I’m not a fan of Apple. I am a solid supporter of all things PC. However, after this party my conviction is waning.
Microsoft decided to make their Canadian launch of the iPod beater by holding a series of parties, advertised as Six Cities, Six Bands, with their tour starting in Vancouver.
It sounded like a great concept and I was eager to participate, especially when I was told there would be free booze.
I was invited by Highroad Communications to attend the Microsoft Zune launch at a indoor skate park called The Sweatshop. As you may recall, Highroad are the good folks who invited Stephen and I up for the LG Chocolate flip phone launch, which was an Epic Success.
We all got there around 9pm, as per the invitation, but to our surprise we were the only ones there. Apparently the staff were still inside setting up. At 9:30pm, the doorman finally let us inside to . . . an empty room. Seriously. Nobody was inside except us and some of the staff. After a little searching we found the DJ and the two promo girls standing by their little Zune display stand. From first looks, the Zune seems impressive, it looks like a modified iPod. It was far too dark in there to get a clear look and the music was way too loud to properly hear the sound quality.
After Downing a couple beers (Red Stripe from Jamaica), we got bored so we headed across the street for some Chinese food. This was easily the highlight of the night and the food wasn’t even very good. Marina got a great fortune from her fortune cookie. We added “in bed” to all of our fortunes. Yes, we were that bored
After filling our tummies we headed back to a very packed Sweatshop. The crowd was very much a rockabilly-type crew and did not fit into the demographic of a Zune user. I think the marketing boys and girls at Microsoft made a boo-boo. As it turns out, only about 12 media were invited (including us) and the rest were friends of the band and the skate park who were there to get free beer.
I felt truly out of place as flannel-plaid shirts were the going style and I found out what happened to all my sister’s old jeans from the 80s . . . these dudes were wearing them. I have not seen so much moose knuckle in one room in my entire life. I hope it NEVER happens again! Check out this dude!
Overall, I can’t really blame Microsoft for throwing a crappy party. They obviously lost control of the location. Microsoft should have had at least a location manager to retain control of the party and limit the number of moochers who were there to do nothing but drink the free booze. Even companies with lots of money should be aware of how they are spending it. The Sweatshop was clearly very happy to take the money and hold their own party. There were no giveaways for any Zunes. Maybe the Sweatshop owners used them to pay for the volunteer staff?
When I went back for more booze, the two female bartenders literally were demanding tips from everybody. Very classy. I had already left them a $5 tip from my last trip and they still wanted more. It turns out the girls weren’t getting paid for their services, I left them another $5 tip in pity, but who volunteered in the first place!? Dumbasses.
Although it hasn’t been particularly busy in the film industry it is amazing how fast the time passes and you feel like there’s still so much to do.
I’ve only been working on set one or two days a week but I’ve also bought a new condo so I’m in the process of settling in and still moving over some of my belongings. I also have to get the old place repainted and carpet cleaned before I sell it.
My new condo is phenomenal, it is a large two bedroom, two bath with two patios. It has overheight ceilings and doors, stainless steel appliances, granite counters in the kitchen and marble in the washrooms. I’ve converted the second bedroom into my home office. The view from my living room is a two and a half acre manicured French garden with a large fountain. Until I sell my old place, I’m in financial limbo.
It’s also tax time in Canada, so getting all my receipts and tallying up my expenses is a task I never look forward to.
Looks like May will start to be very busy as several films and television series are starting to go to camera, rumor is many more productions are fast-tracking their shoot schedule to get as much done before the June 30th negotiating deadline in case the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) decides to strike. After suffering the three and half long Writer’s Strike, I hope another strike doesn’t happen.
Redemption. That pretty much sums up the Matt Serra versus Georges St. Pierre fight. If there was any doubt at all that GSP isn’t one of the best fighters in the UFC today, this match effectively dispelled it.
GSP came out and made an aggressive take-down in the opening seconds of round 1, he was determined to use his superior jiu-jitsu against Serra to avoid a repeat of the the stand-up disaster that led to GSP losing his title. GSP remained on top and dominated the entire match.
GSP continued the punishment on Serra with a series of devastating knees to the ribs, forcing the referee to end the fight in a TKO at 4:45 in the second round. GSP regains his UFC Welterweight Championship belt in front of his hometown Montreal crowd. This is the most successful UFC on paper ever and tickets to the event sold-out within two hours of the ticket boxes opening. Proving that Canada is truly a MMA haven.
Another exciting bout on the fight card was Rich Franklin versus Travis Lutter. Franklin was still haunted by his two definitive losses to Anderson Silva. Lutter also makes his return behind the shadow of his previous loss to Silva and his embarrassing failure to make the weight for that fight.
Franklin redeemed himself as a world-class fighter by showing his superior technical prowess. Lutter managed to engage in some impressive arm bars but Franklin showed impressive skill by turning all efforts around in his favour. Lutter soon became gassed through his earlier efforts and was finally defeated in a TKO 3:01 in the second round.
Here are the rest of the results on the fight card:
It was also my friend Justin’s birthday so we celebrated post-UFC style
Being the first ever UFC to be held on Canadian soil, I had to break out my old UFC championship belt. It’s been sitting in my storage for years. Of course I bought it but it is an authentic licensed reproduction of the real belt
How the hell does one guy make such a big mess? Oh well, the drunken birthday boy deserves to get a way with it. Happy birthday Justin!
Our final day up at Whistler for the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival involved us getting up far too early for our own good. the hotel would not let us have a late check out so the five of us staying in the two bedroom chalet had to scramble to pack and get ready with only one shower available.
I never got that layout, it has a full kitchen and living room, two patios, three full bathroom sinks and two toilets but the place only had one stand-up shower.
At any rate, it was nice to wake up early for once and have time to grab breakfast instead of lunch. It was also our last opportunity to take some photos before we headed back down to Vancouver. You can check out some more videos and photos over at Stephen’s, Ed’s, Michael’s and Brice’s sites. We checked out the Brave Art exhibit, that featured a lot of local and independent artists.
And who doesn’t like hot chicks playing with fire? There was also an unexpected fireworks display at the end of the Big Air competition.
Today we played it lazy. We slept in, got something to eat, drank some beer in the sun while listening to live bands and went back to the hotel for a nap before dinner. Okay, so maybe we got to check out a few vendors in the village but the real action began in the evening.
The evening began at the GLC (Garibaldi Lift Company) Bar & Grill, located adjacent to the Big Air snow ramp, the entire location was reserved for only special guests and media. A buffet style burger station was set-up to feed our appetites. Unfortunately, unlike last year where LG sponsored the spectacular event, there was no free booze
Instead, this year drink tickets were handed out to a limited few. Needless to say I didn’t stick around for very long. I managed to take a few photos before it got too dark then I made a nice, little video compilation for your viewing pleasure.
Instead of staying only one day like last year, we decided to stay for the whole weekend.
After checking in at the Press Room, we headed out to explore the Village proper. The main stage was holding the free outdoor concerts and the adjacent big air ramp provided entertainment in the form of athletes practicing for the big contest on Saturday night.
I’ve been lucky to work on some great shows in the past and I’ve had the good fortune to work on some really fun days on set. However, the real way to my heart is through my stomach
I just finished working on the last day of principal filming for The Day the Earth Stood Still. In honour of the occasion the caterers put together a feast I will not soon forget. They prepared lobster, duck, prime rib, fresh oysters along with a slew of sides and a dessert table that would make a fat kid cry with joy.
Unfortunately, I eat with my eyes as much as my stomach so I didn’t get around to the oysters in time and I only managed to snatch up the very last dish of lobster and duck. The prime rib was to die for
The production also set up the evenings entertainment with a string quartet, playing classical, and a large ice sculpture of the famous robot featured in the original film. It continues to be busy for me and I have a few more days later this week on The Day The Earth Stood Still for re-shoots and pick-up shots. I doubt we’ll eat this good for a while, I’ll just have to stick to regular catered food
Well, in the aftermath of the three and a half months long Writer’s Strike, it appears that we are approaching some level of pre-strike normalcy. Although shows I’ve worked regularly on like Bionic Woman, Intelligence and Jpod are no longer, my favorite show Battlestar Galactica is back to finish off its last episodes.
I’m looking forward to seeing all the cast and crew once again for another couple months at least. This won’t be the last of the Tattooed Pilot you’ll be seeing. Due to signing of a confidentiality agreement I’m not able to say too much but you can look forward to an action packed season 4.
On related news, the prequel spin-off titled “Caprica” has been tentatively green-lit for production. It takes place about forty years before the first Cylon war and focuses on the family of a pre-teen William Adama and another family, the Graystones. If I’m lucky I’ll find my way onto that show as well, it will also be shooting here in Vancouver.
Season 4 debuts in Canada and the USA on April 4th. It will be airing on the Space channel in Canada and the Sci-Fi Network in the States. Check your local listings for times.
There has been a nice boost in advertising for this obscure but popular show, they even had the cast do a Top Ten list on the David Letterman show. Check it out!
Welcome to another Hump Day Video. This video has been floating around the internet for a while now and the song has been around for even longer. I still get a kick out of it though.
It’s well written and funny as hell. If you’re a sci-fi fan like myself, you’ll appreciate the time and effort put into this little project. My favorite is the Lando part
NSFW warning, remember this is still gangsta rap, so the language may not be appropriate for playback for the office or in the company of little kids.
Luckily, the members of the Dot Com crew were already in line. I gave my order to Ed and sat down to save us a couple of tables. Unfortunately, Ed goofed up and forgot my order. I found this out after everybody else got their food and were already half finished
Stephen and I were already at Wally’s Burgers earlier in the week, and I had been trying to get him down the street to visit Tops Restaurant for their Super Burger. Tops has been around for as long as I can remember, although not as long as Wally’s Burgers, and is open 24/7 to satisfy your hunger anytime.
After finishing up our burgers at Wally’s we headed down the street (literally, Tops is over one block and across the street from Wally’s) and sat down for round two of Dot Com Burger. John and Danny weren’t up for the Super Burger but each opted for a soup instead. The rest of us braved the cholesterol count and dug into our Super Burgers. The Super Burger at Tops consists of two 5oz sirloin beef patties, a fried egg, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles, real cheddar cheese, all sandwiched in between a sesame seed bun. The burger is easily bigger than my fist. Stephen is the only one to actually finish the whole burger, he’s got a wooden leg.
I also went for the homemade cappuccino milkshake, which was so thick it actually filled me up before I even started on my burger. At $12.99 (with your choice of sides), the Super Burger is a steep price but worth it as the occasional treat.
