Joe Mallozzi has recently started a blog with writings on his life and work. On 13 December 06 his entry included this paragraph:

I did manage to get a bit of work done on my script, beat out some season 4 synopses for this Friday afternoon’s conference call with SciFi, exchanged emails with Gary Jones (SG-1′s Walter Harriman) who, it turns out, is quite the watch aficionado (Just you ask him about the Tourbillon at the next convention), and chatted with poor Paul McGillion who has been deluged with interview requests regarding the Carson Beckett character. I suggested he follow my lead and defer the discussions of all sensitive matters to the show’s unwitting unofficial spokesperson: line producer John Smith.

Joe’s mention of John Smith is likely a reference to the fact that Smith “leaked” the news of Carson’s demise at a convention. Apparently this was not a sanctioned announcement!

It’s interesting that Joe spoke with Paul at all. We can only hope it was to discuss the possibilities for his return to the show.