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

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http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...iny-infirmary/

July 26, 2009

Photos: The Destiny infirmary, Set Decorator Mark Davidson, Joe Mallozzi


In order to make any headway on the writing front, I need the authorial equivalent of a running start – all the way back to the Tease, reading over what I have, zipping along through the first act, picking up speed in the second act until I reaching the point where I left off – where I launch myself, allowing momentum to carry me headlong into the unknown. Like the long jump: sprint, stride, stride, and LEEAAAAAAP! I landed somewhere on P.38, smackdab in the middle of Act III.

So far, so good except that I have a feeling this script is going to be long. On the bright side, I’m sure my fellow writers will be more than happy to tell me what to lose when the time comes.

I also spent some time today going through the 2009 Michelin Tokyo guide, cross-referencing with last year’s, checking out the reviews on Chowhound and Egullet, and perusing the restaurant websites. My list is huge and growing ever-larger. I’m tempted to follow through on the plan I had last year and take a page out of Chef Rob Belcham’s handbook. On his last trip to New York, he was only in for three days and made those days count, sitting down to multiple lunches and dinners. I figure that, once in Tokyo, I’ll be up early enough for a Tsukiji sushi breakfast, then an early 11:00 lunch, a late 14:30 lunch, an earlyish 18:00 dinner, and maybe a late night 10:00 snack. The key, of course, is not to overstuff. But judging from my last Tokyo culinary excursion, that may be a problem. All the same, I will try to avoid another one of those 21 dessert days.

So, as many of you will recall, I bought my mother a new t.v. set on my last trip to Montreal. After some confusion, it seemed she had finally mastered the darn thing and was finally able to watch “that dancing show” in glorious HD. The other day, however, she informed me she was having trouble. She suspected that “the men who came did not set up properly” because, try as she might, she couldn’t access any channels. “I mean, what the hell?”I remember thinking. “Why do they have to make these things so damn complicated?” As it turns out, things weren’t so complicated after all. I just got a call from my sister who was on her way back from mom’s house to deal with the t.v. issue, interrupting her dinner and driving over to do so. Apparently, mom has most of the basics down (ie. She no longer holds the remote upside down and holds down the Channel Down button to raise the volume), but she still hasn’t mastered some of the trickier moves like pointing the remote AT the terminal and not through the coffee table. Sis, meanwhile, has problems of her own as her wireless internet has suddenly stopped working. It’s an issue with her router but when she contacted Linksys for tech support, they informed her that they no longer provided tech support for her outdated router. They knew enough about the product when they first manufactured it but, if we’re to believe them, have since lost all memory of its various technical aspects. That coastline of their consciousness related to said router has apparently been eroded by time’s endless waves. Despite this, they did manage to attain a brief lucidity and offer a surefire solution to the problem: Buy a new router from them! Yeah, I have an even better solution: Make sure your next router is either Netgear or DLink.

Well, back in the office tomorrow. Cuts to watch, on-set action to check out, and, oh yeah, that script to write.

Today, let’s take a stroll through the Destiny infirmary…

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http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...09-happy-1000/

July 27, 2009

Photos: Cake, Jelly, Maximus, Bubba, Lulu, Brie


Today’s post is a milestone of sorts as this blog marks its 1000th entry. It has come a long way from its early days when it was originally conceived as a way to document my culinary adventures in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Back then, I averaged about 25 views a day. Over time, that average has upticked significantly as evidenced by the blog stats (from wordpress and former host blogspot) putting the total number of visitors to this blog at approximately 5 million in 2 ½ years. Hopefully, some of you found what you were looking for.

In those first two weeks, I blogged daily and, upon my return home, I decided to keep the streak alive – just to see how long I could last. As it turns, a mighty long time. Between then and now, I haven’t missed a day, blogging about everything from memorable meals to brilliant books, Stargate to spam vengeance, hosting authors, actors, scriptwriters, directors, a chef, a couple of astronomers, production personnel, an arch-villain bent on global domination, a blue-furred beast with an affinity for cookies, and many more. Oh, and the dogs. I’d be in big trouble if I failed to mention them.

A writer writes – even though many of them hate it – and I’ve always believed that the only way to improve as a writer is, well, to write. And this blog has given me the opportunity to do just that. Sure, there’ve been times when I haven’t felt like posting, days when I’ve wanted to give it up, and yet I’ve soldiered on because this little online forum has ultimately proven itself very fulfilling. Frustrating, annoying, maddening, lonely, heartbreaking, and frightening. But, ultimately, incredibly satisfying.

And so today’s entry is dedicated to all you regulars and semi-regulars who take the time to comment, critique, and, most importantly, read these daily entries. If it wasn’t for your kind support, this blog wouldn’t exist and all the time dedicated crafting these thousand entries would have gone to less noteworthy pursuits like learning to play the piano, writing more scripts, or volunteering at my local homeless shelter. Thanks a lot, people.

Let’s celebrate with virtual cake and join the virtual party in the comments section. I’m here all night.

And while we’re at it, let’s also celebrate Stargate Universe’s strong showing at Comic Con (http://io9.com/5324054/who-won-comic...s-our-10-picks) with a toast to MGM’s Grey Munford and his team for not only producing a truly kick-ass trailer, but putting together a terrific campaign as the show gears up for its premiere.

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July 28, 2009

Photos: Divided, the jungle, Robert C. Cooper, Carl Binder, Elyse Levesque


Well, second day back at work and no work completed. On the script front that is. Production has, however, started on Faith (Episode 13) and we have watched two of the three episodes that make up my Triuvirate of Terrificness, my Top 3 favorite episodes of the season. So far.

Yesterday, we watched the director’s cut of Divided (Episode #12). It’s tight! First-time Stargate Director Felix Alcala hits a home run, directing a riveting and incredibly compelling episode scripted by my fellow producer and writing partner Paul Mullie. Tense, thrilling, occasionally surprising, with some wonderful moments for all of our cast members.

Then today, we watched the Day 1 Mix of Life (Episode #8). Director Alex Chapple, another Stargate newbie, delivers big time with an episode that explores the hidden lives of our characters. Some incredibly warm and touching performances in this one. Of all the romances, potential and otherwise, the Camille-Sharon relationship is the one that resonates the strongest with me. Every time I watch this episode, I always get a little, uh, dust in my eye watching their scenes. Kudos to Carl Binder who wrote the brilliant script and kudos to Joel Goldsmith who continues his winning composedly ways with a truly beautiful score.

Oh, and if you’re wondering, the third episode in my personal Triumvirate of Terrificness is Time (Episode #9) – a Rob Cooper Joint. Freaky, fun, and very clever. More than any other episode (outside of our premiere of course), I anxiously await the fan reaction to this one.

Well, we’re past the halfway mark on season one and our cast continues to impress. Yes, yes, they’re supremely talented – I’ve said it on more than one occasion – and you’d think we’d get used to it by now but, every time we think they can’t get any better, they surprise us with a line interpretation, delivery, or scene that will have us (the producers) giddy with delight. And it’s not just two or three of them. This cast is solid straight through, from veteran Robert Carlyle to recurring actors like Peter Kelamis and Patrick Gilmore who have taken their characters from supportive roles to fully-fleshed out and engaging players.

I’d also like to make mention of one of our youngest actors, Elyse Levesque. The part of Chloe Armstrong was one of the last cast because, quite frankly, it’s a very tough role. This is a character with a significant emotional and intellectual depth beneath her privileged exterior and we needed to find someone who could pull it off with range and a certain amount of subtlety. And after watching the dailies of the two-part opener, Air I and Air II, I can honestly say I can’t imagine anyone better for the role.

Elyse consistently demonstrates the sort of talent that will make people take note – fans, critics, and producers alike. Her Chloe is smart, sympathetic and incredibly charming. Much like the actress herself.

As promised in yesterday’s comments section, I reveal to you the title to Episode #19. Those of you who guessed Subversion – guessed correctly.

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http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...rdoponics-lab/

July 29, 2009

Photos: Destiny’s hyroponics lab


Success! In preparation for my culinary pilgrimage to the mecca of gastronomic delights – Tokyo, natch – I have trimmed my prospective restaurants list from an unwieldy 96 down to a much more manageable 45. Of course, that’s not including a lot of the theme and smaller hole-in-the-wall restaurants I’d also like to check out like the place where the waiting staff all dress up like characters from Alice in Wonderland or The Lock-Up where diners enjoys their meals in the comforts of a maximum security prison environment complete with in-progress jailbreaks or one of the city’s many “horomune” eateries where one can sample anything from simmered tongue to tasty esophagus.

I’m also brushing up on my elementary brain-damaged extra-polite Japanese school boy-level Japanese. Dezato wa, doko ni arimasu ka? (Where’s the desserts at?). Watashi no omoshiroi boshi o naku****a! (I lost my funny hat!). Etc. Just the basics of course.

Today, the cast and crew gathered in Stage 4 to watch the SGU trailer screened at Comic Con AND the super special extra-long sizzle reel Grey Munford and co. put together for buyers and media. I’ve got to say, the only thing more exciting than watching it myself for the first time is watching the reaction of my co-workers as they watch it for the first time. The show looks gorgeous, and with the finished visual effects and score in place its downright stirring. Just the thing to get everyone all fired up for the post-hiatus sprint to the finish.

Oh, you’ll all be pleased to hear that I did make some headway on Episode #20 today, hitting the 40 page mark late this afternoon. I do like what I have but, as I told Exec. Producer and Co-Showrunner Robert Cooper last night at dinner, I fear the script is going to come in long. There is simply a helluvalot going on here. For his part, Rob didn’t seem all that concerned. Quite the opposite in fact. His reaction: “Great! Two-parter! We’ll save on of the other stories for season two!”

On the other episode fronts:

- We’re presently shooting Faith, episode #13.

- Rob is prepping Lucid, Episode #14, which he’ll be directing.

- Twitter reports have Marty G. almost finished his second script, Episode #15, Lost.

- Brad received Barbara’s draft of Sabotage, Episode #16, over the hiatus and says she did a very good job.

- After completing his pass on Sabotage, Brad will shift gears to Episode #17, as yet untitled, which, I assume, we’ll be breaking sometime next week?

- Carl is close on his, Episode #18. He was last sighted wading his way into Act V.

- Somewhat slower going on Paul’s script, Subversion, Episode #19. I assume he’s finished Act I by now.

Finally - what’s the point of going into space if you can’t grow your own cosmic tomatoes? Today, I offer you a peek at Destiny’s hyroponics lab…

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http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-the-sgu-crew/

July 30, 2009

Photos: Carl Binder, Ryan Purcell, Peter DeLuise, Andy Mikita, Will Waring, the infirmary, Jim Menard, Alex Pappas, Bruno Bittner


Nihongo benkyo o ****te imasu! I’m studying Japanese! It’s well known that the quickest and most comprehensive way to learn a foreign language is total immersion. As a result, I’ve told my friends and co-workers that, for the time being, I will only address them in Japanese and I ask them to only speak to me in Japanese as well (Nihongo hana****e kudasai!). There were some complaints. And no wonder. Their Japanese language skills are atrocious! All the more reason for them to take part.

I’m amassing a bunch of questions in the mailbag that I’ll start tackling tomorrow. For today, to those asking whether I’ll be blogging while in Tokyo – of course! I’ve blogged through two of my Tokyo trips, the last one starting with this entry: http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...ron-throwdown/

Following in the footsteps of Spambait (http://spambait.wordpress.com/) and the Weird Food Purchase of the Day (http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...cream-edition/), and ( http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...se-of-the-day/) today I kick off what will hopefully be a recurring feature: the Caption This feature.

How it works – I post an awkward pic and you guys provide an appropriate caption to describe the photo. The winner gets…well, I haven’t decided what the winner gets. But it will no doubt be something very cool that can be cherished forever, like a piece of prop fruit, a personal video message from Script Coordinator Lawren Bancroft-Wilson, or a pair of Louis Ferrera’s shoes I’ll sneak out of his trailer.

Contest rules: There are none. Enter as many times as you like!

Contest ends midnight (PST), Monday August 3rd, 2009.

Okay, we all set? Here’s the pic. Caption this:

So, 45 pages into the season finale and only partway through Act III, I face a tough decision. One script or two? I poked my head into Brad’s office today to give him the heads-up. He’s doing the pass on Sabotage but has planned to write Episode #17. Given that #17 is the only story we have yet to break, it will probably be shifted to season 2 (provided we get that much sought-after pick-up) if my one script becomes two, so I didn’t want him actually starting work on it in the days ahead. Just in case.. After some discussion with the other producers, it was decided that I would proceed and simply write the script I want to write, then take stock at the end of this long weekend. If it’s only slight longish, I’ll simply trim it down and end up with a very tight single script. If I’m outrageously long, I’ll reconfigure the act breaks and end up with two scripts.. All good, except that there’s a just as likely third scenario I fear: I‘m long, but not outrageously so, and end up with a firm script and a half.

Well, guess I’ll know by Tuesday.
In today’s pic ensemble, let’s check out the Stargate: Universe crew in action…

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http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...ittle-mailbag/

July 31, 2009

Photo: Joe Mallozzi


I am Exhausted. Yes, with a capital E. After chatting with Brad and co. about my script for the season finale, it was decided that I would go off, work on it this long weekend, and hopefully/eventually get a firm sense as to whether it was actually one episode or two. After all my talk of “too much story”, I was prepared for disappointment in the event I ended up with a solid script and a half – which I would, of course, trim down (1 jam-packed episode always beats 2 flabby episodes). Anyway, as I was leaving the offices yesterday, Rob advised me not to force it. If it was two scripts, great. If it was only one script, just as great. My writing partner Paul, however, couldn’t resist delivering the following parting shot: “Boy, everybody’s going to be so disappointed if it’s not two scripts. You’re going to let everyone down.”

So today, I wrote. And wrote. And wrote. And wrote. And, by the time I was done (and I only mean “done” in the sense that I’m “done writing for the day” and am nowhere near finished my work), I’d completed one script, 50 glorious pages, written the Tease of the next one, and had more or less figured out: a) where I’m going to end up and, most importantly, b) how I’m going to get there. As it turned out, writing wasn’t the challenge today (although I’ll admit to spinning my wheels a little on one particular scene). No, the real challenge presented itself when it came time to reconfigure the act breaks. Act 3 was too long and, despite my best efforts, either Act 4 or 5 kept coming in too short. I thought about it, re-read what I had, cut, pasted, shifted scenes, re-balanced the acts and, finally, voila! Five solid acts!

Let’s hope the same can be said for the second script. If I catch that elusive second wind any time between now and bedtime, I’d like to make a little more headway. If not, there’s always tomorrow. I figure if I complete ten pages a day, I’ll have two completed scripts by the time Brad and Robert get back from the TCA’s later next week.

Thanks to everyone participating in the Caption This contest [see last issue, editor]. I’m going to narrow it down to my top 5 and then let – who else? – Carl decide on a winner. If you haven’t already entered, check out yesterday’s entry and come up with a caption. You have until Monday.


As promised, allow me to tackle the mounting mailbag before getting back to work:

Thor94 writes: “what is the title of episode 20, and it is a cliffanger?”

Answer: The title is a secret. And, yes, it will be a bigtime cliffhanger.

Paloosa writes: “Is the audience pov for SGU through the Eli Wallace character in the first episode, much like it was through Sheppard in SGA?”

Answer: The audience POV can be through whoever one identifies with. Some fans my connect with uber-geek Eli while others, like myself, may connect with the ship’s sassy robot, Zontor 3000.

Patricia Lee writes: “Is Peter DeLuise scheduled to direct in this second half and if so, which episode would that be?”

Answer: I believe he is scheduled to come back and director another. However, off the top of my head, I don’t know which one.

Nadine writes: “Which do you prefer: this hot weather, or the cold winter weather?”

Answer: After living through all those Montreal’s sub-zero winters, I’d definitely take hot over cold.

Grapesofwraith writes: “How much of the crew would you say is continuing on from Atlantis. Are those people mostly the same as in years past, or with a new show, does that mean those are new people as well?”

Answer: There are several new faces but, for the most part, it’s the extended family that has been with the franchise for years.

Sandra writes: “I know that Richard Dean Anderson did a lot of ad libbing, and that consequently all the other actors were forced to do some as well. My questions are: 1. How much did that happen on SGA? and 2. How do you, as a writer, feel about it?”

Answer: Rick was the king of the adlibs. No one else even came close. As a writer, I’m all for it so long as it actually improves the final product. Two other actors who never failed to amaze and amuse with their adlibs were Fred Willard (guested in SG-1’s Family Ties) and Robert Picardo (SG-1 and Atlantis’s Richard Woolsey). Half of Bob’s adlibs weren’t technically adlibs in that he would often come by the offices to run them by us beforehand, but there was never a time we turned down any of his suggestions. He’s an incredibly witty guy. For instance, remember the Star Trek Experience line in Vegas? Yep, that was Bob.

Norriski writes: “Do you have any idea why on the season 8 DVD’s “Threads” is the only episode without a commentary?”

Answer: Nope.

Arctic Goddess writes: “Are you planning on having any guest directors on SGU this year?”

Answer: We’ve had several. Ernest Dickerson (Earth), Alex Chapple (Life), and Felix Alcala (Divided).

Arctic Goddess also writes: “Do you ever see yourself living and working in Japan?”

Answer: Not unless I can bring my dogs.

TBA writes: “And since you’re (presumably, that is) in a question-answering mood, can you give a few words on the ‘Destiny is the Clava Thessara Infinitas’-theory?”

Answer: There’s no connection. Not a conscious one anyway.

Maddog316 writes: “The nineth cheveron leads to destiny. Is that all it leads to? Will we find out more on this and can you elaborate more on the subject?”

Answer: Your question will be answered once the show airs.

CraigMD writes: “In regards to living conditions aboard the Destiny, I read somewhere (Gateworld?) that the ship was an unmanned vessel. Does this mean it wasn’t meant to support life for long periods of time? And if so, why are there things like an infirmary and hydroponics bay on board? Did the Destiny once have a full crew compliment before the SGU characters got there?”

Answer: See above.

Eric.Stewart writes: “I’ve been watching pictures of the Destiny and the technology that is inside it, and I’m wondering how old is the Destiny supposed to be? When the crew goes through the Stargate and end up on the ship, which year are they supposed to be in?
It seem that they end up on an abandonned ship, do we learn the reason for it ? Was the ship built with human or alien technology ?”

Answer: See above.

Thornyrose writes: “Out of the 45 places, how many have you started making reservations at?”

Answer: None yet. I’m going to contact the hotel concierge in late August, give them my selections, and have them make the arrangements.

Juralas writes: “Can we take this to mean his title change didn’t go over very well and it is no longer called “Human”?”

Answer: Uh, hello? As a producer on the show I’m in a better position to know what the episode is called and it’s called Luc…oh…uh…he changed it to Human. Right. Never mind.

Nadine writes: “Do you think, at some future point, the sizzle reel from Comicon will be released?”

Answer: I don’t know.

2cats writes: “May I ask why Marty Gero is writing and consulting producing for SGU if he has this super new gig on another show out of NYC?”

Answer: Martin is writing but not consulting.

2cats also writes: “Why isn’t James Bamford listed as Stunt Coordinator for SGU on IMDB?”

Answer: No idea.

Philburt Sugar Cane writes: “Is it difficult writing the series finale without having the rest of the season in place? Or is it not all that bad since you break the stories as a staff?”

Answer: We all take part in the story-breaking sessions, so we all know what to expect and, more importantly, what to write towards and pay-off later.

David Chapple writes: “One of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo serves a dish known as Dojo Nabe.”

Answer: What’s Dojo Nabe and where can I get me some?

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http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-some-mailbag/

August 1, 2009

Photo: Random pic


I’m feeling dizzy, weak, and nauseous, am suffering from a slight headache, and I think my nose is about to start bleeding. It’s either radiation poisoning or the after-effects of working all day on this script. Or maybe a bit of both (Exactly how much electromagnetic radiation will I have been exposed to by sitting in front of a laptop for twelve straight hours?). I went over Script #1 (52 pages but 49 ½ actual full pages of fun), made some revisions, went over the Script #2 Tease, made some minor adjustments, then forged ahead. By the time dust settled about an hour ago, I’d hit the top of page 17 and the beginning of Act II. All good EXCEPT…I just realized that I don’t have an Act II break. I have apparently misplaced it and require a new one. And Act III may be a little thin. But when I hit Acts IV and V, they’ll be packed with adventure, intrigue, and wonder-stellar goodness. In addition to assorted Holy Crap! moments.

So, to sum up my day – I wrote.


Oh, and answered some of your mailbag questions:

Chevon7 writes: “Why are you such a tease with the titles and why do people care?”

Answer: I’m only a tease because people care.

Chevron7 writes: “Have you ever thought of writing through the night and taking the day off?”

Answer: And sleep?

Quade1 writes: “Do you always wear a suit to work or are there any casual days?”

Answer: During the summer months, I wear jeans and even the occasional t-shirt. When the weather cools, I’m back in bad guy attire.

Nadine writes: “I recall in an earlier post you mentioned a stack of books for research (for this script, I think..) and I was just wondering: for the various stories/scientific elements in each script is there usually a lot of research that must be done? Or does it depend on the episode and how much of it was set up in previous ones?”

Answer: It’s script-dependent. Some scripts will require a fair amount of research. Fortunately, this season, we have science wiz John Scalzi backstopping us/correcting us/laughing at our mistakes.

Joflyaway writes: “Joe, when you plan a trip, do you opt for a city you have been to before, a hotel you have stayed at before and enjoyed, and/or restaurants you have been to before and had a good meal there? Or do you choose a different city, or a different hotel or different restaurants for a different experience?”

Answer: A little of both. I tend to prefer returning to favorite destinations (Tokyo) but I usually go with a different itinerary – new restaurants and sites – although I will go back to places that greatly impressed.

Deni writes: “Joe, why does the gate look so small?”

Answer: It’s because I’m seven foot four.

Valkyrie writes: “Hey Joe! With Dynamite Entertainment securing the rights from MGM to publish Stargate comics, and with your’s and Paul’s foray into the industry, will you guys be penning any stories for the comics?”

Answer: Nope. No plans to.

Thor94 writes: “Where are the toilet on the spaceships???

Can we see the toilet design on the destiny????

By example, during a love scene!!!!!!!”

Answer: It’s funny you should ask because Carl has been dying to write a big toilet love scene for quite some time now.

David Chapple writes: “The restaurant is located in Asakusa on the corner Edo dori(street) and Asakusa dori (street)”

Answer: It looks great. Will I need reservations?

Airelle writes: “Hi Joe, I have been checking Mr Anders blog for mention of your short story, not sure if I missed it,,??”

Answer: Nope. From what I hear, the grand announcement will finally be made this week.

AMZ writes: “I am wondering though – does this mean the finale will be twice as long? Or does it mean we’ll get a JM Cliffhanger special, and have to wait until season two for the second part?”

Answer: It means episode 19 will become episode 18, episode 18 will become episode 17, the story schedule to be episode 17 will disappear, and the two scripts I’m working on will become episodes 19 and 20.

Thor94 writes: “ Now it’s is 1st august.

It was the MGM deadline to find money for stargate worlds.

Have you informations about SW?? It is cancelled??”

Answer: Haven’t a clue. Sorry.

Susiekew writes: “Do you find that your Japanese gets better with every visit?”

Answer: Not really. I have no trouble practicing it alone in my car, but draw a blank whenever I have to actually speak it to a Japanese native. So, instead, I speeeeaaaaak Engliiiiiiiiiish veeeeeery slooooooowly.

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http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...nd-the-mailba/

August 2, 2009

Photos: Destiny set pics, Martin Gero, Carl Binder, John G. Lenic, Jelly, Maximus, Lulu, Brie, Bubba


A great writing day. Granted, a better day for lazing about in the sun but, still, writers can’t be choosers. So after lying awake in bed last night working the story out in my head, I finally found my Act II break! (I’d left it in the garage behind the recycling bin.). Thus armed, I sat down to write (actually, I stood but that’s neither here nor there) and banged out the second act in no time. 10 ¾ pages, by the time I was done I had hit the 26 page mark. And it was only a little after 3:00 p.m.! Of course the fact that I got up at 7:00 a.m. may have been a contributing factor. Anyway, I’m very pleased with my progress. If I can get Act III done tomorrow, Acts IV and V will practically write themselves (Not literally though. I’ve tried and it doesn’t work.). I’m aiming to complete rough drafts of both scripts by Tuesday, will go over them Wednesday and Thursday, and put them out on Friday when I will, no doubt, be relieved and overcome with euphoria that accompanies a job well done…until Monday when I receive everyone’s notes and they tell me to combine the two scripts into one.

Let’s celebrate like the peasants of yore. With pitchers!

Oh, hey, speaking of Marty G. – a rectification on my part. I completely forgot that he was on hand to spin and break stories with us in the early going (I know because I had to provide photographic proof to the gals in accounting who were suspicious), so he IS a Consulting Producer for the first ten episodes.

Finish up The Speed of Dark book club participants. Tomorrow, I’ll be posting my thoughts on the book and starting to gather reader questions for author Elizabeth Moon.

Finally, the grand announcement! Around this time last year, I started work on something I called “my super, secret project”. As it turns out, it was a short story I was asked to contribute to an upcoming anthology edited by Lou Anders. What’s the title of the story? What kind of anthology is it? Well, head on over to Lou’s blog for the breaking news (http://louanders.blogspot.com/2009/0...-it-plane.html) and I’ll follow up on this in tomorrow’s entry.

Hey, check it out! USC alumnus Carl Binder goes thought The 3 Stages of Crosstown Rival Grief upon spotting Producer John G. Lenic sporting a UCLA t-shirt.:

Oh, hey, my sis sent me a link to some horrifically memorable ads: http://www.retrocomedy.com/2009/07/1...-all-time.html For real! Gotta get me one of them styling eye-patches.


Mailbag:

Thornyrose writes: “If you’d done your “secret Project” on the same time scale, you’d have had time to write at least two more stories.”

Answer: Speaking of that super, secret project.

Nadine writes: “How are the dogs handling the heat? Do you keep them inside most of the day? Or are just careful to not let them get overheated?”

Answer: They love the sun but hate the heat so they’ll go outside for a while then head back indoors to cool off then head back outside for a while…

We interrupt this mailbag for an important doggy interlude:

We now return to our scheduled mailbag already in progress…

JJ writes: “Will there be a trailer for SGU pilot release in september?”

Answer: Don’t know what MGM or SyFy have planned.

Anais33 a ecrit:: “1) Combien d’heures par jours passez vous à écrire vorte scripte?
2) Quand tout les épisodes de sgu seront finit de tournés?”

Reponses: 1) Ce weekend – 12 heures par jour.

2) En Octobre.

Translation: 1) This weekend, I’m averaging about 12 hours a day on the script(s).

2) We’ll season one of Universe in October.

Lynn writes: “Hi Joe: I was wondering on Stargate Atlantis if the idea was ever broached to have a religious advisor among the crew, considering how far away they were going and the odds about returning?”

Answer: Never on Atlantis but we did discuss it on Universe.

Tammy Dixon writes: “Jason M. put the SGA movie was a go (on his myspace page). Could they have talked to the actors first?”

Answer: No. I’m guessing that, like me, Jason is a glass half-full guy when it comes to the movie.

Matt Boesch writes: “ u said that Episode 19 will become episode 18 and your two scripts will become episode 19 and 20 so does that mean subversion is now episode 18?”

Answer: If my fellow writer-producers feel that I have two strong scripts then, yes, Subversion will become episode 18.

David Chapple writes: “What month are you going?
The winter months may be a littler busier because of the heat from the food.”

Answer: I’m going from late November to early December. I’m having the concierge at my hotel book most of the other restaurants on my itinerary so I’ll do the same for this one. Oh, and while we’re on the subject, have you heard of a restaurant called Kabukicho?

Kathy H. writes: “Do you use language books, or tapes, or…?”

Answer: I use both books and CD’s but prefer the Pimsleur language CD’s that I can listen to in the car on my way to and from work.

Greg writes: “How many hours does it take to write the typical script?”

Answer: About two weeks worth of hours.

2cats writes: “I thought you’d especially like this “pug” story Joe… poor Dexter, stuck in the middle.”

Answer: Yep, poor Dexter. It’s always the pets who suffer. Can’t understand why the judge just doesn’t give them joint custody. Shouldn’t be a problem unless one of them moves out of town.

SebiMeyer writes: “Answer: It means episode 19 will become episode 18, episode 18 will become episode 17, the story schedule to be episode 17 will disappear, and the two scripts I’m working on will become episodes 19 and 20.

And get paid twice?”

Answer: No, no. I only get paid once. For each script.

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...lizabeth-moon/

August 3, 2009

Photos: The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon, The countdown clock, favorite comic book moment


In the interest of full disclosure: This isn‘t my first time reading The Speed of Dark. It’s one of my favorite books and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

Okay. Onto my review:

Thirty-five year old Lou Arrendale is a bioinformatics specialist working for a pharmaceutical company in the not too distant future. His astounding pattern analysis abilities sets him apart from the average man. But that isn’t the only thing that sets him apart. Lou is wholly sincere, honest to a fault, and highly sensitive to the attitudes, feelings and intentions of others. And he also happens to be autistic. As are his fellow co-workers.

Lou has a great job, a pleasant home life, and good friends from among the members of a local fencing club he frequents. Life is good. Until his new boss, Mr. Crenshaw, sets his sights on Lou’s division. The company is developing a new experimental treatment that purportedly cures autism through a procedure that rewires portions of the affected brain. The initial trials on apes proved very promising and now they’re looking for human subjects. Seeing an opportunity, Crenshaw strong-arms the division, threatening them with dismissal if they do not “volunteer” for the human trials.

Suddenly, Lou’s organized existence is upended as he faces a difficult choice, one that could well undo his sense of self and transform him into someone totally different. But would that necessarily be a bad thing?

Lou is our narrator and, as such, our POV throughout this funny, touching, fascinating, and altogether engaging tale. We grow to know him, to like him, and, most important of all, to understand him. By novel’s end, our emotional investment in the character is enormous. We’ve shared in his frustration and bewilderment at the hands of the cruel, sometimes vindictive individuals who target those they deem different or weak. We’ve experienced the affections and friendship of the people in his life, autistic and non-autistic alike. And, ultimately, we join him in wrestling with a decision that could alter him either for better or worse and, quite possibly, both.

On the surface, Lou’s dilemma seems fairly straightforward. Given the opportunity, why wouldn’t someone with autism take the chance to live life as a regular person? But this question becomes incredibly complex when applied on a personal level. The author opens our eyes by making us realize that it isn’t as simple as it appears on first blush, especially if someone we care about is at the heart of the issue. On the one hand, Lou does have trouble socializing and approaches the world with an almost childlike innocence, and yet, on the on the other hand, he succeeds where so many other “normals” fail, building a solid life for himself, establishing friendships, even falling in love. The author does such a wonderful job of allowing us to see the world through Lou’s eyes that, when the time comes for him to choose, we feel for him as we would a friend. In fact, my sentiments echoed those of his fencing instructor, Tom, who ends up torn between wanting to see his Lou achieve all the things he ever wanted but heartsick at the prospect of losing him to that new life.

This book asks some tough questions. What is normal? How does one weigh the value of identity in the face of progress? And what is the speed of dark? In the end, these questions are left unanswered. Or, rather, the author leaves it to the reader to draw their own conclusions.

I can honestly say that few books have affected me as deeply as The Speed of Dark. It’s smart and compelling and leaves a lasting impression. Not only a great SF novel, but a great novel across all genres.

So, those are my initial thoughts. Yes, I loved this book – even more so on second reading. And you? Let’s hear your take and let’s see those questions for author Elizabeth Moon who has kindly agreed to join us for a little Q&A.

Well, it’s official. Sometime in early 2010, my very first professional short story will hit store shelves as part of With Great Power, an anthology of superhero-themed tales in the tradition of Watchmen, Kingdom Come, and The Dark Knight. When editor Lou Anders first approached me about submitting a story for this collection, I was honored. And somewhat terrified. Scripts, I know I can do. But short stories? I accepted Lou’s offer with the understanding that if my submission didn’t meet his high standards, I would happily serialize my efforts on this blog and we’d have no hard feelings either way. And soon after, I got to work. Lou wanted the stories to be “non-ironic takes on the superhero genre”. As he put it: “…stories that contemporary readers of DC/Vertigo, Marvel, Dark Horse would comprehend and enjoy. Not “outside looking in” stuff.” As it turned out, I had a story – actually two stories – that fit the criteria, notions I’d been considering as potential comic book series. After much thought, I combined the two and set out to write my story. I had an opening scene. I had my protagonist. I had the mystery. And I had my ending. Now, all I needed to do was come up with the rest. And, over the course of some ten months, I did – writing a scene here, a paragraph there, going dry for days on end before returning to my labor of love and always, always agonizing. Writing, re-writing, and re-rewriting until I couldn’t stand it any longer and decided to send it off before I drove myself mad. The next day, Lou dropped me an email. The initial review was positive – and I was finally able to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Yesterday, Lou published the table of contents for the upcoming anthology and I must say that I’m in some mighty impressive company. The many distinguished authors contributing to the collection include Dr. Who’s Paul Cornell, SF great Stephen Baxter, comic book heavy-hitters Gail Simone and Bill Willingham, and many more. Check out the complete line-up here: http://louanders.blogspot.com/2009/0...-it-plane.html

Continued progress on the script front. I finished Act III today and got a little ahead of myself, writing a couple of scenes form Act IV before being stymied by a communications issue. Hopefully, it’ll be resolved before tomorrow and I can remain on track. Today, to celebrate, I give you the countdown clock:

Among the author home pages I check out on a semi-regular basis is that of Jeffrey Ford (http://14theditch.livejournal.com/). Most of you know I’m a huge fan of Jeff’s work and recently finished (and, incidentally, adored) his 2005 novel The Girl in the Glass (which definitely makes my July Top Picks, an entry I’ll be jumping on as soon as I finish this final script). Anyway, Jeff’s livejournal page is incredibly eclectic, running the gamut from the philosophical to the downright ridiculous. And hilarious. Take a past entry (http://14theditch.livejournal.com/287714.html) titled “Jimmy Olsen in “Gnor Trouble”“ that offers up some pretty funny excerpts from the comic book icon’s least memorable appearances. The entry inspired one Thom Davidson to send in one of his favorite comic book moments that I post for you below. All I can say is – I had my suspicions.

Finally, those of you who opt to let fate decide with the flip of a coin might do well to check and see what side is facing up before you call it. Recent findings suggest the old coin toss may not be 50/50 after all. According to this (http://www.thebigmoney.com/articles/...ipping-out?g=1) artcle coin flips are governed by laws of mechanics meaning “their flight is determined by their initial conditions.” As The Simpsons’ resident pigskin prognosticator would say: “Hey, when you’re right 51 percent of the time, you’re wrong 49 percent of the time.”

[Jumper_One]

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August 4, 2009

Photos: Carl Binder, Destiny set


I’d like to kick off today’s entry by announcing the winner of our very first Caption This contest. The winner was chosen by none other than the awkwardly pictured party himself: Carl Binder. Thanks to everyone who took the time send in their captions. There were a lot of great ones – and a few that had me scratching my heads wondering whether some of you had been drinking.

Anyhow, drumroll please….

In third place, DougIndy with a nice call-back:

Second place goes to K-Man for:

And taking the first place crown is JES with his winning caption:

DougIndy and K-Man win bragging rights! JES wins…er…something else. I haven’t decided quite what yet. But drop the Baron an email ([email protected]) and you can discuss.

Well, I had only planned on finishing up Act IV of Script #2 today but, as expected, got on a roll and ended up sailing through Act V to finish the darn thing. The second script is a robust 53 pages (52 full) and contains what is, without a doubt, the biggest HOLY #%&@! ending I have ever written. I mean, I knew what was going to happen but, as I was writing toward it and the different pieces of the story were falling into place, I decided to go with a little something different in the lead-up and…well…it’s quite the eyebrow-raiser. Actually, the double eyebrow-raiser. Hell, the truth is, you don’t have enough eyebrows to make it work. Trust me.

So, now I have two rough drafts. Tonight, I shift gears to reading two first drafts Lawren sent my way – Marty’s G.‘s Lost, and Carl’s latest oeuvre, Pain. Tomorrow, I start work on streamlining my two scripts, getting the all important timing down, adjusting the scenes, tweaking the dialogue, and generally just making sure it all makes sense. The plan was to put them out on Monday but, given that I’m so ahead of schedule, I may aim for a pre-weekend release.
Let’s celebrate with some pics:

I’d like to finish off with some discussion of this month’s book of the month club selection: The Speed of Dark. And a gentle reminder to post your questions for author Elizabeth Moon before week’s end.

**snip**

[Jumper_One]

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August 5, 2009

Photo: SGU Gate


“Ooooh fuuuuudge.” Only I didn’t say ‘fudge.’ I said the word. The big one. The queen mother of dirty words. The ‘f, dash, dash, dash’ word. Yep, for a full minute this morning I was little Ralphie Parker. It was the moment I opened up Martin’s script, Lost, on my laptop and noticed the font. Courier New as opposed to the old SG-1 and Atlantis Times New Roman. Hmmm. I checked Carl’s script. Courier New as well. I went back to the two scripts I’d slaved over these past few weeks. Times New Roman. I automatically used an old template without even having given it a second thought. But I was certainly thinking about it this morning as I accessed the “edit format” function of Screenwriter, changed the font to the accepted Courier New, hit “OK” – and watched the scripts balloon. Script #1, once 50 pages long, was now a pudgy 56. And Script #2, formerly 53 pages in length, was a colossal 60! Anyone up for a three-parter?

No, no. I didn’t think so. Actually this is a good thing. It allows me to focus on tightening up both scripts without having to worry about relative act lengths. Once I’m through with them, these scripts will sing. And when the my fellow writer-producers read them – well, there won’t be a dry eye in the house.

“Hey, wait a minute!”I hear you say. (Yes, that’s right. I’m hearing things. I also saw the ghost of the woman who used to play the nosey neighbor in the old Bewitched series, but that’s a story for another entry). “You were supposed to read those scripts last night!” Yes, yes. No need to shout. That was the plan. Unfortunately, I got a little sidetracked by computer issues. Or maybe wordpress issues. I’m not sure which. I was trying to back-up my blog but every time I tried to export the blog to my laptop, the XML file was empty (0kb). I contacted tech support and they informed me that they were able to export the blog no problem, then asked me to send them a screenshot of the error message I kept getting. As it turns out, getting a screenshot of the error message proved just as daunting as trying to back-up my blog so I finally gave up and, just in case, went back to my old blogger home and imported an older XML back-up of my blog. Well, I clicked the “import” button anyway. When I went to bed last night at a little after 11:00 p.m., blogger was still in the process of importing. Some twenty-one hours later, the “Importing your blog” feature is still at it. Al…most…done…?

Stumped, I went to the experts. Google. My search turned up quite a few suggestions for backing up a blog. And I’m sure they would prove very helpful to someone who could understand them. The first suggested I use an FTP client to download all the files. Great! Hire someone to do the job! I searched the yellow pages for FTP clients but came up empty. Then I thought “Hey, wait a minute! If they’re working for me, shouldn’t I be the client?” Was this some roundabout way of getting me to do the work myself? I returned to the site and read step #2: “Log into phpMyAdmin and select your WordPress database.” What the what now? I read on and realized that even if I could log into my phpMyAdmin, the site warned me that I was essentially playing with fire and, in trying to address my issue, I could inadvertently screw up my blog or trigger World War III. Maybe both.

I moved on to the second suggestion which instructed me to download the WordPress Database Back-up Plug-in, which I did, then told me to “Extract wp-db-backup.php, upload it into /wp-content/plugins/ and activate it under the Plugins menu.”, which I didn’t. Okay. Let’s see – wp…wp-content… Seriously. It’s like trying to get to the Universal lot without a map. It can’t be done!

Okay, moving on to suggestion #3: “Use straight MySQL commands“. Of course! It’s so simple! Why didn’t I think of that! Step one advised me to change my directory. The rundown for step two sounded suspiciously like instructions for creating my own dirty bomb and included the following helpful breakdown:

user@linux:~/files/blog> mysqldump –add-drop-table -h mysqlhostserver
-u mysqlusername -p databasename (tablename tablename tablename) | bzip2
-c > blog.bak.sql.bz2

Enter password: (enter your mysql password)
user@linux~/files/blog>

It’s as if this guy’s cat just walked across his keyboard and he didn’t even bother deleting that section before posting.

Finally, option #4 was a link that read “complicated method”. Needless to say I didn’t bother clicking.

Further research suggests that the Export function on WordPress times out after sixty seconds and, given my blog’s enormous database, it would take roughly double that to download it in its entirety. So it would appear that, after sixty seconds, the function simply throws it’s hands up and says “F- this! I’m gonna go watch Big Bang Theory!” and leaves me to my own devices – said devices being the hammer I was going to take to my laptop in frustration.

So, what to do? Do I need to go out and buy a laptop fast enough to allow me to complete the export in less than the 60 seconds allotted? Do I need to ignore the painfully obvious fact that this isn’t working and keep trying in the vague hope that it may eventually, magically, actually start working (because, I’ve got to tell you, this particular approach, while the simplest, has yet to achieve results even remotely promising). Or should I turn my blog into a print edition that I can simply photocopy before mailing out to interested subscribers?

Suggestions?

[A hilarious little post-script. About ten minutes ago, I had just uploaded the above pic and was about to hit "publish" when my laptop flashed what the gals in playback refer to as "the blue screen of death" and immediately, and mysteriously, rebooted itself. Well, I guess that settles it. The problem isn't technical after all. It's supernatural. My latop is cursed.]

Some further discussion on The Speed of Dark:

**snip**

And thanks to Charlie’s Angel, Mishmee, Otros Ojos, Sparrow_hawk and others who have shared some of the personal challenges they and their families have faced. Good luck to you all. Ttoday’s blog entry is dedicated to you guys.

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...hunky-mailbag/

August 6, 2009

Photos: Andy Mikita, First couple of weeks of shooting


First off, thanks to everyone who has offered up suggestions on how to deal with my tech problem (see last issue, ed.). Tomorrow, I’ll see if I can export a copy of my blog to via a (hopefully) faster computer at the office. To be honest, the situation isn’t as dire as it seems. I write out my entries before transferring them to wordpress, so I have them all backed up as documents. I’ve also backed up all my media files (pics and video) as well. I have a back up blog that was last updated winter of 2008 in addition to the countless live journal sites out there that have published my entries over the past coupe of years. So, yes, I’m covered. Still, it would be nice.

Was in the office today. Gave Carl notes on his first draft of Pain. Doesn’t look like he’ll need to do much in the way of a rewrite. Meanwhile, I anxiously await Brad’s pass on Sabotage as that preps next week with the lovable Peter DeLuise at the directing helm. Next week is also when Rob Cooper starts directing Human (formerly Lucid – I know, I can’t let it go). I’m going to go over both of my scripts and – provided on how things go – try to get them in tomorrow so he’ll have the weekend to read them rather than having to read them on set. The latter would be terrible as I’m sure he’ll be so engrossed and eager to finish reading that he’ll no doubt hold up production just to see “how it all turns out”. And I, of course, would feel terribly guilty. So, tonight, I start my first pass on my drafts.

Late this afternoon, we watched the Final Mix of the two-part premiere with the VFX Finals. “Pretty good,”said Brad on the final fade. “No,”Carl was quick to correct him. “Great.” “Yeah,”Brad agreed. “It WAS pretty good.” “No,”Carl repeated himself, more emphatically this time. “Great!”. And I’d have to agree with Carl. As I was watching, all I could think was how good this would look on the big screen. And then I remembered – Hey, we’ll be doing a big screen cast and crew screening prior to the premiere so we will get to see it on the big screen! It will truly be awesome!

Speaking of the premiere – I leave you today with some pics from those first couple of weeks of shooting…and the mailbag…


RebeccaH writes: “My question is, if you’ve been using Times New Roman all along (which is my favored font), shouldn’t that be the standard by which you measure your script pages, regardless of whether someone else is using a different font?”

Answer: That was the case with SG-1 and Atlantis. But new series = new font. At the end of the day, so long as we’re consistent throughout the production, we could be using Hermetica Indentured Serf Gothic Extra Bold and it wouldn’t really matter.

Cheryl Gunter writes: “My daughter spent 2 years writing a book.
Someone broke into our house and stole her laptop. You guessed it…no backup…there went the book. Gone forever.”

Answer: I feel horribly for your daughter. I have a fear of something similar happening to me – losing a document either to theft or a system crash. I make it a point to always back-up my data on an external hard drive and also email myself the documents just to be on the safe side. My sympathies.

Psychotic_Carp writes: “You might want to try to backup your blog with another browser, if your on safari try firefox or opera.”

Answer: Tried ‘em. No go.

Eric.Stewart writes: “I’ve heard that there is apparently a standard in term of the font you can use to write a script, and that all scripts are supposed to be written in the same font style and size.”

Answer: Yep. Courier is the industry standard. If you’re writing a spec script, that’s the font you should be using. That said, if a production wants to use an alternate font, there’s no logical reason why they shouldn’t so long as this is accepted as the norm for all internally produced scripts.

Eric.Stewart also writes: “I’ve also heard that this standard helps to evaluate the time length of a script. i.e 1 page of a script is supposed to be equivalent to 1 minute of on screen movie time, so that a 52 pages script would be equivalent to 52 minutes of “on screen time.”

Answer: Yes, more or less, 1 scripted page = 1 minute of screen time. It varies somewhat depending on whether the scripts are action or dialogue-heavy, or whether you’re actors speak quickly or enunciate at a glacial pace.

Ytimyona writes: “Joe, do you have anything to say about the Emmy bruhaha?”

Answer: Sure. What Emmy bruhaha?

Otros Ojos writes: “I hope you don’t get tired of people telling you how entertaining you are.”

Answer: Not yet. But I’ll let you know.

Jenn writes: “So, Joe, uhm…is there any word about the SGA movie? Any word at all? Are you still optimistic that it’s going to happen?”

Answer: As I’ve said all along, I’m going to assume we are making a movie until somebody actually tells me we aren’t. And that hasn’t happened yet. Also, if the plan was never to make a movie, Paul and I wouldn’t have been hired to write and produce it. If at some point they’d decided not to do it, you’d think they would have said “Hey, stop writing that script!” rather than paying us for something they had no intention of using.

Anais33 a ecrit: “Je ne pourrai pas passer sur votre blog avant une semaine, car pleins de monde viennent chez moi, et je part quelques jours en vacance dans un luxueux hotel.:

Answer: Bonnes vacances! Et bonne anniversaire!

JimfromJersey writes: “I can’t help you with the actual backup, but I can help with this: The best screen capture program I’ve ever used. And it’s free!”

Answer: Thanks, Jim.

Angelus writes: “Will you be showing any work-in-progress art designs for SGU?”

Answer: I will – and have posted some early design work already.

Ytimyona writes: “Does the crew always wear awesome shirts to work, or only when their pictures are taken?”

Answer: I think they wear them in the hopes that they’ll get their picture taken.

Shawna writes: “So… what happens if SGU doesn’t get picked up for a second season?”

Answer: So negative! We grow increasingly excited about the show the closer we get to those finished episodes. Hopefully quality will translate to solid ratings. But, in the event things don’t work out, we’ll be able to look back on 16 incredible seasons of a franchise that, quite frankly, was originally, in a best case scenario, only envisioned going 5. I will of course finally be able to head back to Tokyo and spend the entire year as a guest contestant on various Japanese game shows before returning to start up my dream monkey sanctuary.

Fargate One writes: “Quand vous rédigez un dialogue, le lisez-vous à voix haute pour vérifier si les phrases sonnent bien à l’oreille, pour entendre les répliques afin de vous assurer qu’elles sonnent naturelles?”

Answer: Des fois, oui.

Translation: I occasionally do read my dialogue aloud to make sure it sounds right. I do the same with my answers to your questions.

K-Man writes: “If for some reason they don’t make the movie will the script ever be released anywhere? Maybe as a novel or something?”

Answer: That, of course, would be up to MGM.

Fran writes: “Is Brie the newest edition to the bunch? And do they all get along with each other?”

Answer: Brie is a guest. And, yes, they do all get along. More or less.

Chevron7 writes: “Joe & some other social people, please take the test.”

Answer: I scored a 29.

Vincent92 a ecrit: “1)Quelle est votre niveau d’étude du français ? (Vous avez lu la BD Asterix en Français !)

2) Quelle est la marque des “Tablets PC” sur Atlantis ?

3) Allez vous sur le site de David Hewlett (dGeek.com) ?”

Reponses: 1) J’ai étudié le français dans l’ecole primaire et secondaire.

2) Je ne me rappelle pas.

3) Non, je ne le sais pas.

Translations: 1) I studied French in elementary school and high schoool.

2) I don’t recall what the markings are on the Atlantis tablets.

3) I’m not familiar with dGeek.

Norriski writes: “I was wondering if you could direct me to a few Sci Fi authors whos works would, for lack of a better term, be consider PG.”

Answer: I can’t vouch for an author’s entire bibliography, but I can suggest individuals titles: like this months BOTMC pick The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon, or John Scalzi’s Zoe’s Tale, or George R. Stewart’s Earth Abides to name a few.

DasNdanger writes: “ Joe – Lou says to look for the book sometime in 2010. You will give us a head’s up, I’m sure…but I was wondering if you know if this is going to be a general release thing (something you can pick up at your local bookstore), or limited, and only available through select outlets.”

Answer: I’m pretty sure it’ll be a general release.

Majorsal writes: “when does filming for ’sgu’ finish?”

Answer: October.

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-not-a-genius/

August 7, 2009


A bit of a frustrating day all around. I went into the office this morning with the intention of revising both drafts and having the scripts out by this afternoon. A little after lunch, I had to revise my all too ambitious plans and, instead, aim for only one script. By late afternoon, it was clear that both scripts would have to wait until Monday. A variety of issues had conspired to undermine me – the usual office distractions, the fact that I haven’t been able to sleep past 5:00 a.m. four nights running, the possibility that I’m feeling a little tapped out after the torrid pace I’d set for myself in a bid to complete first drafts of both scripts, and a couple of producer edits – ensured I’d be working through the weekend instead.

Yes, producer edits of Space, episode #11, which I wrote, and Divided, episode #12, that Paul wrote. Both are going to be great and while Space will no doubt get the most online buzz in the lead-up to its airdate (for reasons that will become readily apparent as more hints about this episode are released), I think Divided is the one that really sings. It is taut, suspenseful, filled with intrigue, and offers up some terrific dramatic performances by many of our cast.

So, I’ve been on the program for about three weeks – hitting the weights, running, eating better, having five mini meals a day rather than three huge ones, etc. – and while, quite frankly, a bit of a pain in the ass (ricotta with protein powder and cherries, thought admittedly tasty, is no replacement for chocolate), I’m certainly noticing results (ie. My pants fit again!). Anyway, for lunch today, I thought I’d skip the rotisserie chicken for a healthier alternative: the Santa Fe chicken salad from our local Earl’s. After my meal, I went online to check how many calories (and fat) I’d consumed, figuring it would be a modest amount. I figured wrong. Way wrong! 900 calories and a whopping 58.1 grams of fat (15.4 grams of saturated fat)! Holy Good Lord! Compare to a Big Mac (540 calories, 29 grams of fat, 10 grams saturated fat), an order of Arby’s fries (215 calories, 10 grams of fat) and a Krispy Kreme chocolate doughnut (250 calories, 12 grams of fat) which, at a 100 calories more for the total package, would have been immeasurably more enjoyable. Or better yet, an entire Jacques Torres Brulee Crunch milk chocolate bar – and half a Christopher Elbow Dark Rocks dark chocolate bar with popping candy for dessert!

Hey, if anyone ever takes you to task for not doing enough to curb carbon emissions, ask them if they have kids. If they do, call them hypocrites and point them in the direction of this article (http://www.scientificamerican.com/po...nment-09-08-06). According to a new study by professors at Oregon State University (http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archiv...ental-emphasis), having a kid is – short of starting up your own oil refinery – probably the worst thing you can do to the environment: “…the carbon legacy and greenhouse gas impact of an extra child is almost 20 times more important than some of the other environmentally sensitive practices people might employ their entire lives – things like driving a high mileage car, recycling, or using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs.” 9 441 is the metric tons of carbon dioxide an American child will add to the atmosphere (If you choose to have your child in China instead, divide by five.). Now, I’m not saying don’t have kids. I’m just saying that if you have kids, you’ve abdicated the right to lecture me on bottled water and extra-long showers.

The title of the link read “Amazing footage of world’s cleverest bird!”. I clicked on it, expecting to see parakeet program a PVR or a mina bird explain Mulholland Drive. Instead, I was treated to this video (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6753086.ece) of a crow demonstrating some ingenuity. Smart, sure, but not as smart as a parakeet who can program a PVR.

[Jumper_One]

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August 8, 2009


Okay. Almost there. Today, I finally trimmed both scripts down to a manageable 51 pages. Next up is the “Print and Pace” stage in which I have Lawren print me up a copy so that I can walk up and down the halls of the production office, script in hand, reading and revising, looking very much like an actor preparing for an audition. I might give both scripts another once-over before Monday but, until then…

I spent a good part of the day going over my prospective restaurant list for the upcoming Tokyo visit. Some of you may think I’m nuts researching so early given that I don’t hit Nihon until this winter, but there’s a lot to get through and you have to reserve early. In some cases, very early – three months in advance! Anyway, between Chowhound, Egullet, Bento Box, SunnyPages, and assorted foodie blogs, I think I’m in a position to make a somewhat informed decision. When I last reported on my progress, I had trimmed the restaurant list from an unwieldy 96 to a much more doable 51. Alas, between then and now, I’ve ended up adding a few, so that number has ballooned to 74. Sadly, even with double lunches AND double dinners, I wouldn’t make it so I’m going to have to pare down the roster yet again. But it’s tough. They all sound so good and/or intriguing and/or so bizarrely outlandish it’s near impossible to decide. Don’t believe me? Check out some of the restaurants in the running along with the accompanying descriptions that had me taking notice…


Akarichitei: “The habanero chicken is so hot that customers must don surgical gloves to handle it”.

Argent Aso: “Smoked Iberico pork with garlic infused cream”.

Birdland: “…one of Tokyo’s most famous yakitori restaurants, has chicken so fresh that it can be eaten rare. Bonbochi is the fatty bits near the tail, grilled up to juicy, savory bombs. Liver is rich and tender, sunagimo (gizzard) is chewy, hatsu (heart) has a nice mouthfeel, while nankotsu (cartilage; below) gives your jaws a workout”.

Chez Matuso: “Stewed baby boar with white bean puree”.

Ginza La Tour: “Foie Gras Royale slow-cooked for 4 hours then infused with Sauterne”

Gordon Ramsay: “”Oven-roasted pigeon wrapped in prosciutto with foie gras, confit of legs, mushroom ragout, prune puree and almond foam”.

Hiramatsu: “Roast lamb and onion compote with truffle sauce”

Kamiya Nokizaka: “Pork belly cooked in black vinegar and duck slow cooked in its own fat with wine”.

Kimukatsu: “Their unique concept is tonkatsu done more ways than you ever thought possible egg, garlic, miso, plum, black sesame, negi, cheese and, of course, plain. The meat itself is different to the classic tonkatsu, being made up of layers of pork like a millefeuille, crumbed and then deep fried and is quite delicious”.

Kodama: “Matsutake ice cream”.

La Bisboccia: “The parmigiano risotto, served in a bowl made of cheese, is unforgettable”.

L’Alliance: “Foie gras from Landes cooked over low heat and wrapped in a duck consomme and port jelly then served with 20 year old balsamic vinegar and vanilla aroma”.

La Tour d’Argent: “Roast duckling from Vendee served with a heavy sauce made from consomme, duck blood, liver, and Madeira wine“.

Le Bouguignon: “Interesting use of blood and organ meats”.

L’Embellir: “Pig’s feet tonkatsu”.

Maison d’Umemoto Shanghai: “Fried rice with crab innards”.

Miravile: “Japanese beef tongue with foie gras, truffles and pie crust a specialty. Also baked Japanese ox tail, pig’s feet, and foie gras pie served with truffled red wine sauce.”

Monnalisa Marunouchi: “Roast lamb covered with an herb and salt pie dough served with basil-flavored cream.”

Muroi: “Wild mushroom set menu featuring some of the 70 varieties picked”.

O’Hara’s: “Yezo Sika deer terrine and a pie made with truffles, foie gras, and potatoes.”

Okina: “Specialty sobas include soba kneaded with black or white truffles and one with homemade caviar”.

Pierre Gagnaire: “Le Grand Dessert made up of 7 different French desserts”.

Quintessence: “Goat’s milk Bavarian cream with salt and olive oil, three hour roast pork, and meringue ice cream”.

Reikasai: “San Bu Nian – a dessert made of egg yolk, cornflour, sugar and lard in which the dough is kneaded 600 times”.

Ristorante Aso: “Miyazaki and Sedai beef are grilled on charcoal and served with black pepper-flavored mascarpone. Sauteed foie gras topped with zabaione and black truffle sauce”.

Ristorante Honda: “Tagliolini with sea urchin”.

Ristorante La Primula: “ Pasta stuffed with potato puree, cinnamon, mint and raisins topped with Parmesan. Paprika-stewed beef cheeks with polenta, roasted quail stuffed with foie gras”.

Sushi Nakamura: “Seared sea cucmber ovaries good with sake”.

Tateru Yoshina Shiba: “Pork head cuts roasted and served with soft-shelled turtle”.

Uchiyama: “Giant pacific octopus eggs, jellied ray fin broth”.

Yamariki: “This izakaya’s signature nikomi of cow intestines is slow-simmered until tender—the cooks have used the same broth continuously for close to 40 years. Yamariki is known for its yakiton, or grilled bits from pork, including juicy kashira (temples) and chewy teppo (rectum).”

I’m expecting some fabulous dinners! And various Weird Food Purchase of the Day opportunities!

From tasty to tasteless, check out the Time’s Top 10 Tasteless Ads: http://www.time.com/time/specials/pa...907236,00.html

From tasteless to terrifying. This Swedish ad was designed to sell personal care products – but instead ended up creeping out many t.v. viewers: http://www.thelocal.se/21116/20090805/

I knew it! Yet another reason dogs are better than kids (http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/perso...ef=mpstoryview). I think I’ll train Jelly to do my taxes.


Mailbag:

Mishmee writes: “Are they working on the SG1 movie now?
My brother and I are working our way through the SG1 series again. We are on season 2. I’ve forgotten many of these episodes and I remember falling asleep on the couch watching them. Can’t remember why I was tired back then.
When did you join the show as a writer?”

Answer: The SG-1 movie script is with Brad right now. Paul and I joined the SG-1 writing staff at the beginning of season four.

Shirt ‘n Tie writes: “I know it’s insanely early, but have any of the actors been approached about doing audio commentary for the eps?”

Answer: Way too early.

Major D. Davis writes: “I heard SGU’s budget was up by 1 million bucks from Atlantis’ budget. So is SGU’s budget 3 million US dollars???”

Answer: Sorry, I’m not about to discuss numbers. However, I will say this – many have erroneously assumed that this was in reference to Atlantis’s FINAL season. It wasn’t. The comparison was being made to Atlantis’s FIRST season. Two very different budgets.

dune knight writes: “ hey joe, since the other guys read your scripts roughly at the same time they are writing theirs; so how are all 22 episodes in-sync in terms of the development of story arc and characters. and how do all of you write for the same character without making them sound different in each script especially for a new show like this.”

Answer: The first three scripts – Air I, II, and III – written by Brad and Robert, are the templates for all future scripts. We attempted to follow through on the various elements (ie. Character voices) that the show’s creators established early on. Once the scripts are completed, Brad and Robert always do a pass to ensure they remain true to their original vision. Also, the more we hear the actors in character, the easier it is to capture their voices. As for the story arcs – we beat out the stories as a team, well aware of what has come and what is coming. It’s not as if one of us will go off and come back with a script in which, say, Eli gets married or one of our major characters is killed off. All of the overall arcs and in-story arcs are discussed prior to going to script. In small instances, Brad and Rob may also tweak and adjust later scripts to reflect earlier developments.

duneknight also writes: “you probably answered this one before, how do you get yourself into writing mode”

Answer: Easy. I force myself. If I have the luxury of time, I’ll take it. If, however, I’m facing a deadline, then I sit down in front of my laptop and force myself to get it done.

Ytimyona writes: “Have the puppies been waking you up that early, or did it just kind of happen?”

Answer: As outrageous as it sounds, I’m waking up even earlier than my dogs!

Ascended Tauri writes: “I have a question about script lengths. If I’m not mistaken, the Atlantis scripts would often come in at 60-70 pages, yes? So then, why would you say are the SGU scripts coming is as so much less at around 50 pages? (and with the ‘larger’ font, that would make the difference even greater, would it not?)”

Answer: Atlantis scripts would come in at approximately 60 pages. As for the difference in the SGU scripts – different font, different show.

Paloosa writes: “From what you’ve said, SGU is more character and relationship focused, which means that more script and thus screen time is spent in developing these relationships. Doesn’t that equal less action time and therefore less expense?”

Answer: It’s not as simple as saying more focus on relationships will yield less expensive episodes because something has to happen in these episodes – besides developing relationships. The show is more action-adventure than space opera.

RebeccaH writes: “I’d feel your pain, JM, but I’m currently battling swine flu.”

Answer: Hey, get better.

PG15 writes: “Speaking of which, she hasn’t been around the blog in a while. Is she still employed at Bridge Studios?”

Answer: Oh yeah. It’s really more the case of me no being around the office since I’ve been homing working on these scripts.

Grapesofwraith writes: “And a question about the script-font mix up – if you guys are using Courier now, shouldn’t you have realized it when writing Space a couple months ago?”

Answer: I did realize when writing Space. Then promptly forgot and realized again while writing these two scripts.

[Jumper_One]

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

August 9, 2009

Photo: Elizabeth Moon


With the exception of those who accidentally wandered onto this blog and have since been unable to find their way out, you’re all here because you’re fans of science fiction. Or, more specifically and at the very least, fans of the Stargate franchise. Now I’m proud of the work we’ve done on all three shows (SG-1, Atlantis, and the upcoming Universe) and have done my best to highlight many of our accomplishments over the years. But this blog isn’t only about Stargate. And, of course, neither is science fiction. A little over a year ago, I was thinking about the fact that, despite the many, many SF fans out there, so much SF literature remains under-read and underappreciated. And I was struck with a thought. What if I could use this blog to introduce even a small percentage of you to the many wonderful works out there, SF books written by veterans and up-and-comers alike? I could accompany you on the journey, join you in reading, discovering, weighing in, and discussing. So I started this little book club and, since then, it has grown, engendering some terrific discussions and welcoming various authors in the field of not only science fiction but fantasy and horror as well.

Then, a little over a month ago, as I was considering August’s Book of the Month Club selection, I was struck by another thought. What if, on occasion, rather than selecting a book I was unfamiliar with, I chose a favorite instead? It would be not unlike bringing someone to Fuel Restaurant and treating them to their very first Crispy Duck experience. One of the greatest pleasures, next to loving a dish, is recommending it to a friend and having them love it in turn. The same applies to literature. And so, for August’s Book of the Month Club Selection, I put forth one of my favorites, the superlative Crispy Duck of SF novels: The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon.

It’s science fiction, but not of the kind many Stargate fans are used to. There are no bizarre aliens or unfathomable techno-weapons or big explosions (Well, maybe one explosion but at the risk of giving too much away, I’ll leave it at that). It’s simply a near-future, thoroughly compelling character study of one of the most endearing and fascinating individuals in contemporary literature. Too much? I don’t think so, and many of those who read The Speed of Dark would probably agree. Still don’t believe me? Well, why not pick up the book and find out for yourself? And if you need anymore motivation, author Elizabeth Moon has kindly taken the time to drop by and answer some reader questions.

I happened to catch Elizabeth at a good time as she’s informed me she’ll be at ArmadilloCon all next weekend (Yes, it’s a Texas thing). Anyway, if you’re in the Austin neighborhood August 14th – 16th and you do run into her, say hi from Joe. And if you enjoyed The Speed of Dark and would like to know more about the author and her works, head on over to her site (http://www.elizabethmoon.com/). And finally, if you’re wondering what Elizabeth has in the works, her next book, Oath of Fealty (http://www.paksworld.com/blog/?p=324), hits the shelves March of 2010, while two of her short stories have been included in a couple of recent anthologies: “An Incident in Uskvosk” in Songs of the Dying Earth, and “Chameleon” in The New Space Opera 2.

Enough with my rambling pre-ambling. Over to the Q&A…

**snip**