January 15, 2008

I answered my cell phone today to a low, southern drawled: “Ah luuv yoou tooo.“ What the hell? It took me a couple of seconds to realize who it was - none other than Don S. Davis, General Hammond himself. He‘d been tipped off (by blog regular Gilder) to what I’d said about him in my previous blog entry and wanted to touch base. It’s always great hearing from my fellow gourmand. Apparently, 2007 was a busy year for him (which is great to hear), and he’s now enjoying some much-needed downtime. Hopefully, once things settle down for both Fondy and I, we’ll be able to get together with him and Ruby for another culinary excursion.

Hey, check out who also dropped by the offices today (pictured above). As with most people, turns out he’s a lot shorter in real life. And stickier.

Well, given the stats at both my wordpress and blogger sites, it looks like this blog will welcome its one millionth visitor some time this weekend (I‘m guessing late Sunday). As with previous milestones, I’d like to do something special to commemorate the event. Past landmark winners have enjoyed such memorable prizes as Ark of Truth flocking, Last Man sand, SG-1dvd’s, and a virtual dinner. So how to top that? Well, after giving it a lot of thought, I’ve decided to award the next fortuitous fan (the first person to comment after the one millionth visit) not one but TWO special prizes. For starters, the lucky winner will be immortalized onscreen by having a character named after them in an upcoming episode. Whether it’s the frazzled technician manning the console, the irritating off-world ambassador with the hidden agenda, or the wraith with the heart of gold - it will be a momentous addition to the Stargate canon; one that will surely be savored, from the character’s awkward introduction to his/her bizarre and untimely demise at show’s end. And, in addition to making Stargate history, the lucky winner will also receive a Stargate 10th Anniversary Watch (pictured being displayed by the consistently photogenic Marty G.). Not only does it tell time, but it is a snazzy accessory AND bludgeoning weapon.

Hey, we had butter chicken for lunch today. “Who cares?”you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you who cares - Carl Binder. He’d cares. A lot. And so, I’ve included a snap of the aforementioned dish for our buddy in L.A.. Carl, eat your heart out (which, I’m sure you’ll bitterly admit, is no substitute for butter chicken).

Today’s blog is dedicated to everyone who instructed me on how to disable snap previews.

Today’s mailbag:

Jenny R. writes: “Do your dogs like wearing sweaters, halloween costumes, etc., or do they run around desperately trying to get it off of them?”

Answer: The pugs are miserable dressed up, but Lulu seems to enjoy modeling some of those ridiculous outfits. She’s a bit of a diva I guess.

Amyfo writes: “Just picked up “The Traveler” by John Twelve Hawks today. So far I’m loving it, have you read it?”

Answer: It’s funny you should mention John Twelve Hawks. I’ve had a couple of his books catch my eye but I haven’t invested in any because this is one of those rare occasions where the marketing machine behind an author actually steered me clear of his work. Nothing personal. I can’t judge him as a writer (because I haven’t read his stuff) and I don’t know what kind of person he is. However, I’m pretty sure he’s not the “off the grid” isolationist who only communicates via the internet and untraceable satellite phones - which is what his publisher would have us believe. Rumors of his true identity range from Stephen Hawking to a contemporary Elephant Man. Ultimately, the mysterious persona fabricated for John Twelve Hawks (who, by the way, has purportedly admitted he isn’t an American Indian) reads like a humorless version of Lemony Snicket, so it’s kind of hard to take him all that seriously.

Emily writes: “But I had been wondering how you’d handle critiquing this book if you didn’t like it–same goes with Future Fiction…does it make you uncomfortable to know the editor will read your thoughts on it? Will you censor your critique (if you dislike it, that is), or do you not really care?”

Answer: No, I won’t censor myself. However, as someone who is dealt their fair share of criticism every day, I do recognize the difference between offering an informed opinion and just being a dick. The Crooked Letter, for instance, was clearly not my cup of tea and I confess it had more to do with the sub-genre than any shortcomings in Williams’s abilities as a writer. I found the characters thin but, on the other hand, recognized his skill in creating a complex and colorful world. The Future Fiction collection should be very interesting as I’m sure there will be some stories I’ll love, some that will may to impress and, quite possibly, some I’ll downright hate.

Astrumporta writes: “By the way, I’m Michelle of SCB — using a different name over here.”

Answer: Ah, that makes sense. And who were you on the old blogger site?

Deena writes: “Back to SGA, if you had to pick one episode out of the second half of season 4 as your favorite, which would it be?”

Answer: Probably The Last Man. I enjoy this type of story.

PG15 writes: “One last thing…and this is kind of awkward, because I don’t want to be a nag, but, uh, remember that thing that I won? You know the, uh, Stargate SG1 things? The, you know…DVDs and such? Any news on that?”

Answer: I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Ha ha! Just kidding! As I mentioned way back when, I only had seasons 1-9. I may be able to get my hands on 10, but not before the start of production. So expect your package in early March.

RangerOne writes: “All I have seen so far is Larrin. A cliched, comedic relief, eye candy of a character that has shown not one bit of leadership skill and only been used to make Sheppard look bad. I have to say this is by far the biggest disappointment so far this season…”

Answer: Hey, if that’s been your biggest disappointment this year, then I’d say we’re doing pretty well!

RangerOne also writes: “ I also am waiting for the long story-arcs that are developed intelligently and logically instead of a brief mention here and a brief mention there and all of a sudden trying to tie it up in one episode.”

Answer: Neither Stargate has ever been a space opera, so while we do develop arcs over the course of a season, you won’t see us telling long, multi-episode stories. Also, story-arcs are generally tied up in one episode. The last one.

RangerOne also writes: “It is unbelievable to me that an alliance just majically appears in the span of a day or so.”

Answer: The alliance was created for the purposes of attacking the replicator home world, so time was of the essence. Atlantis already had a pre-established relationship with both Todd and the travelers, so it isn’t that hard to believe that they were able to convince them to participate in the op.

Alipeeps writes: “Sooo.. Against a Dark Background. What did you think?”

Answer: I’ve enjoyed all four of the Iain M. Banks books I have read. Against A Dark Background was great but, given the fact that he surprised me with Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, and Player of Games, I was able to predict the ending.

Himawari writes: “Todd told Sheppard that it was known among the Wraith that Dr McKay had fiddled with the replicator’s base code. Does it means that the Wraith know about McKay’s mastery of it?”

Answer: It means that some of them certainly do.

Shiningwit writes: “Just watching SG1 episode “Revision”. was it shot on set or on location? and is it the same as Atlantis episode “Irresponsible”?”

Answer: Yep.

Yasmin writes: “I have a question for you, does Fondy watch SG1/SGA? Is she interested in sci-fi? Do you ever run ideas past her or reserve it for your work mates?”

Answer: Fondy does enjoy scifi but hasn’t watched either SG1 or SGA. When it comes to story ideas or impasses, I usually defer to my fellow writers.

Joe Abercrombie writes: “Nice post, Paul. I wonder what Joe would think of it? Interested to see what you make of Name of the Wind, by the way, as commercially Rothfuss seems to have knocked the arse out of me and Lynch put together, at least in the US.”

Answer: But I’m sure you have the upper hand on your home turf. What we need is a neutral location for the tie-breaker. How are sales in Kuala Lumpur?

Shelsfc writes: “I’m trying to get into anime, but I know absolutely nothing about it!! Have you got any recommendations for a newbie?”

Answer: Cowboy Bebop.

Elizabeth writes: “I just read Fast Forward 1 in four hours! When do I leave the review?”

Answer: In a little over a month.

Vduchess writes: “I was wondering what you thought of German cuisine and if you had a favorite dish?”

Answer: Carl Binder and I went on a schnitzel tour of Vancouver last year so, yeah, I’d have to go with schnitzel.

Elizabeth also writes: “ Through a time anomaly, Sheppard winds up 10,000 years in the future and finds both a solar-blasted Earth…”

Answer: A solar-blasted Earth? He does?

AnneTeldy writes: “ Since you didn’t like my last contest idea, I’ve come up with another one: the winner gets his/her name — not a walk-on role; just the name — used for an off-camera character on the show.”

Answer: I’ve done you one better…