Thursday, July 31, 2008

Stargate: Continuum - Video: Excerpt - Stargate Goes to the Arctic Featurette

From Stargate: Continuum's featurette, 'Stargate Goes to the Arctic' includes mini-interviews with Richard Dean Anderson, Martin Wood, Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping and Barry Campbell (from APLIS), the gentleman who approached producers N. John Smith and Martin Wood and asked if they would like to go to the Arctic. Thank you Mr. Campbell!

Stargate Atlantis - Alex Levine's Blog Update July 31 '08

From Alex Levine's SciFi Channel's Stargate Atlantis blog update for July 31, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

July 31, 2008

Slow Day Mish Mash

...Just before lunch, I spoke with Alan McCullough about Friday's episode, "The Daedalus Variations." The working title for this one was "The Flying Dutchman", which refers to the legend of a ghost ship that can never go home, and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. In this one our intrepid team finds another Daedalus with an inter-dimensional drive that sends them jumping through alternate realities. That's not a spoiler, by the way, that's Sci-fi's log line and it's on the front of this website. So don't blame me for letting the cat out of the bag!!!

In any case, the original story Alan pitched was about a room in Atlantis that shifts into alternate realities, but that scenario creates issues such as: what if there was no Atlantis in another reality? Would the room simply exist, in that example, in the middle of the ocean? So as you can see that permutation became a bit unwieldy. That is, until Robert Cooper spun it around and suggested using the Daedalus (good with ideas, that guy). And that's how the story developed. After that little gem of a turn, all the guys had to do was decide what kind of cool stuff the team would run into in the other realities. They had a lot of fun narrowing it down, as you'll see....

...Lastly, The Daedalus Variations had one of the most expensive VFX budgets we've ever had, right up there with Be All My Sins, Adrift, and Rising (the pilot). Because the show was 99% shot on the Daedalus, an abundance of VFX really opens up the episode.

Enjoy!

ATL

Stargate Atlantis - GateWorld: First hints at 'Infection' story

From GateWorld:



(Please follow the link for the complete GateWorld article.)

First hints at 'Infection' story

THURSDAY, JULY 31 (EPISODES)

The first story details have arrived at GateWorld for the upcoming episode of Stargate Atlantis.



A brief excerpt:

The first scarce story details have arrived at GateWorld for "Infection," an upcoming episode of Stargate Atlantis's fifth season.

Written by staff writer and producer Alan McCullough, the episode is currently slated to be the seventeenth in production order.

Here's what we know about the episode so far...

Stargate Atlantis - NEW Episode 'The Daedalus Variations' Aug 1

From the SciFi Channel's schedulebot, the SciFi Channel's SciFi Friday line up for August 1, 2008:

[NOTE: Times for this Friday's repeat episodes are off by a half-hour, due to the 90 minute Doctor Who season finale. No 5pm Stargate Atlantis weekday rotation episode Friday.]

5:30PM STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 8) IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING



6:30PM STARGATE SG-1 (SEASON 7) FALLOUT



7:30PM JOAN OF ARCADIA THE BOAT



8:30PM DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 4 JOURNEY'S END





10:00PM STARGATE ATLANTIS (SEASON 5) THE DAEDALUS VARIATIONS



MGM trailer From MGM Stargate



11:00PM DOCTOR WHO - SEASON 4 JOURNEY'S END



12:30AM STARGATE ATLANTIS (SEASON 5) THE DAEDALUS VARIATIONS



SciFi.com episode trailer:



01:30AM STARGATE SG-1 (SEASONS 1-5) JOLINARS MEMORIES



02:30AM STARGATE SG-1 (SEASONS 1-5) THE DEVIL YOU KNOW




Stargate photos courtesy of GateWorld


Official Stargate Special Ops member

Stargate: Continuum - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Amanda Tapping

From MGM Stargate:



Close Up: Amanda Tapping

July 31, 2008 (Actors)

She’s crossed the universe with Stargate SG-1, but filming Stargate Continuum gave star Amanda Tapping her greatest challenge yet – filming inside the Arctic circle.



A brief excerpt:

...“The one thing that I really missed on it was Teryl [Rothery]. I was hoping that there would be a way that we would find Dr. Fraiser somewhere. I know that the scope of the movie was so huge that the odds of us actually finding a comrade from our time was slim, but it would have been nice,” she says. “But the fact that we had Don Davis there, and we had William Devane come back as the president, and we had Cliff [Simon] – we were very lucky in the people that we were able to bring back...”

...Nor does Tapping think that the film marks the end of her involvement with Samantha Carter, the character that she has carried with her for so long.

“I don’t think that it’s the last for anyone. I think we all hold out hope that there will be a possibility for more, and I think it’s safe to say that we would all happily go back and do another one,” Tapping states. “I’m sure we’re all working on our own things right now, but if the opportunity came up and I was able, I would jump through flaming hoops to do another SG-1. I have so much respect for the people that run the franchise, for Brad [Wright] and Robert [C. Cooper] who wrote the films, and if they asked I would do everything I could to do it.”


Story by Sharon Gosling

Joe Flanigan - Video: Questions and Answers Part 3

Courtesy of the SciFi Channel and HULU, from Stargate Atlantis' fourth season, Joe Flanigan Q&A - Part 3.

Stargate Atlantis

Web Exclusive |04:52 |PG |

Joe Flanigan (Lt. Col. John Sheppard) answers fan questions from the Forum in this special Q&A series.

Eureka - Video: 'Bad to the Drone'

Courtesy of the SciFi Channel and HULU, Eureka's third season premiere episode, 'Bad to the Drone.' Starring Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson, Joe Morton, Jordan Hinson, Niall Matter, Erica Cerra and Ed Quinn. Guest stars include Frances Fisher, Chris Gauthier and Kirsten Robek.

Success comes at a price, as several citizens of Eureka discover when the DoD sends a corporate fixer to town during an anti-missile test that sees the target drones threatening Eureka.

Stargate Atlantis: 2nd Annual Robert Picardo Charity Dinner

From the official Robert Picardo web site:

(Please follow the link for more information.)



Where: Palace Station Hotel & Casino, 2411 West Sahara Drive, Las Vegas, NV

When: August 10, 2008 from 8pm - 12am

Cost: $35 per ticket (includes dinner)

All proceeds go to the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Supernatural - TV Guide Online: Video: Jared Padalecki

At TV Guide Online:



TV Guide News

VIDEO: Supernatural's Jared Predicts Dark Changes

On Tuesday we gave you scoop from Supernatural star Jensen Ackles, but what kind of people would we be if you didn't give you the other half of the brotherly duo? Watch as Jared Padalecki reveals his predictions about a tougher and darker Sam to come on this upcoming season, the change that may occur with the Sam-Dean dynamic and just how manipulative those gosh darn demons if you're not on point!



Supernatural's Jensen Ackles Talks Hell

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Stargate: Continuum - Cinema Blend: Aircraft Carrier Premiere

From Cinema Blend:

(Please follow the link for the complete article and to view 100+ photos.)

Comic Con: Aircraft Carrier Premiere Of Stargate Continuum


By Josh Tyler: 2008-07-31 01:13:05

This was Cinema Blend’s first year at the San Diego Comic Con, and we figured as long as we were there, we might as well do it up in style...We stood at the base of the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier now permanently docked and floating in the San Diego Bay.

We were there for the world premiere of Stargate Continuum, a direct to DVD movie spun-off from the ever popular, yet still inexplicably cancelled television series Stargate SG-1...

To our right was a gigantic movie screen, set up on the landing strip, up against the conning tower, with a grand stand in front of it. To our left, a red carpet wedged between two fighter planes, where Richard Dean Anderson, Ben Browder, and the rest of the cast (minus the absent Claudia Black) lined up to endure our questions. Endure them they did (cheerfully even), and we grilled them on the MacGyver movie. All of them. Even though none of them save one have ever had anything to do with MacGyver. Blame Richard Dean Anderson, who suggested we keep asking the question to everyone who came behind him, until we got a scoopy answer. Oddly enough, most of the cast simply looked confused, except for Browder, who cheerfully latched onto the idea of replacing Richard Dean Anderson in yet another role.

New Amsterdam - Video: 'Golden Boy'

Courtesy of HULU, New Amsterdam's 'Golden Boy,' starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Zuleikha Robinson, Alexie Gilmore, Stephen Henderson, and Chad Coleman. Guest stars include Anastasia Griffith, Casey Siemaszko, Charles Dumas and Rosalyn Coleman.

Amsterdam and Eva investigate the suspicious death of a student at a prestigious New York City private school which leads to the revelation of a twisted 'affair.'

Stargate: Continuum - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: DVD screening ship-shape

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA):

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)



DVD screening ship-shape

Thursday, July 31, 2008

By Sharon Eberson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

SAN DIEGO -- The setting, even for a city with glorious seascapes, was breathtaking, taking the stars of "Stargate SG-1" where few premieres had gone before: aboard the USS Midway in San Diego harbor, for a red-carpet walk and special screening of "Stargate: Continuum."

The straight-to-DVD movie, in stores this week (see review), had taken the cast through a time-traveling adventure and far, far away from this breezy, clear sky -- to the Arctic.

With help from the U.S. Navy, director Martin Wood and stars Richard Dean Anderson, Ben Browder and Amanda Tapping landed in the Arctic Circle, where polar bears and frost bite were constant dangers and a nuclear submarine hit its mark, crashing through the ice for a rescue scene in the film.

...One thing you won't see again, says Anderson, is the return of MacGyver, which he has parodied in commercials and on "The Simpsons."

"I'd love to return to 'The Simpsons.' Dan Castellaneta [voice of Homer Simpson] is my hero. We met on 'Stargate,' " when Castellaneta was a guest star...

Stargate: Continuum - Movie Web: Video: Ben Browder Interview

From Movie Web:

Stargate: Continuum

Exclusive: Ben Browder Interview

Our exclusive 1-on-1 interview with Ben Browder who plays Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell on Stargate: Continuum.

Stargate: Continuum - Movie Web: Video - Brad Wright Interview

From Movie Web:

Stargate: Continuum

Exclusive: Creator Brad Wright Interview

We go 1-on-1 for an exclusive with creator Brad Wright to talk about Stargate: Continuum.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Video: Movie Trailer

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' opens November 21, 2008. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, David Bradley, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Natalia Tena, Julie Walters and David Thewlis.

Stargate Atlantis / Continuum - Canada's Space Channel: Video Reports Pending

From Canada's Space Channel:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

San Diego Comicon - In the edit suite

MARK ASKWITH REPORTS

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 14:56

It is Wednesday, and most of us are all working on making the San Diego Comicon Special. We sent two crews (a producer, and host, and a cameraperson each) down to the show, and now we're back and our role has shifted to 'making' rather than 'gathering'. The other people in the office are working on the Star Wars: Clone Wars Special which will air the following week.

So, as you can imagine, we're busy!

I have just finished working with the editors on some 'modules'- tasty story chunks, if you will. We have nice pieces on Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate: Continuum, The Spirit, The Eisner Awards, Artist's Alley, Watchmen, and Fringe, just to name a few.

Stargate Atlantis - Cinema Spy: Jewel Staite Interview

From Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)



Exclusive Interview: Jewel Staite

Actress talks 'Stargate Atlantis' and shedding Kaylee

By Blaine Kyllo | Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Jewel Staite has been acting since she was a child, but it was the role of Kaylee Frye in Joss Whedon’s Firefly that cemented her status as genre fan favourite. She stepped in to play the role of chief medical officer Jennifer Keller on Stargate Atlantis after Paul McGillion (Carson Beckett) was exited.

In an interview with journalists at Vancouver’s Bridge Studios in May, Staite talked about returning home to work - she was born in White Rock and raised in the Lower Mainland. She also discussed how her character has changed since being introduced and since being established as regular cast member, and what it’s been like to try and shed the skin of the beloved Kaylee.

Question: With the start of the season [Season 5], now that you’ve been in the pack for a year, how does it feel coming back into having a stronger storyline and where you’re moving with your character?

Jewel Staite: It feels really good. I think that we’ve started a groove with Dr. Keller, and I feel like I know her more. I can start exploring different avenues of her personality more. I don’t have to stick with what’s in the script, I can start inserting more of me into the character. It’s nice to become familiar. And it takes a while to do that, especially on a series, because you never know what’s going to happen with your character from week to week.

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - SFX Magazine Issue 173: Stargate Atlantis Set Visit

From SFX Magazine:

(Please follow the link for the complete Table of Contents)



Wednesday July 30, 2008

Latest issue

SFX 173 – September 2008 - On sale Wednesday 30 July 2008

EXCLUSIVE COVERS!

Two news-stand covers to choose from! To celebrate SFX's exclusive insight into the future of Star Wars, this month you can choose whether to go with the Light Side, represented by Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, or to follow the Dark Side with a cover graced by Count Dooku and the new villain Asajj Ventress. The two striking covers will be split and available randomly on the news-stand. Subscribers will receive an ultra limited third cover, not available in shops, featuring Jedi Master Yoda! Rollover the thumbnails above to get a decent look at each of the covers.


FREE STUFF!

Each copy of SFX also comes with an exclusive Star Wars: The Clone Wars PocketModel pack from the new WizKids card game, featuring two cardboard ships from the new animated story for you to make and play with. NB: The cover bag on this issue incorrectly states that there are three ships in the PocketModel pack instead of two. This was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time the issue went to press, and we apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment this may cause.

STARGATE ATLANTIS

We’ve been on set for the fifth season! Check out our full report, plus details of DVD movie Continuum.


THE FUTURE OF STAR WARS

THE MUMMY 3

FANNISH INQUISITION

GET SMART

THE HG WELLS EFFECT

REWIND
Enter, stranger! Your retrospective guide to Knightmare, TV’s Treguard-hosted classic adventure show. Five pages including rare pics and behind-the-scenes photos…

ANATOMY OF A CLASSIC
We take a scalpel to John Carpenter’s 1978 horror flick, Halloween.

THE PRISONER
SFX's Red Alert news section breaks the story about the forthcoming remake of The Prisoner (it won't be filmed in Portmeirion, fact fans)…


PROFILES

This month we interview Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica’s Boomer/Athena), Stephanie Meyer (the popular Twilight author) and Jorge Garcia (Hurley from Lost). Did you know that in school Garcia was a wrestler called The Baby Face Assassin? Fact!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - Video: Act Three

Courtesy of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and HULU, Act Three.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - Act Three

Web Exclusive |(cc) |15:29 |

Captain Hammer's latest good deed earns him a statue, but Dr. Horrible has other plans for the self-centered superhero.

Sanctuary - Video: SciFi Channel Sneak Peek

The SciFi Channel's sneak peek of Sanctuary that aired during Eureka's third season premiere Tuesday, July 29.



Sanctuary premieres October 3 '08 at 10pm on the SciFi Channel (US).

Stargate: Continuum - SciFi Weekly: Review

From the SciFi Channel's SciFi Weekly:

(Please follow the link for the complete review. The review author rated Continuum with an A-.)



REVIEWS: SCREEN

July 30, 2008

Stargate: Continuum

The SG-1 crew comes back for an adventure in the Arctic—and enters an alternate world

By John Sullivan



Cast/crew photo at the Arctic APLIS site

...The richness of a theatrical release

Continuum is the second direct-to-DVD SG-1 movie since the series wrapped. Where the earlier Ark of Truth concerned itself largely with wrapping up loose ends from the show, Continuum presents a stand-alone story. Writer and show runner Brad Wright has made no secret of his intent to use Continuum to demonstrate to MGM that Stargate can reach audiences beyond the series' fan base and convince the studio to green-light new movies for the big screen.

...The fans, on the other hand, are going to eat Continuum up with a spoon. It really does look like a theatrical release, with remarkable production values for direct-to-DVD. The producers have made much of how they got to shoot a key sequence on the real Arctic ice pack with a real nuclear submarine. It's an impressive sequence, but it's not the only one. There are also some excellent battle scenes aboard the freighter, some good-looking aerial action and more.

...Whether Continuum will lead to more big-screen Stargate movies remains to be seen, but between Atlantis, the possibility of another two direct-to-DVD movies and ongoing rumors of a third series, the Stargate franchise appears to be on solid footing. And Continuum is an entry it can be proud of. — John

Stargate Atlantis - SciFi Pi: Video - Stargate SpyCam!

From Australia's SciFi Channel's SciFi Pi:

(Please follow the link for the complete article and to view the SpyCam!)



SPECIAL FEATURES

Stargate Spycam - Exclusive Forbidden Footage From The Stargate Studios!

Thursday, July 31

by Captain


On our recent trip to The Bridge Studios, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the World, we managed to sneak a little video spycam onto the set of Stargate!

Of course, by 'spycam' we mean the crappy video recorder function on our digital camera. So the quality's not the best. But for that, there's the essential flavour of 'truth'. Here now is the unvarnished reality of Stargate. And frankly - it's awesome!

Stargate: Continuum -

From Australia's SciFi Channel's SciFi Pi:

(Please follow the link for the complete article. Behind the scenes photos from the production of Stargate: Continuum at the site.)



INTERVIEWS

Martin Wood Interview - Stargate: Continuum

Thursday, July 31

by Captain


Martin Wood has been directing Stargate for more than a decade - with forty six Stargate: SG1 episodes behind him, and thirty Stargate: Atlantis episodes under the belt, he was the natural 'go to' guy for the creator and writer of Stargate, Brad Wright, when it came to choosing the director for Stargate's first standalone feature, Continuum.

His career includes working on Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Earth: Final Conflict, Jeremiah, and the new SCI FI series, Sanctuary, starring Stargate's Amanda Tapping, where he is also producing and writing. We spoke to him about directing Stargate: Continuum - and he had a heck of a time!



TIME FOR REFLECTION

One of the big pluses for the fans, despite the huge action scenes, are the character moments. But it's a difficult balancing act with the action and deliberately slowing the pace.
MW: "Originally in the script, Brad had much bigger scenes written than what you actually see now. Robert Cooper convinced Brad to cut down a lot of that. Knowing what was in there, I think a lot of fans would have enjoyed it, but also, I think a lot of them would have thought it was a bridge too far. What we saw was our a team not being a team, not being the characters that we know. So when Carter goes shopping, someone recognises her and she says no, no I'm not Samantha Carter. It was a bigger beat for her.

I think it was nice to get the taste that we did, but anyway, everything changes so quickly when the Alkesh shows up - we're back to the people that we know. I really liked that. The beats are so well thought out.

When you shoot a TV show, you don't have the opportunity to massage the writing in a way that we did here. A lot of the time you'll get on set and realise 'oh oh' this isn't going to work and you'll tap dance around it or wink at it, or just try to divert the audience's attention. In this case, all the pitfalls are thought out beforehand."


To read our review of Stargate: Continuum, click here

Battlestar Galactica - Video: NBC San Diego: Tricia Helfer Interview

At NBC San Diego:



'Number Six' Appreciates Loyal Fans


Comic-Con 2008

Actress Tricia Helfer, 'Number Six' of 'Battlestar Galactica, considers Comic-Con as the home for the sci fi series.

Battlestar Galactica - Video: NBC San Diego: Jamie Bamber Interview

At NBC San Diego:



Jamie Bamber In 'Awe'

Comic-Con 2008

Jamie Bamber, Capt. Apollo of 'Battlestar Galactica', talks about how Comic-Con has grown into a "captialist, euphoric wet dream."

Battlestar Galactica - Video: NBC San Diego: Katee Sackhoff Interview

At NBC San Diego:



Show 'Reinvents' Science Fiction

Comic-Con 2008

Katee Sackhoff, 'Starbuck' from 'Battlestar Galactica' talks about producer Ron Moore and how he has reinvented sci fi television.

The Dresden Files - Video: 'Soul Beneficiary'

Courtesy of HULU, The Dresden Files' 'Soul Beneficiary,' starring Paul Blackthorne, Valerie Cruz, Terrence Mann and Raoul Bhaneja. Guest stars include Karen Cliche, Matt Gordon and Kerry Lai Fatt.

When a man who has been having premonitions that he's about to die drops dead in Dresden's office, Harry is plunged into a bizarre murder plot that ends up revealing a dark secret from Bob's past.


John Barrowman - Video: Comic Con - Singing from 'Miss Saigon'

Thanks to BBC America for the information.

During the Torchwood panel, a fan in the audience asked John Barrowman and Naoko Mori if they could sing a few bars from "The Last Night of the World" from Miss Saigon, the musical Barrowman and Mori had done together years ago. They obliged - beautifully. Watch and be impressed:

Stargate: Continuum - The HD Room: Contest for Blu-Ray - US & Canada

From The HD Room:



Stargate Continuum Blu-ray Giveaway

July 30, 2008

Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment has just released the second direct-to-video Stargate film featuring the SG-1 team on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Unlike the first, Ark of Truth, Continuum is a self-contained story accessible to series newcomers and hardcore fans alike.

Thanks to the fine folks at Fox and MGM we have five copies of Stargate Continuum on Blu-ray Disc (read our review) to issue to the lucky winners of this contest. You can take a shot at winning one by entering via the simple form below. Daily entries are encouraged to greatly increase your odds of winning.


Contest Rules


Simply complete and submit the entry form [at the site] to us with your name, physical and e-mail address where we can send the prize if you win.

This contest is open to all residents of the United States and Canada, and will close on August 27, 2008 at 9:59 pm PST.

You can enter this contest once every day until the contest closes.

Brendan Fraser - SciFi Weekly: The Mummy 3 Interviews

From the SciFi Channel's SciFi Weekly:

(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)



Maria Bello and director Rob Cohen join Brendan Fraser for another Mummy adventure

By Cindy White

In the seven years since the second film in the revitalized Mummy franchise hit the big screen, Brendan Fraser was continually asked when he'd follow it up with a third installment. But it took a while to find a way to do it that honored the previous films and still provided audiences with a story that felt fresh and original. It wasn't until the producers hit upon the idea of moving the action from Egypt to China that everything started falling into place.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor takes place 13 years after the events of The Mummy Returns and finds married couple Rick (Fraser) and Evelyn O'Connell (Maria Bello) living a peaceful, if somewhat boring, life after retiring from the world of exploration and adventure. They eventually reconnect with their son Alex (Luke Ford)—now 21 years old and an adventurer in his own right—in China when they're sent on a mission to deliver an artifact to the Shanghai Museum. What they don't know is that Alex has become inadvertently involved in a plot to free an ancient, ruthless Chinese emperor (Jet Li) from a curse that sealed him forever in a terra cotta prison.

Besides the change in venue on screen, there were also a few off-screen personnel changes that distinguish the third film from the previous ones. Stephen Sommers, who directed the first two Mummy films, transitioned into a producing role this time, handing over the reins to director Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious). Also, Bello was brought on to replace Rachel Weisz, who chose not to return to the role of Evie in the third.

SCI FI Weekly had the opportunity to chat with Fraser, Bello and Cohen at the press junket for the new film about shooting on location in China and what's in store for the O'Connells this time around. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens Aug 1.


Maria, were you a fan of this franchise? Did you go back and watch the previous films?

Bello: I didn't go back and look at them, not for any reason except that I'd already seen them, because I love action movies. [I have] my whole life. I mean, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I mean, that's one of the reasons I got into acting. And, surprisingly, I've become known as this dramatic actress, but people would ask me throughout the years, "What role do you really want to do?" And I'd say, "Indiana Jones. I want to be an action hero." And it was a month before my 40th birthday, and I finally gave up. I thought, "You know, I've gotten everything I've always wanted. I've done these great roles, worked with amazing people, but I guess I'm not going to get that one, because how many roles are there for a 40-year-old action star?" And two weeks later, Rob Cohen called me and said he really wanted me to do this role. And I was thrilled. And I read the script and I realized the character was so different from the Rachel Weisz character. He always said, "If Rachel in those films was like Audrey Hepburn, this character was Katharine Hepburn," a little older and more sophisticated.

Rob, you have said you have a love of China and Chinese culture. So what did it mean for you to get offered this film, knowing you would be filming there?

Cohen: It was such a joy. It was such a gift from the movie gods. And it came as such an unusual and surprising package for me, because I've always said, "I don't do sequels. I'm never doing sequels, even to my own movies." And then suddenly comes a sequel. It's very much like life. When you say, "No, no, no. Never, never, never," you're sure something's going to happen. ... And here came one through the back door, that was just the greatest joy I've ever had as a filmmaker.




Brendan, was it fun, chasing mummies again?

Fraser: Yes. It's what I do! Actually, they chase me. I'm like, "Leave me alone already, will you?"


The last time you did this was 2001, so a lot of time has passed between then and now. Was it weird to get back into the role?

Fraser: No! I wanted to play Rick. I was missing it. I've been waiting for the call from the studio since then. I love it. You get to do so much fun stuff, as an actor. You get to go to great places. They strap you into harnesses and throw you around. You have to look like you really know how to take care of business and beat people up, when you're actually really a wimp. They're great fun movies. There's real appeal.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Farscape - iO9: Rebooting Farscape?

From iO9:

(Please follow the link for the complete article. Photos and an embedded video clip at the site.)



How We'd Give Farscape a Battlestar-style Reboot, and Make a New Hit

After chatting briefly with the extremely nice (and still-ultra-hunky) Ben "Farscape" Browder at Comic-Con, I realized what society needs most right now: A reboot of 1990s space opera Farscape. Supposedly the Sci-Fi Channel is airing 10 Farscape webisodes, but those have yet to materialize and besides they are not enough. There are a lot of cool ways this underrated show could return to TV as something darker, less campy, and more socially relevant, just like Battlestar Galactica did. And with all the good alien ensemble dramas evaporating from TV (later days, Star Trek: Enterprise and Stargate), now is the time to strike.

Coolness of the old Farscape:


What made the original Farscape interesting was its vision of a human stranded among aliens. Unlike your typical ensemble space opera, humans were in the minority and we had a lot of chances to explore weird alien worlds. With Brian Hensen's production house behind its alien creatures, Farscape pretty much always had lovely concept design. We see this world through the eyes of John Crichton (Ben Browder), an astronaut accidentally sucked through a wormhole and deposited on the far side of the universe among warring alien factions. He takes refuge on a sentient ship called Moya, among escaped convicts.

How to Reboot:


A rebooted show could play up the criminal backgrounds of Moya's crew. Who can be trusted? Have alliances shifted? The tut-tutting little puppet Rygel once ruled 600 billion subjects of the Hynerian empire, but was sold out to the evil Peacekeepers by his cousin. Maybe we could give him a more ambiguous history — perhaps he was a cruel dictator, and we can see his cousin's side of the story. Meanwhile, we know the zen yoga lady Zhaan assassinated her lover because he helped the Peacekeepers take over her home planet. Let's make her more of a ninja assassin type: Let her use those powers of invisibility more, and do more explosives work. And let's make the anarchist thief Chiana into more of a Warren Ellis-style character who spouts political opinions between bursts of ass-kickery...

Stargate: Continuum - GateWorld: Review

From GateWorld:

(Please follow the link for the complete GateWorld review.)



Review: Stargate: Continuum


It's hard to believe it has been nearly two years since Stargate SG-1 was cancelled -- nearly two years since MGM announced it would follow up the series with a pair of direct-to-DVD movies. Now the second of those is here (following March's release of The Ark of Truth).

Comparisons between Stargate: Continuum and the television series are inevitable, as well as between this film and Ark of Truth. Does the movie break new ground while retaining Stargate's well-worn sensibilities? Does it duplicate past story ideas, such as "Moebius," too closely? Is it accessible to new viewers?

Stargate Atlantis - GateWorld: Podcast: Episode #3

From GateWorld:

GateWorld Podcast: Episode #3

TUESDAY, JULY 29 (FEATURES)

Darren and David talk about "Broken Ties," and David shares his Comic-Con experiences.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - Video: Act Two

Courtesy of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and HULU, Act Two.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Web Exclusive |13:07 |

As the romance between Penny (Felicia Day) and Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion) blossoms, a disheartened Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) continues with his evil plan.

Eureka - Video: SciFi.com - Comic Con Panel

The 'Eureka' Comic Con '08 panel video is now available at SciFi.com



'Eureka' season three premieres tonight on the SciFi Channel at 9pm, with repeats of 'Bad to the Drone' at Midnight and on August 5 at 8pm.

Stargate Atlantis - NEW Publicity Stills from 'Whispers'

Stargate Atlantis' new season five episode, 'Whispers,' airs in September on the SciFi Channel, and guest stars Paul McGillion, Christina Cox, Janina Gavanakar, Leela Savasta and Nicole DeBoer.

Please click on the photo for a larger size.




Dr. Carson Becket (Paul McGillion)




Lt. Col. John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and Capt. Alicia Vega (Leela Savasta)




Maj. Anne Teldy (Christina Cox) and Vega



Teldy and Shep

Stargate Atlantis - NBCMV: SciFi Channel Has Best July Ever...

From NBCUMV:

SCI FI CHANNEL HAS BEST JULY EVER WITH YOUNG AND FEMALE VIEWERS


Published: July 29, 2008

Ranks #6 Among Adults 25-54

New York, NY – July 29, 2008 – SCI FI Channel's ratings growth continues to draw new viewers with its best July ever among young and female viewers. Year to date, SCI FI is up 8% among adults 18-34 and 3% among female viewers 18-34 for the month. Additionally, SCI FI was up in males 18-34 (126,000/+13%), males 25-54 (370,000/+1%), females18-49 (263,000/+4%) and females 25-54 with (291,000/+5%).

In a year-to-year comparison, SCI FI averaged 578,000 adults 18-49 (+1%), 661,000 among adults 25-54 (+2%) and 1.24 million total viewers (+3%). SCI FI is the 6th ranked basic cable entertainment network among adults 25-54 and was ranked in the top ten among males 18-49 and males 25-54.

Program highlights include:

· The season 5 premiere of Stargate Atlantis on July 11 saw increased viewership averaging 1.3 million adults 18-49, 1.4 million adults 25-54, and 2.4 million total viewers. This was Atlantis' best performance since the season 4 finale in March 2008. This is above the Season 4 average by +20% in adults 18-49, by +22% in adults 25-54, and by +22% in total viewers.

· The mid-season premiere of Ghost Hunters International on July 9 averaged 1.4 million adults18-49, 1.5 million adults 25-54, and 2.4 million total viewers marking the best performances in these demos since the series premiered in January 2008.

· The triumphant return of Scare Tactics hosted by Tracy Morgan on July 9 in the 10pm hour delivered 646,000 adults 18-34, 1.2 million adults 18-49, 1.2 million adults 25-54, and 2.1 million total viewers. This is a series high performance among adults 18-34. Both episodes also delivered the best performances for Scare Tactics in all key demos for any episode since the initial series premiere on April 4, 2003.

Please note all data includes the most current blend of Live+7 and Live+SD.

Eureka - Total SciFi: Eureka Season 3: Geniuses at work

From Total SciFi:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)



Eureka Season 3: Geniuses at work

The titular town of the cult Sci Fi Channel series Eureka is populated by eccentric geniuses who devote their time to coming up with all sorts of odd inventions. With the show back for a third series, Abbie Bernstein caught up with showrunners Jaime Paglia and Charlie Craig and star Colin Ferguson who plays Sheriff Jack Carter - a regular guy trying to adapt to Eureka’s eccentricities.

Season 2 was somewhat darker than Season 1. Will Season 3 be lighter?

Charlie Craig: I think [the darker tone] was a fun, interesting place to go. We didn’t apologise for it at all.

Jaime Paglia: But when you’re planning a season, you say, ‘Alright, now what do we want to do?’ And we just started coming up with funnier stuff this time. I think of our show as a comedy, not as suspense.

Charlie Craig: Yeah. ‘Dramedy’ is what we were trying to go for, and I think that we went a little more into drama last season. Again, I think it was great to do for our characters, but I think we all sort of had an inclination to come back more to the funny side this time.

Stargate: Continuum - Stargate Hub: Goa'uld / Jaffa Name Generator

From FOX's Stargate Hub:

Goa'uld / Jaffa Name Generator

Prepare to take your place amongst the stars by earning a Goa'uld or Jaffa name.

Type in your name, choose an evil rating and a homeworld, and your gender. Click on Generate, and (examples):

Goa'uld

System Lord Kali

of Praclarush Taonas



Jaffa

Former First Prime Ziminar

of Hak'tyl

Chuck - Video: Comic Con '08 Panel

Courtesy of HULU, the Chuck panel at San Diego Comic Con '08 with Josh Swartz, Chris Fedak, Zachary Levi, Adam Baldwin, Yvonne Strahovski, Sarah Lancaster and Ryan McPartlin.

Comic-Con 2008

Web Exclusive |45:01 |

Check out the Cast & Creators of Chuck, direct from Comic-Con!

Eureka - Star Telegram: A conversation with Colin Ferguson

From the Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram (Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX):

(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)



A conversation with Colin Ferguson of 'Eureka'

By DAVID MARTINDALE
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM

Colin Ferguson, star of the SciFi Channel series Eureka, admits he’s being shallow. But if ever he got a chance to use one of the show’s fantastic inventions and innovations, he says he’d be drawn to one that’s rich in gee-whiz entertainment value. “I’m a sucker for a good toy,” he says. Ferguson, who plays Sheriff Jack Carter, a common man in a community of scientific geniuses, says it “sort of speaks volumes about how self-centered I am.” His costars, when discussing their favorite Eureka gadgets, have singled out one “grandiose invention” or another, each with potential to change the world as we know it. “But I go back [the episode titled] ‘Blink,’” Ferguson says. “If I could run really fast and be like the Flash -– maybe it just sort of keys into the 10-year-old boy inside of me -– but I think that just seems like the coolest thing.” Either that or he’d want to take Eureka’s hoverboard for a test drive. “They’re such incidental inventions as far as the show goes,” Ferguson notes. “But that’s what I’d really, really enjoy.” And maybe that’s the key to the show’s popularity. Eureka is a place where the grandiose and the goofy can co-exist. The show begins its third season (eight this summer, to be followed by 13 more in early 2009) on SciFi at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 29.

**snippage**

How ahead of the curve is the show scientifically? Like, do any of the Eureka innovations, something that was purely fictional when introduced on the show, exist in the real world today?

“Yeah, I’d say the PDAs. We came out with those tiny little PDAs that they use on the show. I don’t know how big they are, maybe a matchbox and a half, and all they are is a screen. There’s no touch pad, there’s no nothing. When we started using them, the iPhone wasn’t out. And it’s fun now to see that that’s the way that a lot of the phones are going.”


Stargate: Continuum - FreeClyde: Pre-Order Continuum Soundtrack

From FreeClyde (Joel Goldsmith's web site):




OFFICIAL - STARGATE: CONTINUUM - SOUNDTRACK PRE-ORDER AT FREECLYDE.COM


Stargate: Continuum - The Original Soundtrack

Joel Goldsmith's score for Stargate: Continuum is nearly here!

Available for pre-order now and scheduled for release on August 12th, this epic soundtrack CD will be accompanied by a 24-page full-color booklet that includes articles by Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper, Martin Wood, and Joel Goldsmith. Stargate fans will be inspired by the original artwork designed by the FreeClyde team and the exclusive photography from the film.

This Limited Edition release is the perfect companion to the soundtrack for The Ark Of Truth, which was released earlier this year.

LIMITED EDITION - FIRST 100 PRE-ORDERS GET A SIGNED COPY BY JOEL.

You can reserve your copy today at Joel's website, FreeClyde.com, by clicking on the link below:

http://www.freeclyde.com//music/continuum.html

Track List:
01 - A Day At S.G.C.
02 - The List
03 - Murderer Of Untold Millions
04 - The Achilles Commandeered
05 - The Last Of The System Lords
06 - For The Good Of Others
07 - The Sinking Of The Achilles
08 - Endless Horizons
09 - Breaking The Ice
10 - New Identities
11 - Baal Divided
12 - Bring A God To Tears
13 - Daniel's Book
14 - Al'kesh Invasion
15 - Photograph
16 - Apophis
17 - The Armada
18 - Quetesh Takes Over
19 - Battle Over The Ocean
20 - The Machine
21 - Fall Of The Heroes
22 - End Of The Reign
23 - The Extraction
24 - O'Neill Buys Lunch / End Title Reprise

Also available for pre-order at GateWorld.

Stargate: Continuum - Zap2It: 'Stargate: Continuum' Cast Recall Being On Ice

From Zap2It:

(Please follow the link for the complete Zap2It article.)



"Stargate: Continuum" cast members Amanda Tapping and Ben Browder tell Zap2it what it was like to film the series' latest movie in the frozen Arctic. Two words: polar bears.


'Stargate: Continuum' Cast Recall Being On Ice

By Kate O'Hare, Zap2it.com

July 29, 2008

On Monday, July 21, now-brunette "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate: Atlantis" star Amanda Tapping appeared in Beverly Hills, Calif., at the Television Critics Association Press Tour to promote her new Sci Fi Channel series "Sanctuary."

But in May of 2007, Tapping was still a blonde and still hard at work in Vancouver, Canada, playing Air Force Col. Samantha Carter in "Stargate Atlantis" and two "Stargate SG-1" movies, "Ark of Truth" and "Continuum."

"Ark of Truth" was designed to wrap up storylines from the end of the show's 10th season, but "Continuum," due out Tuesday, July 29, on DVD, represents the first stand-alone movie based on the long-running TV franchise (started on Showtime and continued on Sci Fi Channel), itself based on the 1994 movie "Stargate."

And, speaking to crowds on Friday, July 25, at Comic-Con International in San Diego ("Continuum" premiered in San Diego on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Midway on July 24), executive producer Brad Wright hinted that more movies might be on the way...

Eureka - TV Guide Online: Chat with Colin Ferguson

From TV Guide Online:

(Please follow the link for the complete TV Guide Online article.)



TV Show Previews

Colin Ferguson Previews Eureka's Inventive New Season

If you're looking for sanity in Eureka, go no further than Colin Ferguson. Tuesday night, he begins his third season as Sheriff Jack Carter, who lends an Andy Taylor-like calm to a stormy Mayberry populated by crazy scientific geniuses. Ferguson explains why he's nuts about the show. (Eureka airs Tuesdays at 9 pm/ET, Sci Fi.)

TV Guide: Give us some scoop!

Colin Ferguson: A main character dies! How do you like that? Also, as last season ended, Eureka was wrecked [by an airborne metal-eating bacteria], so we bring in Frances Fisher [as a corporate hotshot] to fix the town. [The opener] is about a [rogue robot] that escapes. It's fun, though it's hard to act when a main character is a visual effect.

TV Guide Online: Who Are the Sexiest Sci-Fi Stars?

From TV Guide Online:



TV Guide Editors' Blogs

TVGuide.com Asks....

Who Are the Sexiest Sci-Fi Stars?

What is it that makes sci-fi shows so appealing? Maybe it's because so many of the cast members are "out of this world" hot!

From Supernatural's Jared Padalecki to Battlestar Galactica's sexy cylon Tricia Helfer, there are plenty of sci-fi sexpots to choose from. So, we want to know: Who do you think are the sexiest sci-fi stars?

Share your picks in the comments [at the link above], and be sure to tell us why you think your choices are the hottest things on TV. Be sure to check back next week to see if your choice makes the list!