Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wolf Pegasus Four - The Journey Home....Out to Lunch

So there you go.....I'm officially a sneaky little bugger...something with ex-flatmate Ally can attest to after I once made her go on a treasure hunt to find her last pack of ciggies....finding them, before she dismembered me due to nicotine withdrawal, in pile of hay in the corner of the flat (probably better not to ask)....Carri you're welcome hun....hope you can make it to a con in the future....but, bloody hell, those in attendance better beware ;-)

Are you ready for something unrelated to Stargate: Atlantis and Wolf Pegasus Four....well.....tough cos I have a few more bits and bobs (have you ever wondered how come you don't have 'bits' without 'bobs'...no, just me then) which I'm just going to sling in.

My friend Kirilee at the fancy dress competition as Teyla singing 'beyond the night' from Critical Mass....whilst the boys do Riverdance


Paul McGillion in a Kilt at the Charity Auction


Paul McGillion and Chuck Campbell....aka the Chuckle Brothers


Paul realises he shouldn't scratch his nose when there's a camera taking stills


'Insert caption here'

This may look like the guys reacting to a fan falling of the edge of the stage....it wasn't, she was just snogging Bam Bam


Some pics from the Closing Ceremony


It's all about me, me, me


The Angel's Reach Forum Massive....the actors looked a little scared as 12 of us descended upon them....notice Paul at my feet...oh, yeah


Do I have time for one more tale...It relates to everyone's favourite potty mouth so, yeah I think I do.....Kavan hosted the raffle and was picking the tickets....which should've been a relatively easy task...the colour system however proved a tad complicated. He identified a ticket as 'salmon' but was quickly corrected as it was actually 'peach'....he shrugged his shoulders 'whatever....you'd figure if I was 40% gay I'd know that.'.... Ever the professional Kavan continues his task pulling out a pink ticket...which he was again corrected as being 'dark pink'...he was somewhat astounded that there were two shades of pink as well as peach in the mix, rolling his eyes 'what happened to blue and white and red' before adding with that kilowatt smile 'Fuckin' English'....and upon picking the final ticket 'Okay we're going with white....I'm assuming this is a normal, standard shade of white'.....he thought he'd covered all his bases before some smart alec in the back yelled 'eggshell white'

And Finally....Everything P4 draws to a close:

Look out for Paul and Kavan obviously plotting something a few seconds into Chuck's speech....and towards the end a reaction from Bam Bams not so biggest fan.






Lost Property

The following was found littering the floor of the Thistle hotel under the foot of one Mr. Kavan Smith....no forwarding address has yet been found for the allusive fan it is signed to....


Any persons with knowledge as to their whereabouts please leave comment to arrange collection

Monday, February 23, 2009

Wolf Pegasus Four - The Journey Home...All Hail the Returning Heroes....And Rodney

This one's a bit of a doozy so try not to fall asleep.....

Kavan Smith


Personally I'm a big Kavan fan, from that moment of team bonding in Runner: Lorne: 'Wow, you really must be some kind of genius' McKay: 'Well as a matter of fact....eh, wait a minute why would you say that now?' Lorne: 'Something must have kept Colonel Sheppard from shooting you all this time.'....classic....and the man has a smile which should come with some kind of health warning...mostly though Kavan Smith is an absoulte riot who, by his own admission, loves to come to conventions where he can tell embarassing stories and swear....alot.

First up was my friend Philippa who had manged to get a sneaky interview with Kavan behind the scenes (lucky so and so) and she asked his opinion on a recent survey on GateWorld about who may have been the gay character on the show (apparently as mentioned on Joe Mallozzi's blog, if memory serves)....Lorne came out (no pun intended) with the highest vote at 40%....prompting an incredulously 'What!' response...and that he would have thought it'd be David (Hewlett).


One of his first stories started with the fairly unusal 'I'm not a racist...in any way shape or form' (ooookay?).....the senario was that he once met a very pissed off and frustrated Danny Glover in a hot tub (as you do)...apparently Glover had had lots of people fussing around him while he was obviously trying to relax and Kavan just continued to read his book as the Lethal Weapon star joined him. He seemed to cool off as he realised Kavan wasn't about to bother him and then asked him what he was reading....Kavan didn't answer him....Glover asked again...Kavan lowered his book stating 'Oh, I don't talk to coloureds' and went back to reading his book (a ruckus of shocked gasps and laughter from the audience).....'I counted, figured I had about 2 seconds before I got hit before saying.....I'm just kidding, you looked tense i thought I'd lighten it up' where after apparently Glover did.....may I add, that is perhaps a rather dangerous sense of humour you have there Mr. Smith.


He thinks that the fans at Wolf are 'the most normal people at a convention' (if Kavan says so then it must be true......ahem) 'The States are fuckin' crazy'....he continues to say that his first convention was one with 45,000 people (possibly Dragoncon) where the guests sit in little booths as people file past getting autographs. One woman, dressed as Robin (of 'Batman &' fame...just in case you spent your formative years with your head in a bucket of molasses) The woman complete with cape and leotard described by Kavan as 'a substantial woman....probably not given easily to flight....but she thought she oculd fly....she really thought she could fly' He proceeds to demonstrate said ladies flying technique on stage.....'I'm going to look 40% gay as I do this' (he does the standard 8 year old in the play ground impression of a plane)....'she saw me, stopped and did this....' strikes an equally 40% gay hands on hips pose...at which point he turned to his chaperone and asked if he could take a bathroom break (apparently the code for 'I need to get away from the crazy people' at conventions) She also spoke to him in a weird computerized type voice of which Kavan also did an impression 'hel-lo, wel-come to the con-ven-tion.....(think ABC Warrior Robot in Judge Dredd....huh, did I just admit to seeing Judge Dredd *whistles and backs away from comment*).....she babbled some shit about computers then (mimes checking his watch) oh, gotta go' at this point Kavan again does an impression af the crazy 'Robin' woman doing a comedy Superhero exit....'And she 'flew' off.'


Kavan on his co-stars:

David Hewlett - Bitch, industrious little fucker and '58'
Jason Mamoa - Insane
Joe Flanigan - Interesting, moody when he doesn't get his coffee and smart
Rachel Luttrell - Babe
Paul McGillion - Pretends to work out, full of shit (this relating to a story in which Kavan had observed Paul in the gym not doing an awful lot then, when Paul saw Kavan, he started puffing and saying he'd worked up quite a sweat)
Amanda Tapping - Awesome, beautiful...'A Producer on Sanctuary so must say nice things'
David Nykl - Combs his hair with buttered toast (probably better not to ask)
Jewel Staite - Sweetheart and a kid (Jewel has been in the business forever and Kavan has known her since she was a child and still thinks of her this way)
And on Chuck Campbell:

'Chuck?' (looks like answer should be obvious) 'you fuckin' kidding me?, Chuck is a saint, probably the nicest man I've ever met (crowd 'awws' and agrees) 'I'm not even gonna try to make fun of Chuck cos he's too fuckin' nice....I could say things like he looks like a bobble-head, but I won't, because he's so nice....I could say that he looks oddly premature grey, but I wont' cos he's so fuckin' nice.....I could say that he's got some kind of weird tourettes thing cos he never stops moving, but I won't because he's so nice.' (I think there was a compliment in there somewhere)
He once hosted a house party which got out of hand and decided to encourage the troublemakers to leave by walking round the house holding a shotgun '14 year old kids aren't that bright....I haven't learnt much since....but I was particularly dumb then' (I'd like to believe this isn't the case...really, I would). The party goers still refused to leave so Kavan loaded the shot gun, the groups gathered outside but were still being a tad slow on the uptake to vacate....'so I shot a street lamp....and everybody left' (riiight....*coughs* crazy crazy Kavan *coughs*)

Kavan once dated a ranch girl and when visiting he tried to impress her by joining in with the family past time of clay pigeon shooting....'the only time I'd fired a gun was at a street lamp....and it wasn't moving' but the intrepid fella had a go anyway. He managed to blast the first one by total fluke, but acted as if he was part gunslinger (yes, indeed silly, but I mentioned there was a girl present right?)...so on the next occasion shooting he kept up with the bravado mentioning something about 'not wanting to embarass' the other gentlemen present. So they launched one of the discs, Kavan waits continuing with his cocky new found skills with a shot gun but.....he waits a tad too long and the disc suddenly drops from the sky...Kavan mimes his shock and subsequent shooting action...and he fires into the ground, narrowly missing the family pet 'I hit six inches behind the dog...5 foot in front of me'....mimes the dog's 'what the fuck' expression. (note to self, when Kavan's in pocession of a fire arm....kiss your ass goodbye)

I asked what the weirdest thing Kavan had experienced as an actor (now I'll let you into a little secret...I'd heard a rumour, though I won't disclose my sources, of a story Kavan has involving a role he had on the Outer Limits....so as he pondered over the question I was virtually screaming in my head 'tell the Outer Limits story'....fortunately no screaming at the guest was needed)

The audition was held in a small trailer and the director asked if Kavan had seen When Harry Met Sally, specifically the infamous scene with Meg Ryan, to which Kavan said he had...the director then said 'Well I need you to do that...and at the climax...all of the sudden you get eaten by an alien' (Kavan pulls a shocked and dismayed look as audience has a good chuckle) he continues 'being an actor it's difficult to comit to a scene like that without feeling like an idiot' Kavan goes on to do a few half hearted maons and groans, mock humping and a lackluster 'ahhhhh' as he's devoured by the 'alien'....as he did several times in the audition....'There I am, shirt off, done this 7 or 8 times....completely humiliated....the walls of the trailer were paper thin.....when I finally walked out I was so dejected and so depressed'....he then had to walk past all the other actors waiting who looked dumfounded and quite possibly slightly frightened....Kavan trudges across stage, head hung (the audience already in fits and I'd wager more than one envisioning Kavan with his shirt off)


He later recieved a phone call from his agent 'oh, they loved you, you did great, you're the first choice....but the studio called back and thought you were kinda gay....too femine, they want you to go back and do it all again....but as a man'....Kavan replays earlier mock humping but with a deeper and more 'manly' voice...which obviously did the trick as he got the job.


Just as the audience are recovering from the 'audition' story, Kavan then tells of the shooting process. The Outer Limits was filmed at a time with 'pre-historic ages of green screen' and his guest star was none other than Alyssa Milano (some will remember her as a witch on Charmed....readers of a somewhat older persuasion as Tony Danza's daughter in Who's the Boss)....she was asked if she would film the scene naked (no doubt for purely artistic reasons) and her answer was 'yeah whatever....if Kavan does'....Kavan however was less keen on the idea 'you can become demasculated in a hurry in front of a large group of people' so his agent asked for a ridiculously large sum of money thinking they'd never pay it....never underestimate the power of a potentially naked pretty lady to studio bosses....as they agreed.


So, they began filming the scene, in a bedroom, the actors in a clinch with a 'sock' to protect Kavan's modesty 'when your embarassed and cold...there's nothin' for the sock to hang onto'....Kavan mimes the frustration of the director 'sock! sock!' (at this point and in visual imagery overload there is much belly laughing in the room)....The the 'action', as it were,
moved to the green screen area when the scene was to be played out again ready for the computer techs to turn Alyssa into an alien and absorb Kavan (fyi the episode is called Caught in the Act and Kavan's character simply called 'Quarterback'....if you should want to seek it out)
Strangely the actors were placed on a pedestal for the green screen sequence (I'm guessing for the purposes of camera angles and then later the cgi) 'And they call it a skeleton crew....but it's bullshit....they're all fuckin' hiding and watching'

Kavan stands to once again demonstrate the awkwardness as he and Alyssa re-inacted the scene, whilst watching a monitor to ensure they are in the right position for the later computer effects.....much air humping, Kavan placing hands on an imaginary butt whilst making the 'manly' grunting noises....attempting to convince us motley crew that it was the most 'un-sexy thing in the world' .....the humiliation complete, Kavan had returned to his trailer to 'lick his wounds' as Alyssa filmed some close ups, then he gets a knock on the door 'okay, Kavan, your turn' (Kavan does an excellent Tim 'the tool man' Taylor double take) 'What?.....fuck'....'So, I had to go on my own, on this pedestal, in front of the green screen and 'bullshit' skeleton crew.....naked....with a sock, which wouldn't stay on....having sex with myself this time....I can't comit'.....he goes on to do more impressions of the traumatic experience....'Oh, this is so gay'....more air humping (the atmosphere in the room is one of dozens of people crying with laughter)....more 'manly' grunting, repositioning of hands to approximate Alyssa's butt height....then Kavan flings his arms wide at the climax finishing with 'Ahhhhhhhh!!!!.....end scene' adding (through the gales and gales of laughter and applause) 'so that was fuckin' humiliating.'

I have much kudos for Kavan after telling that particular story and told him so at the autographs, apologising for the embarassment my question had caused...talk about 'can open, worms everywhere'.....he was totally cool with it, he knows how well the stories are recieved at cons.....and I even got a hug too. (Kavan Smith is an absolute legend!)


Other Kavan moments include:

He narrates a documentary on jets and another on a military academy
Once sold encyclopedias door to door
Had the need to hose down a patron at the gay bar he once tended in
Was told in the audtion for SGA to tone down his megawatt smile as he would out shine everyone on the show (damn straight!)
On David Hewletts baby: 'he's a surprisingly quiet child....the first time I met him I thought he was plotting my death....like the Chuck Norris slogan....he doesn't sleep, he waits...Baz just waits....I don't know what the fuck that kid's waiting for'
Lorne will be in the Stargate Atlantis movie but at present the project seems to be stalling due to finances.
Likens his singing ability to that of a 'watching a train wreck'
Is writing a childrens picture book
'Balled his ass off' to Dancer in the Dark
Would pay a buck 65 to kiss Paul McGillion 'but for a buck 65 I'd get to spit on him when I was done' (again, probably best not to ask)


So, there you go....all the guests, all the fun and, most definately, all the madness.....I do have one more entry to make before I am done with all which is Wolf Pegasus Four.....which will include more pics, more video and a couple more chucklesome tales.....so stay tuned.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Wolf Pegasus Four - The Journey Home.....Hyperdrive Broken, McKay's Working on It but Needs More Blue Jello

It's been murky and fairly chilly here this last week, everything outside has taken on a decidedly grey tone under the thick layer of February mist and cloud...producing a potentially less than healthy 'urgh, I can't be bothered' tude...not how wars are won or dreams realised granted...but, considering my last dream involved me being crushed to death inside a car by Dumbo, I'll take hibernation for my inner moppet ta very muchly.

I surface, very briefly, every so often to peek out the window and see if Spring has sprung and attempt something marginally more productive than guessing as to how many double entendre's Phil and Fern will produce during an episode of This Morning....answer more than 1 and less than 100.....just.

Today is one of those days:

Paul McGillion
Everyones favourite Doctor (unless you happen to be the worlds biggest Doctor Who fan of course) whose bedside manner, amongst other things, were the talk of the Pegasus Galaxy and as Bryan put it 'he's been dead, he's been alive, he's been a clone and now has to explain to his mum that he's still alive' Carson Beckett....aka Paul McGillion of course.

Paul is a very popular guest and seemed to be incredibly appreciative to the support he has had on SGA, like all the guests, he really relishes the chance to mingle and get feedback from the fans and is a natural at working the crowd....any sentence spoken in those Scottish tones causing the decibels of applause, whooping and cheers to virtual eardrum bursting levels.

He was asked about his favourite scenes he had filmed over the course of the series and spoke about the comical Puddle Jumper scenes in Irresistible with Joe Flanigan as being fun to film and that further scenes were omitted from the final product....apparently the Colonel assists the cuffed and blubbing Carson by holding up a tissue as the Doctor blows his nose. He also liked lines from the first episode such as 'lunch related' and 'we're in another Galaxy, how much more out can you get' .

Asked if he had played the character of Carson differently since he came back as a clone and it was something he had considered asking 'is he the 'evil' clone? does he have any special powers? is he a Ninja?.....is he better with the ladies?' (any or all of which would have been an interesting turn of events in terms of story/character development if you ask me....and Carson wasn't all that bad with the ladies....just you know.....Cadman/McKay, Hoffan plague and blown up by exploding tumors, hardly any fault of Carson) alas producers/writers/directors gave the negative to his queries.

As many will know, Paul was in the independent film A Dog's Breakfast....the hiatus project of one David Hewlett....which still incurs much admiration, speculation and discussion from us fans....especially certain cross-dressing sequences (I realise now some readers may be confused and slightly alarmed at the content of said film, but if you like dark comedy with a touch of slapstick then you may as well give it a go)....At the time of filming there was much discussion as to the look of the 'female' detective and Paul had a full costume and make-up test. As the processed started Paul said he didn't think he looked too bad (mimes pouting into a mirror) as the wig went on 'actually I look pretty hot' he continued 'The problem came when I put the bra on' (My mate Joey cut in with something along the lines of 'they're easy' to which and without missing a beat Paul came back with 'easy to get off'.....naughty boy). Once he was in full make-up, dress and heels (including the shaving ans subsequently cutting of the legs.....oh, Paul how I feel your pain) he realised that he actually looked like something which 'should be in the NFL' (That's the National Football League in case you were wondering)

Further to the ADB discussion apparently there was a woman whose job was to flick soap suds onto David Hewlett's naked butt (any takers?) in the scene where his character jumps out of the bathroom window. The sequence was also filmed during torrential rain (a season in itself in Vancouver) with Paul in full dress and make-up and his heels slowly sinking into the quagmire as he stood opposite a butt naked (bar the previously mentioned suds) David. 'I'm looking at my friend....naked....ass....and I turn to him and say....David, this better be funny.' After a roar of affirmatives, with a few wolf whistles thrown in, from the crowd Paul, in Scottish hilt, added 'You cheeky little buggers.'

Paul was asked about Carson's relationship with Ronan (the person asking the question likened it to the Lion with the thorn in it's paw.....which in my mind gave a rather bizarre image of Ronan with a full lions mane and whiskers....hmmmm).....'Jason's a big guy....I could kick his ass.....(much laughter from the audience) it's lucky he's about a 10 hour flight away.'

He starts to talk about the scene in Runner where Carson has to operate on Ronan. He has to asks the audience the name of the device his character was removing...referring to it as 'the metal thing'....then adopting a Little Britain's Andy 'Yer, I know' as the crowd shouts 'tracker'.


He went on to say that when he was first filming with Jason Mamoa he messed with the big fella a tad, using his Scottish accent only when the cameras started rolling....leaving the poor chap with a slightly befuddled expression....Paul also describes Jason as 'Marmaduke meets Chewbacca.....who gives you a hug and nearly breaks your ribs....a great lovable lummux' (awww....though perhaps a slight dent to Mr. Mamoa's street cred)

Many fans have heard about the hi jinx and prank pulling which occurred on set and were keen to hear of any which Paul could recall....one of his favourites was as he, David Hewlett and Joe Flanigan films on location in woodland. In the scene Paul and David are carrying an extra on a stretcher, the ground was rough and hilly. Joe had taken it upon himself to arrange the largest and heaviest extra be the one they carried and then between takes he would fill the rucksack Paul was carrying with rocks. By the end of filming the poor chap was exhausted, sweating bullets and having to put up with a whiny Hewlett and wondering why he was having such trouble....until the props guy told Paul that Joe had left something for him in his pack.


He was quite excited when he got to do a stunt in Duet (presumably before he'd got to the point in the script with THAT scene) upon realising that it was this particular episode Paul commented 'My God, this episode is haunting me.' The sequence, where Carson dives out the way of a crashing Dart, didn't exactly go according to plan whilst filming....as he fell over in the first couple of takes and then, during the third, he flashed his underwear to the entire crew (of which, one fast thinking props guy, apparently snapped a picture.....I'm thinking track it down for next years Charity Auction....and that Bam Bam's probably safe in terms of stunt work)

Finally Paul told a wonderful story about a signing he took part in over in Belfast. As he looked up between signing autographs he spied a little lad who would be grinning and giving him the thumbs up every time he looked at him. When the little boy reached the front of the queue he didn't actually have anything to sign, but instead had recently had a birthday and wanted to share with his favourite character, of his favourite show, a piece of his birthday cake. So, humbled by the little fella Paul gave him an autograph and posed for a picture, which probably made the little kids year....this kind of interaction obviously makes Pauls year also as he welled up a couple of times as he recounted the tale.



Other Paul related bits include:

His first convention was at a German con with Teryl Rothery where he was so nervous his legs stopped working
Things coming up for Paul include an independent film, the new Star Trek movie and 24
Paul's impression of Joe Flanigan mainly involves much squeaking of the word 'cool' and the raising of one eyebrow....so actually spot on
During the special reading of the audio book with Neil Roberts I'm fairly certain I heard Paul say the following.....'Lorne...take me up the Puddle Jumper'

And for your viewing pleasure:

Saturday, February 21, 2009

40% British




You Are 40% British



You're about as British as a half hearted Anglophile... in other words, a piss poor Brit.

If you are indeed from Britain, you probably consider yourself a European more than anything else.



If you're trying to pass for a Brit, you're going to have to try a little harder.

Go to a football match. Drink until you puke. And head in to work the next morning totally hungover.

How British Are You?

All these years I wondered what I've been doing wrong ;-)....meh

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Wolf Pegasus Four - The Journey Home....Any Delays in Posting is Merely an Illusion

Hidey-ho there, I've haven't forgotten that it is fast approaching a month since I went to London and had such a fantabulous time listening to silly stories, injuring fellow fans on the dance floor and getting copious amounts of hugs from a bunch of good looking and incredibly charming fellas....and I'm sure I've already used most excuses as to why I haven't finished the write up yet...have I used 'the dog ate it'...nope...well I don't have a dog, but I'll give it a shot.....actually this last weekend was Valentines Day *curses in tongue and spits on floor*....oh, how I hate the sickening display of so called 'loved up' couples declaring their undying lurve for one another....at least until a week Thursday....urgh, but then I'm a grumpy singleton and will be in a much better mood come a couple of months, when the chocolate flies freely (and by' freely' I mean 3 for £2 at ASDA) and is egg shaped.

So, anyhoo I had to make do with a trip to Worthing and my recent abode to check in with the motley crew who continue to reside there. We ate pizza and Ben & Jerry's ice cream (actually I think I may have eaten all of the ice cream....but it was Phish food flavour), watched dvd's... which included Wanted, American Beauty, Home Alone (1 & 2) and Ghostbusters...and put the world to rights with topical intellectual discussion as to the current financial climate of Britain and 'if we had a super power, what would it be?' (FYI time travel).

I also looked in on the old Co-op posse, just to make sure they're managing without me and enlighten them on top quality geek trivia, of which no doubt they have been missing terribly since my departure....ahem....and of course to see if a certain Green-eyed guy has been pinning for me....apparently not (shock horror) and he has been sighted with a female appendage (obviously on the rebound).

I've also just started a computer course, in an attempt to make me more appealing to employers...since the ability to quote from the works of Joss Whedon and the inclination to roam the British Countryside when the mood takes me seems not to be working in my favour....nor do all the actual proper qualifications I have accumulated since I graduated school some 14 years ago.

So, there's my life...yeah, I know...I don't know how I cope with all the excitement either......moving on then:

Chuck Campbell


This guy made his convention debut at P2 (also where I experienced my first convention) and was a bucket of fun....this has not changed one iota. Upon the start of his talks he just kinda expends boundless energy bouncing around the stage (probably much to the camera operators dismay), laughing and chuckling which proved very infectious and generally being a complete goof.

He talked about the weapons that they used on Stargate, particularly the P90s and the cost of them....the ammo costs $2 per bullet 'think about that the next time you watch the show' especially since a certain Mr. Joe Flanigan is tad trigger happy....Chuck goes on to do an impression of the lovely Rachel Luttrell...starts acting all girly and puts on a high pitched voice 'puppies, flowers, la la la' mimes being badass firing a P90 then skips away 'lalala, puppies flowers'....very funny...then continues with 'so do not piss Rachel Luttrell off, if she wants she'll take your head off....then put on a little dress and walk away.'


Chuck once worked in a store which carried various kinds sports equipment he and a friend decided to mess about with a compound bow, loading in an arrow which then got accidentally fired (hmmm, I'm wondering just how much was 'accidental')....it 'took off like....well....an arrow' mimes look of horror and tells of how time appeared to slow-mo as it crossed the room 'passed through a wall and ended up in a coke machine in the break room'... narrowly missing a colleague having his lunch....'boy did we get into trouble for that one'....indeed Mr. Campbell....and he looks so innocent.

Continuing with his dark past he was once set up on a blind date by a friend...the girl was pretty, engaged in interesting conversation, but when she ate her food she would bite her fork....which produced the cringeworthy sound like that of a knife scraping on a plate....which Chuck mimed followed by his inwardly 'Argh!....I can't take this' reaction. So what did Chuck do in this slightly unusual and uncomfortable situation....he excused himself to the bathroom, paid the bill and bailed out the bathroom window 'like a criminal'. He later ran into the friend who'd arranged the date who asked 'what the hell is wrong with you'.....'Dude, she was biting her fork'....an understanding 'Oh' was his friends reply (how very Chandler and Joey of them)....Chuck adds 'if this ends up on Youtube....I hope I left you enough money.'


On the Saturday talk someone had mentioned an impression Chuck did and so the following day Chuck, as promised, brought in his prop....a pair of dark sun glasses....and did a fantastic skit of Jack Nicholson as a traffic cop pulling over Joe Flanigan for missing a stop sign.....which went something like:

Chuck puts on shades and a swagger 'Excuse me there chief, kinda noticed you plowing through that stop sign' (in a very authentic and hilarious Nicholson accent)


Takes off shades and does an elongated 'Neeaaawww' a'la squeaky Joe voice 'so what'


Shades on....'Well, you see it's a stop sign'...much waving of hands in Nicholson manner 'When you see a stop sign you're supposed to stop....you just kinda slowed down'


Shades off....'Neeaawww.....stop?....slow down?....what's the difference?' (the squeaky continues to be uncannily Joe-like)

Shades on...does a brilliant Nicholson like shrug and shake of the head 'Now let me see if I can explain this in terms you'll understand....pretend I have a baseball bat and I'm hitting you over the head'....mimes head bashing baseball bat motion....'Would you like me to slow down or stop?'


Chuck was very funny....'Whose Line is it Anyway' funny.... and apparently Joe Flanigan has seen his impression (good ol YouTube) and found it rather humoursome also.

Chuck laments on the end of Stargate: Atlantis 'Shit, I never got to do anything.'....Audience cuts in with an 'Aww' on mass....'Oh don't worry about it' Chuck replies 'The cheques cleared'. He goes on to describe scenes in the gateroom where the rest of the cast would rush through with dialogue such as 'we've got to go turn something off or else it will blow up' (ah, that sounds like a Martin Gero script to me)....he makes a sad, 'lost puppy dog' type face and delivers a crestfallen 'ok, see ya'....poor Chuck, though knowing the writers had Chuck ventured much further than the Gateroom or, heaven forbid, made it through the gate to another world I fear he may have been offed by a Wraith or indeed blown up by the said 'something'....at least Chucknician lives to fight another day.
One of the few times Chuck did get to leave the Gateroom was during 'Midway' when Ronan and Teal'c butt heads in the 'grr-arg' display of macho-buff. Chuck, part of the gathered crowd, came up with the idea of him being a bookie (which I remember chuckling about when I realised it was indeed Chucknician taking the bets during that episode). Joe apparently came up to Chuck before a take and said that he was going to do something when the cameras rolled....so when you see Sheppard help himself to the entire takings of poor Chuck, and his shocked reaction to losing his cash, that part was unscripted and left in.

Speaking of unscripted, cast members would often try to put off Chuck as he was busy 'button' acting...images which definitely would not make it to air would pop up on his computer screen, he would have his bum pinched by a passing actor and once fishing line was attached to a drawer just off screen next to Chuck...as the scene played out someone would pull on the wire opening the drawer much to Chuck's befuddlement and he would have to push it closed whilst not having it affect the take.


Chuck for, those who don't realise, also plays a small part in Sanctuary....as the two faced guy...he already gets a few shouts of 'hey, new guy' when he's out and about....not bad considering he's had the role approximately 5 minutes....hehe. The role involves some CGI and make-up and he commented on the process and the creation of a foam face on the back of his own. Something which made some of the other Sanctuary cast members slightly freak out at lunch as Chuck would be chatting to them 'blah blah blah....crazy head.....blah blah blah'....ah, the joys of working in Sci-fi. In the latter part of the season Two-faced guy is attacked by a creature in the lift....a scene in which Chuck took part in a wire stunt....a process which is apparently as fast and uncomfortable as it looks, eliciting an original reaction of 'JE-SUS' from Chuck on the first take and a whiny noise meaning 'my crotch just got crunched' on the second...which possibly made the final cut.

Other tid-bits include:

Chuck once played pool with James Garner
He played Chucknician as having a crush on Dr. Weir
If he could have any role it would be Johnny Quest
He screen tested for the Dicaprio role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape
He's a Red Sox fan
Thinks you can't possibly look badass whilst sucking on a juice box
Would have been a baseball player or a sea plane pilot if not an actor
If Chuck had been in charge of Atlantis there would have been a 'space-orgy'


Chuck was a fantastic guest....back by popular demand in fact....was very chatty and mingled at the parties seemingly having as much fun as the rest of us which warms your cockles....I hope he continues to pop up on top shows or maybe even lead in one....with an actual full name.....and maybe even the odd line or two.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Wolf Pegasus Four - The Journey Home...Currently Somewhere in Hyperspace

Right then, no waffle...just onward with the expose of the P4 weekender...

Neil Roberts


Admittedly I knew very little about Neil Roberts....okay, I knew nothing about Neil Roberts apart from what I looked up on imdb before going to London.....his link with SGA, an audio book which he had just recorded with Paul McGillion.....of which I recall the theme was a planet on which a volcano was erupting with the local population suffering from some disease.

I did actually miss much of Neil Roberts talks as I was busy getting hugs from Kavan Smith and Chuck Campbell....more than one from Kavan because I'm special...and the camera flare from my glasses meant the photographer had to retake the picture.

Anyway, much of what Neil Roberts said is mostly unprintable...he's a man who likes to wander in terms of subject matter and leans strongly toward the 1970's comedy tones and style of Frankie Howerd....It proved popular which much of the audience but I must admit I do prefer hearing career and behind the scenes stories.

The man has had a varied career including Diagnosis Murder, Charmed, Sliders, The Bill and Holby City....and once starred in a rather dodgy looking film called 'Nick Fury' with none other than The Hoff (who was sporting a rather camp looking eye patch)....Oh, and on British TV he was the face behind Max Meltus, an ad campaign for a cold and flu remedy, with themes of James Bond, in the fight against 'Chesticov'.

The one question which he did answer was that his dream role would be Doctor Who and, due to his connections with Stephen Moffat, he was apparently on the list at one time....'above George Bush, but below Obama'...he has also recorded Doctor Who audios with Slyvester McCoy (7th Doctor) in which he played the sidekick.

Neil was around for the parties in the evening...joining with the con dances, making me look pretty damn good...especially when Prince Charming was played.....and finally he did manage to educate us meager audience when one of his stories involved mention of toys of the adult persuasion we all learnt the sign language version from the lady interpreter in the front row.

Moving on......

James 'Bam Bam' Bamford

Right, well I was particularly excited by this guest as the Sunday talk included a demonstration Bam Bam had put together....before that though his Q & A....

Bam Bam started out as a martial arts expert and got into movies by being the right height to double for Micheal Dudikoff (Cobra series), he then trained in other disciplines. He mentioned how the process of getting into stunt work is different in most countries...in the UK for example stunt performers have to be registered in multiple skills in which they must take an exam before they can work (figures, only the British would form an orderly queue in the world of stunts)

In terms of whether he's limited by what he can do stuntwise, due to actors and legalities etc, he tends to be able to due what he wants....as long as the actors are up for it and that the stunt in question is indeed possible...generally it's a case of 'here's the script...make it look cool'

He was asked if there were any actors who are bad at or scared to do stunts and without missing a beat 'David Hewlett' was Bam Bam's reply 'and, er......David Hewlett'. He goes on to say that David is actually pretty good with the stunts, though a tad accident prone (is there anyone out there who finds that hard to believe?....anyone?...yup, didn't think so) 'Even if there's not a way to hurt himself, David will find a way to hurt himself' ....Bam Bam continues to say that because of the trust everyone has in him the actors tend to try it out the stunts because of the safety they know he provides....even David 'Just put some elbow and knee pads on him...and go David don't hurt yourself....and he will hurt himself' (much laughter from the audience...in fact more laughter than the few token 'aws' thrown in on behalf of David).

In the episode 'Runner' Bam Bam aided in authentic performance from David while he was suspended upside down from a wire by setting him into a spin as the director yelled 'action'...producing many expletives from the actor, as well as producing a technicolour yawn. On other occasion a wire stunt, in the episode 'Doppleganger', involving Joe Flanigan gave the poor man a case of whiplash due to repeated takes...which according to Bam Bam were purely due to director Robert Cooper's desire to torture Joe.
Bam Bam loves to do car stunts and has done 'just about everything you can do in a car'.....at which point the, gutter minded, audiences laughter cause the man to add 'I didn't say on the back seat'.....He enjoys the driving, pushing button at the right time which launches him into the air and then landing on the other side (hopefully in one piece) process......he then mimes getting out of the car in a slight daze 'Was that cool?.....what's my name?'
When asked if he had ever been hurt he spoke about a fall through a roof stunt which caused him to bruise some ribs and tear his lat muscle (ouch) and then having to perform as David Duchovny's double in The X-Files the following week.....which involved being thrown into the side of a van....much sympathy drawing of breath from the audience was heard as he mentioned that you can see the expectant grimace of pain on his face if you slow-mo the scene. (not sure of the episode but he thought it was in season 3). His other injury happen whilst filming Scary Movie 4 in which a fall down a 17ft hill landing on frozen ground has caused a hip injury and the appearance of 'walking like a pimp'.
Bam Bam was a brilliant guest, I got to speak with him, and his utterly gorgeous and lovely wife (who'd spent the weekend on Oxford Street) at the Saturday night party. He posed for several photos with fans...the face pulling possibly due to the whiskey he's been sharing with Paul McGillion.

Final part for now and the Stunt demonstration in which Bam Bam brought in two British Stunt performers, James Embree and Adam Young, and one of the Wolf crew (who's in training) and a fan TinaK (aka teknikal) who he taught a series of 9 moves of a very cool fight sequence. I was really impressed as the 'fight' (which Bam Bam put together on the day and Tina had very little time to learn) was a great insight into the style, techniques, problems and general bad ass-ness of the stunt crew...with a little goofing around too boot.
For the life of me I can't remember what comment was made which initiated it (something to do with Scottish manliness no doubt....and a cunning plot from Chuck who had whispered something into Bam Bam's ear moments before) but after the Stunt demo Paul McGillion came storming onto the stage, walked right up to Bam Bam and 'head butted' him, gave a 'I mean business' look to the audience as he stripped off his shirt (unfortunately a tee was underneath) and proceeded in giving the same treatment to the other stunt guys, leaving them writhing on the floor as a mass of cheers, laughter and whooping erupted from the audience...I'm afraid I wasn't quick enough to capture the action of video and the motion was too quick to focus anything more than the following shot:



Finally, here's a couple of videos for you're enjoyment:

Bam Bam runs through the final stage of the 'fight'....'strike a pose'



and Tina on her final run through.....'action'