Battlestar Galactica

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!

Poor Katee Sackhoff, her side project Bionic Woman just does not have good luck with the press. While Battlestar Galactica is something of a media darling, Bionic Woman has been more of a media whipping girl this year. And it does not look like that is going to end anytime soon.

Just two short weeks after many media outlets wrongfully reported that Katee Sackhoff was leaving Bionic Woman, more bloggers are reporting an apparently false rumor that the show has been canceled as true.

My other blog, Watching Bionic Woman, was contacted a couple of days ago by a Bionic Woman insider who has confirmed that NBC has NOT CANCELED the show.

The insider reports that as of this weekend, NBC executives were firm in their reassurances that the show is still alive and a viable programming option for 2008. Nothing has changed since several weeks ago, when it was accurately reported that (unless something drastic changes) the network will wait until after the writers’ strike to decide the fate of the show.

The same source went on to contact TV Guide and many other sources, which helped stave off the “canceled� rumor, and eventually NBC Universal issued a statement as well. Eight episodes of Bionic Woman have aired so far, and the network has ordered thirteen scripts meaning there are (at least) five more potential Bionic Woman episodes out there.

This is good news for Katee and her bionic alter ego, Sarah Corvus, but the persistent rumors are more unneeded problems for a show that has already been through a lot of turmoil in its first few months on the air. Here’s wishing Katee and her bionic coworkers and peaceful and productive 2008.

Katee Sackhoff gives an extremely funny answer to a fan who asked her how Starbuck will feel when she discovers that her husband is a Cylon.  Katee admirably stays PG as she jokes that Cylon males may have hidden talents that come with being part machine  … "and it looks like Trucco?  I think she’s fine with it." 

In related Sackhoff news, AfterEllen.com recently listed Katee as one of the female geeks they love.  Unfortunately the list came out the same week as yet another Katee interview that shows her laughing along with the interviewer’s jokes about her fans.  She even went along with a joke where a crew member asks her to his "World of Warcraft potluck dinner" and she asks for security.  Geeks are easy targets and you can’t fault folks for going for what works, but it would be nice to see Katee defend her scifi fans as she attempts to ride their love to a post-BSG career.

Pretend to be a reporter on Caprica before the Cylon attack and you can win some nifty prizes, including a large banner signed by Katee Sackhoff (Kara "Starbuck" Thrace), Jamie Bamber (Lee "Apollo" Adama), Kate Vernon (the infamous Ellen Tigh), and Tahmoh Penikett (Karl "Helo" Agathorn).  The deadline is the day after Christmas, and you can read the rules here.

Someone fracked up the Razor DVD packaging … as at least one fan has noted, Jamie Bamber’s name got left off the cast list for the DVD packaging.  Perhaps they can make it up to him by trying to win his towel.

Katee Sackhoff finally cleared up the rumors today, telling TV Guide that she has no intentions of leaving Bionic Woman:

"I have no plans to leave Bionic Woman, and Michelle Ryan" — who fills the title role — "is doing a great job. There’s not one ounce of bad blood between us."

News that Katee would be leaving the show have been all over the Internet for the past week, inspired by an unconfirmed post from a blogger who claimed Katee trashed the show at a recent Battlestar Galactica convention.  If you missed the excitement, the Roadrunner blog posted a damning critique of comments Katee supposedly made, stating she was unprofessional in her critiques of Michelle Ryan and her pans of the show and that she had stated she was definitely leaving Bionic Woman.  The story got picked up and flew all over the net, garnering attention from major entertainment outlets like E! and more blogs and forums than I can count. 

The only problem was, it wasn’t true.  Other fans who heard Katee’s comments at the convention quickly organized to combat the rumors, and one person even posted a transcript of Katee’s comments which apparently never mentioned Ryan at all.

"It’s sad," says Sackhoff, "because you want to connect with the fans, and then they throw it in your face in a negative light."

Hopefully Katee recognizes the all stemmed from one fan, and many other fans jumped to her defense … I have critiqued Katee’s off the cuff interview style in the past but would hate to see her so scarred by this experience that she no longer enjoys her time with the fans or her press interviews.

As for the fan who started it all, there have been several posts on her blog since she made the Katee post but she does not mention the error or apologize for all of the trouble.  Whether she posted someplace else I don’t know, but the closest thing to an apology on her blog is a comment about how she was at the convention without an assistant and was serving as blogger and photographer and only intended her comments to be "descriptive."  Too bad her "description" contained inaccurate statements masquerading as facts. 

Katee Sackhoff news has been all over the Internet this week, and not just because of her great performance in Razor.  The actress was called "unprofessional" and other unflattering terms by a fan who attended a recent Battlestar Galactica convention, after the fan claimed that Katee badmouthed Bionic Woman and her BW costar Michelle Ryan.

Many sites repeated the story as gospel, reporting that Katee was off Bionic Woman due to bad blood and a other negative connotations.  That is in spite of several fans who attended the convention coming forward to defend Katee, saying she never mentioned Michelle Ryan or badmouthed the show and implying that the fan who wrote the blog that started the rumors is simply trying to spin her comments as negatively as possible.

Even though Bionic Woman has been a disappointment, it seems illogical that Katee would just up and leave a prime time show that has gotten her a ton of good press.  The reviews for Bionic Woman have been spotty at best, but Katee has gotten raves from fans and industry insiders who have praised her dark and dangerous portrayal of Sarah Corvus.  Even if she has had troubles with Michelle Ryan, which may or may not be true, she would also be a fool to piss off prolific producer David Eick who will probably cast her in another production once Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica are over.  Not to mention that talking bad about your coworkers to fans is just bad form.

While this controversy seems to be more about a fan who dislikes Katee saying something untrue and bloggers and news outlets jumping on it in an irresponsible manner, it is true that Katee’s candid style can get her in trouble with the press.  Long time Katee fans know that Katee’s spunk can sometimes translate badly in interviews.  She is known for her unpredictable interview style, which fans and journalists love but probably gives her publicist nightmares (for example, she made comments at a Battlestar Galactica panel this summer that made it pretty clear she is familiar with the after effects of smoking pot … it was funny at the time, but not exactly what most television shows what their actresses talking about in front of the media).   Let’s hope this story gets cleared up by all of the media outlets sooner rather than later, and Katee becomes even more polished in her public speaking going forward.

Katee Sackhoff was featured on E! entertainment television this weekend in a segment that showed her learning how to surf. She also reveals that she jogs on the beach most mornings, avoids Krispy Kreme except for once a week, and popped her own knee back into place after she landed wrong doing a stunt for Bionic Woman.

The segment also show scenes of Katee kicking butt in Bionic Woman, her new show that premiered last Wednesday on NBC. While the pilot got mixed reviews overall, Katee’s performance as rogue bionic woman Sarah Corvus was almost universally praised. Even better, the ratings for the first episode of Bionic Woman surprised critics and media buyers by beating Grey’s Anatomy offspring Private Practice in key demographics. The year of SackHawt continues!

To see Katee looking amazing in a wet suit and conquering her fear of sharks, check out the clip above which comes to us courtesy of Ryan at WatchingBionicWoman.com (it may take a few minutes to load).

Katee Sackhoff, Bionic Woman, Battlestar Galactica, Private Practice, Sarah Corvus, surfing, Krispy Kreme

Katee Sackhoff fans who have been waiting to see her play Sarah Corvus on NBC’s Bionic Woman don’t have to wait until the television premiere. NBC has made the entire pilot available early, for free, due to the network’s partnership with Amazon.com and TiVo.

Ryan at WatchingBionicWoman.com has the details on how to see the show, whether or not you have TiVo. I have watched the pilot already, and Katee looks HAWT.

The amazing photo of Katee above originally appeared in TV Guide, and comes to us complements of the BSG blog GalacticaSitRep.

Katee Sackhoff, Bionic Woman, NBC, Amazon, TiVo, TV Guide, Sarah Corvus

Battlestar Galactica bad girl Katee Sackhoff played nice Sunday night, and looked pretty amazing, at the TV Guide after party in Hollywood. The party took place at hot spot Les Deux after the EMMY Awards, and was attended by some of the biggest stars of the evening.

During the course of the evening Desperate Housewives‘ Teri Hatcher, House’s Hugh Laurie, rapper Kanye West, and singer John Legend all took the mic for some songs. Other celebrities in attendance included Dancing With the Stars‘ Stacy Kiebler, Scrubs‘ Judy Reyes, Grey’s Anatomy’s Justin Chambers, Sara Ramirez, and Sandra Oh, Lost’s Terry O’Quinn, Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera, and many others.

Hope you had fun Katee, because you looked like the belle of the ball!

Katee Sackhoff, Bionic Woman, Emmy, Party, Hollywood, Hugh Laurie, Kanye West, Justin Chambers, Sandra Oh, Terry O’Quinn, America Ferrera, Ugly Betty, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, Judy Reyes, Desperate Housewives, Terri Hatcher, Dancing with the Stars, Stacy Kiebler, John Legend, Sara Ramirez, Grey’s Anatomy

Check out this photo of Katee Sackhoff looking amazing at last night’s TV Guide party after the Emmy Awards. BSG may have gone home empty handed, but this look is definitely a winner for Katee.

We have given Katee a hard time about her fondness for black dresses in the past, but the cut of last night’s small patterned dress was extremely flattering and she looked great. It’s a new style for Katee, who seems to be channeling Veronica Lake with her sophisticated hair and flirty pose. Very impressive Katee!

Katee Sackhoff, Emmy, TV Guide, party, Veronica Lake

Katee Sackhoff is up for SciFi Siren at the Spike TV Scream Awards this year, and Battlestar Galactica is up for Best TV Show and “The Ultimate Scream.”

Webcomic Hijinks Ensue presents its take on what an episode of Battlestar Galactica directed by Kevin Smith would look like … the panel of President Roslin saying “Snooch to the Nooch” alone makes it worth checking out.

Starbuck as Han Solo? Gaeta as Chewy? Check out this intriguing recast of Star Wars featuring BSG characters in the traditional roles. Six, of course, nabs the Darth Vader part. Katee Sackhoff, Allessendro Juliani, and Tricia Helfer should be so lucky!

Tahmoh Penikett brings a new fan to BSG … something tells me this is not the first time this has happened.

Starbuck, Han Solo, Gaeta, Chewbacca, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Six, Darth Vader, Katee Sackhoff, Allessendro Juliani, Tricia Helfer, Roslin, Kevin Smith, webcomic, Spike TV, Scream Awards, Tahmoh Penikett

Dinosaurs? Ancient Romans? Tricia Helfer, Mary McDonnell, and Katee Sackhoff speculate about what they will find on earth on a series of web interviews available on SciFi.com.

The best quote of the bunch is when a smiling Mary McDonnell asks “Wouldn’t it be funny if Laura had a crush on Cesar Augustus?” in a slightly wishful tone.

The ladies also talk about what is in store for their characters next season, what Starbuck could be, and and why Caprica Six has not ratted out the other Cylons aboard Galactica yet.

Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, dinosaurs, Cesar, earth, Battlestar Galactica, scifi, Six, Caprica, Starbuck

With Katee Sackhoff’s new show Bionic Woman set to premiere next month on NBC, this seems like the ideal time look back on her best moments in the past three seasons on Battlestar Galactica. Or if you prefer to see what happens when Katee becomes part machine, check out WatchingBionicWoman.com.

5. 33

The first “official” episode of the new Battlestar Galactica is also the episode when the impish nature of Kara Thrace’s Starbuck becomes apparent to the viewers. The scene where she tells Jamie Bamber’s Lee “Apollo” Adama “You’re the CAG, act like it” is one of the defining moments for her character. Simultaneously defiant and loyal, sexy and stubborn, Starbuck’s fiercely feral way of chewing her “stims” set the tone of the relationship between the star-crossed characters, and let the audience know that while Starbuck is in total control of her surroundings, she is not quite in control of herself.

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Nicki Clyne, aka Cally Tyrol, usually has some interesting comments on her personal blog … for example, she recently talked about her fascination with a capella choirs.

The Chicago Sun-Times put Katee Sackhoff at the top of their list of stars who they predict will breakout big this year based on her steller performance on NBC’s Bionic Woman. Last year they predicted Hayden Panettiere and Masi Oka from Heroes would be huge by this summer, so they are pretty good at this game. Good luck Katee!

Speaking of Heroes, here is an interesting comparison for folks who are fans of both Heroes and BSG … one fan discusses how Ali Larter’s characters remind her of two versions of Number Six:

Jessica is more like head!Six, with the violent tendencies, manipulation and no-nonsense attitude. Whereas Niki is more Caprica-Six for being pragmatic, sensible and understanding/having more compassion.

Colm Feore, who played the president of the Twelve Colonies at the time they were destroyed, has landed the role of First Husband on the next season of 24.

Cinematical mentions those Jamie Bamber casting rumors for the new live action Justice League movie … but it is hard to tell how serious they are.

Battlestar Galactica, 24, Nicki Clyne, Cally Tyrol, Twelve Colonies, a capella, First Husband, president, Heroes, Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka, Jamie Bamber, Justice League, Ali Larter

An interesting question was raised Sunday night on The Two Doctors internet radio show, whether Starbuck is the daughter of Col. Saul Tigh. Kara Tigh? A stunning thought, but it would make sense given what we know about the two characters.

From the opening scenes of the miniseries, when Starbuck punches Tigh and ends up in the brig, the two characters have shared a connection that spanned animosity to admiration. Their strong reactions to each other and to the situations they are faced with speak to their similar passions, reactions, and tempraments. Until now those similarities could have been attributed to the fact that they are both alcoholics, both come from abusive backgrounds, both were tortured by the Cylons on New Caprica, both are rebellious and ornery in their loyalty to the fleet … but the thought that Saul Tigh could be Kara Thrace’s father makes one wonder if it could be more than that.

The idea also meshes with what we know about the history of both characters. We know Kara Thrace’s mother was abusive, but we know little about her father … and it is not much of a stretch to see Saul Tigh having a one night stand.

It also makes sense now that we know that Col. Tigh is one of the original Cylons. Starbuck has always shared an inexplicable bond with the Cylons, known certain things by instinct, and been told she has a “destiny” of her own. If she is Tigh’s daughter she would be a Cylon/human hybrid … perhaps the first Cylon/human hybrid, adding further significance to her role on the show given the Cylons’ emphasis on reproduction.

But at the same, Starbuck is in many ways one of the most “human” members of the fleet. Angry, self-destructive, masochistic, surly, petty, vicious, noble, self-sacrificing, funny, contemplative, seductive, serene … Starbuck is all of these things, and more. If Starbuck is part Cylon, doesn’t it add strength to the idea that hatred is the primary thing separating Cylons from their human creators?

Cylon, Starbuck, Kara Thrace, Tigh, destiny, Battlestar Galactica, BSG, daughter, father, alcoholism, Caprica

Thanks to Tubular for the photos.

The SciFi Channel website has video of the Battlestar Galactica panel at Comicon featuring Tricia Helfer, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, and Lucy Lawless.

Tricia Helfer will be in Toronto this weekend for the World Series of Video Games.

ScoreNotes.com has an interview with Battlestar Galactica composer Stu Phillips.

And it looks like someone else dislikes the episode “Black Market” at least almost as much as I do … a skewering of Jamie Bamber’s performance that misses the storyline inconsistencies of the episode.

A sassy list of “Smart Girls We Love” includes the fabulous Mary McDonnell, who is accurately described as a “stone cold fox.” Other sexy smarty-pants include Kristen Bell’s Veronica Mars and Jewel Staite’s Kaylee on Firefly.

The first season of Dexter comes out on DVD today, so if you are a fan of Sam Witwer (aka Crashdown) be sure to pick up a copy. He appears in a three-episode arc that was well-reviewed, as was the entire first season of this show about a serial killer who kills other serial killers.

And last but not least, check out this flowchart illustrating the geek hierarchy.

Battlestar Galactica, Jamie Bamber, Black Market, Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, Lucy Lawless, Veronica Mars, Kristen Bell, Firefly, Jewel Staite, Dexter, Sam Witwer, DVD