Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Bill Nye

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Bill Nye

Close Up: Bill Nye

December 1, 2008 (Actors)

In `Brain Storm' Bill Nye helps save the day in under 40 minutes, and that's pretty cool. Plus there's freeze lightening! Come on!

A brief excerpt:

... [Bill] Nye also relished the chance to work alongside old friend Neil deGrasse Tyson in a different capacity. Tyson, an astrophysicist, and Nye have served on the board of The Planetary Society together for almost 10 years.

"Working with Neil was a blast!" Nye exclaimed. "Neil had never really done any acting … I was quite charmed by how seriously he took it, and frankly, what a good job he did. I thought that was wonderful."

Nye insisted he had a blast running around in a tux for a week. When asked about his planetary themed bow tie, Nye exclaimed, "I brought that! And Neil brought his. It's the nerds, man; showing up with our gear."

Tyson and Nye weren't the only guest stars recruited for `Brain Storm'. Veteran comedic actor Dave Foley also came on board to play Rodney McKay's academic nemesis, Malcolm Tunney. Nye was thrilled to work with Foley.

"Oh god, he's a riot!" Nye exclaimed. "I mean, he's Kids in the Hall. He's the real deal. I mean, he's a majorly comic actor. Very professional..."

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: The Prodigal

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Close Up: The Prodigal

November 10, 2008 (Episodes)

Teyla's climactic meeting with arch-nemesis Michael made for a few hair-raising moments for actress Rachel Luttrell!

A brief excerpt:

Teyla's conflict with Michael began way back in season three, and has been growing towards a huge showdown since then. Finally, in season five's 'The Prodigal', the Athosian gets to throw down with the evil former Wraith once and for all.

"I thought it was a perfect ending," says actress Rachel Luttrell. "And you know, had the show continued, I wouldn't have discounted the fact that maybe Michael would have come back," she laughs. "But I thought it was interesting – after everything he's put her through, their relationship has kind of come full circle. She had absolutely no sympathy left for him whatsoever, and I'm glad that I was the one that
was able to deliver the final blow. I thought it was great. Once the baby got into the picture, there was just no keeping Michael around. I understand that, being a mom. Anyone threatens your child, and that's it. And we all knew that was what he wanted, so I think that his reappearance could only end with one or both of them dying."

It wasn't long after the filming of 'The Prodigal' that Luttrell and her fellow cast mates discovered that season five was to be Stargate Atlantis' final year. The news came out of the blue for Luttrell, and she reveals that she would have been more than happy to continue playing Teyla for at least one more year.

"Without a doubt what I'll remember is the camaraderie," she adds about her experiences on the Stargate Atlantis set over the past five years. "We had so much fun – it's really rare to find a group of people who are so different, because we are, but got along so well and complemented each other in such a positive way. We had a lot of fun, and that's what I'll remember."

Story by Sharon Gosling

SGA - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Kavan Smith

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Close Up: Kavan Smith

October 6, 2008 (Actors)

Who can imagine the City of Atlantis without Maj. Evan Lorne? Kavan Smith talks about the character that he has quite literally made his own.

A brief excerpt:

... As Stargate Atlantis has continued, viewers have seen more and more of Lorne. Season four’s “Tabula Rasa” even managed to showcase what a scary character the soldier could be if he wanted – certainly an eye opener!

“I found him a bit scary too,” admits the actor. “I think that was the one episode where he sort of went military, straight-up soldier boy. I guess trying to combat whatever it is wiping everybody’s minds would be a really nerve-wracking thing. You wipe the slate clean and you have no idea who you are or where you are. The one thing that he does know is that he’s a soldier. Even if he doesn’t remember his training or how he got there, he identifies that he’s in this outfit and he’s got a gun, so that gives him a bit of a crutch. It would be terrifying to not know who you are all of a sudden. So this guy is not going to have a sense of humor, he’s going to be very paranoid, he’s going to be very sketchy and uppity.”

Thankfully, Lorne was soon returned to normal – ready to continue protecting Atlantis and her occupants into season five.

Written by Sharon Gosling

Sanctuary - Video: TV Guide Close Up: Amanda Tapping Interview

At TV Guide Online:

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SANCTUARY's Amanda Tapping goes green (screen).

Erin Fox interviews Sanctuary's Amanda Tapping about the creation of the show and what it's like to work almost exclusively on green screens.

Posted: 10/3/2008 Length: 04:47

(With thanks to parsifal and lilferret for the heads up.)



EDIT: Update 10/6/08 @ 1:49am:

At TV Guide Online:

TV Guide News

Today's News: Our Take

VIDEO: Amanda Tapping's New Adventure on Sanctuary

You adored her as Col. Sam Carter for 13 years on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, but now Amanda Tapping is launching herself into a new show called Sanctuary (Fridays, 9/8c on Sci Fi). The intriguing show features Amanda as the enigmatic Dr. Helen Magnus who recruits the young and handsome Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) to work with her in her home – which she calls a "Sanctuary for All." She houses and treats all forms of "abnormals" who most people would deem as monsters that should be destroyed. Erin Fox sat down with the First Lady of sci fi to discuss Magnus' background and the challenges of shooting a show almost solely against green screens.

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Michelle Morgan

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Close Up: Michelle Morgan

August 18, 2008 (Actors)

A friendly Replicator? Surely not! But with the creation of F.R.A.N, it seems that Stargate Atlantis is ready to break the mold – and even bring one of our favorite characters back from the dead.


A brief excerpt:



“Ghost in the Machine” sees the return of guest actress Michelle Morgan, who first appeared as F.R.A.N in season four’s “Be All My Sins Remember’d”. The story goes that as soon as the producers saw the dailies of Morgan’s performance, they wished they hadn’t had the character destroy herself at the end of that episode. But, as the old adage goes, no one ever really dies in sci fi – particularly if the victim is a high-functioning machine.

In fact, “Ghost in the Machine” proves that saying twice over, as viewers also got to see what really happened to Dr. Elizabeth Weir following the events of “Lifeline”. Actress Torri Higginson declined to reprise her role as the Atlantis expedition’s first commander, but the hole left by her absence was perfectly filled by Morgan’s return.

Viewers may be surprised to learn, however, that even before “Be All My Sins Remember’d”, Morgan was due to be introduced to the Stargate universe, though in a very different role.

“I spent some time in Vancouver, where they shoot the show,” she explains, from the lunch tent of TV show Heartland, in which she stars as Samantha Louise Fleming. “I had been brought in [for auditions] a couple of times, and I was actually cast in an episode called “The Seer” last season, to play the Seer’s daughter. But I was involved in a film called Diary of the Dead, which had scheduled re-shoots, and the dates conflicted, so I couldn’t do it. I was quite upset because I really wanted to be on Stargate! But then they brought me in again and I managed to land the role of F.R.A.N, so that was good – it made up for losing that other part...”

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Jason Momoa

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Close Up: Jason Momoa

July 28, 2008 (Actors)

‘Broken Ties’ sees Ronon Dex flung somewhere we never thought he’d go – to the dark side.



Photo courtesy of MGM Stargate

A brief excerpt:

...‘Broken Ties’ gave Momoa a chance to explore the idea of Ronon as a bad guy. Knowing how powerful the character is, the idea of Ronon as a servant of the Wraith is really quite terrifying. Sure enough, when he lets go, the results are shocking. The fight scenes in this episode are some of the biggest ever choreographed by stunt coordinator James Bamford, and really gave the actor a chance to show what he could do.

“They’re huge,” Momoa agrees, “the biggest so far. We trained really hard for it. It was fun – Ronon has a drug inside him that makes him super-strong, and it’s fun to play that...”

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Paul McGillion

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=89

Close Up: Paul McGillion

June 17, 2008 (Actors)



Photo courtesy of MGM Stargate -- Dr. Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion) from "The Seed" a Stargate Atlantis fifth season episode, airing Friday July 18 '08 on the SciFi Channel (US).

Carson Beckett’s death in season three caused heartache aplenty for his loyal fans. But no one ever really dies in science fiction - and to prove it, season five promises to be the doctor’s most interesting year yet, says actor Paul McGillion.



Paul McGillion and Nicole De Boer from "Whispers" courtesy of Joseph Mallozzi's blog.

A brief excerpt:

...In his trailer, actor Paul McGillion settles down out of the rain to talk about Beckett’s return in season five. It’s telling that the actor even has a trailer – he’s no passing guest star, but rather an important, permanent part of the show. In fact, McGillion is back for at least five episodes of Stargate Atlantis’ fifth year, happily reprising the much-loved character that met his untimely demise in season three’s ‘Sunday’. Paul McGillion “I’m happy to be back,” he says with a smile, “I never wanted to leave the show in the first place!”

Of course, it’s worth mentioning that this Carson Beckett isn’t quite the same timid doctor we met in season one, and that’s not just because he’s become a little more inured to the terrors of the Pegasus galaxy. No, this Carson Beckett was cloned from the original by one of Atlantis’ arch enemies, Michael, and rediscovered in season four’s ‘The Kindred’. Still, the differences are subtle… so subtle, in fact, that McGillion laughs at the question of whether they are there at all.

“He’s basically exactly the same. I think he’s much more handsome in season five,” the actor jokes with another laugh. “He’s been away from craft service and he’s dropped a few pounds! But no - there was some comment in our first episode back, ‘The Seed’. There’s a little awareness [that he’s a clone] at first, but that’s diminished now. ‘Outsiders’ is my third episode back, and I think it’s almost like, ‘Whatever!’” He laughs again. “You know that it’s Beckett. I don’t have any special super powers or anything. There’s really not too much comment.”

**snippage**

Story by Sharon Gosling



Photo of Paul McGillion from "Whispers" courtesy of Joseph Mallozzi's blog.

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: David Hewlett

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=83

Close Up: David Hewlett

(Please follow the link for the complete MGM Stargate article/interview.)

June 3, 2008 (Actors)

We saw him spend his life setting right a wrong at the end of season four – so what's Stargate Atlantis' fifth year got in store for Dr. Rodney McKay?



Photo courtesy of MGM Stargate

A brief excerpt:

David Hewlett, the actor behind the ever-irritating and indeed, irritated, Dr. Rodney McKay, is enjoying his first period of `down time' since filming on Stargate Atlantis' fifth season began. According to Hewlett, McKay is having quite a time of it this year – and he's happy to tell us all about it.

"It's been amazing," he says, with obvious enthusiasm. "I've got my first break; there's an episode, `Whispers', where I just have a couple of cute little scenes with the lovely and talented Paul McGillion, so I've actually had a few days off. But it's been amazing. The episode I'm most excited about so far is called `The Shrine,' which we've just finished shooting. It's Brad Wright's triumphant return to writing scripts for Atlantis, and it's just great. It's a really meaty McKay episode, but the great thing about Brad is that he may write episodes that are kind of McKay-centered, but he's so good at bringing in all the other characters as well. So it's just a great ensemble piece where I get to do some acting," he laughs. "I love running around shooting things and techno babble and all, but it's just nice to go, `Wow, I actually have to act…' I can't just have fun I actually have to do some serious work!"

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Jewel Staite

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=82

(Please follow the link for the complete MGM Stargate article.)

Close Up: Jewel Staite



May 27, 2008 (Actors)

This year Jewel Staite will join the regular cast of Stargate Atlantis. So how will Doctor Jennifer Keller deal with life on the front line? The actress took time out from filming season five to tell us.


A brief excerpt:

...the actress reports that she jumped at the chance of signing on for more screen time.

“They called in the fall and told me that we had been picked up for a fifth season,” recalls the actress, “and once contract negotiations began, they asked if I was willing to come on for more time. It’s a great show, a great cast, the hours are great… It’s a very easy set to be on but at the same time, there’s all these extreme situations that we’re playing out every week, so it’s kind of fun. You never really know what your character is going to go through next, so it’s a bit of a challenge as well, which is good. It shoots in my home town and I’ve bonded with everybody – I definitely wasn’t ready to say goodbye, so I was happy to keep exploring the character.”

**snippage**

Staite also hints that the season will hold a few shocks as far as Keller is concerned. “There’s a surprise coming,” she teases. “I think Keller’s definitely going to take the audience by huge surprise! She has some skills that we don’t know about – and that’s all I’ll say about that!”

This year will also see the return of Carson Beckett, whom the Keller character was designed to replace following his untimely demise. Staite couldn’t be happier to welcome both Beckett and his alter-ego, actor Paul McGillion, back to the Stargate Atlantis fold.

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Robert Picardo

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=81

(Please follow the link for the complete article at MGM Stargate.)

Close Up: Robert Picardo



Photo courtesy of MGM Stargate

May 20, 2008 (Actors)

One of the biggest shake-ups for Stargate Atlantis’ season five is the introduction of Richard Woolsey as the base’s new civilian commander. Actor Robert Picardo talks about the character – and just how he’s going to fit in...

A brief excerpt:

Robert Picardo is no stranger to science fiction television, having spent seven years playing the holographic Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager. He first made an impact on the Stargate universe back in Stargate SG-1’s seventh season, when Woolsey arrived at Stargate Command in the wake of Janet Fraiser’s death. It’s fair to say that the character didn’t endear himself to the SG-1 team – but Picardo obviously made himself popular with the show’s producers, because it wasn’t long before the one-off character was back for more. And from that point on, Richard Woolsey was on the road to character recovery.

“I’ve enjoyed not only playing the character but the experience of working with both casts,” says the actor, taking a break during the filming of episode five of the new season. “The writer-producers have treated me very nicely and I think rather amazingly they’ve rehabilitated a character that was originally introduced, not so much as a villain, but as an unpleasant bureaucrat. I think the producers kind of liked me,” Picardo laughs, “and they thought, ‘Well this guy’s not so bad, why don’t we try to bring him back?’

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Rachel Luttrell

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=80

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Close Up: Rachel Luttrell



May 13, 2008 (Actors)

Teyla Emmagan has shown that she can cope with anything the Pegasus galaxy throws at her – but what about motherhood? Rachel Luttrell discusses the changes that season five brings for her character.

A brief excerpt:

Teyla has faced many terrifying situations in her time as a part of the Atlantis crew: she’s been kidnapped by Michael, had her mind invaded by a Wraith Queen and faced an erupting volcano to name but a few. But this year, the Athosian has something a little more fundamentally challenging to deal with – becoming a parent.

“I think she’s completely changed,” reveals actress Rachel Luttrell, speaking from set during the filming of episode five, ‘Ghost in the Machine’. “Teyla is now a working Momma! She’s had to completely deal with a shift in priorities. She’s decided to re-join the team, but it was a large question for her. It was something that she had to spend a considerable amount of time mulling over. Now, every time she leaves the base, she’s aware of the fact that she might not be coming home to be with her son. So things are very different.”

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Jodelle Ferland

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=60

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Close Up: Jodelle Ferland

January 29, 2008 (Actors)



Good things come in small packages – and that's definitely true of Stargate Atlantis' latest acerbic heroine, Harmony. Actress Jodelle Ferland talks about her experiences of filming the season four episode.

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Brenda James

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=55

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Close Up: Brenda James

January 22, 2008 (Actors)

What woman would be brave enough to take on Doctor Rodney McKay? Doctor Katie Brown, that's who – and after three years, actress Brenda James feels that there might be change in the air for the couple.

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Andee Frizell

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=52

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Close Up: Andee Frizell

January 15, 2008 (Actors)



Andee Frizzell first appeared in the Stargate Atlantis’ pilot, ‘Rising’ as the Wraith queen, and has since played numerous incarnations of the alien matriarchs. Having worked in prosthetics before, Frizzell was a perfect choice for the role, and has become an invaluable part of the cast.

‘Spoils Of War’ gave viewers a big insight into the Wraith - particularly regarding how they reproduce. It also featured a significant role for Frizzell. One of the most striking aspects of the Wraith queens – besides their physical appearance – are their costumes. For ‘Spoils Of War’, the queen’s outfit would have to link directly into the surrounding set pieces, and costume designer Valerie Halverson worked closely with production designer James Robbins to create the finished article.

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Bill Dow

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=47


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Close Up: Bill Dow



(Photo of Bill Dow courtesy of http://www.billdow.net)

January 2, 2008 (Actors)

Actor Bill Dow admits that he never expected Dr. Lee to find a new lease of life after Stargate SG-1 finished its run, despite appearing in a few episodes of Stargate: Atlantis' early seasons.

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Christopher Heyerdahl

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=45

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Close Up: Christopher Heyerdahl

December 13, 2007 (Actors)

Christopher Heyerdahl has been part of the Stargate: Atlantis universe since the pilot, `Rising', though in his current incarnation, the Canadian actor is completely unrecognizable. Heryerdahl was originally cast as Teyla's Athosian confidant and advisor Halling, who moved to the City along with his son. Gradually, however, we saw less and less of Halling, and when Teyla's people moved to the mainland, he disappeared completely. Heyerdahl's work commitments had meant he'd been unable to return… but in season three, he got a call from the producers, asking if he'd like to come back. This time, however, he wouldn't be appearing as Halling – but as a Wraith.

**snippage**

Christopher Heyerdahl can be seen in tne next NEW Stargate Atlantis episode, "Be All My Sins Remember'd" which airs on the SciFi Channel (US) on Friday, January 4, 2008 at 10pm with a repeat at Midnight.

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Torri Higginson

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=44

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Close Up: Torri Higginson



December 10, 2007 (Actors)

When we left the Pegasus galaxy at the end of season three, no one knew what fate had in store for Doctor Weir...

**snippage**

Story by Sharon Gosling