Every so often, sobering reality intrudes on the shallow mirth that typifies this blog. Today, I received a heartbreaking (unsolicited) email that I just happened to rescue from my junk folder through sheer luck, the grace of God, and a passing interest in a preceding message promising “Turbo Charged Grass Seed!”. At first, I assumed the email was spam, but I quickly realized how wrong I was when I read its contents.
It was a touching letter from a fellow named Al who, once a major investor in the field of oil and gas, suffered a debilitating stroke as a result of the shock he sustained “from the kidnap encounted from Nigeria militant group that rendered half my body paralysed”. (Lest I receive any posts criticizing my atrocious spelling, I’d like to make it clear that I’m quoting the email verbatim, heartrending spelling mistakes and all. As a result of his stroke, Ali is no doubt struggling to make due with half a brain. Give the guy a break.).
As if this wasn’t enough, Ali just received some terrible news. According to his doctor, he only has three months to live. And, even worse: “the said of it is that I have no close relative around”. Said indeed. Well, following something about spirituality and faith, he gets to the point (a.k.a. the part that involves me cashing in somehow): “I would want you to set up an orphanages foundation in my name and also donate the rest for my wealth to the missionary or charitable organizations as well as the needy, since my money would not have any benefitiary when I’m dead.” Bless his heart – provided it isn’t on the side of his body that has been left paralyzed in which case curse the sluggish organ that has no doubt hastened his premature demise. He goes on: “My account balance presently totaling $38.5M“ ! “I have set aside 25% of thise money for who ever will be willing to assist in this project as his/he reward.” Of course, helping the orphans is reward enough for me. Still, I suppose I could find some use for that other 25%.
More blah blah about faith and spirituality after which: “I am confined to an automatic wheel chair in the teaching hospital untill dearth comes calling” And sadly, I can only assume death will be not far behind. To finish: “I shall instruct the bank from my hospital bed to transfer every information you reqres including all legal documents for onward transfer to your account so that you can commence on this work of humanity.” Yes! As even the most casual reader of this blog can attest, there is no better candidate to perform work on humanity’s behalf than me.
I sent back the following message: “Dear Ali, I am sorry to hear about your hardships – the Nigerian militants, the stroke, the diagnosis, and the fact that you must spend what little time remains in a teaching hospital. I bet death can’t come soon enough. All the same, color me pink and delighted. As I have orphans of my own, I would be thrilled to help you spread the gift only money and 38.5 million dollars can buy. Count me in. Let me know what I can do. Sincerely – Aloysius P. Hazzencockle. P.S. How much is 25% of 38.5 million?
Naturally, I will keep everyone posted on my efforts on behalf of humanity. Who knows? If this works out and I put this money to good use, I may well follow in the footsteps of the great philanderers who have preceded me.
You know, I’ve often said that altruism is its own reward. Okay. Granted, it doesn’t sound like something I would say, but it’s true. I don’t write this blog for the positive feedback (Incidentally, today’s comments are disquietingly weighted toward the actors. Just saying.), or the chocolates (I prefer dark over milk.), but for the love of the art. And so, it really warm my heart to receive testimonials like the one I received yesterday from one Robert C. Cooper (photo included):
“While he will often jump up on my lap for a scratch while I’m sitting on the couch or my recliner he NEVER jumps up on me while at the computer. So imagine my surprise as I sat there checking out your blog when Oscar lept up and stuck his face in front of the screen. He wouldn’t leave either. He just sat there staring as I scrolled down. Seems you have another fan.”
I sent back an email informing him that I was going to use his touching testimonial in today’s blog. His response:
“Not at all. Now that I think about it, I believe he may have wanted more info on Fondy’s new business venture.”
Bless his furry little heart. And Oscar too.
Hey, has everyone picked up The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged, the first two books in the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie yet? What’s taking you?
Finally, since yesterday’s blog was dedicated to long-time fan Carolina and her twisted ankle, I’d like to dedicate this blog to Carolina’s fractured wrist. Now, is there anything I’ve missed, Carolina? Jammed finger? Elbow scrape? Did you bite your tongue?
Well, given that my recent act of kindness has filled me with a profound sense of inner peace, I think this would be the perfect time to field your comments and queries –
PG15 writes: “ 1). What are you going to do after you finish the first draft of “The Kindred Part 1”? Will it be finally time for an actual vacation then? 2). Is it just me, or does the anonymous posters seem more…rude?
Answers: I hope to finish the first draft next week after which I intend to do some reading, watching some DVD’s and, depending on the timeline, break ground on that orphanage. 2) No. It’s about par for the course, bless their bitter, vindictive little hearts.
Breeze writes: “Just got one question what type of laptop or computer do you use?”
Answer: I use a Sony VAIO for writing and editing my music demo (“Touched By the Feeling of Love‘s Loving Fingers” will be my first single).
Mackenziesmomma writes: “What is a good kind of sushi for a beginner?”
Answer: Try the spider roll. Seriously.
Meshel73 writes: “A friend and I are going to be on vacation in Vancouver from July 27th for two weeks. What restaurants do you recommend that we visit while we are there?”
Answer: Vij’s, Yuji’s, Tojos, Fuel, Bistrot Bistro, Le Crocodile, Sha Lin Noodle House, Feenies, Don Francesco, West – to name a few.
Redhooks writes: “Have you cast some guest stars just based on their “highlight reel” of past work or does it always require an audition?”
Answer: Depends on who we’re casting.
Anonymous #1 writes: “I heard there was a very big positive response to Joe and Torri’s little display at last year’s comic con. I noticed you didn’t look too thrilled, though. A sign of things that annoyed you, perhaps?”
Answer: My God, you’ve found me out! I was positively enraged at the mere prospect of fans deriving any sort of enjoyment from Joe and/or Torri’s “little display” (whatever it was. Perhaps you’d care to enlighten me. Oh, wait. You only heard about it. BUT you were able to take note of my none “too thrilled” reaction. Well, get it all sorted out and I look forward to hearing from you. If I can manage to overcome the rage I feel at the mere mention of the incident in question.
Anonymous #2 writes: “ 1) can I mail you some of my world-famous, 70% Cocoa Lindt Dark Chcolate brownies with walnuts? 2) Will it ever be explained why the Wraith cannot feed on Ronon? 3) Ever considered a story where the Wraith gene is triggered in Teyla and she becomes a Wraith Queen for a day?”
Answers: 1) Why not. 2) It’s not that the wraith wasn’t able to feed. It was surprised by his defiance and, thus, figured he would make a great runner. 3) Something like that.
Pauline writes: “Would you consider using the same documentary style story episode as an insight into the day to day working of Atlantis?”
Answer: Possibly.
Crazymom writes: “GeekBoy’s favorite scene of just about any SG-1 episode is Cam’s reaction to Teal’c shooting at the stone wall: “Whoa! Bullets bounce!”
Answer: A terrific Ben adlib.
Tattle Tail writes: “As a person of good conscience, were you aware of a rebellious group who plan to hackle the panel at the comic con?”
Answer: Oooh, can’t wait. We’ll have truncheon-wielding security teams interspersed throughout the crowds, prepared to deliver a skull-crunching “whack of silence” should the need arise.
FarscapeFan writes: “The same question as yesterday: what is the chance that Claudia Black will join Ben, Chris, Michael and Amanda at Comic Con SG-1’s panel?”
Answer: Claudia will not be taking part in the panel. Sorry.
Hey, care to comment on the movie currently in post production that Martin Gero is producing, writing, and directing called “Young People F**king”?
I take it, the movie is a departure from the SciFi genre?
Here’s the IMDB link for Gero, where the movie is listed:
http://imdb.com/name/nm1236625/
What are you on? Is it chocolate again? Because whatever it is, I want some.
Oh…PLEASE let that comment about the security guards be true. It doesn’t even have to crunch their skulls, a simple crack, or perhaps a whack will do nicely. Oh yes, very nicely.
However, I have a feeling you were just joking with us on that one. Still, I hope you will let loose on those idiots if and when they heckle. Take all that extra snark that you can’t show on the Internet, and direct it all at them…and all at once. Hone your craft Joe, for that day, the day of destiny, as those of us who have common sense will get a great deal of entertainment out of it. Thank you.
We were just discussing this on Gateworld, and I’m wondering; would you or the rest of the writers create a gay or bi character on Atlantis?
Hell, I would want chocolate anyway. Even if you were just on crack.
I know that words were “written” for the opening theme of SG-1. Has anyone made up words for the Atlantis theme?
Regarding Com Con I believe that flamethrowers would prove more persuasive to hacklers as those sitting around them would most likely shut them up for you. You know just have them standing around, one ever few rows, a low flame burning. ;o)
I think you have answered this but could not remember. When will everyone be returning to the studio? My roommate and I wanted to send up a big thank you package with notes and goodies but are unsure when you will be back.
Shana
Heh. You’re blog entry about poor, altruistic Ali made me laugh so much that I read it out to my husband to share the mirth. His reponse? “Oh dear.” From him, this is high praise! 😀
Have you started reading Player of Games yet? Any thoughts?
Oh by the way, apparently SciFi has announced that Atlantis will premier on September 28:
http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost.php?p=6836114&postcount=69
You guys know about this?
If the Hecklers do decide to try and take on Joe, can someone record it and post it on YouTube. I mean, I know their ‘questions’ are really easy to answer and will provide no challenge to Joe – but it will still be fun to watch!
Mackenziesmomma writes: “What is a good kind of sushi for a beginner?”
Answer: Try the spider roll. Seriously.
I took your advice and ran out this afternoon and picked some spider rolls up and they were wonderful. I think I found my new favorite sushi place too!
I am going to be up in vancouver near the end of the month visiting my canadian heritage, where would you suggest i get some good sushi up there?
Ack! Have just belatedly noticed the horrendous grammar mistake in my previous post! I am overcome with shame – as a self-confessed grammar pedant the public humiliation may be too much for me to bear. D’you think I can get away with blaming it on the several glasses of whiskey I have consumed to celebrate the end of a busy, stressful, yet ultimately succesful week? Or it public self-flagellation and/or ritual suicide the only remaining option?
P.S. I’m not 100% certain, but it’s entirely possible that I may have lost the plot at some point during this evening. If you happen to stumble across it, please send it my way…
P.P.S. Can it be? Finally, an official air date for Season 4? Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy!
I have Dearth stalking me for ages I had my phone number changed and I eventually filed a restraining order. And I received a similar email and all I have to say is back away from my orphan money or your pugs will to be orphaned. Seriously back off it is all about the money..I mean the charitable organization. Can you send me the address to Nobel Peace Prizes again I misplaced it.
Hey, Joe, I tore a ligament in my foot. Do I get a dedication?
alipeeps, I’ll excuse your whiskey if you excuse my blackberry merlot! I was thinking of going to WalMart to pick up a few things, and then I realized that probably wasn’t such a wise idea.
I did, in fact, use an actual wine glass (well, water goblet) for the merlot, but since the husband is gone for the week, GeekBoy and I are back to disposable mode: disposable plates and bowls, and we’ve even gone to disposable cups this time. Our objective is to only run the dishwasher twice in the next week.
Listened to the commentary for “Avalon” part 1 tonight. Wow, Robert Cooper can really talk! And Andy Mikita says “for sure” a lot. They were very interesting, even before I finished the merlot.
Hey Joe,
Is that Robert’s dog or he lets random dogs jump on his lap? What a cutie!
Just wondering – if it hasn’t already been asked – who’s attending Comic Con (from SGA – since I saw the names for SG1) – and are you and Paul Mullie attending too?
Take care – have a nice weekend.
The computer question should have got one of your smart remarks about how you’ve already answered it. Because you have. Several times.
On the subect of the comic con panel, obviously you don’t know there’s a video out there. There is.
On the subject of dodgy emails. Apparently, I’ve won the UK lottery several times over. Funny since I’ve only been there once.
Is there a full moon?
Anyway … Hey, has everyone picked up The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged, the first two books in the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie yet?
Yes, and yes. Did you finish the second one yet? I gather it was very good … ? Haven’t cracked them yet. I just started, yep, Old Man’s War. Needing lots of sci-fi lest I experience (bad, very bad) withdrawal while waiting for season four. Rumor has it Old Man’s War is a good read.
For the person who asked about the convention Joe’s supposed to/was supposed to do in Aus, it was a BOBW convention, I believe. Out at Parramatta.
I think that’s part of the problem. It’s enough of an issue to get people from all over the country to go to Sydney for a con, let alone out to Parramatta
Hello,
So I have been reading your blog for a while, and have utterly enjoyed it. So I just wanted to say thanks for sharing all your insider infomation about the stargate franchise. Also, you seem to only address negative comments about Amanda Tapping crossing over to SGA, I for one am incredible excited about this season and what she will bring to the show. As always, I am sure the scripts will do every character justice.
Oh my… my family have all suddenly turned Japanese. My mother’s family spent some time during their childhoods/teens living in Japan. Over the last few years they have all made it back, and now they are all at my parents house (from all over NZ and 1 from Australia) and they are sharing their Japanese food and photos from their trips.
I suggested we break out the sake and take a drink every time we see a cherry blossom. They didn’t appreciate it.
Japanese food does rock.
Hey Joe! Nice interview with at the SciFi digital press tour. I can’t wait for Season Four! Bring it on.
Anyway, just a quick question: Will the “Common Ground” Wraith ever get a name, say Steve Jr. or something? And since we see a Wraith birthing scene, will we ever hear some Wraith names?
Hi Joe:
What are your plans for Canada Day? Are you doing anything patriotic?
Patricia
Joe, I just wanted to let you know that I love your blog! You are just too funny! Thanks for taking the time to post everyday (which in and of itself is impressive in my book…).
Anyhow, I have added The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged to my “to read” list… might be awhile, though.
Hey, Joe, have you ever watched MacGyver? If so, what’d you think of it?
I believe the “little display” your anonymous poster is referring to is when Joe jokingly turned to Torri and proceeded to lean her back a bit and “kiss” her. It received quite a bit of applause and cheers. Clearly because everyone in that room saw the chemistry between them and concluded that the Sheppard/Weir pairing cannot be denied. Not because it was awkwardly adorable or hilarious or anything.
Personally, I thought it looked like you weren’t paying much attention, but if that’s your “none too thrilled” reaction, then, you know, okay. Guess I wasn’t wearing my special Emotion Detecting Glasses. Damn it, I missed out on a key Moment!
Moral of the story: Never let the actors touch. It INDICATES something.
Hilarious. Do let us know how it goes with the poor cripple.
So, assuming SGA gets renewed for season 5, at what point would you start looking for new writers, crew, etc. (or whatever it is you’d be needing)?
Just to clarify, since someone so kindly mentioned some fans were planning to ‘disrupt’ comic con: before you go blaming the Weir fans, it’s not them.
There are a lot of people who are angry over the changes, and they come from a variety of groups, most of them have one common factor: they’re anti-Sam. Not all of the Weir fans are anti-Sam.
hi, joe,
i know you’re a lover of scifi, but do you also like their movie soundtracks?
some of my faves are:
*star wars – john williams
*superman – john williams
*close encounters of the third kind – john williams
*star trek – jerry goldsmith
*unbreakable – james netwon howard
i’ve got the john williams/steven spielberg collection, and it’s AWESOME!
i know i’m leaving off some of my soundtracks, but are you a fan of music like this?
sally 😀
Was watching ‘Memento Mori’ earlier today (which I very much enjoyed, btw), and I’m wondering:
-Is the restaurant at the beginning a real restaurant, a real restaurant w/name change or a restaurant set? If it’s a real place, where is it?
and…
-Offered your choice of three featured martinis, the chocolate, passionfruit or shochu plum, which would you choose?
Answer: Oooh, can’t wait. We’ll have truncheon-wielding security teams interspersed throughout the crowds, prepared to deliver a skull-crunching “whack of silence” should the need arise.
Oh, my! I was on the fence about going, but now I have to! Hackling fans and truncheon-wielding security teams. (They, the security guards, will be really big and beefy, won’t they?) It will be so much fun!
I know comic con is still a few weeks away, but do you have a list of restaurants you plan to try, or would you like some recommendations?
The mention of Ben’s terrific “bullets bounce” ad lib brings to mind something else I was wondering. During that scene it looked like Chris was trying really hard not to laugh. Was that part of the scene or was Chris really trying to contain himself?
“Oooh, can’t wait. We’ll have truncheon-wielding security teams interspersed throughout the crowds, prepared to deliver a skull-crunching “whack of silence” should the need arise.”
*raises hand* Oh oh can I help? Seriously. I find your witty sarcastic banter refreshing. If people are gonna hate you for no good reason (or a completely made up fictitious reason), give them a good reason to at least dislike you. A real question, any good ad-libs so far this season you want to share with us?
Joe,
Spider roll = GOOD!! no doubt about it, oh and is there a nightlight in Atlantis somewheres? it is really dark inside this sock drawer 🙂 hehe anyhow
this just came to me, do you have the Ancient Fone on your computer? or do you perfer Wraith? I personally go for Ancient, though Wraith is actually harder to read, what do you think?
~Teyilia the cat stuck inside Teyla’s sock drawer that nobody can see
Oh and just missed this and hit post before I could say this one little thing about this
Anonymous #2 writes: “3) Ever considered a story where the Wraith gene is triggered in Teyla and she becomes a Wraith Queen for a day?”
Answers: 3) Something like that.
I actually have a fanfic with that theme! you little stealer :p just kidding about that comment, no offense is intended at all
~Teyilia still in the sock drawer
Do the ratings when SG1 or SGA are NOT on play a role in whether or not SGA gets renewed?
For example, Painkiller Jane was advertised as still being aired on Sci-Fi tonight, but after a movie instead of SG series. Do they look at how well programs like PJ do in the ratings on nights they follow SG versus following other shows in deciding the future of SGA?
(Note: I have no idea if it actually aired. While I sometimes will start watching a show because it precedes or follows a Stargate (even in reruns), PJ didn’t hold my interest for 5 minutes. I left the SciFi channel off tonight.)
SGA returns to the US SciFi network on September 28.
Will it return earlier to Canadian or UK TV?
Regarding the Joe/Torri incident at Comic Con 06 (caught on tape here!), allow me to translate, as someone who was there and read the reactions with incredulity afterward… The “incident” was when Joe F. grabbed Torri and gave her a big fake smooch. It was in fun. Certain fans convinced themselves the actors were the characters and/or were validating the pairing of the characters. (It couldn’t have simply been 2 actors having fun on stage.) Then those same fans decided your smile during the event was not a true smile, but a fake one. Therefore it was proven you were unhappy with Joe and Torri’s display because it somehow was promoting a ship you don’t approve of. So, you were never going to give them their ship, you evil meany poopy head. Clear?
Anyway, good luck with that altruistic philandering!
Hey Joe,
Has there ever been any consideration for an episode dedicated entirely to the B-Team of either Atlantis or SG-1? I’ve always wanted to see Shep’s team or SG-1 have a boring day while either Lorne or Reynolds get the fun for once.
You might be interested in this fantastic website which combats those 419 scams and wastes their time. They’ve even managed to weasel resources out of those criminals. The creativity and hilarity of this site always cracks me up.
http://www.419eater.com/
Hi Joe,
I have a question I hope you can shed some light on. Ever since I saw the pilot episode of SG-1, one thing has always bothered me. During the briefing scene that introduces Carter, she mentions she has over 100 hours over enemy air space, implying she is air crew of some kind (unless her ride in had a killer holding pattern!). So why doesn’t she wear wings? I noticed there were a lot more military type mistakes in the pilot episode than the rest of the series so was this just overlooked? I just finished 8 years in the Air Force so please feel free to tell me I’m looking into this to hard and to let it go. 🙂
Thanks!
PS. My favorite mistake in the pilot episode is the Airman in the elevator who has staff sergeant stripes on his sleeves AND major oak leaves on the shoulders of his service dress uniform. 🙂
With all the suggestions for scifi books, I’m a little sad that nobody seems to read Ray Bradbury anymore.
“Anonymous said…
Just to clarify, since someone so kindly mentioned some fans were planning to ‘disrupt’ comic con: before you go blaming the Weir fans, it’s not them.
There are a lot of people who are angry over the changes, and they come from a variety of groups, most of them have one common factor: they’re anti-Sam. Not all of the Weir fans are anti-Sam. “
Nice try. They are all Weir fans, trying to cause trouble, same as usual. I couldn’t believe it when I found these posts after reading about the proposed heckling here. How depressing and humiliating that it’s GW posters planning on doing this.
http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=39479&page=67
The pic on your earlier blog shows that Rachel’s pregnancy is starting to become more evident: Will she be able to complete filming season 4 before her due date?
Well there is one major question that has been burning a hole in my side (It hurts ever so much, govner!)
Is there one episode of SG1 that you would re-do…?
NZJ
Michelle said…
Regarding the Joe/Torri incident at Comic Con 06 (caught on tape here!), allow me to translate, as someone who was there and read the reactions with incredulity afterward… The “incident” was when Joe F. grabbed Torri and gave her a big fake smooch. It was in fun. Certain fans convinced themselves the actors were the characters and/or were validating the pairing of the characters. (It couldn’t have simply been 2 actors having fun on stage.) Then those same fans decided your smile during the event was not a true smile, but a fake one. Therefore it was proven you were unhappy with Joe and Torri’s display because it somehow was promoting a ship you don’t approve of. So, you were never going to give them their ship, you evil meany poopy head. Clear?
This had me chuckling over my Rice Krispies this morning. Poopy head? I love it! Nicely put though!
I remember the conspiracy theorists being all miserable a little while after that and saying TPTB had deliberately briefed Joe and Torri to mock kiss to annoy and incite shippers. That certainly made me smile, and be a little concerned for said folks’ sanity!
I just heard SciFi have announed September 28th for the premiere of season 4. Will SciFi be world premiering (is that a word?) Adrift?
Thanks!
Thought you might like to know the Window of Opportunity kiss between Sam and Jack took first place in Sci-fi’s recent online contest for ‘Best Kiss’. People do love that episode!
Salut Joseph!!
Même si je ne comprend pas tout en anglais.. j ai compris qu il avait beaucoup d émotion dans ce blog aujourd hui.
Vraiment trés émouvent et triste cette histoire d Ali, le pauvre.
Et si je comprend bien il a besoin d un organe et il n a pas de famille proche…OHH =,(
Mes parent et moi avant notre catre de donneur.;comme sa s il nous arrive quelque chose avant le veillesse nos organe cerviront a quelque chose…
Enfin bon voila..
Je souhaite plein de Bonheure a ce pauvre Ali.
A demain ..trés belle artcile aujourd hui. merci. Bonne journée.
Vous avez vraiment un grand coeur Joseph.
Anonymous said…
Hey Joe,
Has there ever been any consideration for an episode dedicated entirely to the B-Team of either Atlantis or SG-1? I’ve always wanted to see Shep’s team or SG-1 have a boring day while either Lorne or Reynolds get the fun for once.
I’ve wondered the same thing.
Star Trek (TNG, I believe) did so once. Unfortunately the “B” team came off a little to “Captain America-ish”, but the show did save it at the end with a reality check for the youngsters.
The difference between that and SG1 & SGA is that we already have been given an opportunity to “know” those “B” characters and don’t have to be force fed the back story in the same hour. TNG introduced a whole new group of people in their episode.
And, let’s face it …. anything with Major Lorne in it will not be wasted time. 🙂
Thanks to Michelle for posting the video in question.
My thoughts ….
David Hewlett does’t look so good.
Oh, he spoke … the guy on the other side of Torri (from Joe F) isn’t David Hewlett. (OK, my computer screen is small.)
Joe F.’s hair … not as uncontrollable in real life as it appears to be onscreen? Inquiring minds want to know.
As to the fan reaction to the kiss?
I would say the majority probably saw it as actors having fun onstage … because I am nothing if I am not ordinary and that was the way that I saw it.
As to your reaction to the kiss?
I’m betting on “Thank God … only one more question after this. I’m starved.”
What Kind of person goes to the trouble of going to Comic con to heckle the actors of the show they “loved”?
Seriously there is a line between being pissed off and actively trying to ruin everyone else fun.
I’m struggling to not use foul language here, but have those vindictive little idiots thought for a minute about all the people who travelled for hours and went to alot of exspense, just to see the actors. Or the actors who took time off from their vacations!
I know when it comes down to it it’ll probably be one or two malcontents moaning at the back, and secretly I’d love for you to take them down a peg in front of the actors, and the other fans
I’m just watching you on the Atlantis Q&A panel with Paul, Rachel and David. what can I say? LOVE the shirt dahlink, its just the shade i want for my living room.
The Mafia boss on his lunch break look is working better than than the evil genius look,you’regoing to have to work harder on the “look of evil”
ANyway I just wanted to say a big thank you for taking the time to answer questions, Nice one Joe, thanks:)
Hey Mr. Joe,
They laid me off of my job yesterday. I don’t know why, but I just felt the need to tell you that. It’s alright, it’s alright, don’t cry for me….. I hated it anyway.
Enough about me…..I do want to know why the wraith couldn’t feed on Ronon.
I agree with Erin Anderson. I really find your witty sarcasm refreshing too. It’s one reason I enjoy reading your blog so much because you’re never boring. I really enjoyed reading Michael’s blog too. The two of you are both great with the snark and if people don’t like it, then to quote Michael Shanks’, “Tough Noogies.”
Hey Joe,
On the troublemakers rumor, I’m afraid it’s true. Apparently, some radical Sam Carter fans teamed up to disrupt the panel at Comic-Con in order to seize Amanda and make her the leader of their cult or something. So watch out and don’t forget your zat gun at home.
Good luck!
Joe
Don’t let the first paragraph put you off reading the rest.
I am an active member of the SCB campaign and although I respect your decision to remove Paul McGillion/Carson Beckett was a creative one I, and my fellow campaigners, think it was not in the best interest of the programme.
That said – we are against any negative backlash against other members of the cast and creative staff. Heckling, booing, ‘hate mail’ are unacceptable.
At further conventions you should have armed guards, electric fences and a myriad of canines (led by superstar Mars and his girlfriend Lucy) the pugs can come too – make it a family outing.
As for the shep/weir etc stuff – I am one of those people who see what is on the screen and don’t see the subtle stuff. I just enjoy Atlantis for the humour, action and hunks.
Of course, series 5 will be MUCH better when Carson comes back full time…. 🙂
Susan
Scotland…the home of Carson
xxxx
a response for majorsal:
I, too, enjoy film scores more than the average person. I was probably one of the only kids in middle school and high school with an extensive collection of John Williams, James Horner, Bruce Broughton, Michael Kamen, etc.
I played French horn from 6th grade through college. The “Flying Theme” from E.T. remains one of the most amazing and powerful horn parts that exists.
And then the solo horn part at the very beginning of Field of Dreams….oh, and the mournful horn part in the Star Wars trilogy.
But then there are the wonderful classical pieces as well. Holst’s Jupiter, Respighi’s The Pines of Rome, Mahler 5, and a more contemporary David Holsinger.
I would argue that the Sci-Fi genre, by its very nature, is generally not intimate, which is why when a composer is able to pair an 8-bar soul-wrenching theme with a purely character-driven scene, the result is a rare treat.
And yes, Joel Goldsmith accomplishes this like the champion that he is….and he sure does know how to write for the middle voices.
Regarding this:
Nice try. They are all Weir fans, trying to cause trouble, same as usual. I couldn’t believe it when I found these posts after reading about the proposed heckling here. How depressing and humiliating that it’s GW posters planning on doing this.
http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=39479&page=67
MONTY, you are full of it. Most of the people who post in the Anti Season 4 thread, I don’t even know, and I am a Weir fan. The thread is made up of Beckett fans, Weir fans, Anti Carter people, and people who are just plain pissed off about the cast changes in general.
Don’t lump all the blame on the Weir fans.
A lot of the people who are supporting both Beckett and Weir have never been anti before, so stop trying to stir up trouble.
I personally don’t post on GW, nor am I active in the Save Weir campaign. I have, however lurked on GW for several years, and I can tell you I’ve seen a lot worse behaviour from Sam, Jack and Daniel fans over the years, in relation to Vala, Mitchell and Jonas. I’ve also seen appalling things written about Jason and Torri in particular.
Before you go around throwing insults, consider how you’d feel if I told you that all the people with your personal character/ship etc preference were trouble makers? No matter which character/ship, whatever you support, you can bet it has at least one or two vocal types who get into trouble.
Then again, that would be tarring you all with the same brush, and I don’t believe in doing that.
Obviously you do.
You people who are running tattling to JM about how the big bad anti fans are going to disrupt the Comic con are full of crap.
You should also probably take a few lessons in the art of sarcasm. If you actually looked at the anti thread, you’d realise that there are people who actually have a sense of humor about things in there. It’s got to the stage of “if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry” when it comes to the cast changes.
The shrill and ill-informed lemming thread is much the same.
JM, I’m hoping you at least have some sense of sarcasm, and can ignore the suckups. That’s all they’re doing, sucking up to you.. If you told them to tell you the sky was green, they’d do it, just to keep you happy.
You may not like some of the stuff the antis do, like supporting dumped characters, but at least they’re telling it as they see it instead of being mindless zombies who must agree with everything TPTB say. Seriously, if people agree with everything you do/say, they’re lacking a mind of their own, and lacking imagination. Life’s about questioning and pushing boundaries. Otherwise we may as well all be clones who think the same way about everything.
I can’t stop laughing at all the people up in arms over these supposed fans who will harrass TPTB at an upcoming convention.
It’s quite obvious that the posts in question have been misinterpreted. There are no fans that are going to band together and verbally attack TPTB or the actors at a con.
And yet so many here picked up that distorted info from one poster (with an obvious agenda) and ran with it without knowing all the facts. What did you call those people before Joe? Oh yeah, LEMMINGS. Ain’t it ironic.
Well, I don’t have the technical skills of the others posting about the music, but I have to add my two cents:
It is absolutely phenomenal on both series.
Is TV.com correct, that SGA will have its season premiere on 9/28/07?
monty said:
“Nice try. They are all Weir fans, trying to cause trouble, same as usual. I couldn’t believe it when I found these posts after reading about the proposed heckling here. How depressing and humiliating that it’s GW posters planning on doing this.”
Uh, monty, as one of the posters involved in the purely for fun conversation on GW, I don’t know whether to be mad or roll around laughing. We were having a bit of a joke. I can’t speak for anyone else but I will be at least 3000 miles from ComicCon making any disruption on my part highly unlikely.
You can call off the dogs. Noone is planning to disrupt anything. How ridiculous.
And how ridiculous that we can’t even joke about our unhappiness with season 4 without being ridiculed. You’re happy. We get that. Now how about letting us at least talk among ourselves without being misinterpreted.
Wow, I’ve just finished (well, last night) Old Man’s War and it was superb.
Now I’ve gotta wait for my local bookstore to get a hold of The Ghost Brigades…
Ever read anything by Matthew Reilly? They’re basically action movies in prose form, but better than that sounds.
You crack me up! The angelic shot of you with your head placed RIGHT under the Today’s Special that’s written on the restaurant blackboard is priceless. *see first photo from January 28th* You ARE special… every day, Joe!LOL!
semisweet
Hi Joe,
Speaking of conventions, I think it would have been nice if Amanda, Michael and Chris could have done a farewell tour together. I had heard that the 3 of them, along with Lexa, are going to be at Reunion Island this year but I don’t know if that is true or not.
Even though SG1 is over, I hope that AT, MS, and CJ continue doing conventions. Whether they’re on stage together or separate they are fantastic with their fans.
The majority of fans that go to conventions are very respectful of the actors but unfortunately sometimes there’s that one fan who will cross the line. I think the worst question ever asked was at the Vancouver con in 2006. During Michael’s panel someone in the Q&A line asked Michael how he would like to die. It was one of those (where’s security) questions when it was clear she was talking about Michael and not Daniel. Michael handled it great with a funny answer and was a real trooper.
However, the look on Michael’s face when she asked the question……Priceless!!!
I haven’t read the books mentioned in todays blog but I was in Waterston’s earlier and picked up a copy of ‘Old Man’s War’. I am actually enjoying it so far. It seems quite easy to read. Like listening to a bunch of sarcastic old farts telling stories. (ie like every Sunday when my grandad comes over). Is this why you and David like the book so much? Are you looking forward to becoming sarcastic old farts as opposed to the sarcastic/old/farts(delete as applicable) you are now?
I too, am touched by Ali’s story. Deaply, deaply, touched. I had a near dearth experience last week when a bunch of mutant employers came and give me lots of wok to do. Could you give my Ali’s email address just in case you can’t find a good spot for the orphanage. I know a great place and I’m a very chip woker.
Joe,
could you please tell me how big, or perhaps rather how small Claudia Black’s part is in Continuum movie, so I can decide whether to buy this DVD or not…
Joe, congratulaions on your orphanage. I just found out today that I won the “European Lottery” for Millions. I had no idea that I even entered and the note didn’t say how many my millions were.
So if you find you need some extra cash for this project just let me know.
I know, I have a better idea. I will contact Fondy and coordinate with her for a pug orphanage. As you know every kid needs a dog. That way we will make the world into a much better place ALL the way around.
So let me know when you break ground since by then I should have my millions.
Madalyn
Hey Joe! I got a nice surprise this morning. I was watching kids TV with my 4 year old nephew (my mother forced me, honest) and flicked over to see that Mona the Vampire was on (it was about a pixie, sorry I can’t be more specific…) and in the end credits the name Joseph Mallozzi popped up. 😀 How many eps did you do?
What is a spider roll? Because I’m totally NOT EVER going to Google anything with the word “spider” in it. That would be an idiotic thing for an arachnophobe to do. I’ve persuaded my mum to come for Japanese with me tomorrow and so far the only sushi I’ve tried has been the tekka maki (the rice rolled in seaweed and filled with tuna one). Meh. Prefer the noodle dishes so far, although there’s a delicious side called gyu niku maki on the menu which is “grilled sirloin steak rolls filled with mushroom and lightly sauteed in garlic, sake wine, onion and soya sauce”. Better than chocolate, man, better than… Well, we’ll just say they are delicious and leave it at that, shall we?
“Nice try. They are all Weir fans, trying to cause trouble, same as usual. I couldn’t believe it when I found these posts after reading about the proposed heckling here.”
You are aware that was the anti-season 4 thread and not a Weir thread, yes? Weir and Beckett fans do not have a monopoly on anti-season 4 comments. Plus, they were JOKING. Next time read the thread before YOU try to cause trouble.
You may not like some of the stuff the antis do, like supporting dumped characters, but at least they’re telling it as they see it instead of being mindless zombies who must agree with everything TPTB say. Seriously, if people agree with everything you do/say, they’re lacking a mind of their own, and lacking imagination. Life’s about questioning and pushing boundaries. Otherwise we may as well all be clones who think the same way about everything.
Thank you.
That has to be one of the funniest comments I’ve seen posted here.
As you said earlier in your post, sarcasm can be a great tool to get across a point. In the paragraph quoted, you provided a great example of it’s use.
Life isn’t about “questioning and pushing boundaries”. Life is about experiencing things to the fullest and, along the way, trying to make the natural world a better place for you, your loved ones and the rest of the people in it. Most of the world hopes to survive the day – the more fortunate hope to survive it well.
Never questioning the status quo and always questioning the status quo just to question it are simply opposite sides of the same coin. “Gray” rules this world – not “black and white”.
You used sarcasm well to make that point.
when I first came into fandom (season 4), I was blown away by the mean spirited ppl I ran into. but the deeper I got into fandomland, the worse it got.
I understand the mechanics behind it, but the feud between the sam/jack vrs daniel/jack ppl was pretty ugly. it’s quieted down a lot since I first came on, but the sentiments are still around, diluted or not.
*one* of the reasons I was glad that sam was going over to atlantis was because I was looking forward to dropping some of the radical daniel/ms fans from my existence. I just expected a nicer and gentler fandom without them… little did I know that one hatemongering sect would be replaced with another.
I don’t doubt that some of those same ‘haters’ are now part of this new at/sc vrs th/ew group, but man, how totally discouraging it is to be stepping into this crap again.
sally :\
I was reading Cooper’s interview at Gateworld. He says (about SG-1): “the cancellation of the series was as much to do with the decline of the ratings of the Monday night rerun pack than it had anything to do with the ratings of the new episodes.”
I never kept track of SG-1’s ratings because I only watch Atlantis, but Cooper’s words got me worried. I’ve read in the past other posts from fans saying that Sci Fi didn’t run Atlantis marathons that much because the ratings of the reruns did poorly. If this is true and we take into account Robert Cooper’s words, Atlantis’ future beyond season 4 doesn’t look very promising, does it?
Do you know if ratings for Atlantis’ marathons have improved lately?
Joe, Thanks once again, your comments make me forget the pain and just laugh, add to that some narcotics and I’m in a happy place! Now if you want to know more details, it was not my wrist… I fractured the bone that keeps the thumb stuck to the rest of the hand, I’ll let you imagine on your own what movement the thumb did for that to happen and yes, also some minor scratches in my right hand and my right leg.
Now having been mentioned in your blog twice in a row, dedication included, you have given me some fame! it’s time to collect my fortune!!! I’m thinking about auctioning pieces of my cast when all is over, I will of course send you a piece free of charge 🙂 Thanks again and take care.
Jenny Robin said…
a response for majorsal:
“I, too, enjoy film scores more than the average person. I was probably one of the only kids in middle school and high school with an extensive collection of John Williams, James Horner, Bruce Broughton, Michael Kamen, etc.”
i love classical music, period. that’s why, in ‘unending’, when sam played her cello… i fell totally and complelely in love with the instrument. that cello was a piece of sam, and she was sobbing in her frustration and loneliness. it reflected her soul.
sally 🙂
I think that’s part of the problem. It’s enough of an issue to get people from all over the country to go to Sydney for a con, let alone out to Parramatta
As fully one fifth of Australia’s entire population lives in Sydney, I think the problem is more that so many of them wouldn’t even go to another suburb to see him. As far as I can see Atlantis has never been anywhere near as popular as SG1 in Australia. Hundreds of people went to Canberra, of all the godforsaken places, to MS.
Thought you might like to know the Window of Opportunity kiss between Sam and Jack took first place in Sci-fi’s recent online contest for ‘Best Kiss’. People do love that episode!
And of course it had nothing whatsoever to do the shipper thread on Gateworld encouraging each other to spam the poll, did it? All those polls “prove” are which fan group has far too much free time on their hands. 😉
What Kind of person goes to the trouble of going to Comic con to heckle the actors of the show they “loved”?
What kind of person thinks asking a question that involves something a fan is unhappy about is “heckling’? As far as I can see in the quoted thread that’s all they are planning on doing. We’re not going to get into all the “Trust The Powers That Be” drivel again, are we? While the word “fan” may derive from “fanatic” it certainly doesn’t have to mean “slavish, mindless worship”.
Majorsal said: “*One* of the reasons that I was glad that sam was going over to atlantis was because I was looking forward to dropping some of the radical daniel/ms fans from my existence.”
That has got to be one of the most insulting posts that I have ever read. Are you saying that all Sam fans are perfect? Are you saying that all Daniel/MS fans are radical? I have seen some Sam fans on Gateworld that are downright mean…and you know this. They bash Rob, they bash Joe, they bash Michael, they bash all that isn’t Sam/Amanda. So basically your saying that it’s O.K. for Sam fans to behave that way but God forbid fans of other characters behave that way because it bothers you?
So Sam/Amanda is being rescued from this (according to you) horrible treatment by going to Atlantis. Maybe Mitchell/Ben or Vala/Claudia or Daniel/Michael should have been sent to Atlantis to escape the bad treatment they were receiving from Sam fans in seasons 9&10.
I’m sorry but I’m really tired of you and a few other Sam fans playing these feel sorry for Sam/Amanda games. Amanda is a big girl and I’m sure she can handle anything that’s thrown at her about going to Atlantis. It’s posts like yours that I have a real problem with because I am a huge Sam AND Daniel fan. I know that must be hard for you to understand but I love BOTH characters and I’m really tired of this either or mentallity.
Oh and BTW you do realize that Amanda and Michael are very good friends? I hope they don’t have to give up their friendship for your existence.
It’s quite obvious that the posts in question have been misinterpreted. There are no fans that are going to band together and verbally attack TPTB or the actors at a con.
I would lay money on the fact that the people behind this misinformation are a similar group to the one that managed to convince the Gatecon organisers that Daniel fans were going to disrupt that con during season 6. It is incredible the depths of spite they are capable of when they feel their “Queen” is under threat.
To all the people complaining and/or riling against at the moment of the supposed heckling at the upcoming comic Con, take a moment to listen to yourselves.
“tattling to Joe”
“sucking up”
“it’s not us”
“it is too”
I’ve heard more mature discussions in a primary school playground.
Grow up.
Hey, the whack of silence could come from some well-placed Jaffa. I’m sure Chris Judge and Tony Amendola would be glad to bash some heads for you.
Howdy Joe. I was just wondering if you guys ever had a home town for Carson in mind or is he simply from “Scotland”?
As soon as Weir fans are called on their deplorable behavior the first thing they do is to start blaming others. These are the same fans that constantly attack characters, actors, other posters and other fandoms. But as soon as someone points out what they have been up to, suddenly they are just jesting, didn’t really mean what they were posting in their thread. How interesting that as usual they never accept blame for anything they do, it’s always someone elses fault. They bash the characters and the show, and want it to be cancelled just because they are not getting what they want, but how dare anyone call them on their behaviour, it seems they should be allowed to whinge, moan and attack anyone who doesn’t agree with them, but don’t dare criticize anything they say because they have a right to whinge, moan and attack whomever they please. A lot of these posters are Weir fans. I know it’s not all of them but it’s enough to disrupt GW and JM’s blog on too many occasions and its becoming really tiresome.
To celebrate my new job, I went out and bought a lunch cooler, a generic watch, and some earrings. My watches are all, well, fun and won’t go with the uniform. I doubt they’ll let me wear the earrings either, but I always buy earrings to celebrate anything. I got the cooler home and realized it is exactly the same color as my uniform, with exactly the same color trim, so I’m going to look like a complete dork! I am a dork, though, so I guess that’s not really a problem. I just thought it might take them a little longer to realize it than the very first day.
Anonymous said: “That has got to be one of the most insulting posts that I have ever read.”
i said radical fans. and they exist in every form of fandom i’ve seen, including my own.
sally 🙂
That has got to be one of the most insulting posts that I have ever read. Are you saying that all Sam fans are perfect? Are you saying that all Daniel/MS fans are radical?
No, she wasn’t. Personally, I get tired of fans justifying the bad behavior of one group of fans by saying another group of fans act just as badly. I’m sorry, that’s just not the case.
Sam fans are not completely sweet and innocent. I don’t think anyone could claim that. You’re right, they can be downright tenacious and even mean at times. But I have only witnessed a handful of times when one has stepped over the line and personally criticized MS. I also suspect that those attacks are in retaliation for attacks on AT as they seem to come around the same times when a particularly nasty thing has been said about AT.
I have never seen a Sam fan attack Ben or Claudia personally. The characters they play are fair game, however. Just because some Sam fans don’t like Vala or Cam, that doesn’t mean those feelings translate to the actors.
In contrast, not a single day goes by on a certain forum where not just the Sam character, but AT personally is attacked and raked over the coals. These fans constantly insult everything from her looks and talent to her integrity as a human being.
I, too, am a fan of both AT and MS. I get upset when I see Sam fans crossing the line and saying unkind things about MS. But a few unkind remarks here and there by the odd Sam fan is not equal to a whole group of fans getting together on a forum to bash AT day in and day out.
Instead of defending them, why don’t you call them on their bad behavior? And if you happen to see any Sam fans going after MS, you can call them on it too. Bad behavior is bad behavior and it will continue as long as we condone it.
Lauriel said…
I’ve heard more mature discussions in a primary school playground.
😆 Well said.
And the longer the constant back and forth of petulant foot-stamping goes on, the more laughable it becomes. Cos really… witnessing behaviour like this, you’ve gotta laugh or you’d cry… :S
Majorsal said: “i said radical fans. and they exist in every form of fandom i’ve seen, including my own.”
Thank you. That was the point that I was trying to make. There are some Sam fans that are mean too. I hope you understand that alot of fans love both characters and that it’s not always one or the other. I know that there are some fans on G.W. that are upset about Sam going to Atlantis but you know as well as I do that most of them are not the radical Daniel fans. It was obvious to me when some of them were saying how much they missed Jonas….nuff said.
Like you, I’m really looking forward to seeing Sam on Atlantis but I’m also very excited to (crosses fingers) see Daniel do some guest spots to.