Check it out. It's an advance trailer for Persons Unknown, a delightfully creepy-looking mini-series that premieres on NBC June 7th. And its Executive Produced by SGU's very own Remi Aubuchon! In addition to his show running duties, Remi also wrote a bunch of scripts for the series - as did SGU's Linda McGibney - so…
April 22, 2010: Awakening Day #5! Spartacus! Stewie! And some mailbag!
Production Day #5 of Awakening found me back on set at a very manageable 8:00 a.m. this morning. Understand, it's not so much that I mind waking up that early than it's the dogs simply refusing to stir if the alarm sounds anytime before 6:30 a.m. They'll actually ignore me, feigning a deep, impenetrable slumber…
April 21, 2010: Author Christopher Barzak Answers Your Questions! And maybe YOU can answer one of mine!
Production Day #3 on Awakening had me at work, bright and early, for the 7:00 a.m. crew call. There, I watched Director Andy Mikita work his magic on an extremely challenging set - with ten actors in play! Between the goings-on on Stage 6 and my office, I also found the time to join my…
April 20, 2010: Spoilers! Chocolates! And Cake!
I spent a couple of early hours on set this morning to watch Director Andy Mikita work his magic on Awakening (Day #3 of production). A lot of jumping around in this one which resulted in our block-shooting a number of successive scenes. Producer John G. Lenic swung by to inform me that we were…
April 19, 2010: A few chocolate party disappointments! Awakening Day #2! A modest mailbag!
The chocolate party was a success but, like most planned events, it didn’t go off without a hitch. There were a few disappointments, among them chocolatiers who put in previous appearances but who, for one reason or another, were unable to make Saturday's chocolate fest. Chocoatl: Sadly, Vancouver’s finest chocolate shop is no more. It…
April 18, 2010: The Greatest Chocolate Party Ever!
Every April, I hold something called a Chocolate Party, an annual event in which I gathered some fifty of my closest friends, feed them dinner, then try to kill them with massive amounts of chocolate. Over the years, this event has grown, from a modest get-together at my home to a gastronomic blow-out at Fuel…
April 17, 2010: Dinner at Shanghai Chinese Bistro
One of Carl's fondest memories of me was of the time Marty G. and I invited him, the new writer in town, out for dinner. And I guess it's been downhill from there. Well, two new writers have joined us this year - Remi Aubuchon and Linda McGibney - and I figured it would be…
April 16, 2010: Awakening Day 1
6:00 a.m.: Wake up early to get in for the 7:30 a.m. call. Check my phone and notice a message from the production office informing me that shooting ran late yesterday and the crew call has been pushed to 8:30 a.m. I go back to sleep. I dream that I offer a stranded Ashleigh a…
April 15, 2010: Freelancing aint easy!
Being a staff writer can be tough. Being a freelance writer, on the other hand, can be much more than just tough. It can be physically grueling, mentally challenging, spiritually taxing experience. More often than not, the difficulties a freelancer encounters stem not from a lack of talent but from the simple fact that they…
April 14, 2010: Okay, this is the plan…
So the plan was simple enough: dedicate the day to completing the first act of my script. I'd already hit the twelve page mark and really only envisioned another two or three pages to go before landing on that Dum-Dum-Daaaaah moment that takes us to commercial. Two or three pages. And I had an entire…
April 13, 2010: Pooch pics! Updates! News of note!
My dog-sitter sent me the following snaps she took of the pooches while I was away in Montreal. Bubba Lulu Maximus Is it just me, or do all four seem a little melancholy, no doubt missing me terribly and reflecting back on happier times like our weekend walks, couch sprawls, and the last time they…
April 12, 2010: The Love We Share Without Knowing, by Christopher Barzak
Late in The Love We Share Without Knowing, we are told the tale of Gon, a mischievous fox, who stole an eel from a man named Hyoju. The eel was intended for the man’s sick mother and, when she died, a remorseful Gon sought to atone for his misdeed by gifting Hyoju items he had…
April 11, 2010: Dinner at Boneta Restaurant with Alan McCullough!
Hey, guess who I had dinner with last night? That's right. Writer-Co-Exec. Producer Alan McCullough! How the hell did you know - ? Oh, you read the title of this blog entry. Right. Anyway, guess where we went? Uh, right again. Yes, Boneta Restaurant in Gastown where we enjoyed a terrific meal, great conversation, and…
April 10, 2010: The Perils of Adoption!
Can you believe THIS? http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125788721&ps=cprs A mother in Tennessee is being criticized for changing her mind and shipping her adoptive son back to a Russian orphanage. Apparently, the seven year old turned out to be a bit of a handful. More to the point, the lovable scamp displayed alarmingly violently tendencies and had threatened to…
April 9, 2010: That is one motherf***ing sinister-looking fridge! Ashleigh’s cookie caper! SGU’s Divided airs tonight! And a book of the month club reminder!
The other day, Paul was complaining about the new production office refrigerator. His problem? Not that it was too small or too deep or that the vegetable crisper was located all the way at the bottom, forcing him to bend down every time he wanted a carrot. Rather, my writing partner had taken issue with…