The Sci Fi adventure/horror movie Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon came out on DVD recently (available here for Region 1). Starring Michael Shanks as lead and featuring J.R. Bourne (Martouf), the movie is admittedly not Oscar material, nor is it for the squeamish. However for fans of Michael and J.R., it does have much to recommend it, as the actors look particularly fine in their period costumes and surrounded by the lovely high desert near Kamloops, BC.
So if you haven’t seen the movie, or even if you have, please visit our screen caps gallery for the best of Michael and J.R. in the film. A few of the latter images are spoilery, and some have a bit of blood, but their inclusion was necessary since the blood in question is on a certain Mr. Shanks’s bare chest.
The DVD includes an 11-minute behind-the-scenes special that shows Michael and the rest of the cast having a fun adventure shooting the movie. So even if it doesn’t appeal to you, the DVD might be worth a look for the featurrette alone!
From this entry on deepdiscountdvd.com comes a listing of what fans can look forward to on the upcoming release of the SGA Season 5 DVD box set. While there are many great extras, it’s interesting and perhaps disappointing to note four episodes do not have audio commentaries. Producers have noted doing the commentaries is a voluntary, unpaid activity that must be fitted into busy schedules. Still, one would have expected a commentary for critically acclaimed “The Shrine”! The box set will be released on 30 June ‘09 for Region 1 (North America). For Region 2 (UK and Europe), the five disks are being released one at a time from 11 May – 6 July, according to this site, with a box set being released on 8 September. In any case, here is the reported content, which should be the same for all regions.
General
5-Disc Set
Region 1
NTSC
Box Set – Checkpoint – Sensormatic
Anamorphic Widescreen – 1.78
Audio:
Dolby Surround 5.1 – English
Mono – Spanish, French
Subtitles – English, French, Spanish
Text/Photo Galleries: Photo Galleries
Production Art: Production Design Gallery
Disk 1
Episodes:
1. 501 – Search and Rescue
2. 502 – The Seed
3. 503 – Broken Ties
4. 504 – The Daedalus Variations
Audio Commentary:
1. Commentary on Search and Rescue by Executive Producer Martin Gero and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
2. Commentary on The Seed by Director William Waring
3. Commentary on Broken Ties by Executive Producer Joseph Mallozzi and Actor Jason Momoa
4. Commentary on The Daedalus Variations by Supervising Producer Alan McCullough and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
Featurettes:
1. Mission Directive: Search and Rescue
2. Showdown! Ronan v. Tyre
3. Bringing The Seed to Life
Additional Release Material:
Trailers: Stargate Universe
Disc 2
Episodes:
1. 505 – Ghost in the Machine
2. 506 – The Shrine
3. 507 – Whispers
4. 508 – The Queen
Audio Commentary:
1. Commentary on Whispers by Executive Producer Joseph Mallozzi and Director William Waring
2. Commentary on The Queen by Supervising Producer Alan McCullough and Director Brenton Spencer
Featurettes:
1. Mission Directive: Whispers with Will Waring and Joseph Mallozzi
2. Tricks of the Trade: Submerging the Stargate
3. Joe Flanigan: A Conversation with the Colonel
Disc 3
Episodes:
1. 509 – Tracker
2. 510 – First Contact
3. 511 – The Lost Tribe
4. 513 – Outsiders
Audio Commentary:
1. Commentary on Tracker by Executive Producer Carl Binder and Director William Waring
2. Commentary on First Contact by Executive Producer Martin Gero and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
3. Commentary on The Lost Tribe by Executive Producer Martin Gero and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
4. Commentary on Outsiders by Supervising Producer Alan McCullough and Director William Waring
Featurettes:
1. Mission Directive: Tracker with Will Waring and Carl Binder
2. Dr. Jackson Comes to Atlantis
3. Building a Humanoid with James Robbins & Martin Gero
1. Commentary on Inquisition by Director Brenton Spencer and Actor Tobias Slezak
2. Commentary on The Prodigal by Executive Producer Carl Binder and Director/Producer Andy Mikita
3. Commentary on Remnants by Executive Producer Joseph Mallozzi and Director William Waring
4. Commentary on Brain Storm by Executive Producer/Director Martin Gero
Featurettes:
1. Mission Directive: Brain Storm with Martin Gero
2. The Life and Death of Michael Kenmore
1. Commentary on Vegas by Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper, Producer John G. Lenic and Director of Photography Michael Blundell
2. Commentary on Enemy at the Gate by Executive Producer Paul Mullie and VFX Supervisor Mark Savela
Featurettes:
1. Stargate Atlantis Goes to Vegas
2. Inside the Stargate Costume Department
From Pop Culture Zoo comes the exclusive news that Joe Flanigan (Col. John Sheppard on SGA) has landed a guest-starring role on the new Sci Fi Channel series Warehouse 13. Warehouse 13 follows the exploits of two former Secret Service agents who investigate paranormal and supernatural phenomena out of a warehouse in South Dakota.
In the episode, Joe will play the “handsome and wealthy Jeff Weaver,” who comes under the agents’ scrutiny after an impossible heist of a sculpture he had bid on.
From Pop Culture Zoo: the series is currently in production in Toronto and will premiere Tuesday, July 7 with a two-hour pilot starting at 9:00PM.
We’ll keep you informed of when Joe’s episode will air!
Tony Tellado of SciFiTalk.com chatted for a while with Ben Browder in a podcast just posted here yesterday. Ben talks about Farscape, Stargate, and his new independent film project Freeze Frame. He mentions with a chuckle that he hasn’t heard anything yet about being in the new SG-1 movie, although he does know that Brad Wright and Carl Binder are writing it.
The interview starts about 30% of the way through the recording, after some commercials.
Here’s the list of a week’s worth of upcoming events to add to your calendars concerning our Stargate stars! (This article might be updated if new information is made available after publishing.)
Television/Features:
Michael Shanks – Living Out Loud makes its Canadian television premiere on Thursday, May 28, on Super Channel 3 and Super Channel 3 HD at 8 pm Eastern. Check with the channel’s website for additional times.
Got anything to add? Leave us a note in our comment section. Thanks.
[Thanks to the folks at Stargate Actor Appearances for keeping up with most of the convention/public appearances information used above. For an even more detailed report of what's happening—with a slightly less formal tone—visit our LJ Companion's Stargate Friday News Roundup Feature.]
Paul McGillion as Dr. Carson Beckett (image from MGM)
Stargate Atlantis star Paul McGillion says thanks to the fans for the five wonderful years that he had as the beloved Dr. Carson Beckett.
First, he sums up Carson’s story arc and then expounds, “It’s been a great journey. You don’t know to think when you start something like this—I was hoping that it would go on for a while, and it did: a hundred episodes is huge in this day and age; and to be part of that, to be part of this franchise, I’m really thankful to everybody that gave me the opportunity, and mostly to the fans, because without them, we wouldn’t have a show, and I certainly wouldn’t be still standing here as Carson Beckett.”
Turning on a bit more of the Scottish accent, Paul concludes, “Thank you to the fans. God love you. You’re fantastic. I hope you continue watching Stargate for years and the next show does as well as this show does. You’ve been very, very special to me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much.”
CBS announced its Fall schedule today, and sadly “The Eastmans” wasn’t on it. Michael Shanks would have had a recurring role as a paramedic if the drama, based around a family of doctors, had it been picked up. The lead of the drama was to be Donald Sutherland, formerly of “Dirty Sexy Money”. CBS executives said they wanted to “get younger”, as evidenced by their final choices. NCIS spin-off “NCIS: Los Angeles” will star L.L. Cool J, for example.
Let’s hope all these new shows need fine actors like Michael Shanks, and we wish the best of luck to all the Stargate alums seeking work, as production starts on all the new network programs.
The Hungarian site AXN is hosting a chat with Stargate Atlantis star Joe Flanigan at 7 pm local time (get time for your area here). The chat will be conducted in English.
Fans have been given the chance to post their questions at AXN, as well as at the fansite SFPortal, who have offered to pass the questions along.
[Many thanks to wraithfodder for keeping track of this event on LJ.]
UPDATE: According to the AXN site, the chat didn’t happen because they weren’t able to establish a connection to Joe and/or his computer. They will try to get Joe to answer the questions off-line so they can post them at the site.
Paul McGillion will be in the first hour of tonight’s two-hour season finale of 24 at 8/7c on FOX! You might be able to catch a glimpse of him in this preview video:
And, Ben Browder will be in a Sci Fi Talk Live interview at 8pm on Blog Talk Radio. We’ll hear about his independent film project Freeze Frame.
Amanda Tapping as Captain Samantha Carter in “Children of the Gods”
Stargate star Amanda Tapping talked with Moviehole during the Vancouver Creation Convention in April about her first days in costuming at Stargate SG-1, back when the show was being produced for airing on the pay channel Showtime. It’s a rather heartbreaking account, but at the same time, shows what these characters meant to the actors even at the beginning of filming.
“The very beginning, my very first wardrobe call, I was asked to put on a push up bra and a tiny little tank top as my very first wardrobe fitting and I panicked because I thought ‘oh my god, they cast the wrong person,’” she recalled. “I’m not that and this character isn’t that and if they wanted a blonde boobie bombshell they cast the wrong girl.
“I remember crying in Christina McQuarrie’s little wardrobe change room and saying ‘why are they asking for this?’ I was told I was going to go up to the executive producers and show them this little look and I said ‘no, I can’t do it, maybe they’ve made a huge mistake.’
“It turns out it wasn’t Brad [Wright] or Rob [Cooper]—or Brad and Jonathan [Glassner] at the time—it was networks and whatever; it was different people who were making that decision, but I freaked and I guess Christina went up to them and [said] ’she’s uncomfortable and this is not what the character is to her and maybe you can come down and explain to her why you want this incredibly strong, feisty woman to be this,’ and so they said ‘Don’t worry about it.’
“In some ways it was very painful and especially as a young actress, it was my first huge gig and I didn’t want to blow it, but by the same token, I was bawling; I was sitting in the wardrobe room crying, saying ‘this is not what this character is. I don’t see this character as this and if we’re going to cartoon this character then cast somebody different.’”
Fortunately, Tapping’s standing up for her character allowed her to produce a strong female role model that even she hopes her own daughter can look up to. “I think Sam is a great role model in that she is incredibly smart and unapologetic about it and that she’s strong and she’s loyal beyond measure. So many things that I admire about her that I would love for my daughter to take on.”
Now, over 12 years later, Tapping’s always willing to return to the Stargate sets, even after her success as the lead actor, director, and executive producer of her new hit series Sanctuary. The third SG-1 movie has been green-lit and Martin Wood is slated to direct Wright’s and Carl Binder’s script. “I don’t know anything about the movie. Michael [Shanks] and I were just talking about it; as far as we know, it’s going to be filming in the Fall and Rick [Richard Dean Anderson] [is] going to be in it and Chris [Judge] and Michael and I don’t know anything else beyond that.”
In the meantime, SG-1 fans are being treated to a new “final cut” of the episode that introduced the beloved cast: Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods: Final Cut is being released on July 21 in Region 1 (North America), July 27 in Region 2 (Europe), and August 5 in Region 4 (Australia). This “final cut” was created by Wright by going back to the original dailies and recreating the pilot with new visual effects and a new soundtrack by Joel Goldsmith. Additionally, Wright removed the female nudity that he felt didn’t belong in Stargate originally, but was asked to include on Showtime.
To read the complete interview, which includes Tapping’s view of Carter after she gained command of Atlantis, visit Moviehole: Interview: Amanda Tapping.
