Battlestar Galactica

These are the words Admiral Adama used to explain why he has never finished his favorite book, and they are a beautiful peek into the pain of a man who has had too much loss in his life. 

They are also words that describe many fans’ secret feelings about their favorite pop culture obsessions.  For a long time I thought I was the only freak who could not bring herself to watch the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.  

But I recently discovered there are millions of people out there, just like me and Bill Adama, who just can’t say goodbye to their favorite characters.

When you really love something, it is hard to watch the series finale or read the final installment because you know that after that … there is no more.  It’s like how anticipation is half the fun of a vacation or a holiday, or looking forward to a party is almost as much fun as the party itself.

But because it is an ending, there is a bittersweet element as well.  A sharp pain, like the death of someone who you admired from afar or loved from a distance.  And since life can deliver enough death and pain on its own, it is understandable that some fans do not want to face the natural ending of their favorite characters.

Sometimes it is easier to avoid the end then it is to get creative closure, especially when the characters are ones that you have grown attached to over time.  I understand why Adama would not want to read the end of his favorite book, and admire him for the sacrifice he is making by reading it nonetheless.

As mentioned last week, Alessandro Juliani will be back on the stage this Spring as the actor stars in the Victoria, British Columbia production of The Violet Hour.

The Victoria News ran an interesting interview with the man who plays Gaeta today, highlighting his Battlestar background but emphasizing that Juliani’s real love is the theater:

“With all due respect to Battlestar, this is using a completely different part of my brain,â€? Juliani told the newspaper. “On the spaceship I’m often given the task of spouting jargon and gobbledygook, which trains a certain part of your mind that is disposable … what I most appreciate about this is when you’re working on a play there is just so much more time to talk about character and subtext and relationships. In television the reality of the world is go, go, go.â€?

Juliani plays a struggling Irish writer in The Violet Hour, a sprawling play about book publishing that also examines love, life, and time travel.

“It’s like the the difference between being a sprinter and a long-distance runner,” Juliani explained. “I’m enjoying the discovery of rehearsal, remembering what it was like after three years and relishing it in a big way.â€?

It sounds like he is spending a lot of time at the theater, which sparks questions about the status of Gaeta in the last ten episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Gaeta is many folks’ pick for the final Cylon, but if he is on stage instead of on set perhaps speculation should be pointed towards another character.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Edward James Olmos may be playing the patriarch in Four Fags in a Fabulous Car in 2009.  The movie is a GLBT-friendly feature from Ted Williams, the film is a road trip movie with the classic themes of self-discovery and friendship:

“When a gay man learns his father died, he has four days to make it to the funeral, but since he’s afraid to fly, his diverse gay friends volunteer to drive him from West Hollywood to Seattle in a fabulous new car, where they learn something new about their friendship while reclaiming their own gay pride.”

The son in question is Latin heartthrob Gabriel Romero, best known for playing the first openly gay character on Spanish language television. 

Ted Williams has posted excerpts from an early draft of the script on his MySpace page, and also posted the early trailer for the movie that is linked above on YouTube.

Edward James Olmos will presumably play the deceased father, although the source of this news is not easily identifiable.  It could be the Roadrunner blog, which has been very wrong before.  On the other hand, he tends to gravitate towards controversial roles that advocate the viewpoints of people he feels are often overlooked in society so it is doubtful he would shy away from a film about gay issues … even one with such a controversial title.

In other EJO news, the title of his upcoming Disney comedy has been changed to Beverly Hills Chihuahua.  Other actors lending their voices to the film include Jamie Lee Curtis, Drew Barrymore, George Lopez, Andy Garcia, Salma Hayak, and Cheech Marin.  The movie will hit theaters in September of this year.

Just in case you have not seen it yet, here is a clip of the Top Ten List from last week’s Late Show With David Letterman entitled “Top Ten Reasons to Watch The New Season of Battlestar Galactica.”

Each number on the list was recited by a member of the BSG cast, appearing in their character’s costume, which added to the fun.  The actors and actresses on the list were, in order of appearance, Aaron Douglas, Lucy Lawless, James Callis, Grace Park, Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell, and Edward James Olmos.

If you don’t have the time or the technology to watch the clip, a text version of the List is below … it was a lot of fun, even if the audience did not seem to truly “get it.”

Number Ten, Chief Tyrol:  “In the dramatic season opening episode, we save fifteen percent by switching our insurance to Geico.”

Number Nine, D’Anna Biers:  “You’ll find out who’s in the hatch, and who gets off the island - crap, wrong show.”  In my opinion Lucy did a pretty good job with this one, which was awkward to read … and she did not even blink when Dave mispronounced her name “Diana.”

Number Eight, Dr. Baltar:  “My character creates his own line of Honey Roasted Space Nuts.”

Number Seven, Lt. Sharon Valleri:  “What else are you going to do, read a book?”

Number Six, Number Six:  “There’s a good chance you get to see me naked.”

Number Five, Col. Saul Tigh:  “There’s a good chance you’ll see me naked.”  Be sure to watch Tricia crack up behind him during the deadpan delivery.

Number Four, Captain Lee Adama:  “New FTL drives will allow the colonial fleet to better adjust to gravitational variations and achieve maximum superluminal travel to outrun the pursuing Cylon basestar - I don’t know what the hell I am talking about.”

Number Three, Starbuck:  “We engaged in a life and death battle against evil robots … you know, same $&#@ as last year.”

Number Two, President Laura Roslin:  “I take on the most challenging task of my political career - doing a lame top ten list on a third rate talk show.”

Number One, Admiral William Adama:  “Watch me lead us into war against the Cylons, without an exit strategy.”

As promised, here are some more photos of various Battlestar Galactica stars at the SciFi Channel Upfront party that was held last week in New York.

Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Grace Park, David Eick, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan and many others were on site for the festivities, which were held at the MorganLibrary on March 18, 2008.

Jamie Bamber wore yet another dashing suit, and Mary McDonnell once again proved she looks gorgeous in gold.  Aaron Douglas channeled his inner hipster with a striped on striped ensemble, and Grace Park looked great in a sapphire dress.

While both Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff wore the traditional little black dress, both actresses stood out with their choices of accessories.  Katee has a known preference for solid colors, but she broke out of the mold a bit by wearing gold shoes below her black skirt. Tricia was typically statuesque, wearing accessories that emphasized her body rather than her clothes.

Other SciFi Channel stars in attendance included Stargate’s Amanda Tapping, Eureka’s Salli Richardson, Jordan Hinson, and Erica Cerra (who is also known for her multi-episode role as Maya on BSG), and many others.  Network president Bonnie Hamer was also at the event.

The big news from last week’s upfront was the announcement that Ms. Hamer had finally agreed to Caprica, the prequel series that is described as “Dallas in Space.”  Watch this blog for more information on that new show in the weeks and months to come.

Check out these adorable pictures of the cast of Battlestar Galactica as they enter the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York to tape the Top Ten List for tomorrow night’s Late Show with David Letterman tribute. The list will be BSG-themed, with each cast member reading one of the lists’ famous one-line jokes.

The photo above shows BSG stars Michael Hogan (Col. Saul Tigh), Jamie Bamber (Lee “Apollo” Adama), Mary McDonnell (President Laura Roslin), James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar), and Aaron Douglas (The Chief) outside the famed theater. We also see a grinning Grace Park (Sharon “Athena” Agathorn) entering the theater in her BSG uniform, while Jamie Bamber is wearing a suit - a contrast that is consistent with the fourth season promotional photos (as well as some of the early spoilers).

Some of the pictures showed Aaron Douglas and Michael Hogan in uniform as well, while Edward James Olmos (Admiral Bill Adama) wore a Battlestar Galactica pullover and many of the other stars wore street clothes. Whether those photos were taken before or after the show was filmed, however, is not always clear.

Below is a collection of photos from outside the theater, including a great photo of Edward James Olmos & Michael Hogan, and a shot of Katee Sackhoff (Kara “Starbuck” Thrace) carrying a ginormous zebra striped bag over her shoulder while signing autographs for fans. Tricia Helfer arrived in full Six regalia, including her famous white wig and killer red dress.

There is also a cuddly photo of Aaron Douglas with Nicki Cline, who plays his wife Cally. Nicki was not among the cast members listed by the SciFi Channel as appearing on the Late Show, so it is not clear if she was there to cheer on the cast or if she is making a surprise appearance.

In an interesting coincidence, Rainn Wilson from The Office was also on the scene at the same time as the BSG cast. Could the list contain a “Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica” reference?

Edward James Olmos will be featured in a documentary on Discovery en Espanol on Sunday night, where he will discuss the real issues behind gang violence in a documentary called Voces de Cambio. This is a cause close to Olmos’ heart and one he has spoken about in the past, and he makes another passionate plea for action in the broadcast:

“We are all responsible for our future. This is a simple truth an honest truth. The role that ex-gang members have on society is intrinsic. An ex-gang member can turn around the lives of thousands upon thousands of people as they turn negative energy into positive - it’s enough to make one cry.”

BSG writer Mark Verheiden recently blogged about the bittersweet joy of ending his Battlestar Galactica experience, and about the cast and crew’s belief that “no spoilers” makes the show a more enjoyable experience. 

Speaking of spoilers, a clip from the extended version of “Unfinished Business” (also known as “the New Caprica shipper episode”) has been leaked on the Internet.  Or you can wait and watch the clip in context when the Season Three DVD comes out later this month.

On a related note, I recently confessed on the ShaunOMac show that I have been taking great pains to avoid watching any of the Season Four promos for the show or the cast and crew interviews, which is why you have not seen any on the blog.  The always-reliable folks at Galactica SitRep have them all, however, so if are looking for a good collection head over there.  If you really think we need to have them over here at WatchingBSG.com too then feel free to drop me a note and let me know.  Now back to the news!

Even if you are spoiler-phobic like me, you can still enjoy the new clip up on SciFi.com where the channel condenses the first three seasons of BSG into one eight-minute clip.

Some lucky fans snagged a radio interview with Mark Sheppard, who plays Baltar’s mysterious lawyer Romo, at last weekend’s MegaCon:

“When I asked Mark Sheppard to do the on-air interview he asked me, ‘What do they want to talk about?,’ and I said, ‘You!’ He replied, ‘Great! I know all about that subject.’”

Lucy Lawless’ new movie, the animated Justice League: A New Frontier, has been getting strong reviews.  Lucy’s controversial Wonder Woman joins a cast that includes Bionic Woman’s Miguel Ferrer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s David Boreanaz, and many others.

Grace Park’s film West 32nd will be featured at the San Francisco Asian American International Film Festival later this month, but the early word is that Grace herself will not be able to join her costar John Cho at the screening.

The always-entertaining Leah Cairns recently did an audio interview with the folks over at Battlestar Blog, which you can listen to here.

A couple of days ago I mentioned that Edward James Olmos looked fierce in his photos from the Fotogramas Magazine Silver Awards in Madrid.  After the post I received several requests to post additional photographs so people could judge for themselves, so here you go.

Upon second glance, Edward James Olmos not only looks fierce in these photographs but he also looks rather feral.  There is a sense he is not just his usual majestic presence on this red carpet, he is actually prowling it like a lion.

This bodes well for his final stint as Admiral Adama, as the cast and crew will begin shooting the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica later this month in Vancouver.  If the strength and virility in these photographs is any indication, the worn down Admiral Adama we have seen in the past has been replaced and Edward James Olmos will be playing Adama as the fierce warrior he can be in the final moments of the show.

Edward James Olmos was in Spain earlier this week, hitting the red carpet for the Fotogramas Magazine Silver Awards in Madrid. He looked rather fierce in his photos, but perhaps he was just exhausted.

The Silver Awards were held Monday evening, March 3, at the Joy Eslava Club. Other celebrities in attendance included Spanish celebrities such as Manuela Velasco, Ana Alvarez, Kira Miro, Mar Flores, and Veronica Sanchez.

In other recent Edward James Olmos news, the actor who is also known as Admiral Adama spoke passionately about education in America at a recent conference in Colorado:

“There is no excuse why you can’t be the best you can be,” Olmos told a crowd of over 1,000 people. “I’m not looking at any child here who is any different than I was. I strive to be the best I can be - not better than anyone else - just the best that I can be.”

The conference was designed to help increase opportunities for Hispanic students, and Olmos’ keynote speech was reportedly a huge success. Olmos alternately challenged the educators in the room to do more to help their Hispanic students, while also challenging the Hispanic students to do more to help themselves. His advice included reading every day, learning more about different cultures and heritages, and being positive about potential.

“He was so positive, so inspiring,” said Prairie Middle School Principal Kandy Cassaday. “But it’s important that we not lose sight of our message. A gap exists and we need to re-engage students of color to help them re-gain a sense of hope and a sense of control over their future. We realize it’s a collaborative effort between the schools, the community and the students.”

Attendees at the conference also watched clips from Olmos’ award winning movie, Stand and Deliver, as part of the discussion portion of the conference. The film clips of Olmos’ classic performance as an educator were designed to inspire comments in break out sessions.

Today we celebrate the birthday of Edward James Olmos, or “Eddie” as he is known to his friends.  To Battlestar Galactica fans he is the great Admiral Adama, or The Old Man. 

In real life Eddie is a young and bouncing 61 years old, hopefully with many years in front of him and many great roles yet to be played.

And hopefully one of those roles will be on the red carpet this week, as the Edward James Olmos Hero for Youth Award will be presented as part of a Boys and Girls Club Gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Wednesday night. 

Add this to the long line of causes and charitable entities that the handsome Admiral supports in his rare spare time.  The man is constantly on the go, for example last weekend he was the keynote speaker at a conference about Hispanic Opportunities in Public Education.  He is also busy with the upcoming birthday of Cesar Chavez, as he is the national co-chair (along with Carlos Santana and Martin Sheen) of the campaign to make Cesar’s birthday a national holiday.

Check out this video for Snoop Dogg’s song "Vato" which shows the rapper facing off against a somber Edward James Olmos.  The song came out in 2006 and was meant to promote unity between the black communities and the Latino communities of Los Angeles, which explains EJO’s participation since he is a very active in the Latino community.  The video shows Snoop as a gang leader making peace with a rival Hispanic gang leader, who is played by B Real from Cypress Hill.

"The influence of music on the human psyche is overwhelming," EJO told MTV as part of the promotion for the video. "You apply that to the fact that people use it to express themselves — even more impact. Then you understand we have problems and you try to understand those problems through your art form — you’re hitting a grand slam. Snoop Dogg is hitting a grand slam out of the park.

"The biggest goal that can come from this is an understanding between cultures," Olmos continued. "It’s a situation that’s been going on for a long time; it’s going to continue to go on unless we give an alternative to the youth. Right now we have children showing children how to be adults — the adults have to step up to the plate. Snoop Dogg is an adult. He walks the walk and talks the talk. He’s been doing a lot for a long time."

It’s fitting to see EJO in a music video, considering that he is an accomplished rock musician himself and spent most of the 60s and 70s playing in clubs in L.A.  Perhaps after BSG wraps he will star in a video for one of his own songs, which would be a treat.

Has Tricia Helfer’s body combined with the manipulative moves of Number Six and inspired a new male phobia of Fit Women?  This web site says "yes." In other Tricia news, check out this clip of her talking about season four.

Lucy Lawless won the top spot on LesbiaNation’s list of Top Ten Women We Love in 2007.  The list also included Stargate legend Amanda Tapping and Lucy’s Xena: Warrior Princess costar Renee O’Connor. 

In other Lucy news, she appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas yesterday, speaking on a panel about "Science Fiction’s Influence on Technology."  If you find a recap of the panel, please let me know.

Justine wants everyone to vote for Helo, also known as Tahmoh Penikett, for hottest actor in the Best of 2007 awards.  He is woefully behind right now, probably due to the unfortunate photo choice which makes him look slightly deformed.  This one is much better.  The awards also nominated Battlestar Galactica Season One (not season two?) in its Best in DVD category.

Geno points out this incredibly unflattering photograph of Edward James Olmos on Celebrity Puke, where the Admiral is compared to an ass.  The photo was taken recently as Eddie was lunching at the famed Ivy restaurant.

Crave Online has a new interview with Katee Sackhoff, where she talks about her various projects including White Noise 2: The Light which comes out on DVD this week.  The movie also stars Nathan Fillion, who played Captain Malcolm Reynolds in Joss Whedon’s space western Firefly, which inspired this cute exchange in the interview:

Crave Online: Hypothetical, who would win in a fight? Malcolm Reynolds or Starbuck?
Katee Sackhoff: Who is Malcolm Reynolds? You like that? Ah, I’m just kidding. Probably me. Yeah. Maybe. He’s bigger than I am.

Battlestar Galactica was featured in a Jeopardy! question this week, according to Battlestar Blog. The answer was Lorne Greene and Edward James Olmos, and the question was Who is Commander Adama. According to reports, the contestant incorrectly answered Captain Adama. I probably would have answered Admiral Adama, and that would have been wrong too.

Entertainment Weekly starts off its list of memorable moments on television this year with a nod to the death of Kara "Starbuck" Thrace.

Katee Sackhoff in knee breaches? May your fever dreams come true! And by the way, I completely agree … Mary McDonnell should have a Revlon contract.

If you are planning on buying the anniversary DVD of Blade Runner, be sure to check out the special features as Edward James Olmos reportedly makes a quip about Cylons.

Ever wondered what would happen if Giaus Baltar teamed up with Chloe from Smallville? Actually, that is not a bad idea … given Chloe’s superior sleuthing skills, we would know the identity of the fifth Cylon within the hour! But since that is not going to happen, content yourself with viewing this photograph which shows their two faces morphing into this disturbingly stubbled image.

Speaking of James Callis, his period romance Victoria & Albert gets high praise and was recently released as part of a lush box set. If you like corsets, be sure to check it out. If you don’t like corsets but love Callis, his performance as a faded pop star in Bridget Jones’ Diary is still a classic.

And last but not least, Jamie Bamber and his towel is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only is this famous photo helping support the writers’ strike, but I noticed today that I get a lot of visitors who are searching for pictures of Tom Welling (the fellow who plays Clark Kent on Smallville), but get distracted and wander over to watchingbsg.com based on this post from last summer. Thanks Jamie!

As we reported last summer, Edward James Olmos took center stage last week as he read the Christmas Story for the Epcot Christmas spectacular in Orlando, Florida. The event is a huge production featuring dozens of musicians, carolers, actors, and of course a celebrity narrator. As you can see from this picture Edward James Olmos has participated in the past, and as you can imagine his deep intonations are a big hit.

First hand accounts of this year’s performance indicate that Eddie added his own touch of holiday sentiment to the event, apparently picking up some fans from the audience along the way: “Of course the whole thing is scripted, but what Olmos said that the beginning, that he believed that it really was the Greatest Story Ever Told that leads me to believe that he is a Believer (that part was not scripted). (A new reason to watch BSG!)”

The Spotman was kind enough to post one of Edward James Olmos’ 2007 performances, which can be viewed in twelve parts by clicking here.

Ever wanted to have dinner with Edward James Olmos, the legendary actor who plays Admiral Bill Adama on Battlestar Galactica? Well now is your chance. “Eddie” (as he is known to his friends and colleagues) is a huge supporter of the Latino International Film Institute and has agreed to have dinner with the winner of an auction that is currently taking place on charityfolks.com.

As of this posting the bidding is up to $1,600.00 USD with approximately 47 hours left before the auction ends. The winning bidder may bring a guest, and the meal may be either dinner or lunch in Los Angeles on a mutually agreed upon date and time. The meal will be covered by the LIFI, as will the mandatory background check for both lucky diners.

The dinner is not Olmos’ only contribution to the auction, he is also selling an autographed picture of the cast of Battlestar Galactica, an autographed LIFI poster, an autographed Stand and Deliver script, an autographed Zoot Suit poster, and an autographed DVD of the movie Walk Out. If you are looking for the perfect gift for an Edward James Olmos fan, there is also an autographed poster of original art celebrating his most famous movie and television roles (although the poster seems to be sadly missing Admiral Adama).

By far the coolest of the autographed items is Edward James Olmos’ personal jacket emblazoned with the logo of Miami Vice, which was given to members of the cast and crew of that hit show from the 1980s:

“Edward James Olmos portrayed Lt. Martin Castillo, the officer in charge of the Miami Vice unit. A very taciturn man, he speaks as little as needed, and lives a reclusive life outside of work. He has earned undisputed loyalty from the Vice squad. Little is known about Castillo except that he was in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. As a DEA agent, he fought against CIA agents endorsing the trafficking of heroin in that region to finance their other operations abroad.”

The LIFI is a non-profit organization dedicated to mentoring, developing and supporting Latino filmmakers with independent and diverse visions. Other stars who donated items to the auction include comedian George Lopez, soap star Rafael Amaya, Shrek star Antonio Bandaras, Ugly Betty star America Ferrera, and Scrubs star Judy Reyes.