31.Jan.05
Posted in Merchandise at 11:28 am by Alison
“Local Custom” by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
The first of the seven books set in the Liaden Universe tells a rich and sweeping story of warring families and star-crossed lovers in a fantastic, other-world galaxy.
Master trader Er Thom knows the local custom of Liaden is to be matched with a proper bride, and provide his prominent clan Korval with an heir. Yet his heart is immersed in another universe, influenced by another culture, and lost to a woman not of his world. And to take a Terran wife such as scholar Anne Davis is to risk his honor and reputation. But when he discovers that their brief encounter years before has resulted in the birth of a child, even more is at stake than anyone imagined. Now, an interstellar scandal has erupted, a bitter war between two families-galaxies apart-has begun, and the only hope for Er Thom and Anne is a sacrifice neither is prepared to make…
Shanks For The Memories
Dreamwatch #126, February 2005
Brief extract from the interview by Ian Spelling
Michael Shanks is about to record an audiobook adaptation of the SF novel “Local Custom”, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. “It’s interesting,” Shanks notes. “I’m not a huge reader anymore. My wife [Andromeda actress Lexa Doig] is the reader of the family. I’m not into SF novels or anything like that. It was just the notion of, ‘Oh. I’d like to read an audiobook,’ and then once I started reading the book I realised what it was exactly that I’d signed up for.”
“It’s one of those books that has words with all the apostrophes in strange places and because it’s SF you know you can’t even draw on your experience of how to say Lithuania properly. It’ll actualyl say, ‘She’s from the planet Alph’ha’hey,’ and you’re thinking, ‘What? Is somebody around to tell me how I’m supposed to sat this?’ So I think it’s going to be tricky, to say the least, about narrating a SF audiobook, but it’s an experience I wanted to have.”
“I appreciate the notion of audiobooks for the visually impaired or, quite frankly, for those people who would rather listen than read. If anybody is going to buy this audiobook just to listen to me for three hours, well, God bless them.”
Narrated by Michael Shanks, “Local Custom” will be available as an unabridged 8-CD set from Buzzy Multimedia in May 2005. The usual cost for audiobooks is $47.95. Fans of Stargate SG-1’s newest cast member Ben Browder may be interested in his narration of “Interlopers” by Alan Dean Foster, also from Buzzy Multimedia.
Audiobooks from Buzzy Multimedia
Read an extract from “Local Custom”
Buy the “Local Custom” novel from Amazon.co.uk
Permalink
Posted in News at 10:54 am by Alison
Shanks For The Memories
Dreamwatch #126, February 2005
Brief extract from the interview by Ian Spelling
In all his time in the sci-fi universe, Michael Shanks reports that he and Ben Browder have only crossed paths twice in the past.
“Claudia Black was on Stargate and she and I had many conversations about Ben,” he says. “The first time I met Ben and talked to him we’d run into each other at the airport. I do know that he’s got a great [drama] training background. We seem to have a common thought process about how you can squeeze artistic notions inside a sci-fi television show, and you could see that he was working towards that on his show [Farscape] before there was even a twinkle of him being on our show. I think he’ll bring great sensibilities.”
“I don’t know much about his work but I’ve heard it’s excellent. So I’ll look forward to that. He seems to be a team player in that regard as well. I’m looking forward to a really positive, artistic and cohesive team atmosphere.”
Buy Dreamwatch issue #126 from the UK
Permalink
30.Jan.05
Posted in SG-1 at 9:28 am by Alison
“Season 9 will have a new beginning with a new enemy,” Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis Executive Producer and writer Brad Wright told Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune. “I think once you’ve seen the end of Season 8 you’ll understand why we’re doing that.”
Meanwhile, Stargate SG-1 Executive Producer and writer Robert C. Cooper told SCI FI Wire, the news website of broadcasters Sci Fi Channel, that the ninth season would introduce new villains and take the show in a new direction. “While we say new direction…the concept of the series is very much pulled from the mythology of SG-1, and I think fans are going to be very excited about the direction we’re going. One of the things we’re going to be exploring in season nine is the origin of the Ancients and the Gatebuilders. And it’s something I know fans have been sort of very curious about, and have sort of asked to see. And that is … one of the things we’re really going to be delving into…Who the Ancients really are, and where they came from, and we may even get a chance to go there.”
Now Stargate SG-1 Solutions is hearing from its sources that the writers will be incorporating classic – and eternally popular – Arthurian legend into Stargate’s rich mythology. As well as introducing new enemies, Season 9 will explore the fascinating myths of Camelot, Avalon and Excalibur within Stargate’s distinctive universe.
The key to this incredible new direction for the show?
Merlin was an Ancient!
And the questions Stargate SG-1’s resourceful, mythology-hungry fans are sure to be asking themselves? Merlin’s magical powers rooted in Ancient technology? Arthur being able to draw the sword from the stone because he possessed the Ancient gene? Excalibur a powerful Ancient weapon? Camelot and Avalon worlds SG-1 will journey to? Oma Desala as the Lady Of The Lake? Daniel and the team embarked on a Grail quest?
Let the speculation begin…
Discuss the incredible new mythological direction of the show at SG1Solutions Forum
Merlin biography
Arthurian resources
Voice of the Shuttle: Arthurian studies
King Arthur
The Camelot Project
Permalink
29.Jan.05
Posted in Articles & Updates at 7:50 pm by michelle
Nialla has something for all fan species to enjoy in her parody of 8.06 “Avatar”. Read it here!.
Permalink
28.Jan.05
Posted in News at 12:08 pm by Alison
Cast chemistry keeps `Stargate’ appealing
By Maureen Ryan
Tribune staff reporter
Some older TV shows — and we’re too kind to name names here — settle into a state of suspended mediocrity, puttering along and recycling old stories as they wait for someone to cancel them.
“Stargate SG-1,” which is in the middle of its eighth season, is not one of those. The episode airing at 7 p.m. Friday on Sci Fi is a treat, and it should be as much fun for “Farscape” lovers as for “SG-1″ fans.
Claudia Black, the steely Aeryn Sun of Sci Fi’s canceled cult series “Farscape,” guests as Vala, a wily woman who manages to hijack a spaceship that belongs to Earth’s secret Stargate program, which battles various baddies across the universe. When not shooting at him or otherwise trying to take him down, Vala also attempts, with some success, to seduce “Stargate” scientist Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks, at his bemused best).
Given the chemistry between Black and Shanks, things should get mighty interesting next season, when Black is set to appear in at least five episodes of “SG-1.” Not only will the delightfully devious Vala return, but Ben Browder, Black’s love interest on “Farscape,” joins the cast of “SG-1″ next season as well. Is it any wonder that some sci-fi mavens have jokingly begun to refer to “SG-1″ as “Fargate”?
The truth is, “Stargate SG-1″ has always had a good measure of what made “Farscape” such fun: an irreverent attitude, a sprinkling of pop-culture references (watch for an amusing Han Solo mention) and a cast whose chemistry is almost palpable. And though the long-running program may not often show the wild inventiveness of “Farscape” at its best, clearly the “SG-1″ producers know when to mix things up — heck, even the desk-bound Gen. Hammond (Don S. Davis) has some commando-style adventures on Friday’s episode.
Read the review at Chicago Tribune online
Discuss Prometheus Unbound at SG1Solutions Forum
Permalink
Posted in News at 11:20 am by Alison
A Solutions source has revealed that a new candidate has been given the role of the SGC’s commanding general for Season 9 of Stargate SG-1: Beau Bridges.
A Hollywood Walk Of Fame alumnus (2003, with his star next to those of father Lloyd and brother Jeff Bridges), the 63 year-old actor, director and producer Beau Bridges has had a long and critically acclaimed career in film and television. In film, he is best known for “The Fabulous Baker Boys” with brother Jeff and Michelle Pfeiffer, while sci-fi fans will recall his leading role in the two-hour “Outer Limits” episode ‘Sandkings’.
Bridges’ prestigious awards include an Emmy and a Golden Globe award for the 1992 TV movie “Without Warning: The James Brady Story;” an Emmy and a Golden Globe for 1993’s “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom;” an Emmy for the 1997 miniseries “The Second Civil War” and a National Society of Film Critics Award in 1989 for “The Fabulous Baker Boys.” He has been the recipient of countless other award nominations.
President of the environmental group “Ventura CoastKeeper” in his native California, recently Bridges has been working alongside Daniel Day-Lewis on the film “The Ballad of Jack and Rose,” which opens in March. He joins established stars Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge and Amanda Tapping, plus newcomers Ben Browder and Claudia Black for Stargate’s pivotal 9th season. As Stargate Command’s new general, Bridges will follow in the footsteps of fan favourite Don S. Davis who played General George Hammond in Seasons 1-7, and star Richard Dean Anderson, Brigadier General Jack O’Neill in Season 8. It’s not yet known if Bridges will be part of the regular cast or a recurring guest star.
Beau Bridges at IMDB
Beau Bridges at TV Tome
Discuss this article at SG1Solutions Forum
Vote in the SG1Solutions Poll: how do you feel about the casting of Beau Bridges?
Permalink
27.Jan.05
Posted in News at 5:51 pm by Alison
The official UK rating for “Prometheus Unbound,” “It’s Good To Be King” and “Full Alert” have been published.
Stargate ratings
05/10: 0.94m viewers, placed 3rd (New Order Part 1)
12/10: 1.19m viewers, placed 2nd (New Order Part 2)
19/10: 1.00m viewers, placed 2nd (Lockdown)
26/10: 1.03m viewers, placed 3rd (Zero Hour)
02/11: 0.92m viewers, placed 2nd (Icon)
09/11: 0.88m viewers, placed 5 th (Avatar)
16/11: 0.93m viewers, placed 4 th (Affinity)
23/11: 0.89m viewers, placed 4 th (Covenant)
30/11: 0.82m viewers, placed 5 th (Sacrifices)
07/12: 0.80m viewers, placed 8 th (End Game)
14/12: 0.80m viewers, placed 6th (Gemini)
21/12: 0.74m viewers, placed 3rd (Prometheus Unbound)
04/01: 0.68m viewers, placed 4th (It’s Good To Be King)
11/01: 0.79m viewers, placed 3rd (Full Alert)
Atlantis ratings
12/10: 1.28m viewers, placed 1st (Rising Part 1)
19/10: 0.99m viewers, placed 3rd (Rising Part 2)
26/10: 0.97m viewers, placed 4th (Hide and Seek)
02/11: 0.86m viewers, placed 4th (Thirty-Eight Minutes)
09/11: 0.76m viewers, placed 10th (Suspicion)
16/11: 0.86m viewers, placed 6th (Childhood’s End)
23/11: 0.73m viewers, placed 9th (Poisoning the Well)
30/11: less than 0.72m viewers, not in top 10 (Underground)
07/12: less than 0.78m viewers, not in top 10 (Home)
14/12: less than 0.76m viewers, not in top 10 (The Storm)
21/12: 0.71m viewers, placed 4th (The Eye)
04/01: 0.65m viewers, placed 5th (The Defiant One)
11/01: 0.72m viewers, placed 6th (Sanctuary)
Permalink
Posted in News at 5:39 pm by Sally
Richard Dean Anderson is one of a group of celebrities who have contributed recipes to a charity cookbook, “Pot on the Stove”, which was put together by the Vancouver Firefighters in support of BC Children’s Hospital. Richard’s recipe is for Chocolate Hazelnut Coconut cake and is accompanied by a photograph of him in a fire truck.
The book also contains recipes from celebrities including Sarah McLachlan and Jamie Oliver, a pictoral history of the Vancouver Fire Department, fire prevention tips, and a selection of great photographs.
“Pot on the Stove” is available at Chapters, Duthies and London Drugs in Canada and can also be ordered online at the Vancouver Firefighters website; they ship internationally.
Please note: the photograph on this page is not in the book, and is used with the kind permission of the Vancouver Firefighters. — Jonathan Cruz Photography.
Permalink
Posted in News at 5:16 pm by Alison
SCI FI OWNS FRIDAY NIGHT
SCI FI Channel #1 Cable Net for 2nd Consecutive Friday*
New York, NY (January 24, 2005) — The debut of ‘SCI FI Friday’ – the biggest night of sci-fi on television – led SCI FI Channel to its second consecutive week as the #1 network on cable among P18-49, P25-54, M25-54 and M18-49 in Prime (8-11pm). It also marked the highest-rated and most-watched Friday SCI FI has ever delivered in first quarter.
The Winter Premieres of SCI FI’s perennial viewer favorites ‘Stargate SG-1′ (8pm) and ‘Stargate Atlantis’ (9pm), combined with the critically-acclaimed ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (10pm), have made the Channel a viewer hotspot on Friday nights. For Friday Prime (8-11pm), SCI FI:
–Ranked in the Top 5 cable nets among P2+ (#3), P18-34s (#2), M18-34 (#2), F25-54 (#5) and F18-49 (#5), in addition to the #1 finishes reported above in P18-49s, P25-54s, M18-49s and M25-54s.
–Ranked in the Top 10 among F18-34 (#9)
–Claimed two of the Top 3 telecasts in cable among P25-54s and placed all three 8-11pm telecasts in the Top 5
–Claimed two of the Top 3 telecasts in cable among P18-49s, and placed all three 8-11pm telecasts in the Top 10
–Claimed three of the Top 4 telecasts in cable among M25-54 – including the #1 telecast of the day (’Battlestar Galactica,’ 1,378,000 M25-54)
–Claimed the Top 2 telecasts in cable among M18-49 (’Battlestar Galactica’, 1,254,000 M18-49; ‘Stargate Atlantis’ 983,000 M18-49)
–’Battlestar Galactica’ at 10pm was the #2 program in cable among P18-34
SCI FI, along with sister network USA, led NBC Universal cable networks in dominating the night. With the combined strength of ‘Monk’ (USA), ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (SCI FI), ‘Stargate Atlantis’ (SCI FI) and ‘Stargate SG-1′ (SCI FI), the networks claimed four of the Top 5 shows among P25-54 for the night.
‘Battlestar Galactica’
With a 2.3 HH rating/2.9 million P2+, 2 million P25-54 and 1.8 million P18-49, ‘Battlestar’ faced and defeated its competition. Among M25-54, the series delivered 1.4 million viewers – more than 13 of the 20 programs that aired on the broadcast networks that night, including ‘Star Trek Enterprise’ on UPN and ‘Jonny Zero’ on Fox.
When compared against SCI FI’s 1Q04 time period average (10-11pm), ‘Battlestar’ was up:
+109% in HH ratings
+137% in P2+
+222% in P25-54
+256% in P18-49
‘Stargate SG-1′
With a 2.0 HH rating/2.5 million viewers P2+, Stargate SG-1’s Winter Premiere showed exceptional growth vs. the 1Q04 time period average (8-9pm):
+82% in HH ratings
+87% in total viewers P2+
+125% in P25-54
+127% in P18-49
‘Stargate Atlantis’
With its 2.1 HH rating/2.6 million viewers P2+, also blew away all SCI FI’s 1Q04 ratings for the time period average (9-10pm):
+24% in HH ratings
+18% in total viewers P2+
+44% in P25-54
+38% in P18-49
*8-11pm Prime among P18-49, P25-54, M25-54 and M18-49.
Permalink
22.Jan.05
Posted in Articles & Updates at 4:09 pm by michelle
Join us in enjoying the latest of Nialla’s SG-1 episode parodies:
8.05 Icon: The Breadbox Edition
Permalink
« Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »
