Over the course of my 11+ years on Stargate, I have almost always been surprised by the annual pick-up/cancellation announcements. I was shocked to hear that we'd be doing a sixth season of SG-1, then stunned by the announcement that we would be coming back for a seventh. I was astounded to learn SG-1 would…
May 6, 2011: James Moran! Fandom Fury! And Reflecting Back On SG-1’s Fifth Season!
I've had my share of online skirmishes. Not surprising give the fact that I: a) maintain a consistent (daily) internet presence and, b) work in a genre with notoriously passionate (rabid) fans. In the past, the blow-outs have progressed thusly - 1. A certain section of fandom objects to a creative decision made. 2. The…
May 5, 2011: Doggies Eating Peanut Butter!
Whew! What a day! I had three appointments, three scheduled conference calls (all of which I missed - the first because my phone kept on dropping the call, the second because I was busy, and the third because I misread the email and called in six hours late), notes to deliver, lots of errands to…
May 4, 2011: Transporter pre-production update! Canada’s Space Channel pays us a visit! Further Stargate SG-1 season 5 reminiscences!
Al-most there! I hit the 54 page mark of my second script for Transporter: The Series today. I'll take the night to think about the big showdown, then write it tomorrow along with the final scenes (surprise, goodbye, flashback, and SHOCK - in that order) after which I'll be all done. On the first draft…
May 3, 2011: Skinny little Maximus! Stargate: SG-1 season five memories! The Refuel update!
So it was SG-1's fifth season and our second year on the franchise. After spending six months in the extended-stay suites of Vancouver's venerable Sutton Place Hotel (with its antiquated rooms and celeb-watering hole Gerard Lounge), we moved into a furnished apartment in the heart of the downtown area. We would call that place home…
May 2, 2011: You’ve Been Warned! More SG-1 Season 5 Memories!
Late last year, after watching the producer's edit of Epilogue, Carl expressed a sentiment that has echoed throughout fandom since the episode aired: "That would have made a great series finale.". Yes, in hindsight, it certainly would have. Unfortunately, that isn't the case and Stargate: Universe WILL end on a cliffhanger. Now I've noted some…
May 1, 2011: Catching up with Erika! Dinner at Scarpetta! Reflecting back on SG-1’s fifth season!
With the UFC in town, last night was fight night. But rather than join the tattoo an weird beard crowd at the Rogers Centre for the various beatdowns, I elected to spend the evening with the lovely Erika Kennair, SyFy Executive and former SGU point person. Erika was as disappointed as any of us by…
April 27, 2011: Sunshine! And the SG-1 season 4 trip-down-memory-lane wrap-up!
Apparently, Alexander has discovered the source of all my recent problems (the jet flight I was denied, the payment I'm yet to be reimbursed for, the recent damage to my car, my VISA being compromised - to name just a few). According to Alexander, it's my attitude. I'm just getting back what I put out…
April 26, 2011: Since arriving in Toronto I’ve suddenly become the protagonist in a Lemony Snicket book!
Looking forward to hearing everyone's comments on the latest (and one of the last remaining) episode of Stargate: Universe, Epilogue. In retrospect, it would have been a nice way to conclude the show but, alas, at the time, we were looking at Gauntlet as the season ender, not a series ender (more on that when…
April 25, 2011: Spicy fingers! Fan Wars! Further Toronto-induced Headaches! And More SG-1 4th Season Memories!
Hey, you know what they apparently don't have in Japan? Long hot peppers! How do I know? Well, the other night we were at Fondy's house and Akemi volunteered to clean the hot green peppers we had set aside for dinner. Unbeknownst to either Fondy or I, rather than use gloves or simply use a…
April 24, 2011: Days of Stargate Past – SG-1 Season Four!
Special Features Producer Ivon Bartok started on the franchise around the same time we did. Back then, though, he wasn't doing Special Features. He was just a recent Toronto-transplant looking to land a job as an assistant to Gecko Films Corp., a partnership between actor Richard Dean Anderson and Executive Producer Michael Greenburg. I remember…
April 23, 2011: Days of Stargate Past – SG-1 Season Four!
So, in yesterday's blog entry, I offered up a short but sweet summary of my rise from humble animation freelancer to landing a gig on the biggest television production in Canada. I had uprooted, wife and dog in tow, and joined my writing partner, Paul, on a west coast adventure that - at the time,…
April 22, 2011: Days of Stargate Past!
Before I get into my Stargate reminiscences, a little update on the V1 Jets front. For the full preamble, check out my April 19th entry (April 19, 2011: V1 Jets). In short: I booked a flight through V1 Jets, followed their instructions and sent them a wire payment but, since the wire payment did not reach…
April 21, 2011: Closing up the Stargate shop :( ! Mailbag!
Received an email from the lovely Tanja yesterday. She was our production coordinator for many, many years of the Stargate franchise and was in the offices the other day to coordinate the final wrap. Apparently, it was a very melancholy vibe as work began on de-rigging Stage 5 first. Stage 5, as you may or…
April 18, 2011: Pre-Production Update! My Favorite Germans! The Office Routine! And Magic Wands!
I spent the weekend incorporating five different sets of notes into my rewrite of (what was formerly episode #2 but is now) episode #3. It now comes in at a robust 62 pages. On the one hand, the longer page count makes it more challenging to schedule; on the other hand, a couple of more…