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New NBC Promo Features Shanks in “Saving Hope” – Updated

We’ve embedded below a new promo video from NBC that features Dr. Charlie Harris, played by our very own MICHAEL SHANKS! NBC and CTV in Canada both will be premiering Saving Hope on June 7 at 9/8c [NEW TIME!]. The new series also stars Erica Durance (Smallville) and Daniel Gillies (The Vampire Diaries).

Stargate Composer Joel Goldsmith Passes Away

The Stargate world was saddened to hear today of the passing of Joel Goldsmith, the music composer of nearly all of the music for all three Stargate series and both DVD movies. As reported here and here, Joel died after a long battle with cancer; he was 54 years old and lived in the Los Angeles area.

Joel was nominated for three Emmy awards for his work on Stargate, which was especially impressive given that he used music synthesizers for the show, rather than a full orchestra, due to budgetary limitations. He was beloved by the producers and cast, who were especially thrilled to watch Joel lead a live orchestra for the DVD movies, as we described here.

On a personal note, I had the opportunity to meet Joel at the Creation Stargate convention in Burbank in 2005. Joel was quietly humble and very kind, and intensely passionate about his music. He took the time to sign autographs for any fans who wanted one for free, and he broke the news about the shortened Stargate Atlantis opening credits that would so anger fans when it really happened.

If you haven’t before now, we highly recommend fans purchase his three Stargate-related CDs:

We join all of Stargate fandom in expressing our condolences to Joel’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Get a Sneak Peek of Jewel Staite’s New Show “The L.A. Complex”

Jewel Staite as Raquel Westbrook in THE L.A. COMPLEX (Credit: Stephen Scott /Courtesy of Epitome Pictures Inc. ©Epitome Pictures Inc.)

JEWEL STAITE‘s new show, The L.A. Complex, has its American television premiere next Tuesday, April 24, on The CW, but you can watch the pilot online now! Visit The CW’s Video page for the show!

You can also watch the pilot, “Down in L.A.,” from HULU. Staite tweeted, “Be ahead of the crowd and watch episode 1 of @TheLAComplex before its premiere April 24 at 9pm on the CW. Just do it. http://bit.ly/IOaiXz.” She also provided the link to The Daily Buzz’s article “New CW Television Series: “The L.A. Complex” (Trailer)” so that you could get an idea of what the show is about.

The L.A. Complex has additional Stargate ties as Martin Gero executive produces, writes, and directs this new show that made its debut in Canada earlier this year. Originally six one-hour episodes, the “soapy” drama was given 13 more to fill out its first season. Production on these additional episodes started this month.

The story centers around young people trying to make it big in Hollywood. From its About page at The CW:

Small fish. Big pond. Huge dreams.

Every day, young people with stars in their eyes get off the bus in Los Angeles in search of fame and fortune. THE L.A. COMPLEX centers on a group of aspiring performers pursuing stardom in the City of Angels. Living in an apartment-style motel for displaced dreamers, each dubbed “most likely to succeed,” they all face the challenges and opportunities of a lifetime.

The young hopefuls who have become neighbors, friends and the closest thing any of them have to family, include Connor (Jonathan Patrick Moore, “Neighbours,” “All Saints”), an actor with drop-dead good looks and a dark past, who has just landed a leading role in his first series; Raquel, (Jewel Staite, “Firefly,” “Stargate: Atlantis”), a street-smart actress who had one big hit series, but is worried she’s quickly becoming yesterday’s news; Nick, (Joe Dinicol, “Murdoch Mysteries,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”), a struggling stand-up comedian who is always the best friend and never the boyfriend; Abby, (Cassie Steele, “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” “Relic Hunger”), the naive but determined young actress who gave up a boyfriend back home to stay in L.A. until she gets her big break; Alicia (Chelan Simmons, “Smallville,” “Supernatural”) a sensitive, aspiring dancer who will do whatever it takes to make ends meet; Kaldrick (Andra Fuller, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “Entourage”), the superstar Hip-Hop artist who hails from the streets of Oakland, California; and Tariq (Benjamin Charles Watson, “Todd and The Book of Pure Evil,” “The Listener”), the talented aspiring Hip-Hop artist who is hiding a secret.

For every bona fide starlet, there are countless cocktail waitresses. For every true rock star, there are hundreds of musicians playing for tips on the street. For every comedian with a hit sitcom, there are dozens of guys cracking jokes while pouring your coffee. In L.A., your life can change in the blink of an eye. On Monday, you might score some face-time with a big-shot producer. On Wednesday, you might sign that multi-million dollar contract you’ve been dreaming of, but until then, one thing is for sure: every month, the rent is due.

THE L.A. COMPLEX is executive produced by Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn of Epitome Pictures (“Degrassi,” “Instant Star”) and Martin Gero (“Bored to Death,” “Stargate Atlantis”). Directors are Martin Gero and Stefan Brogren. Writers are Martin Gero, Aaron Abrams, Matt Huether, Cole Bastedo, Karen Hill, and Brendan Gall. For Bell Media, Trish Williams is Production Executive; Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production; Neil Staite is Vice-President and General Manager, Music and Entertainment; Catherine MacLeod is Vice-President, Specialty Channels; Rick Brace is President, Specialty Channels and CTV Production, and Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

Paul McGillion Guesting on "Once Upon a Time" Tonight

PAUL McGILLION will be playing the Knave of Hearts in tonight’s episode of ABC’s Once Upon a Time. The story, titled “Hat Trick,” is a modern-day interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, but with the twist that characters from fairy tales are actually alive and have been cursed by an evil queen to live in our world without having their “happily ever afters.”

SGU star ROBERT CARLYLE is among the regular cast, playing the dual roles of Rumpelstiltskin and Mr. Gold.

Once Upon a Time airs at 8/7c on ABC. Check your local listings for the times in your area. If you miss the episode, you can watch it online on Hulu and ABC Video.

Paul McGillion Joins Twitter Too

Paul McGillionJust a day after @MichaelShanks, Stargate Atlantis’s own Paul McGillion has joined twitter as well! Follow him at @PaulyMcGillion. It seems @JewelStaite convinced him to join:

Holy shit guys. Guess what? I finally did it! Follow Paul McGillion on twitter @PaulyMcGillion. I am the puppet master. Thank me later.

After gaining hundreds of followers in just a few hours (he’s got over 1700 as of this post), Paul had this to say:

Holy shit this is crazy!!!!

So give Paul a follow and make him feel welcome!

 

Michael Shanks is Tweeting!

On March 19, the folks at michaelshanks-online.com turned over the @MichaelShanks twitter handle to Michael himself. Perhaps motivated by his upcoming role in Saving Hope (imdb, twitter), Michael decided to start tweeting himself, and he’s started off with a bang! He’s been saying hi to fellow Stargate alums, responding to fans, and even exchanging tips with his wife Lexa Doig (@LexaShmexa). So if you’re not on Twitter, this might be your reason to finally take the plunge. After all, Michael swore he’d never do it either!

Or, visit our page of all Stargate twitter users!

The michaelshanks-online.com twitter account is now MichaelShanks-Online — give them a follow as well.

 

Shanks’s Saving Hope Picked Up by NBC

Saving Hope, a medical drama starring Michael Shanks and Erica Durance, has been picked up by prime-time US network NBC. Its 13 episodes will air on both NBC and the Canadian CTV this summer. Filming starts March 12 in Toronto. It’s not clear if the pilot episode will be used as already filmed, or re-shot in some way.

This marks the first time Michael will appear as a co-star in a regular series airing on a major US network!  We wish him every success and we’re sure we speak for all of his fans in looking forward to seeing him on our TV screens again.

For more information on Saving Hope, check our recent blog postings here.

ETA: The premiere date has been set by NBC: June 7, 2012, at 10 PM ET.
 

Brian J. Smith Cast in Broadway Play

Brian J. Smith in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (PBS Photos)Brian J. Smith, who played Lt. Scott in Stargate Universe, has won a role in a new play debuting on Broadway in New York in April. From this announcement:

Tony Award nominee Stephen Kunken (Enron), Grace Gummer (Arcadia) and Brian J. Smith (Come Back, Little Sheba) will join previously announced John Lithgow, Margaret Colin and Boyd Gaines for the Broadway world premiere of David Auburn’s The Columnist, Manhattan Theatre Club announced.

The movie is about a famous columnist, played by John Lithgow. It’s not clear what role Brian will play, but he has tweeted about it with great excitement:

Back to NY tomorrow to start work on a play that has kept me sleepless with excitement for months. One hint: Broadway!!!!

and

Great first day of rehearsal. Damn this cast is impressive! Amazing design team too – I peed a little during the set designer’s presentation

Public performances will begin at the Manhattan Theater Club on April 4, with the official opening night on April 25. It will run into June. We hope some Stargate fans will go see it and report back to us!

 

Paul McGillion in "Witchslayer Gretl" on Syfy Tonight

Paul McGillion in WITCHSLAYER GRETL

Paul McGillion in WITCHSLAYER GRETL (Syfy)

PAUL McGILLION stars in tonight’s Syfy Original Movie Witchslayer Gretl at 9 PM ET.

McGillion portrays Hansel in this sci-fi interpretation of the classic fairy tale. In this version, “Hansel returns to the forest to avenge his sister’s death, but finds a grim surprise instead.”

Shannen Doherty also stars.

First Trailer of “Saving Hope” with Shanks, Durance

Michael Shanks as Dr. Charlie Harris in SAVING HOPE (CTV/BellMedia)

Michael Shanks as Dr. Charlie Harris in SAVING HOPE (CTV/BellMedia)

The first trailer of the new Canadian series “Saving Hope” is up now here at eonetv.com. Go watch it — it’s intriguing and demonstrates what a lead role Michael and Erica will have!

Thanks to Michael’s wife Lexa for the tip via her twitter, @LexaShmexa:

Check out the trailer for hubby’s new show! It might take a while to load, but worth it! bit.ly/zRFVF9 #SavingHope

Right now it’s a Canadian production that will be shown on a Canadian network, but we hope it will be purchased for airing in the US as well. In that vein, Lexa also said this:

I believe #SavingHope will be airing on NBC – keep an eye out for it

 

The pilot was shot in the Fall, and Michael has said the shooting for Season 1 starts in February. We’ll update you as more info arrives.

 

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