Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 387
May 26, 2015
May 26, 2015: Akemi! Dark Matter! And friends!
“Carnibal is eat the same species.”
– Akemi on cannibalism.
“Hello Kitty’s pet is cat so not carnibal but don’t you find strange?”
– Akemi elucidating on the topic of cannibalism.
“My stomach and back is touching.”
– Akemi’s way of letting me know she’s hungry.
“Wow. So depressing Facebook account ever.”
– Akemi passing judgement on my Facebook activity which is entirely comprised of me sharing missing pet and adopt-a-dog posts.
Hey, Germany, look out! Dark Matter is headed your way:
Space.ca offers up 5 reasons to count down the days until the Dark Matter debut:
http://www.space.ca/article/Dark-Matter#sthash.VZqdJGhx.dpufhttp://www.space.ca/article/Dark-Matter
Dark Matter makes TV.com’s list of 11 Most Anticipated New Series for summer 2015:
http://www.tv.com/news/most-anticipated-new-summer-shows-143154270939/
Get your Dark Matter t-shirts!
On a non-Dark Matter-related – but no less awesome – here is the trailer for my friend, Lou Anders’ first book, Frostborn:
And a review of his second book, Nightborn:
http://linkis.com/bit.ly/cuL8S
Another prolific friend has a book forthcoming:
While another friend seems to be doing alright:
http://io9.com/john-scalzi-signs-a-massive-10-year-13-book-publishing-1706919623
Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter tv, Lou Anders, Nightborn, SyFy, SyFyFridays 
May 25, 2015
May 25, 2015: The Dark Matter rollout! Introducing Melissa O’Neil as TWO!
Finishing up my overview of our wonderful cast, we finally come to the character of TWO.
Here’s the breakdown that went out for the role:
“AKA Boss Lady, AKA Portia Lin. NIKITA-ESQUE, BEAUTIFUL, SOFT- FEATURED. THE GROUP’S DE FACTO LEADER, SHE IS A MASTER FIGHTER and an unbelievably quick learner when it comes to any sort of weaponry. DETERMINED, TOUGH, AND MORE THAN A LITTLE HEADSTRONG, SHE IS NOT THE TYPE YOU WANT TO MESS WITH – OR DISAPPOINT. She can be cool and inscrutable. LOOKING FOR SOMEONE FIT, PREFERABLY WITH FIGHTING EXPERIENCE. ALL ETHNICITIES.”
By far, this was the role that saw the most auditions. When all was said and done, over 250 candidates had read for the part. We had a lot of interesting possibilities but one, for me, stood out amongst the rest. I received her audition, a rare self-tape, from New York where she’d been on Broadway appearing in Les Miserables.
Her name was Melissa O’Neil and she was everything I was looking for in the character – someone with obvious strength and a commanding presence and yet, at the same time, sympathetic and possessed of an underlying warmth. Too much of the former and one risked making the character unlikable. Too much of the latter and one risked making her seem weak. It was a very, very tough balancing act that most were unable to pull off, but one that Melissa managed to deliver with ease. She also had MMA and martial arts experience which was a huge plus because, next to the character of FOUR, TWO was our most technically proficient fighter. The rest of the crew were brawlers but she needed to be an expert in the use of weapons and hand to hand combat.
One of the things that impressed me about Melissa early on was her positive outlook and commitment to her craft and character. She was a stunt coordinator’s (not to mention a director’s and show runner’s) dream, training like crazy, rehearsing complex action sequences on weekends so that she could nail them on the day. The editors loved her because she was so good at fight choreography that we could actually stay on her in the wide shots rather than having to cut around to her stunt double. Like the character she played, Melissa was an incredibly quick learner who picked up enough moves to give me pause whenever I debated story points with her.
When all is said and done, however, I’ll forever remember the enthusiastic emails exchanged shortly after we received her audition. Some of the highlights: “I’m so excited about her”, “That second scene was near perfection”, “Top of my list”, “I think she’s really special and fresh”, and “She’s ready to break!”
We all knew we had a star in the making. And, in about a month, I believe we’ll be proven right.
Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., Melissa O'Neil
May 24, 2015
May 24, 2015: The Jelly Update!
For a dog at death’s door, my 16 year old pug Jelly has been doing pretty well. In fact, ever since we brought her back home to die last Friday after receiving a hopeless diagnosis from two local vets, she’s been as animated as ever. In fact, I’d be so bold as to say she bounced back – if not for the test results that point to kidney failure and antibiotic resistant E coli coursing through her system. Euthanasia was recommended and I was fully prepared to follow this advice, treating my girl to one final weekend of muffins, ice cream and some of the 60 day old dry-aged steak I had for dinner the other night. Except…the following morning, she was up and alert. Her appetite had returned. And she was as cantankerous as ever. So I decided to hold off…temporarily…
A little over five years ago, Jelly all but stopped walking. It turned out her hip dysplasia had progressed to the point where she was no longer capable of supporting herself. Euthanasia was recommended. Over five years ago! I considered my options, then generated some new ones by going online and discovering the marvels of stem cell treatments. They’ve been seeing some surprising results with this procedure – in Europe – a procedure that involves extracting the body’s stem cells (from belly fat which apparently has the highest concentration of the stuff), shipping them to a lab where they are spun in a centrifuge, then shipped back and injected into the problem areas: in Jelly’s case, her arthritic joints and eroded hips. I contacted this company (http://www.vet-stem.com), took Jelly in for a consult (where I was told results varied so not to expect too much), and had her undergo the treatment. A couple of weeks later, she was back on her paws – wobbly, mind you, but once again able to support herself.
So, faced with a similar dire situation, I once again turned to the one place that had helped me in the past: the internet. And there, I discovered a possible cure for presumably untreatable antibiotic-resistant infections: phage therapy.
I read this article about a woman who had been given a “you’ve got an untreatable antibiotic-resistant infection so prepare to die” diagnosis:
http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/cure-antibiotic-resistance
Instead of packing up her belongings and resigning herself to certain death, she packed up her belongings and headed to Europe where phage therapy has been used for over a decade with great success. She underwent the treatment and was miraculously (?) cured of her incurable infection.
From the aforementioned article:
“Bacteriophages (“bacteria eaters”), commonly called phages, are viruses that infect bacteria but not humans. Found in water, soil, and even your digestive tract, phages dwell wherever bacteria are found because they rely on them to reproduce. (Find out how what you eat affects your gut bacteria.) They drill through a bacterium’s surface, hijack its DNA, and then replicate themselves within it until the cell bursts. Cocktails of phage viruses can kill a bacterial infection in the human body with remarkable accuracy, taking out only the infiltrators and leaving important populations of “good” bacteria intact—unlike the blunt tool of antibiotics, which tend to wipe out a wide swath of good bugs and bad.”
Apparently, it’s been researched for a while here in North America with very positive results:
https://ispub.com/IJAM/7/1/13668
But, of course, the FDA (in the U.S.) and Health Canada (here) have yet to make this treatment readily available. Why? Rose-tinted glasses-wearing observers will argue it’s because they’re being very careful. Cvidently, a decade of positive results in Europe isn’t quite enough for them.
Anyway, I dispatched some emails this weekend and made some inquiries. The wheels are in motion to get Jelly the treatment.
Maybe we’ll see a miracle bounce back like we did the last time everyone else wrote her off. Or maybe we won’t. But at the very least, we’ll have TRULY exhausted our options.
Tagged: antibiotic resistant infections, Dogs, phage therapies, phage therapy, pugs
May 23, 2015
May 23, 2015: The Dark Matter Deluge!
Whoa! As our series premiere draws ever nearer (less than two weeks and counting!), things are really beginning to ramp up. Check out all of the Dark Matter-related goodies…
…starting with this terrific interview by longtime Stargate supporter and friend, Steve Eramo, who talks to Dark Matter Executive Producer and Prodigy Pictures President Jay Firestone about how he brought the series to air and his continued involvement in the show’s creative and production:
http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/scifiandtvtalk/2015/05/jay-firestone-talks-dark-matter.html
Give it a read and leave him a thank you for bringing you some much-missed ship-based scifi! And your new favorite SF series!
Get to know Dark Matter and Lost Girl’s Zoie Palmer:
http://www.syfy.com/lostgirl/blog/get-to-know-lost-girls-zoie-palmer
Hey! Jodelle Ferland and the gang speak Spanish in the Dark Matter trailer for #SyFySpain:
https://amp.twimg.com/v/05c44b2e-d871-4853-bb17-b441b2f111b4
For our Spanish-speaking fans:
SyFyNL is offering up the opportunity to win a trip to San Diego Comic Con. See you there!
http://www.syfy.nl/competitions/win-een-reis-naar-comic-con®-san-diego
SyFyUK’s poster for the series.
AIRDATES…
June 12th: US & Canada
June 13th: Australia
June 13th: Germany
June 14th: Asia, Poland
June 15th: UK & Spain
June 16th: France, Netherlands & Belgium
(and more to come…)
The ladies.
And the guys.
#Don’tMessWithTheZobot!
Dark Matter’s Goemon! Yeah, anime aficionados know what I’m talking about!
Recently got a chance to sit down and talk Dark Matter with the wonderful Sam Maggs, author of The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy (http://sammaggs.com/writing/books/).
A delightfully informative read for all genders!
Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., science fiction, Science Fiction Television, scifitelevision, SF television, SyFy, SyFy International, SyFy Universal, SyFyAsia, SyFyAustralia, SyFyBrazil, SyFyDE, SyFyEspana, SyFyFR, SyFyFridays, SyFyLA, SyFyNL, SyFyPL, SyFyPortugal, SyFyRomania, SyFyRussia, SyFyUK
May 22, 2015
May 22, 2015: The Dark Matter rollout! Introducing Anthony Lemke as THREE!
When it came time to cast Dark Matter’s resident bad boy, this is the breakdown that went out for the role:
“AKA Sunshine, AKA Marcus Boone. A TRUE BADASS, he is the flipside to One’s principled coin- which is why the two are often at odds, developing a (grudging) like-hate relationship over the course of their journey. HE IS A MERCENARY THROUGH AND THROUGH, ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR HIMSELF. But he must come to accept the fact that, if he’s going to survive long enough to reach the outer colonies, he’s going to have to learn to get along. THINK SAWYER FROM LOST. ALL ETHNICITIES.”
Some roles are harder to cast than others. In the case of Dark Matter‘s THREE, however, it was surprisingly easy because, at the end of the day, one actor clearly stood out amongst the rest. Now don’t misunderstood. There were plenty of great auditions for the role but Anthony Lemke’s first read for the part of THREE delivered absolutely everything I was looking for in the character – and more! He was brash, confident, cool, charming, and very very funny. I can’t understate the importance of the latter. I needed someone who could convey the humor on the page – and Anthony did. And then some. I can’t remember anyone so thoroughly nailing an audition before. “That’s him,”I said the first time I watched him. “That’s our Three.” And absolutely everyone agreed.
THREE is Han Solo, Jack O’Neil, and Captain Jack Sparrow rolled into one – mercenary, opportunistic, with swagger to spare. Anthony so thoroughly embraced his character, imbued him with so much delightful nuance, that rarely a scene went by that didn’t have me smiling or shaking my head in amazement. It was the little things he added – a line, a look, a choice. Every time I see a certain scene in #104 (let’s discuss once the episode airs), I can’t help but laugh at two back to back expressions that, on the surface, don’t seem like such a big deal and yet do such a brilliant job of bringing the character to life and making him real. With an entire season under our belts, I know that he is destined to be a fan favorite.
Working with Anthony has been fun. More than any other cast member, he is always offering up ideas: a line here, some business there. On the move in one scene; twirling his gun in the next. The guy does so much on-camera eating that I honestly fear for his health! It’s the type of thing that probably drives most showrunners nuts but, to Anthony’s credit, he is always respectful and professional in his approach, pitching me beforehand and offering up his reasoning when necessary (ie. I say no). More often than not, I’ll let him run with it because, more often than not, his little additions are terrific. Occasionally, I’ll simply ask him to give me two versions so I can decide at the edit stage. On rare occasions, I’ll say no and he’ll be fine with that. And just try twice as hard the next time.
Anthony and THREE share certain character traits: cheekiness, daring, and a singular sense of humor. On the other hand, Anthony differs from THREE in his warmth and willingness to engage. Whenever a guest visits set for the first time, Anthony is always the first one to walk over and introduce himself, happily chatting away until someone drags him back to set.
A couple of months ago, I hosted a young woman who had just completed her studies and was considering a career in television. She was thrilled to be visiting a television production and even more thrilled when one of the cast members, Anthony, strolled up and introduced himself. I stood by and watched as Anthony thoroughly charmed her, inquiring about her future plans, her interests, engaging her in conversation like an old friend. And the look on her face made one thing abundantly clear: he had just made a fan for life.
I have a feeling that’s going to happen A LOT when the show premieres in June.
Tagged: Anthony Lemke, Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v.
May 21, 2015
May 21, 2015: The Dark Matter wrap party!
Check ’em out. A day too late for the wrap party, but pretty awesome nevertheless – my custom-made Hieronymous Bosch Garden of Earthly Delights tie suit from The Knotty Tie Company (http://www.knottytie.com). I think I may follow up with a round of Salvador Dali this summer.
Yes, last night was the Dark Matter season one wrap party. I live tweeted the event here (https://twitter.com/BaronDestructo) and uploaded pics here (https://instagram.com/joemallozzi/), but in case you missed it, here are the amazing people I responsible for bringing you what will no doubt become your new favorite scifi series…
Roxanne with her guest, David.
Melissa and Daniel
Jesse
Alice
Anna, Jessie, and Eric
A Student Bodies reunion: Jamie Elman and me!
Alex and Allie
Mackenzie and Megan
Jamie, Stephany, and Robbie
Craig and Rachelle
Ivon, Lawren, Zoie, and Vanessa
Frank and Alison
Marc
Norman and Terry
Jay and I
Kevin and Lisa
Ivon and Jodelle
Jessica and Lawren
Jean and Rowena
Alas, there were many, many more crew members in attendance – but between all the drinking and snacking and execution of awesome dance moves, I didn’t have a chance to snap them all. But I’ll miss them no less!
Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., science fiction, Science Fiction Television, scifi, scifi television, SF, SyFyFridays
May 20, 2015
May 20, 2015: And that’s a wrap on Dark Matter’s first season!
The Dark Matter gang. I’m going to miss them!
Annnnnnd we’re done! More or less. I’ve still got my producer cuts of episode #112 and #113 to complete, all the mixes to sit through, and visual effects to approve but, for all intents and purposes, production on Dark Matter’s first season is complete. It’s hard to believe that this time last year, I honestly didn’t think the show was going to happen. And yet here I now sit, with 13 episodes under my belt, putting together a game plan for season 2.
Photo(s) by Dennys Ilic (http://www.dennysilic.com)
I know, I know. I should take some time off. And I will. Eventually. I just want to be as prepared for season 2 as I was for season 1 – which allowed us to break all thirteen episodes inside of three weeks and have 12 of 13 scripts by the time we went to camera. I already have beat sheets for our two part opener (#201 and #202), plus all eleven stories for the rest of the season, including all major arcs, character developments, twists, turns, and the BIG season 2 finale!
A message on my office whiteboard from…Melissa O’Neil?
But I get ahead of myself. First things first. I have to finish up on season 1 and continue to get the word out in the lead up to the premiere. To that end, I’ve been coordinating with the gang at SyFy to release all sorts of interesting Dark Matter-related tidbits. For instance, just yesterday, i09’s Meredith Woerner showcased some of the show’s designs, including ships and space stations…
Plenty of pics – with accompanying commentary by yours truly! Head on over and check it out:
http://io9.com/exclusive-dark-matter-concept-art-is-loaded-with-glorio-1705562602
More to come in the coming days including goodies from the Dark Matter VFX department, another trailer, and sneak peek scenes from our series premiere!
Tagged: BecauseWe'reDangerous, Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., Joseph Mallozzi, Science Fiction Television, scifi television, SF television, SyFyFridays
May 19, 2015
May 18, 2015: Jelly…
Thanks to everyone who took the time to offer well wishes and words of support for my gal Jelly. She seems to be back to her old sleepy/hungry/cantankerous self. Sadly, however, this rebound will be short-lived. According to her latest rest results, she’s suffering from an antibiotic resistant infection that has spread through her intestines and kidneys. The doctors suggest we consider end of life before she develops septic shock.
Very disappointing news.
Capping this blog with some of the highlights from this past long weekend…
Dinner with actor Roger Cross.
Rum cake and ice cream from Don’t Call Me Cupcake!
The gang working on their tans.
Lulu, all laughs.
A visit from cousin Clover.
Thai fried chicken.
Jodelle steals my Thai iced tea.
A selection of SOMA Chocolates.
Akemi out and about.
Vancouver swag compliments of my foodie friend Nicole.
Nicole gives Buca Restaurant the thumbs up.
Preserved tomato, truffled burrata cheese, basil, fresh scorzone truffle pizza.
Braised pork, 34 year old red wine vinegar, rosemary pizza.
Gelato trio.
Tiramisu.
Jelly shares Akemi’s ice cream.
Today’s blog entry is dedicated to some of the blog readars who need some positive thoughts sent their way: paloosa, tinamarlin, phil, Tam Dixon, and Das!
May 18, 2015
May 18, 2015: The Dark Matter rollout! Introducing Zoie Palmer as The Android!
Photo by Dennys Ilic (http://www.dennysilic.com)
“Zoie!!!” is the reaction the Android elicits from my girlfriend every time she pops up on my laptop. I’ve screened 11 of 13 prod cuts for Akemi and, to date, she loves the show, loves all of the characters, but is especially fond of Zoie’s Android – which leads me to believe that #zobot is going to be BIG in Japan when the show airs on SyFyAsia in June!
This was the breakdown that went out for the role when we started the casting process:
“CLOSER TO A WRY BUTLER THAN YOUR TYPICAL SCI-FI ANDROID/ROBOT. CONCISE, IMPASSIVE, YET SURPRISINGLY POSSESSED OF A SUBTLY WRY SENSE OF HUMOUR, he is an indispensable member of the crew since he can exercise control over all the ship’s systems. He’ll prove a loyal supporter of his fellow shipmates, risking destruction to secure their safety. IN TIME, HE WILL ASSUME A DOTING CARETAKER POSITION OVER THE YOUTHFUL FIVE. ALL GENDERS AND ETHNICITIES.”
Yes, “he” because, in the original pitch, the Android was male. We ended up diverging from the source material by casting a very wide net in our search. And, as it turned out, it was a wise choice because some of the very best candidates for the part were women.
One such candidate was actress Zoie Palmer. She delivered a great first round audition and then, in her callback, wowed us with three very different, very impressive reads: first her original interpretation, then with a British accent, and finally with a Jamaican accent (let’s file that last one away for future discussion).
One of the biggest compliments I can give Zoie is that, in many ways, she reminds me of Amanda Tapping. Amanda, as Stargate’s Samantha Carter, had one of the toughest roles in the franchise’s run, tasked with delivering all the technobabble in believable yet entertaining fashion. And she did, time and again. She was so good at it that she made it look easy – but as anyone who has tried casting actors for similar roles will tell you (like, say, me for instance), it’s anything but easy. And yet, like Amanda, Zoie made it seem effortless. She was informative, convincing, and delightfully compelling.
After she was cast, Zoie took the role and made it her own, fashioning a character that is highly intelligent and powerful yet, at the time same, marked by some very human, occasionally adolescent foibles. Her Android is more Marvin (Hitchhiker’s Guide) or Kryten (Red Dwarf) than Data (ST:TNG) – in many ways, more emotionally flawed than her human charges. But, if I had to pick one word to describe Zoie’s Android, it would be “endearing”. I have no doubt she is going to be a fan favorite.
Working with Zoie has been a dream. She is uber-talented, incredibly professional, and just a lovely, LOVELY human being. And possibly one of the funniest people I know. Over the course of the season, I received more texts from her than any other cast member. Some where script-related but most were simply weird and wonderful missives sent my way to, I suspect, keep me off-balance. Some of my favorites…
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Tagged: #DarkMatter #DarkMattertv, #zobot, Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., Zoie Palmer
May 17, 2015
May 17, 2015: Jelly
I was on set Tuesday night when I received a text from Akemi: “Jelly’s very very sick.”
That was one “very” too many. I jumped in the car and rushed home, bundled Jelly up and delivered her to the emergency 24 hour animal hospital. There she remained, overnight, while they ran a battery of tests. The following morning came the bad news. Jelly was suffering from a host of maladies: extreme arthritis, internal bleeding, antibiotic-resistant infection,dehydration, and kidney failure. She was not going to get better. Euthanasia was recommended.
Akemi and I went into visit her that night after work. She was atypically quiet. Her appetite was non-existent. A second doctor who also examined her informed us that she wasn’t going to get any better and that we should consider euthanasia as the humane option.
We visited her the next night and she was still unresponsive, lethargic, and not at all interested in eating. Over the past months, she’d been going downhill and had all but lost the ability to walk, managing the briefest of carpet runs (covering the distance from our apartment door the elevators in a blazing five full minutes) with the assistance of a harness for her gimpy hind legs – but I held out hope because she seemed to be in good spirits and she was still enjoying her food. But that was no longer the case. And so, after much agonizing, I made the decision.
Word had gotten around set and the response was swift. Melissa (TWO) texted me, Marc (ONE) called, and I even received an unexpected hug from resident Dark Matter bad boy Anthony (THREE). It was all very touching – but, of course, didn’t make what I was about to do any easier.
I picked Jelly up after main unit wrap on Friday night and brought her home for her last weekend with us. But I had decided that I would make it her best weekend ever! Akemi got her ground beef and vanilla ice cream and, Saturday, she joined us for a patio brunch and enjoyed mini blueberry muffins and the attention of a dozen passersby who stopped to shower her with attention.
I looked up a mobile veterinary service that would come to the house so that Jelly could leave us surrounded by the comforts of home (away from home). I was ready. Akemi was ready.
However, Jelly, it turns out, was not. She rallied. Like the Boston Red Sox in the ALC Championship series, she came back from certain death. She perked up. Her appetite returned. And suddenly, miraculously, she was back to her normal self. Today, she spent the afternoon sunning herself and chowing down on fresh chicken breast.
Hey, what’s all the fuss?
I’m sure she’s still suffering from the arthritis and the kidney failure and who knows what else – but so long as she’s clearly happy, why not let her enjoy her ground beef, blueberry muffins and vanilla ice cream just a little longer?
She’s in no hurry to go anywhere so who am I to rush her?
Tagged: Dogs, old dogs, old pugs, pugs, senior dogs, senior pugs
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