RDA Trivia

[Caty]

That article and others make clear that Richard Dean Anderson saw to it that the scenes were done right - and when he got tired he could get frustrated pretty easily (after 15 hour days) with people who were not doing things right....including himself. He saw to it that his part in any scene was basically exactly what it should be.

No wonder many fans think Stargate SG1 was the best TV series ever. I tend to agree. (MacGyver of course is in a tie for first place). Stargate was GREAT not just because RDA was the lead actor and he was glorious in it = but the whole series took sooooo much professionalism and effort and special effects and character relationships that with RDA at the top of the production as an executive producer as well as the LEAD, most essential actor.....well, it was nigh unto perfection!

Now I am babbling on ......so whoever wants to add a trivia question, have at it.

You know, in one of the "Behind the scenes" videos he said what makes him appear at the set in time every day, was because they made him a producer

[mac_jack_fangirl]

That article and others make clear that Richard Dean Anderson saw to it that the scenes were done right - and when he got tired he could get frustrated pretty easily (after 15 hour days) with people who were not doing things right....including himself. He saw to it that his part in any scene was basically exactly what it should be.

No wonder many fans think Stargate SG1 was the best TV series ever. I tend to agree. (MacGyver of course is in a tie for first place). Stargate was GREAT not just because RDA was the lead actor and he was glorious in it = but the whole series took sooooo much professionalism and effort and special effects and character relationships that with RDA at the top of the production as an executive producer as well as the LEAD, most essential actor.....well, it was nigh unto perfection!

Now I am babbling on ......so whoever wants to add a trivia question, have at it.

You know, in one of the "Behind the scenes" videos he said what makes him appear at the set in time every day, was because they made him a producer

Ha, yeah, I remember seeing that on a video too. He's just like an overgrown kid. AT did say that she hasn't seen him act over 18 years old, wasn't it?

What did RDA mean when he said, "LTS"?

[MacBeth]

It stands for one of his mottos, "Life's Too Short".

[bftlovesRDA]

Yes, his favorite saying was LTS - life's too short. And, yes, I remember AT's comment about RDA = being like an 18 year old = an "overgrown kid" in many ways.

What I didn't know was how much work he put into getting his scenes just right and how much influence he did have as an executive producer. I think he was very self-effacing and humble when he talked about that aspect of his roles on Stargate. That online yahoo chat article and some others give hints about his efforts in this regard. Basically Stargate was a tremendously complicated but well done Series thanks to a great crew as well as to all the actors and, of course, especially thanks to RDA!

[bftlovesRDA]

Ok, been reading some more in the Archives. Here is a Trivia question found there:

Part one of the question (the easy part):
What is the name of the production company that RDA had/has with Michael Greenburg? This name is in Latin - what does it stand for?

Part two - has 2 sections to it (harder question)

RDA and Michael Greenburg chose this name for their company for a certain reason relating to a physical trait of this animal and the myth/legend from Tahiti about that characteristic,

So (a)what is this particular physical trait of this animal and (b) what is the myth/legend about it which ties into the philosophy of filmmaking that Richard Dean Anderson's / Michael Greenburg's filmmaking company has?

[mac_jack_fangirl]

I'm not going to cheat and google but I think it was something to do with a Gecko?

[Mac/Jack#1fan]

The company's name is Gekko.

Gekko's have more then one physical trait, but I think the one you are referring to is the fact that it can make a chirping sound

The myth/legend is that the Gekko is supposed to be a symbol of good luck, they have one eye on the past and the other on the future.



Are those the answers you were looking for? I didn't cheat and google it lol. I know a lot about lizards... in my house we have had just about EVERY pet you can imagine at one point or another

[MacBeth]

We have geckos at our house -- wild ones. Mostly they're outside, but sometimes they get inside and we have to try to catch them and put them outside. Otherwise they're in danger of dying of thirst: it's hard for them to find enough to eat and especially drink. They are the CUTEST things, especially the really small ones.

RDA described the gecko that landed on him in Tahiti as doing a little "push-up". They do that all the time: it's one of the ways the males try to show off how big and strong and manly they are, and to establish their territorial dominance.

In other words, the gecko that did its "push-up" on RDA's chest . . . was trying to claim him as part of its territory.

[bftlovesRDA]

Mac/Jack#1Fan / Mac_Jack_fangirl /MacBeth:

Wow - thank you for those guesses. All are related to what I was looking for - you all got the "Gecko" answer.....Yes, the name of RDA's and M. Greenburg's company is Gekko - the Latin word for Gecko.

And, double wow - to those who have lizards/Gecko's and/or who know all about them. See, this thread is very cool since we have learned some new things about these interesting animals. Thank you for posting the traits you know about these creatures.

The actual answer that matches up the best with the article in the Archives I read (and Michael Greenburg is actually quoted as giving this answer) is Mac/Jack#1Fan's answer, "The myth/legend is that the Gekko is supposed to be a symbol of good luck, they have one eye on the past and the other on the future."

The way he stated it is that the Tahitian myth/legend (thank you all for not cheating and googling it) is that the Gecko who has independent eyes, "has one eye on the road and one eye on the future." Greenburg says that quality is what basically guides their filmmaking philosophy.

Well that is not as interesting as the Gecko doing pushups on the chest of RDA claiming him as their own.......

[MacBeth]

We actually have four different kinds of lizards in and around our yard, but the geckos are the only ones that come into the house. (The plural is geckos, not gecko's.)

The geckos have splayed toes and can climb on anything. We often see them way up near the ceiling, or on the walls of the carport. They're not actually native, but at least they're not as harmful as some of the other invasive species.

In addition, we have anoles, which have big orange throat pouches that they puff up when they're showing off, and ameivas, also called jungle-runners. Ameivas are larger, incredibly beautiful multicoloured lizards with very long tails. They live in holes that they dig under the porch.

We also have one good-sized iguana who patrols through the back yard periodically, looking imposing. Actually, it's looking for shrubbery to eat, but we don't have any of the plants that it likes, so we don't mind it visiting. The iguanas are terribly destructive if you have tasty plants.

On top of those, there's a fifth species we see around the storage unit, called curlytails. Those are actually native, and they're cute too. Except for the iguana, they ALL eat bugs, and we love anything that eats bugs!!

(This has nothing to do with RDA trivia, it's just an excuse to natter on about lizards.)

Okay, trivia again. Where was the first Opening Gambit for the MacGyver pilot filmed?