Fathers and Sons

Here's an interesting role reversal...

In Caprica Esai Morales plays Joseph Adama, the father of William Adama, played Edward James Olmos on BSG. But, on the PBS series created by Gregory Nava, American Family, Olmos played Jess Gonzalez and Esai Morales played his son, Estaban Gonzalez. Here's a scene of them together from YouTube thanks to carm573


American Family was a very well done, short lived show. Eddie played a sort of Mexican Archie Bunker. To see Eddie and creator Gregory Nava talking about the show, they were interviewed together on the Charlie Rose Show, quite a while ago. (They come on in the second half of the show, after a discussion about the 9/11 Commission, and Olmos and Nava come on at the 31 minute mark.)

It's Perfect.

EW's Michael Ausiello has a terrific video interview with Tahmoh Penikett from the Fox TCA party last night. Penikett talks about the final day of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA production (last Thursday), and calls the ending of the series "perfect."

Jamie Bamber at Geek Prom

Bamber News and Sitrep have been poking around trying to find out if Jamie Bamber is coming to San Diego Comic-Con next week or not.

We have just received word from Jamie's publicist that it is very likely fans will see him there on Saturday July 26, to promote the release of PULSE 2 on DVD.

Keep your eyes open, Prom-goers...

JumpCon Fail

Tip O' The Hat today to livejournalist greycoupon, who has been carefully following the JumpCon events for months now, and has unearthed much evidence during that time that the Cons were showing signs of mismanagement and extremely poor customer service/fandom relations. Many BSG castmembers have been planning to attend one or more of these cons over this summer.

Now comes news that apparently Chicago and Pittsburgh have been "postponed"...and more importantly, Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell have cancelled all their planned appearances together at JumpCons. Grey posted a statement from the mod of Mr. Olmos' official web site:

I just got off the phone with Erin Gray [Olmos & McDonnell's con booker-PG.], and EJO and Mary will NOT be attending any of the JumpCon conventions. Erin is sending me a statement by email that I am supposed to put on Eddie's site.

Please share this information with all interested parties.

EJO is very concerned about fans who will be disappointed and who lost money. He hopes they realize that not appearing at the conventions wasn't his plan or fault. He would have been there had the folks at JumpCon done what they were supposed to do.

I will try to get the statement up on Eddie's site this afternoon. Please ask people to check there in case there is additional information.

Sitrep has been hesitant to comment up till now about JumpCon. But based on the above information, we are convinced that no fan should put any money up in advance to attend a JumpCon.


ETA: The folks at Bamber_News have shared this statement with Sitrep, from con booker Erin Gray:

Following is a statement I've prepared on behalf of my clients:

Edward James Olmos, Mary Mc Donnell, Nichelle Nichols, Mira Furlan, Marjean Holden, Stephen Furst, Tony Amendola and Tracy Scoggins.

It is with great disappointment, and deep regret that they find themselves in this unthinkable position of announcing that they just don't see how Jump Con is going to happen.

For weeks all of my clients done everything in their power to accommodate Shane Senter at Jump Con, from renegotiating contracts to extending deadlines, all in the hopes of salvaging the Jump Con events. They were looking forward to attending and meeting the fans. However, at this late date, no moneys have transpired and no tickets have been sent. Unless this changes they will not be attending.

Although we were in constant communication with Jump Con, and many promises and assures were made, unfortunately, none were kept. Certainly by now, three days before the event, we'd hoped and prayed things would be rectified.

We just don't feel it's fair to the fans to keep silent and not let them know what has transpired, or rather not transpired.

It's unfortunate but Jump Con events were the only events in the US that Mary and Edward were scheduled to do this year.

Edward and Mary trust the future will provide the perfect event where they can meet with fans and friends and thank them for their support. We are currently looking at other alternatives.

We send our blessings, and apologies,
Erin Gray

It is such a disappointment that these Olmos/McDonnell events are cancelled. It is not easy to organize such a huge project as what JumpCon has been attempting. Let us hope that they make an effort to do better in the future. Fans can smell the difference, you know.

Questions for Comic-Con Panel

TV Squad has apparently struck a deal with The Sci Fi Channel, and is taking questions for the cast and crew on all their panels at Comic-Con -- including the Saturday BATTLESTAR GALACTICA panel with Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Katee Sackhoff, Michael Trucco, Ron Moore and David Eick.

Go here to leave your question in the comments section by THIS THURSDAY, quick hurry!

Me personally? I just can't wait to see the video of Kevin Smith chatting up Moore and Eick on stage. LOL.

Off The Wireless

The blog Running With My Eyes Closed has posted a mildly spoilery review of the 2006 CAPRICA pilot script that is "out there" on the interwebs. This review is meant for the education of TV writers, so it has a different (but very positive) perspective.

The battlestar blog found a great behind-the-scenes vid of Grace Park on her new series THE CLEANER, which premieres tonight. I was walking to work in Soho, New York City, the other day and spotted this on a phone booth on 6th Avenue...


Galactica.TV and The Bamber Bunnies have both posted new interviews with Jamie Bamber.

The Mary McDonnell fansite Mary McAwesome found some German interviews from FedCon, with both McDonnell and with Jamie Bamber, posted on the RTL 2 TV site. Just follow the links through to VIDEOS.

There's a cool new interview with BSG visual effects artist Mojo, over at Space Westerns.

The LA Times has an interview with Rekha Sharma discussing NY Comic-Con and her post-BSG plans.

Livejournalist meshel73 has pulled together several interviews from Hypaspace and The SciFi Guys with BSG cast and writer Jane Espenson, and posted them on the battlestar blog for easy download. Thanks meshel!

The DVD cover art for PULSE 2, starring Jamie Bamber, is now online. DVD is coming out on September 30th. Some very hardworking Bamber fans have possibly discovered a major spoiler that may be of interest...though it's all speculation for now. As mentioned last month, Sitrep has heard a rumor that Mr. Bamber will be at Comic-Con promoting this DVD. No official confirmation on that yet.

The Chief's Deck is reporting that Aaron Douglas has been cast in the new CTW pilot THE BRIDGE, shooting this summer and hopefully airing in the fall.

The Futon Critic continues to publish spoiler-filled pilot script reviews for the 08-09 TV season - their latest is for INSEPARABLE, Tricia Helfer's next project.

At the Fox TCA presentation yesterday, netword head Kevin Reilly mentioned a few VIRTUALITY tidbits. When grilled about the low score the network just got from GLAAD regarding Fox's lack of gay and lesbian characters in their shows, Reilly mentioned VIRTUALITY's gay relationship, calling it "as dimensional and honest as anything put on television," and adding: "If we move forward on that, that will be something to note." (If you are willing to read the moderately spoilery pilot script review over at The Futon Critic, you will learn which relationship he is talking about.)

In addition, Reilly discussed Fox's plan to add December pilot screenings to their year-round development slate -- we fans can hope to see VIRTUALITY on the list of shows involved in that event this winter. OT: here's some video of Reilly talking about next season and some of the other big name genre creatives they are working with (JJ Abrams, Joss Whedon).

Need Coffee is running a contest to giveaway a Diamond Select limited edition Cylon Raider statue, enter by August 14th.

Friend of the blog Greg Dewar (who will be covering the Comic-Con for us next week in San Diego) got some great coverage in the CBS KPIX TV blog for his brilliant ADAMA FOR PRESIDENT campaign...Jamie Bamber if you are reading this: we still would love to get a photo of you wearing that shirt! :)

OT part 1: Speaking of aping Obama campaign designs...for you DEXTER fans out there, check out their special edition Comic-Con poster...love it! *has a marketing nerd moment*

OT part 2: the word "fanboy" has been added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary...but mysteriously, the word "fangirl" has not. *scratches head*

OT part 3: Act One of Joss Whedon's DOCTOR HORRIBLE SING-ALONG BLOG went up this morning and is streaming free till Sunday. I see their iTunes page is also live, you can buy the entire show for $3.99 after Acts Two and Three get posted later this week.


Meanwhile, BSG has been off the air for a month now, and is still rating in the Top 20 Most Downloaded shows on the torrent stream.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

io9 showcases artwork by Lorin Wood who worked on the upcoming remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still as a previz animation artist and he drew this sort of Cylon take on the robot Gort, in his spare time only for fun. Apparently, the film makers instead simply updated the classic look of Gort from the 1951 film, without doing a radical reinvention. Still, it's pretty frakking cool and would have made Gort at least a cousin to the Cylons.

The Day The Earth Stood Still comes out December 12 and the cast includes Aaron Douglas as Sgt. Winter and Lorena Gale (Elosha) as Scientist #2. (Mad Men's Jon Hamm also co-stars.)

The Trailer.

BSG in HD

Via Engadget: Microsoft has just announced a new deal with NBC-Universal to provide BATTLESTAR GALACTICA eps in both Standard-def and High-def, on the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. This is apparently a US-only deal.

Reader Glenn just tipped us off that the first few eps of BSG season 4 are about to air on the Universal HD Channel as follows:

Saturday, Jul 19 8:00 PM
HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME (repeat at midnight)

Saturday, Jul 26 8:00 PM
SIX OF ONE (repeat at midnight)

Saturday, Aug 02 8:00 PM
THE TIES THAT BIND (repeat at midnight)

Saturday, Aug 30
6:00 PM HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME
7:00 PM SIX OF ONE
8:00 PM THE TIES THAT BIND
(repeats at 10PM, 11PM, 12AM)

ETA: Please see wisteria's helpful advice about UniHD in the comments...very important...

More CAPRICA on order

Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune is reporting that two more CAPRICA scripts have been ordered by the Sci Fi Channel.

This is great news, and hopefully we might get some additional information when Sci Fi does their presentation at the TCAs on Sunday July 20th -- the same day that NBC does its FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS presentation. Perhaps FNL/CAPRICA director Jeff Reiner will be in attendance at both events.

Although Mo is also reporting that there will only be one BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TV movie getting made, from what Sitrep has learned recently, the movies are a step deal -- if the first one does well enough, there could be one or two more. I assume that means fandom won't know for sure till the DVD income is counted on this first one.

If you feel like celebrating the CAPRICA news, go grab this terrific Sci-Fi Dance Mix by Mojo... you'll find Old Skool BSG love in there, along with those off-dah-hook PRISONER and SEARCH FOR SPOCK remixes...

Final Comic-Con Schedule

For you lucky ducks who got your tickets, or can afford the highway robbery of eBay scalpers, the final Comic-Con schedule has now been posted for all four days.

In addition to the Thursday and Friday events we posted previously, and the Bear McCreary gig, the following BSG-related events are happening on Saturday:

• 2:15-3:15pm - Battlestar Galactica: Last year, Battlestar Galactica took San Diego by storm. Now the best show on television returns to Comic-Con for a panel filled with excitement, laughter, and a sneak peek into the final revelation. Focusing on the character relationships that give this hit series its power, this exclusive panel sheds new light on the ties between Humans and Cylons and provides valuable insight into the adventure ahead. Panelists include cast members Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Michael Trucco, and Katee Sackhoff and executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, along with moderator Kevin Smith. Ballroom 20.
  

• 6:00-7:00pm - TV Guide takes an in-depth look at some of the new and returning TV series, featuring the hottest TV talent—in front of the camera and behind the scenes. TV Guide executive editor Craig Tomashoff moderates this panel offering the inside scoop, with some fun surprises. Participants include (in alphabetical order) Josh Applebaum (executive producer, Life on Mars), Jaimie Alexander (Kyle XY), Matt Dallas (Kyle XY), Javier Grillo-Marxuach (creator, The Middleman), Ronald Moore (executive producer, Virtuality), Natalie Morales (The Middleman), Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars), and Jason Smilovic (executive producer, My Own Worst Enemy), among other special guests. Room 6B.

Two Season 4 Fan Videos

REM's Sweetness Follows, by JLWilliams3 on YouTube.



And What I've Done from user ChemAttraction.

Bear McCreary Concert at Comic-Con

BSG's music composer has just announced a show at Comic-Con:

...stick around until Sunday night, July 27th. I will perform at an exclusive double-bill concert, featuring the Singers of Battlestar Galactica. I’m playing with Raya Yarbrough and Brendan McCreary, in two sets of their own original material. These artists frequently sing on my scores, but you can’t truly appreciate their talent until you’ve heard them perform their original songs (although, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few Galactica songs popped up in there as well… perhaps a Dylan cover?). Other Galactica musicians, such as violin maestro Paul Cartwright and guitarist Steve Bartek will also share the stage. And we’ll have some surprise Galactica guests as well!

The venue is Anthology, at 1337 India Street, about 10 blocks NW of the convention center. It has a great atmosphere and is perfect for dinner. It would also be the ideal opportunity to meet some of you loyal blog-readers face to face, so I hope you can check it out. See you then!

Season 4.0 DVD rumors...and more SWAG

TV Shows on DVD has sources telling them the 4.0 DVD set will be released on December 30, 2008. Post-Christmas? Interesting.

NBCU has added more cool limited edition Comic-Con swag to the pile; in addition to the Toaster toaster, and the BEARS BEETS BATTLESTAR tee and bobblehead, they now have new items below. Click the photos to pre-order for purchase. These items are apparently only on sale till Comic-Con happens from July 23-27.

I Heart Toasters Tee

Pewter Galactica

Pewter Viper Mark II

Pewter Raider

Show Wrap

BSG co-exec producer, Mark Verheiden wrote about Battlestar Galactica's final day of shooting on his blog:

Battlestar Galactica's principle photography wrapped at 5:30-ish AM this morning... though of course there is still tons to do to get these last eleven episodes ready for the screen. Our post production team will be working away for months yet, editing, creating the special FX, music and dubbing and all the rest. Huge revelations are coming your way, with a multitude of questions answered once and for all... some sooner in the run than you may expect.

Meanwhile, it is onward, upward and sideways for BSG's merry band of writers and producers...

Congratulations to everyone on the BSG cast and crew. We can only imagine how emotional it was to wrap up. I'm sure we'll all be feeling it, when we see the last episode ourselves next year.

Endings and Beginnings

We've just received word that BATTLESTAR GALACTICA will probably be completing principal photography on the series finale today. There may be a bit more left to film (2nd unit, pickup shots, etc), but Michael Rymer and most of the cast will be finished shooting at the end of the day.

Fandom is sad, excited, moved…and Sitrep wishes everyone involved with this show much luck in all future endeavors.



Looking on forward…Collider has reviewed the same CAPRICA pilot script that Sitrep has seen and E!Online has read. Good stuff, we all agree… the new season of USA’s BURN NOTICE starts tonight with Tricia Helfer. We have heard that she doesn’t have much to do on the first ep but features aplenty in the second. The show’s official site has a “Tricia Helfer Trivia” page up… A&E’s new show THE CLEANER, starring Benjamin Bratt and featuring Grace Park in a multi-ep arc, premieres July 15. You can see a quick clip of her and Bratt here (click on Grace’s photo)... DVR Playground reports that Grace will also be joining the cast of CBC's hit show THE BORDER for a multi-ep arc in season 2… And we are late to report this very excellent news: Callum Keith Rennie has been cast in a major recurring arc on the next season of Showtime’s CALIFORNICATION, starring David Duchovny, which apparently returns this September.

Hot Fudge Planet

Mojo is running a contest over on his blog:

If any of you think you can beat the Eye of Jupiter Nachos for sheer originality, send your own clever Galactica/food creations and we’ll post them here. I guess we need a prize… hmmm… how about this: the winner will get an extremely rare, custom made, not-available-anywhere ”Cylon Raiders” T-shirt (I can’t publish a picture of it because it’s based on a copyrighted design, but trust me - it’s frakking cool).

I have seen the tee design and, yes, it's frakking cool. So enter today, foodies.

(wisteria...I'm looking at you girl!)

Kevin Smith is a True Fan alrighty.

We have more confirmation that Kevin Smith is modding the San Diego Comic Con BSG panel on Saturday. That's the panel that is hopefully all "human/cylon" couples...in which one also hopes the very busy Mr. Eick will attend, since he was missed at The Dome last month completing the Wonder Twin pair of Eick-Moore.

Smith has posted on his myspace page to confirm...and here is a jealous James Hibberd talking it up:

Director Kevin Smith has agreed to moderate Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" panel at Comic-Con. This could push the typically packed venue into fire marshal-shutdown level of geek engagement. Smith beat out several interested candidates for the moderating gig ... including myself (instead, I will moderate a panel for Sci Fi Channel's “Ghost Hunters." So, ahem: "Go 'Ghost Hunters'!"). Smith did a funny-bossy-affable turn as substitute co-host on "Ebert & Roeper" a couple years back so the panel-pairing of Smith and BSG's cast should be lively.

Lively? Oh yes. I can never re-post these vids too often, so please, let me do so again:

KEVIN SMITH MODERATING NEW YORK COMIC CON
BSG PANEL 2007 with James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Adam Stotsky

Part 1:



Part 2 and Part 3. Hilarious.

I hope some of you are getting just an itty bitty bit excited.

Meanwhile I have just discovered that my work duties will not allow me to attend this year's SDCC. *cries quietly in her coffee*

Keeping those sets...Forever

The Spoiler Geeks blog has posted another clipping from next week's Sci Fi special issue of TV Guide, this time about BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

It is a tiny piece with some sound bites from Mark Stern, a Sci Fi Channel exec. In it he promises that the final Cylon reveal will be "organic and satisfying" and not "some day player from season one." After confirming Sitrep's recent news about the first BSG movie being in development, Stern points out that SFC has solved that whole dismantling-the-sets-forevah issue that fandom is always worrying over:

[Stern] is hoping for another BSG TV-movie and says a story is already in development. No need to stop that wrecking ball. "Before dismantling the sets, we're photographing them all in digital 3-D and putting them into a computer," Stern says. "We'll be able to revisit BSG with live actors and virtual locations. It's the coolest thing!"

Meanwhile, here is a cool set I've been meaning to post for a while: a great diner exterior from the CAPRICA set...photo courtesy of The 13th Colony. Love it.

Halfway To Nerdvana

Thanks to friend of the blog The One True b!X, we were alerted that half the Comic Con schedule, for Thursday and Friday programming only, was posted last night without fanfare. It has since been taken down, but we saved PDFs for download here. [ETA: Comic Con's David Glanzer left a comment on the Spout blog saying these are not final schedules.]

The BSG-related panels listed for these two days are:

Thursday, July 24

• 11:15am-12:15pm - 30th Anniversary Battlestar Galactica Panel: Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek/Apollo), Bear McCreary (BG composer), producer Tom DeSanto (Transformers, X-Men), Dr. Kevin Grazier (science consultant), and surprise guests present an in-depth discussion of the Battlestar universe from the classic to the re-imagined and beyond, including BSG trailers and Q&A.

• 11:45am-12:45pm - Knight Rider: First Look at the New Series and Q&A with Cast and Executive Producers. Room 6A. *castmember Paul Campbell (formerly "Billy" on BSG) is scheduled to attend with the rest of the cast.
  

• 10:00-11:00am - Kings: Exclusive Sneak Peek Screening and Q&A with Cast and Executive Producers. Kings is a contemporary re-imagining of the timeless tale of David and Goliath, an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances, and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom. Be the first to see an exclusive sneak peek from the two-hour pilot. Moderated by Greg Grunberg (Heroes), the panel includes a Q&A with creator/executive producer Michael Green (Heroes), director/executive producer Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend), executive producer Erwin Stoff (I Am Legend), and the cast: Golden Globe winner Ian McShane (Deadwood), Chris Egan (Resident Evil: Extinction), Susanna Thompson (Star Trek: Voyager), Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl), and Allison Miller (Seventeen Again). Room 6B * We list this because BSG's Kevin Fahey has just joined their writing staff. Also because we follow Ian McShane wherever he goes nowadays.

• 11:00am-12:00pm - Professional Writing: Threat or Menace? Let's talk writing, creativity, and selling (and selling out), and what the world of professional writing is like. Questions that you've always wanted to ask? Creative blocks bugging you? Wondered what the H*O*L*L*Y*W*O*O*D life is really like? Show up and get answers to those questions. This no-holds-barred talk is moderated by J. Michael Straczynski. Room 5AB * I'm listing this one because I wanted to make Logan's day. He's a fan. :D
  

Friday, July 25

• 1:00-2:00pm - Production Designers: For the second consecutive year, Comic-Con attendees will have the opportunity to interact with a lineup of master production designers—the artists responsible for creating the looks of today’s most celebrated sci-fi/fantasy films and television. Organized by the Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800, these production designers will show clips, answer questions, and share their methods for creating imaginary worlds and convincing environments. Participating panelists (listed alphabetically) include Richard Hudolin (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica), Alex McDowell (Watchmen, Corpse Bride), J. Michael Riva—(Iron Man, Spider-Man 3),—Barry Robison (Wolverine, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader). Moderating the panel is John Muto, designer of Terminator 2 3D, Species, and Home Alone. Room 32AB

• 6:00-7:00pm - Exceeding Expectations and Exploring New Worlds: Feature Effects for the Small Screen. Zoic Studios moderates a discussion with VFX supervisors on their passion for creating narrative enhancing, eye-popping effects for television. Some of the best in the business discuss future trends as well as their contribution to the television series Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, The Middleman, Lost, Eureka, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Smallville, and the new fall show Fringe. Room 32AB

No official word yet on the Holy Grail that is Saturday's schedule, but I have cobbled together the following:

• The Saturday BSG panel may include Tricia Helfer, James Callis, and other "human/cylon couples" such as Katee Sackhoff and Michael Trucco (source); and may include Kevin Smith (source). This would be great, since Smith was a hilariously good moderator of the 2007 BSG panel at New York Comic Con. This is what Tricia had to say recently in a long interview:
  

Question: How busy are you going to be at COMIC CON in a couple of weeks?
Helfer: I’m sure I’m going to be pretty busy. I think Battlestar is sending down some Cylon human couples, so I know I’ll be there with Baltar and Starbuck will be there with Anders, so it should be a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to it.

Question: Are you going to do anything with Burn Notice at COMIC CON?
Helfer: I don’t know yet actually. I will certainly be willing. I just haven’t heard yet.

• The Saturday evening TV Guide New Series panel will include Ron Moore discussing VIRTUALITY, as well as Jason Smilovic (formerly with BIONIC WOMAN) for MY OWN WORST ENEMY and others. (source)
  

• Mark Verheiden has mentioned he will be at Nerdvana as well:

…it appears that I'll be involved in the Dark Horse panel at the big San Diego convention later in July. Bruce Campbell will also put in an appearance and clips from the long awaited My Name Is Bruce will be on display. I haven't got an exact time yet but it will be Saturday, and hopefully won't collide with the Battlestar panel, which promises to be a star-studded affair. Otherwise I don't have any panels scheduled, so I'll just be wandering the halls looking at a expensive comic books and meeting up with old pals.

More as it becomes available!

• Famous BSG fans Seth Green, Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith are busy as all heck this year at Comic Con. Green will be there for ROBOT CHICKEN, and with Seth McFarlane for FAMILY GUY (which will be a big hoot). His NY Comic Con panel was HILARIOUS, I highly recommend you see him do something, anything. Whedon is promoting his Buffy Comics and internet musical DOCTOR HORRIBLE'S SINGALONG BLOG on Friday, and TV show DOLLHOUSE on Saturday. Smith will do his own panel for all topics including his new film ZACK & MIRI MAKE A PORNO (we hear there may be a new red band trailer to see), participate in EW's Visionaries: Filmmakers panel, and mod a panel hosted by Spike TV's Scream Awards, called "Spike Salutes the Women of Sci-Fi."

The Wrap Party and Beyond

As promised, Mojo has begun posting about his wrap party weekend experiences. Tongue firmly in cheek as usual, here is Part One. Ain't fandom grand?

Mark Verheiden also writes a bit about the wrap party and the nomadic life of the film writer, actor, and/or crewmember.

Meanwhile, Jane Espenson sounds like she's awfully busy this week... ;)