Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 547

March 3, 2011: Gauntlet! The dish on that super-secret restaurant! And lunch at Refuel!

I was in the office today to watch the Day 1 mix of episode #220, Gauntlet.  And what a mix it was!  We had a grand total of two notes, and they were mere looping issues. Carl, who also had two notes, emailed them our way this morning.  They were: "31:00  Music cue over this montage is awesome.  40:40  Music cue over end of show montage is awesome."  A terrific job by all involved, and an extra special thank you to composer Joel Goldsmith for his always excellent work.  The visual effects for this episode are almost complete (kudos to Mark Savela and co.) and they are incredible.  It's a spectacular yet poignant season ender.  Hopefully, by the time its airs, we'll have definite word on a potential movie or two. If it's a go and fans can look forward to a proper end to Destiny's mission, then Gauntlet will certainly set the stage for a grand conclusion.  If, on the other hand, things don't pan out and Gauntlet does turn out to be the bittersweet finale, fans will be thrilled, touched, heartbroken – and left to wonder what could have been.

And Imagine Greater.

On our way out, Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Savela re-enacts the final outstanding VFX sequence from The Hunt.

Look at what I received in the mail today…

No, not HER.  The card she's holding.

It's a "looking forward to your dining with us" from E by Jose Andres, the intimate, super-secret restaurant we'll be visiting in Vegas next week.  How super-secret?  Well, in order to get a reservation, you must contact them through a secret email address which is apparently known to only two dozen people at any one time.  Well, I've heard that whenever someone new learns the address, one of the versed insiders develops a sudden case of limited amnesia or disappears under mysterious circumstances.  Still, even knowledge of the secret email address does not guarantee a reservation UNLESS a very specific procedure is followed, a series of steps too complicated to go into but comprised of (among other things): a secret knock, a coded message, a cryptic ad in the Livestock section of the New York Post classifieds, two seemingly chance encounters, and a random alias derived from an approved list of 19th female authors (Harriet Beecher Stowe at your service).

This is gonna be fun!

Today, we hit Refuel for a marvelous lunch -

crispy pork cheek terrine with broccoli, roasted almonds, and a fried egg

bucatini all'amatriciana with cured pork and tomato sauce.

bc spot prawns with butternut squash ravioli, brown butter, and lemon.

Tonight, my farewell tour continues as I head out for dinner with my longtime nemesis, Ashleigh.

warm sugar pie with pear purée and vanilla ice cream

Tagged: e by Jose Andres, Refuel restaurant, SGU, Stargate, Stargate Universe

March 2, 2011: More T.O. travel planning! Akemi's scalloped sweet potato recipe! Production Office treasures!

In addition to the mad scramble to get things settled before leaving Vancouver, I now face the added complication of trying to find suitable accommodations for the length of my Toronto stay.  I say "complication" because, for a city that purports to be "production friendly", Toronto is shockingly lacking in its ability to provide a satisfactory range of living arrangements for production personnel.  Sure, there are plenty of apartments available but just trying finding a furnished house for rent.  The selection is meager unless, of course, you don't mind being banished to the fringes where the pickings are adequate and the daily commute interminable.  Compare this to my experience in Vancouver where dedicated agents deal with the reality of out-of-town actors, directors, and producers, offering up a wide selection of choices for those who: a) may not want to live out of an apartment and/or b) don't have the luxury of spending their days shopping for night tables, frying pans, and forks.  Yet one more thing Vancouver has over Toronto.  So far, my limited options are a couple of houses near the studio (which happens to be located on the outskirts of the city in an area so remote I can give up all hope of enjoying a decent restaurant meal for the duration of my stay), and a few sad-looking places twenty or so minutes out.  Meanwhile, the clock continues to tick, tick, tick…

After looking into alternate means of transporting my dogs cross-country, it looks like I'm down to three possibilities:

1) I purchase two round-trip tickets to Toronto for two friends (0r acquaintances, or friendly strangers) and have them each take a dog.  This way, we make one trip and all four pooches arrive in Toronto at the same time.  While ideal, this option is proving problematic.  Finding two people willing to accept free round-trip tickets to Toronto is difficult enough, but finding two people willing to accept free round-trip tickets to Toronto that would have them departing Vancouver the 17th, 18th, or 19th of March is damn near impossible.

2) Akemi and I fly to Toronto with Jelly and Maximus while Bubba and Lulu stay behind with the dog sitter.  The following weekend, Akemi and I fly back to Vancouver, then return to Toronto with Bubba and Lulu.  More of a pain in the ass but at least I avoid the nightmare of attempting to corral and control four dogs on one flight.  It will also allow us to fly business class (which only allows two pets per cabin) meaning the dogs will have a little more leg room.

3) I cut my losses, thank everyone for the wonderful experience, and stay in Vancouver where I open up a quaint little SF & Fantasy bookstore with an ice cream shop in the back.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in with their suggestions for comic book artists worth checking out.  Incredibly talented people, all.  I'm slowly working way through their galleries and will be sending my editor a wish list this weekend.  In addition, I should also get around to sending him the scripts for issues #3 and #4.

Got a new camera yesterday because the old camera started doing THIS -

For those of you asking…

Akemi's Scalloped Baked Sweet Potato Recipe

2 medium sized sweet potatoes

200 ml milk

200 ml cream

2 pieces garlic

40 g gruyere cheese

a pinch of cayenne pepper

a pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper to season

Peel potatoes and slice to 1 cm thickness

Assemble all ingredients in a pan (except cheese and one piece of garlic) and bring to a boil, then turn turn heat down to medium-low and allow to cook for ten minutes until potatoes are cooked through.

Arrange potatoes in a casserole dish along with sauce, then sprinkle with minced garlic (the other piece) and cheese.

Bake at high heat until browned.

A couple of treasures I brought back from the Production Office:

 

Original animation cell from The Simpsons episode "Weekend at Burnsies".

Heh. Snagged this one off the recycling bin. Think it might prove a handy prop in an upcoming photo essay.

Carnivorous insects from SG-1's "The Scourge".

Back to the office tomorrow for the Day 1 mix of episodes #220, Gauntlet.

Today's entry is dedicated to blog regular Deni.

March 1, 2011: Soliciting your opinions on comic book artists and books! Sushi with Mike and Ivon!

Lost in all of the excitement over the upcoming super-secret T.V. PROJECT is that other upcoming super-secret COMIC BOOK PROJECT slated for early 2012 release.  I exchanged emails with our story editor late last week and the subject of potential artists came up.  He wrote: "If you have names of artists you'd like to see (or styles you think would work) — let me know!"  Aside from reading a few select trade paperbacks (Secret Six, Scalped, DMZ, Irredeemable, The Walking Dead, Chew, Sweet Tooth, and sundry Batmans) I'm woefully out of the loop on the current comic book scene.  And so, I swung by my local comic shop this afternoon and picked up a smattering of titles with an aim to checking out what I think would be a good stylistic match.

At this point, I can't say much about our series except that it will be SF, epic in scope yet character-driven, dark and mysterious but with a prevailing sense of humor that we really need the artist to capture in his/her work.  So given this vague description, is there a particular artist out there you comic book aficionados would recommend I check out?  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Since it looks like I'll be spending the better part of the year away from home and my sizable library, I've decided to top up my kindle reserves.  Thus far, my 2011 exiled-in-Toronto kindle line-up looks like this:

A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan

Skippy Dies, by Paul Murray

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson

Super Sad True Love Story, by Gary Shteyngart

Solar, by Ian Mcewan

Slightly Behind and to the Left, by Claire Light

How to Life Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, by Charles Yu

Bitter Seeds, by Ian Tregillis

Bone in the Throat, by Anthony Bourdain

The Nasty Bits, by Anthony Bourdain

Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain

Medium Raw, by Anthony Bourdain

Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain

Full Dark, No Stars, by Stephen King

The Men in the Jungle, by Norman Spinrad

Again soliciting your opinions, this time on the aforementioned titles.  Which ones should I put at the top of the list?  Which one should I save for late afternoons when I should be doing my rewrites?

An awesome dinner tonight at Miku with two great guys -

 

Mike Dopud – aka Varro, aka Kiryk, aka Odai Ventrell, aka Colonel Chernovshev.





Ivon Bartok – aka Hip Hop Holla, aka Shoesy Shoeserson, aka Spider Magnet, aka Luggageless Larry.

They almost ate 60 pieces of sushi and four desserts between them (Oh, I may have had a bite here and there).  Please do not attempt this at home.  These men are seasoned professsionals.

P.S. Akemi responded to your February 25th comments in the February 25th comments section.

Today's entry is dedicated to PBMom.

February 28, 2011: Back to square one…

Okay, I'm about to lose it.  After days of exhaustive online research, I finally found: a) a suitable doggy daycare in Toronto and b) a couple of potential neighborhoods within reasonable driving distance of the studio.  Progress!  Until today when I realized that I was looking at the wrong studio.  To be more precise, the wrong Cinespace Studio. Apparently, there are a half dozen of them scattered about the Toronto area.  And so, the perfect doggy daycare and ideal neighborhoods are no longer perfect or ideal and I had to recommence my research on both fronts today.

Also, the closer we get to that mid-March departure date, the more anxious I grow with regard to flying the dogs cross-country.  I have two friends who'd be willing to make the trip with us (meaning we would each carry a dog) but have been unable to get anyone from Air Canada on the phone to get a clear understanding of the airline's in-cabin pet policies.  Furthermore, my friends want to fly as late as possible, preferably Sunday, which would make my turnaround all but impossible given that I have to be in the office on Monday morning.

I did look into doing my best John Madden imitation and (following the advice of one of my readers) chartering a luxury bus for the trip, but the cost would be 2/3 that of chartering a private jet that could get me there in 6 hours rather than 6 days.

Paul, my writing partner, phoned me today and he's feeling equally frustrated by the pending movie.  Misery loves company.  We discussed the possibility of splitting the cost of a private jet and flying both of our families over in early April – meaning I would spend two weeks in an apartment, figuring out the landscape, finding a place and a car, before flying west to pick up the dogs, hopping on a Hawker 700, and heading right back.

Meanwhile, time ticks down on getting things done here in Vancouver: taxes, paperwork, payments, mail, drycleaning, general cleaning, and goodbye dinners.  Tomorrow night, it's sushi with Ivon Bartok and Mike Dopud.  Wednesday night, it's burgers with Jodi and Steve.

Miscellaneous pics -

Dried fish treats for dogs. According to the guy at the pet shop, they're human-grade and Japanese people enjoy eating them. This is something I can confirm.

Stargate SG-1 match box. No idea where I got this.

Lulu snoozing, spooning her stuffed raccoon.

Akemi managed to salvage Lulu's toy caterpillar by sewing up what was left of it. It now resembles a stuffed turd.

Bubba and Lulu test the durability of yet another toy.

Akemi's scalloped baked potatoes. Oishikatta!

Scripts are out and in network hands.

We await the verdict…

 

 

February 27, 2011: My Top 10 Children's Books (and two for good luck)!* revised

If you're looking to raise grounded, well-adjusted children with a strong moral core, then keep moving.  If, on the other hand, you want your kid to grow up with a sense of humor, then get your hands on the following titles – My Top 10 Children's books (and two for good luck)!

Fables You Shouldn't Pay Any Attention To, by Florence Parry Heide, Sylvia Worth Van Clief and Victoria Chess

From Story-Lovers.com: "You certainly wouldn't want your kid to pay attention to the seven fables found in this book! In them, greediness, laziness, discontent, selfishness, carelessness, and lying are rewarded, while gracious, kind, and thoughtful children end up getting spanked. It's the ultimate in evil turnabout, and one of the funniest books I've ever read."  If you can manage to track down a copy, do yourself a favor and pick it up if only for the brutally honest (yet valuable) life lessons offered.

Sitting Ducks, By Michael Bedard

Inspired by a lithograph the author created some twenty years earlier -

- the book focuses on the denizens of Ducktown who live seemingly idyllic lives.  They are hatched in the alligator-run Duck Factory, then sent off to to relax, enjoy life and, most importantly, fatten up, oblivious to further consequences.  But changes are afoot when a hungry alligator factory worker happens to strike up a friendship with an innocent young duckling…

Rotten Ralph, By Jack Gantos and Nicole Rubel

Ralph is the rottenest cat in the world – meanspirited, rude, and disruptive – yet, still, he is loved by his young owner, Sarah.  But when he crosses the line during a visit to the circus, Ralph suddenly finds himself homeless.  His dire circumstances lead him to a journey of self-discovery and the understanding that it's far better to be nice than it is to be rotten.  Just kidding.  Ralph's rotten adventures continue in other books in this wonderful series.

The Dumb Bunnies, by Dav Pilkey

No doubt inspired by The Stupids (see below), the adventures of the dumb bunnies are a hoot.

Miss Nelson is Missing!, by Harry Allard and James Marshall

The kids in Miss Nelson's class are out of control – until the day Miss Viola Swamp, the meanest substitute in the school district, takes over.  The kids are flummoxed.  What happened to their lovable (and infinitely more pliable) Miss Nelson?  The answer may surprise.  Followed up by two equally terrific books: Miss Nelson is Back and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.  Best supporting character shout out to Principal Blandsworth.

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

This book contains ten terrifically skewed takes on established fairtytales with titles like: "The Princess and the Bowling Ball", "Little Red Running Shorts", and "Jack's Bean Problem".  In the titular story, the Stinky Cheese Man can run away as fast as he can because, yes, he's made of stinky cheese and no one is all that inclined to chase him.  Still, his end is no less tragic than that of his more delicious cousin's.

Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets, by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross.

Dr. Xargle is the resident alien expert on all things Earth-related.  In the first book of this great series, Xargle educates his students on the finer points of child-rearing covering everything from bath time to diaper-changing – and gets it all erroneously and comically wrong.  Not that his class would know any different.

I worked on the television series way back when.  The finished product fell short but the scripts, written by author Jeanne Willis, were brilliant.

The Stupids Step Out, by Harry G. Allard Jr. and James Marshall

The series apparently holds the #26 spot in The American Library Association's list of 1oo Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.  That should be reason enough to pick them up.  Politically correct, they aint.

Amphigorey, by Edward Gorey

How could I forget the master of moppet macabre, Edward Gorey.  This book offers up a delightful collection of his ghoulishly gothic triumphs, among them "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" which recounts the tragic demises of 26 different children (each of who's name begins with a different letter of the alphabet) in rhyming couplets.  We used to have  a poster of the Tinies in our office, back when we used to work on Student Bodies.  I remember studying it one day, then pointing at one unfortunate and informing my gin-loving writing partner: "Hey, this is you!"

Annoyed, he marched over, scanned the poster, picked out the one most appropriate to my predilections and countered: "And this is you!"

Touché

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket

Although the ninth book in the series, The Carnivorous Carnival, ranks as my favorite, The Bad Beginning was (appropriately enough) the one that started it all for me and, thus, merits this spot in the countdown.  Tracing the tragic misadventures of the Baudelaire orphans, the series is darkly humorous, exceedingly clever, and just incredibly enthralling.  I remember being drawn to the cover at a bookstore and, while checking it out, had a complete stranger warn me off it as wholly inappropriate book for children. Sold!  P.S. Hated the movie which didn't even come close to capturing the wit of the series.

Lizzy's Lion, by Dennis Lee and Mary-Louise Gay

The rhyming tale of Lizzy and her pet lion – and the robber unfortunate enough to cross their path – is not for the squeamish.  My sister and I so loved this book that, to this day, we can recite it by heart in its entirety.

George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends, by James Marshall

Funny, sweet, and utterly charming, this collection of stories detailing the adventures of two lovable, beady-eyed hippos ranks as one of my most treasured books.  They have adventures, they get into trouble, they argue, but, in the end, George and Martha ARE best of friends.

I loved these books so much that when I heard that HBO was going to produce a series, I dispatched my agent to get me onboard.  I ended up writing a few episodes and was very impressed with the production.  Nathan Lane provided the voice for George while Andrea Martin did the honors for Martha.  The scripts and direction did a very nice job of capturing the spirit of the late James Marshall's work.  Still, nothing beats the books!

Tagged: A Series of Unfortunate Events, A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning, Amphigorey, Children's Books, Dav Pilkey, Dennis Lee, Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets, Edward Gorey, Fables You Shouldn't Pay Any Attention To, Florence Parry Heide, George and Martha, George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends, Harry Allard, Harry G. Allard Jr., Jack Gantos, James Marshall, Jeanne Willis, Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, Lemony Snicket, Lizzy's Lion, Marie-Louise Gay, Michael Beard, Miss Nelson is Missing!, Nicole Rubel, Rotten Ralph, Sitting Ducks, Sylvia Worth Van Clief, The Dumb Bunnies, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, The Stupids Step Out, Tony Ross, Victoria Chess

February 27, 2011: My Top 10 Children's Books (and one for good luck)!

If you're looking to raise grounded, well-adjusted children with a strong moral core, then keep moving.  If, on the other hand, you want your kid to grow up with a sense of humor, then get your hands on the following titles – My Top 10 Children's books (and one for good luck)!

Fables You Shouldn't Pay Any Attention To, by Florence Parry Heide, Sylvia Worth Van Clief and Victoria Chess

From Story-Lovers.com: "You certainly wouldn't want your kid to pay attention to the seven fables found in this book! In them, greediness, laziness, discontent, selfishness, carelessness, and lying are rewarded, while gracious, kind, and thoughtful children end up getting spanked. It's the ultimate in evil turnabout, and one of the funniest books I've ever read."  If you can manage to track down a copy, do yourself a favor and pick it up if only for the brutally honest (yet valuable) life lessons offered.

Sitting Ducks, By Michael Bedard

Inspired by a lithograph the author created some twenty years earlier -

- the book focuses on the denizens of Ducktown who live seemingly idyllic lives.  They are hatched in the alligator-run Duck Factory, then sent off to to relax, enjoy life and, most importantly, fatten up, oblivious to further consequences.  But changes are afoot when a hungry alligator factory worker happens to strike up a friendship with an innocent young duckling…

Rotten Ralph, By Jack Gantos and Nicole Rubel

Ralph is the rottenest cat in the world – meanspirited, rude, and disruptive – yet, still, he is loved by his young owner, Sarah.  But when he crosses the line during a visit to the circus, Ralph suddenly finds himself homeless.  His dire circumstances lead him to a journey of self-discovery and the understanding that it's far better to be nice than it is to be rotten.  Just kidding.  Ralph's rotten adventures continue in other books in this wonderful series.

The Dumb Bunnies, by Dav Pilkey

No doubt inspired by The Stupids (see below), the adventures of the dumb bunnies are a hoot.

Miss Nelson is Missing!, by Harry Allard and James Marshall

The kids in Miss Nelson's class are out of control – until the day Miss Viola Swamp, the meanest substitute in the school district, takes over.  The kids are flummoxed.  What happened to their lovable (and infinitely more pliable) Miss Nelson?  The answer may surprise.  Followed up by two equally terrific books: Miss Nelson is Back and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.  Best supporting character shout out to Principal Blandsworth.

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

This book contains ten terrifically skewed takes on established fairtytales with titles like: "The Princess and the Bowling Ball", "Little Red Running Shorts", and "Jack's Bean Problem".  In the titular story, the Stinky Cheese Man can run away as fast as he can because, yes, he's made of stinky cheese and no one is all that inclined to chase him.  Still, his end is no less tragic than that of his more delicious cousin's.

Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets, by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross.

Dr. Xargle is the resident alien expert on all things Earth-related.  In the first book of this great series, Xargle educates his students on the finer points of child-rearing covering everything from bath time to diaper-changing – and gets it all erroneously and comically wrong.  Not that his class would know any different.

I worked on the television series way back when.  The finished product fell short but the scripts, written by author Jeanne Willis, were brilliant.

The Stupids Step Out, by Harry G. Allard Jr. and James Marshall

The series apparently holds the #26 spot in The American Library Association's list of 1oo Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.  That should be reason enough to pick them up.  Politically correct, they aint.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket

Although the ninth book in the series, The Carnivorous Carnival, ranks as my favorite, The Bad Beginning was (appropriately enough) the one that started it all for me and, thus, merits this spot in the countdown.  Tracing the tragic misadventures of the Baudelaire orphans, the series is darkly humorous, exceedingly clever, and just incredibly enthralling.  I remember being drawn to the cover at a bookstore and, while checking it out, had a complete stranger warn me off it as wholly inappropriate book for children. Sold!  P.S. Hated the movie which didn't even come close to capturing the wit of the series.

Lizzy's Lion, by Dennis Lee and Mary-Louise Gay

The rhyming tale of Lizzy and her pet lion – and the robber unfortunate enough to cross their path – is not for the squeamish.  My sister and I so loved this book that, to this day, we can recite it by heart in its entirety.

George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends, by James Marshall

Funny, sweet, and utterly charming, this collection of stories detailing the adventures of two lovable, beady-eyed hippos ranks as one of my most treasured books.  They have adventures, they get into trouble, they argue, but, in the end, George and Martha ARE best of friends.

I loved these books so much that when I heard that HBO was going to produce a series, I dispatched my agent to get me onboard.  I ended up writing a few episodes and was very impressed with the production.  Nathan Lane provided the voice for George while Andrea Martin did the honors for Martha.  The scripts and direction did a very nice job of capturing the spirit of the late James Marshall's work.  Still, nothing beats the books!

Tagged: A Series of Unfortunate Events, A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning, Children's Books, Dav Pilkey, Dennis Lee, Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets, Fables You Shouldn't Pay Any Attention To, Florence Parry Heide, George and Martha, George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends, Harry Allard, Harry G. Allard Jr., Jack Gantos, James Marshall, Jeanne Willis, Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, Lemony Snicket, Lizzy's Lion, Marie-Louise Gay, Michael Beard, Miss Nelson is Missing!, Nicole Rubel, Rotten Ralph, Sitting Ducks, Sylvia Worth Van Clief, The Dumb Bunnies, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, The Stupids Step Out, Tony Ross, Victoria Chess

February 26, 2011: Some Stargate: Universe behind-the-scenes set pics! Private jets travel! Tacos! Ice cream! And a modest mailbag!

With the back half of Stargate: Universe's second season set to premiere in a little over a week (Tuesday March 8th on Space – or check your local listings), I thought it was high time I got around to posting more behind-the-scene pics…

So, following another sleepless night, I' decided to reconsider the whole "charter a private jet in order to fly my dogs to Toronto" thing.  I called up a few places, inquired, received a few quotes.  Also received a slew of unsolicited assurances about the safety of charter jet travel which ended up having the opposite effect of what was no doubt intended.  While the woman on the other end of the line was going on about her company's spotless safety record, all I could think was: "Why is she telling me this?" and "Holy shit!  She's right!  This IS dangerous!".

Guess who I saw today?

Yep. THIS guy!

Met up with Lawren for tacos at Chronic Tacos on West Broadway.  We sampled a respectable selection: slow-cooked pork, spicy pork, chicken, and beer batter-fried shrimp. And the winner?  Hands down, the beer batter-fried shrimp.  Surprised?

Anyway, it was great to see Lawren (and not just because he picked up lunch).  Depending on how things unfold, he well may be holding the fort while I'm away in Toronto. Please remind him to water the plants.

Well, I'm about to head downtown to Bella Gelateria for their Japan Night celebrations (where I'll no doubt ignore all the other flavors in favor of three scoops of kasu ice cream), opened the back door and noticed THIS -

WTF?  When did Vancouver become Toronto?

Mailbag:

hal ehrlich writes: "So it seems that you built a new set for the last epsiode , which you said was beautiful. doen't it stink that you only get to use it for 1 episode ?"

Answer: Actually, we got to use it for two episodes.  But it still stinks.

Chad writes: "Your mailbag in this post reminded me that I've been wanting to ask you if Scorched Earth was always considered a one-off ep, or if there were ever any plans to revisit the Gadmeer after they had terraformed the planet?"

Answer: It was always planned as a one-off.  There was never any intention of seeing the Gadmeer beyond the image we glimpsed in the episode.

DP writes: "Thanks to Vancouver's forward thinking in harassing the homeless population before the Olympics, you'll be meeting many more homeless in Toronto. No, they didn't magically find homes. Some moved to Toronto, temporarily, permanently, however you want to put it."

Answer: Reminds me of Calgary addressing their homeless issue by purchasing one-way tickets to Vancouver for their homeless.  Their reasoning was the winters in Vancouver were much warmer and, thus, less dangerous to them.  How thoughtful!

Thornyrose writes: "By chance did you clear that post with Akemi, or are you counting on her good nature (or lack of interest in your blog) to keep her from chastising you later?"

Answer: She was present while I was writing last night's entry.  She even contributed to the comments section.

gforce writes: "Regarding the sets, I got word a couple of days ago that the set tours for the April convention in Vancouver are not going to happen, which is disappointing (even though I was kind of expecting it.) I figured that news was a bad sign, but your comment on this post at least still gives us a little hope. Maybe it's because of lack of staff around at the time?"

Answer: No.  I was actually there on Thursday when they were discussing it and the issue was one of costs for lighting up the sets.  Even without full lighting, it would have been quite pricey.

gforce writes: "Speaking of the convention, any suggestions for lunch/dinners at places that aren't too expensive or "unusual"?"

Answer: Refuel, Modern Burger, Bistrot Bistro, Zakkushi, Yuji's, Aki, Miku, Japa Dog, Don Francesco, Bella Gelateria.

Duptiang. writes: "How do they go about choosing those who will do these commentaries and do you expect to do any for the SGU?"

Answer: It really comes down to things – availability and interest.  I don't believe I did (or will be doing any) for season 2.

StellaByStargate writes: "I know you've been quiet on the future of SGU/et al lately and understandably so. But, if you were a betting man would you say our chances of getting the SGU storyline (and those few other "goodies") tied up 1) highly probable, 2) still possible, or 3) fading with each passing day?"

Answer: I'm going to go with 2) still possible.  The fact that the sets are still standing is a good sign.  It costs money to keep them up/the stages rented, so, at the very least, this does demonstrate a desire to see the production move forward in some form.

Tagged: SGU, Stargate, Stargate Universe

February 25, 2011: I think yogurt very mysterious. Always likids on the tops!

"It's like a smoodjie,"said Akemi.

"Huh?"said I.

"It's like a smoodjie,"she repeated, assuming I'd misheard.

I hadn't.  Again, "Huh?".

"A smoodjie,"she said.  Then, slowly, doing her best to clearly enunciate: "Smooodjieeee.  Smoooodjiieeee."

I glanced down at my milkshake and the penny finally dropped.  "Smoothie?"

"Smoodjie,"she corrected herself.

"Smoooooothiieeee,"I corrected her correction.

"Smooooothiiieeeee."

It reminded me of the time we went shopping and she expressed an interested in picking up some "peasnatch".

"Peasnatch?"I asked.  "What's that in English?"

"That's English,"she insisted.  And then "Peasnatch!" as if that would somehow jog my memory.

Peasnatch?  Peasnatch?

"Peasnatch!"I heard her call triumphantly from the produce section, pointing and smiling.  "Peasnatch!"

Ooooh, so close.  "That's spinach,"I informed her.

"Spee-natch!"

Okay, close enough.

Since coming to Canada, Akemi has offered a steady stream of adorably amusing mispronunciations and butchered grammar.  Her favorite part of the bread was "the margin" (aka crust).  Prior to my trip to Tokyo, she wished me "Safe fright!".  She once ruminated on the properties of yogurt: "I think yogurt very mysterious.  Always likids on the tops!".  "Jesus Crisis!"she once exclaimed.

I am loathe to correct her because it's so darn cute.  It's like when my mother uses the expression: "Kill two birds with one."  Every time I hear it, I imagine hurling a bird like a fastball to nail a second sitting on a low-hanging branch, taking both out simultaneously.  As much as I think I should correct the mangled expression, I fear I'll miss it once it's gone and so elect to say nothing.

Fortunately, in Akemi's case, I get the best of both worlds.  I've corrected her to the point where she can correctly identify "spinach" and refer to the bread's "crust", but she nevertheless continues to come up with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of mystery words and hilarious observances.

"I want to watch fuck show,"she once told me while casually loading the dishwasher.

Huh?  What the hell had she been watching?  I knew for a fact I hadn't ordered the Adult package from my local satellite provider.  Turns out "the fuck show" was what she called Hell's Kitchen.  In addition to learning how to say "These scallops are rooooooow!" in an English accent, Gordon Ramsay had taught her that.

A while ago, during a conversation on vegetarianism, she admitted to being confused by the very idea.  After all, she said: "We have to eat meat.  Too many chickens in the world.  Too many beef.  Too many pork."  A pause to consider, and then: "Too many whales."

Sometimes, the fault is entirely mine as I'll misinterpret something she's said.  Today, for instance, she expressed an interest in picking up a present for her mother. Apparently, her mom likes lettuce head.  "Lettuce head?"I asked, pointing out that, by the time it arrived in Tokyo, it would probably be kimchee.  She stared back at me, bewildered.  It took a couple of back and forths before I realized it wasn't "lettuce head" but "letter set".  My bad.  It happens.

This afternoon, while leaving the supermarket parking lot, we rolled by a security guard attempting to usher an angry, inebriated homeless man off the premises.  "They can't touch you,"she enlightened me, referring to the homeless man.

"They can't?"

"It's against the law."

"It is?"

Oh, she was sure of it.  During her first orientation session at her language school, they'd told her as much.  If a homeless person approaches, they can ask you for money, but they're not allowed to touch you.

"And what happens if they do touch you?"I asked.

"Then you call the police and they're arrested."  She emphasized the point with a myriad of sound effects: "Booboooboo" approximating the sound of the danger alarm followed by the sound of the police siren followed by the sound of cell door slamming shut on the guy.  "It's common sense,"she said.  "Homeless can't touch me."

I thought it was the funniest thing in the world.  Until twenty minutes later, on our way back, when I had to slow down to avoid a police wagon parked in the right lane.  As we rolled by, we glimpsed the same homeless man being arrested.

"He touched someone,"Akemi concluded knowingly.

Well damn, I thought.  I guess he did.

Mailbag:

KEK writes: "Just had a look at the Teamsters Union site, with the SGU sets now being taken down I'm guessing we can assume that here won't be any live action continuation of SGU, and that Brad was unsuccessful?"

Answer: Not necessarily.  For now, I believe the plan is to strike the sets on Stage 6 (the cave and Homeworld Command which were doubtful to be used moving forward anyway). The standing sets (the Destiny corridors, observation deck, gate room over on Stage 4 and the bridge, shuttle, and mess over on Stage 5) will remain standing until we hear definite word that we will not be proceeding with production on any movie(s).  And, sorry to say, no news to report on that front.

Boyd Godfrey writes: "The blood sample I believe is a DNA sample from the "ark" ship in Scorched Earth, season 4 episode 9 SG-1.  I should know, I made them."

Answer: Hey, Boyd, thanks.  How goes it?

Debra writes: "Moving always a trauma… made worse by the not quite 100 percent sure part. When will you know for SURE?"

Answer: By end of next week.  At which point things start happening VERY QUICKLY!

Randomness writes: "Also you totally need to set some Q&As up with the shows staff eventually."

Answer: Oh, definitely.  I've already informed Alexander M. Ruemelin that he'll be first up for a little fan Question and Answer session.

Lev writes: "Was there a particular reason you guys chose to work with John Scalzi on SGU or was it a long time desire and the schedules finally worked out in time for SGU?"

Answer: Brad and I had been fan of John's work for years.  I'd actually approached John about the possibility of writing a script for Atlantis back in the day, but he felt he'd be more comfortable starting on the ground floor with a new show.  So, when Stargate: Universe got the greenlight, Brad approached him about coming aboard as our Creative Consultant.  Happily for all involved, he accepted and went on to make some great contributions over the course of the show's two year run.

Sandra Good writes: "I was talking to my Boston Terrier loving friend from Toronto (the one who actually got me into SG1) who incidentally always brags about how Dog Friendly Toronto is… sends her dogs to Daycare, hires dog walkers, etc."

Answer: Hey, Sandra.  Thanks for this.  Several people have recommended the High Park area.

Bloomgate writes: "Hey Joe – A couple thoughts on your upcoming issues: Set aside / pre-pack your favorite kitchen implements like your ice cream maker, knives, pots and pans etc. These are things that you may end up missing far more than you might initially expect."

Answer: Appreciate the advice.  I'm going to take note of what household items I make the most use of over the next couple of weeks.  The result will no doubt surprise me.

susan the tartan turtle writes: "When you move to Toronto are you going to go and look for wee Rosey? I hate it when little stories like these are left hanging in limbo."

Answer: Sadly, it's more than probable that the reason the story was left hanging was because there was no happy ending.

steph writes: "Do you know what a buckeye is?"

Answer: I didn't but I do now.  Two of my favorite things – chocolate and peanut butter – together!  Thanks for the recipe.

Janet writes: "First Cyclone yasi hit us, without power for a week. Then my family and I moved 3000 klms south. We went from the stinkin' hot to the cold. Summer here at the mo and when winter hits, ain't we going to know. Hubby and no.1 daughter already have colds. So I know what you are going through with the move."

Answer: The discomfort of my cross-country move doesn't even compare.  Hope you and the family have settled in happily.

polyp0124 writes: "Aside from that, do you follow Neil Gaiman's The Sandman?"

Answer: I love Neil Gaiman's work and do have a bunch of Sandman trade paperbacks sitting on my to-read pile.  Sadly, given the upcoming move, that pile will remain untouched for much of 2011.

February 24, 2011: Nicely formatted. Your grammar is beyond reproach. As for the rest of it – well, you may want to cancel that weekend trip.

With the first drafts of both scripts out, I woke up this morning prepared to do something different, only to spend the day doing something not so different after all.  Rob dropped me an email  to inform me he'd spoken to a couple of the production's participants.  They had a few notes.  But, Rob assured me, they were very positive about the scripts and, to reinforce the point, started off the notes session by relaying a few of those positive comments.  Now as someone who has been doing this for a while, I know that "starting with the positives" is the animal wrangling equivalent of approaching slowly and speaking in a calm, soothing voice.  It's designed to relax the intended victim, lull them into a false sense of security.  Then, the second they let their guard down, they're ensnared, bagged, and shipped off to some zoo where they'll spend the rest of their lives waiting for the man with the yellow to bring more bananas and wondering how it all went wrong.  Or working on a script rewrite.  Like most defenseless animals, writers are easily spooked and one whiff of danger is enough to send them scurrying for the relative safety of the high branches, or the bathroom, so that positive opening is very important.  "Hey, good job.  The script was really well-paced and a lot of fun.  I just have a few thoughts…" or "A terrific first effort!  Great dialogue.  Now, if you could just make a few adjustments…" or "Nicely formatted.  Your grammar is beyond reproach.  As for the rest of it – well, you may want to cancel that weekend trip.".

Starting with the positives can only mean one of two things: 1) They generally liked the script or 2) They generally hated it.  Those initial positives tell you nothing.  It's the negatives that will give you a sense of what they really think.  For instance, if their notes are few and/or capable of being easily incorporated into the next draft, then chances are they generally liked the script.  If, on the other hand, your notes session: a) at any time finds you raising your voice in defense to the point where you sound like classic SNL's Mr. Bill, b) runs roughly as long as it took you to write the script in the first place, and/or c) includes the phrase "What were you thinking?", then chances are they didn't love the script and you're going to have your work cut out for you.  Fortunately for both Paul and I, on this day, it was the former.  About a half dozen notes on each script.

Unfortunately, Paul deferred to me on the rewrites as he was busy doing…I'm not sure what.  I think it involved driving somewhere or watering something or promising to help a friend bury someone.  I don't recall.  Anyway, not a big deal.  I talked to Rob, we bounced some ideas back and forth, and I addressed the notes.  I even found time to finish up those character breakdowns.  Now, all I have to do is write up the story springboards and it's smoooooooooooth sailing.

Hey, speaking of smooooooooooth sailing, the news went public yesterday: John Scalzi's Old Man's War is headed to the big screen:

'Old Man's War' To Be Adapted by 'The Perfect Storm' Director

On the one hand, I'm thrilled for John (a Creative Consultant on SGU, an enormously talented writer, and an all around nice/funny guy); on the other hand, I feel bad for the pressure he'll no doubt be under having to decide who will accompany him to the premiere, me or his wife.

Well, it seemed so remote and unreal only days ago but now, I'm seriously beginning to stress out about this potential move.  Again, nothing is written in stone and I could end up staying in Vancouver, watching Ace of Cakes marathons and  eating cheese out of a can, but all indications point to the very real possibility that I will soon be calling Toronto home.  Of course, to call it home, I'm going to need a home and, with four dogs in tow, I'm going to need that home FAST!  I'm trying to get a sense of the city but the more people I talk to, the more confused I get.  High Park, The Annex, The Beaches – they mean nothing to me.  Even less so Etobicoke which I can barely pronounce. I'm not that demanding but, at the end of the day, it's all about the dogs.  As such, I need: 1) A house, 2) with a fenced in backyard, 3) central air conditioning for those hot summer months (the pugs and Lulu don't do well in the heat), 4) a security system (in the event I go out, I want to make sure the gang is secure), 5) furnished (as the last thing I want to do between spinning, breaking, and writing is shopping for spoons), 6) in a nice neighborhood, 7) not too far from work, and within reasonable driving distance of a good daycare.  And, I that's it.

I've been using google maps to chart my prospective routes from the various neighborhoods to the studio and back, and spent last night searching for a potential daycare. That led me to some Toronto pet forums which led me to some threads on the local dog-friendly areas which, in turn, led me to a post about a pug that went missing while playing at a park.  THAT depressed me.  Then, when I continued reading and learned the pug was on medication it desperately needed and that it's owner had accepted her pug wasn't coming home but hoped that Rosey's darling attitude would ensure that whoever had taken her would treat her well, that's when I got REALLY depressed.  And then, when I continued reading and saw someone's reply "Please keep us updated on Rosey." go unanswered – and that the last post in the thread was back in 2004, that's when I got BEYOND depressed and seriously considered just throwing in the towel and spending the next couple of years here, taking cooking classes, writing the occasional script, watching Ace of Cakes marathons and eating cheese out of a can.

After dinner, I went spelunking in the crawlspace and uncovered a couple more treasures:

 

What episode was this from? I recall the red dot at the center of the alien petri dish is supposed to be a blood sample.

A gift they handed out at SG-1's 100th Episode party.

Okay.  Let's end this post on a positive: Volunteer rescue team tracks down elderly AWOL pug

February 24, 2011: Nicely formatted. Your grammar is beyond approach. As for the rest of it – well, you may want to cancel that weekend trip.

With the first drafts of both scripts out, I woke up this morning prepared to do something different, only to spend the day doing something not so different after all.  Rob dropped me an email  to inform me he'd spoken to a couple of the production's participants.  They had a few notes.  But, Rob assured me, they were very positive about the scripts and, to reinforce the point, started off the notes session by relaying a few of those positive comments.  Now as someone who has been doing this for a while, I know that "starting with the positives" is the animal wrangling equivalent of approaching slowly and speaking in a calm, soothing voice.  It's designed to relax the intended victim, lull them into a false sense of security.  Then, the second they let their guard down, they're ensnared, bagged, and shipped off to some zoo where they'll spend the rest of their lives waiting for the man with the yellow to bring more bananas and wondering how it all went wrong.  Or working on a script rewrite.  Like most defenseless animals, writers are easily spooked and one whiff of danger is enough to send them scurrying for the relative safety of the high branches, or the bathroom, so that positive opening is very important.  "Hey, good job.  The script was really well-paced and a lot of fun.  I just have a few thoughts…" or "A terrific first effort!  Great dialogue.  Now, if you could just make a few adjustments…" or "Nicely formatted.  Your grammar is beyond approach.  As for the rest of it – well, you may want to cancel that weekend trip.".

Starting with the positives can only mean one of two things: 1) They generally liked the script or 2) They generally hated it.  Those initial positives tell you nothing.  It's the negatives that will give you a sense of what they really think.  For instance, if their notes are few and/or capable of being easily incorporated into the next draft, then chances are they generally liked the script.  If, on the other hand, your notes session: a) at any time finds you raising your voice in defense to the point where you sound like classic SNL's Mr. Bill, b) runs roughly as long as it took you to write the script in the first place, and/or c) includes the phrase "What were you thinking?", then chances are they didn't love the script and you're going to have your work cut out for you.  Fortunately for both Paul and I, on this day, it was the former.  About a half dozen notes on each script.

Unfortunately, Paul deferred to me on the rewrites as he was busy doing…I'm not sure what.  I think it involved driving somewhere or watering something or promising to help a friend bury someone.  I don't recall.  Anyway, not a big deal.  I talked to Rob, we bounced some ideas back and forth, and I addressed the notes.  I even found time to finish up those character breakdowns.  Now, all I have to do is write up the story springboards and it's smoooooooooooth sailing.

Hey, speaking of smooooooooooth sailing, the news went public yesterday: John Scalzi's Old Man's War is headed to the big screen:

'Old Man's War' To Be Adapted by 'The Perfect Storm' Director

On the one hand, I'm thrilled for John (a Creative Consultant on SGU, an enormously talented writer, and an all around nice/funny guy); on the other hand, I feel bad for the pressure he'll no doubt be under having to decide who will accompany him to the premiere, me or his wife.

Well, it seemed so remote and unreal only days ago but now, I'm seriously beginning to stress out about this potential move.  Again, nothing is written in stone and I could end up staying in Vancouver, watching Ace of Cakes marathons and  eating cheese out of a can, but all indications point to the very real possibility that I will soon be calling Toronto home.  Of course, to call it home, I'm going to need a home and, with four dogs in tow, I'm going to need that home FAST!  I'm trying to get a sense of the city but the more people I talk to, the more confused I get.  High Park, The Annex, The Beaches – they mean nothing to me.  Even less so Etobicoke which I can barely pronounce. I'm not that demanding but, at the end of the day, it's all about the dogs.  As such, I need: 1) A house, 2) with a fenced in backyard, 3) central air conditioning for those hot summer months (the pugs and Lulu don't do well in the heat), 4) a security system (in the event I go out, I want to make sure the gang is secure), 5) furnished (as the last thing I want to do between spinning, breaking, and writing is shopping for spoons), 6) in a nice neighborhood, 7) not too far from work, and within reasonable driving distance of a good daycare.  And, I that's it.

I've been using google maps to chart my prospective routes from the various neighborhoods to the studio and back, and spent last night searching for a potential daycare. That led me to some Toronto pet forums which led me to some threads on the local dog-friendly areas which, in turn, led me to a post about a pug that went missing while playing at a park.  THAT depressed me.  Then, when I continued reading and learned the pug was on medication it desperately needed and that it's owner had accepted her pug wasn't coming home but hoped that Rosey's darling attitude would ensure that whoever had taken her would treat her well, that's when I got REALLY depressed.  And then, when I continued reading and saw someone's reply "Please keep us updated on Rosey." go unanswered – and that the last post in the thread was back in 2004, that's when I got BEYOND depressed and seriously considered just throwing in the towel and spending the next couple of years here, taking cooking classes, writing the occasional script, watching Ace of Cakes marathons and eating cheese out of a can.

After dinner, I went spelunking in the crawlspace and uncovered a couple more treasures:

 

What episode was this from? I recall the red dot at the center of the alien petri dish is supposed to be a blood sample.

A gift they handed out at SG-1's 100th Episode party.

Okay.  Let's end this post on a positive: Volunteer rescue team tracks down elderly AWOL pug