After the stunning reversal of fortune that saw Vancouver’s own Iron Chef champion, Rob Feenie, exit the two marquee restaurants he once called his own (the high-calibre, high-end Lumiere, and the more casual Feenies) and the ensuing closure of both locations, came the announcement that both establishments would re-open with famed Chef Daniel Boulud at…
December 15, 2008: Robert Carlyle Onboard, Earl Carl binder Scaramungous, and My Booziest Post Ever!
As some of you may have heard, the wonderfully talented Robert Carlyle has signed on to join the crew of the Destiny in the upcoming Stargate: Universe series. The award-winning actor - Begbie from Trainspotting to some, Hamish Macbeth to others - will be playing the role of SGU’s Dr. David Rush, the ship’s brilliant…
December 14, 2008: Sleep! Glorious Sleep! And the Search for the Next Big Stargate: Fan Favorite!
I don’t know whether it was the glass of wine I had with dinner, the shot of Nyquil I downed before bed, or simply sheer exhaustion, but I slept like a dogless baby last night. Out at 1:00 p.m. and up at 8:30 a.m. No tossing and/or turning. No lying awake, watching the clock. No…
December 13, 2008: Sleep-deprived and Cranky
Okie-dokie. I’ve had it. Last night, I didn’t need vomiting dogs to keep me up. I was asleep at 11:00 p.m., up at 1:00 a.m., back to sleep at 3:10 a.m., up at 6:15 a.m., back to sleep up 8:30 a.m., up at 12:15 p.m. And, no, I don’t feel particularly well-rested. I’d love to…
December 12, 2008: Beating Out the Beat Sheet
I’ll admit it. I’m incapable of writing a proper beat sheet. Somewhere between an outline and the chronicled ramblings of someone with a reeeeally good idea, the beat sheet is a document that neatly sums up the significant scenes and developments in a given episode (or movie, as the case may be). The intent is…
December 11, 2008: Percival H. Lintmuffin Hits the Con Circuit
An email titled simply “THANKS” found its way into my inbox last week. Short and sweet, the message within read: “I have a new email address!” and it was signed Miss Kate William. Kate William? Do I know a Kate William? I don’t think so, but my alter-ego Percival H. Lintmuffin might. Lintmuffin wrote back:…
December 10, 2008: A Plethora of Projects, the Duck Confit Mac and Cheese Back, and The Weird Food Purchase of the Day
Sometimes, when you’ve got multiple projects on the go, it’s easy to become distracted. You end up jumping from one to the next and, when all is said and done, not all that much gets accomplished. Rather than simply tackle whichever one happens to interest me whenever, I think I’m going to have to demonstrate…
December 9, 2008: This Blog – Your One Stop Shop for Stargate, Whores, and 25 Cent Porn
Every so often, I check out my wordpress stats page. It offers an interesting insight into this blog’s readership: daily views, most popular entries, and, my favorite, the search engine terms that have led many an unwary surfer to this modest online soapbox. Sometimes, it’s a search for a particular author that, as it…
December 8, 2008: Ships and What Ifs
Well, it seems that fans are still talking about Brain Storm, the Atlantis episode that has become a lightning rod for debate. And no wonder. This is the episode in which Rodney finally gets the gal - and the gal, in this case, is none other than Jennifer Keller, herself the source of some fan…
December 7, 2008: Campognolo Opens Its Doors
The long wait is over. Campagnolo, the new Italian eatery from the brains behind Vancouver’s Fuel Restaurant, finally opened its doors the other night - and Fondy and I were there for the grand opening. As it turns out, some familiar faces were there as well: co-owners Tom Doughty, Chef Rob Belcham, and Tim Pittman,…
December 6, 2008: Writer/Director/Executive Producer Martin Gero Brainstorms Your Questions
One of the nice things about going away for a while is coming back to find stuff done for you. Things like laundry, guest Q&A's, and script outlines. Well, guest Q&A's anyway. And so, today, I turn this blog over to the lovely and talented Martin Gero who has kindly taken the time to answer your questions…
December 5, 2008: Easing Back into a Routine
In an effort to resume my routine now that I’m back on familiar ground, I elected not to falls asleep at 6:00 p.m. last night and, instead, headed over to Fuel for my first non-Tokyo dinner in weeks. Ted and co. were excellent hosts, suffering my sleep-deprived yammering while I enjoyed two of the new…
December 4, 2008: The Longest Day
I woke up early this morning, made my final preparations for departure, checked out, then spent the greater part of the afternoon strolling through Ginza before catching the shuttle to the airport. I left Tokyo on Thursday, December 4th at 5:20 p.m. and, after a nine hour flight, landed in Vancouver on December 4th, 8:45…
December 4, 2008: Tokyo Travel Day #12, The Sayanora Wrap-Up
Well, that’s that. Today marks the end of my culinary expedition to Tokyo and, last night, I closed it out in fine style with a return visit to Sushi Kanesaka. As I was heading in, former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was heading out, flanked by a security team that whisked him into one of…
December 3, 2008: Tokyo Travel Day #11, Dinner at the Chateau, and Hey Mom Look at the White Guy in the Audience!
So, last night’s dinner reservation was at Chateau Joel Robuchon which is - surprise surprise - an actual chateau located in the heart of Yebisu, across the street from a big honking DVD store and right beside something called the Yebisu Beer Station. I took a stroll through the Christmas displays and then headed inside…