Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Mandysg1]

This is why I was looking for the cap earlier. I was going for a "Sam steps up and does what needs to be done, despite how horrible it might be" feel.



Did I get the feeling across?

Wow Deejay did you ever! Very well done

[ChopinGal]

mini, here's my impression on first meeting Amanda last year at GABIT ... I think it speaks to what we've just been discussing ...

Essence

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11...TandShadow.jpg

She talks, we listen
Hanging on each funny word
She makes people laugh

Beauty, grace and wit
No wonder some are jealous
What you see is real

In this jaded world
Honesty is refreshing
Kindness carries weight

Caring actions speak
What she does shows who she is
A class act for sure

Shy in many ways
Yet inviting people in
Open to the world

Fame does not usurp
The girl-next-door persona
Easy to relate

She seems so amazed
Thankful for her good fortune
Her smile is sincere

What a gift it is
To be yourself at all times
Nothing tricky here

Wherever she goes
Whatever path she chooses
Her fans will follow

This was posted last November or so after we got back from GABIT. It seems a good time to pay it forward now.

Welcome new members - glad to have you here!

[Deejay435]

Wow Deejay did you ever! Very well done

Thanks! I'm re-doing it because I don't like the dark pixel jiggy-wiggies around Sam-from-Seth's head. But I do like the pictures and the quote.

[ChopinGal]

What, when you can't even spell my name right?

1speed, No Spaces

Methinks the Royal Accountant has no need of more ale being delivered to the Land That Time Forgot! She's already slurring her words, er misspelling her words.

[ChopinGal]

Thanks. I'm much better with words than all the great pictures everyone else makes. I don't have the programs, and probably not the talent!

"Ah yes, there's that ..." Jack O'Neill

But that's what makes Samanda such a diverse kingdom - everyone sharing their unique talents!

[minigeek]

Wow, CG, any opportunity to read your beautiful poetry is a gift.

There really are certain people who have the uncanny ability to touch other people with their presence or their art; their words, their message, their hope, their dreams. Amanda Tapping is definitely one of those people, and I'm looking so very forward to the distinct pleasure of meeting her, this November.

But so are YOU, CG. You're so talented, so kind and so eloquent. I'd love to have the chance to meet you too, someday. There are quite a few folks here to whom that applies, quite frankly. This community seems to be a magnet for souls I'd feel privileged to meet, "IRL".

{{{ hugs }}}
geek

mini, here's my impression on first meeting Amanda last year at GABIT ... I think it speaks for a lot of her fans ...

Essence

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11...TandShadow.jpg

She talks, we listen
Hanging on each funny word
She makes people laugh

Beauty, grace and wit
No wonder some are jealous
What you see is real

In this jaded world
Honesty is refreshing
Kindness carries weight

Caring actions speak
What she does shows who she is
A class act for sure

Shy in many ways
Yet inviting people in
Open to the world

Fame does not usurp
The girl-next-door persona
Easy to relate

She seems so amazed
Thankful for her good fortune
Her smile is sincere

What a gift it is
To be yourself at all times
Nothing tricky here

Wherever she goes
Whatever path she chooses
Her fans will follow

This was posted last November or so after we got back from GABIT. It seemed a good time to pay it forward now. Welcome new members - glad to have you here!

[ChopinGal]

You have posed a great question Sal, to which there have been some really great responses. I seem to be out of green for some peeps though!!

Astro as always summed the appeal of Carter up perfectly for me anyway. My attraction to the character was more of a slow thing. I was pleasantly surprised in the first season with this strong female soldier/scientist but worried that the focus on ship may take some of this away from her. The writers however just went from strength to strength with her and it must be noted that a great deal of credit for this must go to RDA. He always allowed the other cast members to shine and be the focus. We all make comment on what a nice lady Amanda is - well I think Rick certainly as far as his professionalism goes must be applauded.

Sam went from strength to strength aided and driven I'm sure to a large extent by Amanda's own enthusiam and acting ability, as well as focused scripting.

I too loved the snarky glare she gave Kawalski in COTG when she was laying the claymore line and lots of other very small snippets Amanda delivered to perfection.

I've always been a bit of a sci fi buff so the constant male attention Sam copped for in the script was the only annoying thing for me.

I think the Sam smile played a large part too - such a wonderful warm happy smile.

Astro picked most of the stuff I would have. By the end of season 3 I just wanted to be Sam Carter - "Welcome to my life!" - Yes please!!!!

Great post, Coley. And it's neat that you mentioned AT's relationship with RDA. I think that's why they are still close even though he's left the show. And now, with his return, let's hope for some fine moments for the two of them.

What seemed to grab all of us was that early team camaraderie propelled by the actors' chemistry. AT often talks about the auditions - she and MS and CJ just gravitated to one another and, as Fate would have it, all three of them got the parts! So the chemistry and potential were there even before they knew they'd be working together. And then add a leading man who doesn't seem to think of himself as a "big star". It really clicked.

Even though we admire Sam Carter so much, she got by with a little help from her friends!

You are Sam Carter, Jr.! Mountain climber supreme, biker, hiker ... willing to make a gutsy move and take a job in the Land That Time Forgot! You go, girl!

[ParadoxRealities]

Great post, Coley. And it's neat that you mentioned AT's relationship with RDA. I think that's why they are still close even though he's left the show. And now, with his return, let's hope for some fine moments for the two of them.

What seemed to grab all of us was that early team camaraderie propelled by the actors' chemistry. AT often talks about the auditions - she and MS and CJ just gravitated to one another and, as Fate would have it, all three of them got the parts! So the chemistry and potential were there even before they knew they'd be working together. And then add a leading man who doesn't seem to think of himself as a "big star". It really clicked.

Even though we admire Sam Carter so much, she got by with a little help from her friends!

i've always loved that "Fate" story. all three of them love to tell it so much. about RDA and AT, didn't i hear somewhere that RDA still plays hockey with AT's husband (Allen?) and MS and CJ? ...or i did just make that up?

[Chelle DB]

Liz, I don't think you could have been any more eloquent than that. You know what? Those are the exact same reasons I was so drawn to the character, too. And Amanda tangentially. I've never really been a big "oo-er" or "Ahh-er" over actors before, but there's something about Amanda, something that just makes her seem so salt of the earth; so genuine, it makes me wish for an opportunity to meet her. She has a tremendous gift of spirit, and it somehow manages to touch folks all over the world.

The best part, is the part you outlined so well Liz - she doesn't take herself too seriously. I admire that so much, and I try very hard in my own life to look at things that way. If I can laugh at myself, no matter what happenes in my day, then I can get up and face a new one in the morning.

Amanda's a great role model for that kind of "down-to-earth"-ness. She's not the only one, of course, but she's one of the keepers, and the industry is lucky to have her as such.

(So are we - by proxy !!)

mg

Touche! I wish I could have said it like that. You really hit the nail on the head there minigeek. To me, Amanda is an inspirational and admirable person. I too wish for an opportunity to meet her. That highlighted paragraph pretty much sums it up for me!!

[Mandysg1]

i've always loved that "Fate" story. all three of them love to tell it so much. about RDA and AT, didn't i hear somewhere that RDA still plays hockey with AT's husband (Allen?) and MS and CJ? ...or i did just make that up?

Nope, you're right (for a change ) I think it was in one of the behind the scene things, or beyond the gate.

[Chelle DB]

I've said a lot of this before, so I aplogize up front for repeating myself. As a 50+ woman, I've watched a lot of tv shows over the years, and am usually most drawn to shows which showcase female characters who I can identify with in some way. Since I'm not a mom or a model or a single girl looking for sex in the city , I haven't seen a lot of dramas that I really, really liked. There have been soooo many shows over the years with guys who are action heroes or detectives or sports stars, etc., but almost none where the women got to do the same "cool" things as the guys, or actually save the guy instead of having to be saved.

Along comes SG-1. I'm like many of you in that I didn't really like the movie all that much, and didn't get to watch SG-1 until it came along in syndication on a local station. I was hooked from the first show I saw, because of Sam. You've all listed the wonderful attributes she has, so I won't go into those, but I will mention some of the other things that made me identify with her more than any other sci fi female over the years. She exists in the same time we do, dresses in roughly the same way we do, and acts the way women I know do.

I also want to say something about RDA, and his role in helping to create the wonderful character Samantha Carter. I'm not a huge RDA fan, but I do give him tons of credit for being incredibly generous in sharing the screentime and the heroic duties in the show. As the star and exec. producer, he could have very easily insisted that Jack be the MAN, be the hero every time, that his face be the closing shot every episode, and make the other 3 characters be minor satellites revolving around his noble self. But instead, Jack became a somewhat reluctant hero, and the other 3 were allowed to have their own story arcs and even get to save the day as often as Jack himself. It was so refreshing to see, especially when it meant that a woman, gasp!, got to do heroic things as well as the men.

For 8 seasons, the balance was there: four team members, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, each contributing something every episode, complementing each other, not always agreeing, but supporting each other. I think it's the first time I've seen a tv show where a woman character was allowed to be an equal member of an action team like that.

NC

Well said NC. See...I knew there was an underlying reason as to why SG1 is so good. I don't think I've ever seen another show on television where the team dynamics are so well defined and balanced. It may be a scifi show but it is delivered realistically enough for one to ask - "Is that possible?".

[Deejay435]

Wow, CG, any opportunity to read your beautiful poetry is a gift.

There really are certain people who have the uncanny ability to touch other people with their presence or their art; their words, their message, their hope, their dreams. Amanda Tapping is definitely one of those people, and I'm looking so very forward to the distinct pleasure of meeting her, this November.

But so are YOU, CG. You're so talented, so kind and so eloquent. I'd love to have the chance to meet you too, someday. There are quite a few folks here to whom that applies, quite frankly. This community seems to be a magnet for souls I'd feel privileged to meet, "IRL".

{{{ hugs }}}
geek

I agree Mini.

I'm so very grateful to have found this thread for so many reasons. You all know some of the health things I've been going through this year, but you can't know what having such a kind, warm, open place to come 'visit' has meant to me. Especially during those months I was stuck at home, in winter, without a car or a job!

THANK YOU to everyone on Samanda for being such a bright place in my life.

And thank you to Amanda Tapping, for inspiring all these wonderful people to come together like this.

And-I'm done now, before I get too maudlin. (Too late, I know!)

[ChopinGal]

Attention Samandans, are you willing to share?
What has been a defining Sam-Carter moment in your own life?
When did you feel empowered and at the top of your game?

I guess I should put up or shut up, huh? Okay, I am not a jock. Playing sports, physical activity was never my thing. But about four years ago I decided to take a trip to the Canadian Rockies and spend a week with a group of strangers (who were much better at this than I) ... climbing mountains! I had never climbed a mountain (even a hill) in my life!

The first day out nearly killed me (I actually fell on way down and slammed my face, broke my glasses). Luckily, there were two doctors in my group. I was determined to get back on the trail the morning after ... this was what I had come for. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done, pushing myself to use muscles I didn't even know existed and to keep up with the "pros" and not get left behind. We hiked for a week, each day taking on a bit more. My fellow hikers were terrific - SG1 kinds of guys. I did go on every hike, and climbed every mountain, and ended up, literally, on top of the world, twirling like Maria in the "Sound of Music"!

That was, indeed, my Sam Carter moment! What's yours?!

[jckfan55]

Here is a question for you, is it weird for an guy about 20 to not like a show if it does not have strong female characters, and if it does to like it more than the rest - does this make me - not sure of the term, not feminist but equalist i think? is this way of think the norm for a male or not, and do other guys on this thread think the same way as me?

From a woman's perspective, it sounds like you are simply a well adjusted, secure guy.

[the dancer of spaz]

From a woman's perspective, it sounds like you are simply a well adjusted, secure guy.

Agreed.