Richard Dean Anderson #LFCC 2017 Sunday Diamond Pass Talk

Another talk with RDA but somehow I preferred the one from 2 years ago as he spoke about his own stuff and didn't get into the Q&A with fans until much later on!  Since, sorry but my efficient memory which stores everything found these Qs to be repetitive and oh by the way they were things I've already written about in the book, for starters.  Such as Sea Shepherd and how he got started in it (cos he also answered that 2 years ago).  If you don't have the book see below.  Oh and I managed to get Rick to sign it!  Hopefully he was suitable impressed, well he was.  He just waned an audio version cos he falls asleep whilst reading books.  Thankfully he was also impressed by the sketch on the book cover!  That was a relief!!

Fan Q is he: 'Acting or semi-retired?': He took time to build his house in the Malibu area, 2 dogs "that love me to death, Wiley's on a break from college, I'm an insomniac so I'm still awake at night. Would  you go to work [with all this?]"  He's lazy and also too impressed about that the 'Vancouver lot' are doing something with him in mind which may or may not happen...Which we'll see if it's feasible."  Also can ride around on his motorbike.  The wonderful sea views from his Malibu home, so why would he want to leave that and work!!"  Yeah!

If he's doing much: "no one's approaching me with anything these days!"  Seriously he's out of whack and again with the demo of nodding off when reading a book like he did with me!!  Must be my book ha!
Rick says he has no other talent apart from acting, realized needed money to live when younger, wanted to be pro ski-ier, pro Formula 1 type of thing racing; dad introduced him to Sterling Moss so yeah."  Also wanted to be an Ice hockey player so luckily he had the talent for acting and not anything else he wanted to do. Wanted to be a forest ranger in high school.

Gonna post this pic again  Sooo hottt!

Here's an extract from my book on that racing aspect: from the season 4 ep Collision Course of MacGyver.

Q on Window of Opportunity ep of Stargate SG-1 in the scene with Daniel asking the same question Rick: "those who know me have no idea what is being asked...the mustard clip."
Fave Jack moment: all tech/scientific dialogue went to Amanda and what's his name, Shanks, Michael..."  Rick used to say 'ya think.' a lot.  As well as "for crying out loud;" a quote on his grandmother when she'd comment on behaviour."  She was from from Northern Minnesota.

Re Environmental stuff in MacGyer he was involved in other stuff outside of the show.  The show lasted long enough for them to do other stories.  Former LAPD deputy chief Stephen Downing came up with the Challengers Club storyline.  Added a lot of things he did off camera: like his real life.   The eps with the black rhinos, eagles, etc, "it worked."  [Again as I said in the book!]

Re the ant ep  season 1.6 Trumbo's World, asked by fan if he's afraid of anything?  Rick commented the ep was "a disgusting ep to shoot and he had to walk around in ants."  But hey they also used stock footage from the film with Charlton Heston: The Naked Jungle (1954) (again all this is in book) and yes I recall all the eps too!  Rick doesn't like ants, spiders and they have coyotes around too where he lives.

He then talked about Irwin Allen and they wrote themselves into the show and sea salt comes back to town to a fishing village and these killer whales in the harbour, he learned about them and how'd they'd splash around on you.  Then 16 feet off the water with a killer whale.  He had to hold the fish in his mouth and you're not supposed to move but he moved his head and the whale knew exactly where to aim for the fish and knocked him on his head like a boxing glove to the noggin!
See here for the pic with the killer whale, which I tweeted a few years back!  (NO mention of the Hoff though cos Rick's prob forgotten about him!)

As for being involved with Sea Shepherd, he was in Alaska, ski-ing and met Capt Paul Weston and heard him speak, "he was articulate and compassionate with his experience with humped back whales.  He was emotional about it."  Rick hasn't actually gone into action in the ships yet as he's not done it.  They've lost quite a few boats though colliding into others, especially with the Japanese ships/fishing boats.  Sea Shepherd is more hands-on than Greenpeace which Paul Watson was also a part of.

Fan Q: He and Sam Carter so would've been doing "the nasty"  With apologies the kiddies he said for speaking like that.  But they had Air Force Codes of conduct and all that!
He was her superior so they couldn't get into that.

Rick showing off a bit of keg there!! Ha.  yeah Rick the hair too!!  You still got it...!

The idea to be comedic as Jack O'Neill was all his of course.  "All the laughs were in the right place." He had a "freeflow to the scripts and it all worked out."

Word of advice for actors: if someone offers you a role just take it!  Don't hesitate.  It's a godsend in getting started especially, or even if you're established!

He loves Formula 1 and he would've wanted to race had his acting career not come along. "Hamilton's good you've gotta give it to him...congratulations Britain [sarcastically!] (Applause and laughter!)

Rick apologized for all the fans who have to queue in those lines waiting for pics/autogs, waiting for "an arrogant actor."  Why the queues were so long esp for the 9.30 am photoshoot on Saturday and the queue being too long.  But thanx for your patience and "my heart really goes out to you."

He was only one executive prouder on the show [SG-1] so he'd go through the script and make notes, writers found stories out of legends and the like.  "The art of movie making involves a process with momentum and then you move on".  Made his notes and "were legitimate ideas...but it's always a team effort...The guy in front of the camera has the last say...that's not true I take it back, it's the editor."

The moment when our eyes met again...!  Yeah it's Mi-la!! ha.

"Thanks to all for coming."  & you too cos I got to chat properly, get a front row seat for his talk and Rick will forever be one of the most friendliest down-to-earth actors/human beings out there ever!! Glad I've been a fan since 1989!!  God bless ya Rick!

http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-MacGyver-Unofficial-Unauthorized/dp/1326492756/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1449852654&sr=8-6&keywords=mila+hasan … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … #MacGyver

Ghosts of Shepherdstown 2.3 "Whatever You Do, Don't Fall Asleep" Review

Another episode of GOS which attempted to join the dots, but didn't quite manage to make that elusive connection just yet aside from some mysterious 'dark entity' which appeared to be in all three episodes thus far, but whether all three are related or not remains to be seen.  This time the team were in the town of Martinsburg as Chief King called in Nick to speak with Tricia who had a scary experience in a room she stayed in at the local Boydville Manor.  Her friend  wanted to hold a wedding there and how Tricia was held down in her bed and pushed into it by the entity, pushing her back down.  With Nick explaining this is how attachments begin and can lead to oppression and possession, by it getting hold of the spine of the person..

As they drove to investigate the Manor,  Elizabeth and Bill spoke about the town again and Elizabeth mentioning the Potomac River being close by again.  Elizabeth spots a figure in the window and it did look like someone was there and in the same room where Tricia stayed.

Jon, the owner, wants to build up this business and can't be doing that with a haunted reputation attached to the place.  They also mention the law office of the Boyd family home and how it appears to be haunted by the dark entity.  Also how the Boyd family lost a child, 4 year old Edward, to an 'unknown' disease.  Which Dana finds out about.  As she also talks of Jen the psychic who visited the law office with her husband and was possessed by the entity.  As another voice is heard on the recording when she speaks.

There definitely is a dark presence there as Jen senses it there, wanting them to get out and also how the Mel Meter was going off before they even entered the office.  With Elizabeth getting a stabbing pain in her eye on the second floor.  The entity going after Elizabeth like that was so out of order. Wonder what he used to cause that sharp pain just cos she refused to open herself up.  Didn't pick on any of the men though, coward!  So much for being the "King of death."
The entity telling Jen that Elizabeth's not opening herself up.  They decide they should investigate immediately and set up the 3D computer in the room where Edward died.  With Nick appearing in an elegant shade of pink mapped on the computer!  The producer notices a figure on the computer screen and it's a child.  Hey I said the same thing as Nick; "that it's a kid" two seconds before he did!!

Lorie senses the presence of children around the house and the tunnels beneath the ground before doing the same in the law office where she senses the negativity, not wanting Elizabeth and Nick to come in as she feared for them. Conducting a ritual using Indian sage she drove the entity away and salted the house outside.  It was pretty scary how the wind picked up moments before and was that dust flying around in the second floor room but the room was void of any dust before.  Lorie adding the entity was using the wind to blow the salt away as she salted around the house outside.

Nick and Elizabeth got communication from Edward before he was shown the light and appears to be captured on camera in one of the mirrors of the house as a figure.

Re the voices on the device:
31.06 a child's voice says "I'm dead."
31.59 the creepy voice sounds like it says "black ssheeeeep."?? Before Elizabeth says she doesn't know what that is. After this can you hear an old man's voice saying, "Edward" like his grandfather is looking for him. At 31.02.
31.14 does the man's voice answer "our door's not open" when Nick asks if they can speak to Edward.
31.41 "here."

Seems like Edward left when Lorie finished her ritual, as also seen by the shadow figure on the camera.  Leaving Edward at peace.  As well as Jen having undisturbed sleep.

Whether or not these entities could be related remains to be seen, as said, but they're all dark and as Elizabeth said they vanished when the rituals were carried out by Lorie and also Elizabeth last episode at Nina's house.  Whether they're actually gone or for how long, no one knows.  It was odd how in 2.1 and this episode the entity disappeared when the children were sent on their way to the light, with children being the connection of sorts, in two out of three cases.

Wonder when they're actually going to investigate the caves/tunnels running underneath the land as they definitely appear to crop up in their investigations.  (As said in their radio interview for Americas Most Haunted, when Nick and Elizabeth actually go into the cave.)  Another episode where so much was going on and intriguing how children seem to be involved, as I said.

Next episode looks exciting with the opera house! I'm Your Biggest Fan.  Yeah me too!

Hamlet with Andrew Scott My Short Review

This version of Hamlet some may call the definitive version of an oft-done play, was one production of our times and for our times.  The use of TV monitors and surveillance cameras in the castle itself to pick up the appearance of Hamlet's father's ghost was a neat touch.  Especially in the paranormal realm of finding evidence, the camera picks up what the eyes can't see, which I thought was a nice touch, even a glorious sense of irony in mirroring the murder of the King of Denmark, Hamlet's father by Claudius without anyone knowing or seeing him do this.  You'd think with such CCTV monitors he wouldn't have gotten away with it.  But alas as we know, it did take the appearance of his father to appear for Hamlet to speak with him whereupon he spills the "secret of his murder most foul."

Andrew Scott made the role his own with many funny scenes, including some 'akin to 'tantrum throwing' marking his slow spiral between being lost in his own soliloquies at times and the reality of what's happening around him, the plotting to bring down Claudius, his declaration of love for Ophelia which strikes him as an affliction as she also notices how he's changing.

The use of the cameras for news reports and filming the royals watching the 'play within a play' also adding a modern slant.  As well as Polonius wearing a listening device to hear the conversation and rely it to Hamlet's mother, Gertrude and uncle Claudius, show his actions.  Which at the end of the scene, Hamlet too pretends to speak into his jacket like Polonious does.  Again showing how everything is under scrutiny, but still Hamlet can get no justice for his father's murder and vengeance until he takes it upon himself to exact revenge via the play.  In which the cast were seated in front of the stage in front of the audience as they were watching the play too, another good touch.

The end scenes were poignant and indicative of reuniting everyone after their death, but at the same time showing the futility of the dastardly deed, whereupon all this heartache could've been avoided. With the protagonists giving up their wrist watches when they're dead.  As if to signify their time was up (as was the play's end) and to quote Shakespeare's MacBeth: "a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage...and then is heard no more!"

Andrew portraying Hamlet with suitcase in hand travelling like a vagabond prince, as his thoughts were travelling with him and were all over the place whilst trying to make sense of the madness and utter despair.  On and quite a bit of 'rolling around' by the characters on the stage!!  Re aiming to mimic 'bedroom' scenes.  Also on hand was Bob Dylan's music interspersed between scenes where words weren't needed but to see the action only as watching the character's thoughts unfolding.

There was a moment on the TV screens where several scenes are played simultaneously and you just wanted to say, "miss me!"  I did.  The modern version also using the TV screens to signal the intermission with 'PAUSE' coming up on the screen.

All in all it was an interesting production and yet different, as each production of Hamlet stands out for its own various reasons and each actor brings their own interpretation of the doomed, sweet prince to light...

Ghost Adventures 14.11 "Return to Asylum 49"

This episode of Ghost Adventures was a return to Asylum 49 and a chance to investigate the nursing home which they couldn't do back in 2011, before it's demolished.  A final chance to release any spirits roaming and still stuck there.  Thus Zak spoke to them and released them from their consciousness, conscious bodies and minds, especially those not able to understand or not realizing they had passed and perhaps to move on.

That part of the nursing home and in particular the part known as 'The Green Mile,' where the nurses saw the shadows and spirits turned out to be deftly?? creepy for them too and not cos of the clown dummy there, but since they captured quite a lot there.  Including Zak almost giving Aaron a heart attack and making him hurt his back as he walked down there, with Aaron thinking Zak's shadow was a dark shadow figure.

It was tough Marie getting fired after they filmed there, what did they want her to do stay silent.  She was taking about the spirits there and not exactly the other staff, patients or management, so she had every right to speak about her experiences there.

Billy volunteering to stay the night there in that room where they left patients to be collected and that bed no one touched with the powder on it, looked like two faces in there.

Was quite a bit of activity taking place there during the night, including the door banging shut and then that figure that's seen behind the glass doors at around 19.02.  It vanishes very quickly or appears to, the editing was a little rough there, so couldn't get a good look which direction all this happened in.  Appeared to be filmed by Billy's cam or the static cam?  But played that back several times to have a good look.  And Billy in a hospital gown too, going all out for the sake of investigating.

Coincidentally, rather not, the door that closed was the same one where Aaron looked into where he said he saw a man.  As well as being near where Zak said he heard the man's voice in his ear.  Zak running to turn his back against the wall, was kinda funny, I mean how's that gonna help.  Had to laugh at that.  As for the man's voice, it was validated when Aaron uses the SB spirit box and asks those questions of "are you here taking all those lives when this place is going on?" When the 'unexplained female voice' replies, "he did."  Referring to either the man they heard, or the evil figure that haunts the place, taking lives.  As well as the EVP Zak caught on the digital recorder which says, "noooo."  The same voice he said he heard in his ear.
New equipment developed by Billy and Bill Chappell, the Spirit Sweep, which they also used and actually caught a man's voices on it.

Ghosts of Shepherdstown 2.2 "We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes"

Leading on from last week, the team now head towards Sharpsburg, another town situated near the Potomac in a bid to help Nina who has been plagued by a negative entity and a Native American woman appearing to her, outside her window and in her dreams.  Chief Mike King catches up to the three as Nick asks if they've got a broken tail light.  Actually they've heard about the activity through the scanner and were heading there.  With Elizabeth asking if Nina's home is near the river.

Sharpsburg is another town severely affected by the Civil War where a bloody battle took place, where the river also turned red from the blood and the limbs were just thrown out of the window onto the street.  As well as every house being used as a hospital as the Union Army bombarded the Confederates with artillery fire.  Nina tells how her ex-husband, John, found a bullet in the ground of their yard and the paranormal team helping out took it in order to help ease the activity, which didn't work.

Nina tells of how she's been affected and how the activity eventually led to her relationship breaking down and to her divorce.  As well as anyone who entered the basement suffering from 'manic'-like episodes almost and have broken their lease with her.  Elizabeth is immediately affected by the basement and suffers from some form of "mania" as she describes it.  Nick and Bill run a baseline sweep of the basement using their equipment and don't find any activity on the Mel Meter.  With Bill adding how the toilet isn't haunted.  And Nick replying he'll use it later.  We all know Nick's track record with spirits and toilets!

Elizabeth sweeps the upstairs and finds the Mel Meter activates via the antenna in exactly the same spot where the Native American woman appeared to Nina.  In her bedroom, the Meter doesn't stop going off and goes crazy.  The same thing happens to the one that Bill places on her bed too.
Elizabeth leaves her ComSphere gadget in the basement so that if it activates they will return here. Nick and Elizabeth speak with John who confirms everything happening at the house and how their son doesn't want to inherit it.  Whilst Bill speaks with Dana and Ronnie who shows them the bullet. Bill swapping bullet samples for Ronnie to look at which had all been fired and mushroomed, showing that the bullet hasn't been fired thus there wouldn't be any residual energy associated with it causing the activity and the bite mark shows it was given to someone to bite on to ease their pain. Thus the term, "bite the bullet."  The EVP was haunted screams of the woman in such agony.  At the house in the basement there have also been symbols on the wall and Elizabeth notices the infinity symbols when she takes photos.

Lorie tells them about a Native American woman who was murdered here and she appears to be protecting Nina from the negative entity in the basement.  Where there's the presence of a portal.  The ComSphere goes off later and they return to t he house where Elizabeth finds that the wire from inside the ComShere has been pulled out, which is impossible to do without actually getting into it.

The light that Elizabeth mentions being on in the basement room with the laser is what I saw on the wall too, it's on and then it goes off when the producer enters the room.  You can see the light on the wall.

Was the shuffling coming from the same toilet area that displayed no activity earlier on.  Nick uses the Geoport and gets some amazing voices!
33.12 "...I hate it..." after it says it's in the basement.
33.18 the woman faintly says, "I'm here..."

Infinity symbols and crescent moon on the wall.  Was it just me or when the Geoport died, didn't that sound like an eerie gunshot!  IT was such a loud bang!
34.49 "no leave," sounds like the male voice says this or "no need." ??  When Nick asks where the female spirit is.

Bill using the dowsing rods finds the portal/vortex and Elizabeth tries to close it.  When the sage burns out the portal should've closed.  And that's when the laser went off.  Reed and Melody Oglala Sioux Spiritualists conduct a Native American ritual to enable the woman to find peace.  With Elizabeth giving her handmade moccasins so she can walk easier after having the soles of her feet removed after she was killed.

Whether the portal has been closed and the activity ceases remains to be seen, since it can start up again at any time, until as Nick says they work out how the portal opened up; but it was good seeing them try to help Nina and the Native American woman find some sort of peace and closure.  Once again stepping in to help the resident as much as possible.  Agree with Elizabeth about more activity taking place in the basement  as in 2.1 whether this is a coincidence or related remains to be seen. Also was great to see Elizabeth conducting the sage ritual in the basement too as we haven't seen her use her skills before in this way.  Again each of them bringing their own individual and unique talents to the investigation.

Read more about the ComSphere here:
https://www.sparkfun.com/news/2390

also more about Elizabeth's ghostly gadgets at:
https://elizabethsaint.com/tag/ghostly-gadgets/

The Musketeers 1.6 "Death of a Hero" Review

                                             
Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) finds a woman, Agnes (Amy Nuttal) whose baby has been kidnapped.  A priest is killed in the church nearby and another one hides out and makes his escape. He makes a remark about her being a loose woman and she says she's very respectable when wondering who would've taken her baby, she points to the grave and he apologizes, cos she's a respected, married woman.  As they walk in the road a crowd of people tell her to go away and Anne (Alexandra Dowling) calls her a witch.   D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) follows the man who took the baby to a house.

Athos (Tom Burke) and Porthos (Howard Charles) are at the King's (Ryan Gage) hunt, as a group of people ride out, getting Louis inside, they find it's his mother, Maria di Medici (Tara Fitzgerald).  He didn't want her to return to Paris after he banned her since she plotted to overthrow him and take the throne.  She tells him assassins are after her and there's already been a failed attempt on her life. Louis refuses to see her and Anne thinks she should hear her out.  The Cardinal (Peter Capaldi) tells her to leave and Athos and Porthos escort them away.  The cardinal telling him it wouldn't be good for the morale of France if Louis lets his mother be killed.  En route they are ambushed in the woods and her man kills one, whilst he slits the throat of another, when Athos tells him not to do it, as they can question him.  Of course it wasn't a real attempt on her life, but one orchestrated by her.  Just to get close to Louis and into the palace.

She ends up there and Constance (Tamla Kari) finds D'Artagnan watching the house, as they see a woman leave, she says she's a wet nurse, she feeds the baby.  That's a way for her to get into the house and she tells him she can't feed the baby.   He tells her to improvize.  The others arrive as Porthos and Athos followed Maria to the same house and spot Aramis and D'Artagnan there with Agnes.  She tells Aramis about her husband who was born deformed and everyone thought he was a devil and they hated him.  She was sent to care for him and fell in love.  (Beauty and the Beast??) They ended up being married by father DuVal and one day they went out walking together, but he was beaten.

Father Duval arrives in Paris and demands to see the Cardinal as he has vital information.  He tells him about the baby Henry and how he was the legitimate heir to the throne, as Philippe was Louis's brother.  Showing him the records, Maria is Henry's grandmother.  She leaves the house after speaking with Constance and seeing Henry, they move in and attack, Constance having signalled from the window that there are more men inside.  They manage to overpower them and Constance gives Aramis the baby to hold, as she sword fights one of them, as she's been learning from D'Artagnan.  Aramis left holding the baby, as she asked him if he has a family.  The Musketeers are his family.  That's a question they're all asked.

As they leave with the baby, the Cardinal tells Aramis he knows what she's doing here and plans to take over the throne as she's Henry's grandmother.  The Cardinal still wants Treville (Hugo Speer) to find the baby, but Aramis tells him they can't hand him over cos he'll be killed by the Cardinal or used by his grandmother.  Aramis plots to send her to Spain and as they hide out, soldiers arrive at the bridge.  He pays off a man to take her, but he gets an ever bigger payment from another man, as he points them out to him.  The other Musketeers turn up and Athos tells him they should've told them what he was doing, otherwise it was just suicidal.  That's a common thread that runs through this, not telling each other what's happening or what they're doing.  Maria telling him that her husband tried to make France a good place and she wants to do the same, it's not about money.

Athos tastes the brandy in the barrel which they can use to throw into the fire where it'll explode and cause a diversion.  (Which D'Artagnan did in series 3 when he threw out Porthos's wine barrel when they were under attack.)  She crosses the bridge and Aramis rides out with the baby where he's stopped and throws the baby into the river.  She's upset and tries to jump in.  Everyone now thinking the baby's dead (a ploy also used in the next episode!)

Treville conveys the news to the Cardinal who tells Maria that the baby died, as her man is arrested. She leaves.  It was the only way for Henry to be safe and she thinks she can return to her home and live a normal life.  Her life wouldn't ever be normal and Henry wouldn't be safe.  As they ride up with Henry, Aramis needed her to react normally otherwise they wouldn't believe her anguish.  He gives her money and tells her to find somewhere and find someone else, Phillipe would want her to.  She'd ask him to come with her, but she knows they're his family.

This episode was done again, well most of the events were similar, including the title in series 3. Louis had another brother called Phillipe Feron as we saw and he died saving Louis.  Here Louis' father had another son, Phillipe who was also deformed, like Henry's father and he was driven away.  Louis not knowing about him.  Here was the death of a hero then for Henry dying like that, supposedly, or was it a reference to his father.  Coincidence that both Phillipe's were deformed and how history repeated itself.  The Cardinal destroying any proof of Henry's birth and marriage and also getting Duval murdered so he couldn't talk.  He should've known that would happen, but he was trusting of a fellow man of the cloth.

Cardinal: "Bravo, I'm not unable to savour a strategem of elegant construction...let's not pretend, we both know what big teeth you have, grandmother."

This ep definitely needs to be watched in conjunction with 3.6 Death of A Hero.