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March 17, 2006

Another Stargate season completed.

Well… it sure doesn’t feel like it here, but the broadcast schedule tells me the season finales are over. I myself just watched the final version of Camelot that you saw and, like the Tauri, Jaffa and Lucian Alliance defense, I was blown away. Great special effects, solid direction and acting throughout. In the immortal words of Dick Vatale, with a nod to March Madness, “Awesome, Baby!”

Speaking of March Madness, Ben Browder and I had a chat yesterday. He thinks Duke is going to take it this year (big surprise!). Myself – I’ve got my money on Villanova, Memphis and Uconn. You gotta hedge your bets!

I’m sure you guys all enjoyed Allies too – did you notice all those Wraith trivia facts I shared with you last year coming to life on screen? No? Fine, whatever. This season, get ready for more excitement in the Pegasus Galaxy – new villains, new guest stars (Richard Kind!), new stories. I hate to play favourites, but I gotta say Carl Binder has written some great stories for Atlantis this year. The guy is a machine. He puts out so many outlines and drafts that when I distribute them, the guys whine… “CARL! Another outline! Will that guy ever stop writing?”

Meanwhile Rob Cooper has his director’s hat on and is shooting some of the most exciting footage I’ve ever seen on a Stargate show. He’s using different kinds of media – even a hand-cranked Bolex, shooting on 16mm – to give some depth to the flashback storyline. “Sateda” is going to be one action-packed blockbuster of an episode. Think John Woo action on acid. Strap yourself in for that one.

What else can I tell you. Lawren still has his job, although Beau Bridges was looking for him earlier. So that’s all tenuous. Ivon Bartok finished an absolutely hilarious mockumentary on Martin Gero that you’ll get to see as a DVD extra when you buy the boxed set of last season’s Atlantis. Will Waring needs to learn how to play Texas hold ‘em because he’s directing an upcoming episode with some poker scenes in it. And Cliff Simon was in the office getting ready for a new Baal episode yesterday. What a villainous South African accent that guy has.

Alright, well this is me signing off for this season. Hopefully I’ll be back to spread truth and rumours next year here on the sci-fi website. But that really depends on you – the viewers. Would you rather watch “Deal or No Deal”? Are you flipping to “Las Vegas” – WELL QUIT IT! We need you! Friday night is once again becoming a ratings battleground, so Stargate’s future is no longer assured. But if you feel like I do, that good sci-fi is worthwhile, keep watching. Otherwise you’ll be left with re-runs of “The Nanny.” So says Fan-boy.

Adios. See you in the summer.

ATL

Posted by Alex Levine at 09:15 PM

March 06, 2006

Whoops!

So there’s a character you should meet… no, he’s not a character from an episode of the show. He’s a character, though. His name is Lawren Bancroft-Wilson, and he is the Assistant to the Executive Producers here at the production office, which is the job I used to have before I became the Script Coordinator. Here’s a little story about Lawren.

Yesterday morning Lawren was trying to take a left on Boundary Road to get to the studio, but a driver in front of him was sort of… stopped… in the middle of the intersection. Well, Lawren’s not squeamish, so he leaned on his horn to get the guy moving, and move he did. Unfortunately for Lawren the car belonged to none other than Beau Bridges. So Lawren’s been trying to keep a low profile this week… Ahhh… the perils of show business.

This week you get to see Rob Cooper’s directorial debut on SG-1 in Crusade, and on Atlantis you’ll see Inferno.

I talked to Rob about making the move to direct, and well… he was pretty low-key about it. He’d obviously been on set a lot over the years, so he knew how everything worked. Also, he was surrounded by our extremely professional crew. Trust me on this - everybody knows what they’re doing… and judging by the results, so does Rob Cooper. He wasn’t nervous or jittery at all, he said. He explained that there’s no reason to be nervous when you can fire anyone you want to. I smiled nervously. Then I laughed. Then I was worried that I laughed a little too loud, so I stopped laughing. But I probably stopped laughing too quickly, because he looked at me a little funny, like he knew I was a little nuts. I better have my doctor adjust my meds.

Crusade is that show where Claudia Black comes back as a guest star. Remember? The one I told you about last year in the blog. The one where [censored; inappropriate content; censored; inappropriate content].

Inferno is yet another action-packed Atlantis episode. Explosions, drama, excitement: a near death escape where thousands of lives hang in the balance. Now I don’t know what’s with you guys, but our ratings haven’t been as great as they usually are. What are you watching? Figure skating? Bobsled? Aren’t space ships and intergalactic battles more interesting than men in tight frilly pants? I’m sorry to have to get harsh here, but I expect eyeballs this week, folks! EYEBALLS.

And next week I’ll let you know whether Lawren still has a job.

ATL

Posted by Alex Levine at 09:14 PM