Last night I had dinner with the lovely Torri Higginson, Dark Matter's Commander Delaney Truffaut, aka Stargate: Atlantis's Commander Elizabeth Weir. Since I was on her turf, she got to choose the restaurant, selecting Redbird, Chef Neal Fraser's flagship restaurant. Apparently, it's a big deal in foodie circles - and with good reason. It was…
October 30, 3017: L.A. Day #1!
"What do you do?"asked the custom's agent. "I'm a writer-producer,"I told him. "Anything I've seen?" "Well, I worked twelve years on a show called Stargate..." "Didn't really watch it. Didn't really like the way the stories went." "Was it the human form replicators?"I wanted to ask. But instead I said: "Well then you can check…
October 29, 2017: Kicking off my L.A. doughnut tour!
Welp, I'm L.A.-bound tonight, heading west for one glorious week of general meetings, pitches, and general meetings that will evolve into pitches. To help prep me for all the best Los Angeles has to offer, Dirk Gently Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper was kind enough to forward me the following links: http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/10-best-doughnuts-in-los-angeles-2381416 https://la.eater.com/maps/best-los-angeles-doughnuts-donuts Looks like…
October 28,, 2017: Our little celebrity!
October 27, 2017: Just in time for Halloween – My Top 25 Horror Movie Recommendations!
25. SUSPIRA A German ballet school is the setting for this lurid Italian thriller by giallo master Dario Argento. 24. GREEN ROOM A young punk band, playing a gig at a remote bar in the Pacific Northwest, run afoul of neo-nazi skinheads. 23. THE ORPHANAGE A family takes up residence in a former orphanage where…
October 26, 2017: Dark Matter’s Anthony Lemke joins Blindspot!
This upcoming season of Blindspot is going global - and Dark Matter's Anthony Lemke is joining the trek. Check out the BTS video for a sneak peek at international destinations, Blindspot creator and showrunner (and former Stargate Executive Producer and Dark Matter Consulting Producer) Martin Gero give us the rundown on season 3, and a…
October 25, 2017: The Dark Matter collection – by Bannister!
I've been amazed by the obvious love Dark Matter fandom has demonstrated for the show, through the time and effort everyone spent online - tweeting, rallying, generating artwork that has positively wowed everyone from cast members to crew. I've featured a lot of that artwork here on the blog over these past few weeks. Today,…
October 24, 2017: Akemi’s Coffee Cap Series!
Monet had Water Lilies, Picasso had his Blue Period, and my girlfriend Akemi has Coffee Cap series, a collection of photos of our dog Suji sporting varied coffee caps as hats. The series to date... The biggest challenge has been in sourcing coffee caps in assorted colors. The other day, we stopped for coffee not…
October 23, 2017: Van Gogh Latte Art! High Maintenance Pooches! And congrats to the world series eventual winners!
If you're ever in downtown Toronto and have a hankering for some Van Gogh-inspired latte art, I'd recommend paying Brian a visit at Calli-Love. Pictured above, his cream and color rendition of Starry Night. Apparently, he not only dabbles in the Impressionists, but also takes requests - skylines, customer portraits, perhaps a cantankerous pug or…
October 22, 2017: Here, have a two-parter!
One of my favorite episodes of Dark Matter's first season was Episode 110. Written by my longtime producing partner, Paul Mullie, it saw the introduction of a team even more mercenary and ruthless than our lovable anti-villains. In Episode 111, a fan favorite, TWO takes back the ship (with a little help from FIVE) and…
October 21, 2017: Saturday with Fiver!
Well, well, well. If it isn't the angelic Jodelle Ferland, in town shooting a guest spot on a local production. We met up, went out for a Thai lunch, hit SOMA chocolates for - what else? - chocolates, swung by the apartment so she could say hi to the dogs (both Lulu and Suji are…
October 20, 2017: Timbit, Letters, and Answers!
Our little Timbit! I've spent the past couple of days working on my pitch for the Masked series, reading, and going through the scores of letters Dark Matter fans have sent in. Another 15 were added to the dropbox yesterday, bringing the grand total to close to 300! Tomorrow, it's a mini Dark Matter reunion…
October 19, 2017: Lyrical Akemi-isms!
Misheard lyrics are great fun. Misheard lyrics involving my Japanese girlfriend, Akemi, are downright hilarious. Every often, I will catch her belting out a tune and ask: "What are you singing?". She'll repeat the lyrics and, when I correct her, she'll frown and say: "But that doesn't make any sense." Then we invariably debate the…
October 18, 2017: Masked! More Dark Matter swag!
So, yes, in addition to the scheduled general meet and greets, I'll be teaming up with my friend (and former fellow Dark Matter Executive Producer) Vanessa Piazza to pitch Masked while in L.A. Editor Lou Anders assembled a diverse selection of tales that focus as much on the individuals behind the masks as they do…
October 17, 2017: Masked – the series!
Back in 2009, I was contacted by editor Lou Anders about contributing a story to his forthcoming anthology of superhero fiction. The collection, he explained, would feature original works from established comic book and SF writers, focusing on grounded, character-driven narratives in the vein of The Dark Knight. My first reaction was "I don't know..."…