing but evil. I hope to see more.
P.S. Still waiting for 750K.
Just watched 'Miller's Crossing' and thought I'd let you know that I very much enjoyed it. Interesting moral dilemma, and I love Meredith and Jeanie's brother-sister banter.
As for comparing Sheppard to Kevorkian...huh?? Umm, really not the same thing. That said, even if they were comparable, not everyone finds Kevorkian immoral. Not everything is laid out in perfect black and white. Sheppard may have given Rex...errr, I mean Wallace a big nudge, but ultimately, Wallace decided on the action himself.
Anyway, good episode.
''I hope Carter and Keller will be in season 5 with some appearances of Weir and Beckett''
how bout weir and beckett full time in season 5 with some guest appearances by carter and keller?
Edward4th said...
I had to commit poetry today- based on Waterhouse's Lady of Shalott
Let me get this straight.. you had to write poetry based on a painting that is itself an ilustration of a famous poem? Interesting. :)
Fun poem though - please forgive me - Alfred Lord Tennyson you ain't! :lol:
I hear you're ending the major ship pairings
There are ship pairings on "Atlantis"? I must have missed some episodes. Sheppard and Weir? Sheppard and Teyla? Ronon and Teyla? When did that happen? I must have missed some episodes somewhere...
*chokes*
Laser printer on stun!!!
Oh, Pauline, I'm gonna go home giggling after that remark!
*shakes head and packs up grinning*
Oh! Forgot to celebrate earlier but I was in recovery: my crazy friend who wants be a writer convinced me to participate in National Novel Writing Month. The result was that 30 Nov marked the birth (completion really) of a 50K+ word Stargate Atlantis story. Yay! Although my fingers will forever hate me....
Now I can get back to living my life -- perhaps grab a novel from this blog's book selection list.
Hope you're enjoying the snow! I saw a couple of flakes here the other day!
Best,
Jenny
I loved Miller's Crossing! Everything was just fantastic in that episode and it was nice to see John look out for Rodney like that, really sweet... in a 'i presented a situation for a guy to kill himself' sort of way. Anywho, i've read a lot about books series on this website and there's a series i've been reading for the past four years and it's called Aztec by Gary Jennings (Historical Fiction). the series already has seven books, but i don't think there are going to be anymore seeing Gary Jennings passed away some time ago. Anywho, just thought you might like this series.
one question though:
what do you do with the millions of letters protesting Carson's death and wanting him to get back on the show? I sent one a while back (before hearing you state that there are other people fans can send letters to) and i was just wondering what you did with them.
thanks!
~Kiri
Hi Joe. I very much enjoy reading your blog, so thanks for writing to us...practically every day.
I would like to reccomend a series of books: the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey. I know you're more into Sci Fi than fantasy, but it's a sumptuous series. In my humble opinion.
I was also so glad to hear that season 5 is a go. I do background work here in Van and Stargate Atlantis was one of my favorite shows to work on. I even wrote an episode... which needs lots and lots of work. This writing thing is hard. :)
Be well.
Lauren
Any chance that in Season 5 of Stargate: Atlantis we will see more "people of color" from Earth? Don't get me wrong, I think it's wonderful that the show has Rachel Lutrell and Jason Momoa as leads in the show, but they play aliens.
It was great that Stargate: SG1 offered so many roles to people of color as Jaffa and other aliens, but there really has been a dearth of Earth-based characters as role models for the viewing audience.
Both SG1 and Atlantis have been terrific at showing women in important intelligent roles...
But, it would really be great when the camera slowly pans across a room of Earth-born scientists or soldiers, to see that people of all colors are present.
I was struck again by this issue, when watching "Miller's Crossing" on Friday, in the opening scene. I recall one white woman in the room, but no people of color.
The actors don't have to have dialogue. I just want some kind of reflection of Earth's varied people.
Hey Joe,
I just wanted to drop a note to let you and all the other writers know how much I've enjoyed the first half of season four.
I know a lot of us a quick to speak up when we're pissed/peeved/perplexed about a story and I just wanted to break the trend (for me anyway).
I can only speak for myself, but I'm really looking forward to the back half of season four.
Speaking of which, when will that start?
All those people who assume that "casual viewers" don't care about the loss of characters, that's bull.
I'm a casual viewer by your standards. I don't sit around on the internet all day every day looking for spoilers, as some people here seem to. Really, get a life! The ones who answer other people's comments and tell others what to think all the time -- people are posting here to ask Joe things, not you! Now I'm just waiting for one of you to be a smart ass and accuse me of doing what I've accused you of doing, because you can't seem to resist attacking any opinion that differs from yours, and I'm fairly sure mine does.
Anyway, I digress. My comment is related to the fact that I don't prowl around forums or read your every word here, but I look every now and then. I was extremely sad to see what you've done with Elizabeth. So are my friends who watch the show, who don't go online at all. They're upset to the point where they don't watch live. They don't even record anymore. They may download the episodes later, but there's no urgency in viewing the episodes for them now. There's no urgency for me, either.
Please bring Elizabeth back. The people who are saying that most people don't care are entitled to their opinion, but I think you'd find they're wrong. I have friends who are massive Carter fans who can't even stomach her as Weir's replacement, because the character's a pathetic shadow of her former self, and Amanda is, as someone said here, "phoning it in." She knows she has the job sewn up. She's been doing it for ten years. It's time to give it up already. Do something else.
I also have to give you my view on the ongoing debate about Joe Flanigan. Personally, I'm disgusted with all the idiots saying "OH MY GOD! He didn't say that, how dare you people try to get him into trouble."
I was at one of the conventions he did recently where he said a lot of the things that are being discussed. I went because I happened to be on holiday in Australia, and some friends were going. We listened to him talking about Torri, Paul, and various other things.
People, he said the things people are saying he said. Get over it. The man has a mind of his own. He's not afraid to give his opinion, and he's not such a suck-up that he has to toe the party line on everything. You should be proud to be a fan of an actor who speaks up for his coworkers, and cares about what happens to them and their characters. You should also realise that he's said it so many times now he's saying it for a reason: because he believes it.
Last time I checked, he lived in a free country. Every country he's made the comments in has been a free country. So let him say what he wants to say and stop trying to censor him by telling people not to repeat what he's said at conventions or in interviews.
Joe F has an integrity that's lacking in showbiz. He's loyal to his coworkers. I think people should be proud of him for that, instead of insulting him by saying that people are twisting his words and "he didn't really mean it" when he talks about two people he obviously likes working with.
Sorry if I've written a dissertation here. This is my first post! It will probably be my last.
But my points are:
Casual viewers do care about character loss. Assuming we don't is an insult. We're not mindless morons who will be fed anything and just go along with it.
And Joe Flanigan is free to say what he wants. People need to stop calling him unprofessional for supporting his friends and coworkers. People need to stop insulting him by trying to say "Oh he didn't really mean that he misses Paul and Torri, he meant to say he loves the new lineup" or whatever other crap they're saying. I'd much rather be a fan of someone who speaks his mind than someone who trots out production company lines about how fantastic everything is.
Joe,
That has got to be one of my fav videos. Thanks for your concern about us in the south. It was almost down to 50 degrees yesterday !
The last time it snowed here , 6 years ago, I took my dogs outside. One ran around like nuts. The other stood in the only dry land, where the car had been parked. She looked at me accusingly, as if I had something to do with it.
I would love it if someday you would devote a blog to your 4 dogs. A pic of each & a little bit about their personality. I know Lulu & a little about Jelly, but I get the others mixed up.
I am so excited about tomorrow's episode. I came upon your blogs late. This is the first season I have insight into.You wrote that this was the best season ever. & I thought.
"Of course he's going to say that."
But now I see you were right ! I haven't weighed in on the episodes because I am a poor writer. Most of the people in your blog are much better at expressing their opinions. I have loved every episode. Season 4 has exceeded my expectations , which were high. I thank every member of cast & crew who made it possible. I am not as observant as the die hard fans,. But even I notice the lighting, sounds, costume & sets. You guys have put so much work and love into this season & it shows.
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