Of course, one of the attractions of a Provincial park like Killbear is its wildlife. On entry to the park, we were greeted with the sign indicating a bear was active in the park, and after checking with the ranger, it turned out that there were actually multiple bears roaming the sites. The Visitor Center tracks confirmed wildlife sightings and during the week we were there, the tracking board included: Black Bears (multiple sightings), Deer, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Horned Owl, Porcupine and others.

Our personal sightings included a mother deer and two fawns that stopped traffic to leisurely stroll across the road while we were returning from an ice run, a large deer that wandered through our camp site, raccoons (including one that spent a considerable amount of time keeping my buddies and I company, rooting through empties while we sat around the fire at around 2am one morning) and a huge brown bird that we suspect was the owl. In addition, we heard loons and owls most nights. I never actually spotted a bear, but one of our neighbors did. The second night we were there, I woke around 4am to the sound of deep growling and snuffling around the trailer. The sound of exploration went on for the better part of an hour and I’m ninety percent sure it was a bear -it was far too deep and throaty a sound to be a raccoon, but I didn’t want to draw it’s attention by opening a window and I couldn’t find any tracks or proof the next morning.

We were careful to burn off the grill thoroughly each night and all foodstuffs and the cooler went into the truck and were covered with a blanket each night. Mind you, after reading what happened in Denver last week, nothing is entirely bear proof. I kept a nautical horn near our bunk, just in case (since we didn’t want to spook them too badly, we told the kids it was to wake them up in case they slept in). We didn’t see any snakes, despite the “Brake for Snakes” road signs, but we did talk to a camper across the road from one of our sites whose brother had been bitten by a rattler while camping at the park last year, resulting in an unplanned three day stay at the Parry Sound hospital.

Panda Watch! The mood is tense. I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh…Ching…King is inside right now. I tried to get an interview with him, but they said no, you can't do that he's a live bear, he will literally rip your Casting Tidbits off.  First up, Pajiba has a scoop on a new indie titled Bobby Blue Sky recruiting the talents of Paul Rudd, Topher Grace and Kristen Wiig. "Parks & Rec" producer Emily Kapnek penned the script which focuses on three dysfunctional siblings dealing with their baby brother’s accidental fame (as a character in their father’s children’s book series) warping their lives.

Next, Heat Vision reports Jessica Alba will be taking on a parental role in Robert Rodriguez's family film sequel Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World. The fourth installment of the franchise will see Alba as a retired spy who has been reactivated and mother of a baby and two preteen stepchildren who will step up to be the new Spy Kids. Though this is technically a reboot, apparently franchise star Antonio Banderas and original kids Alexa Vega & Daryl Sabara (all grown up) are expected to get supporting roles. Meanwhile, the search is on for young actors to play the news kids, Alba's nerdy husband and the villain known as The Time Keeper who has set out to stop time. The last installment, Spy Kids 3D: Game Over was ahead of the three dimensional trend back in '03, and this installment will be utilizing the popular "new" format as well.

Finally, THR reports "Lost" star Harold Perrineau, Diora Baird (My Best Friend's Girl) and Elisabeth Rohm ("Heroes") will be starring in the Antonio Negret directed thriller Transit. The story follows a band of thieves on the run from a bank robbery and the suburban family they come across during their escape. When the criminals stash their stolen money in the family's SUV at a rest stop, the road trippers unwittingly draw the murderous band of outlaws on their trail. Rohm plays the mother of the traveling family heading out on a camping trip while Perrineau and Baird are members of the bank robbery crew (nifty). No word yet on whether the Griswold family will be involved.

Well, that's all for this edition of Casting Tidbits. Be sure to stay tuned for more casting updates on the way.