Over the course of the series run, many an idea gets pitched out that never ends up seeing the soft blue light of a laptop screen. For whatever reason (production concerns, similarity to other stories, a failure to excite the other writers, the fact that your idea is shite, etc.), that seemingly golden notion that…
January 10, 2009: Finale
Even though last night’s episode marked the official end of Stargate: Atlantis, the series, it really ended for many of us several months ago when the sets went dark for the last time. Yes, it was a wonderful ride and, yes, there is a movie (and possibly more) to look forward to, but that…
January 9, 2009: Swag! Sausage! Sooners! And the Mailbag!
In the past, as part of the ongoing Book of the Month Club discussions on this blog, I’ve given away prizes to random participants. Lucky winners have received signed books, magazine subscriptions, and signed scripts (among many other things). But, next week, those taking part in our discussion on David Weber’s On…
January 8, 2009: Bob Checks In, Mailbag, and The Weird Food Purchase of the Day
Hey, I heard from Bob Picardo today. He’s doing well but feeling somewhat nostalgic as the series draws to its official end tomorrow night. Apparently, he has one final interview to do, the last of his Atlantis-related duties. Until, of course, we start shooting the movie. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, and…
January 7, 2009: A Surprise Guest Blogger, Sugarless Day #4, and the Mailbag
Talk about signs of the apocalypse! First we had snow in Vegas. Then we had the New England Patriots fail to make the playoffs. And now, my writing and producing partner Paul Mullie has agreed to do a fan Q&A. This from a guy who has made it a point to shun all fan forums…
January 6, 2009: Back in the Office, My Top December Reads, and The Most Shocking Rose Ceremony Yet!
Almost didn’t make it into the office today. Hell, I almost didn’t make it out of the alleyway behind my house. I backed out of the garage and then spent a good fifteen minutes spinning my wheels in frustration before finally managing to work my way free. In retrospect, good thing I was delayed because,…
January 5, 2008: Snow 1 Fondy 0
I was just finishing up the teaser to my SGU script when my cell phone rang. It was Fondy. “I need you to come help me,”she said. “Bring a shovel!” Turns out she was on her way to meet with her bookkeeper, turned down one of Vancouver’s countless unplowed side streets, and got stuck.…
January 4, 2009: A Guest Blogger Announcement and the Most Horrific Weird Food Purchase of the Day Yet!
Allow me to start off today’s entry with some exciting news - before, of course, seguing right back into the tedious offerings that typify this blog. Executive Producer/Writer/Co-Creator Robert Cooper has agreed to come by an field your questions about his piece de resistance, his chef d’oeuvre, his hors d’oeuvre and Atlantis swansong: Vegas. Yep,…
January 3, 2009: Back on the Homefront. And the Weird Food Purchase of the Day.
Well, I’m back in Vancouver and not a day too soon it would seem. Lawren was snowed in for so long that he worked his way through the canned food AND his shoes. I shudder to think what would have been next on the menu if we’d ended up flying in tomorrow instead. Yes, I…
January 2, 2009: Brad Wright Answers Your Questions
Today, rather than regale you with an elaborate account of how my mother made me apply her hairdryer to the sliding back door in an effort to melt the ice that had frozen it shut so that she could clear the kitchen of hot pepper fumes and oil, I’m turning this entry over to Brad…
January 1, 2009: New Year Crash and The Weird Food Purchase of the Day
Happy New Year! I hope everyone has slept off last night’s excesses. I, alas, have been thoroughly exhausted all day, the result, I suspect, of a number of things: a late night, that New Year’s Eve feast, a double-dessert crash, an uncomfy bed, and a trio of Weird Food Purchase of the Day video installments.…
December 31, 2008: Preparing for my Future
My mother is 74, yet she still works four days a week, walks her dog two to three times a day, and prepares some of the most labor-intensive holidays dishes this side of the Imperial Palace. Today, for instance, I offered to lend a hand and spent a couple of hours carefully arranging mussels and…
December 30, 2008: Dissociative Identity Disorder + Paranoia x Megalomania = Pure Genius!
When my mother suggested I head down to the garage to look through the antique suitcase sitting beneath my father’s old workbench, little did I expect to uncover the veritable treasure trove of trash sitting within. Among the numerous long-forgotten items I discovered: The universal translator I made the year I went trick-or-treating as Captain…
December 29, 2008: Chinese Cultural Learnings, Biting (Chewing, and Swallowing) the Hand That Feeds You, and some Book of the Month Club Reminders.
In an effort to follow up on yesterday’s lesson in Italian slang, I asked my wife for some suitable Chinese examples with which to educate you al. Alas, she was only able to come up with two: Heui-sei: Which, she cautions, is a very bad thing to say and translates to “Drop dead!”, and… Chee-sin:…
December 28, 2008: Learn Italian! Impress Your Friends! Offend Your In-Laws!
In yesterday’s entry, I was discussing some of the quaint English figures of speech that one can incorporate into every day conversation as a means of sounding a little more native. A 19th century upper-class native, but native nevertheless. I say - corking kippers, wot? Growing up in an Italian household, I was…