Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 533

June 23, 2011: Transporter: The Series! Dark Matter! Stargate SG:1 Season 9!

Busy-busy on Transporter: The Series.  Notes on episode 2 (Carl's) and episode 7 (Alexander's) have slowly started trickling in.  Once I've received input from all 4+ players, I'll jump on the rewrites – just as soon as I've finished the rewrite on episode 6 (mine).  Paul continues his pass on episodes 3 (his) and  4 (Carl's), Alexander presses on with a first draft of episode 9 (his) while we all prepare to spend much of next week breaking episodes 10 (Steve's), 11 (probably mine), and 12 (probably Paul's).  Oh, and of course prep continues on episode 1 (Paul's).  This afternoon, I checked out the auditions for General Weigart.  A couple of good candidates, depending on how we choose to go.  Also perused the Fiona auditions before heading home.  Again, some really interesting possibilities including one that may be too young for the part but would be perfect for a future episode.

Things have been equally busy-busy on the comic book front – though, admittedly, it's been my editor at Dark Horse (Patrick Thorpe) and artist Garry Brown who've been the busy ones.  It's been nothing short of amazing watching Dark Matter come together from layouts to pencils (so far).  Garry also tried his hand at the cover for issue #1 – with fantastic results.  Patrick forwarded me a pic of the cover colors this morning.  "Whoa!" indeed.

Continuing my reminiscing on Stargate SG-1′s ninth season…

THE SCOURGE  (917)

One of the biggest challenges of this episode was the bugs themselves.  In the original draft, they buzz along the ground like a giant moving carpet.  I limited the cutaways to the swarm figuring that, while expensive, it would not be prohibitively so.  The cold reality of the Visual Effects budget hit me like a punch in the face – followed by three swift kicks to the mid-section and the subsequent removal of all the cash in my wallet.  We simply couldn't afford sweeping bug swarms.  And so, I came up with the idea of having the bugs travel underground which, while not as visually satisfying, lent them a certain creepiness.

One of my favorite guest stars makes a return in this episode as Robert Picardo reprises his role as the insufferable Richard Woolsey.  This, I think, was the first episode I wrote in which I gave the character a little humor – and, as a result, really started to enjoy writing for him.  Sure, he was a stuffed shirt, but he also reveals glimpses of vulnerability that make him amusing, even likable up to a point.  And Bob, of course, did a terrific job of delivering those subtle and, sometimes, not-so-subtle nuances that – like the point late in the episode where SG-1 and the I.O.A. reps are hurrying away from the bugs, only to have Woolsey speed by them, arms madly pumping.

ARTHUR'S MANTLE (918)

Oh, damn, the whole "out of phase" debate that rears its ugly head whenever we do these types of episodes.  As Paul always points out: "Why don't they just phase through the floor?".  While we've dealt with some equally far-flung SF notions, Paul always argued that those notions, at the very least, adhered to certain self-contained theoretical laws of physics phasing did not.  The mechanics of gate travel while "out of phase" was another matter entirely.

After Carter explains their situation to Mitchell, he responds with: "That was alternate reality, this is alternate dimension. Hell, all I need is a good time travel adventure and I've scored the SG-1 trifecta. "  He completes the trifecta in the season 10 series finale, Unending.

CRUSADE (919)

Actress Claudia Black returns in time for Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper's directorial debut.  An ambitious episode that delivers action, humor, and patho.  It also marks the introduction of the Ori warship.  My first reaction to the design: "Uh, it looks like a flying toilet seat."  One of the rare instances where my input was NOT appreciated.

CAMELOT (920)

One of my top ten favorite episodes (August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes) owing to the cliffhanger to end all cliffhanger endings: Earth's battlecruisers and their allied Asgard and Lucian Alliance ships are getting their asses kicked, Daniel and Mitchell aboard a doomed, Korolev, Carter floating alone and vulnerable in space while a pregnant Vala – carrying "the will of the Ori"  - watches it all from her vatange aboard one of the Ori ships.  See ya next season!

On the day we were to shoot the big Mitchell vs. the Black Knight swordfight sequence, it was pouring rain on location.  Most any other actor would have complained, but not Ben Browder.  He embraced the rain and the mud, going all out – stumbling, slipping, falling, rolling – to outstanding effect.  It couldn't have turned out better had we planned it.  The sequence was mentioned in a piece done by our old buddy, Ross Hull, for the Weather Channel…

Tagged: Dark Matter, SG-1, Stargate, Stargate: SG-1, The Transporter, Transporter

June 22, 2011: Gifts (finally)! Transporter: The Series production update! Bully Brie! Maximus – creature of habit!

Just the other day, I was telling Angela (aka Mega) from across the hall that I felt I wasn't receiving proper acknowledgement for all of my hard work of late.  I mean, sure, I get paid and I work with very nice people who tell me how much they enjoy my scripts, but when's the last time someone gave me a handmade thank you card?

Well, you'll never guess what I got this morning.

Compliments of Mega.  How thoughtful of her!

And she isn't the only one in the office who's been thinking of me…

Der Ritter Sport hazelnutten chokolat!

The other day, Executive Producer Alexander Ruemelin surprised me with some geschmackvolle Festlichkeiten.  Great.  Now I've to be nice to the guy for the rest of the week.  Who says this job isn't demanding?

Oh, in addition to being nice to Alex and proudly displaying my handmade thank you card prominently on my desk in order to guilt my co-workers, I also did a quick polish on Carl Binder's second script (which is going to air in the #2 slot).  As always, Carl's first drafts are terrific, incredibly tight.  BUT NOT PERFECT! Shame on him!  Like my father used to say when I'd score 95% on a test: "Where's the other five percent?".

We're assembling some mighty impressive directors for the show.  Can't wait to tell you more – but will have to for the time being.  Prep continues on the pilot (appropriately named Pilot) with my writing/producing partner Paul out and about on all sorts of location scouts.  Over the next week or so, our cast start arriving.  Tomorrow, the lovely Rachel Skarsten (Delia) comes in for her wardrobe fitting after which she'll participate in what the prep schedule terms "Audi Driving Practice".  Our uber-awesome Stunt Coordinator, Cyril Raffaelli, finally gets into town this weekend…

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Also coming in on Saturday is our new writer (The Bill, Primeval) who'll be in Toronto for a week or so to break his episode (#10).

Looking ahead, our Frank – actor Chris Vance – gets into town early next week and we'll be celebrating with (says the prep schedule): Props " Show & Tell" (GUNS).  No details provided but I assume I won't be required to to show off any of my firearms.

If Alex gives me one more damn script note, I'm challenging him to a duel.

 On the not-home front (I'm babysitting Fondy place – and her dogs until Saturday), Akemi phoned me in a panic this afternoon.  Apparently, Brie – who has been bullying the other dogs – got into it with Bubba, knicking him.  I checked him out when I got not-home.  He doesn't seem to be in any pain, but he's leaving little bloody smudges wherever he goes.  My attempts to locate the wound have proven fruitless so we're just going to keep an eye on him.  Poor little guy.

Brie bullying Lulu.

Akemi's latest culinary creation…

Apple salad somethingorother. Coconut ice cream is tastier but looks nowhere near as nice.

Finally – dogs are creatures of habit.  Maximus, for instance, always follows the same chair-ducking/wall-hugging path from the front door to the kitchen. Check it out.

June 21, 2011: Chat and Chow with Alaina Huffman!

Last night, Akemi and I went out for dinner with the lovely Alaina Huffman (SGU's Lieutenant Tamara T.J. Johansen, Smallville's Black Canary, and MTV's Agent Mom).  We went to what is fast becoming my go-to restaurant for entertaining out-of-towners: Scarpetta.  Alaina was kind enough to defer to me on the menu selections and so, as always, I emphasized variety by ordering four appies, three pasta plates, a fish dish, and four desserts (with double scoops of ice creams all around as I wanted to be sure the ice cream to cake/pastry ratio was at the ideal 1:1).

Akemi loves the bread at Scarpetta (look at how quickly she snatches up a piece) and I always have to make it a point to either hide the bread basket or ask the waiter to take it away lest she finish it before the first dish has even hit the table.  Anyway, between mouthfuls of crust (or "margin" as she used to refer it when she first came to Canada), Akemi found time to chat with Alaina about Alaina's modeling days in Tokyo and Osaka.  Although I'm sure she wasn't able to keep up with all of our rapidfire table discussion, Akemi came away from dinner mightily impressed with Alaina.  "I like her!"she informed me. True.  Talk to her and she's very hard not to like!

Some of the appetizer highlights:

I'm not a huge lentil guy, but they're delicious and lend a wonderful textural contrast to this tasty medley of carrots and almonds.

Onions agro-dolce served with goat cheese.

One of the things I appreciate about Scarpetta is there ability to occasionally switch up the menu without sacrificing any of my favorites. Last night, we enjoyed a couple of Chef Scott Conant's signature creations, the duck and foie gras ravioli and the simple yet immensely satisfying spaghetti with tomato and basil.  Also…

A heavenly new addition to the line-up: delicate little agnolotti stuffed with braised short rib and bone marrow. Yep, those are mustard seeds.

Our dessert foursome was made up of the restaurants Amedei Chocolate Cake (missing its standard delightful gooey center on this visit), a strawberry shortcake the gals seemed to enjoy, the outstanding coconut panna cotta, and…

The Grand Marnier Souffle with the requisite double scoop of ice cream.

The topic of conversation ranged from her kids, conventions, and home life in L.A. to some terrific-sounding projects she and husband John have in the works. By the time we were done, we probably ended up talking more in those two and a half hours than we did in two years on SGU.

Hey, did you know Alaina has her own comic book?  Check it out here: MTV Geek | MTV.com – Comic – Agent Mom #1, pt. 1

Finally, this was too cute not to post.  Akemi looks forward to one of her favorite shows.  At least it wasn't Million Dollar Money Drop!

Today's entry is dedicated to gforce.

Tagged: Alaina Huffman, Scarpetta, SGU, Stargate

June 20, 2011: Dog Day Afternoon!

You know who enjoys sunshine?  The dogs!  And so, when the weekend rolled around, I was all ready to hop in the car and head downtown for the afternoon when I started getting "the look".  You know what I'm talking about.  The "What?  You're just going to leave us?  Okay, okay.  Go.  Have fun.  We'll just stay here.  All alone." staredowns.  Like -

This!

And…

These!

So, instead of going out for the afternoon, I ended up staying in to spend quality time with the dogs.  To be perfectly honest, the dogs weren't all that enthusiastic about spending quality time with me.  Ultimately, all they really required was someone to open the back door for them – and, of course, document their wacky antics -

Stewie chows down while Lulu works on her tan.

Stewie and Lulu battle it out.

Note at the end of the video – Brie's subtle way of letting Lulu know she doesn't appreciate her making the moves on Stewie…

Akemi treats Lulu and Bubba to a little walkie.

Brie and Stewie scrap…

Jelly and her ginormous tongue.

Bubba considers Stewie's stick-chewing.

You've got something on your nose. I said you've got something...

Ah, forget it.

Jelly looking uber-relaxed.

A thoughtful Lulu

Once they'd enough, we headed inside for dinner…

Speaking of dinner – off for Italian with the lovely Alaina Huffman (SGU's Lieutenant Tamara Johansen) tonight.  Photos and videos of Alaina eating pappardelle to follow…

June C, 2011: Five film/t.v. projects I'm looking forward to!

Despite the fact that I work in television, I don't watch a lot of t.v.  I could say it's because I'm incredibly busy (which I am) but the truth is that, given the choice, I'd much rather read, cook, work-out, or spend quality time with my dogs.  I do, however, manage to make time for some my favorites (House, Top Chef, Spartacus, and the occasional HBO offerings), squeezing in a viewing while exercising or before lights-out – which is more than can be said for my movie-watching.  After building a home theater, I decided to never again visit a theater and, instead, chose to wait for films of interest to come out on dvd – until the introduction of blu-ray effectively dissuaded me from ever buying another dvd (much less a blu-ray player which, I assumed, would, in turn, be rendered obsolete by the next big thing so why bother?).  As a result, I would be completely lost in any dinner party conversation that shifted to Inception, Avatar, Toy Story 3, Star Trek, and every James Bond installment since Golden Eye.

Still, despite my seeming disinterest, every once in a while the announcement of an upcoming project will pique my interest.  And, occasionally, I may even get downright excited at the prospect of actually checking something out.

What follows is my list of the Top 5 Projects (some in development, some in production) I Most Look Forward To…

Seth McFarlane's reboot of The Flintstones

After much back-and-forth, a deal has finally been struck that will allow the Family Guy creator to reboot The Flinstones – and I couldn't be happier.  To those of you who say Seth McFarlane is going to ruin The Flinstones, I say: "Did you watch The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show? Or The Flintstone Comedy Hour?  Or every t.v. special, television movie, and live action feature film made since the original show went off the air in 1966?"  Hell, some purists will even argue that the show jumped the shark with the introduction of Pebbles at the end of its third season.   In my mind, there's no better candidate to bring back television's first prime time, politically incorrect animated series than McFarlane.  His sense of humor is perfectly suited to recapturing the show's original adult sensibility.

The live-action version of Noir

I'm admittedly torn on this one.  On the one hand, I can't wait to see what Sam Raimi and co. do with one of my top ten favorite anime of all time; on the other hand, I'm bummed that I wasn't fast enough in snapping up the rights when they were available.  This styling series about two young, female assassins and the mysterious order they work for was one of several anime properties I identified for potential live-action treatment.  Alas, my commitment to Stargate kept me from seriously pursuing it but, all the same, it looks like the property is in good hands.  Don't know how they plan on translating Noir for a North American audience but so long as they make liberal use Yuki Kajiura's soundtrack for the original anime, they can't go wrong.

Powers

One of my favorite comic book series is poised to hit the small screen. Focusing on Detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, partners in homicide investigations involving superpowered individuals, the graphic novels are whip smart and a lot of fun.  Don't know much about the prospective series beside the fact that it will premiere on FX, but the fact that writer Brian Michael Bendis is listed as an Executive Producer gives me confidence the production will do right by its source material.

World War Z: The Movie

Tired of zombies yet?  No, me neither provided they're done right – and author Max Brooks did them all sorts of right in his book, a collection of first-person accounts of the zombie apocalypse.  Clever, frightening, and incredibly engaging given the personal nature of a lot of the interviews – a must-read for any fan of the horror sub-genre. Translating Brooks' unique narrative will no doubt prove a challenge but I'm cautiously optimistic….

Transporter: The Series

Loved the movies for the creative fight sequences and the overall sense of fun that pervaded the action, so when I heard they were going to be doing a television series based on the film franchise, I was interested. And when my agent called to say they wanted Paul and I to showrun – well, I was REALLY interested. European production is already underway while main unit photography kicks off here in North America in July.  The early footage looks great, the scripts are tight, the cast is terrific, and the production is stacked with talent.  Fans of the movies will not be disappointed!

Tagged: Brian Michael Bendis, FX, HBO/Cinemax, Max Brooks, Noir, Powers, Sam Raimi, Seth MacFarlane, Starz, The Flintstones, The Transporter, Transporter, Transporter: The Series, World War Z

June 18, 2011: Set construction begins on Transporter: The Series! Looking back on Stargate: SG-1′s ninth season! Links!

Since work has commenced on the standing sets for Transporter: The Series, fellow Executive Producer Alexander M. Ruemelin and I figured the least we could do was swing by and check out the work-in-progress before redirecting funds and manpower to construction on the sundecks of our new cottages in Muskoka.

Hey, look! It's Frank's place!

Series Director Andy Mikita (who you may remember from such shows as Stargates SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe) says "Tadaa!" (or "Chadaa!" for those of you in Japan).

Stairs leading up to...upstairs! Where else?

Sarah documents everything from the future lawsuit.

The room where Frank keeps his collectibles (ie. comics, Randy Bowen supervillain statues, etc.).

Not sure. Fireplace? I tried testing it out but only got as far as lighting the kindling before I was tackled and escorted off the premises.

Alex presides over construction, offering such helpful input as "Let's move everything two feet that way.".

And…

Tarconi's office.

Getting back to my reminiscing on Stargate: SG-1′s ninth season…

STRONGHOLD (914)

In this episode, a Jaffa undergoes the Rite of M'al Sharran to rid himself of his symbiote – and dies in the process.  The rite was performed a grand total of three times before and only one of those instances proved successful (Teal'c being the rare exception).  Them 25% odds are pretty bleak.  Compare to the Tok'ra extraction process which, if the Tok'ra are to be believed, has a better but still iffy 50% success rate.  Paul and I called BS on that.  Every time we could remember it being performed, it worked beautifully, so it seemed to be more like 100%.  Which brings to mind one of the many amusing stories from our early days on the show.  Way back when we first started on Stargate, Paul and I wanted to know more about this Tok'ra extraction process.  Brad suggested we check out an episode called Pretense.  Apparently, all we needed to know about the extraction process was covered in that episode.  And so, Paul and I fired up the VCR and sat through forty-five minutes of Stargate's version of Boston Legal and Zipacna walking around with a Carmen Miranda headpiece and, all the while we kept wondering: "When are they going to get around to extraction process?!".  Then, as the episode was drawing to an end, the character of Skaara was ordered to undergo the "extraction process".  Finally!  I was all sorts of curious.  Would it be a surgical procedure or something much techier and advanced?  Would Skaara be awake through the procedure?  If so, how would he react?  So many questions about to be answered!  We watched as the court made its ruling, then watched a time cut to the next scene in which the tok'ra trot out the goa'uld symbiote and proclaim the extraction process a success!  End episode.  WTF?!!!
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention guest star Reed Diamond who plays the part of Mitchell's doomed buddy in the episode.  The former Homicide lead turns in a brilliant performance and, for the record, was terrific to work with.

ETHON (915)

This episode marked the last episode of the earth ship Prometheus, and its unfortunately named commander Pendergast.  To be honest, I would have felt a lot worse for him had he been named, say, Evans or Fitzgerald or even Pangbourn – but Pendergast?  Whenever his name came up in a script, I would always ask where the name came from.  Did some fan win a contest that necessitated we use their name in a script?  Close!  Apparently, Pendergast was the last name of a friend of one of the writers.  With Stargate over, I now regret the fact that I didn't name one of my characters Jelly.

OFF THE GRID (916)

Look out!  That corn is highly addictive!  Ah, sweet sweet Kassa.  How you've been mocked, forced to share ignominious conversation company with the likes of explosive tumors, Zipacna's silly hat, and Carter infamous "Just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle" line.  Granted, it was one of our sillier episodes that saw the team going undercover decked out as extras from The Road Warrior while, back on Earth, Landry matched wits with the gluttonous goa'uld Nerus (played to pompous perfection by the late Maury Chaykin).  At one point during the editing process, Brad objected to the amount of food Nerus had in his cell on the grounds that it was "over the top".  !  In my mind, that ship sailed the second Mitchell uttered the line: "Get all the population jonesing for space corn."

Speaking of silly – a number of fans complained about the fact that the Lucian Alliance weren't cool enough, that they were a little too silly to be considered a formidable threat to Stargate Command.  Well, to be fair, respect was admittedly an uphill climb considering the concept of the Alliance was introduced by these two lovable members -

Longtime blog regular Paul O'Dwyer gives our little Book of the Month Club a shout-out in the Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2011/0618/1224298893096.html).  Thanks to Paul for the mention.  And a reminder that July's book of the month club  kicks off July 4th with a discussion of Jeff Lemire's Sweeth Tooth (volume 1) -

A heads up from another blog regular, Steve Eramo, who has just posted a recent interview with actor David Hewlett (SGA's Rodney McKay) here: http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/scifiandtvtalk/2011/06/stargate-atlantis-david-hewlett-checks-in.html

And, of course, opening this weekend: Remember Green Lantern?  Sure you do!

Tagged: SG-1, Stargate, Stargate: SG-1, Transporter: The Series

June 17, 2011: I've become that crazy dog guy my writing partner warned me about. And barbecue! Oh, and the weekend alarm sounds early!

With Fondy heading out of town for the week, Akemi and I assumed temporary possession of her house.  And dogs, Brie and Stewie.  As a result, we'll be hosting a veritable pooch party for the next little while…

From left to right: Lulu, Brie, Stewie, Jelly, Bubba, and Maximus. But you eagle-eyed observers already knew that.

Stewie and Brie, all bummed after mom left.

They're tough guys, but they do stick together.

Bubba settles in for the long haul.

Lulu is always in play mode, regardless of locale.

Stewie makes himself comfortable.

Brie doesn't seem to mind subbing as a seat cushion.

Lulu and Bubba practice their tennis spectator look.

Jelly enjoying the great outdoors.

Maximus doing what Maximus does best.

Jelly and Brie getting reacquainted.

Slow progress on the script rewrite front.  It seems that whenever I sit down to tackle Act III, I'm distracted by meetings, requests for 1 liners, 5 liners, character descriptions and approvals.  I finally put everything to bed and redirected my focus to the rewrite – only to have Trevor walk in with a first draft of Carl's new script.

Thanks a lot, CARL!!!!!!!

Things were much brighter on the lunch front today.  Following a somber offering of pasta so thoroughly cooked that fully fifty percent of blind taste testers would have certainly identified it as wallpaper paste, we got barbecue today!

Finally, something Alexander and I can agree on!

Best brisket sandwiches ever! Barque Smokehouse!

Later in the afternoon, I finally sat down to work on that rewrite.  And then, just as I was about to start, an alarm that sounded very much like Donald Sutherland in the last shot of Invasion of the Body Snatchers went off – only a hell of a lot louder…

Not sure what the problem was, but I suspected it may have had something to do with THIS -

Got some great photos of series director Andy Mikita in action, manning the fire hydrant but, alas, none of the pics came out (time for a new camera).  Anyway, after being informed the fire department had been called, I decided to leave early – not to go home, mind you, but to double-check and make sure the firemen were, in fact, on the way.  Also, as I explained to Andy, I probably wouldn't be back because, as so often happens in these situations, I invariably end up staying to help volunteer put out a few fires before eventually calling it a night.  I'm just that kind of guy.

Tagged: french bulldogs, pugs

June 16, 2011: That was one night I'm glad I wasn't in Vancouver for! Dinner with Alexander and Sarah! Another class field trip! Lunch so bad I want to punch the chef in the face!

Yesterday, Akemi and I joined Alexander and Sarah for lunch at Terroni Restaurant on Adelaide Street.

Alex and Sarah putting up with the requisite pre-meal photo op.

Facing off against Akemi and me!

The pizza was fine, the pasta was cold, but the clear high point of the night was the surrounding decor.  Specifically THIS ill-advised piece of art (?):

I think this particular piece is called: "Making an example of potential collaborators". Enjoy your meal!

After dinner, I went home, worked out, watched part of the hockey game, grew disillusioned, then walked the dogs and started reading Charles Yu's How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe.  It wasn't until this morning that I heard about the riots.  What amazed me was not so much the fact that these assholes would be stupid enough to loot and destroy property, but that they'd be stupid enough to pose for pictures or brag about it on their facebook pages.

Would love to see all three of these douchebags face charges.

As for the game itself – meh.  There's no denying the best goalie and best team won.  Although Vegas had the Canucks favored to win last night (-160 to the Bruins +140), one has to remember that the guys who set the odds do so ever-mindful of, not who they think will win, but who the betting public thinks will win. In other words, people were putting money on the Canucks to win, no doubt betting with their hearts and making Vancouver a pricey favorite…much to the delight of Bruin fans who ended up making $40 on every $100 bet.

No doubt feeling the pressure to come up with consistently creative bento breakfasts, Akemi delivered this little culinary masterpiece this morning…

I didn't have much time to appreciate it though because, today, we were off on another location scout for Transporter: The Series…

Alexander, rarin' to go!

Tim Owen, Location Manager by day, Sears model by night.

First stop = Creepy hospital location.

While the rest of the survey moves on, I'm prepped for surgery.

They're labeled now because I always used to get them confused.

Okay. Let's make it quick.

I'll take one from column A and two from column B. I would also request a sneak peek at the dessert board.

No hospital would be complete without a basement prison.

Tim Bider is locked up until he finishes designing the interior of Frank's house.

Hate to say it, but Alex seems quite at home.

The almost perfect spiral parkade ramp.

Alexander is Vitamin D deficient and, sadly, also lacks the ability to separate good food from bad.

We returned to the Production Offices late - and hungry. Awaiting us was THIS.

Pasta so offensively bad I wanted to punch the chef in the face.

Alex on the other hand...

I ended up tossing my lunch and going out for a burger…

My Gourmet Burger burger with tomato, lettuce, mayo, mushrooms, and caramelized onions.

That's it.  I'm going to have to start going out for lunch!

Tagged: Bento, Cute Food, Transporter: The Series

June 15, 2011: Bento Breakfast! Transporter: The Series production update! Stargate fans still fighting!

Today's bento breakfast, compliments of Akemi.  It gave me the much-needed energy I needed to watch the dailies from the European shoot while listening to tracks upon tracks of potential music for our new show, Transporter: The Series.  Some truly amazing footage coming in from Berlin and Nice.  Fantastic work on the part of our European crew led by Camille Delamarre and Stephane Leloutre, with Exec. Producer Klaus Zimmerman overseeing the action.  Grab a sneak peek (and brush up on your French) by checking out the video…

And the accompanying article: http://www.nicematin.com/article/cinema/tournage-course-poursuite-sur-la-promenade-des-anglais

Speaking of interesting articles, I received the following from former Stargate Production Coordinator Tanja Balic: http://blogs.forbes.com/michaelhumphrey/2011/06/13/dude-and-50k-friends-serious-about-saving-stargate-universe/

Can't tell you how touching it is to read that fan efforts are still ongoing despite what most (myself included) consider very long odds.  According to Tanja, half of the FX stage (that once held the village and hive ship sets) is filled with stuff from the shows.  I believe there will be a public sale of items this Friday and Saturday.  Sad, sad, sad.  :(

Back on the Transporter front – today, I continued work on the rewrite of my second episode.  Also, got together with rest of the writing team to discuss: Frank's watch (are we going with the Panerai from the movies?), spinning and breaking the final three episodes, and the fact that we could save ourselves a lot of time and energy by just casting Carl Binder as Dieter the mechanic.  He'd be perfect!

A little bit of a panic over on the neighboring Little Mosque on the Prairie production offices when a french bulldog named Norman went missing this afternoon. A search team was organized and I was just about to head out myself when I received word that, happily, Norman had been found safe and sound, in the building, sleeping under someone's chair.  Whew!  Reminds of the time we first got Jelly.  She was so tiny that, when Fondy and I came back from a night out and couldn't find her, we initially assumed that one of the cats had eaten her.  After a thorough search of the premises (and several dirty looks at the feline onlookers) we eventually found Jelly curled up in the lining of the underside of the living room couch.  The incident turned out to be a hint of what was to come.  I can't tell you how many times we panicked, assuming Jelly had somehow escaped and was running wild in the neighborhood, only to discover her tucked away in the back of a closet, snoozing away, oblivious to the pandemonium.

Off to dinner with Alexander and Sarah tonight for a multicultural double-date that will see representatives from France, Japan, Germany, and Canada in attendance.  And we're going out for Italian!

June 14, 2011: Ripple Effect! The deleted scenes!

Of all the scripts I've written/co-written over the course of my 11+ years on the Stargate franchise (some 70+ scripts in all), season 9′s Ripple Effect remains my favorite.  It had all of the elements I love most in a story: humor, twists on classic SF tropes, character insight, What If's, twists, turns, and a slew of in-jokes, call-backs, and winks to the audience (for the rest of my  Stargate Top 10: August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes).  I ended up packing so much into the script that the episode ran long and, as a result, a significant amount ended up on the cutting room floor (or on the page).  Although I posted these deleted scenes as part of my Making Of series on Gateworld way back when, I thought it would be fun to revisit them here as I continue my stroll down SG-1 memory lane…

Scene 1: Landry and Lam

In the episode as aired, the action begins with Landry stepping into the control room off Harriman's "Unscheduled off-world activation!" In fact, the episode was scripted to begin with a Landry-Lam walk and talk. After their reconciliation of sorts at the end of "The Fourth Horseman," I thought it important to show father and daughter finally starting to connect. With that in mind, I wrote the following scene which, unfortunately, had to be cut for time. Incidentally, it was also a nod to the infamous "Cheyenne Mountain Zoo" controversy of Season Eight -

INT. CORRIDOR – SGC — DAY

Landry and Dr. Lam head down the corridor. As they walk, Dr. Lam references the medical update file and informs Landry -

DR. LAM: I'm recommending Dr. Reinhart be cleared for return to active duty. Lieutenant Parker's x-rays came back negative, but Colonel May suffered a fractured fibula that should keep him out of action for a while. And it turns out that rash Sergeant Hunter thought he had picked up off-world was — um, definitely not of alien origin.

She hands him the update. He gives it a once-over, throws her a sideways glance.

LANDRY: What are you doing Sunday?

DR. LAM: No plans. Why?

LANDRY: Want to go check out the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?

DR. LAM: You know, come to think of it, the last time I visited a zoo was with you. I believe I was ten.

LANDRY: They're not just for kids you know.

DR. LAM: No, I know. Alright. Sunday.

LANDRY: Great. While we're there, we can take a ride on the Shongololo Choo Choo.

Off her look.

LANDRY: I'm kidding.

She smiles despite herself. Suddenly, the ALARMS SOUND.

HARRIMAN: Unscheduled off-world activation.

Scene 10: The Green Team steps through the gate to end the tease

With all of the different versions of SG-1 coming through the gate, the various departments were as confused as our onscreen heroes. In a revised version, I was careful to label each team by the color of their outfits: Green for the real team, Desert Camo for Janet/Martouf team, Tiger Blue's for the team that steps through the gate at the end of Act I, and, of course, Black for the bad guys.

Now, one of the things I'm sure the nitpickers will seize upon is the change in uniform. The real SG-1 left in greens yet the first return team comes back in black. Surely someone would have noticed. Maybe — but, in reality, probably not. SG-1 could have headed off-world a day or two prior to returning and there's no guarantee the same personnel would be manning the gate room.

Scene 13: Mitchell interviews Black Daniel

I had a lot of fun layering in subtle hints at the various AU relationships, and this was an opportunity to drop a clue about Mitchell and a certain someone-else. Unfortunately, in trimming the episode, the following exchange was lost for time.

Black Daniel takes a sip. Green Mitchell settles in, taking the seat across from him.

GREEN MITCHELL: So, can I get you anything else? Something to eat?

Black Daniel sizes Green Mitchell up, considers, then tests him -

BLACK DANIEL: Know what I feel like? The ginger beef from Hunan House.

Clearly, Green Mitchell doesn't know what he's talking about.

BLACK DANIEL: Hunan House on Academy Boulevard? Your favorite Szechwan restaurant? The first place you and …

GREEN MITCHELL: Me and …?

BLACK DANIEL: Never mind. Check it out. I have a feeling you'll love it.

Scene 20: Tiger Blue SG-1 come through the gate to end Act I

Alternate takes of the team coming through the gate included a confused Tiger Blue Mitchell asking "What the frell is going on here?!" and "What the frak is going on here?!"

Scene 25: Green Mitchell interviews Desert Camo Daniel

This entire scene was lost for time, but it included a reference to this particular AU Daniel's allergies, and a reference to his still very-much-alive wife -

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM #2 — DAY

Green Mitchell is seated across the table from Desert Camo Daniel. A glass of water and a pill dispenser sit in front of Desert Camo Daniel.

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: So how do we get back to our reality?

GREEN MITCHELL: We don't know yet, but we're working on it. In the meantime, I'd like to ask you a few questions.

Desert Camo Daniel nods. Green Mitchell turns on the tape recorder sitting on the table. Desert Camo Daniel opens up the pill dispenser, pops a couple, and washes them down. Off Green Mitchell's look -

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: Antihistamines. I have terrible allergies.

Green Mitchell nods, moves on -

GREEN MITCHELL: Where were you gating in from?

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: Abydos, my wife's home world. With her help and the support of our friends there, we were going to try and capture a Prior. But things didn't go as planned …

Scene 26: Green Daniel and Green Teal'c interview Desert Camo Fraiser

This was a great little scene reuniting Teal'c and Daniel with Fraiser (albeit an alternate version of the good doctor). Again, due to time constraints, we had to lose some references to Cassie. Here is the exchange as originally scripted:

GREEN TEAL'C: You have been greatly missed.

Suddenly, she realizes -

DESERT CAMO FRAISER: How's Cassie?

GREEN DANIEL: She's fine. She moved in with Sam after it happened.

DESERT CAMO FRAISER: I can't imagine what she must have gone through.

GREEN DANIEL: It was tough for her — but she got through it. She managed to deal with her loss by focusing on her studies.(beat) She's majoring in Biochemistry at UCLA.

Desert Camo Fraiser can't help but smile.

DESERT CAMO FRAISER: She's doing well back home too.(then, catching herself) I mean — my home.

GREEN TEAL'C: Hopefully you will be able to return to her shortly.

DESERT CAMO FRAISER: Hopefully?

GREEN DANIEL: For the moment, it looks like your trip here was only one-way.

Scene 28: Green Carter talks with Desert Camo Martouf

This scene, as aired, actually picks up in the middle of the scene as shot. We had to cut about a minute of Carter getting this AU Martouf up-to-speed on how events played out in this reality -

INT. CAFETERIA – SGC — DAY

Green Carter and Desert Camo Martouf re-connect.

DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: So I died, not once but twice?

GREEN CARTER: The second time was the symbiote, Lantash. He gave up his life by allowing himself to be captured so he could release the symbiote poison aboard a mother ship. The first time…(beat) The first time was the host. You were compromised by a Goa'uld mind control device. I killed you. I had no choice.

She tries to read him. His look betrays nothing.

GREEN CARTER: You died in my arms.

DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: Well, if I had to go …

She is surprised by his reaction.

GREEN CARTER: It doesn't upset you at all?

DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: Why should it? With all due respect to you and the Martouf of this reality — it wasn't me. I'm very much alive.

GREEN CARTER: (concedes)I suppose there is no reason why it should bother you.

DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: I didn't say it didn't bother me. To be honest, the prospect of you killing me is very unsettling.

Again, she tries to read him.

GREEN CARTER: So … How are things in your universe?

Scene 30: Kvasir, Landry, and Green SG-1 discuss a possible solution

In the original script, the scene ended with Landry's "Shut this thing down." However, Ben came by my office and requested Mitchell make some sort of comment on Kvasir. This was, after all, the first time his character had ever laid eyes on an Asgard — something the other members of the team now take for granted. After giving it some thought, I decided to parallel Sheppard's reaction to Hermiod in "Intruder" -

GREEN MITCHELL: Even though I read all the mission reports, the Asgard are a whole lot different than I'd imagined them.

GREEN TEAL'C: And what were you expecting?

GREEN MITCHELL: Well, pants for starters.

Scene 33: Desert Camo Fraiser makes her case before General Landry

Thematically, this was, in my opinion, the linchpin scene of the entire script. Throughout the episode, we're offered glimpses of the hardships faced by the various AU realities and the seemingly insurmountable odds they are facing. The question begs asking: To what lengths would you be willing to go to save your Earth? In the case of Black SG-1, they're obviously willing to go very far — but that doesn't make them bad people.

In fact, in the later scene on the Prometheus in which Black Mitchell explains to Green Mitchell why they're doing what they're doing, its very hard not to feel some sympathize with his position. It's clear that when push comes to shove, sacrifices will be made as evidenced by Landry's refusal to delay the mission, thereby stranding these various AU SG-1′s and potentially damning their realities. As Fraiser rightly argues in this scene: "How can you prioritize the lives of one group over those of another? What makes my Earth any less important than yours?"

Scene 38: Black Mitchell and Black Carter scheme and disappear into the elevator

We were watching the dailies of this scene over lunch one day when I saw something that made me choke on my turkey club. In more than one take, Black Mitchell and Black Carter discuss as they head toward the elevator and then, inexplicably, take one another's hand and step inside. As the elevator doors close, they lean in for a kiss … What the hell? I went down to set and asked Peter DeLuise, the episode's director, what the thinking was behind that scene. He explained that he was just offering up a visual cue to the relationship being hinted at throughout the episode.

Apparently, Peter had assumed that the references to AU Mitchell's dinner at the Hunan House (which didn't make the cut), AU Carter's pregnancy and honeymoon, all pointed to the fact that these two were "an item." An interesting interpretation I'd never thought of — and not the one intended.

Scene 40: Green Daniel and Black Teal'c walk and talk / Green Daniel and Green Teal'c walk and talk

Hated to lose these scenes as they contained a bit of foreshadowing re: a later Season Nine episode. Also, it was fun exploring the feelings of the various SG-1 members to their AU selves, and I liked contrasting the Teal'c's discomfort and refusal to talk with one another with the Mitchell's great comfort and animated exchange.

INT. CORRIDOR – PROMETHEUS

Green Daniel and Black Teal'c head down the corridor.

BLACK TEAL'C: In truth, the familiar aspects of this world have proven more disquieting than comforting. This ship in particular.

GREEN DANIEL: How's that?

BLACK TEAL'C: In our reality, the Prometheus was recently lost in battle.

Before Green Daniel has a chance to follow up with a question, the real Teal'c (Green Teal'c) turns the corner in front of them. He informs Green Daniel -

GREEN TEAL'C: We should be arriving at the singularity shortly.

BLACK TEAL'C: I will inform the others.

As Black Teal'c moves off, he and Green Teal'c exchange the briefest of looks. Green Daniel and Green Teal'c make for the bridge.

GREEN DANIEL: Can't help but notice you and the other Teal'c haven't exchanged a word since he got here.

GREEN TEAL'C: Why would I wish to engage him in conversation?

GREEN DANIEL:I don't know. You guys must have a lot in common.

GREEN TEAL'C: So much so that I'd imagine it would be not unlike talking to myself. I fail to see the point.

GREEN DANIEL: Okay. Never mind.

They continue on their way.

Scene 54: Black Daniel suffers a crisis of conscience

Here's another scene I hated to lose. The Black Team has just sprung their trap, assuming control of the ship. But I wanted to make it clear that, rather than being evil versions of SG-1, this team has simply been pushed to the point where they have no other option if they are to save their galaxy. But it doesn't sit well with Daniel who, ever the voice of reason, even in an alternate universe, makes his feelings known.

INT. CORRIDOR – PROMETHEUS

Black Mitchell rejoins the rest of his team waiting out in the corridor.

BLACK MITCHELL: Alright. We did good.

BLACK DANIEL: Did we?

Black Daniel walks away. Black Carter moves to go after him, but Black Mitchell stops her.

BLACK MITCHELL: I've got it.

He goes after him.

BLACK MITCHELL: Jackson, hold up!

He catches up with him.

BLACK MITCHELL: What's wrong?

BLACK DANIEL: What's wrong? How about what we're doing. What we're about to do.

BLACK MITCHELL: Come on. We're not the bad guys here.

BLACK DANIEL: Oh. And you're telling me that they are?

BLACK MITCHELL: It isn't that easy on this one. There's no black or white here. Just a whole lot of grey.

Black Mitchell turns and steps in front of Black Daniel, stopping him.

BLACK MITCHELL: If there was any other way to save Earth, we wouldn't be here — but the fact is we're out of options and we're running out of time. So I'm sorry if our tactics don't mesh with your code of ethics, but we don't have a choice.

BLACK DANIEL: Yeah. I'm sorry too.

Black Daniel walks off. Black Mitchell glances back down the corridor at Black Carter and Black Teal'c watching. He slams his fist against the wall in frustration.

Tagged: SG-1, Stargate, Stargate: SG-1