We were walking back to the car after dinner when I happened to notice the two women vacillating outside of La Taqueria, peering in at the menu, brows furrowed, discussing. "It's great!"I assured them. "Best tacos in Vancouver." They turned, all smiles, clearly delighted someone had taken the time to engage them. "What's good?" asked the…
September 25, 2015: Foodly developments!
My sis and Daisy are in town for the week and, of course, whenever we get together, it's all about the food. Like this kouign-amman they brought me from Montreal's Patisserie au Kouign Amann. Or mom's Russian teacakes (aka Mexican wedding cookies). Or mom's home made biscotti, perfect for Akemi who is a huge fan of dry…
September 24, 2015: The L.A. Wrap-up!
I’m like that classic character of greek tragedy, the one who’s forever doomed to choose the wrong airplane meal. Fortunately, lunch softened the blow. For our last meal in L.A., Akemi and I hit up Spago where we enjoyed… The crunchy complimentary bread basket! Their trademark tuna tartare cones! And one of the best schnitzels…
September 23, 2015: Plotting my future! With Special Guest Star…Carl Binder!
Today was Day #1 of my whirlwind seventeen and a half hour Hollywood tour. I'm in town looking to lock down a new U.S. agent and have lined up meetings with three terrific prospects. First up was a duo with a breathtaking literary background, connections in the comic book world and, perhaps most importantly, a…
September 22, 2015: The Devil’s snack!
Throughout my life, I've been fairly consistent in listing the three things I don't eat. They are, in no particular order: popcorn, candied fruit, and Shepherd's Pie. In the case of Shepherd's Pie, it's a bit bewildering as I do enjoy its ingredients separately - ground beef, mashed potatoes, corn - but there's something about…
September 21, 2015: Blindspot! And a Dark Matter season 2 update!
Tonight's the night! The premiere of Blindspot! For those of you not-in-the-know, there's a Stargate connection here. The series creator, Executive Producer and showrunner is none other than Martin Gero who many of you may remember from such productions as Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: Universe, The L.A. Complex, Bored To Death, and, most recently, a little something called Dark Matter. Tune…
September 20, 2015: The bitter taste of defeat! And sweet, sweet taste of porchetta!
What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, my Snow Monkeys were riding high, celebrating their first win of the young fantasy football season. Today, they're on the verge of tasting their first loss - unless, of course, the Packers D totally nuts down Marshawn Lynch AND Andrew Luck has the 6-TD game of…
September 19, 2015: Stargate memories!
A buddy of mine is clearing out his place and came across a slew of Stargate swag - keychains, coasters, golf trophies. He did a little research and was amazed by the value fans have placed on similar unique items. Out of curiosity, I decided to check out some of the more readily accessible boxes…
September 18, 2015: My Top 10 Desert Island Television Comedies!
You're being exiled to a deserted island (The chances of this possibly happening to me are admittedly higher than the national average) and you've been given permission to bring ten (and only ten) television comedies to accompany you. What are they? This is my list. In the event your favorite comedies didn't make my list,…
September 17, 2015: Favorite Dark Matter moments!
Some of my very favorite moments from Dark Matter's first season. Introducing...The Android! Wendy takes down the Android. Derrick Moss revealed. THREE being THREE. Congratulations! Now THAT is a cliffhanger! She's baaaack! The guys talk a good game. This gal PLAYS a great game! Uh, did WE do that? A long overdue thank you. A machine...with friends.…
September 16, 2015: The Toronto game plan?
You know what's even more challenging than keeping seven characters alive in a five act episode? Apparently, finding an apartment in downtown Toronto that allows dogs. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of great places to choose from - if we weren't bringing Bubba and Lulu along for our seven month stay in…
September 15, 2015: Snow Monkeys surprise! Dark Matter season 2 takes shape!
Yeaaaah! The young NFL Fantasy Football season is off to a rollicking start with an atypical week 1 win for my Snow Monkeys. The highlights included stellar performances by WR1 DeAndre Hopkins, RB1 Jeremy Hill, the top-ranked Panthers D, and QB Andrew Luck who may have played below expectations but still managed…
September 14, 2015: The Dark Matter writers’ room reconvenes!
Today, we kicked off the third and presumably final week of the Dark Matter second season writers' room. We've broken eight scripts to date and, tomorrow, we're going to jump ahead and beat out the BIG season finale. We figure with so many balls in the air, it makes sense to know exactly where we're ending up…
September 13, 2015: All caught up on the mailbag!
Back to the mailbag: 2cats writes: "When is the background from green screen added – in post? I dabble with Adobe Premiere for little video stuff, but I can imagine it being a lot of work to add backgrounds to HD film. How many film editors does DM use?" Answer: The show used three amazing…
September 12, 2015: Dark Matter Executive Producer Vanessa Piazza! More of your burning questions answered!
One of the questions I get asked a lot is: "What does a producer do?". The answer is: "It depends." Some producers oversee scripts and various other creative aspects of production, from casting to costumes. Other producers oversee the numbers, things like scheduling and budgeting. Still other producers deal with the broadcasters, agents, and lawyers.…