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November 29, 2007
Is there anybody out there?
So now pretty much everybody is gone. Some guys are in Hawaii, some are in Ontario, one lucky guy is holding a sign outside some studio lot in Hollywood. But strangely, when I called the production office, I got the trusty writer's assistant Lawren on the phone. Is that guy dedicated or what? He's not getting paid, yet there he is, toiling away, making sure everyone has someone to call when they need something. (And of course he's playing Golden Tee Golf every chance he gets, so he can kick our asses when we're back in the office in the new year.) Actually, my guess is he's coordinating audio commentaries or working on that Supernatural spec script he keeps talking about. But soon he too, is off on a trip - to Thailand I think.
So immediately I barked at Lawren - "what do you know about Miller's Crossing?", but my query was met with stunned silence. "Hello? Anybody there?" Well, we started talking about what little we know about the show anyway, and then I heard the familiar voice of Atlantis writer Alan McCullough. Thank goodness - someone who actually knows something behind the scenes! So Alan and I chatted about the show.
Alan reminded me of a hilarious scene that sparked a great deal of debate. Martin Gero wrote the terrific script in which Sheppard and co. return to Earth to track down the McKays. In one scene, Ronon and Sheppard are watching tv in a hotel room, more specifically Battlestar Galactica, and Ronon turns to Sheppard and says something like "we should help these people!" Well, most everybody laughed about it at the script stage. Even Rob Cooper. But Cooper had misgivings. I recall him saying that it makes Ronon look stupid. Like the guy doesn't even understand what a television set is and that the stories on tv are fictional. But damn it was funny. It turns out the scene is still in the final cut (according to our trusty Post Supervisor Kerry McDowall) but that portion of it has been cut and you no longer know they're watching tv. So maybe you'll get to see that portion of the scene in one of Ivon's behind the scenes featurettes or something.
Other things to note about Miller's Crossing. The title is a riff on the great Coen brother's movie. Speaking of which, somebody out there go see No Country for Old Men and tell me what the hell happened at the end. Also, in Miller's Crossing, the character Henry Wallace is played by Stephen Culp of Desperate Housewives fame. According to David Hewlett, Culp and Kate Hewlett (David's real and on-screen sister) have great chemistry, great repartee. And I concur. It's a fast paced episode which you'll enjoy. I also love seeing David and Kate work together. You get the feeling their real life relationship is a lot like what we're seeing (whether it actually is or not!).
One more thing I wanted to add. The writers here are often asked how one gets into screenwriting. Well I have some info for you! Brad Wright describes his big break in a great article in Canadian Screenwriter Magazine. Now your first test will be to get a hold of this periodical. But Joe Mallozzi had the best advice. He said to buy yourself some screenwriting software and start writing speculative episodes of the shows you love. And he said it's easier to break in writing animation. So I offer that to all of you aspiring writers out there.
Posted by Alex Levine at November 29, 2007 10:28 PM
