Whether it’s The British Lottery Corporation congratulating you on your big win, or the cousin of deposed Prince Mogolobowi of Nigeria exhorting you to help yourself to his formidable fortune, spam, like color-superconducting quark matter, comes in many varieties. Some are darn tempting – “Apple MacBook Pro Laptop at no cost to you!”. Others, not so much so – “Gracefully Hernia”. Still others leave you questioning the enthusiasm of the senders – “re: maffic – legiblit“. Gone are the days of “Got your message! Check inside!” and “Important! Virus warning!” Instead, we’re now besieged by half-assed solicitations like: “modifier teat”, “craggy power”, and “THE WIND ADVISORY FOR EARLY THIS MORNING HAS EXPIRED!”. It’s as if these people have just stopped caring. Seriously. Moorthi 119’s email regarding “righteous polar bear” is about as enticing as, say, Serena C. Barnett’s “is ghost!” or Osmund Crawford‘s “to breathing“. And while Milford Cleveland’s email announcement that “66% of members got laid” sounds impressive, Rocco Rojas’s later email titled: “73% members got laid” leads me to wonder whether it might be prudent to hold off as they continue refining the process. Nevertheless, I must admit that “Skinny-dipping preparedness” gave me pause. After all, I can’t imagine anything worse than being ill-prepared for such a scenario. And Wenzel Hodes’s email: “Condoleeza Rice has kicked German Chancellor…” did pique my curiosity. But not enough to open it. Ultimately, I figured that if Condi did kick the German Chancellor, he’d probably done something to deserve it. Fifth Third Bank wants me to “confirm your online status“ left me wondering exactly how many Third Banks are out there. And surely I could do better than fifth! Chadwick Gagnon’s succinct query, “B.S.”, felt more uninspired than refreshingly honest, while Lindsay Lazarus’s “Solid New Homes Made Simple” held no real pull for a guy who can’t even be bothered to assemble a shelving unit, much less an entire dwelling. If I knew for a fact that MGM would honor it, I might be inclined to take Nathan Flert up on his “A Day In Bed Coupon“ and I don’t know who Barb Franzoni is but I sincerely hope she gets help for her “zymosi” Maybe some sort of topical cream? And finally, there‘s the email I discovered in my inbox just the other day: “Increase Your Penis Size 12”. 12?!! I’m assuming that refers to the edition number. But just in case, I’m moving this one out of my spam folder and into my inbox.
Another dinner at home tonight as Fondy experimented with monkfish, a meaty fish that many liken to lobster in texture and flavor. She broiled it in the oven with a crispy caper butter sauce. Delicious.
By the way, I was channel-surfing after dinner and happened by American Idol, stopping to check out tonight’s New York celebrity guest judge. I couldn’t believe it! Holy Smokes, I haven’t seen her in years! Joan Collins looks amazing!
So, what’s on your mind…
Desiree writes: “Being the culinary connoisseur that you are, have you ever tried any honest to goodness Southern cuisine?”
Answer: I Love (note the capital L) Southern cuisine. I used to be a regular at a fantastic cajun restaurant in Montreal called, appropriately enough, The Cajun House, where I feasted on house gumbo with generous chunks of Andouille sausage, crab cakes, catfish beignets, and dirty rice. The Memphis Barbecue House here in Vancouver offers some great oyster po’boys, dry rub ribs, collard greens, and a fantastic pecan pie a la mode. In short, I’m a huge fan.
Desiree also writes: “Would you ever consider attending a convention other than Comic Con…like DragonCon say?”
Answer: Sure, I’d consider it (Chris Judge speaks very highly of this event) but it’s very hard to get away during production. And then, if you are seriously considering having me attend, there’s the cost of all that added security to consider.
UberSG-1Fan writes: “Did your boss at that time ever figure out or was ever told she praised the same work she previously deemed to be “a mess”?”
Answer: Nope. And it sure made ensuing rewrites easier.
UberSG-1Fan also writes: “Hw much interference does the creative process receive from outside influences?”
Answer: No t.v. show is produced in a creative vacuum. That said, certain shows are more heavily-influenced by outside forces than others. Stargate has been fortunate in that it had already proven itself when it made the move from Showtime. Robert have always been permitted to make their own creative decisions and since the show’s inception, the buck has ultimately stopped with them. With season four of Atlantis, the buck will now stop with Paul and I (so if you have any complaints, please direct all correspondence to Paul who sets aside two hours every day to personally read fan mail). That said, SciFi does pay for the product and, thus, does weigh in on everything from script and cut notes to big issue decisions such as casting. MGM, meanwhile, has been nothing but fully, one hundred percent supportive of both shows and their creative teams.
Anonymous writes: “When is Scifi planning on airing Atlantis’ season four? Will it be in the summer again, or will their be another six month break? If there is a longer break again, will it effect the movies/Stargate Universe timeline?”
Answer: I leave it to SciFi to lock down the date and make an official announcement. But regardless of when it airs, it will not affect the movies/Stargate Universe timeline.
Another Anonymous writes: “Are you planing to make a Stargate movie in the future that includes the real live actual furlings ? Or maybe in Atlantis or the new series ? (…) Do you ever plan to tell us what does the 9th chevron is for?”
Answer: We probably won’t be using any actual live furlings in future productions as they notoriously unpredictable and dangerous to work with. I don’t know about the SG-1 movies but, at present we have no plans to explore the furlings or that ninth chevron.
NowIWillDestroyAbydos writes: “You mentioned that Gero has a Wii, do you know what games has? Does he own Zelda: Twilight Princess?”
Answer: I’m not sure what titles he owns, but I’d be willing to bet Zelda: Twilight Princess is among them. Martin is more the “Battle for the Iron Cross Medal of Courage” type.
Stillhere writes: “In an update to her website, http://www.amandatapping.com, Amanda Tapping has revealed that it was you and Paul who came up with the idea of Sam Carter going to Alantis and approached her about it. Would you mind elaborating on how this concept came to be something you wanted to pursue as showrunners? Maybe a bit of insight into envisioning Carter in the Atlantis series?
Answer: To be fair, having Carter cross over to Atlantis was something we’ve wanted to do for a while but, for various reasons, were never able to achieve. It was an idea that had been floating around for a while because the character would make a great addition to Atlantis. She has a pre-established relationship (not to mention chemistry) with her old buddy McKay, a military background that will allow her to support Sheppard and the team if the need ever arises, a science background that will allow her to add her expertise to what has hitherto been a strictly McKay/Zelenka domain, and knowledge of, not to mention personal experiencing dealing with, both the replicators and the Ancients.
M writes: “Oooh yummy! Are those brussel sprouts or olives? I can’t tell!”
Answer: Brussel sprouts – steamed, then pan-fried with chilis and garlic.
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