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.

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.

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.

Katee Sackhoff hit the red carpet this weekend for TV Guide’s celebration of the Sexiest Stars of 2008.

These pictures are gorgeous, and they are also very unusual for Katee.  The actress is known for wearing lush solid colors on the red carpet, so the fact that she is wearing a wild print for a big event shows she is trying new things.

The party was held in Hollywood and featured a mix of talent from scripted and reality shows.  Other celebrities in attendance included Jennifer Love Hewett from Ghost Whisperer, Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski from Chuck, Alex O’Loughlin from Moonlight, Karina Smirnoff and Kym Johnson from Dancing with the Stars, Olivia Wilde from House, M.D., Scott M. Foster from Quarterlife, Rebecca Mader from Lost, and various stars from Heroes among others.

Katee will also be featured in the related magazine issue, which will be on newsstands this week.  This is great buzz for Katee, who gathered up a lot of new fans in the 2007-2008 television season.  Here’s hoping we see much more of her in 2008-2009.

Jamie Bamber is also in the issue, in the “Sexiest Sci Fi Guy” section.  You know we are at a unique moment in pop culture when “Sexiest Sci Fi Guy” and “Sexiest Nerds” are two different categories.  There is also a category for “Sexiest Smart Chicks” which unfortunately neglected to include Mary McDonnell. 

It’s great that TV Guide is recognizing that brains are just as important as beauty when it comes to recognizing sexy - now if we can just get them to expand their age ranges a bit, we could really celebrate!

Katee Sackhoff reveals to Televisionary that she thinks Starbuck’s soul mate is a Cylon:  “If there was anyone she’d be happy with, it’d probably be Leoben,” she admits. “Anders is too weak for her emotionally. Lee’s too much of a boy scout; he makes her feel guilty for her anger and her faults just by being who he is. If there’s ever any person she can let her guard down with, and be happy with, probably Leoben.”  Check out more great revelations from Starbuck in the site’s great Katee interview.

Speaking of great interviews, if you have not read the interview with Jamie Bamber over on TVAddict.com yet then you are missing a treat.  Jamie talks about how the relationship between Apollo and Starbuck is “incestuous” and reveals his dark hope for Battlestar Galactica’s pop culture legacy:  “On a psychological level, I hope [Lee] sort of finds self-knowledge and on a show level, I just hope we really scare the hell out of the world. I think, really scare the audience and the wider public to realizing how destructive our progress is. This idea that we have of growth and economic growth and technological progress is not the path to be taken, it’s the path to destruction, and I hope Ron delivers that.”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram had an interesting description of the final four Cylons that compares them to a famous candy item:  “Not only had Starbuck supposedly found the mythical planet that the ragtag remnants of the human race had been on a death-march across the universe to find, but — unknown to anyone — four of her colleagues turned out to be the genetic equivalent of a peanut-butter cup: heroic human on the outside, shady alien cylon on the inside.”

Tahmoh Penikett talked about how excited he is to be part of Joss Whedon’s new show, Dollhouse.  In other Dollhouse news, Tahmoh’s nemesis on the show will be Olivia Williams — the actress who is best known for playing Bruce Willis’ hauntingly beautiful wife in The Sixth Sense.

And last but not least, TiFaux offers this humorous and helpful guide to identifying TV nerds in the era of the nerd fetish.  It’s a helpful guide for those who are still baffled that we live in a decade where books like Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Talk Nerdy to Me are romance novel best sellers.

Entertainment Weekly has an four-page feature on blonde action heroine and former bionic babe Katee Sackhoff in this week’s issue, where the star talks about her roles on Battlestar Galactica and Bionic Woman as well as her plans for the future.

‘If I could trade everything and be a character actor for the rest of my life, that’s what I’d do,” says Sackhoff. ”It’s just more fun. And when your skin sags and your boobs drop down to your waist, you’ll still have a job.”

The magazine interview featured some gorgeous pictures of Katee looking fiercely lovely with flowing blonde extensions.  There are also videos of Katee from the shoot on the magazine’s web site which are posted in three parts, with the third coming tomorrow (Monday).

The article also contained high praise for Katee from Bionic and Battlestar executive producer David Eick:  “You’ll see I tend to cast Katee in everything I possibly can … She’s a very special find.  Those actors who can combine the qualities of strength and vulnerability - they usually call those people movie stars.”

The article also talks about Katee’s early days of acting, and how a role as an extra on Mr. Holland’s Opus left her so bored she left after half a day on set.  It was a bold move and one that did not prevent her from landing a role as Holland star Richard Dreyfuss’ daughter on the 2001 CBS pilot The Education of Max Bickford.  The article explains how that was a year of firsts for Katee, seen at a party that fall in the photo to the right, and one that taught her quite a bit about life, love, fashion, and show business.

But in the present Katee is simply looking for something new to challenge her after Battlestar ends and Kara “Starbuck” Thrace has committed her last self-destructive act.  Perhaps a film … “something with a corset.”

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.”

BSG Executive Producer David Eick broke ranks with NBC Universal last week, telling the press that Bionic Woman really is over even as the network has stood by its claim that no official decision has been made about the future of the series.

“I just felt that the process was so frustrating, and the conditions under which we were making that show never really came to fruition in such a way that I felt like we could make the show well. The actress [Michelle Ryan] we found was wonderful. Some of the writing was good.

“We just didn’t ever bring it all together like we did with Battlestar,” he continued. “At a certain point, when it becomes that frustrating, I think you’re better off to say, ‘Let’s try again another time,’ and let it go.”

SciFi Wire got the scoop at last week’s SciFi Channel upfronts, where Eick was promoting Battlestar Galactica and the upcoming prequel series Caprica. 

The Toronto Star had some additional commentary from show star Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on BSG and also kicked butt as Jaime Sommers’ frenemy Sarah Corvus on Bionic Woman:

“It’s no one’s fault,” Sackhoff told the paper. “The hype was so big before the show came out, and they were so scared that it would fail, that everyone had an opinion. There were too many cooks in the kitchen, and they didn’t know what they were cooking.

“I mean, I know what went wrong. Had they given me the show, I could have figured it out. I could have told them exactly what to do. But then everyone would have put their hands in, and the same thing would have happened. You can’t blame anyone. That’s just how it goes.”

It’s sad news for Eick but especially sad news for Katee, who was poised to break out into the big time last summer when it looked like Bionic Woman was going to take off.  While the actress benefited from the attention and is still very much in demand, it would have been better for everyone involved with Bionic Woman if this show had lived up to its potential.

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.

The luck of the Irish spilled over a couple of days, as we are lucky enough to get to see these fun photos outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York where the cast of Battlestar Galactica taped a Top Ten list for the Late Show With David Letterman. 

Today we bring you a few more pictures of the cast in New York, both before and after their appearances on the show.  The picture at the left shows BSG stars Grace Park, Katee Sackhoff, and Tricia Helfer after their appearance on the show. 

Tricia had initially arrived in full Six gear, wearing the white wig and red dress, and Grace entered the building in her fleet uniform.  Katee appears to have arrived in civilian clothing, much like Jamie Bamber who wore a dashing suit.

While you can’t see it in the photo to the left, Katee has a giant animal print bag on her arm that is even larger than Tricia’s chic black bag in this photo.  If anyone knows who makes the bag please let me know, as I have already had a couple people ask.

Also if anyone was at the taping, I would love to know the story behind the photo of Nicki Clyne, who plays Cally Tyrol.  It looks like she is doing a curtsy, but perhaps this is some sort of sobriety test parody?  Either way, the photo begs for some context!

There are more photos of the various Battlestar Galactica stars in before and after garb below, and of course be sure to check out yesterday’s post for more images.

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After taping their appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman yesterday, Battlestar Galactica sirens Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park got all dressed up to party with the SciFi Network at the official upfronts party in New York.

The big news from today’s upfronts is that the rumors about Caprica being greenlit have turned out to be true!  As always, the folks over at GalacticaSitRep.com have the scoop. 

Apparently the show will launch with a two hour movie this fall, Battlestar Galactica style, with the option to become a longer series.  The plan to delve into life on Caprica fifty years ago and explore the origins of the Cylons is still in place.

Photos from tonight’s party are still being posted on our wire company’s web site, as the party was tonight at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York. 

Be sure to check back soon for more photos of the ladies from the event, and of Edward James Olmos.  Hopefully some of the other cast members who were on Letterman will be featured in the photos as well.

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?

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.

It’s been awhile since we have seen Katee Sackhoff on the red carpet, so she was a sight for sore eyes to see her at the Over Her Dead Body premiere in Los Angeles last week.

Katee looked fabulous in a green sheath with a plunging neckline, accessorized by oversized gold earrings and a chic gold clutch.

Filming both Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica in Vancouver keeps the actress busy and away from the bright lights of the premiere circuit. Katee has a packed schedule between her two shows, and she also makes appearances at conventions and does promotions for her other projects.

Over Her Dead Body stars Desperate Housewives Eva Longoria Parker as a woman who is killed on the day of her wedding and proceeds to haunt her new husband from the afterlife. The film has gotten mediocre reviews, mostly because Eva’s character is apparently pretty mean.

“Unlike Patrick Swayze in Ghost, Kate isn’t focused on gazing adoringly at her beloved or trying to ease his transition into life without her,” says Mary Pols of the Mercury News. “This meanie is there to make sure he’s never happy again.”

The San Francisco Chronicle also slammed the film, saying everything from the acting to the plot was horrible and Eva was so orange from spray tanning that she looked like an Oompa Loompa. Yikes!

Eva’s sister housewives Felicity Huffman, Nicolette Sheridan and Brenda Strong also attended the party.  Geek fan favorites Zachary Levi and Sarah Lancaster from Chuck were also at the party, along with Cashmere Mafia’s Bonnie Sommerville, and Mario Lopez, Michael Bolton, and Christina Applegate.  Jason Biggs and Lake Bell, who also have roles in the movie, were at the party as well.

The movie has gotten bad reviews, but the party looked like a lot of fun.  To see more pictures of Katee at the event, click the button to go to the jump.

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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.