Picking the cast

Time to start work. Friday we did "call backs" for 7 hours straight. For the past couple of weeks, the creatives, producer and director have been looking at videotapes of people who came in to audition for the TV spots. They picked the people they wanted to see more of. Call backs are when those actors come in again, and the director asks them to do stuff (dance, ride a bike, etc.) while we watch. This helps us get a better sense of the actors' personality, range, and how they take direction.

Went with Tamira, the guys, and a Client for dinner at Tojo's, a famous Japanese restaurant. The owner, Tojo, invented the California roll in the 70s. The actual restaurant itself is not fancy in appearance, though it does have a patio with a stunning view of the city and the Canadian Rockies. Omakase, where you trust Tojo to whip up a personalized dinner for you, is the most popular choice. However, I was not that brave & just stuck to the basics.

Saturday, we had several more hours of call backs, including a few hours of call backs in Calgary via satellite, which was fairly painful. Though by 7 pm or so, we had picked the cast for TV as well as the locations.

Had a drink in the hotel lobby bar, and then headed out to dinner at West with Tamira, the guys, and 3 Clients. This was a really excellent meal. To start, I had the scallops, which are served in a broth with a pocket of crab ravioli. And I had lamb with olive gnocci for the main course and some sort of mint panna cotta for dessert.

Spotted: Benicio Del Toro smoking a cigar outside West. Apparently he's in town filming a movie with Halle Berry and David Duchovny.