After weeks upon weeks of talking about it, it finally premieres tonight on SyFy and Space, then on Tuesday in the U.K., and later next week in Australia. Yep, I haven't talked up an episode this much since that one where Hamtaro got lost in the mountains near the Yoshi family residence. The forecast calls…
November 5, 2009: Looking Ahead to the Stretch Run!
A warm welcome to all of the many longtime readers who, over the past few days, took the time to come out of hiding and post their first comments to this blog. Thanks for contributing to the ongoing discussion and here's hoping it becomes habit for you, like a morning routine or chewing your nails. Hey,…
October 28, 2009: Another see-ya-later, this one to Jamil Walker Smith. More spinning! More Mailbag!
Today we bid a fond see-ya-later to the wonderful Jamil Walker-Smith, SGU’s resident warrior - Sergeant Ronald Greer. It seems like just yesterday we were watching his F bomb-studded audition stream (THAT got our attention!), marveling at his incredible onscreen presence. His unique charm completely won us over (and him the part), then continued to…
October 27, 2009: Production on season one winds down as preparations for a possible season two start up.
Boy, that was fast! It seems like just yesterday we were touring the half-constructed Destiny set over on Stage 4, watching it all come together and working on scripts for Stargate: Universe’s first season. Suddenly, it’s nine months later, we’re finishing up production on year one and already thinking ahead to next season. This week,…
October 26, 2009: The December Book of the Month Club Selection! Catching Up With The Mailbag!
Over the course of the past three years I’ve been doing this blog, fans have sent me all sorts of goodies: cards, cookies, chocolate, chestnuts, pictures, lint rollers, shirts, videos, CD’s and the occasional highly recommended read. About a year ago, someone (Please, refresh my memory whoever you are) sent me a pack of books. …
October 25, 2009: The SGU Season 1 Wrap Party!
So, last night was the Stargate: Universe wrap party. The writing department kicked things off with dinner at Blue Water. We lost my writing partner Paul and his wife somewhere between main course and dessert (he was feeling under the weather) , then headed up the street to Goldfish, the site of the bash. Around…
October 23, 2009: The Destiny Shuttle! A Super-Splendiferous Mailbag!
Le Mailbag du Jour: Kiwiclare writes: “Oh Joe, that video was brilliant. How did you keep a straight face? Poor Carl!!” Answer: Keeping a straight face was ease. The tricky part was keeping my face from blossoming to a rosy red. That stuff is killer. RebeccaH. Writes: “You do realize Carl Binder is never going…
October 22, 2009: Julia Benson! Jennifer Spence! Birthday Swag! The Weird Food Purchase of the Day!
Well, hey! Look whose IMDB starmeter has skyrocketed 360% this week! None other than SGU's Second Lieutenant Vanessa James, Julia Benson (formerly Anderson). Yes, she's gorgeous - in addition to being a total sweetheart. AND a wonderful actress, which you'll find out for yourself in the coming weeks. Anyway, in addition to joining the…
October 18, 2009: Another Mucho Mailbag!
My fellow writer-producer Carl Binder is taking me out for a birthday dinner (Mine, I'm assuming; not his.), so I'm posting reasonably early today and turning things over to another much mailbag. Mailbag: AnneTeldy writes: “I really dislike the use of the Stones for “family time”. It makes no sense. Mrs. Young, for example, wasn’t…
October 17, 2009: A Big-Time Jump! A Doggy Dilemma! Some Atlantis Stills! And An Extra Chunky Mailbag!
Well, hoowee! I just checked my blog stats and discovered that my traffic has jumped by a whopping 40%. What gives? Strangely, nothing out of the ordinary in the referrers or incoming links. And then I noticed the 2800+ visitors who came to this blog via a search engine. And the search term used? Stargate:…
October 16, 2009: Birthday Festivities! Just What I Didn’t Want! Darkness!
Despite suggestions to the contrary, I actually did make it into the office today. As I strolled in, Ashleigh and Lawren came out of their offices and started singing Happy Birthday - which led me to sidestep immediately into Carl's vacant office and shut the door the behind me. The singing immediately died down. A…
October 14, 2009: Computer Problems Part Deux! Birthday Festivities! And Key Demos Revealed!
This morning, my laptop was really zipping along, operating like a brand new purchase unencumbered by personal files, pics, and software. Unfortunately, that was because it was unencumbered by personal files, pics, and software. For some reason it failed to load my personal settings despite multiple reboots. This may be just the latest in a…
October 10, 2009: Mom Gives Me the SGU Scoop! Mailbag! Carl and Greyhound = Separated At Birth?
I called up my mother today and caught her at the worst possible moment - while she was watching the opening credits of Stargate: Universe. In instances like these, real conversation is impossible. Today’s discussion went something like this: Mom: Stargate Universe. It’s the new show? Me: That’s right. Mom: Brian J. Smith. Elyse Levesque. …
October 9, 2009: An SGU-heavy mailbag!
To coincide with the North American premiere of Air III - what’s I’m calling Drama in the Desert - today’s entry will be Almost All Mailbag as I field some of your SGU-related questions… Rednor writes: “I hope they are able to turn on some lights at some point. I hate this trend to do…
October 5, 2009: Carl Gets Notes II! Robert Cooper’s Return Displaces the Peruvians!
Keep those comments coming! Like most producers, there’s nothing I enjoy more than a little constructive criticism be it from the viewers, the network, or members of our terrific cast. I’ve often referred to the “open door” policy at the production offices that invites actor input on anything from individual scripts to general character direction. …