Last night over sushi, one of my fellow diners explained how a friend of his had vacationed in Scotland and discovered one of the most remarkable dishes he had ever tried: chips on a bun. That’s fries and mayo served in a bun. Seriously. I thought the only thing that could have probably made it even more exceptional was cheese, butter and, maybe, gravy – which would of course be injected directly into the heart of the bun once it had been battered and deep-fried so as to create a golden shell both delicious and impenetrable. Then, once the ball of carbs had been infused with its liquid ingredients, the whole would be set aside for a few hours to allow said ingredients to congeal. Once the creation has cooled, simply slice it in half and marvel at the coagulated rainbow of colors hidden within – the golden crust, orange cheese, yellow butter, brown gravy, and white of the fries and mayo. Quick, somebody name my magnificent creation before somebody steals my idea. This is my greatest invention since the Spife, which combines the practicality of a spoon with the lethal sharpness of a knife. Reserve yours now!
A beautiful, sunny day today – spent running around making final preparations for the party. The pooches went to the spa and had their baths but, alas, will miss the evening’s planned festivities as they’ll be sequestered in the master bedroom lest they fall victims to any chocolate-related mishaps.
I didn’t snap any pics today so I thought I would check out my backlog of unpublished shots and post a few.
Let’s squeeeeeze in some Q&A –
Andrew Timson writes: “From the sounds of things here, you and Paul generally write your scripts separately, yet are still credited as if they were cowritten. Is there any particular reasoning behind this that you can share?”
Answer: Paul and I used to write scripts together, usually in the same room throwing dialogue back and forth, or working individually but passing the script back and forth so that we could write one another as we advanced scene by scene. As we grew busier with production (particularly the fact that we were suddenly producing 40 episodes of television) we found it easier to write scripts individually. We still maintain the co-written credit out of fairness as Paul does most of the uncredited rewrites on scripts.
JJ writes: “Is it a big deal for presentation of food? Does it make you less likely to eat it?”
Answer: A nice presentation will earn extra marks, but it always comes down taste.
Anonymous #1 writes: “Will we also see something like the EMH from star trek voyager but the a asgard?”
Answer: I haven’t a clue what an EMH is.
Anonymous #2 writes: “Do any of the writers have such different styles or use the same dialog that would make them easily recognizable as writing an episode?”
Answer: I’m sure we do, although I’ve never stopped to really think about it.
Arctic Goddess writes: “Anyway,how did you decide on an agent to represent you as a writer? How much of a percentage does he or she receive, and what exactly do agents do for writers? In short, what services can you expect from an agent?”
Answer: I chose my first agent on the basis of personal experience – I was working as a Manager of Animation Development and dealing with a number of agents. This individual proved persistent in pushing his clients, yet friendly and professional. When the time came, I asked him to rep me and he was more than happy to take me on as a client. Agents receive a 10% commission for getting your name out there and finding you work.
CM writes: “Which language do you prefer : English or French ?”
Answer: Since it’s the language I use on a daily basis, I’d have to say English.
Anonymous #3 writes: “Also because of the wraith’s technology being based on mainly of an organic nature, does it have to be grown? and if so would you be willing expand this with an episode?”
Answer: That’s something we just so happen to have discussed Thursday and Friday. We’ll see if some of what we talked about makes it into an upcoming episode.
JohnManzione writes: “1. Do you use a Mac? Are there many Apple computers at Bridge Studios? Would you happen to know if the FX people use Macs to produce those awesome special effects? 2. Has anyone suggested that MGM put out a 10-Season deluxe DVD package for all SG1 seasons? ?
Answers: 1. I don’t. Some do. Off the top of my head, I’m not sure. 2. Sorry, I don’t know whether this has been discussed.
Shelley Templar writes: “if you could create a charcter or race tat could appear in *Atlantis*, what/who would they be and what would they be like?”
Answer: Check out seasons four’s Travelers for the answer to this question.
Giu ecrit: “C’est super, je ne savais pas que vous compreniez le français!”
Answer: Je comprends mais ca fait bien longtemps que je l’air parle. Mon Francais est terrible; mon ecriture encore plus pire.
Bugguy writes: “Fondy’s ill feeling came on too fast to be food poisoning. The fastest of food poisoning is Staphylococcal and that usually takes 6 hours and lasts about the same time. Really nasty though short in time.”
Answer: Geez, Bugguy. If I’d known about you sooner, I’d have put you in the running as the Atlantis CMO.
Sheppard’s Delight writes: “Oh I am also sorry to hear that JF’s idea has been put back to s5. For some reason I had assumed(probably incorrectly) that this may have included some of the back story for Shep that we so crave.”
Answer: Although we never got around to actually spinning it in great detail, there were no plans to include backstory elements in this particular story.
Obsessed1 writes: “ Who will have the most character growth over season four?”
Answer: I think all of our characters will see some growth. But if I had to pick one, I’d choose Teyla as she has been underdeveloped in previous seasons and will be playing some catch-up in season four.
Rebeccasaurus writes: “You are cooking a lovely meal and require a taste. Finger or utensil?”
Answer: A secondary tasting spoon.
Rebecca writes: “Don’t you ever get tired of all the negativity in SG fandom?”
Answer: Not really. Fans are entitled to their opinions and its always nice to see they are passionate about the show. The fact that they take the time to comment and critique is what makes them fans. For the most part. There are, of course, a very small minority that I would hesitate to call fans at all, simply because they little more than unhappy, bitter complainers who never have anything positive to say about Stargate and yet, from what I can tell, spend the better part of their days posting ad nauseum about all of the things they hate about the show. It’s a little sad and I wonder if perhaps it isn’t a symptom of some deeper-seeded issue (I don’t know, maybe their mommies didn’t love them enough when they were kids). Inevitably, fans who must put up with their terminal grousing pose the obvious question: “If you hate the show so much, then why bother watching and complaining?” Naturally, this elicits indignant outrage from the gripers who assert they have every write to complain if they want to, citing the first amendment as if they were some political prisoner being denied their basic human right. Seriously, any three year old can vomit up a crayola pastiche and call it free speech, and said output wouldn’t be all that different from the pointless, occasionally amusing, usually just plain sad “opinions” of this minority of oxygen-wasters. By the way, if you swing by the Gateworld forums, say hi to Shadowmaat and Prion for me. J
Miles writes: “You mentioned that Ark of Truth was going to start filming this past week… did they get started on time? Is filming on Contiuum wrapped?”
Answer: Check previous blog entries for pics of Art of Truth. Continuum doesn’t start shooting for a while.
Brazil_nut writes: “Mr. Mallozzi, why do you believe that the early online availability of Atlantis episodes has a significant effect on ratings now? The percentage of viewers who download episodes is very small. The percentage of viewers who are part of the ratings system is also very small. Multiply that together and the percentage shrinks.”
Answer: You just made my point for me. There’s no way to tell how online availability will effect the ratings. However, since ratings are gathered via a random sampling of the viewing public, all it would take is a small number of individuals to fall into this category to effect the show’s ratings.
Anonymous #4 writes: “1. I was wondering if you can tell us the exact size of.
2. Will we see Atlantis on the move in later eppys in season 4, kind of like Progeny and First Strike, Adrift. 3. Am I right to assume that Zpms are not going to be consequential to Atlantis in season 4 as they were in the past seasons.
Answer: 1. Again, off the top of my head, I don’t know. 2. Depends what you mean by later eppies. 3. The ZPM’s will always be a much sought after piece of technology.
Hey,
I have to say I’m really pleased to hear that Teyla will get her chance to develop in the upcoming season. I tend to not like female characters very much, but Teyla has managed to win me over (perhaps because while feminine, she’s not overly girly).
Is there any particular reason that Teyla’s character hasn’t been previously exapanded to the extent of the other characters, or was is it just a case of never having the right situation to do so?
I found the scene in Sunday regarding the tea ceremony a neat insight into Athosian culture, btw, and into Teyla as well.
As for your congealed mass of whatever it is, how’s this for a name: “Arterial Delight”. 😛
Ayla McKay
Nova Scotia
Answer: Geez, Bugguy. If I’d known about you sooner, I’d have put you in the running as the Atlantis CMO.
Trust me Jewel looks better in a uniform than I do, hell Paul McGillion looks better in a bikini than I do. Besides I think I would get nauseous with all that wormhole stuff. Just remember your pus is my bread and butter.
Ah yes, the famous chip butty. (eat more than one at a time and your arteries will explode…) We Scots are fond of our chip butties. See? Now you have to come to the UK just to try one on our native soil 😀
Thanks for the pics! Is that BamBam I spy there? 😀
Hope you have a good party!
Hey Joe,
WHat is tabula rasa about?
Joe, it’s not nice to call other people out in your blog. It may cause them to sulk.
Hope Fondy is feeling better and the party goes well – I’m guessing that dealing with any leftovers will be no hardship. If said leftovers made it to work on Monday, who among the cast and crew has the biggest appetite/should be eyeballed when there is one brownie remaining/would do the most damage at an all you can eat place? (I have several friends I can’t be responsible for when we visit a local all you eat sushi place).
Since you are an avid science fiction reader, have you read any of the ‘cyberpunk’ genre like Gibson or Stephenson?
Not that I expect you to notice or care, but there appear to be two rebeccas who post questions, as well as a rebeccasaurus. To save myself the trouble of reregistering, I will henceforth sign myself Blue Rebecca, as my name will always be blued, to distinguish my questions from the others’ and avoid confusion and the impression that I’m spamming.
So, to make this relevant: Since you’ve indicated Michael might make a reappearance in Season 4, is there a chance he will become more sympathetic and maybe become an Atlantis ally, or will he remain a marvelously conflicted villain?
Blue Rebecca
Hi i was wondering if ratings for line in the sand have come in yet?
Will there be any part of Ark of Truth on Atlantis?
Do you know if it will have a lot of action and humor?
It’s fine fo you to have a whine about people who criticise the show, but if you really looked at the posting history of the people in the anti-season four thread you’d find that the majority haven’t been anti before. Most of them (and I don’t post there, so I can say this objectively) are upset about the cast changes IN SEASON FOUR. They haven’t been vocal like this before.
You say it’s great that people are passionate and then wonder why they’re so upset when you kill off one very popular character Beckett and essentially sack Torri apart from giving her the honour of appearing in FOUR episodes when she’s been the female lead for the past three seasons? Of course people are going to be upset and are going to voice their feelings.
I know you people love Amanda Tapping. I have no problem with that. She’s fine, on SG1. Comments have been made about how exciting it is that she’s got more chance for development. At the expense of which characters? She’s been around for 10 years. How much more developing does she need, for crying out loud?
And to say “Oh, Teyla’s been neglected for three seasons so she’s going to get the most character development” and then to get rid of Elizabeth who, in my opinion is a much better developed, well rounded character? Beyond belief.
And I’m sick of all these Sheyla types (if you’re saying say hi to Shadowmaat and Prion, I’ll say hi to Sanssong, Vaberella and Bluealien) who are attacking Weir for being a bad negotiator (that’s bad writing of a negotiator from the writers, simple as that) and daring to be so completely out of line as to suggest all over GW that Torri might be leaving because she’s pregnant?? What the hell??? Where do they get that from? Have they looked at her lately?
Oh, that’s right, they say that because it makes it look like it’s her decision and she wants to go, clearing the way for their pathetic little ship.
Seriously Joe, people are upset for a reason.
**People were angry when Claudia seemed to get more attention than Amanda, despite the fact Amanda had just taken time off to have her baby
**People were angry when Michael Shanks made a decision to leave for a season.
**People all over GW vilified poor Ben Browder because he was taking over from RDA when it was RDA’s choice to leave.
These are some of the people who are criticising those who are angry about the dumping of Paul and Torri. It’s perfectly clear that neither of those two actors wanted to go. The others did. And because the people who bitched and moaned last time happen to agree with you this time, because they’re getting their beloved Sam on SGA it’s okay with you…
Really, such a double standard.
Thanks for taking the time to share with us.
Hope your party goes well.
Ha! Poutineburger.
Hey Joe!
Nice piccies- I recognise Martin (of course) and Bam Bam, whom I actually have met on his last trip Down Under.
I thought of a question which you may or may not have the answer to:
Regarding Season commentaries, who requests the actors to do them? I mean, does an actor volunteer and says “I’d like to comment for Ep. X” or does someone higher up suggest that perhaps it’d be cool to get “X” or “Y” to comment?
Also, are the commentaries done throughout the season while filming is still on-going or do you guys get the actors to come in on a weekend or an off-day?
Thank you.
(Have a pleasant weekend by the way – it looks rather sunny in Vancouver – we’re definitely getting more and more winterish in Sydney).
Joe,
Do you have any release date info for Ark of Truth and Continuum? One website, IGN, seems to have the expected release date of December 31. I was hoping they’d be out before then. Could you maybe ask Brad or Rob and see what’s being planned? Thanks
Rimmer
Hi Joe:
I just love the way you can wrap a point of view in some very funny lines on a page. You are a very talented man. I hope your party was a huge success and the puppies weren’t too indignant about missing the fun.
Do you ever take in the adventures of Dog River? What is your opinion of Corner Gas?
Have a great day,
Patricia
Joe Mallozzi said:
[…]There are, of course, a very small minority that I would hesitate to call fans at all, simply because they little more than unhappy, bitter complainers who never have anything positive to say about Stargate and yet, from what I can tell, spend the better part of their days posting ad nauseum about all of the things they hate about the show.[…]Inevitably, fans who must put up with their terminal grousing pose the obvious question: “If you hate the show so much, then why bother watching and complaining?” Naturally, this elicits indignant outrage from the gripers who assert they have every write to complain if they want to[…]
I wholeheartedly agree with you on this.
No offense intended to any fan in particular, but if I don’t like a show anymore, I don’t watch it anymore… and I don’t waste my time posting comments about it either… The words “get a life” come to my mind…
The sad thing is that all this behavior ends up drawing lots of fans away from online fandom. They prefer to discuss their fave show outside fandom, with a small bunch of friends who share their positive view.
I’ve stopped visiting several Livejournals and most of the threads at Gateworld. And I’ve set myself to no mail in several mailing lists/groups (just as a step before unsubbing, I guess) because of all the fan rants.
To be honest, if I’m in an SGA list/forum/LJ community it’s because I like the show and discussing it in a positive way. Getting negative posts one after the other is NOT my idea of fandom. Maybe it’s me, but if I’m in a certain fandom, it’s because I enjoy logging in and sharing my enjoyment of the show with others that feel the same way about my favorite show. I don’t go online to read lots of people bitching about seasons that they are already 100% sure they’ll be crap even if the episodes haven’t actually aired yet, cast changes, etc. Why would I want to read negative post after negative post about a show I love?
But who am I to spoil others’ negativeness? So I just avoid going to most of the fan sites, and I leave the fan sites for those who don’t like the show. It makes sense… Ah, the irony…
Anonymous #1 writes: “Will we also see something like the EMH from star trek voyager but the a asgard?”
Answer: I haven’t a clue what an EMH is.
EMH stands for Emergency Medical Hologram (basically a doctor), which was Robert Picardo’s character on Star Trek Voyager. I think what anonymous 1 was asking was if we can see any holographic asgard. (If your comment was being sarcastic, then sorry about this comment 🙂 ) Hope I don’t make anonymous 1 doesnt get mad if i take their place!
Hey Joe,
You and the other writers appeared to all really enjoy the episode irresistible, and the episode irresponsible is basically the same idea with only a different reason on why lucius is being liked. So why do you think it was such a letdown for you? Was it the script itself?
I am huge fan of art books and production art. my favorite art is from Serial Experiments Lain. Anyway, I was wondering if there is any possiblility of getting a SG-1 or Atlantis production art book made? I also want to thank you for the art smaples that have been posted so far 🙂 .
Okay. I’ll play name that food…
Poutine en croute comes to mind. And, right back out again. (I can only hope.)
Marvelous photos, Love the squid-slug on a stick. Tentacles and membrane; gotta’ love it.
The set depicted (with the broken storage pods) is that from the Travelers?
Have you ever thought of doing an episode where Sheppard, Teyla, Ronan, and McKay go off world and have an adventure?
I think it would be a hugely successful episode.
Oh, but don’t forget to add peril and McKay angst, or McKayngst as I’ll call it from now on.
You writers don’t know anything…I’m the one with all the ideas around here. Geez.
If wraith technology is organic based, does that mean it can get sick?
hello joe.
you told us that in the second part of season 4 we will see something that came from the legacy the asgard left behind.
that made me also wonder will the legacy of them all there knowleadge left to the humans be the new bases of human technological development.will we see the steps of the technology evolution in atlantis and/or the third series.
how many enemy’s will atlantis have.
you dont take ideas for story’s from fans what about concept art from fans that you can use.
the asgard gave everything to us for becoming the fifth race will we see earth uphold the promiss to the asgard.
thanks for the possible answers.
and good luck with the show and great future stories.
Hey Joe! I hope the Chocolate soiree was a success…and that you didn’t eat yourself silly!
Oh, and I hope you’re feeling better; that head cold sounds like a mean…well, let’s just say I’ll describe it with an acronyme of 3 letters, and the first one is S, and the last one is B.
Question: with Season 5 seemingly (from the fan’s perspective, anyway) on the bubble, have you guys thought about what you want to do for the Season 4 finale? Sort-endings? Cliffhanger? etc?
I just bought season 9 of SG-1, and have been watching the commentaries. Do you enjoy doing them? Are they difficult to do so long after they’ve been filled, or does that give you some perspective? Are you required to do them? Also, I think you sound nice and have some smart things to say.
Anonymous said…
It’s fine fo you to have a whine about people who criticise the show, but if you really looked at the posting history of the people in the anti-season four thread you’d find that the majority haven’t been anti before.
/snip
Great post. I would love to read your thoughts on the entire post Mr. Mallozzi, whatever they they would be. 🙂
Hi Joe!
Oh, don’t get me started on the minority of constant whiners on GW. If they hate the show that much, why torture themselves watching it, and torture those of us who do enjoy it with their endless diatribe of negativity and condescending sarcasm?
Why be a part of the fandom, when there’s seemingly nothing you like on the show the fandom is supposed to be celebrating in the first place?
It’s not that I think the show is faultless, hardly, and I certainly can come up with the odd criticism here and there if pushed, but when all you do is complain and don’t enjoy anything, I just think…why???
Oh well, each to his her own, I suppose! It’s their right to express their opinions, blah, blah, blah etc..
You answered SheppyD’s question with:
Answer: Although we never got around to actually spinning it in great detail, there were no plans to include backstory elements in this particular story.
You also said Teyla is going to get much character development owing to her being underused previously. I agree with you there.
However, as a big Sheppard fan, it concerns me, that, well into the writing of season 4, you still haven’t settled on any backstory for Sheppard. Well, at least you hadn’t last time I nagged, er, asked you! Lol!
I adore Sheppard. Adore Joe F. too. But, I am becoming concerned that we don’t know anything much about Sheppard’s background – what’s shaped him into the man he is.
We know a fair amount about the history of every other character on the show, except the lead guy.
If season 4 is to be the last – and God forbid it is, because I’ll cry into my pillow if that’s going to be the case, and have a big void in my TV life to fill, sniff – I will feel saddened that I’ll still not know anything about Sheppard’s family situation, the life he had on Earth before Atlantis, etc.
Can you allay my fears, and tell me some Sheppard backstory is on the way? I don’t necessarily mean a whole episode about it, I’m actually not too keen on that sort of eppie usually, but just a few scenes addressing these issues?
Thanks!
I remember someone asking about the crew watches being available to buy – I found a site that sells the Stargate SG-1 10th Anniversary Commemorative Watch. http://masterreplicas.com//store/stargate/stargate/8722/
If someone has already posted this link, I apologise for reposting. I found the link through gateworld.net
“Seriously, any three year old can vomit up a crayola pastiche and call it free speech”
Great line!
Here’s to running into you this week while I’m in town.
Best wishes to the crew!
hi Joe now that some episodes of season 4 are done can you tell me if there are plans to have Andee frizzell reprise her role as a wraith queen?
Well I loved today’s pics!!!!! The Shep whumpers got particularly excited about one- I am sure you know which one!!!
Is Tabula Rasa a team ep?
Okay, Scottish person talking/typing. Who the heck puts mayo in a roll and chips?? Brown sauce or tomato sauce only!! with plenty of salt and vinegar. If you want something nice try a roll and fried onion. Roll, butter and chopped up fried onion with salt. That’s it. It’s really nice on its own but knowing you you’ll probably add cheese or something like that. It has to be a proper roll though not a fluffy bap type thing. If thats all you have over there you’ll probably need the cheese. Cheese I would forgive you for but enough with the mayo! eeuugghhh!!!
what is the airing order for the first five episodes of season 4 as you understand it?
Have you ever tried to get David Duchovny
I like much the props sketches specially of the “Traveler Blood Collector”… And I read in this sketch that this collector will be pressed against Sheppard’s arm or neck…
My question is, when the actors realize a scene in which they do an analysis to them or extract blood to them, is analysis real? Which is the trick? I imagine is not real, but in some episodes it seems to me to be very real…
Also in both tv series (SGA and SG1) there are so many references about diabetes and I am grateful for all we are diabetics! This encourages us very much. Thank you very much!
Joe, you should venture a little further south in your quest for carbs. In my part of Yorkshire it’s almost illegal to have a chip butty with cheese and gravy.
And we actually did something remarkably similar when I was terribly young and foolish and worked in a restaurant. A chip butty with cheese and tomato pasta sauce was battered and fried and named simply “Butty”. If you can eat more than three bites of one I will send a prize.
“Bugguy writes: “Fondy’s ill feeling came on too fast to be food poisoning. The fastest of food poisoning is Staphylococcal and that usually takes 6 hours and lasts about the same time. Really nasty though short in time.””
That’s really lots of BS. True, the most common food poisoning is Staphylococcal, but that takes 1-6 hours and is over within 12 hours if you get the throwup kind, and it takes 6-24 hours and lasts 1-7 days if you get the diarea kind. There are some toxins that even can make you nauseas and throw up within 20-30 minutes, kinda like the stomack respons to “I don’t want this crap”.
6 hours my ass! BS! It may come fast!
“Anonymous #1 writes: “Will we also see something like the EMH from star trek voyager but the a asgard?”
Answer: I haven’t a clue what an EMH is.”
What?! You don’t worship at the altar of Roddenberry?! This can’t be….
Having worked in a fish and chip shop for years I have to say that there are some incredibly odd combos out there. Chips in a bun, otherwise referred to as chip butty or chip barmcake (chip barm for short) is very popular especially at throwing out times from the pubs. Chips and gravy is also very popular as is chips smothered with mushy peas smothered with gravy. I have one regular who eats chips and coleslaw while chips and mayo I think is a very Belgian thing which has started to be popular in the UK. You should come and try 😀
Zannah said…
“Ha! Poutineburger.”
Great idea, but why not go one step further?
Ingredients
250ml (1cup) cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
125 milk
Plenty oil for frying
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. beat egg separately and add to flour. Add milk and mix until smooth.
Heat oil in large saucepan and drop a tablespoon of the mixture into oil at a time.
Don’t fry too many at once!
Fry for four minutes (or until they go golden brown).
Open, and add Poutine.
There ya go – the Vetkoet Poutine.
Talk about Canadian South African cooperation…
Why not have fun before that heart attack? 🙂
“There are, of course, a very small minority that I would hesitate to call fans at all, simply because they little more than unhappy, bitter complainers who never have anything positive to say about Stargate and yet, from what I can tell, spend the better part of their days posting ad nauseum about all of the things they hate about the show.”
It is a weird phenomenon, isn’t it? To be fair to some of them, they are fans of the show during a particular era, and who have since disliked the direction the show has taken and believe that the decisions of the production/writing team have taken are the wrong ones, or who only watch for a particular character and can’t bear to watch without that character being front and center.
I don’t get why they choose to stick around and keep watching when they know (particularly on SG1 decisions) that Elvis has definitely left the building and the decision is not going to be reversed. My own preference in losing interest in a show is simply to stop watching and enjoy the DVDs of the seasons I did enjoy…each to their own, I guess.
Lol, I’ve just realised what Martin’s doing in the first pic. That’s the ‘DHD’ from the promos, isn’t it? 😀 Poor Dave…
Since Flanigan’s proposed story is going to occour in season 5, and had no Sheppard backstory…are we ever going to get a back story episode?
Is there any chance that it will occour in season 4?
hi
Yep a chip butty …very popular in the midlands (UK)….. although i have not seen people eating them in London much. Fish finger sandwedges seem to be more poplular here.
When i was at secondary school they had a crackdown on people eating them (not healthy enouigh or something(!)) So you would have to ask for a bread roll (or Bap) and some chips with chease, and put them together your self….. obviously the callories burned compiling your chip butty made it better for you(?) … dont forget to add extra salt and vinager!
Please keep posting the pictures of props and set etc….. all very interesting!
Thanks!!
Congratulations you just discovered the Chip Butty!
Whats all this tosh the whingers are on about? why not slip quietly into that good night if they don’t like whats happening? lets face it You can’t please all of the people all of the time, thats what fanfic is for, if you don’t like the ‘official’ version write your own!
All the best Joe et al. keep on entertaining us please.
Hiya Joe,
Will there be anymore episodes this season where the Atlantis Expedition bump into another one of the Ancient’s long lost experiments?
Take care Joe and great pictures.
“It’s fine fo you to have a whine about people who criticise the show …”
Um, my take was he wasn’t actually whining about fans critisizing the show.
See?
“Fans are entitled to their opinions and its always nice to see they are passionate about the show. The fact that they take the time to comment and critique is what makes them fans”
He was going on about something else entirely.
I know I’m gonna hate myself for asking this, but what is a “sheyla type” and is calling someone a sheyla part of this trend of dividing poor fandom into pro- and anti-season 4? You know, like saying real “SGA fans” all feel this way while other groups in fandom (I guess that would be the folks categorized as “you people”) all feel another way?
Just curious.
EC
Will we ever see McKay meet his match with an enemy that is more intelligent? Someone who will put the team in real peril and McKay can’t save them?
Anonymous said: […]Really, such a double standard.
I don’t like SG-1, so it’s not about “my beloved Sam” coming to SGA. In fact I’m against the cast changes. When I heard the news about characters from SG-1 coming to Atlantis last year, I wrote a polite (yes, polite) letter to TPTB at MGM, Bridge Studios, etc expressing my opinion. And then MOVED ON. I watch the show for all the characters and because I love the show itself (the stories, etc). I’m a huge fan of Joe Flanigan and John is my top fave, but I love all the other characters as well.
So, would I watch the show even if I didn’t like it, just because Joe is on it? Yes, as I watched other stuff he was on, even if I didn’t like the show, but I enjoyed the scenes with him.
Would I watch the show even if Joe Flanigan wasn’t on it? Yes. I watch the show because I love the show itself and all its characters, not because an actor/character is there. If a character leaves (whether it is Elizabeth, Carson, John or other), I would still watch it. If after watching a whole season or at least most of the season without him I decided that I did’t like the new dynamics, I would stop watching then, but not before I actually see how the new stuff develops and fits in. And if I stopped liking the show, I wouldn’t be on forums and mailing lists complaining about a show I don’t like anymore… What would be the point?
If I had a choice, I would have Elizabeth back and Sam gone anyday, but it’s not my choice. I’m looking forward to see Sam interacting with the rest of the Atlantis characters (beyond Rodney) and see how the new dynamics develop.
And regarding pairings, I’m against on screen pairings because I watch the show for the action/adventure/drama, not to see it turned into a soap opera. I only read gen/friendship fanfics, because I’m not interested in reading soap operas either. But oddly enough, I don’t mind shippy digital artwork such as wallpapers. My fave romantic pairings of choice for stuff like desktop wallpapers are John/Elizabeth and Ronon/Teyla. But I love the on screen friendship between all the characters (John/Teyla, John/Ronney, John/Ronon, John/Elizabeth, Ronon/Teyla, Elizabeth/Rodney, Ronon/Rodney, etc, etc). I don’t understand the fanatism of some people against certain characters and pairings. I’ve seen some fans complaining about Teyla’s clothes and calling her the hot chick alien, saying that it’s only there for the young male demographics. I don’t get it. I’m a 36 years old woman, and I don’t see anything wrong with Teyla’s clothes, and I see her as a warrior, not as a “hot chick alien”. Maybe the fans who are offended by her clothes live in the Middle Ages? I’m tired of John/Elizabeth fans making nasty comments about Teyla, I’m tired of John/Teyla fans making nasty comments about Elizabeth, and the list goes on. And fans of all the pairings telling the fans of other pairings that the pairings of your choice have no chemistry and how they can’t see that the only real choice is their own fave pairing. Sometimes it’s amusing, but when you have to wade through lots of posts like that, it becomes annoying.
Quick, somebody name my magnificent creation before somebody steals my idea.
How about “Handheld Heart Attack”?
Or maybe “Conducive Coronary”?
Since you like…yummy stuff, have you ever tried Poor Man’s Pudding? It’s delicious. You’ve got your cake base topped with brown sugar, a caramel syrup and either whipped cream or ice cream (of course there are different syrups to use, etc; this is just how we make it here). It’s absolutely to die for.
Hi Joe!
Scotland is famous for its cuisine, have you tried a deep fried Mars Bar?
We’re also famous for our pithy sayings…like “If you were chocolate you’d eat yourself.”
TartanLass
I think Kentucky Fried Chicken may have beat you to your marketing idea with their mashed potato bowl. Mashed potatoes, fried chicken nuggets, corn, gravy and cheese, all in one bowl! I laugh every time I see the ad, because it’s just so AWFUL in so many ways. So very American, unfortunately.
Hi Joe,
1)Pouvez vous me dire pourquoi Elisabeth est passée du statut de personnage principal à celui de réccurant?, c’est Torri qui à décidée où les producteurs?
2)c’est quoi l’objet que Martin Gero tien dans la premiere photo, c’est pour quel épisode?
A au fait, je vien de voir “Menace sur la Terre” (No Man’s Land) qui à été diffuser en France Mardi, et il est génial.
For Season Four: Will we learn about how the Asurans’ creation in the Pegasus Galaxy is connected to Reese’s creation in the Milky Way? Will we learn more about the connection between the “Hot Zone” virus and the Asurans?
I read in the Robert Cooper interview about “Doppelganger” how he went all the way back to Season One of SG-1 to explore more possibilities for stories in Stargate Atlantis. Will you be doing more of that kind of thing (revisiting early SG-1 stories) in Atlantis‘s future, or do you think that most of that will be carried on through the third series that Cooper and Brad Wright are developing?
I’d love for one branch of the franchise to explore the rich history of SG-1 further. One early society I thought would have been great to revisit to see if there were a connection with the Alterans/Ancients is that of Altair: Harlan the Synthetic’s society of “Tin Man”, since he had been a synthetic for over 11,000 years (long before the Lantians returned to Earth 10,000 years ago).
One thing I’ve always enjoyed about Stargate is that it shows just how one decision can still have an affect (oftentimes a negative affect) on people of the future in a very personal way. I like that Stargate presents the idea that “with great power comes great responsibility” and that that responsibility extends many generations into the future, long after the decision-makers are gone.
Thanks. 🙂
Jaffa Bun ;D
Ah – insulting individual people now. Bit childish, huh?
And I suggest, before you go calling people out, you check their pasts. Cos in the past they loved the show and watched it (5 years ago) … and then the show got worse, and worse (hey, I still watch, but it’s not a patch on what it was … [mainly writing holes and TPTB decisions]). So, they used to love it, and now they hate it – and what’s wrong with saying so … I much prefer people who recognise why they don’t like something rather than just laying back their ears saying “OMG,It’s so amazing, Joe, you’re a wondergod!!!!!”
As for why they’re still around GW – well, they might actually like the people they’re interacting with? And whilst they’re there, I have no issues with them voicing their displeasure – you can’t just want to have the positive opinions all the time.
In fact, I’d have thought that the reactions of someone who used to love your work, and now can’t stand it would have been more useful that those just scream that you’re all wondergods?
Or am i being too naive – and anyone who critices way as well decapitate themselves before they get listened to?
Jonno
Dear Joe,
1. Hypothetically, if Teal’c and Ronon were to fight one on one, on whom would you put your money on to win.
2. Will we get see McKay getting slapped or something of that nature by Carter in season 4.
3. By the end of season 4 will the asurans or wraith be dealt with. I mean this whom will we deal a striking blow to if not decisive. In season 1 and 2 it was the wraith, season 3 the asurans….
thanxs for your patience
your montreal fan
So wait, this ultimate meal is like… the physical embodiment of Elvis’ testicles if his arteries fell South and into them? I personally am sold.
To anonymous:
People aren’t mad at Ben Browder because he replaced RDA. That’s just something Ben fans are saying to make themselves feel better about his poor reception. It takes the onus off of Ben and puts it on those mean, nasty folk who don’t love Ben for being Ben.
The fact of the matter is Cameron Mitchell is what they don’t like. It’s got nothing to do with Ben Browder. Cam doesn’t fit, he’s extraneous, and it shows. How much dialogue does he ever get that consists of more than an interjection or one liner? There’s just no place for him, especially so if Vala continues along like she was in this past Friday’s episode. She was great with Tomin.
Answer: I haven’t a clue what an EMH is.
It means ‘Emergency Medical Hologram’
I’m glad that Teyla will be getting some development- and I guess with the spoilers for Reunion that Ronan will get some more development and Miller’s Crossing will be an episode for Rodney but I have to ask- will we learn more about John? Like, this ex of his…will we ever learn about her or meet her??
I am pre-emptively amused for all the people who will crawl out of the woodwork and take offense at your comments re: real fans – they will brilliantly prove your poinbt and give me something to laugh at when I get in from work.
A question about your own blog comments, if I may – how many a day (roughly) do you get and what is your own system for publishing/rejecting?
I have to say, I’m very impressed with the balance between praise and criticism you let through – nice to see someone who isn’t afraid to take some stick and defend himself.others!
Joe I love your response about negativity in fandom. You hit the nail on the head with that one. 🙂
I don’t understand people who constantly come online to be negative. Some rationalize it as constructive critism to TPTB.
I belong to fandom because I want to share my enjoyment of Stargate with like minded people. We don’t always agree and that is fine. It would be awfully boring if we did.
Stargate has opened up a whole new world to me. I have made alot of great friends and traveled to places I would never have dreamed off. Maybe some people think these changes will damage this wonderful community. Change is contant even in fandom. You can’t get away from it. That it can be seen as a plot against an actor or the fans of a certain actor or ship just boggles my mind.
As great as STARGATE is, it is only a TV show. They are really more important things in the world to get upset about.
ummm congealed mess…..
cant believe you havent had a ‘chip butty’.most people i know (im irish)have butter instead of mayo…..
hows about ‘arterius clogerus’?
enjoy the party!!!!!
Spaceman said…
I am huge fan of art books and production art. my favorite art is from Serial Experiments Lain. Anyway, I was wondering if there is any possiblility of getting a SG-1 or Atlantis production art book made? I also want to thank you for the art smaples that have been posted so far 🙂 .
Ooooh. May I please second Spaceman’s request?
Mary Beth 🙂
Any chance Sam will mention Jack in Atlantis ?
Joe,
in one of her interviews, Claudia Black said that she wasn’t your first choice for Vala in “Prometheus Unbound” episode, but the actress you had in mind writing that episode, wasn’t available at that time, so you offered it to her. Do you remember who that actress was?
Another question. What happened to Vala’s Goa’uld healing device? She healed the soldiers injured by that creature in “Uninvited” episode. So why she didn’t use it to heal Carter in “Line in the sand” episode?
Hi Joe!
I’ve eaten a New Orleans version of the french fries on a po-boy….with melted butter and ketchup. It has to be crusty french bread though! YUM!! Tastes like a fried oyster po-boy.
The EMH……”Emergency Medical Hologram”…..that was Robert Picardo’s character on Star Trek Voyager.
That’s it….back to watching SGA. Bye for now!
Why Pugs? Of all the breeds in the world why did you pick Pugs?
Do you rally have doggy spas? Do they look cuter when they come out?
Doggy day care – that is a good idea, my niece and nephew go to the human version.
Hi, Joe! Thanks for the pics. Looking forward to more of them, especially those of the Atlantis cast & crew, sets and art.
About whiners… Something I find especially odd… Some people thought that season 3 was the best ever… until they found out that their fave character wouldn’t be in the NEXT season. All the season 3 episodes after that were labeled as “outerly crap”. How can a season be the best ever and all the episodes fantastic until one day, and all the episodes after that be just crap? Episodes written by the same staff writers who wrote those fantastic episodes in the same season, BTW…
Hi Joe,
Two small questions :
1- On a french forum, someone said “Vala, c’est Han Solo avant qu’il apprenne à faire confiance” Were the authors influenced ?
2- a Wraith ship is a living thing but is IT one creature growing on a metalic/composite skeleton who learned how to merged with tecnological elements, or many different creature working together ? Are wraith more Yuuzhan Vong than Sekotan ?
hi, joe,
can you help me understand just what sam’s role in atlantis will be about? i’m asking this, so i won’t be expecting too much. i went through this when jack left and i expected sam and jack to finally become a couple, and i went through this when sam returned in season 9 and i thought sam’s command would be in tact. i built up expectations because i thought a(storyline)+b(progression)=c(follow through).
so, please, just let me know what to expect with sam not only being on atlantis, but running it. if you say she’ll be like what weir did, i’ll still not know what that is because of not watching the show. and if you say supporting… just… will she be in 40 percent of each ep she’ll appear in? if less or more, how important *to the storyline* will sam be in most eps?
again, this is just so i know *exactly* what to expect so i won’t be crushed when something doesn’t follow through.
sally 🙂
Someday Scientist said…
I tend to not like female characters very much, but Teyla has managed to win me over (perhaps because while feminine, she’s not overly girly).
Ayla, I’m with you there! She’s feminine, not girly, and you underestimate her at your own peril. Love that!
thanx for answering my question! 😀
I just wanted to echo (ha, ha, pun intended) Lily’s comments about SGA – “Echoes” episode from Friday night….
Lily said…
“Fantastic Ronon/Teyla moments:
– the scene with Teyla teaching Ronon meditation, and Ronon snoring. So funny! Teyla’s face was priceless.
– Teyla beating the crap out of Ronon with the fighting sticks. Yay! Go girl! *grinning madly*
– Scene in the infirmary. Awww.
– the ending, with Teyla and Ronon back to meditation lessons, and Ronon giving her a fighting stick to keep him awake if necessary. LOL
Great John/Rodney/Liz moments:
– Liz and Rodney and emails. Hahahahahahahaha. Priceless.
– Can’t believe Rodney named the whale Sam
– Deaf John and Deaf Rodney. ROTFLMAO.
– John carrying Liz. Awwwww.
– Deaf Liz at the end. OMG. More ROTFLMAO.”
Ditto! I, too, loved the team interaction. I know it must be hard sometimes to write a story that gives each main character room, but I think this episode did a nice job of it.
Thanks, Lily, for putting my thoughts into words!
Now, Joe, on to my question – What was the best moment of your party this weekend?
Thanks,
SMB_BOOKS
jg said: “I much prefer people who recognise why they don’t like something rather than just laying back their ears saying “OMG,It’s so amazing, Joe, you’re a wondergod!!!!!”
Oh, I didn’t know that being positive about the show, loving it, and agreeing on certain issues with Mr. Mallozzi meant automatically that we worship him or, in your words, think he’s a wondergod. Thanks for enlighten me!
For the record, when he commented about Irresponsible a few weeks ago, I posted that, in my opinion, it was the worst Atlantis episode ever. And I still think it is (actually the only bad episodes I found so far in Atlantis were both written by him and Paul Mullie: The Tower and Irresponsible. LOL).
None of those who posted our agreement with Joe Mallozzi on this issue about whinners said that the show was perfect. In fact several people have pointed out that they see some flaws. All of us have our fave episodes. All of us have some episodes we don’t like and we discuss what we don’t like about them. But we are not talking about people who don’t like a few episodes here. We are talking about people who systematically complain about everything in the show and how it has jumped the shark and blah blah blah. There’s a huge difference.
Some people have posted that the only good season was season 1, and the show turned into crap since season 2. Oh my! We’re in season 4 already, what are you (general you) doing in fandom after 2 or 3 years if you only liked season 1? If you (general “you”) find that all or most of the episodes are bad, what are you doing in that show’s fandom?
“If you hate the show so much, then why bother watching and complaining?”
You do realize that they complain about the show because they care about it, right?
Why do you think irresponsible was such a letdown for you compared to irresistible?
“Anonymous said…
Oh, that’s right, they say that because it makes it look like it’s her decision and she wants to go, clearing the way for their pathetic little ship.”
Huh???? *looks around for the non-existant posts about Torri being pregnant*
Whatever you’re smoking, I want some.
People if you just want puppies and flowers, and OMG!SQUEEE, then you’re in the wrong fandom. Go to the Heroes fandom where everyone is all SQUEEE about the show and with good reason too. I mean they killed one of their potential ships and people were still SQUEEE!!!!
Hmm…I forgot one more post of mine in regards to this rumor crap…that I’ve been labeled as one of the promoters.
~sigh~
3. http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost.php?p=6463093&postcount=90
I doubt I’ll be left alone even though, they’ve been proved wrong.
In one of the Weir threads, there was a lot of speculation on why Torri was leaving, and one person tossed out, “Maybe Torri is pregnant.” It was just one of many thoughts and guesses bantered about because TPTB were so secretive. Seems that one line got blown out of proportion somehow. I don’t see how anyone could have thought it was something negative towards Torri.
Hi there!
Just wondering…what camera do you use, and what cameras do the other producers/writers/crew etc use? (I’m such a photography geek :D)
Oh and a roll and chips? 😀
– You should really try our sweets and desserts – tablet, macaroon, dumpling etc 🙂
Of course i’m two months too late on this one (hey, my job is time consuming!) but I had to say something about the negativity towards stargate, and the fans associated with stargate.
Having people disagree about things in a show is always going to happen. I have disagreed about things happening in SG-1 and in Atlantis, but am I the one making the television show? No, i’m not. I’m the innocent bystander that enjoys some mind play after a 50 hour week of work. I’m not even an uberfan (though I used to be more, there just isn’t the time anymore).
Anyway…the thing I just do not understand is the people who are so negative, who spend all of their time whining about a show about TPTB or whatever the heck else. Why must they spend all of their spare time being so negative? They see something in the show that could be considered as “enjoyable” to them but they’re caught up so much in being negative they almost fear finding something good anymore.
Maybe i’m bound by common sense, but if I don’t like something, I ignore it, I don’t watch it. Heck, if on tivo there’s an episode of stargate or star trek or whatever where the description doesn’t interest me, sometimes I won’t even watch it because I simply don’t have the time.