20.Nov.09
Posted in News, Press Watch, Universe at 7:53 am by DeeKayP
Camile Wray during a more quiet moment in “Life”
“I was immediately attracted to this story,” writer Carl Binder told the Official Magazine (pdf file), “because it’s all about Ming-Na’s character, who is the IOA member on board the ship who, prior to this, has projected this tough exterior and been very by-the-book. We thought it would be interesting to put her into a situation where she could completely fall apart and you get to see a vulnerable side to her. We also discover some things about Lt. Scott’s past in ‘Life,’ as well.”
We’ll make these discoveries about the two characters via the body-swapping technology of the communication stones. You’ll meet the mysterious Sharon that Camile Wray spoke about in her “message in a bottle” from “Light”: “If, um…if anyone finds this within the next…I don’t know, forty years. Tell Sharon…my last thoughts were of her.” And, for Lt. Scott, you’ll find out more about Annie, someone Scott barely knows but holds a life-altering secret.
While these two are visiting Earth via the stones, TV Guide says, “On the Destiny, the crew explores new sections of the ship, which yields the discovery of a promising Ancient device.”
“Life” will be shown tonight, November 20, 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 24, at 8 PM, and finally, on Friday, November 27, 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 “Time” Ratings
Last week’s episode “Time” had 1.802 million viewers, according to TV By The Numbers, up from last week’s series low numbers of 1.626 million. (These are the “Live Plus Same Day” ratings.)
Creative consultant Joe Mallozzi mentioned that official word hasn’t been given yet on a season two, but just in case, the writers are busy outlining the first few episodes. There are several steps an episode takes before it ever gets filmed, so here’s just a quick rundown of the terms used by Mallozzi in relating what’s happening in the production office among the staff writers:
Pitch – An idea gets “pitched” out to the writers.
Spin – Everyone “spins” the pitch into a workable idea.
Break – As with SG-1 and SGA before it, SGU episodes include a teaser and five acts. The writers then “break” their ideas down into these acts in order to get the story’s “major dramatic beats.”
Beat Sheet – The story broken down into its teaser and five acts.
Outline – Working from the beat sheet, the writer creates a “blueprint” of the story: the outline. This is the scene-by-scene breakdown of the episode. The writers hand in their outlines for peer review and receive notes.
Script – Once an outline gets approved, the writer finally pens the script. Page count is important, since that gives them an idea of how long the “script is running” for filming. Each Stargate series had their own page formatting details, so the page counts are different among them, but with SGU, the average script runs around 50 pages, which translates into the approximate 44 minutes of screen time. There may be several iterations of reviews and rewrites before the script is ever taken before the cameras.
For more information about the writing process, visit Joseph Mallozzi’s Production Diary and his current weblog.
[Images from MGM.]
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17.Nov.09
Posted in Press Watch, SG-1, Universe at 3:32 pm by DeeKayP
TV Guide’s William Keck has published the first image of Stargate star Michael Shanks as Smallville’s Hawkman, along with an informative interview.
The image has a low resolution, but Keck promises that a better quality picture awaits you this Thursday (November 19) when the next edition of TV Guide hits the stands!
The interview goes into more detail about Carter Hall, aka Hawkman, so if you’re avoiding spoilers, take care when visiting the site. For Shanks fans, though, this quote is worth repeating: “The way things land at the end of it all, there’s an open door for Carter Hall to be revisited and possibly be part of further mentoring Clark down the road.”
Additionally, the premiere date for this two-hour special event, titled Smallville: Absolute Justice, has been rescheduled for February 5, 2010.
No interview with Michael Shanks would be complete without mentioning his time as Dr. Daniel Jackson or the Stargate franchise. Shanks confirmed that he’ll be returning to Stargate Universe for two more episodes this season: “Human” and “Subversion”. His appearance in “Subversion”, episode 18, is also with long-time co-star Richard Dean Anderson.
Make sure to visit TV Guide for the complete interview.
[Photo by Jack Rowand/The CW.]
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Posted in Press Watch, Universe at 2:38 pm by DeeKayP
Jenna Busch of the Huffington Post got a chance to talk with Stargate Universe star Ming-Na about many things, including her role as IOA representative Camile Wray and what it was like acting with guest star Reiko Aylesworth, who’ll be making her first appearance as Camile’s girlfriend Sharon in Carl Binder’s episode “Life” (which premieres this Friday).
The interview is full of spoilers for SGU, especially concerning Camile Wray’s private life, so be careful when you visit the Post, but as a consolation, we’ll provide a few non-spoilery quotes here:
On the small amount of screen time Camile Wray has been given thus far:
You’ll see more of Camille Wray later on. I think in the beginning she was definitely a character that was still in development, and I think once they latched on to her voice and who she is, she became a more integrel part of the show as things go on. … you will see more of Camille, especially in the next episode. November 20th. The episode called, “Life”. You’ll really get to see a personal side of who she is.
On not being a fan of Stargate when she joined the SGU cast:
That’s the only thing! No, I really wasn’t! I think at the point when the series had started, I was so much focused on my career and working and then the kids came along, so it was definitely a love of mine, like so many other things, that I put on the back burner. And it’s kind of been great because, now that I’m in the show, I’m being reintroduced to one of my great loves, which is science fiction. And I’m meeting all these great sci-fi fans, either on Twitter or at conventions … I love it! I feel like I’ve kind of come around full circle and I’m back to my high school days. It’s great! [Laughs]
That fellow cast-mate David Blue is responsible for getting her on Twitter:
Yes he is! And he won’t let me forget it either. [Laughs] I told him, I said, ‘You’re like a drug dealer, man! You get people hooked and that’s it. We’re hooked for life.’ I’m very grateful that he got me on this thing. I’ve got to keep up with the times! I’ve got to know what’s going on around the world here! [Laughs]
On the appeal of Stargate Universe:
I think ultimately, aside from all the sci-fi stuff, which … the amazing special effects have been blowing me away. I can’t believe the look of the show. It’s fantastic. Really, the CGI guys that we have are incredible. And the music is amazing and the writing, but ultimately I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. The characters are really relatable and the people fall in love with each different character and they’re intrigued with each different character in their own way. And I think the chemistry that the cast members have on and off the set also contributes to it. Sometimes it’s one of those intangible things that happen in a series, and I’m really thankful that it’s happening to us. It just makes life and work so much more fun.
Concerning her next convention appearance:
Yeah, I think, depending on how things go, this year was really, really tough because there was so much adjustment for my whole family with me traveling to Vancouver and traveling back and forth, and being away. And so, I think for me this year, I don’t want to go anywhere else. I just want to stay put and spend time with the kids. And especially the holidays. And then we’ll see. You know, next year they’ll be a bit older and maybe I’ll take them along, because my daughter is a huge Star Wars fan and my son even knows what Star Wars is. It’s hilarious! We just got a game. The Star Wars version of Battleship. It’s so much fun! [Laughs] So maybe they’ll be old enough where I can take them with me to the conventions and we can have a good time together.
Make sure to visit Huffington Post for the rest of the interview in which the two self-professed geeks talk about Dungeons & Dragons, science fiction, and cooking, among many other things.
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Posted in Press Watch, Universe at 12:26 pm by DeeKayP
Stargate Universe star Brian J. Smith mentioned a few days back that he had landed a role in ITV’s Agatha Christie’s Poirot television series in the episode based on Murder on the Orient Express and that he’d be filming in London this month. It’s just been announced in Chicago Now that Smith will be playing Hector MacQueen, a role previously filled by world-famous actor Sir Anthony Hopkins in the 1974 film.
Here’s ITV’s announcement, also published at the Chicago Now website:
Hercule Poirot is visiting Istanbul, having solved a complex case for the British Army, when he witnesses an act of brutal justice on the streets. Relieved when a new case calls him back to London, Poirot’s old acquaintance Xavier Bouc (Serge Hazanavicius), director of the Orient Express, secures him a last minute ticket. Among the eclectic range of passengers are Princess Dragomiroff (Dame Eileen Atkins) and her nervous maid Hildegard Schmidt (Susanne Lothar), English Governess Mary Debenham (Jessica Chastain) and Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson (Marie-Josée Croze).
During his journey on the Orient Express Poirot is approached by ruthless American businessman Samuel Ratchett (Toby Jones) who offers him ten thousand dollars to watch his back, but Poirot refuses. Could Ratchett be fearful of the Italian Antonio Foscarelli (Joseph Mawle), English Colonel John Arbuthnot (David Morrissey), pushy American Mrs Hubbard (Barbara Herhey) or Hungarian diplomat Count Andrenyi (Stanley Weber) and his wife, Countess Andrenyi (Elena Satine)? Poirot awakes the following morning to find the train stuck in a snowdrift and Ratchett dead in his compartment.
Aided by amateur sleuth Dr Constantine (Samuel West), Poirot examines the murder scene and finds a proliferation of clues pointing in opposite directions. He interviews those who last saw Ratchett alive: his manservant Edward Masterman (Hugh Bonneville), personal assistant, Hector MacQueen (Brian J Smith), and conductor Pierre Michel (Denis Ménochet), before realising the true identity of Samuel Ratchett. The evidence seems to point to a mysterious assassin who got on and off the train but Poirot is not convinced. Isolated by the snow and with civilisation falling apart Poirot makes a decision that will change his life forever.
Adapted by Stewart Harcourt (Agatha Christie’s Marple, Dracula) and produced by Karen Thrussell (Agatha Christie’s Marple), Murder on the Orient Express will be filmed on location in Malta and London. The Poirot films are co-produced by ITV Studios and Agatha Christie Ltd, a Chorion company, and US network WGBH. Mammoth Screen’s Michele Buck and Damien Timmer executive produce Poirot on behalf of ITV Studios. Rebecca Eaton is executive producer for WGBH, with David Suchet as associate producer. ITV Global holds international distribution rights.
Smith used his Twitter account to announce his new role and is already in London for the project. The movie will play on PBS in the United States sometime next year.
[Image of Brian J. Smith as Lt. Matthew Scott from MGM.]
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15.Nov.09
Posted in Press Watch, Universe at 6:48 am by DeeKayP
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.
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13.Nov.09
Posted in News, Press Watch, Universe at 6:04 am by DeeKayP
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.]
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12.Nov.09
Posted in News, Press Watch, SG-1, Universe at 5:18 pm by DeeKayP
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.
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11.Nov.09
Posted in Press Watch at 5:32 pm by DeeKayP
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!
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10.Nov.09
Posted in News, Press Watch, Universe at 1:28 pm by DeeKayP
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”.
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09.Nov.09
Posted in News, Press Watch, Universe at 11:44 am by DeeKayP
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.
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