Alaina Huffman, the actress who plays medic Tamara Johansen on Stargate Universe, has announced that she’s pregnant with her third child. This obviously led to questions about whether her pregnancy would be written into the show. Her response?

“You have to watch. I think every actor on the Stargate franchise has had [...]]]> OK, puns may not be my thing…

Alaina Huffman, the actress who plays medic Tamara Johansen on Stargate Universe, has announced that she’s pregnant with her third child. This obviously led to questions about whether her pregnancy would be written into the show. Her response?

“You have to watch. I think every actor on the Stargate franchise has had one or more kids.  [The writers] know what they are doing, and they know how to deal with it.  I can’t give away spoilers whether we are or are not going to entertain that possibility.  You’ve just got to keep watching!”

I can see both the positive and negative aspects of writing her pregnancy into the show; on the one hand it would raise some very interesting problems for the crew and TJ by having a baby on board, but on the other hand, women with babies on television are too often reduced to only being mothers. If the writers could handle Johansen being pregnant in an interesting way, without it detracting from her development as a character, then it could be a good move for the show.

Of course, they may have already planned for this; we know from the pilot that Johansen was resigning from the military, so perhaps she had a bun-in-the-oven type of reason…

Hey kids and parents of kids and super-old, like ancestor-old-but-not-dead-yet-type people, just poking my oversized head in to say [...]]]> I have to admit, I’m ambivalent about this one (given my somewhat troubled relationship with Glee) but word has spread that Joss Whedon will be guest-directing an episode. I’ll let Mr. Whedon explain…

Hey kids and parents of kids and super-old, like ancestor-old-but-not-dead-yet-type people, just poking my oversized head in to say that the rumors are true… unless something very odd happens in the next few months, I will have the privilege of shooting an episode of GLEE. Why GLEE? Because I love cops, serial killers and gritty urban drama (I haven’t seen the show yet). Why me? Because they’re struggling and can’t afford real directors. And to head off a few queries:

No, this doesn’t mean Dollhouse definitely won’t get a back nine. Our numbers mean that! But I kid. Okay, we’re not exactly saving all the good stuff for 14-22, but nobody’s closed the door. If D’House suddenly busts wide, huzzah, we’ll still bring it, and I’ll still go and direct an episode of Glee, because of my love of cops. These realities can co-exist. And possibly cross over, at least in fiction that I have wri – read. About.

What can we expect from a ‘Joss Whedon’ epsiode of Glee? An episode of Glee. God willin’ and the crik don’t rise, a good one. A television director’s job is, on some level, to be anonymous; to find the most compelling way to present a story without calling attention to himself. I had a wonderful time doing just that on The Office, and hope to again. A guest director can bring a huge amount to the party (we’ve had CRAZY talent on Dollhouse), but the party isn’t his. I just want to work with good people on a show that I like enough to have watched every episode several times. (I lied: I HAVE watched the show. And seriously, when do the cops show up?)

Whom will I kill? When will that go away? Is death really the only thing I’m known for? I’d hope not. You know how many people in the world actually die? ALL OF THEM. You know how many I’ve killed? Statistically, somewhat fewer. Can’t we focus on another element of my work? Having said that, probably Principal Figgins. (No! I kid! God.)

Anyway, I hope that clears things up. I’m going to do my best, and more importantly, I’m going to do my best not to gush like a fanboy for eight straight days on set. Don’t worry. I practiced with Bamber. I’m a pro.

Happy Monday. Especially for me. -j.

Of course, I haven’t watched it, so I certainly couldn’t tell you that the pilot was better than I’d expected. Since I haven’t seen it. I also couldn’t predict that some [...]]]> A copy of the pilot episode of new ABC series FlashForward has leaked online, with the episode popping up on a range of file-sharing websites.

Of course, I haven’t watched it, so I certainly couldn’t tell you that the pilot was better than I’d expected. Since I haven’t seen it. I also couldn’t predict that some of the opening scenes are genuinely spine-tingling, and that the show throws in enough mysteries during the first episode to sustain the rest of the season.

I also wouldn’t be able to tell you about how pleased I was to see Sonya Walger, Alex Kingston and Jack Davenport in the episode and that Joseph Fiennes performance isn’t quite as bad as some of the clips have suggested.

Having not seen the leaked episode I also wouldn’t have spotted the Oceanic Airlines easter egg or a cameo from a kangaroo.

Finally, I certainly wouldn’t be able to recommend that people give the show a try and see what they think, as I wouldn’t have any basis to be optimistic about it.

Indeed.

A boyband? Really?

Last night’s episode veered wildly between disappointing and cringe-worthy, with dollops of missed opportunities mashed into it. As much as I may have criticised certain elements of the first two episodes, they nevertheless had a certain spark and energy that was inexplicably endearing. There was enough wit and warmth to carry the cliched [...]]]> Um…

A boyband? Really?

Last night’s episode veered wildly between disappointing and cringe-worthy, with dollops of missed opportunities mashed into it. As much as I may have criticised certain elements of the first two episodes, they nevertheless had a certain spark and energy that was inexplicably endearing. There was enough wit and warmth to carry the cliched storylines, and most of the characters were likeable in their own way.

I finished watching “Acafellas” and just felt blank. Not a good sign.

Will’s abandonment of the club, even temporarily, just didn’t feel believable considering all of the effort he’d poured into it. Rachel’s character has seemingly lost the weird quirkiness and hint of a dark side she had in the first few episodes and has morphed into a bland, stock “good girl” figure. The most heinous character crime of all, however, came in casting Victor Garber in an utterly forgettable role as Will’s father. C’mon, Glee! Garber is better than that. Maybe they’ll do something interesting with him in the future to redeem such a waste of a good actor.

Even the musical numbers this week felt off to me; I’d expected Glee to use the songs in a naturalistic way, with the club performing them (as they have been in the last few episodes.) Tonight’s bizarre hallucinatory car-washing extravaganza was just painful, and seemingly only shoe-horned into the episode to give Amber Riley’s Mercedes a chance to sing and/or have a dozen cheerleaders dancing in skimpy outfits. (Speaking of Mercedes, did that plotline with Kurt make sense to anyone? The boy is so clearly, overtly gay that Mercedes having feelings for him only rings true if she had been portrayed as incredibly naive, which prior to this episode she hadn’t.)

All of it just left me rooting for Sylvester and the Cheerios to destroy them. I don’t think that’s what the writers were aiming for.

I think the reality is that I’m just not the target audience for Glee, and that’s fine. Plenty of people seem to have really embraced the show, and I’m always happy for any scripted series to enjoy success. But, like Finn, I’m thinking of quitting the Glee Club.

Of course, you can have your say by rating the episode below!