Sunday, July 6, 2008

Brendan Fraser - SciFi Weekly: Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D Cast Interviews

From SciFi Weekly:

(Please follow the link for the complete SciFi Weekly interview.)



INTERVIEWS

July 07, 2008

Brendan Fraser and company add an extra dimension to Jules Verne in Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D

By Ian Spelling


Journey to the Center of the Earth is one of the granddaddies of sci-fi/adventure tales, and so it's no surprise that every few years someone takes yet another crack at harnessing the wonders of the Jules Verne novel in a movie (James Mason and ... Pat Boone!), an animated show (with the voices of Ted Knight! and Pat Harrington!), yet another feature (Emo Philips! and Kathy Ireland!) and, just a few months ago, a telefilm (Rick Schroder!).

Now comes the latest and—everyone involved hopes—greatest version of all, Journey to the Center of the Earth, presented in 3-D, directed by 3-D and visual-effects veteran Eric Brevig and starring Brendan Fraser (The Mummy movies), Josh Hutcherson (Zathura) and Anita Briem (Doctor Who).

Set for release on July 11, Journey to the Center of the Earth stars Fraser as a scientist who, while seeking the truth about what happened to his long-missing brother, winds up—alongside his teenage nephew (Hutcherson) and an intrepid Icelandic guide (Briem)—in a world within our world. They've got to find a way back to the surface, but it's a race against time, what with dinosaurs, man-eating plants and rising lava all nipping sometimes quite literally at their heels. SCI FI Weekly recently ventured into Manhattan to talk with Fraser, Briem, Hutcherson and Brevig about their newfangled Journey.

**snippage**

It's your feeling that this Journey is a real moviegoing experience, right?

Fraser: Whether or not you liked Journey to the Center of the Earth, what we've done with the story, win, lose or draw, hey, have your opinion. I happen to think it's good. Others have told me the same. That's very nice. Thank you for that. If you don't, I'm sorry. I hope you find something that you do like. It didn't hurt my feelings. But one thing that is undeniable is that going to this movie makes the experience of being there the star of the movie. There's only three characters in this movies, the dinosaur, the fluffy birdies and plants that snap and bite. That's it. That's it. So the cool thing is that, for the first time, again, we're getting back to being there all together and having that cinema-going, must-have-buns-in-seats to experience this picture as it should be done. Now, we're the first one out of the gate. There are many of them lining up. Eyes in the industry are watching this movie very closely, let me tell you.


**snippage**

Anita Briem, as a native of Iceland, how did you feel your country was depicted in the film, and do you feel a special connection to it because of its setting?

Briem: Of course, of course! There's a reason why Jules Verne chose the place where the glacier was when we start to descend into the center of the earth. That area specifically has magical powers, and people come to this place specifically from all over the world. I actually think that's true of all Iceland. I think it's so special, apart from the water and air being so clean. It was a great joy for me to develop a strong female character in the spirit of an Icelandic woman. Icelandic women tend to be very strong and very independent, and I think that came in very handy because as Hannah the mountain guide I often found myself in these very dangerous situations, and I have on one hand a geeky scientist and the other a small child, and they are both going to get us killed, so I have to intervene and save the day, regularly. And I think that's whe
re the strong sense of the core Icelandic woman came in very handy.

**snippage**

Josh Hutcherson, you must have spent pretty much the entire Journey shoot with Brendan Fraser. You probably have a lot of stories ...

Hutcherson: Oh, yeah, I could go on for hours. We were practical joking the entire time. I had a squirt bottle that I started squirting on his pants while we were talking to make it look like he peed on himself, and then apparently there is a big wide shot that you can totally see it in the movie. And the scene where I'm pulling him up over the edge after the ground had fallen away ... wedgie, boom, right there. He got me back, though. Whew, did he get me back. Vengeance was sweet for him.


**snippage**

Eric Brevig, how did you balance paying attention to the visual effects and directing the actors?
Brevig: Luckily, I've had 25 years of doing visual effects and a bunch of years doing 3-D, so I could forget about that on the set and just focus on the actors and the story. And I made a big deal of telling that. "Forget about my technical background, I'm only here to make you guys look good and to make sure the story is the best it can be." So that was what I worried about on set. And we all got along great.

Stargate Atlantis - SciFi Wire: Picardo Voices Quantum Quest

From SciFi Wire:

(Please follow the link for the complete SciFi Wire article.)



12:00 AM, 07-JULY-08

Picardo Voices Quantum Quest

Robert Picardo told SCI FI Wire that he has not yet seen the completed version of the animated feature Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey, but that he is honored to be a lead voice in the film along with John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

"I had not yet seen the full animation," said Picardo, who voices the character of Milton in the animated SF adventure. "I've seen drawings and stuff, and I have recorded my part, and I'm proud to be in something that's not only a great, I think, educational tool for kids but ... stands alone as an entertainment as well and with an A-list of voice talents like Samuel Jackson and, gosh, I can't even remember."


**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - Janina Gavankar Answers Your Questions!

From Joseph Mallozzi's blog update for July 6, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update. NEW photos from SGA's season five's episode, 'Whispers,' at the site, including Janina Gavankar, Nicole De Boer, armourer Rob Fournier and Director Will Waring are in their original full-size, high-resolution format. A NEW behind-the-scenes video clip from 'Whispers' with Janina is also at the site.)

July 6, 2008: Actress Janina Gavankar swings by.



Janina Gavankar (Sgt. "Dusty" Mehra) and Nicole De Boer (Dr. Alison Porter)

First, a big public thank you to Kage Baker for dropping by to spend time with us. It was a great Q&A to cap off our discussion on In the Garden of Iden, a BOMTC selection that turned out to be a book a number of you had already read.

Second, finish up The Etched City because author K.J. Bishop will be dropping by later in the week to field your questions. I'm very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this very interesting entry.

Third, actress Janina Gavankar (a.k.a. Sergeant "Dusty" Mehra from season 5's Whispers) is here to respond to your questions. A huge thanks to Janina for taking the time.

Fourth and finally - Il blog di oggi รจ dedicato ai "fan" italiani di Stargate. Conoscete chi siete!



It was chilly on the set...

Over to Janina…

Hey all! I'm writing this as I road-trip from Cincinnati to Chicago. So. I was telling my friend (heidi.deviantart.com, a fan of SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and scifi in general) "sure I'd be open to answering questions, if anyone even cared". She basically smacked me upside the head and told me that real scifi fans embrace n00bs.

So here we go! Sadly, in an attempt to answer all your questions (who knew there'd be so many!), I had to make the answers short. Also, if you don't see your question answered, it's probably been covered already. Stargate Atlantis WAS actually the most fun I've ever had on a gig, and I hope you love the episode as much as we do.

xo!

~j

**snippage**

[There are a TON of questions (and answers), so I've selected the one that had a video as part of the explanation as a brief excerpt:]

Leila Philips writes: "Having been in the military I can say that the first time I fired an automatic rifle freaked me out. Soon, though, I was wanting to shoot everything. The machine guns were the best! So, how was your first time firing the weapo ns on Atlantis? If they did scare you at first, did you get to like firing them? Whether you survive on this episode or not would you like to come back and do
future episodes? This isn't as crazy a question as it might seem - just ask Jewel Staite and Paul McGillion."

Joe shot my first time shooting the P90:


http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=4944063432214550648

It wasn't scary, but it was more power than expected. (You can see from the first shot, I feel the kickback.) And I would LOVE to come back! I had a BLAST!


**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - GateWorld: The Stargate Atlantis Primer

From GateWorld:



The Stargate Atlantis Primer

Welcome to the Stargate universe! This primer is tailor-made for new viewers, especially those who are joining our adventure for Season Five of Stargate Atlantis.

So what is Stargate? If you've made it this far, you probably already know part of that answer! We'll presume that you have a basic idea of the show's premise, and have at least heard of Stargate SG-1 -- the predecessor to Atlantis, which was spawned from the 1994 feature film and ran for 10 years (1997-2007). Stargate Atlantis is the spin-off of that show. The two ran concurrently for three seasons, and Season Four of Atlantis was its first year as the only Stargate show on the air.

Atlantis airs on SCI FI Channel in the U.S., with the previous season rerunning on local syndication stations. It also airs in dozens of countries worldwide, and is especially popular in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, and Australia. It has been a ratings winner everywhere it airs, and was SCI FI's highest-rated premiere ever when it first bowed in July 2004.

Don't worry -- you don't need all 11 years of Stargate history to jump in now. GateWorld's Stargate Atlantis Primer will give you a crash-course on who these people are, what they're doing each week, and what has happened in the story so far. When you are done, you'll be all ready to join us for Season Five of Atlantis, beginning July 11, 2008 on SCI FI!

Be warned that spoilers abound in this primer. We will tell you all about the major plot and character developments in the show's first four seasons, and give you a hint or two about what is coming up this year. If you would rather not know all this, turn back now! SCI FI also airs previous years of Stargate Atlantis weekdays at 5 p.m. (Eastern/Pacific).

Season Four will begin in syndication for the first time in September 2008, and is on DVD in North America on July 8.


Ready? Let's talk Stargate!

**snippage**

Sections include:



The Team
Absent Friends
The Pegasus Galaxy
Michael (Connor Trinneer)
Todd (Christopher Heyerdahl)
The Replicators
Season One
Season Two
Season Three
Season Four
Recommended Viewing
What Is To Come

Battlestar Galactica - The SciFi Guys: Alessandro Juliani Audio Interview

From The SciFi Guys:

EXPO REWIND CONTINUES THIS WEEK WITH ALESSANDRO JULIANI



After last weeks return with part one of the Expo Rewind show featuring Edward James Olmos (now available to download), The Sci Fi Guys return with another look back at the phenomenal event with the help of special guest Alessandro Juliani (Felix Gaeta on Battlestar Galactica).



Interviewed at the London MCM Expo by Expo Radio presenter Sinead Doyle, Alessandro who plays talks about his work on Battlestar Galactica and what it is like attending events and meeting the fans and much more.

Aside from this Stuart will be joined by Expo Radio producer Gareth who will not only share his memories of the event but also join Stuart in casting their eyes over the week’s news from the world of Sci Fi, Cult TV, Movies and much more.

Stuart will also be revealing all about the mysterious website related announcement that he hinted at in the last show and he will also be announcing the first of the eXcellent summer of Sci FI competitions.

The fun starts at 8pm BST (British Summer Time) this Wednesday 9th July on http://www.dtrn.co.uk and in the meantime don’t forget to check out the forums for all the latest DTRN news and off air discussion.

Richard Dean Anderson Web Site Updates July 5 '08

From a Richard Dean Anderson web site e-mail announcement:



RDAnderson Updates

I've added new updates to the RDA website this week.

First there is the very sad news of the passing of Don S. Davis last weekend. A brief "In Memoriam" has been added to the updates page, with a comment from RDA about his good friend.

The Lexicon is also continuing to grow. The entries are now completed from A to G, and I have also added two more appendices: the Goa'uld Pantheon, and a Goa'uld Dictionary.

Thanks for visiting!

Kate
Richard Dean Anderson Website

Stargate SG-1 - 6pm Weekday Rotation Episodes Week July 7 '08

The Stargate SG-1 6pm weekday rotation episodes for the week of July 7 '08:

7/07/2008 HEROES - PT 1



7/08/2008 HEROES - PT 2



7/09/2008 RESURRECTION



7/10/2008 INAUGURATION



William Devane, Colin Cunningham, Robert Picardo, James McDaniel and Ronny Cox guest star!

7/11/2008 LOCKDOWN



Photos courtesy of GateWorld

Stargate Atlantis - 5pm Weekday Rotation Episodes Week July 7 '08

From the SciFi Channel's schedulebot, the Stargate Atlantis 5pm weekday rotation episodes for the week beginning July 7 '08:

7/07/2008 INSTINCT



Guest starring Jewel Staite as Ellia.

7/08/2008 CONVERSION



7/09/2008 AURORA



7/10/2008 THE LOST BOYS



7/11/2008 THE HIVE



Photos courtesy of GateWorld

Stargate Atlantis - Season 4 Mini-Marathon Tuesday July 8 '08

From the SciFi Channel's schedulebot, the Stargate Atlantis season 4 episode marathon for Tuesday, July 8 '08:

08:00A QUARANTINE



09:00A OUTCAST



10:00A MIDWAY



Stargate SG-1's Teal'c (Christopher Judge) guest stars!

11:00A TRIO



12:00P HARMONY



1:00P THE KINDRED - PART 1



Star Trek Enterprise's Connor Trinneer guest stars!

2:00P THE KINDRED - PART 2



The return of Dr. Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion)! And Connor Trinneer guest stars.

3:00P THE LAST MAN



The Stargate Atlantis season four finale episode.



Stargate Atlantis season five premieres Friday, July 11 at 10pm on the SciFi Channel with 'Search and Rescue.'



After a conflict with Michael leaves several Atlantis personnel trapped, Colonel Carter leads a rescue mission -- unaware that Michael is still nearby.

Connor Trinneer, Amanda Tapping, Mitch Pileggi, Martin Christopher and Kavan Smith guest star, and new series recurring character, Capt. Alicia Vega (Leela Savasta) is introduced.

Photos courtesy of GateWorld