Progress on the script front. This morning, I finished Act II of The Hunt, working out the troublesome dialogue – as I often do – while driving. I hope to hit the 30 page mark by end of week, then the 40 page mark by end of next week. By the time I return to the office, it should be smoooooooooth sailing. Of course, I won’t be able to do any actual writing because, with Paul prepping Alliances, my presence will be required on set to make sure actor Peter Kelamis doesn’t finish off all the craft service sandwiches again. Still, I should have the script – with its A, B, C, and D stories – in pretty good shape by the end of August. Now the on-set producing on THAT shoot should be plenty interesting and, no doubt, reminiscent of the week I spent on Harmony way back in Atlantis’s fourth season. Thankfully, the location we’re looking at won’t be quite as a far as Wigeon Park, meaning: a) less likelihood of a bear jacking my lunch, b) I’ll be able to sleep in past 5:30 a.m., and, most importantly, c) no getting lost and running afoul of backwoods cannibals.
Jelly continues to improve. Although her hip movements continues to be a tad awkward, she does seem more energetic and yesterday, for the first time in recent memory, she actually stood up on her hind paws. She got her stitches out this morning. The doctor has pleased with her progress and reminded me it’s only been about a week and a half since the stem cell procedure. I’m considering bringing her in for hydro-therapy (having her join the local water polo dog team) and picking her up one of those PEMF (pulsing electro-magnetic field) blankets that SGU Editor Maverick Mike Banas P.I. says has worked wonders for his dog. They’re mighty pricey however. Wonder if I should just make my own.
Hey, some interesting trailers coming out of the recently concluded Comic Con. These are the ones that caught my attention.
SPOILER ALERT!
First up, a trailer for the prequel to one of the biggest television surprises of 2010 – Spartcacus: Blood and Sand.
I’m not usually a fan of prequels, but John Hannah is brilliant as the conniving Quintus Lentulus Batiatus and I look forward to learning more about his character and, of course, the House of Batiatus. If you missed Spartacus when it premiered on Starz in January, then circle September 21st on your calendar. That’s when the first season is being released on DVD – with plenty of time to catch up before Spartacus: God of the Arena premieres in January of 2011.
Still with television. As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of Robert Kirkman’s zombie comic series The Living Dead – so it should come as no surprise that I’m really looking forward to the upcoming television series, premiering in October on AMC:
Well, aint this a kick in the pants. The only version of the trailer
available is one some fan recorded from the audience during the panel.
Special Features Producer – and admitted zombie fanatic – Ivon Bartok is especially looking forward to this one.
While Watchmen had its flaws, there’s no arguing the fact that it was visually stunning. And the word stunning also comes to mind while checking out the trailer to Director Zack Snyder’s upcoming big screen project, Sucker Punch:
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until March of 2011 to see it.
Oh, and then there’s the season 2 trailer for a little series called Stargate: Universe –
Oooh, intriguing. What is Greer torching with that flamethrower? Is that…Dr. Perry? Is that…Caine?! Standing behind Rush out of focus, is that…?!! What did Rush discover? Who the hell is Eli kissing? Was that a shuttle crash? What the hell is happening to Chloe? Is Scott decking who I think he’s decking? Soooo many questions. I can’t wait until September to learn the answers. I may just go ahead and read the scripts.
So, what are you all looking forward to?
Another positive and positively spoilerific review of Masked here: http://bostonbookbums.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/biblioholic-review-masked/
And regular readers weigh in with their thoughts here: http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/masked-edited-by-lou-anders/
and here: http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com/2010/07/book-tour-masked.html. Bonus points for working Big Wolf on Campus into her review.
And this blog has been receiving some pretty rave reviews of its own. I dug the following out of my spam folder:
Zod Carlos of Healthy Effects calls it a: “Powerful blog entry. You definitely know what you are talking about here. Im so happy I was able to find this site. I look to see more great writing from you. Keep up the excellent work.”
egj05 writes: “I think it was a great article.”
WatchPredatorsforfreeonline says: “very cool 
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Strollersforcheap raves: “Excellent blog with lots of useful information on strollers. I just favorited it in my browser, so I can always check out your blog! are there any products you would recommend?”
And FedoraHats4Sale marvels: “A Eager Quality For That Jaunty Happen! Do you expect to seem full when you go out? Do you assonant that coolheaded, snappy ornamentation endorsement?”
I am humbled.
I am ashamed to say that I have yet to read anything in Masked. I hate this time of year – it’s hot, it’s stressful at work, and by evening I’m too worn out and too unmotivated to do anything, especially read. I have kept up with comics, but I have one half-finished Solomon Kane graphic novel, a barely-started Elric book, a still-in-plastic Dark Tower/Gunslinger…not to mention Masked…so I’m a bit backed up. I really need some snow days soon. 😛
Good to hear Jelly continues to improve! You’re a good daddy, Joe. 🙂 Have a good evening, sir!
das
Hi Joe, I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about PEMF therapy. Hell, you’ve already spent a bundle, what’s a little more? Glad to hear Ms Jelly is doing so well!
Joe,
I’m as excited as you are about Sucker Punch – I think Snyder has a great eye for the asthetic beauty of violence.
The Stargate Universe trailer looks great! I’m glad we’ll be seeing Caine and Franklin again.
One question I have for you – will we be seeing Eli get out of that “You Are Here” t-shirt? I understand a character’s costume can become part of their motif but in a gritty serialised show like Universe, it seems unnecessary and distracting to me.
Keep up the great work (on the show, comic and blog!)
Cheers.
Yipes, there’s a fair amount of spoilage in that SGU trailer, or at least implied spoilage, which may be enough for some people to want to not watch it.
Still, “intriguing” is a very good word to describe it, thanks!
As for the other two…
I didn’t see the first Spartacus, so I’m not sure how I feel about this one.
Sucker Punch looks like Retro Asian Steampunk Mortal Kombat, which could be really good or really meh. And if there’s not more steak than sizzle compared with 300 and Watchmen, then the title will also be an apt description of what he’s done to us viewers.
i just gotta say, reading your blog makes me hungry. you always post the most mouth watering shots of meals your having, and even though there were none today, you’ve conditioned me to just get hungry just coming to your blog. congratulations! lol
it reminds me of when i watched Iron Chef. The original not the cheap american knock off. i gotta say, when i watched that show, i would get hungry. they made the most amazing dishes and always presented them nicely.
keep up the good work, and keep the food coming! lol
LOL at that last one. Ah, silly spammers.
>Do you assonant that coolheaded, snappy ornamentation
>endorsement?”
I do. I *so* do.
However, as I lack a froody moniker like “FedoraHats4Sale”, I’m not sure how much my assonance is worth.
Glad to hear of Jelly’s continued progress! And of course your progress on the script front! 🙂
– KB
hey joe
cant wait for sgu season 2!!
looks full of action secrets and revalations
a few mailbag questions
With the ancient weapons platform destroyed and 304’s now unable to defend even against hatak vessels…
1.Is earth basicly deffensless if an attack from the Lucian allience were to occure? or from any other enemy for that matter?
2.If so will the lucian alliance or other enemy make a run for earth in future episodes?
3.Any chance of finding out what happened to the ori followers and there ships in the milkyway following there defeat, in the future?
WOHOO JELLY!
Great SGU clip!
Speech of spammers often sound very Yoda can, yes?
*twitches* Is. It. September. Yet!!??? The suspense is killing me!
I am really looking forward to the Avengers.
That trailer for Sucker Punch was awesome. Kick ass girls. My favorite kind of movie. The problem is how to get my teenage sons to watch it with me. Looks like it might have something for everyone (well, not the little ones).
Spartacus. I haven’t seen many of the episodes because I don’t have Starz. Can’t wait for the DVD version. Nice outcome on the prequel. So sad that the lead actor was ill, but they ran with the idea and possibly came up with something wonderful. John Hannah. How could they go wrong?
Yes, Scott is decking that particular person to whom you are referring. Saw that one coming. Rush controls the ship? Not so sure about that. Eli. Hmmm. Is she imaginary or real? Gotta be real if Greer says go for it.
Yay for Jelly.
@ Victor
I think the Hammond was only damaged heavily by the surprise attack because it did not have its shields set for battle, only a minimal shielding that kept space debris from damaging the ship. THat is only my theory tho. Not only that but I did not see the Hammond fire Asgard Beams at the Hat’ak, so we can guess they weren’t powered up.
hey im not seeing the trailer even if you put it in your blog. unless you think its cooler than the episodes itself then yeah sure I guess.
Sucker Punch? as cool visually as it is, and as Japanese as it looks like, there doesnt seem to be much substance there. I rather see Transformers 3.
Zach basically said that the movie is a collection of everything “cool” he can think of. A movie that does try to be everything ends up being nothing IMO.
Hi Joe do you watch/like any british sci-fi like Doctor Who and Space 1999 or Blake’s 7?
Oh my, I loved SGU season 1, but 2 is going to be awesome! I barely can wait until September.
“The Hunt”, huh? Any chance of baying foxhounds and red-jacketed equestrians?
So sue me, I grew up in “fox hunt” country. (Even in the 60’s, the huntmaster dragged scent instead of chasing real foxes.)
Hi Mr M!
Oh that old FedoraHat4Sale! He’s such a laugh. He’s been at the Absinthe again hasn’t he?
S’n’T
Great news that Jelly continues to improve, however I’m not quite sure she’s ready for Mariko Takahashi’s Dog Fitness class. I’m not sure any of us are, however it is mildly hypnotic and 100% bizarro. Enjoy!!! Squeeze!!!!
Cheers, Chev
When my dad trained greyhounds he used PEMF blankets to assist in injury recovery or general soreness and afaik it helped. I was just a kid but I remember running a magnet through the field to feel the vibration to verify the machine was working… Interesting how certain thoughts/objects that trigger memories.
Glad to see Jelly with at least some improvement and hopefully more to come.
Adam Rosalky said:
Oh I vote for Eli taking his t-shirt off…er..um changing costume…maybe someone at the Lucian Alliance happened to shop at Threadless.com and brought these with them:
Fake Pandas Have more Fun
Don’t Care Bears
Loch Ness Imposter
Spoilt
If you can’t beat ’em use cheat codes
While I was browsing Threadless for new Tees I came across some for yourself and Ivon:
Imagine me, a Ninja Pirate, riding atop a zombie unicorn…
Every Night I Have the Same Dream, Issue 2, Vol. 1
Every Night I Have the Same Dream, Issue 3, Vol. 1
Zombies in Wonderland
Cheers, Chev
I’m really looking forward to “Red”, based on the Warren Ellis comics. Any movie featuring acclaimed actress Helen Mirren behind a machine gun… 😀
Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_ZjBJv-rA0
OK… That preview of season 2 is too much… Can I sleep up to ep 1 !!!
Great job…. Long life to the Stargate Franchises….
Ever had the idea of a Stargate moving that would be out of the series context but including actors from the 3 series ??
Masked is languishing on my bedside table. You’d think that if I couldn’t sleep, I could read instead. Not so much. But it won’t go anywhere and is in the good company of my F&SF stack.
I got my copy of Masked and I skipped to your story first. Then I went back and I’m reading the rest in order. So far, I like what I’ve read.
Coucou! La forme joseph?
Moi moyen, aujourd’hui une bouteille d’eau de javelle ma exploser à la figure, j’en ai pleins sur les vêtemenst, qui sont bon à jeter maintenant.
Contente que l’état de Jelly s’amélior de jour en jour…du polo pour chien O_0? qu’est ce que s’est cette invention? je veux voir ça lol.
Allez gros bisou!
A plus tard
Rock on Jelly! Yo go girl!
Finally! A zombie TV series!
Eagerly awaiting season 2 of SGU!
I am working my way slowly thru saved Spartacus eps, it has been better than expected. But then, I like Lucy. And John.
Not too sure about that other TV trailer, looks vaguely familiar & maybe a tad interesting in terms of action.
Here’s to perfect assonance.
DD
I’m not surprised that “Masked” is getting good reviews, I liked it.
Thanks for the links!!!! I can’t wait for the new season to begin!
Great news about Jelly! Keep up the good work with her therapy. Are the other dogs getting jealous of the attention Jelly is receiving?
The big news story here is the death of basketball player Lorenzen Wright. http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story/New-Details-In-The-Lorenzen-Wright-Mystery/CZ4wCm7ojEqkIEWQbJar9g.cspx?rss=59
It just shows that you can’t rely on being large to avoid being a victim of crime. In Memphis, if you have nice things, then you are a potential victim. The gun is a big equalizer for these gang bangers. I met Lorenzen once and he seemed a nice guy. Lorenzen left six kids. I pray he had life insurance.
Das: yes, the heat is a killer. It’s killed eight adults in Memphis, TN this summer. All of them had some kind of underlying health problem. We’ve been very lucky that no “kids’ in the car seats” have died, yet. Usually, we have one or two of those every summer from day care vans or a forgetful dad. There was a mom who forgot her kid and went to a doctor’s appointment but observant pedestrians called police. Poor kid, can you imagine being forgotten by your parent(s)?
oris and ancients formed only one before.
We have never had the opportunity to be able to observe one of alteran ship.
given that the destiny is the oldest ancient ship we have ever known.
Is that possible he could looks be like the ships were before the seperation of ancients and oris
love the Spartacus gods of the arena trailer. Even if January seems an ungodly time away right now. And that SGU show trailer wasn’t too shabby either. Might have to watch it again, and see what details I can pick up.
If you’re going all out with Jelly, might as well throw in some aromatherapy and doggie tai-chi. I’m glad the stem cell therapy seems to have worked, but I can sense the gleeful handrubbing of doggie-service vendors focussing in on you now. Not that Jelly isn’t worth every penny spent on her, but no sense in spending pennies that aren’t doing her any good…
Ok, so much for the mommy lecture. Thanks for the post, and looking forward to more. And can’t wait till you get around to doing the location shoots, and the posts that will generate…
Joe – you know what I REALLY want to see, and hear???
You and Akemi having a conversation in Japanese. I wanna see if your Canadian accent comes through. 🙂
das
@ Tammy Dixon – Worse than the heat here is the lack of rain. The rest of the state has had storms and showers, but down here at the tip we rarely get decent rain in the summer. Everything is dry and crispy, and it’s making me depressed (dry, sunny days make me down – cloudy, rainy days make me happy – go figger).
As far as forgetting kids in cars, I blame it on our society, with everyone being forced into multitasking. I almost walked out of the house one day naked because I got so busy doing stuff around the house (cleaning, answering the phone, etc), I totally forgot I didn’t have any clothes on. 😛 So I can understand people being so distracted that they don’t even remember the most important things.
das
[Insert crazy maniacal laughter]. Wow. Nice trailer for SGU season 2. Love the Sucker Punch trailer! Yay for girls with swords! And I’m glad they are doing a Spartacus prequel; John Hannah and Lucy Lawless kicked butt on that show.
All around plenty to look forward to! And I’m glad Jelly’s improving. What’s money anyway; you can’t take it with you. Absolutely get the cool Neutron Electro Phaser blanket for Jelly. You can use it on all the pups when they have aches and pains, maybe even on yourself on the days when you eat bad oysters.
One more thing, no more hats for James! She’s more of a bad ass without it. Those cammie hats are squashy looking. Why not get her a zippy dark gray Stargate uni with the black boots and black vest, like the Whispers girls had? Hm, I feel like I’m choosing outfits for Laura Croft (also lots of fun).
PS so cool to see that Eli has a possible honey! Chloe has a cool alien thingie! And I’m happy to see Rush’s wife back again (as a dream spirit? or alien body changing tic?) Looks like she’s the only one who can get under Rush’s skin.
The actor who played my favorite Goa’uld passed away:
“More chicken, more chicken!”
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2010/07/nerus-actor-maury-chaykin-has-passed-away/
Jim
Joe – Please, please, PLEASE get one of these for Lulu, or maybe Maximus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DsaXfNgQZ4&feature=related
😆
das
Hi Joe:
Since I’m taking things easy while I recover from a 10 day hospital stay, I’m reading Stephen King’s “Under The Dome”.
I like Stephen King, although, at 1072 pages, I find him a bit wordy. He seems to have trouble telling a story in 500 pages or less. I know you said you wanted to read this book once it was in paper back. Have you picked up a copy yet?
Patricia
Das: Well, I agree that all this multitasking can make one forgetful. I frequently forget to do things for “myself” but I just don’t understand a mom leaving anything live (kid/pets) in a hot car. It is much easier to wrap my head around a driver/dad forgetting their kid but a mom has the welfare of her kid genetically wired into her brain. Survival of the species and all of that. Yes, there are a few “Susan Smith’s” out there but, thankfully, they are few.
It rained today!
Very sad about Maury Chaykin.
Nice trailer! 😀
Thanks for posting that Spartacus trailer, I loved that series. Was it just a coinceidence that one of the Lucian Alliance is named Varro, or is it a little tribute to a certain gladiator?
Also, can you make sure all season 2 episodes open with Robert Carlyle’s lovely voice overs, it won’t be the same otherwise.
Season 2 looks pretty awesome. Spartacus surprised me greatly in that it was great, very well written.
Thor looks pretty cool.
Walking Dead should kick ass.
Speaking of Peter Kelamis, he voiced Goku in the Canadian Dragon Ball Z dub(For 60 something episodes). Kinda cool. The guys got talent.
@Deni – re: …” “Revisions”, the doohickey they wore on their temples to access the thingie, remember?”
Were drunk or on your cell phone when you wrote that?
To all those languishing in the heat and dry I hope you get some relief soon. I love the heat, but when everything is parched it can feel as dead as the depth of Winter.