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

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September 24, 2010

Photos: Amanda, North Van forests, Ivon Bartok, Bill Mizel, Louis Ferreira, Joe Mallozzi


We were out in the forests of North Van yesterday, shooting day #3 of The Hunt. All of the local weather people predicted rain but I remained the sole optimist. We were looking at a late crew call (10:30 a.m.) because we’d be going late tonight....

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September 25, 2010

Video: Finding the bathroom

Photos: Joe Mallozzi, Rob, Evil Kenny, Chris, Grizz Salzi, Ryan Purcell, Kelly Whitfield, James “Bones” Rorick’s, Chaddington, Andy Mikita, North Van forests, Dave Griffiths, Chris di Armani, Grayston Holt, John G. Lenic, squirrel, James "Bam Bam" Bamford, Sherri


Yesterday was our last day (and night) in the wilds of North Vancouver where we finished shooting our location exteriors for The Hunt. While it’s nice to get away from our standing sets every once in a while, it’s even nicer to get back to those standing sets after spending a few cold and rainy evenings in the great outdoors. If you were there, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you weren’t, check out the pics...

Finally, this is a video of me trying to find the bathroom. Ah, show business!

Back to Stage 4 on Monday!

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Septmeber 26, 2010

Photos: Tygh Runyan


The last time we saw Tygh Runyan’s character, Robert Caine, he was being left behind on a seemingly ideal world in SGU’s first season episode, Faith. Well, a lot can happen in a year, especially in science fiction, and – let’s just say I crossed paths with Tygh about a month ago. I asked him whether he’d be interested in doing a fan Q&A for the blog and Tygh was more than happy to oblige in intelligent and insightful fashion.

Today’s blog entry is dedicated to belated birthday gal Annie from Freemantle!

Over to Tygh...

Michael writes: “Questions for Tygh Runyan – 1) How did you react when you first learned about your character, Caine?”

TR: I was very excited to do sci-fi. I wasn’t familiar with the previous Stargate shows, but I’m a huge Star Wars and Blade Runner fan, as well as a fan of foreign sci-fi films like Alphaville and Solaris. I haven’t done much sci-fi, and to find out that I’d be on a ship with such wonderful actors, I was basically doing backflips.

“2) How did you prepare yourself for Caine’s religious side in “Faith”?”

TR: Although I don’t consider myself a religious person, I’m deeply spiritual. I drew on a lot of my own teachers from the Toltec and Indian traditions, as well as my experience of going to a non-denominational church for a while. Under my wardrobe, I wear a rosary made of sandalwood that I found in India. It reminds me of the deeply spiritual people I met there and the beautiful temples and ceremonies I experienced. I met a leper there who had no legs and severely deformed arms who, although was begging for coins in the street, always had time to give whoever passed the brightest, most genuine smile I have ever seen. He had absolutely nothing, and was giving everything. My experiences in India really informed how I related to Caine’s discovery of his faith.

“3) What was your reaction after reading the “Faith” script?”

TR: That script was really a turning point for my character, so I was happy to begin delving a little deeper with Caine. Also, I thought the script was asking some very important questions, like “what is the nature of faith?”. No matter where you go in the world, no matter what philosophy or religion, even talking to self-proclaimed atheists, people have “faith”. Whether it’s in a master teacher from thousands of years ago, or one’s self, or the law of nature, or some unspoken mystery that can’t be discussed or described, it is there. I can see that it enriches our lives. It helps us let go of our illusions, and open up to each other.

“4) What do you look forward to most for Caine in season 2?”

TR: I really hope they come back and get me!

E writes: “My questions for Tygh Runyan – I noticed your character in “Justice” for the first time. Did you happen appear in any episodes before that, maybe some group scenes?

TR: No, Justice was my first episode. I’d been shooting a film in India before that.

“Caine chose to stay on the obelisk planet. If you were in that kind of situation, would you choose to stay on the planet or return to the Destiny?”

TR: I’d probably return to the ship. I usually follow the girl wherever she goes. I’m a helpless romantic!

“Do you believe in luck?”

TR: Sure. I think things can just happen. I also believe that we can manifest our own dreams, and be blessed by god. But I think in this huge energy field we call the universe, there’s room for everything.

Major D. Davis writes: “So questions for Tygh. First off thanks Tygh for doing this Q&A. 1. What do you think Caine truly believes in? He seems like he has a Christian background, but he seems to worship the aliens on the planet from Faith. Do you think he believes in a benevolent higher power(like aliens), or does he believe in God?”

TR: I think that he had a Christian upbringing and that, ultimately, he’s asking himself if there’s room for both aliens and God in the universe. He’s in the process of discovering his faith for himself, and I think he believes that the aliens will play a vital role in proving the existence of God. Maybe by showing humans something that our monkey brains just can’t comprehend. A kind of alien miracle?

“2. It was never shown in Divided, but do you think Caine was with the few civilians who weren’t involved in the mutiny, or was he right along side the rebellious civilians?”

TR: I’d say rebel. That’s what I would do.

“3. Do you watch the SGU episodes you aren’t in? If so what’s your favorite episode? Did you ever watch previous Stargate shows?”

TR: I’ll always prefer to watch anything that I’m not in. I enjoy watching what my friends and co-workers are doing. There are some really wonderful people and actors on this show! I’ve only seen episodes from the current series. I don’t really have a favorite episode, but I tend to lean towards the action-based ones like “Space”. I’m a martial artist and love to watch fight and battle sequences. Also, the more ships the better!

4. How is it to be stuck on the same planet with BAG? Is his awesomeness overwhelming?”

TR: I must admit…it’s pretty overwhelming.

“5. Which girl would you rather see Caine in a relationship with… TJ or James? Thanks so much”

TR: Holy moly! Do I really have to pick?!! They’re both played by such talented and beautiful actresses! Ummm… maybe Caine would date both, maybe at different times…yeah.

Randomness writes: “My questions for Tygh Runyan – 1. Thought you were great in Eureka, but don’t you think Pierre Fargo could of lasted more than 1 episode? I mean he’s a genius, and in a town of genius’s surely they could of wrote him as a recurring character, Eureka needed more Fargos.”

TR: Thanks man! There was some talk of that happening, but I ended up getting busy with other stuff before anything materialized.

“2. How would you describe your experience on Eureka? And which of the cast did you admire the most, as in get along well with and you know genually had a lot of fun around?”

TR: I really hit it off with Fulvio Cecere. I didn’t have any scenes with him, but I was on set to watch him do a scene, and was already a fan from seeing him in a film called “Dirty”. We ended up going out for beers after that. He’s a great guy and a lovely actor.

“3. As with question 2, How would you describe your experience thus far with Stargate Universe.”

TR: SGU has been a dream to work on. To work with Bobby, Louis, Alaina, and the rest of the cast…it’s been a dream. I just really, really, really want to fly a ship!

Shane-Brumley writes: “I have a couple of questions for Mr. Runyan: 1) Do you think that the Obelisk Aliens came?”

TR: I believe so.

“2) Do you think they were/are benevolent like your character believes?”

TR: I think that they might have stronger faith than humans. And have been able to collaborate a little better with the mysteries of the universe…

“3) Will be get to see you back on SGU in season 2?”

TR: I hope so!

“4) Which other supporting/minor character do you think deserves some exploration?”

TR: I love Volker and Brody!

“Also, my friends and myself would like to see Caine back and get with one of the guys!!(I know that he used to have a wife) There is way too much heterosexuality in space…. Seriously though, we thought you were great in that role and wish you luck with your career…..”

TR: Thank you so much! I wish you all the best as well. Yeah, more space love all around!!!

Chevron7 writes: “Hello Tygh!! from chilly Melbourne. 1. Your character was introduced quite suddenly. To be honest my first reaction was, why are they throwing a new guy at us when we haven’t even explored all of the current characters? Is that hard for you?”

TR: Not really. It felt good to be thrown into the mix right away. I hope it wasn’t too confusing for the viewers! There will be a payoff, I promise.

“2. The scene w/ Lt James when Caine’s setting up the comm stones is soooo cute. How do you act when you haven’t got the person in front of you to react to? Sometimes its done separately isn’t it?”

TR: Thanks for the compliment. Yeah, it’s often shot seperately when it involves the kino. Lt James wasn’t anywhere near set that day, so I had to draw on my imagination. I think that’s one of the most important facets to develop in our work as actors. Actually, imagination is probably the gateway to everything else.

“3. What’s the most interesting part of the Caine character to explore?”

TR: For me, the most interesting and challenging aspect of Caine to explore has been his faith. It always raises a lot of questions for me, big questions, and ones that have led to some important discoveries about the character and myself as well. I think that Caine’s discovery/rediscovery of his faith is the heart of the character. I think he’s wrestling with some demons, and it’s teaching him to forgive and love life again.

“4. I don’t think we’ve ever seen an IT guy on Stargate before…cool!! Are you into tech and gadgets?”

TR: Normally, I wouldn’t say I’m into tech gadgets. Well, maybe older technology. I like motorcycles and have built a couple vintage bikes. I also play guitar and I’m into old guitars and effect pedals. But I must admit…I’m totally obsessed with my iphone!

“5. What music do you like to chill to?”

TR: My favorite bands are The Velvet Underground, Spacemen 3, Neil Young and Crazy Horse. But they aren’t always that relaxing. Lately, I’ve been listening to the new Bonnie Prince Billy and some Brian Eno to unwind.

“6. How do you hang w/ most on set?”

TR: I’ll usually have lunch with Louis or Patrick. Jamil and I hang a bit on set.

“7. What was you first job ever? Acting/non-acting?”

TR: My first job was a paper route with one of the worst guard dogs in history! It was straight out of a movie. This was a very bad dog, and he could smell me coming down the block! So, it was a serious upgrade to become a bus boy at a local diner. That job actually led to my first acting job. A student filmmaker was visiting his fiance’s family in my small fishing town, and he came into the diner for some coffee. After a while, he asked me if I’d done any acting and asked me to play the lead in his thesis film for college. After that, I cold-called some agents and signed on with one.

“8. If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?”

TR: I just got back from the Venice Film Festival, and I would board a plane back to Italy in a heartbeat!

“9. Which actor or director do you most want to work with next?”

TR: I’d love to work with one of my acting heroes, Jack Nicholson. I missed my chance with Marlon Brando, so I’d love to have that experience. As far as directors go, I’d love to work with Terrence Malick. I’m a big fan of his films.’

“10. Who surprised everyone with their soccer skills in Faith?”

TR: Definitely the director, Will.

“11. What were you fave tv shows as a kid?”

TR: I used to pee my pants with excitement for Inspector Gadget! I didn’t watch a lot of tv growing up though. My parents were hippies, and didn’t want cable. But they’d take me to the movies once a week. I saw a lot of films growing up, and I have to say that the whole reason I got into acting was from seeing The Blues Brothers when I was 4. I totally flipped for that experience, and still remember it to this day. Those guys were having a riot up there on that screen!

[KEK]

Worrying comments. If this devolves into any sort of 'God dunnit' storyline I'm done with the show.

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Septmeber 27, 2010

Photos: Books, choux, Akemi, Jamil Walker Smith, Joe Mallozzi, Stage 4


Day #5 of The Hunt found us back on the lot and in the familiar (and relatively drier) confines of Stage 4. After three days of shooting in the cold and rain, it was nice to be walking those darkened corridors again. I was expecting a warm reception from my co-workers. After all, it’s been almost a week since I last saw them and I assumed they’d missed me terribly. My writing partner Paul pretty much summed up the consensus response to my return: “Where the hell have you been?”. I was particularly disappointed by the fact that absolutely no one noticed a change in me despite my prompting (“Do you notice anything different about me?”). ”Did you put on weight?”was Paul’s first guess. “You’re doing something new with your hair!”marveled Carl. ”I love it!”. Surprisingly, none of them noted the trimmer, fitter me (My treadmill was finally fixed this weekend and I was able to get in my first work-out in two months last night).

Trimmer and fitter but extremely sore, I made the long trek to and from stage 4 several times before finally giving up and taking the car. I brought in truffles for the gang in an assortment of flavors: dark chocolate amaretto-almond chili, white chocolate key lime, dark chocolate Guinness, milk chocolate root beer, and dark chocolate Malibu Rum with toasted coconut. All much appreciated, but the milk chocolate root beer were the surprise hit. Script Supervisor Amanda insisted I was spoiling them, buying the crew coffee last week, treating them to truffles next week. ”Wait until it’s Paul’s turn to come to set and produce his episode,”I told them. ”He’s REALLY going to spoil you guys!”

I put out my outline for episode 20, Gauntlet, and look forward to the feedback. Paul is finishing up prep on episode 17, Common Descent. Brad is working on his pass on episode 19, Blockade. And Carl has promised us a first draft of episode 18, Epilogue, tomorrow.

It seems that every time I visit a bookstore, I HAVE to buy something. That to-read list keeps piling up to the point where I have two to-read piles: the to-read pile made up of some 25 titles and the to-read reserve pile made up of about a hundred titles that move onto my to-read pile as I make headway. Just started a book I should have read eons ago, Frank Herbert’s Dune.

This weekend, while I was making truffles, Akemi was making these...

She was incredibly proud of her accomplishment.

And back again to the work front: today’s productionly happenings...

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September 28, 2010

Photos: Brian J. Smith, Jamil Walker Smith, unfinished VFX screen grab


Tonight’s the night! Stargate: Universe returns for its second spectacular season! In the season premiere, Intervention, we answer the questions left unanswered in last season’s finale, learning the fate of the injured, the near death, and the as good as dead: Colonel Young, Chloe, T.J., T.J.’s baby, Scott and Greer. Well, if you watched the SyFy promo, you already know how the Scott/Greer thing turned out, but the rest of tonight’s episode offers plenty of surprises. Make sure to tune in!

Two weeks into the new television season and we’re bearing witness to a developing trend: a drop-off in ratings for returning shows. Surprising? Not really. Much the same story as last season. And the season before that. This, of course, begs the question: “Where did all the viewers go?” The obvious answer is: “They’re still there, you idiot! They’re simply choosing to dump the soon-to-be-antiquated habit of watching live television in favor of PVR, downloads, and internet streaming!”. Some of the figures I’ve been hearing about with regard to Stargate downloads are downright staggering. If we were able to incorporate those numbers into our overall count, we’d safely double our (live + same day) ratings. Alas, at present we do not possess the technology that will allow us to include them. No, finding a way to incorporate these online viewers into the big ratings picture is something that has eluded our puny human minds. Unlike, say -

Self-tying shoes: http://tv.gawker.com/5649996/life-mi...tie-themselves

Dancing robotic swans: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/.../15421371.html

Parking lots that will park your car for you: http://tv.gawker.com/5650391/this-is...nd-its-awesome

Curvey escalators: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_741529.html

A robot capable of teaching itself to fire a bow and arrow: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/...bow-and-arrow/

The mobile treadmill: http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/tread-...pid-invention/

But I have faith. Someday, somewhere between finding a cure for cancer and an inventing a perpetual motion machine, someone will invent a system that will ensure all viewers are counted.

Until that day comes though, make sure to watch it when it airs! Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. on SyFy!

P.S.: http://io9.com/5636210/how-the-niels...d-replace-them

So I was leaving set at around 7:00 p.m. last night when I received a text from Akemi informing me that she was at Meinhardt, a local gourmet grocery store. I thought it odd given that she was usually home by six and offered to swing by and pick her up. She sounded rattled. About twenty minutes later, I met up with her and asked what was up. Turns out, a couple of weeks ago, some guy started chatting her up while she was downtown. Shy but ever polite, she exchanged a few words with him then hurried on her way. Then, last night, while she was taking the bus home, the same guy got on, took a seat beside her, and, again, tried to engage her in conversation. She was quiet for most of the ride and quickly got up when she saw her stop approach. She got off – and so did this guy. As he headed off in the opposite direction, she started for home, only to have this weirdo turn around and start following her. Rather than head home, she elected to go to a nice, public place. At some point along the way, he turned off so she spent about an hour wandering the aisles of Meinhardt until my arrival.

I was pissed. I told Akemi to text me the next time she finds herself on the bus with this guy and I’ll make sure to be at the bus stop to greet them both when they get off.

Okay. Now go watch our show!

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September 29, 2010

Photos: Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story, by Christopher Moore, Ivon Bartok, Kerry, SGU set pics, concept art


I was reading Christopher Moore’s Fool while shooting on location last week and had about a dozen crew members walk up and say “Hey, if you like Fool, you should check out…[insert the title of any of Christopher's Moore's many books here]“. Well, I liked Fool. I liked it a lot. And I said so in a previous blog entry, which led a few of you to suggest I make one of Moore’s books a Book of the Month Club pick, which led me to contact Christopher Moore and ask him whether he’d be interested in doing a Q&A for this blog, which in turn led to his speedy response, which in turn led to this:

November’s Book of the Month Club selection is...

From the publisher: “Jody never asked to become a vampire. But when she wakes up under an alley Dumpster with a badly burned arm, an aching back, superhuman strength, and a distinctly Nosferatuan thirst, she realizes the decision has been made for her.

Making the transition from the nine-to-five grind to an eternity of nocturnal prowlings is going to take some doing, however, and that’s where C. Thomas Flood fits in. A would-be Kerouac from Incontinence, Indiana, Tommy (to his friends) is biding his time night-clerking and frozen-turkey bowling in a San Francisco Safeway. But all that changes when a beautiful undead redhead walks through the door…and proceeds to rock Tommy’s life — and afterlife — in ways he never thought possible.”

From Amazon.com: “Between scenes of punks bowling frozen turkeys on the graveyard shift in a supermarket, or snapping turtles loose in a loft and gnawing on designer shoes, this novel has comic charm to spare.”

From Library Journal: “Filled with oddball characters, clever dialog, and hilarious situations that are Moore’s (Coyote Blue, LJ 1/94) trademarks, this delightful tale deserves a spot on all popular fiction shelves. Highly recommended.”

From The New York Times Book Review: “”Deft and funny.”

Discussion the week of November 8th with author Christopher Moore.

Hey, speaking of books, look at what arrived to today...

Special Features Producer Ivon Bartok and my copy of The Tiger by John Vaillant. It sounds like Jaws in Siberia, the fact-based account of a tiger that exacts its revenge on a village after it’s wounded by a poacher. Scary stuff.

Yes, the ratings are in for the premiere. And, yes, they’re lower than I expected. Hopefully we’ll bounce back next week as more viewers become aware of our move to Tuesday night and Caprica returns for its back half run.

Pics from the set -

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September 30, 2010

Photos: Masked, edited by Lou Anders, Lou Anders, Iron Man, Matthew Sturges, Wolverine, James Maxey, The Beast, Paul Cornell, The Green Lantern, Daryl Gregory, Captain America, Gail Simone, WOnder Woman, Joseph Mallozzi, Booster Gold, Mark Chadbourn, Batman, Marjorie M. Liu, Psylocke


It’s finally here! Nine authors and their tireless editor answer your questions about the Masked superhero-themed anthology, comic books, and writing in general.

We’ve got quite a team here. One could go so far as to call them a “super team”. And it strikes me that members of this literary superteam have some pretty obvious comic book counterparts...

**snip**

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October 1, 2010

Videos: Carl Binder, Ashleigh, Lawren Bancroft-Wilson, Joe Mallozzi

Photos: Joe Mallozzi, signage, mugs, Miracle Fruit Tablets


So the other day I remarked on the awesome “CARL BINDER” signage hanging over Carl’s office door and the lack of a similarly awesome “JOSEPH MALLOZZI” signage hanging over my door. I mean, come on. How are people going to know it’s my office if it doesn’t say so over the door in big block letters?! Well, yesterday, Set Decorator Mark Davidson came by to present me with a little something from an old friend, Boyd. It read:

“I read your blog last week. Couldn’t believe the indignity you’ve faced with the new guy, Binder, having his name up on the office wall while you don’t. Would have had this to you sooner but I was repeatedly interrupted by show stuff. Hope this helps!

Boyd”

And, by “this”, he meant...

I was so thrilled I had Lawren and Ashleigh stop what they were doing – in Lawren’s case, distributing a script that was about to go into prep; in Ashleigh’s case, administering CPR to an elderly man who had collapsed in the parking lot – to put up my sign. And -

Later, even Brad got some signage -

And all it took was a little adjustment to Carl’s door -

But that wasn’t the only little surprise that awaited me. I received a mysterious package in the mail -

Other warnings on the box included “Hands off, Ashleigh!” and “Ashleigh may cause this box to spontaneously explode” – which got me wondering whether this was reverse psychology and the sender was actually warning Ashleigh AWAY from a potentially explosive situation. It all seemed highly suspect, so I elected to exercise extreme caution. And had Carl open it for me under the assumption it was a present for him.

As it turned out, the box contained an early birthday gift from blog regular Quade. Two awesome mugs -

Also included were two lemons (“Save SGA” and “Keller 4 ever”) and a package of Miracle Fruit Tablets.

According to the instructions on the back:

- Place one miracle fruit tablet on your tongue and let it completely dissolve. Make sure the tablet makes contact with as many taste buds as possible.

- Once the fruit tablet is dissolved, you will find that event the most sour fruits taste sweet in your mouth.

- This incredible sensation that is produced by miracle fruit usually lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Step 1: Carl confirms the lemons are real lemons...

Step 2: A paranoid Carl tries the miracle fruit...

Step 3: Carl begins trippin’ out. The ceiling’s coming down on him!

Step 4: With the miracle fruit tablet dissolved, Carl again samples the lemon...

A couple of links for you to check out -

Over at his site, Steve Eramo has posted an interview with actor David Blue (SGU’s Eli Wallace): http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/sc...player.html#tp

And check out this timely article written by none other than blog regular Shirt ‘n Tie: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...279345754.html

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October 2, 2010

Photos: Joe Mallozzi, Tia Carrere, Marjorie M. Liu, SGU set


“Tia Carrere is in the production offices,”producer John G. Lenic informed me. And then added: “She’s stunning.” Seconds later, my Canadian agent, Carl, swung by, Tia in tow. And – damn! – John G. was right. She IS stunning. And absolutely delightful – which didn’t really come as a surprise given that I’d heard nothing but great things about her from people who’d worked with her on Relic Hunter. Anyway, she and Carl were on the lot, pitching a show, and thought they’d drop in to say hello. Well, we ended up hello-ing and then spending a good half hour chatting about her terrific series idea, travel and, of course, food. Turns out Tia is a HUGE fan of duck but, despite her frequent visits to Vancouver, she had yet to enjoy the city’s most awesome duck offering. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

I rectified that by taking her to – where else? – Refuel for the – what else? – whole confit crispy duck for two.

I’m pleased to report the duck was a hit. Less so my go-to before-dinner-drink, Campari and soda. ”Try this,”I said. And then, as she was taking a sip: “I think it’s the closest you can get to the taste of poison without actually drinking poison.”

In Tia’s own words...

Besides being an accomplished actress, model, and Grammy-winning singer, Tia also happens to be a dessert aficionado. A desert aficionado with a weakness for key lime pie. So after we’d packed away the leftovers (the dogs would be thrilled!) we hopped in my car and headed over to Coast. There we grabbed a seat at the bar and had dessert: the kaffir-lime tart for her, and the tasty but tiny molten banana coconut cake with caramelized banana, coconut creme anglaise with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for me. After we were done, we checked out the lounge. We stepped inside and “Wooohooooooooo!”whooped one of the customers so loudly I assumed she’d just won the lottery. Alas, no lottery win. She’d simply recognized Tia. ”We LOOOOVE YOOOOOU!”she shouted and her companions, all smiles, nodded in agreement. For her part, Tia was adorably demure, responding with a shy smile and a big wave before we headed off.

A great night. Hopefully, she had no cause regret her decadent outing the next day on her scheduled helicopter ride over the city.

Speaking of charming company, I had the honor of hosting another lovely guest the following day when author Marjorie M. Liu came to visit. Marjorie, as many of you blog regulars know, is a New York Times best-selling author and comic book writer who I’m lucky enough to be sharing shelf space with in the recently released superhero-themed anthology Masked. Marjorie was in town visiting relatives, so I invited her to come by and say hi.

After lunch, we headed back to the Bridge for a little tour...

Successful, intelligent, well-read, loves desserts, a fan of SF, Fantasy, and comic books AND a total sweetheart! I mean – COME ON! Her visit was all too brief, our conversation ending way too early – even though we’d started talking at lunch and continued, uninterrupted, until I saw her off hours later.

Well, hopefully she’ll be back soon – once she comes up for air amid her sea of novels, short stories, and comic books in progress.

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October 3, 2010

Photos: Carl Binder, Lawren Bancroft-Wilson, Ashleigh, Joe Mallozzi, Dinner at Foundation


Every couple of months we go out for a vegetarian dinner. It’s a semi-regular outing not unlike an annual visit to the doctor or dentist in that it’s not something you look forward to but you do just the same because it’s supposedly good for you – and occasionally ends with an unpleasant surprise.

Well, to make things even more interesting this time out, I suggested we do a variation of Secret Santa. To those not-in-the-know, Secret Santa involves participants picking a name at random and then purchasing a gift for the individual they have chosen. Replace “purchasing a gift” with “ordering dinner” and you have our version of Secret Santa which I like to call Secret Vegetarian Santa even though there’s nothing secretive about it.

So this is how it went down...

We met at Foundation, one of the city’s more popular vegetarian haunts. By the time I got there, my dining companions were already chowing down on the biggest nacho platter I’d ever seen. I accused them of trying to fill up before our mains. They insisted (a.k.a. lied) the nachos were complimentary.

I was disappointed our meals weren’t more disappointed. All in all, not a terrible experience – with the exception of Lawren’s main. In the veggie resto scheme of things, better than the place with the cheesecake that (to quote Carl) “tasted like feet” AND the warehouse place that burned our eyes, but not quite as good as the place with the awesome banana-nut-date pie.

Next week, we go out for colonics and chemical peels!

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October 4, 2010

Photos: SGU set pic, Akemi, Carl Binder, Mike Dopud, Jamil Walker Smith


Great news! My hitherto winless Snow Monkeys are about to notch their first Stargate NFL Fantasy League win. By this time tomorrow, they’ll have clawed, chewed, and poo flung their way into a three way tie for last place in our division, looking ahead to next week’s big match-up against the (looking-like-they’ll-be) undefeated Tim Holtby’s Milita. Led by quarterback Matt Schaub and running back Arian Foster, and anchored by RB’s Frank Gore and Jason Snelling (not to mention a wide receiving core made up of Brandon Marshall, Donald Driver, Lance Moore, Percy Harvin, and Dez Bryant) the Snow Monkeys are the fourth highest scoring team in the league – with the bad luck of having the top three highest scoring teams in their division.

Speaking of numbers, here’s something interesting. This past Friday’s Canadian premiere of Stargate: Universe’s second season was up 16% over the season one finale. And yet, south of the border, the premiere was down 19% from the season one finale. Very strange given that the two are usually in sync. So what gives? I suspect the move to Tuesday nights may have taken many of our casual viewers by surprise. Well, hopefully word of our new night has finally found them and we’ll see a bounce tomorrow night. Meanwhile, more evidence that A LOT of our fan base download the show. SGU is the #1 t.v. season download on iTunes Canada and in the #4 slot on the U.S. iTunes (last time I checked).

Pictures from work...

So last night, I had a weird dream (as opposed to your standard, run-of-the-mill dreams that are simply a reflection of your daily life where absolutely nothing odd occurs). In the dream, I’m running a bath. It’s an exceptionally deep tub as I suddenly realize that I’ve inadvertently submerged two turkeys. As I rescue the turkeys from the drink, I’m horrified to discover my dogs are in the bath tub as well. Fortunately, I’m able to fish them out in time, one by one, saving all four. So, dream therapists, what does it all mean? I should mention that on the run-of-the-mill daily life side of things, all four pooches have been dealing with health issues: Jelly is recovering from her stem cell therapy and slowly regaining use of her hindquarters, Lulu has just gotten over a recent ear infection, Maximus requires surgery to deal with a nasty cyst on his upper eyelid that has bled out on three occasions already, while Bubba will also have to go under the knife to address some pigmentary keratitis that, if left untreated, could leave him blind. I don’t actually own any turkeys but, if I did, I’m pretty sure they’d be dealing with health issues as well.

Started work on the script for Gauntlet, our season two finale. Five pages down; only forty-five (ish) to go. Ideally, if I continue on this torrid pace, I should have a first draft completed for the week of the 19th. Of course, ideally, I should also be ruler of my own independent principality commanding an army of super-intelligent robot chimps but obviously things don’t always work out quite as planned. Yes, to the army of super-intelligent robot chimps but, sadly, no to the independent principality.

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October 5, 2010

Video: Jelly

Photos: Bubba, Lulu, Maximus


In the event you’ve been out of the country for the past month and just got in today – STARGATE: UNIVERSE HAS MOVED TO TUESDAY NIGHTS!!!

That’s right! The second episode of Stargate: Universe’s second season, Aftermath, airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. on SyFy! I have a feeling that this one is going to be a tad controversial and the boards will be buzzing later tonight. Tune in to find out what all the fuss is about.

I came into the office this morning and walked in on an oft-recurring film conversation between youngsters Lawren (“I love Chris Columbus!”) B. and Ashleigh ( I love Can’t Hardly Wait!”) I. and elder statesman Carl (“I love Annie Hall!”) B. It always begins with Carl expressing shock bordering on hysteria at the other’s lack of cinematic knowledge of any movie made prior to 1985. The fact that Ashleigh had never seen Blazing Saddles seemed to deeply offend Carl, while her admission that she had never watched Animal House almost caused him to stroke out. I was equally outraged to hear she had never seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles, one of the greatest comedies of all time, then almost lost it at Lawren’s insistence that The Great Outdoors was even remotely funny. I found our chat so fascinatingly outrageous that I asked all participants to come up with a list of their top three favorite comedies. They broke down as follows (note: all those taking part let it be known that whittling their list down to a mere three was next to impossible) -

Carl: Annie Hall (his favorite movie of all time), Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Animal House.

Ashleigh: Clueless, Ace Ventura Pet Detective, The Princess Bride.

Lawren: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Big Lebowski, The Hangover.

Ivon (who came in late to the conversation): Old School, Water Boy, Dumb and Dumber.

Joe: Planes Trains and Automobiles, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Meet the Parents.

And, for what it’s worth, here is my top three list of movies that everyone else thinks are downright hilarious which really (come on!) aren’t: Austin Powers – any movie in the series, Little Miss Sunshine (for the record, Carl wants you all to know that he finds this choice reprehensible), and Superbad.

Agree? Disagree? How do your picks line up with ours?

Check out the dogs -

Now go watch our show!

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October 6, 2010

Photos: Linda McGibney, Remi Aubuchon, Dinner


With about a month to go before production on Stargate: Universe’s second season draws to a close, I thought it would be nice to take out SGNewbies Remi Aubuchon and Linda McGibney out for a farewell dinner. I offered them a variety of choices and they ultimately elected to go with – no surprise – Cobre for some nuevo latino cuisine.

Cobre’s tapas menu allowed us to sample a wide variety of offerings. After I’d ordered I realized, in hindsight, that it would have probably been easier if I’d just told the waiter what we WEREN’T having. In all, we ended up enjoying ten different dishes, thirteen if you count dessert, in addition to a couple of double-orders. Suffice it to say, we were able to cover most of the menu. Among the highlights...

We asked about dessert. Our server listed three. And, as usual, I said: “Yeah, let’s do that.” So we did – a terrific chocolate terrine, churros in a dulce leche cream, and my favorite -

Boy, I haven’t eaten this much since the last time I went out for dinner!

A great night all around. Thanks to both Remi and Linda for showing up, regaling me with stories of their time in Mexico shooting Persons Unknown, and carrying me back to my car because I was too full to walk.

Partway through dinner, I received a call from a panicked Ivon. ”Dude! I just found a huge **** in my basement!”. I was stunned silent, waiting for him to elaborate. His basement is actually the basement of a friend’s place he’s been taking care of for the past month. As far I know, he’s been living there alone – which explained his obvious distress. As for the possible, a number of crazy theories raced through my mind. Did a wild animal get into the house? Was his girlfriend mad at him? How big were those “huge spiders” he’s been complaining about anyway? I asked him whether anyone else had been in the house and he suddenly remembered the cleaning lady had come by that morning. Hopefully, she’d brought her new dog along on her last visit. Moments later, Ivon phoned back to inform me that the cleaning lady was, indeed, the proud owner of a new dog that had accompanied her on that morning’s job. He sounded relieved.

“Not so fast,”I told him. ”You’re assuming it was the dog – but maybe there’s someone else living in the house.”

His voice was devoid of amusement: “Dude, don’t even say that.”

Anyway, I’m happy he got to the bottom of the mystery, a veritable Miss Marple whodunit. Seriously, though. If this was a movie, I’d check the closets before turning in for the night.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in with a list of their favorite comedies. Some pretty hilarious candidates in your personal including the hysterical likes of The Matrix and The Hunt for Red October. By the way, thanks for reminding me about A Christmas Story which bumps Meet the Parents from my original list.

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October 7, 2010

Photos: Make-Up Department, Snow Monkeys


Wow. The Make-Up Department has really been meting out the punishment this season. Check out these ouchies...

I know, I know. I’ve been remiss. The truth is, I’ve just been too busy to hit the mailbag. But that will change in the coming days. So if you’ve got questions, post ‘em!

On a thoroughly unrelated but far more important note:

Help my Snow Monkeys defeat the undefeated Militia in this weekend’s Stargate NFL Fantasy Football match-up! The Snow Monkeys are 1-3 and up against the undefeated Militia, but they have the talent and the managerial skills (this is where you guys come in) to pull the upset. So strap on your thinking helmets and weigh in with your expert opinions on my line-up.

QB: Houston’s Matt Schaub is my guy as he’s continuing the torrid pace he set last season. Even though they up against a stingy New York Giant pass defense, they’re playing in Houston. Also, despite their ability to shut down the vaunted Chicago Bear passing attack last week, I don’t think the Giants D can do it two weeks in a row. My back-up is the Jaguars’ David Garrard who put up some great numbers last week, but a) doesn’t have the weapons Schaub has and b) is playing the Bills in Buffalo, a team that, while pretty damn bad, does boast a respectable pass defense.

WR: My two active wide-receivers this week are Minnesota’s Percy Harvin and the Saints’ Lance Moore. I’m going with Harvin because I expect the Vikes’ match-up with the Jets in New York will be a high-scoring affair. Harvin has been kind of quiet so far this season, but he’s healthy again and with Randy Moss on the field to garner the attention of the Jets D, I figure Harvin will have a lot more room to work with. As for Moore – well, the Saints offense is due for an explosion and no better opportunity than against a porous Cardinals defense. Riding the bench this weekend are Dallas rookie Dez Bryant who has done little to inspire confidence thus far, Green Bay’s ever-dependable Donald Driver who, admittedly, could be in for a good game against a Washington team coming down from last weekend’s high of beating the Eagles, and Miami’s Brandon Marshall who has a bye week.

RB: My two starters this weekend at the running-back position will be San Francisco’s Frank Gore (who, despite playing on an 0-4 team, manages to be a real workhorse and, hey, the 49ers could be due for a win, especially playing the Vick-less Eagles) and Oakland’s Michael Bush (who gets the start over an ailing Darren McFadden). On the bench are Atlanta’s Jason Snelling (who is a back-up to the productive Michael Turner), the Jets’ Shonn Greene (back-up to the productive Ladainian Tomlinson), and freshly-traded Marshawn Lynch.

TE: Brandon Pettigrew here. No back-up. When the Lions have a bye week, I’ll just pick someone up from waivers.

RB/WR: The Texans’ Arian Foster plays double-duty. I’d have to be insane to bench him. Gary Kubiak, take note.

K: My kicker is the Titan’s Rob Bironas. Like the TE position, no back-up here.

Defense: The Baltimore Ravens are my D. Even though they haven’t put up the fantasy points of other D’s, I’m sticking with them.

So, what do you think? Have I made the right calls? Who should play? Who should ride the bench? Who should I trade for a cheerleading squad and a case of Guinness?

Today’s entry is dedicated to birthday individual drldeboer.