I know, I know. I said the same thing about last year’s chocolate party - and, at the time, it certainly was The Best Chocolate Party Ever! Until yesterday’s chocolate party of course. This was the second year in a row I hosted the party at my favorite Vancouver restaurant, Fuel. After some…
April 24, 2009: Bon Voyage! (And if not “bon” then at least not “mauvais”). One Doctor Checks In, The Other Doctor Drops In. And, Some Mailbag.
I walked into Ashleigh‘s office and leveled with her. “I’m worried. All this morning, I was reading about that possible pandemic in Mexico…” The implication was clear. She was about to head off on a week-long Mexican getaway and the prospect of her flirting with danger was paramount on my mind. No doubt touched by…
April 23, 2009: It’s Like That Episode Of SG-1 Where The Team Has To Introduce A Foreign Element Into the Sun Of Another Planet In Order To Save The World’s Inhabitants Except That Instead Of “The Team” It’s “Me” And Instead of “Introducing A Foreign Element Into A Sun” It’s “Making This Entry” And Instead Of “Save The World’s Inhabitants” It’s “Entertain The Readers Of This Blog”. Oh, And A Production Update.
Hey, remember that episode of Atlantis where the team encounters a civilization of children living in a village located within some mysterious neutralizing field that renders technology inoperable? Well, switch out “village” for “my office”, substitute “a civilization of children” for “me”, and swap “technology” for “my wireless internet connection” and you have a pretty…
April 22, 2009: Director Peter DeLuise Answers Your Questions + Another Upcoming Guest Blogger
Some of my fondest memories of my early years on SG-1 involve Director Peter DeLuise - his fast-paced style, his encyclopedic knowledge of the show's mythology, and , of course, his unrestrained sense of humor. He occupied the office across the hall from Paul and I, a veritable Stargate shrine he decorated with the weirdest collection of curios imaginable: prop…
April 21, 2009: Advice and Observation Cookies, In Life We Are All Winners (Although Some Of Us Are Clearly Bigger Winners Than Others), More Scripts On Deck, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots on Hoth.
“I have no future!”cried my wife perhaps a little too loudly. Our mortified waiter mumbled some sort of apology and scurried off, returning seconds later with another two fortune cookies. Fondy actually felt bad for the guy. She’d been kidding of course but appreciated the fact that the second cookie contained an actual message, something…
April 19, 2009: Now All I Need Is A Title…
To borrow a Gordon Ramsayism: “Stargate Atlantis Movie with satisfying conclusion…Done!”. Satisfying conclusion for who? Well, me for one. And, I suspect, for many fans as well although, of course, it goes without saying that you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Still, I’m very happy with the story we have…
April 17, 2009: My Unbridled Skepticism is its Own Reward, Wallpaper Paste Tikka, Chocolate and Sake Overload
Some solidifying developments on the Atlantis movie front. I refuse to call it “good news” because it’s only good news insofar as the naysaying, sky-is-falling, that-movie-aint-getting-made contingent is concerned - of which I am not a part of. Instead, I welcomed the update with a resounding “meh”. Sure, to the average outsider, it…
April 16, 2009: Almost a Full Script, Shanks on Set, Comic Book Round-Up
I spent the morning working on the Atlantis script and hit the 90 page mark. From the looks of things, we should have a first draft by Monday. There are a lot of BIG moments throughout and the last third of the movie will be nothing short of spectacular. Action, humor, drama, and at least…
April 15, 2009: Kerry Fires the Opening Salvo, Smooth Sailing on the Atlantis Script, and the Mailbag
As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog entry, my fellow co-worker, Kerry McDowall, and I have a little wager heading into the NHL playoffs. She, being the Canucks-obsessed fanatic that she is - has the Vancouver Canucks while I’m going with my hometown Habs, the Montreal Canadians. Whoever’s team advances furthest into the playoffs will be…
April 13 2009: The Big Over Easy, by Jasper Fforde
Following the seemingly accidental death of Humperdinck Jehoshaphat Aloyius Stuyvesant van Dumpty (a.k.a. Humpty Dumpty), detective Jack Spratt of the police department’s Nursery Crime Division is dispatched to investigate. Jack, alas, has his work cut out for him as his department is grossly underfunded, underappreciated, and under intense scrutiny following Jack’s recent failed bid to…
April 12, 2009: A Lazy Sunday Afternoon (Lazy Being the Operative Word) and the Comics Rundown
I celebrated Easter Sunday today in what I hope will become tradition: feasting, reading, and watching a Top Chef marathon. No trip back east to spend the holidays with the family this year. Instead, Fondy and I contented ourselves with an exceedingly relaxed afternoon. After a late lunch of sunchoke soup, grilled prawn, lobster tails,…
April 11, 2009: Handing Off, News You Need to Know, and Brie Goes Berserk!
Hey, you know what’s really tough? Okay, besides dinner party steak and learning to speak Japanese? Yep, getting back into the rhythm of writing a show you haven’t written for in over half a year. Especially when you’re not actually starting from the beginning of a script and picking up a good head of steam…
April 9, 2009: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow, The Writing Bug, Hey Kids Comics!
Given the family atmosphere of the production, you can imagine how hard it is for us to go our separate ways. A regular weekend is bad enough but a long weekend?! Emotions run the gamut from delirium to outright frustration. Don’t believe me. Check out the above pics of my co-workers facing the prospect…
April 8, 2009: “Was that shred or send?”, the Ball is in my Court, Comic Book S.O.S., More Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl? Discussion, and the Mailbag
“Hey,”said Ashleigh as I walked by her office this afternoon, stopping me in mid-stride. “I shredded those documents.” “What?”I asked. “Those documents you dropped off this morning and asked me to shred,”she sunnily informed me. “You mean ‘sent’,”I corrected her. “You ‘sent’ those documents.” “No, no,”she casually shook her head and leaned back in her…
April 7, 2009: SGU Cuts, That Atlantis Movie, and Some Powers Discussion
Yesterday, we sat down and watched the director’s cut of Air I and II. Even without the visual effects and the music, it was mighty damn impressive. MIGHTY damn impressive! A big congratulations to show creators/runners Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, the entire cast and crew, and go-to-guy Andy Mikita who directed his big ol’…