Stargate‘s Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Savela attended the first night’s ceremony of the 2010 Leo Awards and reported the winners on his Twitter. Thus far, it appears that Stargate Universe and Sanctuary are having a wonderful year of wins:
Stargate Universe
Best Screenwriting in a Dramatic Series: Brad Wright – Stargate Universe – “Light”
Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Series: Rick Martin – Stargate Universe – “Human”
Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series: Mark Savela, Shannon Gurney, Brenda Campbell, Craig Vandenbiggelaar, Krista McLean – Stargate Universe – “Air”
Sanctuary
Best Direction in a Dramatic Series: Brenton Spencer – Sanctuary – “Pavor Nocturnus”
Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series: Bridget McGuire – Sanctuary – “Kali Part 2”
Best Costume Design in a Dramatic Series: Christina McQuarrie – Sanctuary – “Pavor Nocturnus”
Best Make-Up in a Dramatic Series: Todd Masters, Holland Miller, Harlow Macfarlane, Werner Pretorius, Yukio Okajima – Sanctuary – “Fragments”
Congratulations to the winners!
The winners of the remaining categories, including acting and best dramatic series, will be announced tonight at the Gala Awards Ceremony.
Stargate star David Hewlett can be seen in movie theaters across the US when his film Splice opens tonight! Hewlett attended the red carpet premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, on Wednesday, June 2, and posed for several photos, some of which can be seen at Zimbio.com.
Embedded below is the intense trailer in which Hewlett can be seen in his role as William Barlow, a representative of the pharmaceutical company who is in direct contact with the creators of the new lifeform Dren, the result of splicing human DNA into a hybrid animal. In his review of the film, Fangoria’s Michael Gingold observed that Hewlett’s role “seems styled to resemble John Getz’s Stathis Borans from Cronenberg’s THE FLY.” Borans survived at the end of that movie (and into its sequel THE FLY II), so here’s hoping Hewlett’s Barlow does the same!
The 'USS Hammond' returns in tonight's episode (MGM)
The histories of SG-1 and the Lucian Alliance are intertwined, as we covered in the feature we published for “Subversion”, and in tonight’s “Incursion”, writer Joseph Mallozzi tells us that we should prepare for a two-part episode that is “reminiscent of golden age SG-1.” Perhaps this is because the episodes are “significantly more action-driven and visually spectacular,” or perhaps it is because two former members of SG-1 are contributing to the story: Gen. Jack O’Neill and Col. Samantha Carter. And if you know that Carter’s going to be present, you’ll know that her powerful Daedalus-class starship USS Hammond is going to make an appearance and, hopefully, contribute to that action and visual spectacular!
The Lucian Alliance wants Destiny and they’ve got Col. David Telford on their side. And thanks to some undercover body-swapping gone wrong, they’ve also got Dr. Nicholas Rush. Will he be able to build upon the mathematical solution to drawing energy safely from a naquadria core like Eli Wallace managed to do? And if he does figure it out, will he actually dial Destiny? And back home on Earth, will O’Neill determine what the Lucian Alliance is up to and where they’ve taken Rush (in Telford’s body)? And if he does locate the Alliance’s Icarus-type planet, will he try to take it? He’ll need the fire power of Carter’s Hammond in case he does.
After viewing the Day 1 Mix of tonight’s episode, Mallozzi wrote in his weblog, “Magnifique! An episode full of action, anguish, intrigue and suspense. And Joel [Goldsmith]’s score is phenomenal.” He also told us that some characters will get to shine as the tension heightens on the Destiny, “Wray is a civilian with a background in Human Resources and while, at first blush, the skills she possesses may seem impractical in a space-faring scenario, Camile will step to the fore later this season, especially when all hell breaks loose in the show’s two-part season finale.”
The Story Behind the Scenes: Special Guest Stars
O'Neill and Carter coordinate their efforts against the Lucian Alliance (MGM)
Richard Dean Anderson and Amanda Tapping are tonight’s special guest stars, as we see their characters coordinate their efforts against the Lucian Alliance. Rhona Mitra and Mike Dopud also return as the Alliance’s Commander Kiva and her lieutenant Varro.
Carter’s history with the Lucian Alliance goes all the way back to her SG-1 days, when her team made it a priority to end the Alliance’s grip on worlds left behind by the Goa’uld. It was her duty to be the one to break it to Stargate Command that they had officially declared war with the Alliance after her friend and fellow officer Col. Paul Emerson, the commander of Earth’s starship USS Odyssey, was executed in cold blood before her very eyes when the Alliance tried to coerce her into helping them to take the ship. Now that she’s commander of the Hammond, Carter represents Earth’s powerful, yet benevolent, presence in a galaxy full of worlds that are trying to break free from the harmful influences of the Alliance.
Concerning her SGU appearances, Tapping told the Huffington Post back in November 2009, “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.”
NOTE: The UK’s Sky One viewers will see “Incursion Part 1″ on Tuesday, June 8, at 8:00 PM, and viewers in Australia will be getting it on the Sci Fi Channel on Friday, June 11, at 8:30 PM.
[spoiler intro=”TV Guide’s Episode Summary”]Part 1 of 2. Col. Telford reveals a threat to the Destiny from the Lucian Alliance, prompting Gen. O’Neill to launch a preemptive attack on the foes’ base.[/spoiler]
[spoiler intro=”Syfy’s Episode Preview Trailer”]
[/spoiler]
[spoiler intro=”Syfy’s Sneak Peek Video Clip”]
[/spoiler]
[spoiler intro=”Dr. Daniel Jackson’s Video on the Lucian Alliance”]
Michael Shanks Online is reporting that the Stargate star has landed a new role in the feature film Red Riding Hood, “a gothic re-telling of the Charles Perrault fairytale—later re-told by the Brothers Grimm.”
Shanks sent a note to the website describing the new project, which will be filmed in Vancouver:
“Just landed a role in a new feature called Red Riding Hood directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and starring Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman and Julie Christie. Will play a character named Adrien Lazar, local affluent blacksmith and father of Henri Lazar (love interest to Amanda’s character). Rehearsals begin in July, and filming starts July 22nd.”
Warner Bros. Pictures and Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way are behind the film, which was scripted by David Leslie Johnson. Director Hardwicke enthused in an interview quoted by MSOL, “We’re making it a wild thriller in this great Gothic fairytale world, very sexy, romantic and scary. I get to create a whole world.”
To read more about the film, visit MSOL and the project’s IMDb profile.
Shanks is currently filming Faces in the Crowd in Winnipeg, the principal photography for which is due to wrap June 13.
SCI FI Rebrands in Asia
By Kristin Brzoznowski
Published: June 2, 2010
SINGAPORE: SCI FI Channel in Asia is being rebranded as Syfy Universal, with its new look launching in July.
The channel will launch its rebranded look with the exclusive premiere of Stargate Universe (SGU) on July 26. The rebrand is part of NBC Universal’s plan to reposition its global network of pay-TV channels around the world under five core brands under the banner of Universal Networks International. The name change has enabled the brand to expand beyond a single genre, now encompassing fantasy, action, paranormal, reality and science fiction.
Raymund Miranda, the managing director for Asia Pacific at Universal Networks International, said, “We are excited about making the change from SCI FI to Syfy Universal in Asia. Syfy Universal builds on the channel’s 17-year heritage of delivering imagination-fueled content to global audiences. We know these changes will appeal not only to our existing and extremely loyal fans but will reach out to a new army of viewers.”
Click on the image to read the movie's full synopsis from its promo info sheetJust when we’re preparing to see David Hewlett in movie theaters in Splice this coming Friday, June 4, he’s popped up in another movie’s trailer! This time, it’s for The Whistleblower, a story based on true events. Hewlett filmed in Romania for his part of Fred Murray (his character’s name according to IMDb) back in October and November 2009.
The film doesn’t have a release date, but is expected to open late this year. IMDb’s description: “A drama based on the experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska cop who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and outed the U.N. for covering up a sex scandal.”
Here’s the trailer. You should take care in watching as it has mature situations and some strong language, but Hewlett is in it:
You might be interested in these news tidbits and announcements that have been noted on this editor’s calendar and notebook for this week. If you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below. We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week.
Tonight and tomorrow night, Robert Picardo and John de Lancie will be hosting the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony’s presentation of Star Trek: The Music. There will be an After Party at which fans can obtain autographs, and those attending are encouraged to wear costumes!
Thursday,
June 3
Stargate Universe“Air Part 3” on New Zealand’s Prime TV at 8:30 PM.
Last week, we posted a few background articles in our LJ Companion that you might be interested in. These articles don’t have a companion piece in our News Blog here:
Rachel Luttrellposted an update on her official website about what’s she’s doing right now. She’s going back and forth between Los Angeles and Vancouver and is currently in the process of recording a CD!
We’ll find out how well Team Stargate Worlds racing team places in the Indianapolis 500 today, May 30!
Reminders
For news as it happens, make sure to visit the Stargate Twitter Superfeed for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature Beyond the Event Horizon, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1 and Atlantis.
Our LJ Companion has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits.
For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.
Season One of Stargate Universe is nearing its close as the two-part season finale “Incursion” begins next week, June 4, and ends June 11 on Syfy and Space. These episodes have long been “in the can” and now the writers are busy putting together Season Two.
Thus far, we have the names of the first 14 out of 20 episodes, and we’ve created episode guides for each of them in our Stargate Wiki. For the sake of keeping spoilers to a minimum here, let’s just say that Season Two continues the story arc started in last week’s “Subversion” (which Space will be showing tonight at 10 PM ET).
As each new episode is given a title, we’ll create the remaining guides, but in the meantime, we’ll put select quotes about their development from Joseph Mallozzi’s blog (the main source for all of this production information) on the season’s main index page. Enjoy!
Julia Benson as Vanessa James (MGM/Movie Web)Once again, executive producer Joseph Mallozzi is opening his weblog up to fan questions directed to someone attached to the production of Stargate Universe. This time, you’re invited to ask Julia Benson (Lt. Vanessa James) your questions:
One of the many great things about having a blog on wordpress is the Blog Stats section that allows you to track everything from daily views and incoming links to search engine terms and referrers. And, I just discovered this weekend, if you click on the Top Posts & Pages header, you’ll be directed to a list of every one of your posts ranked according to the traffic it has received to date.
So what, according to wordpress, has been my most popular entry of all time? The breakdown of the Atlantis season that might-have-been in my An AU Season 6! entry? The Amanda Tapping Q&A? That Long Overdue Rant?
Guess again. Here are my top ten most popular posts to date:
[…]
1. October 22, 2009: Julia Benson! Jennifer Spence! Birthday Swag! The Weird Food Purchase of the Day!: Granted, this entry had a bit of everything – Carl, pretty actresses, a video of me sampling one of the hottest hot sauces out there, a picture of the bacon-chocolate chip cookies sent in by a fan – but what the hell made it so damn popular? Well, if you compare and contrast the entries occupying the top two slots, you’ll notice one like variable: Julia Benson. Cross-reference that with the top three Search Engine Terms used to reach my blog –
3. “joe mallozzi”: Makes sense.
2. “joseph mallozzi”: Makes even more sense given that that’s how I’m credited onscreen.
1. “julia benson”: Garnering about twice as many searches as “joseph mallozzi”.
What does this tell us? Well, it tells us that there are a lot of fans of strong, military women out there. What else would it tell us?
It also tells us that it’s high time I invited actress Julia Benson to guest here and answer some fan question in her very own Q&A.
So if you’ve got questions for the Julia, start posting!
The numbers for last Friday’s Stargate Universe episode “Subversion” have been added to our summary table below. Thanks go to Travis Yanan at pifeedback.com for the data this week:
