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.
Wait! Don’t get to bed yet! I thought I hit the publish button about an hour ago. I wondered why I wasn’t getting any comments.
was wondering what happened to the blog tonite, getting sleepy here
Thanks, Joe. Is good to hear you’ve heard nothing different from the last time you answered the very same question.
Isn’t Momoa just Hawaiian, German, and Irish? How would that qualify him as an angry “black” alien man anyway? *scratches head*
Ronon and Teyla could not have been cast any more perfectly than they were. And I second your “bullshit” on lack of fan interest. Now I’m going to bed.
Were you wondering what you may have said that had caused your entire blog base to abandon you?
We had a big dog milestone last night. Ralph swam by himself voluntarily! Using the word voluntarily would indicate that he sometimes swims not of his choosing, well, it’s true. Sometimes my Husband throws Ralph into the water in the hope he’ll start swimming. Three hernias later and that approach still hadn’t worked. Jack loves the water and will swim until we wonder if he’s going to come back, but Ralph has always been scared. Last night he bounded down the river bank and dived in after his Brother. We were proud dog parents to see Ralph overcome one of his fears. Well, that or he just tumbled down the bank and fell into the river. We’ll try for a repeat performance tonight.
das – I’ve lost the sound on my laptop at the moment so the You Tube vid was more of a silent movie!
Hey, Eli’s still wearing that t-shirt from the Trailer in the second-to-last pic! Makes sense, given that he wouldn’t have any other options.
Though when he’s trapped on a spaceship you’d think that red would be the last colour of shirt he’d want to wear.
Joe wrote: “Don’t get to bed yet!”
Wouldn’t dream of it.
I’d like to say that I’m absolutely amazed at the process for choosing a name for a character. I mean to have to avoid names that have already been taken must make it incredibly hard to come up with a name for a character.
Though I wonder how many “Jack O’Neill”s, “John Sheppard”s et alia there are in N. America. Perhaps it’s the 2 “L”s thing that’s the kicker.
I also agree that there’s plenty of fan interest in an Atlantis movie. I’m sure that these sorts of things just take time.
Hey Joe,
I know I’m weighing in late, but you can’t leave out Tampopo, the first Japanese noodle western! I crave a nice hot bowl of ramen everytime I see it. Have yet to find a good ramen restaurant in Toronto (know any?)
Jean
Haha I love the interior “exterior” pictures!
Will we ever find out what Eli’s red shirt says? The words are obscured in every picture I’ve seen of David in that shirt!!!
Random non-Stargate-related interjection: thursday is my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary. Which is nice and all, but I need to babysit my little siblings, 12 and 10. I’m thinking of writing a small movie for her to star in and for him to direct, but I can’t think of any clever ideas. Anyone have any good mini-movie ideas that would occupy them for 4 days straight?
Today Brian Jacob Smith ran his own caption-this-picture contest on twitter: http://twitpic.com/ejmhh (too lazy for html tonight; sorry). Who is that girl in the far right of the picture? I feel like I know her from somewhere…
Can I just say that I’m excited about SGU? I know I’ve said it a thousand times already, but I need to say it again!!!!! October 2nd cannot come soon enough!!!! Every time one of the actors or writers or Ivon twitters something about the show, I get even more excited!!!!
And gee, I really need to stop abusing exclamation points.
Haha goodnight!
Oops Tampopo was 1985, doesn’t make your cutoff.
Eat Drink Man Woman? Another yummy movie.
Jean
I think there’s still plenty of fan interest for the SGA and SG-1 movies. I’m very excited to see what you and Paul cooked up for our viewing delight on the SGA front.
I’m the only one in the office who didn’t like [Little Miss Sunshine]. Carl says it’s because I’m heartless. Having given it some thought, he may be right.
Nah, can’t buy that. Maybe Carl was just having an extra-sensitive day. (Just because I’ve never met him doesn’t mean I can’t take a guess.) Or maybe you just prefer your dark comedies straight up, no mixers. Anyway, thanks for commenting on it.
We’ve got Dark Knight slated for this weekend. If I actually wind up seeing a movie before you, I’ll turn into a newt.
Another fun and interesting set of pics, thanks! – Also, hope you got a good night’s sleep.
*wonders if that’s a carnivorous plant Carl is standing next to*
Well, I’m not tired yet 🙂 Also, it’s good to hear the movie is still in the maybe stages. “Maybe” is better than “definitely not”.
What the heck is that crazy plant Mr. Binder is standing next to? It looks like it could eat him…
Thanks for giving us a place to debate. I’ve vented my rage and and eaten some cheap chocolate and now I feel better 🙂
@ dasNdanger
Yep, the DC is short for Dolphin-chick, or in the case of most forums and pretty much everywhere else online, dolfynnchick. Sometimes I’m too lazy to type the whole thing.
I watch a lot of movies. There are a few movies on this list that I am confident most people have never heard of, let alone seen.
My Top 20 since 1992:
1. Let the Right One In – Joe, and everybody, if you haven’t seen it, do so. Now. This is no “Twilight”.
2. Punch Drunk Love – I hated this movie. Hated it. Until, for whatever reason, I gave it a chance and watched it past the 15 minute (or so) mark. A story about a troubled guy who falls in love and buys a lot of pudding.
3. District 9 – I may be still coming down from the high of seeing this movie, but it was amazing.
4. Princess Mononoke/Mononoke-hime – One of the greatest animes of all time. Looking forward to Ponyo.
5. The Fall – An injured 1920’s stuntman tells an amazing fantasy story to a little girl. A beautiful movie.
The rest are in alphabetical order:
6. A History of Violence – The quietest movie you’ll ever watch interspersed with, well, violence.
7. Bottle Shock – Recently watched this. Stars Bill Pullman and Chris Pine (of Star Trek). Very well written movie.
8. Bourne Ultimatum
9. Brick – Film noir TO THE EXTREME. Modern highschool student solves a mystery and everyone talks like detectives from the 50s.
10. Children of Men – amazingly long cuts that rival “Oldboy” and an incredible plot too.
11. Dogma – Any Kevin Smith movie, really, but Dogma is my favourite.
12. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
13. Fifth Element – Almost a WB cartoon it’s so over the top and colourful. It’s great.
14. Gattaca – Probably my favourite sci-fi movie.
15. Grandma’s Boy – A pot movie about video game developers. That about sums it up.
16. Hooligans / Green Street Hooligans
17. In Bruges
18. One Week – Canada’s version of “Into the Wild” only not a true story and better for it. Must be watched in HD.
19. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Forbes – ridiculously long name aside, this movie is one of the most beautifully shot I’ve ever seen.
20. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time/Toki o kakeru shôjo – a “Groundhog Day”-like anime about a time traveling highschool student. Genuinely funny and touching.
Didn’t quite make the list: Anchorman, The Incredibles (or any of the Pixar movies), Into the Wild, The Machinist (Christian Bale may be a douchebag, but you can’t say he’s not dedicated to his work).
My absolute favourite movies actually all came out well before 1992, and they are:
Rear Window
Seven Samurai/Shichinin no samurai (and The Magnificent Seven)
The Great Escape
Once Upon a Time in the West
I am sorry you missed your movie time. By the list, it looks like you need to get out more. They are all working you too hard. Don’t you hate when everyone around you is talking about a movie that you haven’t seen. ggrrrrrr
Glad to hear Jelly is home and better (of course not all better). I love seeing them on twitter. The costumes were great. As well here, but pups are always a good filler for me if you don’t have time. (SG too)
Thank you again for giving us just the right thing for the day. I am still sorry you missed your movies, popcorn, drink, candy…. :o(
AND my book “Heroes Die” by Stover finally came. I’ll get it read. I’m in love with the cover already.
Little Miss Sunshine–Loved it! All the family members are so dysfunctional, yet they all love the girl and go along for the ride for her sake. Along the way they encounter obstacles (hilarous hospital scene) and pull together in the end for her. Each character is enriched by the journey.
another movie I liked is Second Hand Lions because of the journey of the boy who is “stuck” with two old men and then finds what he was looking for all along.
I always enjoy characters that bravely go outside their comfort zones for the benefit of someone else. That is why I love Stargate so much. These characters give all of themselves to benefit others. It always inspires me to try it myself!
So thought I’d pop by for a visit. Have been trying to lay low as I recover from the pea season from heck(boy do I have some *stories* to tell about THIS one) and gear up for school in a few weeks.
Though I did get to celebrate today as I finally sucked it up and went to the Department of Licensing to get my Enhanced Drivers License so I can cross the border again. Can’t wait to see how the RFID thing works when I try it out on my next crossing.
Laptop or Netbook?
Well, I’m just catching up after missing some days because of moving (goodbye LA, hello Pacific Northwest). I’d like to add my votes for best movies for: Edward Scissorhands, Galaxy Quest, and Emma.
Here’s a random pet story: Last night I was awoken by my cat making odd noises. I’d put her collar on her for the move, though she’d never worn it before. She seemed to be doing okay with it, so I left it on. Except in the middle of the night she apparently decided to try to get it off and failed miserably, as it was stuck in her mouth like a gag and she kept making spitting noises and freaking out, trying to get it out and off. I had to wrestle her onto the bed and lay on her while I tried to unlatch the buckle inside her mouth, trying to avoid panicked claws and teeth. When I finally did, she seemed rather stunned and laid there, seeming to think, “What the hell just happened?”
Coucou Joseph!!
Olalal je suis fatiguer^^! Je pense que n’aurai pas pu tenir jusqu’au l’heure de la mise à jour de votre blog! Mais bon ça fait vraiment longtemp que je ne me suis pas coucher aussi tard.
Merci pour toute ces photos de SGU, j’aime bien ce paysage, ça change.
Olalala chevron7 est pleins de fois dans les questions, je suis jalouse^^!
En ce moment je suis en pleins championnat du monde de Berlin, vous suivez un peu?
Rohh je viens d’aprendre qu’au Royaume Uni SGU sera diffuser en 6 Octobre, vous ne savez pas si cela sera aussi diffuser en France? De toute façon si c’est le cas, on ne pourra pas voir un épisode en français avant le printemp (en étant optimiste)
Passez une bonne journée! Bisou!
But there ARE horrifying demises at the end of Horror movies! Also, there are many horrifying demises in the middle and beginning of them as well! :p
I guess I’ll never understand it. Thanks for answering my question though!
Nice pics! However, it does look pretty Earth-like (other than that Carl-eating plant there); I assume there will be an acknowledgement of this observation? Kind of odd that it would be this way on the other side of the Universe.
Then again, I know almost nothing of “Time”, so who knows why that is.
That Carl-standing-at-the-gate pics is pretty epic, and totally reminds me of O’Neill at the end of The Other Guys. Classic!
So, uh, not very surprised here but, guess what the “fans” at LJ thought of your response? That’s right, they think you’re lying.
Honestly, do they actually have a source? If they do then that’s great (well, no, since that would mean we won’t get an SGA movie), but I didn’t see any at all. They just all seem to trust the original poster for no apparent reason. Then again, I didn’t try to search for a source very hard, as I can’t get through all that hate without losing what little faith I had in humanity.
Sometimes I feel like we’re living in a mini and much less important version of the Health Care debates.
On a bright note, following EternalDensity‘s idea of Eli being genre savvy, would he know of “Wormhole Xtreme!”? He should, shouldn’t he, since he’s a big geek and all? It’d be hilarious if he references it when he first sees the Stargate.
“Wait…so it’s all real?! Cool! Where’s the robot?”
I just wanted to add my thanks to you for this blog and for putting up with my opinions (and my not-so-subtle hints about the script page 😉 ). I try to be reasonable but, I suppose, everyone who posts thinks he/she is being reasonable so maybe I’m not so much.
Also, do you know how Season 5 DVD sales are/were?
Anne Teldy
hello joe.
I see pictures, it’s is beautiful.
Questions:
1)where is the DHD of the gate?
2)what is the utility of ground chevron??
merci et a la prochaine
Joe…you failed me. 🙁 But at least I had something funsies to read this morning! 😀
Heh…looks like Carl has peony envy. 🙂
@ Narelle – I think it’s easy enough to hear Yakety Sax in your head when you watch that video. Or when you watch hubby and I try to do ANY home repair on our own… 😛
@ DC – It’s nice to know I was having a discussion with an old pal. I thought you were nice…all Wraith worshippers are nice. It’s those Ronon fans you gotta watch out for… 😉
das
Sorry! I couldn’t stay up. Ya know we’re three whole hours ahead of you over on the east coast. I wondered what had happened. Glad to know you just *thought* you’d already hit publish.
And you have NOT SEEN IRONMAN YET???!!!
Drop everything you’re doing and watch it. NOW! I kinda loved it. A lot.
And pretty jungle/gate pictures. Again I think you must be filming in my backyard. Well, not so much my backyard but the conservation area two houses down from me. Just be careful. There are rattle snakes and alligators in them waters. 😯 And armadillos. If you didn’t know armadillos are REALLy mean and they scare the crap out of my dogs. My dogs that eat rattle snakes.
Trish
@otros ojos: I thought Carl was standing next to the world’s (universe’s???) first naturally grown jungle Q-tip. Or maybe I’m the only one that sees a Q-tip where there are none.
Hi Joe,
As I was looking at your todays pick, is it me or the Gate in IMG_0424X pic is smaller than the SG1/Atlantis one in diameter… Not sure if a Jumper would fit through ??? Or is it Carl that actualy got bigger ?
Pity it wasn’t movies made in the 80’s. The Breakfast Club would definitely be top of my list. John Hugheswas the greatest!
Joe…I don’t think this is appropriate for your blog, so don’t post it (unless, of course, you think it’s okay). But I thought I might warn you…
[edited only because I couldn’t check out the link. For some reason it doesn’t play on my laptop. I think the dogs enacted some sort of parental control feature.]
😯
…
..
.
😆
das
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?!!
Hehehehe…I knew I’d get you somewhere in that list last night. OK, so The Lake House may not be an Academy Award winner but I say screw the Academy. That was a bloody great film….and did I mention I was a Bullock fan? Of course I was working with my own DVD collection in coming up with that list, oh and I forgot to mention Bring it On. Now that’s a classic! 😀
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.
You know what you could build is a track along your staircase railing that you could fit a basket to and it could be like a ski lift but without the snow. All the other dogs would be jealous. Hehe I’m full of ideas.
You’re a good Dad, you know. I’ve always said if I’m coming back as an animal in the next life I want to be one of my family’s animals but I think I’d like to be one of yours.
Thanks for the pics, that looks like a really nice place for a picnic, ya know, especially if it’s a nice starry night. Can you open the roof for me?
Cheers, Chev
Im long time reader and wanted to ask you a question.
As the TV world (and film/theatre alike) is a business that depends on viewers and fans to turn a profit when it comes to planning out a story line, a season wide story arc or a new show completely (not having a dig) I was wondering does the fans reaction hold any weight? Will you contemplate whether you are over stepping the mark as it were with pushing a certain idea forward?
I just picked up some Deadpool and Batman Blackest Night, too. Really wanted to get my hands on Days Missing, but can’t find it in my neck of the woods. How is it?
Me revoila!
Alalala je viens de me rendre compte de quelque chose O_o ….mais mes amis mon déconseilles de vous en parlez car cela reléve de votre vie privée et je ne me souviens pas vous en ayez parler sur votre blog.
J’aurai tellement voulu savoir, mais bon je doit ravalé ma curiosité de fan!
Oh thanks for the jungle pics. It seems huge. And I thought stage 1 was the smallest(minus the baby stage). Uggh, I need to get back to posting regularly here. I’ve been slacking with all the trips and camps and laziness that comes summer. Well I’m getting excited about SGU again!! After some recent events I got a little discouraged but my enticipation is back up there.
Also do you think you can tell us who your second choice for Greer would have been that you were talking about a couple mailbags ago, or is it considered wrong in the showbiz to reveal alternates?
Sorry just Greer is my fav character so far so I am curious to see who else might have played him.
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
Thanks for no longer thinking I’m a stoned dirty hippie. ha! Stoned… nope, horribly allergic to MJ smoke. Hippie? I hate patchouli and think the Drainbows (Rainbow Family) are uncouth. Dirty? Yeah, a week in the dust does that. Think more Mad Max meets Alice in Wonderland begetting Dr. Seuss. Eight days and we hit the road. If anyone would like a postcard from the legendary and ephemeral Black Rock City, shoot me a snail mail addy @ maggiemayday@comcast.net
@ otros ojos You jogged a memory with this:
“*wonders if that’s a carnivorous plant Carl is standing next to*”
!!! Little Shop of Horrors.!!! BOTH versions. I have a thing for early Jack Nicholson and weird musicals. That explains a lot.
I have a backlog to get around to which includes the likes of: Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Watchmen.
Whew!! I was worried and now glad to know I’m NOT the last person in the free western fan world who hasn’t seen these. I’ve made something of a bizarre game of dodging spoilers.
Chevron7 also writes: “ 14. The Lake House.”
Answer: And…what?!!
Ahh, MY turn to recommend a movie. I really liked the twist. And I like Keanu.
“Lack of fan interest” re SGA movie
LMAO! In my perception, it’s discussed/ ranted about every single day! Let me be perfectly clear to MGM: I WANT AN SGA MOVIE!
DD
‘Ello Joe,
Greetings and salutations, etc., etc.
I’ve got a few questions lined up, in no particular order, that I was hoping you could answer (if not too much trouble on your end, of course).
1.) Other than for-work (Stargate scripts) do you read any other screenplays, teleplays or stageplays?
2.) How is a writing staff chosen on a TV series (and/or Stargate)? (Sorry to be nit-picky (is that how you spell that?) but if the staff from SGU, for example, was just carried over from SGA, and them from SG-1, how did the original staff get together?)
3.) What do you think makes or breaks a script? Story? Dialogue? Something else?
4.) Do you have a favorite screenwriter? If so, who? (While I’m at it… do you have a favorite script you’ve read?)
5.) What’s your favorite part of the script-writing process? Outlining? Character-development? First draft writing? Revisions? Just moping about, procrastinating?
And finally…
6.) Would you ever consider writing a non-Stargate feature-film (theatrically released or not)?
I lied earlier — one more…
7.) What do you consider the best thing you’ve ever written? (If it’s non-Stargate related, could you perhaps give a brief description of it???)
Thanks so much Joe. These questions had all just been rattling around in the back of my mind, as things so often do, so I figured, “What the Hell. Just ask ’em!” And I did.
Thanks for the time — best wishes!
–Capt. Kirk on the River Kwai
P.S. — A quick glance at your IMDB page, and I noticed you wrote for “The Busy World of Richard Scary”. That was my favorite show when I was younger!!! Just thought you might like to know!
P.P.S. — If any of the questions have been asked/answered before, sorry. 🙁
DC: “What the heck is that crazy plant Mr. Binder is standing next to? It looks like it could eat him…”
For some reason it made me think of the cactus in SGA…. 😀
Hey Joe, been reading your blog for quite some time, but I’ve never been one to just make random comments. But something I’ve noticed for some time now, especially since you were given the OK to post the SGU pictures. I’m not sure if just some quality is being lost in the upload, but your pictures don’t seem to be as high quality as I would expect for you being given a nice brand new camera from MGM (of make and model I couldn’t find in a quick blog search) Did they cheap out on some of the camera features, or is it just really picky on the focus point and doesn’t take quick pictures very well?
AVATAR trailer SUCKS!!
We liked Iron Man but you have to approach it with a sense of fun. It has big plot holes in it.
We would like to see Watchmen but it’s rated R, so we have to wait until our teen is out.
We did see Gods of War. It seemed very smooth this time. I didn’t think they needed the nude scene myself. If you wanted show the humiliation, show a nude man. Being female, I grew up feeling more vunerable but to see a man in submission….
Is that “lack of interest in the new SG movies” for real? BUT the president said the economy is better! 🙂
Tam
Bon je vais au kinésithérapeute je suis trés fatiguer j’ai mal partout et je vais me faire plier dans touts les sens…Aie, j’en ai déja mal.
Joe, This blog makes me laugh and smile, What a nice way to start a day, Thanks. … Sheryl
Good day Joe, wondering about those gate ramps shown in above pics. Will all the SGU gates have ramps because the entire gate spins?
And why won’t the SGU gates have DHD’s? Will there be space gates in SGU?
@drldeboer YES! I too want an SGA movie, so listen up MGM, we know you monitor Joe’s blog. Pay no mind to some random rumor… the VAST MAJORITY of TRUE Stargate fans WANT A Stargate ATLANTIS movie PRONTO!
There, I have vented.
One of my cats is sneezing a lot lately, and no, there is nothing stuck in her nose. I’m thinking allergies.
And the “n” key on my laptop keypad often doesn’t work unless pounded upon. This is my world, welcome to it. Sigh…
2cats
Unfounded rumor or no, I can just hear it now…the uproar over ‘lack of interest in a SGA movie’.
Here’s how I look at it:
It’s like a diet. If you are about to go on a diet, and someone tells you that the diet isn’t going to work – that you won’t lose a single pound – are you going to go on the diet anyway? No. You’re going to toss out the carrot sticks and grab the carrot cake…and a fork…and a squirty can of whipped cream.
And I think this is what has happened with our enthusiasm for the SGA movie. We’ve tossed it aside and have reached for other goodies to enjoy. The ONLY person who has given us any sort of hope is Joseph Mallozzi. That’s it. He’s still telling us the diet should work…he has hopes it will work…he WANTS it to work. But as for the rest? Brad Wright has not been encouraging at all (‘Diet? We don’t need no stinkin’ diet!’), Rob Cooper has been slightly more encouraging, but not by much (‘Maybe…if you drink ONLY water for the next 6 months…you’ll lose half a pound. And pee – a LOT.’), and the actors have been downright dismal (‘Not only are you NOT going to lose weight, but you’re gonna gain 40 pounds – of BLUBBER…in your ASS!’).
So…if fans have become discouraged and have lost their interest and enthusiasm, I think it’s safe to say that the responsibility lies primarily with the creators of the show (Wright and Cooper), and what seems to be an overall disinterest on the part of SG’s Powers that Be (which may/may not include MGM and SyFy) in the future of anything ‘Atlantis’ in favor of their new toy. But the actors also bear a good portion of the responsibility for crushing the enthusiasm of the fans with their gloom and doom ‘it ain’t happening’ prophecies. The only one who has continued to offer us hope and encouragement is Joe (accept this as my big kiss-up for the year, sir…and enjoy it. I’ll surely knock you down a peg or two before year’s end! 😉 …ooor, visa versa… 😛 )
If the film never gets made, I’m sure people will accuse Joe of lying to them, of deceiving them just to string folks along until SGU comes out. Well, it is in his best interest to keep interest alive in the franchise as a whole, but I’m guessing that as the writer of the movie, he – maybe even more than us – would like to see his creation come to life. So don’t jump on Joe for keeping hope alive, even if things don’t work out the way we all would like them to. He has an interest in this movie, too, just keep that in mind.
das
This morning, my puppy discovered the joys of a roll of toilet paper. She grabbed ahold and started running. She got away with about 10 feet before I cut her supply. Guess that’s another thing I’ll have to keep out of her reach until she forgets about it.
Harping on Unbreakable again …
It’s okay for the plot to be about answering the call to action if the answer is a plot resolution that requires a fundamental change in the hero.
Yeah, a traditional journey involves some resistance to answering the call and that’s resolved when the problem hits home for the hero. That’s the problem changing, not the hero. If the problem were resolved in the next instant, the hero would be back where he started.
Not weaving the rescue in the end with the rest of the movie is forgivable (still lazy) because kids chained to plumbing is not what the movie was about.
Unbreakable is still a complete plot because of the permanent change in the hero.
Hi Joe
I’ve been catching up on your blog and it sure is hoppin’.
I’m impressed with your response to the latest SGU sides imbroglio. I’m inclined to wait and see what actually comes out on the show.
Your list of movies was very interesting. I’ve noted a few that I’ll definitely track down. I have a few others that I’d include in a list – though I must admit that I just can’t sit down and narrow my faves down. I love movies so much and can never settle. I have a little known favorite in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension that I know I’d include. It is flawed but I just love the idea and it always makes me laugh. Speaking of laughing… I’d join a few others and add Hot Fuzz and In Bruges. On the opposite end of the spectrum I can’t forget The Shawshank Redemption. It always moves me to tears. I can’t watch The Princess Bride enough either. Babe never fails to cheer me up. Also would include and John Carpenter’s The Thing for some of the most genuine jump scares ever. That was fun. Thanks for sharing your list and prompting some good insight.
Thanks for addressing the SGA movie issue. I do hope that when the dust settles we are able to enjoy the fruits of your (and Paul’s) labor. I’m excited about SGU but also was a huge fan of SGA so I’d love to see Extinction get greenlit.
I haven’t been around much but just wanted to say how appreciative I am that you make yourself so accessible to the public in this forum. I’m sure it can get more than a bit crazy and you always handle it well.
Best of health to Lulu.
In my top ten is Master and Commander. Love the characters and settings. Inspired me to read all 20 books, and my dad did, too. Gave us lots to talk about for a couple of years.
So I’m really intrigued by Carl’s upcoming ep “Pain”, allowed to share any deets or tidbits? Pain from what…Torture? emotional pain? Or perhaps from an infected hangnail? Whose dealing with this pain?
That jungle set looks tres cool!
Well Hurricane Bill doesn’t look like a threat to the coast of Florida, but it could pose a problem for the northeast. Joe, your family is too far inland in Montreal – have they/you ever been affected by a hurrucane there??
Also, I know there are a lot of dog lovers here, but anyone have any birds???? My Quaker Parrot of 11 years has decided to pluck her feathers, particularly around her neck. This was sort of sudden I thought she was going thru a bad molt just these past 2 weeks, it’s been pretty hot here, I’ve been shedding. The night before, I was playing with her she was and looked fine, last night I noticed her feathers around he neck… completely gone.
I’m hoping it’s just stress, since my husband was out of work for 3 months and she got used to having someone home all the time and now he’s working again, she’s alone with the crazy peacefaced lovebird.
Where’s Brie?????
Master and Commander – I love that film! And, In Bruges, too. I also like a lot of low budget / indie films – the kind of stuff you might not put on a “best of” list like Bubba Hotep, Prophecy (for Christopher Walken), The Man from Earth. I haven’t looked at the Avatar trailer but I do hope it turns out to be good after all the time and effort behind it.
@ Michelle – I love AoS/HNF movies – my all-time favorite being Damned the Defiant!, followed closely by the first movie installment of A&E’s Horatio Hornblower. But when Master and Commander came out, I had just started recovering from a pretty deep depression by spending 3 months in the movie theater watching POTC:COTBP and having a good laugh for the first time in ages. So when I went to see M&C I wasn’t ready yet for a serious Age of Sail/Historical Naval Fic movie, and didn’t enjoy it as I would have liked to.
Recently, with my head in a much better place, I think I’m ready to watch – and finally enjoy – Master and Commander. Hubby has been bugging me to dust off the Hornblower movies, I finally got Damned the Defiant! on DVD…so perhaps it’s time to pick up a copy of M&C and spend a weekend locked up in the house, with weevily biscuits and rum and lumps of hard, moldy cheese. The cats can double as the rats. 😀 I have the room all ready for it, too:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/captbed2.jpg
(And yes, I do have a cat-o’-nine, besides… 😉 Live the fantasy, I say! 😀 )
das
Well, Joe…it’s probably best you couldn’t open the link. It’s also best to avoid any places in Tokyo that advertise ‘air sex competions’, no matter how tempted you are to see the next big thing to hit Japan. Be warned – once you witness it, you will never be able to unsee it again. Ever.
Mostly, it’s like air guitar…only it’s the maneuvers a bunch of fully clothed, [mostly] virgin Japanese men think will bring a lady…or something else…to the pinnacle of ecstasy.
It’s both funny, and pathetic, at the same time. Mostly pathetic. And quite disturbing, though I’m not sure if I’m most disturbed by those taking part in the competion, or those watching.
Now, excuse me while I go gouge out my eyeballs. 😛
das
Hi! Cool pix! Just wanted to say I can’t wait for the SGA movie. I already set aside $50, since I don’t know how much it’ll be. I’m really excited that you already wrote it. Yay!
I haven’t been reading a lot of spoilers so I know very little aobut your upcoming show. Never really watched SG1 much either.
I’m assuming the cool Gate pix are from SGU?
@dasNdanger
Holy crap, you like the Hornblower series too?! And here I thought I was the only one I knew who liked it!
Now I’m going to have to see if the library has a copy of M&C so I can see what all the fuss is about.
@das…
“So…if fans have become discouraged and have lost their interest and enthusiasm, I think it’s safe to say that the responsibility lies primarily with the creators of the show (Wright and Cooper), and what seems to be an overall disinterest on the part of SG’s Powers that Be (which may/may not include MGM and SyFy) in the future of anything ‘Atlantis’ in favor of their new toy. But the actors also bear a good portion of the responsibility for crushing the enthusiasm of the fans with their gloom and doom ‘it ain’t happening’ prophecies. The only one who has continued to offer us hope and encouragement is Joe”
YAY das! I feel the same about this issue and (you have voiced it well) DO HOPE that whatever may become of the already written SGA film ‘Extinction’, produced or no, we thank Joe and Paul for writing it with creativity and devotion!
Dam , does ayoe know what to do about a key that wo’t work uless struck with force?! My “n” key is broke … bwa-a-a-a-a
2cats
Revising to my earlier statement…
Unbreakable is still a complete plot because of the permanent change in the hero and the sufficiently complicated internal conflict he had to overcome to accept his calling.
So…you didn’t say…did you manage to ‘squeeze in a quick Iron Man’? Did you like it?
Ya know…that doesn’t sound right… 😛
das
@ DP – There is a fundamental change in the character in Unbreakable. David acknowledges to his son that he is the hero, and by doing so he acknowledges this to himself. You can look at the ending in two ways – in that he accepts his role of hero and turns Elijah over to the authorities (a la Spider-Man), or – and less likely – he turns Elijah over to rid himself of his nemesis, because without a nemesis, he’s no longer a hero, but just a regular Joe.
das
Je vais au lit =) Bonne nuit!
Je suis impatiente de voire votre nouveaux article de demain!
Bizz!
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.
No, Ford got written off after season one, but not before being made into an angry junkie wraith-eye hybrid (and was arguably underdeveloped until then), and Rachel is one hell of a feminine man, that’s all I’m saying (she’s more of a case of the non-white warrior alien female diplomat hybrid – try saying that three times quickly). Ford got to beat on Ronon who got to beat on Teal’c while Bates yelled at passersby. Stargate’s Angry Black Men ™ are like piranhas: stick two together in a room and they fight. There’s a bit of a pattern. Unplanned or not, astronauts from space can see it.
The bottom line seems to be could have, should have, didn’t. We’re told that various characters were potentially going to be played by ethnicity x, but they never were. SGA was going to have a gay character, but this was cut or never canon and instead it was completely hetero-normative. There seems to be a disconnect between intentions and what the final choices were and I’m sure there are studio pressures and the like, but being told that the background mechanisms of the audition slides didn’t count because it’s not the finished product, but then being told that the finished product somehow shouldn’t be judged because of intentions in the background…
It’s not to say that stargate is the worst offender when it comes to these tropes. Not even close. But that’s also not to say that the final product doesn’t have issues. My theory is that when you get a writing team that’s, shall we say…lacking in diversity, it can make things more difficult to write for a group of characters that are diverse, which means either white washing the show or getting in a freelance writer who is female….oh wait, crap.
Oh hell, I had to laugh at that, how could you not.
Carl is quite a ham. What would you do without him?
@ kabra, we have two lovebirds and when they shed the feathers around their necks the bird-vet (no, he does not fly) immediately zeroed in on too much oil in their diet.
He suggested we stick to plain budgie seed and this helped immensely.
Ask your vet what he thinks.
@ DC – I not only loved the Hornblower series – I also won an A&E essay contest on WHY I loved the Hornblower series! I am such a geek! 😀
I still love ‘Oratio, and the series, but I did just cover up my A&E prize (a autographed picture of Archie (Jamie Bamber), with Todd’s lovely green mug. It was time…
@ DC – Oh, okay…NOW you make sense! 😀
@ 2cats – I just dread what backlash may come Joe’s way since he’s the most visible of the old SGA team. Not just for Joe’s sake (besides, he’s a big boy and can handle himself), but also for bogging down the bestest blog ever with pissy-moany hissy fits…something which *I* have never done… *shifty eyes*
And about that ‘n’ key. Sorry, can’t help. My letters are mostly worn off my keyboard, and I just type by instinct. My husband gets so irritated because when he goes to use my computer, he doesn’t know where any of the letters are. He tells me to buy a new keyboard. I prefer the challenge. 😀
That said, it may be your only option – new keyboard. Unless you’re handy with tools and can take your keyboard apart and see if there’s something mucking up the key (which is what I do because I like to take stuff apart, figure out how it works, then put it back together. I’ve dissected a lot of stuff in my house…lol). Anyway, if you’re not mechanically inclined, I suggest getting a can of electronics cleaner, and squirting the heck out of your keyboard (a good cleaning with a Q-tip or keyboard cleaning gadget might help, too.
das
Hiya, Joe!
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.
Er. Point taken. And? Ohthankgod.
I think you’re really going to enjoy Iron Man which is just about everything a great comic book movie should be. Robert Downey just knocks his performance right out of the park.
A Walk in the Woods is Bill Bryson’s funniest book. I remember reading it aloud to my husband on a road trip and we had to pull over because we were laughing so hard.
(Figured it was only polite to comment on things I’m *happy* about instead of just showing up to beat my shield. Hi!)
I understand that TV shows have more to do in terms of sexuality.
More realistic everyday topics being tackled is definitely a step towards broader portrayal of sexuality in TV.
Two common ones is homophobia in black/african-american culture and forced marriage across some asian cultures. Some of the more “quiet” issues are overlooked for the “easier” ones.
@2 cats
So do you speak for the vast majority of Stargate fans? You know the many millions of people worldwide that view the show in various countries.
Or do you just speak for Gateworld?
There really isn’t any rush to make a SGA movie, at the end of the day the normal everyday public who follow most shows aren’t in that much of a rush to see an extension. To the casual viewer the final episode really was the final and something extra, is just something extra.
I hope you get a laugh from Iron Man. I really enjoyed it, despite viewing on an 8 inch screen (plane flight). I must have looked a little loopy laughing to myself (it’s Robert Downey Jnr – he makes me laugh). Although the twitching Husband next to me after taking 2 tranquillisers purchased from Bangkok airport got more attention. Particularly from Quarantine when we landed back in Australia. Talk about heart palpitations.
The Watchmen I’m still WTF’ing about. Again, viewed on an 8 inch screen. The huge thunderstorm we were circling around somewhere over Northern Australia was far more interesting.
Chev – Bring It On rocks!
Joe – Found this article about Iain Banks’ next novel
Whoa. Just got sent the link through Twitter to this amazing fan video for SGA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbD1DaiGpvE
Geez, I got all choked up.
Randomness: I’m a normal everyday person and I would like to see all the SGA (and SG-1) movies made pronto!
I want to see how Teyla gets home. Earth politics would just ruin Atlantis, right? Besides won’t a plane fly into that big invisible city on the Bay? You know that some plane would ignore the “No Fly Zone”. Pesky reporters, no doubt. 😉 The last episode wasn’t final enough for me. The sooner, the better!
I agree with all but one of the points 2Cats made. I love to hear the actors feedback comments! I can take it.
I only speak for myself, though.
Tam
Dd you see what’s up at Twitter? I signed up just to tweet @MGM_STUDIOS. Who else should I hit?
Anne Teldy
@Dovil~
Sorry to repeat myself, but you seem to have missed what I said the first time ….
According to Jason Momoa’s official site, Jason is of both Hawaiian and Caucasian ancestry. His wikipedia entry clarifies this as Hawaiian on his father’s side & German-Irish American on his mother’s side. So he does not fit into the “angry black man stereotype” arguement. I’ve never heard of an “Angryu HAwaiian” — stereotypically, they’re known for being laid-back. Germans and Irish, on the other hand …. 😉 (I can say that — I’m also fo German and Irish descent, amongst other things).
Dean Marshall, who plays Bates, is of Trinadad and Tobango decent, areas populated primarily of people who are, in turn, of South American Indian and Spanish (which would make him part Caucasian) descent. If there’s any African in his heritage, I see nothing written that indicates it.
Teyla may know how to kick ass, but that’s because she comes from a people who have had to fight to survive — regardless of who was cast in the role, whoever played her would be a warrior. And Rachel’s also half French. Shall we split her in half so only her Caucasian side can play the “angry native”? 😉
And Teal’c isn’t angry all that often — he’s pretty damn serene. Daniel’s angrier than Teal’c! XD
And if TPTB had done their casting so that only full-blooded whites could play those roles, how would *that* have looked? And Jason, Rachel, Dean, and Chris wouldn’t have gotten jobs they seemed to love!
Gah, I didn’t mean for quite so much of that post to be in bold — sorry! Apparently I forgot to close a tag … and check for typos. XD
Ah, I stand corrected — Rachell’s father is not French, as I thought I remembered reading a while back, but rather from Louisiana and of British descent.
Trish –
I thought Carl was standing next to the world’s (universe’s???) first naturally grown jungle Q-tip. Or maybe I’m the only one that sees a Q-tip where there are none.
No, I agree – definitely looks like a Q-tip on steroids, and in pretty colors, no less – like that one Florida triple-A baseball team called the Mimosas. But you know that saying, “Form follows function”? I guess that’s how I was thinking: big tip for a big mouth, huge trunk for whatever type of digestive system the thing has, and the regularly spaced bands that circle it could disguise joints that give it the flexibility to reach just about anything. (Much like Q-tips, coincidentally enough . . . hmm.)
Any guesses as to who or what might use this plant, besides its obvious function as a humor-generator? Or maybe it’s the fumes. . . . I mean, check out Carl’s grin. Gotta be more than your average Q-tip to do that.
maggiemayday –
Little Shop of Horrors – Yes!! I *have* to see that. Jack Nicholson is so good, there’s no point in my reaching for superlatives, and the story sounds absolutely hysterical – in that quirky way I love so much. Your endorsement seals the deal for me (I loved Lust in the Dust *w*) and reminded me that I’ve neglected poor Audrey for way too long.
PS: Re. Lust in the Dust, I’ve been looking for the prequel, Desperately Seeking Futon – no luck yet. . . .
Bye everybody! See you next week! Have a great weekend (I’ll be thinking of all of you at the con)!
Ann Teldy
re: your note below…
Dd you see what’s up at Twitter? I signed up just to tweet @MGM_STUDIOS. Who else should I hit?
also include @syfy and the note #GiveMeMySGAMovie (this will make it easier to track.) If you click on that link you will see how many people are doing the same thing. It is pretty cool.
@wolfenm – ‘black’ doesn’t necessarily only equate to ‘African’. A lot of Australian Aborigines (no matter their skin colours) refer to themselves as ‘blackfellas’, and they’re not African.
Hi Mr Molozzi, how come you have never shown us any images of the Universe DHD? Will it look exactly the same as the SG-1/Atlantis one, or will it be a portable DHD, like the one Teal’c uses in Continuum, perhaps worn on a wrist? or is it like the SG-1/Atlantis idea, but aesthetically different? Looking forward to your answer, sorry if this has already been asked and you have either said you can’t or you have shown/given a description of it. Thanks again
@wolfenm, I apologise, to be honest I didn’t think it was relevant. When viewers watch these characters on screen how do you think they view them? As POC. They’re not sitting in front of their televisions googling the actors family historys. (And as a complete sidenote, because this is about the actors not the characters: I’m not sure about Rachel, but I have read that Jason identifies as a POC). I could be a white actor with a great great great grandmother from Nigeria, but it doesn’t matter much if on screen my skin tone etc and the character that I’m playing is seen as white.
And if TPTB had done their casting so that only full-blooded whites could play those roles, how would *that* have looked?
Hey, I’m not saying stargate is Aryan Nation here! Or that they’re asking that actors turn up with their genelogy. Plus ‘full-blooded whites’? Say what now?
Maybe Scary Black Man is a better term (actually Angry Black Man refers to ‘Fighting The Man’ so I was using the incorrect terminology – I didn’t even realise there was one):
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScaryBlackMan
Hmm is Carl wondering how to cook that rather vast piece of vegetation?
I’d grill it and serve it with a nice Hollandaise sauce. Would feed a family of… well it’d feed all of Vancouver.
@riley ~ Point taken. But Jason and Dean aren’t of Australian Aboriginal descent either …. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be insensitive to the issue at hand. I just think that these are not actually very good examples of the issue, and actually deteriorate the efforts. Not to mention, if there was an Italian playing Bates’ role, people cold be shouting that he’s a stereotypical angry Italian, you know? How about scenes where Ronon drinks? No one complains that there’s an Irishman/German being a stereotipical drinker! Avoid stereotypes like enough here could come a point where there’s no one left to cast. XD
Not to say that stereotypes should always be shrugged off — certainly not — but when you’re using and arguement with a false foundation — such as the fact that Jason is not even black in the first place, that Hawaiians are not stereotyped as angry, and that he’s part Causcasian to boot — it weakens the arguement.
And I also find it a bit insulting to the actors. I don’t think Ronon is so two-dimensional. And a character would be pretty dull if they were serene happy *aaaallll* the time, never angry. Ronon has good *reason* to be angry, and he is a fighter because he’s a soldier. he would have been the same if a white guy were cast in the role — like Kyrik. Teal’c fights, yeah — so does Cameron. Ronon, fights, yeah — so does Sheppard. Teyla fights, yeah — when needed. She can also now operate the Daedalus, and is a thoughtful, wise, intelligent person, good at offering advice and comfort to those who need it. All the characters do a multitude of things. I will agree that there could stand to be more people of colour in medical, scientific, and administrative roles — happily, Carolyn fits that bill (if you overlook her being half-white — hey, if we overlook it for Ronon, and apparently negative role for a person of colour to play, why not in a non-angry-and-therefore-positive role as well?), and Wray, and Xiaoyi. And there have been many white aliens over the course of the episodes of both shows, in bot just “advanced” but primitive-to-medieval societies, once with less tech than the Jaffa (and there *have* been white Jaffa). Halling, Jinto, Kyrik, Lucuis Lavin and many people in both of his villages, the Brotherhood, the Cimmerians, just to name a few. Ronon’s people were amongst the most advanced societies in Pegasus, not primitives! And while primitive because of their being on the run, Teyla’s people had tech — look at the fancy lighter thing from Rising! She learned to use Atlantis tech quickly. Holding on to her cultural heritage does not, in my eyes, make her lesser than the people of Earth — as she has proven time and again!
Maybe I’m just being guilty of “white priveledge”, but I just don’t see the characters as being icons for “angry people of colour” — I see people who are sometimes angry and sometimes happy, depending on what’s going on in their lives. People I can often relate to, regardless of their skin colour or mine.
And when Bates is being an ass, I don’t blame it on his ethinicty, I blame it on him being a close-minded git. XD He’d be that no matter who played him. I don’t mistake the character for the actor, and I don’t think anyone who watches him or Ronon or Teyla or Teal’c thinks “Gee, ethnic people are always so angry and alien and primitive!” Give the audience a little credit, ne? 😉
@Dovil ~ I used the term full-blooded whites because Jason is half white but, as you say, is still considered a POC. So if, seeing as he is as someone who is half-white, casting him in the role is *still* bad because of the non-white side of his heritage, then that suggests that only people who are not any bit non-white would have be acceptable/not falling into the Scary Black Man trope. Or I guess at least don’t identify as POC — yes, let’s use that instead, and my apologies for how bad that sounded.
Oh, and I’m sorry if I have been coming off as harsh or catty — I am definitley not trying to be, I am mostly just ruminating. It’s what I do. It’s what I liiiive for. Helping poor unfortunate merfol–er, sorry, where was I?
I have to wonder, if the tropes are such and issue and so well known, don’t the actors bear some culpability for going for the roles/agreeiong to take them? Well, aside from the fact that one has to take work where one can get it! But are big, strapping white guys who *could* play the Scary Black Man role being turned away left and right? As that article mentioned, if there aren’t enough people coming forward who could play them, what do you do? Should Michael Clark Duncan pass up all such jobs? Or should we just never have big, scary warrior guys in stories anymore? Is there a way we can push for white guys to beef up and black guys to get wiry and geeky?Where is Jaleel White when you need him? He could have been Daniel! 😀 (I’m serious — I could see it …)
H’hum…It’s getting close to my bedtime, Joey Malloie…*poke, poke*
Which reminds me…
Do (or did) you have any nicknames that you hate?
My sister used to call me bubble butt. 😛 (Which is slightly better – or worse – than my husband calling me ‘love lumps’… 🙄 )
das
wolfenm said @riley ~ Point taken. But Jason and Dean aren’t of Australian Aboriginal descent either …. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be insensitive to the issue at hand. I just think that these are not actually very good examples of the issue, and actually deteriorate the efforts. Not to mention, if there was an Italian playing Bates’ role, people cold be shouting that he’s a stereotypical angry Italian, you know? How about scenes where Ronon drinks? No one complains that there’s an Irishman/German being a stereotipical drinker! Avoid stereotypes like enough here could come a point where there’s no one left to cast. XD
Not to say that stereotypes should always be shrugged off — certainly not — but when you’re using and arguement with a false foundation — such as the fact that Jason is not even black in the first place, that Hawaiians are not stereotyped as angry, and that he’s part Causcasian to boot — it weakens the arguement. … etc.
Since I wasn’t the one making the argument about the stereotype of the ‘scary black man’ I won’t be answering most of what you’ve written in your response to me. However, there are a few things I would like to say.
No one complains that there’s an Irishman/German being a stereotipical drinker! As dovil pointed out, that’s because no one looks at Ronon and thinks he’s Irish or German. Of course, if he spoke like Cowan, everyone *would* say that.
I think you do need to be careful saying things like “Jason is not even black in the first place” and “he’s part Causcasian to boot”. I know quite a few people who would thump you for suggesting their skin isn’t dark enough to qualify them for consideration as people of colour. Their complexions may be as fair as my Irish skin, but they identify with their Aboriginal or African or Asian heritage, and would take insult at being told that they don’t count because they’re ‘part-caucasian’.
Where the hell’s the blog Joe?! Getting tired here!
@riley ~
“I think you do need to be careful saying things like “Jason is not even black in the first place” and “he’s part Causcasian to boot”. I know quite a few people who would thump you for suggesting their skin isn’t dark enough to qualify them for consideration as people of colour. Their complexions may be as fair as my Irish skin, but they identify with their Aboriginal or African or Asian heritage, and would take insult at being told that they don’t count because they’re ‘part-caucasian’.
My apologies to anyone who might taken my meaning as such — that’s very far from what I meant. I am *not* dismissing that they identify with their heritage or see themselves as POC. What I was trying to say (before you pointed out the perception issue, which wis a very good arguement) is why is it that the fact that the person is Scary or Angry is attributed to only the colour in their heritage? Why can’t the negative things be blamed on their white side? THAT’S my arguement, why I keep mentioning their white heritage. It seems like the fact that they are of mixed blood is conveniently put aside / overlooked to make a point, and that was what was aggravating me.
Why *is* it that if someone is half or more non-white, the white part of their heritage is dismissed? (I’m talking about by others — obviously it’s up top each person to embrace or dismiss whatever they want to about themselevs.) Why is *that* okay for others to do? Isn’t dismissal of *any* part of someone’s heritage (by others) wrong? Isn’t a person comprised of all their genetics *AND* their environment? For example of the latter part of that equation, if I were raised in, say, Japan my whole life, would that not be part of my identity just as much as my genetics? Especially if I knew nothing of my genetic heritage? (Which doesn’t really equate to Jason’s situation, because he is familiar with his Hawaiian heritage, I know — I’m, again, just musing ….) I’ve heard Tiger Woods gets very irritated when he’s referred to as a black man when he also is part Asian …
Anyway, I’m not dismissing Jason’s Hawaiian heritage; my issue was he was being assigned a heritage that is *not* not his, and it was being used in support of an arguement that, since it wasn’t true, it didn’t actually support.
But I will concede that perception does play a big part, you and Dovil both make a good point there, especially with the Cowan example. We the audience can’t really help making inuitive leaps when circumstances at least *seem* to meet a criteria we’re familiar with. If you thought he looked black (I never did — I *did* see him as ethnic, but I didn’t figure black), I can see how it could be upsetting to see another Scary Black Man.
But if the problem is that people do look at him and see a black man, and then make the leap that black men seldom play anothing other than Scary Black Men, isn’t there also a problem here with the *audience* making assumptions? Is it the writer’s fault if the audience perceive Ronon as a Scary Black Man when he *isn’t* one? Should Momoa not have gotten the job because audience perception might support a sterotype regardless of reality?
Well, I guess there isn’t realy an easy answer. :/ But I’m glad Jason got the part — I think he does a fantastic job. I’d never know what I was missing if he weren’t in it, sure, but it’d be a loss all the same.