Tag: Michael Shanks

Articles including content about actor Michael Shanks

Stargate Planner: Week of May 17-23

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.

Calendar

Monday, May 17 Ming-Na returns to her role as Judge Linda Harris in the episode “Gumby with a Pokey” in Two and a Half Men on CBS at 9 PM ET.
Tuesday, May 18 Stargate Universe “Sabotage” on the UK’s Sky One at 8:00 PM.
Wednesday, May 19
Thursday,
May 20		 Today, The CW is holding their Upfronts and they’ll announce whether or not Ben Browder will be appearing weekly as a regular cast member of Tom Welling’s Hellcats. The word is that this show is a strong contender. ETA: The CW did pick the series up, but Browder has decided not to appear in it. Instead, he will be pursuing some film projects that have become available to him.
Friday,
May 21		 Stargate Universe “Pain” on Australia’s Sci Fi Channel at 8:30 PM.

Stargate Universe “Subversion” on Syfy at 9 PM ET (Canada’s Space has delayed it until May 28 at 10 PM ET). Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks guest star!

Torri Higginson‘s turn as Beatrice in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing ends tonight at A Noise Within theatre in Glendale, California.

Saturday, May 22
Sunday, May 23

News Notes

There have been several recent interviews with Alaina Huffman and David Blue that cover the end of Season One and into Season Two of Stargate Universe:

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:

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.

Reminder: Shanks, Huffman in "Smallville" Finale Tonight (May 14)

Alaina Huffman as The Black Canary (The CW)Michael Shanks as Hawkman in SMALLVILLE (The CW)

Alaina Huffman as The Black Canary and Michael Shanks as Hawkman in SMALLVILLE (The CW)

Before you tune into SGU’s episode “Pain” tonight (May 14) at 9 PM ET on Syfy, check out the season finale of Smallville at 8 PM ET on The CW! You’ll be seeing Stargate stars Michael Shanks and Alaina Huffman reprising their superhero roles in cameos in “Salvation”. Stargate SG-1 veteran Britt Irvin will also be making a cameo as Star Girl, a role she established in Smallville: Absolute Justice.

Smallville has been renewed for a tenth season, so will we be seeing any of these actors return? Luckily, we’ve heard from both Huffman and Shanks about their characters’ arcs.

Huffman was interviewed by Movie Web and she was very generous in her response (Stargate Universe is also covered in this interview, so beware of spoilers). “I was up there shooting a few weeks ago and I was kind of probing the producers to see what was going on with season ten. They weren’t giving me any information so I hope my character makes an appearance in the tenth season as well. I do have a nice hiatus over the winter from Stargate Universe where I could make a few appearances so I’ve made my pitch to them. I’m hoping I will get to go back because it’s a lot of fun to work on and Black Canary is just a great character. … I definitely feel like aside from the Black Canary character that Dinah and Ollie have a whole history from the comics to explore. … It would be something interesting, if not to explore in the tenth season of Smallville, I have a feeling that they may do something after that. Not necessarily Smallville but they have all these sets and I think they may do something along those lines.”

Shanks attended the Vulcan Event in Florida recently (video at Wormhole Riders) and he briefly discussed Hawkman’s future. “I’m not sure about next year; I know that there has been some dialogue about it, but I’m not sure what’s going on with that. But, I expect to see him next year, maybe not full time, but possibly guest.”

Since the episode summary and video promo might be considered spoilers, we’ve included them under spoiler cuts for safety:

[spoiler intro=”Episode Promo”]

[/spoiler]
[spoiler intro=”TV GUIDE SUMMARY”] Zod claims to be the Blur and asks Lois to steal the Book of Rao from Clark; Lois asks Clark for full disclosure, but he refuses; Oliver disappears while he and Chloe attempt to fight the Kandorians by reconnecting Watchtower’s satellites; Tess is seriously injured after confronting Zod; and Clark and Zod have a showdown as they battle for Earth.[/spoiler]

Big Finish Changes Format for Season Three Audio Dramas

Big Finish Productions‘ Stargate audio dramas are going to take a different direction for their third season, presently planned to premiere in Q3 2010.

Big Finish SG-1 Generic
Season Three will consist of six SG-1 episodes featuring Dr. Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran

Thus far, each season has had six episodes, three of them for SG-1 and three for Atlantis. The third season will see two SG-1 trilogies instead, meaning that there will be no Atlantis episodes for an entire year of the dramas’ run. What’s more, all six episodes of the two trilogies will have Dr. Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran, voiced by Michael Shanks and Claudia Black, as the leads. Cliff Simon is also expected to voice System Lord Ba’al in the first trilogy. The storyline for the second trilogy hasn’t been revealed. (Source: Big Finish May Podcast, transcribed in part at MSOL)

Author and story editor James Swallow wrote in his LiveJournal about the additional change in format for the third season of Stargate stories, “The third series of Stargate audios are moving from the ‘narrated’ style of the first two series to full cast dramas. … The audios will be set during the last season of Stargate SG-1/prior to Ark of Truth.”

As far as who’ll be writing these six episodes, Swallow elaborated, “I’m writing episode one (entitled Half Life) as well as story editing. … Joining me are; Sally Malcolm, who has written several Stargate audios (Gift of the Gods, Perchance to Dream, Savarna) and Stargate novels (A Matter of Honor, The Cost of Honor, Rising); Steve Lyons, author of many excellent Doctor Who novels and audios (including The Fires of Vulcan, Colditz and Blood of the Daleks); Peter J. Evans, author of the Stargate Atlantis novel Angelus and the Durham Red novels; Sharon Gosling, writer on the Stargate series guides and audios (A Necessary Evil, Pathogen, The Kindness of Strangers, Lines of Communication); and Richard Dinnick, writer of Space 1889: The Lunar Inheritance and Sapphire & Steel: The Surest Poison.”

Swallow also visited the Gate Pages LiveJournal Community to “offer some perspective” to smooth over some of the hurt that Atlantis fans are feeling in reaction to a year without new stories. “Firstly, any suggestion that Big Finish have ‘given up’ on Stargate Atlantis is incorrect. A lot of factors affect the choices made for a production like the Stargate audio dramas, and these include the availability of actors, budget concerns (some Stargate cast members are just beyond our means), and interest on the part of actors/agents (some cast members aren’t interested in doing audio stories); but for a small company like Big Finish, the key ones are sales and audience support. The decision to make series three exclusively Stargate SG-1 and alter the format was not made lightly, and certainly not because of any ‘anti-Atlantis’ agenda.

“By far the best way for SGA fans to show interest for future Atlantis audio dramas is to support the six current SGA releases from series one and two of the Stargate audios, by purchasing CDs or downloads directly from BF’s website here – http://www.bigfinish.com/Stargate-SG-1-and-Atlantis.”

What do you think of this change in direction for the audio dramas? Let us hear from you in our comment section below.

BD Horror News Gives Update on Shanks Film

Faces in the Crowd Movie PosterStargate star Michael Shanks is currently filming Faces in the Crowd in and around Winnipeg, Canada, and Bloody Disgusting Horror News has an update on the film’s production, including listing Shanks among those who are rounding out the cast.

“Oscar-nominated writer/director Julien Magnat‘s feature length debut Faces in the Crowd began principal photography in and around Winnipeg, Canada this past weekend,” MrDisgusting reported. “Joining the previously announced Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil, The Fourth Kind) and Julian McMahon (“Nip/Tuck”, Fantastic Four) are Michael Shanks (“Stargate”, “24”), David Atrakchi (Transporter 3), Sarah Wayne Callies (“Prison Break”) and Marianne Faithful. The concept behind this thriller is pretty cool as Jovovich stars as a woman who has a severe case of face-blindess — and there’s ‘someone’ after her.”

Faces in the Crowd is a “psychological thriller being produced for Minds Eye Entertainment, Forecast Pictures, Radar Films and Frantic Films – the Canada/France team of Kevin DeWalt (Saskatchewan), Jean-Charles Lévy (France), Clément Miserez (France) and Jamie Brown (Manitoba) will produce alongside Hollywood veterans Scott Mednick and Sylvain White. Executive producers are Christopher Petzel and Milla Jovovich.

“The film is a Saskatchewan-Manitoba interprovincial Canada-France co-production with key technical and creative personnel from both provinces. Principal photography will take place in Manitoba and post-production including all computer generated visual effects will be completed in Saskatchewan.

“Executive producer Nicolas Chartier of Voltage Pictures will handle international sales. Their first in-house production, THE HURT LOCKER, received six Academy Award’s in 2010.”

According to the report, “Principal photography will wrap June 13, 2010.”

Make sure to visit BD Horror News: ‘Faces in the Crowd’ Begins Filming, Full Cast Revealed for the movie’s plot details.

Stargate Planner: Week of May 10-16

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.

Calendar

Monday, May 10
Tuesday, May 11 Stargate Universe “Lost” on the UK’s Sky One at 8:00 PM.

Claudia Black guest stars as Velvet Road on NCIS in the episode “Borderland” on CBS at 8 PM ET.

Paul McGillion guest stars as Dr. Lawrence Parker on V in the episode “Fruition” on ABC at 10 PM ET.
Wednesday, May 12
Thursday,
May 13
Friday,
May 14		 Stargate Universe “Sabotage” on Australia’s Sci Fi Channel at 8:30 PM.

Michael Shanks, Alaina Huffman, and Britt Irvin reprise their superhero roles in the season finale of Smallville, “Salvation”, on The CW at 8 PM ET. To see the network’s promo, visit our LJ Companion.

Stargate Universe “Pain” on Syfy at 9 PM ET and on Space at 10 PM ET.

Saturday, May 15
Sunday, May 16 Beau Bridges and his daughter Emily will close their play Acting: The First Six Lessons tonight at Threatre West. The two did a segment on The Bonnie Hunt Show concerning this play, the video for which can be viewed in our LJ Companion.

News Notes

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:

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.

Shanks & Staite: Current Filming Projects

Two of our Stargate stars have just started new filming projects that we thought you might be interested in hearing about.

Jewel Staite: She’s been reporting about her new project The Doomsday Scrolls with CSI: NY star A.J. Buckley on her Twitter account. Buckley even posted a TweetPhoto that includes the two of them on location. News about Buckley’s casting and a hint at what the movie is about come from The Hollywood Reporter: “And A.J. Buckley (“CSI: NY”) has been tapped to star in ‘The Doomsday Scrolls,’ about a book editor who tries to prevent Armageddon.” The movie is filming in Vancouver for Syfy and will premiere next year.

Michael Shanks: His Official Website is reporting that he’s filming Faces in the Crowd: MSOL transcribed a portion of his talk at the recent Vulcan Events convention in Florida, “I’m starting a movie, like… right when I get back from here I’m going to Winnipeg to shoot a movie called Faces In The Crowd with Milla Jovovich and Julian McMahon. It’s about a woman who gets attacked by a serial killer and she develops – I don’t remember the name of the condition, it’s really hard to pronounce [prosopagnosia] – where you can’t… she gets hit in the head and it’s a condition where she can’t distinguish faces. So… I’m playing her boyfriend, and there’s 15 other actors playing my role as well because every time she sees him it looks different, so I’ll voice over all the other actors. It’s a really interesting premise.” More information can be obtained by visiting MSOL or Jovovich’s Official Website. The film will premiere next year. A promo/preview video is included below.

[spoiler intro=”Promo/Preview for FACES IN THE CROWD”]

[/spoiler]

SGU, Sanctuary Each Get 17 2010 Leo Award Noms

The nominees for the 2010 Leo Awards have been announced, and newcomer Stargate Universe has earned 17 nominations! Additionally, Amanda Tapping‘s Sanctuary has also earned 17 nominations, some of them in direct competition with SGU. And Stargate star Michael Shanks has actually got a nomination for his guest starring appearance in the Sanctuary episode “Penance”.

Stargate Universe

  1. Best Dramatic Series: Brad Wright, Robert Cooper, Carl Binder, Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mulle, John G. Lenic, N. John Smith – Producers
  2. Best Direction in a Dramatic Series: Robert Cooper – Stargate Universe – “Human”
  3. Best Direction in a Dramatic Series: Peter Deluise – Stargate Universe – “Light”
  4. Best Screenwriting in a Dramatic Series: Brad Wright – Stargate Universe – “Light”
  5. Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series: Jim Menard – Stargate Universe – “Light”
  6. Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series: Michael Blundell – Stargate Universe – “Human”
  7. Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series: Rohn Schmidt – Stargate Universe – “Air” [ETA: This nomination has been withdrawn, leaving SGU with 16 nominations.]
  8. Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Series: Brad Rines – Stargate Universe – “Pain”
  9. Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Series: Mike Banas – Stargate Universe – “Air”
  10. Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Series: Rick Martin – Stargate Universe – “Human”
  11. Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series: James C. O. Robbins – Stargate Universe – “Air”
  12. Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series: Mark Savela, Jason Gross, Steve Garrad, James Kawano, Viv Jim – Stargate Universe – “Space”
  13. Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series: Mark Savela, Shannon Gurney, Brenda Campbell, Craig Vandenbiggelaar, Krista McLean – Stargate Universe – “Air”
  14. Best Stunt Coordination in a Dramatic Series: James Bamford – Stargate Universe – “Air”
  15. Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series: Patrick Gilmore – Stargate Universe – “Pain”
  16. Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series: Jennifer Spence – Stargate Universe – “Life”
  17. Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series: Julia Benson – Stargate Universe – “Pain”

Sanctuary

  1. Best Dramatic Series: Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, Alan McCullough, Lily Hui, Lisa Richardson, Lee Wilson – Producers
  2. Best Direction in a Dramatic Series: Brenton Spencer – Sanctuary – “Pavor Nocturnus”
  3. Best Direction in a Dramatic Series: Martin Wood – Sanctuary – “Kali Part 2”
  4. Best Screenwriting in a Dramatic Series: Alan McCullough – Sanctuary – “Veritas”
  5. Best Screenwriting in a Dramatic Series: Damian Kindler – Sanctuary – “Kali Part 2”
  6. Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Series: Gordon Remple – Sanctuary – “Kali Part 2”
  7. Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series: Bridget McGuire – Sanctuary – “Kali Part 2”
  8. Best Costume Design in a Dramatic Series: Christina McQuarrie – Sanctuary – “Pavor Nocturnus”
  9. Best Make-Up in a Dramatic Series: Todd Master, Holland Miller, Harlow Macfarlane, Werner Pretorius, Yukio Okajima – Sanctuary – “Fragments”
  10. Best Make-Up in a Dramatic Series: Francesca von Zimmermann, Andrea Manchur – Sanctuary – “Pavor Nocturnus”
  11. Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series: Lee Wilson, Lisa Sepp-Wilson, Sebastien Bergeron, Les Quinn, Eric Petey – Sanctuary – “End Of Nights Part 2”
  12. Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series: Michael Shanks – Sanctuary – “Penance”
  13. Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series: Christopher Gauthier – Sanctuary – “Hero”
  14. Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series: Christopher Heyerdahl – Sanctuary – “Haunted”
  15. Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series: Ryan Robbins – Sanctuary – “Fragments”
  16. Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series: Robin Dunne – Sanctuary – “Pavor Nocturnus”
  17. Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series: Amanda Tapping – Sanctuary – “Pavor Nocturnus”

Press Announcement

VANCOUVER, BC – May 3rd, 2010 — Nominees for the Leo Awards 2010 were announced today. The complete list of nominees can be viewed here.

“Artistic excellence is alive and well in BC,” says Leo Awards president Walter Daroshin. “The film and television industry continues to be a driving force in the economy and creative sector of this Province and our 2010 nominees are testament to that.”

To determine the final nominations, Mr. Lui Petrollini, partner at Ernst & Young Chartered Accountants LLP, tabulated the ballots of 45 jurors who adjudicated 663 eligible entries comprised of 114 Program and 549 Craft entries.

The Leo Awards 2010 honour programs in 13 categories including Feature Length Drama; Dramatic Series; Short Drama; Documentary Program or Series (3 streams); Information or Lifestyle Series; Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series; Animation Program or Series; Student Production; Youth or Children’s Program or Series; Music Video; and Web Series.

Sixty-two Craft awards will also be presented in the categories of Direction, Screenwriting, Cinematography, Picture Editing, Overall Sound, Sound Editing, Musical Score, Production Design, Costume Design, Make-Up, Visual Effects, Stunt Coordination and Performance or Host(s).

Winners in 75 categories will be announced at two separate ceremonies where Program and Craft awards will be presented, complemented with the annual Outstanding Achievement Award. “We extend heartfelt thanks to our jurors for their time and contribution to the LEO AWARDS process,” comments Bernie Melanson, chair, Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of BC. “We also welcome the entire community to celebrate with us at this year’s festivities.”

The two ceremonies are being held in Vancouver; they are the Celebration Awards Ceremony, to be held Friday, June 4, and the Gala Awards Ceremony, Saturday, June 5.

A full list of the nominees is at the Leo Awards website. Be sure to visit because many of the nominees have also appeared in Stargate productions.

Stargate Planner: Week of May 3-9

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.

Calendar

Monday, May 3
Tuesday, May 4 Stargate Universe “Human” on the UK’s Sky One at 8:00 PM.
Wednesday, May 5
Thursday,
May 6		 Today is Kavan Smith (Maj. Evan Lorne)‘s birthday! His most recent project of note is Red, Syfy’s adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood. SyfyMovies posted a twitpic that includes Smith along with other cast members. Red is due to premiere in 2011.
Friday,
May 7		 Stargate Universe “Lost” on Australia’s Sci Fi Channel at 8:30 PM.

Stargate Universe “Sabotage” on Syfy at 9 PM ET and on Space at 10 PM ET.

Saturday, May 8 Sean Patrick Flanery in the premiere of Syfy’s Mongolian Death Worm at 9 PM PT.
Sunday, May 9 Robert Picardo, Armin Shimerman, and John Billingsley are three of the four “Bald(ing) Eagles of Star Trek” who are taking part in a birdwatching adventure to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Los Angeles’ Audubon Society. There may still be time for you to join them, so check out the links in the article for more information.

News Notes

On our Stargate Wiki front, we’ve created episode guides for the first ten episodes of Season Two of Stargate Universe. This means that all episodes in the first half of the season have names. Filming for the first five episodes has pretty much been wrapped up, and these episodes will next go into the post-production process that includes adding visual effects and a soundtrack.

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:

  • Stargate Planet has a brief interview with Patrick Gilmore, who has had several Stargate roles and can currently be seen as Dr. Dale Volker on Stargate Universe.
  • Voting closes May 28 for the Vancouver YWCA’s Connecting the Community Award for which Amanda Tapping has been nominated.
  • Website benzinga.com has a press announcement that states that Joe Flanigan‘s latest film A Good Day For It (you might be able to catch a glimpse of Flanigan in the trailer at this link), which also stars SGA’s Robert Patrick (Col. Marshall Sumner), has been picked up for distribution.
  • A new trailer for David Hewlett‘s movie Splice has been released and it is very intense, so be warned. The movie is coming to theaters June 4.
  • Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson talks a little about his cameo in SGA’s “Brain Storm” in this video Q&A.
  • The Chicago Tribune’s Maureen Ryan conducted an interview with George R. R. Martin, the author of the fantasy book series on which Jason Momoa‘s HBO series Game of Thrones is based. The new show is coming in early 2011.
  • Smallville executive producer Brian Peterson gave Digital Spy a few hints about the show’s upcoming season finale “Salvation” in which Stargate stars Michael Shanks, Alaina Huffman, and Britt Irvin will reprise their superhero roles. “Salvation” is scheduled to air on Friday, May 14, on The CW at 8 PM ET.
  • Comic book author Brandon Jerwa did an interview with First Comics News concerning Issue #3 in the Stargate: Vala Mal Doran series being published by Dynamite. To see a list of all of Dynamite’s Stargate comic books, click on this link.
  • Rachel Luttrell posted to her blog in the middle of last month to give her fans an update on what she’s been doing. She’s working on her own production, a project called Nothing Ventured, and is about to record a CD later this month!
  • A picture of Torri Higginson has been used to illustrate an article in the LA Times entitled “Three local companies receive NEA grants to help kids brush up on their Shakespeare.” Higginson is portraying Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing at the A Noise Within theatre in Glendale, California, until May 21.

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.

Stargate Planner: Week of April 26-May 2

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.

Calendar

Monday, April 26
Tuesday, April 27 Stargate Universe “Faith” on the UK’s Sky One at 8:00 PM.
Wednesday, April 28
Thursday, April 29
Friday, April 30 Stargate Universe “Human” on Australia’s Sci Fi Channel at 8:30 PM. Michael Shanks returns as Dr. Daniel Jackson (sort of).

Stargate Universe “Lost” on Syfy at 9 PM ET and on Space at 10 PM ET.

FEDCON XIX begins today and runs until May 2. Guests of note include David Hewlett, Cliff Simon, Aaron Douglas, Nicole de Boer, and Tahmoh Penikett.

Vulcan Events in Tampa, Florida, begins today and runs until May 2. Stargate’s headliner is Michael Shanks. Also present will be Dean Stockwell and Tony Todd. Currently, Shanks is scheduled for Sunday (May 2) only.

Saturday, May 1 Today marks the limited release of My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, starring our own Beau Bridges and Alyssa Milano.
Sunday, May 2

News Notes

If you missed Jewel Staite in the premiere of the Syfy Original Movie Mothman, you’ll get another chance on May 22 at 7 PM ET and June 19 at 5 PM ET.

Michael Shanks Online has a set of exclusive pictures of Team Shanks, Michael and his wife Lexa Doig, as they participated in the MS Society of Canada’s Walk fundraiser. According to the website, Team Shanks has raised over $2,600, and there are still opportunities for donations to be pledged at the Team Shanks website.

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.

SGU This Week: "Human" (Spoilers)

Stargate Universe episode “Human”, written by freelancer Jeff Vlaming and directed by Robert C. Cooper, premieres tonight (April 23) on Syfy at 9 PM ET and on Space at 10 PM ET!

It’s About Dr. Nicholas Rush

Dr. Nicholas Rush of the past in HUMAN (MGM)
Dr. Nicholas Rush of the past in HUMAN (MGM)

Joseph Mallozzi teased fans a little about this pivotal episode in his weblog, “While Rush has been front and center to date, many of you are hankering for a peek at Rush’s motivations, his backstory, what potentially dark events from his past shaped him. Well, fans of the character won’t have to wait long for some answers. Human, episode 14, will explore the Rush character and, if not answer many of these questions, then at least offer some major hints to a troubled past.”

Rush’s actor Robert Carlyle explained a little about the scientist’s “troubled past” to the Official Magazine, “Dr. Rush is certainly a complex individual. You’re never sure what his motives are… So with Rush you have this man who’s driven by something. What we know so far is that he’s been married, but his wife is dead. The fact that he was married is the only thing that actually roots him in reality, because he ‘lives’ in a different type of reality, one, I believe, in his own mind. Rush is by far the biggest expert on Ancient technology, and when his wife dies and he gets the chance to go on this exploration of the universe, he jumps at it because there’s nothing left for him [on Earth]. As far as our story and where our people end up, it’s Rush who tells them that there’s no chance they can ever go back, and he thinks there’s nothing greater! This is the best potential for exploration that mankind has ever known. That’s what’s driving Rush; and therefore he’s probably not to be trusted by anyone on the crew. …

“So my character is a man alone; I suppose that’s what I’m getting at. Rush doesn’t understand them, they don’t understand him, and as I said he’s really serious about this. He does not want to return to Earth.”

Drs. Nicholas Rush and Daniel Jackson meet in HUMAN (MGM)
Drs. Nicholas Rush and Daniel Jackson meet in HUMAN (MGM)

We’ll get to meet Rush’s wife in “Human”, but only through flashbacks. And we’ll also get to see how the scientist was recruited into the Stargate Program.

As the image to the right shows, Stargate star Michael Shanks returns to our screens as Dr. Daniel Jackson…sort of. Shanks told TV Guide Magazine, “I made a cameo in the pilot and they’re keeping me alive to pass the torch. The next one coming up is titled Human, and back-references my character first initiating Dr. Rush (Robert Carlyle) into the Stargate Program, but my character exists more as a figment of Dr. Rush’s imagination.”

Combining Rush’s “different type of reality..in his own mind” and the “figments” of his imagination, we get a peek into his inner self in “Human”. The promos, sneak peek, and TV Guide summary give away how this is accomplished. TV Guide explains, “Dr. Rush defies orders to interface with the Destiny’s computer in a bid to control the ship’s flight path, which puts Col. Young in a difficult position.” So, Dr. Nicholas Rush finally sits in the Neural Interface Chair! This Chair is dangerous and left Dr. Jeremy Franklin in a coma after he used it (in “Justice”). How is it that Rush believes that he will survive it?

Apparently, it works itself out impressively, based on what Mallozzi told his weblog readers concerning the story, which was originally titled “Lucid” and was written by freelancer Jeff Vlaming, who has had extensive experience in writing for science fiction television series such as Fringe, Battlestar Galactica, and The X-Files. “Rob dropped [by] my office after lunch while the production was making the move from the location to mess set… And, since he was there, I told him how much we’d enjoyed the previous day’s dailies. The film looks amazing. For his part, Rob had nothing but praise for the actors and, given their significant roles in this episode, Robert Carlyle and guest star Michael Shanks in particular.”

It’s About Scott, Eli, Chloe, and Greer, Too

True to Stargate fashion, there’s another storyline going on while Young and Johansen deal with Rush’s decision to sit in the Chair. TV Guide tells us, “Meanwhile, Lt. Scott, Eli, Chloe and Greer explore a planet’s underground ruins.” That sounds fairly harmless, but remember, this is Stargate, and things have a way of going terribly wrong at the most inconvenient of times…

Watch and Return to Tell Us What You Think

Once you’ve seen the episode, make sure to return to Solutions to vote in our front page poll and to read the chatter that’s sure to take place on our Stargate Twitter Superfeed.

NOTE: Viewers in Australia will be getting “Human” on the Sci Fi Channel on Friday, April 30, at 8:30 PM, and the UK’s Sky One viewers will see it Tuesday, May 4, at 8:00 PM.

[spoiler intro=”Official Episode Summary”]Disregarding orders, Dr. Rush links himself directly to the Destiny‘s computer via the neural interface chair, hoping it will reveal the code needed to control Destiny‘s flight path. Learning of this after the fact, Col. Young struggles with letting Rush risk his life in hopes he can find the code before lobotomizing himself or unplug the device, possibly killing him in the process.

Meanwhile, the ship has dropped out of FTL above a planet showing traces of a past civilization. With only six hours until they jump again, Lt. Scott, Eli, Chloe and Greer gate to the surface to explore the underground ruins.

From IGN.[/spoiler]
[spoiler intro=”Syfy’s Episode Preview Trailer”]

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[spoiler intro=”Syfy’s Sneak Peek Video Clip”]

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