Billy Burke is the actor who plays Bella Swan's dad (Charlie Swan) in The Twilight Saga. He was born and raised in Bellingham, Washington so he's what you might call a 'local'. He debuted his new song called "Removed" in April along with his new website. I like this song, bluesy-country-rock. This morning, he launched the video for the song. As Billy explains on his website:
I had the good fortune of being visited by my close friend and up and coming filmmaker Devon Gummersall. He and I both thought it might be a sweet opportunity to shoot some unplanned, guerilla style footage for an impromptu video for “REMOVED”. My super-cool wife and best pal Pollyanna Rose agreed to play with us and thus, we set forth on a one day into night excursion to see what we could come up with. As you’ll see we started out on the deserted streets of Shreveport (Louisiana) and ended up literally, in the closet of the house we were renting.
The video isn't ground-greaking but it complements the song well. Plus we get a peek at what that part of Louisiana looks like, in case 'Breaking Dawn' will be filmed there.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Twilight Convention May 14-16, 2010
About 500 participants attended each day, Sunday was the busiest day as it was standing-room only and had people squeezed into the Grand Ballroom. We had reserved seats for the weekend, and a great centre view of the stage and guest.
I have hundreds of pictures - don't worry, won't be posting all of them :) Here is one picture for each guest who attended this weekend with a brief caption. It was a lot of fun and we are making plans for next year already. All the guests were engaging, interesting, gracious and gave thoughtful answers to the questions posed by their fans. For more in depth coverage of the question and answer session visit Mandy's Mind.
Bronson Pelletier (Jared)
Lori Joffs & Shelley from Twilight Lexicon, first Twilight fan website
Kiowa Gordon (Embry Call)
Jodelle Ferland (Bree in Eclipse)
Cameron Bright (Alec, Volturi)
Daniel Cudmore (Felix, Volturi)
Catherine Hardwicke, director of 'Twilight'
Peter Facinelli (Dr.Carlisle Cullen)
Stars on Ice - May 14, 2010
This was a busy week for me in entertainment, when it rains it pours as they say. I go for months without much happening, than BAM! my social calendar is filled up. My week started with the Eagles concert, which was amazing. On Friday night, it was Stars on Ice.
I have not seen live figure skating since the 1980's and this show was a real treat for the eyes. The skaters included Kurt Browning; Scott Moir & Tessa Virtue, Olympic gold medal winners in ice dance; Joannie Rochette, Olympic bronze medallist; Jaime Salle and David Pelletier, Olympic gold medal winners in pairs in 2002; Jeffrey Buttle; Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon (ice dance 2002); Cynthia Phaneuf and Shawn Sawyer.
The artistry and choreography were amazing, these athletes are inspirational.
I have not seen live figure skating since the 1980's and this show was a real treat for the eyes. The skaters included Kurt Browning; Scott Moir & Tessa Virtue, Olympic gold medal winners in ice dance; Joannie Rochette, Olympic bronze medallist; Jaime Salle and David Pelletier, Olympic gold medal winners in pairs in 2002; Jeffrey Buttle; Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon (ice dance 2002); Cynthia Phaneuf and Shawn Sawyer.
The artistry and choreography were amazing, these athletes are inspirational.
One of the group numbers.
Jaime Salle & David Pelletier
My faves - Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir - simply sublime
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Eagles
Sixteen years ago, I moved to British Columbia (Vancouver area) from Ontario. Soon after settling into life on the westcoast, it became apparent that I was somewhat lost in translation.
True story - I was watching the news with my aunt and a story came on regarding cross-border shopping, which at the time (1994) Americans were coming to shop in Canada as our dollar was so low (approx. 73 cents). The reporter asked them why they were coming to Canada, they replied some shopping and to see the eagles. My eyes popped out of my head as I exclaimed "The Eagles!!! Oh, my I have wanted to see them my whole life. When are they here? How long are they here for?" My aunt calmly replied that they would be here for a few weeks. "A few weeks?! Are they here to rehearse?" Aunt: "Rehearse for what? They come back every year to the same spot near Brackendale." Me: "They come back every year? They must be very popular here." Aunt: "People come from all over to see them. They spend hours observing them and taking pictures." Me: "Observing them? Taking pictures, sounds like a zoo. Wouldn't that be rather distracting when practicing their music?" Aunt: "Music? What are you talking about?" Me: "The Eagles, the band!" Aunt: "The band? Never heard of them, I'm talking about the birds."
This was followed by fits of laughter from both of us. My aunt thought she had a serious birder on her hands. My mind is trained for entertainment, not bird watching. In years since, I have seen eagles and they are visually stunning to see up close, magnificent raptors. Of course, this story has been told and retold a few times and each time we end up laughing.
True story - I was watching the news with my aunt and a story came on regarding cross-border shopping, which at the time (1994) Americans were coming to shop in Canada as our dollar was so low (approx. 73 cents). The reporter asked them why they were coming to Canada, they replied some shopping and to see the eagles. My eyes popped out of my head as I exclaimed "The Eagles!!! Oh, my I have wanted to see them my whole life. When are they here? How long are they here for?" My aunt calmly replied that they would be here for a few weeks. "A few weeks?! Are they here to rehearse?" Aunt: "Rehearse for what? They come back every year to the same spot near Brackendale." Me: "They come back every year? They must be very popular here." Aunt: "People come from all over to see them. They spend hours observing them and taking pictures." Me: "Observing them? Taking pictures, sounds like a zoo. Wouldn't that be rather distracting when practicing their music?" Aunt: "Music? What are you talking about?" Me: "The Eagles, the band!" Aunt: "The band? Never heard of them, I'm talking about the birds."
This was followed by fits of laughter from both of us. My aunt thought she had a serious birder on her hands. My mind is trained for entertainment, not bird watching. In years since, I have seen eagles and they are visually stunning to see up close, magnificent raptors. Of course, this story has been told and retold a few times and each time we end up laughing.
Well, finally on May 9, I will go see the Eagles (the band) - Long Road Out of Eden tour. They have sold out 3 shows in Vancouver. There will be thousands of us observing and taking pictures of them while enjoying their music.
Grey whale wanders into downtown Vancouver - CTV News
This afternoon a Grey whale wandered into the downtown waters of Vancouver. False Creek is a small body of water which is fed by the Pacific Ocean (English Bay & Georgia Strait). Apparently this 40-foot mammal thought he/she would do some shopping in Yaletown or serve to intimidate the Chicago Blackhawks who are in town for game 3 of the NHL Playoffs. The Vancouver Canucks' mascot is an Orca after all.
CTV has a great video of the whale swimming from Science World under the Cambie Street Bridge back out to sea.
CTV has a great video of the whale swimming from Science World under the Cambie Street Bridge back out to sea.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
BC Place Stadium Roof
Friday, April 30, 2010
Bill Condon to Direct 'Breaking Dawn'
As you know I have been somewhat critical of the possibility of Bill Condon directing the last installment of The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn. See previous post. Today, he issued the following note to the fans of the saga and I have become a convert, this note made me smile and shows he has a great sense of humour and understands the fanbase. Hopefully this will result in a great movie(s) - still no confirmation as to whether it will be one or two movies, however those in the know say 'Breaking Dawn' will be two movies.
Source: from Twilight Facebook
A note to fans from Bill Condon
Greetings Twihards, Twifans, Twilight Moms, Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Switzerland,
I just want to say hello to all of you and let you know that I'm stoked to be getting underway on the adventure of making BREAKING DAWN. As you've probably heard, I've been given a very warm welcome by Stephenie and Team Summit - who are super-focused, as you know, on getting these movies right.
I'm pretty busy bringing myself up to speed on what you already know by heart: I've read BREAKING DAWN twice, rewatched Catherine's and Chris's movies 2-3 times each, have all four CDs playing in my car, and have Catherine's notebook, Mark Cotta Vaz's companion books, and even Volume 1 of the graphic novel here on my desk - a corner of my office is starting to look like Hot Topic. I realize that this barely qualifies me for "newborn" status in the universe you've been living inside for a few years now, but a guy's gotta start somewhere.
Like many of you, I've always been slightly obsessed with vampires, dating back to the prime-time series DARK SHADOWS, which I followed avidly as a kid. But that alone hadn't been enough to get me interested in making a vampire movie, even though my early screenwriting and directing efforts grew out of a great love for horror movies and thrillers. Since making GODS AND MONSTERS thirteen years ago, however, I've been yearning for a return to a story with Gothic overtones.
The wonderful world that Stephenie has created has obviously struck a chord with you, and I don't think it's difficult to see why. For me, her characters are simultaneously timeless, yet very modern. Rooted in a beautiful, real landscape with a great sense of place, Bella, Edward, Jacob, and the rest of the Forks/La Push menagerie, experience emotions that are primal, and universal: desire, despair, jealousy - and it all comes to fruition in BREAKING DAWN. This is a final chapter in the best sense; not just wide in scope and scale, but emotionally charged and intense throughout.
I'm a huge admirer of the already-iconic Kristen, Robert, and Taylor, and wanted to be the one to work with them as they face the challenges of bringing your beloved characters to the end of their journeys. Really, what could be more fun than that?
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below, and I'll do my best to answer them. I hope that this will be the first of many occasions I'll get to check in with you as we set to work bringing BREAKING DAWN to the screen. I am excited and grateful to have all of you alongside me for my TWILIGHT journey.
All the best,
Bill Condon
P.S. Answer #1: No, there won't be any musical numbers
Source: from Twilight Facebook
A note to fans from Bill Condon
Greetings Twihards, Twifans, Twilight Moms, Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Switzerland,
I just want to say hello to all of you and let you know that I'm stoked to be getting underway on the adventure of making BREAKING DAWN. As you've probably heard, I've been given a very warm welcome by Stephenie and Team Summit - who are super-focused, as you know, on getting these movies right.
I'm pretty busy bringing myself up to speed on what you already know by heart: I've read BREAKING DAWN twice, rewatched Catherine's and Chris's movies 2-3 times each, have all four CDs playing in my car, and have Catherine's notebook, Mark Cotta Vaz's companion books, and even Volume 1 of the graphic novel here on my desk - a corner of my office is starting to look like Hot Topic. I realize that this barely qualifies me for "newborn" status in the universe you've been living inside for a few years now, but a guy's gotta start somewhere.
Like many of you, I've always been slightly obsessed with vampires, dating back to the prime-time series DARK SHADOWS, which I followed avidly as a kid. But that alone hadn't been enough to get me interested in making a vampire movie, even though my early screenwriting and directing efforts grew out of a great love for horror movies and thrillers. Since making GODS AND MONSTERS thirteen years ago, however, I've been yearning for a return to a story with Gothic overtones.
The wonderful world that Stephenie has created has obviously struck a chord with you, and I don't think it's difficult to see why. For me, her characters are simultaneously timeless, yet very modern. Rooted in a beautiful, real landscape with a great sense of place, Bella, Edward, Jacob, and the rest of the Forks/La Push menagerie, experience emotions that are primal, and universal: desire, despair, jealousy - and it all comes to fruition in BREAKING DAWN. This is a final chapter in the best sense; not just wide in scope and scale, but emotionally charged and intense throughout.
I'm a huge admirer of the already-iconic Kristen, Robert, and Taylor, and wanted to be the one to work with them as they face the challenges of bringing your beloved characters to the end of their journeys. Really, what could be more fun than that?
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below, and I'll do my best to answer them. I hope that this will be the first of many occasions I'll get to check in with you as we set to work bringing BREAKING DAWN to the screen. I am excited and grateful to have all of you alongside me for my TWILIGHT journey.
All the best,
Bill Condon
P.S. Answer #1: No, there won't be any musical numbers
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