Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[meredithchandler73]

Sorry if this has been mentioned by someone else. I find it *incredibly* hard to keep up with this thread! I discovered Stargate just a few months ago, and this forum later than that. Maybe sometime I'll have a two week vacation and can go through every single post in this thread. Ha!

ANYWAY, I love Amanda Tapping and I'll watch her new project - no matter what it is. I don't care whether it's scifi, a medical drama, police drama, whatever. That being said, I'd love for her to do more comedy. AND, as far as who she should work with, I'd love to see her and Teryl Rothery working together again!!! (Who wouldn't want to see Myrlene and Turlene make a repeat appearance!)

Along those lines, I wouldn't mind seeing Amanda and Claudia Black working together on something that wasn't scifi related. I think they both handle drama and comedy very well. They could do anything. They've had precious little interaction together on SG-1. (I mentioned somewhere before - can't recall if it was this thread or the Vala thread - more Sam/Vala, please! How about a buddy story for the two of them?)

Hey, put Amanda, Teryl and Claudia all together!

FYI - I get this way sometimes. I think to myself - okay, here's a list of actresses I love. Why can't someone write a story with all of them in it?!?! Use Amanda, Mary McDonnell, Claudia Black, Teryl Rothery, Lucy Lawless, etc. I know, I know. Pigs will be flying south for the winter before that dream comes true. Where do these wacky notions come from?

[majorsal]

like folks said, if she blogged, it'd have to be moderated.

Kate Hewlett doesn't have a whole legion of people willing to bash her, so it's a bit different for her. Amanda, on the other hand, would probably be a target of some very passionate people who tend to take things a bit too personally.

Part of me would love to see it, but another part of me - the protective side - kinda dreads her being opened up to being bashed so freely 'to her face' as it is

the blog would HAVE to be modded. someone fairminded (sky) could keep on eye on it. infact, isn't there a way of screening the blog replies before they're posted? just keep all the hot topics off the blog, and let amanda be herself and her fans talking with her.

there's just no way this blog could go unmodded because amanda herself is a hot topic.




sally

[tagger]

ON EDIT: Oooh ooh...just thought of some other things.

5. The show must have some women writers.
6. Amanda must be able to direct when she pleases to do so.

Yes!

do you guys think that Amanda knows how appreciated and loved she is? i mean REALLY how much?

i'm 100 percent sure that part of the reason the show's been canceled is the lack of sam carter/amanda tapping in it.
sally

I sure hope she realizes she is appreciated! And I agree with the idea that the show is not doing as well without her (and the original team) in the forefront.

Which prompted me to think of the Amanda blog suggestion - I wouldn’t recommend it. For me, one complaint tends to overshadow 500 positives. Even for fan mail, I would hire someone to sift through and round file overly negative mail, not constructive questions, but the mean ones. There are much more efficient and effective ways to grow as a person and actor.

...have we been told that series 3 and Amanda's project aren't the same thing? Is it possible that she could be heavily involved in series 3?
.

I don’t know how I would feel… happy to see Sam, but probably frustrated with how she is being written again. Hey maybe AT is heavily involved behind the camera? Maybe TPTB have changed? When Netu freezes over? Drats!

I think that, while she's very grateful for 10 years of steady work, the friendships that she's made, the awards that she's won and the like, she's also aware that, as long as the franchise is run the way it has been lately, she'll never be more than an actor in it.

directing, writing, producing, the boys keep all this for themselves. Yet those skills are where not only the money is but longevity as well. Actors have a finite 'life span' and AT seems to know this. Especially with this sudden fascination with all things youthful, skinny and pretty.

Writers, producers, directors, on the other hand, have more of the power. No one cares if you put on 10 pounds, or if you're pregnant (and i doubt there's a 'no pregnancy clause' in a writers' contract)

If you want a future in the entertainment industry, you get out from in front of the camera and get behind it.

I think AT knows this, and i think, as much as she loves Stargate and what it's given her, i think she knows that, if she ever wants to be in a position of control and power, that she gets away from Stargate, because they will never allow her into their little circle of power. Coop, Brad and the boys have things the way they like it and they don’t' seem to really want to help folks under them grow and develop.

thus, staying with Stargate, is a bit of a dead end.

You are SO on the money with this! Let's face it, she had to wait SEVEN YEARS to get to direct! Yet, she came to Stargate as a theatre professional and had already been involved in the art of directing. She's a quick study and bright woman. She could have easily made the transition from theatrical directing to film if "the boys" let her in the door. 'Nuff said.

Becoming an EP is another feather in her cap. I think that this could lead to starting her own production company in the future if all goes well, another goal she has mentioned on occasion.

She's already said, hasn't she, that her next project she's going to be EP-I don't think the B@B will ever give another actor that kind of status-they gave it to RDA in the beginning because they needed him. Without him, I believe, the project would have had no backing. But now they don't believe they need anyone (hence their complete refusal to accept any kind of crit on their work). Their hubris knows no bounds.

You're right she got to direct only after she put it in her contracvt for that season (Although I don't like "Ressurection" (No ) I think she got a nomination for that)!!!

Great points everyone, as always!
I have been struck by the inhumanity of the TV business… I am new to the whole TV fandom thing, never even really liked TV except old comedies and animal shows, so had no idea how brutal a business entertainment was until reading posts on various threads. If I had an employee who showed up to work every day for 10 years, had a great attitude, worked hard, didn’t complain, was always prepared, and did an excellent job, I would consider myself the luckiest employer around. If that employee asked me for some additional training and opportunities, I’d love to give it to her, the sky would be the limit. AT is such an “employee” and I find it discouraging she has asked so often to direct, and is not given the chance. I liked the episode she directed – all those shots with that creepy scientist in that creepy room – great- shades of Hannibal Lecter! I’m no expert on directing, but her directing seemed fine to me and from a pure human to human standpoint wouldn’t you try to give someone like AT something back for all her hard work? And doesn’t AT have the pull now to demand it in her contract like RDA? Maybe a moot point now …

Re: Sam in a third spin-off… hmmm - the purist in me would say “HE** NO!” and derive impish satisfaction from rejecting the proffered contract. However, the practical side of me would say, hey, a few appearances a year will financially let me do what I REALLY want to do – produce, direct, movies, documentaries, stage, whatever… (I don’t know what AT wants to do at all, just saying she could use stargate to finance her dreams/ goals for the time being, until she takes over MGM, of course!)

[golfbooy]

So...rumors.

No good rumors about Amanda's new project yet. But we have had some good ideas about what we'd like to see...don't you all agree?

What else do we want in her new show?

What do we want the show to be called? What's the premise? Who's going to co-star with her or be her supporting cast? Is it a futuristic thing or is it a present time thing?

Okay...ball sufficiently started rolling.

Now please...discuss.

/kicks Uber's ball off-sides

My, you've all been nattering on quite a bit today, eh? Well, since I have nothing to say about AT's nebulous and, as far as we know, currently unfunded future project, I'll take a crack at all this future Stargate stuff.

First, as to the query of who would possibly fund another series given the sudden and precipitous decline in both Stargate series' hard numbers over the last year, well, I think that lots of people would. First among them is probably MGM. Despite the feelings of many people here (myself included) regarding the quality (or lack therof) of recent offerings, Stargate is a massive success by almost all industry standards. That is most especially true when considering the standard that most financiers would be looking at--profitability.

Also, despite the opinions of many fans, Brad Wright and Rob Cooper are almost certainly considered to be immensely capable of creating and producing a successful venture, and to be well worth investing in. I don't agree with much of what has been going on for both SG-1 and Atlantis during the past two years, but I do find it hard to forget that those two guys are almost solely responsible for all of the good things I liked about the show for eight years. They're the ones who made SG-1 work on the creative end. I do think they could come up with another successful show under the right circumstances.

The best news regarding this purported new series is that there seems to be no intention of rushing it into production in the same manner that Atlantis was thrown together. In the mad dash to capitalize on SG-1's phenomenal and growing ratings in season seven, Atlantis was green lit, characters were created, actors were cast, sets were constructed, and scripts were hurridly written, all over the course of about six months. That was just insane. As a result, I don't feel that any single area of Atlantis excels in the same manner that it's predecessor did. The show is pretty average, the characters pretty milktoast. For me, the whole endeavor is forgettable, a mere blip on the radar, and I sometimes have a hard time even considering anything that happens on the show to be real Stargate canon (/Golfbooy beats head against wall over representation of ascension in Tao of Rodney). Conversely, I believe that SG-1 was long in the preproduction phase, and it shows. The concept and storylines were planned for the long term, the actors were cast for their chemistry with each other instead of just to fill the stereotypical roles, and there was just less of a production line feel to the show. I may be mistaken, but it's my understanding that from Children of the Gods to The Serpent's Lair, close to two years was spent on that first season of SG-1. If that much care can go into a third series, then it can work.

That being said, I'm nowhere near ready to say that a third series will ever go. So many series get developed and then get binned that it's not even funny. The best thing this one has going for it is that it's from those guys who made a show work for 10 years, simultaneously created at least an economically successful spin off, and have done so in spite of changing networks, characters, and premises. However, I'm just not too sure that there's enough life left in the concept to support another series. And I'm not sure that even 2008 isn't too soon for another go at it.

Personally, I think that SG-1 is the success story. Well, the first eight years anyway. And I think that everything else we've gotten has been built on the back of that run. To a large extent, I think Cooper and Wright both consider SG-1 to be "the show", and that they consider Carter, Teal'c, Daniel, and O'neill to be "the characters". The only other character (and actor) that seems to be treated with the same deference and enthusiasm is Mckay/Hewlett. With that in mind, I don't at all find it hard to believe that Michael Shanks may indeed have been asked if he would be interested in participating in a new series. I wouldn't be surpised if Amanda Tapping, Chris Judge, and Claudia Black were all informally asked if they'd be interested if such a venture ever came to fruition. What I do find it a little harder to believe is that Shanks has been formally approached to star in the as-yet-only-conceptual third show, and that his involvement is necessary for the whole thing to go. That's just wishful thinking and a fair bit of fan-mongering.

It's possible that Amanda Tapping's new project is indeed the new Stargate series. I'm not sure how likely that is, but it's at least an entertaining thought for me. Having Carter and Daniel in the new show would be one of the few concepts that I'd find appealing in a new Stargate series; for me, SG-1 is probably always going to be it. But having Sam and Daniel on board would at least make me take a good, hard look at a new venture. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced that better and bigger acting opportunities await any of the cast. That's not a knock on any of them, because MS, AT, CJ, and CB are all very talented individuals. But I don't think that any of them are just waiting to break out, especially being as far along in their careers as they are. With that in mind, the idea of staying in Vancouver and staying with familiar people might be appealing. It's the route I'd choose, were I in their positions.

If I had my druthers, Stargate would continue in the form of SG-1 movies or miniseries. And that's it, for a good long while. But that's not going to happen. So I'm left hoping for the best, fearing for the worst, and expecting something in the middle.

/ends post of many words that say nothing as ball is thrown in

[Chelle DB]

Hi ho all...hope you've all been well...just putting in my 5 cents on where I would like to see Amanda next...definitely not a CSI type show...there are too many of them flooding the market already...I would love to see her in a comedy or hosting her own talk back style show...I think that'd be fun...or doing AT3 live...with phone and internet links and all that...just a thought!
Anyhoo...I gotta choof...lots to do and so little time to do it...night night all...take care, be safe and be happy!

[tagger]

Despite the feelings of many people here (myself included) regarding the quality (or lack therof) of recent offerings, Stargate is a massive success by almost all industry standards. That is most especially true when considering the standard that most financiers would be looking at--profitability.

Also, despite the opinions of many fans, Brad Wright and Rob Cooper are almost certainly considered to be immensely capable of creating and producing a successful venture, and to be well worth investing in. I don't agree with much of what has been going on for both SG-1 and Atlantis during the past two years, but I do find it hard to forget that those two guys are almost solely responsible for all of the good things I liked about the show for eight years. They're the ones who made SG-1 work on the creative end. I do think they could come up with another successful show under the right circumstances

I just don't understand what happened in 9 and 10 then, they seemed to almost lose interest.... ? Too many irons in the fire? What?

The best news regarding this purported new series is that there seems to be no intention of rushing it into production in the same manner that Atlantis was thrown together. ... The concept and storylines were planned for the long term, the actors were cast for their chemistry with each other instead of just to fill the stereotypical roles, and there was just less of a production line feel to the show. I may be mistaken, but it's my understanding that from Children of the Gods to The Serpent's Lair, close to two years was spent on that first season of SG-1. If that much care can go into a third series, then it can work.

Agree!

Personally, I think that SG-1 is the success story. Well, the first eight years anyway. And I think that everything else we've gotten has been built on the back of that run. To a large extent, I think Cooper and Wright both consider SG-1 to be "the show", and that they consider Carter, Teal'c, Daniel, and O'neill to be "the characters".

Seasons 1 -8 are night and day different in quality and, for me, enjoyability. Seasons 9 and 10 are not as good in my opinion. I would eventually stop watching if the show continued on its' present course...

Really good work relationships and chemistry are hard to engineer, they seem more serendipitous, the chemistry of the original cast may not be a reproducible thing.

Unfortunately, I'm not convinced that better and bigger acting opportunities await any of the cast. That's not a knock on any of them, because MS, AT, CJ, and CB are all very talented individuals. But I don't think that any of them are just waiting to break out, especially being as far along in their careers as they are. With that in mind, the idea of staying in Vancouver and staying with familiar people might be appealing. It's the route I'd choose, were I in their positions.

I would too, work is work, but I would have a little more control if I could, and if I wanted to direct, write, or whatever, I would make sure I was allowed that.

Keep in mind, I am in a completely unrelated career, so have no idea what happens in entertainment contracts, etc.

So I'm left hoping for the best, fearing for the worst, and expecting something in the middle

Well said.

[majorsal]

And then Claudia/Vala came about for PU - they got positive feedback and got locked into the mentality that MS and CB are the new Jack and Daniel; Maddy and Dave, Nick and Nora Charles, etc. While MS may be the lead in SG3, I'd bet anything that CB isn't going to be far behind. It will be the Vaniel sitcom and appeals to the B@B's more juvenile sense of humor. Again

and you know what's so wacked here? *they*, the ptb, decided to bring back vala before the fans' reactions to her. which explains why she's been literally given the show, even though SO many fans had probs with her.




sally

[majorsal]

Maybe commanding a ship, not necessarily in the military but an adventure along the lines of Fire Fly. Maybe a little time traveling involved.
Off to watch BSG....

anyone see the movie 'fire in the sky'?

well, amanda could play a cop in some gritty desert city. she's gritty. then one night, while investigating a possible murder in the desert... she's abducted, by some horrific aliens (from the movie 'fire in the sky'). after that, her entire persective and life changes.

while she tries to figure out what happened to her, and tries to find a way to get back to the aliens (NO one does that to her without her kicking butt), she continues to be a cop. but her nightmares and probing into the truth collide.

maybe the show could be called 'firestorm', with amanda's character's name margaret storm (maggie for short).





sally

[Gate gal]

Major Sal's idea could be really good. I haven't seen the movie, but I'd like that I think. I still like the Quantum Leap idea or something with parallel universes (not Sliders, something different). With parallel universes, Amanda could do different personas regularly. I'd like that.

[Gate gal]

Also, count me in with the other warriors! DO NOT DIS AMANDA! We Samandans are a loyal tribe and we'll take you down!

[ann_sgcfan]

Hhmm, Was it coop who came up with the character of Sam or was it Brad? Inquiring minds..

Probably Jonathan Glassner or Brad Wright

I think ReakmOfX is right... I made a post back in June http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=1360 In it I transcribed what J.G. said during an interview about how AT was the perfect actress to play Sam Carter.... The quote is short and toward the beginning of my post... The way he talks I think he and possible Brad were the ones that created the character.

[ReganX]

It's TPTB's loss. Changeling was one of the best episodes of Stargate for me and it was written by Chris. Unfortunately Amanda was given a stinker of an episode to direct.

I think that she did a fantastic job with the material she had to work with, though. Who wrote the episode, by the way?

[tsaxlady]

I think that she did a fantastic job with the material she had to work with, though. Who wrote the episode, by the way?

Michael Shanks wrote 'Resurrection'

[ReganX]

and you know what's so wacked here? *they*, the ptb, decided to bring back vala before the fans' reactions to her. which explains why she's been literally given the show, even though SO many fans had probs with her.




sally

It might not have been a case of ‘Will the fans like Vala?’ so much as ‘We love Vala and want her on the show – how can we make sure we’re able to keep her?’ Pairing her off with Daniel from Moment One and ensuring that, when Vala was around, Daniel had lots of screentime was probably intended to ensure that as many Daniel fans as possible wanted her back – and in some cases this was quite effective.

Even if 99% of the fans had loathed Vala, if TPTB liked her enough, they could have closed their eyes to all opinions but those of the other 1%.

[Deejay435]

It might not have been a case of ‘Will the fans like Vala?’ so much as ‘We love Vala and want her on the show – how can we make sure we’re able to keep her?’ Pairing her off with Daniel from Moment One and ensuring that, when Vala was around, Daniel had lots of screentime was probably intended to ensure that as many Daniel fans as possible wanted her back – and in some cases this was quite effective.

Even if 99% of the fans had loathed Vala, if TPTB liked her enough, they could have closed their eyes to all opinions but those of the other 1%.

It seems to be effective too. Tons of Daniel fans love her.

Maybe I can't see through their happy glasses because, while I always liked Daniel, it wasn't with the same level of passion I love Sam. So I'm free to look past the "OMG-Look how much screentime Daniel is getting, I LOVE Vala." to "Wow. Daniel so...not Daniel with this woman around. I really don't like the effect she has on him. And now that I'm seeing so much of her-don't really like her, either."

If it had been Sam who was suddenly front and center for every episode, because of the addition of Vala maybe I would have tolerated Vala more easily. But...if it was Not!Sam who was front and center, like Not!Daniel is now-I like to think I wouldn't be happy with Vala because of the unrealistic changes she'd made to my favorite character.

The integrity of the character is more important to me than the amount of screentime. But then...as the situation didn't happen, I must confess I can't be 100% sure.