Pencils Down and Shoes Off!

WELL THAT WAS really something. A lovely party with lots of fine writers who clean up better than you would think. Spotted in the crowd: Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, creators of Flashpoint -- tanned and rested after a much deserved post-wrap vacation... Marvin Kaye and Chris Sheasgreen, creators of Less Than Kind...Rob Sheridan, just back from Montreal and the upcoming CBC show 18 to Life...Little Mosque scribes Jason Belleville and Karen Hill...Producer Danny Iron, Border-ites Brian Dennis and Janet MacLean, Rent-A-Goalie creator and "Cake" Christopher Bolton, everyone's favorite Montrealer Doug Taylor, Director Michael DeCarlo, Blacklist uber film scribe Elan Mastai, the always dapper and cool Noel Baker, Producers Raj Panikkar and Chris Szarka, Writer-Producer Sherry White, whose film Crackie is at TIFF this year...Producer Bill House and daughter Alex House -- who will rule us all one day -- and Shelley Eriksen, the inimitable BadLady, rocking the dressup along with the va va voomiest hostess, Karen Walton.

(Photos by Lana Theo. Go hire her immediately.)

The table on the Patio held an ever-shifting phalanx of top talent. Early in the evening, fresh from his win as CFTPA Producer of the Year was Kevin Tierney. Later on, son Jacob showed up to draw in the praise for his big-buzz TIFF '09 film The Trotsky.

Bloggers & Forces of nature Jim Henshaw and Jill Golick also did their time at the magic picnic bench, as did Lost Girl's Peter Mohan, and the hardworkingest staff of the WGC -- Kelly Lynne Ashton and Mighty Maureen Parker -- who was just off a flight from another rewarding and fulfilling day slogging for writers in our nation's capital. (She de

served that extra beer, Kelly Lynne. Though the old slip-away-while-he-goes-to-the-bathroom trick was a teeny bit unworthy of our Scrapper-in-Chief.)

I thought Jocelyn Cornforth, fresh -- like, by minutes -- off the upcoming Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, embodied the writerly spirit of the night, as she laughed boldly about her return to the ranks of the unemployed. (Right there with ya, sister. That's when you throw parties!) though Henshaw maintained that my pronouncing that Judith Klassen and RobynPalmer had just raised the party from a collective 6 to an 8 by being such 10's -- (gesturing to yours truly, Mohan and Henshaw on the 6) might have been up there, too. Specially since we're 4's at best.

There were plenty on hand from the (hopefully) next generation of creators, too. My boy Tommy Gushue was there along with his other newly minted Prime Time TV CFC residents, and the inimitable Ink Canada InkTerns.

Longtime readers will doubtless remember the stirring tales of Jimmy "The Bat" Battiston, who graced the place with his presence and allowed me to heap abuse on him once more, for old times sake.

WGC Communications Director David Kinahan and I talked copyright for the 100th time -- hey guys, get your statements in by Sunday! -- and later into the night, Duane Hill and Matt MacLennan recounted their "How to rent a 22 000 dollar a month house in L.A. and make it work for you" story once more. That story NEVER gets old.

All in all, a wonderful night. Thanks to all, and the fine staff of The Paddock for putting up with us. And thanks too to the attendees, who were very generous in their contributions to KIVA at the door.

Whew. What's next?