I have my wireless laptop set up on the island of my kitchen, happily typing in this latest entry as I: a) make a batch of homemade ice cream and, b) dig into a batch of Ben Jerry's "The Gobfather" and Ben Jerry's "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough". Everyone has their particular weakness. Mine is premium ice cream. So much so that I wake up every morning at 6:00 a.m. and run for 45 minutes to ensure I don't turn into a blimp. On special occasions, I'll make a batch with my homemade ice cream maker. This weekend, I'll be making three flavors: shaved milk chocolate and dark chocolate chunk, Reeses peanut butter cup, and sweet cream and dark chocolate cookie. I'll let you know how they turn out.

I just finished watching volume 2 of Futurama and have started the first season of MI5. The thing I love about BBC shows is their courageous storytelling. They are willing to take chances that most North American series would never take for fear of upending the apple cart. There are more meaningful story changes/character developments in the average 6 episode season span of a BBC show than in 3-5 seasons of your average North American offering. There are exceptions of course (usually on HBO), but they are - well, the exception rather than the rule.

Still making use of my new home theater. I thought Hotel Rwanda was brilliant. Oceans 12, less so. On tap: Intacto, 2LDK, Croupier, 2046, and Kung Fu Hustle. Turns out David Hewlitt is a big fan of horror movies (we both loved Session 9, an under-appreciated gem) and I promised him that I'd have him over once the theater seating gets set up.

As I expected, it was a busy week. We prepped the big mid-season SG-1 two-parter - The 4th Horseman I and II. The show's 9th season continues to add to its already impressive list of guest stars. Watch for ex-X-Files semi-regular William B. Davis to make a couple of appearances as well as the very talented Cameron Bright (who you may recognize from his performaces in Godsend opposite Robert DeNiro, and Birth opposite Nicole Kidman).

We cut Ex Deus Machina (Chris Judge did such a great job that I immediately went down to set after watching the Director's cut and told him as much) and Paul cut Instinct while I started beating out an outline for our next script (tentatively titled "Convergence") that, if all goes as planned, may see the return of a much-loved, sorely-missed character. Over on the Babylon location, Ben Browder continues to impress, insisting on performing his own stunts and taking a beating (quite literally) for his troubles. Over on the Atlantis side, we're putting Joe Flanigan through the ringer in Conversion, an episode in which he gets to experience how the other half lives.

Well, as my grandmother used to say " That ice cream aint gonna make itself"...

Between writing and exec producing SG-1 and Atlantis, I've decided to pick up where I left off about a year ago. So, heads up. A new installment of my production diary will be coming your way (I believe we were heading into Prep Week) the last time I checked (out). Also, I'll be continuing my In the Making series in which I offer insights and anecdotes related to the behind-the-scenes happenings of the various episodes. And, finally, I'll be doing some blogging - time permitting.

Now, unlike the aforementioned articles, this blog will not focus exclusively on Stargate. Rather, I'll use this space to rant about/heap praise upon/ruminate on anything and everything that happens to capture my interest: television, film, literature, dining out, and, of course, work.

Pleased to hear that FOX is bringing back the best comedy on television for another season. I'm, of course, not referring to Stacked but Arrested Development, a wickedly funny series that has to build the audience it deserves. If you haven't checked it out yet, tune in - or, better yet, pick up the first season on DVD. And, while I'm recommeding t.v. on DVD, why not check out the first three seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Shield, and Six Feet Under, the first two seasons of Sealab 2021, and the short-lived but kick-ass Firefly (Heads up. The movie, Serenity, is coming soon). And, if you haven't watched The Office yet, go out and get it.

With my home theater finally up and running, I've been spending a lot of time catching up on my movies. Among the films I recently checked out: Maria Full of Grace (Amazing! Catalina Sandino Moreno was terrific!), Meet the Fockers (A far cry from Meet the Parents), the first 20 minutes of Dodgeball (There's a reason I could only watch the first 20 minutes), Darkness (Rosemary's Baby meets The Shining meets The Amityville Horror meets the end of the first Nightmare on Elm Street ). All this to say - pick up Maria Full of Grace.

Back on the work front - we're prepping the big mid-season SG-1 two-parter: The Fourth Horseman, to be directed by Andy Mikita. Tony Todd will be reprising his role as the Sodan leader Haikon (Sodan? Haikon? Check out Babylon), and the ever-gracious Tony Amendola will be back as Bratac. Damian Kindler wrote Part I (Robert Cooper did a pass on his script) and I wrote Part II. To be perfectly honest, this one was a real challenge given the different elements we needed to juggle over the course of this particular story. More on that in the "In the Making of" series but, suffice it to say, it was a frequently frustrating, occasionally dispiriting, ultimately rewarding experience.

We watched the Intruder mix on Friday afternoon and the episode looks (and sounds) great. Mitch is a wonderful addition to an already top-notch cast.

Next week, Paul and I will be finishing up prep on The Fourth Horseman AND cutting both Instinct (guest-starring Firefly's Jewel Staite who did an incredible job), and Ex Deus Machina (guest-starring - well, let's just call him a familiar face).

Well, that's all for now. Time to walk the dogs before dinner (off to my favorite Japanese restaurant in Vancouver: Yuji's), afterwhich we'll probably watch another movie.

Talk to you soon,

JM

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