Hey, look who it is! It's Michael Shanks (Stargate's Dr. Daniel Jackson, Smallville's Hawkman) who's in town shooting Saving Hope with Erica Durance (Smallville's Lois Lane). Michael texted me last week to let me know he'd be in Toronto and that I should set aside a night for catching up. He suggested drinks, I countered…
June 23, 2011: Transporter: The Series! Dark Matter! Stargate SG:1 Season 9!
Busy-busy on Transporter: The Series. Notes on episode 2 (Carl's) and episode 7 (Alexander's) have slowly started trickling in. Once I've received input from all 4+ players, I'll jump on the rewrites - just as soon as I've finished the rewrite on episode 6 (mine). Paul continues his pass on episodes 3 (his) and 4…
June 21, 2011: Chat and Chow with Alaina Huffman!
Last night, Akemi and I went out for dinner with the lovely Alaina Huffman (SGU's Lieutenant Tamara T.J. Johansen, Smallville's Black Canary, and MTV's Agent Mom). We went to what is fast becoming my go-to restaurant for entertaining out-of-towners: Scarpetta. Alaina was kind enough to defer to me on the menu selections and so, as…
June 18, 2011: Set construction begins on Transporter: The Series! Looking back on Stargate: SG-1’s ninth season! Links!
Since work has commenced on the standing sets for Transporter: The Series, fellow Executive Producer Alexander M. Ruemelin and I figured the least we could do was swing by and check out the work-in-progress before redirecting funds and manpower to construction on the sundecks of our new cottages in Muskoka. And... Getting back to my…
June 14, 2011: Ripple Effect! The deleted scenes!
Of all the scripts I've written/co-written over the course of my 11+ years on the Stargate franchise (some 70+ scripts in all), season 9's Ripple Effect remains my favorite. It had all of the elements I love most in a story: humor, twists on classic SF tropes, character insight, What If's, twists, turns, and a…
June 9, 2011: Oatmeal Snowman! Trevor screws up my page count! Stargate: SG-1 season 9! News of note!
Akemi's latest breakfast bento creation: oatmeal snowman! This morning, we checked out a new place, a cozy little apartment in the ritzy Yorkville district. Pros: Upscale neighborhood, better oven, located close to gourmet shop Pusateri, and the woman who showed us the suite was gorgeous - but, in all fairness, I failed to inquire if…
June 8, 2011: Marty G. rejoins this blog as a series regular! Your herbal top 5! Stargate: SG-1’s ninth season!
Hey! Look who it is! No, not Joaquin Phoenix. It's Martin Gero (Stargate: Atlantis, Bored To Death) who is in Toronto to Executive Produce his new show (which I'm calling Untitled Martin Gero Project or UMGP). We met up Sunday night for chat, laughs, and this odd cocktail containing pimms, gin, lemonade, ginger beer, and cucumber.…
June 5, 2011: Akemi’s latest masterpiece! Looking back of Stargate: SG-1’s ninth season!
As I said in a previous post, when it comes to preparing a meal, Akemi places as much emphasis on appearance as she does flavor. Pictured above is one of her latest creations, inspired by the 30 bite salad at Tokyo's Chez Tomo. Her version is closer to 20 bites but, I'm sure, equally laborious.…
June 4, 2011: A sneak peek at the standing sets for Transporter: The Series! They eyes (don’t) have it! The Stargate: SG-1 season 8 wrap-up!
Yesterday, we took walk through the preliminary standing sets for Transporter: The Series. Granted, they still need a little work (and Paul, Alexander and I did have a few suggestions) but here's a sneak peek at what we've got so far... Widen the pool, lengthen the back patio, a few tweaks here and there, and…
May 31, 2011: News of Note! Stargate: SG-1 Season 8 Memories!
Horrifying accident at Sony Pictures results in the release of 34 Katherine Heigl films. Be careful out there - Compliments of the gang at Cracked.com, here's The Science Behind Stupidly Hot Peppers Chart (The Science Behind Stupidly Hot Peppers [CHART]): Fark.com puts it best: Photo collection of modern North Korea, or 1960s anywhere else Meetings today…
May 28, 2011: Food, food, food, t-shirts, oh, and Stargate: SG-1’s eight season!
Nooooooooooooo! Yesterday, I was crushed to learn M:brgr had closed its doors only months after opening them. Apparently, Torontonians don't have an appetite for high-end burgers. Great. Now where the hell am I going to get a kobe beef patty with brie, caramelized onions, porcini mushrooms, black truffle carpaccio and fig jam on a white…
May 27, 2011: Getting the Book of the Month Club back on track! More Dark Matter Designs! Mailbag!
Given my increasingly busy schedule, I've been finding it very difficult to set aside any time for reading. As a result, I've shifted focus from novels to trade paperbacks which I find equally accomplished, just as enjoyable, yet also offer the added bonus of shorter narratives that don't require a lengthy commitment. And this got…
May 25, 2011: More Transporter: The Series Casting Announcements! Another Dark Matter Character Design! Stargate: Extinction Secrets Revealed!
Sacre bleu! Two more casting announcements for my new show, Transporter: The Series! As most of you already know, actor Chris Vance (Prison Break, Mental, Dexter, and Burn Notice) will be donning the driving gloves in the role of Frank Martin, the Transporter who delivers anything, anywhere - for a price. Andrea Osvart will play…
May 23, 2011: So, where were we….?
Nothing kills creativity and story momentum like: a) An ether leak b) A 48 hour Who's the Boss? marathon c) Three successive blows to the back of the head with the butt of a gun d) A two and a half hour discussion on script notes e) All of the above With Carl in town,…
May 22, 2011: SG-1 Season 7 Memories!
As we headed toward the conclusion of SG-1's seventh season, we did so with pride for all we had accomplished over the show's and a certain amount of sadness that it would finally be over. After seven glorious seasons, Stargate: SG-1 would be coming to an end. Still, we were going out on top, with…