Battlestar Galactica

Memorial Day Weekend is the official start of summer, and for the second year in a row we are celebrating with the Battlestar Galactica Swimsuit Edition of WatchingBSG.  Last year’s edition was one of my first posts after I took over this blog, and given the amount of traffic I still get from that picture of Jamie Bamber in the towel it is only appropriate that we do it again in Summer 2008.

There were plenty of images to choose from this year, because scifi stars and skin magazines have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship for decades.  Long before Jane Fonda put on her famous bikini for Barbarella, the women of pop culture’s more geeky fascinations have been willing to bring in new fans by plying old poses.  And by old, I mean the “oldest profession” … but that does not mean we don’t like to look anyway.

As with last year’s swimsuit editions, volume one and volume two, not all of these outfits are technically swimwear … but given the skin and the sex appeal involved I am pretty sure you won’t mind too terribly much.  If you are offended, or if you love it, please do not hesitate to post below.

This year’s edition features Battlestar Galactica Cylons Grace Park, Lucy Lawless, Michael Trucco, and Tricia Helfer … and fleet pilots/Cylon speculation favorites Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, and Tahmoh Penikett.  We also have Gaius Baltar follower and religious cult member Keegan Connor Tracy, in all of her bikini glory.

Looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift for your favorite BSG fan?  Check out this mint-condition Battlestar Galactica lunch box, which comes with the thermos and depicts the classic Cylons going to war on the lid.

The set is available from a company in Great Britain that sells childhood collectibles, and the current price is approximately $154.47 USD (not including shipping).  If that is a bit out of your budget, then they also sell the thermos separately for approximately $40.00 USD. 

And if that is still too pricey, you can always check out some of the tees that have been featured as the BSG T-Shirt of the Week.  Paul at ToyBender has several interesting posts on BSG toys as well, on the off chance that your recipient would prefer something he can hold instead of something he can wear. 

This weekend Canada celebrates the Leo Awards, the event that celebrates outstanding work in British Columbia film and television.  While Battlestar Galactica is not nominated (anybody know why?  I assume it does not qualify for some reason), two of its stars are up for two awards in the acting categories.

Callum Keith Rennie (Leoban) is nominated for his performance in Normal and Tricia Helfer (Number Six) is nominated for her dominatrix role in Walk All Over Me.  Both films received several nominations, and are supposed to be worth checking out.

Callum and Tricia’s acting categories will be presented tomorrow night at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Keep your fingers crossed they win - or at least show up for the party!   Hopefully both stars will attend, in which case I will post pictures as soon as possible.

Edit: Tricia and Kandyse McClure (Dee) will be presenting, so come back here in a few days for an update.

There is so much news going on right now, I don’t know where to start!

First of all, there will (probably) be two more Battlestar Galactica telemovies, but very few details are available yet.  They will be about events that have happened in the past, like Razor, but what events and who they will focus on is largely still a mystery.  I will definitely have more details in the weeks and months to come, but for now let’s just enjoy the news that more BSG is on the horizon.

Next, Ron Moore has a new interview with Wired magazine that contains this disturbing quote:

Wired: Since then, have you written yourselves into any corners?

Moore: Some of that is happening right now as we wrap up the show. It’s like, OK, what did that mean, exactly? How do we get out of this?

Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary has a long post about “Gaeta’s Lament,” the song that is very important to Friday’s episode.  He also confirms that this song, and many of the other ideas that have worked their way into this season, were ideas that were formed during after hours of drinking.

Katee Sackhoff has been cast as a doctor on a four-episode story arc of the bawdy plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck.  If you have seen that show, you know that Katee’s extensive experience doing sex scenes on Battlestar may come in handy.  Unless, of course, sister guest star Morgan Fairchild beats her to it.

The first United States promo for Life on Mars is out, and you can see a brief glimpse of Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen at the 2:06 minute mark.

Michelle Forbes brought her sexy self to the season finale of Lost, playing a pivotal role in the Oceanic Six story line.

Be sure to look for Callum Keith Rennie (Leoban) in the recently released trailer for X-Files 2: I Want to Believe.

There’s a lot more to cover, but we have time to catch our breaths as there are two weeks before the next episode.  If you are looking for something to help you pass the time, check out this “Faith” recap quiz over at GeekSugar.

Not a Cylon-style dream vision, but a new role that involves viewing things from behind the camera … instead of in front of it, where the two actors usually find themselves when it comes to Battlestar Galactica.

In the next year there will also be ten new BSG mini-webisodes, and they will be directed by Jamie Bamber (Lee “Apollo” Adama) and James Callis (Gaius Baltar).  Each actor will direct five episodes each, and it is not yet clear if they will share the same plot line of if the webisodes will be dealing with separate times and characters.

Jamie talked about the project a wee bit when he was a guest on the ShaunOMac show Friday night, but for the most part details on this are TBD. 

By the way, I was a guest on Shaun’s show last night and we had some interesting discussions with callers about the way the season is developing … and that infamous Last Supper photo.  You can listen to recordings of both shows on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Oh Hulu, why have you forsaken us?  For weeks now you have faithfully shown us the new Battlestar Galactica episodes, and now you have taken away the light.  You leave us in darkness, waiting for the moment when you choose to share BSG with us again.

Is it a Fleet approved torture technique, taking away our BSG just when we have allowed ourselves to become dependent on you?  Or perhaps Leoban schooled you to find our weakness and exploit it?

Either way, you leave us without Guess What’s Coming to Dinner for far too long.  Sure, you posted a new schedule, but can we trust you now?  Has our relationship been ruined?  Or can you regain our trust and our faith?

“Guess What’s Coming for Dinner Part 1″
Airs 5/16/08 - Available on Hulu 5/25/08

“Guess What’s Coming for Dinner Part 2″
Airs 5/30/08 - Available on Hulu 6/7/08

“Sine Qua Non”
Airs 6/6/08 - Available on Hulu 6/14/08

“The Hub”
Airs 6/13/08 - Available on Hulu 6/21/08

Like the revelation of the final Cylon, I guess we will just have to wait to find out.

According to TV Guide, Katee Sackhoff was virtually a lock for a steady role on the mega-hit show CSI … until the producers changed their mind at the last minute.  What happened?  The official word was that Katee was just not right for the role, but one has to wonder if Bionic Woman tanked her chances.

Katee won rave reviews for her portrayal of Sarah Corvus, Jaime’s bionic nemesis on Bionic Woman.  But many people felt she overpowered her costars and stole the scenes simply by using her natural charisma. 

It is possible that her potential CSI costars worried she would overpower them on the procedural drama, especially since she has a proven ability to make even the most technical dialogue worth watching on Battlestar Galactica? 

There is a vast difference between Galactica and BW, of course, especially since the cast of BSG includes Academy Award nominees Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell.  Nothing against Will Yun Lee or Michelle Ryan, but EJO and MM are simply in a class of their own.  And nothing against William Peterson and Marg Helgenberger, but Katee’s charisma beats the pants off Jorja Fox any day.

We have no doubt that someone will soon realize the brilliance that is Katee, and cast her in something worthy of her talents.  In the meantime Katee-Sackhoff.org is reporting that she will be back on Jimmy Kimmel at the end of May.  Her last performance was pretty memorable, so if you are in the area and would like to try to get tickets, click here.

ABC gave Life on Mars, Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen, a fabulous time for the fall.  The remake of the critically acclaimed BBC show will air on Thursdays at 9 CST, right after ratings titan Grey’s Anatomy. 

Life on Mars is the network’s only new scripted show for the fall as well, which pretty much guarantees the show (and hopefully Stephanie) will receive great media attention and publicity.

But everything is not golden yet.  As Katee Sackhoff learned with Bionic Woman, even a great pedigree and a great time slot can’t guarantee success.  There are already a few warning signs that the show may have some of Bionic’s problems, as insiders admit the pilot is more serious than they would like (this was a huge criticism of the Bionic pilot). 

Also producers from a character-driven soap have been brought in to take over Life on Mars.  It was announced earlier this week that the producers of October Road are supposed to humanize Life, in the same way Jason Katims from Friday Night Lights was supposed to strengthen the characters on Bionic Woman.

Hopefully the similarities between the show’s fates will end there, as it would be great to see more people discover Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen … and another quality show is always a welcome addition to the world around here.

Stephanie’s new horror movie, currently known as “Untitled Gehennis Project” is now is post production.  The movie stars a huge cast that includes Cuba Gooding Jr. and is directed by Jason Connery.  If all goes as planned the movie will have an official title in the next few months and a release date in 2009.

Last week we saw another a puzzling prophesy from a Cylon hybrid: 

“It’s really coming to pass.

A dying leader will know the truth of the opera house. 

The missing three will give you the five, who have come from the home of the thirteenth. 

You are the harbinger of death, Kara Thrace, you will lead them all to the end.”

The hybrid said all of this while smiling at Starbuck and stroking her face, which made the prophesy even creepier than normal. 

Anders, Natalie, Leoban, and Athena all heard these words as well and immediately latched on to line three, struggling to puzzle out the meaning of that part of the prophesy.

Their interpretation is that D’Anna, the boxed Cylon model which is also model number three, is the three.  The five is “the final five,” which only Anders knows is really “the final one” at this point.  And the thirteen is the thirteenth colony, the lost colony of Kobol, also known as “Earth.” 

Makes sense to me, but it also makes me suspicious.  This line seems oddly easy to interpret, but perhaps the hybrid set her speech on “easy mode” since there were humans in the chamber.

Why they ignored the fourth line of the prophesy is not clear, because if I had heard the person I am traveling with is “the harbinger of death” I would be a bit concerned.  Especially given the usual clarity of line three. 

But as many people have pointed out, the prophesy may not mean death in the sense of a second holocaust.  Kara could bring death to the dying leader, something that has to happen for the prophesy to be fulfilled.  She could also bring death to a way of life, or to the war between the Cylons and the humans.  What do you think?

Are you really Watching BSG this season?  I ask because I recently discovered that every single one of the friends that got me into this show have not been watching Season Four so far. 

Every one.  They have them recorded, but they have not been watching … how is this possible?

There are excuses that make sense, of course.  Busy schedules, lack of time, or a desire to watch them all in May in one marathon day when there will be fewer frustrating cliff-hangers to foil the blood pressure.

But I wonder how many more fans out there are like that, and if there is not something larger at work?  Perhaps, like Admiral Adama, my friends want to prolong the end.  Perhaps they are not alone.  So I ask the readers of this blog - are you watching Season Four?

If you don’t mind a couple spoilers, check out these preview clips for this week’s Battlestar Galactica episode “Guess What’s Coming to Dinner.” 

Monday night on the ShaunOMac radio show I made a wish for something to happen in this episode, and based on these clips it looks like it will come true … I can’t wait!

This episode will be the seventh of the ten episodes we were promised this year.  Only four more weeks of Battlestar Galactica remain before the long, cold summer months stretch out before us.  

The final ten episodes will not be aired until 2009, which is a harsh punishment for fans.  If we are lucky we will be treated to another set of webisodes between now and then, or perhaps some additional footage on Hulu or a preliminary DVD release.  Dare to dream.

Tricia Helfer was in New York this past weekend for the NBC Universal Experience, a party held at Rockefeller Center in celebration of the network’s upcoming shows.  The Universal Television family of networks includes the SciFi Channel, home of Battlestar Galactica.

Upfronts parties are not only a celebration of new and returning network shows, they are also an opportunity for large advertisers and influential media buyers to party with the eye candy that stars on the show.  Given that underlying purpose it is no wonder Universal chose Number Six to represent the BSG cast and crew.  Well, that and Tricia is reportedly very nice and charming in person - even among the many stars in attendance, we have no doubt Tricia could hold her own.

Other celebrities in attendance included Brooke Shields of Lipstick Jungle, Ali Larter from Heroes, Tina Fey of 30 Rock, Zachary Levi of Chuck, Alison Sweeney of Days of Our Lives and The Biggest Loser, Jenna Fischer from The Office, Jane Krakowski from 30 Rock, Minka Kelly from Friday Night Lights, Mariska Hargitay from Law & Order: SVU, Kathy Griffin from My Life on the D List, Jimmy Fallon (who will be replacing Conan O’Brien), various Trumps, Sam Waterson from Law & Order, Tim Gunn from Project Runway, and many many others. 

It was definitely a night to see and be seen, so kudos to Tricia for landing an invite to that glitterati party.  In addition to starring in BSG, Tricia will have a significant story arc on USA this summer when she plays a CIA handler on Burn Notice.

It is official!  Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen’s new show, the David E. Kelly remake of the BBC drama Life on Mars, has been picked up by ABC.  While industry experts considered this to be a predictable move, fans of Stephanie’s performance as Kendra Shaw in Razor were still relieved to have ABC confirm the commitment at yesterday’s Upfronts in New York City.

Life on Mars was a huge critical hit on the BBC, and the remake will continue the original’s combination of elements of scifi time-travel theories with classic police procedural plot points.  The premise is that an car accident causes a police detective to go back in time to the 1970s, but audience is never sure if the guy has gone into a coma, gone back in time, or gone to a mental institution. 

The BBC drama ended without the question being answered to everyone’s satisfaction, but the remake is more likely to emphasize the drama of human relationships than the drama of time travel.  David E. Kelly is not known for his scifi/fantasy roots, and the primary executive producers are reportedly from October Road.  While I was one of the few viewers who loved October Road, primarily because the great lighting and fascinating supporting cast made up for the fact that the leads were as charismatic as manufactured sponges, I am not too confident in their ability to manage an intricate scifi serial.

For the sake of Stephanie and all of the scifi fans out there who are already rooting for this to succeed, I hope I am wrong.  Life on Mars has a lot of potential … it would be great of the show lived up to its promise.

A character named Emily was featured prominently in “Faith,” the most recent Battlestar Galactica episode.  If you thought Emily looked familiar, it is because she is played by Nana Visitor, an actress who has a long list of scifi and television credits to her name.

Nana’s fans call themselves “Nanites” and they run a variety of fan pages dedicated to her and her work.  Her official fansite is called Nanavision.com, but sites devoted to Nana can be found all over the web.

Fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will remember her as Kira Nerys.  Ron Moore is not her only connection between DS9 & BSG, as apparently got the role of Kira after Michelle Forbes, who plays Admiral Cain on BSG, turned it down.  Like Cain, Kira had a brutal past.  Unlike Cain, she did not succumb to the madness.  But the two characters did share a fascination with war and a leadership style that would make an essay about the two interesting.

While Kira is probably the role that is most familiar to scifi fans, fans of Dark Angel will also remember Nana as Dr. Elizabeth Renfroe.  Over the years she has also performed countless guest roles on shows that include CSI, L.A. Law, Matlock, McGuyver, Doogie Howser, Frasier, Night Court, Knight Rider, and many others.

Nana currently stars on Wildfire, an ABC Family drama about redemption and horse racing.  She owns the farm that serves as the central hub for the characters of the show, which is currently in its fourth season.  If you are interested in watching more of Nana, you can watch full episodes of Wildfire on the ABC Family site.

Tricia Helfer loves cats.  So it should be no surprise that she appears in the latest campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and pleads with her fans to treat their cats, and all animals, with dignity and respect. 

The new campaign is called Be An Angel for Animals, and it features various beautiful stars with their furry friends.  Tricia’s costar for the shoot is a handsome male named Mr. Nix, who is lucky enough to be Tricia’s costar at home as well.  Tricia has six cats in all, and has appeared in cat lover magazines as well as Playboy and Maxim.  Mr. Nix is a rescue cat, in keeping with PETA’s campaign to encourage people to rescue animals rather than purchase them from pet stores or breeders.

“I really just thought that this campaign ‘Angels for Animals’ is something that I feel is a good message to get out there,” Tricia said.  “That they are part of the family and you should treat them as part of the family.”

The site for the Angels for Animals campaign also includes some new video footage of Tricia taken at the photo shoot, and Tricia’s candid plea for people to treat animals more kindly.  She states that wearing fur is “ridiculous” and expresses her dismay that her home country of Canada still allows the clubbing of baby seals.

“I just don’t think you should ever hurt an animal,” Tricia says.  “You wouldn’t do it to you, so why would you do it them?  They’ve got little souls, and little hearts, and little minds, and they are precious.”

Tricia also offers her opinions about how Number Six would handle animal cruelty:

“She’s physically very strong, so she would probably smash someone’s head into the wall,” laughs Tricia.  “She would probably do to them what they were doing to the animal.” 

This is not a new cause for Tricia, who has been donating the proceeds from TriciaHelfer.com to animal causes for years.  She also auctions off rare finds from the BSG photo archives and donates the proceeds to cat rescues and other animal related charities.

The promotions for the Be An Angel for Animals campaign include giveaways for the first three seasons of Battlestar Galactica on DVD, as well as a DVD of the movie Razor.  If you would like to enter click the link above, which will also tell you more about PETA and how you can get involved if you feel inclined.