Question: Seriously, how many vacations do you get a year?! Can I have your job? When you're done sitting by the pool and sipping your Pina Coladas, how about some Battlestar Galactica scoop?— Travis

Ausiello: Um, last time I checked I hadn't taken a vacation since June. So lay off. And for the record, it was Diet Pepsi with a twist of lemon I was sipping by the pool, not some sissy Pina Colada. Also, it should be noted that while I was on holiday I worked my ass off watching the first five hours of Battlestar Galactica's third season, which Sci Fi so graciously sent me along with a full-color, glossy souvenir program that rivals my commemorative Melrose Place courtyard brick as my favorite piece of TV swag ever. But back to the episodes themselves, I can only think of one word to describe them, and it begins with an "F" and ends with a "K." (The word is Frak, people, Frak!) It was so worth the six years Sci Fi made us wait for new episodes. First, the big news: Exec producer David Eick wasn't lying when he told me last May that a "central character" would perish in the third episode. All I'll say is the death takes place on New Caprica and the victim is a woman. Other spoilery highlights from the first five (read at your own risk!): Adama and Sharon have become BFF over the hiatus, a tenuous bond if ever there was one; something significant happens to Sharon's believed-to-be-dead baby at the end of Episode 3 that will have far-reaching consequences; and Laura locks lips with the most unlikely of characters at the beginning of Episode 4 (I pray they saved the outtakes for the DVD). BTW, the new season starts on Oct. 6. If you're planning a party all I ask is that you invite me and not be offended when I respectfully decline.