Tag: Michael Shanks

Articles including content about actor Michael Shanks

2005 Leo Award Nominations Announced

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis up for several awards

Stargate SG-1 Nominations: 8
Stargate Atlantis Nominations: 10

The Nominees for Best Supporting Performance by a Female
Godiva’s – “Having Her Cake” – Sonja Bennett
Robson Arms – “Hair Piece of Mind” – Alisen Down
Stargate Atlantis – “Poisoning the Well” – Allison Hosik
The Collector – “The Tattoo Artist” – Sonya Salomaa

The Nominees for Best Lead Performance by a Female
Godiva’s – “Begin It Now” – Erin Korpluk
Stargate SG-1 – “Threads” – Amanda Tapping

The Nominees for Best Supporting Performance by a Male
Godiva’s – “The Hungry Ghost” – Matthew Currie Holmes
Godiva’s – “Masters of Delusion” – Rick Tae
Stargate Atlantis – “The Storm” – David Nykl [Dr. Zelenka]
Stargate Atlantis – “Poisoning the Well” – Paul McGillion [Dr. Beckett]
Stargate SG-1 – “”It’s Good to be King”” – Tom McBeath [Harry Maybourne]

The Nominees for Best Lead Performance by a Male
Robson Arms – “Aftershock” – John Cassini
Stargate SG-1 – “Threads” – Michael Shanks
The Collector – “The Historian” – Chris Kramer

The Nominees for Best Costume Design
Smallville – “Spell” – Caroline Cranstoun
Stargate SG-1 – “It’s Good to be King” – Christine Mooney
Stargate SG-1 – “Moebius Part 2” – Christine Mooney
The Collector – “The Cowboy” – Vicky Mulholland

The Nominees for Best Production Design
Robson Arms – “Eyes of Grandma Tan” – Grant Pearse
Smallville – “Memoria” – David Willson
Stargate Atlantis – “Rising Part 1” – Bridget McGuire, Thom Wells, James Robbins, Peter Bodnarus, Mark Davidson, Robert Davidson
The Collector – “The Tattoo Artist” – Troy Hansen

The Nominees for Best Visual Effects
Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda – “Dissonant Interval” – Bruce Turner, Simon Lacey, Grant Lindsay, Ben Funk, Nikolai Michaleski
Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda – “Through a Glass Darkly” – Bruce Turner, Simon Lacey, Grant Lindsay, Ben Funk, Nikolai Michaleski
Stargate Atlantis – “The Eye” – Mark Breakspear, Bruce Woloshyn, Dan Mayer, Simon Ager, Tara Conley
Stargate SG-1 – “Reckoning Part 2” – Michelle Comens, James Rorick, Krista McLean, Brett Keyes, Brian Harder
The Collector – “The Historian” – Steve Hodgson, Rosmary Conte, Abel Milanes, Paul Furminger, Jordan Benwick

The Nominees for Best Overall Sound
Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda – “Dissonant Interval” – Jeff Jackman, Mike Thomas, Roger Morris, Gordon Anderson
Stargate Atlantis – “The Storm” – Gordon Hilliar, David Hibbert, Kevin Sands
The “L” Word – “Limb from Limb” – Tony Gort, Greg Stewart, Michael Thomas, Roger Morris
The Collector – “The Historian” – Mark Hensley, Craig Stauffer, Greg Stewart, Stephen Cheung

The Nominees for Best Direction
The Collector – “The Children’s Book Writer” – Brad Turner
The Collector – “The Historian” – J.B. Sugar
Robson Arms – “The Tell Tale Latex” – Janes Genn
The Collector – “The Ripper” – Larry Sugar
The Collector – “The Tattoo Artist” – Michael Robison
Stargate Atlantis – “Defiant One” – Peter DeLuise

The Nominees for Best Screenwriting
Godiva’s – “Begin It Now” – Michael MacLennan
Robson Arms – “The Tell Tale Latex” – Jesse McKeown
Stargate Atlantis – “Defiant One” – Peter DeLuise
Stargate SG-1 – “Affinity” – Peter DeLuise
The Collector – “The Mother” – Jon Cooksey, Ali Marie Matheson

The Nominees for Best Cinematography
Robson Arms – “Aftershock” – Kamal Derkaoui
Smallville – “Memoria” – Glen Winter
Stargate SG-1 – “It’s Good to be King” – Jim Menard
The Collector – “The Mother” – Henry Chan
The Collector – “The Historian” – Henry Chan

The Nominees for Best Picture Editing
Godiva’s – “Begin It Now” – Mike Banas
Stargate Atlantis – “The Eye” – Jeremy Presner
The L Word – “Limb from Limb” – Lisa Jane Robison
The Collector – “The Campaign Manager” – Daria Ellerman
The Collector – “The Dreamer” – Daria Ellerman
The Collector – “The Mother” – Scott Summersgill

The Nominees for Best Dramatic Series
Godiva’s – Producer(s): Julia Keatley, Michael MacLennan, Gigi Boyd
Robson Arms – Producer(s): Brian Hamilton, Gary Harvey, Susin Nielsen
Stargate Atlantis – Producer(s): Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper, N. John Smith, Michael Greenburg, Martin Wood, Joe Mallozzi, Paul Mullie
The Collector – Producer(s): Larry Sugar, Jon Cooksey, Ali Marie Matheson

Winners will be announced Friday, May 27, 2005.

Leo Nomination Announcement
Discuss these nominations on our SG1Solutions Forum
[Thanks to Sueb45 for the story — DeeKayP]
(Article updated for new nomination announcements)

Stargate SG-1 Official Magazine Features Michael Shanks

Issue #4 has already started to appear on newsstands

Stargate SG-1 Magazine Issue #4One of the centerfold posters of Daniel Jackson

  • Michael Shanks talks about Season Nine in a five-page article.
  • Two-sided centerfold poster features Daniel.
  • Interview with Claudia Black (Vala).
  • The A to Z of Jack O’Neill.
  • Information on wormholes and the Nox.
  • Interview with Corin Nemec (Jonas Quinn).
  • Atlantis interviews and features.
  • and much more.

    • The official release date for the magazine is April 26, but the magazine has already hit the stores in some areas of the United States.

    Update! Read the Solutions excerpts here.

    Visit Titan Magazines for ordering information.

    Discuss this magazine at our Stargate SG1Solutions Forum

    Massive update to Michael Shanks interviews

    We’ve updated and expanded our Michael Shanks Interviews section at Stargate SG-1 Solutions, adding 18 new interviews from throughout 2002-2005, as well as adding additional content to some of the existing transcripts. Wherever possible, we’ve added links to where you can buy the magazines online and we’d sincerely recommend that you do so. Magazines are an expensive investment but we hope you’ll trust our word of mouse and make that contribution in support of continuing coverage of Michael Shanks’ career and roles.

    We’ve also added a publicity section, starting out with the six adverts supporting Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson placed sci-fi and entertainment industry publications by the worldwide fan co-operative during the SDJ campaign. If you recall, I was webmaster for Stargate SG-1 Solutions when it was still at its old URL savedanieljackson.com and was campaign HQ for the Save Daniel Jackson campaign.

    And there’s a collection of 23 magazine covers Michael has appeared on promoting Stargate SG-1 and Dr. Daniel Jackson in the UK, US and Canada, including the prestigious TV Guide cover with Richard Dean Anderson.

    We hope you’ll enjoy what is the most comprehensive Michael Shanks interview collection on the web.

    Check out our comprehensive collection of Michael Shanks interviews

    Shanks is the voice of Local Custom

    Michael Shanks becomes the voice of “Local Custom”
    An excerpt from the article by Marla R. Reed, syndicated to Stargate SG-1 Solutions, 14 Feb 05

    Actor Michael Shanks recently embarked on a new project in his career, a career that includes successful forays into classical theater, television and film work. His latest project is as narrator of the soon to be released Audio Novel version of the SF/Romance novel “Local Custom.”

    “Local Custom,” which is the first of the seven books set in the Liaden Universe® written by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, tells a tale of Master trader Er Thom who knows the local custom of his people is to take a bride from a high Liaden family and provide his most revered clan Korval with a worthy heir. Yet a woman not of his culture or even of his world has captured his heart, a woman whom he discovers has borne his child and for which Er Thom is willing to risk his honor and reputation to be with.

    As a narrator of “Local Custom,” Michael Shanks joins the ranks of other fellow “Stargate SG-1” cast members who have done audio novels before him. Ben Browder, who is joining the regular cast in season 9 as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, narrated “Interlopers” written by Alan Dean Foster, and veteran “Stargate SG-1” actor Tony Amendola, who plays recurring character Master Bra’tac, co-narrated “An Unfinished Life” written by Mark Spragg.

    Did they have any advice for Shanks going into this project?

    “Tony Amendola, who I respect tremendously as an actor, was telling me ‘don’t do that, I’m telling you don’t do it’,” Shanks says with a gentle laugh.

    However Michael Shanks is also quick to inform you that he is a man who knows and accepts about himself that telling him NOT to do something is the quickest way to get him to do it or make him want to try it.

    “And I said ‘Wow – Tony saying that…’ That’s something. I better go do that cause I wanna see what he’s talking about and I certainly found out the hard way.”

    Read the complete “Local Custom” article by Marla Reed in our Interviews section

    Stargate receives 4 Saturn nominations

    Nominations for the 31st Annual Saturn Awards have been announced. Saturns are awarded by The Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy & Horror Films. Television nominations had “Lost” leading the group with five nominations. Following were “The Librarian: Quest For the Spear”, “Smallville”, and “Stargate: SG-1” each with four nominations.

    Stargate SG-1 — nominated for “Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series”.

    Richard Dean Anderson — nominated for “Best Actor in a Television Series”.

    Michael Shanks — nominated for “Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series”.

    Amanda Tapping — nominated for “Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series”.

    Spin-off Stargate Atlantis has also received nominations: competition for “Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series”; and Torri Higginson for “Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series”.

    View the complete 31st Saturn Awards Nominations

    Shanks on recording Local Custom audiobook

    “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

    Michael Shanks welcomes Ben Browder

    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

    Season 9 spoilers to date

    Main regular cast members for Season 9

    Michael Shanks – returning as Dr. Daniel Jackson
    Christopher Judge – returning as Teal’c
    Ben Browder – joining the cast as Lt. Col “M.M”

    Recurring cast members

    Amanda Tapping – recurring as Lt. Col Samantha Carter for 15 episodes
    Claudia Black – recurring as the alien Vala for a 5-episode story arc

    Daniel and Teal’c

    “Fans of both Daniel and Teal’c should be very happy with the back half of SG-1’s 8th season. Prometheus Unbound, Full Alert, Reckoning I and II, Threads, and Moebius I and II promise some major developments for both characters (and, incidentally, allow Michael to flex his comedic muscles more than a couple of times). DJ and Teal’c will have their hands full in the second half of season eight, and that’s a trend that will continue through season nine (and hopefully beyond) as the developments/revelations from the aforementioned episodes will see them front and center as we kick off a new year of SG-1. …We’ve got big plans for the boys.” –- Co-Executive Producer and Writer Joseph Mallozzi

    Daniel and Vala

    “[Next season] Claudia [Black] is going to appear in a five-episode arc in the role of Vala. She’s great. You’ll get to see just why we wanted to bring her back in “Prometheus Unbound,” which has yet to air.” –- Stargate: Atlantis showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Brad Wright

    “She’s [a] human from another planet. And she’s a bit of … an enigma. You’re not quite sure what her true story is in the episode ‘Prometheus Unbound.’ She’s a bit of a rogue who tells a long story about her planet and her people and her past, and then in the end you’re not really quite sure whether it’s true or not. So she’s a bit of a wild card. She’s a very … sexy character, who isn’t afraid to take whatever … she wants in any given situation. And we had a lot of fun writing the role, and I know she had a lot of fun playing it, and we’re going to try very hard to maintain the integrity of that character and still have her sort of join up with the team, but still sort of keep the essence of that wonderful friction that went on between her and Daniel, and I’m sure it’ll continue to sort of play out with the rest of the characters as well.” –- Stargate SG-1’s showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Robert Cooper.

    Lt. Colonel “M.M”

    “Ben is playing a military guy, a lieutenant colonel. And I can’t tell you his name yet. It hasn’t been legally cleared yet, so it could still change.” Browder’s character, who joins the show in the upcoming ninth season, has a past history with the Stargate program, Cooper said. “The audience just hasn’t met him yet,” he said. “He’s actually played a key role in some major events that went on … in the Stargate universe and was in fact very instrumental in helping SG-1 succeed in one of their more important missions. And as a result of that, he was given … his choice posting. And he ultimately chooses to join SG-1. So when he first appears on the show, SG-1 will already know who he is. And we’ll see some of those scenes and how he was basically woven into the tapestry of the show through flashbacks.” –- Stargate SG-1’s showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Robert Cooper.

    Q: If Ben’s character has already been somewhat defined – will his character be a member of the military? A Stargate SG-1 team member? An alien? Can you talk at all about what kind of man Ben will be playing?
    A: Rob will tell you this, but yes, he’s a military man. Specifically, he’s the F-302 pilot (our Earth-designed space fighter) that led the squadron that fought Anubis in Antarctica. He was badly injured when his fighter crashed, nearly killed but was promised a place on SG-1 if he made it back to fighting form. I’m not concerned with Crichton comparisons that may arise. SG-1 is a unit of the U.S. Air Force and so he should be an officer, but it’s a very different show. –- Stargate: Atlantis showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Brad Wright

    Browder hopes his new, higher-profile series will help the cause of another Farscape project. “It’s not only a good career move for me, but it could be good for the whole Farscape cast.” — Ben Browder

    Jack O’Neill

    Q: Is Richard Dean Anderson coming back at all for Season 9? There was some talk of 4 appearances for Season 9, but has anything been confirmed? If he does not come back for Season 9, what happens to him at the end of Season 8?
    A: O’Neill will continue to be a part of the SG-1 universe. Whether we actually SEE him is up to Rick, but the character will continue to exist on or off screen. He may appear in one or two or more episodes. But let me add this: I handed over the reins of the SG-1 to Robert in season seven because I needed a rest and wanted to spend more time with my family. That’s all Rick wants to do, and I don’t blame him. I came back. The door is open for Rick to do the same. –- Stargate: Atlantis showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Brad Wright

    The character of Brig. Gen. Jack O’Neill will remain a part of the show in the upcoming ninth season, whether or not Richard Dean Anderson returns as a regular cast member. “His character is going to remain very much alive in the Stargate [SG-1] universe. He … is going to be integral in commanding what goes on at the SGC. As to the appearance of Richard Dean Anderson in the series, that’s really still undetermined. We are very hopeful that Rick is going to agree to participate in a number of episodes, but I have no idea as to how many or when that will be resolved.” -– Stargate SG-1’s showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Robert Cooper.

    “My decision to leave the show is purely a personal one, based first and foremost on my desire to spend as much time as possible with my 6-year-old daughter in Los Angeles.” –- Richard Dean Anderson

    Samantha Carter

    “We are having to … deal with a brief absence of Carter, [played by] Amanda Tapping, who’s pregnant. And we had already discussed a storyline that involved the return of Vala, … the character played by Claudia. And so we thought it worked perfectly to have that sort of miniarc play out maybe while Amanda was less available to us.” -– Stargate SG-1’s showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Robert Cooper

    “I know there are also a lot of questions about season nine of Stargate. I will be returning. I am slated to do 15 of the 20 episodes. I will return to the show in May. I will bringing the baby with me, (not through the gate of course..heehee) and we’ll see how it works out. I know I am not the first actress to do this and I sincerely hope I am up to the challenge. I am very excited! It’s going to be o¬ne heck of a year.” –- Amanda Tapping

    Season 9 in general

    Meanwhile, Cooper said 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.” –- Stargate SG-1’s showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Robert Cooper.

    Season 9 will have a new beginning with a new enemy. I think once you’ve seen the end of Season 8 you’ll understand why we’re doing that. –- Stargate: Atlantis showrunner Executive Producer and Writer Brad Wright

    A Solutions source has revealed that Emmy and Golden Globe winner Beau Bridges has been cast as Stargate Command’s new general. Bridges will succeed Don S. Davis as Major General George Hammond and Richard Dean Anderson as Brigadier General Jack O’Neill.

    Discuss the Season 9 spoilers on SG1Solutions Forum

    Shanks welcomes Browder to SG-1

    Stargate SG-1 star Michael Shanks told SCI FI Wire that he was pleased to hear that Farscape’s Ben Browder would be joining the cast of the SCI FI Channel series when it kicks off its ninth season next year. “I’m a big fan of stirring the pot,” Shanks said in an interview. “Not that we’ve become complacent, but I’m a big fan of introducing new elements.”

    Browder joins the cast as a new character, a seasoned lieutenant colonel who becomes the latest member of SG-1. “We’ve worked on the show for many years, and we’ve worked with the same three other actors,” Shanks said, referring to co-stars Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge and Richard Dean Anderson. “If it’s just those four people on the screen, yeah, we could have a great rapport, but when you introduce a new element you always have that inhale of breath. It’s like, ‘Ooh, what’s this going to do?’ That’s what guest stars are for. You get complacent when you sit on your butt too long and you work with the same group of people. You get used to the dynamic, and you get spoiled and lazy. I think introducing a new element tests you, and it also shakes it up a little bit. And I think, without taking anything too much away, the introduction of a new person is going to up the stakes and sort of have everybody doing a tapdance to figure out where this is all going to fit.”

    SCI FI no doubt hopes that Browder’s presence will both attract new viewers to the show and keep SG-1 fans—particularly those who’ve bemoaned the decreased presence of Anderson—in the fold.

    But Shanks insisted that that end of the equation was not his concern. “Whether Ben brings a SF cachet to the table, … I don’t care,” he said. “That’s not my business to worry about whether or not he’s going to bring in viewers. My job is to find out how we can work together and how it’s going to be positive and what kinds of good stories we can tell. If his reputation in that regard is spot-on, that’s all I care about, and it sounds like he’s got a positive reputation.”

    Sci Fi Wire article