It has been a huge week for the creators and performer of The True Heroines. Feature articles in several major Vancouver papers, an appearance on The Rush and a sold-out live show… and it’s only just the beginning. To give you an idea of who and what The True Heroines are, here is an excerpt from my media release (please click on photos below to link to articles);

CBR Photography

The True Heroines is an original episodic sci-fi musical dramedy produced for the web. It explores the lives of three seemingly “normal” suburban 1950′s housewives that happen to have superpowers (invisibility, super speed and super strength). Together, they evade the evil corporation that gave them these powers, while having regular flashbacks to their former lives as cabaret dancers. Full of song and dance, the series is bursting with action, excitement and humor – all wrapped up in a very sexy package.

CBR Photography

The ‘core’ True Heroines are three triple-threat beauties with extensive experience in dance, singing and acting. They are: Fiona Vroom (Supernatural, Tower Prep), Jovanna Huguet (Package Deal, Mr.Young) and Paula Giroday (Once Upon a Time, Fringe). The web series features an impressive cast that includes some of Vancouver’s best-known actors – including Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls), Neil Grayston (Warehouse 13, Eureka), Daniel Cudmore (Twilight Saga, X-Men), Gina Chiarelli, Zak Santiago, Leah Gibson (Arctic Air) and Brendan Penny (Motive). The series is written by Nicholas Carella and directed by Michelle Ouellet (both of Sociable Films).

Malcolm Parry

The live performance will feature polished musical numbers and a large cast of talented performers including; Graham Coffeng, Christina Sicoli, Ali Liebert and special surprise guests (TBA). Acclaimed dancer Joel Sturrock (Hellcats, Gunless) is choreographer, artistic director and the ‘Milk Man.’ The True Heroines offers the tone of Mad Men, the humor of Glee and the darkness of Heroes – all rolled into a crazy adventure in the spirit of the original Batman series.  Here’s a few shots from the red carpet at The Rio Theatre on Tuesday, March 12th:

Ali Liebert, Fiona Vroom, Paula Giroday, Joel Sturrock & Jovanna Huguet

And one more for the road…

Fiona Vroom, Christina Sicoli, Joel Sturrock, Jovanna Huguet & Paula Giroday

It is no secret that Bomb Girls is one of my favourite shows EVER and I’m lucky enough to work with some of the cast. Brett Dier has recently completed his 4-episode arc as Gene Corbett (son of Meg Tilly and Peter Outerbridge’s Lorna and Bob Corbett). He plays a charming returning soldier and creates sparks with women at the factory – but he also has a bad case of PTSD. Brett gives an excellent performance. Click on photo below for a link to one if his episodes (he looks very cute in long johns!).

Brett is an extraordinarily talented young actor – and he is also extremely amusing. You can follow him on Twitter @brettdier to read his ‘nuggets of wisdom.’ Click below for a recent interview with Brett from The Nervous Breakdown.

Bomb Girls’ Ali Liebert (Betty McRae) has also been working on a spectacular web series/love cabaret show called The True Heroines.

The ‘core’ True Heroines are three triple-threat beauties with extensive experience in dance, singing and acting. They are: Fiona Vroom (Supernatural, Tower Prep), Jovanna Huguet (Package Deal, Mr.Young) and Paula Giroday (Once Upon a Time, Fringe) and artistic director/choreographer Joel Sturrock. The web series features an impressive cast that includes some of Vancouver’s best-known actors – including Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls), Neil Grayston (Warehouse 13, Eureka), Daniel Cudmore (Twilight Saga, X-Men), Gina Chiarelli, Zak Santiago, Leah Gibson (Arctic Air) and Brendan Penny (Motive). The series is written by Nicholas Carella and directed by Michelle Ouellet (both of Sociable Films).

The web series premiere, along with a spectacular live show will be at Vancouver’s Rio Theatre on Tuesday, March 12th. You can buy tickets here.

CBR Photography

Click above to go to The True Heroines website where you can see some photos and clips of their live shows. Here is a lovely photo of Ali Liebert and Gina Chiarella as Ethel and Doris Worthington – a fine mother and daughter pair.

March promises to be a very exciting month with the premiere of Bates Motel on A&E. Production is being very secretive about what details can be released… but I can share an interview with Keegan Connor Tracy a.k.a. Miss Watson – Norman Bates’ teacher! Thank you Felix at Vancity Buzz!

A new year had begun and much excitement is on the horizon. I shall soon be announcing some wonderful new clients, and celebrating the successes of my current ones.

December was a high-profile month for Keegan Connor Tracy. She was a gorgeous cover girl for both Revive Magazine and the Westender. I had a great time arranging the Westender shoot in Vancouver’s art deco treasure, The Marine Building. Photos by the lovely and talented Rob Newell. Keegan has such a ‘vintage’ beauty, so the corsetry by Lace Embrace and the hats from The Saucy Milliner brought this out perfectly. Please click on covers below to see and hear more of Keegan.

On the same day the Westender came out, Revive filled magazine racks throughout Canada (I have seen it displayed at Shopper’s Drug Mart and Chapters if you wish to get a copy). Keegan had a great time flying to Toronto and living it up at the Casino Rama’s presidential suite. The editor Craig Charity set up a lavish shoot complete with diamonds and champagne. Click below to see Keegan living it up behind the scenes!

… and to see more of this exquisite talent,  here is a sneak peek of Bates Motel with Keegan as Norman’s teacher, Miss Watson. Premieres Monday, March 18th on A&E at 10pm. Click on picture.

Keegan Connor Tracy has been a well-known actor in Canada for over a decade, appearing in numerous features and TV series. She is currently portraying the Blue Fairy / Mother Superior on ABC’s wildly successful series, Once Upon a Time. Click on photo below to see her in action.

Keegan has just started shooting Bates Motel – a prequel to Hitchcock’s Pyscho. She portrays Norman Bates’ (Freddie Highmore’s) teacher and advisor ‘Miss Watson.’  Details are still under wraps, but the show promises an insight into Norman’s twisted backstory and relationship with his mother (Vera Farmiga).

Looking gorgeous at the VIFF / Jetset Crew / Bridge Studios / Lighthouse Pictures party. Sept 29, 2012

Click on photo above to see Homorazzi’s interview highlights from the event (Keegan’s at 4:00). She dazzled the media with her cheeky ensemble. Hat by The Saucy Milliner, top by MIsty Greer and corset by Lace Embrace.

Keegan has also been busy shooting features, and in the next few months she can be seen in Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep and Carl Bessai’s Bloodlines. Fans will see her at her glammed-up best as the cover girl of the winter edition of Revive Magazine – on shelves Canada-wide in early December.

Keegan will be appearing on The Rush with Mike and Fiona on Thursday, October 18. Click on photo below to hear about being ‘harnessed’ as the Blue Fairy and MMA.

Photo by Brice Ferre

Open for lunch, dinner and late night tapas

11:00am – late, Monday to Saturday

223 E.Georgia St (between Main & Gore), Vancouver

Gastronomy with Philanthropy – All profits are donated to Project Limelight

I immensely enjoyed working with Project Limelight for their ‘Wonderland’ show in early June, and am honoured to be working with East of Main. I am quite the gourmand, and am madly in love with the food and drink menu’s. I could marry the fattoush salad, lemon coca and the Hummingbird cocktail.

FATTOUSH - photo by Tyler Simpson

Click on my darling fattoush photo to see Richard Wolak’s great review for Vanfoodster.com Then click on my beloved Hummingbird to see Scout Magazine’s feature (and a very handsome photo of bartender Andrew Flynn!).

HUMMINGBIRD - photo by Tyler Simpson

Lastly but not leastly, click on the alluring lemon coca (which also has fontina and basil!) to see VanCity’s support.

LEMON COCA - photo by Tyler Simpson

Everyone I have spoken to that has been there have also had romantic feelings about their favourite dishes. With no exaggeration, it is a sensational place!

East of Main is a new community-oriented café located on the border of Chinatown and the DTES. A stone’s throw from Rogers Arena and BC Place, it is the perfect spot for pre and post event libations and is a welcome addition to the new and exciting pocket of eateries and bars in the area. They feature Mediterranean-inspired tapas, sandwiches and entrees. The bar offers local craft beers and a unique menu of signature and classic cocktails.

Sisters Maureen Webb and Donalda Weaver founded East of Main. They grew up in East Vancouver and are passionate about ‘giving back’ to their community. Maureen has been a prolific casting director for over 20 years and has worked with some of the industry’s finest including Robert Redford, Al Pacino Terry Gilliam and Seth Rogen. Earlier this year, she and Donalda started Project Limelight – a free performing arts program for children in the DTES and surrounding areas. It received a lot huge boost earlier this year, when Sir.Richard Branson and Glee star Cory Monteith presented Project Limelight with a $25k donation. The event made international media as the Limelight participants performed for them at East of Main.

All profits from East of Main will go toward Project Limelight, and the upstairs area will be utilized as a studio for the participants. The space shall act as an arts and community hub for residents of the area where friends, family and artists can congregate. The building has been renovated into a stylish space with a two-story high ceiling, exposed concrete beams and walls adorned with works by local artists, including compelling images from the DTES.

Breaking News!!! It has just been confirmed that Bomb Girls will be premiering in the USA on the Reelz network on September 11, 2012!

Today is the day – Bomb Girls has gone back to camera for Season Two! This is absolutely one of my favourite shows of all time, and I am so happy that it’s coming back. The writing, the characters, the actors, the era – it’s all so sublime and so well done. It’s refreshing to see a show with a female-dominated cast – and they are all strong characters.

See the excellent in-depth inside story of Bomb Girls including interviews with the creators, writers and cast. It’s a great insight into the development and making of the show. Click photo below.

Bomb Girls is set in Toronto in World War 2 and is set in a munitions factory where women get the chance to work on the assembly lines making… bombs! It is a fascinating insight into the culture of wartime Canada and how groundbreaking it was for women to have the opportunity to work and be independent in those patriarchal times. It also explores the subject of homosexuality via Betty McRae (Ali Liebert) and how repressive it must have been then.

I have always loved Meg Tilly from The Big Chill and Agnes of God, and her portrayal of Lorna Corbett in Bomb Girls is a joy to watch. It will be interesting to see how Lorna progresses this season, as she is pregnant with Marco Moretti (Antonio Cupo’s) baby while she is dealing with a failing marriage. And what will become of Kate (Charlotte Hegele) who returned to her religious and abusive father…. and her relationship with Betty McRae (Ali Liebert)??? We’ll find out in January, 2013. That’s only 6 months away.

Click on the photo above (featuring Jodi Balfour, Ali Liebert, Lisa Norton, Charlotte Hegele and Antonio Cupo) to go to Global TV’s fabulous Bomb Girls site with behind the scenes features.

Click on the photo below to go to Ali Liebert’s site. She is such a gorgeous Rosie the Riverter! I’ll be posting updates sporadically.

Another week, another event! Terrazza di Peroni was held on July 11th on the rooftop of the Vancouver Art Gallery. T’was a balmy, enchanted evening and was complimented by free-flowing Peroni beer, freshly shucked oysters, carpaccio and mini arancini. Thank you to the lovely Carine Redmond for inviting us! To keep with the Italian theme, I went with the dynamic and talented Cupo siblings – Antonio and Carmelina.

I am a huge fan of The Vancouver Sun’s Malcolm Parry. Please click on photo below to see his coverage and yet another dazzling Cupo shot. The one below is taken by little old me.

Photo by Richard Amies - click for article link in The Province by Glen Schaefer

Afterparty is an ensemble drama starring some of Vancouver’s hottest talents including Ali Liebert & Jodi Balfour of Bomb Girls as well as Graham Coffeng (The True Heroines), Nicholas Carella (The Kennedys), Erica Carroll (Alcatraz), Peter Benson (The Killing), David Milchard (Sanctuary), Christina Sicoli (Supernatural) and Emma Lahana (Hellcats).   This improvised feature is directed by Michelle Ouellet (Hooked on Speedman) and produced by Sociable Films and Big Rig Productions.

Afterparty takes place after a wedding. After newlyweds Matt and Claire depart for their honeymoon, Matt’s brother Charlie (Graham Coffeng) invites the ‘hangers on’ from the reception back to his house in an attempt to keep the party alive. This motley crew is a mix of friends old and new. The high school friends known as ‘The Fellas’ mingle with new spouses, the maid of honor and even the wedding catering staff.

All of the guests at the Afterparty are united in their desire to keep the party going. Some just want to keep the good times rolling, while others are delaying the return to their everyday lives. Everyone’s back together…  but it’s almost morning.

You can also read more about Sociable Films in the Westender. Thank you Greg Ursic! Click on picture below to read!

Jodi Balfour and David Milchard. Photo by Richard Amies

And last but not least, thank you to Mark Leiren-Young and the Arts section of The Vancouver Sun for this excellent set-visit article in the Hollywood North section! Click on it for the article.

Italian Heritage Month has begun and is being featured in this week’s Westender. The other day I had the opportunity to have lunch with the lovely editor, Martha Perkins and her charming husband Jean-Edouard at L’Artista… and an Italian heart throb by the name of Antonio Cupo. Ever the gentleman, he drove me back to work afterwards (and I wondered how much people around the world would pay to be me!). Antonio shall be receiving an award at the BC Italian Business Excellence Awards tonight (June 21, 2012). He and his sister Carmelina Cupo shall be honored jointly with the ‘Young Enterpreneur Award.’

Click on the photo below to read the article and fall in love with Antonio that little bit more!

Photo: Martha Perkins, WE

Antonio & Carmelina Cupo accept their Young Entrepreneur awards at the Italian Chamber of Commerce

Thank you to The Express for posting some footage from the 2012 Leo Awards. See nominee Ali Liebert shine in her ‘sea foam’ dress. Though Ali didn’t win her award (Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series for ‘Bomb Girls),’ she accepted an award on behalf of her very lovely and very talented co-star, Meg Tilly. Meg won Best Lead performance in a Dramatic Series for Bomb Girls. Click on photo below to see some Leo Awards 2012 action!

Ali Liebert by Les Baszo