Going over my last blog entry, I realized (to my horror) that I hadn't said anything that could potentially enrage/offend someone. So allow me to remedy that right off the bat by making the following potentially insulting statement: "People who don't like animals are jerks at best, serial killers at worst." Do your worst.

On to ice cream. I made the carrot cake ice cream, but the blueberry pie didn't pan out because I wasn't able to get my hands on a good blueberry pie. Instead, I opted for peach/pear/apple pie vanilla ice cream (which is mixing as we speak). I decided to get creative for the chocolate base and made a Double Dark Milk Chocolate Capuccino Biscotti Crunch. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Speaking of crunch time, things are getting pretty crazy at work. Just found out today that Athur's Mantle, which was scheduled to prep September 8th, has been moved up a couple of days...to April 29th! In other words, we have 3, not 12, days to do a pass on the script. On the bright side, getting it done early means we'll have almost two weeks to script the big season finale, Camelot. Its times like these I'm glad I have a writing partner. Although, in reality, we're more producing partners because we haven't really written a script together in two years. This year, we've been alternating scripts and duties. Paul wrote Intruder, then I wrote Ties That Bind, Paul did the rewrite on Instinct and shouldered most of the producing duties on that episode while I wrote Ex Deus Machina. While I wrote Fourth Horseman II, he moved on to Collateral Damage, then I wrote Ripple Effect, and he wrote The Tower, and I wrote The Scourge...and now here we are. I was beating out the story for Camelot and doing the script changes for The Scourge, while he was in editing all day today cutting The Tower. Its been a busy year. No wonder its gone by so fast.

Carl put out his latest Inferno outline and is hard at work - office door ajar, head bowed in deep concentration. Rob sequestered himself this morning to work on Crusade which, apparently, is going very well. He has already hit Act III. We were in the writer's room today discussing the Atlantis season finale, Allies, which Martin will be writing. Big, BIG things coming your way this season.

By the way, I spend a lot of time sounding off on a variety of topics, but I have to, occasionally, give credit where credit is due. Over the course of my writing career, I've been on the receiving end of some mighty annoying network notes. More often than not, they'll take the form of three general, all-encompassing criticisms: 1) The hero needs to be more pro-active, 2) We need more jeopardy, and 3) There has to be more of a ticking clock. For many years, I was convinced that all network executives attended the same "How to Criticize a Script" seminar. In time, I realize how silly a notion this was and so dismissed it in favor of the very real possibility that they all owned the same trademark dartboard sporting three distinct shaded areas for each of the afore-mentioned criticisms. All they'd have to do is toss a dart at the board and, voila, instant critique. And then, there were times in my pre-Stargate days when dealt with notes so mystifying, so inherently bizarre, so unintentionally hilarious that I would seriously wonder whether I was the victim of a practical joke. That said, I have to admit, its been a pleasure dealing with Nora O'Brien from SciFi Channel. Her notes are always specific, well thought-out, and well-argued. Hey, I may not agree with her all of the time, but I'll always know exactly what she's arguing for and why. She's courteous and professional - but firm in her belief that the changes she is suggesting will make the episode that much better. And she's usually right. There are even times when I don't think she's right and I'll go back to the script, re-read it with her note in mind and realize "Damn! She's right!" I hate that! Nora oversees SG-1 while Tony Optican (also a very nice guy with some good ideas) oversees Atlantis. In the future, if you guys get tired of quizzing the guy who played Jaffa #3 in episode 45, you may want to consider inviting them to a con. I'm sure they're just chock full of great insider/behind-the-scenes tales, and stories revolving around the insane writers/producers they've had to deal with over the years.

Okay. Heard a lot of good things about Boomtown and decided to check it out. Interesting format but, after two episodes, I think I'll be switching over to something else. A lot of you are recommending 24 and I have to say I checked out the first season on DVD. My wife and I were hooked - up until late in the season when the show hit a little, er, bump, that had my wife wash her hands of the series. It was a five minute sequence in which the mother and daughter drive away from a safe house, being followed by the bad guys. They apparently give the baddies the slip but, rather than motor off, the mother parks the car and heads back on foot to make sure the bad guys are nowhere in sight. Unfortunately, she has parked her car too close to a ravine and, while she's hiking back to make sure the carload of bad guys are in fact gone, her car rolls down the ravine, presumably killing her daughter. She realizes what has happened and faints. When she wakes up, she has amnesia. I remember my wife getting up in that instant and just silently leaving the t.v. room. Ah well. On the bright side, am looking forward to checking out HBO's Rome. Halfway through Alias season 2. On the movie front, on deck: Seance on a Wet Afternoon, Bully, Steamboy, Dumplings: Three, Ping Pong, and All About Lily Chou Chou. By the way, to whoever suggested it, I've already seen Shiri. And loved it.

Last weekend's ice cream flavors: Reverse Smores, Pastry Cookie, Nanaimo Bar, and my wife's favorite - Caramel Bread Pudding.
This week's flavors: Carrot Cake, Blueberry Pie, and an unyet decided chocolate-based flavor.

Okay, no sooner do things die down regarding my spoiler rant than someone directs me to a website so I could check out the SciFi promo for this weeks' episodes. Thankfully, the promo for Instinct only spoils the first act break. The promo for Ex Deus Machina scores the daily double by not only spoiling the first act break but spoiling the fourth act break, final twist, as well. I mean, come. Its one thing when a fan-based website digs up spoilers for upcoming episodes and posts them on their site for fans to actively access, but when your broadcaster spoils the episode's twists and turns in promos sprung on unsuspecting viewers, well... I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. So here are all the major spoilers for the rest of the season:

1. Daniel and Dr. Lam hook up.
2. Bratac dies defending Chulak from the Priors.
3. Chulak is destroyed.
4. Mitchell is a mole for The Trust who has a change of heart about his employers and turns on them before season's end.
5. Landry is kidnapped while on an off-world diplomatic mission. He is rescued at episode's end, but it won't be until much later in the season that we realize the Landry we saved is an android and the real Landry is still off-world.
6. Teal'c gets married.
7. Carter discovers she is a latent telepath.
8. A furling joins the team and the furry little scamp gets into all sorts of trouble, leaving little "presents" in his fellow team members' boots.
9. SG-1 visits a planet where the natives communicate by song. Things go awry and the team must sing their way out of a dangerous predicament.
10. Hathor II.
11. Just kidding.

Prep began on The Scourge and The Long Goodbye (which will allow Tori to flex more than her acting muscle as Weir "opens a can of whup ass" on Sheppard). Rob is working on Crusade, which will see the return of THAT CHARACTER with a major relevation (which I won't reveal at the moment so you'll just have to wait for the SciFi promo). Rob will not only be writing and producing, but directing the episode as well. I've already told him I expect nothing less than the greatest episode of Stargate SG-1 EVER! Anything less will be a disappointment. No pressure. Also started beating out Camelot. Alan is finishing up his second draft of Arthur's Mantle. Carl is outlining Inferno. And Martin is working on the big Atlantis season finale.

Watched the series finale of Six Feet Under the other night. It was a perfect end to a wonderful show and the final five minutes were pretty heart-wrenching. Damian and I discussed it and he had a different interpretation of (moreover, took away someting completely different from) those five minutes. As for me - one aspect bothered me so much that I stayed up all night thinking about it. Of course, it could have been the ice cream.

Well, I'm off. Finished off season 2 of Babylon 5 and will be switching gears. Recommendations? By the way, keep those recommendations coming. I saw Attack the Gas Station and loved it.

Joe

Wow. It seems I can't express an opinion lately without raising the ire of at least one thin-skinned fan. That said, I feel that, at the very least, I should give you all a heads up that this blog will include yet another rant. If you're given to fits of apoplexy at the mere whiff of an opinion that runs contrary to your own, then I strongly suggest you stop reading. Now. I mean it. Okay, you've been warned.

So the production office was ordering pizza today and when we asked the details, we were informed that they would be ordering from this terrific pizza place in town (Marcello's). But when the pizza finally arrived, we were horrified to discover not Marcello's but Domino's thin crust pizza! As someone who appreciates good pizza (I grew up on the stuff), I can't think of a bigger travesty than trying to pass that off as "real pizza". Seriously. Why don't you just spoon some tomato paste onto a cracker and eat that? As Robert sat down to eat his lunch, he quipped: "For a second I thought they'd put the topping on the box." And I'm assuming he drew this conclusion AFTER tasting it.

Okay. Rant over. If my tirade against thin crust pizza has somehow gravely offended you, then, of course, feel free to whine away (anonymously of course so that no one else can suspect what a tool you really are).

Anyhoo - ice creams on deck for Ice Cream Friday: Amaretto Amaretti, Chocolate Truffle and Oatmeal Cookie, and Kahlua Double Chocolate Truffle Peanut Butter Cupcake with Double Devon Cream Grand Marnier (whew!). I was just in the next room, uh, sampling the product. Tasty.

Had to do a bit of a rewrite for The Scourge, cutting down on some of the heavier visual effects, trimming the dialogue, and re-jigging the ending. The bug-wrangler may be coming in on Friday to discuss some of the practical effects. I'll tell you right now, I have my heart set on mealworms.

Watched the day one mix of Prototype. Excellent episode (I'll be the first to admit I was leery when the idea was first pitched out), wonderfully acted (kudos to our guest stars Neil Jackson and Bob Picardo), and wonderfully directed (kudos to the ever-lovely Peter DeLuise, especially for that Mitchell-Daniel "walk up the ramp" sequence at episode's end). Paul and I finished our prod cut of Ripple Effect and the episode looks great. As I thought, I had to lose a couple of scenes (the Lam-Landry walk and talk opening, and the Mitchell-Daniel "debate" on the ship), but hopefully you'll get to see the scenes - or, at the very least, read them when I post them after the episode airs. Over on Atlantis, David Hewlitt is neck deep in water shooting Grace Under Pressure while Joe Flanigan and co. have their hands full with a dysfunctional alien aristocracy in The Tower. Also, prep began today on The Long Goodbye.

Now that I've finished writing The Scourge, I have a window of opportunity (read: some free time) which will allow me to get back to some bigscreen viewing. On tap: continuing Alias season 2, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Kaze no Yojimbo - and I want to get around to watching Seance on a Wet Afternoon.

Well, that's it for now. I'm off to grab a cup of green tea and some downtime with the dogs.


Joe

You'll all be pleased to hear that I have finally completed my first draft of The Scourge. I'm fairly happy with it although the number of visual effects has me concerned. I'll scale it back if I have to or find a way to pull it off with a mixture of visual and practical effects (we've already started talking with the talented Todd Masters). It was distributed to the writing department on Thursday, but we didn't get around to doing notes. I guess I'll have to wait until Monday for the rewrite. The concept meeting is next Friday.

Ernie Hudson was in the offices today for his role in Ethon. He is a super guy, very friendly and, it turns out, a good friend of Beau's.

Martin handed in a first draft of his script. Yet another spellbinding Gero special replete with humor. Alan got started on his final SG-1 script while Rob is finally getting around to writing an original. And, for all of you asking out there, Robert Cooper is writing the script in which "that character" returns. Expect a big surprise - unless you've taken to reading some of the spoilers out there. Speaking of which -

I nearly hit the roof when I read the spoilers released on the upcoming Atlantis episode "Michael". As I've often said, I think there is a fine line between "teasers" and "spoilers". "Teasers" whet a fan's appetite for an episode by revealing some information about without giving away anything that would ruin his or her enjoyment of said episode. A "spoiler" on the other hand, is what I saw on the Pegasus Galaxy website - essentially a breakdown of all of the episode's twists and turns. Its just beyond me why anyone would need (or frankly, want) to know that much about an upcoming episode. I mean, seriously. While you're at it, why not set up a General Spoilers section for people who absolutely hate to be pleasantly surprised. Planning on renting The Crying Game or The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects? Check out the website and find out the ending first! Planning on reading the new Harry Potter? Well, save yourself the uncessary suspense by finding out how it ends before you even begin! Season finale of your favorite show coming up? Quick, find out everything about it so that your evening can be thoroughly devoid of viewing pleasure. Okay. Rant over. For now.

Well, finished season 1 of Alias. I figured we'd watch the season finale and then move on to another series. Big mistake! We watched the season finale (the final three episodes were great and I'm hopeful that the whole Prophecy angle is forgotten) and I asked my wife what she wanted to watch next. Her answer? Season two. Oh, and while I'm on the topic of Alias, I just wanted to say what a terrific actor Ron Rifkin is.

Today was, of course, Ice Cream Friday. Today's selections included: Vanilla with Dark Chocolate Fudge Chunks, Fig and Honey, and the two winners: Cinammon Bun, and Smores.

Oh, and before I go, thought you'd like to know that Paul and I will be writing the big SG-1 season finale. Rob pitched out his idea to Paul (while I was finishing up The Scourge) and its going to be fantastic. You already know we'll be ending this season with a cliffhanger - but what a cliffhanger! Stay tuned for more information about our final two SG-1 episodes: Crusade and Camelot.

This is time in the season where things start to get a little wonky. Sort of like that episode of Voyager where time is fractured. 7 day preps are suddenly transformed into 5 day preps. Episodes slated to shoot in early September magically move up a week in the production schedule. A rupture in the space-time continuum creates a weird temporal anomaly in which Peter DeLuise is directing an episode simultaneous to prepping another. And, of course, the time in which we have to write a script can mysteriously shrink from weeks to mere days. Such was the case for pool Paul who faced the daunting prospect of having to write The Tower in less than a week. He didn't have an easy time of it, but ended up writing a terrific script. That makes two Atlantis scripts for Paul this year (Intruder was the other) to 0 for me. All of my writing has been on the Stargate end this year, including tonight's episode, The Ties That Bind. Along with Ripple Effect, TTB tops my list of "fave scripts written to date".

Speaking of Ripple Effect - I received a heads up that the episode is timing long, which invariably means I may have to lose a scene or two. If I do, however, chances are very good you'll get to see or, at the very least, read the scenes that don't make the cut. Also, I read a report that the mystery character I've been referring to with regard to this episode will only be appearing in flashbacks. Let me be clear. There are NO flashbacks in Ripple Effect.

Michael and Off the Grid prep next week. Loved Carl's first draft of Michael. Its very clever, very well-written, and I have a feeling it'll be an episode that fans will talk about for some time to come. Off the Grid sees the machinations of the "new set of players" we introduced in Ties That Bind.

The Scourge is coming along nicely, thanks. Act I is always the toughest and this script was certainly no exception. But now that I'm into Act II, its smoooooth sailing. No kidding. I should be in Act III by tomorrow. So - what is this episode about? The Scourge: SG-1 is given the seemingly menial task of escorting a team of foreign delegates on a tour of the Beta Site. However, the babysitting mission suddenly becomes a much bigger deal when an insidious new threat creeps onto the scene.

Next week also sees us start work on editing Collateral Damage. Wil Waring did a super job directing what has turned out to be a really tight episode.

Rob isn't satisfied with pitching out story ideas. He's taken to pitching out ice cream flavors as well. Last week, it was Fudge Ice Cream which I followed up on with a batch of Milk Chocolate Fudge with Dark Chocolate Fudge Chunks. This week, it was Doughnut Ice Cream. As a result, this Ice Cream Friday's selections included Marzipan with Dark Chocolate Shavings and Chocolate Chocolate Frosted Doughnut Crumbles, and Vanilla Toffee Doughnut - both winners.

Well, we've reached episode 18 of Alias and it looks like we'll be switching to another series after season one. They lost my wife with the whole Prophecy angle. Two thirds of the way through Sports Night, and 3 episodes into the second season of Babylon 5. On the movie front, as Ivon mentioned in his blog, we watched a Hong Kong actioner for movie night. The movie was called Infernal Affairs and boasts a pretty impressive cast including Andy Lau, Anthony Wong (he of Untold Story and my favorite John Woo movie, Hardboiled), Tony Leung Chi Wai (speaking of Hardboiled), and Eric Tsang (who gave a terrific performance in the creepy Three) sporting peroxide blond do. Great premise. Neatly directed and very well edited, but a little relaxed in story pacing. Now that they're through redoing old t.v. shows, they've moved onto redoing foreign films (since, presumably, North Americans can't be bothered to watch the originals).

Well, I'm itching to get started on my In the Making: Ties That Bind entry even though I haven't finished my In the Making: Origin entry. Expect at least one tomorrow.

Joe

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