Battlestar Galactica

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.

Tonight is a new episode of Battlestar Galactica … if you watch the preview above and can’t wait for it to come on the air, then there will be plenty of chances to watch the episode today on the SciFi Channel web site.  I don’t know about you, but I definitely plan on checking Nicki Clyne’s blog this weekend because it looks like she has a major role in this episode.

Hulu has a new clip of various Battlestar cast and crew members talking about the end of the series, which is available below, but I would not watch it if you are actively avoiding spoilers.

There are still a few more hours to leave your questions for Michael Trucco (Anders) and Rekha Sharma (Tory) over on the scifi.com forums.  The chosen questions will be answered via video blog, in a continuation of the series of video blogs that the SciFi Channel has been releasing for Season Four of Battlestar Galactica.

If you did not get to attend the amazing concerts this weekend featuring Bear McCreary’s Battlestar music, there are plenty of recaps to be found around the Internet.  The Hollywood Reporter had high praise for the show, and anointed Bear McCreary’s blog “one of the best in the business.”

The Boston Herald has a new interview with Tricia Helfer, where she talks a bit about the final Cylon and how Head Six was her least favorite version of Six to play in Season Four.

Check out this enjoyable list from Lisa Paitz Spindler of thirteen enjoyable things about Battlestar Galactica.  Meanwhile Gaius Baltar makes this list of Top Ten Screen Traitors, and rightly so. 

And speaking of lists, Mary McDonnell and Michelle Forbes are rightfully included on Maureen Ryan’s list of amazing actresses who look their age and still look beautiful.  There have been several articles written this week about how the Hollywood obsession with plastic surgery is harming the audience’s ability to connect with certain characters and shows.  While it is not easy to make fun of someone’s efforts to improve their appearance, I am glad critics are finally speaking up about the fact that too much plastic surgery can actually harm the audience’s ability to care about a main character … it is hard to worry too much about plastic, after all.

Bear McCreary’s compositions add amazing layers to Battlestar Galactica, and it seems his talents are only growing in season four.

Bear recently blogged about the various pieces he composed for last week’s dramatic season four premiere, and included the translation for the haunting chant/prayer that is part of his new theme for Gaius Baltar.

The combination is designed to highlight Gaius’ new mental, emotional, and spiritual journey and the lyrics combine Cylon and Fleet sayings with images of suffering and redemption:

We gadriaþ in nihtscuan (We gather in shadow,)
Neoðan þin gledstede, (Beneath your altar,)
þin liċfæst in blode ond lieġe. (Your image in blood and flame.)
Nu þin ġebann, æþreddaþ us (By your command, deliver us)
To þæm anliċum æltæwan gastcyninge (Unto the One True God)
Gaius Baltar, ure dryhtweorþ nergend (Gaius Baltar, our divine savior)
Nu ond æfre to alder. (Now and for eternity.)
Swa we ġehwilc ġehalsiaþ. (So say we all. )

Bear also blogs about how he uses his compositions to highlight the complicated nature of the Battlestar Galactica characters, playing music that may not seem appropriate for the dialogue to increase the drama of a scene. I love Bear’s music, so it’s a damn effective technique if you ask me!

Big news for Battlestar Galactica fans:  new and sexy photos of Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, and Grace Park will be in the April 2008 issue of GQ. 

Tricia fans will also want to pick up a copy of the April 2008 issue of Paw Prints magazine, as the animal loving actress appears with her cats in its pages … or if you prefer a less wholesome look, Tricia will be on the cover of the U.K. version of FHM that month as well.

Tickets are on sale for Bear McCreary’s potentially legendary concert at Los Angeles’ Roxy Theatre.  The one-night-only event will feature the vocalist from the show’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” that was featured in the show’s Season Three finale.  Members of the cast and crew will also be present, although no names have been released yet.  It’s no secret that the music is one of the reasons that Battlestar Galactica is so haunting, so don’t miss your chance to hear it live and conducted by Bear himself.

The folks behind The CKR Files have been busy accumulating every bit of press by or about Callum Keith Rennie, including an entertaining interview from 2001 where he says “Sex” in response to “What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday.” 

On a more human note, they also posted a cool excerpt from an interview where Hugh Dillon credited Callum with giving him some courage - and his car - when the actor was trying to decide whether to go to the Sundance Film Festival for what would turn out to be an award-winning performance in Down to the Bone.