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People who know me rarely take me seriously. This, I suppose, because I’m rarely serious. Fair enough, but it does present a problem on occasions when I want to be taken seriously like, say, if my shoes happen to be on fire or I need to convince someone of something in order to pull off a practical joke. In the case of the former, I’ve found screaming, waving my arms, and running in circles helps. In the case of the latter, I look for alternate means of conveying that semblance of credibility. The official note or letter is perhaps my favorite way to go – neatly type-written and seemingly signed by someone important, photocopied to give it that authentic hot-off-the-fax appearance before being dropped off on my mark’s desk: “Alex, why haven’t you read me my horoscope yet? Impatiently waiting, Brad”, or “Lawren, please make sure to drain my dog’s anal glands before lunch. Thanks, John Smith”.

A couple of seasons ago, our publicity department arranged for the Atlantis cast to do some promos for the various broadcast affiliates (ie. Sheppard ”Have a gate old time watching Atlantis on Channel 12!”). Well, a request came in that the promos also include a thank you to the gang at Fox for all of their hard work on the show. No problem at all and, ultimately, really a small gesture to recognize their much-appreciated contributions. Brad, who was running the show at the time, was only too happy to oblige. And I saw a golden opportunity. I went back to my office, composed a follow-up request from someone at MGM, just a few additional spots to be recorded at the production’s convenience, and slipped it onto Brad’s desk when he was out of the office. It read:

“Hey Brad,

Good news! Here is a list of the greetings we’d like you and the gang to do. Again, if you could get a package to us by Tuesday at the latest, it would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Theo

1. Congratulations to everyone at Fox from everyone here at Stargate.

2. Thanks to everyone at Fox for your support. Keep up the good work!

3. Happy birthday Ted.

4. Hello from the Pegasus Galaxy! Thanks for your support!

5. Congratulations to Gladys on the birth of the twins.

6. Great job to everyone at Fox!

7. Good luck on your hysterectomy, Hazel.

8. The Fox team is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

9. Victor Robbins, thank you for your may years of dedicated service but the company is headed in a new direction and I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go. Please consider this your two weeks notice.

10. Eatin’ good in the neighborhood – at Applebees!”

Well, Brad didn’t buy it but a few people did. And, at the end of the day, if I can horrify or panic just one person, I can sleep soundly knowing I’ve made a difference in someone’s life.

Last night, Fondy and I took my mother to her new favorite Vancouver restaurant: Sun Sui Wah on Main Street. She enjoyed hot and sour soup, squab, crispy fried geoduck, lobster with ginger and green onions, deep fried crab, and, of course, her staple yang chow fried rice. The service was typically friendly and first-rate. Mom is already looking forward to a return visit.

Finally, a little advice to those who have submitted comments but have yet to see them approved or addressed –

1. If some spoiler regarding one of the upcoming movies has upset you enough that you feel the need to fire off a childish and insulting response, please do yourself a favor. Change computers before sending me another, politer missive on the topic from your alternate email account. WordPress gives me the power to block offending IP addresses.

2. If, in the past, I have been polite enough to respond to you (either on my blog or through any of my yahoo accounts), and you have, in turn, rejoined in a childish or insulting manner (either on my blog, through my yahoo accounts, or on some other forum), please don’t expect me to now engage you in any sort of dialogue.

3. Do not expect me to edit your comments for you (ie. “Hey, check it out! My social insurance number spells out a funny message. P.S. Please edit my social insurance number out of this message before posting, thanks.”). Bottom line: I don’t know how and it’s just a heck of a lot easier for me to simply delete the entire message.

4. Feel free to leave a comment on my back-up blogger site – UNLESS you want me to actually respond, in which case you’re better off leaving your comment here on wordpress.

I know. We can’t all be Annie from Freemantle’s, effortlessly getting all sorts of posts approved willy nilly. Even the best of us can be tripped up by such simple mistakes. I’m sure I’ll have occasion to post further advice as time goes on so stay tuned and take note!

Today’s blog is dedicated to Libkat on the mend and all of the brilliant poets who’ve posted.

Today’s pics: Mom enjoys her lobster, squab, the lobster mom enjoyed, mom complains about the teeny-tiny portions served at other restaurants.

The mailbag –

Jenny Robin writes: “Do you remember where I left my copy of Princess Bride?”

Answer: It’s on your nightstand, sitting hidden beneath The Time Traveler’s Wife. Or it could be in the basement laundry room where it has fallen behind the dryer.

Cat4444 writes: “If the tumor no longer had access to the raw materials needed to complete the process, how could it have reached critical mass and exploded?”

Answer: I could argue that when the tumor reaches critical mass, it becomes highly unstable and can be set off by any number of things including sudden movements. But I won’t. I defer all exploding tumor questions to writer Martin Gero who will, coincidentally, be swinging by here to collect his questions after Friday night’s show.

Farscape Fan writes: “when Vala lost her mother?”

Answer: I don’t believe we ever said she was dead.

Lori K. writes: “I was curious if there was any truth behind this “rumor” that if the Screen Actors Guild goes on strike that it’ll affect Joe Flanigan and Jason Momoa finishing off the fifth season?”

Answer: If SAG strikes, it will certainly affect Joe and Jason who are SAG members.

Squall78 writes: “Based on how the show is doing success wise now and if the trend continues, do you see the show going past 5 seasons?”

Answer: 10 seasons may be too much to hope for, but certainly a healthy 7 or so isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

nodakskip writes: “ Is it hard to reset up the SGC sets like the Gateroom/control room for an Atlantis ep now that SG1 is done?”

Answer: There is nothing to reset up. The sets are still standing.

Narellefromaus writes: “When watching the Sci Fi channel there tend to be the same actors going from one show to the other. Is this intentional?”

Answer: I think it has more to do with the fact that shows like Stargate, Flash Gordon, Eureka, and BSG are all shot in Vancouver and productions are more likely to draw from the local talent pool when casting guest stars.

Loren writes: “Anyways, when you were in school, did you find youself really interested in TV shows? Or… the idea of working in that kind of business in general?”

Answer: Not really. I was more interested in the feature world.

Lt. Col. Errandboy writes: “Do you have any good Italian patisseries in Vancouver?”

Answer: None come to mind.

Nathaniel writes: “Will you be attending the peoples choice awards to pick up Atlantis’ prize?”

Answer: Because of the writer’s strike, the award show won’t be live but made up taped segments. If we win, I’m sure the actors will be only to happy to accept on the production’s behalf.

Doci21787 writes: “1. Will we ever see any ori in stargate atlantis? 2. Is Baal ever going to atlantis? 3. Is Oma gone for good?”

Answers: 1. Unlikely. 2. No plans for Baal in SGA at present. 3. That’s a question for Robert Cooper.

Thunder writes: “Are the dogs well behaved around the Christmas tree?”

Answer: Hell, no. I’ve caught Lulu several times chewing on some of the items she has pulled off tree (ie. decorations, tinsel, tiny colored lights).

Chris writes: “ Do you happen to know if Scifi will be broadcasting the back-half of Season 4 in HD?”

Answer: I can’t say for sure, but I would assume they would be.

Majorsal writes: “what happened to the deleted scene where sam and keller were talking and sam mentioned a not-so-subtle hint about ‘that guy in washington’ (jack)? you said you’d either a- put it (deleted scene) in the s4 dvd package, or b- put the same sentiments in an s5 ep. or you’d do both maybe”

Answer: Martin chose the deleted scenes from his episodes. I’m not sure if this one was among them.

Female wraith writes: “Have ever tried Bulgarian cuisine? Musaka, tarator, banitza or something else?”

Answer: I haven’t. I’d love to though.

Jimbo writes: “Towards the end of Stargate:SG1’s run it seemed like Tealc was carrying and using earth based weaponry instead of his staff weapon or Zaat. Was this done to save FX costs and if not why?”

Answer: It was felt that Teal’c had adapted to battling with Earth-based weaponry over the years and that said weaponry was more efficient than the unwieldy staff weapon. Also, Chris preferred the earth tech.

Emily writes: “When you and Paul are sitting around together typing a script, who usually does most of the typing?”

Answer: Paul and I write our scripts separately.

Emily also writes: “ Oh, I’ve also noticed the significant drop-off of the “Bring Back [Character Name Here]!!” and “You Suck, I Hate You, I No Longer Watch The Show!” posts. Is this due to you practicing your New Year’s resolution #3? Or do you think that “those people” aren’t able to find your new home and/or are turned off by the inability to comment anonymously?”

Answer: All of the above.

Catriona writes: “The original version mentioned Weir. The revised version did not. Obviously Weir was mentioned, but you didn’t seem to want to have what was said about her in print.”

Answer: I didn’t edit the article and I didn’t ask that any references be removed, only clarified. I believe the reason the sentence didn’t appear in the revised version was because it was hard to make out what it was I had actually said (as I mentioned in a previous post, a problem in these phone interviews). As to what it was I said: don’t recall. But, given the context, it no doubt had something to do with the fact that some Weir fans were upset with the creative decisions made.

Malhoney writes: “How do difficult characters become fleshed out (if they do)? My guess would be that it would be a sort of group effort, with writers, producers, actors, directors maybe contributing, but, then again, maybe not.”

Answer: It’s always a group effort.

Kristen writes: “ 1.Have you ever read “House of Leaves” by Mark Danielewski? 2.Did you catch the bowl games? I hated the ‘traditional’ match ups. Would have preferred to see Ga vs. USC. 3.Does Carson’s return have anything to do with events from “Misbegotten”? 4.For Sheppard fans, besides “Outcast” any angsty character moments of emotional ones to look forward to? What about whump? Sorry had to ask.”

Answers: I haven’t. Recommended? 2. Some. Yeah, a Trogans-Bulldogs match-up would have been fun. 3. Carson’s return? He’s coming back? 4. Possibly Last Man.

Inkiya writes: “I wondered how did you came up with an idea to start bloging in the first place? What reasons did lead you to that decision and what keeps you bloging so constantly now?”

Answer: I started blogging at Gateworld on the invitation of Darren Summnr, then eventually started my own personal blog back in late 2006 as a means of documenting my trip through Asia. When I returned to North America, I elected to continue blogging and haven’t missed a day. The reason? As a writer, I think it’s a great exercise.

Shawna writes: “I certainly didn’t expect you to actually respond to any of thge interpretations of the poem, but I do hope you address the issue after each episode airs, so we can be sure to eliminate the appropriate line from further pondering.”

Answer: That I will. First up – Be All My Sins Remember’d.

102 thoughts on “January 2, 2007: Promo Prank and Posting Do’s and Don’ts.

  1. I simply feel the need to tell you, that I think you’re pretty awesome and I’m glad I stumbled across this blog. (I don’t remember how exactly I did that, but it was only in the past week or three) Initially my curiosity was via Stargate (Surprise, surprise) but I’ve deemed your blog generally awesome enough to be in my RSS reader.

    *tips hat*

  2. I don’t know what to make of your comment Joe. Oh well.. I was just responding to people’s comments on my comments. Sorry.

    Your dinner looks great. Can’t wait for BAMSR then I’ll look back at the poem to see which clue you may have put in. Chances will be that I am incorrect.

  3. Just wanted to say hello from Germany ( where it is one o´clock in the morning) and thank You for the wonderful series and the very enjoiable blog!!

  4. Annie from Freemantle writes: “I don’t know what to make of your comment Joe.”

    Answer: It was a compliment to my favorite prolific poster.

  5. Emily also writes: “ Oh, I’ve also noticed the significant drop-off of the “Bring Back [Character Name Here]!!” and “You Suck, I Hate You, I No Longer Watch The Show!” posts. Is this due to you practicing your New Year’s resolution #3? Or do you think that “those people” aren’t able to find your new home and/or are turned off by the inability to comment anonymously?”

    Answer: All of the above.

    I am still active in the ‘SaveCarson’ campaign and yet I (and many of my SCB friends) visit this blog, enjoy reading it and, hopefully, have never been critical of either Joe or Stargate Atlantis. I believe that the return of Paul McGillion would be a positive move for both him and the programme. However, as my late mother used to remind me, it is only TV.

  6. Happy New Year Joe. Here’s to a successful second half of the season and an even more successful season 5. I can’t wait, especially following the great first half.
    Two questions: since Atlantis is now on a different planet, any chance our heroes might have to deal with extreme weather, such as snow, wicked cold, or even extreme heat?
    Assuming you have one, what’s on your iPod?

  7. Hey! I was in Boston over Christmas vacation, and just caught up on the blogs…love the poem! Also, Happy New Years, of course. I was curious though- you definitely watch anime, but what’s your opinion on manga?

  8. Hi Joe. Do you find that your dogs have different reactions to your return home after a trip? ie: Maximus might not talk to you for days, but Lulu chews your sock off and then has a go at the ankle while she is there?

    Also, if you decide to do an AU SGA I can guarantee there are a few of us here that would gladly volunteer to help out! Just say the word and our accents will be there. Stroooth, blimey, corka, *clears throat*, just practicing.

  9. *blushes* Thankyou Joe..

    Well in all honesty Joe, the weather here is hot (up to 43 deg C) and the boys and I are pretty much isolated in our home which is thankfully airconditioned. Your blog gives me something nice to look forward to in the morning when I get out of bed for my coffee and to fix the boys brekkie.

    Now if only the pics of your blog were scratch and taste.

    Wait……. just the food pics.

  10. “If SAG strikes, it will certainly affect Joe and Jason who are SAG members.”

    What about the Canadian actors Joe? I thought David Hewlett was SAG? And wouldn’t this also affect Michael Shanks and Chris Judge from doing guest spots if it’s not filmed before the strike? I thought that they were both SAG too.

  11. Hey Joe ,

    My husband and I are stage actors (as I’ve mentioned before and you’ve no doubt remembered). Anyway, we were reading an article about Michael Shanks recently (it was typically funny and charismatic) and my husband mentioned that he “hates” him (in the totally good natured so no need to alert the authroities, way).
    I said, “Honey, I don’t pretend like you’re Michael Shanks anymore when we make love…I’ve moved on to Lucius Malfoy.”
    He replied, “I know…now, ~I~pretend that I’m Michael Shanks…”

    ANYWAY…all joking aside. He’s pissed because MS started on Stargate when he was 27 and my husband is now 29 and isn’t on TV yet. Of course I told him you have to actually audition for a show to get on one, but he seems to find that a little unnecissary. My dear dear husband is now under the impression that if we move to Vancouver there will be more opportunities for him on television—
    So I guess what I’m getting at is, we have just sold all of our worldly posessions and are 10 minutes away from leaving for the airport. We’ll be at your door tomorrow night and we’d like to bed down as soon as possible. We’ll keep the cats locked up, but if you’d talk with LuLu about attacking them, that would be appreciated. I’m sure we’ll find our own lodgings within a month or two. Any leads you have on acting jobs would be appreciated, but mostly we figure we’ll just hang around Bridge Studios until you need someone.

    Oh and if Michael Shanks ever does come over can you let us know ahead of time so I can usher my husband out for the night? I’d hate to have another incident like the one with Elijah Wood a few years back. I told my husband just because he has hairy feet doesn’t mean ~he~ should have been Frodo.

  12. If I ever get made redundant at my company a jaunty announcement by the sga team, and a huge whopping payout, would make it the best day ever, not including the day the toilets backed up and we got sent home with pay.

    I can’t believe that someone took that (hilarious) list seriously, but then the power of an official looking letterhead can not be underestimated. Which is why the next note excusing me from work will be coming from the Pentagon.

  13. Hi Joe

    How’s it going?? Reading the first half of your entry I thought of the following query for you:

    What has been THE BEST pratical joke you’ve played on someone. Or What has been the best on EVER on set, who played it on whom?

    The duck looked kind of shinny or was that just me??

    Penny

  14. That’s a great prank. Have there been any pranks that Brad has fallen for. I’m sure after all the years at Bridge Studios he’s wizened up to the more pranksterish employees. In a lot of RDAs behind-the-scenes featurettes he talks about his own unique sense of humor. Does this mean that he was a fellow prankster?

    I hope you and the family have a great time before everybody goes home. Didn’t you mention a while ago that they both live in your old hometown of Montreal? Hopefully their trip through the airport won’t be so bad on the return.

  15. How much say do the actors have in what is required for them for the show? For example if the script called for an actress to shave off her hair or to perform a stunt without a stunt double (due to how it needed to be shot) could she be required to do so due to her contract?

  16. Narellefromaus writes: “When watching the Sci Fi channel there tend to be the same actors going from one show to the other. Is this intentional?”

    Answer: I think it has more to do with the fact that shows like Stargate, Flash Gordon, Eureka, and BSG are all shot in Vancouver and productions are more likely to draw from the local talent pool when casting guest stars.

    This is something I have termed “Vancouver Actor Syndrome”. Pretty much every show filmed here in Vancouver suffers from it. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing though, as it enables me to play my favourite games “Spot the Vancouver actor!”, “Spot the Vancouver location cleverly disguised!” and “How many time can we blow up SFU?” (I think I was up to 4 on that one. But there are several Vancouver show I don’t watch, so I might not be entirely correct).
    The CW network films a good chunk of their shows here, and it’s always amusing when they have someone on to guest and they’re on 2 different shows in the same air week.

  17. I don’t really have a comment, just a question? As a writer on Stargate, you do realize that while you guys create the material, it is fans such as myself and the others who visit this blog who make or break your enterprise, do you not? Sorry if that sounds crazy, it’s just something that I’ve been wondering about lately. You don’t have to answer but I’d be enthused if you would.

  18. kdvb1 Says:

    “I saw for the first time the first episode “Children of the Gods” and was quite shocked at the full frontal nudity of Daniels wife! Of course my 13 and 14 yr old sons were watching with me and I had no idea THAT was coming up! I quickly fast forwarded through that part…which was totally unnecessary to the story…ahem….but anyway, I was wondering why the shows seem to have gone the other way totally….we hardly ever get to see any nice beefcake anymore. ”

    SG-1 was originally on Showtime.

  19. Do Sci Fi listen to anything the producers have to say on advertising the show? As I’m a watcher from the UK and obviously don’t get the Sci Fi adverts, but the ones I’ve watched on youtube after I’d seen an episode tell the entire plot. As in they’re practically showing next weeks ‘previously on…’ Do you guys have any input into the methods of advertising used?
    Do you think that putting a doccumentary about the show on before the season started (Like was present on seasons 7, 8 and 9) would help raise interest again for the premieres?

    And will you write season 5 on the rough guess that there will be a season 6, or write it as if it could be the last season but leave the possiblility open?

  20. Have any of the actors had to work sick? I mean really sick, as in stomach bug or something. I can’t imagine how they’d do it.

  21. “Narellefromaus writes: “When watching the Sci Fi channel there tend to be the same actors going from one show to the other. Is this intentional?”

    Answer: I think it has more to do with the fact that shows like Stargate, Flash Gordon, Eureka, and BSG are all shot in Vancouver and productions are more likely to draw from the local talent pool when casting guest stars.

    I recently purchased the X-Files on DVD, and through-out the first five seasons, I’ve been amazed at how many Stargate-ians I’ve spotted. Some in a few different roles. I admit it, I giggle and get excited when I spot them 🙂

  22. If Joe and Jason were effected by a possible SAG strike….how do you address that in framing the back half of season 5? Do you have two different scenarios thought up, depending if they are forced to walk the line?

    That must be a nightmare since its all what ifs and not knowing if the strike would last a week or for months. I hope they resolve both messes soon, it seems a long ways off but so did the writer’s strike and nothing was accomplished.

    I’d hate to see a season 5 without half the gate team for a long period of time.

  23. Hi Joe –

    Just a quick ‘thanks” for a wonderful read I had yesterday (yes, I read it in one sitting). And my butt kept falling asleep – thank you very effing much, Mr. M!! 😉 Several times over the past few months people have asked for your recommendation for a good scifi book, and more often that not you answered John Scalzi’s Old Mans War. Well, I picked up a copy and loved it. I will be definately be reading more of his work. Any more suggestions?

  24. Hey Joe, I’ve been working like-a-dog making dough for ‘The Taste of Tasmania’, and thus have been way overtired and haven’t read your blog for the past week.
    Catching up I have the following questions: 1)BAMSR has the beautiful Larrin and her Travelers. No? 2) Larrin seems to have a similar persona to Vala, in her devilish and double-crossing mannerisms.(in my opinion) Was this Vala’ness deliberately included? 3) Happy New Year. 4) Joe F. has a birthday coming up. No? Are you going to fly down and pronounce your professional affection for him? Or another dreaded “Phoner”?

    Finally, is it me or do you have some little character going between the letters? A little white character that skittles across the screen? Should I see the Doc?

  25. The lobster in particular sounds wonderful, and crab, to me, is always delectable. “Gooeyducks” – not so much, but I’m told that the majority love them. So plenty o’ good eatin’ there, sounds like. – Which do you like bettter as a garnish – wasabi or pickled ginger?

    It’s a great deal of fun to watch the more subtle and creative practical jokers plying their craft. Being on the receiving end is, of course, another matter entirely. So what do you consider the best prank ever pulled on you?

  26. Answer: That I will. First up – Be All My Sins Remember’d.

    Excellent. Looking forward to it. And very excited about watching the episode this week.

  27. Hey Joe,

    I was wondering if you like art, and if so, who is your favorite artist? Do you have a particular style/art period you are partial to? I’m thinking you must be an Eastern art kind of guy, with all your Japanese tendencies.

    Nigel, RAF

  28. To the brian surgeon who thinks the lack of ability to post anonymously has stopped the anti fans, or the pro Weir fans or whoever, FYI, it hasn’t.

    Some of us just can’t be bothered talking to a brick wall, and others are sick of being attacked by other posters for even mentioning Elizabeth.

    That said, Joe, is there any plan at all to bring her back in season 5?

    I’ve given season 4 a go, and to be honest, the I’m not feeling the love for it. The character bond that was so obvious when Beckett and Weir were part of the team is sadly lacking, in my opinion. Whether that’s the fault of the writers, or just because the actors don’t have that same chemistry is a matter of opinion, but I really do believe it was a big mistake to get rid of Paul and Torri.

    I know you seem to love Paul and his character, and no doubt he’ll be back in season 5 in at least a semi regular basis. As for Torri, I won’t hold my breath. I think the fact that you don’t generally answer comments about her, and constantly unscreen comments that are snarky at best about her character and her fans, is a sign of how you feel about her and about Weir.

  29. Lori K. writes: “I was curious if there was any truth behind this “rumor” that if the Screen Actors Guild goes on strike that it’ll affect Joe Flanigan and Jason Momoa finishing off the fifth season?”

    Joe Answers: If SAG strikes, it will certainly affect Joe and Jason who are SAG members.

    Well, you could always do the Jack O’Neill thing and make Sheppard and Ronon invisible for an episode or two.

    I have a question that has been bothering me for some time. Perhaps it was answered a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, or not. But, how come all the alien civilizations that the teams on Stargate visit speak English?

    Happy New Year, Joe

    Patricia

  30. Joe,

    Within the witting staff, are there certain writers who write action, certain writers that write dialoge, certain writers that write romance, etc., or does each writer compose an entire script (with the obvious collaborated touch-ups and story help)?

    Also, are certain writers responsible for certain characters or do you guys like to take turns developing the characters with your collective styles?

    -Jake

  31. Hi Joe

    Thanks for the tip about commenting on the blog of the day.. I wanted to know if you knew about or had had Canadian or American Kobe beef and how different it is from the Japanese? I just had some in a burger and it was much more intense in flavour and divine.

    I was wondering what did the Alterans/Ancients did for fun in Atlanits? Any thoughts of finding things that are not deadly, potentially deadly or sinister in the city?
    Thanks for the tidbits as always.
    Happy New Year.
    Rachel

  32. Rest assured, the people who have issues with the show haven’t gone away.

    They’ve just decided that it’s easier to talk about on LJ or in specific threads on GW, where they don’t get attacked for wanting a character back, or having issues with replacement characters.

    Posting here just doesn’t seem to be worth the hassle when one person mentioning Torri Higginson will be jumped on by about 10 people, who are well known for hanging out in the pro season 4 or anti Weir threads.

    It’s just not worth the irritation.

  33. Ahh, the joys of white collar joking. Around work “nickle-nozzle” is considered the height of humor. Still, perhaps opportunities will present in the next few months for some underhanded tricks at the expense of your coworkers. Which you wil hopefully share with us in a timely fashion.
    A question that’s been bugging me since season 1. In Letters to Pegasus, Sheppard went to investigate the beam hitting the planet being culled. Was it ever explained what the beam was, or is that something we might see in an upcoming season?

  34. 1. Someone once told me that the city of Atlantis is about the size of Manhattan. Is that the closest comparison, or is there something else you(collective) use to visualize the size and scope of the city?

    2. Will you settle a good-natured argument about Atlantis, please?

    I say that the city of Atlantis itself was more of a government center/research facility/university than a true city. I cite the proliferation of small labs throughout the explored sections as well as the fact that we have never been told of the team discovering family-oriented living spaces or other non-research venues. No playgrounds. No schools. We know from “Before I Sleep”, that thousands of Ancients lived outside of the city where, presumably, the agriculture and factories were located. I pointed out the destroyed city on Ethos as proof. I believe all of this proves that there were few, if any, children in the city and that Atlantis’s main function was as a hub for Ancients spread throughout Pegasus. Government. Research. Education.

    Opponent says that, given its size, there had to have been factories and schools and children in Atlantis making it a true city. Cited as proof was the learning program Morgan Le Fey hijacked in “The Pegasus Project”. No other proof for the theory was offered.

    So, who’s right? I’m a big girl (see avatar) and can take it if I’m wrong.

    Anne Teldy
    P.S. These kinds of questions are exactly why fans urge the writers to tell us more about the city itself.

  35. Joe

    I had the pleasure of being on a set visit during the filming of BASMR. I can’t wait to see the finished product.

    We saw the same sceen filmed a few times . I am assuming that the editors will use different camera angles to put the finished product together? Who determines that: The
    editors or the director?

    As a side note:
    We got to see the last scene filmed which was really neat along with some others. Had the opportunity to discuss said scene with Marty G. Missed seeing you though. (did get a kiss from Joe F) The set visit was one of my top 10 things done in my life. Everyone was so nice. You guys are the best

  36. Hi Joe:

    One more post since I’ve been away the last few days.

    Doci21787 writes: Is Baal ever going to atlantis?

    You replied: No plans for Baal in SGA at present.

    It’s so great to know I’m not alone in thinking Ba’al would be wonderful in future episodes of Stargate. I’d love to see him as a regular on the new series.

    Patricia

  37. Second debate: Opponent told me there is no proof that the Ancients had beaming technology. I said that the transporters in Atlantis prove that the Ancients had beaming technology and they just didn’t incorporate it into the jumpers (which were probably used as shuttles). The cargo-, transport- and warships probably had it. Opponent said “Transporters aren’t the same as beaming technology.” I asked how they are different. Opponent clammed up.

    So, did the Ancients have beaming technology in their larger ships?

    Anne Teldy (just one of many who want to know everything about Atlantis and the Ancients)

  38. Hi Joe and fellow readers,
    Thanks for the dedication and I hope you all have a happy new year.

    As for resolutions I never make any as I don’t believe in new years eve. (Imagines people jumping up and down every night screaming “it’s Tuesday! It’s Tuesday!”) Bu this year I’m making just the one and I hope it’s one my fellow posters will share…..

    FLU SHOT!

    Stay well,

    Alia xxx

  39. Annie From Fremantle – I’m sympathising with you re the heat. 42 degrees days on end here in Melbourne is a bit much for even this lover of heat and sun. mmmmmsun. (I’m 5’7″ and 45kgs so heat = good, cold = evil – before you think I have an eating disorder I’m a retired dancer of 18 years – my body still has exercise credits!).
    But still, I refuse to complain about the heat as I would much rather complain about the cold come Winter time. Stay cool in the meantime!

    Susanthetartanturtle – I think your username was my inspiration 🙂

  40. knightie wrote:

    (did get a kiss from Joe F)

    Did you ask or was it spontaneous? Cheek or lips? Details, woman! I need details!

    Anne Teldy
    motto: Better living through vicariousness.

  41. Hi Joe,
    Looks like you had a good dinner. I was wondering about the process of choosing directors. Do the directors sign up for episodes, or do you write with a director in mind, or is it chosen in another way?
    Thanks!
    ~Rich (though I’d leave my name this year!)

  42. josephmallozzi Says:
    Answer: It was a compliment to my favorite prolific poster.

    Bah! Favoritism, Joe? Of course, I’d imagined there would be more people that would be violently offended at this comment by now, but still, if I have to be the first, then I shall…be the first!

    Haven’t the rest of us oldies, who have been loyal to your blog (and you, of course) done enough to sway your favors towards us? Have we not sent you enough chocolates, or books, or giftbaskets, or brownies (ok, I haven’t done any of that, but trust me, you don’t want my cooking…or my baskets)? Have we not laughed like crazies at your hilarious antics? Have our comments, which are really just veiled attempts at obtaining information with absolutely no regard for you as a person, offended you in anyway? Did you notice how our posts were simply veiled attempts at obtaining information with absolutely no regard for you as a person? Is that what it is Joe? IS IT?! What have we done wrong Joe? Why have you forsaken us?!

    And the rescue Joe! All the efforts we spent on trying to rescue you from the talons of Baron Destructo! Ok, so it went along really slowly and ended up being useless, but we tried Joe, oh how we tried! We could’ve possibily virtually risked our lives to get to the moon…for you!

    And yet…this, this “Annie from Fremantle” gets to be your favorite? What has she got that we don’t have? What…”spark”, are we missing? Are her awesome posting skills above ours so?

    *sigh*

    Well, Annie from Fremantle, if that is your real name…congratulations. May you carry your honor with…honor…but beware, those of us who yearn to fight for Joe’s honor (somebody get me a thesaurus!) are fierce and deadly indeed. Some, such as those of the whumping persuasion, are quite…talented…at whumping…obviously.

    What your back.

    Disclaimer: Of course, it’s all a joke. Any threats mentioned within are purely for comedic purpose. Plus, it was fun to write. 😀

  43. Hi Joe:

    Approve my comment or not, it’s always your choice. As it should be, this is your blog. My comments are for you anyway. My intent is never to stir up other people, but if I bring up Elizabeth Weir I feel like I should be wearing battle armor. So I do limit my comments here and other places as well. Then her fans are told there isn’t much support for her. Maybe some of us are just tired of constantly having to defend what we like. I don’t poke at people for liking any of the characters, so I’ve never understood why it seems like open season on the Weir fans.

    You mentioned you thought SGA has a chance of going 7 plus seasons. I hope it does. Will I be watching? Probably. There is only one thing that would absolutely make me stop watching and so far it hasn’t happened. I don’t like the cast changes, but I live in hope.

    Happy New Year 🙂

  44. *cue Daniel Jackson’s annoyed grunt*

    Ok, that’d be “watch your back” there, the threat at the end. Ho boy, is my face red.

    I really miss the “preview post” function. I really really do.

  45. I’ve only posted a few times here and never on GW. I rarely go to GW. I’ve watched SG-1 since the 2cd season and SGA since the beginning. I am a fan, but I also realize it is just a tv show and things change. There may be many reasons why a character/actor was let go or storyline changed. I LOVED Beckett, he was my absolute fav. I could take or leave Sheppard. Love Teyla, getting used to Keller. I actually preferred the first actress Jessica Steen who played Weir, because I love that actress’s work. It made me laugh when there was this bring back Daniel campaign, when the actor asked to leave. I love Daniel, he is my absolute favorite character, but I also didn’t mind Jonas. But still all the snarking and nasty comments at Joe aren’t worth it and honestly get annoying. Things are as they are, and they may change or not, but jeez, many times I just want to tell those people to get a life. Don’t things change in your own lives?? At my job, where I have been for 9 years, there are only 8 people who have been there the same or longer. Things change in life. I am a huge Peter Deluise fan and I would love to know what went on behind the scenes and why he is not there anymore, but honestly, is it really any of my business??

  46. Alia uk fan said;
    I hope it’s one my fellow posters will share…..
    FLU SHOT!

    Not if you paid me!
    But that’s just my personal snark.

    Working for the NHS they try to hoist flu jabs on us, not because they are concerned for our welfare but because they know if we go down so will civilisation (just kidding not quite civilisation but close).

    The flu jab will only work if the correct strain of the virus has been predicted to reach our shores. The guessing game began about a year ago.
    If the wrong one was chosen and therefore the wrong Anti Virus made then it’s less than useless.

    Sorry about that rant but being diabetic as well it’s like having telesales people at you all the time!!!

    Now I have to put in the sane bit ‘Please see your General Practitioner for further advice and guidance’

    Almost forgot New Years Resolution to stop posting inanely stupid posts on Joe’s blog

    Pauline

  47. pg15 said

    *cue Daniel Jackson’s annoyed grunt*

    Ok, that’d be “watch your back” there, the threat at the end. Ho boy, is my face red.

    I really miss the “preview post” function. I really really do.

    FYI to everyone that misses the “preview post” function, there is a way around it. It’s more cumbersome than if it was readily available, but, until:

    A. WordPress actually provides a preview function; or
    B. If WordPress already has a preview function, Joe figures out how to enable it

    you can do what I do for the posts I want to preview before I submit them.

    Simply go to Blogspot, type your post there, preview it, and, if everything’s okay, copy it and paste it over here.

  48. PG15 :
    Are you out of your flocking mind?? 🙂 I was the spork watcher in our valiant attempt to rescue Joe in the battle of the Bloooogg….hahahha flocking….geddit? Snow doubt you will ;)……….and you forgot the “u” in “honor”… ahahaha

    Narelle: 5′ 7” ( I too can’t get used to height in cm) and 45kg? You must be very svelte! 🙂
    I’m getting a bit stir crazy here confined to the home AC.. been hot all day and will be all night. Just too much all these over 40 C days hey?

    Grace: Why not reserve any Weir comments until after BAMSR.. you never know what might have happened in regards to her character.

    Actually I do have a question for Joe.. What factors are considered when the PTB make their final decision as to giving the go ahead for the next season? Seeing as I buy the dvd sets, are sales of say season 4 dvds taken into account for continuing on into Season 5?

    (I wasn’t going to post another comment today but… it’s PG’s fault!)

  49. Hi Joe,

    Have you ever tried Venison or Buffalo? And if yes did you like it?

    Jedi

  50. Wow… I didn’t know about the deleted scene with Sam and Keller! I “squeed” when I saw that because I’m a very big S/J shipper.

    I tried to avoid shipping until I watch season one again. It’s hard to ignore something so blatantly obvious. Like the chemistry between Jack and Sam. This spawns my next question, in fact.

    Was the famously subtle (as if!) Sam/Jack ship written in originally? Or did it spawn from chemistry between Amanda Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson?

  51. Hey Joe,

    What do you think is your best/favorite overall Stargate(SG-1/SGA)episode to date that has already been aired/filmed/produced and etc? What is your least favorite episode and do you wish you could do it over again?

  52. for pg15:

    I’ve heard that redheads have near-mythical powers of persuasion. (Of course, that’s what my redheaded relatives and friends say. Still, given my own observations of the world in general, there may be something to it.) 😉

    To console yourself and all your fellow longtime blog fans, especially those brave souls who fought the epic battle to liberate Joe, you could write a sensationalized account of your endeavors. Give it a fantasy-genre title and a cover featuring swords, flags, and cleavage, and you could have a best-seller on your hands. Cha-ching!

  53. Hey Joe,
    I was just wondering if “The Ark of Truth” dvd that’s set to be release in March, will there be a HD or Blue Ray version of it? If not, will there be one in the near future? What about SG-1 the complete serie box set, I have all the individual seasons and plans to buy the complete set, but I’m waiting for the HD or BlueRay version to come out. Do you have any idea if or when they might release those?

  54. Home much input do the producers have over the DVDs for the show? I know that other series (or even SG-1, for that matter) have included alternate, longer versions of episodes on their DVDs. Would you rather see the deleted scenes reedited into the episodes, or see them simply live on the disc as a “what might have been”?

  55. Lori K. writes: “I was curious if there was any truth behind this “rumor” that if the Screen Actors Guild goes on strike that it’ll affect Joe Flanigan and Jason Momoa finishing off the fifth season?”

    Answer: If SAG strikes, it will certainly affect Joe and Jason who are SAG members.

    I had suspected that would be the case and am concerned about what such a possibility will mean for completing filming on Season 5. In the event Joe and Jason have to walk off the set due to a strike by SAG, that will leave Atlantis with only three regular cast members. That’s simply not enough to support a show with numerous storylines on the scale that Atlantis deals with every week.

    It looks like it’s time to bring back Torri and Paul as regulars, so that they’re available to fill in those holes in the cast.

  56. Thanks for the advice, Joe — I picked up The Colour of Magic today. I had *intended* to get The Light Fantastic as well, but it wasn’t in stock at Borders…

  57. Applebees?! You’re evil .. pure evil genius. Eatin’ crud in your neighborhoood … yeah, not a fan of the Apple. I love practical jokes, one of my best involved tight-whities, Nair, and a dryer in the barracks laundry room.

    The dismembered duck scares me nearly as much as the Electric Gifting Granny. Probably tastier though, hmmm?

    And I’m really hoping you’ll answer Nigel’s question about art.

  58. Silver Says:
    “SG-1 was originally on Showtime.”

    I did hear that a while back….and that info. was rambling around in my brain somewhere…but I didn’t connect it with full frontal nudity I guess…LOL! I think it’s because the original movie didn’t have any….and the rest of the shows didn’t have any(well a side view of Daniel…but nothing frontal). No one has ever mentioned it to me before…hmmm.. unless I’m getting senile…I’m a bit young for that….maybe mad cow disease perhaps???

    Well, I’m still waiting for some nice chest/back beefcake. It would be cool to have a planet where the women are in control and the men are just beefcake. Of course our guys get captured and whumped a bit…and dressed as beefcake for a while, before Teyla and Sam rescue them or they escape. Maybe it could be a 2 parter….our guys would need to be taught proper manly behavior and McKay would be happy to get one of the “hot female aliens” at last! Heck, most of the geeky science guys would probably like it…hehehe! ;-D Feel free to use this idea and embellish on it greatly! Hmmmm….by the time you “guys” would get done with it……it probably won’t be what we females would want anyway…lol. (again…a challenge has been offered!)

    Ruminatively ,
    Kimberly

  59. Wheee! With a house full of gluten and lactose intolerant relatives over the holiday, we have had an abundance of good quality dark chocolate. Oh and good beer, not that they can drink it.

    What is your current favourite chocolate?

  60. Joe,
    Do you have any numbers on SGA’s audience in the area of females vs males? I know SO many females that watch the show that I was wondering if it’s more males or females or just pretty even steven?

    Contemplatively,
    Kimberly

  61. I recently came in contact with a person who claims to have watched Ark of Truth online. They say it was the dvd screener version, whatever that means. I was wondering how loyal fans should deal with the possibility of sneaked copies of Ark of Truth appearing on the internet. They may be tempted to watch them (like I am) but what should we do if we come across something like that?

  62. I always wondered, what caused the change in weaponry for SG1? They started out with MP5s then changed to P90s and then for several episodes in season 9 MP7s and G36s.

  63. “JM answered: 10 seasons may be too much to hope for, but certainly a healthy 7 or so isn’t outside the realm of possibility.”

    Now that cheered me up on this dark, freezing winter’s morning, though I’m hoping for 10 seasons, myself. You never know..

    “4.For Sheppard fans, besides “Outcast” any angsty character moments of emotional ones to look forward to? What about whump? Sorry had to ask.”

    Answers: 4. Possibly Last Man.”

    That had me happy too. I don’t think I’ve ever been as curious about a season finale as I am about The Last Man. Though I have to say, I always anticipate season finales with mixed feelings, because I know it’s the last new episode of Stargate I’ll see for a while, and I always feel sad about that, yet they’re usually exciting and tantalizing. Still, TLM is a long way off yet, and there’s plenty to enjoy before then.

    I’m pleased to say I’ve kept totally spoiler free concerning Ark of Truth, so I know nothing about it, or about why some folks are upset by its contents. My halo is glowing brightly right now… though when the dvd will be released over here, goodness knows! I’m also keeping relatively spoiler free about the remaining episodes of SGA, because I decided obsessively watching promo vids and hypothesising relentlessly etc. really didn’t add to my enjoyment of the episodes sometimes, and I do like to be surprised.

    I have a question. Which is/are your favourite episode(s) of the back half of season 4?

  64. I would like to commission your creating 3-5 New Year’s Resolutions for me. If I like them well enough, I might even try them.

    Two requests, though…please nothing to do with healthier eating or being a nicer person. I mean, seriously, as if EITHER of those two things are gonna happen.

  65. You should be worried.

    I think PG15 is going to start a thread on GW, shipping you with him.

    Be afraid. Be very afraid. The slashers will have a lot of fun with this. Ask Joe F about the slashers. He knows alllllll about them….

    To Kimberly, as someone who’s gone to lots of conventions, I can tell you that there are generally more female fans who turn up to those events. Is that representative of the fans overall? Who knows. Maybe we just budget better and can afford to do these things, while the boys are all buying techno gadget toys.

    And JM, Torri told an interesting story at a convention recently about how the average female scifi star generally gets inundated with letters from men and teenage boys… lots of mail from prisoners, too.

    She, on the other hand, gets 90 percent of her mail from women, especially younger women who see her as a role model. That’s something she’s really proud of. That’s something that you guys should be proud of. She’s inspiring a lot of people, both through her character on the show and through the kind of person she is.

    I guess we should thank TPTB for that, at least. I’d personally be a lot more thankful if you’d bring her back for at least ten episodes of Season 5. I don’t see why she can Amanda can’t do ten eps each. Keep both sets of fans happy — get yourselves a bigger audience, and basically have the best of both worlds.

  66. Salut Joe!
    Je voulais juste vous souhaiter une trés bonne année 2008, avec de gros bisous!
    En esperant que votre boulot soit aussi bien fait, voire mieux qu’avant!! 🙂

  67. Hey Joe,
    Im not much of a prank person but i’d love to actually pull one off haha. Hmmm…..
    Prank eh….you’ve got me thinking!
    Thanks Joe….
    (goes off to plan a diabolical prank that will bring chaos and disorder to Beethoven’s Bakery….muhaha)

  68. Wish me luck. After 10 years of being an at home mum I am FINALLY going back to the work I love, teaching autistic kids, life is about to get crazier.

  69. The sad thing is I had to come back and see if my comment had come through, even though I’ve never done anything that would slip it into the Category of Fail. Though I am aware that I’m the same person that as a kid would follow my Mum around the house yelling knock knock jokes until she had to fake her own death just to escape, so quite frankly, I wouldn’t blame you in the least.

    And quite frankly, if you have to filter out the angry 16 year olds, so be it. The internet: it’s strangely wonderful until the wonderful drops off and then it’s just strange.

  70. Is the show Psych shot in Vancouver? Its set in Santa Barbara, but the first season had quite a few Stargate actors. How come? Or, was it just random? Someone’s probably asked this before.

    Oh, also, how do you force yourself to blog every day? Maybe I’m just lazy, or busy with school and that stuff, but I find it very tiring. I probably wouldn’t blog if I didn’t like the clicky sounds my keyboard makes when I type so much.

  71. Hi Joe,

    Are you able to tell us eager beavers whether Daniel’s guest episode will be in the first or second half of season 5?

  72. Hey Joe,

    How did you and Paul meet, and decide to become writting partners? Do you find having him helps your writing, or is it a friendship thing that you guys have developed and tie it into work? Thanks! Love the new look!

  73. When/if Carson returns to SGA, will we finally be rid of the terrible crybaby Keller character? *crossing fingers*

    Is Weir going to be recurring in season 5? Her appearance in TMC made me realize how much she had been missed and I’d love to see more of her, even in RepliWeir form.

  74. Commenting not because I have anything in particular to contribute, but just to say that I was blog deprived for a while and it’s nice to be back.

    In other interesting news, my holiday thus far has been cold, and featured rather a lot of squirrels and cinnamon related foods.

    The Blade Itself (which I picked up at the airport) = gooood!

    Mary

  75. Before reading Mr. Mallozzi’s blog…..must have items, coffee or beverage of choice, lots of chocolate, relax, find your sense of humor, and enjoy the ride!! Before leaving a comment or question…..find your sense of humor, spell check and remember, if you open the door….anything is possible!! Life is too short, relax and live out loud! Bless you for being you Mr. M!!

  76. Joe, I would like to thank you (and everyone else involved) for making my year (I’ll not say why but you can probably guess). Ben Browder is quite possibly the best actor I have ever seen and I want to thank you for making the most of that, particularly with some of the lines you guys came up with. Congratulations on a fantastic production.

    I also have a question about staff-type weapons, i.e. Jaffa staffs and the ones Ori soldiers use. Is there some kind of trigger on them used to fire them or are they fired by thought control like Lantean weapons? On the Ori soldier staffs in particular there don’t seem to be any obvious trigger mechanisms and it’s always made me curious.

    🙂

  77. Joe,

    I’m already squirming in my chair with anticipation over seeing BAMSR tomorrow. Or maybe it’s gas. No, no, definitely anticipation. And still 36 hours to go! Also looking forward to MG’s discussion following.

    Mostly I’m posting today to say that I like the somewhat less confrontational blog posts. I have enough stress in my life without reading all that garbage. Not that everything has to be rosy and everyone has to agree – but at least some civility is a refreshing change. Thanks for that.

    Counting minutes until tomorrow night and desperately trying to finish off the BOTM selections before Monday,
    WB

  78. My God, it was mildly embarrassing reading your last post. I was trying very hard to hold back my laughter, but was spectacularly unsuccessful. That was hilarious! I couldn’t get the vision out of my head of the whole SGA gang standing in a group and saying in unison, “Victor Robbins, thank you for your many years of dedicated service but the company is headed in a new direction and I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go. Please consider this your two weeks notice.”

    I guess if you’re gonna get fired, that’s an interesting way to go… 😀

    Growing up, every single year on April Fool’s Day, my sister and I would play the same practical joke on my mom. And every year she fell for it. You know that sprayer tool next to the faucet on the sink? The hose-type thing that you can pull out and push the button and a jet of water comes spraying out? Well, we’d either rubberband or tape down the button. So when my mom turned on the sink, instead of water coming out of the faucet, it’d spray straight out of the sprayer thing and get all over my mom…and the kitchen.

    First couple of years–pissed her off (it didn’t help that one year April Fool’s Day fell on Easter…and she got sprayed right before heading out to church). After that, she could only laugh because…well, she should’ve saw it coming! Then we all moved out, and now she misses it. I keep trying to get my dad to do it, but I think he’s afraid my mom won’t think it’s so humorous if done by him.

  79. Joe,

    Are you allowed to read any of the SGA books issued by Fandemonium Press?

    If so, have you read “Casualties of War” by Elizabeth Christensen? I got it for Christmas and I’m enjoying it very much.

    I know you are restricted from reading any fanfic out there, but wasn’t sure if that restriction also applied to this stuff as well.

    And for those wondering where all the “Save XX (insert fav character her)” fans are…..
    Trust me, the Save Elizabeth fans are still very much present. We send emails and letters every week to Bridge Studios, SciFi, MGM and NBC and participate in lots of online forums. This blog is certainly not our only vehicle for getting the word out…..

    Cheers!
    SMB_BOOKS
    SEW Crew Member
    http://www.saveelizabethweir.com

  80. Will the Tok’ra be back in SG1 movie ? in Atlantis ? What are they doing now ?

  81. Guess what, I just got all my grades back for the school year so far. I got all A’s in my high school classes and all A’s in my college classes (I am a sophomore in high school (I’m a year ahead), and I am taking advanced classes at the local college). I managed to keep my 4.0 GPA, yay!

    Please answer this question (my sister really wants to know the answer). Who cleans up around Atlantis? Do they have janitors or does everyone pitch-in? Thanks!

  82. Okay, sorry, I have another question. What will the two movies likely be rated (G, PG, PG-13, R)? Thanks.

  83. Oh, crybaby Keller. Joesmom, I could tolerate her if she was working WITH Beckett, but as the head of medicine, she’s just not remotely believable. That’s not a job you give to a child. She’s barely old enough to be out of university.

    I agree on Weir. The more of her the better. Unfortunately I don’t have much faith in TPTB to bring her back. Sorry, Joe, but I’m one of the people who believes you truly mean to do a Ford/Jonas on her and have her never seen again after her four season four episodes.

  84. I was wondering if, after an episode airs and fans make their reactions and comments to the episode known on here and fan websites, do the writers who may have disagreed with a creative decision ever come in and said to you, “I told you a lot of fans would dislike that decision?” Do you sometimes know in advance (like when watching a pre-airing cut of the episode) that certain things didn’t work out on film from what was on written in the script or what was planned when the episode was concieved, but can’t be changed due to time and budget and are waiting to see if fans agree with your feeling?
    I know I will never like every episode, but I will say that season 4 so far has had the least amount of poor and mediorce episodes of the show so far (only one.)
    I am looking forward to BAMSR tomorrow night, but I am hesitant to see the Larrin character return since Travelers was the one episode I was alluding to above.

  85. Hi Joe,

    This sounds strange to most gourmets, but if you get a chance, you really should make it out to Columbus, OH (that oft-forgotten state between PA, MI, IN, and KY). We have a number of highly-rated restaraunts, including The Refectory, which is a 5-star French restaraunt modeled on an old-style French church. You can do either a pre-set Bistro menu or order off the menu — either way the food is excellent. There are also a number of good Italian and ethnic places that aren’t as pricy but are just as good for a casual meal. Strange from a corn state, I know, but so amazingly good. It pays to know a food reviewer 🙂

    On another topic, I was warned by my friend/roommate who pointed me in your direction that you don’t read fanfic, but do you perhaps watch fan videos? I’ve recently gotten into doing some amateur editing and just posted my first video to my brand spanking new blog. It’s scenes from “Sanctuary” put to the song “Apologize” by Timbaland. Any comments, criticisms, feedback, etc. from you or your loyal readers would be greatly appreciated as I try and learn more about the tools and what I need to improve upon.

    The URL is http://vidmasterss.blogspot.com/ if you or anyone else reading this would like to take a look.

    Thanks,
    -LV

  86. Hi Joe !

    I’m kind of sick today, i’m sure a little today’s blog dedication to me would fix this f****** flu. Anyway i’m not really dying as you can see, because i’m still able to post here, and in english (or something who looks like it).

    I think that, at the end of the day, the whole blogger/spamer thing is great thing. I explain myself, the design of wordpress is way cooler, you can post your videos with an interface directly in the main page, and thanks to the IP thing and have-to-put-an-email-to-comment some of the old anonymous boring people are mostly gone.

    I think constructive criticism is a good thing, and personnaly I’m not a 100% satisfied with the show. Who would be ? IMO you can’t honestly be satisfied on every single aspects of everything on the show. There’s always a little bit of a scenario, or the music, or one FX, or just one scene you don’t like, because, it felt wrong, or the actor was bad looking, or you don’t like the costume… anyway, that seems futile, but I try to be understandable here by the exemple, even if they are ridiculous (my english prevent me to say exactly what I want to say)

    That said, i’m a huge fan, and even if i’m not totally satisfied, i’m more then enough to be really addictive to this show, their characters and their stories.

    But you know, I hate when people complain before see what happens (for the show and in the life in general) I’m a person who always give the enefit of the doubt. I don’t like judging before knowing… so get rid of the little minds who don’t have the courage of their opinion and hide with anonymous posts is a great thing. I’m sure some people who give arguments on why they don’t like that or that and be respecfull will continue to be post-validated.

    WOW ! What a speech I have done today ! Maybe the fever made me un-shy

    Anyway, if you feel in the mood answering that :

    1) If it was possible to have dinner (at fuel amongst your favorites) with 5 celebrities (dead or alive), with who would you do it ? And why ?
    2) Do you have a preference for one of your dogs, or do you love them equally ?
    3) given the timeline in the SG1 movies, is there any little hints in SGA related to them ?
    4) If you weren’t working on Stargate wich actual show, would you like to work on ?

    Have a nice day, i’m going to bed !

    Quilani !

  87. 1- Do you think the darker feel of this season will continue into season five?

    2- Would you say the loyalty and bond between the core team really shine through the remainder of the season?

  88. Happy new year. Have you or any other writers ever taken ideas for episodes for SG1/SGA from fanfic or theories that people have come up with? If so can you name an episode that you have done?

  89. On “House of Leaves” I rec it because of the unusual style, its avant-garde in its storytelling, an odd mix of what would happen if you mixed a horror film with elements of documentary, all swirled together in a mystery and oddness.

  90. Annie from Fremantle Says:
    Are you out of your flocking mind?? I was the spork watcher in our valiant attempt to rescue Joe in the battle of the Bloooogg….hahahha flocking….geddit? Snow doubt you will ;)……….and you forgot the “u” in “honor”… ahahaha

    Oh yeah…oops. 😛

    And you’re right! I forgot the “u”, even though I’m Canadian. I should be ashamed. 😉

    anon, good nurse Says:
    I’ve heard that redheads have near-mythical powers of persuasion. (Of course, that’s what my redheaded relatives and friends say. Still, given my own observations of the world in general, there may be something to it.)

    To console yourself and all your fellow longtime blog fans, especially those brave souls who fought the epic battle to liberate Joe, you could write a sensationalized account of your endeavors. Give it a fantasy-genre title and a cover featuring swords, flags, and cleavage, and you could have a best-seller on your hands. Cha-ching!

    That’d be Sci-Fi-genre, you mean? Hehe. I actually did imagine a whole battle sequence where our team go up to the moon on the PJ, and it was so elaborate…there was a part where we used the drones to dig a hole in the moon’s surface so the PJ can fly into it to dodge the Baron’s missiles. Haha, it was fun.

    A Says:
    You should be worried.

    I think PG15 is going to start a thread on GW, shipping you with him.

    Be afraid. Be very afraid. The slashers will have a lot of fun with this. Ask Joe F about the slashers. He knows alllllll about them….

    Oh crap, what have I done?! Just because I act all sycophantic so I can get some info out of the guy doesn’t mean I’m…that way (not that there is anything wrong with that). Um…with all due respect, Joe.

    Still, let’s see what the slashers can do. As long as I’m the center of attention, then I can play off that. Ha.

  91. From what I’ve seen in Return Jack oversees Atlantis, so
    how can Jack and Sam be together? Aren’t they in each other’s chain of command?

  92. Emily said:
    Rock, paper, or scissors?

    Choose wisely

    Being a mind of useless information and the family ‘Oracle’, no really that’s what they call me!

    From a mathematical perspective, RPS is a function known as an intransitive relation, which means it creates a loop of preferences that has no beginning and no end, defying standard notations of hierarchy.

    Though each item is better than some other item, it is impossible to define what is ‘best’.

    Believe it or not people have actually done research into this and what did they come up with?

    When all else fails, the rule is “go with paper”, because rock comes up more often than it would by chance.

    Check-out the article in the New Scientist (Dec 2007)

    I know I’ve already broken my ‘no more inanely stupid posts on Joe’s blog’ New Years resolution.

    Pauline

  93. Someone mentioned that when watching the SciFi channel that a lot of the same actors appear. My friend and I were discussing that there seems to be sort of a sci-fi ghetto, where a lot of the same actors appear in various sci-fi productions, not just on the sci-fi channel.

    I’ve always imagined that this is because people who produce sci-fi shows end up working with particular actors, and that then when the production people are looking for actors for another project, they naturally gravitate towards the people they know.

    My friend seems to think it is because the rest of the film/tv world think sci-fi is for children and not “serious”, and so when an actor does sci-fi work they run the risk of ending up rattling around in the sci-fi universes. What do you think?

    A secondary question. You say a lot of sci-fi shows are done in Vancouver so you see a lot of the same actors for that. Do you have any suggestions as to how an actor, say located about 3 hours south of the border, might tap into the Vancouver scene?

    Not that I want to take jobs away from hardworking Canadians (ok, maybe just one), but how does an American get work up there?

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