Well, I picked up the dogs from daycare today and Lulu seemed unusually sulky. She's been moping around all night. Either she’s feeling under the weather or that mastiff she has a crush on spurned her and hurt her feelings. Whichever the case, I think I’ll be keeping an eye on her tonight. More Icarus…
February 25, 2009: Finally, That Cast Announcement!
Well now you know as much as we do. No, no, that’s not exactly true. We still know more than you do. But at least we ALL know the names of our cast members. The news finally broke yesterday but, on the off-chance you were in your basement watching a Lord of the Rings marathon,…
February 21, 2009: Fond Remembrances and a BIG Guest Blogger Announcement!
Whenever my career draws to its inevitable conclusion, I’ll be able to reflect back on the many fond memories of my time in “the business“. I‘ve had good times, bad times, and everything in between. That said, the high point for me were the years I spent working on Stargate: SG-1. They were memorable for…
February 15, 2009: Gone But Not Forgotten – Especially when I’m in New York and hankering for a good meal.
Well, despite the excitement that comes with the launch of a new series, I have to admit that it’s a very different vibe this year, what with the loss of not one, not two, but three of our past writer’s room regulars. Gone is Alan McCullough whose GQ good looks and team stories made him…
February 12, 2009: Pre-Production Update and Those Things Better Left Said or Unsaid?
As another week draws to a close we inch ever closer to our first day of principal photography. We had the costume fittings on Monday and then the super-secret closed-door invitation-only cast read thru on Tuesday. Yesterday was the stage tech survey for Air #1, #2, and #3 while the production meeting for all three…
February 3, 2009: A Preliminary Draft, Childhood Misconceptions, and The Mailbag
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 28, 2009: Actor Mike Dopud Answers Your Questions
Today, I'd like to turn this blog over to a familiar face - stuntman and actor Mike Dopud who has made three memorable appearances in the Stargate franchise (Full Alert's Colonel Chernovshev, Bounty's Odaii Ventrell, and Tracker's Kiryk). So far. He's incredibly talented, a helluva nice guy and, should my SF pilot ever get off…
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 15, 2009: Writer/Executive Producer/Notorious Recluse Paul Mullie Answers Your Questions!
So I'm sitting at my desk, working on my script, when my writing partner Paul strolls in, tape measure in hand. "Hold this,"he says, handing me one end and casually walking to the other side of the office, unfurling the thing so he can get the exact length of the room. "Uh, what…
July 13, 2008: Baron Destructo’s Investment Advice
Fun time’s over. It’s back to work for me tomorrow. And, by the looks of the prep schedule, it’s going to be a long day: 0900: Concept Meeting for Ep. #515 “Remnants” 1030: Prosthetics Meeting for Ep. #515, “Remnants” 1100: Art Department Meeting for Ep. #515, “Remnants” 1145: Props Meeting for Ep. #515, “Remnants” 1330:…
July 9, 2008: Liquorice notes with honey spice cake hints, redolent of tropical fruits and spicy flavors with an undertone of gut shank
“The first thing to do is look at the chocolate,”advised Pierre. “Study its appearance.” Everyone unwrapped and carefully scrutinized their squares. The woman to my right gaped as though she’d just borne witness to some astounding magic trick. Hey, that’s not a chocolate! That’s my card, the Ace of Clubs! “Now, break the chocolate.” Pierre…
July 6, 2008: Actress Janina Gavankar swings by.
First, a big public thank you to Kage Baker for dropping by to spend time with us. It was a great Q&A to cap off our discussion on In the Garden of Iden, a BOMTC selection that turned out to be a book a number of you had already read. Second, finish up The Etched…