Stargate Atlantis - SGA - IGN (AU): Joe Flanigan Interview

At IGN (Australia):

(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)



AU: Stargate Atlantis Season 4 Comes to DVD

Joe Flanigan talks with us about the series.

by Oscar Hillerstrom, IGN AU

Australia, September 2, 2008 - As far as heroes come, they don't come any more straight forward than Stargate: Atlantis' Colonel John Sheppard, as played by Joe Flanigan. Cool in a crisis, dry of wit, resourceful, yet ultimately, just an ordinary guy, he's a charming chap who's never going to leave a team member behind, and will never give up, no matter the odds.

The one thing that strikes you as odd when you meet the actor who plays Sheppard is that either he's the perfect actor, or he's perfectly cast, because he seems to have the easy, heroic charm of a man who's looked death in the face, made a sarcastic and rather wry quip, and then gone on to save the world and himself anyway. It's quite an unnerving quality, but it's something that doesn't take long to get used to, and before long you're yapping away like chums discussing a hard day at the office – or in his case, a hard day fighting off The Wraith, Replicators and all manner of intergalactic foe that threaten Atlantis on a daily basis.

We chatted with him about Season 4 (which comes out this week on DVD) and a little bit on Season 5.

IGN AU: What's it like having a new boss in Season 5?

Joe Flanigan: Our hot new female lead, Robert Picardo! I guess we were expecting an adversarial relationship, but it didn't work that way. It was generally constructive, however. The writers like to make sure that people don't get along. We found a moderate form of that, where he likes to be the peacock, where he likes to be in charge, stick to protocol, but when you close the doors, there's a sense of humility, and he doesn't know quite what he's doing, and he looks for advice. We've had a few scenes together - it's not all that different from the relationship that me and Amanda (Amanda Tapping, who played Samantha Carter, head of Stargate: Atlantis in Season 4) had – Amanda's perfect, on screen and off screen.

To be honest with you, it's quite smart. If he came in too bombastic, it wouldn't work. It would be fun to have that bureaucratic antagonist, messing with us, we need a loathsome bureaucratic personality...

Stargate Atlantis / SG1 - GateWorld Podcast: Episode #9

From GateWorld Podcast:



Visit the GateWorld Podcast page for more about the show!

There is big news in the Stargate world, and with no new episode of Atlantis to discuss this week GateWorld's editors let their opinions fly on the show's cancellation. Is Atlantis leaving too soon? We also weigh in on the upcoming third series, Stargate Universe, and what we think it has to have in order to bring the franchise to new heights.

And how about that franchise? Is Stargate running on fumes, or will the DVD movies and the new show make it better than it has ever been?

David also fills us in on his trip to Gatecon 2008, and we run down the latest Stargate news and site features. And we have lots of mail in the mailbag and on the GateWorld Podcast Hotline!

This Week's Listener Question: Tell us what you think of Friday's new episode, "Whispers." Does Stargate do the horror genre well? Or do out-of-the-box episodes, like "Wormhole X-Treme" or "200," just not feel like Stargate?

Call the GateWorld Podcast Hotline now and we'll play some of your responses in next week's show! Just dial:

616-712-1647
(Long distance rates apply)

You can also leave a comment [at the link above], or post on the Podcast Feedback thread at the forum.

Next Week: We're talking about Friday's new episode, "Whispers." Watch it at 10 p.m. (9 Central) on SCI FI, and tune in for our tenth podcast on Tuesday.

Thanks for listening to the GateWorld Podcast!

True Blood - SciFi Weekly: Interview with Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and Alan Ball

At SciFi Weekly:

(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)



INTERVIEWS

September 01, 2008

Ex X-Man Anna Paquin teams up with Stephen Moyer and Alan Ball to give Charlaine Harris' vampire books eternal life

By Mike Szymanski


Alan Ball acknowledges that vampires are in. Somehow in the psyche of the world right now, plenty of people like vampires. So he is particularly excited about bringing the Charlaine Harris books to HBO with the series True Blood.

Ball spoke at a private telephone press conference less than a week before his show debuts on Sept. 7, and he joined his two stars, Anna Paquin as psychic Sookie Stackhouse and Stephen Moyer as vampire Bill Compton, at the Television Critics Association interviews in late summer.

Anna Paquin, what do you think of doing TV after doing movies all of your career?

Paquin: I think ensemble acting is the most fun, because in this case you have extraordinary people around you that you get to play with all day. I wanted to re-create the adventure and the fun and the sort of excitement of reading those books and the feeling like I had stumbled into this world. I have to see what happens.

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer

Stephen Moyer, what do you think is different in this series?

Moyer: Something I don't think I've ever seen in a series ... is how you get to the end of each episode, and the episode begins where that episode ended, and that happens all the way through the season.

Alan Ball, it seems like vampires are in vogue again. Do you have any insights on that?

Ball: I think vampires are a timeless, powerful archetype that can tap into people's psyches. They've been around forever, even before the reinvention of vampires in the 1990s with Bram Stoker's Dracula. A lot of world mythology all over the globe has creatures like the succubus, the one that feeds on the essence of people. I don't really know why this is all happening at this time. I'm just glad it's happening.

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Kate Hewlett

At MGM Stargate:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)



Close Up: Kate Hewlett

September 1, 2008 (Actors)

If you thought “The Shrine” was emotional to watch, spare a thought for Kate Hewlett!


Since Kate Hewlett began playing the recurring character of Jeannie Miller on Stargate Atlantis, she’s had to deal with a lot. And we don’t just mean as the on-screen sister of Rodney McKay (not to mention the real-life sister of David Hewlett). Best known in her native Canada as a comedy actress, her visits to Atlantis have seen the actress dealing with everything from action to green-screen. And with “The Shrine”, Kate found herself dealing with something new yet again.

“I’m not going to lie,” she laughs. “It was very nerve wracking, actually. Just because I’ve never had to do that before – I’ve never had to do any kind of crying or anything like that before on film, so that was pretty scary. It’s definitely not my comfort zone – I’m definitely more comfortable doing comedy. So it was a really good experience.” It was very different,” she says of the episode, “and I think part of that is that Martin Gero wrote the first two and this one was Brad [Wright], so there was less banter and less witty dialogue. But I really enjoyed seeing the other side of the character and exploring that a little bit, and also trying to find ways to get that in there, to keep that humour...”

Sadly, Kate reports that so far, she hasn’t had another call back for Stargate Atlantis fifth season, and with the news that the show will not be returning for a sixth season, “The Shrine” may prove to be the last time we see Jeannie. Fingers crossed that she’ll turn up in the finale – or maybe even sooner!

Stargate Atlantis - NEW Photos from 'Inquisition' - Sept. 2 '08

More new photos from Stargate Atlantis' 'Inquisition,' which is scheduled to air on Friday, October 24 at its new time, 9pm, on the SciFi Channel. (Please click on photo for a larger format.)



Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett)




The Inquisition Judges - Kelore (David Lovgren), Dimas (Alan Blumenfeld) and Shiana (Kaaren De Zilva)



Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo) and Ronon Dex (Jason Momoa)

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: 'Whispers' Episode Trailer

At MGM Stargate:

(Please follow the link to view the trailer in its original format.)

Whispers

0:33 2MB

Watch an all new episode of Stargate Atlantis Fridays 10/9c only on SCI FI. This week: "Whispers"



Stargate Atlantis' 'Whispers' airs Friday, September 5 at 10pm on the SciFi Channel. Guest stars include Paul McGillion, Christina Cox, Janina Gavankar, Nicole De Boer and Leela Savasta.

David Boreanaz - Bones - Video: Premiere Preview - 'Always the Butler'

Courtesy of FOX and HULU, a fourth season Bones video premiere, 'Always the Butler.'

Bones - Always the Butler

Current Preview (s.4 : ep.1) |02:27 |

Even Poirot can tell you that.



Bones premieres Wednesday, September 3 at 8pm on FOX.

The Colbert Report - Video: August 11 '08 Episode

Courtesy of The Comedy Channel and HULU, The Colbert Report's August 11 '08 episode.

Stephen welcomes Jorge Ramos, author of "The Gift of Time: Letters from a Father."

Stargate SG-1 - Michael Shanks - GateWorld: Shanks served another Burn Notice

At GateWorld:

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



Shanks served another Burn Notice

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 (ACTORS)

The SG-1 actor will reprise his role as "Victor" in additional episodes of the USA Network series.


A brief excerpt:

GateWorld sat down with Michael Shanks at Creation Entertainment's recent Stargate convention in Chicago, where Shanks talked about his enjoyment of the new role.

"It's great! I love that show!" Shanks said. "I'm not capable of playing too many bad guys in earnest, or even good guys in earnest, in terms of that straight, jaw-clenching type of way. I need them to have a layer of irony to them or something like that. And Burn Notice is the perfect show for that..."

And keep it locked on GateWorld! Shanks returns to Stargate with his guest appearance on Atlantis later this month -- and a brand-new interview with the popular actor is coming in the weeks ahead.

Bones - Interview with Hart Hanson

At the Canadian uninflected images juxtaposed blog:

(Please follow the link for the complete interview. Behind the scenes photos from Bones season four at the site.)



Hart Hanson Makes No Bones About Still Liking Making Bones

The American fall TV season kicks into gear this week, and Bones begins Season 4 on Wednesday night with a 'very special' two hour episode set over in the UK. The following exchange is just a cut and paste of an email exchange me [Will Dixon] and old pal/Bones showrunner Hart Hanson had over the weekend, so don't take it all too seriously.


WD: Did you write a story that ended up being a two-parter, or did it have to be at least two eps to make it worthwhile to even go over there?

HH: It’s a seamless two hour extravaganza with a gigantic seam in the middle that should be invisible. HAHAHAHA! We were given an impossible task. The network wanted a seamless two hour movie version that could nonetheless be split into two separate episodes. Insane! We did a pretty good job, I think. You’ll tell me after you see it. Tonight it’s showing at the IMAX. I may slip down and see how a crowd in a theatre likes what we did.

WD: Are the cast all behaving after the 'demise'(sort of) of Zack last season? Or have they gotten paranoid and bothersome? Or all wanting to direct now?

HH: The cast is mostly behaving. I would prefer that they simply blindly do what I ask them to do but if they did that then they wouldn’t be actors. Though David Boreanaz will be directing this season – most likely episode 11...

Bones Season 4 premieres Wednesday September 3 on Fox at 8pm.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Video: 'Heavy Metal'

Courtesy of HULU, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' episode, 'Heavy Metal,' starring Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau and Richard T. Jones. Guest stars include Catherine Dent, Brian Bloom, Lee Thompson Young, Garret Dillahunt and Mark Adair-Rios.

While searching for some stolen cargo, John is separated from Sarah and Cameron and finds that the future is not as safe as he hopes. Meanwhile, Agent Ellison's murder investigation leads to a surprising suspect.

Heroes - Video: Season 3 Teaser Trailer

Courtesy of NBC and HULU, Heroes Premiere Event.

Heroes

Teaser Trailer |01:00 |

The nine month wait is finally over.

Stargate Atlantis - GateWorld: David Hewlett Audio Interview - Sept 2 '08

At GateWorld:

(Please follow the link to download the audio interview and/or read the interview transcript.)



Rodney Forever

GateWorld talks with David Hewlett

Though Stargate Atlantis has reached its triumphant fifth season, David Hewlett has been playing Dr. Rodney McKay for some eight years now. His character was introduced in the fifth season of Stargate SG-1 ("48 Hours"), and went on to win fan acclaim as a main character in the spin-off series.

As David tells us in this new interview, however, that wasn't always going to be the case.

GateWorld caught up with David Hewlett just a few days after the SCI FI Channel and MGM announced that this year will be the last for Atlantis -- though they plan to make a series of movies starting in 2009 (story). The actor candidly shares his disappointment, tempered by the optimism of an actor who is ready to try new things.

Also be sure to listen to Episode #8 of the GateWorld Podcast, in which Hewlett joins us for a special, extended discussion of "The Shrine!" Look for the podcast on iTunes, subscribe with your favorite podcast program, or listen right here at GateWorld. Our thanks to David for spending time with us. Interview transcript at the link above.



A brief excerpt:

GW: One of the things that Brad [Wright] said -- I got on the horn with Brad, it must have been Thursday, and did a phone interview. And the way he explained this decision was [to say]: We really wanted to have Atlantis go out on a high while there was enough life left in it that it would support movies. Because he is really committed to the movie format.

DH: It just makes sense on so many levels. SG-1 has proven that that's a model that can work. And I think movies are exciting. It's a really exciting process to come in, and you know you are there for a month or two months (or whatever it ends up being), and you can really focus on it. And then you can sort of let it go.

The "light at the end of the tunnel" while you are shooting is really important. And sometimes with episodic, and certainly with the frantic pace that we shoot Atlantis at -- I mean, we're literally shooting two or three episodes a day, sometimes. Obviously not the whole episodes, but scenes from three different episodes at the same time. And for a character like McKay, that is pretty daunting. It's like, "Whoa, wait a sec! What power is failing now?"