NASA - Send Your Name to the Moon!

With thanks to the Beam Me Up blog for the heads up:

http://wrfrbeameup.blogspot.com/2008/05/your-piece-of-immortality-your-name-on.html


Join NASA's Return to the Moon!



Sign up to send your name to the moon. Names will be collected and placed onboard the LRO spacecraft for its historic mission bringing NASA back to the moon. You will also receive a certificate showcasing your support of the mission.

The deadline is June 27, 2008 for the submission of names.

LRO's objectives are to find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology.

Send your name to the Moon!

http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/

Visit the LRO Web Site at http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Stargate Atlantis - NEW Production Photos from 'Whispers' May 2 '08

From Joseph Mallozzi's blog update for May 2, 2008:

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2008/05/02/may-2-2008-thats-a-wrap/

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update and to view the NEW SGA season five production photos in their fuller-sized, high-resolution format at the blog site.)


May 2, 2008: That's a wrap!

Nicole de Boer and Paul McGillion



...It was an excellent day and marked the end of the Whispers shoot (outstanding inserts and pick-ups aside). Christina Cox wrapped yesterday and, today, it was everyone else's turn: Nicole de Boer, Janina Gavankar, Leela Savasta, and, last
but not least, the lovely Paul McGillion. A great time was had by all and I was genuinely kind of sad to see the episode wrap. Will declared it the most difficult episode he has ever shot. But also the most fun. I can't wait to see a cut.

Janina Gavankar



I stayed late yet again, wandering over to Stage 2 where The Queen was being shot to take a few snaps of that creepy new wraith, check out the amazing sets, and grab one of the complimentary smokies being served. I returned to the FX Stage as the second unit pizza delivery arrived. "Worksafe B.C. prohibits eating on set,"I informed a
bewildered P.A., confiscating his barbecue chicken pizza.

It was delicious.

Camera crew



Mailbag:

SusantheTartanTurtle writes: "Is there any particular reason that you have been lurking whilst "Whispers" is being filmed. Apart from all the pretty ladies that is."

Answer: Most of the time, I'm simply too busy to spend time on set. In the case of Whispers (as was the case with Harmony late last season), I have a window before I start my next script (episode #16). Also, this episode is a little more complex than most, requiring a substantial amount of fog FX, and I wanted to be on hand to deal with any potential problems. Fortunately, things went swimmingly.

**snippage**

Leela Savasta practicing her pistol whipping



LostCityGuardian writes: "Is the Shrine of Talus still going to be called that, or is it now just The Shrine?"

Answer: It's now called The Shrine.

**snippage**

Director Will Waring giving two thumbs up



StellaByStargate writes: "I'll ask again if we're going to be treated to another fantastic Joel Goldsmith full orchestral score for Continuum as we were with AoT?"

Answer: Oh yeah.

Leela Savasta



Joel413 writes: "When you are snapping pictures of cast/crew and other people on the set, do you let them know you will be posting them on your blog? To you ask folks if it's Ok to shoot the pics? I wouldn't exactly call the SGA set a "public place" where someone might get snapped. Have you ever had anyone politely ask you not to post their picture? And if so, have you just obliged their request, or have you negotiated some comprimise, or just said, screw it they're my pictures and my site?"

Answer: I've alerted the actors, crew, and any guest stars that I may be snapping pics for the blog. If, for whatever the reason, someone prefers not to have their photo taken and/or posted, I'll happily respect their decision and avoid taking pictures of them until such a time as they express a willingness to have their picture taken again.

Stargate Atlantis / A Dog's Breakfast - Creation Entertainment: Special Deal!

From a Creation Entertainment e-mail announcement:

ATLANTIS' HEWLETT'S NEW FILM WITH SPECIAL AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO: YOU CAN'T BEAT THIS SPECIAL BONUS OFFER....



David Hewlett, Kate Hewlett, Paul McGillion and Christopher Judge star in this brand new DVD release! Order today from Creation and we'll send you your copy (currently in stock) along with a special CREATION EXCLUSIVE BONUS: a hand signed autographed full color photo of PAUL McGILLION in his role from Stargate: Atlantis (Dr. Beckett)! This film is directed by David Hewlett. You gotta give it up for this bargain: you get a great DVD and a hand signed autographed full color licensed photo worth more than the DVD! Sign up today and you'll have your stuff winging your way to you TODAY! Very, very cool! $22.99

THIS OFFER IS OPEN ONLY TO THE FIRST 100 ORDERS! IF ORDERS EXCEED THIS NUMBER WE WILL REFUND YOUR PAYMENT.

Click here to get your copy NOW IN STOCK!!!

http://www.creationent.com/sg1/index2.htm

Stargate Atlantis - Video: Robert Picardo in Smallville's 'Quest'

With many thanks to Comics 2 Film for the heads up:

http://www.comics2film.com/index.php?a=story&b=33013

Smallville's 'Quest' airs Thursday, May 8 on the CW channel. Please check your local listings for the time.

Buck Rogers - Video: 'Vegas in Space'

Courtesy of HULU, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century's 'Vegas in Space,' starring Gil Gerard, Erin Gray and Tim O'Connor. With guest stars including Richard Lynch, Ana Alicia, Cesar Romero and Joseph Wiseman.

Buck attempts to rescue a kidnapped girl from an orbiting gambling paradise.

Battlestar Galactica - Video: James Callis Q&A Part 2

Courtesy of the SciFi Channel and HULU, James Callis Q&A - Part 2.

James Callis answers fans' queries from the SciFi Channel's Battlestar Galactica Forum in this special Q&A series.

http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showforum=24

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Video: Trailer

'Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' is scheduled to be released July 1 2009. Starring the voice talents of John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, Ray Romano and Chris Wedge.

Moonlight - TV Guide Online: Ask Matt May 2 '08

From TV Guide Online's Ask Matt column:

http://www.tvguide.com/Ask-Matt/080502

(Please follow the link for the complete column.)

Ask Matt

Friday, May 2, 2008

Analyzing Moonlight's Return

Question: Did you see Moonlight? It was stunning! Joel Silver has clearly outdone himself! It just blew me away. It was intense, romantic, action-packed, moved very quickly and yet had great continuity. The cast was superb. There are not enough adjectives to describe this show. The relationship between Josef and Mick was amazing. I'm so glad that Jason Dohring got a major role here. He's a very good actor. Hope to see more? The Prince of Darkness becomes Prince Charming and reverses back to save "his Beth" from the rogue vampire. Could it be any better? We ladies were salivating! Matt, no occult show on TV could possibly measure up. I'm not thinking People's Choice Award, I'm thinking Emmy! If the following three episodes are anything like this one, I'm ready for a two-hour premiere in the fall. — Sharon

Matt Roush: But did you like it? Now that's what I call a mash note, and I sure hope you enjoyed the two-page photo spread of Alex O'Loughlin in the current Sexiest Stars issue. Pages 56-57. (Who am I kidding? It's probably hanging on thousands of walls already.) I would agree absolutely on one point: The scene where Josef turned Mick back into a vampire was a highlight of the entire season, and definitely Jason Dohring's best work in the series to date. (Reminded me of the erotic charge I got out of the early Anne Rice vampire novels.) Emmy-worthy? I won't go that far. But worthy of cult status and a second season? More and more.

Question: I was a reluctant fan of Moonlight in the beginning. It was way too much like Angel, and the episode where Mick had to feed on his girlfriend to survive was very clichéd and an obvious copycat of Angel and Buffy. However, I gave the show a chance, and I have to admit, it grew on me until I found myself looking forward to its return. Then, I watched the first episode back last Friday night. Not only was the story incredibly obvious and way too easy to see where the plot was going, but the product placements were so obtrusive that they completely overwhelmed the story. There was iPhone, iPhone and then more iPhone, followed by Guitar Hero, World of Warcraft and finally Krispy Kreme donuts. There was hardly room for the badly written story. I was disappointed. — John

Matt Roush: I get this point of view as well. I'm enjoying Moonlight more as it goes, but still find much of the writing (generally, anything that doesn't involve the whole vampire/mortality thing) beyond clunky. So much of Moonlight feels like a generic CBS show: the obvious crime plots, the bland supporting cast (excepting Dohring, who has improved lately), the harsh lighting. (Has there ever been a sunnier vampire drama than the ironically titled Moonlight?) Alex O'Loughlin is pretty much carrying this show on his capable shoulders, but I hope that if things settle down behind-the-scenes in the second season (assuming there will be one), that the rest of the show can rise to the level of its star's charisma. It won't be easy. But to single this show out for its product placements is a bit naïve. That's the economic reality of the world much of network TV is living in. If you're watching the show in real time, already sitting through the commercials, you may have cause to complain. But if you're watching on DVR/TiVo, skipping the commercials, that's a big reason you're going to have to get used to this trend. But it's true they could be a little less obvious about it, especially when it comes to those loving close-ups of the phones.

Question: Another Moonlight question: The cast in a recent interview said that the last four episodes would "stand alone" due to there being no second-season pickup as yet. That is, there would be no arcs created because they didn't want to leave the audience hanging in the event that the series did not return. They also said that all four episodes were now wrapped. My question is this: If the network announces a pickup before the final episode airs, do you think they would create (or may already have ready) an alternate ending in an attempt to leave a cliffhanger to entice second-season viewing? Or do you think they will leave it as it is and move into a less stand-alone format if a second season happens? — Lyn

Matt Roush: The CBS upfront announcement will take place two days before Moonlight's scheduled May 16 season finale, so this is a moot point. I doubt seriously any show would rejigger its finale at the last minute just to give the audience a contrived cliff-hanger, which is already a pretty overdone gimmick, don't you think? The main reason I bring up this issue is to state again my own conviction that producers of marginal series do themselves and certainly their fans a disservice by ending an "on the bubble" season with a huge cliff-hanger. It's one thing to leave a show open-ended (like, say, the finale of Eli Stone, where Eli woke from the coma with the tumor gone and a world of possibilities ahead of him) and another entirely to leave the fan hanging with a life-or-death situation (like, say, if Eli had chosen to end without letting us know if he was going to wake up.) If Moonlight gets renewed, which I expect to be the case, then let the arcs fly. Although knowing CBS's proclivities, I bet their desire is for the show to keep the stories as self-contained as possible.