10 Things That Freaked Me Out When I Was A Kid: Clowns Oompa Loompas Needles Bonhomme Carnaval, the unnervingly grinning mascot of the Quebec Winter Carnival Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - the entire movie Winding glass staircases The Harlem Globetrotters Those portable “black holes” from the old Warner Bros. cartoons Tiny Tim Munchkins Michelle writes:…
June 29, 2009: Counting Down To The Summer Hiatus! David Blue!
With three days to go before the official start of our summer hiatus, I was back in the office today, trying to figure out the beat sheet for the big SGU Season 1 finale (hint: the title rhymes with the name of the preceding episode). Lots going on in this one and this…
June 28, 2009: WTF? I’m on! I’m off! I’m back on again! Discovering the inner me! And catching up with the mailbag!
I could've sworn I uploaded this entry a couple of hours ago but when I cruised by to check on comments, it had magically disappeared. Or maybe it never appeared in the first place. Hmmm. Okay, let's try this again. Decisions, decisions... Damn. Less than 24 hours after declaring I was “on the program”, I’m…
June 27, 2009: Birthdays and Bon Voyage Dinner.
Charcuterie Crispy pig feet! Agnolotti with potatoes, mascarpone, and chives. Pizza Bianca Nutella tart The night before Marty G. left town for L.A., most of us gathered for a farewell dinner at Campagnolo Restaurant (http://campagnolorestaurant.ca/). In attendance that evening: Exec. Producer Robert Cooper, Special Features Producer Ivon Bartok, Script Coordinator Lawren…
June 26, 2009: 20 Down And 0 To Go! Brian J. Smith!
Brian J. Smith (Lt. Matthew Scott) relaxes on the Icarus set. Brian takes a break between set-ups. Breaking a story can go either way. It can be a fast-paced and entertaining exchange of ideas in which all participants contribute to fashion a gripping, tightly plotted, detailed episode breakdown. Or, it can be a…
June 25, 2009: The Doctor Is In! Actor Paul McGillion Answers Your Questions.
Some of you know him as Ernest Littlefield. Most of you know him as Dr. Carson Beckett. Me? I know him as good ole Paul - talented actor, all-around good guy, and the most entertaining person to hang with at a con (as I discovered at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con). Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…
June 24, 2009: August’s Book of the Month Club Selection. And – BEST. MOVIE REVIEW. EVER!
In case you haven’t noticed - I’m slowing down the pace of the book club, limiting the selections to a single title a month in order to - hopefully - give you all enough time to read and participate in the discussion. In a couple of weeks, we’ll be discussing James Enge’s fantasy debut Blood…
June 23, 2009: A Cracking Spot of Thee-Atah!
Approximately a month after losing a bet to my co-worker Kerry, and following weeks of her incessant badgering and bothering, I finally paid up by accompanying her to a musical theater production of her choice. Her choice? Altar Boyz: “…Altar Boyz tells the holy inspiring story of 5 small-town boys - Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan…
June 22, 2009: 19 Down And 1 To Go! Jamil Walker Smith!
Jamil Walker Smith (Sgt. Greer) Well, after several weeks of talking about it, we finally sat down and did it - the writers set aside their other work (editing, outlines, autobiographies) and their differences (the Binder-Gero feud is legendary) to gather and break Episode #19. And, in under two and a half hours, we were…
June 21, 2009: Things I’ve Found In My Salad. And the Mailbag.
So we were having brunch today and I was enjoying my smoked salmon and spinach frittata when, two-thirds of the way through my meal, I noticed a little addition to the side salad: a tiny produce sticker gumming up a wad of leaves. Informative, but a bit of an appetite-killer. Our waiter was appropriately mortified…
June 20, 2009: Just Like Old Times!
Sure, plenty of people missed Martin Gero when he left Vancouver for the Big Apple, but I’m willing to bet that none missed him as passionately as the gang at Fuel. When he was in town, we used to frequent the place at least once a week, dropping in and leaving ourselves to the mercies…
June 19, 2009: My Arch-Nemesis, Ashleigh, Answers Your Questions!
"When's Ashleigh's Q&A?"aske Carl. "Today,"I informed him. And then, after some consideration: "Tonight. I need time to reformat her answers and insert my own running commentary." "Can you do that?"asked Ashleigh. "I'm not sure,"I said. "I don't think that there's anything in the wordpress blogger regulation book that prevents me." But I checked, just…
June 18, 2009: Golden Boy Gero Back in Town. No Topango Sightings Reported.
Hey, look who's back! Well, former Stargate: Atlantis Executive Producer Martin Gero finally made his triumphant return to The Bridge Studios. Yesterday. Unfortunately, I wasn’t around so I missed the parade and pizza lunch in his honor. I was, however, back in the office today and on hand to welcome him in proper fashion: with…
June 17, 2009: Dear Casting Directors, Producers, Studio People, and Network Execs – Do Yourself A Favor and Hire These Actors.
Nothing to read here. Move along. Thank you. This blog entry isn’t for Stargate fans or foodies or dog lovers or anyone who was directed here following an internet search for “vampire prop” (three of you), “big ass xex” (two of you), or “eating champagne truffles when pregnant” (one of you). No, this blog entry…
June 16, 2009: The Joys of Scriptwriting, Production Update, and Oodles of Pics.
Spoiler Alert! Brad's diagram explains the science behind an upcoming episode! Oh, and Carl. Special Features Producer Ivon Bartok loves to drop by the offices and just hang out - much to Paul's delight. Ivon shows off his People's Choice Award for Best DVD Extras. Coincidentally, MY People's Choice Award went missing today. Visual Effects…