Well, yesterday’s entry really struck a chord with a lot of readers. Like global warming and human rights, “strange objects you can find in your pizza” is obviously a topic near and dear to many of your hearts. 160 comments and counting! Thank you for sharing your incredibly disturbing personal experiences of the weird things you have found in your food.
Well, I was at the studio until wrap last night, overseeing a pick-up on an insert. Now, normally, I don’t hang around for inserts, but given that this was the second time around for what I figured to be a fairly straightforward shot of a sword being drawn, I decided it might be best if I was on set. “We’ll get to it at around five thirty,”I was informed. Then: “It might be closer to six.” And: “Six thirty for sure.” Later: “Seven o’ clock.” And then: “Head down in twenty minutes.”(This at 7:00 p.m.). Come 7:45 p.m., main unit finally wrapped. The crew quickly moved in, set up the shot – got three takes of the sword being drawn (just in case) and we were done. It had taken all of five minutes and, just like that, Broken Ties was complete. Minus score, sound, color timing, and visual effects.
Yes, it feels like not that long ago I was prepping episode #3 and now, here I sit, thinking about thinking about episode #16. Yes, I’ll eventually start making headway but, at this point in a story‘s development, it‘s so easy to get distracted by seemingly more pressing matters such as: 1) convincing Carl to model the outfit that the costume department has come up with for Tracker, 2) getting into a long and involved discussion about our lunch options before eventually deciding to go with the Calypso oxtail from The Reef, 3) emptying my recycling bin, 4) de-linting my suit, and, most important of all, 5) making sure I have enough pens. Yep. 11 last time I checked.
Hey, for any of you looking for some great free fiction, head on over here:
And follow the link to downloadable version of Cherie Priest’s Four and Twenty Blackbirds, compliments of Tor Books. Priest’s debut novel is a terrific Southern Gothic tale. I decided to check it out because I liked the cover art, thought I’d read a chapter, then another, and another and, before I knew it, I was thoroughly engrossed. It’s apparently the first in a series, so I’ll no doubt be ordering up the next couple of books (in addition to a copy of the one I’m reading now for my growing collection). A truly delightful read.
Just wondering… why was it prolonged so late? Was something else getting in the way?
By the way, adorable picture of one of your adorable doggies at the top!
Nice picture! if you need another recurring character you can recruit Carl. He’s obviously very photogenic and has the body to fit right in with our other heroes. Is there some particular reason that Broken Ties is not further along the production process, or are things about status quo? Are there any other episodes in production at the moment that are expected to take as long? And when is episode 16 scheduled to start filming? Just so that we know when to start chastising you for procrastinating. Thanks for the daily peek into the world of stargate.
I know how you feel about work. I was asked to do a quick mock-up for the New York Times and I ended up leaving work no more done than I was when I started after many frustrating hours.
Note to Self: Don’t try to use other people’s computers for editing, especially if said people are clutter bugs.
Pens…Pens are always good! I can never lay my hands on one when I need it. 😐
Carl looks smashing in the costume. 😉 He should wear one of those all the time. 😀
Southern Gothic? How would you describe that genre for the uninitiated?
Haha I’m a compulsive reader…. all these links to free books will keep me busy for DAYS!!!!!!!! (Thanks, though!!!!)
Good thing my last final was Monday!!!
Hey Joe,
I just read the 1st two chapters of ‘Four and Twenty Blackbirds’ – and I’m reading on! It’s interesting 🙂
So who’s that man in the picture?
Hey Joe,
I just read the article on stargate news and I must say that is a very handsome picture of you!
Thanks for the cute picture of Carl too!
Cheers,
Patricia Lee
Thanks for the tip on the Cherie’s downloadable book 🙂
So with Mother’s day coming up what are you getting your mom??
Now GET TO WORK penning my favourite number #16. #16 is always a great episode… Sunday was #16 LOVED it, and my b-day is the 16th of the month (not this one)
Have a great night
Joe,
Thanks for the heads up for the free download from Tor. Been there, downloaded that and now have to make time to read Four and Twenty Blackbirds! And Carl should always model your costumes! By the way, love the new look of the blog.
11 pens! But are they in the proper colours? I find it very important that my pens on my desk come in black, red, orange and purple. I also require highlighters in pink and yellow. They’re very important to my office filing system, and I tend to get antsy if I can’t find the proper colours.
Oooh, a sword being drawn … droool. We all have our addictions.
I’m stuck at science camp with my fifth graders. We would like your help in finding decent food and towel service. Any contacts in Santa Cruz? {I will not share what we have ‘found’ in our food. One of my children swears that he saw his field instructor point it out earlier as something “to be avoided”}
Hmm.. Procrastination 101. Gotta love it.
Thinking about, what to think about. I hear a song in there somewhere.
Love the “action hero”! Can we expect to see it on the toy-store shelves anytime soon? Perhaps with the sword from said two-plus hours o’ waiting?
^_^
Nika
Wow, so much effort for a sword-drawing scene; it better be the best freaking sword-drawing scene ever. Like, even beating those scenes in Lord of the Rings.
No pressure.
Anyway, the Stargate Marathon continues. I just like to say how I love the little continuity nods I’m getting so far. Just off of the top of my head, I liked the mentions of Sara in Brief Candle, what with Cold Lazarus directly before it. And today, while watching Thor’s Hammer, Marduk was mentioned. He, of course, was explored further waaaay later in The Tomb. That was cool.
So yeah, Thor’s Hammer; the first sign of the Asgard. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The fact that you guys got James Earl Jones to voice the Unas was…well, awesome, but also very amusing since I thought about Darth Vader every time he spoke. Especially during the scene when the Unas was trying to “recruit” Teal’c so that they may both kill and feast on Jack. I was easily reminded of the scene from The Empire Strikes Back where Darth Vader tries to recruit Luke after revealing that he is his father.
The scene near the end, where Teal’c offers to stay behind, was very touching. Teal’c, I find, is especially facinating this early in the series; the guy’s silent, but the aura he gives off just tells you exactly who he is: an honorable warrior with a heart of gold. I love it. You just know that, anything he says or does will be important. Also, the first mention of SG1 being a family, I believe. Very nice.
Oh, and I just like to mention something about The Nox that I forgot about yesterday: I loved the moment where Danny wants them to bury the Gate, but Ohper counters it with the simple “but then someone would know we buried it”. It made SO much sense, and it was strange no one ever thought about it before. Recognizing the obvious – only the wise can do it. Heh.
Next, The Torment of Tantalus and Bloodlines. I’m a little late today, so let’s see if I can get through them.
Crikey Joe, that’s a lot of effort and time going into a 42 minute episode.
No wonder you get so tired!
Might be nice to culminate everyone’s bad food experiences into a book for the public… consumer (of food) beware!
We could call it.. “Scuse me waiter, there’s a 4 by 4 in my pizza”
Atch I loved your blog so much, I made a thread in my board asking the same question and worst response I got was someone biting into a chicken breast fillet burger and getting a mouth ful of pus due to an ulcer in the meat.
*gag*
Mr. Carl looks rather fetching in that outfit. He may just start a new fashion trend. 😉
As you start work on episode #16, I was curious to understand how you generally think of structuring the story.
Do you still break it down into the more traditional three acts like a screenplay, and use the plot points for the commercial breaks? Or is there a completely different format for TV?
Hi Joe!
Your dog is staring at me.
eddy
Annie from Fremantle said:
worst response I got was someone biting into a chicken breast fillet burger and getting a mouth ful of pus due to an ulcer in the meat.
Ack!! That’s what happened to my friend and the roast beef! That story still freaks me out to this day. I feel queasy.
To bring this back on topic and away from the nasty memories: Joe, please let Carl know that he has nice Fists of Rage in that pic…
I’ve got 13 fountain pens (combination of Pilot Varsity disposables and Pilot Petit1 refillables) and one Bic Atlantis ballpoint within easy reach, as well as five mechanical pencils, one no-name ballpoint, two white-out-thingies, and refills for pens and pencils.
I would really love to have a real fountain pen some day but that’s not happening any time soon. Maybe I’ll put it on my Christmas list.
Anne Teldy
Hello Mr. M.,
I received an email today advising me that the shippment of my home-made, organic, all Lindt chocolate, truffle-like brownies has been sucessfully delivered to the studio address.
The thing is, I’m a fan of Mr. Momoa’s work (and I ‘know’ his mom, Wizzy), so it was addressed to him. However, I think he may be inclined to share (as the package contained 3 lbs of the chcolatey goodness…) After seeing your entry on the best chocolate party ever, I came to a conclusion that my timing couldn’t have been worse – still, I firmly believe that these are the best brownies ever made 🙂
S.4 finished with a bang, and I sincerely hope that s. 5 will continue in the same fashion – and please bring Carson back (even if he IS a clone…***sobbing***). My regards, Nani…
Just wondering, have you ever read Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer? Just finished reading it a few weeks ago, and it really got me thinking! I found it a nice mix of everyday life and science fiction. And the humor only added to the appeal. (Oh and by the way, its mostly set at the Royal Ontario Museum, which is interesting if you’ve been there before)
My goodness…it seems that Rob Cooper is the Martin Gero of Stargate SG1; his episodes just never miss! Haha.
Ok, except Childhood’s End, but, uh…I’ll get to it eventually.
So yeah, Rob wrote The Torment of Tantalus, and watching it again just now just reminds me how remarkable this episode was. The throwback to the movie was great to see, the scenes between Catherine and Ernest were heartbreaking, and I whispered “wow” several times during the scene where Danny makes the connection, realizing that the dancing atoms they were watching was an Universal Language. I was blown away the first time I saw it, and its impact hasn’t lessened. I gotta say, that was, again, very very clever, just like with The Nox. It’s a shame the Great Alliance didn’t get much more elaborated upon. Come on Joe, you know there is a treasure trove of stories there…please, think about it.
Or maybe you guys already have, long ago, and decided against it. That’d be…disappointing, but I guess how I feel wouldn’t make much of a difference. Heh. Yikes, I’m all bitter now. It’s so unlike me.
But anyway, that part of the episode has always hit me right in the brain. But, now that I rewatch it, the Ernest/Catherine scenes really hit me in my heart (haha, see what I did there? I used parallels!). It was really difficult watching Ernest almost breaking down at Catherine telling him that everything he had imagined to make himself sane were not real, that the old scars he had had when he got stuck there didn’t really heal after all. The small “oh” Ernest uttered after Catherine said that she didn’t forgive him was…gah, it was just soooo sad. Still, seeing them happy at the end was very nice. I now wished we had seen them again but…well, Catherine’s dead, so that’s even less likely.
Overall, one of the greatest episodes of Stargate and which opened a plethora of doors. It’s just too bad many weren’t stepped through during the show’s run.
Oh hey, and everytime Danny says “And we can go there”, a Stargate fan gets excited. Seriously. Also, it’s amusing how many times Jack has said “that’s impossible” so far in the series. I guess he knew better, later on. Haha.
Now…let’s see if I can fit in Bloodlines before bedtime…at 1am.
Love your blog! I just started reading it (new stargate fan, lol). Kinda ironic I get into the show after it’s off the air. I’m watching Atlantis now as a coping mechanism.
You don’t happen to know if anyone from the SG-verse is going to Comic-Con in San Diego this summer? I finally going this year.
I just noticed that on your previously read list there was a book called ‘The Name of the Wind’ and I was like “hey that sounds familiar” and wouldn’t you know I bought that book just after Christmas with a gift voucher. I started to read it but then school started and I got distracted with work, and then we had books to read for English and I still haven’t gotten to read it yet. Did you think it was a good book? I was also wondering what books you would recommend? I like to read mostly fantasy but occasionally I find a book that is non-fiction that I really like.
Do you have any books that you read over and over because you like them that much?
Hi, Joe.
Woo-hoo — more good news:
Stargate DVD Trifecta! – SciFi Wire: Amazon Sales
From SciFi Wire:
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/
Top Ten SF&F DVD Sales
Cloverfield
Alvin and the Chupmunks
The Golden Compass (Blu-ray)
Enchanted
Stargate Continuum
The Adventures of Indiana Jones
The Golden Compass
Stargate Atlantis season four
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Battlestar Galactica season three
Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre DVDs, 5/2/08
Happy Thursday!
🙂
Morjana
Coucou Joseph =D
Cool la photo de Carl^^!! hier sur la mgm j’ai une trouver une photo de vous a rajouter a ma colléction..ahh magnifique ♥_♥
Aujourd’hui c’est le 8 Mai, et la fin de de la second guerre mondial, étant un jours férier personne ne travail.
Derien pour vous avoir fait part de mon éxpérience d’ intrusion culinaire^^!
rooh vous avez vraiment de la chance d’aller sur le plateau et d’assitez au tournage^^..Des millions de personnes réveraient d’être a votre place.
Questions:
1)Entre la cuisine française et japonaise laquel préférez vous?
2) Allons nous voir dans cette saison 5 le dorcteur Lee?
Voila =) merci. Gros Bisou, je vous adore ♥
Hey,
It’s 3:57 am and I’m only half way through Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Damn you 😉
Priest’s writing feels a little Steven Kingish. Yes?
Thank you for the link. I think it’s very smart of Priest to giving away the first book. Makes the readers want to buy the next one.
Hi again Mr M
Greetings once more from Tipperary!
Thank you for settling the wager re: McKay / Keller walk and talk. And I appreciate the compliment. During my Vancouver trip last month, a couple of us popped out after the Convention, took the Skytrain to Gilmore and walked up to Elements Cafe. Then we strolled across and walked the verge. Something triggered in the synapses and I mentioned my theory.
Upshot is, your confirmation has secured 5 of the finest creamy pints of Guinness, thanks!
On a separate point, any news on the title for Episode 100? Will it be a “number themed” title, like “5 Score” or “C”? Just a thought! Also, numbers wise on your blog, you must be on visitor 1,250,000 by now?
Thanks again Mr M
Shirt’n’Tie
I’ve just watched Dominion, and the Ba’al there seems to know what happened with and to the clone that got killed in ‘the quest’ – how does he know that?
Hey Joe! Great to hear (about stopping by XtremeCamera) .. I’ve made sure that the maid service has stopped by, dusted and straightened, and has your room all sparkly and ready to go.
I’ll be on the lookout for you. And not to worry, we’ll respect your privacy. You won’t be bothered by anyone, unless you invite it.
LOL After all this discussion about what we’re finding in our food I went on a fast. This has to be the best weight loss plan I have come across in awhile. Especially after reading the pus filled chicken ulcer! . LOL
I had more to say but it’s never a good idea to respond to blog’s when one has not even had their first cup of java juice!! It produces brain farts of epic proportions!!
Have a great day Joe!!
Joe and my fellow Blog Readers:
Del Rey Books is offering STAR WARS: LEGACY OF THE FORCE: BETRAYAL as a free download. I’m 300 pages in so far and it’s a damn fine read. The story takes place some 40 years after the events of ROTJ.
Hello Joe!
It’s my first post, STANDS ON A CHAIR WAVEING THEIR ARMS AROUND STUPIDLY, pay attention to me.
I used to browse on here some times but then left and haven’t been back in ages, but now i’m back and going to comment so you have to suffer.
You should read this, it’s funny and you’re in it. It’ll take all of five minutes so give it a go.
http://wraithsdream.livejournal.com/575.html
Did that work? computers hate me and i them. If not go look for it, it’s worth it. (if you really want to embarrass wraithie who wrote it, print out a copy and give it to Chris H. to read when he’s on break. Perhaps just the last part. Now to cross my fingers and hope she doesn’t come after me with a plank.)
Season five has me freaked and the fact you called Todd a ‘villian’ doesn’t make me optimistic about his, or the wraiths, future. Yes, i’m one of *those*. I don’t want them killed off. SG-1 did that all the time and i got bored with it. It would be so much more interesting to see the wraith developed. More info on their culture would not go amiss.
Do you some times lurk around gateworld? Take any notice of the poles they do? The last one was recuring character you like best with Todd taking 57% of the vote with Larrin (i hate her by the way) a distant second on 20%.
You bloody, bloody tease! You dangle the phrase ‘creepy new wraith ‘ in front of us and then won’t give us a picture. Although the Todd pic (looking delicious as always) was much appreciated.
On the previous days topic, my dad was drinking coffee he bought in the city one time, felt something in his mouth, and pulled out half a cockroach.
Your little mutts are cute as always though i prefer to have bigger dogs, a kelpie. But only little dogs like yours make those cute faces.
OK, i’ve rambled and made an ass of myself, it’s very late here and i’ve had too much chocolate. I’m going to slink away now.
(i apologise for all my bad spelling)
(and bad linking if that be the case, i don’t know how! damn computers!)
BYE. steps down from the chair to make room for the next nut.
Hey Joe!
Oh I once found chunks of wood in my gallon of ice cream! Weird, right?
Also, I think Carl looks lovely. 😆
@NaniWahine: I totally agree about Carson! I’ll second that. And yeah, I’m sobbing about him, too.
Hey Joe, long time no comment. As the folks decided I had been too naughty to have computer privilages. How’s life going ?
Why don’t you use old fashion nerve gas on a charcater or two this year? It worked in that show “The Pretender.”
Actually why not have that actor in Stargate?
That guy from desperate housewives(NOT THAT i AM A FAN) seems to have a body and face not too unlike Joe Flanigan’s. Was this actor not thought about last year when casting OUTCAST?
And the link: http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/starwars/sw_legacy.html
Well doesn’t Carl look snazzy in that pic! 😛
Carl looks really great in that picture. All he is missing is some war paint on his face. Thanks for posting that link for books it has really opened my eyes to all the different type of reading material that is out there. Thanks!
Carl looks great in the pic – I second the action figure suggestion!! You might be surprised what fans will buy – any chance of one for yourself as well?!
And of course it’s important to get all of those little but vital jobs sorted out before embarking on a creative journey … wouldn’t want to have to interrupt the flow of genius dialogue and diabolical plotting to empty a bin, de-lint a suit or, even worse, find you haven’t got enough pens!
Well, off to check out the site you mention – sounds good to me…
@Leesa: OMG!!! An action figure Joe M??!! HA! HA! HA!
He could come with a five course dinner! LOL! Why not? Shep’s action figure comes with a lemon in case of Mckay emergencies. ;D Hee hee!
Hi Joe,
Loved the blog!
I worked for Pizza Hut for 11 years from high school through college and grad school. Once, during my misspent youth, we were slow one night and decided to make a rather impressive male appendage out of dough and bake it. It came out great and so realistic. Silly kids, we all had a laugh, slammed it in a box, put it on top of the oven, and then worked the dinner rush. Near the end of the evening, to our dismay (and fear) we find that our art had been sent out as a delivery. We waited, nearly holding our breath, for the rest of the night, sure we would get an irate call that would have us all fired. But–the call never came! I am 38 now and a high school teacher, and I still wonder what happened! Was the recipient too embarrassed to call? Did they eat it due to a frantic case of the munchies? Did they keep it to show their friends? What happened? I guess I will never know!
Lily
“Top Ten SF&F DVD Sales
Cloverfield
Alvin and the Chupmunks
The Golden Compass (Blu-ray)
Enchanted
Stargate Continuum
The Adventures of Indiana Jones
The Golden Compass
Stargate Atlantis season four
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Battlestar Galactica season three
Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre DVDs, 5/2/08
Happy Thursday!
Morjana”
————————-
I hope that is because I ordered/preordered my copies, 😀
Nice shot of the new superhero in todays blog(Carl), he look so natural… thanks again.
Hi Joe, My husband and I are probably a bit older than your average Stargate fan. He (a genius level computer systems analyst) and I have shared our love for science fiction for 34 years. When I found your blog site, I just had to take the opportunity to compliment you and the writers, directors, actors and other support personnel for their contributions to the science fiction genre.
I am a retired teacher and now write freelance; I taught writing and history at my local community college for four years. I have listened to all the DVD commentaries for the first three seasons of Stargate Atlantis, and love to hear how the writers get their ideas. I think the writing for the Stargate Atlantis series is superb in originality and character development. Thanks again and I will keep reading your blogs.
PS: “Are there no prisons?” in Atlantis? Being such an insulated community, I would think the Atlantis base would have its share of crime. Crossing genres here?
@BlueJay: Yup! You outed me. I expected someone would, but did you have to go the extra mile with that little suggestion for sharing? Forget the plank, Hon. Think scatter shot, red mist and cloud of blue feathers…. Just kidding! LOL I’m sure I’ll be fine once the mortification wears off, my pulse slows, my heart stops racing, my breathing evens out, the ringing screaming in my ears fades and all of those little blue spots (tiny BlueJays?) clouding my vision clear. No. Really. I’m fine. Let’s just say, I’m going to have to create, and dedicate to you, a very special Todd wallpaper. (wink! wink!)
Wraithie
Seriously, de-linting my suit was your fourth thing to do? Surely that was a higher priority.
Next make a paperclip chain or defrag your hard drive.
Cheers, Chev
Hello, just wanted to know if it gets boring continually doing everying in a spring/summer background (honestly, would all the planets visited be experiencing the same season?). Where’s the snow? (First ep. doesn’t count). I understand that it would be difficult to produce such a scene, but think of the potential for McKay! So much more for him to complain about, ie. chapped lips and frostbite. If you can never produce a winter ep due to practical reasons, what would you like to produce if you did have the opportunity?
And as a side note, as captain of the NV Todd, you would know about the rumours of a potential iceberg ahead causing passengers to plan their escape route to the nearest life preserver. A good captain is trusted to divert course, and or reassure passengers there isn’t any danger. If the NV Todd does go down, many will be lost overboard, their bodies never to be recovered!
Well, I did manage to watch Bloodlines, but I’ve been busy today so I only got to thinking about it now. I’ll make this short: Chris Judge is blowing me away in these early episodes with his…well, presence, I suppose; Bra’tac is awesome, Danny’s smile at killing the Goa’uld larvae was badass and creepy. Overall a very nice episode.
Well, at least it wasn’t like 10PM!
When your watching TV and Stargate comes on, do you ever stop and watch it?
Hi Joe, could I have blog dedication for Sunday 11th May?? Not only is it Mother’s Day but also my birthday! @>-%—
I am getting rather impatient with a certain (NZ) TV channel, who have yet to begin showing S4 of SGA 🙁
@ Bluejay: thanks for the link to a very funny piece of fanfic.
@Wraithworshipper: great writing 🙂
BlueJay – Although the Todd pic (looking delicious as always) was much appreciated.
Uhhh…something’s wrong here…aren’t the Wraith supposed to think WE look delicious???!
Heh. What comes around goes around. 😉 Just save a piece of Todd for me, k?? I’m kinda partial to his lovely, long fingers… *nibble, nibble* 😀 And yeah, I DID say that out loud… 😳
Double heh. ANYTHING has to taste better than chicken feet. 😕
Dang. Now I’m hungry.
😛
das
Wow. That many smilies looks totally obnoxious. This must be my week (month? year?) for ‘obnoxious’. Sorry.
😛
das
What can I say: Pictures of Todd j’adore!!! Merci, merci, merci. He looks delicious enough to eat…did I say that???
Wraith Cake
Wraith Cake
What can I say: Pictures of Todd j’adore!!! Merci, merci, merci. He looks delicious enough to eat…did I say that???
Yeah, you did. Funny thing about SGA – I’ve gained 10 pounds since I started watching it!! LOL! The dang show just makes me so freakin’ hungry – all the talk about feeding, or Rodney whining about eating – not to mention this blog and all of JM’s food posts…ugh. Since the end of the season, I have dropped 5 pounds, but still…it doesn’t help when I spend my free time defending the Wraith’s right to eat…
🙄
das
So I guess this wouldn’t be the best time to mention that I’ve lost a couple more pounds? I sooo don’t look at JM’s food pics. Way too much chocolate!
Wraithie
Wanders off to eat a few more carrots….
Dear Mr. M. We (at the WDC) were deciding what to call the new bald wraith from the up coming season. (Of course, ‘WE’ like to make decisions about naming the wraith at the WDC ahem *cough* *cough*) Some of the ideas thrown around were: Uncle Fester or Mr. Clean, the German worshipers have their version of Mr. Clean “Meister Proper”. I thought of Kojak– Teli Savalas, or Gordon from Sesame Street. Rachelle thought of Pelado, because Peladophobia is the fear of bald people. This made me think of “khuzdophobia”, fear of dwarves. My boy-friend has a fear of dwarves, and he really likes the wraith on Stargate Atlantis. So I have to ask, there won’t be any dwarf wraiths on the show will there? It may put his “viewing pleasure” in jeopardy.
concerned 😉
Wraith Cake