Vegas Day 8

Last day in Vegas :(

To start off the day I had a ham and cheese brioche, which was delicious. We checked out and walked to the Luxor to hangout.

We left the Luxor and took a cab to the airport. Our cab driver was the worst he didn't even know where he was going. The security at the airport was crazy; shoes off, everything out of your pockets, no belts, a full 3 second body scan and hair pat down. After the body scan I didn't feel very good and neither did my friends. (Going to need to look into this)

Our plane was late, good thing I booked the later bus. But the bus was also late. I finally arrived home at 1AM. Next up Christmas.

Vegas Day 7

After the "world not ending and stuff" we decided to indulge ourselves in as much seafood as possible at the Todai Buffet at Planet Hollywood. After lunch we went to the Mirage but the Secret Garden tiger habitat was too expensive. So we decided to go to the Flamingo to see the flamingos, which is free.

We went back to the hotel before splitting up to do our own thing in the evening. Before heading out I packed and tidied my room.

I spent my evening walking through the Cosmopolitan, Planet Hollywood, Paris and Bally's. And I rode the Monorail to Caesars. Along the way I saw Mr. and Mrs. Claus, three guys kiss each other, a rainstorm at Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile shops and the Bellagio fountain show. Tomorrow is my last half day in Vegas.

Vegas Day 6

Woke up at 2AM today. For brunch we went to La Salsa Cantina at the Showcase Mall. Afterwards we checked out the Coca Cola store and M&M store. Unfortunately MGM was undergoing some serious renos so we did they to see Dorothy and Toto. :(

We looked at the new Tropicana but it wasn't the sanest all it was missing the Easter Island heads. We carried on to Mandalay Bay to see their shark reef. There was a cross breed shark, part sting ray part shark that looked really cool after seeing 200 species of finder water creatures we headed to Egypt. The Luxor pyramid to be exact. Fun fact: the light on the top of the pyramid shines so bright you can see it in space.

My friend Liam and I decided we would brace the cold and check out Minus 5 an ice bar, in the desert. Sadly the bar didn't allow pictures otherwise you would of seem us hanging out on a bed of ice with some fur pelts all while sipping an "Iceman" from a glass made of ice.

After the ice bar Liam let me indulge in a famous hotdog at Pink's. I had the Planet Hollywood Dog, which was polish sausage, caramelized onions, mushrooms, cheese and 3 strips of bacon AKA a heart attack.

After the hotdog weren't back to the hotel to soak in the hot tub before going out to party for the end of the world. We got drunk and wandered around the strip. At "the end of the world" we found a Thai prayer place and made a wish for the year.

Vegas Day 5

My friend wasn't feeling well so I went out on the strip myself for a few hours. Went shopping at Ross and the Coca Cola store. Then I had lunch in New York at a Mexican restaurant.

Picked up our tickets to Absinthe and then went for dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Liam and I got a Bubba drink and were given a tall pint glass to keep. We headed back to the hotel to soak in the hot tub.

Absinthe was a great mix of crudeness and great talent and it happened about 10 feet away. This sexy cabaret is definitely not for the politically correct person. There was burlesque, shirtless men, a few banana hammocks and lots of talk about penises. But a Las Vegas must I laughed my ass off, all while being amazed by the performers.

Vegas Day 4

We spent the day Downtown at the Fremont Experience. Taking pictures of the old neon signs. We went to Main Street Casino for their lunch buffet. Filled up our football shaped glass with 99 cent margaritas at the Fremont Casino. Had our picture taken with $1,000,000 at Binions. Saw a 61 pound gold nugget at the Gold Nugget Casino. Had dinner at Mackie's an Irish mermaid taco place. Liam almost won us a lobster for dinner. As we left Mackie's it hailed on us. I guess you can't escape Vancouver weather.

On our way back to the strip we stopped off at the Stratosphere to go up and take a look at the view from the 107th floor. The view was full of lights that just seemed to go on and on.

Vegas Day 3

This morning we decided it would be a good idea to take the morning shuttle to the grocery store. We got a bunch of vegetables and alcohol of course.

We got back to the hotel made avocado, shrimp sandwiches for lunch and then headed to the hot tub. Raisined out we headed back to our room got ready and went to the half off ticket booth by Planet Hollywood to buy tickets to see Vegas The Show. It was a history of Vegas through the decades. A great show of singing, legs and butts as well as a good run through the history of Vegas for those who don't know.

After the show we headed back to the hotel hot tub for some R&R.

Vegas Day 2

Today we headed down the strip to the Bellagio to see their Christmas display and hand blown glass. After the Bellagio we went to the Venetian aka Venice. There were gondolas with Italian men singing which was funny. The Wynn was next. We took some pictures in their christmas
themed gardens and parasols. We had a cocktail at the Parasol Up, I had a Blood Orange Cooler which was very refreshing.

Then we went to Encore an Asian infusion hotel with butterflies for good luck. We continued on to the Riviera where we joined the Crazy Girls lineup. Next was Circus Circus where played arcade games and watched Alexandra the acrobat hang from a hammock. We ate dinner at La Salsa Cantina a pretty good place to grab a bite and sample some tequila.

We spent a quiet night at the hotel in the hot tub with our bubuzela.

VEGAS Day 1

I know the rule "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" but I just can't help writing about it.

We woke up to a snowy Vancouver at 7AM to catch our Quick Shuttle bus to the Bellingham Airport. Caught our flight at 2PM on Allegiant Airways. ($245 with tax round trip bus included) We arrived in beautiful Las Vegas at sun set. Checked into our hotel aka my Timeshare. Showered, changed and headed down the strip to Caesars.

I bought tickets to see Shania Twain! So I was really excited. The show was amazing she brought not one but two horses on stage with her. After that I met up with Jess and Liam at the Forum shops. We watched the fall of Atlantis and then wondered the streets of Vegas with a little liquid courage until 3AM.

Can't wait to see what Day 2 brings.

Rust and Bone Review

I have heard nothing but good things about this film so I decided to finally watch it. The film stars Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, as Stephanie and Ali. It's the story of two people who are lonely; a father who decides to move in with his sister to take care of his 5 year old son and a killer whale trainer who was in an accident at work and lost both her legs. The film is based on the short stories from the book "Rust and Bone" by Canadian author Craig Davidson. The cinematography is just beautiful. There are moments in the film where there are no sound at all, which makes the viewer pay close attention to the images. The performances are amazing in this film. Marion Cotillard's is able to show her character's pain without saying a word and that is real acting. There were also little hints to both Stephanie and Ali's physical pain in the first act which I thought was a nice touch. I also enjoyed the similarities to the killer whale and Ali's animal strength in which Stephanie was attracted to. And Ali's "Rocky" scene was done in a very understated way which I enjoyed. The ending was well done and made me think about Ali's character and his consequences.

I'm pretty sure this film will be up for awards and rightly so, it was a beautifully done.

WFF Day 4

Day 4 was an awesome day! I started work at 10AM with the MPPIA short film pitches. Two of the five pitches I thought were unique and interesting while the others didn't push my button. I was able to sit in on two of the short film showcase panels as well. The first talked about short film distribution, where I learned a few new things. The panel also confirmed some methods of distribution I have already been doing which is good. After the distribution panel I was able to sit in on the Pixar Canada panel with the director of Partysaurus Rex, Mark Walsh. After the panel Mark signed some posters so I grabbed a couple for friends.

I met up with one of the vollies ate some dinner before heading to one more film. We saw Mars et Avril which was stunning. It's a sci fi film about a 70 year old jazz musician and a young photographer who is in love with him. The film is a great mix of love and music. The visuals were also a highlight. Even if the story isn't up your alley watch it just for the amazing visuals. Check out the trailer here.

After the film we went back to the hotel and got ready for the launch party of Cine Coup at The Longhorn. I did some schmoozing. At around 1AM a few of us headed over to The Westin for an after party in Carl Bessai's suite. We ended up getting kicked out of Carl's room around 3AM but the party carried over to the Tantalus Lodge (which was where I was staying). Kate Isabelle showed up and we partied on until 4AM.

My Whistler trip was pretty successful I'd say, I got a Cap Film shirt, a Columbia jacket, watched 6 films and met some great filmmakers

WFF Day 3

I started at 9AM this morning greeting industry guests before morning panels. At 12:45 I got a 5 hour break, grabbed some lunch and chilled out in my hotel room.

At 2PM I went and saw Between Us starring Julia Stiles, Melissa George, Taye Diggs and David Harbour. A first film from the co-founder of Slamdance Festival. Based on a popular play, the film follows two couples who were/are close friends but have been divided by their success or lack there of, focusing mainly on each couple's marital problems. This film felt a lot like the 1966 film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Which if you haven't seen you really should.

At 5:30PM it was back to work. This time I was doing the door with two lovely Glacier Girls. The film The Movie Out Here is sponsored by Kokanee and this was the premiere so there was a big VIP reception before hand. This is a Canadian Mountain Culture film and was shot in Western Canada. Check out more here http://www.themovieouthere.ca/

Sadly the film was sold out so I wasn't able to go. But I instead got a ticket to see Knife Fight starring

Carrie-Anne Moss, Rob Lowe, Julie Bowen, David Harbour and Eric McCormack. This was a very Sorkin-esque political satire following Rob Lowe's character; the perfect political con-artist, I mean strategist. Knife Fight goes behind the scenes of two regular politician campaigns and a passionate up and comer. The political roughness is very well done most likely due to co-writer is Chris Lehane (a Democratic consultant who was spokesman for Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, and for the Clinton White House). The one drawback is that there are too many characters who aren't flushed out which drags the film down. 

WFF Day 2

Day 2 of the festival started early for me. I spent most of my day making up delegate bags. I ran some errands around the village and went back to making more delegate bags. My shift ended at 5PM and I was able to catch one of the Borsos Competition Films called Picture Day.

Picture Day part of the Borsos competition. It's a coming of age story about a rebellious teenager who has to repeat her last year of high school. She is caught between adolescence and adulthood which are represented in the two guys she is with. The first being the lead singer of a band and the now high school kid she used to babysit. The standout bits in the film for me are the improve moments between  As well a fellow Capilano grad produced the film which is awesome.

At 8PM I watched another Borsos film called My Awkward Sexual Adventure whihch was hilarious. It's about an accountant who doesn't know how to perform in the bedroom department. His girlfriend is fe up with falling asleep during sex so Jordan visits his friend in Toronto and ends up enlisting Julia a stripper with dreams of opening a restaurant to help him win back his girlfriend.

Just as I arrived back at the hotel one of the vollies asked if I was up to go out to a party in Creekside. Of course I said yes. I ended up chatting with the Director of the film Picture Day, Kate Miles Melville and other industry people. What started as a boring day ended pretty well.

Whistler Film Festival Day 1

I arrived in Whistler yesterday at 1PM. Checked in at the Volunteer room and got my Capilano Film T-shirt. I checked in at the Tantalus Lodge grabbed my bed and got ready to start my first volunteer shift. I ended up going on an hour long errand in Function with one of the staff to fix a picture frame. We successfully put it back together with crazy glue and plexiglass. It was still on the wall when I left tonight. After that I greeting pass holders and directed them to accreditation. Grabbed some sushi for dinner  before I had to do head count for the Opening Reception and Gala. At around 8PM a few of us Cap grads went out for a drink and then headed to the 11PM screening of American Mary.

American Mary is a about a surgical student who needs to pay off her student loans and instead of becoming a stripper she ends up stitching a guy up for $5000. Word gets out that she is a good surgeon and the next thing she does is remove the bits from a woman who wants to be Barbie. And that is just the beginning of the film. American Mary is a blend of body modification, revenge and a psycho main character played by Katherine Isabelle (Ginger from Ginger Snaps). The cinematography was beautiful and I really enjoyed the use of classical music instead of the typical horror scores. However there were a few story holes and hums but for a niche genre it did the trick.

A good start to the festival.

Cold Specks Concert

Last Night I had the opportunity to attend the Cold Specks concert at St. James Hall. THe sound in there is incredible. Cold Specks is the stage name of Al Spx, a Canadian singer-songwriter based in London, England. Her musical style is doom soul and with an influence of deep south gospel. The power in her voice is phenomenal. I also really enjoyed the fact that the group had a wood wind element from Bass Clarinet to Baritone Sax. The CBC was also recording the concert for CBC Music. 

Check out their new album "I Predict a Graceful Explusion".

Official Website

Flight

from wikipedia

On Tuesday I was in Abbotsford visiting my grandparents and we decided of course to go to a $3 movie. We saw Robert Zemeckis' new film "Flight" starring Denzel Washington. Denzel plays Captain Whip Whitaker an alcoholic pilot who miraculously saves a flight from crashing but becomes under the public eye when the NTSB have to decide who is to blame. Although the movie is centred around the plane crash the film focuses on Whip's struggle with addiction. I haven't seen a performance from Denzel like this since Training Day and Man on Fire. Of course John Goodman and Don Cheadle gave great performances, both providing some comic relief. And I have to point out Canadian born Bruce Greenwood who plays Charlie, a former copilot to Whip and now the head of the pilot's guild. Greenwood and Cheadle work to get the case against Whip dismissed.

Skyfall

As a big James Bond fan I of course saw the newest film. And I have to say it definitely did it for me. There was a great mix of new and old which was one of the themes in the film. Even though Sean Connery will always be Bond to me I do like looking at Daniel Craig. I thought he brought class to the character. And his banter with Judi Dench was awesome. Another thing that did it for me was having Albert Finney join the team. (I know fans were hoping of seeing Sean Connery, but lets face it Mr. Connery is retired) And I have always loved Albert Finney ever since I saw him in Two For The Road with Audrey Hepburn.

I wish we could of seen more of Ben Wishaw's character Q but I guess we'll have to wait for the next instalment. Javier Bardem as the villian is always great to watch but I thought this was a bit of a cop out as his character reminded me of Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight.

I also really enjoyed the Adele theme song to Skyfall. It reminded me of the older Bond songs sung by Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones.

The Deep Dark Woods

So it was my birthday November 1st and part of my present from my mom was tickets to see The Deep Dark Woods concert. While I'm not a big fan of Plants and Animals who were the main act I love The Deep Dark Woods.

Rah Rah opened the night. They are a band from Regina, Saskatchewan that play the accordion, fiddle and have songs about being from a small town. My favourite song of theirs is Art & a Wife.

The Deep DarkWoods were great. They played from their new album. Mellow songs with a great rhythm. And lead singer Ryan Boldt looked so much like a lumber jack, I loved it. If you haven't heard of these guys check out my favourite album of theirs, Winter Hours.

Aidan Knight Concert

Last night I went to the see Aidan Knight in concert at The Rio. This was an all ages show and normally I hate them but us shorties managed to get a good spot and the sound in the room was great.

The opening act was one man band, who is a cross between Charlie Winston and Ray Charles, his name is Leif Vollebekk and boy does he have chops. He played the Rio's upright piano for us, hunched over and breathing in every note which was amazing. He even tuned his guitar mid way through for a special song. He had a great awkward comical presence. http://leifvollebekk.com

Aidan Knight was awesome. A experimental-folk quintent from Victoria, British Columbia. The concert was more of a comeback from touring and a soft release of their new record Small Reveal, released just on Oct. 23. Margaret Downe is my favourite song from their new album. http://aidanknight.com

Mocking Bird Lane

Mocking Bird Lane

A cheery blend of 60s and present day remake of The Munsters form Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies).  Jerry O’Connell’s Herman a Frankenstein-like dad, wife Lily played by Portia de Rossi is a sexy spidery vamp; Eddie Izzard is the Dracula-esque Grandpa, son Eddie played by Mason Cook who has just discovered he's a ware-wolf and wants to be a vegetarian and then there's cousin Marilyn played by Charity Wakefield who is the “normal” one.

It's too bad this series didn't get green lit as it is charming, has the right amount of comic moments from Eddie Izzard and enough modern flare; like when Grandpa is drinking Eddie's scout leader to appeal to the Once Upon A Time audience.

New FALL shows in review part 6

Emily Owens, M.D. 9PM The CW 
This is a bit Grey's Anatomy but with more Bridget Jonse-y voiceovers from Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter) who plays Emily. Emily Owens is an intern at a big hospital and is realizing that she never left high school. In fact her high school bully is there to greet her on her first day. Emily is a competent doctor who even has feelings, which is where her new boss (Emily's idol) doesn't. I thought this was an average show not something we haven't seen before but I couldn't handle all of the internal voice overs from Emily, it was a bit much. It's on a perfect network for a light and fluffy show.  NO for me but if there is nothing on i can see myself watching.

World Without End, 9PM Reelz
King Edward II is dead and his son Edward III has now been made King of England. Based on the book by Ken Follett and the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth. I'm not a big fan of this genre and time period, nor was I a fan of The Pillars of the Earth. NO for me.

Hunted BBC & Cinemax
A UK version of Covert Affairs but more gritty, cinematic and less political. We start in the middle of a spy operation with Sam a spy who works for a private sector spy ring, played by the talented Melissa George. Sam is eventually shot at a little cafe, cut to a year later, Sam is back training at her childhood home on the English countryside. She now has to try to figure out how she got shot? Who sent out the kill? Sam moves into an apartment in the city and asks for her job back. The flashbacks of her mother being killed not sure where it's going yet. I like the false scenes they create to convince their targets. For most of the pilot there is no dialogue, there's something I really like about that in all films, which is probably why I like silent films. Because I love spy shows and the British really did make great spy films, and Melissa George is pretty talented this is a YES for me.

KMIA podcast on TheAlliB Show

So it turns out we are getting pretty popular in the fitness world. Nicole was interviewed on TheAlliB. Inspiration Podcast Show. Alli is a Pilates Expert / JNL Fusion Master Trainer in North America. Nicole answers a Alli's questions about how determined Nicole is to have the best health of her life and about her web series show "Kiss My Incoming Abs" making the impossible possible right in front of the viewer’s eyes. Just want to give a big thank you to Alli and TheAlliB Show for having Nicole on the show.

Here is the link to the podcast.

Crazy8s

This year my friend Brandon and I decided to register for Crazy8s. Crazy8s is a short film contest where you send in a video pitch your 10 minute film. It gets narrowed down to 40 projects and from those you pitch to a panel of judges, who narrow it down to 12. The 12 then get to work with story editors to help perfect your script. One more time the judges narrow down the script to a final 6 filmmakers. A few friends of ours have won in the past which gives us hope. I think we'll do well based on the info session we went to. Our story is character driven and pretty cute I just hope the theme this year that's what the judges are looking for.

New FALL shows in review part 5

Arrow, 8PM The CW
Arrow is based on the comic book character the Green Arrow I think this is the CW's Batman. Oliver the "Arrow" was marooned on an island for 5 years and has just come back to the city his father built. He is back with a secret and a vengeance. His vengeance is to ruin the white collar criminals of the city. This fictional world was shot in Vancouver and it's kind of funny watching it because I recognize every location. But Stephen Amell is pretty hot so YES for me.

Beauty and the Beast, 9PM The CW
Stars Kristen Keruk from Smallville as the beauty Catherine. Years later after her mother was killed and she was saved by "the beast" she becomes a NYPD detective. Her latest case is linked to her mothers murder that is "the beast". Cat figures out who "the beast" is the first episode and now wants to protect him. For a modern day adaptation it's pretty predictable, a government secret experiment. I'm not a big Keruk fan and I'm a big Disney Beauty and the Beast fan so it's a NO for me.

Chicago Fire, 10PM NBC
This reminds me a lot of ABC's Rookie Blue except it's about firefighters and paramedics. It's executive produced by Dick Wolf who created the Law & Order franchise. Unlike Dick Wolf's crime driven shows where each story wraps up neatly at the end of each episode, Chicago Fire has a continuos storyline, like the aftermath of a fellow firefighter dying. This is a more character driven show. I think I'm going to watch another episode before I decide, I mean who doesn't like firefighters.  YES for now.

Nashville, 10PM ABC
Starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere as country singers. Rayna Jaymes the household name who's fading is asked by her record label to co-headline with Juliette Barnes, the young country pop singer. Does anyone remember the film Country Strong with Gwyneth Paltrow and Leighton Meester? Rayna's scheming weasel of a father played by Powers Booth, has gotten Rayna's husband to run for mayor behind her back. The best part of the show is it's filmed on location in Nashville, Tennessee where landmark sites like the Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry, the Bluebird Cafe, highlight the episode. I'm going to give it one more episode before I choose. 

Becoming Redwood

My friend Ryan and I met at Shu Raku on Granville to discuss finishing a feature doc he shot quite awhile ago. It's a coming of age story about a young man who goes on an annual canoe trip down the Fraser River. After dinner we were able to get in to the screening of Becoming Redwood at VIFF (the Vancouver International Film Festival). It's actually the first film I've seen at the festival this year (thanks Ryan) :)

Becoming Redwood it's a cute story about an 11 year-old boy in the 70s who's father has just been arrested and extradited from Vancouver back to California. Redwood moves in with his mom, hostile stepfather, two older stepbrothers and a "delusional" grandpa. Redwood's dream is to beat Jack Nicklaus' (the best golfer in the world) golf record and win the "magical green jacket"that will fix his troubles. Redwood learns a great life lesson that magic cant fix your problems but if you try you might get what you need. It's indie, there were some slow moments but it's worth it.

Thanksgiving

I went to my friend Dani's cabin for thanksgiving with her family. The cabin is on Little Shusawp Lake which is just outside Chase, BC. On the drive up we stopped at a drive in dinner in Hope. I had a focaccia chicken clubhouse which was gigantic. We got in around midnight and boy was it black out.

Day 1
We woke up to hundreds of flies everywhere! (it looked like a horror film) My friends dad vaccumed a lot of them up. My friend took me to a cute little used bookstore called "Betty's Books". The store is actually in someone's garage. We then went shopping for fly paper, s'mores and thanksgiving supplies. We made pies, jello and stuffing ahead of time and while we waited for everything to cook us girls played scrabble. For dinner we had steak and potatoes and s'mores for dessert. It felt like 10pm when it was only 7pm, it gets dark fast up here.

Day 2
This was our lazy day. We had pancakes for breakfast. Did some fly killing. Watched some "retro" cartoons. My friend's brother came by for Sunday dinner. For dinner we had carrots and peas, brussle sprouts, mashed potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding and of course turkey. For dessert we had jello with peaches inside and homemade pumpkin pie.

Day 3
Hotdogs for breakfast. Cleaning up the cabin for the winter, which means turning off the water, covering the beds, brining in the deck furniture etc. We had turkey buns for lunch then off we went home. When it was dark we stopped in Chilliwack at Mr. Mike's for dinner. I got home around 9:30.

It's been a nice quiet weekend. I just want to thank my friend and her family for letting me tag along on their thanksgiving weekend.

New FALL shows in review part 4

666 Park Avenue: A couple who move to the Big Apple apply to be the live in caretakers at a rental on Park Avenue. It is a TV version of Devil's Advocate where Terry O'Quinn from Lost is the devil. Nothing can beat American Horror Story as far as I'm concerned. NO for me.

Vegas: After watching the second episode, I'm going to stop watching, there just wasn't anything exciting to watch. This attempt to be the new 1960's show just doesn't cut it. To have the young cop coincidentally stop a hit on the led in the casino case; I mean really? As much as I like Quaid, Chiklis and Moss I wont' be watching.  NO for me.

More reviews to come in the next couple of weeks.

American Horror Story: Asylum

I am so excited to watch the second anthology from Ryan Murphy. I was addicted to AHS last year I even bought the first season on Bluray.

At first I was hesitant about the show but keeping my rule of watching new shows I watched the pilot episode and fell in love. Being a big fan of Jessica Lange's, a horror fan and also a fan of Nip Tuck I continued to watch the show. Now my only concern is that Ryan will start to neglect the story because he has a record of moving onto other projects and screwing up his other ones for example the last couple of seasons of Nip Tuck and Glee. I'm hoping that working with a great cast and the continued accolades he will stay focused on this coming season.

The second season is said to have aliens, mutants, nazis and is set in 1964 Boston where Jessica Lange plays Sister Jude who runs the asylum with an iron fist. Also starring Sarah Paulson as “Lana Winters”, James Cromwell as “Dr. Arthur Arden,” Evan Peters as “Kit Walker,” Lily Rabe as “Sister Mary Eunice,” Lizzie Brocheré as “Grace,” Zachary Quinto as “Dr. Oliver Thredson,” and Joseph Fiennes as “Monsignor Timothy Howard.”

Here are a couple teasers to keep all of us fans guessing. For more got to http://www.fxnetworks.com/ahs or www.facebook.com/americanhorrorstory

Looper and End of Watch

On Tuesday I decided to go to the theatre and take advantage of cheaper Tuesdays. I went tithe 2pm showing of Looper. I have to say I wasn't that impressed. Here's the synopsis. "In 2072, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by transporting back Joe's future self." - IMDB

As soon as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character started talking about what a looper is, that a guy in the future was ending loops and he meets Emily Blunt's character I knew the ending. The movie also felt very long. I do have to say Bruce Willis was pretty badass.




After Looper I did some shopping and I called up my friend Brandon and we went to go see End of Watch starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena. I enjoyed this movie a lot more. Normally I'm not a big fan of cops movies but it was full of emotion and made me laugh in places. It's about "Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel, during a routine traffic stop." - IMBD

Jake's character decides to film his daily activities at work for some class he's taking. The character POV camera work was a little hard to handle but a great story vice. The name of the film is a euphemism for being killed in the line of duty which is exactly what happens in this film. By the end of this film I felt horrible that the  things Gyllenhaal and Pena came across actually happen in real life.

The Mentalist Season 5

Franco Biciochi/HBO

Ever since I watched HBO's Rome I have been following Polly Walker's career. She played Atia the niece of Ceaser and mother to Octavian. She's a great untapped British actress. She starred in the highly acclaimed miniseries State of Play and was recently in BBC's Prisoner's Wives. So I was happy to here an American show brought her on for a stint on The Mentalist. The Mentalist is about an infamous 'psychic' abandons his public persona, outing himself as a fake, to focus on his work as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation in order to find "Red John," the madman who killed his wife and daughter. *Spoilers* Here is the synopsis of the season premiere while Jane tries to decipher Lorelei’s connection to Red John, the CBI team is forced to partner with the FBI to solve the murder of a hotel employee, airs on Sunday, Sept. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS. Emmanuelle Chriqui (“Entourage”) returns as Lorelei Martins, Polly Walker (“Rome”) guest stars as Senior FBI Agent Alexa Schultz and Ivan Sergei guest stars as FBI Agent Gabe Mancini.

CBS

New FALL shows in review part three

Here is part three more to come.

Last Resort 
Navy show. Just as the sub crosses the equator they get a coded authenticated fire message from Antarctica. Is it a coincidence the sub had just picked up a crew of US Army Seals I think not. The captain calls America to confirm the message. The captain gets relieved of his duty on board and Scott Speedman is given command, he asks for conformation and the lines goes dead. They are then targeted by a missile. The crew decide to take cover on an island and stand up against the lies the US government is putting on the news back home. This seems more like a movie then a show to me, plus I'm not big into the war thing so this is a NO for me.

Elementary
Present day Sherlock Holmes. They have Lucy Liu as a female Watson who is sent to keep Holmes sober. Holmes is as usual, a know it all. There is no chemistry between them which if you are going to even think of putting a female Watson in the mix there should be. NO for me.

Made in Jersey

This is a fish out of water story. A Jersey girl gets a job in the big apple as a 1st year lawyer who gets the chance to prove herself and be third chair on a murder case. She uses her detective skills to prove her client is innocent and gets the case dismissed. this just feels like CBS is trying to remake their own Ugly Betty and I just can't handle the Jersey accent. NO for me.

New FALL shows in review part two

As I mentioned before here are some more reviews of the new fall shows. This post contains spoilers.

Partners
Part of CBS' new laugh track comedy this season from the creators of Will & Grace. It's about two best friends one is straight and one is gay and they both work together as architects. I'm not sure if this is CBS' version of every best friend show except no one cares about these characters they are annoying and insult each other. The straight one is unsure of whether to get married or not and the gay one insults his fiancé who nether relationships have chemistry. They also have a cliche hispanic secretary. I really enjoyed watching Michael Urie on Ugly Betty and David Krumholtz on Numb3rs but this is definitely not a platform for either of them. And the clapping in between segments is annoying as hell. It also proves that being gay on TV isn't anything to be excited about anymore. NO for me.

Ben and Kate
Brother and sister Ben and Kate are completely different. Ben is crazy and carefree. Kate is a single mom and is by the book. Ben comes back to town to stop a wedding. It;s a classic case of a reckless guy you hate but deep down he cares and thats why you love him. I found the characters boring even the crazy brother was too tame for me. NO for me.

The Mindy Project
Mindy is a OBGYN who's talkative, candid, dramatic and very Brigit Jones Diary. A girl who has watched every romantic comedy and has just had her heart broken. There's the hot English doctor and the tell it like it is doctor and of course the hot one is not right for her.  YES for me.

Vegas
1960 Las Vegas. Stars Denis Quaid, Michael Chicklis and Carrie Anne Moss, I quite enjoy watching all three. Denis Quiad an ex cop is brought in to investigate the murder of the mayor's daughter in exchange for not having planes fly over his ranch. Michael Chicklis is the mob owner of the Savoy. Carrie Anne Moss is the Assistant to the DA. I'll give it another episode before I make up my mind. MAYBE

Animal Practice
Stars Justin Kirk from Weeds, Tyler Labine from Breaker High and JoAnna Garcia Swisher who played Reba's daughter on Reba. There's also Crystal the monkey, who I've come to learn is richer than anyone. Kirk's character is asked to perform surgery on Labine's dog. JoAnna's character tries to fi in the with the staff and ends up drunk adopting a pig. It's animal loving to the extreme. NO for me.

Guys with Kids
It's funny because I worked on a demo for a Canadian version of this. I guess after the movie came out about the same thing fathers and kids everyone jumped at the chance to make this a TV show. Created by Jimmy Fallon as a live audeince comedy show. It's about 3 best friends who have kids, 2 have wives, while the oner one has and ex wife and girlfriend. The only story line that was interesting was Anthony Anderson and Tempestt Bledsoe's where the Tempestt forgets their anniversary and Anthony holds it over her. But if this is what NBC can come up with having Jimmy Fallon as an exec. than my answer is NO.

The Neighbours
This is straight out of a time capsule, think of Bewitched and I Dream of Jennie. The Neighbours is about a family form the city how move to the suburbs and into an alien community. That's right aliens. Everything here is cliche. The aliens named themselves after famous athletes like Dick Butkus, really does that still get people laughing? NO for me.

My Emmy Score

So here is how my predictions faired. I was surprised by the votes this year usually I'm pretty good about guessing these things.

   = My Prediction
   = Emmy Winner

Best Comedy Series

"The Big Bang Theory"

"Curb Your Enthusiasm"

"Girls"

"Modern Family"

"30 Rock"

"Veep"

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl"

Lena Dunham, "Girls"

Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"

Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"

Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly"

Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"

Louis C.K., "Louie"

Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"

Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series

Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"

Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Eric Stonestreet

Max Greenfield, "New Girl"

Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live"

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"

Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives"

Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"

Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"

Merritt Wever, "Nurse Jackie"

Kristen Wiig, "Saturday Night Live"

Best Drama Series

"Boardwalk Empire"

"Breaking Bad"

"Downton Abbey"

"Game of Thrones"

"Homeland"

"Mad Men"

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law"

Glenn Close, "Damages"

Claire Danes, "Homeland"

Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"

Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey"

Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"

Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"

Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"

Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

Supporting Actor, Drama Series

Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"

Giancarlo Esposito, "Breaking Bad"

Brendan Coyle, "Downton Abbey"

Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"

Jared Harris, "Mad Men"

Supporting Actress, Drama Series

Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"

Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"

Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"

Archie Panjabi, "The Good Wife"

Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"
Christine Baranski "The Good Wife"

Best Miniseries or Movie

"American Horror Story"

"Game Change"

"Hatfields & McCoys"

"Hemingway & Gellhorn"

"Luther"

"Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"

Best Actress Miniseries or Movie

Connie Britton, "American Horror Story"

Ashey Judd, "Missing"

Nicole Kidman, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"

Julianne Moore, "Game Change"

Emma Thompson, "The Song Of Lunch (Masterpiece)"

Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys"

Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"

Idris Elba, "Luther"

Woody Harrelson, "Game Change"

Clive Owen, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"

Bill Paxton, "Hatfields & McCoys"

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie

Denis O'Hare, "American Horror Story"

Ed Harris, "Game Change"

Tom Berenger, "Hatfields & McCoys"

David Strathairn, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"

Martin Freeman, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie

Frances Conroy, "American Horror Story"

Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"

Sarah Paulson, "Game Change"

Mare Winningham, "Hatfields & McCoys"

Judy Davis, "Page Eight (Masterpiece)"

6/15

Emmys 2012 Predictions

Here are my predictions.

Best Comedy Series

"The Big Bang Theory"

"Curb Your Enthusiasm"

"Girls"

"Modern Family"

"30 Rock"

"Veep"

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl"

Lena Dunham, "Girls"

Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"

Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"

Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly"

Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"

Louis C.K., "Louie"

Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"

Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series

Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"

Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"

Max Greenfield, "New Girl"

Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live"

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"

Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives"

Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"

Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"

Merritt Wever, "Nurse Jackie"

Kristen Wiig, "Saturday Night Live"

Best Drama Series

"Boardwalk Empire"

"Breaking Bad"

"Downton Abbey"

"Game of Thrones"

"Homeland"

"Mad Men"

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law"

Glenn Close, "Damages"

Claire Danes, "Homeland"

Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"

Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey"

Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"

Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"

Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"

Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

Supporting Actor, Drama Series

Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"

Giancarlo Esposito, "Breaking Bad"

Brendan Coyle, "Downton Abbey"

Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"

Jared Harris, "Mad Men"

Supporting Actress, Drama Series

Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"

Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"

Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"

Archie Panjabi, "The Good Wife"

Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"

Best Miniseries or Movie

"American Horror Story"

"Game Change"

"Hatfields & McCoys"

"Hemingway & Gellhorn"

"Luther"

"Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"

Best Actress Miniseries or Movie

Connie Britton, "American Horror Story"

Ashey Judd, "Missing"

Nicole Kidman, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"

Julianne Moore, "Game Change"

Emma Thompson, "The Song Of Lunch (Masterpiece)"

Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys"

Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"

Idris Elba, "Luther"

Woody Harrelson, "Game Change"

Clive Owen, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"

Bill Paxton, "Hatfields & McCoys"

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie

Denis O'Hare, "American Horror Story"

Ed Harris, "Game Change"

Tom Berenger, "Hatfields & McCoys"

David Strathairn, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"

Martin Freeman, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie

Frances Conroy, "American Horror Story"

Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"

Sarah Paulson, "Game Change"

Mare Winningham, "Hatfields & McCoys"

Judy Davis, "Page Eight (Masterpiece)"

Research Grant

Did you know that there are research grants fro artists? I thought research was only for scientists. But it turns out that you can apply for grants to do research for your script or treatment and thats what we intend to do. Jessie and I are planning to do a documentary about the LGBTQ community's biggest party and non violent protest, World Pride in Toronto 2014!

We met this morning to go over our proposal which is due October 1st. We have written a one page about our goals, how we've planned it so far, what we are researching and so on. We have a budget on what the money would be used on. We also have a schedule with deadlines like when the first draft of the treatment is due and so on. Lastly we have to include two pieces of work to submit to the judges so they could see what we've done in the past.

We have a couple of things to fine tune and then it's off to the Canada Council.

Letter in the mail...

So I finally got my letter from the BC Arts Council in the mail regarding a grant I had applied for in May. Turns out the BC Government only had 82 applications and only 20 people were able to get funding. I unfortunately wasn't one of them. Suffice to say it was my first application and I now know how much work it takes to write one of their grants. I thought there would be more applicants than there was, so looking at the positive I am going to keep writing grants until I get one. I just wish I knew what exactly they were looking for or what I did wrong. If anyone out there knows of a good course on the matter please let me know.

New FALL shows in review part one

Here is the first batch of new shows I've seen. Keep in mind there maybe some spoilers.

The New Normal
I quite enjoy this show, this is Ryan Murphy's latest. Justin Bartha still plays the nice guy except he's gay. The show centres on a single mom who decides to become a surrogate to a typical gay couple. The one exception is her grandmother played by Ellen Barkin who is a witch. I've watched 2 episodes now and I got to say I'll continue watching, the plus was in episode 2 it references Grey Gardens. YES for me.

Go On
This is Matthew Perry's newest show where he plays this kind of House-esque character who just grates on my nerves. The pilot episode has him holding a group therapy session where he's completely oblivious to people's problems. He also trets his assistant like crap. Granted by the end of the episode he promises to change. But I just found his character irritating. NO for me.

Revolution
JJ Abrams' latest show. It takes place 15 years after all electronics stop working. The series focuses on the Matheson family, who hold the key to reversing the blackout. When the head of one of the republics Monroe, send militia after Ben (the dad) he ends up dead and son Danny is kidnapped. Daughter Charlie must find her uncle Myles who is the only one who can save her brother. The village doctor Maggie and friend of Ben's Arron go along with Charlie where they find her uncle in a Chicago Hotel. A sword fight takes place in the hotel and Myles agrees to go with them. This show has every apocalyptic cliche, the characters are boring and in true Abrams fashion the pilot ends on a cliff hanger and a very boring one at that. NO for me.

Mob Doctor
The title says it all. A pretty doctor Grace, who is all about her patients gets caught up in the mob by making a deal to save her brother's life. The current mob boss Moretti asks Grace to kill a witness for the prosecution but she can't do it. When Moretti comes knocking on Grace's mother's door she is able to get him to chase her to family friend Constantine's house. He shoots Moretti and now Grace has to decide if she stays in Chicago or continues to work for the mob but under Constantine's rule. This is your run of the mill show strong female character, who has to balance being a doctor for good and a doctor for the mob. Fox has had a show like this before except it was about a female cop called The Chicago Code and it only lasted 13 episodes we'll see how long this will last but it's a NO for me.

TV shows I watch

As we approach the new fall TV line up here is my list of TV shows I currently follow.  I blame growing up in the '90s for all my TV watching.  But to be honest most of the time I am multitasking when I watch TV or watching an episode or two before bed. But there are those "few" shows that you just have to make time for. That being said here is my list:


FALL
American Horror Story (FX)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Dexter (Showtime)
Downton Abbey (ITV / PBS)
The Good Wife (CBS)
How I Met Your Mother (NBC)
Parenthood (NBC)


MID SEASON
The Big C (Showtime)
Californiacation (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Mrs. Brown's Boys (BBC)
Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Prisoners' Wives (BBC)
Smash (NBC)
Veep (HBO)


SUMMER
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Mad Men (AMC)
The Newsroom (HBO)
Rookie Blue (ABC)
True Blood (HBO)


GUILTY PLEASURES
Covert Affairs
Drop Dead Diva
Gossip Girl
Hart of Dixie
Spartacus


I will be writing a post of the upcoming new series and my thoughts.

Downton Abbey

I am in love with pretty much all things British, especially TV. Downton Abbey returned in Britain this Sunday!

*Spoilers* This will be the third season for Downton Abbey and what makes me even more excited to watch this season is Shirley Maclaine makes an appearance as Cora's mother. I  just adore Ms. MacLaine. And who can't forget that Christmas episode with Lady Mary and Matthew, finally getting together and this episode featured their wedding!

Festival show prep

Met with co-director Jessie today to discuss plans / strategies on our development for a one show focusing on the pride festival. Our plan is to shoot the international pride festival in 2014 which will be held in Toronto. This is going to be the biggest production I have ever tried to put together so far. Jessie is actually taking some documentary classes to help get first hand experience on how we can approach this size of a project. I'm talking a multi cam shoot of a parade shot on an independent budget. We are currently in the process of writing grant letters to help raise funds. We will be needing a lot more in the form of in kind donations and such later.

Our plan is to showcase one of the funniest and historical parties of this century. We both have been to the Vancouver Pride Festival for the past 4 years and not only are we "Allies" in the community I know I want to support everyone. We not only want to showcase the big party but also the history behind the festival. Our grant is due on October 1st and I still need to make a budget and buff up my resume.Wish us luck.

Damages

I just watched the series finale of Damages. Damages stars Glen Close and Rose Byrne who both play opposing lawyers. Glen Close is true to form as Patty Hewes a nasty, high powered lawyer who doesn't stop until she gets what she wants. Rose Byrne plays Ellen Parsons the the naive lawyer who is Patty's protégée. The first few seasons center around the law firm Hewes & Associates  a major case that Hewes and her firm take on, while also examining a chapter of the complicated relationship between Ellen and Patty. Later seasons center more on Patty and Ellen's relationship as Ellen begins to distance herself from Patty and begins to concentrate on her independent career.

I love this show because of the format it's told in: a puzzle. Each episode is broken up into different pieces of time and the viewer is guessing what each clue means. A few of my friends have tried to watch the show but haven't gotten hooked I think it's mainly because they were trying to watch it one sitting and that's not the point. It is probably one of the few shows that have to be watched week by week. So if your up for a 5 season puzzle you should check it out on Netflix.

17th Ave / Uptown

17th Ave SW aka Uptown is Calgary's version of a Main Street meets Robson Street in Vancouver. We went to my friend's favorite bar Melrose Cafe and Bar for lunch there. I had a Champeach and a Melrose Bellini to drink and Patchos (cajun fries topped with blended cheese, green onions, black olives, diced tomatoes & jalapenos, served with spicy pepper aioli) to eat. After lunch we walked down 17th going into some vintage stores like Feisty. We tried to go see a psychic but that failed again clearly it was not meant to be. After roaming around 17th we went back to my friend's place hung out for a bit before hopping on Calgary transit to the Greyhound station.

Shopping

I went out on my own today to go shopping to Chinook Centre Calgary's biggest mall. It's got a lot of american stores there like Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie and Fitch. There was a steampunk dinosaur at the entrance and in the food court there were small mechanical air crafts on a conveyor belt.

Calgary Aliens

This morning we went downtown to a park with statues that look like aliens! The installation is called the Family of Man and is dedicated by the Duke of Kent in 1968. The statues are 21 feet tall. 

Then we went to see the new Bow Building which my friend helped build. It is 58 stories high and the tallest office tower in the western Canada.  Outside the Bow is this  12-metre tall steel mesh head of a girl called Wonderland which looks pretty creepy. 

After lunch we went to the Kensington Wine Market. A great place with a huge variety of wine from all over the world. A bigger choice then in BC. I got a few bottles of wine to take home with me. We had to go back home because there was a wind warning.