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.

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.

Battlestar Galactica will be featured in TV Guide at the end of this month, potentially on the cover?  The news comes from Michael Trucco’s newly redesigned web site, which also has the scoop on the actor’s new comedy series Man of Your Dreams and his guest appearance on Eli Stone.

In other Michael Trucco news, the fan who won the phone call from the man who plays Samuel Anders in the Pencils to Media Moguls campaign during the writers’ strike is kind enough to post about it here.  Rene had nothing but praise for Michael, and indicates that he is recovering well from the broken neck he suffered a few months ago.  He was definitely up and about in early February, when he and Battlestar Galactica cast member Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh) walked the picket lines with Ron Moore and the other writers on the show.

Aaron Douglas will shed his Chief Tyrol persona to play another soldier in the upcoming remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still which stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly.  John Cleese, Kathy Bates and future Hollywood royalty Jaden Smith are all rumored to be attached to the project as well, as is fellow BSG cast member Alisen Down.

Tahmoh Penikett, who plays Helo, has a new interview out this month that features photos from Season Four and the actor’s musings on his character’s feelings about the various developments of the series.  Thanks to the always-reliable Justine for posting scans of the interview, and linking to some previously undiscovered behind-the-scenes photos from Season One which were recently posted on Battlestar Blog.

According to this LiveJournal post, Nicki Clyne and Allisen Mack have some new friends.  Meanwhile, at least one more person wants to make friends with Grace Park, as her turncoat Cylon character makes Entertainment Weekly’s list of Television Characters You Would Like to Date.

Tis the season on giving, and in this season of giving Michael Trucco wants you to give to some people who need your help.

The actor plays Starbuck’s husband on Battlestar Galactica, Samuel Anders, and is spending his holiday season recovering from a car accident that broke his neck a few weeks ago.  He is thankfully expected to make a full recovery, and the accident has increased his appreciation for life and all of its gifts.

Michael has been keeping up with his fans through the Internet and he occasionally makes a post on his official forums over on MediaBlvd.  Last week he asked his fans to participate in a charity drive taking place on Yahoo! that has the potential to benefit a charity he works with in Los Angeles called Food on Foot.

Food on Foot helps the poor and homeless of Los Angeles, not simply by providing food but also by providing opportunities to learn skills and and providing them with opportunities to gain employment.

"This is a charity that is very near and dear to my heart and I’ve been involved with for the past two years. If you could click on the link provided, it would mean a great deal to me. Thank you all so much…Love life…live love. Michael."

The charity has also made headlines last year when Neil Patrick Harris of How I Met Your Mother won $50,000 for the charity on celebrity Jeopardy!  Harris also serves on the board of directors of Food on Foot.

Now Food on Foot has made it to the second round of the Yahoo! contest, and you can help.  By donating to Food on Foot, you can "vote" for them and increase their chances to win a $50,000 donation from Yahoo! 

Michael Trucco recently posted on his section of the Media Boulevard forums about his recent accident and his broken neck. Michael plays Samuel Anders, the husband of Kara “Starbuck” Thrace, on Battlestar Galactica and he was recently cast as the lead in an upcoming situation comedy entitled Man of Your Dreams.

Two weeks ago Michael was leaving an event when the car he was in rolled down an embankment, crushing the roof … and his neck.

“It’s been a crazy week and a half to say the least,” Michael wrote. “The paramedics on the scene that tended to me first said I was lucky to even be alive, let alone be able to pull myself outta the damn thing. The roof completely collapsed on the passenger side. I knew the second we rolled over and crashed down hard on the asphalt that something was seriously wrong with my neck. When everything settled, my hands were laying next to my face on the roof of the car and THEY WOULD NOT MOVE. Needless to say, that scared the s#*t out of me. I took a beat, and remember thinking to myself that I CANNOT be paralyzed. This just can’t happen to me….I won’t let that happen! And suddenly I looked at my right hand and the damn thing reached up and unclipped my seatbelt. Just like that….I had feeling (painful feelings) but feeling nonetheless. Then somehow I managed to crawl out on the driver’s side after my friend got out and get to the side of the highway and lay down. From there I made a couple of calls and waited for the ambulance with my friend and about a dozen or so other motorists who pulled over to help. From there I was taken down the road to a waiting helicopter ready to take me to UCLA Trauma Center. It got progressively more frightening from that point on as the seriousness of what just happened started to set in.”

Michael also confirmed that he is expected to make a full recovery, and that the reports that he has an amazing attitude about the accident and optimism going forward are true:

“I cherish each and every new day with every rising sun. Life is precious, friends and family are priceless. I am sincerely grateful for all that I have. I sign off on all of my posts with the same mantra that means so much to me. But now more than ever the words really ring true. So to one and all: LOVE this life, and LIVE the love everyday.”

If you would like to show your support for Michael you are invited to leave a post on the Media Boulevard forum thread, which he reads and reports is powerful motivation for him during his recovery period. Best wishes to Michael during this difficult time, and thank you for your inspiring reminder of how precious life really is.

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.

It has not hit the major media yet, but apparently a week ago Michael Trucco was coming home from an event last Saturday when the car he was in lost control and he was in a terrible accident.  He is eventually expected to make a full recovery, which is great news. 

Michael plays Starbuck’s husband, Samuel Anders, on Battlestar Galactica, and was recently cast in the lead role of a new sitcom called Man of Your Dreams.  Hopefully he will heal in time to resume production on these shows after the writer’s strike is concluded, as Trucco’s career has definitely been on an upswing in recent months.

Most of the information on the accident comes from the SciFi boards, so take it with a grain of salt.  Michael was apparently a passenger in a Ferrari that was leaving an event last Saturday night when the driver lost control of the car, which spun off the road and tumbled down an embankment.  The driver is reportedly unhurt, but Michael was severely injured and transferred via helicopter to the UCLA medical center.

Michael has reportedly already had surgery and has been released from the hospital, but has a long recovery ahead of him.  His parents and friends have been very supportive, and if you are a Michael fan you can show your support as well by leaving a message on the thread.

Earlier this year another fan favorite also broke her back, but was able to resume her role on a popular television show a few months later.  Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam Beesley on The Office, slipped on some marble stairs and broke her lower back last Spring.  Jenna is now safely and carefully playing Pam on this season of the cult comedy on NBC.

Michael Trucco has been out and about this month, first hitting a biker event with Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff and now going to the premiere of the SciFi Channel movie Tin Man in Los Angeles.  Michael hit the yellow brick carpet with actress Sandra Hess who is on Navy NCIS: Navy Criminal Investigative Service on USA.

Other stars on the yellow brick carpet included Tin Man star Zoey Deschenal who toted the pooch who played Toto in the new movie. Based on the large numbers of photos the dog stole the show that night, proving the old adage about not working with dogs and children to be true once again.

Tin Man premieres this Sunday and promises to be an even darker update on the classic Frank Oz tale … this tin man is forced to watch images of his wife and children being tortured, for example, and Alan Cumming’s version of the scarecrow is not simply stupid bad has suffered the horror of having half of his brain removed.

Starbuck’s husband is getting his own show.  Michael Trucco, who plays Samuel Anders on Battlestar Galactica, is slated to star in a sitcom entitled Man of Your Dreams which may be on television next fall if the writer’s strike is resolved relatively quickly.

Michael will put his good looks to good use playing a womanizer on the show, who uses his trashy ways with women to give other women advice about their love lives.  No word yet on who Michael’s female cast members will be or what kind of roles they will be playing.

The sitcom is being developed by executive producer Conan O’ Brien and many of the people who have worked on his show and the short-lived Andy Barker, P.I.  If all goes well it will be shown on NBC, which is part of the same Universal family that is home to the SciFi Channel and BSG.

Before joining the cast of BSG Michael was on the teen oriented soap One Tree Hill and had guest starring roles on shows such as Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.

Production is slated to being as soon as the writer’s strike ends, but right now the timing of that is anyone’s guess.  Man of Your Dreams is supposedly writer-intensive, so changes are not good that anything will happen before then.  That is good news for fans who are worried about this taking Michael away from BSG or ruining our chances to find out more about his newly revealed Cylon side, although since the two shows are run by the same studio everyone involved has promised to be considerate of Michael’s schedule.