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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15.Nov.09
Posted in Articles & Updates, SG-1 at 12:44 pm by michelle
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!
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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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19.Oct.09
Posted in Press Watch, SG-1 at 6:33 pm by michelle
IGN TV posted exclusive news today that Michael Shanks will be playing Hawkman in an upcoming episode of Smallville, currently filming its 9th season. Hawkman is one of the superheroes of DC Comic’s Justice Society, and he has a complicated history. He wears a harness fitted with artificial wings made of a special metal that enables him to fly. SG-1 fans will enjoy this description of the most recent incarnation of the character, from the wikipedia article:
In the late 1990s, the JSA series untangled Hawkman’s continuity, establishing him as Carter Hall, a man who – along with Shiera – had been reincarnated dozens of times since his life in ancient Egypt, and whose powers were derived from Thanagarian Nth metal, which had been retroactively renamed from “ninth metal”.
It’s also important to note that, with the exception of the harness and wings, Hawkman is shirtless at all times.
Also announced is that Brent Stait (Major Ferretti) will play Doctor Fate. So it’ll be a Stargate reunion.
This episode of Smallville, called “Society”, is expected to air in January.
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14.Oct.09
Posted in News, SG-1, Universe at 3:56 pm by michelle
MGM continues to provide exiting extra features on their Stargate website. Daniel Jackson fans will be pleased to learn full versions of the snippets of Daniel’s instructional video from the SGU premiere are available at the MGM website. We’ve embedded them below for your viewing pleasure. Count the number of eyebrow wriggles and win a prize. Kidding!
MGM doesn’t allow embedding of their videos, so follow the links to watch at stargate.mgm.com.
Go and enjoy!
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16.Sep.09
Posted in News, Press Watch, SG-1 at 5:06 pm by DeeKayP
Stargate SG-1 fans will remember Henry Gibson as the peaceful leader Marul of Lantona in the fifth season episode “The Sentinel”, but most certainly, his television and film career covered much, much more. Now, it is with sadness that we announce that the beloved actor has died at the age of 73.
According to the announcement from The Inquisitr, Gibson started his acting career at the age of seven and was even an intelligence officer with the U.S. Air Force.
He was a hit during his run on Laugh In and was last seen on television in his role as Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal. All of his other works, including a few appearances on Richard Dean Anderson’s MacGyver, are listed in his most impressive IMDb record.
Gibson is survived by three sons and two grandchildren.
[Image from MGM.]
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10.Sep.09
Posted in Atlantis, Press Watch, SG-1 at 8:22 pm by michelle
Earlier today we reported on a SciFiWire story asserting the SG-1 movie has a green-light for filming this year. We asked Stargate producer/writer Joseph Mallozzi to confirm this news, and he responded back to us:
Alas, it’s all conjecture at this point. We’ve received no news on either movie front (SG-1or Atlantis).
So, unfortunately, it appears the movies are no closer to reality than they have been for the past year. We speculate that Amanda Tapping and Martin Wood were contacted about their availability as a planning measure rather than a commitment to production. Perhaps more clarification will be made public in the coming days.
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Posted in Atlantis, Press Watch, SG-1 at 9:32 am by michelle
Amanda Tapping (Sam Carter) and director Martin Wood told SciFiWire they are expecting to film the third direct-to-DVD Stargate SG-1 movie before the end of 2009. From the article (here):
“As far as I know, we may start in late fall or early winter this year,” Tapping said in an exclusive interview. “And I will slip back into Sam Carter very nicely; I’m looking forward to it.”
Martin Wood would again direct. “They asked me to direct the Stargate SG-1 movie, and they are waiting until Universe is finished, and then, of course, they ask me when I’m available,” said Wood... “Then that may get done by the end of the year. That’s what everyone is hoping, at least.”
Their statements seem to indicate the production of the SG-1 movie has taken a step forward in decision-making and funding. As recently as last month, Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) had no news about filming and said the issue was MGM needing external investors to fund the film, due to the studio’s enormous debt. As Shanks said at the Chicago Creation Convention (transcript here, thanks to dedicated fan!):
What I was told talking to the guys was that MGM is reluctant to make the movies right now because the economy is not doing well. You know. And DVD sales have dropped significantly, apparently, in the last 6-8 months to a year. What we don’t want to do—and when I say ’we’ I mean myself, you guys, and the company—is what we don’t want to do…if we plan on doing these movies every couple years or whatever it’s going to be, MGM doesn’t have…you know, they have a huge amount of debt. They have to finance all this stuff. So they have to find investors to make these movies possible. The minute one of ours goes south—if we make a movie right away and it goes out to the DVD market and it doesn’t make the money back that it promised its investors, when we turn around and try to make another one 2 years from now, those investors and other investors will look at the balance sheet and go, ‘Why? This isn’t a profit-making venture.’
So, either funding has been secured, or Tapping and Wood are reacting to being asked to be available in case funding does come through. The news does not appear to be as positive or definitive for the Stargate Atlantis movie. Martin Wood also said:
What about a new Stargate Atlantis movie? “Atlantis is still being talked about for this year,” Wood said. “Right now, I’m so far removed from it, but they’ll let me know, and I’m happy to do it.”
The SG-1 movie is green-lighted, and the Atlantis film is in the works…
For all the information we have on both movies, including spoilers, visit our 3rd SG-1 movie and SGA movie articles. Watch this space for more news as it arrives.
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08.Sep.09
Posted in Merchandise, News, SG-1 at 2:33 pm by DeeKayP
From Reuters comes the announcement that Brad Wright’s Stargate: Continuum has won the 2009 DVD Critics Award in the category “Best Nontheatrical Title.”
From the press release, submitted by Home Media Magazine:
The Fifth Annual DVD Critics Awards honor the top DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles from 2008. The awards, presented by Home Media Magazine, are traditionally held during the summer Home Entertainment Summit, which has been delayed this year.
“We still wanted to honor the best titles on DVD and Blu-ray as soon as possible,” said Thomas K. Arnold, Home Media Magazine publisher and executive producer of the Summit.
The delay allowed organizers to create special categories for an online consumer vote, a first in the history of the DVD Critics Awards.
More than 130 entries were judged by a panel of critics and journalists. Submitted titles also were placed in eight special categories for the consumer vote, bringing the total number of awards to 21.
[...]
Home Media Magazine (HomeMediaMagazine.com) is the leading home entertainment trade magazine, delivering the latest news, research, analysis, product information and reviews in the DVD and Blu-ray Disc arena, with expanded coverage of digital distribution.
Stargate: Continuum was released July 2008 and was also the recipient of the 2008 High-Def Disc Award back in November 2008 for the category “Best Nontheatrical Blu-ray.” This award was also presented by Home Media Magazine in cooperation with The Hollywood Reporter.
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27.Aug.09
Posted in News, Press Watch, SG-1 at 12:41 pm by michelle
As announced in several news items here, Michael Shanks is starring in a new film, Arctic Blast, being filmed on the island and state of Tasmania, Australia. Production started this week, and Michael was scheduled to start filming by now. The film, which Michael hinted at a recent convention has a similar premise to “The Day After Tomorrow”, is a disaster movie about a world-wide freezing event. A bit of plot information comes from this article (SPOILERS!):
Written by Jason Bourque, “Arctic Blast” tells the chilling story of a mega ice fog caused by a rip in the earth’s upper atmosphere over the South Pole. The killer fog grows in size and fury and moves northward from the polar wastes destroying everything in its path.
As similar rifts appear above cities around the world, only Jack (Michael Shanks), a maverick US meteorologist on the ground in Hobart and his small team of climate researchers based in Australia and the US, can save the world from imminent destruction and at the same time reconcile himself with his estranged wife Emma (Alexandra Davies “X Men Origins – Wolverine”) and his daughter Andrea (Indiana Evans).
The import of this film is perhaps not the subject matter, but rather that its production in Tasmania is a result of Australian incentives to bring film production there. From this article:
“Arctic Blast will provide considerable economic benefits for Tasmania. The Screen Tasmania investment of $150 000 will generate more than $600 000 into the economy during production. About 60 Tasmanian cast and crew will work on the film, including eight trainees. It will provide valuable on-set production experience and develop their acting skills. Mr. Aird said the arrival of United States actor Michael Shanks later this week will also generate international exposure for Tasmania’s screen industry.
The film is scheduled to be ready for release by the end of May of 2010, with various entities releasing it in the second half of 2010. No word yet if Syfy will air it in US. Watch this space for more info.
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