Creation Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis Con, Secaucus, New Jersey 11/3-11/4/07 (Part 2)
And now here is part two. Only spoilers here are some tiny ones for SGA that Kate mentioned, and a little one regarding the second SG-1 DVD movie Continuum (mentioned by Cliff).
Day 2 - Sunday Nov. 4th
Lori and I had breakfast in the hotel at around 8am. When we finished we hung around near the ballroom where the Brunch was being held and checked out the silent auction (I bid on a couple of things but got outbid on both - oh well). At around 9am we saw Michael Shanks heading over to the ballroom. Looked good - and wasn't wearing a hat this time!!
I had to go up to the room to get something and while I was gone Lori and Erica (lacka1986) saw Tony Amendola and got a pic taken with him - just my luck I had to miss that! But after I came back down, Tony was hanging around by the coffee shop for a little while.
The con opened a bit earlier than yesterday and the first thing they did was show a Jack/Daniel music video... a silly, funny vid to "The Ketchup Song."
Kate Hewlett was the first celebrity guest of the day. She was great - quite funny. She was mostly there to promote her new play Humans Anonymous, which was being performed in New York City that night (would have liked to go, but it was too late at night and we had to get back).
She pretty much started her talk with "it's weird to be here without David." She said she just did a second episode of SGA with Steven Culp (sp?) from Desperate Housewives. She and David would be doing a serious scene in it, but they'd keep giggling "It's the guy from Desperate Housewives!!" Then Steven would look at them and start giggling as well.
She mentioned how McKay and Mrs. Miller established the relationship between her and McKay and she talked about what it was like filming the episode. She didn't know how loud all the explosions would be. She and David were wearing earplugs... she would giggle and David would go, "be serious," but then he would giggle too.
She then talked about her new play, which was playing in the city around 54th and Broadway. It was about 60 minutes long when it was first written for a festival in Toronto, and now it's about 90 minutes long.
She joked that she's suddenly very aware of her Canadian accent since she arrived here. "Apparently I do say 'aboot'" and she can't say "about." *grin*
She read a monologue from the play. In it people mostly talk about their various fears. I wish I could remember some things from the monologue but it was pretty funny. She also wrote a song that is sung at the end of it. She was asked how she found someone to produce the play. She said a girl from NY saw the show in Toronto and fell in love with it.
Someone asked her if she's always been a writer, and when did she first want to write. She said she was interested in writing long before she got interested in acting. She did poetry as a child and did playwriting at theater school. She also enjoys screenplays and television writing.
Someone else mentioned the unique clothing her character had in A Dog's Breakfast and asked whose decision it was. She said that her shoes were held together with duck tape. The costume lady for the film used to work on SG-1 and found most of her clothing for this film in second hand stores.
Another question was whether there was a rivalry between her and David where acting was concerned, and how did she get started in acting. She said there was really no rivalry between them. David got into acting rather young while she got into it later on. She saw him acting and it became a possibility for her. She said he's been really great about it. David suggested that McKay's sibling on SGA would be a woman, not a man, and Martin Gero made it happen. She talked a bit more about McKay and Mrs. Miller. Martin Gero has a similar sense of humor to her and David, and he wrote the episode with their relationship in mind. She said the banter between them was dead on, and the ep lets fans see a different side of Rodney. She mentioned that the new episode of SGA that she's in has more action.
Someone had a question about David - that he's very talkative on the show, and is he like that in real life. She replied, "No, he's very quiet and deep" and then took it back, saying that he is very talkative and very funny (and that he has verbal diarrhea... *grin*). She was then asked if working in SGA or in A Dog's Breakfast was more fun. She said, "the truth, or what David would want me to say?" She said that SGA was less stressful. A Dog's Breakfast took longer to shoot and was a creative learning experience. When she was asked what it was like working with her brother behind the scenes on SGA, she said David is very protective of her and really makes it comfortable for her. They make fun of each other. She said it's a much different experience when you know someone on the set and coming back to do the new episode was great. She and David also have giggling fits.
A girl congratulated her on becoming Aunt Kate (regarding David's new little boy). She said she didn't get to meet the little guy just yet. His name is Sebastian and they call him "Bast." Someone asked what it was like growing up with David. She said he is 9 years older than her and is the eldest child. He tormented her other sisters the most, but she got along great with him and they were the pranksters.
Someone then mentioned Paul McGillion's appearance yesterday and asked what it was like working with him on both SGA and A Dog's Breakfast. She said it was like having a second brother - that he's very much like David (very silly, funny, and a jerk). She said he was a blast to work with, but he is the ugliest woman alive (referring to A Dog's Breakfast... LOL). Someone else asked what her reaction was when she heard that her brother kissed Paul (in Duet). She answered, "Like this..." and then mimed vomiting. She said anything that torments David is great, and that he and Paul made a nice couple. She really was very funny.
Before Cliff Simon came on, they showed a music video devoted to Ba'al. It started with the words "How many Ba'als does it take to make a music video?" and then "That depends on how many Ba'als do you have." It was to the "Real Slim Shady" song.
When Cliff came out he started by playing the "South African anthem" which basically sounded like one of the Chipmunks singing it and had a lot of "bla bla blah" later in the song. He said that's usually how they sing it in sporting events.
He said he moved from South Africa to LA 7 years ago. He wanted to start over so he moved to the States, and mentioned that going to each state is like going to a different country. He was quite tanned (and Lori and I both agreed he looks so much better in person) because he'd just arrived back from Mexico. He said he loves the water and goes kayaking in the ocean.
He started talking about working on SG-1 and said that they messed around a lot on the show but it's very professional. He is friends with Michael Greenburg. He was a professional dancer for 12 years with Michael's wife, and he met Michael through her (and he approached Cliff to do the show). He said he wanted a character that has longevity, and now that they've cloned him a million times....
He briefly mentioned the new movie and said it was amazing. He said it was an interesting story that involves time travel. Apparently Ba'al goes back in time and changes everything. It's as if the last ten years didn't happen. He said three or four of his clones are involved in it (the last surviving ones, anyway). He also mentioned that he wears a sleeveless top in the movie (Martin Wood apparently didn't know how in shape - or "ripped" as Cliff put it - he was and told wardrobe to cut off the sleeves of one of the tops he was wearing). Hee hee...
First episode of SG-1 he did was Summit. He said he watched how the other guys (meaning the actors playing the other goa'ulds in that ep) played their characters, and that the baddest people on earth are the most charming people; that is how you draw victims in. Michael Greenburg said he was fantastic after doing that ep (and Cliff mentioned that he was checking out Osiris up and down, smiling at her and leaning over in the chair).
He talked about the sort of "rapport" between his character and Jack. He worked off RDA as far as the humor went and they established a "thing" between O'Neill and Ba'al. The writers started writing humorous lines for him, and he started playing Ba'al as himself.
He said that Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro are his heroes in acting because they live their characters. He said that when filming SG-1, he'd stay in character all day. He wouldn't socialize with anyone and would just go off to his trailer. When he'd get home he'd completely push it aside.
Someone (I think it was a little boy or girl) asked why he has so many clones. He replied "So I can keep earning money on the show." This was followed up by the "if you could zat anyone once on the show, who would it be" question. He said probably Teal'c because he wouldn't expect it.
He was asked what his favorite part of acting as Ba'al was. He said it was when they made all the clones and he had to play each one. He said playing each different clone was fun. He'd have to walk around and look at himself, and no one was there. Follow up question was how difficult that was. He said it was very difficult in the beginning. It took a long time to shoot those scenes - from about 4pm to 4am. He had to remember in his own mind where "he" was standing.
An interesting question was whose idea was it to use Ba'al's human voice in the show (instead of the Goa'uld voice all the time. He said the Goa'uld voice got less and less over time, and the only reason the Goa'uld spoke like that was because they pretended to be gods. He said that notion worked well in the episode where Teal'c was his prisoner. He said he wanted his own voice to be heard and talked about the "flanging" process (he had to speak slower when they did that because otherwise you can't hear or understand what is said). He said his voice will sometimes be flanged in the movie, sometimes not.
His favorite form of torture in Abyss? "All of it." When asked who else he'd like to torture, he said it would be Teal'c and then mentioned how much he liked the acid torture.
He said the relationship between Ba'al and O'Neill will continue in the movie. He is a prisoner in the movie when he first confronts Jack, and says to him "Well, well, General Jack O'Neill" with a sarcastic emphasis on the "General" part. Jack replies with "Ba'al! Nice to see you again!" Cliff said this is how the movie starts and it sets the tone for the whole movie. Hmm, interesting. :)
He talked a bit about the mythology behind Ba'al - that the character on the show is an enigma (not knowing exactly where he's from, coupled with the accent), but the name Ba'al is short for Beelzebub, and it means fallen angel or the Devil.
He was asked whose idea it was to have Amanda hit him in The Quest Part 2. He said it was fun and that he thinks there was always a "thing" between Ba'al and "Samantha." Ba'al wanted to get a rise out of her in that scene and was happy because he had an effect on her. Her reaction was what he wanted.
He was then asked that if he could add any Ba'al scene to the show (maybe movies as well), what would it be? He said he'd like to add a love scene between Ba'al and Vala (*ducks D/V shippers* Hey, he said it, not me! *snerk*). He said that such a scene should have been in Continuum.
That was about the extent of his talk. After it ended, they showed another music video. This time "Moondust and Starlight" by brihana25, showcasing long haired Daniel (*Jess sighs*). There was another auction and then a final round of trivia for the weekend. I ended up winning an autographed picture of Daniel/MS. Someone was able to stump the participants with a question - "what was the name of the rebel Jaffa lead by Ishta" (answer was "the Hak'tyl"). I wasn't even going to volunteer but Lori said I should, so up went my hand. Brian said he had an autographed pic of Paul McGillion for me, but he ended up giving me an autographed Michael Shanks pic instead (it was the one with the slightly scruffy beard from S9). Would have liked a Paul one but it was a lovely shot of MS so I didn't mind too much. ;)
Before Michael came on, they showed another Daniel-centric music video. This time it was to "Eve of Destruction" and was centered around the episode Icon.
Okay, now sadly I think this section of my report is the least detailed. First because I scrambled up front to try and take some decent pics of the guy, and second because I was waiting on line to ask him a question. I was more focused on trying to memorize the question so I wouldn't look like a total geek reading from a post-it note stuck in a big notebook. ;) But I will try my best. If I got anything wrong please let me know.
Michael came out dressed all in black, again with NO HAT on. *huge grin* You may say what's the big deal, but the last couple of times he was in NJ he wore a hat and I've never seen him hatless in person before. :) He'd also tamed those humongous lamb chop sideburns he had at Collectormania the weekend before. His hair was quite long, I'd say pretty much like early season Daniel and was quite unruly (and pardon my shallowness, but it looked just perfect to run the fingers through and tug on... *sigh*... okay where was I now? LOL).
So as far as I can remember, here is how his Q&A went for the most part. Someone asked him what kind of music he likes. He said he likes an eclectic mix - rock, classical, country and even some pop. He mentioned something about singing to "Jesse's Girl" by Rick Springfield in the car. Hmm.... ;)
He was asked another question about Lifeboat and the multiple personalities thing. He said that he spent some time studying the little boy who was in the episode (who played Keenan), and that for the multiple personalities thing he kind of drew from the woman who was in All Around the Town with him.
A young girl asked him if Daniel and Vala would get together in the movies. He paused for a bit and then simply said "you'll have to see." Sue_Jackson mentioned the scene in Unending where Daniel goes off on Vala and asked what it was like doing that scene. He said that the way Coop (my own "pet name" (yes sarcasm intended) for Robert C. Cooper) originally wrote it, they would have Vala bugging Daniel and then suddenly they were sleeping together with no rhyme or reason, and Daniel just saying "so this is what a relationship is like." Both he and CB weren't happy about it though. Sue also asked him what his favorite scene with CB was and he couldn't really name one favorite - he mentioned a few like the burning scene in Avalon.
(I bet some of you D/V'ers thought I wouldn't even post about this, didn't ya? ;) As much as I can sometimes lapse into selective memory when it comes to things like this - hee hee - I want to be as thorough as I can in this report, so everything goes and I am trying to be as neutral to everything as possible. Hope it shows :))
Someone asked something about him playing Ma'chello and Daniel in Holiday - I believe it was how difficult was that or something to that effect. He said he remembered how RDA had all that makeup in Brief Candle when Jack aged, and he originally thought they would do his makeup like that. I can't remember the rest of what he said on that.
He was asked what the most fun episode and the worst episode were for him to do. He said Prometheus Unbound was the most fun (talked about how they filmed it on second unit at the same time as Gemini) and either Broca Divide or Space Race was the worst. Broca Divide because of the makeup - he mentioned something about the weird eyebrows that Daniel had to have when he was infected. And Space Race because Lexa told him it was like watching an Andromeda episode. He said that the little scenes with the newscasters were pretty stupid.
Someone else mentioned the wedding scene in 200, about when Daniel said to Jack "if she doesn't get here soon everyone will think we're getting married" and something about deleted scenes being great for the slashers. He answered, a la Jack, "Ya think???'" LOL. He said they were doing those kind of takes and at one point RDA looked at him and said something like... "GAY???" He said there was one take where the camera panned down to Jack and Daniel's hands and they were holding hands.
He was asked a silly question having to do with the Transformers movie and some character named Bumblebee. I wish I could remember the details but Michael's reaction to it was pretty funny. He had this "what the heck" look on his face. I tried to snap a pic of it while I was waiting to ask a question but it didn't come out at all. :(
He was also asked to talk about what his fellow SG actors are like. He said that RDA is a "jerk" (being funny of course as he said this), Amanda is a mother hen, very nurturing (sort of imitated her saying something like "now, you boys...") and also professional. He said Chris is like a big kid... "Teal'c is 150 years old and Chris is 12." Ben Browder is quite like Cam Mitchell, has integrity and wants to do the right thing. And he also praised Claudia, talking about her comedic timing and things like that (he didn't gush over her quite as much as he has in the past in interviews, but it almost seemed like he still had a little crush on her).
Finally came my question. I asked him (thanks so much majorsamfan for the idea!) "Many of us have enjoyed the friendship between the SG-1 teammates over the years. Will we get to see any more of the friendship between the original team members, especially Daniel and Sam, in the movies?" Michael's answer was, "Ummmmm... not really." He did say that there will be interaction in the movies - nothing like them having tea and crumpets at O'Neill's house, but I think he said it would be mostly action-based, and we'll see it especially in Continuum since RDA will be back for that one. He also told me that Brad Wright is penning another screenplay so we may get to see more in the future. While that would be great I couldn't help being a little disappointed. It's sad how the 10 year friendships have been sidelined quite a bit recently. I guess the only thing we can do to reconcile that is write fanfiction. *sigh*
Anyway...
A kid asked him what his favorite part of playing Daniel Jackson was. He answered "kissing all the girls." He was then asked if he could take out any scene from the show, what would it be. He replied "the nude scene in Fallen" and said something about his "nads" shrinking since it was so cold out there in that park in Surrey, BC.
Someone else asked him how many times Daniel has died. He said he lost track at about 8, and there's probably more on the way (hmmm...). He was also asked earlier which Daniel he prefers playing more - Naive Daniel or Warrior Daniel. He said a combination of both. That sometimes it's good for him to be a little naive and filled with integrity.
At the very end of his talk he mentioned something about next year, and at first Lori and I thought he said he wasn't going to be there next year but we didn't really hear what he said. If anyone else was there and heard what he said, please let me know.
They began the photo op session immediately after his talk ended. I had to scramble and take out the drawing (I posted a scan of it here a few posts back) so I could get out there before the line got too monstrous. It looked a bit long when I got there but luckily I was only waiting about 20 minutes. I was a little worried that I wouldn't get to give the drawing to him, but the Creation folk told me I could give it to him once I got in the room.
So, there I went. I went up to him, he smiled, shook my hand and said "Hi!" I told him "I'm not much of an artist but I wanted to make this for you" and I handed him the drawing. He said "Oh, thank you!" and said it was very nice. He stuck it on a nearby table and the photographer had us pose. He snuggled up to me and put his arms around me in a sort of hug, with his head leaning on top of mine. I put one arm around him too. After the pic was taken he thanked me again for the drawing. It was all pretty rushed, definitely seemed more rushed than the last time I had the photo op with him in 2004 (and strangely enough I believe there were more people at that one). I have to wait 2 weeks and then find the pic on Creation's website so I can order it. They did offer to burn a jpeg of it on a CD but it cost extra and we really had to get going.
After the photo op Lori found me and had all my stuff for me. She got my second camera back (I'd given it to helena aka qksilver99) to take pictures of Michael for me since she was sitting in the first row. and all the other stuff I left at my seat. We left at around 5:30 and thanks to some traffic on the George Washington bridge I got home at 7:30. Still it was good timing, much better than last year when the autograph session ran long.
All in all it was a great experience - I loved hanging out with my fellow Gateworlders and am still squeeeing over the photo op with MS.
And now, on to the pics. I'll post the few I took of MS here with my crummy camera, and then do a separate cut for the ones helena took with my other camera.<
Kate Hewlett
Cliff Simon
Michael Shanks
And here are the pics helena got with my much better camera (Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixels). If you want to use these for anything, please give credit to me (I asked helena if I could credit her as well but she said it wasn't necessary). Thanks.
These are a bit larger so clicky on the thumbnail for full size. There's only a few here but I will upload the rest to my website as soon as I get a chance.
Day 2 - Sunday Nov. 4th
Lori and I had breakfast in the hotel at around 8am. When we finished we hung around near the ballroom where the Brunch was being held and checked out the silent auction (I bid on a couple of things but got outbid on both - oh well). At around 9am we saw Michael Shanks heading over to the ballroom. Looked good - and wasn't wearing a hat this time!!
I had to go up to the room to get something and while I was gone Lori and Erica (lacka1986) saw Tony Amendola and got a pic taken with him - just my luck I had to miss that! But after I came back down, Tony was hanging around by the coffee shop for a little while.
The con opened a bit earlier than yesterday and the first thing they did was show a Jack/Daniel music video... a silly, funny vid to "The Ketchup Song."
Kate Hewlett was the first celebrity guest of the day. She was great - quite funny. She was mostly there to promote her new play Humans Anonymous, which was being performed in New York City that night (would have liked to go, but it was too late at night and we had to get back).
She pretty much started her talk with "it's weird to be here without David." She said she just did a second episode of SGA with Steven Culp (sp?) from Desperate Housewives. She and David would be doing a serious scene in it, but they'd keep giggling "It's the guy from Desperate Housewives!!" Then Steven would look at them and start giggling as well.
She mentioned how McKay and Mrs. Miller established the relationship between her and McKay and she talked about what it was like filming the episode. She didn't know how loud all the explosions would be. She and David were wearing earplugs... she would giggle and David would go, "be serious," but then he would giggle too.
She then talked about her new play, which was playing in the city around 54th and Broadway. It was about 60 minutes long when it was first written for a festival in Toronto, and now it's about 90 minutes long.
She joked that she's suddenly very aware of her Canadian accent since she arrived here. "Apparently I do say 'aboot'" and she can't say "about." *grin*
She read a monologue from the play. In it people mostly talk about their various fears. I wish I could remember some things from the monologue but it was pretty funny. She also wrote a song that is sung at the end of it. She was asked how she found someone to produce the play. She said a girl from NY saw the show in Toronto and fell in love with it.
Someone asked her if she's always been a writer, and when did she first want to write. She said she was interested in writing long before she got interested in acting. She did poetry as a child and did playwriting at theater school. She also enjoys screenplays and television writing.
Someone else mentioned the unique clothing her character had in A Dog's Breakfast and asked whose decision it was. She said that her shoes were held together with duck tape. The costume lady for the film used to work on SG-1 and found most of her clothing for this film in second hand stores.
Another question was whether there was a rivalry between her and David where acting was concerned, and how did she get started in acting. She said there was really no rivalry between them. David got into acting rather young while she got into it later on. She saw him acting and it became a possibility for her. She said he's been really great about it. David suggested that McKay's sibling on SGA would be a woman, not a man, and Martin Gero made it happen. She talked a bit more about McKay and Mrs. Miller. Martin Gero has a similar sense of humor to her and David, and he wrote the episode with their relationship in mind. She said the banter between them was dead on, and the ep lets fans see a different side of Rodney. She mentioned that the new episode of SGA that she's in has more action.
Someone had a question about David - that he's very talkative on the show, and is he like that in real life. She replied, "No, he's very quiet and deep" and then took it back, saying that he is very talkative and very funny (and that he has verbal diarrhea... *grin*). She was then asked if working in SGA or in A Dog's Breakfast was more fun. She said, "the truth, or what David would want me to say?" She said that SGA was less stressful. A Dog's Breakfast took longer to shoot and was a creative learning experience. When she was asked what it was like working with her brother behind the scenes on SGA, she said David is very protective of her and really makes it comfortable for her. They make fun of each other. She said it's a much different experience when you know someone on the set and coming back to do the new episode was great. She and David also have giggling fits.
A girl congratulated her on becoming Aunt Kate (regarding David's new little boy). She said she didn't get to meet the little guy just yet. His name is Sebastian and they call him "Bast." Someone asked what it was like growing up with David. She said he is 9 years older than her and is the eldest child. He tormented her other sisters the most, but she got along great with him and they were the pranksters.
Someone then mentioned Paul McGillion's appearance yesterday and asked what it was like working with him on both SGA and A Dog's Breakfast. She said it was like having a second brother - that he's very much like David (very silly, funny, and a jerk). She said he was a blast to work with, but he is the ugliest woman alive (referring to A Dog's Breakfast... LOL). Someone else asked what her reaction was when she heard that her brother kissed Paul (in Duet). She answered, "Like this..." and then mimed vomiting. She said anything that torments David is great, and that he and Paul made a nice couple. She really was very funny.
Before Cliff Simon came on, they showed a music video devoted to Ba'al. It started with the words "How many Ba'als does it take to make a music video?" and then "That depends on how many Ba'als do you have." It was to the "Real Slim Shady" song.
When Cliff came out he started by playing the "South African anthem" which basically sounded like one of the Chipmunks singing it and had a lot of "bla bla blah" later in the song. He said that's usually how they sing it in sporting events.
He said he moved from South Africa to LA 7 years ago. He wanted to start over so he moved to the States, and mentioned that going to each state is like going to a different country. He was quite tanned (and Lori and I both agreed he looks so much better in person) because he'd just arrived back from Mexico. He said he loves the water and goes kayaking in the ocean.
He started talking about working on SG-1 and said that they messed around a lot on the show but it's very professional. He is friends with Michael Greenburg. He was a professional dancer for 12 years with Michael's wife, and he met Michael through her (and he approached Cliff to do the show). He said he wanted a character that has longevity, and now that they've cloned him a million times....
He briefly mentioned the new movie and said it was amazing. He said it was an interesting story that involves time travel. Apparently Ba'al goes back in time and changes everything. It's as if the last ten years didn't happen. He said three or four of his clones are involved in it (the last surviving ones, anyway). He also mentioned that he wears a sleeveless top in the movie (Martin Wood apparently didn't know how in shape - or "ripped" as Cliff put it - he was and told wardrobe to cut off the sleeves of one of the tops he was wearing). Hee hee...
First episode of SG-1 he did was Summit. He said he watched how the other guys (meaning the actors playing the other goa'ulds in that ep) played their characters, and that the baddest people on earth are the most charming people; that is how you draw victims in. Michael Greenburg said he was fantastic after doing that ep (and Cliff mentioned that he was checking out Osiris up and down, smiling at her and leaning over in the chair).
He talked about the sort of "rapport" between his character and Jack. He worked off RDA as far as the humor went and they established a "thing" between O'Neill and Ba'al. The writers started writing humorous lines for him, and he started playing Ba'al as himself.
He said that Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro are his heroes in acting because they live their characters. He said that when filming SG-1, he'd stay in character all day. He wouldn't socialize with anyone and would just go off to his trailer. When he'd get home he'd completely push it aside.
Someone (I think it was a little boy or girl) asked why he has so many clones. He replied "So I can keep earning money on the show." This was followed up by the "if you could zat anyone once on the show, who would it be" question. He said probably Teal'c because he wouldn't expect it.
He was asked what his favorite part of acting as Ba'al was. He said it was when they made all the clones and he had to play each one. He said playing each different clone was fun. He'd have to walk around and look at himself, and no one was there. Follow up question was how difficult that was. He said it was very difficult in the beginning. It took a long time to shoot those scenes - from about 4pm to 4am. He had to remember in his own mind where "he" was standing.
An interesting question was whose idea was it to use Ba'al's human voice in the show (instead of the Goa'uld voice all the time. He said the Goa'uld voice got less and less over time, and the only reason the Goa'uld spoke like that was because they pretended to be gods. He said that notion worked well in the episode where Teal'c was his prisoner. He said he wanted his own voice to be heard and talked about the "flanging" process (he had to speak slower when they did that because otherwise you can't hear or understand what is said). He said his voice will sometimes be flanged in the movie, sometimes not.
His favorite form of torture in Abyss? "All of it." When asked who else he'd like to torture, he said it would be Teal'c and then mentioned how much he liked the acid torture.
He said the relationship between Ba'al and O'Neill will continue in the movie. He is a prisoner in the movie when he first confronts Jack, and says to him "Well, well, General Jack O'Neill" with a sarcastic emphasis on the "General" part. Jack replies with "Ba'al! Nice to see you again!" Cliff said this is how the movie starts and it sets the tone for the whole movie. Hmm, interesting. :)
He talked a bit about the mythology behind Ba'al - that the character on the show is an enigma (not knowing exactly where he's from, coupled with the accent), but the name Ba'al is short for Beelzebub, and it means fallen angel or the Devil.
He was asked whose idea it was to have Amanda hit him in The Quest Part 2. He said it was fun and that he thinks there was always a "thing" between Ba'al and "Samantha." Ba'al wanted to get a rise out of her in that scene and was happy because he had an effect on her. Her reaction was what he wanted.
He was then asked that if he could add any Ba'al scene to the show (maybe movies as well), what would it be? He said he'd like to add a love scene between Ba'al and Vala (*ducks D/V shippers* Hey, he said it, not me! *snerk*). He said that such a scene should have been in Continuum.
That was about the extent of his talk. After it ended, they showed another music video. This time "Moondust and Starlight" by brihana25, showcasing long haired Daniel (*Jess sighs*). There was another auction and then a final round of trivia for the weekend. I ended up winning an autographed picture of Daniel/MS. Someone was able to stump the participants with a question - "what was the name of the rebel Jaffa lead by Ishta" (answer was "the Hak'tyl"). I wasn't even going to volunteer but Lori said I should, so up went my hand. Brian said he had an autographed pic of Paul McGillion for me, but he ended up giving me an autographed Michael Shanks pic instead (it was the one with the slightly scruffy beard from S9). Would have liked a Paul one but it was a lovely shot of MS so I didn't mind too much. ;)
Before Michael came on, they showed another Daniel-centric music video. This time it was to "Eve of Destruction" and was centered around the episode Icon.
Okay, now sadly I think this section of my report is the least detailed. First because I scrambled up front to try and take some decent pics of the guy, and second because I was waiting on line to ask him a question. I was more focused on trying to memorize the question so I wouldn't look like a total geek reading from a post-it note stuck in a big notebook. ;) But I will try my best. If I got anything wrong please let me know.
Michael came out dressed all in black, again with NO HAT on. *huge grin* You may say what's the big deal, but the last couple of times he was in NJ he wore a hat and I've never seen him hatless in person before. :) He'd also tamed those humongous lamb chop sideburns he had at Collectormania the weekend before. His hair was quite long, I'd say pretty much like early season Daniel and was quite unruly (and pardon my shallowness, but it looked just perfect to run the fingers through and tug on... *sigh*... okay where was I now? LOL).
So as far as I can remember, here is how his Q&A went for the most part. Someone asked him what kind of music he likes. He said he likes an eclectic mix - rock, classical, country and even some pop. He mentioned something about singing to "Jesse's Girl" by Rick Springfield in the car. Hmm.... ;)
He was asked another question about Lifeboat and the multiple personalities thing. He said that he spent some time studying the little boy who was in the episode (who played Keenan), and that for the multiple personalities thing he kind of drew from the woman who was in All Around the Town with him.
A young girl asked him if Daniel and Vala would get together in the movies. He paused for a bit and then simply said "you'll have to see." Sue_Jackson mentioned the scene in Unending where Daniel goes off on Vala and asked what it was like doing that scene. He said that the way Coop (my own "pet name" (yes sarcasm intended) for Robert C. Cooper) originally wrote it, they would have Vala bugging Daniel and then suddenly they were sleeping together with no rhyme or reason, and Daniel just saying "so this is what a relationship is like." Both he and CB weren't happy about it though. Sue also asked him what his favorite scene with CB was and he couldn't really name one favorite - he mentioned a few like the burning scene in Avalon.
(I bet some of you D/V'ers thought I wouldn't even post about this, didn't ya? ;) As much as I can sometimes lapse into selective memory when it comes to things like this - hee hee - I want to be as thorough as I can in this report, so everything goes and I am trying to be as neutral to everything as possible. Hope it shows :))
Someone asked something about him playing Ma'chello and Daniel in Holiday - I believe it was how difficult was that or something to that effect. He said he remembered how RDA had all that makeup in Brief Candle when Jack aged, and he originally thought they would do his makeup like that. I can't remember the rest of what he said on that.
He was asked what the most fun episode and the worst episode were for him to do. He said Prometheus Unbound was the most fun (talked about how they filmed it on second unit at the same time as Gemini) and either Broca Divide or Space Race was the worst. Broca Divide because of the makeup - he mentioned something about the weird eyebrows that Daniel had to have when he was infected. And Space Race because Lexa told him it was like watching an Andromeda episode. He said that the little scenes with the newscasters were pretty stupid.
Someone else mentioned the wedding scene in 200, about when Daniel said to Jack "if she doesn't get here soon everyone will think we're getting married" and something about deleted scenes being great for the slashers. He answered, a la Jack, "Ya think???'" LOL. He said they were doing those kind of takes and at one point RDA looked at him and said something like... "GAY???" He said there was one take where the camera panned down to Jack and Daniel's hands and they were holding hands.
He was asked a silly question having to do with the Transformers movie and some character named Bumblebee. I wish I could remember the details but Michael's reaction to it was pretty funny. He had this "what the heck" look on his face. I tried to snap a pic of it while I was waiting to ask a question but it didn't come out at all. :(
He was also asked to talk about what his fellow SG actors are like. He said that RDA is a "jerk" (being funny of course as he said this), Amanda is a mother hen, very nurturing (sort of imitated her saying something like "now, you boys...") and also professional. He said Chris is like a big kid... "Teal'c is 150 years old and Chris is 12." Ben Browder is quite like Cam Mitchell, has integrity and wants to do the right thing. And he also praised Claudia, talking about her comedic timing and things like that (he didn't gush over her quite as much as he has in the past in interviews, but it almost seemed like he still had a little crush on her).
Finally came my question. I asked him (thanks so much majorsamfan for the idea!) "Many of us have enjoyed the friendship between the SG-1 teammates over the years. Will we get to see any more of the friendship between the original team members, especially Daniel and Sam, in the movies?" Michael's answer was, "Ummmmm... not really." He did say that there will be interaction in the movies - nothing like them having tea and crumpets at O'Neill's house, but I think he said it would be mostly action-based, and we'll see it especially in Continuum since RDA will be back for that one. He also told me that Brad Wright is penning another screenplay so we may get to see more in the future. While that would be great I couldn't help being a little disappointed. It's sad how the 10 year friendships have been sidelined quite a bit recently. I guess the only thing we can do to reconcile that is write fanfiction. *sigh*
Anyway...
A kid asked him what his favorite part of playing Daniel Jackson was. He answered "kissing all the girls." He was then asked if he could take out any scene from the show, what would it be. He replied "the nude scene in Fallen" and said something about his "nads" shrinking since it was so cold out there in that park in Surrey, BC.
Someone else asked him how many times Daniel has died. He said he lost track at about 8, and there's probably more on the way (hmmm...). He was also asked earlier which Daniel he prefers playing more - Naive Daniel or Warrior Daniel. He said a combination of both. That sometimes it's good for him to be a little naive and filled with integrity.
At the very end of his talk he mentioned something about next year, and at first Lori and I thought he said he wasn't going to be there next year but we didn't really hear what he said. If anyone else was there and heard what he said, please let me know.
They began the photo op session immediately after his talk ended. I had to scramble and take out the drawing (I posted a scan of it here a few posts back) so I could get out there before the line got too monstrous. It looked a bit long when I got there but luckily I was only waiting about 20 minutes. I was a little worried that I wouldn't get to give the drawing to him, but the Creation folk told me I could give it to him once I got in the room.
So, there I went. I went up to him, he smiled, shook my hand and said "Hi!" I told him "I'm not much of an artist but I wanted to make this for you" and I handed him the drawing. He said "Oh, thank you!" and said it was very nice. He stuck it on a nearby table and the photographer had us pose. He snuggled up to me and put his arms around me in a sort of hug, with his head leaning on top of mine. I put one arm around him too. After the pic was taken he thanked me again for the drawing. It was all pretty rushed, definitely seemed more rushed than the last time I had the photo op with him in 2004 (and strangely enough I believe there were more people at that one). I have to wait 2 weeks and then find the pic on Creation's website so I can order it. They did offer to burn a jpeg of it on a CD but it cost extra and we really had to get going.
After the photo op Lori found me and had all my stuff for me. She got my second camera back (I'd given it to helena aka qksilver99) to take pictures of Michael for me since she was sitting in the first row. and all the other stuff I left at my seat. We left at around 5:30 and thanks to some traffic on the George Washington bridge I got home at 7:30. Still it was good timing, much better than last year when the autograph session ran long.
All in all it was a great experience - I loved hanging out with my fellow Gateworlders and am still squeeeing over the photo op with MS.
And now, on to the pics. I'll post the few I took of MS here with my crummy camera, and then do a separate cut for the ones helena took with my other camera.<
Kate Hewlett
Cliff Simon
Michael Shanks
And here are the pics helena got with my much better camera (Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixels). If you want to use these for anything, please give credit to me (I asked helena if I could credit her as well but she said it wasn't necessary). Thanks.
These are a bit larger so clicky on the thumbnail for full size. There's only a few here but I will upload the rest to my website as soon as I get a chance.
