Syfy

I am Exhausted. Yes, with a capital E. After chatting with Brad and co. about my script for the season finale, it was decided that I would go off, work on it this long weekend, and hopefully/eventually get a firm sense as to whether it was actually one episode or two. After all my talk of “too much story”, I was prepared for disappointment in the event I ended up with a solid script and a half – which I would, of course, trim down (1 jam-packed episode always beats 2 flabby episodes). Anyway, as I was leaving the offices yesterday, Rob advised me not to force it. If it was two scripts, great. If it was only one script, just as great. My writing partner Paul, however, couldn’t resist delivering the following parting shot: “Boy, everybody’s going to be so disappointed if it’s not two scripts. You’re going to let everyone down.”

So today, I wrote. And wrote. And wrote. And wrote. And, by the time I was done (and I only mean “done” in the sense that I’m “done writing for the day” and am nowhere near finished my work), I’d completed one script, 50 glorious pages, written the Tease of the next one, and had more or less figured out: a) where I’m going to end up and, most importantly, b) how I’m going to get there. As it turned out, writing wasn’t the challenge today (although I’ll admit to spinning my wheels a little on one particular scene). No, the real challenge presented itself when it came time to reconfigure the act breaks. Act 3 was too long and, despite my best efforts, either Act 4 or 5 kept coming in too short. I thought about it, re-read what I had, cut, pasted, shifted scenes, re-balanced the acts and, finally, voila! Five solid acts!

Let’s hope the same can be said for the second script. If I catch that elusive second wind any time between now and bedtime, I’d like to make a little more headway. If not, there’s always tomorrow. I figure if I complete ten pages a day, I’ll have two completed scripts by the time Brad and Robert get back from the TCA’s later next week.

Thanks to everyone participating in the Caption This contest [see last issue, editor]. I’m going to narrow it down to my top 5 and then let – who else? – Carl decide on a winner. If you haven’t already entered, check out yesterday’s entry and come up with a caption. You have until Monday.

As promised, allow me to tackle the mounting mailbag before getting back to work:

Thor94 writes: “what is the title of episode 20, and it is a cliffanger?”

Answer: The title is a secret. And, yes, it will be a bigtime cliffhanger.

Paloosa writes: “Is the audience pov for SGU through the Eli Wallace character in the first episode, much like it was through Sheppard in SGA?”

Answer: The audience POV can be through whoever one identifies with. Some fans my connect with uber-geek Eli while others, like myself, may connect with the ship’s sassy robot, Zontor 3000.

Patricia Lee writes: “Is Peter DeLuise scheduled to direct in this second half and if so, which episode would that be?”

Answer: I believe he is scheduled to come back and director another. However, off the top of my head, I don’t know which one.

Nadine writes: “Which do you prefer: this hot weather, or the cold winter weather?”

Answer: After living through all those Montreal’s sub-zero winters, I’d definitely take hot over cold.

Grapesofwraith writes: “How much of the crew would you say is continuing on from Atlantis. Are those people mostly the same as in years past, or with a new show, does that mean those are new people as well?”

Answer: There are several new faces but, for the most part, it’s the extended family that has been with the franchise for years.

Sandra writes: “I know that Richard Dean Anderson did a lot of ad libbing, and that consequently all the other actors were forced to do some as well. My questions are: 1. How much did that happen on SGA? and 2. How do you, as a writer, feel about it?”

Answer: Rick was the king of the adlibs. No one else even came close. As a writer, I’m all for it so long as it actually improves the final product. Two other actors who never failed to amaze and amuse with their adlibs were Fred Willard (guested in SG-1’s Family Ties) and Robert Picardo (SG-1 and Atlantis’s Richard Woolsey). Half of Bob’s adlibs weren’t technically adlibs in that he would often come by the offices to run them by us beforehand, but there was never a time we turned down any of his suggestions. He’s an incredibly witty guy. For instance, remember the Star Trek Experience line in Vegas? Yep, that was Bob.

Norriski writes: “Do you have any idea why on the season 8 DVD’s “Threads” is the only episode without a commentary?”

Answer: Nope.

Arctic Goddess writes: “Are you planning on having any guest directors on SGU this year?”

Answer: We’ve had several. Ernest Dickerson (Earth), Alex Chapple (Life), and Felix Alcala (Divided).

Arctic Goddess also writes: “Do you ever see yourself living and working in Japan?”

Answer: Not unless I can bring my dogs.

TBA writes: “And since you’re (presumably, that is) in a question-answering mood, can you give a few words on the ‘Destiny is the Clava Thessara Infinitas’-theory?”

Answer: There’s no connection. Not a conscious one anyway.

Maddog316 writes: “The nineth cheveron leads to destiny. Is that all it leads to? Will we find out more on this and can you elaborate more on the subject?”

Answer: Your question will be answered once the show airs.

CraigMD writes: “In regards to living conditions aboard the Destiny, I read somewhere (Gateworld?) that the ship was an unmanned vessel. Does this mean it wasn’t meant to support life for long periods of time? And if so, why are there things like an infirmary and hydroponics bay on board? Did the Destiny once have a full crew compliment before the SGU characters got there?”

Answer: See above.

Eric.Stewart writes: “I’ve been watching pictures of the Destiny and the technology that is inside it, and I’m wondering how old is the Destiny supposed to be? When the crew goes through the Stargate and end up on the ship, which year are they supposed to be in?
It seem that they end up on an abandonned ship, do we learn the reason for it ? Was the ship built with human or alien technology ?”

Answer: See above.

Thornyrose writes: “Out of the 45 places, how many have you started making reservations at?”

Answer: None yet. I’m going to contact the hotel concierge in late August, give them my selections, and have them make the arrangements.

Juralas writes: “Can we take this to mean his title change didn’t go over very well and it is no longer called “Human”?”

Answer: Uh, hello? As a producer on the show I’m in a better position to know what the episode is called and it’s called Luc…oh…uh…he changed it to Human. Right. Never mind.

Nadine writes: “Do you think, at some future point, the sizzle reel from Comicon will be released?”

Answer: I don’t know.

2cats writes: “May I ask why Marty Gero is writing and consulting producing for SGU if he has this super new gig on another show out of NYC?”

Answer: Martin is writing but not consulting.

2cats also writes: “Why isn’t James Bamford listed as Stunt Coordinator for SGU on IMDB?”

Answer: No idea.

Philburt Sugar Cane writes: “Is it difficult writing the series finale without having the rest of the season in place? Or is it not all that bad since you break the stories as a staff?”

Answer: We all take part in the story-breaking sessions, so we all know what to expect and, more importantly, what to write towards and pay-off later.

David Chapple writes: “One of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo serves a dish known as Dojo Nabe.”

Answer: What’s Dojo Nabe and where can I get me some?

Tagged: Stargate, Stargate Universe

Nihongo benkyo o shitte imasu! I’m studying Japanese! It’s well known that the quickest and most comprehensive way to learn a foreign language is total immersion. As a result, I’ve told my friends and co-workers that, for the time being, I will only address them in Japanese and I ask them to only speak to me in Japanese as well (Nihongo hanashite kudasai!). There were some complaints. And no wonder. Their Japanese language skills are atrocious! All the more reason for them to take part.

I’m amassing a bunch of questions in the mailbag that I’ll start tackling tomorrow. For today, to those asking whether I’ll be blogging while in Tokyo – of course! I’ve blogged through two of my Tokyo trips, the last one starting with this entry: http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/november-23-2008-tokyo-day-1-the-sock-hunt-the-dalloyau-vs-pierre-hermes-macaron-throwdown/

Following in the footsteps of Spambait (http://spambait.wordpress.com/) and the Weird Food Purchase of the Day (http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/november-26-2008-tokyo-trip-day-4-kaiseki-feast-porking-out-sweets-and-such-and-the-weird-food-purchase-of-the-day-japanese-ice-cream-edition/), and ( http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/august-20-2008-production-update-more-guest-announcements-and-the-weird-foodmedicinal-purchase-of-the-day/) today I kick off what will hopefully be a recurring feature: the Caption This feature. How it works – I post an awkward pic and you guys provide an appropriate caption to describe the photo. The winner gets…well, I haven’t decided what the winner gets. But it will no doubt be something very cool that can be cherished forever, like a piece of prop fruit, a personal video message from Script Coordinator Lawren Bancroft-Wilson, or a pair of Louis Ferrera’s shoes I’ll sneak out of his trailer.

So, 45 pages into the season finale and only partway through Act III, I face a tough decision. One script or two? I poked my head into Brad’s office today to give him the heads-up. He’s doing the pass on Sabotage but has planned to write Episode #17. Given that #17 is the only story we have yet to break, it will probably be shifted to season 2 (provided we get that much sought-after pick-up) if my one script becomes two, so I didn’t want him actually starting work on it in the days ahead. Just in case.. After some discussion with the other producers, it was decided that I would proceed and simply write the script I want to write, then take stock at the end of this long weekend. If it’s only slight longish, I’ll simply trim it down and end up with a very tight single script. If I’m outrageously long, I’ll reconfigure the act breaks and end up with two scripts.. All good, except that there’s a just as likely third scenario I fear: I‘m long, but not outrageously so, and end up with a firm script and a half.

Contest rules: There are none. Enter as many times as you like!

Contest ends midnight (PST), Monday August 3^rd, 2009.

Okay, we all set? Here’s the pic. Caption this:

 

Well, guess I’ll know by Tuesday.

In today’s pic ensemble, let’s check out the Stargate: Universe crew in action…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tagged: Stargate, Stargate Universe

Success! In preparation for my culinary pilgrimage to the mecca of gastronomic delights – Tokyo, natch – I have trimmed my prospective restaurants list from an unwieldy 96 down to a much more manageable 45. Of course, that’s not including a lot of the theme and smaller hole-in-the-wall restaurants I’d also like to check out like the place where the waiting staff all dress up like characters from Alice in Wonderland or The Lock-Up where diners enjoys their meals in the comforts of a maximum security prison environment complete with in-progress jailbreaks or one of the city’s many “horomune” eateries where one can sample anything from simmered tongue to tasty esophagus.

I’m also brushing up on my elementary brain-damaged extra-polite Japanese school boy-level Japanese. Dezato wa, doko ni arimasu ka? (Where’s the desserts at?). Watashi no omoshiroi boshi o nakushita! (I lost my funny hat!). Etc. Just the basics of course.

Today, the cast and crew gathered in Stage 4 to watch the SGU trailer screened at Comic Con AND the super special extra-long sizzle reel Grey Munford and co. put together for buyers and media. I’ve got to say, the only thing more exciting than watching it myself for the first time is watching the reaction of my co-workers as they watch it for the first time. The show looks gorgeous, and with the finished visual effects and score in place its downright stirring. Just the thing to get everyone all fired up for the post-hiatus sprint to the finish.

Oh, you’ll all be pleased to hear that I did make some headway on Episode #20 today, hitting the 40 page mark late this afternoon. I do like what I have but, as I told Exec. Producer and Co-Showrunner Robert Cooper last night at dinner, I fear the script is going to come in long. There is simply a helluvalot going on here. For his part, Rob didn’t seem all that concerned. Quite the opposite in fact. His reaction: “Great! Two-parter! We’ll save on of the other stories for season two!”

On the other episode fronts:

- We’re presently shooting Faith, episode #13.

- Rob is prepping Lucid, Episode #14, which he’ll be directing.

- Twitter reports have Marty G. almost finished his second script, Episode #15, Lost.

- Brad received Barbara’s draft of Sabotage, Episode #16, over the hiatus and says she did a very good job.

- After completing his pass on Sabotage, Brad will shift gears to Episode #17, as yet untitled, which, I assume, we’ll be breaking sometime next week?

- Carl is close on his, Episode #18. He was last sighted wading his way into Act V.

- Somewhat slower going on Paul’s script, Subversion, Episode #19. I assume he’s finished Act I by now.

Finally - what’s the point of going into space if you can’t grow your own cosmic tomatoes?  Today, I offer you a peek at Destiny’s hyroponics lab…

Tagged: Stargate, Stargate Universe, Tokyo travel

Well, second day back at work and no work completed. On the script front that is. Production has, however, started on Faith (Episode 13) and we have watched two of the three episodes that make up my Triuvirate of Terrificness, my Top 3 favorite episodes of the season. So far.

Yesterday, we watched the director’s cut of Divided (Episode #12). It’s tight! First-time Stargate Director Felix Alcala hits a home run, directing a riveting and incredibly compelling episode scripted by my fellow producer and writing partner Paul Mullie. Tense, thrilling, occasionally surprising, with some wonderful moments for all of our cast members.

Then today, we watched the Day 1 Mix of Life (Episode #8). Director Alex Chapple, another Stargate newbie, delivers big time with an episode that explores the hidden lives of our characters. Some incredibly warm and touching performances in this one. Of all the romances, potential and otherwise, the Camille-Sharon relationship is the one that resonates the strongest with me. Every time I watch this episode, I always get a little, uh, dust in my eye watching their scenes. Kudos to Carl Binder who wrote the brilliant script and kudos to Joel Goldsmith who continues his winning composedly ways with a truly beautiful score.

Oh, and if you’re wondering, the third episode in my personal Triumvirate of Terrificness is Time (Episode #9) – a Rob Cooper Joint. Freaky, fun, and very clever. More than any other episode (outside of our premiere of course), I anxiously await the fan reaction to this one.

Well, we’re past the halfway mark on season one and our cast continues to impress. Yes, yes, they’re supremely talented – I’ve said it on more than one occasion – and you’d think we’d get used to it by now but, every time we think they can’t get any better, they surprise us with a line interpretation, delivery, or scene that will have us (the producers) giddy with delight. And it’s not just two or three of them. This cast is solid straight through, from veteran Robert Carlyle to recurring actors like Peter Kelamis and Patrick Gilmore who have taken their characters from supportive roles to fully-fleshed out and engaging players.

I’d also like to make mention of one of our youngest actors, Elyse Levesque.  The part of Chloe Armstrong was one of the last cast because, quite frankly, it’s a very tough role. This is a character with a significant emotional and intellectual depth beneath her privileged exterior and we needed to find someone who could pull it off with range and a certain amount of subtlety. And after watching the dailies of the two-part opener, Air I and Air II, I can honestly say I can’t imagine anyone better for the role.

Elyse consistently demonstrates the sort of talent that will make people take note – fans, critics, and producers alike. Her Chloe is smart, sympathetic and incredibly charming. Much like the actress herself.

As promised in yesterday’s comments section, I reveal to you the title to Episode #19. Those of you who guessed Subversion – guessed correctly.

Tagged: Elyse Levesque, Patrick Gilmore, Peter Kelamis, Stargate, Stargate Universe

In order to make any headway on the writing front, I need the authorial equivalent of a running start – all the way back to the Tease, reading over what I have, zipping along through the first act, picking up speed in the second act until I reaching the point where I left off – where I launch myself, allowing momentum to carry me headlong into the unknown. Like the long jump: sprint, stride, stride, and LEEAAAAAAP! I landed somewhere on P.38, smackdab in the middle of Act III.

So far, so good except that I have a feeling this script is going to be long. On the bright side, I’m sure my fellow writers will be more than happy to tell me what to lose when the time comes.

I also spent some time today going through the 2009 Michelin Tokyo guide, cross-referencing with last year’s, checking out the reviews on Chowhound and Egullet, and perusing the restaurant websites. My list is huge and growing ever-larger. I’m tempted to follow through on the plan I had last year and take a page out of Chef Rob Belcham’s handbook. On his last trip to New York, he was only in for three days and made those days count, sitting down to multiple lunches and dinners. I figure that, once in Tokyo, I’ll be up early enough for a Tsukiji sushi breakfast, then an early 11:00 lunch, a late 14:30 lunch, an earlyish 18:00 dinner, and maybe a late night 10:00 snack. The key, of course, is not to overstuff. But judging from my last Tokyo culinary excursion, that may be a problem. All the same, I will try to avoid another one of those 21 dessert days.

So, as many of you will recall, I bought my mother a new t.v. set on my last trip to Montreal. After some confusion, it seemed she had finally mastered the darn thing and was finally able to watch “that dancing show” in glorious HD. The other day, however, she informed me she was having trouble. She suspected that “the men who came did not set up properly” because, try as she might, she couldn’t access any channels. “I mean, what the hell?”I remember thinking. “Why do they have to make these things so damn complicated?” As it turns out, things weren’t so complicated after all. I just got a call from my sister who was on her way back from mom’s house to deal with the t.v. issue, interrupting her dinner and driving over to do so. Apparently, mom has most of the basics down (ie. She no longer holds the remote upside down and holds down the Channel Down button to raise the volume), but she still hasn’t mastered some of the trickier moves like pointing the remote AT the terminal and not through the coffee table. Sis, meanwhile, has problems of her own as her wireless internet has suddenly stopped working. It’s an issue with her router but when she contacted Linksys for tech support, they informed her that they no longer provided tech support for her outdated router. They knew enough about the product when they first manufactured it but, if we’re to believe them, have since lost all memory of its various technical aspects. That coastline of their consciousness related to said router has apparently been eroded by time’s endless waves. Despite this, they did manage to attain a brief lucidity and offer a surefire solution to the problem: Buy a new router from them!   Yeah, I have an even better solution: Make sure your next router is either Netgear or DLink.

Well, back in the office tomorrow. Cuts to watch, on-set action to check out, and, oh yeah, that script to write.

Today, let’s take a stroll through the Destiny infirmary…

 

Tagged: Linksys, Stargate, Stargate Universe, Tokyo travel

 

 

I realize it’s a long way off but if I’d like to have dinner at any of the 2 and 3 star Michelin restaurants on my list, I’m going to have to make reservations two months in advance, and in order to make reservations two months in advance I’m going to need to decide on the restaurants I’d like to visit. There are a few places that so impressed on my last trip that I’ll definitely be going back to but, for the most part, it’ll be a whole new slate including a few heavy-hitters I missed out when I was in town last winter. Alas, my dining companion for most of my last visit, the fearless Jessica, has left Chiba and is now back in her hometown of Houston. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find a replacement half as adventurous and entertaining as she was. Or I suppose I could always treat the hotel concierge.

I received a message on the long dormant corn soup hotline yesterday. It’s back on! And tonight, I was at Fuel for a bowl of The Greatest Soup Ever: Chilliwack Sweet Corn Soup! The best corn at the height of its season is strained through a cheese cloth, again and again, until it has achieved a luxuriously rich neutron star density, and is then served with scallions, early stone fruit, and a daub of delectable foie grass mousse. For my main, I had the plump, pan-seared Qualicum Bay scallops with crispy pork belly served on a bed of summer succotash. Speaking of Fuel, apparently they’ve started their own wordpress-hosted blog here: http://fuelrestaurant.wordpress.com/. Check out their last post titled Summer BBQ Action. I want me some of them ribs!

 

To those of you asking SGU-related questions pertaining to technical issues or backstory elements (ie. Hey, if the ship was launched that long ago, how come it never ran out of power?), I can do one of two things: I can either publish the scripts or leave you to tune in and discover the answers along with everyone else.

I lean toward the latter. 

Das writes: “So, is it accurate to say that it’s like the crew is trapped on a runaway train that’s on a collision course with the unknown?”

I think there may be an opening for you in our marketing department.

Today’s entry is dedicated to blog regular and birthday boy Shirt ‘n Tie.

Yesterday, we were Inside Icarus Base.  Today, we’re Outside Icarus Base…

 

Tagged: Fuel Restaurant, Michelin, Stargate, Stargate Universe, Tokyo travel

You’ll never guess who I went to dinner with last night. Uh, right. How’d you know? Oh, right. I mentioned it in yesterday’s entry. Well, yes. Earlier in the week, former Stargate scribe and producer Alan McCullough dropped me an email and invited me out for dinner. I hadn’t seen Alan in ages so I was thrilled to take him up on his kind offer. And on the day, seeing as how he would be treating, I made sure to skip both breakfast and lunch to ensure I really took advantage of the free eats. Eventually, I was famished and ready for dinner! Only problem – it was a little after 3:00 p.m. I don’t know how I was able to hold off until our 6:30 p.m. reservation, but I managed to, only fainting twice enroute to the restaurant.

We went to Market at the Vancouver Shangri-la Hotel and had a wonderful meal. Since I was on the program, I limited myself to ONE appetizer and ONE main course(!). I started with one of the greatest starters in town, the rice cracker crusted tuna with citrus-sriracha emulsion. Tender, crunchy, sweet, savory, and a touch fiery – absolutely delicious. So delicious that I vowed (as I do every time I visit) that next time, I’ll order three and make them my main. My main, on this night, was a new menu entry: a roasted red snapper with sesame vinaigrette, radishes, and fresh ginger. Perfectly prepared.

Alan and I chatted about our respective shows. Apparently, things are well on the Sanctuary side with production on the show’s second season scheduled to wrap at the end of this month. Among the highlights mentioned was Michael Shanks’ guest spot on the show. According to Alan, he was mind blowingly good – so all you Michael fans take note. I filled him in on all things Stargate Universe and told him that no one has had the heart to tell Carl that “Alan isn’t coming back“. We told him “Alan ran away” so Carl, completely oblivious, still sleeps curled up at his old office door. It’s the cutest thing.

A rare burst of creative energy today! I revised the Tease and Act I of episode 20, getting the latter down to a more manageable 16 pages, then made some significant headway on Act II, shaping up to be a robust 14 pages. All the characters are in play but two so, tomorrow, I’m going to go over what I’ve got and make them a little more prominent, thread them into the existing story a little better. This being the season finale, I think it’s important that all of the characters get their turn to shine.

Word of out of San Diego is that the SGU panel went very well. The fans are buzzing about the show and, in particular, the new trailer. If you haven’t already seen it, head on over to Gateworld and take a peek: http://gateworld.net/video/newsandfeatures/1248429391.shtml. Again, a huge thanks and congrats to Grey Munford and his team on a job well done.

Today, I leave you with some pics of the Icarus Base interior.

Oh, and today’s blog entry is dedicated to Beckett’s Patient. Happy Birthday!

Tagged: Icarus Base, Stargate, Stargate Universe