Sanctuary -Reviews & Articles #Announcements ONLY# Spoilers S1-4

[prion]

TV GUIDE

The October 6th TV Guide (US) has a two-page spread on Sanctuary (pages 34-35, the second page is a cast photo). CSI is on the front cover, LIFE ON MARS is on the back cover.

excerpt:

"Helen loses sleep so the people of the world won't have to," Tapping says,
noting that her character - who was born in Victorian England - is "an eccentric, frightenly powerful woman who is unapologetic about her sexiness and smarts."

Issue on newsstands now.

[morjana]

From the October issue of SciFi Magazine.

Spoiler:

[Rocky89]

Sanctuary - Cinema Blend: Video: Amanda Tapping Talks About Sanctuary:

At Cinema Blend:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

Amanda Tapping Talks About Sanctuary

By Kelly West: 2008-09-28

I’m writing this from Colorado where the Scifi channel is hosting a digital press event. This weekend we were fortunate enough to spend some time with Amanda Tapping, star of Stargate Atlantis as well as the new Scifi series, Sanctuary. Tapping, who is just as gorgeous in person as she is on the small screen, is equally friendly. She’s also very enthusiastic about Sanctuary and was kind enough to talk with us about the show. We’ve got the video of the interview for your viewing pleasure.

Tapping talks about Sanctuary as well as her thoughts on fan-fiction, being a working mom, and leaving SGA to do Sanctuary.

There are two videos at the site. I also have them embedded on my google blog, courtesy of Cinema Blend.

Wow, that was awesome. Of course Amanda was her cheerful, gitty self in the vid, I thought it was great of how up-close and personal she got, so human .

Spoiler:

I can't believe she said again that she hates watching herself on screen, she probabaly can't handle her own intense beauty and talant . I also can't believe she talk about that night when she was on the phone with JM, and how her cell died on her. But poor Amanda, she said how after she got off the phone with him and turned the contract she drove up to the side of some road and started balling . I was like "Oh no Amanda, don't tell that story" at least she's honest, and I am glad she liked the contract, just goes to show how much she's wanted .

But as I was listening to her talk, she made me realize yet again, she's right, she is 200% right. After seeing this vid, I know even more now Amanda was right to leave Atlantis. I can't believe the poor lady works 14-18 hours a day , if she keeps going like this, when the dark hair starts going away, it's not blonde hair that'll come back . And I thought last year was a busy year for her, yikes. She was also right in the vid when she said doing both Atlantis and Sanctuary would have been impossible, it would have, I mean look at this past year. And again, wow, 14-18 hours a day? I'll admit when she decided to stick with Sanctuary, I kinda had mixed feelings about BUT! not anymore . I didn't think much about it until-- well, after Atlantis got Cancelled, because right there and then I/we all knew for sure, without any doubt at all she had made the right move in leaving SGA and going over to Sanctuary. She even admitted in the vid that when she left Atlantis she didn't know for sure Sanctuary would get picked, all she knew was that it would have a much better chance in coming to TV if she was in it, so she knew that if it didn't she'd have left Atlantis for nothing, and she'd be out of a job . Luckily however, life and fate was good to her, and Sanctuary was picked up, and I loved how she said she and everyone else was sighing for a week. And I'm glad she said she'll make herself available for the next SG-1 movie, and even more glad that she still considers SG her home .

Also, as she was talking she said one thing that made me agree the most with, something that was making me nod head, she said doing both Atlantis and Sanctuary would just be impossible, and I thought "she's right... again". Thinking back to alllllllllllllllllll the long, hard time and work she's done, filming being the big one, being an executive producer, doing promo trips all over, and what not, I agree with her. What seemed like a no win situation then, actually seems like on now, if she had stuck with Atlantis, not only would she have missed out on the spot light for Sanctuary, but she'd be out of a job with the rest of the SGA cast, and like she said, she would have killed a potentially great franchise, and put those people out of work too. And since Atlantis and BSG is going, Sanctuary has a better chance now more then ever. So you see, her side wins .

Oh, I didn't know she had an severely autistic nephew. It was really kind and brave of her to share something so personal and open with everyone. I just hope now she can take a-- as you said, a VERY WELL DESERVED R&R break. And I'm glad to hear that Amanda's finally at ease with things, and I loved at the end where Amanda told us that story here she said Olivia understands the show a little bit, knows it's called Sanctuary. Amanda must have gotten such a big boost of confidence when she heard Olivia say Sanctuary's the plan. Olivia's stamp of approval says Amanda .

"Amanda Tapping Finds 'Sanctuary'"

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6599997.html

That woman also knows what to say in an interview .

There's a new interview over at SciFi Weekly

"Executive producers Amanda Tapping and Damian Kindler blaze a new trail with their virtual masterpiece, Sanctuary

By Kathie Huddleston

Actress Amanda Tapping has gotten herself into a pickle that no Stargate teammate can get her out of."

very good, very good, VERY GOOD . "Virtual masterpiece", I like the sound of that .

Sanctuary - Mania: TV Wasteland week Sept 29 '08:

At Mania:

(Please follow the link for the complete column.)

TV Wasteland: More Shows Coming Back This Week

By: Stephen Lackey

Date: Monday, September 29, 2008

This week finds a handful of shows returning plus one new one to check out...

Friday features a highly anticipated debut on SCIFI Channel of a new Amanda Tapping series called Sanctuary. The show has been covered here before because it was one of the best shows on the interwebs when it debuted there. It’ll be interesting to see how it translates to broadcast television. The SCIFI Channel seems to be the only network that can make science fiction/horror series work on Friday nights – other than Ghost Whisperer – and it’s filling a slot left vacant by Stargate Atlantis so it has potential to succeed...

Friday

SANCTUARY (SCIFI, 9PM EST) SANCTUARY FOR ALL

No description was available for this episode at the time of this writing. This new series is a science fiction series starring Amanda Tapping from Stargate SG-1.

"Highly anticipated" is right . And I really/hopefully think it will succeed, it's already great, but with SGA and BSG going it has a better chance. Fate, eh?

Sep 29th

http://scifi.about.com/b/2008/09/29/...miere-week.htm

Two series make their long-awaited debuts this week: Sanctuary, starring
Amanda Tapping, and the CW's Greek-gods-in-Los-Angeles series, Valentine, the
season's winner of the coveted "How'd That Get Made?" award. More on what to
expect from Sanctuary throughout the week.

And there are a slew of new episodes: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
, Heroes, Fringe, Knight Rider, Smallville, Supernatural, Primeval (two new
episodes), and True Blood. (No Atlantis this week: The Sanctuary premiere is two
hours. Eureka is on hiatus and will return in the midseason.) My TiVo is
totally going to ask for a vacation after all this.

REST AT LINK ABOVE

--------------------------

http://www.cinemablend.com/technolog...ers-12490.html

The Technology of the Ghosthunters

Our own investigation started in a room on the fourth floor, long rumored to
be the most "active" part of the famed Stanley Hotel. Kris, again as
charming
and beautiful as she is on television, took us through the basics of using a
voice recorder and K2 to detect ghostly happenings. By her own admission she's
not as versed in the use of a K2 as Jason and Grant. At no point in the room
were any oddities noticed by the group. Although Gabriel (Satan's Baby from
Scare Tactics) did give quite a fright to a few in our group. The closest we got
to paranormal was an attempted seance by one press member which resulted in
my wife holding hands with Amanda Tapping and Travis from Scare Tactics.

REST AT LINK ABOVE

Sweet *wink*.

MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26948558/

excerpt:

‘Sanctuary’ makes full use of green screen
‘About 70 percent of our sets are virtual,’ says visual effects supervisor

“There’s no way we can build a massive underground six-story laboratory filled with monsters,” Wood explains. “Just the line ‘filled with monsters’ would turn most studio executives into little blobs of Jell-O. Any time you create that kind of stuff, you can’t do it practically.”

The solution lay in the use of virtual sets. The actors are filmed in front of a large green screen, with minimal set dressing, if any. The green is then replaced in post-production with fantastic — and stunningly realistic — sets by the show’s visual effects department.

REST AT LINK ABOVE

Oh boy, only 3 more days. SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUE.

[Rocky89]

Fancast: Inside TV

Amanda Tapping: Sci-Fi is not what it used to be

Julia Diddy
Fancast.com

http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/09/ju...m_legions.html

Excerpt :

Your biography states that you co-founded a comedy troupe. Is that right?

Amanda Tapping: Yeah, I did. Yeah.

How often do you have an opportunity to just enjoy full-on comedy? Would you like to do more of that in the future?

Amanda Tapping: I’d love to. I mean, I actually got to do a short film last year called Breakdown and I won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Actress in a Film for it which was kind of fun. But it was like - for me it was, “Oh my god, I’m still funny! Woo!” Because, you know, you spend your time in sci-fi land for so long, and you sort of forget that these other skill sets exist, or have they gotten dusty? It was really fun just to be able to play in that realm.

Comedy is sort of my default mechanism and thankfully I work with these incredibly funny people. And Robin Dunne is - who plays Will Zimmerman on our show - is perhaps one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. And he’s just this quiet little - you know, you’d never know by watching him. He’s so – just an earnest, intense character but behind that is this zany, crazy, funny man. So I hope we get a chance to showcase that. It would be good to do a Sanctuary comedy episode. But...

I was going to say, so - would that be in the future perhaps?

Amanda Tapping: Yeah, Season 3 or 4, you know.

Whoa that's a big interview . To quote a part of the article

Spoiler:

Legions of Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis fans were crushed to learn that Amanda Tapping was disembarking from the popular franchise, leaving in her wake little more than vague indications of possible guest appearances by her beloved character, Sam Carter, in future Stargate movies down the line

Crashed? Yeah that was me, the day I heard the news I actually threw up .

Happily, Amanda’s back on the sci fi scene with a vengeance in Sanctuary playing Dr. Helen Magnus - a smoking hot 157 year old femme fatale who runs a secret sanctuary for abnormal creatures and extraordinary humans of every ilk. With everything from mermaids to vampires, Bigfoot to Jack the Ripper flocking to the protective confines of Dr. Magnus’ occult oasis, the block watch participants of this neighborhood will certainly be kept on their toes.

Super, out of this world happy to have her back, and "smoking hot 157 year old femme fatale", why does the American flag come to mind .

That was a great interview, I think I read or heard before that Amanda like Little House on the Prairie, but I had no idea she liked TNG and Babylon 5 . I loved everything she said about Sci-fi, like how it's growing, becoming more popular and how more women and even young girls are starting to get into, granted she had a big part in that . I can't wait to see Helen go insane, I've always wanted to see Sam loose it, and how Amanda would act it out, and now I'll get my chance . Amanda keeps saying it was the hardest thing of her career, so it should be good to watch. I genuinely loved this interview, and I'm glad Amanda's first priority is Olivia, and that Amanda wants her to have more freedom. Like any good mom

Movie Entertainment has an interview and a couple of podcasts for Sanctuary.

Interview with Amanda Tapping -
Finding Sanctuary

September 2008
Judith Klassen

Podcast with Amanda Tapping

Podcast with Martin Wood

Wicked interviews . One problem though , I can't believe Amanda said she didn't deserve to win that award for Breakdown . I saw that film, and it was hilarious. I agree with Amanda, I'd love to see her do more comdey like that, I must have watched it like 15 times that day .

Sanctuary - SciFi Chick: Find Sanctuary This Friday:

At SciFi Chick:

(Embedded at the site is a YouTube video -- a SciFi Channel promo commercial for the series.)

Find Sanctuary This Friday

The web series Sanctuary gets new life on the SciFi Channel this Friday night. I never had time to catch it online. But I’m hoping this does better and lasts longer than other “SciFi Original Series.”

Too cool .

Sanctuary - Mania: Amanda Tapping Interview:

At Mania (formerly Cinescape):

(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...lpresstour.jpg

Feature Interview: Sanctuary's Amanda Tapping

By: Stephen Lackey

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Amanda Tapping is Carter from Stargate and so much more. She’s a leader in real life as she proves with the many hats she wears on her new series Sanctuary but unlike Carter, she’s charming, animated and quite funny. Her enthusiasm at the Stanley Hotel digital press event for her new show is catching. She comments that she’s extremely proud of the series and “at the end of the day, the cool factor can’t be denied” she commented.

In the series she stars, executive produces, and directs putting her abilities in front of and behind the camera out there for fans to judge. In Sanctuary Tapping plays Dr. Helen Magnus, the leader of a team that investigate the monsters that live in the shadows of an alternate version of our world. While everyone else ridicules or fears these abnormalities Magnus and her team believe that these beings are the evolution of humanity. The series offers a dark modern take on the classic science fiction trope of “what is the true definition of humanity?” Tapping took a deep breath and sat down with us to talk about her new series, her new jobs, and the future of her first series Stargate:


...The Mythology:

“It seems to sort of be the package that has everything. It’s dark and edgy and like nothing that’s ever been done on television before.”

“ A lot of the mythology is based on our modern mythology, things that go bump in the night, the things that scare us; the vampires and the werewolves and the creatures in the woods. What we’ve also done is taken things that appear at first to be quite normal but society views as abnormal. For example we have an episode coming up called Edward and it’s about a young boy who’s an autistic savant for lack of a better word. He’s a human camera essentially. He pixelates images and draws them out in a way that is completely impossible. He’s like a computer.He would be viewed by society as highly unusual or abnormal and yet we take this character and we pull the heart out of him (not literally) and go okay what are you really all about and are you really that different. What I love about Sanctuary is at the end of the day we firmly believe that whatever we’re studying is in fact the evolution of our species...”

Sanctuary premieres Friday night at 9 pm on the SCIFI Channel.

Awesome interview, but the best part for me was the opening paragraph (the bolded part). Of course I would have said way better and long stuff about her , but what he said about her was all true, things like that is what should be said in every article .

TV GUIDE

The October 6th TV Guide (US) has a two-page spread on Sanctuary (pages 34-35, the second page is a cast photo). CSI is on the front cover, LIFE ON MARS is on the back cover.

excerpt:

"Helen loses sleep so the people of the world won't have to," Tapping says,
noting that her character - who was born in Victorian England - is "an eccentric, frightenly powerful woman who is unapologetic about her sexiness and smarts."

Issue on newsstands now.

Oh I'm so getting that . Thanks y'all for all the awesome reviews and what not .

[bikerchic1977]

i will be there.. originally i was gonna play tourist for the rest of the afternoon and roam around (it's been too long since i've hung in the city) but now i get to rush down to VA immediately afterwards to keep an eye on my nieces for the weekend.. oh well..

anyone else?

[prion]

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/...e=Series_notes

Oct 1 2008

"Sanctuary" depends almost entirely on digital technology for its elaborate sets and fantastic creatures, so most of the "acting" is done in front of a green screen. The results are often deadly and reminiscent of those painful "Star Wars" scenes in which characters (and audiences) tried really hard to be interested in what Jar Jar Binks was saying.

*************************************

http://scifi.about.com/b/2008/10/01/...-sanctuary.htm

Oct 1 2008

What to expect from Sanctuary

Leading up to the Sanctuary premiere on Friday, here's some information to help everyone get ready. The paranormal show, which will air 13 episodes on Sci Fi, stars Stargate veteran Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, the 157-year-old keeper of a sanctuary for nature's secret mistakes and triumphs – unusual creatures most people refuse to believe exist.

{i}MORE at link above, including interview and preview[/I]

[RealmOfX]

Sci-fi and psychic shows debut Friday
By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post Television Critic

Excerpt :

Two very different series debut tonight, problematic in distinct ways and appealing to slightly different audiences. You may find them more or less relevant depending how your dating life is going.

"Sanctuary" is a Sci Fi Channel freakfest about unnatural critters secretly kept in the basement of a spooky mansion, and the beautiful scientist (science fiction idol Amanda Tapping) who ministers to them. Naturally, since they live in secret among unknowning humans, there are all sorts of metaphors on the loose about respecting differences, honoring life and what are our monsters and demons, really?



Full article can be found here.

[morjana]

Sanctuary - SciFi Wire: Tapping Hasn't Left Stargate Behind:

At SciFi Wire:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

12:00 AM, 02-OCTOBER-08

Tapping Hasn't Left Stargate Behind

Amanda Tapping may be executive-producing and starring in SCI FI Channel's upcoming original series Sanctuary, but that doesn't means she's completely left behind her previous role--Col. Samantha Carter on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis...

[morjana]

Stargate / Sanctuary - SciFi Wire: Tapping Hasn't Left Stargate Behind:

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....&postcount=186

[morjana]

Sanctuary - Zap2It: TV Review: 'Sanctuary':

At Zap2It:

(Please follow the link for the complete review.)

TV Review: 'Sanctuary'

By Hanh Nguyen

October 01, 09:52 PM

Like the beings offered a safe haven in Sanctuary, Sci Fi Channel's latest original series has yet to establish what it is before it can truly be comfortable in its skin and accepted on its own terms. In trying to be too many things at once, the show relies on cliches and loses the ability to actually entertain...

**snippage**

Overall, Sanctuary should fill the viewer with a sense of wonder, but it's all too familiar, from the ragtag group of people with an unusual mission to the cliched mansion/lab/zoo where all are housed. The secrets the characters harbor fail to intrigue, the fight scenes are cheesy instead of stimulating and the odd creatures neither frighten nor fascinate. Worst of all, the show lacks the oomph and sense of fun of shows like Doctor Who or even its spin-off Torchwood.

Sanctuary is by no means a bad show, but it does feel like it's trying so hard that it never settles on a single voice or vision. But as Helen says, "Sanctuary for all is not just an empty motto," and the show certainly deserves a chance to prove its potential.

Sanctuary comes home on Sci Fi beginning Friday, Oct. 3. Also, check out Zap2it's Sanctuary photos.

What's your take on the show? Was I too harsh? Could it replace any of your favorite sci fi shows?

[morjana]

Sanctuary - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Sci Fi's 'Sanctuary' is no 'Farscape':

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA):

(Please follow the link for the complete review.)

TV Review: Sci Fi's 'Sanctuary' is no 'Farscape'

Thursday, October 02, 2008

By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Farscape" and "Battlestar Galactica" must have been flukes. How else to explain the two quality shows among the dreck that usually comes out of Sci Fi Channel?

The network's latest, "Sanctuary" (9 p.m. Friday), is another disappointing entry. It's a lot like BBC America's "Torchwood," just without the wit and a charismatic lead actor.

The show isn't helped by a two-hour premiere that states and re-states its premise too many times...

**snippage**

[morjana]

Sanctuary - Salt Lake City Weekly: True TV | Sanctuary...:

From the Salt Lake City Weekly (Salt Lake City, UT):

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

True TV | Get Cupid: Ghost Whisperer, The Ex List, Smackdown, Sanctuary, Valentine, East Money, South Park, Sarah Silverman Program

By Bill Frost

Posted 10/02/2008

Sanctuary Friday, Oct. 3 (Sci-Fi)

Series Debut: The Sci-Fi Channel’s latest original is notable either for being the first TV series to make extensive use of computer-generated “virtual” sets, or marking Amanda Tapping’s 35th year on the network (which has only been around for 16). The former Stargate SG-1/Atlantis vet stars as Dr. Helen Magnus, a “beautiful, enigmatic” monster hunter who keeps the unsuspecting world safe from mutated critters who strike on a convenient weekly basis. Sure, it’s been done before (The X-Files, Men in Black, Torchwood, The Middleman—stop me anytime), but this one has lotsa CGI and Amanda Tapping in a black wig! Unfortunately, it’s as painfully dull as Amanda Tapping in a black wig, and they didn’t even use The Cult’s song as a theme.

(The review author rated Sanctuary with a "Boo!" out of "Yay!," "Meh," or "Boo!".)

[morjana]

Sanctuary - Globe and Mail: Finding Sanctuary on TV:

At Globe and Mail (Canada):

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

NEW SERIES

Finding Sanctuary on TV

The Vancouver-based sci-fi series is a hit on the Web, and is now making the big leap to the small screen

MARSHA LEDERMAN

October 2, 2008

VANCOUVER -- It has become second nature for television producers and networks to use the Internet as a marketing tool - a way to promote their schedules, offer after-broadcast downloads, create online fan communities. But a new Canadian science-fiction series is moving the other way: After originating on the Web, Sanctuary is making the leap from desktop to small screen, premiering on television with a two-hour episode tomorrow night.

Technology plays a big role in Sanctuary - not just in its origins, but in the way it's made. In any given episode, as much as 80 per cent of the content has been shot using green-screen technology to create elaborate, virtual sets and completely digital characters.

So a bare set (in a former bicycle factory in Burnaby, just outside of Vancouver) becomes a subway tunnel, a windy bridge or a creepy street scene. And actors frequently find themselves interacting with non-existent co-stars.

To shoot one scene, Amanda Tapping (Dr. Helen Magnus) recited dialogue toward director/executive producer Martin Wood's hand - with lips painted on it. In the finished product, she is talking to a mermaid.

"Technically, acting in front of a green screen is a lot like doing theatre," says Tapping, who is also an executive producer on the show. "You really do have a true fourth wall."

**snippage**

Sanctuary premieres tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET on The Movie Network and 8 p.m. PT on Movie Central (http://www.sanctuaryforall.com). It will also broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel in the U.S. and, in a second Canadian run, on Space.

[morjana]

At Grrl TV:

(Please follow the link for the complete article and to view the videos.)

Sanctuary: Where Unique and Innovative Collide

by Chandra on October 1st, 2008

As I’ve said in the past, I’m really looking forward to Sci Fi Channel’s groundbreaking new series Sanctuary, which stars Stargate SG-1 icon Amanda Tapping as 157-year-old Dr. Helen Magnus, a brilliant scientist who specializes in the super spooky and ultra freaky. My kind of gal.

I received a couple of brief videos to share with readers, and you can find them [at the link above]...

Sanctuary will debut with a special two-hour series premiere, “Sanctuary for All,” this Friday, October 3, at 9pm EST. Of course, I’ll have an advance review before then, but for now, enjoy the clips.

Clips include: Artistic Imagery and Behind the Green Screen.

[morjana]

Sanctuary - DigiGuide (UK): Abnormal behaviour - Episode Synopsis:

At DigiGuide (UK):

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

Abnormal behaviour

Start of the fantasy sci-fi series, first shown last year on the net and in the US earlier this year.

Spoiler:

Forensic psychiatrist Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) investigates a disturbing case in which two officers from his precinct are killed. Although they have a suspect in custody and the case is considered closed, something doesn't add up for Zimmerman who takes it upon himself to investigate further and follow his keen instinct.

While at the crime scene, he sees a young boy leaving the building in a rather unusual way. Will follows him through an alley, but his pursuit is abruptly halted when he is struck by a car, landing him in the hospital with an aching body and more questions than answers.

Later that night, he is caught off guard by Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) who approaches him as he's leaving the hospital. In the dark, pouring rain, she captures his attention by revealing that she too was pursuing the boy and was in the car that struck him. She invites him to come to a place called the Sanctuary where she can tell him more and open his eyes to a world he's never understood. Unconvinced and exhausted, Will declines her offer, but pockets her unusual business card that cryptically reads "Sanctuary for all"...