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Susan Gittins

Longtime mainstream media (MSM) journalist and author Susan Gittins began writing about and photographing Vancouver’s many film and TV location shoots in the summer of 2010 after the Winter Olympics put the city and its beauty on the world stage. Movies and TV series often showcase the Vancouver area in similar fashion. Vancouver is Awesome commissioned her YVRShoots series in the fall of 2010 and it ran regularly for three years. She launched her own daily YVRShoots blog in the spring of 2012.

SHOOT: PSYCH Films Cutting Edge Consultants Convention at the University of British Columbia

Psych’s seventh episode of season eight is packed with guest stars. Tom Arnold plays  paranormal police consultant Garth Mayers who comes to Santa Barbara with his ghost sidekick Bernie to appear on a panel at the Cutting Edge Consultants Convention at Santa Barbara University. And Oscar winner Mira Sorvino debuts as the Santa Barbara Police’s head detective Betsy Brannigan, the newest member of Psych’s crime-fighting quartet.

Related: James Roday & Dule Hill Talk Smack to Tom Arnold in East Vancouver

Related: Mira Sorvino the Newest Member of Psych Crime-Fighting Quartet

Today’s shoot was at the University of British Columbia’s CHEM building dressed as the Santa Barbara University’s Faculty of Sciences, with Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and BFF Burton “Gus” Guster (Dule Hill) talking to someone outside the convention. The next scene was the guy in the suit below being escorted out. Is he someone I should know Psych-Os? Update: It’s Vincent Ventresca, aka The Invisible Man.

Read More »SHOOT: PSYCH Films Cutting Edge Consultants Convention at the University of British Columbia

SHOOT: Mira Sorvino on PSYCH Set in East Vancouver

So that was Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino filming Psych as a Santa Barbara Police Department detective last Thursday afternoon at Terra Pita Place in east Vancouver. According to TV Line, she’s the new head detective Betsy Brannigan and a mix of sweet and badass. In other words: “a scrapbooking, cat loving, crime-fighting machine.” Sounds like a good fit for the Psych gang.

Related: James Roday and Dule Hill Talk Smack to Guest Star Tom Arnold in East Vancouver

Sorvino takes the place of Maggie Lawson in the crime-fighting quartet for some episodes as Lawson goes to work on her new sitcom Back in the Game.

Read More »SHOOT: Mira Sorvino on PSYCH Set in East Vancouver

WEEK: July 8-14, 2013

SHOOT: PSYCH’s Dule Hill & James Roday Talk Smack to Tom Arnold in East Vancouver

Updated: Tom Arnold plays paranormal police consultant Garth Mathers, who has a ghost sidekick Bernie.

Fake psychic Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his BFF Burton “Gus” Guster (Dule Hill) spent early Thurday afternoon talking smack to [paranormal police consultant Garth Mathers (Tom Arnold)] outside historic Terra Vita Place on Cassiar Street, dressed like the Santa Barbara Police Department. The now high-end condo complex is a redevelopment of the 1914 Industrial Home for Girls, a heritage building that would not look out of place in southern California.

Shawn and Gus taunt [Garth Mathers], standing on the circular driveway below with Santa Barbara police detective Carlton “Lassie” Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) and [new head detective Betsy Brannigan (Mira Sorvino)]. The smackdown goes on for a while until Shawn slides down the railing  leaving Gus to grind and kick like a  male stripper as [Mathers] passes him on the stairs. A large hedge hid most of the action but it appeared that “acclaimed director James Roday” (Mr. Yin Presents… Heeeeere’s Lassie) is directing this season eight episode, including his own stunt slide.

Read More »SHOOT: PSYCH’s Dule Hill & James Roday Talk Smack to Tom Arnold in East Vancouver

SHOOT: Stephen Amell & ARROW Crew Wish Colton Haynes a Happy 25th Birthday

Stephen Amell and Arrow crew took a break on Friday night from rehearsing scenes for their season two premiere to wish Colton Haynes (in his Roy Harper red hoodie) a happy 25th birthday, surprising him with a big birthday cake with candles.

Arrow star Stephen Amell laughs as everyone sings Happy Birthday.

Read More »SHOOT: Stephen Amell & ARROW Crew Wish Colton Haynes a Happy 25th Birthday

COMIC-CON PREP: GODZILLA Sets Up Its Viral Marketing Campaign

Update: Godzilla director Gareth Edwards pre-taped a message for San Diego Comic-Con fans to preview the GodzillaEncounter.com viral campaign about “something very big heading to San Diego.” He must have done this standup in Vancouver late last month on the Main Street set  in south Burnaby, dressed as San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Related: Godzilla turns Watchmen’s Main Street Set into San Francisco’s Chinatown.

[sz-youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wAhgAqzrLE&feature=youtu.be” /]

Legendary Pictures shared a news item about the disappearance of a Japanese fishing vessel Sun Five bound for San Diego [Comic-Con] which reported a collision with a “black iceberg”, with the ominous last words: “The iceberg….it saw us.” Uh-oh.
Godzilla Viral Marketing Campaign

Read More »COMIC-CON PREP: GODZILLA Sets Up Its Viral Marketing Campaign