Back when I last visited Montreal, my sister gave me one of the greatest gifts ever: a bunch of Ghost Chilis and Carolina Reapers she'd grown in her garden. I love spicy. Very spicy. Even so, at roughly 1 million Scoville heat units, it proved a bit of a challenge. Tasty, but mind-numbingly hot…
November 5, 2017: Nice To Be Home blog!
"Hmmmm. What should I write about today?" "Nice To Be Home blog?"suggested Akemi. "Only if you feel that way." Ooooh. Pressure. Yes, it's great to be home. But for how long? And how long will Toronto be home? Looks like I'll be heading back down to L.A. in January to pitch Masked. Before then, I've…
November 4, 2017: The L.A. Wrap-up!
Last night, in addition to enjoying a spectacular meal at Osteria Mozza with Martin Gero, Carl Binder, and Paul and Michelle Mullie, I also got to practice my Japanese by breaking the news to two wayward young tourists that the Paul Smith store was a good 20-30 minute walk from our current location. "Chotto toei…
November 3, 2017: L.A. Day #5!
I've been a fan of Robert Picardo since back in his days at Star Trek: Voyager's The Doctor, but I've become an even bigger fan of Bob's over the years as I've gotten to know him. A terrific actor and equally terrific human being, he's a good friend and someone I always make it a…
November 2, 2017: L.A. Day #4!
Here's my problem with Thai food = eatability. If I got out for any other type of cuisine, I'll eat until I'm full. In the case of Thai cuisine, however, I'll continue eating past full, beyond stuffed, and and a stop or two north of gorged. Such was the case this afternoon when I got…
November 1, 2017: L.A. Day #3!
"So what do you guys do?"asked our uber driver. "Joe here is a writer-producer,"said Marc. "And my friend Mark here is an actor,"I added. "Do you watch t.v.? "Yeah,"said the driver. "I love The Walking Dead." "Who's your favorite character?"I asked. "Rick." And then, after careful consideration: "And Daryl." "Yeah, Daryl,"I agreed. "What about Game…
October 31, 2017: L.A. Day #2!
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…