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

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...olate-eclairs/

December 21, 2010

Video: Promising start

Photos: Ginza, pre-dinner snacks, dinner, Ivon Bartok, Joe Mallozzi


So after our rather disappointing visit to the Ueno Zoo, we returned to Ginza for a little stroll and what turned out to be not one but TWO disappointing dinners...

Back at the hotel, we enjoy our pre-dinnner snacks -

Rather than rely on the suggestions of the concierge, we headed out determined to find a suitable restaurant on our own. As we walked around, we were, as usual, approached by guys trying to hustle into one of the multitude of hostess clubs in the area. One memorable guy attempted to a novel approach, attempting to win us over by promising “G cup model!”. Not sure what that translates to in Japanese bra size but given what he mimed, suffice it to say it would be a healthy set in any culture. We, as always, politely declined, but I made I made a show of noting the location for future reference. You know, to be polite and all. We eventually settled on a place called Tomoru Fine Dining. There was nothing even remotely fine about it. A terrible amuse bouche, tasteless cheese fondue, bland beef sashimi, and a horrific deep-fried foie gras…thing.

To top things off, there was some loud mouth Westerner seated some four tables over whose voice carried all the way across the room. We had to listen to this jerk give his expert opinion on everything from the quality of Asian restaurants to the suspect fashion tastes of the Japanese.

We left our meal unfinished and headed out in search of a more promising restaurant. Eventually, we found this place under the tracks -

Things start promisingly enough...

Then, we ordered an assortment of skewers and kicked back -

Apparently, it was our guy’s first night on skewer station. Throughout the grilling process, he’d cast anxious glances back at his co-workers, madly turning the meats and continually soliciting opinions on their levels of doneness. In the end, these were our plates once we’d finished our meal -

We cut our losses and shifted our focus from food to sake. Terrific call. A few more drinks under our belts and we were feeling great!

And thoughtful -

Then we capped off our evening with a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood and four successive visits to Seven Eleven where I purchased four chocolate eclairs so Ivon could film me eating them in my drunken stupor.

Man, I’m gonna miss this town.

Travel Day! See you on the other side of Tuesday with my final Tokyo report including our final farewell to Star Bar!

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...travel-day-16/

December 21, 2010 (again)

Photos: Lunch at Roppongi, lunch #2, Star Bar, Vincent, Yamasaki-san, The Milky Way, Joe Mallozzi, Ivon Bartok


We made the most of our final day in Tokyo, sleeping in late and lounging about the hotel until early afternoon before finally heading out. We headed over to Roppongi where we enjoyed a double lunch. Ramen -

Thumbs up from both us. Not as great as Hokkaido Ramen Toro in Shinjuku, but still pretty damn good.

We took a break to head on back to the shop at the Mori Arts Museum where we both picked up multiple copies of a book highlighting Odani Motohiko’s recent Phantom Limb exhibition (which was one of the high points of this trip). It offers a terrific overview of the his works, in both Japanese and English, and includes photos of almost the entire collection. My only minor quibble is that it should have included a DVD of the bizarre and bewildering Rompers video.

Pleased with our purchases, we headed back out for lunch#2 and R Burger’s weirdly white offerings -

After that, it was back to the hotel for some R&R. We had a big night ahead of us! An okay yakitori and then, the main event:

The master at work:

We closed down the bar and then, as a farewell gift, presented themwith ice wine we’d brought with us from Canada.

They honored us by allowing us behind the bar for a photo!

In typically grand Tokyo host fashion, they saw us off -

And Ivon and I bid Star Bar – and Tokyo – a fond farewell.

An awesome trip! I couldn’t have asked for a better travel companion!

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...back-and-busy/

December 22, 2010

Video: Jelly

Photos: Jelly, gifts, Bubba, Maximus, Lulu


I returned home from Tokyo yesterday and the first thing to greet me upon my arrival, ironically enough, was a Christmas present from SyFy. Postage due.

The second thing to greet me was this -

She may still be wobbly on those hind legs, but Jelly’s condition has improved significantly since her back surgery. Hopefully, with continued rehab, in the coming months she’ll be charging around the backyard like her old young self.

My first two days back have been exhausting. Gifts to purchase, laundry to do, beds to make, bills to pay, scripts to read, presents to drop off and a movie to watch. Did I mention gifts to wrap?

I know, I know. You’re asking yourselves: “Why the hell are all those Christmas gifts wrapped in Happy Birthday wrapping paper?”. The obvious answer: Because it’s Jesus’s birthday, you heathens.

Also, I was out of Christmas wrap and that’s all that there was left in the closet.

I’ve been holding off commenting on this whole SyFy cancellation thing because I was hoping to have more news to offer on the subject – but, alas, I possess no more insight now than I did two weeks to Christmas when I read about it on twitter (and later received confirmation from Deadline.com). So is this the end? Well, obviously, it doesn’t look good. But IS THIS the end? Well, the SyFy cancellation makes it very long odds that we’ll be producing a third season next year. BUT IS THIS THE END? Damn you’re persistent. The honest answer is: I don’t know. No, that’s not entirely true. The truth is I do know some – but only enough to say it doesn’t look good and it’s very log odds we’ll be producing a third season next year – yet still only enough to say I can’t say this is definitely the end. At least for now. Time will tell and I’ll keep you updated on any and all developments – especially if there does come a time when the Stargate franchise once again needs your support.

Requisite dog photos:

And bedtime for Maximus and Lulu...

[Egle01]

*crosses fingers*

[Vanek26]

*crosses fingers*

*says a few Hail Marys*

[carmencatalina]

*says a few Hail Marys*

*sacrifices a goat*

(Too much?)

[Vanek26]

*sacrifices a goat*

(Too much?)

Not in this case.

[thekillman]

*sacrifices a bull to the altar of Zeus*

[Egle01]

*sacrifices a goat*

(Too much?)

No, cc, not at all.

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...ienne-carrots/

December 23, 2010


Long ago, I told myself that whenever Stargate ended, I would take a year off to rest, recharge, and work on the countless personal projects sitting on my ever-growing to write/produce pile. Paul and I have more than a few pilot scripts we’re looking to go out with and recently closed a deal with a major comic book publisher that will see us bring one of our series concepts to life as a comic book series (before, hopefully, making the leap to either the small or big screen). I wanted to travel. Take some much-needed cooking classes. Maybe even start work on that wacky SF novel that’s been percolating in the back of my mind over these past two years. Understand, I’ve enjoyed plenty of hiatuses, but I can’t remember a time when – hiatus or not – I haven’t been looking ahead, either spinning, outlining, or writing for the next gig be it the back of SG-1 sixth season or the start of SGU’s second. I’m in a tough line of work. It’s feast or famine and, more often than not, there’s a lot more famine than feasting going on. But I’ve been very lucky. I’ve enjoyed steady employment on a single franchise these past eleven years, something practically unheard of in this industry. Prior to landing on Stargate, I was similarly fortunate. No sooner did one job end than another presented itself. I went from freelancing animation to animation development back to freelancing/story-editing animation to freelancing/producing live-action to Stargate with nary a chance to catch my breath. It’s been a tremendous ride and I’ve appreciated every job I’ve had, from my very first script (“Patrick Pig Learns to Talk” for The Busy World of Richard Scarry) to my last produced episode (“The Hunt” for SGU’s second season). Still, the prospect of finally having time off – real time off – was the silver lining on an otherwise dark and dreary storm cloud.

On the other hand, if an opportunity presents itself, it’s tough to say “No, thanks. I’d rather learn how to julienne carrots.”. I don’t want to ever take things for granted and assume, hey, I’ll always get another job. I’ve worked with several people who once thought that way only to have reality set them straight, heard too many stories of once-successful individuals who seemed to disappear from the t.v. landscape seemingly overnight. I have rules in place to prepare for that famine I was talking about, and one of those rules is: “No reasonable offer shall be refused!”. Writing that novel would be enormously satisfying, but its working for pay that keeps the doggies in designer rain boots (For the record, my dogs don’t wear rain boots, designer or otherwise, although they have been known to sport colorful bandanas after bath time at the doggy daycare). Also, I can always learn how to julienne carrots next year. Or the year after that. Or, hell I can just check out an instructional video on youtube during my next hiatus.

It’s hard to say no to a job because it’s always great to be employed. Especially if you know, like and respect the people you’ll be working with, and love the material you’ll be working on. Which brings me to a conversation I had with Stargate Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer Brad Wright today. Alas, no details to offer (yet!) but suffice it to say he’s battling hard to ensure the franchise (that’s SG-1, Atlantis, and SGU) lives on and that the season two finale of Universe, “Gauntlet”, will not be the end. He’s adopted a clever two-pronged approach that, if successful, will see our awesome crew back at work next year. Nothing is guaranteed, but it’s great to hear he’s got a plan to make it happen. And, for the sake of the many, many Stargate fans out there, I really hope he succeeds.

A couple of other opportunities have also presented themselves, one presently small with great potential, another positively huge that would necessitate some major, major life changes.

Okay. Youtube it is.

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...ons-greetings/

December 24, 2010

Photos: Jelly, Bubba, Maximus, Lulu


Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!

I hate it when people wait until the last minute to do their Christmas shopping. I mean, come on! You knew this day was coming! Would it have killed you to show a little preparation, maybe buy those gifts the week before or those groceries just a little in advance. As a result of said poor planning, I’ve had to brave the crowded stores and shops in order to do MY last minute Christmas shopping! Secured the final ingredients for our holidays feasts.

On the menu tonight: Crispy bass with hoisin crust, New Orleans style barbecue shrimp, stir-fried broccoli, roasted beet salad, chocolate-stout cake, and home made vanilla ice cream. Will let you know how it all turns out.

Best wishes to all. Will make an attempt to wade into the mailbag either today or tomorrow, so if you’ve got questions, post away!

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...f-the-mailbag/

December 25, 2010

Photos: Gifts, Martin Gero, christmas tree


Hey, know what I got for Christmas? If you guessed “a really bad burn on my hand” – congratulations, you guessed correctly! I’m now sporting one major blister. Thank God for aloe gel. And, uh, family of course.

Spoke to our mutual friend Martin Gero today. He says to say hi! He’s been busy in New York, finishing up work on the third season of HBO’s Bored to Death. After that, he heads to L.A., then back east to Toronto to start work on his new show, Highland Gardens: http://bit.ly/hnu4K2. It’s always great to hear from him. He’s not only extremely entertaining, but he’s surprisingly sane and practical, the perfect person to talk to (and talk sense into me) at a time like this. By the way, this was the cover of the holiday cards he sent out this year -

Yep, that’s Marty G. Granted, I haven’t seen him in a while and I’ve heard the stress of the television industry can take it’s toll – but geeez!

The night of their arrival, my mother and sis took it upon themselves to put up the Christmas tree. As a result, they completed in a single evening the entirety of the fun family-time activities I’d planned to occupy us over the course of several days.

Great. Now what are we gonna do for the next couple of days?


As promised, a little mailbag:

Abbas Karimjee writes: “Is the possibility of continuing SGU, in movie format, being considered or all efforts currently being devoted to reviving it as a series, for a third season?”

Answer: All options are being considered at this point, but a third season would be ideal.

Abbas Karimjee also writes: “Do you have an idea as to when some further developments on SGU’s future will be known?”

Answer: No, but “positive progress” could be made as early as next week.

Michael writes: “Was anyone in the staff leery of using drones after similar foes like the Replicators appearing on SG-1 and SG-A?”

Answer: Nope. They’re sufficiently different from the replicators in that, well, they don’t replicate.

Michael also writes: “I noticed a few fans couldn’t get behind the Lucian Alliance becoming such a threat between SG-1 and SGU. What’s you take on their progression throughout the franchise?”

Answer: Much of the Lucian Alliance we saw in SG-1 was inept and, dare I say it, a bit goofy. They fit in with SG-1′s lighter, more high adventure-driven tone but would have stood out (and not in a good way) in the new series. As a result, I was initially leery at the prospect of introducing them to SGU but, as so often happened over the course of my many years in the franchise, I trusted in Brad and Robert and, in the end, that trust was rewarded with a terrific story element that not only succeeded as planned (creating the chaos that leads to the Icarus evacuation in the pilot, seeding the mole throughline, and, later in season one, setting up the incursion scenario) but offered up plenty of interesting story material for future episodes (as evidenced in the first half of season two). The Alliance was always envisioned as a loose coalition of mercenary groups so it made sense that certain factions would have been more capable and threatening than others.

Arctic Goddess writes: “Did you and the rest of the cast and crew have an inkling that SGU would get cancelled? Were you expecting it?”

Answer: Those early season two ratings were admittedly a downer. The move to Tuesday night was not good for us (and, speaking to the franchise as a whole, the move from summer to fall did us no favors either) and I firmly believe that time-shifted viewing and internet downloads have bled off a significant portion of our younger, tech-savvy audience. Still, we held out hope and, as production continued on season two, positive word from various places gave us hope that the show would come back for, at the very least, a third and final season (much the same way Battlestar did). Many of us were shocked by the abruptness of the cancellation decision.

KuroSyamito writes: “is it possible that other network to pick up the series?”

Answer: We’re investigating all possible avenues.

KuroSyamito also writes: “are you gonna create a new stargate related series? or a totally new show?”

Answer: A new Stargate series isn’t even being considered. As for a totally new show – I can’t speak for Brad and Robert, but I’d certainly love to set up a new (non-Stargae-related) show somewhere down the line. But given recent developments, I’m thinking that won’t be for quite a while.

Major D. Davis writes: “4) Say all this doesn’t pan out…. Does Gauntlet at least give some closure and resolution…. Or is it an all out cliffhanger?”

Answer: Your first three questions require answers I can’t give at this point. Regarding Gauntlet – hard to say. Most would probably consider it a cliffhanger while I would consider it a touching, bittersweet end to the series (if it comes to it).

“5) Whats your favorite 2.5 episode?”

Answer: I’d go with Guantlet, our season finale.

“6) What can us fans do to ensure SGU gets another season/movie and that SG-1/SGA gets their movies?”

Answer: Honestly? Watch the show, pay for your downloads, and purchase the DVD’s if you’re so inclined.

Paloosa writes: “1) How can we fans contact MGM to let them know that Stargate (SG-1/SGA/SGU) still has a huge and lucrative fan base?”

Answer: Again, letters and emails are nice and all but, at the end of the day, the studio is more likely to look at things like iTune and DVD sales when making a decision.

“2) I think you mentioned that if there were another Stargate show, that you wouldn’t be involved?”

Answer: There are no plans to create or move forward on a new series. We love the one we have now.

“3) If the SGA movie is a go, would you still be involved as the writer and/or producer?”

Answer: I’m sorry to say but the cancellation puts the brakes on whatever progress the SGA movie had made in the past month, shelving it indefinitely.

Mike McGinnis writes: “Is there any chance of the SGA movie anymore if you guys can’t save SGU?”

Answer: See above. Contrary to what some may think, the cancellation of SGU is very bad news for those looking forward to an Atlantis movie.

dodoalda writes: “What’s gonna happen with the set in Bridge studios?”

Answer: That set isn’t going anywhere. It will remain standing until all avenues have been exhausted.

Dara Lundy writes: “Would the people on the Destiny ever have got new clothes?”

Answer: Make sure to check out the back half of season two when it airs.

Dioxholster writes: “If you write that book will it be sci-fi?”

Answer: It will.

“How are SGU’s DVD sales? are they as good as SG-1′s?”

Answer: Don’t have the sales figures but DVD sales have been down across the board for several years now as more and more consumers opt to download their programming instead.

Airelle writes: “Ok my question is how are you doing Joe, really??”

Answer: I’m doing well – if not a little stressed at the prospect of having to make some major decisions in the coming weeks (if not days).

[Jumper_One]

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

December 26, 2010

Photos: Joe's mom, Jelly, Lulu, Maximus, Bubba, Joe's sister, Joe Mallozzi, Akemi


Last night’s Christmas festivities...

Jelly, Lulu, and Maximus looking forward to the unwrapping of gifts.

Hope everyone is enjoying time with friends and family. For my part, I’m enjoying friends and family and way too much food. Between the five pounds I put on in Tokyo (Hey, aren’t you supposed to lose weight while on vacation? I suspect all those cocktails packed a caloric punch.) and the however-many-pounds I’ll put on over the holidays, I’ll be good and ready to start my annual New Year’s fitness regimen. Two a day work-outs, lean proteins, fruit and vegetables, plenty of fish, and no sugar. Come March, if we happen to cross paths, I’ll greet you by picking you up and shoulder-pressing you triumphantly over my head (provided you remove your heavy shoes first).


Mailbag:

hal ehlrich writes: “I know that there are numerous countries that play SGU. So why would SYFY not ordering a season 3 make it unable to film it ?”

Answer: SyFy (as the show’s American broadcaster) paid a licensing fee that contributed to a significant portion of the show’s budget. Moving on without them would necessitate our finding other partners willing to step in and help offset this number.

My Name Is Scott writes: “When it comes down to writing your future novel… who would you say your writing style is most like?”

Answer: Most like me. Check out my story, “Downfall”, in Masked, edited by Lou Anders.

My Name Is Scott also writes: “Assuming SGU had received the full five seasons needed to finish the story, did Brad have any intentions of another series to follow it, since an endpoint had already been figured out on SGU?”

Answer: Can’t say for sure (I’m not Brad) but I doubt it. Given the ending we had planned for Stargate: Universe, it would have been very tough to top.

BridgeLife writes: “My question is simply could you post the address for your MailBag address somewhere in your next post (or possibly even better in the About Tab near the top).”

Answer: Post your questions/requests in the comments section – like you just did – and I’ll field them when I get the chance.

Alexandria writes: “I wrote Mr. Wright asking how we might save Atlantis. He responded by saying that he needed millions more viewers not thousands to save the show. At the time SGA was getting 1.6 mil live viewers. SGU hasn’t even come remotely close to hitting that mark this season, and has even fallen down to 0.9 mil live viewers. Given Mr. Wright’s interview about how more costly SGU is than SGA, how is it possible that SGU can continue in any form?”

Answer: Atlantis may have been getting 1.6 mil live viewers, but that was at a time when DVR and downloads hadn’t made the significant inroads they have today. 1.6 mil viewers wold be great now, but back when Atlantis was airing it was considered mediocre by many (if it had been considered great at the time, we would have gotten that sixth season pick-up, I can assure you). A few years earlier, at a time when DVR and downloads had little if any effect on viewership, SG-1 was cancelled with a 2.0 overnight rating. Before that, it was the proliferation of cable and specialty channels that led to viewer fragmentation and a deterioration in ratings on the then Big 3 networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC). Back then, shows considered low-rated busts would be considered hits today. All this to say, you can’t compare Atlantis’s ratings to SGU’s. It’s not a level playing field.

Alexandria also writes: “Mr. Mallozzi, I might have been a naive fan, but I value honesty above all else. I really do not like being lied to. We were TOLD that there would be an SGA movie. Were we just told that to get us to shut up? Honestly?”

Answer: Paul and I didn’t write an Atlantis movie script (Extinction) just so that it could decorate somebody’s office. We had every intention of making the movie but obvious circumstances – the bottom falling out of the DVD market paired with studio issues – delayed production. The studio is finally (just this past month) in a position to move forward on new productions – but the cancellation of SGU has put the brakes on any progress that may have been made on the SGA movie front.

Michelle writes: “Given what’s happened, does Brad have any regrets about taking the franchise in a new direction, or does he feel any 3rd series, given the same scheduling and viewer landscape, would’ve had the same outcome?”

Answer: I can’t speak for Brad, but I believe it was either take the franchise in a new direction or have it come to an end with Atlantis’s’ final season. I think that one of the big reasons the franchise lasted as long as it has is the changes it made along the way. Keeping it fresh yet familiar has been a tough balancing act but a rewarding one. It’s hard to argue with 17 seasons of television. And I do believe that given the same present circumstances – the DVR and download effect – any other incarnation would have come up against the same challenges.

Orlin writes: “It seems to me that a rather large group of people loved the Stargate adventures and it became an entertainment and financial success that allowed the creators to make spinoffs of the original series.”

Answer: True, but the franchise was already seeing a drop off in viewership over the course of Atlantis’s last few seasons. Convention organizers were also confirming a drop off in attendance for Stargate cons was far back as SG-1′s final season. We could have produced a final season of Atlantis and then moved on to occasional movies, but we chose to reinvigorate the franchise with a new series that would allow us to not only win over new fans, but allow us to continue the adventures of the previously established shows like SG-1 and Atlantis.

sgakaz writes: “Why when it is the least successful show would they go with SGU when they know there is still a market for Atlantis and SG1?”

Answer: You’re basing this assumption on what? Three year old DVD sales figures and the word of fellow fans on message boards? Believe it or not, you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger supporter of Stargate: Extinction (the Atlantis movie) than me, but I understand that, given recent developments, moving forward now would be the worst possible timing.

[Jumper_One]

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

December 27, 2010

Things I have learned in the past month that will serve me well as I head into the New Year:

My passmo Tokyo subway pass will not unlock the door of my hotel room no matter how determined I may be.

The Moscow Mule is the greatest cocktail ever (Where have you been all my life?)!

The heart knows no reason. And neither, evidently, do some fans.

Regardless of what your friend says, eating multiple Seven Eleven eclairs when you’re drunk is not cool.

The most annoying thing anyone can say = “I don’t care who wins. I just hope it’s a good game.”

A $14 strawberry isn’t worth $14.

Chocolate milkshake + maple syrup = Awesome!

Some news of note:

Superheronovels.com has declared Masked “the best book of 2010″: http://superheronovels.com/2010/12/2...-peek-at-2011/

Meanwhile, ace editor Lou Anders has set up a dedicated Facebook page for Masked here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Masked...9023021?v=wall

Bookfinder’s annual list of The Top 100 Sought After Out Of Print Books. http://www.bookfinder.com/books/bookfinder_report_2010/. Titles include Ben Bova’s The Star Conquerors, Ray Bradbury’s Dark Carnival, and Stephen King’s My Pretty Pony.

The science of chocolate. Researchers have sequenced the chocolate tree genome: http://io9.com/5718464/newly-sequenc...yline=true&s=i

How awesome. Guy quits job, makes a living suing spammers: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20101226/D9KBQRMG0.html

Cracked.com offers up 7 Shockingly Dark Origins of Lovable Children’s Characters: 7 Shockingly Dark Origins of Lovable Children’s Characters.

Today’s blog entry is dedicated to regulars Randomness and MaggieMayDay


Mailbag:

Alex writes: “While it will no doubt irritate certain fans to see SGU get a movie before Atlantis or SG-1, I feel it needs it more than those two. Do you think there is a stronger chance of that happening because the sets are still up for SGU?”

Answer: That’s certainly one of the reasons.

AJM writes: “Should things move in a positive direction SGU wise, then would the SG1 and Atlantis movies atleast be considered again?”

Answer: At present, the focus is on SGU and SGU alone. If things should move in a positive direction, then I’m sure that, down the line, we’d be open to a host of other options.

Dan writes: “That said, though I still got my fingers crossed for SGU to be saved (and am looking forward to more news about your comic book) is it safe to assume you’ll continue blogging regardless of SGU’s fate?”

Answer: Yep, I’ll still be here.

Joe “JBud” Jackson writes: “Of all time, what was your favorite Stargate episode?”

Answer: August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes

Shadow Step writes: “So Atlantis was canceled because of bad ratings? I thought it was because you (the collective you) didn’t want to make two series at the same time?”

Answer: Who’s “you”? The entire Atlantis team (Paul, Carl, Martin, Alan, and I) were prepared and perfectly willing to produce a sixth season, whether it was alone or simultaneous with SGU.

rev1059 writes: “Will there be a point that if the movies don’t look like they will see the light of day that the scripts will be put into book form.”

Answer: Ideally, I’d love to see the script eventually go into production and a movie made. Failing that, it would be nice to at least get the story out there either as a novel or graphic novel.

cheri writes: “It’s been said that SGU and SGA have different fan bases so why does the (hopefully) temporary cancellation of SGU have any bearing on Extinction going into production?”

Answer: “It’s been said” by certain Atlantis fans that didn’t enjoy Universe (fair enough), but most don’t make the distinction between an SGA and an SGU. The franchise is the franchise. Also, the two shows do not have different fan bases. Many fans who watched the first two Stargate incarnations watched the last one as well.

ooryl2 writes: “My question would be, if, Thor forbid, the worst happens and you exhaust all available options to no avail, would you, BW, and the other PTB’s consider at least publishing a press release, blog post, etc with a summary of what was the remaining planned SGU story?”

Answer: This would be a question for Brad and Robert.

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-trip-summary/

December 28, 2010

Photos: Tokyo trip summary, Joe Mallozzi


I was archiving my Tokyo photos this morning when I came across a bunch of pics I’d failed to upload due to my then busy eating/drinking schedule. Here’s what you almost missed out on...

Some of the chocolate creations on display at The Imperial:

On our final in Japan, Ivon and I knocked back drinks at Star Bar and compiled our Tokyo Trip Summary:

Most Spectacular Meal = Dinner at Sawada. It was a feast. And, yes, it was spectacular. (December 12, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #6! Sawada! More Star Bar! We eat a half pound of fat for lunch! Strolling down Ginza Dori!).

Worst Meal = There were a couple of contenders on this trip, but the award has to go to that back alley izakaya with the undercooked chicken and pork (December 21, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #15! More Ginza sights! A double disastrous dinner! And Seven Eleven chocolate eclairs!). A bad night all around.

Most Pleasantly Surprising Meal = Lunch at Nodaiwa. Best eel ever! (December 16, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #10! Hirosaku! Nodaiwa! Terrifying Tokyo Tower!)

Most Terrifying Ordeal = My trip to Tokyo Tower. (December 16, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #10! Hirosaku! Nodaiwa! Terrifying Tokyo Tower!)

Most Unpleasant Surprise = The bill at Hirosaku. 107 000 yen. Itai! (December 16, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #10! Hirosaku! Nodaiwa! Terrifying Tokyo Tower!)

Best Outing = The Odani Motohiko Exhibit at the Mori Art Museum. I loved it so much, I went back for a return visit, then back again to purchase two copies of a special book on the exhibition. (December 8, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #2 – Sushi Breakfast! Roppongi! Desserts! And lots of walking!)

Best Macaron = Pistachio Macaron at Decadence du Chocolat, Shibuya. This was a bit of a surprise. Pierre Herme’s macarons have long been my favorites – but not on this trip. (December 15, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #9! Jelly update! Kondo! Shibuya!)

Best Home Away From Home = Star Bar. I was just as sad to leave the gang at Star Bar back in Tokyo as I was to leave my dogs back home on my way to Japan. (Almost every blog entry over the course of those two weeks in Tokyo).

Best Drink = The Moscow Mule. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me about this drink before? I love! (December 12, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #6! Sawada! More Star Bar! We eat a half pound of fat for lunch! Strolling down Ginza Dori!)

Worst Drink = Absinthe, straight up. What was Ivon thinking? What was I thinking following Ivon’s lead? (December 12, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #6! Sawada! More Star Bar! We eat a half pound of fat for lunch! Strolling down Ginza Dori!)

Drunkest Tokyoite Witnessed = A lot of great contenders for this one too. There was the businessman we spotted, squatted down in ritzy Ginza, puking his guts out. The guy being restrained by his buddies from going all karate on a cab. The middle-aged woman who did a face plant beside me while her husband chuckled and adolescent son looked mortified. But I guess I’d give the prize to the guy passed out at the neighboring table when we visited that sake bar in Shimashi. From the moment we took our seats to, hours later, when we headed out the door, he didn’t so much as stir. If someone had told me he was dead, I wouldn’t have been all that surprised. (December 16, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #10! Hirosaku! Nodaiwa! Terrifying Tokyo Tower!)

Most Awesome Fashion District = Shibuya!

Best Restaurant Name = Ghetto Happy Dining

Best Name for a Musical Group = Bump of Chicken

Most Crowded = The shopping streets of Ueno (December 20, 2010: Tokyo Travel Day #14! Bangkok Kitchen! Our day at the Ueno Zoo!)

Most Painful Experience = Takoyaki in Harajuku. Tongue-blisteringly hot and Japanese decorum, combined with Tokyo’s lack of public garbage cans, ensured a long, excruciating experience.

Most Awesome-Looking Movie Poster for a Movie I Didn’t Get to See = Gantz