Category: Paul McGillion

  • Epic Comic-Con at Home 2021!

    Epic Comic-Con at Home 2021!

    San Diego Comic-Con at Home Banner 2021

    Welcome back Comic-Con Lovers!

    San Diego Comic Con Logo
    Image courtesy Comic-Con International via WormholeRiders

    Today begins the virtual Comic-Con at Home convention sponsored by the great team at Comic-Con International.

    The event features all types of entertainment events that convention goers love, sans the actual in person experience that has been postponed for two seasons as everyone recovers from the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

    We here at Team WHR will be virtually attending many events and have selected a few of our favorites to share with you and hope you will consider attending virtually as well while we all wait patiently for the return of San Diego Comic-Con as a live in person event in 2022.

    Naturally, like the live in-person events, there are too many scheduled events to cover in this feature article. The good part of Comic-Con at Home? Fans can view the virtual panels anytime during or after the festivities on YouTube. The entire schedule is available by clicking here.

    In the meantime, we have prepared a fun video preview featuring some of our most enjoyable memories from the past with regard to the panels and guests featured at the Comic-Con at Home 2021 event. Enjoy!

     

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    Netflix Geeked: Masters of the Universe: Revelation
    Start time: Jul 23, 2021 12:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

    Masters of the Universe Revelation poster
    Image courtesy Netflix

    “Netflix and Mattel Television present an exclusive sneak peek at the highly-anticipated animated series Masters of the Universe: Revelation.

    Since its creation in 1982, the Masters of the Universe franchise has become a cultural phenomenon, transcending generations and igniting passion amongst fans around the world.

    This new action-packed series, which follows He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, and the other classic characters of the Masters of the Universe franchise, picks up where the iconic characters left off decades ago.

    Now, nearly 40 years later, the new series will delight long-standing fans and introduce a new generation to Eternia and the thrilling, heroic adventures of the Guardians of Grayskull.

    The cast and creators will discuss all of your questions about reviving this beloved franchise.”

    Stan Lee, Marvel, and Rolling Stone: 50th Anniversary
    Start time: Jul 23, 2021 1:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

    Stan Lee at Marvel Studios
    Image courtesy Marvel Studios

    “Fifty years ago, a Herb Trimpe-drawn Hulk graced the coveted cover of the hip Rolling Stone magazine’s September 16, 1971 issue.

    The issue featured an insider’s POV article about Stan Lee and Marvel by Lee’s former assistant, Robin Green (successor to Fabulous Flo Steinberg), who went on to great success as writer/producer for The Sopranos and other landmark TV series.

    Looking back at the article’s creation and historical significance are Robin Green (The Sopranos), Roy Thomas (first Marvel EIC after Stan Lee), and former Marvel bullpenners Linda Fite (Claws of the Cat), Jean Thomas (Night Nurse), and Mimi Gold (Black Widow).

    Danny Fingeroth (A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee) moderates.”

     

    Boldly Going: 55 Years of Star Trek–The Best of Inglorious Treksperts
    Start time: Jul 24, 2021 1:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

    Star Trek Captains
    Image courtesy Paramount Studios

    “The hosts of the addictive hit Star Trek podcast, Inglorious Treksperts, Mark A. Altman (Pandora, Free Enterprise), and Daren Dochterman (Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Director’s Edition) return to #SDCC at Comic-Con at Home 2021.

    Featuring an epic line-up of some of their favorite guests that include Anson Mount (Strange New Worlds), Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan), Michael Dorn (The Next Generation, DS9), Jeffrey Combs (Deep Space Nine, Enterprise), Brannon Braga (First Contact, Enterprise), Robin Curtis (Star Trek III), Bryan Fuller (Voyager, Hannibal), Erin Gray (Buck Rogers, Battle Of The Network Stars), and other special surprise Trek guests galore.

    Inglorious Treksperts: Instagram: @inglorioustreksperts • Twitter: @inglorioustreksperts”

     

    HBO Max and Warner Bros. Animation: Jellystone!
    Start time: Jul 24, 2021 1:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

    Jellystone poster
    Image courtesy HBO

    “They’re back! Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Jabberjaw, Top Cat, and all your favorite Hanna-Barbera characters star in the all-new animated series, Jellystone!

    Join showrunner and executive producer C.H. Greenblatt, Ian Wasseluk (supervising director), Jeff Bergman (Yogi Bear), Grace Helbig (Cindy Bear), and Niccole Thurman (Jabberjaw) on a sneak-peek tour of this charming town where these beloved characters live, work and play together.

    Jellystone! is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and premieres July 29 on HBO Max.”

    Ray Harryhausen: Celebrating the Legacy of a Titan
    Start time: Jul 24, 2021 2:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

    Ray Harryhausen
    Image courtesy Ray Harryhausen foundation

    “Legendary stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen kept an incredible archive of some 50,000 items gathered throughout his filmmaking career, containing models and artworks from each of his classic films, including Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans. The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation are now responsible for the upkeep of this renowned collection. Join John Walsh (Foundation trustee) and Connor Heaney (collections manager) for behind-the-scenes images and astonishing insights from the Foundation’s restoration program, and learn more about plans for future exhibitions in the USA and beyond.

    In what would have been his centenary year, some of Ray’s most iconic creations have been conserved, repaired, and restored for public display. Restorer Alan Friswell, handpicked by Ray to preserve the model collection, has painstakingly conserved these priceless pieces in strict accordance with the creator’s wishes.

    As well as physically repairing models such as the Kraken, Kali, and the Hydra, the Foundation has also begun a pioneering program of 3D scanning, ensuring that a digital record of Ray’s techniques will live on for generations to come.”

     

    Stargate Atlantis Cast Reunion
    Start time: Jul 24, 2021 6:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

    Stargate Atlantis poster
    Image courtesy MGM Studios

    “It has been eleven years since Stargate Atlantis left the airwaves with the valiant Pegasus expedition returning to Earth. Now we take a look back on that momentous journey with a majority of the principal cast.

    Join David Hewlett (Rodney McKay), Torri Higginson (Elizabeth Weir), Rachel Luttrell (Teyla Emmagan), Paul McGillion (Carson Beckett), Rainbow Sun Francks (Aiden Ford), David Nykl (Radek Zelenka), and Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey).

    The panel discussion hopefully will leave new fans wanting to discover the show, and old fans taking up the journey once again.

    Moderated by David Read of the Dial the Gate YouTube channel.

    For more information, please visit dialthegate.com

    Doctor Who
    Start time: Jul 25, 2021 10:00 am (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)

    Doctor Who poster
    Image courtesy BBC America

    “Showrunner Chris Chibnall, the Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, new Doctor Who cast member John Bishop will be be featured for the panel. 

    The Doctor Who panel will feature a very special surprise guest as they share exclusive content from the Doctor Who franchise.

    The Doctor Who panel is moderated by Salon’s Melanie McFarland and was pre-recorded and produced by the BBC and BBC AMERICA for the fans of the series the world over!”

    In closing for now, we are happy to see that one of our most favorite science fiction franchises, Stargate, is being represented by David Read, Darren Sumner and Chad Colvin of Gateworld. Their events will cover Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate Universe and more! GW has scheduled a number of Stargate events and interviews at Comic-Con at Home for 2021 subsequent to their team addressing an outbreak of LGBTQ hate attacks that occurred on their forum in 2020  by a number of moderators that were responsible for the heinous behavior. Click here to read our feature article.

    Last, but not least, we look forward to seeing you all in at WonderCon and San Diego Comic-Con in the future during 2022, perhaps sooner in San Diego itself if the Comic-Con International SDCC event planned for late November of this year is not impacted by the pandemic.

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!Please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family and leave your comments! We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!

    Thank you. Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders (Kenn) on Twitter!

    Best Regards,

    Kenn of #TeamWHR

  • Paul McGillion Stargate Shout Out Through The Firefly Lane Wormhole!

    Paul McGillion Stargate Shout Out Through The Firefly Lane Wormhole!

    Paul McGillion Stargate Atlantis banner

    Hello fans of Stargate Atlantis’ most famous physician, Doctor Carson Beckett Paul McGillion!

    Paul McGillion as Carson Beckett
    Paul McGillion as Carson Beckett. Image courtesy MGM Studios

    Paul McGillion is a multifaceted performer who was born in Scotland, as the sixth of seven children. Paul immigrated to Canada with his family as a child. While pursuing his acting career, Paul obtained two degrees (B.A. and B.Ed) and was a member of the National Champion Brock Badgers varsity wrestling team. He is now a multi-award winning actor with over one hundred film and television credits to his name, who lives with his wife and two kids in Vancouver.

    Paul McGillion is well known to science fiction fans for his portrayal of Carson Beckett on the popular Stargate spin-off series Stargate Atlantis (SGA). McGillion clearly does a ‘flawless’ Scottish accent as is seen in his portrayal of Dr. Beckett. McGillion has an active fan base who (successfully) mounted a ‘Save Carson Beckett‘ campaign after his character was written out of Atlantis during its 3rd season.

    Although he was no longer a regular, McGillion filmed several more episodes of SGA for the 4th and 5th seasons. Many of those same fans then turned their attention to Star Trek during the search for a new Scotty figure and continued to lobby for the actor to be the new Scotty. Although he wasn’t chosen for the part, the campaign garnered the attention of the Scottish newspaper Paisley Daily Express (McGillion was born in Paisley).

    In early 2016, he spent two months in India filming Heartbeats, a Bollywood-flavoured teen dance film from the creator of Step Up and Save the Last Dance that is available on iTunes.

    Paul McGillion in Star Trek
    Paul McGillion in Star Trek. Image courtesy Paramount

    Subsequent to his portrayal of “Barracks Leader” in Star Trek (2009), Paul McGillion pulled out his Scottish accent for the first time since Stargate Atlantis to play Earl Cox (a friend of Ralph Dibny’s) on The Flash.

    McGillion played a cancer patient facing an uncertain future in Before the Day, a short film he also directed that premiered at the 2018 Canadian Film Festival in Toronto. Before that, he spent a few weeks in Newfoundland filming a multi-episode guest role in Discovery Channel’s Frontier. The epic period drama reunited McGillion with Stargate Atlantis alumnus Jason Momoa, who stared as a part-Irish, part-Native American outlaw campaigning to breach the Hudson’s Bay Company’s monopoly on the Canadian fur trade. He stated that “it was minus 27 with wind chill factor on the ocean. It was crazy.”

    Paul McGillion on Twitter
    Click to visit and follow Paul McGillion on Twitter. Image courtesy Paul McGillion

    “I’ve been very fortunate,” muses McGillion, “It’s an eclectic time with a variety of roles. It would be nice to be on a series on a regular basis again, but there’s something about getting an opportunity to play all of these different characters that’s fun. You never know what you’re going to get.”

    Although the characters in McGillion’s recent filmography including the hit series “Firefly Lane” on Netflix are wildly different from one another – prosthetic bellies and cop uniforms; Scottish accents and Bollywood; shaved heads and 17th-century garb – what binds them together is the fact that each one contains the possibility of a singular moment. “It doesn’t matter the size of the role, as long as there’s a moment in there, and acting is all about moments,” says McGillion.

    Although McGillion is constantly moving forward in search of new characters to play and moments to explore, he is forever grateful for the role that kicked his career into high gear: that of the beloved Dr. Carson Beckett on Stargate MGM Studios franchise series Atlantis. Stargate is a landmark event in my career, and I will never forget it and I always appreciate it, and any time there’s an opportunity to support anything Stargate, I’m in,” says McGillion!

     

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    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!Thanks to Kenn for staging images, the featured video, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!

    Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview with your friends, or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.Click to visit and follow ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia) on Twitter!

     

    Regards,

    Patricia

  • Fringe: “The Boy Must Live” To Eliminate The Observers From History!

    Fringe: “The Boy Must Live” To Eliminate The Observers From History!

    Fringe S5 Banner - Click here to learn more at FOX

    Welcome back Fringe fans for our final series of reviews in this timeline,

    Fringe Letters of Transit Futuristic Banner - Click to learn more at FOX BroadcastingHow does one write about the apparent end of Fringe during ones final analysis for such an epic science fiction drama series that has brought excellence to our screens for five years?

    Was it The End of Eternity as this reviewer has written about previously? Or is it simply a new beginning for a franchise that could to be headed to the big screen deserving of Academy Awards to atone for the many years of being snubbed by the Emmy’s?

    September Notebook cover 2013 banner poster - Click to learn more at the official web site!This editor believes this is the case. In my opinion, and many others whom we have consulted with, Fringe movies loom in the future. The only question is when “Fringe Movies” will actually enter our timeline!?

    With a focus more in the present timeline, the Fringe creators recently sanctioned products including September’s Notebook created by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry set for publication in March of this year!

    Fringe S5x10 - Michael Cerveris as Donald aka SeptemberAlthough not actually revealed in “The Recordist”, the end of the current Fringe eternity began with the return of September (Michael Cerveris) to the series story arc when we met, with fleeting glimpses what seemed to be a new character. Then referred to as Donald, who appeared at a remote mountain encampment, the final foundation was set.

    Fringe S5x03 - Edwin Massey with Walter Bishop in the history archives“The Recordist” featured a well known and much admired actor Paul McGillion as Edwin Massey. Massey had laboriously recorded all of human history since the invasion of Earth by The Observers in 2015.

    Massey related that Donald, whom we now know is September, had been captured by The Observers subsequent to when “Donald” had visited their remote encampment on a secret mission.

    Fringe S5x03 - Walter leaves bread crums on Betamax video tapesThe Fringe team went on a field trip to track down clues revealed in Walters Betamax video tapes (I loved that video format, so superior to VHS as Walter confirmed during the series).

    Olivia (Anna Torv), Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Walter (John Noble) met Massey discovering a high energy mineral needed for Walters plan to stop The Observers per the Betamax video cassette “bread crumb” he had left behind before being ambered in the year 2015.

    Fringe S5x09 - Michael the child Observer is found as a result of Walter's Black Blotter LSD tripAs we reviewed previously here at WHR, we speculated that Donald was September, but “The Recordist” episode did not confirm September was alive as a fact until his return in “Anomaly XB-6783746” via the memories imparted from the child Observer Michael (Rowan Longworth) after he was secured in “Black Blotter”, when as you may recall Walter decided to take a little trip via LSD!

    We include an edition of “Noble Intentions” courtesy of FOX Broadcasting that chronicles the memories imparted to Walter from Michael, the Child Observer.

    The Boy Must Live:

    Fringe S5x11 - Astrid always an able investigator in the labAfter a bit of work in the former Harvard University lab to locate September, between Walter and Peter with the ever able work of Astrid (Jasika Nicole), in this episode we finally learn about Donald (September) and what happened to him since his disappearance at the hands of evil Observer Overlords from the year 2609.

    Fringe S5x11 - Olivia sets up the tank for Walter as Michael looks onWith Peter’s, Astrid’s, and Olivia’s help to monitor the experimental events, and as Michael looked on with curiosity, Walter Bishop entered “The Tank” in the laboratory to isolate the important memories imparted to him by the Child Observer Michael (Rowan Longworth) in “Anomaly XB-6783746” in order to locate September in the year 2036.

    Fringe S5x11 - Walter is wired up in the tank at the lab

    Fringe S5x11 - Olivia finds Walter stark naked in the tankIn a truly humorous moment, well beyond anything ever contemplated on “Naked Tuesdays”, where Walter at least had an apron to cover his vitals, Olivia opens the tank in the lab only to find Walter stark bare ass naked in the process of searching his thoughts about September.

    This fun scene brings us a moment of levity in the serious story arc full circle. One can only assume that it must be “Naked Tank Tuesday” in the year 2036! Even Olivia smiles at what they have discovered, Walters nakedness notwithstanding!

    Fringe S5x11 - Walter stark naked in the tank

    Fringe S5x11 - Olivia smiles at their discovery of Walter's memories

    Fringe S5x11 - Peter smiles lovingly at Walter on their search for SeptemberSubsequent to discovering enough clues from “Naked Tank Tuesday” to locate September, Walter dons some clothes to cover his fine physique to lead the Fringe team on the search for September in 2036.

    In a number of memorable sequences, Peter and Walter chat about why he is so sure about things, including Walter remembering that he does not really enjoy “public displays” of affection and not using public restrooms to “go number two”. Peter’s growing love for his father’s eccentric nature is displayed lovingly with a wonderful smile.

    Fringe S5x11 - Captain Windmark travels to the year 2609

    Fringe S5x11 - James Kidnie as The Observer CommanderWe are suddenly taken to the year 2609, the central nexus of The Observers strangle hold on humanity. Now one may ask, why did The Observers Commander (James Kidnie) or delightfully evil Captain Windmark (Michael Kopsa) and other implied higher Observer authorities simply not kill September after his meddling with time without their explicit approval?

    For those who read and follow the time-line psychology ripple effects of changing events or people as eloquently depicted in Fringe and by Isaac Asimov’s novel in “The End of Eternity”, the answer is simple. Well almost.

    Fringe S5x11 - Captain Windmark has a chat with his Observer Commander in the year 2609As discussed between Captain Windmark and The Observers Commander in “The Boy Must Live”, in order to not disturb the certainties of the reality they have created wherein they are the dominate species across the universe, certain individuals cannot be eliminated or they risk that the entire equation of time could unravel. September is one of those individuals in this reviewer’s opinion.

    Now you may hypothecate; WAIT! Other of The Observers, their Loyalists and quite a few resistance humans have been killed. Why did these events not impact the timeline?

    Click to purchase The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov at Amazon!Although not delineated directly, the Fringe creators require viewers to think about serious consequences of ripples in time across realities from changes. This reviewer believes that this may have been partly responsible for lower ratings because Fringe as a story, took much thought to internalize. This factor was also responsible for the initial lackluster reception of the novel “The End of Eternity” that later went on to become a cult classic.

    Nevertheless, the epic nature of the program can be understood as follows; One must assume that if a person was killed “out of order” in contravention to The Observers philosophy of “Everything In Order”, then a viewer should assume that the Observer command nexus in the year 2609 would have dispatched other Observers to fix or “patch” the timeline to restore 99.9999% infinity likelihoods just as what was performed in The End of Eternity to ensure the future eventualities desired.

    More on these complex factors later in my analysis.

    Fringe S5x11 - September is happy to see Walter againWalter, Olivia, Peter, with Michael in tow find September at an apartment after leveraging Walter’s memories ascertained in the tank.

    September, in turn, obviously is quite happy to see Olivia, Peter, almost the entire team, and Walter in specific for reasons we learn in major reveals in the series story arc.

    Fringe S5x11 - September is happy as he faces his son Michael as the team looks on fondlyWe were thrilled to also see an emotion of joy on September’s face when he sees the Observer Child is with the team.

    Michael is later confirmed to actually be September’s son Michael. September opens a cigar box to retrieve a tiny music box which plays the memorable song “Greensleeves also known as “Who is the Child” when the tiny handle in turned.

    Fringe S5x11 - September gets Michael's tiny music boxA most appropriate selection by music composers Chris Tilton and Michael Giacchino in the opinion of this reviewer that is featured in episode.

    After relating what had happened to themselves, our heroes learn that September had been stripped of the technology implanted in his skull which allows The Observers to traverse time across multiple alternate realities with causation by making minute adjustments in the time-line.

    Fringe S5x11 - September relates what happened to him after he lost contact with the Fringe TeamThe ultimate purpose is to ensure Observer dominance across all realities to within 99.9999% infinity percent likelihood as discussed above.

    We learn that September was punished for his many instances of meddling with the plans of the Overlord Observers to ensure their dominance across all time and in all universe possibilities.

    Fringe S5x11 - Walter thinks about September's fate after capture and punishmentLogically we must assume that after his capture and punishment, September was deemed to be harmless by The Observers without his enhanced abilities.

    This proves that The Observers, the season five antagonists, are not all powerful. By not monitoring September more closely, thereby making a major mistake, especially considering the perseverance of Walter and our heroes of the Fringe Team in the year 2036, the quest to destroy their slavish, albeit intellectually developed society will become realty.

    Fringe S5x11 - Singing in the Rain is where September chose his name of Donald

    In the process we learn that September chose his name, Donald O’Conner, from a favorite movie he and Walter had once watched together; “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952).

    One is also left to ponder another interesting theory. Did Walter name “Gene the Cow” to honor Gene Kelly who starred in the 1952 award winning film enjoyed by September? This reviewer find this theory to be highly likely.

    Fringe S5x11 - Olivia looks on with deeps emotions as September relates his circumstancesAs Olivia and Peter listen with great emotion on their faces, they find out, among the many details Walter did not remember, despite having many “feelings” imparted by Michael, that this included all the details of “the plan” to stop The Observers from manipulating all time and universes.

    Powerless, September, had been inserted into the year 2036 where he could be “observed” by Captain Windmark after his capture and punishment.

    September then began life as a normal human believing that his plans with Walter twenty-one years previous in the year 2015 to save humanity would never be realized.

    Fringe S5x11 - Captain Windmark in the progeny maturation chambers of 2609In a major reveal about what has transpired over the past five (season) years, September shared how it all happened.

    In stunning visual effects sequence reminiscent of “The Matrix” (1999), September reveals how Michael was created from his own genetic material in a vault of young Observers. The chilling scene delighted this reviewer to no end.

    Fringe S5x11 - Baby Observers in genetic maturation tanks in the year 2609Michael, September’s progeny was deemed flawed by the genetically fascist Observer hierarchy of the year 2609. The result was that Michael’s maturation was deliberately stunted.

    Although not depicted in the episode, September informs our Fringe Team heroes that he took the boy from the year 2609 and hid him in the past of the year 2036 to hopefully be found later by Walter, Olivia, Peter and Astrid.

    Fringe S5x11 - Michael's growth had been halted by the fascist Observers of 2609During the meeting in the year 2609, we learn more about the weakness of The Observers. Although seemingly firmly in control, they are not capable of predicting all possible outcomes, and in fact are afraid of the consequences of making any additional changes to eliminate “the resisters” as the Fringe Team is referred to.

    Fringe S5x11 - Captain Windmark relates the child is dangerous and his desire to kill them allThe Observer Commander relates to Captain Windmark; “we are not prepared to deal with a readjustment of probabilities”. The Observer Commander is obviously referring to the killing off the Fringe Team and or Michael, the “defective” Observer Child.

    To his displeasure, Captain Windmark is forbidden from going back in time to kill them all. This is the next Observer weakness that is revealed.

    Fringe S5x11 - Captain Windmark is asked is there is something wrong with him by The Observer Commander

    Fringe S5x11 - Captain Windmarl says the idea of ending their existence consumes meAlthough The Observers have invested nearly five centuries from 2167 to 2609 to “breed out” emotion in favor of intellect, the Observer Commander detects something is wrong. Captain Windmark states “the idea of ending their existence consumes me”.

    As we know from being emotional human beings in 2013, obsession is a destroyer of many aspects of humanity. So it will be with The Observers. Obsession causes people to make mistakes and or draw the wrong conclusions from history that ultimately leads to serious errors in judgment.

    When the Observer Commander states “they are insignificant”, we know that our heroes can leverage their arrogance to ultimately win the day!

    Fringe S5x11 - September details The Plan that will after all historyWith a segue back to the Fringe Team at the apartment, now with September restored as an ally, we discover “The Plan” is to take Michael to the year 2167 on the 28th of February, and introduce him to The Powers That Be (TPTB) of that era. All of history, past, present and future would be radically altered to benefit humankind.

    By offering a different alternative in humanities future decision making process, with proof they do not have to sacrifice human emotions for intellect, the result would cause the evil of The Observers as we have known them, to never become manifest, to never exist!

    Brilliant move in the story arc by the creators!

    Fringe S5x11 - Olivia shaes that Etta will be restored when time is reset

    Fringe S5x11 - Peter hopes Etta will be restored, but says there is a long way to go firstWe move in the episode to a rather touching tender sequence whereby Olivia and Peter discuss that if the plan succeeds, and the timeline is reset, that they will be restored to a point in time before the invasion with their daughter Etta (Georgina Haig) when she was young. Olivia is optimistic, while Peter says they have a long way to go to succeed.

    At this point in the series, our Fringe Team Leader Lori theorized the time reset result would be in the park in the year 2015 with young Etta when she was playing with Peter and Olivia during a family picnic.

    Fringe S5x11 - Windmark plots to kill them allThe episode moves quickly as Captain Windmark returns to the year 2036 plotting obsessively to learn all about and track down September who has unfortunately been tagged with Observer chip “784651”.

    Captain Windmark’s intent is quite clear. Although he is not actually disobeying direct orders from his superior, The Observer Commander in year 2609 by track downing his obsession in the past, Windmark is absolutely determined to kill our heroes in the year 2036 to achieve his goals.

    Fringe S5x11 - Windmark and his Observer minions arrive at September's apartment

    Fringe S5x11 - Windmark's Observer minion taps his foot to the jazz musicSeptember thinking carefully ahead of their arrival, has removed his tracking chip before leaving his apartment. September’s foresight is correct, he has setup a booby trap with an Observer tech quantum bomb at the apartment for Captain Windmark and his Observer minions whom he is certain will try to find him there.

    In another wonderful sequence involving foot tapping to jazz music, The Observers are affected by a somewhat reflex human emotion, rhythm. September almost succeeds in killing Captain Windmark and his two Observer minions.

    Fringe S5x11 - September's apartment is vaporizedWindmark and his main minion escape, however one of The Observers is apparently killed unable to dematerialize quick enough as the Observer bomb from the future vaporizes the entirety of September’s apartment.

    The episode winds down as our heroes gather the parts September has stashed in the year 2036 to complete the device to establish a wormhole and send Michael to February 28, 2167 to reset the timeline, but not without consequences.

    Fringe S5x11 - September and Walter gather the parts for the reset time deviceSeptember and Walter are at a warehouse gathering the requisite parts. Walter recalls a partial memory imparted by Michael.

    Walter, with September’s prompting understands that he will have to sacrifice himself by accompanying Michael to the year 2167.

    September fills in the missing memories and discusses “A White Tulip”, its importance and the strength given to Walter over the five years of Fringe. Tears well up in Septembers eyes as they discuss the events of past that have brought them here.

    Fringe S5x11 - Tears well up in September's eyes

    Fringe S5x11 - The notebook is seen in September's handsHowever, while the White Tulip is seen by Walter in his mind, it is missing from an envelope in September’s Notebook.

    The poignant scene provides a startling revelation of the Fringe series mythology now made manifest, the existence of his, “September’s Notebook”, which is seen on screen in September’s hands!

    Yes, Fringe admirers, this is the very same historic September’s Notebook collectable to be published by Insight Editions in March of 2013.

    This fantastic book that contains the secrets of the series mythology is created by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry, whom we had the honor to interview on WormholeRiders You Decide Sunday February 03, 2013!

    September Notebook cover 2013 - Click to learn more at the official Insight Editions web site!

    Fringe S5x11 - Tracked down on the commuter trainIn the final hectic moments of “The Boy Must Live” episode, evil Captain Windmark tracks our heroes down on a local commuter train.

    Aware of the importance of their freedom to complete “The Plan”, and for reasons not explained in the episode, Michael makes a sacrifice allowing himself to be captured by Captain Windmark in order to allow the others to escape!

    Fringe S5x11 - Captain Windmark takes Michaell into custodyAs Captain Windmark takes Michael into Observer custody, an evil grin of revenge and retribution spreads across his face, all we see and hear is; “Hello” as the television screen fades to black!

    Michael Kopsa is absolutely delightfully creepy as Captain Windmark, superbly delivering his final line in “The Boy Must Live” episode. This reviewer says simply; Bravo Mr. Kopsa, BRAVO!!

    Fringe S5x11 - Captain Windmark says hello to Michael!

    I end this, my final analysis of Fringe as we know it by thanking everyone who has been involved with the production of Fringe, from Bad Robot Productions, Warner Brothers, FOX Broadcasting, and all the wonderful actors, crews and creators who brought science fiction joy to our screens over the past five years!

    Our Team Leader Lori will be writing the last two reviews of the series to be posted in rapid succession after this analysis. Lori will include interesting quotes from The End of Eternity novel to dovetail our belief that Isaac Asimov’s book was an inspiration for Fringe.

    Just remember, #ItsNeverOver when it comes to altering the timeline, meaning this reviewer believes Fringe will return in movies as changes ripple across our timeline to become reality in the future!

    Fringe Series Finale Banner - Click to learn more at FOX Broadcasting!

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!Thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

    Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.

    Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and Team WHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side“!

    Thank you. Click to visit and follow WR_Systems (Kenn) on Twitter!

    Best Regards,

    Kenn

  • WormholeRiders News Agency Future in 2012 and Beyond!

    WormholeRiders News Agency Future in 2012 and Beyond!

    Happy New Year fellow WormholeRiders!

    We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! During the past several months we have reorganized. Below we have prepared a fun music video documenting and outlining where the Team WHR Crew is going in 2012 and beyond for your enjoyment.

    Additional dedicated sites have been prepared featuring your favorite celebrities, shows and events including new ones as yet unannounced. To select the new matrix, simply scroll and click the buttons on the side bar to visit the series site of your choice. Our team will be making additional announcements on Twitter, and here in the near future.

     

    video
    play-sharp-fill

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency

    Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.

    Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and the WHR team look forward to and will be Seeing You on The Other Side“!

    Thank you. Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders (Kenn) on Twitter!

    Best Regards,

    Kenn

  • Once Upon A Cure: “Wishing On A Star” Saves Hunters Syndrome Children!

    Hello once again charitable friends of Team WHR,Click to visit and donate to Once Upon A Cure!

    We bring the beloved supporters of the children some special news. In only four weeks from tomorrow, one of the most significant charity events to help children with Hunter Syndrome will occur in Vancouver British Columbia. Often referred to as “Hollywood North”, a superb organization has taken shape over the past three years from humble beginnings.

    Of whom do we speak? The organization is known as Once Upon A Cure pioneered by Ms. Deb Purcell, a wonderful person who has dedicated a great portion of her life’s energy to finding a cure and mitigation for the unfortunate young souls who are suffering from Hunter Syndrome.

    Click to visit and learn more about Once About A Cure!Known or referred to in the vernacular as MPS-II, Hunter Syndrome is a genetically inherited disease with devastating consequence for the afflicted whereby long chains of sugar molecules (mucopolysaccharides) are not broken down correctly by the victims system and build up in the body.

    The symptoms of this tragic disease affect its targets in different ways often with life threatening consequences including organ failure.

    Although this horrible genetic disorder primarily affects male children, there are female case studies dating back many decades that this malady can also attack opposite sex of our species with terrible results as well. In any circumstance, MPS-II whose formal scientific name is Mucopolysaccharidosis, can make life a living nightmare for the children suffering from the malady.

    In 2010 we had the honor to be present at a charity fund raising event called Taco’s For Trey covered by a former member of our staff. Throughout the course of the past year we quietly provided support on Twitter to the event sponsor to endeavor to raise more money for the Vancouver based chapter of the MPS-II efforts. This year the expanded event will be conducted at:Click to visit and learn more about the Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver!

    Sutton Place Hotel
    845 Burrard Street
    Vancouver, British Columbia
    1-604-682-5511

    All credit for the hard work performed by Ms. Purcell’s team and we have followed their progress which began as an idea, progressed via e-mail and conference call, moved to a concept on Powerpoint and has now blossomed into a full fledged web site charity campaign, a social media movement with Twitter account and Facebook page earning the well deserved support and acclaim of many of Vancouver’s greatest entertainment talents

    Click to visit Once Upon a Cure celebrities list!
    The gala event with feature a cocktail hour, dinner, and an evening of superb entertainment including appearances by Allison Mack, Amanda Tapping, Anne Marie DeLuise, Christine Chatelain, Colin Ferguson, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Jewel Staite, Julia Benson, Lou Diamond Phillips, Paul McGillion, Peter Benson, Peter DeLuise, Peter Kelamis, and Ryan Robbins!

    Click to visit Once Upon a Cure celebrities list!
    All of these outstanding actors are appearing at the “Once Upon A Cure” gala September 24, 2011 to raise charity funding to aid those afflicted as discussed in the official press release below from Once Upon A Cure!

    For those who live or will be will be in Vancouver, please click the banner below to order a ticket for the event. For those more fortunate financially you may even a reserve a table of eight for your entire charity delegation to demonstrate your support for this worthwhile cause.!

    Team WHR respectfully request that everyone, whether you can afford to attend, please visit the “Once Upon a Cure” web site and make a Click to visit and donate to the MPS-II society of Canada!donation. We know that times are tough including for many in the entertainment business in Vancouver, however no child deserves to suffer the horrors of Hunter Syndrome.

    Even if you cannot attend yourself, a modest donation can be made by clicking the image to above right to help the children. Thank you.

    We include our special music video about “Wish on a Star” to cure Hunter Syndrome for your pleasure and the official press release for your edification. Enjoy!

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: HOME INFUSION BREAKTHROUGH FOR RARE DISEASE For three and half years the Purcell family spent every Monday at BC Children’s hospital, where their son Trey received Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) infusions to treat MPS II (Hunter Syndrome), a rare degenerative disorder with which he was diagnosed at age two. No more! After six months of training, mom Deb Purcell is now the first ever parent in Canada qualified to do the infusions and has begun treating her son at home. This means their family has regained that day each week for living. Trey Purcell - Please Click to visit Once Upon A Cure! There were a number of hurdles that prevented the practice of home infusions in BC until now – the most challenging being a personnel issue. The BC health care system allows for nurses to make home visits to begin infusions and to de- access, but they aren’t able to stay for the duration of a long infusion like Trey’s, which lasts 4 hours. With the use of ERT in MPS II treatment, there is always a chance of an adverse reaction, so a physician or experienced health care provider should supervise. With the medication in place, the home supplies provided by the government’s “At Home Program” and the family more than willing, the manufacturer of the ERT hired Bayshore Home Health to train and supervise Deb in the complicated procedure, and continue to retain the home nurses as a reference, resource and emergency contact for Deb and family. "Home infusions have given us our life back. Instead of having to cancel Trey’s baseball opening ceremony, a baseball game and a birthday party this past weekend, we were able to reschedule Trey’s infusion for a time when nothing was planned. We can now travel for more than 8 days at a time. Given the progressive nature of this disease, these extra moments mean everything to us.” – Deb Purcell Click to order tickets for Once Upon a Cure!It’s fitting that Trey’s family is part of this medical advancement in Canada. When Deb learned in 2006 that Trey had a crippling disorder, she successfully lobbied the government & BC Children’s Hospital for Trey to be the first child in Canada, who was not participating in the trial, to receive ERT, which was newly approved in the US, but not yet approved by Health Canada. Remarkable results from this treatment have since been observed in Trey – many of his symptoms have been reversed and the progressions of other symptoms have been halted. Health Canada has now approved the ERT and most provinces have made it available to Hunter patients, but ERT is a treatment – not a cure. So, the Purcell family has created a number of initiatives to raise the funds necessary to continue the research needed towards finding a cure to MPS II. To date these fundraisers have brought in $184,000 with all but 5% (used to cover basic admin. expenses) going directly to research grants applied for by doctors in the field of MPS II Research around the world. With hopes to increase the yearly number of grants made available, this year’s fundraiser, ‘Once Upon a Cure, a Gala for Hunter Syndrome Research’, will be held at The Sutton Place Hotel, Vancouver, on September 24, 2011. Having ties to the film and television industry, they have attracted the attention of a number of Vancouver actors and VIP’s, who will be in attendance to experience the magical Alice in Wonderland themed cocktail reception, plated dinner, live & silent auctions, infamous Chocoholic dessert buffet, live entertainment and local celebrity DJ, to dance the night away. Not only will this event bring in the funding necessary to continue researching a cure, but it’s sure to become an annual event people will look forward to marking on their calendar. If you would like further details about this event or MPS II Please visit us at: Once Upon A Cure. If you would like to know more about this topic, or to schedule an interview with the Purcell family, please call Deb Purcell at (604) 980-0930 or email at dpurcell@telus.net. Contact Info: Jennifer Lo, Media Director media@onceuponacure.com Click to visit and donate to MPS-II at Once Upon a Cure! Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article. Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and the Team WHR look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side"! Thank you. Click to visit and follow WR_Systems (Kenn) on Twitter! Best Regards, WR_Systems (Kenn)

  • Stargate Vancouver by Creation Entertainment: Don’t Dream It’s Over, It’s Just Getting Started!

    Stargate Vancouver by Creation Entertainment: Don’t Dream It’s Over, It’s Just Getting Started!

    Click to learn more about Stargate Vancouver 2011!

    Greetings Stargate SG-1, SGA and SGU convention fans,Click to visit and learn more about Creation-Entertainment!

    Tomorrow April 14, 2011 Creation Entertainment begins holding their yearly epic Stargate Vancouver 2011 Convention! Also known to by the fans as VanCon, this outstanding Stargate Convention will be held April 14-17, 2011 at the Hilton Metrotown Burnaby, 6083 McKay Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia (1-604-438-1200). If you live or are visiting the Vancouver area, tickets are still available at the door!

     

    This exciting annual four day convention event features legendary Stargate SG-1, Atlantis and Universe celebrities including Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, David Nykl, Christopher Judge, Paul McGillion, Robert Davi, Jamil Walker Smith, Chuck Campbell, Kavan Smith, Chris2011-SG-VanContopher Heyerdahl, Corin Nemec, Patrick Currie, J.R. Bourne, Dan Payne, Alexis Cruz, Mark Burgess, Alex Zahara AND Stargate creator Brad Wright! Click to visit and follow Hexidecimal02 on Twitter!We were honored to participate in a great contest, the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway with the winner Hexidecimal02 receiving two (2) complimentary GOLD TICKETS courtesy of Creation Entertainment for the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Convention, We thank Creation Entertainment, the sponsor of the contest and also know the winner is excited to meet you all in Vancouver. In closing for now, WormholeRiders News Agency will have two reporters covering the event to bring you Live From The Convention coverage and reports subsequent to the conclusion of the festivities. Keep an eye out for ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia) and MackenziesMomma (Kassandra) who would be happy to meet you are well! Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Thank you. If you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or on See You on The Other Side"! Thank you. Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders (Kenn) on Twitter! Best Regards, Kenn

  • Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway!

    Greeting Stargate and convention fans,Click to visit and learn more about Creation-Entertainment!

    Today Saturday March 05, 2011 WormholeRiders News Agency is pleased to announce courtesy of Creation Entertainment, the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway for their fantastic Stargate Convention to be conducted April 14-17, 2011 at the Hilton Metrotown Burnaby, 6083 McKay Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia!

    Click to learn more about Stargate Vancouver 2011!
    This wonderful convention event features legendary Stargate celebrities including Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, David Nykl, Christopher Judge, Paul McGillion, Robert Davi, Jamil Walker Smith, Chuck Campbell, Kavan Smith, Christopher Heyerdahl, Corin Nemec, Patrick Currie, J.R. Bourne, Dan Payne, Alexis Cruz, Mark Burgess, Alex Zahara AND Stargate creator Brad Wright!

    How do you enter for a chance to win? Three simple steps!

    2011-SG-VanCon

    1. Follow Creation Entertainment on Twitter (@CreationEnt).

    2. Follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter (@WormholeRiders).

    3. Answer this simple question: Why do you love Stargate? As you can guess there is no wrong answer!

    4. Send your answer with your twitter account (@name) by e-mail by clicking this hyperlink: Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway . (stargate_vancongold@wormholeriders.net).

    That’s it!

    Grand Prize: The Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway winner will receive two (2) complimentary GOLD TICKETS courtesy of Creation Entertainment for the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Convention, Creation Entertainment is the sponsor of this contest.Thank you Creation!

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Good luck in the contest! Please do NOT leave Your Answer or Twitter identity here as such are not considered valid entries in the Stargate Vancouver2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway. Thank you.

    If you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or on See You on The Other Side“! Thank you. Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders (Kenn) on Twitter!

    Best Regards,

    Kenn

    Contest Entrants Confirmation: Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway entrants will be sent a Twitter Direct Message (DM) confirming their entry. Be sure to include your twitter name with your entry. Thank you.

    Winner Selection: The winner will chosen by WormholeRiders News Agency staff in a random drawing that will be video recorded and broadcast here at WHR Conventions Corners the evening of April 01, 2011. Five runners up will also be selected in the event of special circumstances discussed below. The random drawing will be video recorded with WormholeRiders News Agency employees acting as fair witnesses

    Rules and notes: Void where prohibited. Contest entries will be accepted until March 31, 2011 11:59 PM Pacific Time. All entrants must be of 18 years of age or older at the time of entry, regardless of country of origin. All individuals 18 years or older are eligible to enter the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway with the following exceptions:

    Who may not enter exceptions: In the interest of fairness, neither current nor former WormholeRiders News Agency staff may enter the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway contest. Current paid employees of Creation Entertainment are also precluded from entering the contest. Any such entries from either group will be considered null and void.

    Requirements: Entries received without a twitter account name will be considered null and void. Entries received that are not following both Creation Entertainment and WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter matching the date and time of the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Ticekts Giveaway contest entry is received will be considered null and void. Please follow on Twitter before submitting your entry. Thank you.

    Entrants must continue to follow Creation Entertainment and WormholeRiders News Agency until the winner is verified (there are no exceptions to this rule). In the event the winner is not following at the time of pending prize announcement, their winning status will be null and void. A runner up will be selected in that event (see below).

    During the contest period, WormholeRiders News Agency will not be following back entrants in the interests of fairness. Existing follow back accounts of WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter will not be un-followed unless they violate the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway contest rules.

    Winner Selection Requirements: The real name of winner will not be announced, only their Twitter name, unless the winner desires their real name to be announced. The winner of the two (2) Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets in the Giveaway will be required to respond within 24 hours subsequent to announcement at this news site, on Twitter from the WormholeRiders News Agency account and on WormholeRiders News Agency Facebook by e-mail response sent to their attention by the management of WormholeRiders News Agency.

    In the event that the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Ticket Giveaway random drawing winner does not respond within twenty-four (24) hours, a new winner will be selected from the first (1st) to fifth (5th) runner up (of five) and will be announced as the replacement winner. In the event that any selected replacement winner does not respond within twenty-four (24) hours, WormholeRiders News Agency may elect to award the tickets to another winner by random drawing at their sole discretion.

    Winner Redemption Criteria: The winners will be required to provide their legal name that matches their photo identification card (valid official drivers license, valid official identification card and or valid official international passport) and a contact phone number. Winner identification information will only be provided to Creation Entertainment for the sole purpose of verifying the identity of the winner at prize redemption time.

    Creation Entertainment will be notified on or before April 11, 2011, but no sooner than April 04, 201Click to learn more about the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown!1 of the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway winner identity. To collect their prize, the winner must present their valid aforementioned matching identification provided to WormholeRiders News Agency at the official Stargate Vancouver 2011 Convention on April 14, 2011 registration desk located at.

    Hilton Metrotown Burnaby
    6083 McKay Ave.
    Burnaby, BC

    Transfer by winner: The Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway winner has the right to transfer or sell their two (2) GOLD TICKETS to a third party, but is required to disclose the identity of the recipient to WormholeRiders News Agency by e-mail on or before April 10, 2011 so that said third party identity can be verified and transmitted to Creation Entertainment. There are no exceptions to to this policy.

    Odds of winning: depend on number of entries received. No cash value is made or warrantied with regard to the Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets Giveaway winner in any circumstance nor any instance. The only prize are the two (2) GOLD TICKETS valid only at the Creation Entertainment Stargate Vancouver 2011 Convention. Hotel, travel, meals and any other expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner or their third party designate. No other consideration is either implied or expressed.

  • Chevron 7.5 – A Massive Event Indeed!

    Chevron 7.5 – A Massive Event Indeed!

    Chevron banner

    Hello again convention fans!

    CHEVRON 7.5

    Firstly a huge thank you to Massive Events for pulling off yet another fantastic weekend. The guests were both funny and entertaining. We had great access to them, a real plus in my books as other events tend to herd you around with little or no chance of guest interaction. From what has been stated to me by the guests themselves, they appreciate this form of connection, as they get a real boost from meeting their fans and being able to sit and chat. Whoever thought of this type of guest encounters must have had a eureka moment. What a great way to meet the actors in a relaxed manner for all who took part

    Thank goodness for Satellite Navigation Systems! If it hadn’t been for my trusty Sat Nav friend, I may well still be sitting on the M1 motorway in the United Kingdom, instead of driving across country to avoid the accident that snarled up the M1 for most of the night.

    At least we (my friend Helena and I) made the hotel in time to register and throw our belongings in the hotel room before ringing down to the opening ceremony. By the way artistic licence applies in this report.

    Unfortunately in my haste to make a speedy entrance I forgot to bring my pen and pencil. I could forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on sometimes!

    Below L-R: Andee Frizzell, Sarah Douglas, Tony Amendola and Kavan Smith

    Anyways, the actual ceremony did not last too long, so my brain was not vexed too greatly in recalling the event. First to be welcomed to the stage was the Stargate SG-1 character “Garshaw of Belote”, actress Sarah Douglas. She was warmly greeted, and placed the bag she was carrying beside her feet. Next to be welcomed was the Stargate Atlantis “Wraith Queen” Andee Frizzell, who immediately sprang to her chair, and thanked the organizers for placing a free hand bag at her disposal. A peel of laughter followed as everyone realized she was talking of Sarah’s hand bag.

    Rapturous applause followed the arrival of David Nykl (Dr. Radek Zelenka of Stargate Atlantis), Tony Amendola (Master Bra’tac of Stargate SG-1) and Kavan Smith (Major Evan Lorne of Atlantis), and last but not least the beautiful and talented Lexa Doig (Dr. Carolyn Lam of SG-1) graced the stage. Lexa immediately passed on Michael Shanks apologies for canceling at the last minute due to his work schedule. Michael was caught up in filming, and just could not take the time from the production to attend the convention. A fashion discussion then took place between Andee and Lexa, who won the most “points” with her high heeled shoes!

    Just as it seemed the cast were going to open up with some delightful banter, the ceremony was called to a halt, and we were all filed out to await the Gold Pass Drinks Reception.

    Below L-R: (Half of) Tony Amendola and Kavan Smith and Lexa Doig

    Gold Pass Reception

    Huddling into small groups, we waiteStargate Atlantis Teamd excitedly to encounter our guests. Andee Frizzell (Wraith Queen on Stargate Atlantis) was the first to enter our group.

    My goodness, this lady is a tall one. No wonder she was chosen to play a wraith, as she is as slim as she is tall. Oh my, Andee can talk the hind legs off a donkey. I don’t think she stops to draw breath.

    She is funny, articulated and engagingly entertaining. Andee circled around the entire group, asking where we hailed from, only stopping to quip or joke where appropriate. Then as quickly as she entered our fold, she was whisked away to entertain others.Chevron 7.5 Andee Frizzell, image courtesy Gairwyn

    Lexa Doig blew into the gap left by Andee. She kept apologizing for Michael’s absence. Lexa shared with us that he really wanted to be here. Lexa talked fondly of her son Sam, who is now 5 (wow, cannot believe that, I can remember Michael announcin g his birth) and ready to take his first steps into school. She commented that Andee was a hard act to follow, and I replied but that she has better taste in shoes, and with that, she was whisked off too.

    Stargate Universe - SGU season two wide banner

    David Nykl 2010David Nykl was our next companion. He was keen to know if we liked Stargate Universe and our opinions on the third show in the Stargate franchise. The general point of consensus in the audience was that whilst Stargate Universe was a part of the Stargate franchise, in being so, the series commanded our allegiance. Several commented that the show was shot differently, with a darker feel to it.

    Click to visit Stargate SG-1 Team at MGM Dot Com!Several others shared that there was not the same family team feeling that Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis managed to portray. The consensus amongst the ladies was that the actors in Stargate Universe were not as handsome as their counterparts in the other Stargate series. David asked about the supporting actors appeal, and I replied that “I wasn’t going to go there”. Thankfully he has rather good sense of humor.

    We did not have an opportunity to see the other actors as time had run out, which was a shame. However Andee, Lexa and David had certainly started our Chevron 7.5 convention weekend off with a bang!

    Saturday morning found us in the dining hall eating breakfast. Gosh, what hallowed news I hear you say, but let me explain.

    Imagine my surprise when Tony walked into the hall apparently in search of an early gastronomic feast. The actors were staying in our hotel. This Chevron 7.5 Tony Amendola, image courtesy Gairwynactually pleased me greatly, not because it meant we were to party to even more exposure, but, these people were happy enough in our presence to not feel threatened by bad behaviour from their fans. I don’t think this would occur at events across the mighty pond, but I would happily be corrected if it’s the case.

    Now the fun starts. If you have never been to a chevron event, or ones from our overseas counter parts, then let me tell you a story of stamina and resolve. The Saturday morning consists of autograph signing and photo shoots.

    So, depending on your ticket status, here goes the timetable: Lexa 09:00 to 09.30…photo shoot….09.45 to 11:30…autographs. Andee 09:00 to 09:30, signing, 09:30 to 10:00 photo shoot, 10:00 to 11:30, signing… You get the idea I hope, because I’m not going to copy out the whole line up!

    You line up for your photo with Lexa, then line up for photo with Andee. Run and line up for autograph from Kavan, Run back to queue for photo with Tony, get back into queue for autograph with Lexa, join queue for Andee’s autograph. Then a game of ping pong between the others so not to miss out on anything.

    By the end of the morning my plates of meat, really were humming “an Aunt Nell” (cockney slang for feet that smell). And I was all together cream crackered (work that one out for yourself). Maybe its because I’m a Londoner.

     

    Quips In The Queue During Autograph Encounters

     

    Whilst waiting for Andee to sign my picture, she starts a conversation up with the queue, and I have to put my pennies worth in stating it’s a shame to not be able to take a quick photo when the actors are milling around the corridors. Andee’s retort was that if she was in the corridor it was because she was probably running off to the loo, my reply was that I wasn’t that worried, a good peeing photo shot was as good as anything else. This sent her off into fits of laughter as she imagined herself sitting on the toilet and me bursting in saying “smile”. And a shocked look on her face as she held onto the toilet walls.

    My picture was signed: “do not stop me on the way to the john, I’ll kill ya. Andee”.

    Sarah Douglas as Garshaw from Stargate SG-1Sarah Douglas is a very down to earth lady. While signing, she was also making conversation with the queue. Apparently she hails from Stratford Upon Avon, so had a very small journey to make compared to some people, during this conversation she stopped to change her pen as she didn’t like fat nibs…… ( I hang my head in shame, as I could not help retorting that some people liked fat nibs. She found this amusing, and from then on I was known as the fat nib lady).

    Earlier in the day I met Kavan at a doorway, as he was in a hurry, I stepped aside and said “age before beauty”, he seemed amused by the quip, giggled and said thanks. So when it was my turn for his autograph, he paused and asked “ didn’t we met earlier at the doors”, to which I nodded, and he laughed and said great to meet you, which he also wrote on my picture.

    Next was David’s queue. When it came to my turn, I handed him my picture and said, you will be pleased to know, that after a brief discussion, my friends and I have come to the conclusion that you are much more handsome in real life than on t.v. He replied that was great, and he agreed with our findings.

    Tony was our last autograph hunt for the day. He was also very talkative to our queue. He was genuinely interested in where we had come from, and was happy to relate a time many years ago when he spent a while in London acting, and some of the places he had been to. He seemed as eager to please as we were to listen to him.

    Lexa also was happy to chat as she was signing; I managed to ask her who was looking after the kids. She replied (with a hint of pleasure) that Michael was looking after them in the evenings, but the nanny had them during the day. She revelled in the thought of Michael having to cope with the “MUMMY” situations while she was away. Thankfully Michael is very hands on with the kids.

    During the day, there were a number of talks arranged for the stars to entertain us fans. I had planned to attend them all, but in the end, I only managed to sit in on one , as the clever minds behind the scenes had a new teaser to entice us with. A coffee chat with who we wanted to meet. Two ways to gain entry were, 1: bid for a seat, or 2: buy a raffle ticket.

    Luck was on my side somehow as every ticket I bought won me a seat to whom ever I bought a ticket for. But first, I will report on the one chat I managed to get to see. I know a lot of these chats are transcribed, but my short hand is not up to scratch, so I will attempt to just essay the event for you.

    Talk with David and Andee.

     

    First on stage was Andee, who took her seat and then had to wait for David as he was apparently caught short.

    Suddenly from the back of the room, David bursts in and proceeds to run round the chairs acting like an aeroplane. Much to everyone’s laughter he ends up in the middle isle and takes over a photographers camera and tripod pretending to take pictures of Andee.

    The first question asked, was, if David had the opportunity to take over from Robert Carlyle in Stargate Universe, what he would do differently. David started to reply about adding a bit of humour, but was interrupted before he could finish his sentence by Andee who was telling him off for holding the microphone in front of his face.

    Andee went on to explain that a particular friend takes great pleasure in sending embarrassing pictures of her at these events, when unknowingly she makes a face or gestures inappropriately. Then she makes a funny pose just to embellish the story. At this moment in time, David has pretended to fall asleep, a quip at Andee who never seems to stop talking. Unfortunately David did the wrong thing. He closed his eyes, and Andee took the opportunity to whack him over the head with the mike to wake him up.

    Chevron 7.5 Andee Frizzell, image courtesy Gairwyn!

    She then went on to explain the funny pose. One shot she had been asked to do was emerge from a tank of water, dressed as the queen wraith, in a dignified graceful manner.

    After spending the best part of the morning in makeup she is presented with a tank about three and a half feet deep. Given just how tall she is, and how small the tank was, this was going to be fun. NOT. Andee is told by the crew that she must wait for a tap on the tank, and then emerge. Seconds after submerging herself in the water, she realises the mask is made of foam, and her head wants to float to the surface. The lower part of her suit is also made of foam and that too is trying desperately to make a bid for freedom.

    Unfortunately her hair, partly wig is also pushing for the surface. To make matters worse, her hair is tied to her butt, by a clever crewman who didn’t want her hair flying about the tank. At this point, Andee is manically trying to hold herself down grasping a weight at the bottom of the tank, her tied hair is giving her a massive wedgie, and the rest of her is desperately pointing skywards in an attempt to surface. The tap on the tank signals her to let go of the weight and she surfaces from the tank like a torpedo. They didn’t do another take!!!

    Her one piece of advice, never wear your contacts home. Apparently your eyesight is badly affected by the contacts, they give a tunnel vision like experience. When she got home and looked in the mirror, Andee had a ring of hiccies, around her neck from the mask where it had tried to make a bid for freedom in the water. Andee also went on to explain that due to the mask, she thought that people were ignoring her, especially at parties until she realised that nobody realised what she looked like because of the make up.

    They were asked if they had to do many retakes. Both replied no as they carried their lines in their back pockets, except for Hewlett who wrote his on the back of his hand.

    There was little time to redo takes due to the pressure of shooting scenes on time, also, the scenes shot will probably not run concurrently. Therefore many scenes were dubbed in at a later date in the recording studio.

    Another question asked was, “in Atlantis, the wraith queen was very dominant, what would you do differently” Andee retorts, “what do you mean do differently”. Poo Poo everywhere, the toilets, 6 cubicles, two wash basins one hand dryer. More washrooms everywhere. Turning to David, she asks his reply: “More naked boobies”.

    Also asked was, “what was the atmosphere between Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis while working at the same studio. They both replied that there really was very little crossover between the two. Shooting was so busy that there was no time to sit down and chat.

    A question from the cheap seats as Andee remarked with a grin. “Did you ever keep make up on and see if you could scare people.”. Of course Andee has tried, especially in her wraith head gear, but the shops close by are used to this happening, and don’t usually blink an eye. She went into a starbucks with her green makeup on, bald except from a tuff of hair behind, and nadda, nothing, not a blink of an eye. Sighing, she just obviously isn’t that scary. Especially when she was acting a scene from Atlantis, where her teeth actually make her sound like tweety pie. I Thawt I thaw a puddy cat. And the actors opposite her have to act scared. RIGHT.

    David likes to wear bullet holes home, he thinks they look really cool, and people do surreptitiously look to see if they are real.

    The final question was about practical joking, who was the worst, and who suffered the most. According to David Nykl, Hewlett is well known for throwing food at you out of shot. Joe likes to hit you below the shot line. According to Andee:

    “NOBODY MESSES WITH THE WRAITH QUEEN”

    We were told that Joe Flanagan (Colonel John Shepard) once kept filling Paul McGillion’s doctors bag with rocks when he was having to climb a steep hill. And with that, the talk was called to a close, and the actors made their way off the stage to rapturous applause.

    Chats Over A Coffee.

    As you know I could not be in two places at once, so I asked a dear friend of mine to write down her guest encounter with Andee.

    Andee Frizell Guest Encounter:

    Here you go fairly brief because she spent a lot of time asking each of us in turn our names and where we were from. There were twelve, maybe fourteen of us, four English (including me and Helena), two from the Czech Republic and the rest from France, oh and I think one from Germany. She found it amusing that some of the French people were from wine regions, Champagne and Bordeaux were two I remember.

    She asked if we had questions. First question was about the types of roles she gets and does her height influence them. She said absolutely. She tends to get roles playing scary people and of course her height can be problematical when she is taller than the male actors. She made reference to one time when she had to stand in a hole that had been dug in the ground so that she didn’t appear taller than the guy she was acting opposite, but that made her look as if she had ridiculously long arms.

    We than asked how she feels about getting so many roles where she has to wear prosthetic. She explained that there’s quite a small niche of actors who can actually cope with the make up process as up to five people can be affixing the makeup at any given time. It can induce a kind of sensory overload that freaks some people out. Also some have trouble when it comes to body and head casts as the process is very claustrophobic. She deals with it by zoning out (Although she didn’t say this I imagine the fact that she did/does yoga might help her with that) She did tell us how on one occasion two of the makeup artists managed to get glue in her eye and basically glued it shut, also very painful as you can imagine.

    It was commented on what wonderful imaginations the people who design and create the make up are, and also the same for the stunning costumes. She told us that an incredible amount of detail goes in to the costumes even the ones that might only be seen on screen for a few seconds. She couldn’t speak highly enough of the creativity and imagination of the people who come up with them. She explained that being made up so extensively allows for the chance to really use a lot of expressiveness in the way she can act the part and that in the case of the wraith because she and the Male Wraith were the first two Wraith they were allowed to create the way they moved, mannerisms etc which as actors gave them a lot of freedom which they enjoyed. It also meant they set the tone for actors who later played Wraith.

    She explained how long the wraith queen makeup took to apply, five hours after the initial trails for screen tests which were eight, and two hours to remove. Upon being asked if she would like to be in the Stargate Atlantis movie (if it ever got made) she said she’d love to be in it of course.

    She said that she would love in the series for the wraith to have been explored more deeply, ie their society, hierarchy, how they interact on a social level etc. She was asked about wraith romance and explained about the birthing chair (of which I know nothing) and laughingly told us that when it wasn’t being the birthing chair it was turned around and had some hoses stuck on it and became the wraith ship control chair.

    She was asked about being in Supernatural and said it was huge fun and that the two lead guys are incredibly hard workers and hot too boot.

    I would like it to be mentioned what an absolutely cool person she is and highly recommend going to a convebtion where she’s on the guest list. She is very intelligent and quick minded and really takes the time to make us fans feel comfortable and at ease.

    My first guest encounter was with Sarah Douglas. I managed to place myself sitting next to her at the table. I found myself in awe of this lady when I realised just how much Television and film work she has done for example: She was in the Original V as Pamela in the Final Battle parts two and three. (a tip for anyone who has the opportunity to interview somebody……look up their filmography before you meet them).

    The first question came from another lady in the room. What is the favourite film you have ever done? Her reply was immediate: The People That Time Forgot, with Dougie McClure. Sarah talked of her fondness for Doug, and her memories of the set, where the budget was so tight, they had to act against cardboard cut outs of the dinosaurs, but she loved every minute of making it.

    Sarah then went on to talk about her worst film. She would not mention it by name, but revealed it had been made outside Prague. The shoot was in a disused potato factory. The director said roll, and as they went to shoot, all eyes turned to the line up of girls behind Sarah. She turned round to see her servants stripped to below the waist. What made it worse was that they were all ugly and saggy boobed, not the sort of thing you wish to reminisce on.

    Sarah then went on to talk of her fans. She has great support from her fan base, one in particular who followed her every move, but she had a great rapport with this person, and she spoke of them fondly. Sarah has had her share of stalkers, one in particular used to follow her and just stare at her. It was most off putting. Sarah had been so fortunate to work with such legendary actors such as Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman.

    Half an hour went so quickly, and all too soon the encounter was over. Sarah thanked me for my questions, and then remarked that I hadn’t written anything down.. I reminded her that when we sat down and I went to write down a comment, she had put her hand on my arm. I had taken that as a signal she didn’t want anything written down. She laughed and apologised, she hadn’t been aware she had done that. I replied not to worry I was about to rush off and write it all up before I forgot.

    Tony Amendola’s guest encounter was at the same time as Sarah,s. He was running late so I was very naughty and snuck in to the room. Unfortunately I was rumbled straight away, but to my relief Tony just waved me in and gestured me to sit down.

    He carried on with the story he was telling about a baby ostrich and how it had pooped on his hand. Immediately he finished the story, he turned to me and told me to ask him a question. I was still reeling from having to sneak in. So I found myself asking the same question I had asked Sarah. What was his favorite film he had made? Easy, he replied, the two Zorro movies. Being able to work with such wonderful actors as Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones, and his favourite Television series had to be Stargate of course. All the crew and actors had been just superb to work with.

    David Nykl was the next encounter. He straight away started with a gag. Welcome to the Portuguese for beginners class. David was also interested in David Nykl as Stargate Atlantis' Dr. Zelenka!where we all came from, especially when one lady stated her hometown as Wigan. David asked her if she followed Rugby. Her reply was that you couldn’t help follow rugby if you came from Wigan.

    David went on to explain that he was Czech by birth, had been born in Prague and spoke the language fluently. Apparently, Zelenka had been originally written as a Russian named Karpov, but when they heard that David was naturally Czech, they rewrote the part accordingly. David has no problem going from Canadian accent to Czech, as he hears that accent all the time. The fun part for him is that when he walks off swearing at Rodney under his breath, he really is swearing at Rodney in Czech. He has called him a f***ing A****le on film, and nobody realizes. How cool is that?

    David went to a convention in the Czech Republic, and was pleasantly surprised to see 700 people turn up. They all watch on the internet. He has been dubbed into Czech and French, which sounds really weird. Apparently Italy has an award for the best dubbers. Dr. Zelenka and Rodney seem to have this onscreen chemistry where they finish each others sentences, was this scripted? David replied that the repartee between them both grew to the extent where they began finishing each others sentences. The scripter’s cottoned onto this and soon started to write the banter between them in. There is very little chance to change lines or wing it.

    Somebody asked about Fringe. David replied it was a great series, but he couldn’t say anything about it yet. He went on to say that a lot of these series, you can work out where they are being filmed by the terrain or the colour of the sky. The hardest things to have to blot out are phone lines or man made structures. New Zealand is a great place to work as there is so much natural terrain. Unfortunately, it is also very expensive to shoot there. David is a great sci fi fan himself and watches just about all the science fiction series he can. Apart from the obvious he loves Battlestar Galactica, Fringe and Eureka.

    He was asked if he himself had ever been star struck, well no, but once he saw Dan Castellaneta, and had to really down the urge to run up and shout “DOH”. He has worked with Shirley McClaine, he played her son, and she decided to not look at him while shooting a scene, but he ended up having to be backhanded by her, and she was wearing this enormous ring. At least she warned him that she was really gonna hit him. Thank goodness it was shot in one take. If given the chance he said that he would love to work with Johnny Depp and Scarlett Johansson.

    David then went on to explain that a lot of the behind the scenes work that we don’t get to see. There is a process when setting up a scene. Firstly you meet on set have a run through of your lines, work out where you are going to stand, the positions are marked, and so on… this is called blocking. When everyone is happy, you go off to make up, and the lighting crew get to work. You are then called back, run through the scene, then go for a take. It’s a very fast and efficient procedure. Close ups is the time when you try to make the other person laugh. There is a cut every 30 seconds, or a scene change as this is the optimum time for a viewer’s concentration to be lost. Joe Flanigan is used a lot for close ups, he is very good at showing a “problem face”. There is always a lot going on in the background, so things are made to look as realistic as possible. This also means there is more to go wrong, or more chance to cause mayhem.

    Was David aware of any crossover pranks between Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis? He indicated that he was not aware of any, even though they were at the same studio; there were never any chances to cross paths. According to David, the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge was manufactured on the site of the studio, which is why it has the name Bridge Studio’s.

    David was also asked “ if you had the chance to go thought the Stargate for real would you”? “Hell yeah” was his reply. The last question David was asked was about acting green scenes. David explained that when you had to act against something that was later going to be added by C.G.I, then usually there was a green background, this means that you may be acting to thin air. This can cause a problem when setting the addition to your movements or eye contact. An object like a green tennis ball is often used so you have something to focus on; this is called intraocular convergence apparently. David paused and looked at me, now that’s something to write down he chuckled. Carrying on, he remarked how good he had become at working with green tennis balls.

    We all seemed to have chatted for ages, and David was just so full of information. We could have sat there for another 45 minutes just listening to him reminisce, but sadly our time had to a close. The last passing comment to David was, “I want my money back, I still can’t speak any Portugese”.

    My last guest encounter was with Lexa Doig. Again I positioned myself next to her, and I have to say before I start, what beautiful hair and complexion this lady has (a woman thing to spot). As I sat down, I explained that I had a few questions to ask from fans, would she mind. She was very gracious, and said fire away.

    My first question was, would you be returning to “V Series” or “Smallville”. “No” was her immediate reply, the way the episodes had been written she thought there was little chance of any return.

    What other career would you have chosen if you had not gone into acting? Lion tamer was her reply, just watch Monty Python if you don’t understand. Someone commented, they were too young for Monty Python, and nearly got thrown out by popular vote.

    Have you and Michael managed to solve the squirrel problem or does Kenn at WormholeRiders News Agency have to dispatch Adria the Cat to help out. She was a little perplexed and then replied ooooooooooooh you mean the raccoon problem. Her own cats have made friends the the damned furry things, and they are the bane of her life. A fan had put a toy raccoon on the table, and Lexa proceeded to knock six bells out of the stuffed toy.

    Michael and her good friend J.R Bourne (Martouf in Stargate SG-1) have spent many an evening stalking the garden to no avail. The critters know when they are there, and as soon as the boys leave they come out laughing. We then spent the next few minutes talking about swear words, and the best way to discourage the younger generation on using them. Lexa really came through as a sensible mom, with some great idea’s on how to stop the bad language. There was a comment about how the encounter was going to sound if the rest of the interview was full of blaspheming language, so we changed the subject and carried on.

    Michael is coming up for his 4oth birthday; apparently he thought he wouldn’t reach 30. Lexa pointed out that theoretically he hadn’t. He is happy the Canucks are doing so well at the moment, but is worried they wont be able to maintain it. Lexa was asked if she watched T.V She replied that she wasn’t a great watcher, she prefers to read more, but is a lover of the “So You Think You Can Dance” series: the dancers are all so dedicated and in fantastic shape.

    She thought Stargate the Musical was a great idea: just imagine a line of dancing Goa’uld, and Peter Williams (Apophis) river dancing. When asked why she hadn’t been on twitter for a while she explained that it took her so long to answer people. She feels honour bound to answer as many as she can, and when she gets on she can be there for hours. She should just post and ignore the comments, but she just can’t do that.

    The last question asked caused the most hilarity. Somebody asked is they were hounded when they went about their daily activities. Fortunately, they are left alone most of the time, but when you don’t want to be recognised, that’s when you can guarantee somebody will know who you are.

    Her amusing account of one such encounter follows: Eight and a half months pregnant with Mia, Lexa came down with a yeast infection (very common in pregnancy I can confirm), Standing in the queue for a tube of Canestan, her doctor has recommended, a young shop assistant, calls out to her, aren’t you Rommie? He asks how he can help her, and she pauses weighing up whether to ask a young man for cream for a female complaint, as she could spend ages in the queue waiting or bite the bullet. So she asks for the Canestan, “whats that for” he enquires”, “a yeast infection” she replies quietly, “oh really is it on the face”, “umm no, do I look like I have an infection on my face”, “well we have to ask, is it for a skin infection”, Lexa sighs, by this time, tired and very pregnant is not the time to interrogate a woman, politeness and calmness has just left the building. “No” Lexa exclaims”, “its for an itchy vagina”. She is swiftly handed her cream!

    Now if you know Canadian stores, you pay for everything together, and as she also needed printer ink, decides to get everything in one go, and walks off in search of her ink. At the check out, the canestan will not price up, so the till man, apologises and calls out to his manager, what’s the price of canestan. By this time she wants to go hide, the manager doesn’t know so he shouts to the next in line, who responds, to wait a moment, then over the tannoy comes the announcement, can checkout 3 have a price check on a tube of canestan. Lexa walks through the door at home, and announces she is taking herself to bed, when Michael enquires why, she asks do you really want to know. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?

    Many thanks to Lexa for letting me print this story, I did ask her permission, as it was of a personal nature, and she paused for a second, and gestured with her hand and replied “oh F**k it”, go ahead.

    The other event that was new to the ChevStargate Atlantis logoron weekend was the screening of an episode of Stargate Atlantis! It was impossible to write a report, but I will share with you a heads up on the concept as depicted in the images below.

     

    As the episode is being shown, David and Kavan did a running commentary along side it. This was very funny to listen to, as they would add their own views, or talk over the lines to create their own scenes. Poor Ronan Dex got quite few quips for his lack of lines, or one word replies, or that he was just in the scene to make it pretty. I hope the creators of the Chevron weekend include this in the next event, as it went down really well.

     

    We got to see some of the Uniforms and props from the shows. That was fun and interesting! 🙂

     

     

    This just about sums up the weekend for me and the events I was able to cover. I can not wait until the next Chevron event, especially since Mr. Richard Dean Anderson will be attending. I have purchased my ticket already!

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!I hope you have enjoyed my Chevron 7.5 news article. As always thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Please share this news article by clicking one of the social media icons below. You may also leave a comment here, or feel free to visit me on Twitter by clicking my avatar or text links below.

    Thank you.HonestHunny and her friend Jan

    Tracy (honesthunny)

  • As The Wormhole Turns: Fan Loyalty and Rebellion in a Cyber-World

    As The Wormhole Turns: Fan Loyalty and Rebellion in a Cyber-World

    Hello science fiction and television series fans,Click to visit Stargate SG-1 Team at MGM Dot Com!

    Did you still feel sad about when Stargate SG-1 was canceled?  Were you upset when Paul McGillion’s character, Carson Beckett from Stargate Atlantis was killed? What about the StarGate Atlantis’ non-renewal?

    Learn more about Joe Mallozzi on his web log!Atlantis was terminated over two years ago, and yet, writer and Show Runner Joe Mallozzi is still fielding questions, critiques and negative rants from people who continue to be upset about the show’s end.  So, what’s up with that?

    After all, it’s only a television show, right? Why are some fans getting so upset and bothered about the loss of their favourite character or show that they go out of their way to antagonize the show’s creators, writers, and actors?

    What is going on here? Is it because we have easier access to these people as a result of the internet? Or have people generally just become more ill tempered and rude?

    Actually, the answer is based on the relationships that fans develop over time, not only with the show anClick to learn about Central Michigan University!d its characters, but with the creators of the show. Like it or not, we’ve developed personal feelings for the characters that we watch on television every day.

    Curt Sutterfield, a broadcast and cinematic arts faculty member at Central Michigan University, said he cares about certain characters from Click to learn more about Curt Sutterfield of CMU!his favourite shows because he can identify with them.

    Sutterfield said he’s built a relationship with every character he’s ever watched, which is the driving force of any show. And that’s what Producers want; they want us to care about a show’s characters so that we will come back every week. It’s important that fans become loyal viewers. For that to happen, writers need to help the viewers to establish relationships with the characters in the show.

    Jeffrey Weinstock, professor of English who teaches ENG 324: Introduction to Popular Culture in Click to learn more about Jeffrey Weinstock of CMU!America at Central Michigan University, said the most intense relationships between viewers and characters are created by genre programs such as science fiction, fantasy or horror. “People talk about these programs online and they feel like they were made for them,” he said. “I was sad to see Twin Peaks go, I still feel like I have a relationship with the characters.”

    Good writers become victims of their own success. We fall in love with the characters that the writers have created, feeling joy and sorrow with them as they go through whatever challenge is written in the script. So, the very thing that keeps us hooked on a show becomes a problem for the networks when they pull the plug.

    The studios and networks will tell you that shows get canceled due to many factors, one of which is ratings. Ratings fall when a particular show is not reaching its audience. The premise is wrong for the target audience. Or the characters are just not likeable enough. Viewers are not able to establish a relationship with the characters. And if the writers don’t make changes fast enough, the show gets canceled. It happens all the time.

    Click to visit Chuck on NBC!Sometimes, when a network pulls the plug, a small audience becomes vocal and launches a “Save Our Show” campaign. This happened in 2009 with a “Save Chuck” campaign that made use of Twitter and Facebook based around the simple concept of watch the show, buy the DVDs or episodes, share the joy of Chuck, and write to NBC executives.  It worked and Chuck was renewed.

    Sadly, some fans get a little carried away when they feel the need to oppose the loss of a show.

    On August 20, 2009, Joe Mallozzi wrote in his blog, “More shocking for me … was the infantile behavior of some – supposedly mature adults taking advantage of internet anonymity to curse and name call like a bunch of children.  Really, folks, it’s embarrassing.  I am embarrassed for you.  This is the sort of behavior that gives fandom a bad name, giving those outside the community the fodder to marginalize, belittle, and lampoon.  Sure, go ahead and criticize the creative all you like, but when you start leveling personal attacks against the show creator – a guy who has worked tirelessly to produce 15 years of a franchise you all feel so passionate about – on the basis of an unsubstantiated rumour (the alleged cancellation of the Atlantis movie), you cross the line from spirited fan to raving loon”.

    Later, on October 31, 2009, Mallozzi again spoke out about fan behaviour on the internet. TSGU S2x08 Malice - Brian J Smith as Lt. Scotthis time, the slings and arrows were aimed at one of the actors of the new series, StarGate Universe. Said Mallozzi, “the negativity has also taken its toll on one-time regular Sherry, proud mother of actor Brian J. Smith, who, surprised and saddened by some of the hostility here, has elected to no longer read the blog.

    Also, after several months of connecting with fandom online, Brian is stepping away from his popular twitter account for much the same reason.  Some of the very same fans who he was kind enough to open up a dialogue with in the run-up to the premiere started leaving him nasty comments as though he was responsible for the show’s creative direction”.

    Click to visit Stargate at the Official MGM Website!Things have since cooled down a bit, However, Brian J. Smith avoided Twitter for some time as a result of how he was treated. And who could blame him.

    The actor who plays Lt. Matthew Scott on MGM Studios Stargate Universe as televised on SyFy in the United States was bullied by people who felt they were protected by the anonymity of social media. No matter how it’s labeled, rude and nasty behaviour on line is cyber bullying.

    Stargate Universe Team
    A few people on the other end also have exhibited the same behavior, provoking arguments on Twitter and Facebook and then blaming the “others” as if it was all the fault of someone else. Two wrongs do not make a right.

    People will behave on the internet in ways that they would never behave if they were face to face with a real person. Being unseen empowers some people (you) to do things they will usually not do. People sometimes think they cannot be traced back to their actions, hence your responsibilities to your actions appear diffused.

    Anonymity is a seeming invisibility cloak to a person’s expression online. Under an alter ego, one can post crude comments while still maintaining a do-gooder image offline. Or so some people think. In point of fact, the internet provides a false sense of anonymity. Most web sites do have ways to search out and identify most posters.  Unpleasant comments made on line will catch up with posters because a savvy person can figure out a poster’s I.P. address.

    It’s quite normal to become engaged with and attached to the characters in a show that you love. After all, it’s why we return to watch the show week after week.

    However, in the end, it is just a show on television. As we grow older, Dr. Beckett and his cCarson Beckett and Stargate Atlantis Team!olleagues will continue to face the Wraith in the Pegasus Galaxy, Chuck will battle evil, and fans will continue to rally to save the shows we all love.

    Hmmm, just a thought, has television become a medium for viewer manipulation?  Find out next time on As The Wormhole Turns when I will have more for you to ponder and consider in the near future!

     

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!As always thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

    Please feel free to leave a spam free comment or question here or click one of the social media icons below to share this news article.

    if you prefer (as so many of our visitors do) you may also visit and follow WHR on Twitter,  or contact me on Twitter with your comments or questions.Follow ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia Stewart-Bertrand) on Twitter!

    Sincerely,

    ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia Stewart-Bertrand).

  • Sanctuary Kali Part III: The Return of Team Magnus!

    United Kingdom Sanctuary Team Reporting

    Click to visit Sanctuary at the wonderful SyFy!

    Click to visit NBC Universal!

    What do you get when you combine Helicopters, Boats, A Tsunami and a Giant Arachnid abnormal?

    The beginning of Sanctuary Season 3……

    Sanctuary Season 3 Banner

    Let me set the scene slightly. You have been listening to the build up for weeks. You have been watching the adverts and Squeeing with utmost delight when you have glimpse what you are going to be seeing. You have been tantalised with count downs, thrown titbits’ from interviews, and finally, FINALLY the long wait is over. It’s Here!!!!

    Bring on the Popcorn. Or in my case, chewing through my own hand in excitement.

    As season openings go, the story arch in this is absolutely huge. And to be honest, I was more than a little worried about how this was going to go. The Sanctuary production team, cast and crew have set the bar SO high that one expects big things. And one is rarely disappointed. We all have episodes we love more than others. And we all find something sometimes we feel could be done better.

    But on the whole? So far no failure in delivery.  AND BELIEVE ME they deliver that high quality we have come to love once again with Kali part 3. Somewhat speedily I will admit, but they definitely deliver. This was one of those episodes I was literally bursting to talk to someone about. So contacting a fellow Worm Hole Riders Reporter, the poor love having not long been awake, had no choice but to rally her thoughts quickly, as I began my onslaught barely pausing for breath. What you read is a collaboration of ideas. Not just my own. And this was also after watching for the second time.  I was just far too excited the first time through.

    Kali Part III

    After a brief synopsis of where we left off, you are barely left to gain your footing before the ride begins. And to be frank, seeing Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) back on my screen was worthy of applause on its own. For me, whilst the conclusion to the devastation is the episodic story. The Characters is what Kali 3 is made of for me. Kali 3 shows us, that as a team how deep that level of intrinsically felt trust goes. How they seem to know that the other member of the team is pulling in the same direction, even when no communication has been given.

    That even though they are at one point, all working as individuals, you can feel that they are still a team. A family.  And the characters themselves have gone through some major developments.  I’m going to dive right into the one who stood out for me in terms of development and that’s Kate Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Kate shines through!Freelander (Agam Darshi). She especially in this shines brightly for me.

    Gone is the stand alone, singular, ‘Hit for Hire’ persona. And in its place is someone who has integrity, a willingness to help. Someone who has a sense of ground, a home and morals. Penance as we saw, was the turning point for Kate. And since, she has shone brighter for me with a defining place in Magnus’s team. Helen has a way of bringing out the best in people. Of seeing what others don’t.  In Kali 3, we see Kate putting her life on the line for people she doesn’t know as she aids the evacuation.

    We watch as she tries her best to move heaven and earth to save people. And you can feel the genuine care coming through as she tries in vain to help everyone in peril. It’s an unachievable target and the sorrow in her face as she discovers a family still in their homes with the Tsunami imminent is tangible. She knows, and they know that the end is about to swallow them. And taking the young boy and running, you can see this is hurting her beyond what we have seen before. Kate, it appears, has a heart. A rather large one at that……

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Kate-after tsunami

    Now moving on (I’ll come back to Kate later) and switching to Magnus, Henry (Ryan Robbins) and Wexford (Paul McGillion). Wexford quite frankly, since appearing on my screen, well I have just wanted to watch the Big guy wollop him round the back of the head. Or I at least have the chance to punch him. (Grrrrrr) Focus, Vampi, Focus…..(I digress) Back to Magnus. Ah Magnus. Our favourite kick arse, slightly eclectic dark haired heroine is back. And I’ll tell you now; I felt her teeth in this one. For the record? Never piss off the British. It’s not a terribly sensible idea….

    When we see Magnus for the first time in this episode, she is in full action stations mode. She is switched on to that shouting out orders, logical, ‘got to get this sorted’ frame of mind which just makes me smile. Because it is sooo quintessentially British in its delivery. (Give us a crisis…. etc…) Henry, having just looked like he has taken a baseball bat to the skull, is floored by the devastation around him. It looks like Armageddon has hit. And in a Sanctuary Kali part 3 -  Henry astounded!way, it has.

    Wexford (Grrr) on the other hand is stomping around with little man syndrome. Now he is an interesting little man. Annoying but interesting. You feel as if there has always been a hidden agenda with him. Taking over the Sanctuary network perhaps? Was that your little game plan Terrance? Yet even though I will admit he drives me nuts, because he grates my cheese, I can’t help feel that he originally came into this with good intentions.

    For all his bluster, pomp and appalling people skills, he is trying to do what he sees best for the Sanctuary network.  Ok the ‘angering a powerful abnormal and causing devastation to millions of people’ aside…… *ahem* I do wonder how Helen has managed to not plaster him across the nearest wall. That said if I had over 158yrs of practice coping with people like him, maybe I would have the patience to.

    Although by this point it is blatantly obvious that Wexford (Grrr) has clearly let the power of the recent appointment in the network go to his head, and inflate his already over inflated ego, you would have thought that with the impending Tsunami and the devastation around them, that containing the situation and starting rescue efforts would be at the top of the list. Well No.  Because Wexford (grrr) is still stomping around with little man syndrome and is hell bent on going after Bertha. (*sigh* you know, sometimes, some people NEVER learn). And in Magnus’s own words……’Bloody Hell…..’

    Now, the production team are a little mean I feel as we have only just got Magnus back onto our screens….. One of the parts of this episode that is vividly still in my mind, was when Magnus bravely (or insanely, I can never tell with this woman after Veritas… bloody frogs) Jumps into a helicopter Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Bertha versus Magnus!and decides to try and herd Big Bertha back into the water. Exactly how does one herd a giant Arachnid???? Apparently with not much success. Because Bertha is not particularly pleased with what appears to be a Gnat flying around her head, and sends out an EMP pulse.

    Which is never a good thing. Especially when you’re flying a Helicopter at the time.

    And Yup. You guessed it. Magnus takes a nose dive into the drink. However on the way downwards, we are treated to one of my favourite sentences in the whole episodes. A very simple, very Magnus, ‘Oh dear….’

    Now……. on the back of this was a reaction that moved me to tears. And that was from the Big Guy. Christopher Heyerdahl hands down to me is a phenomenal actor. To be able to act with that much prosthetic makeup on and still be able to produce the emotions that he does, I feel is amazing. When biggie gets the news that Magnus is effectively presumed dead……The look on his face? Oh my word. The depth of the loss, the shock and the way you can see him struggling to wrap his head around this news being delivered by Wexford (Grrr) is just beautiful in its complicated simplicity. And Henry is just devastated. You can see how deeply tied they all are to Magnus. The depth of respect they have for her, and the faith in her ability to pull off the unimaginable. You can feel the world has been tilted for them. Especially I feel this is so for Henry.

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - The boys!

    And Wexford pushing Henry to help him is just so unnatural you really do want decapitate him, the further into the episode you progress. It’s interesting though because I feel you can see Wexford (Grrr) starting to un-hinge slightly here. It’s almost as if the pressure as the head of the network is taking its toll. Big shoes to fill – aren’t they Wexford….?(Grrrr, I will say though, the reason that Wexford is so easy to want to punch is because Paul McGillion does a fantastic job as him.)

    Changing track slightly before I end up down a one Way Street of Wexford pain, one of the other things that got me in this episode was the humour. In some places it’s very subtle, but Kali part 3 is litter with snippets of humour. Especially, for one character in particular.

    Oh Mr Forsythe (Callum Blue) I believe the floor is yours.

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Forsythe!

    Now to begin with, I really didn’t understand the sudden shift to the Lasifair attitude. He had been so driven and so focussed in Kali part 2 that for a moment, I was completely thrown.  However, upon fishing a very cold, very vulnerable Magnus out of the water we discover that the Macri is dead. And therefore, so is Forsythe. Almost every line that Forsythe delivers in Kali 3 is dripping with Frat Boy Humour.

    Even when Magnus is beating the crap out of a guard, which is done so powerfully, for a moment I was slack jawed with awe. Upon grabbing the gun and pointing it into Forsythe’s face saying in a deadly tone of voice ‘This is not a social call.’ He is stood there saying. ‘Really? Why do I bother hiring these people…..’ *grins*

    After I realise that he is effectively a ‘dead man walking’, his whole attitude and demeanour snaps into place. And as my fellow WHR reports pointed out, this frat boy attitude has really been there all the time, it was just a lot more focussed in a particular direction in Kali parts 1 & 2.  Still, it is a delightfully funny juxtaposition. When all around him people are trying to save the world, and he is happier playing with his squeaky stress ball and lounging on the sofa and waiting for his end to come.

    You see an almost Mother – annoying Teenager relationship balance appear between him and Magnus. My favourite part, is when he drops the ball. You see it roll to under Magnus’s foot, and he asks for it back. Magnus, levels a force 10 steeley glare in his direction, picks up the ball, and throws it out the nearest port hole. From the squawk of a seagull you can guess it’s smacked the poor unsuspecting bird in the process. (Honest to god, how much did I laugh……)

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Magnus!

    A Magnus force 10 glare……..

    Now Henry. Our loveable, sometimes highly strung geek. Currently unaware that Magnus is alive he is trying to balance out the loss he is feeling with continuing to do his job for Wexford (Grr) who is still stomping around with little man syndrome. (Frankly I’d have gone wolf and had myself a snack….) Henry has been tasked with getting the systems back online in order for Wexford (Grrr) to go and kill some giant Arachnid butt. However, he instead our nippy little geek is banking the much needed information on Bertha’s whereabouts and simultaneously blocking and delaying Wexford’s (Grrr) attempts to do the same.  All this whilst slipping the odd piece of tech into his pockets at the same time…… Ponderous no?

    Magnus makes contact with Wexford (grr) and Henry learns that she is indeed still with us. The relief on his face is palpable and Wexford, slightly shocked. The following exchange just goes to show how far down the rabbit hole Wexford’s sense of reality appears to have dived, and upon ending transmission with Magnus, you just know that he is slowly loosing the command chain with the people around him.  Removing Henry from working on the ships computers, Wexford treats us to a display of his abnormality. Which, in Henry’s words….Is just gross as he hocks one into Henrys face. In fairness this was retaliating to Henry going Wolf. But, there is never a right time to hock into someone’s face. Ever.

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Henry vs Wexford

    Henry, of course knowing Magnus is alive uses the tech he stashed to get the information to Magnus. To be honest the lesson here is…..never piss off your system administrator. It will only ever end in tears.

    I’m going to leap back to Kate here. Whilst the story line continues towards contacting Kali again and convincing her to stop the wave, Kate’s relationship with Will here really touched me deeply. Gone is this cocky, slightly arrogant, defensive Kate. And here we see A Kate intrinsically woven into the everyday lives of the Sanctuary team. And with Will, this is something not previously seen. We discover that Kali will appear to a host one last time at the Gates to the Spirit Realm. Now there is an interesting transaction that goes on here between Magnus and Will, with Kate as an outsider on this particular point.

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Difficult to ask!

    We all remember Requiem. We know that Will had to Kill Magnus to save her and bring her back. And we all had that heart stopping moment where we thought that this wasn’t going to work. So, between Magnus and Will, is this such a big ask? Will knows that he is basically dying. Magnus knows it too. They have literally walked this path before, but the roles reversed. However Kate doesn’t know this. Her reaction, one of disbelief that they are even entertaining the idea. Which is why I feel Will asks for the room. Ravi respects this immediately, but Kate, you can see her wanting to object strongly. The discussion ensues, and true to Magnus’s character, she is honest and direct with him on the risks and the gamble they are taking. But resolutely refuses to let Will go completely.

    When we enter the room, where Will is to be shocked into Cardiac arrest, he starts to tell her about a letter in his bottom draw. Kate Freelander is a woman whose eyes do the talking, and to me they are shouting in this scene. The depth of anguish, pain and love you see in them for Will is breath taking. And although it’s such a small scene it carries such weight. She point blank resolutely refuses to even entertain the idea that Will is not going to come back from this.

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Won't let go Kate

    As much as Will knows in his heart he is going to die, Kate is almost at the polar opposite end of this scale in her conviction that he won’t. He goes under, Is met with a cornfield – note the sly smile, this is to Magnus’s reference of field of dreams……And takes his leap of faith to the bottom of a gulley, where he meets what I feel is the Abnormal version of a high council. 3 Formidable Abnormals including Kali….. *Ponderous……*

    And so the twists of the stories start to intertwine as the story reaches it’s conclusion.  Will is down for the count of 5 mins to talk to Kali one final time. Kate stands watch like a guardian hovering, keeping him tied to the world of the living. Magnus once again places herself squarely between Wexford (Grrr) and Bertha by utilising Forsythes boat. Terrance who is hell bent on destroying Bertha will not budge an inch and this just puts Magnus’s back up even further. The Tsunami is bearing down on all fronts poised to create maximum impact when the report comes over the radio to Magnus from the Big Guy, who ‘for the record, wasn’t worried’ that the one of the waves has been neutralised. Yup,

    Will, who is currently clinically dead, has managed to convince Kali to try. By this point Kate and Ravi are desperately performing CPR trying to pull him back to the land of the living and once again Kate is just beautiful. Ravi wants to call time, as they are now on 8 minutes with no brain activity. Kate just eyeballs him pointing and saying ‘Push’. And they continue CPR. You can feel the whole episode gearing, and climbing towards its finale, humming on the final top note as Magnus takes the rest of Mr Forsythes crew (and Meme) and abandons ship. Mr Forsythe (Edward) giving his life to enable the rest to get away. It’s the Magnus effect I swear….

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Forsythe Magnus & Missle!

    Meanwhile Wexford (Grrr) having lost the plot by now through sheer blind anger orders the captain of the sanctuary ship to fire. Which by this point they find out the ship they’re firing on is now a Civilian ship and the captain won’t do it. Wexford relieves him of duty and screams at someone else, who dutifully fires blowing the ship to smithereens. Magnus manages to bring down the guidance system with a well aimed RPG (This woman is seriously cool) but does this halt Wexford……um, no. He punches the buttons regardless of the fact the missiles have no guidance system……. And Kali goes down…….

    (Yes I was chewing through my pillow by now)

    Magnus storms on board, her steely gaze never faltering. And comes head to he with Wexford and she just owns the word battlefield. A few well placed sentences and we see Wexford (Grrr) deflate like a balloon with a puncture………

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Magnus!

    The wave hasn’t been stopped on all fronts yet. There is no time left, and Will who is still clinically dead is pleading with the others in the nether world he is in. Suddenly what should appear……..Sentient mist…… Coinky Dink? Hmm perhaps not. 3 Earthquakes are detected sending a wave in the opposite direction neutralising the third wave front.

    Annnnnnnnnnd Will comes back from the dead……

    Sanctuary Kali part 3 - Will back from dead

    All together *Breathe in…..Breathe out*

    Now. If you think reading it sounds good. And you haven’t watched it. Leave now, and go and do it. Because the Sanctuary Team once again fly you through their world holding on by your fingernails and flying by the seat of your pants.

    The wind down is sudden. Will remembers nothing. And the final scene in Magnus’s room is filled with unanswered questions, and a weight of something far greater to come. The best bit? Watching Helen Magnus do her famous chin tilt right at the end. *Beaming grin*

    Welcome back Sanctuary. You were sorely missed………

    Sanctuary Series Logo - Welcome back

    *In Memory of one no longer with us, the season opener was dedicated to Cynthia H Semon.

    Cynthia H Semon

    For further details on this remarkable woman…. http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/publicist-cynthia-semon-dies/04HRdrS1efg79

    WormholeRiders - Click to visit and follow WHR on Twitter!I hope you have enjoyed my second review for WHR. I will be back in the future with more Sanctuary review and analysis! In the meantime the WHR Sanctuary Team will be working together on more Sanctuary surprises for you to enjoy!

    As always we appreciate your visit to WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a comment or question here or select the social media avatar of your choice to share this review. Or if you prefer, visit me on Twitter by clicking my text link or image below. Thank you.

    SurrealVampiClick to visit and follow Surrealvampi (Kate) on Twitter!

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