From HEROES to GOTHAM, Milo Ventimiglia has played both the good and bad sides of the coin. So where does he land in his latest project, ABC’s thriller series WHISPERS?Milo talks about that and just how he picks the right roles. Plus we talk to the creator and stars of SyFy’s DARK MATTER who tackle the big question of just how close is the TV show to the comic.
We’re back in a couple of days with sexy, liberal radio queen Stephanie Miller, plus a visit to the set of TYRANT and a look at SyFy’s new series, KILLJOYS. Follow us on Twitter now here.
I never really got into MacGyver, but I got my Richard Dean Anderson fix on Stargate SG-1.
Stargate, as many of you I’m sure remember, was a 1994 movie which circled around a gigantic ring made of unknown metal and covered in what is believed to be Egyptian hieroglyphs that is discovered buried in the sands of Giza, Egypt in during an archeological expedition in 1928. The purpose of the ring remained a mystery for sixty years, its hieroglyphs untranslatable. Finally a brilliant linguist and archaeologist specializing in Egyptology named Daniel Jackson (James Spader) is co-opted by the U.S. government and brought to Cheyenne Mountain (home of NORAD) to decipher the scrawlings on the ring, which has been brought there for study and possible use by the military.
He tells the assembled scientists and military officers (including United States Air Force Colonel Jack O’Neil (Kurt Russell) that the hieroglyphs speak of something called a “stargate,” some kind of device used for travelling to other planets. But the symbols on the ring itself aren’t hieroglyphs at all; they are representations of mathematical coordinates of the constellations which, when put into a specific sequence, creates a tunnel through space, or “wormhole” that will allow instantaneous travel to another world. Colonel O’Neil assembles a team, including Jackson, to use the Stargate, as it is now christened, to take them there
Stargate SG-1 picks up a year after the movie ends.
The top-secret Stargate Project is overseen by the United States Air Force, and its mission is to not only explore the galaxy, but to also find new allies and technology as defense against the Goa’uld, alien symbiotes that use humans as hosts in their drive to establish themselves as “rulers of the galaxy.” As established in the movie, the Goa’uld enslaved humans to serve them, posing as the gods of ancient Earth cultures, especially the mythology of Egypt.
The Stargate Project is under the command of General George Hammond, and the reconnaissance teams are dubbed SG-1, SG-2, SG-3, and so on; Colonel Jack O’Neill, now played by the charming Richard Dean Anderson, leads SG-1, composed of Captain Samantha “Sam” Carter, astrophysicist (Amanda Tapping); the Jaffa defector Teal’c (Christopher Judge); and Daniel Jackson (now played by Michael Shanks).
Being a continuing series, Stargate SG-1 gave Anderson the space to expand O’Neill’s character. His Jack was a more relaxed version of the character than that of Russell’s, displaying an “easy-goingness” and a sly wit that, I think, hid a vein of cynicism born from the tragedies of O’Neill’s life, especially the death of his son in a tragic accident that resulting from O’Neill’s own gun. Jack used that wit not only to cope with unexpected and possibly dangerous situations, but as a weapon that sliced through the bullshit with sharp sarcasm. He was career Air Force, he believed wholeheartedly in the mission of the United States as a beacon of liberty and good in the world, but he distrusted the men and women who pinned flags on their lapels and called that patriotism.
Like Star Trek, Stargate SG-1’s true strength was in its characters and the relationships they had with each other. Amanda Tapping’s Sam Carter has been, I think, overlooked as a well written, strong, female character that meets, as my sistah Martha Thomases put in her column last week, the Bechdal Test. (IM-not-so-HO, and if I could arrange some kind of time warp, Tapping would be the perfect actress to play a live-action Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel). Christopher Judge’s Teal’c is the perfect “stranger in a strange land.” Michael Shank’s Daniel Jackson is a quirky nerd whose anti-establishment and anti-military stance is tempered by the people he comes to love and respect. Don Davis’s General Hammond was military through and through, but he was the father figure for everyone on the Stargate Project. Even supporting characters like Teryl Rothery’s Dr. Janet Frasier and Gary Jones’s Sgt. Walter Harriman became important facets of a show that became, also like Star Trek, a starting point for spin-offs (Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate Universe) and movies (Stargate: The Ark Of Truth, Stargate: Continuum). Disparate and brought together by a mission, they became a family.
As the daughter of an fighter jock, I think it’s really cool that the United States Air Force worked with the SG-1 producers, not only allowing them to shoot footage at the Cheyenne Mountain complex, but also providing help with the military minutia that helped make the show so realistic, everything from character backgrounds to uniform and hair style regulations. Air Force personnel worked as extras, and two Chief of Staffs of the Air Force, General Michael E. Ryan and General John P. Jumper, appeared as themselves in Season 4’s “Prodigy” and Season 7’s “Lost City.” According to Wikipedia, General Jumper’s second appearance was “cancelled because of ongoing real-world conflicts in the Middle East.” Richard Dean Anderson was honored by the Air Force Association in 2004, not only for his work as an actor and executive producer, but also for the SG’1’s positive depiction of the Air Force.
The U.S. Navy also got in on the act, inviting SG-1 to film aboard the nuclear submarine U.S.S. Alexandria (SSN-757) and at their Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station in the Arctic.
Stargate SG-1 is available from the beginning, courtesy of Netflix. That’s where I’ve been rewatching the show.
If travelling through a Stargate doesn’t for work you, there’s still some MacGyver out there for you Richard Dean Anderson fans. As Captain Samantha Carter said in the pilot to Colonel Jack O’Neill: “It took us fifteen years and three supercomputers to MacGyver a system for the gate on Earth.”
Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment have come up with some cool packages that will make shopping for Father’s Day a lot easier. Below is their press release detailing the television series and feature films that are part of their library and aimed squarely at dads of all ages. Here are the details:
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment’s twelve-month campaign, Year of A Million Moments, continues by recognizing heroes during the month of June. Between heroes from movies like Oliver Stone’s masterpiece PLATOON, the underdog fighter in ROCKY, or the comedic spy father in TV’s AMERICAN DAD, pay tribute by logging on to www.YearOfAMillionMoments.com for the opportunity to win $1 million dollars!
As an added bonus for Father’s Day gifts, up to $12.00 ‘Hollywood Movie Money’ to see X-MEN: FIRST CLASS will be available for consumers to print at home to use towards the purchase of a movie ticket. This exclusive offer is only available with the purchase of select Blu-ray titles including Quantum of Solace, Mad Max, Escape From New York, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Live Free Die Hard and Max Payne. (more…)
Our affection for the animated adaptation of Justice League of America is second to none. It’s one reason we raved about the Complete Series collection which came out last holiday season. Now we’re jealous since each season is being released on Blu-ray for even better definition heroics. Here’s the formal release for the July offering:
BURBANK, CA (May 25, 2011) – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and their DC Comics super hero comrades burst onto the scene in dazzling high definition asJustice League: Season 2arrives on Blu-ray™ for the first time. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the series’ 26-episode second season will be distributed on Blu-ray™ by Warner Home Videoon July 26, 2011 for $39.99 SRP. Order due date is June 21,2011.
Amping up the action, intrigue and epic storylines from its successful first season, Justice League: Season 2 crossed new boundaries in its portrayal of the greatest fighting force in the universe. Comprised of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, the Justice League wages war with their own personal demons and internal issues of mistrust and insecurity, all the while battling a most heinous collection of villains led by Darkseid, Brainiac, Solomon Grundy, Amazo, Joker, Vandal Savage and more.
Justice League Season 2 was produced by Bruce Timm and James Tucker. The core voice cast features George Newbern (Superman), Kevin Conroy (Batman), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Michael Rosenbaum (Flash), Phil LaMarr (Green Lantern) Carl Lumbly (Martian Manhunter) and Maria Canals Barrera (Hawkgirl).
The guest cast includes many topline actors from film and television, most notably Mark Hamill (Star Wars) as Joker, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (The F.B.I.) as Alfred, Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) as Felix Faust, Powers Boothe (Deadwood, 24) as Gorilla Grodd, Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy) as both Clayface and Orion, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) as Lobo, Dennis Haysbert (24, The Unit) as Kilowog, Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan) as Metamorpho, Eric Roberts (Runaway Train) as Mongul and Robert Picardo (Stargate) as Amazo. (more…)
After decades, the STARGATE franchise is winding down as SyFy runs the final episodes of STARGATE:UNIVERSE. We get reaction from the cast on how they feel about the shows remaining.Plus, it’s 1987 all over with reboots for Robocop and The Turtles!
There’s more on STARGATE UNIVERSE including Robert Carlyle explaining why he took a dive intp series television, and Ming Nah on playing one of the few openly gay characters in SF TV. Plus ZOMBIELAND jumps to the top of the Box Office, while STAR TREK and WOLVERINE slip off the chart.
Don’t forget that you can now enjoy THE POINT 24 hours a Day – 7 Days a week!. Updates on all parts of pop culture, special programming by some of your favorite personalities and the biggest variety of contemporary music on the net.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVEFOR FREE or go to GetThePointRadio for more including a connection for mobile phones including iPhone & Blackberrys
STARGATE UNIVERSE (SyFy Channel’s next step in the SG francise) debuts tonight with a new cast and a definite new direction. We begin our backstage access today as the cast explains just what they have to do to survive lost in the multi-verse (and it isn’t playing video games) – plus John Cho talks about his future on not only FLASH FORWARD, but maybe back on The Enterprise or even The White Castle.
Don’t forget that you can now enjoy THE POINT 24 hours a Day – 7 Days a week!. Updates on all parts of pop culture, special programming by some of your favorite personalities and the biggest variety of contemporary music on the net.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVEFOR FREE or go to GetThePointRadio for more including a connection for mobile phones including iPhone & Blackberrys
Stargate Universe will be headed by Robert Carlyle (24: Redemption) according to The Hollywood Reporter. The spin-off of Stargate will begin production in February with Sci Fi Channel planning to air the series over the summer. A 20-episode order is anticipated including the two-hour opener.
With Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis now complete, the cable channel has commissioned this third series in the franchise aiming it at younger watchers while at the same time describing it as both darker and edgier. Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, who have worked on the other series, will write and executive produce the new series.
The new series is described as following “a group of soldiers, scientists and civilians left to fend for themselves when forced through a Stargate after their hidden base comes under attack. The survivors, who emerge aboard an ancient ship missing in the far reaches of space, are led by Dr. David Rush (Carlyle), who works to unlock the ship’s mysteries and return the group home but also might have ulterior motives.”
"Robert Carlyle brings a depth, intelligence and complexity to his roles, which will fit perfectly with the fresh, new reinvention of this franchise," Sci Fi original-programming chief Mark Stern said. The remainder of the cast will be made up of largely unnown talent.
Producer/Director Dean Devlin told the press that he has ideas for big screen sequels to his Stargate.
“Roland [Emmerich] and I had always planned to do three films and want to do more,” he said of Stargate which was a 1994 success before finding its true home on television. “MGM has said they want to play out the television series first so we are on the back burner.” Stargate and its spinoffs have been running ever since with the latest iteration, Stargate Universe, due in 2009.
And as to inevitable question about a sequel to Devlin and Emmerich’s most success film, Independence Day, he said, “We never intended to do any films in that series beyond the first one. I think something may happen though as it seems a better idea now the further we get from 911. The visuals of the film would not be much fun in the wake of such a devastating tragedy but since time has passed and the bad guys are aliens and not terrorists perhaps it might be time to revisit it.”
I’m not sure what you think of director Roland Emmerich’s previous films such as Independence Day, Stargate, The Day After Tomorrow or Godzilla, but I enjoyed them all. Well, at least the first two. But no matter your feelings about the director’s earlier work, you gotta admit that his latest effort, the prehistoric adventure 10,000 B.C., looks pretty darn interesting — judging by what we’ve seen so far.
Fortunately, you’ll get another chance to find out if Emmerich’s latest is for you because there’s a new, just-released trailer for the film over at Yahoo movies. Chock full of action, explosions and plenty of giant CGI creatures, this movie looks like a great ride and this trailer only serves to peak my interest in the film even further.
The film, which features Omar Shariff as well as a cast of relative unknowns including Steve Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis and Tim Barlow, tells the epic story of D’Leh (Straight) a young mammoth hunter and his journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe. Along the way he faces many challenges and pitfalls until finally, his very life is at stake during a massive fight to determine not only his future, but the future of everything he’s ever known.
, 
, 
Stargate Universe will be headed by Robert Carlyle (24: Redemption) according to 
Producer/Director Dean Devlin told the 
I’m not sure what you think of director Roland Emmerich’s previous films such as Independence Day, Stargate, The Day After Tomorrow or Godzilla, but I enjoyed them all. Well, at least the first two. But no matter your feelings about the director’s earlier work, you gotta admit that his latest effort, the prehistoric adventure 10,000 B.C., looks pretty darn interesting — judging by what we’ve seen so far.
