Secret Circle - Pilot - Review and Filming Locations

The new CW show The Secret Circle premiered last night and I thought it was really great.

Written by the same author of The Vampire Diaries, L.J. Smith has another great series turned television show.

The show follows Cassie, played by Brittany Robertson, who is no stranger to Vancouver after filming Life Unexpected here, after her mother dies and she must move in with her grandma. The town is filled with witch teens, who's parents used to practice magic until there was a terrible accident, so now the teens practice in secret.

Gale Harold, Brian Kinney from Queer as Folk and more recently Hellcats (another Vancouver filmed, and canceled show) is one adult who seems "in" on the current practice of magic and within the first few minutes, make that seconds, of the pilot, shows himself to be a "bad guy" by using magic to kill Cassie's mother, forcing Cassie to move to her grandmothers and, after learning about her magic skills, joining, or completeing "the circle"

The pilot was awesome, I loved Phoebe Tonkin as the bad girl and of course Thomas Dekker as the "heart throb"

I am excites to see where this show goes and glad they kept it in Vancouver (unlike The Vampire Diaries, who moved to ATL after filming the pilot in Vancouver)

Like all Vancouver shows, I recognize sets and although I did not go to any, I wanted to share where they were.

Here are sets from the Pilot, if you know more feel free to add them in the comments:

Moncton St Steveston, BC

Town Shots, like this one when Gale Harold's character meets Brittany Robertson's character (did you know off-screen these two have been spotted hanging out a few times?) are filmed in Steveston (Richmond BC) The address on the building tells us it is 3580 Moncton

Boathouse Restaurant

There are multiple locations for the Boathouse, but since much of the filming was in Steveston, BC, I would assume the one we see in the pilot is the one in Richmond. (8331 River Road)

The abandoned house (Where they tell Cassie she is a witch) LOOKED like one in Langley I know Supernatural has used, but given the amount of filming in Richmond, I imagine they found an old house there to use, though I would need to see more of it to be sure. Though this still of them inside was probably studio, as many interiors are, but you never know.

Cleavland Dam

When Cassie runs away from the old house, after being told she is a witch, Adam catches up with her and together they chant "drop of water, light as air"

Sockeye City Grill was spotted in the ending scene when Faye summons the rain and a massive storm erupts. (3780 Bayview Street, Steveston)

The highschool scenes were filmed at Kitsalano High School.

I had been told they were at Point Grey Secondary for the pilot (but that is incorrect) and then switched to Templeton after the pilot (Where a number of shows and movies film, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 a few weeks ago) So I am not sure if/where they moved after the pilot, I will watch future shows and see.

But the pilot was DEFINATELY Kitsalano High School as you can see in this photo of "Chance Harbor"

The fishing town and docks were also done in Steveston.

There were some scenes filmed along the water near Finn Slough.

That's it so far. I know I am loving this show, so perhaps I will try to post more locations and maybe even visit one at some point.

September Movies

There are a lot of movies out or coming out that I want to see. I have been really lucky lately to not only go to a lot of movies and screenings but also win some passes. SCORE!

First of all Recent Releases I have seen:

The Help

One Day

Crazy Stupid Love

Contagion

Afraid of the Dark - Was good, not great. The lil critters were scarier than I thought because of how they were built up and used the shadows and darkness.

Dolphin Tale - Which was crowded with screaming kids so we went to Planet of the Apes, which was pretty awesome! I actually enjoyed it more than I thought. To be honest, I had little desire to see it other than it had been filmed (albeit mostly in studio) here in Vancouver. Oh and I love James Franco and like Tom Felton. Oh and baby monkey's are cute.... though after watching this movie I learned how creepy grown apes can be ha ha.

I do still want to see Dolphin Tale - with my daughter...who isn't a screaming brat like most of the kids at that screening I skipped.

Abduction - Which comes out next weekend but I watched last night at the VIP Screening in Seattle.

Upcoming Movies:

This weekend I will see Straw Dogs and Drive. I am so excited to see my boyfriends Ryan Gosling and Alexander Skarsgård this weekend - rawr!

Also next week I have Moneyball and 50/50 screening passes. I didn't even know what the heck Moneyball was and 50/50 I am psyched for because it was filmed here.

Moneyball is about numbers and baseball and money... *shrugs* Brad Pitt makes me willing to see it.

I also want to see some of these movies:

30 minutes or Less - which looks funny but my husband wants to see it also which means we will probably wait for dvd.

Red State - Kevin Smith has talked the shit out of this film and I generally like his stuff, if anything it is an interesting perspective.

Other Upcoming Movies I don't think I will see, but you may enjoy:

Warrior - Apparently there is The Hunger Games teaser before this movie, which would be the only reason I go see it. Just not my cup of tea though seems to remind me of The Fighter?!

I've got your Number - This looks cute and funny. I love Anna Faris, Chris Evans is hot and some of her "ex boyfriends" (Joel McHale, Chris Pratt (Faris’s actual husband), Anthony Mackie, Andy Samberg, Martin Freeman and Zachary Quinto to name a few)

Also in October:

The Ides of March More Ryan Gosling - yes please

FootLoose I am sure it will not be as good as the original but I will check it out

anyways

The Big Year Filmed (partially) here so I may check it out.

Fireflies in the Garden Julia Roberts and Ryan Renyolds

Paranormal Activity 3 Looks like it actually has a plot

In Time Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried

What did I miss that you are wanting to see or have seen and enjoyed?

Abduction VIP Screening #Abductionlive

Last night i drove down to Seattle with a friend to see the VIP Screening of Abduction. We arrived to our own mini red carpet complete with photo session, swag bag and VIP Treatment.

When we arrived we got an awesome Abduction t-shirt and walked the red carpet in the theatre to the photo session. There was a giant Abduction back drop which we could pose in front of and have our photos taken on their camera as well as our own if we asked.

Then we were given a swag bag with a cell phone/ipod case, a mini poster, and a VIP screening tag on a lanyard.

When we went into the theatre our seats were reserved with our group name and we had the best seats in the house (you know, 2nd row of the main section with the wheel chair seats in front so the bars are there to put your feet up on ha ha)

We watched the red carpet on the big screen and mingled with other fans.

Here are some red carpet photos:

Also my bloggy-buddies over at Twilightish have exclusive photos they got from the red carpet last night - HERE

We were snapping photos, tweeting, and having a great time.

Then the movie started and we put our phones away and enjoyed the flick.

It was such an amazing event and the movie was so much more than I expected. I mean, I knew it was an action film and hottie Taylor Lautner was in it BUT I thought the plot was really great. The story was well written and the twists and action scenes were just right.

I was impressed with Taylor's skills, I know he is a talented martial arts guy, but seeing him fight and jump and move - amazing!

I also thought his scenes with Lily Collins were quite emotional, their chemistry was pretty good and there is a scene on a train that was pretty hot!

The "bad guy" played by Michael Nyqvist was really awesome! Perfect villian really! I also enjoyed Denzel Whitaker as Nathan's best friend.

I won't spoil the plot but I realized I knew very little about this film before going in and was plesantly surprised by how it all played out. There was often uncertainty about who was good or bad and what their connection was to everything going on.

The best part for me was that I know I can take my husband to see it because he will love it also. It is a huge jump for Taylor Lautner, and I hope its a sign of the kinds of movies we can see from him in the future. He said on the red carpet how he had to leave Jacob Black behind while filming this movie because it was such a different role. I think it showcased his talent for stunts and acting and will lead to more big roles for him. The comments of being the next action star are NOT far-fetched, trust!

I also really liked knowing that there is room for a sequel, and on the red carpet before hand John Singleton hinted that there may in fact be on.... I really hope so!

It was aa long drive but well worth it for such a fun fan event and amazing movie! I can't wait to get the soundtrack on Tuesday and take my husband to see the movie next weekend!

Here are some interviews fromthe red carpet

Taylor talks about the "leading man action star preparation" Taylor talks about Stunts and Lily Collins

Mortal Instruments - Lily Collins talks about Jaime Campbell Bower

“I only read with a couple of guys, and it’s funny because the way Jace was described in the scenes—I knew what Jamie looked like, and I had met him at social events before briefly, but from the second he walked, he carried himself in this way that was just Jace from the get go,” Lily recalled. “He walked in and it was like, okay, he totally has the vibe going on, and he was so nice, and he had totally just flown in from London for it the day before, he could have been extremely tired, but he was there to win us over.” “The second he started playing with the scene with me, everything was just so natural,” Lily continued. “He didn’t even seem like he was trying. He was just Jace. He had the perfect balance of all the different character traits and aspects you’d hope from Jace. There are so many levels to him. He just walked out when he was done, and I looked at everyone and said, ‘Guys, I think this is Jace.’”

[Source]

Breaking Dawn Score Recorded

The score was recorded on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. “*The score is recorded. *I thought you’d be interested in hearing that NEW MOON composer Alexandre Desplat and ECLIPSE composer Howard Shore both happened to be in London this week and stopped by to visit TWILIGHT and BD composer Carter Burwell. The score was recorded at historic Abbey Road Studios still owned by the Beatles. All six STAR WARS scores were recorded there, as were all three LORD OF THE RINGS scores (also by Howard Shore), and at least HARRY POTTER 7

Warm Bodies Filming in Montreal

According to this tweet Warm Bodies is filming this weekend in Montreal. Excited?

Camelot

Finally Camelot is on CBC in Canada. I love Arthurian tales, which I will talk about after, but first, this show look amazing and I have been waiting for it to start! It has a great cast and looks like it will offer more than just the same old story, but a rougher, sexier, grittier version of the tale. I am all for the nudity ;) Joseph Fiennes (Remember he was Will Shakespeare in Love?) plays Merlin, the wizard. He is menacing and powerful and a bit scary. Jaime Campbell Bower (HP and Twilight Saga) plays Arthur who discovers he is heir to the throne and taken by Merlin to be king. Tamsin Egerton plays the beautiful Guinevere, I can't wait to see her more. Eva Green (Golden Compass) plays Morgan le Fay, the evil half-sister sorceress who yearns to be Queen, so much she kills her father (Uther), the king in the first episode. She plays evil so well! The costumes, the sets, the details are all so perfect. A little known fact about me is that I took every single (no joke) English and English Literature class my university offered over the course of 5 years. I have read great pieces such as Thomas Malroy's Le Morte d'Arthur, Chrétien de Troyes's Yvain, Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, and several others. Many of my courses dealt with the Arthurian legends. I even took specific Arthurian courses... so needless to say I have studied a lot about King Arthur and the knights of the round table. So this mini-series has me ECSTATIC - - - I love all the interpretations of the stories and this show seems like it will have a great perspective. It certainly has a great cast and the first episode intrigued me! I know it was available on dvd but I am happy to watch on CBC weekly for now!

'The Power of Six' released, Sequel to 'I am Number 4'

The long awaited sequel to the hit young adult sci-fi novel “I Am Number Four” arrives in bookstores today, but since number five is still missing in action, fans are instead about to be treated to “The Power of Six.” In the film, of course, Number Four (Alex Pettyfer) and Number Six (Teresa Palmer) were two of the last survivors of an alien race; hiding on Earth from a squad of intergalactic goons, they began to develop amazing superpowers and set off on a quest to locate others like them. Whether or not “The Power of Six” makes it to the big screen is still up in the air.

[Source]

#bb13 Finale

Adam, Porsche and Rachel remain as the final 3 and tonight the winner was announced! More... Rachel won first round, as we knew from live feeds. Porsche won second round, as we knew from live feeds. Tonight in a live show down Rachel beat Porsche, but ultimately took Porsche with her to the final two. Adam was hilarious with Julie Chen and the jury asked good questions and had a good discussion. In the end Rachel won. Jeff - R Jordan - R Brendon - R Shelly - R Dani - P Adam - P Kalia - P Crazy Eh? Jeff won America's Fave Player - which brings his total to $40k this season. Not bad since POrsche got $50k at 2nd place ha ha ha! What do you think? I am happy with results!

ANTM Season 17 Premiere - ALL STARS

All Stars - - - we use that time loosely, kind of like Dancing with the "Stars" ha ha. It was nice to see some familiar faces, a blast from the past, but some, I know were just cast for drama. As always. Tyra, Tyra, Tyra.... We welcome the returning models and they immediately do a "larger than life" photoshoot where they portray their "persona" extreme. Celeste Canino photographs the ladies. Later they had Live Panel at Staples Centre with Niki Minaj, Nigel Barker (with hair - hot!), Andre Leon Talley, and Tyra. Here were the results: Bianca (9)- Loud and Sassy another strong personality. At panel her photo was called "vintage" which some liked and some did not. Allison (12) - Quirky Doll Love her giant puppy dog eyes. At panel she looked adorable in a bo-peep dress. Bre (5) - Ghetto Fabulous Meh. I don't really remember her to be honest. At panel her photo was called "cliche" by Andrea, while NIki critiques her short hair. Dominique (10)- Masculine/Feminine Looks great! Her jaw/bone structure is amazing and she just had a baby girl 2 months ago. Camille (2) - Diva Still annoying, can't wait for her and Angelina to go at it! At panel she owned it with her "signature walk" and her photo had a "softer" side with alllll legs. Kayla (15) - Proud Lesbian Awesome in a rainbow dress. At panel she called herself a "super gay" She was critiques for the fist she made in the photo. Brittany (4)- Party Girl Grown up a lot, I loved her then and now! At Panel she came out wild! Laura (?) - Country Cutie Still cute. At panel she talked about Wanda Sue, her Grandma who makes her outfits. Her photo had her "fishing" and was country - cute indeed. Alexandria (16) - Tough California Girl From last season. Annoying. At panel someone yelled and boo'd her. Fans called her names and swore at her, maybe it was too soon. Her photo didn't go over well either. Isis (11) - Confidence She has gone through full surgery and is now a female all over. At panel she looked amazing and the crowd loved her! Sheena (11) - Harlem but not hoochie Asian represent (Japanese/Korean). I wish there were more Asian contestents on the show. At panel she looked interesting, her photo was called "amature" by Niki. Angeline - Girl from the hood Same drama as always. At panel she was "hood" as always. Lisa (5) - Wild Child Pool jump, for panel she was doing the splits covered in bubbles. Shannon (1) - Angelic Same drama about underwear. She wore tiny bikini bottoms instead of lace booty shorts. Then cried. At panel she was happy fans remembered her after 8 years. Some were upset that the results would not just be based on the judges opinions, but the fans, who were intereviewed after the show by Jay and Jay. In the end it came down to Alexandria and Brittany. It was unfortunate because I loved Brittany and I loved to hate Alexandria so I was kind of bummed that one of them would leave. Alexandria left, despite being booed because she has "polarity" the opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. At least she is remembered even if it is negative. Sadly, Brittany was not remembered by fans (which shocks me a bit) so she was sent home. Good-bye Brittany. I am as shocked as she is. This season looks good, lot's of drama and craziness.

Survivor

Another season began and we had two familiar faces. The Dragon Slayer Coach and Ozzy return, as well as Russell Hantz nephew, though he will not reveal that, as long as his shirt stays on since his last name is tattoo's TWICE on his body (back and shoulder) This season will be good, I am already interested, which i a good sign because after so many years/seasons I tend to tune out.

NEW Breaking Dawn Trailer

SYTYCD Canada Cancelled

After one of the most fantastic seasons yet, the Canadian version of SYTYCD has been cancelled by CTV.

Hours after crowning Jordan Clark the Season 4 winner, the announcement was made official, this would be the last season of SYTYCD Canada.

“I can confirm that we are not ordering a fifth season of the series,” Scott Henderson, vice-president of communications for Bell Media told CityNews.ca. “After four seasons and 92 episodes, CTV has decided to pursue other program strategies. This decision was made after careful consideration, including viewership and economic factors. We remain extremely proud of the legacy of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, including raising the profile of dance in this country,”

Fans are outraged, and they are not alone. Judges, choreographers and dancers alike are all in shocked and disappointed at this news. Jean-Marc Genereux tweeted:

Dear Fans @SYTYCDCanada.no regrets! you were the best fans in the WORLD..SHOW is gone! But NOT your passion for DANCE,it's a CTV decision! You will hear all kinds of reasons!!! But you know what!!! Canada loved his DANCE SHOW and I'm sure the fans will react!!!

@TreArmstrong tweeted:

"Wow...honestly can't believe #SYTYCDCanada has been cancelled," Armstrong said Tuesday. "So disappointing for Canada & our amazing talent. Best season EVER! Love You." "Hope that #SYTYCDCanada comes back to live once more...thank you for 4 great seasons," Armstrong wrote Tuesday. "The network, production, crew & talent, love u all."

Luther Brown tweeted:

Its sad that the show has ended but God is good and we were all blessed to be apart of Canada's best show! We went out with a bang!!!

Stacey Tookey tweeted:

I'm so sad to hear about the cancellation of SYTYCDC but I am so proud to know a group of people with that much talent & heart!! Love u all!

For me this is sad news. Granted I still watch SYTYCD USA, but there was something special about our Canadian SYTYCD and I am sad to see that go. A part of me hopes that it will somehow survive, but only time will tell. There are a number of petitions and complaints going on to try and save the show. In the past, I know when a company cancels something, it is usually a done deal, but you never know! How do you feel about this news? [Source]

Remember Me DVD Contest

Today is September 11, the 10 year anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center. It carries a lot of sad memories and I know a lot of people who were impacted by that date.

I wanted to do something positive on this day and here is one thing I decided to do on my blog. Give away Remember Me dvd's

I know most of us have this dvd, I actually got a few of them at the Blockbuster going out of business sale and therefore have a couple extras.

One my friend claimed already, but I have one more up for grabs and so I decided I would do a give-away.

Similar to past contests here is how to enter:

1 - Follow my Blog (Just click follow over on the right side panel) AND leave a comment below saying what you love most about Remember Me.

2 - Follow me on twitter: @mandysmind AND tweet:

I entered to win #RememberMeDVD from @mandysmind http://t.co/XgLMCaY

You can enter both methods, I will do a draw and pick one winner from all methods (which means if you tweet and comment you get two entries in the draw. You can tweet as many times as you want, each is one entry.

I will ship internationally

Draw date: Sunday September 18, 2011 2pm PST

Good Luck!