2009 – Page 3 – Solutions Blog

Children of the Gods Final Cut Commentary

With grateful thanks to fan daniel4ever, we’re proud to present an illustrated transcript of the DVD commentary for the Children of the Gods Final Cut, released earlier this year (buy it here on Amazon). The commentary features Brad Wright and Richard Dean Anderson, who discuss the changes in the new version and reminisce about the original making of the pilot.

Please read the commentary transcript here, and let us know what you think!

If you haven’t yet, read our review of the new cut of the SG-1 pilot, too!

Kino 18 Webisode Solves “Time”

Creative consultant Joseph Mallozzi talked about “Time” in his weblog recently, “I think this is a perfect season one episode, a fun and clever standalone episode that delivers a new spin on a scifi chestnut.” What does he mean the episode was written to be a “standalone”? Doesn’t “standalone” mean that there will be no follow-up to the story on the show?

No worries! Kino Webisode #18: “New Kind of Crazy” tells us how it all worked out:

Does this mean that Sgt. Riley’s “touch and go” condition is now no longer an issue, too?

Kino Webisodes can be found at the MGM official site (best gotten to through their search function) and on the Stargate Central YouTube site. Thanks go to producer Carl Binder, who gave us the link to this newest kino (not yet at either of the two previously mentioned sites) via his Twitter.

Ask Peter Kelamis Your Questions

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Peter Kelamis as Adam Brody (image from MGM)

Creative consultant Joseph Mallozzi is offering to collect your questions for Peter Kelamis, who plays Adam Brody in Stargate Universe.

Here’s the announcement:

Oh, hey, prior to heading off on hiatus, I told several cast members that I’d like them to swing by the blog and do a Q&A now that the show has finally started airing (David Blue and Brian J. Smith did one prior to the premiere and I aim to get them back for another go now that you’re all familiar with their characters). Anyway, Peter Kelamis, who plays Adam Brody on SGU, checked in with me the other day, dropping me an email on an unrelated topic – and has found himself officially corralled. SO, if you’ve got questions for actor/comedian/pet psychic/t.v. scientist, start posting. I’ll be gathering them up through Monday. What was it like working on the first year of Stargate: Universe? Where would he like to see his character go (provided we haven’t killed him off yet) next year? Which is his favorite sandwich off crafts service and why do they serve up those little baby carrots? I mean, come on. It’s not as if anybody actually eats them!

Kelamis is also a veteran of Stargate SG-1, having played Dr. Langham in “Smoke and Mirrors” and Coyle Boron in “Space Race.”

Work quickly and ask your questions soon! Visit Mallozzi’s Weblog entry for November 14, scroll to the bottom of the entry, and post your questions in the comment section. Your comment won’t appear right away as Mallozzi moderates all of them, but it’ll show up as soon as he’s okayed it.

SGU This Week: “Time”

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Eli discovers a kino where one shouldn’t be in “Time”

“To those asking ‘When are we going to have our next alien encounter?'” creative consultant Joseph Mallozzi began to tease his weblog readers, “be careful what you wish for because this episode provides the answer in creepy, mind-bending style. As producer on the show, I watch the individual episodes so many [times] I’m honestly well weary of them by the time that final mix comes around. Time, however, is an exception. This is one of those rare episodes I’ll actually watch when it airs. Fantastic – but not for the faint of heart or weak of mind. As my second grade teacher Mrs. Vowels used to say: ‘Put on your thinking caps’ because this one could bruise your brain.”

Mallozzi also wrote in early October that “Time,” written, directed, and produced by Robert C. Cooper, is “complete with creepy as hell visual effects (kudos to Mark Savela and his team)” and “has the look and feel of a big screen feature.”

According to TV Guide, the story goes like this: “An away team finds a kino beside a Stargate on a jungle world, which contains video footage of the team that was shot prior to their arrival. Then, an illness cripples the team, forcing them to quarantine themselves on the planet.”

“Time” will be shown tonight, November 13, on the Syfy Channel (US) and Space (Canada) at 9 PM ET and 10 PM ET, respectively. The episode will be broadcast by Sky One (UK) on Tuesday, November 17, at 8 PM, and finally, on Friday, November 20, on the Sci Fi Channel (Australia) at 8:30 PM.

After viewing, you’re invited to return to the site to vote in the episode poll on the main page and discuss the episode here (in the comments), in our on-site forum, or at our LiveJournal Companion.

Guides to the Season One episodes can be found in our Stargate Wiki. And don’t forget the episode chatter that’s bound to take place from the actors, writers, producers, and the press that you can read from our Stargate Twitter Superfeed.

Last Week’s “Earth” Ratings

Last week’s episode “Earth” had 1.626 million viewers, according to TV By The Numbers, down from the previous week’s “Light” viewership of 1.974 million. But this shouldn’t be discouraging, says Mallozzi in his weblog. “It was an 11% drop (I believe) across the board. Also, while our same days +1 ratings have dipped, our +7 ratings have steadily increased suggesting that our audience is simply time shifting.”

[Images from MGM.]

Amanda Tapping on S4K, Shanks, and ‘Sanctuary’

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Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus of Sanctuary (image from Syfy)

In a wonderfully fun and informative interview, Stargate star Amanda Tapping talked with Jenna Busch of the Huffington Post about her hit show Sanctuary, her newly-launched charity Sanctuary for Kids (S4K), and bringing fellow Stargate star Michael Shanks into “Penance”, an episode of Sanctuary that will be airing in December.

The interview is full of all kinds of goodies for Tapping and Shanks fans, including two large images of Shanks in his Jimmy role. Be careful when visiting there since the article’s title doesn’t include the word “spoilers” for nothing. Here are a few—non-spoilery—highlights:

On having Michael Shanks guest star in Sanctuary:

Oh, it was awesome to have him. And there is actually a really cool scene where Helen and Jimmy, the character that Michael plays, see each other for the first time in the episode, and it’s so genuine. We’re both just grinning from ear to ear. It was really sweet. It was a really nice moment for Michael and I. But what we did … we really wanted to get him on the show because he’s such a good actor and a friend. And we didn’t want it to be the Amanda and Michael show. We didn’t want it to be Daniel and Sam. We didn’t want to fall into those old rhythms. And for Michael too. He felt the same way that we did. We wanted to bring him back but not make it just about the two of us. So in actual fact, we don’t have a lot of scenes together. Most of his scenes are with Agam who plays Kate Freelander. […spoilers…] You find out a lot more about Kate’s backstory, and a lot about Jimmy’s backstory. It’s a really sweet episode. It’s a tough episode. But he blew us away. He did a great job.

On directing, acting, and producing at the same time:

It’s not my first choice of things to do. [laughs] You just feel so schizophrenic, Jenna, because I’m acting in the episode and I’m directing it, so I’ve got to see the whole thing and then I’m also producing. When we initially talked about me directing, it was November, it was in LA, we were meeting with the network…Mark Stern (SyFy’s Executive Vice President for Original Content) said, ‘Hey, that would be great.’ And I was like, yeah! Because I was relaxed and we’d finished the season and everything was good. But as it became closer to the time I was directing, I turned to Martin (Wood) and Damian (Kindler) and said, ‘Forget it. I can’t do this. This is ridiculous. I’m too busy.’ Helen is insane this year. As you’ve seen so far this season, it’s pretty torturous for poor Helen. And so, by the time we came towards that episode, I was freaking out.

For me, the biggest thing is prep. I have to know my shot list, know how I’m going to edit the show and so when I go into shoot it, I’ll explain to the DP exactly what I want. I’ll set it up with second team and then I’ll go in. The beauty of the episode that I directed was that Helen […spoilers…]

On joining Twitter:

I got roped into Twitter. I actually quite enjoy it! But I don’t go on as often as some. But Ming-Na (Stargate Universe) said to me, when we did this Stargate ladies lunch, she said, ‘You’re not on Twitter? What, are you crazy? You’ve got to get on Twitter! You’ve got your charity coming up, your show…it’s great! It’s so much fun! Oh my god! It’s not that hard. It doesn’t take a huge amount of time.’ Because I’m a luddite. I’m happy chiseling my grocery list into a rock. Like, I have an iPhone and it tells me what I’m supposed to do. It speaks to me. ‘Amanda, today you have to…’ Because I’m not a technology-driven girl, which is astounding. But Ming-Na got me onto Twitter. And I enjoy it. It’s quite fun. I don’t follow a lot of people right now. I’m still trying to figure it all out. I tweet!

On filming two guest appearances in Stargate Universe as Sam Carter:

Well, I’ve done two episodes. I did their first two-parter and I’m at the very end of their season. And I just shot that a few weeks ago. So I started their season and I’m ending their season, which was very cool. But I didn’t get to play with anyone. That was my one, you know…if they were ever to have me come back, I’d want to be with people. [laughs] I’m kind of off on my ship, which I think is awesome. I have to say, when I got to work, and I saw the uniform and the General Hammond crest on it, I teared up. I think it’s a great honor to, not only Don, but to the character. (note: Don S. Davis, who played Major General George Hammond passed away in June 2008.) So that was very cool. But I’m up in my ship and I don’t get to play with anyone.

About how her fans’ generosity inspired the creation of her new charity Sanctuary for Kids (S4K):

And every time I’ve done a fund raiser, I’ve been blown away by the amount of money and the generosity that our fans have. So I thought, here we have this opportunity to not only work with the show Sanctuary and with that fan base, but with the Stargate fan base and the people I’ve met around the world, and actually make a difference with small charities.

Make sure to visit the complete interview, where there are two exclusive images of Michael Shanks (here and here) in his role as Jimmy, at Huffington Post: Amanda Tapping Launches Charity Website and Gives Sanctuary Spoilers.

Shanks’ Smallville Episodes Become TV Movie

In an exclusive announcement made at EW, Michael Ausiello has reported that The CW has decided to air the episodes in which Stargate star Michael Shanks will portray DC Comic’s Hawkman as a two-hour movie event rather than as two separate episodes (“Society” and “Legends”). According to Ausiello, The CW felt that “they could get more mileage out of combining them.”

Michael Shanks is not the only Stargate veteran to appear in the movie, which will air January 29, 2010; Brent Stait, who played Maj. Louis Ferretti, will be portraying Dr. Fate, and Britt Irvin, who played Merrin (“Learning Curve”), Stargirl.

Smallville is in its ninth season on The CW and follows a young Clark Kent as he struggles with his alien powers that will some day lead to his becoming Superman.

“Society” and “Legends” are written by comic book writer Geoff Johns and bring together several members of the Justice Society of America. When it was earlier announced that the story had expanded into two parts, executive producer Kelly Souders told EW, “To be honest, there were so many characters and so much great story that people would’ve been robbed of some great moments if we kept it to just one hour. So now that it’s a two-parter, you won’t miss anything.” Not only will Hawkman, Dr. Fate, and Stargirl be making their appearances, but also Martian Manhunter will be returning (played by Phil Morris).

Michael Shanks, who is sporting his “old and grizzled” look for the part, told his fans about his experiences working with the cast and crew of Smallville from the stage at the Official Stargate Convention held in Los Angeles this past weekend. Make sure to visit his official website for behind-the-scenes tidbits, which include adjusting to the challenges of shooting his scenes while he’s wearing wings that span thirteen feet!

Catching Up with Brian J. Smith

Now that the first season of Stargate Universe has finished filming (but not airing!), the show’s actors are busy with new projects. Brian J. Smith returned to his Twitter account to announce that he’s landed a role in the UK production Agatha Christie’s Poroit, which will be shot in London this month.

The episode is derived from the famous Murder on the Orient Express, but Smith didn’t say which role he’ll be playing. You can read more about the show at their ITV website.

Smith also made the announcement that he’ll be attending the Chevron 7.4 convention next year. This past weekend, his fellow cast-mate David Blue made his appearance at the Chevron 7.3 convention held in Northampton, England (along with Torri Higginson, Corin Nemec, and Rainbow Sun Francks). Blue responded to Smith’s tweet by telling him, “You’ll have a blast. The people are great.”

A second season for SGU has not been officially announced, but if it were to be given the “go”, the actors will return to the sets in March following the 2010 Winter Olympics, which are being held in Vancouver where SGU is filmed. In the meantime, new episodes of Stargate Universe are being aired, the next being Robert C. Cooper’s “Time”.

Carlyle Wins 2009 BAFTA Scotland Award

Stargate Universe star Robert Carlyle received the BAFTA Scotland award last night for “Best Performance in Television for a Male” for his role in The Unloved.

This quote comes from Guide and Gazette:

“It’s lovely, it’s a fantastic thing, I was saying earlier on to people, I mean, ten years ago, to be honest with you, you wouldn’t have thought too much of this, it was always nice to get a wee-kind of nod – but the quality of the nominations now is just getting higher and higher.”

In this article from Daily Express, Carlyle indicated that he’ll be in Vancouver this coming March to film the second season of Universe. It hasn’t been officially announced that the show has been renewed, but the producers and writers are preparing anyway by laying out the groundwork in story and character arcs for the first half of the second season. Carlyle, who has been in the news recently concerning his dissatisfaction with the British film industry, has expressed interest in directing some of the show’s episodes.

Visit Life for an image of Carlyle with his award.

Sanctuary for Kids Charity Launched

Amanda Tapping and Damian Kindler, both formerly of Stargate, joined with Jill Bodie to launch the new charity Sanctuary for Kids this week.

SCI FI WIRE has reprinted their official announcement and we’ve included it below:

Vancouver, BC – Television Actor and Executive Producer Amanda Tapping announced today the launch of a new not-for-profit foundation, Sanctuary for Kids (S4K) that will support local and international charities providing vital aid to children and youth in crisis.

Sanctuary for Kids was inspired by the sci-fi TV series Sanctuary, for which Amanda Tapping is Executive Producer and the series lead actor. The foundation will harness the tremendous and supportive sci-fi community and provide access to rare and experience-based online auction items from Sanctuary to raise funds for children’s charities. The first auction will take place November 12 – 22, 2009.

S4K was founded by Tapping, Jill Bodie (B.ED., M.S.W.) and Damian Kindler (Executive Producer and Creator of Sanctuary) through their mutual association with the television series. All three serve as Directors for Sanctuary for Kids. In order to enable 100% of the funds raised to go to the children’s charities, Bodie is donating all of her time and resource costs as administrator for the foundation and Tapping and Kindler are personally covering all administrative and start-up costs.

“We all feel very lucky and honoured to be able to do jobs we love with people we love in this industry,” explains Amanda Tapping. “Jill, Damian and I all felt a very strong desire and real responsibility to do something with the reach and audience we have through Sanctuary and the sci-fi community. We didn’t want to waste the influence that the series has, or the meaningful connections we personally have made with so many people around the world.”

“This is an initiative that is based on relationships and working as a community at large,” continues Jill Bodie, Director, Sanctuary for Kids. “It’s about doing something very real and tangible for children and youth who desperately need protection. Sci-fi fans are so connected and loyal – we will be relying on their connectivity and passion to help spread the word about the work we are doing.”

Adds Damian Kindler, Executive Producer/Creator, Sanctuary, “Ultimately, we want to set an example and make charitable giving and outreach a standard practice in the television and entertainment industry. We all feel that it would be irresponsible to ignore that influence.”

Sanctuary for Kids will host three auctions throughout the year selling “priceless” items as well as meet and greet opportunities with Sanctuary actors and producers. The first auction will take place November 12 – 22, 2009 with such items as a behind the scenes set tour and lunch with Amanda Tapping, a personal Skype chat with Executive Producers Amanda Tapping, Damian Kindler and Martin Wood, a well known prop used in the series (“Sonic Stunner”), as well as an opportunity to name a new character in the show.

Sanctuary for Kids has chosen the Nepal Orphans Home and Watari’s TTIP (Transitioning to Independence Program) and TIPPY (Transitioning to Independence Program for Parenting Youth) Programs to launch the foundation. The Nepal Orphans Home (www.nepalorphanshome.org) attends to the welfare of children in Nepal who are orphaned, abandoned or not supported by their parents. Watari’s Programs (www.watari.org) work with the homeless youth population in Vancouver to help stabilize single, pregnant and parenting youth in safe, affordable housing and encourages commitment to their treatment plans.

For more information on Sanctuary for Kids and upcoming auctions, visit www.sanctuaryforkids.org

SGU This Week: “Earth”

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Colonel Telford wants command of Destiny

Producer John G. Lenic warns that tonight’s episode of Stargate Universe “might cause some (more) controversy online…” And creative consultant Joe Mallozzi seems to agree: “Friday night’s installment of Stargate: Universe has yet to air, but already the boards are abuzz.” Returning guest star Lou Diamond Phillips also said something in a recent interview (spoilers!) that makes one wonder what all this buzz is about: “I think people will be surprised at how far the creators are willing to go in this series.”

What could they possibly be talking about? Certainly the return of Richard Dean Anderson as Lt. Gen. Jack O’Neill, who wants Col. Everett Young to consider risking everyone’s lives for a chance at getting the intended team aboard the Destiny, wouldn’t create a controversy at the magnitude that they seem to be implying. And the first appearance of Carlo Rota as IOA supervisor Dale Strom, who wants Camile Wray to take command of the Destiny so that the international group can have control and an eye on what’s happening with their incredible discovery, couldn’t possibly make people turn to their keyboards in such a fashion. Neither could the mini-concert provided by the talented Janelle Monáe at the club that Eli and Chloe go to in other people’s bodies be all that bad to warrant such reactions.

Maybe it’s the way Colonel Telford finally gets the chance to make his move to take over the Destiny while he’s in the body of the man he’s trying to replace, Colonel Young. And what is Young doing while Telford’s making his move? Why, he’s making moves of his own.

You’ll have to watch the episode to find out how far the creators are indeed willing to go and which of these storylines could just very well be the one that Lenic, Mallozzi, and even Phillips believe will set the Internet on fire and shake the show’s already slightly unstable foundation.

“Earth” will be shown tonight, November 6, on the Syfy Channel (US) and Space (Canada) at 9 PM ET and 10 PM ET, respectively. The episode will be broadcast by Sky One (UK) on Tuesday, November 10, at 8 PM, and finally, on Friday, November 13, on the Sci Fi Channel (Australia) at 8:30 PM.

Last Week’s “Water” Ratings

The ratings for Stargate Universe seem to be settling down some after the first five weeks on the air. “Water”, last week’s episode, “took 544k (2.3%) for Sky1,” according to Digital Spy. This is down from 677k (3%) for “Light” from the week before.

Instead of reporting weekly ratings, SCI FI WIRE chose to publish “TV ratings: Every fall sci-fi show compared by number of viewers” that includes network and cable sci-fi shows. Stargate Universe was 10th in the list of 12 shows, based on its second week’s ratings (its highest). “Stargate Universe has been beating Fox’s Dollhouse in the ratings some weeks, and they’re not shy about saying so. The time-shift numbers are excellent, too, and Syfy considers this new Stargate one of its hits. However, the series is headed toward a big hiatus after episode 10, and it won’t return until spring.”

Four more episodes, including tonight’s “Earth”, will be aired this year and then the show will return during Syfy’s second quarter in 2010. We should hear whether or not the show gets a second season before 2009 comes to an end.

[Images from MGM.]