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.

5 comments:

Firefly Mom said...

There's one really great thing about Valentine's - all of the candy is 50% afterwards ;)

Poor green-eyed guy, having to console himself with some little tart in an attempt to fill the void from your departure.

Chuck should thank his lucky stars that he didn't have much offworld action. He would have been a redshirt, no doubt. And I didn't realize he was the two-faced guy. How did I miss that, when I recognized everyone else (even by voice)??

And he's totally right - you *can't* look badass while drinking a juice box!

Anonymous said...

I met Chuck last Nov in NJ and he has done others over here as well so it was not his first con.

Emma said...

Anon - Wolf Pegasus 2 aka P2 back in 2007 was Chuck's first con...which I believe is what I'd said.

Firefly mom - can't believe you didn't realise it was Chuck as two faced guy ;-)...he'd also mentioned that when his character was first chown he was in a caged thingy then later he was roaming around...when someone mentioned this as in 'should they be worried' that the strange abnormal was on the loose, the director just said 'it's Chuck' hehe

Anonymous said...

All you said was P2 you never said what year it was in till your reply.

Emma said...

Next time I'll be sure to present all the facts there Grissom, lest to confuzzle any futher those who may regard my humble, and mostly non-sensical, ramblings as officially endorsed or academic writings:

Wolf Pegasus 2 (February 2nd - 4th 2007)commonly referred to as P2

Wolf Pegasus 3 (January 25th-27th 2008)commonly referred to as P3

Wolf Pegasus 4 (January 23rd-25th 2009)commonly referred to as P4

Valentines Day (Febuary 14th 2009)commonly referred to as Bah-Humbug

Parents 35th Wedding Anniversary (Febuary 16th 2009) commonly referred to as Ooops, forgot

Co-op customer (May 1st 2008- Present) commonly referred to as Green-Eyed Guy