Well, I’ve almost finished clearing out my office. This –
– was my second carload of books. One more trip (some time next week when I’ll head in to watch Day 2 mixes of The Hunt and Common Descent) and I should be done.
Well today, in addition to doing a little spring cleaning, I also took in a Day 1 mix of Epilogue. Kudos to writer/producer Carl Binder on this one. It has a it of everything: humor, charm, dramatic developments, and a couple of truly heartbreaking moments. A great episode that, once over, had me really excited for season three – until I remembered: Oh, right. We’re not making a season three. It’s really a shame because the back half of season two sets up a lot of terrific story elements. You’ll see what I mean when Stargate: Universe returns for its final ten episodes TUESDAY, MARCH 8th on SPACE (http://www.spacecast.com/article/The-Journeys-End-Draws-Near-for-SPACEe28099s-Acclaimed-and-Beloved-STARGATE-UNIVERSE)
And since we’re on the subject, here are a couple of behind the scene clips from an upcoming episode –
What the hell is going on in this scene? Not sure, but I suspect that THIS suspicious character –
– may figure into the mix.
Speaking of the above-depicted suspicious character, he was in today, as were other production types like John G. Lenic, Ivon Bartok, and Lawren Bacroft-Wilson.
After lunch, we headed down to post where I spent some quality time with Kerry –
– approving episode credits. Yes to Paul and my “written by” credit on The Hunt. Yes to Paul and my producer end-card at the conclusion of Common Descent. Sadly, no on Carl’s “Executive Producer” credit at the beginning of Epilogue. It can now be found at the end of Act III.
To make it up to him, I joined him for dinner (I wanted to say “I took him out to dinner” but that would be inaccurate since he paid after I pulled the old left-my-wallet-in-my-other-suit gag). Tonight, we feasted!
A great dinner at Danube. And then, it was time to hit the road…
Goodbye for now. But I have a feeling we’ll be reconnecting real soon.
Hello Joe.
You mentioned that SGU returns on SPACE, what about SyFy? Will American audiences get to see the backhalf of the season, or should I wait for the Blu-rays?
Best Wishes,
Bryan
I am trying so hard to locate a SGU Ball cap for my bald head. Is there some place I can order,buy,steal …well, not steal one? I thank you for any help you can offer.
Have a great weekend
woody
Wow, I wonder what’s going on there.
Bryan, Syfy will show the final ten episodes starting March 7th.
Aw, you’re going to make me cry! Poor Carl; he looks so sad.
BTW, I love how Space/CTV was such a great supporter of SGU and the Stargate franchise in general. They really pulled out all the stops to market it, and it paid off big time. Too bad the Canadian market doesn’t count, though. Oh well, guess I’ll have to settle for watching SG1 reruns and hope to see SGU come back in some form (movie? miniseries?) after this season ends. Another SG1 movie would be good, too!
Good luck with the packing. You sure keep a lot of stuff in your office. I keep personal items to a bare minimum at my own office.
Awwwwww. Carl looks so sad. 🙁
Hurray! SGU returns soon! 😀
Ooohhh, the video is intriguing.
The office looks alot like what a Senate office might look like. It’s been revealed that a Senator is in the episode, and some kind of attack on Earth takes place.
I thought at first this was going to be another attack on Earth that is miraculously missed by the 24-hour news media or is covered up somehow. An attack on Washington would be hard to cover up (although I suppose they could try to say it was Al Qaeda unless there are lasers shooting downward from the sky).
Finally…are we at long last going to see the reveal of aliens to the general population? After so, so, so many years, it is long overdue.
@ Joey – I’m not sure WHAT’S on that plate, but it’s either a heart attack waiting to happen, or obscene. 😕
@ Sparrowhawk – In case you don’t get back to the Miscellany, I made a comment in that thread suggesting Todd as Elric. Exactly – not Todd. STEVE as Elric, however… 😉 It’s not the appearance so much, it’s the personality. Todd has a superior air, yes, but he’s affable. Steve, on the other hand, is pure arrogance, full of himself and the superiority of his race, just the way I see Elric. Of course, there are many ways in which they are different (Elric, of course, having what we’ll call a ‘chivalrous’ side), but I can totally see Elric standing there facing some godawful demonic foe, Stormbringer in hand, sneering out the words, “I am your death. That is all you need to know.”
And about that Rolls. Any idea of the style? I’ve seen two different ones for the 1959 model – the one I posted, and one with a more sweeping curved line along the body (though I suspect that may be the ’47). Also have seen it in black, and a silver/gray? combo. I’ve asked D&L, but not sure they’ll reply.
Have you started Ghosts yet? I think once you get into it, you will be pleased with certain character interactions that become manifest about halfway through. 😉
Oh, well…better try to get some sleep. Fell asleep at 9, woke up at 12, and now…now I’m watching rugby. Not really the most relaxing thing to be doing right now. 😛
Have a good night, Joe! I hope things go smoothly for you over the next few weeks. I’m finding it hard to read and really enjoy your blog posts these last couple weeks because they are making me rather blue. I much rather ones where you’re bitching and moaning over your tv service, or your garage door, or Ashleigh. I guess I just don’t like change, or maybe it’s not the change that bothers me but the transition. I’m NOT good with ‘limbo’. Right now there is much in my own life that’s in limbo, so I guess seeing your life in the same state unsettles me more than it should. So please bear with me if I seem a bit disinterested in your moving process and such – it’s not disinterest as much as it just makes me sad.
das
Oh, man… IggyMing, you said it. Empty offices, photos of the packed car, familiar Stargate faces in the writers’ room, in videos with fave actors, and dinner with Carl….
It looks like the franchise’s farewell.
Please, Carl, will you blog?
You’re part of theBlogFamily, and you help us put the fun in dysfunctional! 🙂
Aw, Joe. This is just sad, this pathos of departure. And you’ve taught us that until you and Paul sign your contracts, it’s too soon to celebrate. Where does that leave us?
A song’s playing in my head while reading the blog. It’s one of my aunt’s old-school favorites.
My bags are packed.
I’m ready to go. [snip]
The taxi’s waiting.
He’s blowing his horn.
I hate…to say good-bye.
Already I’m so lonesome
I could 😥 .
[snip]
‘Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane.
Don’t know when I’ll be back again…
I think Joe did not mention SYFY for a reason…They are the ones that cancelled the show.
Space did not! Neither did all of the other networks around the world, but SYFY paid the most money for the show!
He must be pretty upset with them,, along with all of the other Stargate people!
Awwwww bye Carl *sniff*
Don’t be a stranger!!
Kymm
On a sorta related-not-related note. My cousin and her husband (and daughter) are in Dubai. They’re both architects who have worked for major projects out in Vegas, and were in Dubai working on an MGM project. Needless to say, the project has been shut down (financial reasons), and everyone was sent home, except my cousin and her family and a couple others. Not sure if that means the project has hopes of starting up again, or what…but right now with all the unrest in that part of the world, I really wish they had been the ones coming back home.
das
Hello Joe.
Sorry, I don’t mean to stir up negative emotions about the network. Just curious about the back half of the season. I have too much time invested in watching this franchise, and want to know what will happen to the characters. Incidentally, I hope that means a “proper” wrap-up with a Blu-ray movie if the current market permits.
And if I have to say goodbye to Atlantis, I for one feel that the series ended perfectly with everyone looking out at the Golden Gate Bridge, and Mckay’s to Keller.
If this is the end, I want to thank you for the memories, and look forward to your future endeavors. Anything that you work on with Rob is definitely worth checking out. Just tell me one thing (if you can, of course…). Is Rob planning on doing any directing for the new project? -or is it too early to tell?
Best Wishes,
Bryan
I know you said you were going to remain silent on SGU until you heard something definite but it’s brought me hope when I read your SGU updates about clearing hurdles and stuff. I do realize it’s a long shot, especially the longer it takes but that little bit of hope you provide helps. I know the saying “you should get your hopes up…” but I would much rather be hopeful then wallow in despair. So please reconsider about SGU’s hurdle clearing….or if it trips and face plants…would be good to know when to stop hoping as well.
As a side note: Reading your blog has encouraged me to start reading, haven’t picked up a book since I was forced to read in high school 11 years ago. My first book will be Lady in the Maze based on your post it should be right up my ally being a SF junkie.
Correction to my last post in CAPS :
So please reconsider TELLING US about SGU’s hurdle clearing….or if it trips and face plants…would be good to know when to stop hoping as well.
McKay’s last line… That didn’t type the first time. I blame my BlackBerry. 😉
And to clarify: I was referring to a Blu-ray movie for SGU!!!
I hope the studio permits everyone to move quickly on that. I thought they waited too long o follow up on other recent franchises like Dead Like Me and The X-Files. Five years was a long time to wait, and after a while, I feel like the interest wasn’t there when the movies finally came out.
I DON’T want that to happen to Stargate as well. I was too impressed with the original film, and as I have said many times on your blog, feel that SGU came closest of all the spinoffs to recapturing the feel of Roland Emmerich’s film.
-Bunch of people stranded with no way home,
-very dark look,
-Eli reminds me of Spader in the film (expert in EVERYTHING, and very funny),
-Rush reminds me of O’Neill
I know I am going to get some flack for that last comment, but in the original feature, Jack had just lost his son, and had his own agenda outside of researching Abydos. Kurt Russell portrayed the character as a loner who had his own mission and didn’t care about anyone else. Eventually, Jackson and the kids softened him up and humanized him a little. I get that same feeling from how Robert Carlyle plays Rush!!! 😉
-That said, RDA ROCKS!!! Not saying I didn’t enjoy what he brought to the table. Just saying Rush reminds me that character from the movie. I will miss the show.
Best wishes,
Bryan
Not to mention that Rush was (especially in Season 1) ready to sacrifice people (see episode 2 – perfect example) to achieve his goals. How about risking everyone’s life aboard Destiny so he could kill Simeon in Season 2: tell me that wasn’t like O’Neill in the movie?
Remember that this character was willing to kill himself and his men by detonating an atomic bomb that he kept secret from his team.
Just saying…
Best Wishes,
Bryan
@We’re not making a season three.
No justice in the world, No justice! D:
@hal ehrlich
Must be kinda annoying knowing that if the show was renewed they’d have networks around the world willing to drop money on a Season 3 as they have done with 1 and 2.
Just the show has one Amazing Race type roadblock that is impossible to complete!
*sniffles*
Last night I managed to watch SGU. Doesn’t sound very important, does it. Usually I do a few re-watches during those loooong hiatuses. This time I couldn’t, just couldn’t. It’s hard to watch episodes, see how much work you’ve all put into it, notice how much I enjoy everything happening on my screen; and all for no season 3.
At least now I know I’ll be able to watch new episodes in the beginning of March. How I manage this bittersweet feeling is another matter.
Once SGU’s fate is determined, will you share with us an AU season 3, like you did with SGA S6? Not sure even if I want to know what we’re missing out. 🙁
Sad to see your loaded truck and Carl’s sad face. But I guess life goes on. I, for one, am hoping that SGU will get picked up, somewhere somehow. Or at least a few miniseries to complete the amazing story.
*kicks ratings*
Joe, you always eat such good food, and it was great seeing Carl too. And the videos—well, they’re making me drool in anticipation of March 7.
@for the love of Beckett: I loved your Leaving on a Jet Plane video. I do think it’s appropo (sp) here.
Hope everyone has a good weekend!!!
@IggyMing
Every market counts, however as Syfy only licenses for America, they only care about the American viewing audience. Space only cares about the Canadian, And Sky1 only care about the UK.
Imagine every new SGU season as a house, a house that only the big 3 can build if they work together.
Now imagine Syfy picking up their stuff and going home leaving Sky and Space without the means to complete the house!
But I have a feeling we’ll be reconnecting real soon. Intriguing…….
I agree with Das, a heart attack on a plate!
Das: thanks for the videos the other day. I love ships! Sailing would be a dream vacation for me. I did notice the accents weren’t as “Jersey Shore” but they still sounded like yanks to me 😉 .
Anyone willing to share yummy quinoa recipes? I’m cutting out most of my meat intake (not quite vegetarian) and quinoa would be a great substitute.
“It can now be found at the end of Act III.” Is that a cryptic hint about what the “suspicious character” talk is all about? Just being silly?
Well, gee… I just found a question/answer session with Mike Dopud on this blog – I never saw it – must have been before I started reading your blog, Joe. In any case, thanks for having Mike answer questions, way back when. I’m reading hints that Mike has a new job coming up – good for him – I’m really looking forward to seeing him again.
http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/january-28-2009-actor-mike-dopud-answers-your-questions/
I wish all good things for the decent people in the entertainment business. While I haven’t been so aware of the travails of the actors and the many hoops they have to jump through, it is mainly through your blog, Joe, that I see the business with with fresh eyes. Through the Stargate franchise, I’ve become aware of the talent that it takes to put together a quality show, specifically, space Sci-Fi. I’ve also become aware how easy it seems to be for “SOMEONE” to throw a show away abruptly without any thought of future marketing. Could poor decisions be the reason why some lose money?
Anyway, you are all thought of, at least by me, and I wish everyone the best in finding their feet again – preferably in Canada… Sorry to hear that David Hewlett moved to the States, but one does what one has to. Love you all.
Sir, Is there any truth to this rumor?
“There was a report over here in the UK last week saying that Robert Carlyle asked to be let out of his contract and that the new head of scyfy was not a fan of the series.”
Thank you for your time.
Speaking of ratings, I saw this on SGunites page. Kinda confused me as it won’t matter how many people watch the show if they don’t have a nielson box =/
For those who don’t use facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?¬e_id=190909824264938
And for those who don’t understand the Nielson system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_ratings
Seems this *Plan* was doomed before it started lol.
@ Joe – Methinks the date my be wrong, again. You’ve been time travelling a lot lately. 😉
@ Tammy Dixon – Oh, yeah…we definitely sound like yanks here. No escaping that. 😛
das
Coucou 🙂 How are you?
Oh ces photos me remplisse de nostalgie et je n’imagine pas pour vous =S…ça doit vraiment faire bizarre de ce dire qu’il faut tourner la page et passer à autre chose maintenant.
Sinon, Moi ça va très bien, depuis une semaine je reçois des tonnes de figurines stargate lol…et oui, mon cheri à décider de terminer sa collection, bientôt il va nous falloir 10 étagères lol…ça plait pas trop à belle maman tout ça ..mais chuut ça reste entre nous 😉 Et de toute façon vous aussi vous avez des figurines ^^!
Passez une très bonne journée!
Gros bisous !
Randomness said, “…Kinda confused me as it won’t matter how many people watch the show if they don’t have a nielson box =/…Seems this *Plan* was doomed before it started lol.
So I wonder if “they” had a good laugh at the plans to try to save SGU. Do you think they had a good guffaw when we rushed out to buy the 1st season set… and how the fans are waiting for a full boxed set of a program that leaves everyone hanging?
During the holidays, I enjoyed the Star Trek movie marathon – some movies I saw and other I didn’t. I enjoyed the Star Gate movie marathon too – am enjoying the show reruns.
Flash forward to the next chapter, SGU… Wouldn’t it have been to everyone’s advantage to finish the story and then market it as a full boxed set with the full run of 5 years to tell and finish the story…?
Rumors are that the new president of SyFy didn’t like SGU – don’t know if that is true or not, but somebody sure as hell didn’t like it because the numbers were skewed from the beginning. The show should never have been compared to a mainstream show. With the end of SGU, there is no sophisticated space story program. Twilight was a great movie hit, now every show has to be “twilight” – teenybopper vampires…. just not my thing, sorry….. I don’t consider wrestling to be remotely like Science Fiction – so I guess this is where the new president of SyFy’s head is…. just goes to show you how serious they are about the genre that their network is supposed to host and represent.
And it goes to show you what they really think of the fans who are trying their best to save the show. They must be ROTFLTAO… They really don’t deserve our loyalty.
I hope that MGM is able to salvage the show somehow, as well as the story, with a view of marketing it all over the world when it’s done and wrapped up properly.
The last time “Leaving on a Jet Plane” played a serious part in my life was while sitting in a Dorval airport bar with my then boyfriend. It was the last evening before I left for Vancouver in my Volkswagen. He came out to visit – I stayed in Van for a couple of years then came back. The first day I saw my boyfriend when I got back, I also met my future husband – and it was pretty much love at first sight (if you believe in such things – I do). But that song evokes memories of the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another – and so it is with you.
I hope that “feeling” of you reconnecting with Mr. B. soon is more than that. What is the Lone Ranger without Tonto, Anthony without Cleopatra, Calvin without Hobbes? Hmm. Maybe I’m wandering a bit off analogy there on those last two. but would really love to see “the gang” working together again, whatever the project. Thanks for the videos, and enjoy the weekend of packing, prepping, and partying before your big move.
I’m looking forward to your Toronto restaurant adventure. Living in the Ottawa area, at least I might have a chance to visit and enjoy the experience myself, one of these days.
@das You’re right. Today is the 19th so Mr. M posted this on the 18th.
Anne Teldy
@ anneteldy – Just wanna say it’s nice having you back around these parts again! 😀
das
Ooooh…can’t wait for new SGU! 🙂 But…will be the last new Stargate episodes. Waaaah! 🙁 No more new Stargate after that. I can’t seem to fathom that. I think I might go into culture shock or some thing. :S
@das and pg15
it’s nice to be back. I always read the blog but I wasn’t reading the comments. Now that they’re changing my antidepressant, I’m trying to participate in things again as my own pick-me-up. This blog is good therapy though a little sad these days.
I missed you all.
Anne Teldy
Is there anything else in store for SGU/SG Franchise? SGU will finally air it’s last gasp of breath, but will we see any sort of movie/opportunity in the future? What’s your opinion on how SG will go foward?
Yeah, it’s the 800th time you’ve been asked this, sorry.
801st, maybe?
OMG thanks a lot for the “behind the scenes” joe, I surely really appreciate it 😀
And whoever was yelling there, sure sounded scarier then whatever Greer was running from. 😀
I hope you can post more of these while you are still on the set. As long as it doesnt get you into trouble (like a couple of days ago when an actress posted a few behind the scenes pictures of Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome and almost got fired! lol)
Since we’re all here in the figurative future in SGU’s production, blogwise, I keep forgetting that fresh SGU is yet to air this Spring. But still very sad to see the prod office shut down.
Just looking at those boxes makes me weary; I’ve been run to the ground at work and at home, with errands and lectures and meetings, all very fun and got some great writing projects lined up for Spring, but I’m bone weary this week.
I’m guessing those two a day cardio and weight workouts give you the strength of ten writers, so I’m taking a page from your book and trying to rebuild the muscle I loss over three wintry months of couch sittting.
BTW there’s a nice post from Anthony Bourdain at EW.com, if you’re looking for some behind the scenes stuff at Top Chef this week.
@Joan001
I honestly don’t understand the point you were trying to make there. But I was mostly pointing out that only ratings tracked by Nielson boxes actually count, this is what websites report.
Lol I’m not entirely versed on the system myself I admit. I mostly just picked up the basics from what I was informed/read online.
SGU could have 5 million people watching it, but if only 1000 of those have Nielson boxes it wouldn’t count.
I’m mad as hell, and bitter, but I’m ugly so it always look like I’m bitter and mad, even If I’m not, unless of course you’re looking at me at night, and being as black as I am, you won’t see me at all, and the bits you can make out would seem to be spooky menacing.
But I am bitter—looks aside— because they’re actually letting my franchise die, and everyone has moved on because like Mr M said earlier; around this time, they’d be deep into season 3 (scripts and initial shooting). What am I supposed to do now? Sure I got Naruto and Bleach, the manga and the anime, but other than those two, there is nothing, entertainment wise, as satisfying as the Stargate shows was. Dr Who isn’t on for another few weeks, and Smallville, a show I once loved, has become god awful, and has been dreadful now for the last four seasons (season 5 was the best). We need ‘out there’ space shows, and the only one we had, was taken away from us. Forget you SyphFyliss! I only watched SyFy last Sunday because of Startek the motion picture, which is my most favorite startrek, beside the new one. And I’ve refused to watch anything else on SyFy. When SGU returns, I’ll wait for it to be uploaded online. If I had the money, I’d buy it via on demand, but because I’m not in the United States, I don’t exist, so no harm done: Since I don’t exist as a viewer, I can do what ever I want, because nothing has of yet to do harm to anything.
Randomness said, “…SGU could have 5 million people watching it, but if only 1000 of those have Nielson boxes it wouldn’t count.”
…And if 600 of those watched wrestling on a SyFy network where it moved displacing a valid Science Fiction space program, from a network where it should belong, does it prove that it’s a good SyFy program because oodles of people watch it…? To me it proves that the Nelson system is flawed and SyFy does not respect the fans of the genre they are supposed to represent. For whatever reason, it looks like the fate of SGU was sealed from the get-go and a quality show seems to be no longer.
I truly hope that Brad Wright and MGM are able to come to some positive conclusion with the rest of SGU’s story. I hope that MGM is able to recognize a quality show and the future marketable opportunities if they wrap it up decently – if not for SyFy, then for themselves, and, in turn, the fans.
It doesn’t begin and end with us at this point in time – there are many people discovering and re-discovering all the Star Trek Series. DVDs are being bought up all the time. One thing that really riles fans is when a series comes to an end and is ended either abruptly or with a half-baked and hurried conclusion. In Star Trek’s case, they have a few years under their belt where there are enough show to offer exciting space stories. SGU has only 2 years of a 5-year plan’s worth of stories and the whole thing comes to a crashing end.
The Science Fiction genre is not respected on its own.
But you’re all right – it is a business and nothing personal. The fans wait for the bones to be thrown and when we find one we like, it’s snatched away… next bone… Aren’t we lucky…
Maybe we should have been lobbying the advertisers of SGU instead of the network.
@Expletive:BMP
I know how you feel. In fact, my hubby and I have made some decisions regarding the future of how we watch our television because, even though we are in the US, we don’t have a Nielsen box and are well aware that we don’t count in the grand scheme of tv viewership. We are planning on giving up our satellite when our contract runs out and just watching tv on the Internet because we are tired of handing out so much money to the satellite company to not have tv that we like.
There is a growing trend of people canceling cable and using the money to directly purchase/rent content they are interested in. I am wondering how this effects the ratings or if they are even counted? For example I purchased SG1 and SGA, I bought some SGU on iTunes, I watch SGU on Hulu and Netflix. Does any of this count towards ratings?
@CME: It is my understanding that no, it doesn’t count towards ratings. I think we will just have to wait until the ratings system is updated to reflect all of what is available on the Internet now. Do I think that will happen in my lifetime? Sadly to say, no.