DragonCon Tweets

TechGOnzo and einaphets are twittering from DragonCon this weekend...here are a few fun bits:

Olmos working with attorney gen. to catch the guy who scammed fans at Jump con says "As much time as it takes to bring this bastard down" (via)

Olmos "this is my first con in the USA in my entire life". "...most fun i've had in public in my entire life" (via)

Direct to DVD sept 8 starts shooting. Its set in "lay your burdens down" time, says Hogan. (via)

Question: what on the show do you wish could happen in real life: Douglas- "Communal Showers" (via)

Grazier says he doesn't know anyone who hasn't cried after reading the final episode script. (via)

Question, entire cast: plans post-bag? Callis is doing a tv show Merlin, which he is playing the lead. (via)

EJO thanks the fans for being so fun at DC (via)

Tigh: "so say we all" and that's it folks, end. (via)

Regarding a new role for James Callis: is TechGOnzo is referring to BBC's MERLIN, which premieres in the UK on BBC1 next month, and midseason on NBC here in the US? There has been no official announcement yet that Callis has joined the cast, which includes Michelle Ryan and Anthony Stewart Head...we'll see if that turns out to be more than a rumor. MERLIN actually has a character named Gaius, played by Richard Wilson.


In other news: Michael Hogan partied with The Colonial Fleet till 2am last night...and Edward James Olmos is wearing his ADAMA '08 tee shirt today. Niiiiiiice. :D

First bits of fun from DragonCon

[photo by squirrely24U]

Livejournalist m-a-r-i-k-s has posted some lovely photos of the first BATTLESTAR GALACTICA panel at DragonCon this weekend in Atlanta. This panel incluldes Tahmoh Penikett, Richard Hatch, Michael Hogan, Edward James Olmos, Aaron Douglas, Kevin Grazier, and James Callis. WOW!

Fans Wickedpenguin and wisteria have posted some panel videos... Let us know if you find more as they trickle up into the webs...

Cosplay and Michael Hogan: together at last



wisteria's video of panel - Part 1

Dragoncon - BSG Panel - 082908
Uploaded by alannab99

Part 2



Part 3



ETA: Oh and that other guy sitting on the panel, between Douglas and Callis? He is going to appear on BSG in season 4.5...I didn't catch his name, anybody know it?

The BSG movie has a (working?) title

This poster at the SPACE forums noticed that the British Columbia Film Commission has a title listed for the new BSG movie, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN.

Moore/Eick, is this one of those inside-meta jokes?  You know what I'm talking about.  *suspicious*

VIRTUALITY pilot wraps

I had heard some rumors this was true, and Mark Verheiden just confirmed it: the VIRTUALITY pilot shoot has wrapped in Vancouver.

Keep your fingers crossed while Ron Moore, Michael Taylor, Peter Berg, and Company, do that magic they do in post-production... and a new series may be born.

Battlestar is a Franchise For The Future

There is an Associated Press article that popped up yesterday, and is making its way around the media and the internet today, discussing the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA franchise and ratings.

The writer points out that the BSG film, and the prequel pilot film CAPRICA, have been produced despite lowered Nielsen ratings over the life of the series. Meanwhile, BSG actor Jamie Bamber and writer/producer Michael Angeli chime in about BSG fans, our viewing habits...and, no surprise for we fans, the meaninglessness of premiere night Nielsen ratings to BSG viewership.

Jamie Bamber...has a much better way to gauge ratings. Turns out, as the ratings plummet, the show's popularity continues to skyrocket as it reaches the end of its five-year run early in 2009.

"When the numbers were high I would get stopped in the street maybe once a week," Bamber said. "Now that the viewing figures are lower on the TV, everywhere I go someone will come up to me and say what a huge fan they are. That just tells me that people watch the show in a more modern way and that it has reached its sort of critical mass."

...Co-executive producer Michael Angeli thinks the [ratings] are irrelevant, however. He believes most "Galactica" fans have atypical viewing habits and take advantage of new technology to watch the show whenever they want.

"I think we were one of the first ones," Angeli said. "TiVo had just sort of taken off. This was four or five seasons ago, and because we were on Friday nights most people, most fans don't watch it (on first run). They TiVo it and watch it a zillion times."

Angeli comments a bit more on CAPRICA:

While the [BSG] movie is a lock to air, the fate of "Caprica" remains to be decided. The pilot has been shot and screened, and there's a trailer up on YouTube. Angeli is helping with early scripts in case the series is picked up and said the show is an almost complete departure from "Galactica."

"In fact, I don't think we ever go into space," he said.

...Like "Galactica," which took on war, terrorism, torture, religion and questions of morality, the storyline in "Caprica" will have many things to say about our society.

"It's really about big business, the machinations and the subterfuge that go on inside of it when you have something that is groundbreaking and could change the nature of life and the future," Angeli said. "In this case, they're developing artificial intelligence."

While other networks continue to make baby steps in regards to putting new TV shows online the same day as broadcast, there is no denying that (American) BSG fans got something pretty special this year with the same-day online broadcasts of new 4.0 episodes on Friday mornings. Let's hope they continue that trend for season 4.5...

ETA: The Media Loper posits further on this topic, declaring that BSG has a higher "Fan Quality" than most TV shows (or franchises), which allows NBCU to greenlight more stuff for us. So say we all.

More Olmos

The always awesome Matt and Nat of The BSGcast have their own footage of Eddie Olmos and Aaron Douglas at their Q&A Session at Fan Expo Canada:


Also check out this reel that showcases Eddie's other lectures from his bookers, Keppler Speakers.

Plus, The Sci-Fi Guys have an interview with Eddie.

And to get even more of your Adama fix, check out this fan vid by dragonchic721.

Olmos & Douglas at Fan Expo

Youtuber ThePluth328 has uploaded the entire panel with Edward James Olmos and Aaron Douglas from yesterday at the Toronto Fan Expo.

Part one:


Parts two through seven on Pluth's page.

[Tip o' the hat to greycoupon for this nice find.]

ETA: There have been questions about how spoilery this video actually is. I just watched the whole thing -- it's hilarious, and wonderful...I didn't catch any spoilers past season 4.0 of note. Olmos certainly loves to tease us about how brutal and dark upcoming eps are going to be. It is not the first time.

Fun With Mark and Jane (and Bear)

Well well well...it looks like the hints that Mark Verheiden had been dropping recently on his blog were about his new gig as a consulting writer/producer for HEROES! Congrats on the new job, Mark. Season 3 of HEROES airs this fall starting Monday, September 22.

Bear McCreary is hard at work this month scoring three different shows: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, EUREKA, and TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES...Whew! But he did take a minute off this week to blog about an odd detail of "MX" for BSG season 1.

Meanwhile, Jane Espenson blogs that she is currently in Vancouver, doing pre-production work on the BSG movie...and a bit more surgery on the script.

It's all happening, folks...

Mark Sheppard interview

A wonderful 20-minute video interview with Mark Sheppard, talking mainly about BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, but also a bit on FIREFLY, and his new part on THE MIDDLEMAN.





Via Whedonesque.

Sheppard updated his myspace page yesterday with a quick post confirming his parts on DOLLHOUSE, MIDDLEMAN, and TNT's new show LEVERAGE.

Off The Wireless

Artist/designer Roy Wasson Valle has a thing for cylon-ified tchotckes: unicorns... Easter bunnies… cats... even Cylon Raider Christmas lights. You can have some of it for yourself, with this tee design pictured above. Order shirts here; but according to the designer’s flickr entry, the red version will soon be discontinued. (Via Onion AV Club)

Congrats to Edward James Olmos for winning the ALMA Award this weekend for Outstanding Actor in a Drama TV Series. You can see him accept his award when the taped show is broadcast on ABC, Friday September 12th. Meanwhile, dryope has posted some nice photos of him at the ceremony. Cross your fingers for Esai Morales, who is nominated for an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actor on a TV Series. The Imagen winners will be announced on August 21st.

Variety has pieces on Emmy-nominated Drama Series writers this week, including Michael Angeli for BSG's "Six Of One." The article discussing background research includes this quote:

With its outer-space setting, "Battlestar Galactica" is also ripe for research finds, but writer Michael Angeli notes that while science advisers ensure writers adhere to the laws of physics, his research usually involves classical literature, Westerns and history.

"Those have struggles of obsession, survival and possession, which we feel is what the show is really about," Angeli says.

"If we go to the Bible, a Western or the transcripts of the trial for Saddam Hussein -- which we did at the end of season three -- we can look for cultural differences, questions of race, gender, class, conspicuous consumption and sex," he adds. "We like to touch on the idea of what it means to be human."

* ears perk up at mention of Hussein trial transcripts *

Sci Fi Wire has a second piece from John Sullivan on the set of the VIRTUALITY pilot, focusing on the characters and plot details. The article is more spoiler-filled than the previous one; if you prefer to come to a new show without too much advance information, as a way of enjoying being surprised, you might want to skip it. Although this part is important:

The show's world is deliberately very small, very claustrophobic. The point of the show is not space adventure or gadgets or cool alien ships: It's more about straight character drama in an SF setting. Virtuality is an ensemble show that's mainly about getting to know the characters aboard Phaeton and seeing how they deal with very intense pressures and unpredictable challenges.

SciFi Wire posted the above shot of The Phaeton, which I have seen on other sci-fi sites a with a "(c) Fox TV" underneath. But I am really not sure this is an actual concept art piece from the show, or some sort of fanart...and SciFi Wire doesn't seem to be sure either. Can anyone out there confirm?

Lucy Lawless is giving a concert to benefit the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, in San Francisco on September 27. More info here at Flawless Diva.

Folks at this month’s GenCon got to preview the new BSG board game from Fantasy Flight Games; this blogger shot some video of gameplay, and this Board Game Geek forum member wrote up both short and long form reviews.

Canada's first Olympic athlete to win a gold medal this summer, wrestler Carol Huynh, is a BSG fan. And so, apparently, is world-reknowned artist Takashi Murakami.

This curious livejournalist fan poked around Amazon UK and found a photo of the UK box art for BSG season 4.0 DVD, slated to hit the street October 8th. She also found that a season 1-4 box set is scheduled for release, and there is already a box art image on Amazon's site. One would assume that would not be released till some time in the second half of 2009. As previously posted, the latest on the US version of season 4.0 is (A RUMOR) that it will debut December 30th. As with all prior DVD releases, the US version is always worth the wait as it will be packed with extras (unlike the bare-bones international DVD versions).

Thanks to fans who post on the battlestar blog, we also learned that Canadian channel SPACE is re-broadcasting all of Seasons 1 through 4, every Monday through Thursday at 2pm and 6pm PT, starting September 8th.

Also, don't forget that the Universal HD Channel here in the states will be running season 4.0 in HD beginning August 30th.

Cataloging has begun for the 2009 Auction

BattlestarProps.com, who are setting up the massive auction of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’s props, costumes, set pieces and production art next year, have begun taking inventory of tons of production material up in Vancouver on the BSG stages.

On Auction: Baltar’s Robe

Here are a few more auction details from the site FAQ:

When will the auctions be held?
There will be two live auctions, one before the final 10 episodes air on SciFi Channel, and one after. We do not know the exact dates yet, but should know by the end of August. We are waiting to hear from SciFi Channel as to when the episodes will air, and then we will schedule the auctions.

Where will the auctions be held?
The auctions will most likely be held at Universal Studios Theme Park, in Los Angeles. There is a wonderful facility called the Globe Theater, which has everything we need to run a first class event. There are two hotels right on the grounds of the Studio as well.

Can I bid online?
Yes, the auctions will be broadcast live on the Internet and there will also be full Internet bidding capability.

On Auction: Athena’s Flight Suit

Below are some great concept designs for many of the major BSG sets; all of these pieces are apparently going into the auction inventory. If you get your geek on with this stuff, definitely visit the auction site regularly for updates – and for you budget-conscious collectors out there, apparently some production art may sell for as low as $100-200.

[Click to see larger images]

David Eick interview

Newsarama has posted an interview with David Eick, discussing season 4.5, CAPRICA, internet rumors and leaks about his shows...and a quick mention of his other two projects for NBC...a few snippets below.

NRAMA: Can you confirm the rumors the second string of episodes will be longer as well end on a two hour series finale?

Eick: Honestly, we are still working on the season finale so we don’t know the answer yet.

...

NRAMA: What has surprised you the most about Battlestar Galactica’s rabid fanbase, especially since there was such uproar early on about the character changes?

Eick: Once again, any publicity is good publicity so when people complained, I thought the more the better because it would only serve to elevate the profile of the mini-series when it premiered. Nothing has changed in my mind. It continues to be talked about and has its critics or people who are still upset it’s not more like the original show. I would suspect those people continue to watch it in order to fuel their rational for complaining so either way we win. As for Comic-Con, it’s the one day a year Ron and I get to feel like Paul McCartney. Suddenly, it’s a shock that we are not doing a 20 rating because everyone knows and cares about it. It’s a very gratifying one day a year.

...

NRAMA: Lastly, is there any news on your Children of Men series?

Eick: Yeah, Children of Men is a pilot at NBC that is still awaiting word and I am working on another series for them called The Philanthropist which is a 13-episode order premiering in March. It is about a billionaire world traveler who uses his unique access and power to help people in need. It is a very unusual show we will be shooting in three different continents all over the world.

Mark Sheppard in the DOLLHOUSE?

Kevin Beaumont over at Dollverse has posted that Mark Sheppard will be appearing on at least one episode of Joss Whedon's DOLLHOUSE for Fox.

When questioned here in this Whedonesque thread, Beaumont (aka gossi) says he got the info directly from Sheppard himself.

Shiny!


(Makes one wonder if Mr. Whedon will make good on his TCA threat to pilfer even more BSG castmembers...now that they're available...)

Cylonapalooza

It's a good day when the interwebs can provide Sitrep with enough linkage to make AN ALL-CYLON POST:

While scientists in the real world use cultured neurons to create biological robot brains, we BSG fans have plenty to distract us while we await the cylon overlords (thanks for the link, reader Patrick).

The SciFi Channel/Make Magazine/DVice "Make A Cylon" contest has announced the winners, judged by BSG actors Tricia Helfer and Grace Park. There's a ton of cylon goodness on display over there.


I think that guy who made the amazingly detailed Gold Cylon Commander outfit may have been at Comic-Con leading his troops…and messing with Richard Hatch…

Cylons may play nice with Richard Hatch for the cameras nowadays…but they most definitely DO NOT like DRM.




Did you miss your chance to get the coveted, limited-edition Frakkin Toaster that NBCU was selling during Comic-Con? Live vicariously via these toaster test runs by DVice and io9. Or, as DVice advises, try your luck on ebay.




Still not getting enough of a toaster fix? How about this modded CPU from the Japanese site Impress. Or...

The Cylon Bounty Hunter (via SlashFilm)

A peek onto the VIRTUALITY set

Sci Fi Wire's John Sullivan is up in Vancouver on the VIRTUALITY pilot shoot set, and has a report for us:

Virtuality is a backdoor pilot created by Ron Moore and Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica) and directed by Peter Berg (Hancock).

The main set is a single module, which will be redressed to represent various ship modules that serve different purposes. While I was there earlier this week, the module was filled with plants, in beds and on racks on the walls. The overall effect was something like a cross between the International Space Station and a mall common area.

Like the sets, the show's costumes reflect the time period, only 30 years in the future. The crew's uniforms consist of gray jackets and pants with white piping and shoulder patches, more like current warmup gear than Starfleet uniforms. Under the jackets, cast members wear street clothes; as most are scientists, they wear T-shirts with the names of colleges. The entire cast could walk down the street in costume and not get a second look. (The cast includes Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Clea DuVall and Sienna Guillory.)

"Six months into this voyage, as they're about to reach the point of no return, fire up the big engines and head for the star they're headed for, something has started going wrong with these virtual modules," Taylor said, adding coyly: "It's something that will unnerve them and something that portends serious trouble down the road for this crew."

The smallish sets and large cast seem designed to make the space feel crowded, to ramp up the pressure on the characters as things get out of control.

Fan Vid for Season 4.0 debut

Posted by JLWilliams3

Also, user Gonturan74 has a slew of video from the BSG talk at SDCC.

News You Can Use

BSG effects dude and blogger Mojo highly recommends Two Guys Drinking At A Bar.

Mike Nichols, superstar editor who achieved fame by re-editing Star Wars Episodes I and II as the “Phantom Editor,” has just released the latest installment in his series of shorts Two Guys Drinking At A Bar. He’s gotten a lot of mail from fans who have complained that the credits of his shows are often longer than the actual content, so he made this new episode as a response.

Continuing on the theme of BSG credits, xGriiFin created some cool credits for season 4.5.


Battlestar Galactica producer and director Michael Rymer was interviewed by Marcel Damen for Galactica TV. You can read the full transcript or listen to the audio interview here.

James Callis talked to io9 about Baltar's teflon.

Grace Park joins the cast of a new Canadian series "The Border".

Trek Movie Report covered Michelle Forbes speaking at the huge Star Trek VegasCon:

Although Michelle Forbes was at a Star Trek convention, most of her questions actually focused on her more recent work, especially her two stints as Admiral Cain on Battlestar Galactica. She spoke glowingly about the show and how 'brave' it and co-creator Ron Moore were, but she doesn't expect that she will be back after being killed off twice. She also spoke about how she agreed with Ron Moore's decision to create a romance between Cain and Gina (played by Tricia Helfer), because gay relationships were "so obviously missing" in sci-fi.

Former BSG writer David Weddle talked to the Las Vegas Sun about joining the writing team of CSI along with Bradley Thompson.

Entertainment Weekly wonders which other shows should be reinvented much like Battlestar Galactica was. Entertainment Weekly also has another list: TV's 21 Sexiest Scenes which includes Kara, Leoben, and paint. While TV Guide lists Jamie Bamber and Katee Sackhoff as "Sci-Fi sex pots."

Sky One has secured the exclusive linear TV rights in the UK to CAPRICA, the upcoming BSG prequel.

David Smyth, Head of Acquisitions, Sky1, Sky2, Sky3 commented: "Battlestar Galactica has surprised and awed audiences with its distinctive style and gripping story-telling. We're thrilled to have secured exclusive rights to the next chapter of this award-winning franchise."

Meanwhile, BSkyB and Virgin continue talks to resolve their issues, which resulted in Virgin Media viewers no longer able to watch BSG, Lost, and The Simpsons.

TV Guide Online reports about the super-sizing of BSG's season 4.5 eps.

TV Guide Online, along with io9, Wired, Eclipse Magazine,IF Magazine, Zap2It, UGO, Screen Rant, Broadcasting and Cable, and Cinemablend, all report on the upcoming BSG Telefilm that we previously noted.

io9 reports that students Jai Ho Yoo and Lukas Vanek, at Turin's Istituto Europeo di Design of Turin, designed a futuristic BMW ZX-6 that looks sort of like a Cylon Raider.

Adrel S. Langley the editor of the Lake City News & Post asks, Is it science fiction or not?

Finally, via Battlestar Online you can register to win a Starbuck or Number Six lithograph personally signed by world-renowned Sci-Fi artist Steve Anderson. Drawing to be held on September 1st.

Stop it, Tahmoh.

Seriously Tahmoh, stop it with all the beautiful articulate interviews for frakssake, or I'm gonna cry again.

IGN.com: Was it strange leaving [the BATTLESTAR set after wrapping the finale], unsure if you'd see it again?

Tahmoh Penikett: It was weird. Ron and I were discussing it the last day. He went through it on Star Trek before and stuff, and he's like, "The hardest thing for me is when you come on the set and it's all gone; it's all taken down." We weren't quite at that point, but some of our sets were taken down. We were starting to feel it. It's like things are closing in, you know? It's a really strange feeling. It really is. I'm an optimist, always, and I like to celebrate our achievement and the wonderful bond I created with this cast and the writers – this family unit that we had on the show and really believing in this beautiful piece of art that I think redefined the sci-fi genre and the stereotypical idea of sci-fi. I'm so proud to be a part of it and I think of how profound it was and how much of an impact it's going to have on television in general – but specifically the sci-fi genre. And finally getting the respect and demanding forcibly that people respect the genre more than it ever has been before. We won't even realize how much it's done that for maybe another four or five years.

It's such a part of pop culture now. It's really incredible. The last couple of years so many new people have jumped on board. Even though we're in the fourth season, I'm constantly getting new fans coming up to me going, "Man, I love the show. I never gave it a chance. I don't like sci-fi. My friends made me watch it. I love it. I love it!" I get approached all the time. The fans are true, passionate fans. They love it. They say, "It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" I'm so proud of it. I'm like a proud parent. I'm always going to hold it so dear. It's such an incredibly huge and profound experience in my life as a young [actor] coming on this show – so green, like so many of us were. And just having to learn the ropes in a short period of time, but learning it with such incredible mentors. Just the actors – Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell… All the talent on the show. It's stupendous. And the writing in particular… the special effects. The entire beautiful machine ran so well. It's weird to be talking about it past tense right now!

*sob*

Fanvid: a Leland tribute

By xGriiFin. [Tip o' the hat to gdg]

Fanvid: Cathedrals

By chaila, who summarizes her vid: "Searching for something true. D’Anna, Laura, Caprica."

Ron Moore panel at USC

The University of Southern California has just announced this panel event for next month in Los Angeles:

VISIONS AND VOICES
In the Name of God: Terror, Torture and Television

Can television narratives influence or frame audience perceptions of good and evil, right and wrong? Did Sleeper Cell help to justify abrogations of civil rights? Has 24 inured us to torture? Did Battlestar Galactica succeed in showing us that "we" could be "them"?

Panelists Howard Gordon, executive producer of 24; Dalia Hashad, director of Amnesty International USA’s program focusing on domestic human rights; Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of Battlestar Galactica; and writer Kamran Pasha of Sleeper Cell will join moderator Anthea Butler, visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School, for a conversation on television’s responses to 9/11 and whether they have shaped audience perceptions of good and evil. Refreshments will be served following the discussion.

This event will be presented as part of Live from L.A.: Good/God and Evil, a series exploring the religious and ethical ramifications of 9/11 in broadcast television. Organized by Diane Winston (Journalism and Religion) and Jane Iwamura (Religion and American Studies and Ethnicity).

Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 7:00pm
University Park Campus, Annenberg Auditorium
Admission is free

Comic-Con fallout

Fangrrl nicole-anell was kind enough to type up a transcript of the ENTIRE BSG Comic-Con panel. *applause*

There are some fun mentions of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, cylons, BSG fans, Ron Moore and Katee Sackhoff in the Comic-Con videos embedded below, most of which are NSFW...I seem to be on a NSFW kick this week. *shrug*

Also, Seth Green confirms that Ron Moore will appear on the ROBOT CHICKEN season premiere next year...and that Katee Sackhoff will also do some voice work next season.

I am still posting a lot of film/TV Comic-Con vids and miscellany this week over at FanGrrl Magnet; stay tuned.

Sci Fi Channel exec confirms Battlestar Galactica TV movie is happening

I was contacted last night by the Los Angeles Times to discuss the possibility of the rumored BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TV movie, and what I would most like to see in such a film. The reporter and I chatted for about half an hour; he mentioned he was also speaking with Annalee Newitz from io9.com.

The piece is out today, and lo and behold we now have our first official Sci Fi Channel confirmation that this TV film is a go, based on Sci Fi executive Mark Stern's comments in the article. Finally there is a bit of plot description as well:

Months before its final 10 episodes begin airing in January, we now know for certain that "Battlestar Galactica" will live on -- in the form of a two-hour special on the Sci Fi Channel to air in 2009 after the series concludes.

...The stand-alone will document the Cylons' attempts -- those of two agents in particular -- to grapple with human survivors, both those aboard ships and those left alive on planets, shortly after the Cylons' destruction of human home worlds.

So it's a flashback, but not all the way back.

Three confirmed cast members are Michael Trucco (Sam Anders), Aaron Douglas (Galen Tyrol), and Dean Stockwell (Cavil, Cylon model No. 1) -- all Cylons. Shooting will begin promptly in Vancouver, Canada, and Sci Fi promises women regulars are being cast as well, with more names coming soon.

...And, on the other side, have the news-hungry fans been driving the network crazy? "The short answer is absolutely not," said Stern, who has been a regular target of angry fans. (He was blamed for the death of "Farscape," even though he arrived at the network after it had been killed.) "The longer answer is all of our fans are kind of rowdy and invested," he said. "There's no question that there's an appetite for wanting more -- by the way, which started with us! We're all feeling, 'Does it have to be over already?' "

Rowdy? Hells yeah! :)

ETA Thursday: As Maureen Ryan has indicated today, Sci Fi Channel has sent out a press release on the "two-hour special event," which includes the following information:

The cast includes Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas and Dean Stockwell, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Starting before the events of the miniseries, our story focuses on familiar characters including Cylon Number One, known as Cavil (Stockwell), Resistance Leader Sam T. Anders (Trucco) and Chief Galen Tyrol (Douglas). In the beginning, the Cylons had a plan, but it didn't account for one thing: survivors. During the chaotic aftermath of the destruction, two powerful Cylon agents struggle with plots and priorities on the human ships that got away, and among the resistance fighters who were left behind.

Off Topic...but hard to ignore

I usually stick my off-topic stuff at the end of other posts, but these items seemed great enough to get their own post. Exciting right? We'll see if you guys agree.

Firstly, I watch a lot of Showtime shows. Monday nights this summer have been pretty excellent with the WEEDS/SECRET DIARY double shot. Last night featured a new promo for CALIFORNICATION season 2 (starts Sept. 28)...and this one finally revealed what Callum Keith Rennie will be doing on the show. Warning: this is so, so NSFW:



[slow clap FTW!]


Secondly, I just found out that the Sci Fi Channel has started a cool new blog called How You Can Save The World. Notice their impressive list of bloggers...me likey. This blog is an offshoot of Sci Fi's Visions Of Tomorrow project, which has Mary McDonnell as a board member . In fact there is a video of her on the VoT home page today...and she and several other BSG actresses have been included in their PSA videos.

Touching spoilers for 4.5 and the Series Finale

As many of you have already figured out, there is an extremely spoilery cast/crew wrap video now floating around the interwebs. It was apparently created for the eyes only of the BSG cast and crew, and as a tribute to (or appreciation for) director/producer Michael Rymer. The video features a bunch of still photos and video snippets shot while season 4.5 was being filmed, including during the finale, and on the final day of shooting. It's filled with the most adorably sweet behind-the-scenes candid shots of the cast and crew -- as well as a ton of spoilers, mainly reveals of sets and props for season 4.5 that I certainly didn't want to see.

Logan thought the whole thing was very touching.

I peeked at a few parts, against my better spirginal judgement. I regret it. I give this video an 8 out of 10 on the Sitrep Spoiler Scale.

A very kind fan known as wisteria was nice enough to grab a bunch of frame caps from this video and post two galleries: spoilery, and non-spoilery. Maybe this will satisfy you...cuz you're gonna have a really, really hard time not watching this until next spring. ETA: at the request of TPTB this link is now friends-only. Sorry charlie. However, you can still find some of the footage "out there" if you look.

Ron Moore Lecture

Writer Ron Moore discusses the religious aspects of BSG before screening "Flesh and Bone" for students. Posted on YouTube by KnightChair.

Off The Wireless (Comic-Con edition)

At Comic-Con, even RDM will play along for a sec…
[photo: craft g33k]

Discover Magazine’s blog Bad Astronomy just posted the entire “Science of Science Fiction” Con panel video, which includes BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’s science advisor Kevin Grazier.

NBC San Diego has video interviews from Con with Tricia Helfer, Jamie Bamber and Katee Sackhoff. [Hat tip to Morjana.]

There are two sides to every story…LOL
[photos: Angel Ceballos]

The BSG blog tipped us off to the wonderful Con photos by Angel Ceballos. Dryope also published another set of pro pics from the EW/SciFi party at Con. Scarbuck, a regular on the scifi.com BSG forum who is always sharing his photos, has a Con set here.

Right before Con, Comic Mix ran this terrific interview with BSG writer/producer Jane Espenson, talking about BSG, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, and how she got into TV writing in the first place. We got distracted by all the shiny shinies this week and forgot to mention it but check it out cuz it’s great.

Jamie Bamber talks with fans at the PULSE 2 dvd booth.
[photo: jennerator]

A list of many of the Con interviews that have started to appear all over the nettywebs:

• Comic Mix with David Eick.
• TV Talk with Shaun Omac with Tahmoh Penikett.
• Io9 with Tricia Helfer and Tahmoh Penikett.
• TV Squad with Tricia Helfer.
• Shock Till You Drop with Jamie Bamber.
• Comic Mix with Jamie Bamber.

“Two is better than one…” – Katee Sackhoff

Broadcasting & Cable spoke with Sci Fi Channel honcho David Howe, which has this interesting exchange:

B&C: How has Comic-Con been for you personally?

Howe: I have to say I’m coming back next year. Three years away is too long.

B&C: Are you going to be happy when everyone knows who the twelfth Cylon is? Will you be happy when the secret is finally out?

Howe: No, I won’t be happy because it will be like an end of an era. Nobody wants to see it end. But in the words of Ron Moore, it is kind of gratifying to have closed something, to help finish something, to actually have told the story in a way to reach a satisfactory ending.

B&C: What about the next iteration of “Battlestar?”

Howe: Well, “Caprica’s” now a pilot which will be a backdoor two-hour movie. I haven’t seen it yet, but we’ll get a rough cut in the next couple weeks, but we’re very optimistic that will go to series next year.

B&C: Do you see doing for “Battlestar” what they have done with the Star Wars brand?

Howe: We talk about those things, but I think “Battlestar” is such an important landmark show it won’t ever die. So it will be kept alive either through ongoing movies, potentially some sort of feature, animated shows. All of those things are up for grabs.

[Photo: Grant Gould]

Red Eye Chicago is the Tribune paper that allowed Starbuck fans to vote her the Best Character on TV last year. At Con, their reporter found Katee and gave her a copy of the cover showing her win, and they also interviewed her at a roundtable and got an interesting sort-of-spoiler out of Katee. About a necklace. I give it a 3 out of 10 for vagueness, though it is worrying. Did you know that in this year’s Red Eye contest, Buffy The Vampire Slayer beat out Batman and Superman to be crowned Best Superhero? Pretty impressive. Meanwhile, FlickScribe has some lovely photos of La Sackhoff from backstage after the con panel.

This Xena fansite has more links for Lucy Lawless (and Sam Raimi) at Con.

What’s his first name again? Ted? Steve?
[Photo: Brian Romero]

I believe we already gave you most of the BSG Con panel recaps earlier. But check out Grant Gould’s con experience, The Televisionary’s panel recap, and CHUD’s recap with a ton of photos. Geekadelphia links to a con recap & COOL SEASON TWO DVD DEALS. This fan has some more great photos.

Sam Witwer poses with Grant Gould’s awesome art featuring his character in STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED
[Photo: Grant Gould]

The entire SMALLVILLE Con panel video is now online, and Sam Witwer was there. Watch With Kristen recently spoke to Witwer about his new role on the show as superbad Doomsday.



Meanwhile...back on the rest of the internets...Galactica.TV has new interviews up with BSG visionary producer/director Michael Rymer, and actors Kate “Ellen Tigh” Vernon and Bodie “Hot Dog” Olmos.

Syfy Portal talked to BSG/ST: DS9 actress Nana Visitor about her experience shooting the season four ep "Faith."

Here’s a brief glimpse of Bear McCreary hanging out with Shirley Manson on the set of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, in a video where the cast and crew is congradulating their special effects and stunts guys on Emmy nominations:

(Btw...lookit how many grrls are in that writers room, kewl right? Former BSG writer Toni Graphia is still on staff as well.)

Wired posted more details of how Freema Ageyman and Jamie Bamber got their jobs on LAW & ORDER: LONDON.

While Sci Fi Channel announces their continued success getting young and female viewers to come into the fold, New York Magazine puts BATTLESTAR GALACTICA on their “SHOWS YOU SHOULD WATCH” index and illustrates the various things that it, MAD MEN, THE WIRE, LOST, THE SOPRANOS, and other must-see TV has in common.

A press release is out announcing the broadcast of BSG season 4 on the Uni HD channel beginning August 30th, which is later than previously announced on UHD's web site.

What a treat it was to have these two unannounced guests at the final BSG Comic-Con panel. Sigh. [Photo: smeagol]

The Cleaner: Grace Park

Millions of sci-fi fans know her as the conflicted cyborg on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Now, Grace Park battles different kinds of internal demons on the new A&E hit THE CLEANER. She sits down with Hollywood 411 for some TV therapy.