Skip to content

Vancouver

SET: EMILY OWENS M.D.’s Robert H. Johnson High School

If you’ve seen any of the teasers or trailers for upcoming The CW hospital drama series Emily Owens, M.D., then you’ll know that social nerd Emily Owens (Mamie Gummer) has conversations with her younger high school self through a chain link fence. I’ve seen the hospital side of these conversations at the University of British Columbia’s Irving K. Barber Learning Centre made to look like Denver Memorial Hospital. And today I hoped to catch the school side of these conversations at Lord Byng High School made to look like Robert H. Johnson High School. But mis-timed it. Here’s the set. And here’s a link to the new show poster of frazzled Emily — Practicing Medicine. Working on Life.

Read More »SET: EMILY OWENS M.D.’s Robert H. Johnson High School

CONTINUUM Digitally Explodes Arthur Erickson-Designed Building in Season One Finale

On Continuum’s season finale entitled Endtime, Rachel Nichols’s Kiera Cameron and Erik Knudsen’s Alec Sandler race to prevent a 2012 terrorist attack which defines the future, set off by Tony Amedola’s Liber8 leader Kagame, who’d been sent back in time to do exactly this. I saw them film Nichols and Knudsen running into the iconic Arthur Erickson-designed building at 1075 West Georgia Street in Vancouver in early May in take after take. Zooming in, I could see them in conversation with someone in a police uniform but never suspected it was Tony Amendola’s Kagame. Watching the finished product last night, I wondered if the late Arthur Erickson would be pleased or annoyed to see his building digitally destroyed like this on screen. I think he would be pleased.

Read More »CONTINUUM Digitally Explodes Arthur Erickson-Designed Building in Season One Finale

SHOOT: Justin Hartley Films EMILY OWENS M.D. at the University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia campus is pretty deserted in the summer months so there weren’t many students around yesterday to notice that their Irving K. Barber Learning Centre had been renamed Denver Memorial Hospital again so that hospital drama series Emily Owens, M.D. could film some quick scenes at the main entrance with a prop Denver Memorial ambulance parked out front in the sunshine and lots of background performers dressed in hospital scrubs milling about.

It’s been four months since Emily Owens M.D. (then called First Cut) filmed scenes for the pilot at Irving K. Barber of its star Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep’s daughter) walking in and out the front doors as Emily, a social nerd and surgical intern who finds life at Denver Memorial Hospital a lot like high school, where the popular students are people like real-life former model Justin Hartley (the Green Arrow on Smallville) as Will, a fellow surgical intern and Emily’s big crush.

I didn’t expect to see Justin Hartley (with glasses) on Emily Owens M.D.’s first day back shooting in Vancouver  (August 1st) so my photos below aren’t the best. He certainly is crush-worthy and in a CW teaser for the show we see Emily admit to Will how much she likes him. “I’m so sorry. I just don’t see you like that,” he replies kindly. Oops. How embarrassing and endearing of Emily. No wonder CW execs see Emily Owens as the next Ally McBeal.

Read More »SHOOT: Justin Hartley Films EMILY OWENS M.D. at the University of British Columbia

Supernatural Films Season 8 Premiere at the University of British Columbia

Seeing both of the Winchester brothers filming the Supernatural season eight premiere at the University of British Columbia would have been quite the spoiler if producers hadn’t already revealed that it takes place a year after the events of the season seven finale and that Dean Winchester’s time in Purgatory will be told mainly through flashbacks. In today’s scene, Jensen Ackles’s Dean Winchester and Jared Padalecki’s Sam Winchester stroll down the Main Mall outside the CHEM building dressed in suits amid background performers.

I arrived just as they wrapped at the CHEM building so I decided to head to the White Spot outlet on the west side of the Main Mall to pick up a Triple-O burger. Halfway there, I realized that Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki were headed to the same place, tossing a football back and forth on the way. Supernatural had booked the patio for the next scene.

Read More »Supernatural Films Season 8 Premiere at the University of British Columbia

PSYCH Films on July 4th And Returns to Comic-Con Next Week for 4th Year in a Row

I didn’t expect to see Psych —  American TV’s hottest fake psychic detective agency — filming on the most American holiday of the year:  July 4th, Independence Day.  I walked up to the set inside a Tudor-style apartment building on the southern edge of the South Granville neighbourhood in a rare bit of Vancouver sunshine. James Roday (fake psychic Shawn Spencer who solves crimes for the Santa Barbara police department with his superior observational skills); Dulé Hill (Shawn’s BFF and reluctant sidekick Burton “Gus” Guster) and Maggie Lawson (Santa Barbara police detective Juliet O’Hara and Shawn’s girlfriend) sat in their cast chairs outside, on a break from filming. Timothy Omundson (Santa Barbara police detective Carlton “Lassie” Lassiter and Shawn skeptic) joined them after hitting the craft table. It’s the first time I’ve seen Lassie on location this season.

Next week, more than four thousand lucky PSYCH-Os (either dressed as a pineapple or carrying one) will have the chance to both see and hear from all four leads at the standing-room-only, people-turned-away Psych panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

Read More »PSYCH Films on July 4th And Returns to Comic-Con Next Week for 4th Year in a Row

PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD Season Finale Turns Gastown Into London for PRIMEVAL’s Andrew-Lee Potts – Updated

Sometimes our city doesn’t play itself in upcoming Vancouver-as-Vancouver series Primeval: New World. Tonight a section of Gastown doubled as a London square and street with a prop red double-decker bus, prop black London cabs, prop red post box and a real British star.

Andrew-Lee Potts, aka Conner Temple from the original British series Primeval, is back to film another episode of the Vancouver spinoff, more than three months after guest-starring in the series premiere. He and Robert Lawrenson (Sanctuary) and two other ARC actors did take after take of the four of them chasing what will be a computer-generated dinosaur through Maple Square and along Alexander Street for half a block. It was a long run, especially when repeated over and over again (I did not envy the guy carrying the big case). Here are the ARC foursome walking back to the start point on Carrall Street, looking a bit like the cover of The Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album (should be a zebra crossing but it’s not part of the scene).

Read More »PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD Season Finale Turns Gastown Into London for PRIMEVAL’s Andrew-Lee Potts – Updated