You snooze, you lose.

Kevin Smith has explained the whole directing gig hullabaloo on his MySpace page (with a little assistance from BSG Producer David Eick).

NBC Universal's Naked Greed

Have you been downloading Battlestar Galactica and other NBC Universal shows from iTunes? Well, forget about it, because thanks to NBC's greed, all their properties will be gone from iTunes by the end of December. Apple released this statement that says NBC wanted the per episode sale price raised from $1.99 to $4.99. The New York Times reports, on all the details of NBC's greedy demands, and their demands for more shady DRM schemes.

As the Times notes:

Among the most popular NBC Universal shows available for sale on iTunes are “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Office” and “Heroes.”

If you are concerned about NBC's egregious actions here, you should let NBC know what you think about their war on consumers.

Directing at last.

MrsRon continues to feed us scoopage this week - this time announcing to the faithful on The Forum that Ron Moore will be directing an episode in the second half of BSG's final season. [Hat tip to Maureen Ryan.]

DVD

TV Shows on DVD has the first photo of the packaging for the HD-DVD release of Battlestar Galactica season 1.

They also report on a promotional DVD NBC will make available at Blockbuster that will included Katee Sackhoff in Bionic Woman, along with Chuck, Life, and Journeyman.

Women of BSG

Video is now online at Sci-Fi Pulse of Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, and Katee Sackoff answering fan submitted questions from the San Diego Comic-Con.

Be aware that they talk about the season 3 finale, plus give a few hints about what to expect in season 4.

Freak on a Leash

brokenmnemonic has made a new Lee-centric fanvid to Korn.

John Dahl

Terry "MrsRon" Moore has posted on the skiffy forum that John Dahl (director of many features including YOU KILL ME and THE LAST SEDUCTION) is directing an episode this season.

For all you non-Americans

For all of fandom outside the USofA who couldn't watch the clips today while voting for the RAZOR region 1 cover art: here's the first and second clip on YouTube.

Hurry before they snatch 'em down! Maybe they won't...I'm just sayin'.

We Were Centurians

What would happen if a 'Chrome Toaster' got tired

of being treated like a second class Cylon?

It's an uprising, Centurion-style.

Find out what happens here.

Manipulating human emotions

Apparently Kevin Smith may NOT get to direct that ep afterall, due to scheduling conflicts. Keep your fingers crossed. Say Joss Whedon are you available? :)

The S3 DVD covers are up for your voting pleasure...all US-based voters get to watch a RAZOR clip after voting, and if you sign up for DVD announcements you get to see a 2nd clip.

(click image for larger view)

Fans to choose Season 3 DVD cover

A press release hit the internet today announcing a new dance that SciFi/Universal has dreamed up to do with fandom:

In a groundbreaking first, fans of Battlestar Galactica will be able to vote for their favorite DVD packaging of the Battlestar Galactica: Razor Unrated Extended Edition, which will be released by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on December 4, 2007. The website http://www.scifi.com/battlestar will display a selection of three choices for fans to cast their votes starting tomorrow and continuing to 12 AM midnight Pacific Standard Time on September 7, 2007. The final selection will be posted on the site on September 14.

From the creators of the action-packed television phenomenon Battlestar Galactica comes the exclusive DVD event, Battlestar Galactica: Razor Unrated Extended Edition, on December 4, 2007, just 10 days after the SCI FI Channel's world premiere of Battlestar Galactica: Razor on November 24, 2007.

Pretty nice, eh?

The release includes further info on the RAZOR extras, promising deleted scenes, cast members describing their favorite episodes, BSG's Director of Photography Stephen McNutt discussing the show's look, and a sneak peak of Season 4 with Moore & Eick. Sounds yummy.

:: runs off to pre-order ::

Live long and prosper

Fans on the SciFi.com BSG Forum are creating a scrapbook for the cast & crew, to be delivered to set this winter. For details of how to add something, go here.

A Myspace page, complete with countdown clock, is set up for the UK DVD release of S3.

Amazon is taking price-locked pre-orders for the DVD of RAZOR and the HD DVDs of Season 1.

Livejournalist shasplim has made a nice list of 10 reasons why BSG trumps STAR TREK.

Tricia Helfer has posted some (mildly spoilery) photos shot by her sister, during shooting of S4x08 scenes with her and Michael Trucco, directed by Michael Nankin. Oooh, Cap 6 and Sam? Heh.

Brown student J.L. Russo takes a closer look at the SciFi.com Videomaker Toolkit as part of her thesis study of fandom.

Mark Tuit, director of BLOOD: A BUTCHER’S TALE, discusses the film and Aaron Douglas’ part in it on the film’s official site. [Tip o’ the hat to The Chief’s Deck]

Buddy TV lays odds on who might be the final cylon model. Personally I’m starting to hope for one of those BUFFYesque “we are all Slayers” sort of endings. *wink*

Stylin Online has some great BSG tee shirts for sale.

Livejournalist languor has posted an immense (and incredibly spoilery) picspam of the entire series, as a tribute to how much she misses her BSG right now. Part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4. I just watched Crossroads Parts 1 & 2 last night - and yeah, I am so hiatus-beaten today. More FARSCAPE may help...I'm just starting season 3.

What the frak is the deal with BSG?

Thanks to hollywoodgrrl for finding the clip. The entire episode is streaming from here. If any of you were looking for Joss Whedon like I was - watch what happens after the show's end credits...*g*

Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith recently told AOL TV Tatler that he will be directing an episode of BSG this season. [via TV Squad]

Season Zero

To fill in the time before BSG starts up again, Dynamite Entertainment has new Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero comic books.

A bit off topic... Battlestar Galactica fan Wil Wheaton occasionally puts out a podcast called Radio Free Burrito, and the most recent installment, episode nine, was one of the best, with a great mix of cool music that was put together in a highly entertaining package.

Robot Chicken!

Our dreams have come true: PopCandy tipped us off that this weekend's new ROBOT CHICKEN episode will feature a BSG sketch voiced by Katee Sackhoff and other cast (and, for added goodness, a sketch voiced by Joss Whedon *sigh*).

Based on what these folks did to Star Wars and Harry Potter, this should be nifty.

ETA: It's short. It's up here (1st half at 2:20 in). Voiced by Katee Sackhoff, Michael Hogan and Tahmoh Penikett. (Say does anyone know which voice is Whedon?)

Romo Lives!

We will, in fact, get more Romo.

(Linked article also has minor speculation, along side the fact that Mark Sheppard will return to BSG in season 4.)

Writing

BSG's co-exec producer Mark Verheiden reports back from the "super double-secret BATTLESTAR writing summit" where he and the other writers finished sketching out the rest of BSG's final season.

Conventions

Mary McDonnell had to cancel her appearance at London Comic Con next month.

Katee Sackhoff is not going to make it to Dragon Con. Fans are speculating that she is busy shooting BIONIC WOMAN. Aaron Douglas has been added to the schedule. There is a rumor that Jamie Bamber may not be able to attend. Dragon Con has added new guests Claudia Black, Ellen Muth, and Adam Baldwin…And don’t forget that Richard Hatch, Mark Sheppard, Juliet Landau, James Marsters, Tippi Hedren, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, and Nichelle Nichols are still scheduled to attend.

A fan named Patrick sent a detailed Wolf Con writeup to All About Tahmoh Penikett and posted more at his livejournal. Well done sir, thanks for all the deets…Meanwhile, The Lone Gunman posted a bunch of terrific Wolf Con photos.

Some off-topic stuff, but still Con-related:

I really enjoy Wil Wheaton's writings for his blog and for SuicideGirls. This week he posted a piece offering advice about conventions, aimed at everyone - guests, promoters, tradespersons, fans. Great stuff.

Another recent find for me is the hilarious writings of Amateur Scientist at PINK RAYGUN. Here's a fine sample: his extremely entertaining take on San Diego Comic Con panels (Preview night / Thurs. / Friday / Sat. / Sunday).

Raygun also caught the Mayor of San Diego dissing the Con – tsk tsk!

TV is The Place To Be.

UGO has come up with a list of The 50 Best TV Shows Of All Time, and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is #3 – above THE SOPRANOS, second only to THE WIRE and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. An interesting list, with SEINFELD in the bottom 10 and THE PRICE IS RIGHT in the top 10...but if you’re looking for DVDs to watch on the Hiatus of Doom, you could do a lot worse than these shows.

I’ve been a cinephile for most of my life, very rarely finding TV that I loved as much as films. Ten years ago, THE SOPRANOS and SEX AND THE CITY changed my mind about TV. A few years later, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, THE WEST WING, SIX FEET UNDER and BSG got me absolutely, definitively hooked on the longer, endlessly unfolding and shifting ride of good TV storytelling - and in particular the serialized mode. Newspaper A&E critic Robert Butler has written a wonderful expression of this idea, as he explores his own journey from film-nut to TV-nut.