Our office assistant poked his head into the room, interrupting the meeting to inform Paul: “There’s an alien waiting for you in wardrobe.”
As Paul excused himself and headed downstairs, Marty G. said what we were all thinking: “We have the most surreal jobs in the world.”
Yep, a return to surreality today found me in my office, screening Kairo, Dead Birds, and the original Shutter to put me in a Whispers frame of mind. The search is on for Dusty, Porter, and Teldy (who, sadly, has been busted down to Major following a short-lived promotion). Two huge playback-heavy episodes in The Daedalus Variations and Ghost in the Machine will have that department on their toes for the next few weeks, while Brad has the waterfall situation under control. As predicted, we didn’t get around to giving Carl his notes on Tracker. Maybe tomorrow.
What we did get around to, however, was checking our standings in the inter-office March Madness pool. Our of 175 entries, I hold on to the #7 position with all of my Elite Eight selections still in the running. I’m banking it all on a Memphis-Louisville showdown.
With the April book of the month discussions fast-approaching (Timescape April 7th, The Keep April 14th when we’ll be joined by author F. Paul Wilson, and The Empire of Ice Cream April 21st when we’ll be joined by author Jeffrey Ford), I thought I’d turn my thoughts to May’s BOTM club selections. Rather than offer up some nominees for you to choose from, I thought I’d try something different (read dictatorial) this time out. So I’ve gone ahead and chosen for us. In the fantasy category, it’ll be Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself which we‘ll be discussing the week of May 19th. I’ve chosen this book because I’ve already raved about the it, would love to introduce avid readers to the First Law series, and I’m pretty sure I can convince author Joe Abercrombie to stop by and, if not answer some of your questions, then at least grace us with an angry tirade about packing peanuts. In the scifi category, it’ll be John Scalzi’s The Android’s Dream which we’ll be discussing the week of May 26th. I’ve chosen this book because I’m a big Scalzi fan and have been dying to read this particular title. Finally, in the horror category, let’s go with John Shirley’s Crawlers.
Today’s mailbag:
Mick writes: “ Is episode sixteen the big SG-1 (at least Carter, Daniel, Teal’c) crossover with Atlantis that I’ve been waiting four seasons for??? Please say YES!!!!”
Answer: No can do. No SG-1 in episode 16. Sorry.
PG15 writes: “Who spends the most time in the infirmary so far in season 5, as a patient?”
Answer: So far it’s a three-way tie between Sheppard, Ronon, and McKay.
IAmJohn writes: “Is the McKay/Katie relationship officially on the rocks and done, or are they going to start thinking about getting back together?”
Answer: Given that Katie requested a transfer off Atlantis (revealed in Trio), I’d say it’s pretty much over between them.
1norriski writes: “So Joe come on let us in a little more on these great rewrites for Whispers, is this still going to be Carson (beloved Carson Beckett) with the all female team?”
Answer: Yup. And he’ll have company.
KaziWren writes: “Any chance you can offer twice as many books for the next book club?”
Answer: How about some reading suggestions instead – Joe Abercrombie (The First Law series), Scott Lynch (The Lies of Locke Lamorra), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), George R. R. Martin (The Ice and Fire series), Iain M. Banks (Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, Use of Weapons), Octavia E. Butler (Parable of the Sower), Ted Chiang (Stories of Your Life and Others), Thomas M. Disch (Camp Concentration), Cory Doctorow (Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom), William Goldman (The Princess Bride), Daniel Keyes (Flowers for Algernon), China Mieville (The Scar), Walter M. Miller Jr. (A Canticle for Leibowitz), Elizabeth Moon (The Speed of Dark), John Scalzi (Old Man’s War), John Steakley (Armor), Karen Traviss (City of Pearl), Gene Wolfe (Book of the New Sun), Roger Zelazny (Lord of Light). Start with those and get back to me.
Masterchief writes: “I’m still wondering whether there’s a reason that only a few episodes (SG-1 and SGA) are written and directed by the same person?”
Answer: It’s simple. Most writers aren’t directors and none of the directors are writers.
Ascended Tauri writes: “What are you picks for the Elite 8 and Final 4?”
Answer: Elite 8 = North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisville, Wisconsin, Memphis, Texas, UCLA, West Virginia. Final Four = Louisville, Wisconsin, Memphis, and UCLA.
Thornyrose writes: “To echo squeakjep’s questions, when is the next planned hiatus in the shooting schedule?”
Answer: Our hiatus is presently scheduled for early July.
Joesmom writes: “Why are you bringing in new characters when the older ones still don’t have much development?”
Answer: If I had been working on this blog way back in season one and mentioned we’d be bringing Major Lorne over from the SG-1 universe, I’m sure many would have reacted exactly the same way. A new character?! NOOOOO!
Bailey writes: “When you get “suggestions” from the studio to change things in your scripts, do they tell the writers why they want the changes?”
Answer: Always.
Amy writes: “Also Teyla’s episode titled the ‘Queen’? I am guessing this has to do with Teyla again getting inside the mind of a wraith Queen. This story line is getting a little old is it not?”
Answer: If you say so. And you guess wrong.
StellaByStargate writes: “Is there any chance that we might get some unambiguous insight into Sam’s personal life during one of her current two S5 episodes, as you’d promised when the Trio scene was cut?”
Answer: Given Carter’s reduced role in season 5, it’s highly unlikely.
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