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    http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...eleted-scenes/

    June 14, 2011 - Part 2


    Scene 26: Green Daniel and Green Teal'c interview Desert Camo Fraiser

    This was a great little scene reuniting Teal’c and Daniel with Fraiser (albeit an alternate version of the good doctor). Again, due to time constraints, we had to lose some references to Cassie. Here is the exchange as originally scripted:

    GREEN TEAL’C: You have been greatly missed.

    Suddenly, she realizes -

    DESERT CAMO FRAISER: How’s Cassie?

    GREEN DANIEL: She’s fine. She moved in with Sam after it happened.

    DESERT CAMO FRAISER: I can’t imagine what she must have gone through.

    GREEN DANIEL: It was tough for her — but she got through it. She managed to deal with her loss by focusing on her studies.(beat) She’s majoring in Biochemistry at UCLA.

    Desert Camo Fraiser can’t help but smile.

    DESERT CAMO FRAISER: She’s doing well back home too.(then, catching herself) I mean — my home.

    GREEN TEAL’C: Hopefully you will be able to return to her shortly.

    DESERT CAMO FRAISER: Hopefully?

    GREEN DANIEL: For the moment, it looks like your trip here was only one-way.

    Scene 28: Green Carter talks with Desert Camo Martouf

    This scene, as aired, actually picks up in the middle of the scene as shot. We had to cut about a minute of Carter getting this AU Martouf up-to-speed on how events played out in this reality -

    INT. CAFETERIA – SGC — DAY

    Green Carter and Desert Camo Martouf re-connect.

    DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: So I died, not once but twice?

    GREEN CARTER: The second time was the symbiote, Lantash. He gave up his life by allowing himself to be captured so he could release the symbiote poison aboard a mother ship. The first time…(beat) The first time was the host. You were compromised by a Goa’uld mind control device. I killed you. I had no choice.

    She tries to read him. His look betrays nothing.

    GREEN CARTER: You died in my arms.

    DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: Well, if I had to go …

    She is surprised by his reaction.

    GREEN CARTER: It doesn’t upset you at all?

    DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: Why should it? With all due respect to you and the Martouf of this reality — it wasn’t me. I’m very much alive.

    GREEN CARTER: (concedes)I suppose there is no reason why it should bother you.

    DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: I didn’t say it didn’t bother me. To be honest, the prospect of you killing me is very unsettling.

    Again, she tries to read him.

    GREEN CARTER: So … How are things in your universe?

    Scene 30: Kvasir, Landry, and Green SG-1 discuss a possible solution

    In the original script, the scene ended with Landry’s “Shut this thing down.” However, Ben came by my office and requested Mitchell make some sort of comment on Kvasir. This was, after all, the first time his character had ever laid eyes on an Asgard — something the other members of the team now take for granted. After giving it some thought, I decided to parallel Sheppard’s reaction to Hermiod in “Intruder” -

    GREEN MITCHELL: Even though I read all the mission reports, the Asgard are a whole lot different than I’d imagined them.

    GREEN TEAL’C: And what were you expecting?

    GREEN MITCHELL: Well, pants for starters.

    Scene 33: Desert Camo Fraiser makes her case before General Landry

    Thematically, this was, in my opinion, the linchpin scene of the entire script. Throughout the episode, we’re offered glimpses of the hardships faced by the various AU realities and the seemingly insurmountable odds they are facing. The question begs asking: To what lengths would you be willing to go to save your Earth? In the case of Black SG-1, they’re obviously willing to go very far — but that doesn’t make them bad people.

    In fact, in the later scene on the Prometheus in which Black Mitchell explains to Green Mitchell why they’re doing what they’re doing, its very hard not to feel some sympathize with his position. It’s clear that when push comes to shove, sacrifices will be made as evidenced by Landry’s refusal to delay the mission, thereby stranding these various AU SG-1′s and potentially damning their realities. As Fraiser rightly argues in this scene: “How can you prioritize the lives of one group over those of another? What makes my Earth any less important than yours?”

    Scene 38: Black Mitchell and Black Carter scheme and disappear into the elevator

    We were watching the dailies of this scene over lunch one day when I saw something that made me choke on my turkey club. In more than one take, Black Mitchell and Black Carter discuss as they head toward the elevator and then, inexplicably, take one another’s hand and step inside. As the elevator doors close, they lean in for a kiss … What the hell? I went down to set and asked Peter DeLuise, the episode’s director, what the thinking was behind that scene. He explained that he was just offering up a visual cue to the relationship being hinted at throughout the episode.

    Apparently, Peter had assumed that the references to AU Mitchell’s dinner at the Hunan House (which didn’t make the cut), AU Carter’s pregnancy and honeymoon, all pointed to the fact that these two were “an item.” An interesting interpretation I’d never thought of — and not the one intended.

    Scene 40: Green Daniel and Black Teal’c walk and talk / Green Daniel and Green Teal’c walk and talk

    Hated to lose these scenes as they contained a bit of foreshadowing re: a later Season Nine episode. Also, it was fun exploring the feelings of the various SG-1 members to their AU selves, and I liked contrasting the Teal’c's discomfort and refusal to talk with one another with the Mitchell’s great comfort and animated exchange.

    INT. CORRIDOR – PROMETHEUS

    Green Daniel and Black Teal’c head down the corridor.

    BLACK TEAL’C: In truth, the familiar aspects of this world have proven more disquieting than comforting. This ship in particular.

    GREEN DANIEL: How’s that?

    BLACK TEAL’C: In our reality, the Prometheus was recently lost in battle.

    Before Green Daniel has a chance to follow up with a question, the real Teal’c (Green Teal’c) turns the corner in front of them. He informs Green Daniel -

    GREEN TEAL’C: We should be arriving at the singularity shortly.

    BLACK TEAL’C: I will inform the others.

    As Black Teal’c moves off, he and Green Teal’c exchange the briefest of looks. Green Daniel and Green Teal’c make for the bridge.

    GREEN DANIEL: Can’t help but notice you and the other Teal’c haven’t exchanged a word since he got here.

    GREEN TEAL’C: Why would I wish to engage him in conversation?

    GREEN DANIEL:I don’t know. You guys must have a lot in common.

    GREEN TEAL’C: So much so that I’d imagine it would be not unlike talking to myself. I fail to see the point.

    GREEN DANIEL: Okay. Never mind.

    They continue on their way.

    Scene 54: Black Daniel suffers a crisis of conscience

    Here’s another scene I hated to lose. The Black Team has just sprung their trap, assuming control of the ship. But I wanted to make it clear that, rather than being evil versions of SG-1, this team has simply been pushed to the point where they have no other option if they are to save their galaxy. But it doesn’t sit well with Daniel who, ever the voice of reason, even in an alternate universe, makes his feelings known.

    INT. CORRIDOR – PROMETHEUS

    Black Mitchell rejoins the rest of his team waiting out in the corridor.

    BLACK MITCHELL: Alright. We did good.

    BLACK DANIEL: Did we?

    Black Daniel walks away. Black Carter moves to go after him, but Black Mitchell stops her.

    BLACK MITCHELL: I’ve got it.

    He goes after him.

    BLACK MITCHELL: Jackson, hold up!

    He catches up with him.

    BLACK MITCHELL: What’s wrong?

    BLACK DANIEL: What’s wrong? How about what we’re doing. What we’re about to do.

    BLACK MITCHELL: Come on. We’re not the bad guys here.

    BLACK DANIEL: Oh. And you’re telling me that they are?

    BLACK MITCHELL: It isn’t that easy on this one. There’s no black or white here. Just a whole lot of grey.

    Black Mitchell turns and steps in front of Black Daniel, stopping him.

    BLACK MITCHELL: If there was any other way to save Earth, we wouldn’t be here — but the fact is we’re out of options and we’re running out of time. So I’m sorry if our tactics don’t mesh with your code of ethics, but we don’t have a choice.

    BLACK DANIEL: Yeah. I’m sorry too.

    Black Daniel walks off. Black Mitchell glances back down the corridor at Black Carter and Black Teal’c watching. He slams his fist against the wall in frustration.
    sigpic
    The Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Thunk thread The Sam/RepliCarter Ship Thread

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      http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...till-fighting/

      June 15, 2011

      Video: Transporter: The Series sneak peek

      Photo: Breakfast


      Today’s bento breakfast, compliments of Akemi. It gave me the much-needed energy I needed to watch the dailies from the European shoot while listening to tracks upon tracks of potential music for our new show, Transporter: The Series. Some truly amazing footage coming in from Berlin and Nice. Fantastic work on the part of our European crew led by Camille Delamarre and Stephane Leloutre, with Exec. Producer Klaus Zimmerman overseeing the action. Grab a sneak peek (and brush up on your French) by checking out the video...

      And the accompanying article: http://www.nicematin.com/article/cin...de-des-anglais

      Speaking of interesting articles, I received the following from former Stargate Production Coordinator Tanja Balic: http://blogs.forbes.com/michaelhumph...gate-universe/

      Can’t tell you how touching it is to read that fan efforts are still ongoing despite what most (myself included) consider very long odds. According to Tanja, half of the FX stage (that once held the village and hive ship sets) is filled with stuff from the shows. I believe there will be a public sale of items this Friday and Saturday. Sad, sad, sad.

      Back on the Transporter front – today, I continued work on the rewrite of my second episode. Also, got together with rest of the writing team to discuss: Frank’s watch (are we going with the Panerai from the movies?), spinning and breaking the final three episodes, and the fact that we could save ourselves a lot of time and energy by just casting Carl Binder as Dieter the mechanic. He’d be perfect!

      A little bit of a panic over on the neighboring Little Mosque on the Prairie production offices when a french bulldog named Norman went missing this afternoon. A search team was organized and I was just about to head out myself when I received word that, happily, Norman had been found safe and sound, in the building, sleeping under someone’s chair. Whew! Reminds of the time we first got Jelly. She was so tiny that, when Fondy and I came back from a night out and couldn’t find her, we initially assumed that one of the cats had eaten her. After a thorough search of the premises (and several dirty looks at the feline onlookers) we eventually found Jelly curled up in the lining of the underside of the living room couch. The incident turned out to be a hint of what was to come. I can’t tell you how many times we panicked, assuming Jelly had somehow escaped and was running wild in the neighborhood, only to discover her tucked away in the back of a closet, snoozing away, oblivious to the pandemonium.

      Off to dinner with Alexander and Sarah tonight for a multicultural double-date that will see representatives from France, Japan, Germany, and Canada in attendance. And we’re going out for Italian!
      sigpic
      The Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Thunk thread The Sam/RepliCarter Ship Thread

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        http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...f-in-the-face/

        June 16, 2011

        Photos: Alexander M. Ruemelin, Sarah, Akemi, Joe Mallozzi, art, riots, breakfast, Tim Owen, hospital location, Tim Bider, lunch, burger


        Yesterday, Akemi and I joined Alexander and Sarah for lunch at Terroni Restaurant on Adelaide Street.

        The pizza was fine, the pasta was cold, but the clear high point of the night was the surrounding decor. Specifically THIS ill-advised piece of art (?):

        After dinner, I went home, worked out, watched part of the hockey game, grew disillusioned, then walked the dogs and started reading Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. It wasn’t until this morning that I heard about the riots. What amazed me was not so much the fact that these *******s would be stupid enough to loot and destroy property, but that they’d be stupid enough to pose for pictures or brag about it on their facebook pages.

        Would love to see all three of these douchebags face charges.

        As for the game itself – meh. There’s no denying the best goalie and best team won. Although Vegas had the Canucks favored to win last night (-160 to the Bruins +140), one has to remember that the guys who set the odds do so ever-mindful of, not who they think will win, but who the betting public thinks will win. In other words, people were putting money on the Canucks to win, no doubt betting with their hearts and making Vancouver a pricey favorite…much to the delight of Bruin fans who ended up making $40 on every $100 bet.

        No doubt feeling the pressure to come up with consistently creative bento breakfasts, Akemi delivered this little culinary masterpiece this morning...

        I didn’t have much time to appreciate it though because, today, we were off on another location scout for Transporter: The Series...

        I ended up tossing my lunch and going out for a burger...

        That’s it. I’m going to have to start going out for lunch!
        sigpic
        The Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Thunk thread The Sam/RepliCarter Ship Thread

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          http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-sounds-early/

          June 17, 2011

          Videos: Alarm sound

          Photos: Brie, Stewie, Lulu, Jelly, Bubba, Maximus, Joe Mallozzi, brisket sandwiches


          With Fondy heading out of town for the week, Akemi and I assumed temporary possession of her house. And dogs, Brie and Stewie. As a result, we’ll be hosting a veritable pooch party for the next little while...

          Slow progress on the script rewrite front. It seems that whenever I sit down to tackle Act III, I’m distracted by meetings, requests for 1 liners, 5 liners, character descriptions and approvals. I finally put everything to bed and redirected my focus to the rewrite – only to have Trevor walk in with a first draft of Carl’s new script.

          Thanks a lot, CARL!!!!!!!

          Things were much brighter on the lunch front today. Following a somber offering of pasta so thoroughly cooked that fully fifty percent of blind taste testers would have certainly identified it as wallpaper paste, we got barbecue today!

          Later in the afternoon, I finally sat down to work on that rewrite. And then, just as I was about to start, an alarm that sounded very much like Donald Sutherland in the last shot of Invasion of the Body Snatchers went off – only a hell of a lot louder...

          Not sure what the problem was, but I suspected it may have had something to do with THIS -

          Got some great photos of series director Andy Mikita in action, manning the fire hydrant but, alas, none of the pics came out (time for a new camera). Anyway, after being informed the fire department had been called, I decided to leave early – not to go home, mind you, but to double-check and make sure the firemen were, in fact, on the way. Also, as I explained to Andy, I probably wouldn’t be back because, as so often happens in these situations, I invariably end up staying to help volunteer put out a few fires before eventually calling it a night. I’m just that kind of guy.
          sigpic
          The Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Thunk thread The Sam/RepliCarter Ship Thread

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            http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-season-links/

            June 18, 2011

            Video: The Green Lantern

            Photos: Set construction, Andy Mikita, Sarah, Alexander M. Ruemelin, SG-1 Season 9, Jeff Lemire's Sweeth Tooth


            Since work has commenced on the standing sets for Transporter: The Series, fellow Executive Producer Alexander M. Ruemelin and I figured the least we could do was swing by and check out the work-in-progress before redirecting funds and manpower to construction on the sundecks of our new cottages in Muskoka.

            And...

            Getting back to my reminiscing on Stargate: SG-1′s ninth season...

            STRONGHOLD (914)

            In this episode, a Jaffa undergoes the Rite of M’al Sharran to rid himself of his symbiote – and dies in the process. The rite was performed a grand total of three times before and only one of those instances proved successful (Teal’c being the rare exception). Them 25% odds are pretty bleak. Compare to the Tok’ra extraction process which, if the Tok’ra are to be believed, has a better but still iffy 50% success rate. Paul and I called BS on that. Every time we could remember it being performed, it worked beautifully, so it seemed to be more like 100%. Which brings to mind one of the many amusing stories from our early days on the show. Way back when we first started on Stargate, Paul and I wanted to know more about this Tok’ra extraction process. Brad suggested we check out an episode called Pretense. Apparently, all we needed to know about the extraction process was covered in that episode. And so, Paul and I fired up the VCR and sat through forty-five minutes of Stargate’s version of Boston Legal and Zipacna walking around with a Carmen Miranda headpiece and, all the while we kept wondering: “When are they going to get around to extraction process?!”. Then, as the episode was drawing to an end, the character of Skaara was ordered to undergo the “extraction process”. Finally! I was all sorts of curious. Would it be a surgical procedure or something much techier and advanced? Would Skaara be awake through the procedure? If so, how would he react? So many questions about to be answered! We watched as the court made its ruling, then watched a time cut to the next scene in which the tok’ra trot out the goa’uld symbiote and proclaim the extraction process a success! End episode. WTF?!!!
            I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention guest star Reed Diamond who plays the part of Mitchell’s doomed buddy in the episode. The former Homicide lead turns in a brilliant performance and, for the record, was terrific to work with.

            ETHON (915)

            This episode marked the last episode of the earth ship Prometheus, and its unfortunately named commander Pendergast. To be honest, I would have felt a lot worse for him had he been named, say, Evans or Fitzgerald or even Pangbourn – but Pendergast? Whenever his name came up in a script, I would always ask where the name came from. Did some fan win a contest that necessitated we use their name in a script? Close! Apparently, Pendergast was the last name of a friend of one of the writers. With Stargate over, I now regret the fact that I didn’t name one of my characters Jelly.

            OFF THE GRID (916)

            Look out! That corn is highly addictive! Ah, sweet sweet Kassa. How you’ve been mocked, forced to share ignominious conversation company with the likes of explosive tumors, Zipacna’s silly hat, and Carter infamous “Just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn’t mean I can’t handle whatever you can handle” line. Granted, it was one of our sillier episodes that saw the team going undercover decked out as extras from The Road Warrior while, back on Earth, Landry matched wits with the gluttonous goa’uld Nerus (played to pompous perfection by the late Maury Chaykin). At one point during the editing process, Brad objected to the amount of food Nerus had in his cell on the grounds that it was “over the top”. ! In my mind, that ship sailed the second Mitchell uttered the line: “Get all the population jonesing for space corn.”

            Speaking of silly – a number of fans complained about the fact that the Lucian Alliance weren’t cool enough, that they were a little too silly to be considered a formidable threat to Stargate Command. Well, to be fair, respect was admittedly an uphill climb considering the concept of the Alliance was introduced by these two lovable members -

            Longtime blog regular Paul O’Dwyer gives our little Book of the Month Club a shout-out in the Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...298893096.html). Thanks to Paul for the mention. And a reminder that July’s book of the month club kicks off July 4th with a discussion of Jeff Lemire’s Sweeth Tooth (volume 1) -

            A heads up from another blog regular, Steve Eramo, who has just posted a recent interview with actor David Hewlett(SGA’s Rodney McKay) here: http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/sc...checks-in.html

            And, of course, opening this weekend: Remember Green Lantern? Sure you do!
            sigpic
            The Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Thunk thread The Sam/RepliCarter Ship Thread

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              http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...ng-forward-to/

              June 19, 2011

              Photos: Seth McFarlane’s reboot of The Flintstones, The live-action version of Noir, Powers, World War Z: The Movie, Transporter: The Series


              Despite the fact that I work in television, I don’t watch a lot of t.v. I could say it’s because I’m incredibly busy (which I am) but the truth is that, given the choice, I’d much rather read, cook, work-out, or spend quality time with my dogs. I do, however, manage to make time for some my favorites (House, Top Chef, Spartacus, and the occasional HBO offerings), squeezing in a viewing while exercising or before lights-out – which is more than can be said for my movie-watching. After building a home theater, I decided to never again visit a theater and, instead, chose to wait for films of interest to come out on dvd – until the introduction of blu-ray effectively dissuaded me from ever buying another dvd (much less a blu-ray player which, I assumed, would, in turn, be rendered obsolete by the next big thing so why bother?). As a result, I would be completely lost in any dinner party conversation that shifted to Inception, Avatar, Toy Story 3, Star Trek, and every James Bond installment since Golden Eye.

              Still, despite my seeming disinterest, every once in a while the announcement of an upcoming project will pique my interest. And, occasionally, I may even get downright excited at the prospect of actually checking something out.

              What follows is my list of the Top 5 Projects (some in development, some in production) I Most Look Forward To...

              Seth McFarlane’s reboot of The Flintstones

              After much back-and-forth, a deal has finally been struck that will allow the Family Guy creator to reboot The Flinstones – and I couldn’t be happier. To those of you who say Seth McFarlane is going to ruin The Flinstones, I say: “Did you watch The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show? Or The Flintstone Comedy Hour? Or every t.v. special, television movie, and live action feature film made since the original show went off the air in 1966?” Hell, some purists will even argue that the show jumped the shark with the introduction of Pebbles at the end of its third season. In my mind, there’s no better candidate to bring back television’s first prime time, politically incorrect animated series than McFarlane. His sense of humor is perfectly suited to recapturing the show’s original adult sensibility.

              The live-action version of Noir

              I’m admittedly torn on this one. On the one hand, I can’t wait to see what Sam Raimi and co. do with one of my top ten favorite anime of all time; on the other hand, I’m bummed that I wasn’t fast enough in snapping up the rights when they were available. This styling series about two young, female assassins and the mysterious order they work for was one of several anime properties I identified for potential live-action treatment. Alas, my commitment to Stargate kept me from seriously pursuing it but, all the same, it looks like the property is in good hands. Don’t know how they plan on translating Noir for a North American audience but so long as they make liberal use Yuki Kajiura’s soundtrack for the original anime, they can’t go wrong.

              Powers

              One of my favorite comic book series is poised to hit the small screen. Focusing on Detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, partners in homicide investigations involving superpowered individuals, the graphic novels are whip smart and a lot of fun. Don’t know much about the prospective series beside the fact that it will premiere on FX, but the fact that writer Brian Michael Bendis is listed as an Executive Producer gives me confidence the production will do right by its source material.

              World War Z: The Movie

              Tired of zombies yet? No, me neither provided they’re done right – and author Max Brooks did them all sorts of right in his book, a collection of first-person accounts of the zombie apocalypse. Clever, frightening, and incredibly engaging given the personal nature of a lot of the interviews – a must-read for any fan of the horror sub-genre. Translating Brooks’ unique narrative will no doubt prove a challenge but I’m cautiously optimistic... .

              Transporter: The Series

              Loved the movies for the creative fight sequences and the overall sense of fun that pervaded the action, so when I heard they were going to be doing a television series based on the film franchise, I was interested. And when my agent called to say they wanted Paul and I to showrun – well, I was REALLY interested. European production is already underway while main unit photography kicks off here in North America in July. The early footage looks great, the scripts are tight, the cast is terrific, and the production is stacked with talent. Fans of the movies will not be disappointed!
              sigpic
              The Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Thunk thread The Sam/RepliCarter Ship Thread

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                http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...day-afternoon/

                June 20, 2011

                Videos: Dogs

                Photos: Dogs


                You know who enjoys sunshine? The dogs! And so, when the weekend rolled around, I was all ready to hop in the car and head downtown for the afternoon when I started getting “the look”. You know what I’m talking about. The “What? You’re just going to leave us? Okay, okay. Go. Have fun. We’ll just stay here. All alone.” staredowns. Like -

                And...

                So, instead of going out for the afternoon, I ended up staying in to spend quality time with the dogs. To be perfectly honest, the dogs weren’t all that enthusiastic about spending quality time with me. Ultimately, all they really required was someone to open the back door for them – and, of course, document their wacky antics -

                Note at the end of the video – Brie’s subtle way of letting Lulu know she doesn’t appreciate her making the moves on Stewie...

                Brie and Stewie scrap...

                Once they’d enough, we headed inside for dinner...

                Speaking of dinner – off for Italian with the lovely Alaina Huffman (SGU’s Lieutenant Tamara Johansen) tonight. Photos and videos of Alaina eating pappardelle to follow...
                sigpic
                The Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Thunk thread The Sam/RepliCarter Ship Thread

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                  http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...laina-huffman/

                  June 21, 2011

                  Video: Akemi

                  Photos: Alaina Huffman, Akemi, dinner, Joe Mallozzi


                  Last night, Akemi and I went out for dinner with the lovely Alaina Huffman (SGU’s Lieutenant Tamara T.J. Johansen, Smallville’s Black Canary, and MTV’s Agent Mom). We went to what is fast becoming my go-to restaurant for entertaining out-of-towners: Scarpetta. Alaina was kind enough to defer to me on the menu selections and so, as always, I emphasized variety by ordering four appies, three pasta plates, a fish dish, and four desserts (with double scoops of ice creams all around as I wanted to be sure the ice cream to cake/pastry ratio was at the ideal 1:1).

                  Akemi loves the bread at Scarpetta (look at how quickly she snatches up a piece) and I always have to make it a point to either hide the bread basket or ask the waiter to take it away lest she finish it before the first dish has even hit the table. Anyway, between mouthfuls of crust (or “margin” as she used to refer it when she first came to Canada), Akemi found time to chat with Alaina about Alaina’s modeling days in Tokyo and Osaka. Although I’m sure she wasn’t able to keep up with all of our rapidfire table discussion, Akemi came away from dinner mightily impressed with Alaina. ”I like her!”she informed me. True. Talk to her and she’s very hard not to like!

                  Some of the appetizer highlights:

                  One of the things I appreciate about Scarpetta is there ability to occasionally switch up the menu without sacrificing any of my favorites. Last night, we enjoyed a couple of Chef Scott Conant’s signature creations, the duck and foie gras ravioli and the simple yet immensely satisfying spaghetti with tomato and basil. Also...

                  Our dessert foursome was made up of the restaurants Amedei Chocolate Cake (missing its standard delightful gooey center on this visit), a strawberry shortcake the gals seemed to enjoy, the outstanding coconut panna cotta, and...

                  The topic of conversation ranged from her kids, conventions, and home life in L.A. to some terrific-sounding projects she and husband John have in the works. By the time we were done, we probably ended up talking more in those two and a half hours than we did in two years on SGU.

                  Hey, did you know Alaina has her own comic book? Check it out here: MTV Geek | MTV.com – Comic – Agent Mom #1, pt. 1

                  Finally, this was too cute not to post. Akemi looks forward to one of her favorite shows. At least it wasn’t Million Dollar Money Drop!

                  Today’s entry is dedicated to gforce.
                  sigpic
                  The Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Thunk thread The Sam/RepliCarter Ship Thread

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                    http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...ture-of-habit/

                    June 22, 2011

                    Videos: Stunt coordinator Cyril Raffaelli ,Maximus

                    Photos: Gifts, Alexander M. Ruemelin, guns, Brie, Lulu, apple salad


                    Just the other day, I was telling Angela (aka Mega) from across the hall that I felt I wasn’t receiving proper acknowledgement for all of my hard work of late. I mean, sure, I get paid and I work with very nice people who tell me how much they enjoy my scripts, but when’s the last time someone gave me a handmade thank you card?

                    Well, you’ll never guess what I got this morning.

                    Compliments of Mega. How thoughtful of her!

                    And she isn’t the only one in the office who’s been thinking of me...

                    The other day, Executive Producer Alexander Ruemelin surprised me with some geschmackvolle Festlichkeiten. Great. Now I’ve to be nice to the guy for the rest of the week. Who says this job isn’t demanding?

                    Oh, in addition to being nice to Alex and proudly displaying my handmade thank you card prominently on my desk in order to guilt my co-workers, I also did a quick polish on Carl Binder’s second script (which is going to air in the #2 slot). As always, Carl’s first drafts are terrific, incredibly tight. BUT NOT PERFECT! Shame on him! Like my father used to say when I’d score 95% on a test: “Where’s the other five percent?”.

                    We’re assembling some mighty impressive directors for the show. Can’t wait to tell you more – but will have to for the time being. Prep continues on the pilot (appropriately named Pilot) with my writing/producing partner Paul out and about on all sorts of location scouts. Over the next week or so, our cast start arriving. Tomorrow, the lovely Rachel Skarsten (Delia) comes in for her wardrobe fitting after which she’ll participate in what the prep schedule terms “Audi Driving Practice”. Our uber-awesome Stunt Coordinator, Cyril Raffaelli, finally gets into town this weekend...

                    Also coming in on Saturday is our new writer (The Bill, Primeval) who’ll be in Toronto for a week or so to break his episode (#10).

                    Looking ahead, our Frank – actor Chris Vance – gets into town early next week and we’ll be celebrating with (says the prep schedule): Props “ Show & Tell” (GUNS). No details provided but I assume I won’t be required to to show off any of my firearms.

                    On the not-home front (I’m babysitting Fondy place – and her dogs until Saturday), Akemi phoned me in a panic this afternoon. Apparently, Brie – who has been bullying the other dogs – got into it with Bubba, knicking him. I checked him out when I got not-home. He doesn’t seem to be in any pain, but he’s leaving little bloody smudges wherever he goes. My attempts to locate the wound have proven fruitless so we’re just going to keep an eye on him. Poor little guy.

                    Akemi’s latest culinary creation...

                    Finally – dogs are creatures of habit. Maximus, for instance, always follows the same chair-ducking/wall-hugging path from the front door to the kitchen. Check it out.
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                      http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-sg1-season-9/

                      June 23, 2011

                      Video: Weather network piece about Stargate

                      Photos: SG-1 Season 9


                      Busy-busy on Transporter: The Series. Notes on episode 2 (Carl’s) and episode 7 (Alexander’s) have slowly started trickling in. Once I’ve received input from all 4+ players, I’ll jump on the rewrites – just as soon as I’ve finished the rewrite on episode 6 (mine). Paul continues his pass on episodes 3 (his) and 4 (Carl’s), Alexander presses on with a first draft of episode 9 (his) while we all prepare to spend much of next week breaking episodes 10 (Steve’s), 11 (probably mine), and 12 (probably Paul’s). Oh, and of course prep continues on episode 1 (Paul’s). This afternoon, I checked out the auditions for General Weigart. A couple of good candidates, depending on how we choose to go. Also perused the Fiona auditions before heading home. Again, some really interesting possibilities including one that may be too young for the part but would be perfect for a future episode.

                      Things have been equally busy-busy on the comic book front – though, admittedly, it’s been my editor at Dark Horse (Patrick Thorpe) and artist Garry Brown who’ve been the busy ones. It’s been nothing short of amazing watching Dark Matter come together from layouts to pencils (so far). Garry also tried his hand at the cover for issue #1 – with fantastic results. Patrick forwarded me a pic of the cover colors this morning. ”Whoa!” indeed.

                      Continuing my reminiscing on Stargate SG-1′s ninth season...

                      THE SCOURGE (917)

                      One of the biggest challenges of this episode was the bugs themselves. In the original draft, they buzz along the ground like a giant moving carpet. I limited the cutaways to the swarm figuring that, while expensive, it would not be prohibitively so. The cold reality of the Visual Effects budget hit me like a punch in the face – followed by three swift kicks to the mid-section and the subsequent removal of all the cash in my wallet. We simply couldn’t afford sweeping bug swarms. And so, I came up with the idea of having the bugs travel underground which, while not as visually satisfying, lent them a certain creepiness.

                      One of my favorite guest stars makes a return in this episode as Robert Picardo reprises his role as the insufferable Richard Woolsey. This, I think, was the first episode I wrote in which I gave the character a little humor – and, as a result, really started to enjoy writing for him. Sure, he was a stuffed shirt, but he also reveals glimpses of vulnerability that make him amusing, even likable up to a point. And Bob, of course, did a terrific job of delivering those subtle and, sometimes, not-so-subtle nuances that – like the point late in the episode where SG-1 and the I.O.A. reps are hurrying away from the bugs, only to have Woolsey speed by them, arms madly pumping.

                      ARTHUR’S MANTLE (918)

                      Oh, damn, the whole “out of phase” debate that rears its ugly head whenever we do these types of episodes. As Paul always points out: “Why don’t they just phase through the floor?”. While we’ve dealt with some equally far-flung SF notions, Paul always argued that those notions, at the very least, adhered to certain self-contained theoretical laws of physics phasing did not. The mechanics of gate travel while “out of phase” was another matter entirely.

                      After Carter explains their situation to Mitchell, he responds with: “That was alternate reality, this is alternate dimension. Hell, all I need is a good time travel adventure and I’ve scored the SG-1 trifecta. ” He completes the trifecta in the season 10 series finale, Unending.

                      CRUSADE (919)

                      Actress Claudia Black returns in time for Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper’s directorial debut. An ambitious episode that delivers action, humor, and patho. It also marks the introduction of the Ori warship. My first reaction to the design: “Uh, it looks like a flying toilet seat.” One of thrare instances where my input was NOT appreciated.

                      CAMELOT (920)

                      One of my top ten favorite episodes (August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes) owing to the cliffhanger to end all cliffhanger endings: Earth’s battlecruisers and their allied Asgard and Lucian Alliance ships are getting their asses kicked, Daniel and Mitchell aboard a doomed, Korolev, Carter floating alone and vulnerable in space while a pregnant Vala – carrying “the will of the Ori” - watches it all from her vatange aboard one of the Ori ships. See ya next season!

                      On the day we were to shoot the big Mitchell vs. the Black Knight swordfight sequence, it was pouring rain on location. Most any other actor would have complained, but not Ben Browder. He embraced the rain and the mud, going all out – stumbling, slipping, falling, rolling – to outstanding effect. It couldn’t have turned out better had we planned it. The sequence was mentioned in a piece done by our old buddy, Ross Hull, for the Weather Channel....
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                        http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-baby-contest/

                        June 24, 2011

                        Photos: Trevor


                        I was in Trevor’s office today going over some production details on episode #3 when, partway through our Harry Potter discussion, I noticed two of my female co-workers staring out the window.

                        “Ooooh, loooook!”cooed one.

                        “Soooo cute!”, the other.

                        I hurried over to join them, peering out and scanning the area across the street for a glimpse of the adorable puppy – to no avail. All I could see was a group of people and a woman holding a baby. WTF?

                        “Where’s the dog?”I asked.

                        “What dog?”wondered co-worker #1.

                        “The cute dog that has you guys all excited.”

                        “It’s not a dog. It’s the baby.”

                        I took a second, longer look. The baby wasn’t doing anything particularly amusing like projectile vomiting or driving a car. It was just there, hanging off its mother’s arm like a loaf of soggy bread. Maybe I’d missed it.

                        “What did it do?”I asked.

                        “What do you mean ‘what did it do’?”

                        “I mean what did it do that was so funny?”

                        “It didn’t do anything.” Then, fixing me with an admonishing look. ”It’s just a cute baby.”

                        “It is?” It looked pretty much like any other baby to me.

                        “Babies are cute,”co-worker #2 informed me with the conviction of, say, a “Bananas are yellow” or a “Vegetarians are flatulent”.

                        “They are?”

                        In response, I received the type of glares usually reserved for clumsy drunks.

                        Anyway, all this to ask: Did I miss something? Is it widely accepted that all babies are cute by the simple virtue of being babies? Does the fact that every infant looks exactly the same to me – with the exception of those wide-eyed goofy ones – suggest I lack the paternal gene (to compliment my jazz deficiency)? I mean, I can certainly sympathize with an individual’s desire to produce an offspring who’ll feel obligated to mark their birthday each year with a requisite salutary phone call and/or banish them to the appropriate nursing home when the time comes but I still don’t quite get it. For my part, I’m more of a dog guy though, admittedly, dogs do require a little more effort than kids. It’s not like you can just line the kitchen with newspaper, put out some food and water, and then go away for the weekend and expect them to fend for themselves. That would be fine for a child but dogs require companionship and the occasional belly rub.

                        Anyway, speaking of babies, the wife of one of my co-workers – Executive Producers’ Assistant Trevor – is having a baby and, next week, they find out the sex of their child. Which got me thinking…this would be a perfect opportunity to hold a little contest.

                        Slap on your creative caps and start thinking as this blog kicks off the: NAME TREVOR’S BABY CONTEST!

                        First post, first served, so if you want to claim the rights to a name early (I’ve already taken Rubella and Spearmint), start posting. I’ll choose the top three candidates from the list of suggestions after which it will be up to YOU to vote in a winner!

                        “Hey, wait a minute!”some of you are no doubt saying. “We thought Joe fired Trevor!”. Well, I certainly should have after THIS incident (June 9, 2011: Oatmeal Snowman! Trevor screws up my page count! Stargate: SG-1 season 9! News of note!) but soon after letting him go, I was informed that it’s actually cheaper for the production to keep him. Apparently, his departure would require us to purchase a scarecrow to prop up in his workspace to keep the wolverines at bay (and away from our lunches). And so, I had to re-hire him.

                        Of course no sooner was Trevor back in the office than he was up to his old tricks. After hopping onto my laptop and fixing a formatting glitch with my screenwriter software, he starts explaining what the issue was and how he’d fixed it. ”Look,”I told him, “don’t come to me with problems. Or explanations of solutions to problems. Just come to me with solutions.”

                        Geez!
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                          http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...ogues-gallery/

                          June 25, 2011

                          Photos: Toronto's drivers, Elektro, Deathlock the Demolisher, Lizard, Sandman, Terrax, Kraven the Hunter, Sinestro


                          Feeling a little overwhelmed of late on the home and work front, looking ahead to the summer, Christmas vacation and beyond. Since post-production work on Transporter: The Series will keep me busy through December, it looks like I’ll have to push my annual Japan trip to January. And, yes, I fully intend to go – although, even before the quake, I was considering taking my old Tokyo travel buddy, Stefan, up on his suggestion and maybe do a train tour, starting in Hokkaido in the north and ending somewhere in the South (Kyushu?). Akemi, however, thinks I should just do my usual two-weeks in Tokyo. She really misses the city (almost as much as Vancouver) and really wants to go back and visit with me.

                          Speaking of going back, this marks the last day of our week+ house-sitting Fondy’s place and her adorable but badly behaved frenchies, Brie and Stewie. I thought four dogs were more than a handful. Try six – competing for your attention, needing to go out, begging for snacks and table scraps, waking up way too early every morning, getting a running start from the opposite end of the hallway and then launching themselves at you from a three foot distance. It can be exhausting. Of course, nowhere near exhausting (or frustrating) as the 1 hour + drive each way from the house to the office. The traffic in this city is miserable. Here’s an idea to help alleviate congestion: Finish the work! 95% of the bottle-necked construction zones I pass on a daily basis are devoid of actual workers. Of course compounding the problem are Toronto’s drivers, the douchiest drivers I’ve ever encountered (and I’ve been to Paris!) who think nothing of cutting off other cars, swerving into traffic, or double-parking on busy streets...

                          Yes, all sorts of annoyed. And so, to cheer myself up, I went out for lunch, then stopped by a local comic shop (Cyber City Comix) to pick up a few items and round out the office decor. My interior designer and I put our heads together and decided on a supervillain theme for my workplace:

                          Electro. Sure, the headpiece if borderline silly but, much like Mysterio (who sports an equally silly headpiece), the character takes me back to my youth, reading Spiderman comics and watching the old Ralph Bakshi cartoon (incidentally, I picked up the box set. Once I’m back in Vancouver, I plan on having a marathon in my home theater room. Who’s in?).

                          Deathlock the Demolisher. Technically, not a villain but more a grey area character (like Deadpool who also decorates my office). Along with the Beast, one of my favorite comic book characters growing up, so I snapped him up. Hmmm. Come to think of it, I may already have him back in Vancouver.

                          Lizard. Another Spiderman villain. No nostalgic connection to this character, but I figured that, since I was picking up bad guys and he was available...

                          Sandman. Another villain with a Spiderman connection. In this case, I picked him up not because I grew up with the character, or to round out the collection, but because the sculpt is so damn cool.

                          Terrax. Galactus’s former herald comes with one sweet swingin’ axe. He’ll look great standing beside Thanos (who awaits him back in Vancouver).

                          Two statues I considered but, ultimately, didn’t make the cut...

                          Kraven the Hunter. Yes, he’s a Spiderman villain but ever since Martin Gero walked into my office back in Vancouver, pointed to an alternate statue of Kraven I had sitting up on my shelf, and asked: “Who’s that? Freddie Mercury?”, I’ve had a hard time taking the character seriously.

                          Sinestro. On the one hand, here’s a rare DC villain statue. On the other hand, what’s with the base of swirling yellow nothingness. Also, sadly, working against him: the Green Lantern movie.

                          Anyway, the new additions will join my Toronto office rogue’s gallery that includes the likes of: Dr. Octopus, Deadpool, Bullseye, and Ultron. Almost makes me eager to get back to work.
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                            http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...another-entry/

                            June 26, 2011


                            Home! Just six months away! Refuel! Bella Gelateria! A backyard for the dogs! My own bed! My home theater room! Yep. 2012 is gonna be sweet!

                            Anyway…

                            Yet another Toronto weekend segueing into yet another week in Toronto.

                            Please keep posting your baby name suggestions for the Name Trevor’s Baby contest. I narrow down the list to the three finalists this week and then the voting begins. Our assistant is understandably uncertain about the whole contest so let’s put his mind at ease by offering up a name that would’ve made Moon Unit Zappa’s parents proud!

                            A quickie reminder to pick up/read/finish up July’s Book of the Month Club pick: Sweet Tooth, by Jeff Lemire. It’s a more-than-manageable trade paperback, the first volume of a terrific and unique series, so make the effort! Author Jeff Lemire will be joining us the week of July 4th to field your questions.

                            Some news of note…

                            Next time you’re at your favorite burger joint and a customer says “This burger tastes like crap!”, he may be right: http://gothamist.com/2011/06/16/vide..._makes_and.php

                            13 quease-inducing dishes I would even hesitate to sample: http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/eat/tha...-dishes-242509

                            From the gang at Cracked.com, If Everything In Life Listed Side Effects: http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_2...-side-effects/

                            Even people from Toronto complain about Toronto. And with good reason: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/torontos-war-on-fun.html

                            Steve Eramo’s latest interview with Colin Cunningham (Stargate’s Major Davis): http://www.themortonreport.com/enter...in-cunningham/


                            Mailbag:

                            DP writes: “How do you know the guy who parked half on the street is an -sshole?”

                            Answer: Yes, it’s possible he was rushing to deliver his pregnant wife to the emergency ward before she gave birth – mistaking a convenience store for a hospital.

                            dasndanger writes: “Quick question, I know you’re not a big drinker, but have you ever been a smoker?”

                            Answer: Nope.

                            Lewis writes: “What did Carl say when he found out that Rachel Skarsten was cast as Delia?”

                            Answer: He was delighted because, of course, he worked with her when she was just a kid. When I told Rachel that Carl was involved in the show, she was equally delighted – but her mother especially so. Carl, that old charmer.
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                              http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...nto-breakfast/

                              June 27, 2011

                              Photos: Steve Bailie, Francois Berleand, Jelly, Bento Breakfast


                              Hey, look! It’s the new guy!

                              A.K.A. writer Steve Bailie, formerly of Primeval and The Bill, presently of episode #10 of Transporter: The Series. Steve, who hails from Jolly Olde England (“Smashing kippers, wot?”) got in yesterday and showed up armed with a slew of good ideas. Now, all we’ve got to do is pick one. We managed to get some spinning done on his story but, unfortunately, every time we got started one of us would get sidetracked or called away on prep-related business. And, as we draw closer to the first day of main unit photography, those distractions are just going to keep mounting.

                              Paul has had his hands full prepping episode #1, attending various meetings and location scouts, while Alexander forges ahead on his second script. For my part, I’ve been keeping equally busy what with my advanced reiki classes and try-outs for the Glee Project (Carl Binder, you’ve been served!). Oh, also finished a significant rewrite of my second script and plan to start addressing the network notes on episode #2 as soon as I receive the last batch. Once that’s done, I’m going to help my writing partner out by jumping on the rewrite of his script, episode #5 while he works on the rewrites for episodes #4 and #8. Whew!

                              Today, in addition to eating, I also found the time to call up actor Francois Berleand in Paris to discuss the Tarconi character – and, more importantly, practice my French (Attention! Le zebre de ma soeur est sur le toit!).

                              A gentle reminder to get your picks in for the Name Trevor’s Baby Contest. The call for entries ends tomorrow then, on Thursday, I’ll present my three favorite names for you to vote on. Name with the most votes wins! Today, Trevor was all like “Hey, this is a joke, right?”. A joke?! The nerve of the guy.

                              My gal Jelly has suddenly slowed down considerably over the last twenty-four hours. At the park this morning, she was barely able to support her back end. I’m hoping it’s just a case of her overdoing it after returning to the apartment this weekend. Just in case, I’m scheduling her for a stem cell booster. In the meantime, I picked up some D.A.P. (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) air freshener. It’s supposed to have a calming effect on dogs. Haven’t seen any change in them but I certainly feel super-relaxed.

                              Finally, Bento Breakfast is back on...
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                                http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...speed-on-prep/

                                June 28, 2011

                                Photos: Breakfast, Joe Mallozzi, Alexander M. Ruemelin, Steve, Sue Murdoch


                                Akemi’s latest bento breakfast gives me the strength to field the day’s explosive issue. I borrow Bobby C.’s shades to keep the shrapnel out of my eyes.

                                Alexander gives me the “Yes, it CAN get any worse” look.

                                Steve demonstrates patience and perseverance, coming in to the conference and settling in, fully prepared to work on his episode – only to have us called away to deal with prep-related business. Over and over and over again. Despite it all, he’s all smiles. Understanding or one more interruption away from a laptop-wielding bludgeoning spree?

                                Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

                                Sue Murdoch is camera shy (I can only assume it’s because she has an outstanding warrant for her arrest somewhere in the United States).

                                When NOT spinning Steve’s story today, we were checking out the auditions for the pilot (I believe we have our Fiona, General Weigart and, possibly, Berne. And we should have our Frieder buy tomorrow), chatting with Stephen, our pilot director, who looks A LOT like his brother (He’s an incredibly smart guy with great creative vision. I’ve already lined him up for a future Q&A), missing out on the Audi test, perusing costume suggestions coming in for Frank, Delia, Carla, and Tarconi, preparing the supporting materials (preliminary boards, timings, notes) for my next four rewrites, and sitting in on a grueling conference call. And I’m not even in prep on MY episode yet!

                                Grabbing a matcha, then off to dinner with Shanks. I’ll tell him you guys say hi!
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