Entertainment
The Stargate SG-1 Hockey Team Every Fan Wishes They Could Have Seen In Action
By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
Vancouver has been the Hollywood of Canada for decades. Supernatural, Smallville, The 100, Continuum, Travellers, the list of shows that film around the city are too many to mention, but it also includes the legendary Stargate SG-1. For a decade, the series filmed out of Vancouver, which is why every alien planet on the other side of the Stargate looks like, well, Vancouver. Since they filmed in Canada, most of the cast and crew were also major hockey fans, to the point where they started their own team and would take on other productions in friendly games.
Stargate SG-1 Took On All Comers
Canadian Michael Shanks was the ringleader for the Stargate team. At one time, Shanks thought about going pro. Instead he spent a decade playing Dr. Daniel Jackson by day, and slamming Smallville’s Lex Luthor, Michael Rosenbaum, into the boards by night. Through different interviews and DVD featurettes, Shanks and crew has said they’d play not only Smallville, but also Millenium, The Twilight Zone, and even The Chris Isaak Show. If you forgot that the man who sang “Wicked Game” starred in a sitcom on Showtime for three seasons … so did everyone else. Amazingly, it was pretty good for the time too.
Richard Dean Anderson was also part of Team Stargate. He’s American, but from Minnesota, which means like Shanks he was required by law to be a fan of hockey growing up. In the episode “Fire and Water” when Jack O’Neill is taking a hockey stick to General Hammond’s windshield, you can even see where the stick says “Anderson” towards the top. Fans today would love to have been there in the stands to see Shanks, Anderson, and Dan Shea, who played Sgt. Sylvester Siler for all 10 seasons and parts of Atlantis. Take on the other productions.
Having Fun With the Cast’s Hobbies
Even though it’s been 33 years since a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup (oddly, the same year that Gary Bettman became NHL Commissioner), it’s the national sport of Canada. It’s odd when a Canadian production doesn’t have a hockey team.
In “The Other Guys” O’Neill brings up hockey to Teal’c, saying they went to a game last year, and Teal’c says he thinks the Vancouver Canucks are going to win the Stanley Cup. Instead of hockey, Christopher Judge would join Richard Dean Anderson on the golf course on a regular basis, which is why when Teal’c and O’Neill are stuck in a time loop in “Window of Opportunity” they hit golf balls through the Stargate. That’s their own clubs and balls being used dangerously close to a $100,000 prop.
Stargate SG-1 never worked very hard to cover the obviously Canadian influences behind the production, even making a metajoke about it in “Wormhole X-Treme.” It was one of the most successful, and longest-running, sci-fi productions to come out of Vancouver which is still heavily used to this day. There’s no word on if the Toronto-based Killjoys and The Expanse had their own hockey teams, but it’s still Canada, so odds are they were hitting the ice in between runs to Tim Hortons listening to Bryan Adams and watching Trailer Park Boys.
Entertainment
Dreames newest vacuum mop basically pressure-washes your floors
TL;DR: You can grab the Aero Ultra Steam on Amazon or Dreame’s website starting July 15 for $799.99.
If you’re tired of scrubbing sticky kitchen floors or dealing with stubborn pet messes, Dreame’s newest wet/dry vacuum mop is basically built to pressure-wash your house.
Launching on July 15, the Aero Ultra Steam is the latest flagship in the company’s lineup and, according to an email from the brand, the first in its class to combine high-temperature steam, hot water, and foaming detergent into one seamless system. (I’m particularly excited for this release — I have two beagles and the Dreame L60 Pro Ultra robot vacuum has literally changed my life.)
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It features a “Tri-Force” cleaning system that hits your floors with 392°F SaunaClean steam for chemical-free sanitizing, dissolves tracked-in mud and other non-mentionables with 194°F ThermoRinse hot water, and dispenses a floral-scented FoamWash to neutralize 99 percent of pet odors. (And this is all at 30kPa, Dreame’s most powerful suction yet.) It also uses a specialized TangleCut 2.0 scraper to keep the brush roller tangle-free — which is non-negotiable when you’re constantly cleaning up hound hair.
The Aero Ultra Steam dispenses a floral-scented foam designed to neutralize 99 percent of pet odors while you clean.
Credit: Dreame
Bonus: You’ll get 100 minutes of runtime in Eco mode, and the super-slim 3.88-inch profile makes it super easy to reach underneath your couches (or wherever) without moving all the furniture.
You can grab the Aero Ultra Steam on Amazon or Dreame’s website starting July 15 for $799.99.
Entertainment
Stargate Stars and Fans Over 100,000 Strong In Petition To Save Reboot
By Jennifer Asencio
| Updated
For one brief moment, it looked like fans were going to get a beloved show rebooted into something new, but it was not meant to be. Amazon Studios cancelled their planned revival of Stargate, which devastated the cast, crew, and fans in equal measure. It was going to be helmed by veteran Stargate writer Martin Gero. The other executive producers included those who had a direct hand in the creation of the original movie, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin co-wrote the movie, and Emmerich directed it.
Brad Wright and Joe Mallozzi, who have long been associated with the Stargate franchise, were also brought on board, along with Joey Harold and Tory Tunnell. This revival with this creative team behind it had the power to bring Stargate back to the present time. And that is where the show ran into the snag that ultimately led to it being cancelled by Amazon Studios.
Gero and others involved, including actors like SG-1 star Michael Shanks and sci-fi staple Robert Patrick, urged fans to push back against this decision by Amazon Studios. Creators and actors were so invested in the quality of their content that they were willing to speak out so publicly. Fans rallied behind the actors, and soon #SaveStargate gained momentum on social media. There was a Change.org petition that gained over 113,000 signatures as of this writing. Fans created websites dedicated to saving Stargate. That is how deeply fans feel about the Stargate franchise.
A Flawed Reboot Logic
The reason that Amazon Studios gave for canceling the reboot is that they felt the show would appeal only to the original fans and not to a broader “modern audience.” We really need to just move beyond that descriptor. The modern audience doesn’t watch science fiction; they just demand that everyone else hold their worldview and have diversity and messaging that so deeply twists the story it wouldn’t be what fans wanted anyway.
Many other revivals that were cancelled or died after the first season often saw the cast and crew blaming fans for not tuning in to their show. We’ve since watched Sabrina and a rebooted Charmed come and go with characters that remind us nothing of what we used to love about the original series. We are given lectures on what the message should be. You can no longer really watch any sort of programming without the “modern agenda” being forced into it, bludgeoned with such force that it resembles nothing about the original, but checks corporate boxes on gratuitously inclusive metrics. That is all the studios seem to care about, even if it costs them billions of dollars.
That is the thing that Amazon did not fully understand or want to understand. Maybe the revival didn’t check enough of their corporate boxes for them to avoid backlash from a vocal minority that demands these companies bend the knee.
Here it is, though: if the quality of the show and the storytelling is good, you will bring in fans. With Gero and the others at the helm, the original fans would’ve flocked to Stargate. Word of mouth of how great it was would spread. Those fans would want to share it with their friends and family. That brings in more viewers and more of those metrics a company looks at. SG-1 ran for a decade. Atlantis lasted five seasons, and Universe lasted only two before it was cancelled with many plots unresolved. They later released a comic book to help tie up some of those loose ends.
When done properly, Stargate has staying power with fans who wanted to watch programs that had great storytelling and emotional weight. It was axed because it did not appeal to the modern audience. That is not to say that Amazon Studios is done with Stargate; they are just not moving forward with the production helmed by Gero and the others. We will see if this bold strategy pays off for them, or if their future revival fails to generate traction with the modern audience, as we’ve seen many times already.
Entertainment
National French Fries Day 2026 deals: Score free fries from McDonalds, Five Guys, Sheetz, Chick-Fil-A, and more
If you’re not eating free fries this week, you’re doing life wrong. Just kidding (kind of).
Friday, July 10, is National French Fry Day, which means a bunch of your favorite fast food chains are giving away free fries. While some require a minimum purchase of some kind or a (free) rewards membership, others require nothing but your will to face the crowds at a local establishment. Regardless, this is a made up holiday I, for one, can get behind.
If you’re curious which fast food chains are participating in the free fry celebration, we have a running list below. Just be sure to check the details before rushing out to the restaurant of your choice.
Arby’s
Arby’s Rewards members can get a free fry of any size on July 10 with the purchase of a Cheesesteak online or in app.
Checkers & Rally’s
Celebrate National French Fry Day at Checkers & Rally’s from July 10 through 12 with BOGO free Famous Seasoned Fries of any size and $1 sauce trios.
Chick-Fil-A
From July 7 through 13, Chick-Fil-A is giving out free medium-size Waffle Fries as a reward in the restaurant’s app. Just play the in-app “Spot the Cow” game to get the deal. It’s limited to one fry reward per person.
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Del Taco
July 10 through 13, you can score a free regular fry at Del Taco with with a $3 minimum purchase.
Five Guys
From July 8 through 10, customers who buy a burger, hot dog, or sandwich through the Five Guys app or Five Guys.com will get one free Little Fry. Sign in or create a Five Guys account and enter promo code FRYDAY26 at checkout to get the freebie.
Jack in the Box
Sign up to be a Jack Pack Rewards member if you’re not already and you’ll be able to grab a free fry of any size on July 10 with a minimum purchase of $1.
McDonald’s
On July 10th, National French Fry Day proper, McDonald’s is giving out free medium-sized French Fries to Rewards members. Just make a purchase of at least $1 through the McDonald’s app to get the deal.
Sheetz
From July 10 through 16, Sheetz is giving away one free bag of fries with any purchase of $10 or more through the Sheetz app (under the OFFERZ tab). The freebie is limited to one per My Sheetz Rewardz member.
Wendy’s
Are you a Wendy’s Rewards member? Head to the app and make a purchase of at least $5 and you’ll get a free fry in any size on National French Fry Day, July 10.
Whataburger
Whataburger rewards members can score a free medium fry with no purchase required on July 10. The offer is valid online or in the app.
White Castle
Head to White Castle on July 10 and pick up free Cheese Fries by using the promo code CHEESY when you place an online or in-app order.
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