Adama Asteroid Insurance

Sci-Fi Wire reports:

Battlestar Galactica star Edward James Olmos has been honored with an asteroid named after him, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The asteroid formerly known as 1993 EO will now officially be called 5608 Olmos in recognition of the actor's work and promotion of humanitarian causes. The name was suggested by Massachusetts astronomer Tom H. Burbine, who achieved a similar recognition for Star Trek veteran George Takei last year.

Speaking of Eddie, this stuff is great:

via videosift.com

Off Topic Hiatus Fodder: LOST SEASON FOUR

I suppose it’s no secret that both Logan and myself are big LOSTies as well as BSGheads (FRAKheads?)…in the interest of keeping everyone entertained over The Endless BSG Hiatus That Has No Name, we wanted to do a nice fat juicy LOSTies post – a celebration of the return of LOST Season 4, tomorrow night.

There are tons of LOST bits and pieces floating on the grid this month…here’s a few goodies we’ve hoovered. They are all, naturellement, ridiculously spoilery.

- Maureen Ryan posted twice this week about LOST: an interview with LOST co-creator Damon Lindelof, and some season 4 clips. Note: her clips are only posted till Thursday night…then they’re gone in a black cloud of smoke!

- Televisionary interviewed Michael Emerson, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Yunjin Kim. Pop Candy interviewed LOST (and Y: THE LAST MAN) writer Brian K. Vaughan. BuddyTV intereviewed Jorge Garcia. And E!Online’s Kristin walks down her LOST interview memory lane in these two posts.

- The LA Times has a list of The 48 Burning Questions for LOSTies (my favorites are 46, 19, and 1-4).

- EW has a pre-season cheat sheet of “12 things that you need to remember about Lost in order to fully appreciate the premiere.”

- For those of you who are as enticed by viral/ARG transmedia storytelling as myself: Popcandy has been posting "LOST candy" for over a month now. Go here and wade through it all if you dare. Wired and TV Squad have also been tracking the various elements of this season's off-broadcast material.

- io9 runs down all the LOST webisodes that have been released leading up to this season's premiere.

- Logan’s favorite LOST fan site is the DarkUFO Lost spoilers page, with tons of article links. They put the spoilers behind cuts for you spirgins. Logan and I are both attempting to go totally spoiler free for season 4.

Hope some of you will be watching. What else is everyone watching to fill their hiatus and strike-starved winter?

Tyrol Figure giveaway this Friday

Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a chance to win one of these cool new Chief Tyrol figures from Diamond Select...signed by Aaron Douglas.

Email us by this Friday February 1st - details here.

More new Season 4 promos on SciFi

Word on the street has it that Sci Fi Channel has been running new versions of these Battlestar Galactica Season 4 promos that began in December.

If anyone finds these on youtube or whatnot, send us linkage please!

Fan and livejournalist wisteria posted screencaps and described the two she saw:

It's very similar to the black revolving light ones, but focused on a single character followed by a short clip. Luckily, the one I caught was of my girl. It features this shot of Kara with the light revolving around her head, then the scene at the end of 3.20 with her saying, "I've been to Earth, and I'm going to take us there."

This one has a clip from S4. In the second pic, he turns his head and says in a very calm, Emo!Baltar voice, "I'm tired of being afraid. The time has come to make a stand."

Oh, that smirk...that smirk. *joy*

Is it too much to ask, to be treated fairly?

Hmm...looks like they have some writers helping out with these latest SPEECHLESS strike vids. Featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Brian Cox, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Speechless #34


Speechless #33

Negotiations in progress

Completely off topic. NSFW. Funny as hell. Everyone needs a laugh when times are vague.



[via ohnotheydidnt]

Season 4 Fan Trailer

Here's an awesome season 4 fan made trailer by CoMa7oSe.

Someone to trust

Fan vid by Canuckgirl86. "Spoilers for all aired episodes."

See the universe in 3 and a half minutes

A 3-dimensional visualization of the "Millennium Simulation." The movie shows a journey through the simulated universe. On the way, we visit a rich cluster of galaxies and fly around it. In a period of 2 minutes during the movie, we travel a distance for which light would need more than 2.4 billion years.

This video features a beautiful song by Bear McCreary called "Deathbed And Maelstrom" from the album "Battlestar Galactica: Season 3"

Video by Rushpoint.

DVD info

TV Shows on DVD reports that the release of Battlestar Galactica Season 3 has been moved up by one week to March 18th. They also have screenshots of some of the DVD's menu screens.

Andrew of the CIC runs down all the details on the contents and bonus features of each disc in the set.

Optimism

Nikki Finke reports on good positive progress on the informal talks between the WGA and AMPTP. Meanwhile the WGA has signed a few more interim deals with companies.

Maybe if this is solved soon the BSG team can get back to shooting the final 9 episodes of the series.

Trek Movie

The cool folks at the excellent Trek Movie Report site are having Star Trek director J.J. Abrams, joined by producer Damon Lindelof, co-writer Bob Orci and exec. producer Bryan Burk answer fan questions in the comments section of this post on Friday, January 25th, 2008. I don't know if J.J. and Damon will also be taking questions on Lost, or if they'll only talk about Trek, but if you have a question for those folks head on over to Trek Movie.com and leave a question for them.

Maybe we can finally find out if the new design of the Enterprise corridors were inspired by Battlestar Galactica.

Blackout

With the news blackout on the ongoing talks between the WGA and AMPTP there isn't much news on the strike, but My Second Strike relates a few rumors that the strike could be over soon.

United Hollywood reports on new interim deals the WGA has signed with Lionsgate and Marvel studios, putting more writers back to work.

And Stephen Colbert's writers had some fun in Washington.

Off Topic and On My Radar

Two fandom films that I wanted to share with you folks...

5-25-77 - Wired explains it all here. The official site, which has no info yet about release date, is here. And this trailer below? Just adorable. ETA: yup, that is indeed FREAKS AND GEEKS star John Francis Dailey in the lead role. And yes this film was produced by two of the guys who produced STAR WARS and AMERICAN GRAFITTI back in the day.



FANBOYS - Here's the filmmakers' site. Apparently the release date keeps changing but may be as soon as this March. Here's the trailer. And yes, that was Shatner.



And I think many of you know that this shot of Kristen Bell from FANBOYS, has been making real live fanboys drool for most of this past year...

Cool Cylons

Some awesome new merchandise:

A Diamond Select Release! The first Minimates from the Battlestar Galactica: Razor movie are here and they won't take no for an answer! Featuring the return of individually boxed Cylons, each case contains twelve of your favorite Cylons - including Cylon Pilots, Cylon Warriors, Cylon Commanders, Pegasus Six, the Gold Cylon Warrior, Dead Pegasus Six, and a Freefall Cylon. Sculpted and designed by Art Asylum, each 2" Minimate features a single-pack window box to easily identify each variant!

While on the topic of figures, don't forget there's still time to send us an email to enter our Chief Tyrol figure give-away.

Speaking of the chief, check out Aaron Douglas' answers to fan questions on The Chief's Deck on LiveJournal.

Messages

Ronald D. Moore writes in his blog in support of the WGA leadership. Ron notes:

This is a moment of trust.

Trust in the people we elected to represent our interests, to fight for our rights and to safeguard our interests for the future.

The Guild leadership and the members of the Negotiating Committee have put themselves out in front, taken the ill-informed knocks from the media, the calculated slander from the studios, and the cajoling, bickering, and Monday-morning quarterbacking of some elements within the membership itself and yet they’ve never wavered from their goals of trying to achieve the best deal for all of us and for the writers who will follow in our footsteps. The sheer number of arrows these people take on a daily basis on the internet alone rival the incoming fire at the Little Bighorn and it’s something of a miracle that not a single one of them has simply let loose in a tirade of vitriol and bile at their tormentors in some public forum. I’ve heard them accused of everything from seeking personal political gain to seeking to foment communist revolution over the course of the strike, but time and again they just keep coming back to the basic issues of fairness and justice in what they’re seeking for all of us.

They deserve our trust. And they damned well have earned it.

Composer Bear McCreary on his blog responds to those who steal music. Mark Verheiden concurs with Bear's point.

And Bear's point is simple. For all of history art has been supported by patrons of the arts. Today, we who purchase CDs, DVDs, or iTunes downloads are the modern day patrons of the arts. As Bear wrote:

If Battlestar means something to you, if the show has done anything at all to brighten your life, to bring clarity to moments of confusion, then support it. Support the people who have dedicated their lives to their art, to giving something back to society that is worthwhile.

My music is an integral part of Battlestar. It is one of the many reasons that this series resonates with audiences. And I spend every waking moment bringing it to life. If the result of my work affects you emotionally… support it.

Unlike the radio and television audiences of the past, our relationship is symbiotic. Like all artist / patron relationships, ours has the potential to be incredibly rewarding for all involved. But, if you download the show illegally, you sacrifice your role in the relationship. You’re no longer a patron of influence, but a spectator from the sidelines, a political pundit who doesn’t vote.

Plus, Bear has no control over the fact that BSG music doesn't get sold on iTunes as Bear has noted in his FAQ:

Unfortunately, that decision rests entirely with NBC Universal, not with myself or the record label. Hopefully someday… in the meantime, pick up a trusty ol’ Compact Disc.

So once again, put pressure on NBC/U if you want Bear's Battlestar music on iTunes.

NBC and iTunes getting back together?

Engadget notes that both The Financial Times and Business Week are reporting signs of renewed mutual respect between NBC and iTunes, from recent public comments by Apple's Steve Jobs and NBC-Universal's Jeff Zucker.

Could a reunion between the iTunes Store, and NBCU's television products (including BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), be not far behind?

As Engadget puts it:

No telling what has caused the turnabout. Perhaps the writers strike gave both parties time to reflect on their mounting lost revenue. Or maybe it's residual goodwill on the heels of Universal inking an iTunes rental deal. Whatever the case, it will be good to see NBC's content return to iTunes whenever the strike might end.

Cross your fingers, fandom.

Something like a Phenomenon

The Futon Critic brings more news about those previously rumored specials, designed to help new or forgetful viewers catch up with seasons 1-3 of BSG:

Sci Fi has ordered a pair of "Battlestar Galactica" specials as a build up to the show's return in April.

The half-hour efforts, dubbed "Battlestar Galactica: Revisited" and "Battlestar Galactica: The Phenomenon," will air back-to-back on Friday, March 28 starting at 10:00/9:00c.

Sci Fi Channel Day on the WGA Picket Line

Slice of Scifi has news of SCI FI CHANNEL DAY on the WGA picket lines, announced via a letter from EUREKA showrunner Jamie Paglia:

Join the writers, producers and cast members from SCI FI Channel’s BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, EUREKA, FLASH GORDON, PAINKILLER JANE, and others for an afternoon rally at NBC Studios.

WHEN:
12 noon - 2 pm
Wednesday, February 6th

WHERE:
NBC STUDIOS
3000 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA

Sign in at WGA table in Bob Hope Park (next to NBC on Bob Hope Drive). We encourage fans to make their own signs, or grab one of ours and meet at the corner of Alameda & Olive.

We wouldn’t be here without our fans. Please march with the WGA as we push the AMPTP to finally make us a fair deal so we can all get back to work telling stories for the people who make our jobs possible. We hope you can make it out so we can say thank you in person for your ongoing support.

I look forward to seeing you there.

In Solidarity,

Jaime Paglia
EP/co-creator “Eureka”

SoCal fandom, get yer butts down there. And take pictures, k?

Strike Notes

Ron Moore has announced the winners the Pencils to Moguls giveaway.

The WGA announced that their informal talks with the AMPTP companies are underway, and that they withdrew their proposals on animation and reality. You might recall the AMPTP previously demanded the WGA withdraw something like six proposal points. So with two set aside, at least there is progress. And no one seriously thought much progress would be made on reality and animation anyway. I'm sure the WGA will continue to fight for free and fair elections for reality and animation writers who want their interests represented by the WGA.

Still, no one knows what impact the DGA's deal is having on this process.

In other news, the NBC/Universal chief Jeff Zucker said:

"I'm not happy there's been a strike but there have been some benefits," he added, predicting the industrial action would "probably" be over before the Oscars in five weeks' time.

The article in The Guardian goes on to say that NBC will no longer waste money on making pilots and instead will just skip that phase and directly commission series orders:

NBC has promised to axe the glitzy pilots of new series traditionally produced at great expense by US broadcasters, saving around $50m a year in the process.

Days after announcing plans to end another of the US television industry's cherished traditions by pulling the plug on annual "upfronts", presentations to advertisers, the NBC Universal chief executive, Jeff Zucker, said the ongoing US writers' strike had made the network re-examine its attitude to pilots as well.

Heroes: series finale Heroes: one of NBC's shows He said the cost of a typical pilot, many of which are never made into a full series, had soared from $3m to $7m in three years. Because that bore no relation to the eventual cost of a standard episode and was an increasingly poor indication as to its eventual success, Zucker added that they were becoming redundant.

Every year, US producers pull out all the stops to produce pilots for series they hope will be picked up by broadcasters.

But Zucker, in London today en route to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and speaking to journalists before addressing NBC Universal's 16,000 worldwide staff, said: "It's a different world, yet Hollywood is built on this system of making pilots in the old way without realising things have changed."

He added that NBC, which makes Heroes, would still produce new scripted dramas but that they would just go straight to air without an expensive pilot in a move that will bring the network more into line with standard practice in the UK TV industry.

Could this effect "Caprica"? Would NBC/U and Sci-Fi Channel instead of just ordering a pilot to be filmed, would they instead simply launch "Caprica" as a series?

Speaking of Star Trek...

Further to Logan's previous post...Along with the STAR TREK XI teaser trailer that is now up online after premiering this past weekend with CLOVERFIELD, there is also the beginning of what looks like more of that J.J. Abrams patented clever online marketing.

This includes hidden bits embedded in their new web site, which unlock to reveal several glimpses of what I assume are sets and ships from the film. Including a hallway that looks... hmmm... looks vaguely familiar, doesn't it? *wink*


Certainly doesn't remind me of this:


How about you?

LOL

Star Trek

The new Star Trek teaser trailer looks pretty good. I'm looking forward to seeing if in relaunching Trek if J.J. Abrams goes as far as Ron Moore did in re-imagining Battlestar Galactica.

Interestingly, a few years ago J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) and Bryce Zabel (Dark Skies) proposed a Star Trek reboot series to Paramount that sounds like it could have been a radical departure from previous incarnations of Trek.

Personally I'm not concerned about continuity. I just want to see a good movie.

Communication

The WGA and AMPTP companies are set to begin informal talks this week. Hopefully that's a good sign of progress. With the Oscar telecast in peril perhaps there will be a sense of urgency to get a good deal done, while there's still also some time left to save some remnant of the TV season. One can hope.

Maureen Ryan has more in the Chicago Tribune.

See also, My Second Strike.

"Like fine embroidery or precise machinery..."

New York Times blogger Virginia Heffernan writes in today’s NYT Magazine about one of my other favorite shows, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. In it, she raises up shows like BATTLESTAR GALACTICA as prime examples of what FNL is not, in a fascinating discussion of some reasons why FNL may not be succeeding within pop culture the way other shows have:

The fault of “Friday Night Lights” is extrinsic: the program has steadfastly refused to become a franchise…There will be no “Friday Night Lights: Origins,” and no “FNL Touchdown” for PlayStation…

This may sound like a blessing, but in a digital age a show cannot succeed without franchising. An author’s work can no longer exist in a vacuum, independent of hardy online extensions; indeed, a vascular system that pervades the Internet. Artists must now embrace the cultural theorists’ beloved model of the rhizome and think of their work as a horizontal stem for numberless roots and shoots — as many entry and exit points as fans can devise.

This is an enormous social shift that coincides with the changeover from analog to digital modes of communication, the rise of the Internet and the new raucousness of fans. It’s a mistake to see this imperative to branch out as a simple coarsening of culture. In fact, rhizome art is both lower-brow (“American Idol,” Derek Waters’s “Drunk History”) and more avant-garde (“Battlestar Galactica,” Ryan Trecartin’s “I-Be Area”) than linear, author-controlled narrative, which takes its cues from the middle-class form of the novel.

…Even though NBC.com offers plenty of streaming video — whole episodes, as well as tightly produced hagiographies of the show’s actors — no independent “Friday Night Lights” wiki has formed on the Web to rival the “Heroes Wiki,” “Lostpedia” and the polyglot “Battlestar Wiki.” Nor has “Friday Night Lights” inspired any significant body of fan fiction (viewer-written stories that take off on the canon), though at the outset a few viewers eagerly awaited an outpouring of “slash” fan fiction (chronicles of hypothetical romances between male characters) from a football show.

Perhaps the characters’ motives and futures are too haphazard and lifelike to be guessed at by fans. Perhaps the “Friday Night Lights” narrative lacks a set of logical givens, the kind that are a staple of sci-fi and fantasy, which empower fans to speculate about outcomes. Perhaps the series is like fine embroidery or precise machinery: it extinguishes the desire in laypeople to try it themselves. It’s possible that “Friday Night Lights” even brings on museum fatigue, a sense of uselessness and enervation in the face of art that doesn’t need us.

Interesting, isn’t it? IDK Virginia – I suppose the ultra-fine embroidery and quilting techniques of BSG are learnable. (j/k.) But they are still very fine.

Reminder: Send Your Message to the Battlestar Galactica Writers on the Lines

Don’t forget to send your messages of love and support for our favorite writing team.

DGA deal or no, the WGA is currently still on strike, and the Battlestar Galactica writers are still on the picket line.

Fans in Los Angeles update the BSG Fan Support Wall weekly on Sunday nights. This wall is brought to the BSG picket line on Mondays and left in the writers’ view all week.

Get your messages in each Sunday during picketing (including today), by 6PM California time to:

Battlestar.Fan.Support.Wall (at) gmail (dot) com

[photo by charleskang]

Spoiler Junkies

Spoiler Junkies take note: Pop Media Cult on Live Journal has organized and categorized all the known Battlestar Galactica season 4 spoilers and rumors. But, be warned, only read them if you really want it ruined for you and want to be spoiled about season 4. So, to keep yourself spoiler free, don't click this link.

Contest

Keep your emails coming to enter the contest noted below. Winners will be selected by a random draw from all the emails, and then we'll inform the winners.

No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.

Directors Cut

The WGA has put out this statement on the DGA/AMPTP contract. Looking over the comments on United Hollywood there is much speculation as to what the deal will mean for writers.

Recently Ronald D. Moore commented on his blog about the possible impact a DGA deal could have. And BSG co-exec producer Mark Verheiden wants to see the details. And Mark Evanier has some instant analysis.

There will be no rush to judgement. These things take time.

Breaking: DGA makes a deal

The Directors Guild of America has come to agreement on a deal with the AMPTP. The WGA will need time to study the deal before making a judgement upon it. At first glance, it moves the ball forward in several crucial ways. But, it's unclear if it truly addresses the main sticking points. Let's wait and see.

Melissa Jo Peltier a member of DGA and WGA (and executive producer of The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel) has thoughts on the DGA/WGA issues here and here.

And in the Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan has more on strike developments.

SITREP GIVEAWAY: DIAMOND SELECT FIGURE SIGNED BY AARON DOUGLAS

The very generous folks at Diamond Select Toys have given us two of these terrific BSG Series 1 Chief Tyrol Exclusive Figures to give away to our readers.

Both figures have been signed by actor Aaron Douglas, making them true collectors items.

To enter in the giveaway drawing, send an email to us, at BSGSitrep (at) yahoo (dot) com, by Friday, February 1st.

Enter now, Angels!

Al Qaeda is one thing...

Striking Battlestar Galactica writer Mark Verheiden noted today on his blog what us THE A DAILY SHOW viewers noted Monday night: a quick and funny reference during Jon Stewart's interview with Fareed Zakaria. See it approximately 2 minutes into this clip:

Fanterview with Douglas

For all you Aaron Douglas fans out there (aka AARON'S ANGELS)...The Chief's Deck has just announced that Aaron will be answering any fan questions posted over on this thread at the Deck. Deadline to leave your comment is Sunday January 20.

So you now have chances to throw out questions to both him and Tahmoh Penikett. Super.

Righteous Denial...to Outright Liberation

More scoopage on Battlestar Galactica's 4th Season comes this week in the new Sci Fi issue of TV Guide, which has a short preview piece that eager fandom has naturally scanned for our viewing pleasure. For you spirgins out there, I'd rate this one at a 2 out of 10 for spoilers if you've seen all BSG to date including RAZOR. [Hat tip to The Chief's Deck and livejournalist beetlemier for the scan.]

There's a great new photo of the final four out of five (above), as well as a very interesting tidbit about CAPRICA, the BSG spinoff series that both Ron Moore and David Eick had previously said was most likely DOA.

BSG nuts take hope: the dearth of new material brought on by the writers' strike has revived interest in Caprica, a fully scripted pilot for a BSG prequel that's been sitting around Sci Fi for over a year. Reports [Mark Stern, Sci Fi Executive VP of Original Programming]: "I just got a call from NBC-Universal. They want us to take another look at the project."

I remain unmoved...yet slightly hopeful.

Voting...Lots of Cast News...Chatter off the Wireless...

E! Online is taking votes for Best TV Show of 2007, come on over and give Battlestar Galactica your vote. Over here they pick BSG as one of the must-see shows for 2008.

The Remote Access blog squees a bit about the upcoming S3 DVD release and the 25-minutes of extra UNFINISHED BUSINESS. (You can also vote there for BSG as your most-awaited 2008 midseason show.)

Galactica.TV recently posted this Callum Keith Rennie interview. Although the interview took place quite a while ago, it provides a rare and in-depth view of the BSGverse from the man who plays Leoben.

Jamie Bamber will be a guest at Seattle’s Emerald City Con in May 2008.

Tricia Helfer’s site points us to a video interview with No Good TV about her new film SPIRAL, which also features Amber Tamblyn and Zach (CHUCK) Levi.

Blogger Jeff Harrell expounds at length about something I had never given one moment of thought to. Paging Kevin Grazier…

Buddy TV reports that Aaron Douglas will be appearing in an episode of SMALLVILLE this season, ep #14 called “Traveler.”

New World Notes blog has a funny mention of BSG in a Second Life story.

While trolling for news about Alan Ball’s new show TRUE BLOOD, I came across another tidbit of HBO show news halfway down this page of Ask Ausiello: IN TREATMENT will begin airing on January 28th on HBO and apparently Michelle Forbes ("Admiral Cain") will have a supporting role. According to TV Squad, the show has 45 eps in the can.

io9, part of the Gawker empire...

I was having some fun mining back posts over at Gawker’s newest establishment, the SciFi blog io9. They have a few recent Battlestar Galactica related posts, including this very impressive car mod:


Here they have an interview with BSG comic book writer Greg Pak, and here is mention of the limited edition Cylon Raider filming miniature replica that Quantum Mechanix is releasing later this year.

But my personal favorite of their posts includes BSG in a list of the best sex scenes in sci-fi (this is a Gawker blog, afterall). I certainly agree, sci-fi doesn't get much hotter than BSG – though this list is missing LOGAN’S RUN, FARSCAPE, and THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. So it’s hard to take it completely seriously.

For the Penikett fans

[Photo by Arbron]

Vote for Battlestar Galactica at TV.com’s poll: Season 1 on HD is up for Best On DVD, Grace Park for hottest actress, and Tahmoh Penikett for hottest actor (with a very unfortunate photo that really doesn’t do the guy justice).

To all you graphic artists out there: the All About Tahmoh Penikett blog is having a contest to see which fan can make their new site banner art -- and Tahmoh himself will be the judge! Enter by February 25th. Also, the blog is doing an interview with Penikett soon, and has opened the floor for fans' questions.

The Wrath of Con has announced that Penikett, Richard Hatch, and Aaron Douglas will be their guests this year (along with Virginia Hey! *swoon*). The Con runs from May 30-June 1 in Panama City Beach, Florida.

[Everything above via All About Tahmoh Penikett blog]

Winners of the Pencils 2 Media Moguls contest

The Pencils 2 Media Moguls fandom raffles are over, and the winners of all prizes have been announced.

Congrats to the BSG winners, and to Fandom for sending all those pencils. Yay for us!

What's wrong with Sci Fi these days?

Entertainment Weekly has sent a couple of big shots across the bow of the entire Science Fiction film and television genre.

Mark Harris asks if Science Fiction has run out of new ideas. Although I cannot blame everyone working in the genre for the short-sightedness of most TV and film executives, there is no denying that the current reliance on re-imagining, re-booting, and re-invigorating the work of bygone eras has gone way overboard. Meanwhile Marc Bernardin at the PopWatch blog aims squarely at The Sci Fi Channel, asking why they aren’t being “way more awesome” and stepping up to the challenge of making good modern sci-fi using the tools at hand. If even half of the projects Bernardin suggests in his post were to happen, I'd have the SFC on constantly in my house...wouldn't you?

I encourage all our readers to go over to those EW pieces, and comment with your ideas for the genre. Who knows – maybe someone, out there, can hear you.

Speaking of EW, they have finally put the now-infamous Last Supper photo online, in a fully interactive version that is very fun to play with.

This photo has generated the expected volumes of what we fans like to call “fanwank”…one of the cast who attended the shoot has even gotten into the fray. But not everyone believes him. *wink*

They just make things easier.

Mmm. I too was weeping in my cell, when the President gave that speech. *nods*



[tip of the hat to shasplim]

Without Writers

Via Mark Verheiden and Anne Cofell-Saunders.

Bear's Appendix

Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary reports he recently had an emergency appendectomy:

Everybody here that works with me on my scores budgets our writing and recording schedules very strictly, making sure that every day is precisely planned out. We don’t have any other choice. With scoring going full-steam on both Battlestar Galactica and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, there’s not a lot of time to mess around.

I don’t usually factor in time to have an organ removed. But I might have to start.

I’m scoring the Terminator season finale on Monday when I get a stomach ache. 18 hours later, I’m in the ER having my appendix out before it explodes (I guess this means I’m not a Cylon). Now, I’m back at it, writing some last minute cues while hopped up on generic Vicodin. If the finale music gets a loopy, at least you’ll know why.

Now, before I get barraged with “get well letter”s… I am feeling much better now. :)

We're glad to hear you're feeling better Bear, but do get well soon!

For more details read Bear's full blog post.

Adama or Bust

Diamond Select Toys and Collectables has whole bunch of cool BSG merch.

Check out the detail on some amazing BSG action figures. Captain Toy has a in-depth review.

AMPTP exposed

Nikki Finke of DHD reports on all the lies the AMPTP spreads about the writers. Here are a few gems:

-->AMPTP staffers, consultants and members (especially corporate publicity departments) are busily posting comments on WGA-friendly websites and blogs that Hollywood visits regularly and filling them with hate-filled rants against the WGA leadership, the A-list actors, and the companies who've made WGA side deals. The goal is to turn off readers and drive traffic away and in the process spread pro-AMPTP propaganda and make it look as if the strike is breaking apart.

-->News Corp. No. 2 Peter Chernin realized the AMPTP was losing the PR war and was most responsible for bringing in Fabiani and Lehane as the AMPTP's public affairs consultants since his company has a close relationship with them. Fabiani and Lehane were paid by News Corp. to orchestrate a 2004 campaign organizing advocacy groups by race and ethnicity to hammer Nielsen Media Research over its plans to modernize how it measures viewing habits.

--> Warner Bros Chairman Barry Meyer has handpicked the AMPTP paid mouthpieces who have spread the AMPTP's insults and disinformation about the WGA leadership.

-->The other day, an AMPTP consultant tried to start a rumor that a WGA exec was connected to child pornography.

But in a piece of positive news Finke reports that A list stars are uniting to try to mediate a deal between the Guild and the AMPTP in an effort to save the Oscars.

Hollywood's Triple-A list actors have started becoming integrally involved in trying to solve the Writers Guild strike against the Hollywood CEOs. I've just been told that George Clooney today is volunteering to personally set up a so-called "mediation panel" including himself and with plans to ask Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and John Wells (the executive producer of ER and a controversial ex-WGA president) to be part of it, plus 3 or 4 bigwigs who are siding with the producers. The offer came in a phone call today with Harvey Weinstein who promptly volunteered to be part of the panel. Clooney suggested its purpose should be to oversee the talks and tell the WGA as each term is bargained "you have to live with this and get over it," and tell the AMPTP "you have to live with that and get over it", Weinstein quoted George as saying. It's also Clooney's idea that everybody would be locked in the room together and not leave until the deal is done.

Why They Write

There doesn't seem to be anything new on the WGA/AMPTP front, other an an Law and Order showrunner being nearly run over and then assaulted by some studio exec coke head in an SUV at a 20th Century Fox gate.

And thankfully, Tom Hanks is getting involved in shaming the AMPTP moguls to get back to fair and honest negotiations.

Also, be sure to read LOST exec producer Damon Lindelof's Why We Write essay. Will Ron Moore any other BSG writers be writing Why We Write essays as well?

See also these cool trailers for LOST season 4.

Battlestar Galactica in the Granite State

"I've seen a lot of elections, Gaius. Most honest, a few fixed. And you can always tell the fixed o­nes because they don't make sense. And this doesn't make sense."

--Tom Zarek

It's amazing how Battlestar Galactica's writers have often perfectly captured the cultural moment by addressing terror, genocide, torture, war, occupation, and rigged elections. Battlestar Galactica is truly the show of our time.

Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead

And so is HD DVD. As noted here previously, the writing is on the wall. And today The Digital Bits have a further scoop:

We remain convinced that both Paramount and Universal are moving towards announcing Blu-ray Disc support soon, and we have real reason for that belief, not the least of which is that our sources in this situation are second to none - a fact which should be readily obvious by now. Announcements could happen tomorrow, they could happen next week, they could happen next month. We'd be surprised if it took longer than a month or two. We're hearing that Universal may not announce until February at the earliest, as we're given to understand that their contract period with the HD-DVD camp expires at the end of January. So everyone needs to just take a deep breath and relax. We know that's hard, given how fast things have been moving this past week. Rest assured, Paramount and Universal are going Blu, but sorting out all the legal details and organizing the logistics takes time. The Warner move was apparently well planned, but Paramount and Universal have only just started that process. They may or may not continue releasing HD-DVDs for a time - we'll have to wait and see. But retailers are now seriously pressuring these studios to go Blu, and we'd be surprised if many mainstream stores still have HD-DVD hardware and software on their shelves come next Christmas. I suspect that Paramount especially wants to be able to announce a few actual titles when they announce their Blu-ray support, and it takes time to get all that ready. Keep in mind that things have been extremely chaotic within the home video industry this week. So everyone just take a deep breath and try to calm down, while we wait for things to play out.

One other quick note: We've gotten a number of e-mails over the last couple of days in regards to our idea of the BDA offering HD-DVD fans some kind of incentive to go Blu. The reactions from HD-DVD fans ranged from, "What a good idea..." to "Thank you for suggesting it..." to "Screw YOU and the horse you road in on!" Conversely, some Blu-ray fans welcomed the idea, while others felt HD-DVD fans had rolled the dice and now they have to deal with it. It's all just another indication of how unfortunate this format war really has been, and how badly it's damaged the online enthusiast community. All you need to do is read any of the various online home theater discussion forums this morning to see just how much healing needs to happen right now. Fortunately, this format war is now virtually over... and not a moment too soon. The real shame is that it was prolonged by the HD-DVD camp six months longer than it should have been, the result of which is that thousands of people picked up HD-DVD players over the holidays and many of them are now pretty unhappy with that decision, and feel like they've been duped. You can bet there are a lot of HD-DVD players being returned to stores right now, and eBay is suddenly flush with them. No surprise.

It wont be long before Universal starts putting out Battlestar Galactica on Blu-ray disc.

The Test

A great Sixes & Eights fanvid by werealljustfloating.

A Bit of Strike News

BSG's Co-Exec producer Mark Verheiden got tossed out of The Wynn casino in Las Vegas:

Dateline: Las Vegas. Me, Jane Espenson and some nice fans gathered to pass out some informational WGA leaflets to passing Consumer Electronics Show journalists inside the Wynn casino this evening. That is, we WERE passing them out until hotel security told us to, well, leave.

Thanks, WatchingBSG for the tip.

You may have heard that the Hollywood studios have been announcing many new media deals at CES. (And next week Apple will have some Hollywood deals of their own to report at MacWorld San Francisco.) Of course it must be non-profit social justice work, because the studios keep telling us and the WGA that there's no money in the internet.

But, in the meantime the WGA has signed a deal with United Artists, and there are rumors of other side deals in the works with independent studio Lionsgate, and LucasFilm.

Deadline Hollywood Daily and United Hollywood as always have further updates.

Another Cool Auction

Tricia Helfer's official web site is auctioning off a unique item, an extremely rare uncut sheet of Miniseries / Season One Battlestar Galactica cards personally autographed by 15 members of the cast including:

Tricia Helfer (Number Six)
Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama)
Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin)
Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama "Apollo")
James Callis (Gaius Baltar)
Grace Park (Boomer)
Katee Sackhoff (Kara Thrace "Starbuck")
Tahmoh Penikett (Karl Agathon "Helo")
Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh)
Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol)
Kandyse McClure (Dualla)
Michael Trucco (Sam Anders)
Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben)
Rekha Sharma (Tory)
Lucy Lawless (D'Anna)

Bidding ends at 4pm PST on January 15th.

All profits will be donated to charity...It doesn't say which charity, but knowing Tricia Helfer, we assume it's Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles.

White Noise: The Light

WHITE NOISE: THE LIGHT, starring Nathan Fillion and Katee Sackhoff, is out on DVD today in the USA.

Crave Online and Can Mag have posted interviews with Sackhoff about the film.

Here's a trailer that looks like the same one that came on the front of the BSG: RAZOR DVD.



Nathan Fillion had this to say in an interview recently posted at Jo Blo:

Jo Blo: In a sci-fi hypothetical, if Malcolm Reynolds were to fight Starbuck, who would win?

Fillion: Well, I would think Starbuck would try to do the right thing and fight honorably and I think Malcolm Reynolds would fight dirty and cheat, he’d probably hit her when she wasn’t looking. Cause Malcolm Reynolds isn’t above hitting a woman, he’s not above that, that’s something I like about him. What I truly appreciate and I try to remind Katee of all the time, is that I outrank her. Captain, Captain Reynolds.

Well I don't know about Mal outranking her - but I'd sell tickets to that dance.

Rare EJO Con appearance in Florida next Fall

Edward James Olmos is slated as the featured guest at the Orlando Sci-Fi Expo in Florida. Con dates are October 31 - November 2, 2008.

Season 3 DVD pre-order has begun

Amazon now has BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Season 3 R1 DVDs on pre-order for $38.99 ($20 off MSRP).

*squee*

Season 4 Preview now on YouTube

Thanks Meshel73 for posting the SPACE footage on YouTube.

New Battlestar Galactica Season 4 Footage

On the TWoP Season 4 Spoilers thread, this poster describes new season 4 footage seen this weekend on SPACE Channel in Canada.

If anyone finds the video posted anywhere, let us know. ETA: It goes without saying that these clips are massively spoilery, loaded with new footage that has never been seen before. But really, why would you NOT wanna press play, huh? *g* Here is part of the footage mentioned:



"Don't lose me this time Apollo..."

*SUPER SQUEE*

ETA #2: Thanks to fanboy Dave for being totally awesome and posting the entire promo spot:



alsdigjslddkfjalwkeflskdfnaldfgk!

ETA #3: Here is the link to the actual video posted on SPACE Channel's site. The BSG clip is about 17 minutes in. Their player does not work on Macs.

Tricia Talks

Matt and Nat of the BSGCast have posted this video of Tricia Helfer talking a bit about season 4. (No major spoilers.)

Blu-Ray FTW

If you've been thinking about getting Battlestar Galactica in HD DVD, don't. All signs indicate Blu-ray disc has won the high-def format war. The latest blow to HDDVD is Warner Bros. announcing that they will transition to being Blu-ray exclusive for their HD home video releases. (They have been format neutral until now.)

So, now only Paramount and Universal are exclusively supporting HD DVD. But with hardware sales and Blue-ray titles outselling HD DVD's, Paramount and Universal won't continue to lag behind. So, I'd just wait on getting Battlestar Galactica (or the original Star Trek) until they come out on Blu-ray disc.

For more info on the whole format war, check out The Digital Bits coverage.

The AMPTP begins to crack up

Deadline Hollywood Daily reports that United Artists, now run by producing partners Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner, has signed a deal with the WGA -- essentially the same deal David Letterman's Worldwide Pants agreed to. For this deal to happen, UA's parent company, MGM, had to allow it to happen. And so the AMPTP is fuming at MGM.

Many doubted the WGA's new "divide and conquer" approach to individual companies instead of the AMPTP as a whole would produce results. But, thus far, it seems to be working, and exposing fractures within the AMPTP moguls camp.

Now if only NBC/Universal would make such a deal...

David Letterman had a nice poke at the AMPTP:

All Seasons in HD Reruns?

Tipsters Mike and Glenn have both alerted us that the Universal HD channel has been doing promotions for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA reruns from Season 1 all the way to the end of Season 3 in High Definition. You can see two promo videos here on the UHD site.

However nothing shows up on the UHD schedule grid.

Mike says his DVR has already tagged the HD showing of the first ep of S1, "33," for tonight at 8PM.

Stay vigilant. This show kicks serious frakkin' ass in High Def!

OT: UHD is also listing runs for FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS*, FIREFLY, and SIX FEET UNDER in High Def.



*Dreaming of an HD Tim Riggins.
::drifts away on a cloud::

Entertainment Weekly scoop on Season 4

Entertainment Weekly's new issue has an incredible new Season 4 photo and lots of spoilery clues from Ron Moore.

[click this image for much larger version without spoilery text]

Also revealed is the air date of the Season 4 premiere: Friday, April 4th, 10-11PM.

The entire scan including the spoilers is over here at the LJ Battlestar Blog, where you can also read their members' lively speculations. ETA: here's a link to another version where a fanartist has taken off all the numbered dots...for all you icon, banner and deskskin artmakers out there.

Resistance webisodes will be in BSG S3 DVD

TVshowsOnDVD has more info about the extras on the Region 1 release of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Season 3 this March. A lot of fans have wondered if "The Resistance" webisodes would be included, and here's your answer - YES:

…"Resistance" IS included, as part of the supplements on the second disc. Here's the complete disc-by-disc breakdown of all bonus material:

* Disc 1
o Deleted Scenes
o Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries

* Disc 2
o Deleted Scenes
o Battlestar Galactica: "The Resistance" Webisodes
o David Eick's Video Blogs
o Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries

* Disc 3
o Deleted Scenes
o David Eick's Video Blogs
o Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries
o "Hero" Commentary with Executive Producer David Eick
o "Unfinished Business" Unaired, Extended Cut Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald Moore

* Disc 4
o Deleted Scenes
o Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries

* Disc 5
o Deleted Scenes
o Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries

* Disc 6
o Deleted Scenes
o Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries
o David Eick's Video Blogs

Complete running time for the 20 episodes is 955 minutes. Video is confirmed to be 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, audio at English - Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, and subtitles for both English and Spanish. All discs in this set will be single-sided. Battlestar Galactica - Season 3 is only announced for standard DVD; Universal has not indicated any HD DVD plans at this time, nor do we expect them to (they are more likely to bring the second season to high-def first).

ETA: This press release from Uni Home Entertainment spells out a few more details about the set's contents.

Collaborators: A Brief Strike Commentary

Jay Leno is a scab. And so is John Ridley.

Saul Tigh and the chief had some good ideas about what to do to traitors.

Battlestar Galactica…a $62 Million Franchise?

We fans rarely hear any solid information about just how much money the BSG DVDs and legal downloads actually earn for the robot overlords…er, I mean, NBC Universal. Recently I noticed this BSG Season 3 sell-sheet above.

$62 Million, huh? Wonder if this includes all DVDs from the Mini to Season 2…global sales figures, or just American sales…does it include downloads? This is what we fans do when we get bored during an Endless Hiatus. *g*

And, because I JUST CANNOT RESIST, news on a related tangent: via NewTeeVee comes this story that a recent survey of torrent downloads rates BSG as the 3rd most downloaded TV show on the torrentstream, just behind HEROES and TOP GEAR.

More Favorites from 2007…and Looking Forward to 2008

Film.com discusses Battlestar Galactica as part of their review of the Best in Sci Fi TV in 2007.

AICN picks BSG as the best hourlong drama on TV in 2007.

Time Out New York picks BSG as one of the 10 Best on TV in 2007.

The San Jose Mercury News puts BSG at #12 in their Top 25 TV of 2007.

BostonNOW chose BSG as the best TV drama of 2007, and Katee Sackhoff as one of the 10 best TV entertainers of 2007.

Portland Oregon’s Williamette Week includes Admiral Bill Adama on his list of The Most Painful Casualties of the TV War (aka the Writers Strike). And yeah, Tim Riggins too! *long fangirl sigh*

Tifaux blog includes Starbuck’s death on their list of 5 best TV deaths last year. (Warning: this post is spoilery for several TV shows including BSG and LOST.)

TV Bacon picks a moment from “Crossroads Part 2” as one of the 10 best TV moments of 2007. (Warning: spoilery article for all the shows included.)

Watch With Kristen at E!, and the Watch With Intelligence blog picks BSG as One of the Shows to Watch for in 2008.

Ask Ron Moore a Question

AMC's SciFi Scanner blog is taking questions for The Sci Fi Department's upcoming interview with Ron Moore. Fans can submit questions until January 10th.

Here's a sample of this show's fine work below: