May 31, 2007

“Being a pirate would be great,”our office assistant Lawren heard a five year old proclaim as the early evening screening for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment let out. “You can just go around stealing stuff and never get in trouble.”

Thank you, Disney.

In all fairness, my pal Carl, a Disney veteran, did once tell us about the time Pocahontas helped a little girl save her brother’s life. Apparently, a boy had almost drowned but was revived by his sister who performed CPR on him, just like she had seen in the animated movie. “Pocahontas saved a kid’s life,”Carl, who happened to co-write the movie, proudly informed us. “Sure,”countered Martin, “but what about all the unreported cases of kids getting mauled after trying to strike up conversations with raccoons and beavers?“ Touché.

But the truth is that modern kids are alarmingly well-insulated against the potentially bad influences of t.v. and film. As someone who worked in the field for many years, I am all too aware of the saccharinization of animation. Remember the good old days when shotguns, cannons and dynamite were both deadly AND hilarious? When plummeting off a cliff resulted in little more than a bruised ego and an accordion body? When electrocution was an acceptable means of getting back at someone? Geez, when did we get so uptight as a society? Somewhere between the 1966 finale of The Flintstones and the 1981 premiere of The Smurfs, television animation lost its soul. Yogi Bear is a perfect example. The original was an arrogant glutton who spent the greater part of his day stealing from unwary picnickers. Fifteen years later, he’s riding around on a magic ark with his buddies “searching for a paradise to call home, a place without pollution or crime” (Wikipedia). I mean, what the fuck? I’m surprised they never did a series about Electro and Doctor Octopus from the old Spiderman cartoon joining forces to travel the globe and teach underprivileged kids the merits of proper hygiene. Along the way, they'll search for the true meaning of love. And Christmas. And non-GMO soybeans for the big-ass friendship cake they’re going to bake for all the world’s children to enjoy, including those with food sensitivities that preclude them from eating anything containing refined flour, sugar, chocolate, nuts, or any other flavor-possessing ingredient.

Oh, so Evan it is. Evan Lorne. In all fairness to Alan who was anoint everyone’s favorite Major with the Wesley moniker, no one could remember naming the character. But after some not-so-gentle fan prodding, Alex Levine dug up the truth. He was never actually called Evan at anytime, but in First Strike, he did wear a flight suit and said flight suit did require a name. So, Evan it is. Or, rather, Evan it still is. Hey, I can’t recall, but did we ever give Ronon a last name? I’m thinking Vanderberg. Does anybody have a problem with that?

Pics: Yesterday’s dinner of broiled arctic char with a tequila-lime marinade and baked halibut with crispy caper butter sauce, drone schematics, the top secret design for that wraith bench, and (What’s this?!) another script!.


Fire away -

Amy writes: “Have you ever tried Organic Oreos? They are quite delicious!”

Answer: Seriously now. Do they taste any different?

Lorr54 writes: “I am very happy you enjoyed them! Thank you!”

Answer: They truly were delicious. You should start up your own shop. Thank you for sending them.

Anonymous #1 writes: “1. How did the Wing Commander (Flanagan) come up with the script for "Epiphany?" 2. Following up with your last answer, I understand what you mean. I just wish there was a way. 3. My friend is interested in Sailor Moon. If it is your cup of tea, can you recommend any episodes?”

Answers: 1) Actually, Joe was credited with the story, not the script. He came up with an idea that Brad spun out in a different direction than the original idea. 2) ? 3) Not a Sailor Moon fan.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Just thought I'd let you know that there is now an "appreciation" thread for you over on Gateworld. Doesn't it make you feel special?”

Answer: I always feel special. Now I feel extra special.

Lisa Gabi Marie writes: “How to you feel about livejournal? Do you have a secret blog there? Have you seen any of the Stargate communities?”

Answer: I don’t really know much about live journal.

Primate-Studios writes: “Is there a new direction that you'd like to take with Stargate?”

Answer: The Stargate franchise is Brad and Rob’s baby, so this is a question for them.

Arctic Goddess writes: “As a Canadian writer/producer, is it harder to get accepted as a writer for U.S. television, or are you accepted as easily as an American writer would be?”

Answer: At this point in my career, it doesn’t make that much of a difference.

Anonymous #2 writes: “IMDb claims that Season 4 will air in July. Is this true?”

Answer: Nope.

Jen, the cow hugger writes: “How is all this chocolate getting to you? Where are they sending it?”

Answer: It’s being sent to The Bridge Studios.

Rrmf writes: “ Any suggestions for a 16 year old voracious sci-fi/fantasy reader (my son) looking to cross over from books for "young" readers to more adult concepts?”

Answer: As always, I recommend John Scalzi. Have him check out Old Man’s War and The Android’s Dream.

SueKay writes: “Is that the story where they take the Pig to the Blarney stone so he'll start to talk and then he won't shut up?”

Answer: That be the one. Oink!

Atlantisfannew1 a ecrit: “Quel est votre patisserie préféré??”

Response: J’adore les mille-feuilles, les éclair au chocolat, et n’importe quoi avec de la crème de marron.

Stargate groupie writes: “Do the actors have much say regarding clothing or props that their character might wear or use? For example, did Joe decided that Sheppard would wear the black wrist band or was it you guys, also, the stuff in Sheppard’s room like the Johnny Cash poster, was that Joe Flanigan or the set design guys?”

Answer: On occasion, they do. That Johnny Cash poster in Sheppard’s room was a Joe F. request.

Anonymous #3 writes: “Did you do some work for Seinfeld?”

Answer: No, you misread. My writing sample was a Seinfeld script.

Anonymous #4 writes: “I'm better at chicken and sausage gumbo to be honest.”

Answer: You’re in luck! I love gumbo! I’ll let you know when I’m in town.

Anonymous #5 writes: “Do you ever garden or grow your own foods?”

Answer: I don’t but, every year when I accompany Fondy plant shopping, I do pick up a bunch of packaged seeds (ie. Garlic, various basils) that I fully intend to plant and nurture - but never do.

Paula writes: “I'm actually suspecting the green onions at Bishops. They're notoriously hard to clean and the timing would be about right for the stuff that usually infects green onions.”

Answer: I don’t think it could have been Bishops as that was fully 60 hours after the fact. For much the same reason you’ve put forward, however, I suspect it was the raw sprouts I had with my soup. That’ll teach me to go for the salad.

Tanis writes: “I want to try if it is possible to send my resume to Stargate series, but I don’t know, to who and where I must to send my resume... do you know it? Are you sure that the “gatekeepers” will read all the resumes?”

Answer: It depends on the gatekeepers. In the case of Stargate, however, the gates are locked because we already have a full staff.

Smiley_face06 writes: “Any chances that you'll make your facebook account so that it is not private?”

Answer: Hmmm. I’m already regretting this Facebook thing. I didn’t realize it would require all this attention and decision-making. I take pride in being friendless and Facebook actually works against that.

Anonymous #6 writes: “What are your thoughts on the craze of foams and molecular gastronomy? Lately I'm of the opinion that while they can create some really interesting tastes and textures, it is just too much hoopla. In the end there is just something missing from the dining experience.”

Answer: If the entire meal were to be made up of foams then, yes, it would certainly be missing a certain je ne sais quoi. No, wait. I sais quoi. Food. I think foams work best as accents to certain dishes.

May 30, 2007

I’ve often said that succeeding in this business is 33% talent, 33% luck, 33% connections, and 1% miscellaneous, but the truth is that behind the talent and the luck and the connections and the miscellaneous are the gatekeepers, the holders of the keys to the enchanted city. They are the people who take the time from their busy schedules to read your stuff and recognize your potential. The people who roll the dice on and gave you a shot, allowing you your big breaks into the fields of animation, live action teen comedy, crappy action-dramas, and, ultimately the wonderful world of Stargate. Without them, who knows what kind of bizarre and potentially life-threatening vocations I may have had to undertake in order to make ends meet: mercenary soldier, human guinea pig for advanced scientific research, high school history teacher. And so, I dedicate this blog entry to those who helped me get my foot in the door. A big thank you to -

Thomas LaPierre of then Crayon Animation who was one of only two people to respond to the hundred or so query letters I sent out one Summer in search of a job as a script reader. “We don’t have jobs for script readers,”he informed me, “but we’re always looking for animation writers.” I studied plenty of animation scripts, read the various show bibles that were sent my way, wrote my very first sample script (an episode that was eventually produced for The Busy World of Richard Scarry, titled “Patrick Pig Learns to Talk”) and, through Thomas’s help, started my professional career as a freelance animation writer.

In time, Crayon Animation became Cinar Animation, and I went from being a freelance animation writer to an in-house Manager of Animation Development thanks to then Vice President of Animation Production Cassandra Schafhausen. She liked my writing enough to offer me a staff position in development and, over the course of the next few years, helped me hone my craft as I developed shows, wrote pilots, and story-edited animated series. From there…

Thanks to my Seinfeld spec, the feature script Paul and I had written over the course of one Summer, and the support of producers Michael Klinghoffer, Judy Spencer, and Alan Silberberg, Paul and I made the leap from animation to live action, enjoying two memorable years on the teen sitcom Student Bodies.

Our next leap was in most part due to the persistence of our Canadian agent, Carl Liberman, who got our work out there, got it recognized, and landed us gigs on a couple of one hour dramas that proved, if not entirely forgettable, at least a wonderful stepping stone to -

Stargate SG-1. The big thank you’s here go out to Brad Wright and Robert Cooper who not only invited us to pitch and eventually contracted us to write our very first Stargate script (a little episode called Scorched Earth), but found us not-annoying-enough to bring on as full-time members of the writing staff, demonstrating incredible in showing us the ropes and allowing us to grow not only as writers, but as producers as well.

So a big thanks to all of the above. To Thomas LaPierre who is still writing (but has yet to send me that damn one hour sample script I’ve been bugging him for) and who I try to see whenever I’m in Montreal in order to say hi and pay him his customary tribute (a bottle of Scotch). To Cassandra Schafhausen who is still developing children’s programming and with whom I exchanged emails just the other month. To Michael, Judy, and Alan who I’ve lost touch with since our Student Bodies days and hope are keeping well and successful. To my Canadian agent Carl who still reps us in Canada (while the magnificent Robb Rothman handles us south of the border). And to Brad and Robert who continue to support Paul and I in our first year as series show runners, through 11th hour set construction crises, last minute scheduling conflicts, and the milestone 75th episode musical.


Also, at the behest of a buddy from Montreal, I joined facebook last weekend. I was reluctant at first, not at all interested in being deluged by long-forgotten acquaintances from my past, but decided to go ahead anyway, moving forward with the understanding that I would only use it as a means of getting back in touch with my old friends. I was in such a rush when I signed up that I whipped through the Profile section. Assuming it requested my gender, I selected the appropriate entry. It was only today that I realized it hadn’t asked me my gender, but for my interests. So, for the past five days, anyone who had looked me up would have found the following profile setting: Joseph Mallozzi. Interested in: Men. I’m sure Fondy would’ve been more surprised than anyone.


And finally, a big, big, BIG thank you to Lorr54 who sent us a whack of mouth-meltingly divine homemade truffles bursting with the flavors of 62% Scharffen Berger dark chocolate, heavy cream, vanilla, and Godiva liqueur. Forget what I said earlier about dedicating this blog to all of the people who got me to where I am today. This blog is dedicated to Lorr54 and her heavenly truffles.


Today's pics: That whack o' truffles, enjoying the truffles, a wraith who likes to look his best, a big thumbs up on today's lunch of spicy chicken salad and sweet sweeeeet human life force,

Lotsa mail -

Anonymous #1 writes: “What is the one must read website that you seem to visit most frequently?”

Answer: Honestly? My own.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Do you konw if any of the SG-1 actors will be going to Comic Con this year to promote the two movies?”

Answer: At present, I’m not sure who will be joining us from the SG-1 contingent.

Michelle writes: “How have the read-throughs worked out in terms of reducing on-set script change requests? Aside from being shown up by the producers acting-wise :), are the actors finding the reads useful? How about the writers?”

Answer: The read-throughs have been useful. They’ve allowed the actors to pinpoint any script concerns early enough for the writers to address them. They’ve also given the writers the opportunity to hear their words spoken aloud in the event they want to dialogue changes prior to shooting.

Anonymous #3 writes: “ Have you ever tried reindeer meat?”

Answer: Yup. My wife loves venison.

Anonymous #4 writes: “With all the top executive shuffling at Uni lately, as a producer, are you concerned how that may affect programming decisions at SciFi Channel?”

Answer: Nope.

Aclarar writes: “I thought you, from all people, will know what a cliche is.”

Answer: I do. And yet I get the feeling you don’t. Even though you provide some stock examples amidst your righteous indignation, you never do get around to actually pointing out what cliché I offered that provoked your cretinous rant. I said “the audience in Mexico […] demonstrated their displeasure with their northern neighbors by lustily booing Miss U.S.A.”. How is that a cliché? Have you seen a lot of beauty pageant audiences in Mexico voicing their displeasure with certain countries by booing their representatives? Does it happen a lot? So much so that you consider it a cliché? Or are you simply taking offense at the assumption that the audience’s reaction was a puzzling attempt at political commentary? Would you feel better assuming that rather than being misguided, the audience members were simply jerks, booing because: a) the poor girl fell and that, presumably, is a good enough reason to belittle someone, or b) she had the audacity not to know any Spanish (the nerve of her!). Please, feel free to offer an excuse for their boorish behavior. I’d love to hear your take on how they were grossly misinterpreted.

Luis Jr. writes: “Does Ivan Bartok have a Blog site??”

Answer: He used to have a blog on Gateworld. I believe he still does.

Breeze writes: “Joe is your job always as exciting as you put it?”

Answer: My job is exciting? Are you sure you’ve been reading the right blog?

Zabadoo writes: “1.)If Atlantis gets cancelled, do you think it will go on with movies like SG-1 is getting? 2.)How about a trilogy of movies in the theater that combine Atlantis and SG-1 into three huge movies? 3.)In the episode Prototype, was Khalek ever planned to be a major villain?”

Answers: 1) Cancelled? So pessimistic! We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it - hopefully in another five years or so. 2) Sounds good. 3) Nope.

Anonymous #5 writes: “I was curious what your thoughts are on organic foods.”

Answer: I try to eat organic whenever possible.

Jafacakes writes: “When you review your meals, do you take notes during the meals as well as photos or you do it all from memory?”

Answer: I usually snap a picture of the menu to remind me.

Jafacakes also writes: “In a few blogs ago you mention Blindness, as it is not a widely know author how did you come across his book - recomendation or impulse buying? Would you be interested in it's sequell(of sorts) Seeing?”

Answer: Blindness was recommended to me by our Playback Supervisor Krista McLean. I have a good hundred or so books to get through (just finished Parable of the Talents) so I’m afraid I won’t be getting around to the sequel anytime soon. P.S. Thanks again for the chocolate.

Hannah writes: “Did you intend to have Daniel and Vala interact so much when Claudia Black first came on, or did it just develop from seeing their chemistry? Combination?”

Answer: A little of both. The intent was always there, but the obvious chemistry between the two made writing for them all that much more interesting.

Anonymous #6 writes: “A couple of days ago, you mentioned yet ANOTHER possible first name for Major Lorne. Hadn't it been decided it was Evan, or was that changed?”

Answer: I mentioned this in the writers’ room and no one can remember ever having ever given him the name Evan. Is this the stuff of legend or is it based on fact and if it is based on fact, please direct me to the episode in which he was so christened.

May 29, 2007

Today, the world celebrates End of the Middle Ages Day. Yup, it’s finally official. They’re done with. Get over it.

Tonight, dinner took us to a little place I like to call “Le Crocodile” because in many ways it reminds me of a French alligator, with its predatory charm swimming amidst a rich, vibrant marsh of Strasbourg scents and Provencal flavors. Also, it’s the name of the restaurant.

Since I’m still recovering from my bout with food poisoning (I was felled by a TKO in the 5th), I thought it best to go easy on my glass stomach by wading my way back into the deep end of fine dining. And so, Fondy and I started things off by sharing three appetizers: oven roasted bone marrow, seared foie gras, and a duck liver terrine. The bone marrow was impressive - a hefty veal shank split lengthwise, the exposed marrow sprinkled with herbs and a little breading, then oven roasted to a nice, crispy topping. A tiny serving spoon was provided to scoop out the glistening cholesterol-quickening treasure within. The fresh, pan-seared foie gras, was rich and unctuous, served with a blueberry reduction and accompanied by a somewhat neutral gelee. The duck terrine, a nice fat and fatty portion, was smooth and sweet, although its cognac lacing did lend it a somewhat bitter undercurrent. For our mains - Fondy went with a beautifully-cooked halibut while I opted for the pan-fried sweetbreads laced with a gorgeous apple brandy cream sauce and topped with tarragon. We skipped dessert (like I said, I’m still recovering and didn’t want to overdo it).


Although I’m not a fan of beauty pageants, I did watch the last half hour of yesterday’s Miss Universe Pageant (Fondy wielded the remote, it was late, and I was feeling too weak to put up much of a fight). Like figure skating, these prize pony parades only interest me insofar as I may luck into catching some mortifying instant of unscripted hilarity (ie. awkward tumbles, Faith Hill-esque sour grapes meltdowns, and the much-beloved wardrobe malfunction). Unfortunately, I missed seeing one of the contestants go down like - as my buddy Carl put it - “a sack o’ bricks”. Nevertheless, it was nice to see Miss Japan surprise everyone by walking away with the title. Oh, and special mention should be made of all the classy members of the audience in Mexico who demonstrated their displeasure with their northern neighbors by lustily booing Miss U.S.A., no doubt assuming the young lady had a hand in drafting her country’s foreign and immigration policy. Yeah, I suppose it's an honest mistake to make.


And many thanks to Jaffacakes who sent me a terrific Michel Cluizel Vila Gracinda 67% dark chocolate bar with an accompanying (and edifying) 8-page newspaper insert titled “The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate”. One page offers a taste test of 14 different chocolate bars ranging from supermarket milks to high-end darks, with three judges weighing in: a head patissier, a food critic, and a 12 year old girl. They weigh in on my favorite bar, the Amedei Chuao 70% - The patissier: “This is fantastic and has a great length with a nice fruitiness.” The food critic: “A Fred Astaire among chocolates. Dances over the tongue, elegant and assured.” The 12 year old girl: “Ugh! What is it? I don’t even believe it’s chocolate.”


Mailbag -

Anonymous #1 writes: “What does Rob Cooper make on the grill that’s tasty?”

Answer: Last Summer, he barbecued a pig and some venison. Rumor has it he also smokes a pretty mean duck.

Scififan writes: “Are you a marshmallow or non-marshmallow man? Spiked or not spiked?”

Answer: Non on both count.

PUG15 writes: “Oh, and any chance of one of these read-throughs ending up as a DVD extra? Pretty please?”

Answer: Sadly, no. The producers do such a brilliant job that, out of the respect for the actors, we won’t allow our performances to be aired.

Edward4th writes: “Who decides what goes onto the DVDs as special features?”

Answer: Ivon Bartok is the guy to talk to when it comes to the special features.

Vikitty writes: “Hve you ever taken part in the Halloween Film Haunt @ Bridge?”

Answer: No. I scare easily.

Silver writes: “Assuming a book has had good reviews or been highly recommended by a trusted source, how much effort do you put into it before discarding it?”

Answer: I will make an effort to read the first 100 pages of a book. If it hasn’t grabbed me by then, I’m moving on.

Silver also writes: “Excluding non-fiction or classic literature , do you ever finish a book you dislike for the sake of 'cultural literacy'; to discuss or debate it?”

Answer: No. If I’m not deriving any enjoyment from reading a book, I will set it aside regardless of its weighty significance.

Silver also writes: “What compels you to buy a book from an author you're totally unfamiliar with & no one has recommended?”

Answer: Most of the books I have picked up were recommendations. I may pick up a book if I enjoyed some part work by the same author and, may on occasion, impulse by if a book happens to grab my interest while I’m browsing.

Shawna writes: “I am a huge Michael fan, I wonder if you could tell us how many eps he's in next season, and how long we'll have to wait to see him?”

Answer: Chances are we may see him in the back half of season four.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Does David Hewlett always do read throughs in costume?”

Answer: The read-throughs are held during lunch so if the actors are working that day, they are usually in costume.

Anonymous #3 writes: “By the way your blog receives about 3000 hits a day and quite a few comments.. Is this a sort of phenonomon?”

Answer: Yeah, about 3000 visit’s a day, but I have no other blogs to compare traffic to so I have no idea if these numbers are all that huge. Above average I suppose but I couldn’t say for certain.

Stargate Groupie writes: “What is the strangest situation or strangest location you have been at when an idea for a story or an idea for a script that you have been working on has popped in to your head?”

Answer: While sitting in the dentist’s chair, partway through a history exam, in the middle of a wedding ceremony.

Kiwigater writes: “Have you changed camera's lately Joe? Your piccies are looking quite spiffy :-D The prefix "DSC" suggests a Sony?”

Answer: Still the same old Sony HD camera.

Namiko writes: “Do the wait staff look at you weird when you start taking pictures, or are they used to you by now?”

Answer: They’re on to me.

Anonymous #4 writes: “Which Pohl collection did you get, The Platinum Pohl (recent) or The Best of Frederick Pohl (out-of-print, but worthwhile).”

Answer: I have both but the collection I picked up yesterday was The Best of Frederick Pohl (I managed to track down a perfect copy at a local second-hand bookstore).

Shannon writes: “When you had your chocolate party a while back you had some chocolates sent in from Denver if I remember correctly. Where did you order them from?”

Answer: Wen Chocolates - www.wenchocolates.com

Sopadiggle writes: “What type of computer/laptop do you use when writing the episodes?”

Answer: I work on a Sony Vaio.

Atlantisfannew1 a ecrit: “Ou avez vous apris a parler francais?”

Reponse: J’ai appris a parler francais dans les ecoles primaires et secondaires en Montreal.

Kali Weir a ecrit: “Quel épisode tournez-vous en ce moment?”

Reponse: Mai on se rappelle tous mes péchés.

Anonymous #5 writes: “I'm in Louisiana, heart of all great Cajun food!”

Answer: Next time I travel to your neck of the woods, I’ll be sure to drop by. How’s your jambalaya?

Anonymous #6 writes: “ Are you involved in the development of "Stargate Universe"? IS there any development??? Anything you could tell, please?”

Answer: That’s Rob and Brad’s baby, so I’ll leave it to them to fill you in on their progress.

Speckles writes: “Would you try Kangaroo if offered?”

Answer: I had a kangaroo burger once. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Lorr54 writes: “I've made truffles and sent you a few dozen. […] Licking the ganache bowl was a dirty job, but I did it.”

Answer: Uh, did you do it before or after you made the truffles?

Panikin writes: “I really like to write, not too sure if I want to do it proffessionally yet, but I always have problems tying up the ends, as well as coming up with clever titles that really grab interest. Do you have any pointers?”

Answer: Get Carl to do it. He’s great at that stuff.

Sarah writes: “Frederick Pohl is a lovely man. I was fortunate to have dinner with him along with my friends the Haldemans.”

Answer: Well, if you happen to see either Frederick Pohl or Joe Haldeman in the near future - and provided they know what the hell you’re talking about - tell them they have more than a few fans at Stargate.

Dsbeerf writes: “I hate to be negative, but you've RUINED my image of Jason (Ronon) ! Sitting there eating with David, and wearing GLASSES !”

Answer: Hello! Those are “shielding” lenses. The only reason he wears them is to keep the blood and viscera from getting into his eyes when he wails on people. P.S. I’m telling him what you said.

May 28, 2007

Being a foodie runs in the family. My sister, for instance, is as adventurous as I am when it comes to dining out. And, on her recent trip to Miami, she sampled some of the best and most unusual the city had to offer. She gave me a rundown on a few of the spots she hit and one in particular stood out: a little place called Chocolate. Her thoughts:

“The salad was very tasty - tender mixed greens tossed in a not too tart vinaigrette, with dark chocolate pieces and slivered almonds. Even you would have loved it. The next dish was the crab and chocolate stuffed ravioli. Topped with a rosee sauce, sprinkled with slivered almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and dark chocolate pieces, and finally drizzled with a dark chocolate sauce, this dish really won me over. It had the perfect balance of salty/sweet that I love, plus the added crunch of almonds and tang of sun-dried tomato. I tried to eat slowly to savor every bite as taste-buds from all areas of my mouth fired up.”

I wonder if they do chocolate dessert too? I have got to check this place out.

Spent most of the day in editing today (Reunion is coming along swimmingly), taking a break for lunch and the Be All My Sins Remember’d read-through. I read the part of Caldwell and really killed. Alan McCullough read the part of the lovely Larrin and we were all blown away by the palpable chemistry between him and Joe Flanigan. If we’d known he’d do such a spectacular job, we’d have cast HIM for Travelers.

Picked up a few more books today before dinner including: Hal Clement’s Half-Life, a collected works of James Triptree Jr. and another collected works of Frederick Pohl, Castleview by Gene Wolfe, Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal (based on your recommendations), and Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials (as I’m planning a Jovian picnic for later in the week).

Today’s pics: that chocolate salad, that crab and chocolate-stuffed ravioli, an excited Martin Gero looks forward to the reading of his script, Carl enjoys the poetry of Martin’s verse, director Andy Mikita realizes what the hell he’s gotten into, Alan preps for his role of a lifetime, Jason and David chow down before the performance, Carl demonstrates some mallard pride, ace editor Rick Martin relaxes in his suite - by watching Atlantis dailies, Barlowe’s Guide.


Let’s take some questions -

M writes: “When something you (or any of the other writers) write is being filmed, do you go downstairs and hang around when they're filming? Or do you just ocassionally pop in and check it out?”

Answer: None of the producers have the time to do much hanging around on set. That said, we do try to drop by whenever possible to answer and questions and weed out the drunk extras.

Anonymous #1 writes: “Do you ever find yourself putting down a book because of bad grammar, changes in point of view/tense?”

Answer: The past few books I’ve had to set aside I gave up on because they were - a) overwritten, b) devoid of plot and/or interesting characters, c) craptastic info dumps.

LogicSequence writes: “Do you have any favorite "southern U.S." cuisine?”

Answer: I do enjoy Cajun a lot - gumbo, cochon de lait, crawfish pie, andouille sausage, and beignets. Unfortunately, not much in the way of Cajun cuisine in Vancouver.

Anne writes: “Wondering have your try Henry's Kitchen yet?!”

Answer: I’ve heard mixed reviews. How is it?

Jeopardy Wilm writes: “I had dinner at the Fat Duck recently - a famous fusion food restaurant in the UK and I can say that I totally agree with you. Bacon and Egg icecream just isn't a good combination!”

Answer: The Fat Duck was named Best Restaurant in the World by Restaurant Magazine in 2005, coming in second last year. Bacon and Egg ice cream, huh? I may have to revise my opinion about fusion cuisine.

Mary writes: “ Ever eaten a Durian before? And if so, did you like it?”

Answer: I sampled Durian ice cream once. It was a most unpleasant experience.

Grace writes: “I thought you should look into this book I'm reading now "Kithchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain”

Answer: I read it. Some great advice in that book including don’t order seafood on a Monday and never, under any circumstances, order mussels or Hollandaise sauce.

Jen, the cow hugger writes: “Do you ever BBQ?”

Answer: Nope, but Rob Cooper is a master of the BBQ!

Anonymous #2 writes: “I will never understand people who choose to blame writers for bad episodes when it was budgeting, networking or other issues that made them crap.”

Answer: And, every once in a while, the writing.

Ghost writes: “What is your opinion on Hot Chocolate? Do you have a favorite kind?”

Answer: I actually make my own hot chocolate by melting down premium dark chocolate in boiling water, then whisking it up with a milk frother.

CD writes: “Do you think the 2 middle-eastern men will play a part in the end of "The Sopranos" or were they just a red herring?”

Answer: I believe that when the war between NY and NJ (Go Jersey!) heats up, the Feds will step in and offer Tony a deal for his cooperation in some anti-terrorism case they are pursuing.

More Than Secret writes: “Is there any chance of being granted access to your sets/offices to see the "magic" behind the magic?”

Answer: If I could, I’d bring everyone to work with me but, alas, so long as production is ongoing the sets are closed to the general public.

May 27, 2007

The other night, a waiter asked me if I was a restaurant critic. I balked at the title. Restaurant critics are food specialists, individuals with a comprehensive knowledge of culinary technique and sophisticated palettes honed by years of professional experience. Me? I’m just an opinionated guy who likes to eat out. The “restaurant critic” moniker connotes a complete investment and commitment to alimentary detail that eludes one such as myself. No, I’m more of a…what do you call those guys who seem to make a living show up on CNN every once in a while to offer their take on the hot topic of the day? You know, those professional talk show circuit trawlers? Oh, right. Pundits! Right.

I am a food pundit. I hold no allusions of sophisticated insight or authoritative assessments. Still, I do know what I like, and I know what I don’t like. And the following (in no particular order) is my list of this restaurant pundit’s biggest pet peeves:

Uh, shouldn’t you be writing this down?

What is it with wait staff who choose to commit orders to memory rather than simply jotting them down? Yes, I suppose it is a laudable demonstration of their recall abilities - but only provided they don‘t screw up half the time, which they invariably do. Seriously. Your powers of recollection don’t impress me. Serving me the right appetizer does.

Anyone can take a reservation…

I can understand waiting a few minutes for the table you reserved as the restaurant shuffles off the slow-ass previous diners and changes the settings, but - half an hour? With reservations? It’s happened to me on a couple of occasions, most notably twice (!) at Tojo’s old location. In both instances, I would have up and left if the people I was with hadn’t insisted on waiting it out. Once, by way of an apology, our guest of honor - the birthday girl - was gifted with a complimentary Tojo’s t-shirt. Hungry? Eat this!

Would you care for some water, sucker?

I’m not going to get into the whole water debate with you. You can argue all you want over which is better for you but all I know is that I prefer the taste of bottled water. That said, what leaves a worse taste in my mouth than the fluoride-doctored pool piss that flows from our taps is how much some restaurants charge for the bottled stuff, sometimes as high as the price of a modest bottle of wine. Special mention goes out to Lumiere, one of Vancouver’s top restaurants, that really should demonstrate a little self-control. People are already paying top dollar for your food. Do you really have to jack them on the water as well?

Small plates, and appies and starters, oh my!

Remember the good old days when negotiating a menu didn’t require helpful accompanying instructions? When your choices came down to selecting from three basic courses: Appetizer, Main, and Dessert? Now, restaurants are offering up sub-categories under pretentious headings like “To Start“, “Amuse Bouche“ and my personal favorite “For the Mouth“ (as opposed to what other part of your body exactly?). Just save me the headache and put them all under the appetizer menu where they belong.

Stop trying to make fusion happen!

Ever had a hankering for a Hazelnut Tenderloin or the combined flavors of banana, goat cheese, and trout? Well, welcome to the wonderful world of Fusion Cuisine where the marriage of surprising and suspect ingredients come together to form a one-of-kind, often unpleasant taste experience. I don’t know. Maybe there’s a good reason why no one has ever thought of making Cilantro Pudding before. Oh, yeah. It tastes like shit.

Waiter, my plates dirty! No, sir. That’s your main course.

What is with the dwindling portion sizes at some of the higher end restaurants? The same salmon dish I ordered on a return visit to Gastropod was two-thirds the size of the serving I had on my initial visit. If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect they were trying to wean their clientele off food.

Raspberry coulis

Sure, it looks pretty, but nothing befouls the luxurious sweetness of a well-made dessert like the unpleasant sharpness of the raspberry coulis. In fact, I can honestly say that no flavor bully has done more to piss me off than this tart travesty of a complementary component.


No new episodes of The Sopranos on account of Memorial Day Weekend and so, because you didn’t ask, here is my prediction of how things will go down in the show’s final two episodes:

Sil gets word that Paulie has been hedging his bets by playing both sides, providing information to Phil in New York. An already antsy Tony responds by offing Paulie (remember that quick flash dream sequence way back in season 2 where Tony saw himself shoot Paulie from across a table?). Tony’s crew is horrified, none more that Pat Parissi who, it turns out, was the real mole funneling info to New York (long-since harboring thoughts of vengeance against Tony for murdering his brother). Pat seeks help from Phil who, realizing Pat is going to be more trouble than he’s worth, orders a hit on him. Pat is offed in sloppy fashion and Tony declares war on New York.

Lots of back and forth killings. Bobby and Sil bite it. Butchy follows soon after. Carmella looks like she’s about to be rubbed out next when she is saved by some Feds. They’ve been monitoring Tony and co. for a while, tring to build their RICO case, and lay out Tony’s entire operation to his horrified wife.

Carmella confronts Tony. Huge blowout. She takes the kids and leaves him. The Feds offer Tony a deal, but he turns it down.

Phil is whacked.

In the show’s final scene, Tony meets Dr. Melfi for a final goodbye at the ice cream parlor he used to frequent when he was a kid. He’s lost his family, lost his friends, but he’s the new King of New York.

For dinner tonight, we went where I wanted to go last night: The Sha Lin Noodle House on Broadway. We had pork and chive dumplings, sweet and chewy curry cutting noodles with barbecue pork, and “stew pancake with lamb in nutritious soup”. After a mere three dumplings, a taste of Fondy’s curry noodles, and not even putting a dent in my soup, I was stuffed. Check that. Overstuffed. I feel like a post-gastroplasty supermodel after a popcorn and Crystal Light binge.


Q&A -

Ruffles writes: “Do you have any guest star casting news that you can share? Will the origins of Teyla's pregnancy be hinted at in early S4 or will The Seer be the first reveal? And will we actually find out the origins or will you keep us guessing? Any other instances of Shep Whump you can share?”

Answers: Nope. Hinted, yes. We’ll find out almost immediately. Nope.

Crazymom writes: “Then to celebrate my paycheck arriving several days early, we bought ice cream…”

Answer: Ooh, do tell. What flavor? I’m a cookie dough man.

Patricia writes: “Are there any further details about the distribution of the Stargate movies?”

Answer: Nope, sorry.

Anonymous #1 writes: “I'm nothing if not persistent…”

Answer: I’ll give you that.

Jason writes: “have you had or would you try PORCUPINE?”

Answer: Never tried it. Don’t know if I would. I suppose it would depend on how hungry I was. Eating a porcupine is nothing. Once, I was so famished, I ate at Subways.

The Second Lily writes: “ 1) Have you seen/did you like "Little Miss Sunshine"?
2) Is there a story as to why we don't know Major Lorne's first name?”

Answers: 1) Yup. 2) We just never got around to it. But Alan has given him a name in Spoils of War. It starts with a W. We’ll see if it sticks.

Forrest writes: “If I was writing a two-parter for Atlantis, who should I (a writer from NZ) sent it of to, and where do I go from there?”

Answer: I’m sorry to say we’re not looking for freelance submissions.

Vikitty writes: “So... you don't read anything but sci-fi when it comes to novels?”

Answer: No necessarily. Although I read mainly scifi, many of the books I’ve read of late (The Eyre Affair, Nine Princes in Amber, and The Zombie Survival Guide) fall into the category of fantasy or speculative fiction.

Silver writes: “Don Davis looks like a happy person. What kind of chocolates are you feeding him?”

Answer: Don is a fan of dark chocolate, so he’s eating some Ghirardelli dark chocolates that Alan brought back for a recent trip to San Francisco.

Edward4th writes: “How are you getting on with the Pratchett books? Have you ever read Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" series?”

Answer: I finished The Colour of Magic. I haven’t read The Stainless Steel Rat but I have been on the look-out for it. In the meantime, I have a collection of Harrison’s short fiction I’ve been meaning to get around to.

Johnny E writes: “Who is the overall "Big Picture" person for stargate. The one who gives direction to the episodes so that it is not randomness from ep 1 to ep 20?”

Answer: In the case of Atlantis’s fourth season, Paul, Carl, Martin, Alan, and myself all weigh in on what should air where and what types of stories we should be telling.

Anonymous #3 writes: “What do you think, is Severus Snape good or evil?”

Answer: Good. Dumbledore - alive.

Cheeky Lil Devil: “When you went to Hong Kong, what did you enjoy the most?”

Answer: The hotel we stayed at (The Shangri-La) and the food. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll get the chance to go back this year. L

May 26, 2007

The fact that I could actually watch Anthony Bourdain eat twelve different foie gras dishes and some raw seal (including the prized eyeball) signaled the worst was over. My appetite was still off, but I was feeling much better. Well enough to shower up and get dressed rather than lounging about all day in my pyjamas like some endearing eccentric, but of course nowhere near well enough to actually head out and run errands. My body is still recuperating after all.

I woke up late, actually managed my morning run, and watched a few more episodes of Gankutsuou a scifi/anime remimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I can’t recommend this one enough - a smart, complex, character-driven, gorgeous series.

I started yet another book for the book club and, after one hundred or so pages, had to set it aside. It was frustratingly overwritten and, frankly, not all that interesting. Which is too bad because the novel is described as a space opera and it’s a sub-genre I thought I’d enjoy. But the last two “space operas” I read were dreadful, so I’m going to have to put “space opera” up there with “cyberpunk” as two types of scifi I need to avoid at all costs. Unless someone can recommend a worthy example of either of course. Anyone? Well, fortunately, I had a back-up book handy, Parable of the Talents which is a sequel to Parable of the Sower, an at times incredibly depressing but remarkably well-realized post-apocalyptic novel by the great Octavia E. Butler.

I also went back over some of my early Hong Kong posts and re-upped some of the photos that had Flickr had eaten.

And finally, I got around to watching Thank Your For Smoking which stars Aaron Eckhart as a charismatic, smooth-talking shill for Big Tobacco. It’s a great movie that mixes fact and fiction to wickedly provocative effect. It feels like ages since I’ve sat through a movie I actually enjoyed, and this was one of those rare instances.

Dinner: I managed some cereal for breakfast and a power bar for lunch. By the time Fondy came home today at a little after 7:00 p.m., I was ravenous. I wanted to ease myself back into eating form with a bowl of nutritious soup from The Sha Lin Noodle House, but the place was packed. Cranky, hungry, and unwilling to wait anywhere for a table, I drove us to McDonalds. One Big Mac, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and an order of fries later and I’m not feeling quite as well. Well, nothing that a piece of dark chocolate can’t fix, I’m sure.

Time for some viewer mail -

Anonymous #1 writes: “1) I've only ever seen Wraith suck life out of someone with their right hands. Can you get left-handed or even double-handed Wraith when it comes to sucking life? 2) Do the Wraith that wear masks look the same as the Wraith without masks, or does Wraith society have 3 genders (i.e, soldiers, workers and queens)?
3) Since the Wraith are evolved from the Iratus bug, does that mean that new Wraith are 'born' the same way as Iratus bugs, or are they like humans in that matter?”

Answers: 1) The wraith have one feeding hand. 2) We’ll get a peek at their concealed mugs in season four and there are three distinct sub-set of wraith. 3) Again, check out season four to find out.

Alipeeps writes: “Have you read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-
Time?”

Answer: Nope. Is it scifi?

Meg writes: “Have you ever read "Still Life with June" by Darren Greer?”

Answer: Nope. Is it scifi?

Lughtigern writes: “I think the Sunchoke soup did it.”

Answer: That was my initial suspicion because I started feeling sick approximately two hours after I’d had the soup. And while one could well have pointed the finger at the soup’s cream base or the organic raw egg yolk, I’d be more inclined to blame the raw pea sprouts. If, on the other hand, the prevailing wisdom is that one will only feel the effects of food poisoning after 24 hours, then the only thing it could have been were the strawberries I had for breakfast Thursday morning. A fascinating mystery.

Lughtigern also writes: “Is there any chance that an episode in season 4 (or later) will cover more of the backstory of the Ancients?”

Answer: Various stories over the course of season four will offer more pieces to the puzzle.

Lorr54 writes: “You mentioned ComiCon yesterday. Any idea who from the crew/cast will be going?”

Answer: I have no idea who is going as of yet, but I know that SciFi has let if be known they would love the entire cast to show.

MushyPup writes: “Anyway, she said that the only food poisoning to come on that quickly after eating is a form of staph, usually found in shrimp”

Answer: Alas, I had the shrimp on Wednesday night, a good 60 hours before I started feeling nauseous. It has an alibi.

Anonymous #2 writes: “Wasn't it mentioned that Kewlona (yeah, my spelling is awful) was one of the planets wiped out in um...Counterstrike?”

Answer: It was never said Kelowna had been “wiped out”, only that it had fallen to the Ori.

Shivani writes: “Are you going to use more of your bench players in the upcoming season then you have in the past?”

Answer: The way season four is shaping up, it looks like we’ll be seeing a fair amount of both Radek and Lorne.

Sis writes: “The restaurant I visited in Miami is called Michy's…”

Answer: So where are the pics?

May 25, 2007

I woke up unusually early this morning at a little after 5:30 a.m. And no wonder. It had been a sleepless night of tossing and turning punctuated by night sweats so severe I actually dreamed I was suffering from malaria. Finally up and around, my fevered dreams of vomiting up my lungs far behind, I headed downstairs where I fed the dogs, checked my blog stats, and proceeded to vomit up my lungs. No, no it wasn’t bad news. Visits are topping well over 3000 of late and while that alone could be cause for some celebratory heaving, I had a feeling that wasn’t it. In truth, I suspected I was either a victim of food poisoning or one of those cloak and dagger Russian radiation hits. Well, it’s unlikely those M&M’s I received yesterday from the Save Weir Campaign arrived via Vladivostok but, just in case, I’m going to be taking precautions in the future - by having our office assistant Lawren open and taste test all our mail. No, I’m going to have to go with food poisoning because I actually started feeling unwell on the drive home from dinner last night. So what did it? Was it the sunchoke soup or the veal cheeks or the sticky toffee pudding or the coconut crème brulee? Let’s have a poll! The winner will be announced in tomorrow’s blog!

As I threw up the entire contents of my stomach and then some, I made a vow to never, ever, eat food again. And so far, despite my attempts to renege and feast on an entire half a banana over the course of the day, the gods of nausea have seen fit to keep me true to my word. Just the sight of something as innocuous as Bubba licking Jelly’s eyeball is enough to send me running to the bathroom.

Fondy made me some hot lemon water and ginger which is supposed to suppress nausea (as opposed to prompt it as I initially assumed) and dropped off a tiny bottle of the most hideous Chinese herbal medicine in existence. Apparently, it works wonders. Just avoid reading the list of ingredients that include: Radix and Rhizoma Rhei (to remove heat and toxins from the blood), Fructus Amomi Rotundus (the dried ripe fruit of Amomum Kravanh Pierre ex Gagnep), Flos Cryophilic (clove), Semen (!) Arecae (the dried ripe of Areca catechu L. (Fam. Palmae) - which I really hope is some kind of fruit), Fructus Capsici Frutescentis (cayenne pepper), Camphor (from the tree of the same name), Menthol (from peppermint), Glycerin (sugar alcohol), Alcohol (never heard of it), and Distilled Water (to, uh, cut the sharpness). It actually tastes even worse than it sounds. Fondy advised me to knock it back and chase it with lots of water. I did and, believe it or not, after some twenty minutes I was actually feeling better. Still nauseous, but not as overwhelmingly nauseous as I’d been this morning. Thank you’s are in order - to Fondy, Fondy’s parents for introducing her to this vile yet effective concoction, and, naturally, to the fine herbalists in Chinatown. I’ll never question their medicinal dried seahorses again.

I called in sick today but I’m happy to report I was not forgotten. Will called to ask me about a dialogue exchange from This Mortal Coil (and wished me well once he found out I was laid up), Carl forwarded a cheer-up article about a diehard Raiders fan (Quite literally. His last words before his execution were “Go Raiders!”), and Alan sent me the following heartfelt message: “Food poisoning? I can’t wait to read THIS blog entry…” I couldn’t very well let him down, could I?

Today’s pics: the lineup of suspects (it makes me ill just to look at them), the Chinese medicine,

Q&A -

Crazymom writes: “For dinner we had no-bake cookies and milk.”

Answer: Is “no bake” just another way of saying you picked up a pack of Oreo’s? Gah, just the thought of eating a cookie is almost enough to make me revisit last night’s dinner.

Speckles writes: “But next time could you post Torri too...i've noticed you never really tend to post Torri, it's always everyone else.”

Answer: I always make it a point to ask whether a person would mind having their picture taken and making a blog appearance. If they’d choose not to, I won’t bother them again.

Jenny Robin writes: “ I am currently reading a book that was released about 3 weeks ago called "Plenty" by Alisa Smith & J.B. MacKinnon…”

Answer: I’ve seen the book and thought about picking it up. Of course now, even the sight of food will bring on a Technicolor yawn.

Anonymous #1 writes: “What will viewers think of a autistic character in Atlantis?”

Answer: I think that if he/he is well-written, there’s no reason why the audience wouldn’t embrace him/her. For a great book featuring an endearing autistic protagonist, check out Elizabeth Moon’s The Speed of Dark.

UberAmanda Fan writes: “As a writer, which frustrates you more...finding out an episode is too long or too short?”

Answer: Being short is the worst as it necessitates you writing additional scenes that all too often aren’t as essential to the story.

Irishchick writes: “p.s did you get the baileys irish choc i sent ?”

Answer: Not yet and - are you trying to kill me? Merely the taste of chocolate will have me taking a launch break.

Gilder writes: “Was Don consuming mass quantities of chocolate on my behalf?”

Answer: Oh yeah! You have my yahoo email address. Send me your mailing address and I’ll pay up. Go Pistons!!!

Anonymous a ecrit: “Est-ce que nous retrouverons Andy Frizzel pendant la saison 4?”

Reponse: Peut-etre.

Wiveca writes: “Is there any food you've tried and just hated the taste of it?”

Answer: I’ve discovered I hate the taste of pretty much anything on its way back up.

Hannah writes: “Have you ever been here, and do you have any recommendations for good food? What are your feelings on grits?”

Answer: Never been to Atlanta. As for grits, I used to like them but today even the thought of eating them makes me want to toss my cookies.

Royal Nonesuch writes: “Have you ever had a kosher pizza?”

Answer: No but a couple of years ago I went over to Rob’s place for matzo, chicken liver dumplings, and latkes. Yum. I mean, gah! The merest taste of any will have me talking to Ralph on the big white telephone.

Bugguy writes: “Going to a restaurant called Canoe in Toronto tonight.”

Answer: Martin went the last time he was in T.O. and had a great meal. Just thinking of you eating that rich meal makes me want to ride the porcelain bus.

Jace writes: “Should we assume then that Jonas is dead, and that we won't ever see the character again, or is there the potential for the character to come back should the story and actor allow it?”

Answer: I would not assume he’s dead. Although we have no plans to bring him back at present, you never know.

Pauline writes: “For a culinary experience try Liverpool’s signature dish Scouse, meat potatoes carrots and onions.”

Answer: Today, it sounds both delicious and liable to have me laughing all over your shoes.

Aske writes: “Do any of the dogs (pets) get to be extras in any of the episodes?”

Answer: Yup. I believe Rick’s dog was in Singularity and Chain Reaction.

May 24, 2007

Everyone has a just-off-the-radar-restaurant. You know, one of those places you hear so much about that you’ve been meaning to try out but never get around to despite the fact that its practically within walking distance of your house. Well, Bishops is MY just-off-the-radar restaurant, a multi-award-winning Vancouver establishment that I’ve wanted to try for years. And last night, in celebration of our wedding anniversary, Fondy and I finally did.

Unlike a lot of the hot new restaurants in the neighborhood, Bishop’s clientele is middle-aged and professional and given the way many of them were received on the night we visited, it was pretty clear that they were repeat customers. Always a good sign. We were greeted at the door by owner John Bishop, then escorted over to our table where we were presented with our menus and a plate of fresh breads. Now I’m usually not a bread guy, preferring to save my appetite for more exotic fare, but not even I could resist the homemade soda bread. Our waiter happily noted how much we’d enjoyed it, cleared away our plate, then returned seconds later with a second round of the soda bread.

Bishops prides itself on making use of fresh, local ingredients, changing its menu weekly and offering nightly additions to the list of regular selections. On the night we went, we went with the fresh sheet and enjoyed wonderful morel mushrooms sautéed in cream, and sweet prawn in vermouth and green onions. For her main course, Fondy went with the duck - tender yet crispy-skinned served with candied yams and a roasted apple emulsion, a dish she loved so much that she informed me right there and then we’d be back for a return visit. I had a lamb four ways that included a somewhat tough little chop but a spectacular lamb meatball. For dessert, Fondy had a pear and pistachio bread pudding which I found somewhat bland but she enjoyed - although she didn’t enjoy quite as much as my dessert, a delightfully sweet frozen maple syrup bombe with salted pecans. And, just for the hell of it, I ordered a third dessert for the table: a chocolate brioche with chocolate sorbet.

Service was outstanding - professional yet warm and friendly.

If you’re planning to visit Vancouver anytime in the near future and want to try one of the city’s best, I highly recommend Bishops.

Speaking of food - I just got off the phone with my sister who returned from her Miami vacation yesterday, chock full o’ stories and pics of the spectacular meals she enjoyed while on vacation. Truffled polenta with poached egg and crispy bacon. Fall-off-the-bone short ribs with creamy mashed potatoes. Braised pork jowls with Jason’s barbecue sauce and fava beans. Crispy sweetbread. I really think she should start her own blog.

I was in editing all day today, trying to shave some eight and half minutes off of the Reunion director’s cut. It took me a good part of the day to get through the first three acts, then an hour to step back out of the catacombs and have my eyes readjust to the sunlight.

Today’s pics: our dinner at Bishops, M&M’s from the Weir supporters, a snap of Torri’s dog Sedge (Torri was feeling camera shy), and my nefarious alter-ego drops by for his fitting (I’m referring to the character Baal of course and not the actor Cliff Simon who, admittedly, is pretty nefarious himself).

The return of the mailbag -

Neep writes: “I have realised that Don lied. He lied to me and my friend. How very dare he! Now that I think about it, he might not have actually lied about not returning for the films... He said, "Generals don't just keep popping back from retirement you know. It just doesn't happen."

Answer: It’s funny you should say this because when I was talking to Don on his first day here, he told me to apologize to the fans for telling them exactly that.

Plastschu writes: “ Will the deleted scenes be in the episodes or we can watch them only separated? We heard from Michael Shanks that 22 minutes were cut out from the Bad Guys. How many minutes are cut out by an avarage episode? 4-5 minuteS?”

Answers: The deleted scenes will be separate from the actual episode. As for how much time is cut out of an average episode - that really depends on the episode. Some are long while others actually come in short.

Alipeeps writes: “Can you tell us where in the airing order this episode will fall?”

Answers: As things stand, the airing order will be - Adrift, Lifeline, Reunion, Doppelganger, Travelers, Tabula Rasa, Missing, The Seer, Miller’s Crossing, This Mortal Coil.

Anonymous #1 writes: “Someone who was at a recent con said that Torri's been in five of the first ten episodes, not four. Is that correct??”

Answer: That is incorrect.

Anonymous #1 also writes: “Is there a chance for her to be in more in the second half of the season?”

Answer: It’s possible.

M writes: “When do you all (ie cast and crew) take your summer break from filming?”

Answer: It looks like we’ll be off for a couple of weeks in early July, then taking a long weekend so that we can all head down to Comicon.

Silver writes: “What do you feed your dogs?”

Answer: They eat dog food - and the occasional McDonalds French fry. I’m sorry to hear about your dog.

Kristine writes: “Do you hide Jason Momoa's tatoo on the show? What are the rules about that? Did he have to ask you before getting the tatoo or did he just do it?”

Answer: Jason’s new tattoo came as a bit of a surprise and we ended up writing it into Reunion. In general, the actors don’t have to ask us permission when making personal decisions, the only exception of course being who they date and/or marry. In the event they are looking for love, they will advise us well beforehand, giving the producers time to put together a list of appropriate candidates based on show business bakcground, compatibility, and value to the show.

Bugguy writes: “I just had foie gras for the first time last night Joe. Unbelievable. It is soooooo good. What is the favorite way you like it prepared.”

Answer: I prefer it panfried with a port and apple reduction. I did cook up a foie gras meal last year for Marty G., David and Jane and made a terrific foie-gras stuffed rigatoni with black truffle cream. Martin referred to it as “meat candy”.

May 23, 2007

“The trick is to breathe through your nose,”the dental assistant advised me as I bit down on the molding. “And if you start feeling nauseous, try lifting your arms.” And avoid throwing up in your mouth, I wanted to add but, of course, I was unable to do so what with the fact that my jaw was effectively sealed shut. After a couple of minutes, she wrestled the plastic mold from my teeth and proclaimed this session “Almost done.” Almost? I’d been in the chair for close to two hours being poked, prodded, and drilled. “I’m just going to pop out and feed the meter,”I told her, moving to get up. “This’ll only take a couple of minutes,”she informed me. I eased back into my seat and waited. And, true to her word, a couple of minutes later I was done. Just in time to stroll out to my car and pick up the $30 ticket sitting on my windshield.

I returned to work, my mouth still frozen from the anesthetic. I could barely talk, much less manage a sip of water. If our office assistant Lawren hadn’t been kind enough to chew my food for me, I probably would‘ve had to skip lunch. I was like the Joker from that first crappy Batman movie, ghoulishly expressionless. And, to be perfectly honest, I kind of liked it.

Well, it turns out today is my wedding anniversary. That’s May 23rd and not March 23rd as I’d previously assumed. I, of course, can be excused for making such a simple mistake because I‘m a busy guy, but shame on any of you who forgot that Fondy and I were married exactly eight (or nine) years ago today. We’ll be celebrating tonight by going to dinner at the award-winning Bishops after which we’ll head back home for a nice romantic evening of port, dessert, and the second half of that Terry Pratchett book I’m reading.

The mailbag will return tomorrow at its regularly scheduled time. To tide you over, how about some pics: fan chocolates from New Zealand, Don Davis appreciates some fine dark chocolate, setting up a sparring sequence.