Huzzah! I finally have a preliminary draft of the first part of the Stargate: Universe mid-season two-parter. However, it comes in at a robust 57 pages! I’ll spend the next few days trimming it down to a far more manageable 54, then put it out to the rest of the writing department - after which…
January 30, 2009: Jean-Georges Comes to Vancouver
“The hotel restaurants,”my mother once advised me in her thick Italian accent. “They are never good.” I took issue with that statement and tried to come up with an example of a truly great hotel restaurant. The only one to come to mind was Kozue in the Park Hyatt Shinjuku, where, several years ago, my…
January 26, 2009: City of Saints and Madmen, by Jeff Vandermeer
Prior to this month’s BOTMC selection, my exposure to the literary genre known as New Weird was limited to the works of China Mieville (The Scar being a personal “If I Was To Be Stranded On A Deserted Island And Could Only Bring 25 Books With Me This Is One of the Books I’d Choose“…
January 23, 2009: Pigging Out At Fuel
One of the nice things about being a regular at a restaurant is the occasional invitation you’ll receive to a special event like, for instance, the Roasted Suckling Pig Evening hosted by the gang at Fuel last night. While Chef Rob was out making sausages all night (No, I’m serious.), Chef Ted was in…
January 22, 2009: This Blog Goes to the Dogs. Yet Again.
In spite of the fact that the production office is my “place of work”, I’ve been accomplishing very little in the way of actual script work there of late. I’ve been spinning my wheels on a complicated sequence that has been made all the more complicated by the fact that I’m dealing with all new…
January 18, 2009: Series Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer/Director/Duck Smoker Robert C. Cooper Answers Your Questions
I was watching the NFL playoffs and, at one point, one of the defenders for the Pittsburgh Steelers intercepted a pass and started to run it back, zigzagging his way through defenders and, most importantly, his own players. Nothing can slow down your progress like an unwitting teammate backstepping into your path. I could almost…
January 14, 2009: Scalzi and Stargate, Together At Last
Back in 2006, I read a novel that totally blew me away and single-handedly revived my passion for literary SF: Old Man’s War by author John Scalzi. It was smart, humorous, and unbelievably entertaining. So entertaining, in fact, that I ended up recommending it to anyone and everyone - friends, fans, and family alike. And…
January 13, 2009: Production Developments, Literary Discussion, and A Debacle of Olympic Proportions
Well, just a quick blog entry today as I’m off to have dinner with author John Scalzi and wouldn’t want to besmirch the image of the polite and prompt Canadian. Suffice it to say that today was an interesting day. We walked through Stage 4, the Destiny standing set, and it’s looking mighty impressive. And…
January 9, 2009: Swag! Sausage! Sooners! And the Mailbag!
In the past, as part of the ongoing Book of the Month Club discussions on this blog, I’ve given away prizes to random participants. Lucky winners have received signed books, magazine subscriptions, and signed scripts (among many other things). But, next week, those taking part in our discussion on David Weber’s On…
January 7, 2009: A Surprise Guest Blogger, Sugarless Day #4, and the Mailbag
Talk about signs of the apocalypse! First we had snow in Vegas. Then we had the New England Patriots fail to make the playoffs. And now, my writing and producing partner Paul Mullie has agreed to do a fan Q&A. This from a guy who has made it a point to shun all fan forums…
January 6, 2009: Back in the Office, My Top December Reads, and The Most Shocking Rose Ceremony Yet!
Almost didn’t make it into the office today. Hell, I almost didn’t make it out of the alleyway behind my house. I backed out of the garage and then spent a good fifteen minutes spinning my wheels in frustration before finally managing to work my way free. In retrospect, good thing I was delayed because,…
January 2, 2009: Brad Wright Answers Your Questions
Today, rather than regale you with an elaborate account of how my mother made me apply her hairdryer to the sliding back door in an effort to melt the ice that had frozen it shut so that she could clear the kitchen of hot pepper fumes and oil, I’m turning this entry over to Brad…
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 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…
November 19, 2008: Tokyo Travel and Spinning Stargate: Universe Day #7
T (for Tokyo) minus three days and counting. With my list of intended targets completed and arranged into wards, I’ve started using the wonderfully handy Google Maps to pinpoint the key areas so that I’ll be able to cover as much ground as possible when the time comes (How many pastry shops can I visit…