Time for dinner, a blog post, and I’ll be calling it a night.
Or maybe I can squeeze in a quick Iron Man. Let’s see.
Today, I leave you with some pics from the Interior for Exterior jungle set. Oh, and some mailbag.
The mailbag:
Luvnjack writes: “Have I said thanks for the blog lately? Thanks for the blog, Joe. I know it makes you the target of temper tantrum-throwing twits, but the rest of us do enjoy and appreciate the glimpses into the Stargate world, the snark, the food, the dogs, etc. etc. etc.”
Answer: And your participation – as well as the participation of all regulars, semi-regulars, and first-timers – is greatly appreciated.
Laila writes: “Spoilers appear to be the bane of your life (at the moment at least). How is their release controlled? Are they encouraged to increase interest, or are they released in response to demand?”
Answer: There’s a fine line between teasers and spoilers. Teasers whet fan appetite for an episode while spoilers well, spoil it. At the end of the day, the production can only do so much to keep things under wraps.
Mary writes: “Joe, I guess I’ve pretty much said my piece about the sides and my concerns about what is going to show up in the episode. However, I also want to say THANK YOU you to you for providing us with a forum to discuss our concerns in a civilized manner AND most especially for understanding the objections and clarifying your own views. It means a lot.”
Answer: And thanks for taking the time to weigh in with your opinion in a thoughtful and respectful manner.
Otros Ojos writes: “While I think There’s Something About Mary is an excellent comedy and a definite Top 20 choice, I think I’d give a higher rating to Little Miss Sunshine.”
Answer: I’m the only one in the office who didn’t like it. Carl says it’s because I’m heartless. Having given it some thought, he may be right.
PG15 writes: “Joe, why do you like horror movies so much? What is their appeal?”
Answer: Why do some people like riding rollercoasters? The thrill of the ride that doesn’t end in a horrific demise I guess.
Finch: “Hi I’ve posted once before but otherwise I’ve been a long time lurker. The content in the post today has inspired me to break that silence…”
Answer: Hey, Finch, thanks for your thoughtful, personal post.
DasNdanger writes: “Galaxy Quest – Right behind O Brother as one of the most hilarious movies I’ve ever seen.”
Answer: This was one I considered including. It makes my Top 25.
Tinypenny writes: “My favorite movie ever is Shawshank Redemption!”
Answer: As does this one.
Chevron7 writes: “2. Clueless.”
Answer: And this one.
Chevron7 also writes: “5. Friday Night Lights.”
Answer: And this one.
Chevron7 also writes: “ 14. The Lake House.”
Answer: And…what?!!
Sparrow_hawk writes: “Joe, you mentioned ramen places, but what about soba or udon?”
Answer: I’ll check out shops specializing in all three – although I prefer ramen. Or, should I say – Ramen no ho ga ii desu!
Namiko writes: “What did you think of Battle Royale II?”
Answer: Didn’t see it – but did read some less than glowing reviews.
Chevron7 writes: “Morning Joe, always wondered what goes into naming a character. What do you have to check? Why have some been changed? Which SG character name suited the character the best?”
Answer: We come up with a name – say, Bill Bombasky – and then our legal department will see how many Bill Bombasky’s reside in North America. If there’s only one (or even a handful) we’re forced to change the name because of fears one of the real Bill Bombasky’s may take legal action against the production for painting him in a bad alien fraternizing light.
Chevron7 also writes: “How’s Jelly today? Been worried about her. Do the other dogs look after her? Who is the leader of the pack?”
Answer: Jelly is fine, just lazing around. She has trouble climbing stairs so I have to taxi her up and down every morning and night. And, since we replaced the carpeting with wood, I’ve had to do the same for Maximus. Even though she has maybe three teeth in her mouth, Jelly is still the pack leader.
MaggieMayDay writes: “And here you thought we were just a bunch of stoned dirty hippies in the desert.”
Answer: I stand corrected.
Ender writes: “Hi Joe have you ever read “The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers” by Christopher Vogler?”
Answer: I haven’t.
DeeinSouthAfrica writes: “How about John Carpenter’s The Thing??”
Answer: Top 30.
Dovil writes: “Gateworld might be wrong, but on the the casting slides the only two characters that specified ‘all ethnicities’ was Tamara (Asian preferable) and ‘Psycho’.”
Answer: Well as someone who was in the office, watching the casting streams that first month, I can assure you that we auditioned “all ethnicities”. In the end, we cast the best actors for the roles.
Dovil also writes: “Considering Stargate’s history of potraying black men by their physicality and temper, it might have been nice to break the mold instead of once more having a an Angry Black Man (tm stargate) in the cast. But at least he’s not an alien!”
Answer: Ford was neither angry nor an alien. In the case of Ronon, Rob Cooper originally pitched out the character as a Rupert type (see Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: All Stars for the reference). However, when Jason Momoa auditioned, he blew us away with his take on the character. In the case of Teyla, Rachel’s calm and controlled performance in the audition was exactly what we were looking for. They were terrific and I couldn’t imagine anyone else in their roles.
Iamza writes: “ Joe, I know you’ve answered this before, and that you’ve mentioned the script for Extinction is complete, but there are new rumours circulating that suggest the SGA movie is not going ahead due to “…a lack of fan interest.”
Answer: “Lack of fan interest”? And how exactly would one measure fan interest? By reading a dove’s entrails? As much as I would love to hear definite word either way, I haven’t. This supposed breaking news doesn’t come to us by way of an official press release or interview or even a confirmable off-hand remark. It comes to us by way of a fan’s livejournal page. I think it’s most unlikely that the studio would reach a decision, avoid informing Paul and I who wrote the script and are contracted to produce the movie, and instead tells someone else who happens to tells someone else who happens to tell a fan who takes it as gospel. Unless some higher up at the studio is moonlighting in our paint or prop department, I’m going to have to call bullshit on this one.
Sheryl writes: “Are you taking a laptop?”
Answer: Yep, I’ll be traveling to Tokyo with my laptop.
MaggieMayDay writes: “I forgot to ask: tonkatsu or katsudon?”
Answer: Either.
Gilder writes: “Speaking of casting guests for the final three of Season One (¡ojalá que sí!), any word from Syfy about plans for a fan walk-on?”
Answer: Nope.
Bugguy writes: “Oh come now Joe, you forgot one of the cinematic classics of all times. I speak of course of the masterpiece that is Blazing Saddles. So what do you think?”
Answer: Released in 1974. I was judging movies made since 1992.
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