Joseph Mallozzi's Blog! (SPOILERS For All SG Shows and Dark Matter)

[PG15]

^

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...our-questions/

August 4, 2008

Photo: Mark Dacascos on set.

Write-Up: Mark Dacascos guest blogs!

Mark Dacascos is an actor we’ve wanted to have on the show for quite some time. His name often came up when we were casting guest roles on SG-1 but, time and again, it just didn’t feel right to have him put in a cursory appearance as a Jaffa commander. After all, this was Crying Freeman. The Crow. Mani from Brotherhood of the Wolf. The Chairman! If we were going to cast him, we wanted to make sure it was a role worthy of his talents as both an artist and, oh yeah, a martial artist. Well, the perfect opportunity presented itself last year when we were looking to cast Tyre, the part of Ronon’s former Satedan buddy turned wraith-worshiper. There were a lot of great auditions for the role but Mark’s interpretation of the character proved exactly what we were looking for. We wanted Tyre to be tough, a bad-ass, yet charming and, ultimately, sympathetic. Mark captured that spirit.

Mark did a wonderful job for us on Reunion, then came back and blew the doors off with his portrayal of a suffering, conflicted Tyre in season 5’s Broken Ties. He delivered a beautifully nuanced performance in addition to a thrilling sword duel every bit as spectacular as his throwdown with Ronon in Reunion. We were lucky to have Mark on the show and I’m not exaggerating when I say that many members of our crew were truly saddened to see him leave. He was a pleasure to work with, a gentlemen through and through, and I would consider myself fortunate to work with him again.

Over to Mark…

Questions:

Thank you to Joseph Mallozzi and company for having me on SGA. Thank you to Joe for inviting me on his blog-site. Thank you to the friends and fans of SGA for the support and questions. I am grateful, honored and extremely happy to have played a small part in the SGA story.

Shiny writes: “After playing dark and intense characters on The Crow and SGA, how was it playing the irreverent Sensei Ping on Middle Man? I had to do several double takes to make sure it was Mark behind Sensei Ping’s Lucha Libre mask. Does he want to do more comedy in the future or does he prefer the broody hero types?”

MD answers: It was fun and exciting to play Sensei Ping. I enjoy comedy and hope to do more in the future. In addition to my continuing studies with acting-coach, Larry Moss, and Shakespeare/voice teacher, Patsy Rodenburg, I started taking improvisation workshops with Gary Austin, the founder of The Groundlings, last year. We ( Gary’s ensemble) performed “live” to a sold out audience at The Groundlings theater this past summer. I had a blast and am now looking for projects that would incorporate comedy, action and possibly a “food” theme. Any ideas?

Skye writes: “What Drew you to the Character Tyre? Just wanted to say My mother loves watching you on the food network as the Chairman and any of the movies that you have done.”

MD answers: I admire the discipline, courage and honor of warriors. Tyre’s situation intrigued me and the way Joseph M. ended the episode in REUNION left me wanting more. I didn’t know if Tyre would ever come back to redeem himself, but had hoped he would. When I received the script for BROKEN TIES, I was relieved and ecstatic with the way the story ended. And my “aloha and mahalo (‘love and thank you’ in the Hawaiian language) to you and your mother.

Eileen writes: “1. I’ve been a big fan since I saw you in the French film “Brotherhood of the Wolf.” You were amazing in that movie (I recommend it to everyone, subtitles and all)! It seems that your career has mostly been focused on portraying characters with a martial arts flair. Your work as Tyre in SGA fits in with that, but I’d love to know how you went from Native American shaman/warrior in Brotherhood of the Wolf to “The Chairman” of Iron Chef America with occasional visits to the set of SGA. 2. Do you have any other projects that you are/will be working on?”

MD answers: Eileen, thank you for watching “Brotherhood of the Wolf.” That was one of my favorite film projects to work on and “Mani (my character)” is someone I’d like to be more like. Another film I did, “Crying Freeman,” was a movie about an assassin who “cries when he kills.” I played the title role and we shot that in Vancouver, B.C (just like SGA!).

Both BOTW an CF were directed by Christophe Gans, and both were successful in Japan, home of the original “Iron Chef.” I can only deduce that someone associated with IC must have seen or heard about one of my movies and put my name on the list for possible “chairmans” they would approve of for Iron Chef: America. My managers received a call from ICA’s producers for me to interview for the role of Chairman Kaga’s “nephew.” I was thrilled with the opportunity to do something completely different from what I had been doing, but I did wonder if they knew I was known for “kicking” not “cooking.” Two days after the interview, I was offered the role as The Chairman, the American-born nephew of Chairman Kaga. That was my journey from shah-man to chair-man.

Davidd writes: “Hey Mark. I was wondering how long did it take for you to get your role on Stargate? From your first audition. Were you part of 3 top auditions for the role, or did you just get it with no other real competition? Thanks Mark!”

MD answers: Two days after I auditioned I was told that I was one of two choices. A day or two later I was offered the role of TYRE. We began filming the REUNION episode a few weeks later.

Lindsay writes: “Question for Mark Dacascos: I’ve heard you’re a super nice guy. Is it difficult playing a not-so-good guy on screen? (I’m thinking particularly of your betrayal scene with Jason Momoa– the one in which he’s tied to the chair and is so very, very emotional. It was hard to watch. Was it hard to play?”

MD answers: Thank you, I try to be a good person each and everyday. Some days are easier than others. I find that every role I play has characteristics that I can identify with.

TYRE, while he’s under the influence of the Wraith enzymes, doesn’t know that he’s really doing anything wrong. He’s somewhat “brainwashed” and trying to survive. What makes him bad is that what he’s doing is only “good” for him, not for his friend. The bad guy does good for himself, the good-guy does good for others. Both believe in what they’re doing. I felt like I connected with TYRE’S heart and in that “chair-betrayal-scene” with RONON, as an actor, it was not difficult to play. As TYRE the character, it was a difficult moment in life.

StarWars9771 writes: “Mark, loved your appearances on SGA. When is Joe going to make an appearance on Iron Chef America? What did you like best about working on the show SGA? Other than food and acting, what other interests do you have? Thanks bunches!!!

Jen from Indiana

PS Tell Alton Brown “Hi”. My oldest daughter and I are big fans!”

MD answers: Thank you, Jen and oldest daughter. I would love to see Joe on ICA. I think he would be a wonderful judge and I will do my best to get him on. I really enjoyed and appreciated the camaraderie and “aloha” spirit the cast and crew extended to me while being a part of SGA. When not on set, I enjoy playing drums and guitar, surfing, yoga and Martial Arts. I also like to read biographies, writing, and watching Foreign Films.

drldeboer writes: “Question for Mark D do you have formal martial arts training, if so in what discipline(s) and how long have you been studying? the sword fight was absolutely great, can’t wait to see the whole thing included in the DVD box set next year.”

MD answers: Thank you, drldeboer. Yes, I do have formal Martial Arts training. My mother and father are both Kung-Fu teachers. I started training with them when I was 4, entered my first Martial Arts tournament when I was 7, and unofficially retired from competition when I was 18. I’ve studied Northern Shaolin under Muo Hui Shen in Taiwan. I’ve studied Capoeira under Mestre Amen Santo and together we made the film, ONLY THE STRONG. I’ve studied Wushu under Professor Jiang Hao Quan and Coaches Eric and Debbie Chen. I am currently studying Muay Thai with Kru Puk.

Patricia Lee writes: “Your portrayal of Tyre was amazingly haunting and caused me to shout out loud, (“NO… he can’t die, not now”), when I saw in your facial expressions your decision to self sacrifice. The intensity of your withdrawal scene caused me to cringe in sympatric pain. Thank you so much for bringing such a great performance to my favorite show! I was sad to see your character die! My Questions:
1- How do you prepare for such intense emotional scenes, such as the withdrawal?
a. Where do you go in your mind?
b. Is there a personal, real experience you draw upon to get that dark or can you just turn it on?
2- I know you are an accomplished marital artist. I was wondering, for the fight scenes do you work out before a take to get your blood rushing? What kind of preparations do you go through before a big fight scene?
3- I love Iron Chef, (I am Food Network junkie) and I was wondering; seeing that Joe Mallozzi is such a foodie, and great at writing about his dining experiences, would you ever consider having him as guest judge on Iron Chef? A show With Joe Mallozzi would bring hoards of new viewers to Iron Chef just to see his opinions of the meal being judged!”

MD answers: Thank you, Patricia. Prior to filming an intense emotional scene I relax. When my breath is deep and consistent, when I’ve released the tension in my muscles (including in the face), I am ready to work. I equate it to a river. If I stop breathing, or contract my muscles, it’s like putting a dam in the river. As an actor, I need my feelings to be able to flow like the water moving down the mountain. I actually try to apply that philosophy to everything I do. Before I do an action/fight scene I always warm up by stretching and running through the choreography. It’s important to prepare my body and mind for what’s to come. And again, I relax. I want to be supple enough to snap like a cracking whip.

To be Continued...

[PG15]

And now, the Conclusion.

SparrowHawk writes: “A couple of questions for Mark Dacascos: 1. It seems that your career has mostly been focused on portraying characters with a martial arts flair. Tyre in SGA fits in with that, but I’d love to know how you went from Native American shaman/warrior in “Brotherhood of the Wolf” to “The Chairman” of Iron Chef America.

MD answers: Please see answers above.

2. Do you have any other projects that you are/will be working on?”

MD answers:

So far this year…

We filmed 26 new episodes of Iron Chef: America as well as a half-hour holiday special.

We have the Iron Chef: America - Nintendo Wii game coming out in September or October. I did 9 episodes of a new series premiering in March, 2009. I filmed an action-drama movie with Armand Assante, Tom Sizemore, Steven Bauer and Bruce Boxleitner. I just wrapped my first vampire movie in Louisiana with Yancy Butler, directed by Griff Furst.

I have a few movies I’m preparing to direct. One of them is a Capoeira movie. Another is a film based on my life as a 16 year-old, son of Kung-Fu teacher parents, growing up in Germany.

Trish writes: “My question to Mark Dacascos: First, thanks for stopping by and answering our questions! Second: Great performance in “Broken Ties”! You made me fall for Tyre; something I thought impossible the last time he ran into Ronon. My questions: Were you a fan of Stargate SG-1? Or any sci-fi? What would be your dream role? Again, thank you!”

MD answers: Trish, you’re welcome and thank you for your kind comments and your questions. I had only seen a few episodes of SG-1 or SGA prior to auditioning for the show. I had thought the show was extremely entertaining. One of my favorite Sci-fi movies is BLADERUNNER. One of my dream-roles would be a “Miyagi-like” character from the original KARATE KID movie.

Wolfenm writes: “Questions for Mark: Did you know from the get-go what your character’s fate would be? Either way, how did you feel about it when you found out?”

MD answers: Please see answers above.

Thornyrose writes: “A few questions for Mr. Dacascos, and I’ll call it a night.
1) I’m curious as to how you came into the role of Chairman on Iron Chef America. Was that simply something that you auditioned for, or is there more to the story? 2) What projects other than IC-A are you currently considering or engaged on? 3) How much time do you devote every day or week to physical training, including but not limited to your martial arts skills? 4) What would be your “dream role”, whether TV, cinema, or live theater? 5) Any secrets you would like to share about Atlantis, or Mr. Mallozzi? Thank you very much for taking the time to participate here, and many thanks to Mr. M. for making it possible. And I do hope that whether its a miracle reappearance of Trye, or the creation of a differnt role, that we get to see Mr. D. on Stargate Atlantis in the future.”

MD answers: Thank you, Thornyrose. Please see answers above and…When I’m not in production, I train 6 days a week, anywhere from 1 to 3 hours a day. I cross-train with mountain-biking, yoga, Martial Arts, running and surfing. The exact format of my workouts changes quite often. Prior to a specific project and depending on what’s required of me, I’ll train significantly more. 3 months prior to fighting Jet Li in CRADLE 2 the GRAVE, I ran a 6-minute mile and practiced Yoga 6 days a week, and practiced Wushu 2 hours a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the Coaches Chen.

Enzo Aquarius writes: “A question (two rather) for Mark Dacascos: As an Iron Chef America fan (and Iron Chef overall), I am curious if you ever get full in the middle of the judging segment? I always wonder if one could get full depending on the portioning. Also, a possibility of our own Joseph Mallozzi becoming a judge? The man has quite an appetite and always talks about his culinary adventures.”

MD answers: Please see answers above and…On ICA, I almost always limit myself to 2 bites a course, even if I love the dish. We usually film 2 shows a day and it’s my duty to be fair to all of the chefs and not be so full that I can’t appreciate their work. Even if I don’t score the chefs myself, it’s only respectful to honor their creations by tasting them.

Raindrop writes: “And I have a question for Mark Dacascos - with your extensive martial arts background, did you find it harder to prepare for the fight scenes or for the dramatic scenes (like Tyre’s withdrawal)? I thought both were really well done.”

MD answers: Thank you, Raindrop. I found the fight-scene more difficult since we were performing an extensive sequence with very little time to film it. Most of the fight was filmed from beginning to end without stopping. I have the utmost respect for fight-choreographer, Bam-Bam, his assistant, Don Lew, and Jason Mamoa for being so prepared prior to me coming to Vancouver.

Rachael writes: “It must be immensely satisfying as a guest star to have the opportunity to play such a complex character, to have a strong backstory to work from and a full arc to explore from bad guy to redemption. My question is, did you prefer playing dark-side Tyre or redeemed hero Tyre?”

MD writes: Yes, it is immensely satisfying for an actor to play a character with a full arc. Thank you, Joseph M. and team. I enjoyed playing the dark before the light, just like I appreciate the night before the day. And it is truly scary how much I sound like my father as I grow older. Seriously, I enjoyed both, and seriously, I really am starting to speak in metaphors just like my father. Scary!

Jean writes: “To Mark Dacascos - I thought you were great in this episode! Joe M has mentioned that Jason really likes Tyre’s sword - did you find it a nice weapon to use as well? Also, if I may ask a non-SGA question - I often drool at the culinary concoctions on Iron Chef America - as chairman, do you get to sample the dishes too? Have there ever been any duds?”

MD answers: Thank you, Jean. Yes, Bam-Bam called weeks before filming BROKEN TIES and respectfully asked what kind of sword I’d prefer. I said I’d like something well-balanced with a good grip and that I would trust whatever he’d choose for me. And he did a great job in selecting TYRE’S sword. Yes, on ICA, out of respect to the chefs, and to my pleasure, I do sample everything they cook. And yes, once in a great while, I do eat something I’d prefer to never eat again. But that is rare. The chefs are truly amazing and I am spoiled and I love our show. And Alton Brown really is that smart and quirky.

Gen writes: “Really enjoyed your work on Broken Ties. We’ve seen your involvement in Iron Chef, is that your primary interest right now? Do you have any other projects coming up where we might see you act?”

MD answers: Thank you, Gen. Please see answers above.

AntiSocialButterflie writes: “Thanks for talking to us, we really appreciate it. Did you enjoy working with BamBam and Jason? How many times did you have to practice the sword fight before filming?”

MD answers: Thank you, AntiSocialButterflie. I appreciate you. Yes, I am a fan of both Bam-Bam and Jason. Both are great guys and very professional. I actually have no idea how many times we practiced. I’d rehearse with Jason, Bam-Bam and Don depending on whoever was available at the moment. Jason did the same. We’d rehearse in between scenes and whenever he had a few spare minutes.

Pauline writes: “1/ I understand that actors try to get close to the characters they play, are you pleased that in the end Tyler cast off his traitor image to become the hero. 2/ Characters that appear on SA have a habit of coming back from the dead, if Joe brought Tyler back would you be up for a rematch with the Wraith?”

MD answers: Yes, I felt very close to TYRE and yes, I am happy he became a hero. If TYRE came back, I can assure you he would love to kick some Wraiths in the head.

Linda Gagne writes: “Question for Mark D. What was the most fulfilling scene in Broken Ties for you? What was the most difficult for you (physically and/or emotionally)?”

MD answers: I had a lot fun playing the scene where RONON tries to get TYRE to untie him. I thought the dialogue and the set-up really showed the depth and complexity of their relationship. For me, the fight-scene was the most challenging scene. If you make a mistake doing dialogue, you just do it again. If you make a mistake with swords, someone gets hurt. During our scene, no one got hurt — Thank you, Jason, Bam-Bam and Don for allowing me to leave SGA with all the limbs I arrived with.

Joseph Mallozzi, the SGA team and friends and fans of SGA,

Mahalo and Aloha. Mark Dacascos aka TYRE

*Insert Mark Dacascos smilie and attached witty 1-liner here*

[PG15]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...se-of-the-day/

August 5, 2008

Photos: A big batch from Whispers!

Video: Yet another installment in Joe's "Weird Food Purchases of the Day" can be found through the link above. This episode: Joe tries Rose Petal Soda!

Write-Up: Joe thinks we're monsters! Also, Stargate stuff:

Well, back in the office today and things are very quiet at The Bridge, partly because the cast and crew are away, shooting on location but mostly because yappy writers’ room regular Martin Gero is off with them directing his first full episode of Stargate Atlantis. Lucky, lucky Rob Cooper, meanwhile, headed off on a location scout to South Okanagan this morning. To those of you unfamiliar with location scouts, they’re a little like school field trips to potential shooting sites. Although, in today’s case, the kids would have had to be at school for 5:30 a.m. and looked forward to a four and a half hour bus ride to a barren desert. Hell, beats the planetarium.

After lunch, we enjoyed the Day 2 Mix of Whispers. What a wonderfully spooky little episode. Great performances, terrific direction, and yet another marvelous score by Joel Goldsmith who is busy working on First Contact as I write this entry.

Well, it’s been a whirlwind few weeks of special guest bloggers and there are many more to come. Director Andy Mikita, actress Lexa Doig, and writer/Executive Produce Carl Binder have kindly agreed to make time for us. As has one of our Directors of Photography, the affable Jim Menard. He, along with Michael Blundell, has helped Atlantis establish its unique visual style, from the cool blueness of the city interiors to the vivid luridness of the wraith hives. If you have any questions for Jim about his work here on the show, I know he’d love to hear from you so start posting.

Questions:

Anne writes: “If Joe says it’s okay, I would love to post the Q & A on dacascosfan.com - and Joe, any pictures from Mark’s episodes would also be very welcome.”

Answer: Joe says it’s okay. And if you can provide a link back to this blog, that would be great. Re: the pics. I’ve posted all of the good ones. Just do a search for “Mark Dacascos”, “Reunion” or “Broken Ties”.

Shirt ‘n Tie writes: “How go plans re: Episode 100? You guys are wrapping in Sept….Will that be the last shoot?”

Answer: Paul is writing episode 100 as we speak. Looking ahead at the schedule, we’ll wrap production here in Vancouver, then shoot our outstanding Vegas days down south to wrap the season.

Patti writes: “Will we have the baby in every episode. It would be nice to see something else besides Teyla’s issues with being a mom for a change.”

Answer: It was necessary to touch on the baby here as it was Teyla’s first official foray since making the decision to rejoin the team in Broken Ties.

Jess writes: “Just wanted to know whatever happened to Jonas Quinn. In Season 10, it was mentioned that Langara fell to the Ori, but they never mentioned Jonas! Was he killed by the Ori, I know he wouldn’t convert.”

Answer: Although it was never officially touched upon, in my mind Jonas led the resistance against the Ori on his home world which was eventually freed from their influence after the events of The Ark of Truth. He is still very much alive and a leader among us his people.

Raindrop writes: “So, um, was Teyla being insincere there at the end when she said McKay would make a good father?”

Answer: She was being…kind.

Thor94 writes: “We will see again, the uknown aliens of this episode?”

Answer: It’s unlikely we’ll see them again this season.

Kay writes: “ With McKay and Keller being paired up this season, what new aspects of his character are you planning to reveal? We’ve seen his crush on Carter, the growth and collapse of his romance with Katie Brown and the AU Love Story redux with Keller in The Last Man.”

Answer: We’ve never actually seen him develop a mature relationship. In the case of Carter, it was a crush. In the case of Katie Brown, they were almost like dating teenagers. In the case of Keller in Last Man, we were only offered the merest of glimpses into the workings of their relationship.

Kay also writes: “Even Teyla, the new mother, never spoke of her boyfriend, and we didn’t see him (other than as a hybrid creature) until after their child was born.”

Answer: That was because we weren’t planning to pursue such a storyline for Teyla and were taken by surprise at the news of Rachel’s pregnancy. In order to work it into the storyline, we decided to create the Kanaan character.

Kay also writes: “ Sheppard gets to flirt now and then, and we saw his ex-wife once.”

Answer: Many fans will argue that Sheppard does far too much off-world romancing.

Kay also writes: “Maybe I should be asking what it is about the other characters that make you want to avoid any romance for them.”

Answer: “I should add that Ronon will be pursuing romance as well this season.”

Kay also writes: “Why McKay, and why with Keller, when there’s a whole city full of people?”

Answer: Because it’s far more interesting to see our main characters interact with people we know rather than people we don’t.

Mg1138 writes: “ We know Henry Hayes’s mandat, started in Season 7 (2004), is coming to a term, so don’t you think it would be an interesting background issue?”

Answer: If it could serve a particular story then why not?

(And zuz said, "let there be an evil Joe smilie", and it was, and it was good)

[prion]

August 6th

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...se-of-the-day/

One picture from Whispers

The mailbag:

PG15 writes: “So Joe, how’s about revealing the spoiler poem line for The Daedalus Variations?”

Answer: Sure. “While myriad permutations are viewed from space.”Lee writes: “I was wondering if you have any suggestions in terms of your top three or four Vancouver-based restaurants that a person must absolutely eat at when in town.”


Erin Anderson writes: “Is investigating weird and interesting things to make you gag something you have always done, or is this a new habit precisely for our amusement?”

Answer: Like most everything else in my life, I do it all for the fans.

Alexandra writes: “How would you characterize Sheppard’s respective relationships with the SGC, IOA and Air Force currently? Are they still hostile and disapproving? Is he still on the USAF naughty list or has he redeemed himself in their eyes at this point?”

Answer: Sheppard has come a long way since Rising. Given his many years of service in the Pegasus Galaxy and all he has accomplished, I’d say he has redeemed himself in the eyes of the military. Of course there are still some who won’t be so quick to forget his past transgressions.

Sandra Lee writes: “Was there something being hinted at between Ronon and Keller during ‘Quarantine’?”

Answer: There was definitely a suggestion there of a mutual attraction.

Muddpiddypop writes: “Joe, do the Wraith Queens have to touch someone to get them to submit or is it like my kids who play with their food.”

Answer: Physical contact is not required for a Wraith Queen to wield her influence over a human mind.

Freidag writes: “Well, we as viewers certainly don’t know Kanaan so that point is mute. Tell me, why is McKay the only major character allowed to interact with other characters that we know on a romantic level? Katie Brown in seasons 2 and 3 and now, unbelievably, Keller in seasons 4 and 5.”

Answer: Actually, the character of Katie Brown only became a character of any significance as a result of the romantic storyline as opposed to being a pre-established character that became involved in a romantic storyline.

Kamilla writes: “So Paul is now writing episode 100? I thought Brad was doing that one.”

Answer: Nope. Brad is busy working on Project Terzo.

Cherish4 writes: “I’m very much looking forward to the Lexa Doig guest blog, any rough idea of when hers will be Joe?”

Answer: I’ll probably start gathering questions for Lexa this weekend.

Mrs.B108 writes: “1)Will Sheppard continue to feel guilt over things long past?

2)Do Todd and Michael have any scenes together this year?”

Answer: 1) Sheppard’s residual guilt will play a big part in a late season episode. 2) Not in season 5, sorry.

Cathie writes: “When do you find out whether Stargate Atlantis will get a 6th season?”

Answer: Like past seasons, we may not find out until late fall.

Smiley_face06 writes: “I’ve got a question about Sam leaving to Earth in Search & Rescue. Was the Ba’al she was referring to the one who was in the beginning of Continuum?”

Answer: Yep.

[PG15]

Don't forget this bit:

Hey, if you’re interested in this sort of thing, episode 4, The Daedalus Variations, showed a nice little uptick, pulling in an early 1.3.

Finally, a quick reminder that Stargate Atlantis Director of Photography Jim Menard is waiting in the wings, ready to pounce on your question. You have one more day to submit them before I send ‘em his way.

[Briangate78]

Don't forget this bit:

That is great news. Considering last season's 4th episode pulled an awful 0.9 HH rating.

[Vala_M]

That is great news. Considering last season's 4th episode pulled an awful 0.9 HH rating.

I'm just concerned that Joe Mallozzi keeps telling the fans that the decision to renew will not only be ratings-based. I fear Atlantis will meet the same fate as SG-1 did, being cancelled by scifi and only being renewed that many times to get a good syndication price.

And speaking of syndication, what will happen when season 4 comes onto syndication? Will SG-1 season 10 go back to scifi and no Stargate in syndication?

Vala,

[morjana]

And speaking of syndication, what will happen when season 4 comes onto syndication? Will SG-1 season 10 go back to scifi and no Stargate in syndication?

Vala,

The web site Cynopsis reported (back on Feb. 14th):

MGM was recently at NAFTA, promoting the 2008-2009 syndication rights of Stargate SG-1, teamed up with Dead Like Me.


Two of Television's best shows in one package

The Wildly Popular 'STARGATE SG-1'
&
The Critically Acclaimed 'DEAD LIKE ME'

MGM PRESENTS

Two sharply-written series - 26 weeks of each with NO REPEATS!

Available now for syndication
Contact your MGM representative today!

****

Of course, it doesn't mention which countries MGM was targeting for this syndication...

However, the SciFi Channel did have the US syndication rights for Star Trek: TOS tied up for ten years, so it's possible they may have a similar deal with Stargate and MGM.

Morjana

[prion]

August 7th

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...se-of-the-day/

Pictures: BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY! Oh, and some SGA people too And PG15 can parcel 'em out to the photos thread

This morning, fellow Exec. Producer Carl Binder and I threw caution to the wind, jumped into my Q7, and hit the road. We took an impromptu journey guided only by our spontaneity, our sense of adventure, and the directions to the location of Marty G.’s Brain Storm shoot. As it turned out, however, we’d been given a map for people who already knew the way there. I say this because only someone with an intimate knowledge of the area would have known that the Route 7A on the street sign was a.k.a. the St. John’s Street referred to in the directions (“Take a left on St. John’s). Oblivious to this crucial fact, we drove right by it and into off-road territory where Carl followed the guidelines of proper bear safety procedure - and I quote “Never run from a bear! Talk to it, wave your arms, and back away slowly” - by appealing to it’s sense of reason (“Seriously, you don’t want to do this. Devour us, and you’ll just be sinking to our level. You’re better than that.”) while I made a lovely soup out of stinging nettle, birch bark, and a hapless giant centipede. We eventually doubled back, played Carl’s hunch and took a right on Route 7A, and we were right back on track.

We pulled into the parking lot, right behind Special Features Producer Ivon Bartok who was documenting Martin Gero’s foray into the dark side of directing, and followed him into the high school - down a flight of stairs, around a corner, and into the gymnasium that - through the magic of television - had been transformed into the Carl Binder Memorial Theatre. Extras milled about in tuxes and cocktail dresses while Marty G. set up his next shot. Jewel Staite looked, well, nothing short of drop-dead gorgeous in her evening best while David Hewlett exuded the roguish charm of a nerdy James Bond in his flash jacket and pants. Sitting by the monitor was former Kids in the Hall/News Radio alum Dave Foley who, for reasons unknown, had been given a way-too-early call and was good humouredly killing time until his first scene. As we were chatting, I received a call from the production offices informing me that a network employee named Averie was a HUUUUGE Dave Foley fan and would it be possible for me to get him to sign something, anything for her? Hearing this, Dave suggesting going one better. So, I phoned up Claire at SciFi who put me through to Averie’s cell. Unfortunately, I got her voice mail. “Hi, Averie,”I greeted her. “This is Joseph Mallozzi, the show-runner of Stargate Atlantis. I hear you’re a big Dave Foley fan. Well, I have Dave Foley sitting right here.”

At which point, Dave took the phone and left his own message: “Hi, Averie. This is Dave Foley. How are you? Sorry I missed you but if you have time, swing by set. I’m here all day.”

And I capped off the message with: “Doesn’t this just call you? If you leave L.A. right now, it’ll take you maybe three hours to fly, an hour to clear customs, and then another hour traveling time to get here.”

Dave Foley = Class Act.

Equally pleasant and engaging were the sovereigns of science Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye. They turned out to be a lot of fun both in front of and away from the camera, regaling the rest of the cast and crew with stories of their empirical exploits. They seemed to be as happy to be there as we were to have them.

Well, Martin appeared to have everything well in hand so, after a couple of hours of hanging around on set, we hopped back into the Q7 and returned to the studio - but only after dropping the bear off at the Burnaby sky train station because it was on the way.

Thanks to everyone who posted questions for Stargate Atlantis Director of Photography Jim Menard. He is working on them as we speak. And now, on to our next guest blogger…Andromeda’s A.I., SG-1’s Dr. Carolyn Lam, The 4400’s Wendy Paulson, and Michael Shank’s wife, the lovely Lexa Doig will be swinging by to answer your questions next week. So if you have anything you’d like to ask her, start posting. I’ll be gathering your questions through Saturday.

Today’s pics: Brain Storm - A Marty G. Joint.

Today’s mailbag:

PG15 writes: “1. Chris Judge recently said that it’s possible that the 3rd movie might start shooting in January of next year. Is there any truth in this?

2. Any new info regarding the Ancients’ war with the Wraith in Season 5?

3. Will the Wraith try to get to Earth again in Season 5?”

Answers: 1) Hey, anything is possible. We’re a long way from an actual production date but I’d be VERY surprised if a third SG-1 movie wasn’t in production in 2009. 2) Off the top of my head - nope. 3) Wouldn’t that be interesting!

Jean writes: “Seems like SciFi is going to air all 20 episodes without a large break as usual after the mid-season cliffhanger. From a producer’s point of view, do you prefer this or rather a longer break between the 2 halves of the season? Do you think it impacts ratings at all?”

Answer: Although it is a bit more work for the production, I think running the show straight through is preferable to taking an extended mid-season hiatus. I find that the hiatus tend to break a show’s momentum. As for how it impacts the ratings - time will tell.

Kdvb1 writes: “*wonders if Joe read her comment about Carl Binder and bday dedications on August 10th*”

Answer: Joe read the comment but needs you to remind him closer to the date as he has a mind like a sieve.


Silver_comet writes: “ Do you know all the non-Stargate related guest bloggers personally before you ask them for a guest appearance?”

Answer: I certainly make a point of asking them before announcing their guest appearance.

TBA writes: “When you write scenes for major Wraith characters, do you usually give them names?”

Answer: Not usually. They’re simply referred to as Wraith Commander unless one of our characters names them - as was the case with Kenny.



Moscowchick writes: “I have a question - does the Atlantis expedition have a janitorial staff or does the city magically clean up after its inhabitants?”

Answer: There is a service crew in the city that, among other things, prepares the meals, cleans up after everyone, and, most important of all, keeps a very low-profile which explains why you don’t see them.

Jenny Robin writes: “Joe, you know what would be utterly fascinating for all your readers? I’ll tell you. I should be a guest blogger.”

Answer: A random fan guest blogger. Interesting…

Smiley_face06 writes: “Thanks for answeing my question about Ba’al. It makes me feel better knowing Sam isn’t sulking after being relieved of command in Atlantis.”

Answer: One of the things we wanted to make sure of was that Carter’s being relieved of the Atlantis command isn’t seen as a demotion because, as our team pointed out in The Seed, she was actually a victim of her own success. As such, the next time we see Carter (in episode 20), she’ll have assumed another command position.

Sandra writes: “First question: What would be the Daniel, Mitchell, Vala, Teyla, and Ronon commercials be for “With a Little Stargate Anything is Possible?” Second: If you could write a crossover episode with any other book or TV show what would it be? Third (and this is new): what, in your mind, happened to SG-1 while Sam was on Atlantis? Now that she’s back, will she rejoin the team?”

Answers: 1) Not a clue. 2) Dr. Who. 3) With the Ori dealt with, things were decidedly quiet on the Milky Way front. While not disbanded, SG-1 (made up of Daniel, Teal’c, Mitchell, and Vala) curtailed their off-world exploits.

ElisaD writes: “Now, I was wondering some of the other writers have mentioned who they love writing for or their favorite character on SGA, so I wondering who your favorite character is and who you love writing for.”

Answer: This season, it’s been Ronon and Woolsey.

[PG15]

BILL. ****ING. NYE.

OMFG.

That is all.

[Alan]

August 7th

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...se-of-the-day/

Smiley_face06 writes: “Thanks for answeing my question about Ba’al. It makes me feel better knowing Sam isn’t sulking after being relieved of command in Atlantis.”

Answer: One of the things we wanted to make sure of was that Carter’s being relieved of the Atlantis command isn’t seen as a demotion because, as our team pointed out in The Seed, she was actually a victim of her own success. As such, the next time we see Carter (in episode 20), she’ll have assumed another command position.

That is sweet music to my ears!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RodneyIsGodney]

Oh. My. God.

David/Rodney + tux =

[jjit]

As such, the next time we see Carter (in episode 20), she’ll have assumed another command position

What's position? I'm so exciting seeing Sam again.

[warmbeachbrat]

Bill NYE!!??!!?? Oh my word!!

I've had a crush on him forEVER...well, since his "Almost Live" days. *fans self* I can't wait!!


ETA: Here he is in fine form!

[prion]

8-8-2008 - PART 1

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...an-mccullough/

Pictures: 1) Alan McCullough, 2) Alien prosthetic treatment - The Daedalus Variations, 3) Alien fighter design - The Daedalus Variations, 4) Alien ship design - The Daedalus Variations, 5) Interdimensional Drive - The Daedalus Variations, 6) [art] Design for Spoils of War, 7) Thinking, 8) More Spoils of war, 9) Still Thinking, 10) Village design for Outsiders, 11) Part of the big Pepsi tie-in campaign

Today, I turn the blog over to Alan McCullough. Some of you will of course recognize Alan for the close to 20 Stargate scripts he’s written to date. Others will recognize him for his boyish good looks that occasionally grace this blog. Still others may recognize him Man in Stall from American Psycho, Bip from Funny Things, or the irrepressible Ned Handleson from Jake Moxie. A couple of years ago, when Paul and I were put on the spot during a Comic Con panel and asked to comment on the writing staff, my writing partner said this of Alan: “Well, he chews with his mouth closed. Which is, I suppose, more than you can ask of any writer.” Truer words were never spoken. In addition to chewing with his mouth closed, the soft-spoken Alan also finds time to act as the show’s Supervising Producer AND supply the writers’ room with the odd hilarious zinger. Over to Alan…

Hi everyone. First of all, I’d like to thank Joe for letting me guest blog this week. I really appreciate all the comments and questions about “Daedalus Variations”. Hopefully I can answer them all. Before we get to that, though, I’d like to give a few shout-outs to people who helped make this episode what it was; in particular Andy Mikita, who did a fantastic job directing, James Robbins, who designed those incredibly cool aliens, and Mark Savela, whose team created some of the most spectacular visual effects battle sequences Atlantis has ever done. If you enjoyed this episode, guaranteed it has something to do with these three.

On to questions:

Linda Gagne writes: “I loved DV. When writing the episode did you intend on the team bonding/developing moments I got out of it (i.e. A lot of McKay/Teyla building on previous episodes where she seems to be able to get him to calm down and focus more as well as him beginning to value her more)?


Hi Linda. Yes, the team bonding moments were planned from the beginning. We knew this episode was going to air number 4 in the schedule, so Teyla would still be feeling her way as a new mom whose other job was saving the galaxy. Getting the team trapped together seemed like a good way to get these feelings out in the open. In addition, these scenes provided a nice breather between the action-heavy sequences.

Loved the McKay dropping the baby comment. It is so like him or at least I imagine it to be from watching the show. Also loved the McKay/Shep scene where McKay said he had to not think like himself and used Sheppards idea (I find a lot of humor in that kind of stuff). Liked that Teyla was knowledgable in how to use the computers on the ship. On a seperate note, your daughter is beautiful (yes, I read end credits). In S&R did she cry on cue in the birthing scene? Because that was very real sounding but it looked real too.”


Much as I’m sure young Annalise would benefit from my considerable parenting skills (“Car seat? What’s that?”), she is not, in fact, my daughter, despite the similarity of our names. For the moment, the only baby in my household is a two-year-old mini-Schnauzer named Monty. Re: S& R, can’t say for sure whether or not the baby cried on cue. My suspicion is the sound was added later.

Jason writes: “Hi Alan, I thoroughly enjoy your work on Stargate. I especially appreciate how you incorporate Major Lorne in so many of your episodes of not only Stargate Atlantis but also SG-1 where he played a prominent role in Road Not Taken. Is it a conscious effort to include Major Lorne in your episodes? Do you find the Lorne Character as interesting to write as the leads? Will we ever hear his first name spoken on the Show? I know from reading previous blog entries that he was suppose to mention that he was “Uncle Evan” in Spoils of War but that was cut during editing. Thanks for guest blogging and continued success in your career.”


Hi Jason, thanks for your comments. While I don’t go out of my way to include Lorne in my episodes, I’m delighted whenever I get the chance to use him. Kavan Smith is a first-rate actor who seems to hit it out of the park no matter what we throw at him. I definitely like writing stuff for our supporting cast, finding out more about them. I think it makes them more human and enriches the show as a whole. Unfortunately, if we are ever tight for time, moments like those are the first to go, as was the case with the “Uncle Evan” line.


Continued in part 2