Slice of SciFi #91 with Richard Hatch Interview

Source: Slice of SciFi

Michael and Summer talk with Richard Hatch about where Season 3 might be going, and Richard’s enthusiastic about how the show is coming into its strength and only getting stronger. He gives us his insights on how Tom Zarek may have become the man we now see on the show, and talks a bit about the reflections on our world that we can see in the show.

And while Tom Zarek is safe for now, we know for certain that no character is safe from Ron Moore’s storytelling.

Slice of SciFi #91: Interview with Richard Hatch [55:51m]: Download

What happens when 'Battlestar Galactica' returns?

Source: Chicago Tribune

Does a major character die? Ron Moore and David Eick address the rumors

Speculation about a major character death has been rampant in the “Battlestar Galactica” world of late. (By the way, don't read further if you don't want to know more about upcoming "Battlestar" plots.")

Rumors abound that character will die in the second half of the Sci Fi drama’s third season, which kicks off Jan. 21. And much of the “who will it be” speculation centers on hotshot pilot Kara “Starbuck” Thrace.

In an exclusive interview, executive producers David Eick and Ron Moore say that a “profound” event involving Starbuck does occur a pivotal Season 3 episode called “Maelstrom” that is scheduled to air March 4. In fact, Moore says it “will be one of the most surprising things that’s happened in the history of the show so far.”

What happens to Thrace “will jump out and grab you,” Moore says.

The producers confirmed what the actress who plays Starbuck said in a recent interview -- that as of that March 4 episode, she had completed her work on the show’s third season, even though three more episodes air after “Maelstrom.”

Kara So the actress finished her work on the season early and something major and surprising happens in the last episode that Sackhoff filmed. But Eick and Moore don’t want to use the word “death” when describing what happens to Starbuck in “Maelstrom.”

“I think people will have to watch that episode and judge for themselves what happens,” Moore says. “I can say that Galactica will suffer a shocking loss in that episode and Kara is a key member of the crew.”

Just to add fuel to the fire of “Galactica” bloggers, Moore adds that after the March 4 episode airs, the name of a major cast member will disappear from the show’s opening credits. They won’t say whether Sackhoff’s name is the one that goes missing. But they do make clear that what happens to Starbuck points the way to a major shift in the show’s direction.

“It’s a fundamental and permanent change in the makeup of the show’s cast and of the show itself and how the show operates and what the show is about. It’s a very dramatic change of direction,” Moore says.

“What we’re doing with Kara Thrace is profound and is major, and yet it doesn’t necessarily translate as simply as you might think,” Eick says.

That makes sense when you consider that in the world of “Battlestar Galactica,” the Cylon characters, who are locked in an epic battle with the humans, are able to die and be reborn, or “downloaded,” into new bodies.

Of course, Moore and Eick won’t say whether Thrace is a Cylon and whether she gets downloaded. They also won’t say if Gaius Baltar, a canny survivor who’s spent time with both the Galactica crew and with the Cylons, is in fact a Cylon.

But they will say Baltar’s character undergoes a trial for his crimes against his fellow humans, and they add that a photo that surfaced online of Baltar in a Cylon resurrection tank is from a dream or fantasy sequence and not something to be taken literally.

“Some of the speculation [regarding Starbuck and others] sounds so cut and dried, ‘Oh, this is going to happen and that’s that,’" Moore says. “And it’s really not that simple. There are different layers we’re trying to protect and that we want to be able to deliver to the audience at the appropriate time.”

Eick and Moore also confirmed that they are in the midst of developing a 2-hour standalone “Battlestar Galactica” film, which may be released between Seasons 3 and 4. If there is no Season 4, then the film, which would probably be released on DVD and air on Sci Fi, would not go forward.

In any case, the DVD movie would not be a conclusion of the show’s third-season cliffhanger finale, which they say will once again take the show in a shocking new direction.

“If you think about the end of Season 1 and the end of Season 2, both of those cliffhangers -- they weren’t just of the ‘Who shot J.R.’ ilk. They actually turned the storytelling in a new direction.” Eick says. “So what we’re doing at the end of this year, which involves Kara Thrace and others, is [taking the storytelling] in a different and unique direction from what’s come before.”

“Whether the fans of the show like what we do at the end of this year or find themselves aghast at what we do, they can rest assured it’s not what they’re expecting,” Eick says. “Whatever they think is going happen, think again.”

What follows is a transcript of my Jan. 8 interview with Ron Moore and David Eick. Be warned: It contains information about future "Battlestar Galactica" episodes.


Click the Chicago Tribune link to read the rest of the article

Pirates, Galactica lead VFX Awards

Source: IF Magazine

Pirates were popular with visual-effects creators this year. Disney's blockbuster sequel PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST led the field with six nominations for the fifth-annual VES Awards, handed out by the Visual Effects Society. It was the only film to be named in both the best overall and best single visual effects categories. The movie also picked up nods for best animated character in a live-action motion picture, created environment in a live-action motion picture, miniatures and models in a motion picture and compositing.

The VES departed from the Academy's short list by nominating THE FOUNTAIN and CHARLOTTE'S WEB for best visual effects, neither of which were recognized by the Oscars this year.

The Society's list also honors television shows. In that arena, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA was tops with four nominations. It will compete with PREHISTORIC PARK and SMALLVILLE for visual effects in a series, while ALIAS, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF and ER were all nominated for supporting effects.

The winners will be announced Feb. 11 at the Kodak Grand Ballroom in Hollywood.

Click the IF Magazine link to see the nominees

The Indomitable Richard Hatch Joins the Next Slice of SciFi Show

Source: Slice of SciFi

On January 10th, Mr. Richard Hatch, the man who has spent nearly 30 years aboard the Galactica, or somewhere in Galactica verse — and loving every minute of it — will be our guest on Slice of SciFi Show #091. We are excited about Richard dropping by to chat as he is one of our all-time favorite people and guests on the show. This will be his third visit with us at the DracoVista Studios since we first began this little showbiz ditty called Slice of SciFi almost two years ago.

We get to find out what he’s been up to, what’s in-store for him in the future and, most importantly, have a geek-fest with him as we get giddy over the return of “Battlestar Galactica” on its new night — (what is going on with Tom Zarek anyway - is he a good guy, bad guy or a pure opportunist?).

As usual we have plenty of other good stuff on the show with loads of news, Movie and TV Talk, the guys from MoviePulse.net drop by with two movie reviews this time, “Children of Men” and Pan’s Labyrinth”, and once again we gaze into Merlin’s Pool to catch a glimpse of what will be in our future moviegoing destiny.

All of this and plenty of snarkiness to-boot on Slice of SciFi Show #091, ready for download and listening on January 10, 2007.

Live Q&A today with Richard Hatch and Zarek #1 BSG comic author

Source: Live Journal

The following appeared in the Battlestar Galactica forum at the SciFi channel's website....!

Dynamite Entertainment is publishing a comic-book series based on our Battlestar Galactica series. The comics' author, Brandon Jerwa, and the actor who brings Tom Zarek to life, Richard Hatch, are here for a live Q&A on the Battlestar Galactica forum, scheduled for Friday, January 5, at 8:30 p.m ET, 5:30 p.m. PT.

Dynamite will give away 10 autographed copies of Zarek #1 to participants.

Tom Zarek: The Revolution Within #1 reveals content from Zarek's own novel "The Revolution Within," which for the first time chronicles the origin of Tom Zarek and the Sagittaron colony. The four-issue series shows Tom's beginnings as he grows up in a loving home in a slave state, and alongside a Cylon work force--all in the run-up to the First Cylon War. It's through these humble--and tragic--beginnings that he becomes the man we see in Battlestar Galactica today and this is where you'll learn all about him!

Of course we're biased, but Tom Zarek: The Revolution Within is Jerwa's most poignant and powerful work to date. It's illustrated by Adriano Batista, and features stunning, cinematic covers by both Batista and Stjepan Sejic, with a street date of Wednesday, December 28.

Brandon Jerwa (www.brandonjerwa.com) is a Seattle-based comic writer. After breaking into the industry and writing several years' worth of G.I. Joe books for Devil's Due Publishing (G.I. Joe, Front Line, Master & Apprentice I & II, Snake-Eyes: Declassified), Jerwa was recruited by Dynamite Entertainment to co-write Highlander with Michael Avon Oeming.

Brandon Jerwa has written several articles for SCIFIpedia:

Battlestar Galactica Comic - Number 1.
Battlestar Galactica Comics Category in SCIFIpedia.


BSG SciFi Forum post about the Richard Hatch Q&A

Jamie Bamber and why Starbuck can't commit - pt2

Source: If Magazine

The actor also shares his opinions of where the series should end and how

By: SEAN ELLIOTT

Jamie Bamber playing Lee “Apollo” Adama in SCI FI Channel’s hit series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is in his own words a sort of reactionary character that gets what he gives from the relationships he forms with the people in his storyline. Bamber explains to iF MAGAZINE in part 2 of our exclusive interview; how he feels about real fathers and sons, and why Kara “Starbuck” Thrace can’t commit to any kind of real relationship. Of course we also get to touch on his opinions of where the series should end and how.


iF MAGAZINE: Do you like the fact that Lee and Admiral Adama have a back and forth relationship which changes practically every episode?


JAMIE BAMBER: Yeah, I do, it’s a lot more interesting to play than if they stayed buddies all season. The other thing is that they are, more in season three and the end of season two, more as one and totally in accord. Even in that accord they quarrel and things happen; external things happen to act as a catalyst in their relationship and the old struggles rear their heads. Then they see that they aren’t as similar as they thought they think they or they think they have become and they have issues with each other. Personally, I find that very true to life. I don’t think there is a father and son relationship out there that doesn’t constantly reiterate itself, whatever the grudge is, it’s very hard to let it go. We look at our childhoods as such a formative period because we only have one and whatever happens in that childhood, if something between two people, it just gets dredged up again. The writers are to be applauded. I always kind of looked at the maternal figure, the latent mother, his wife and Lee’s mother as the “idea parent”, but the writers have flipped that on its head. It makes sense if you see what’s gone on between them, and play back every scene, it adds to the drama when you get the reality that Lee couldn’t stomach his mum and Adama. I had always thought that she was the perfect mother because she is never seen or spoken of, but the writers had other ideas for her.

Click the If Magazine link to see the rest of the article

'Battlestar Galactica' To Get Renewed, 'Caprica' Struggles

Source: SyFy Portal

Moving a show to Sunday nights might at first glance appear to be an act of desperation, but SciFi Channel is expected to officially give the greenlight to a fourth season of "Battlestar Galactica," possibly even before the show makes its Sunday night debut on Jan. 21.

The "Battlestar Galactica" prequel spinoff "Caprica," however, may not be getting the same good news.

"Anyone expecting to see 'Caprica' before 2008 is fooling themselves," a SciFi Channel source told SyFy Portal. "There is still quite a bit to be worked out."

SciFi Channel has a history of making big announcements about potential new series that never make the light of day (see shows such as the "Quantum Leap" remake that never materialized), but the network normally does move forward on spinoffs of popular properties already in production, like "B5: Legend of the Rangers," a spinoff of "Babylon 5" that never made it past the backdoor pilot movie, and "Stargate: Atlantis," which spun off from "Stargate SG-1."

Another show that is not expected to get a greenlight for series is "The Lost Room," the recent miniseries filmed as a backdoor pilot that recently aired on SciFi Channel. It finished well behind three of the last four miniseries aired on the network in terms of ratings, and it's unlikely that will be enough to garner it a series order.

Of course, all of this is based on rumor, so please consider all this information as you would any other rumor. - Article by Michael Hinman

BattleStar Galactica Going Direct to DVD?

Source: Buddy TV
Forget the fact that Battlestar Galactica is declining in the ratings, drawing on the strength of its critical acclaim, as well as its impressive DVD sales, according to aintitcoolnews.com Universal is moments away from green-lighting a direct-to-dvd feature film.

Details about the films plot have not been revealed because, frankly, it hasn't been written yet so there is no indication how such a film would play in the Battlestar Galactica timeline. If the film does get the go ahead, look for Sci-Fi channel to have first airing rights after its release.

Personally I think the idea of a BSG feature is an extremely good one, particularly if they sprinkle production in with the show and give us something to look forward to when Battlestar goes on hiatus. The show, which won a Peabody award, returns to cable on January 21st in its new Sunday Night, 10pm, time slot.

Event Horizon: 'Battlestar Galactica'

Source: BackStage.com

Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell explore the line between sci-fi settings and real-life pathos

By Sarah Kuhn
Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi Channel's gritty reimagining of the 1970s classic, is known for sinking its teeth into big, soul-altering issues -- life, death, religion, war -- and exploring the darkest corners of the human heart. The show somehow manages to rip our guts out each and every week, and yet none of it would work if it weren't anchored by two of the most deliciously complex performances currently gracing the small screen.

As Admiral William Adama and President Laura Roslin, Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell are the series' tent-poles, leading humanity's dwindling band of survivors in the quest for Earth.

Both actors were, of course, well-known before their turns on Galactica, which is currently in its third season. Olmos' credits range from his scene-stealing, Emmy-winning role on Miami Vice to films such as Blade Runner and Stand and Deliver, for which he received an Oscar nomination. As a director, he recently helmed the critically acclaimed HBO movie Walkout. McDonnell, meanwhile, has been nominated for two Academy Awards: for her breakout role in 1990's Dances With Wolves and for her searing, prickly performance as a wheelchair-bound soap star in John Sayles' Passion Fish. Her wide array of credits ranges from Independence Day and Donnie Darko to an Emmy-nominated recurring turn on ER.

Recently the duo chatted with Back Stage about chemistry, close-ups, and leaving the intense world of Galactica behind at the end of the day.

Back Stage: Were either of you familiar with the original Battlestar Galactica when you heard about the new series?


Mary McDonnell: I was not familiar with it; I was only familiar by name, because it was airing during a time when I lived in New York without a television. I was doing plays at night, and I never saw it. Certainly I was familiar with the cult of it. Edward James Olmos: I was in the same [boat]. I was doing theatre. I was doing Zoot Suit, and I did it for three straight years. We were onstage six nights a week, only off on Mondays, and I don't think it was on on Mondays. [Laughs]

McDonnell: I've still never seen an episode. I've decided not to look, because my character didn't exist in the last one. I felt it would really be more beneficial to my character and her perception to have every single one of these ideas new to her. I didn't want to have any ideas of Adama and Starbuck [characters featured in both series], because [Roslin] didn't have any connection to them at all. They sent [the first script] to me, and they told me that Eddie was reading it. I heard about it at Sardi's at lunch, that they had sent me it, and it just made me giggle. I didn't put myself together with it at all.

Olmos: I didn't either.

McDonnell: But I always read an offer. And I read it that night, and I went, "Oh, dear. I have to do this." I found it so compelling. And I eventually found out Ed was agreeing to do it, so that made a huge difference to me.

Olmos: I was the same, basically. There was a story that drew me in, especially with the mindset that one has after 9/11. You had a whole different perspective on the end of the world, that whole philosophy. What [Galactica executive producer Ronald D. Moore] did before you read the piece, he put three pages at the beginning. It was like a mission statement, kind of. It told you a little bit about how it was going to be shot. The script was very powerful. It was completely different. It was very much in the realm of Blade Runner, rather than in the realm of the kind of Star Wars, Star Trek opera that I was used to seeing in the genre, that had really permeated the genre since the early '70s. So when I talked to Ron and [executive producer David Eick], we talked about Blade Runner, and I said, "There was a door that was opened there that nobody ever walked in. Everybody walked through the door of Star Wars, but nobody walked through the door of Blade Runner." I said, "If you really want to do that, then I'm game to join up, but I'm going to be very honest: The first four-eyed creature I see, I'll faint. I will faint on camera, and I will be off the show." I just didn't want to go that route. I didn't want to act against those kind of situations; I didn't have the time to do that. So we went into this with a 9/11 perspective and mindset with a very strong understanding of Blade Runner.

This third season has been truly the best television I've ever been involved with in my life, to date. I can't even compare it to anything I've ever done. The closest thing is American Family, actually. Miami Vice doesn't even compare. It's a whole different intent; there's no way of comparing the drama of Miami Vice and the drama that we're trying here. This is closer to, say, West Wing or ER or NYPD Blue, where the human drama is so intense that you're just sucked into the story. This one, it's even more poignant than that because the stakes are so much higher. I've never seen a show like this in my life, ever.

Back Stage: I love the chemistry between your characters, not just romantically but as colleagues and friends. Is that something that happened naturally between the two of you?

Olmos: I think that the chemistry is natural, of course. You're supposed to be professional enough and have the technique to induce any kind of feeling that needs to be worked on. But you better have some kind of a feeling for the person you're working with because inevitably it's going to come out in your performance.

McDonnell: Good or bad.

Olmos: Good or bad, it comes out, and you can feel it. In this case, I was very, very grateful that they got Mary and that Mary allowed herself to do this kind of program. We both went outside of ourselves to do it. I mean, her [and I coming] together under the banner of Battlestar Galactica makes no sense at all. You don't associate Mary McDonnell or Edward James Olmos with Battlestar Galactica. The chemistry that I felt being involved with Mary and then watching her work, it was beautiful. It was so easy to get real with this whole scene and just lock into what I do, the kind of work that I like to do and I find myself most effective in, and that's a real strong sincerity and a commitment that's 100 percent. It happened in Miami Vice; that was a crazy cop show, and they allowed me to create this character. And here they did the same thing, they gave me artistic control of the character, so that's been pretty nice. And Mary has total control of her [character], too.

McDonnell: Well, I take control. [Laughs] I think one of the things I enjoy about this chemistry is that Ed is powerful enough for me. But given the character I had to play, there had to be somebody opposite me who allowed me to be interested in them on every level in order to have this relationship and these power plays that go on. So I'm really deeply grateful that it's Ed, because he's a powerhouse. I would not be able to maximize this situation if I wasn't playing opposite someone that powerful. For me, it's been a real gift.

Back Stage: Do either of you have a favorite scene from the series so far?

McDonnell: I have arcs that are favorites. I don't really have favorite scenes. Except, in terms of scenes with Ed, I do have a favorite scene, and that was the last scene we had together at the end of last season [in which Roslin confesses to rigging the presidential election]. We sat there, the two of us, with everything that had happened up until that point, in the room. I could feel the whole two years leading to that moment, sitting there in the room. I just felt the reality of the series in that scene. So I'm particularly tickled by that. To me, they're all so interesting a lot of the time, but when the story, the big story, somehow plunks itself into the chemistry of the scene and this whole thing starts to vibe, that's when I get very excited.

Olmos: I would agree. I've had some extraordinary scenes, real human, dramatic scenes that I've never experienced before in any show. Scenes with Mary have always been very rewarding, very fulfilling in all respects. I don't care if it's just me coming in and asking her for something; it's always very interesting, what happens. Because we bring along everything. As seasoned artists, you bring in all that you've learned and everything you're experiencing right at the moment. The [scenes] that I think have been most difficult for me have been a couple of major deaths that have happened. There's some very tragic, tragic things happening [on the show], you just can't get around it. I think one of the strongest emotional experiences I've had has been with Katee [Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck], when she decided to tell me that she had actually put my son Zak into the pilot's seat without him being really ready for that, that she's responsible for his death, and I just couldn't take it. I lost it. I came within inches of literally tearing her apart myself from anger. And you see it. She didn't expect that. She expected something more fatherly than that kind of a knee-jerk reaction. It was very difficult to do.

Back Stage: Who didn't expect it -- Katee or Starbuck?

Olmos: Starbuck. Well, Katee didn't either, because we only did it once. In scenes like that, we shoot all of our close-ups first, and that's sometimes opposite of how most people like to work, but I don't see us being able to do this for 10 takes or 20 takes. I just don't know anybody that wants to go there that many times.

McDonnell: You know who does that? John Sayles shoots his close-ups first. It's a great way to work, but you have to be a director who knows what you're doing because you've got to know what your final shot is.

Olmos: It becomes difficult, but emotionally it's very rewarding. I've gotta tell ya, this is like nothing I've ever experienced before. You're not ready for what's happening on this show. You're on [Episode] 7, so we're just finishing 19. You're not ready for where you're going to go. I hated this year. It was so good, but…

McDonnell: [The cast] all had a hard time this year, because as opposed to the two previous years, we were isolated from each other a great deal and we were in positions we didn't want to be in. We weren't seeing each other; the cast wasn't hanging out together, the ensemble was a bit estranged this year, and it was very hard on everyone emotionally [to be separated] in order to do the storytelling that was being asked of us. Someone would come in for two days, they'd be gone. Someone would have to come in for a day, they'd be gone. That feeling that we had the first two years that gave us security was kind of taken away. We all griped quite a bit about it, but then we started seeing the dailies, and we said, "Oh, well. Too bad. It works; we'll do it." [Laughs]

Back Stage: This show explores such dark territory. How do you leave that behind at the end of the day -- or do you?

McDonnell: Well, sometimes these people are easy to leave behind because they are so intense and the situation is so awful. So by the time you jump in the car, you're so happy to be free. And quite often, he and I are dashing to the airport, so within an hour, we're on a plane on phones, doing our home lives, being back as parents. Fortunately we're both parents, and we're lucky that we are. We both have beautiful, beautiful families that are very much alive and well in Los Angeles [the show shoots in Vancouver] and very much need us. It would be awful to be playing these people without that. I get back into my family life so fast, and I don't think about [Roslin] again unless I have to read a script while I'm at home. The first year, though, I have to say, she permeated my dreams. The apocalyptic nature of the situation got into my dreams. I had a very hard time. I went to therapy a little bit and just did a little bit of work on it to figure out how to let her get stronger while I got further away from her. It's easier now, for me.

Olmos: It's never easy [for me], because once you've opened that emotion, you've opened up a can of worms. You went there. It's in the now; you've done it. As much as you want to say, "It's an act," really, the whole reason for doing this is to be in the now. Moment to moment, it's all there and you're really there. I've found this year extremely hard to leave behind. I'm on the verge of emotional breakdown. I'll be watching my daughter or I'll be watching my sons or whatever, I'll be talking to somebody, I'll be watching a film, [and] boom, my emotions just come pouring; I just can't keep them down. Because I'm so in need of that to do the work that we're doing that I can't just turn it off and then walk away from it and then have to regroup to have to get back into that feeling. So I stay there. Not that I stay thinking about it, but emotionally I'm as vulnerable right now as I am when I'm working. It's not easy, because you're constantly emotionally taken aback by these feelings. I can't walk away from it anymore, so I don't try.

McDonnell: You know, I think it's very interesting to listen to you. Because your emotional reality is so appropriate to your character and mine to mine. It's so wonderful to watch actors do their things.

Espenson Back On Battlestar

Source: SciFi Wire

Writer Jane Espenson, who is known to genre fans for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Tru Calling, told SCI FI Wire that she welcomed a chance to write scripts for the third season of SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica. In addition to the Dec. 8 episode, "The Passage," Espenson has co-written the upcoming episode "Dirty Hands" with Anne Cofell Saunders (24).

Espenson, who is currently a staff writer for the upcoming midseason NBC sitcom Andy Barker P.I., said that she was asked back after writing the freelance episode "The Passage." "The writing team, they were so bright, helpful and invested," she said. "I love them! There was a real sense that they cared about every beat of every story they were telling. Any time I needed help or advice, they were all there, acting as if it was their own name going on it, that level of attention. Wonderful."

Espenson has been well-known among fans of genre television for her scripts for Buffy and other series, including The CW's Gilmore Girls. She's also attracted a following of fans interested in the art and business of TV writing on her blog, Jane in Progress.

Despite her other gigs, Espenson said she was able to spend some time getting caught up with the Battlestar writers in order to prep for "Dirty Hands." "I was in the room for the breaking of the story this time, although the general parameters of it had already been decided: the theme and rough shape of it," she explained. "I was very excited to jump back in and tackle some main characters who didn't happen to appear in 'The Passage.'"

Espenson admitted that writing for the acclaimed series was initially "daunting," but added that the second script was easier. "I felt more relaxed about improvising," she said. "This story was less fully broken, and so it was even more obvious that I could move some stuff around and make some decisions on my own. I guess I felt like I'd learned to swim."

Teasing the tone and content of the episode, Espenson said: "It wasn't a story that lent itself to enormous comedy, but it's got its moments, and lots of great emotion. It's one of those stories—always my faves—that looks at the underpinnings of the series, at the supporting players in the fleet. The way my Buffy episodes 'Storyteller' and 'Superstar' both moved a tertiary character to center stage, this episode does that with a whole slice of the surviving human population. I'm very pleased about that."

"Dirty Hands" will air in February 2007. Battlestar Galactica will begin airing on SCI FI on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, starting Jan. 21. —Tara DiLullo

On This Week’s Show: Interview with James Callis

Source: Slice of SciFi

This week, Michael, Summer and Joe talk to James Callis, Gaius Baltar from SciFi Channel’s Battlestar Galactica. James tells us all about Baltar’s recent stressful adventures on the Cylon basestar after the misfortunes on New Caprica, and we talk about the theories about the true nature of Baltar’s motives and psyche, as well as the freedom that comes from playing a character who might truly be a sociopath because he defies definition.

Slice of SciFi #88: Interview with James Callis [55:36m]: Download

Katee Sackhoff Live In Studio

Source: Cort and Fatboy

The third installment of the Starbuck Interview Trilogy, co-starring her brother Eric.

Sackhoff discusses some key Battlestar behind the scenes moments: Bamber Merkins, Olmos asking the cast to starve, and Katee lets fly a couple unintended spoilers—including what man haunts Gaeta’s sexual fantasies, What’s happening with Laura’s cancer, and whether or not Starbuck buys it at the end of this season.

Plus—fistfights with Kat, calls to mommy from Tyrol, Lesbian verbal assaults, the strange power of Road Rules/Real World, and an unfortunate running joke centering on the juggling of balls.

That’s Katee and her Brother Eric demonstrating said juggling techniques.

The interview seriously lasts almost exactly as long as an episode of Battlestar sans commercials, so if you need something to watch in the background, there you go.

WARNING: you’ll hear Cort talk about it at the beginning, but we’re not in our familiar studio and the computer we were recording to had a faulty sound-card, so there are some unavoidable audio artifacts in this. But if you’re a battlestar fan, it’s still better quality than the offical episode podcasts they’re giving you, so I hope this doesn’t put you off too much.

Listen now! (42:05min / 19.3MB)

Galactica tops critics top ten lists for 2006

Source: TV Guide

Matt Roush's Top 10

1) 24
My pulse races just thinking about this Fox hit's fifth and finest season, with its scarily high body count (President Palmer! Michelle! Tony! EDGAR!), its evil president, its ferocious First Lady and its hero, Jack Bauer, once again saving the day — with Kiefer Sutherland finally winning his Emmy. No wonder everyone wants to copy this serial-thriller format. But nothing else even comes close. 24 is 24-carat brilliance.

2) The Wire
HBO's devastating urban epic of Baltimore is the opposite of a standard TV crime drama (of which there are too many). More like literature in its realism, depth and honesty, The Wire reveals breathtaking flaws in city politics, law enforcement and, this year, the school system, where four eighth-grade boys face a violent, uncertain future.

3) Friday Night Lights
This show breaks, and lifts, my heart. A ratings underdog about a high-school football team in a vividly authentic Texas town, NBC's beautifully crafted drama scores one emotional touchdown after another. A tremendous young cast is guided by Kyle Chandler's career-high performance as the Panthers' stalwart coach.

4) Grey's Anatomy
The libidinous temperature's always on the rise in this fantastically entertaining romantic medical drama's breakthrough year. Grey's soared in the explosive post-Super Bowl episode, shocked us with Denny's death in the season finale and triumphed in the risky move to Thursdays. We'd follow Grey's anywhere.

5) Battlestar Galactica
Sci Fi Channel's bracingly adult fantasy adventure is less about outer space than inner space, as it looks deep into humanity's heart of darkness. This electrifying saga of survival took on disturbing new colors as it became a provocative war allegory. Subplots involving terrorism and genocide asked us to reconsider the very notion of heroism.

6) NBC's Thursday comedies return
When the network was still No. 1, I could only dream of a two-hour block of consecutive winners this smart, funny and innovative. (No The Single Guy or Jesse here.) And these winners are all so blissfully different: the sweetly wacky My Name Is Earl, the painfully satirical The Office (the year's most improved comedy), the hilariously manic and eternally underrated Scrubs and Tina Fey's uproarious 30 Rock, with Alec Baldwin's sly send-up of a network suit the breakthrough comedy performance of the year. Though Thursday's ratings no longer shout "Must-see!," these gems shouldn't be missed.

7) Ugly Betty
Simply adorable and adorably simple, ABC's fairy-tale charmer about a gawky princess from Queens (America Ferrera's irresistibly lovable Betty) crackles with the garish colors and exaggerated stylings of a telenovela — but with much more heart. Paired with Grey's and Men in Trees on Thursdays, Betty is a romantic's dream come true.

8) The Shield
There's always a place for FX's bold dramas on my list. In 2006, this scorching police drama was the most consistently riveting, dominated by the cat-and-mouse dynamic of Michael Chiklis' dirty cop sparring with Internal Affairs snoop Forest Whitaker. The climactic tragedy of Shane killing his buddy Lem has left us nervously anticipating what is bound to be a vicious aftermath.

9) Lost
My top pick the last two years barely made the cut this time, after the fall's frustrating six-week curtain-raiser that kept the tribe apart and forced us to watch favorite characters caged and beaten. (Free Sawyer!) With its gorgeous look and provocative character-based mysteries, Lost still dazzles. But lately I also want better. Still, I'm not giving up yet.

10) Dexter
In a banner year for Showtime (Brotherhood, Weeds, Sleeper Cell: American Terror), this twisted spin on the crime procedural stands out. Michael C. Hall is a revelation as serial-killer Dexter, an emotionally numb sociopath who slaughters bad guys by night and works crime scenes for Miami cops by day. Macabre and mesmerizing.

Tahmoh talks about "Trick 'r Treat" (2007)

Source: Fangoria

Canadian actor Tahmoh Penikett (pictured) gave Fango the lowdown on the Warner Bros. horror anthology TRICK ‘R TREAT, in which he co-stars. Written and directed by X2 and SUPERMAN RETURNS co-scribe Michael Dougherty with those film’s director on board as a producer, the movie is currently filming in Vancouver for October 5 release next year. Penikett (best-known for his portrayal of Helo on the Sci Fi Channel series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) tells us from the set of TRICK ‘R TREAT that he plays “Henry, husband to the lovely Emma, played by the beautiful and talented actress Leslie Bibb.”

Penikett says of Dougherty’s TRICK ‘R TREAT script, “It's very witty, with all of these different stories and characters interwoven on Halloween night.” The four tales involve a high-school principal who moonlights as an All Hallow’s serial killer, a wife who despises the holiday and her husband’s obsession with it, a virgin on the lookout for that special guy and a group of tweens who orchestrate a sadistic prank. While he’s certainly enthusiastic regarding the ensuing mayhem, Penikett notes, “The coolest thing about this project is all the people on board: Bryan Singer and actors Brian [RED EYE] Cox, Dylan [FIDO] Baker, Anna [DARKNESS] Paquin and Leslie!”

Penikett is equally impressed by his writer/director, who just so happens to be “a big fan of the [GALACTICA] series,” which led to the actor being called in to audition for his TRICK ‘R TREAT role. “I was amazed at his résumé,” the flattered Penikett says of Dougherty’s previous work. “He’s an incredibly talented and intelligent individual.”

As for the number of days he’s scheduled for, “I believe it’ll end up being eight, [due to] all of the days we had to cancel because of some surprise snow.” Regardless of the frigid conditions, the Vancouver native says he’s having a good time. “Mike’s awesome to work with, but you have to watch your back on set because he’s the ultimate prankster! We’ve been in stitches most of the shoot, because he’s constantly trying to get Leslie.”

Despite the youthful orientation of the majority of the movie’s storylines, the actor says that not only is TRICK ‘R TREAT aiming for an adult demographic, but that the production has brought in some big guns to realize its more horrific elements. “Bill [FREDDY VS. JASON] Terezakis and Patrick [UNDERWORLD] Tatopoulos are doing the creatures,” Penikett reveals, with “visual effects by Rainmaker [Animation].” As for how much onscreen splatter Penikett, who also appears in another forthcoming horror anthology, TRAPPED ASHES, has endured, the actor concludes, “Without giving away too much, I can definitely say that one of the scenes I’m in is gory!” —Sean Decker

David Eick Filling the gap in season 3

Source: IF Magazine

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is now officially in hiatus, but we only have to wait a matter of weeks until we can get our fix again. Shooting is completed on the three part finale for this fourth season, a lot of the people involved with production can breathe easier for a little bit. David Eick is not one of those people. Eick and producer/creator partner are always working, and Eick himself has more projects getting ready to head into production. In this final part of our interview series with Eick we squeeze out a few more details about BSG and find out what’s just over the horizon for the talented producer.

iF MAGAZINE: Is it as fun to collaborate with Lucy Lawless again after so many years?

DAVID EICK: It’s really great and I’m really happy with her. She came to the show to do and she’s such a pro because she understands that means sometimes she’s in a lot of the episodes, some times she’s a little of the episodes; sometimes she is the focus of a scene and sometimes she is in the background. You’d be surprised, a lot of actors, particularly actors show have had their own shows and been title characters on shows that were big hits; it doesn’t work that way. If you want them you better build a whole story around them and when they show up on set you better have scheduled your day in such a way that they are the centerpiece and focus of what’s being done. She’s got kind of a theatre actor’s soul. She has a consummate professional attitude and she is all about the work; and yet she has all of the intangible qualities of a true star. I think it’s a really amazing and unusual combination.

iF: Judging from everything I’ve ever read, she has to be fun to work with.

EICK: She is a lot of fun. The crew adores her. The directors adore her. She is sort of like how I would imagine people working with in the 1940’s in old Hollywood. There’s a real irreverence to her, she gets the joke, and she doesn’t take it all that seriously at all and yet she is a complete professional. She doesn’t have the failing that accompany people who have had such huge successes early in their careers. She’s been the centerpiece of a hurricane television sensation and yet there were days on BATTLESTAR where I know she spent hours and hours on the set to say one word. You just don’t find that kind of dedication in people. On top of everything else to have the work be so good, and to have it stretching her in ways that people haven’t seen or haven’t seen as much as other things she has done has been a real joy. It’s a shame, and I wish we had known and been able to coerce her into making a linger commitment because it’s one of those situations where it didn’t go as well and I thought it would it actually went better.

iF: How far do you foresee BATTLESTAR going?

EICK: I don’t know is the honest answer. Ron has told stories of other shows he has worked on where they got to seasons where it was a chore for them or it was clear that it was more of struggle than it had been in the past to keep things going. I haven’t had that experience, so I don’t know what that’s like, but if we found ourselves feeling that way … We’re all making a good living doing the show and we have families and mortgages so its nice to have a job, so that’s a factor, but if it were a chore to comet o work everyday, or we felt were bullsh**ing each other with each subsequent story and it was a drag, then maybe we’d say “they all blow up at the end of this one and lets call it a day.” Until I feel that way it’s hard for me to say if it’ll be another one, or two, or even five years. We had always intended for this to be a series and that’s why we ended the mini-series on a cliffhanger. I was standing on set a the end of the min-series with Michael Rhymer and I said to him, “ I can’t imagine doing this as a series, I don’t have a single idea in my head as to where this could possibly go as I stand here on day 37 this 45 day shoot.” He said, “Are you crazy? This thing could go on for years and years. I don’t even know where you’d draw the line. There are so many directions this thing could go with the depth to this idea.”

Click the IF Magazine link to read the rest of the article

TV Recap: Battlestar Galactica - The Eye Of Jupiter

Source: TV Blend

The reason people like the American Film Institute keep calling ‘Battlestar Galactica’ one of the best shows on television is that it does something almost none of its competition is able to manage. When the show is at its best, it works on at least two levels. Every great episode has at least two separate conflicts working against and with each other. The first is action and story oriented, with the crew finding one of the keys to the next step in their journey to Earth, or in some cases simply fighting for survival. The second is personal, with personalities and relationships colliding, pulling people apart from each other or bringing them together in times of stress. What’s brilliant about this is that ‘BSG’ develops both conflicts all at once. Other science fiction shows like ‘Stagate SG-1’ might manage great action sequences, but if they bother with more personal conflict at all it’s only as a break in between bits of action. Other dramas may nail down personal conflict, but if they bother with action at all, it’s only as break from all the he-said-she-said soap opera they already have going on. ‘Battlestar’ does both in concert with one another and because of that it’s completely brilliant. Never has this proof of the show’s brilliance been more evident than it was this week, in the finale to the first half of season 3.

“They Eye Of Jupiter” begins where last week’s episode left off; with the fleet still in orbit around the “Algae Planet” collecting foodstuffs needed to save themselves for starvation. One small thing though: Kat seems all but forgotten. If there’s any criticism to be leveled at this installment, it’s that after making such a big deal over the sacrifice of a well known character last week, this week it’s as if she never existed. The crew has gotten over Kat pretty quickly, but with all the tension flying around in this episode let’s face it, there’s no room for grief.

Though the show picks up where last week left off, thematically this is more of a direct follow up to the episode before last, ‘Unfinished Business’. The Galactica’s young couples are all down on the surface supervising the civilian efforts at algae collection. Apollo and Starbuck made up two episodes ago, and apparently there’s something sexy about beating each other up because it’s only minutes before they start making out in a shuttle, with Dualla and Anders working unawares just outside the door. Riddled with guilt Apollo suggests they both get divorces. Starbuck, though she’s happy to cheat, refuses to ditch her husband. Apollo refuses to continue cheating on Dualla. They’re stuck.

Neither has much time to dwell on this difficult development in their affair, since right about then four Cylon base stars show up. On board the lead Cylon ship, Baltar is grappling with relationship problems of his own. The threesome between Baltar, Caprica, and D’Anna has apparently developed from a roll in the hay into a full blown relationship. Except D’Anna and Baltar have slipped off on their own to explore their grand destiny, while Caprica is left out in the cold.

Meanwhile on the planet, the Chief has stumbled on to an ancient temple containing the Eye of Jupiter, an artifact discussed in the prophecies and according to the texts, their next marker pointing to Earth. This is of course, what the Cylons are doing there. The coincidence of both groups converging on this same place at the same time is almost too much to dismiss, leaving Adama and Roslyn to again question their lack of faith in religious mumbo jumbo.

The Cylons are there for the Eye, and since Galactica stands between them and the planet, they send over a group to negotiate for it’s surrender. While there, one of the Boomers tells Galactica’s model the truth: Her baby is alive. They’ve bring Baltar with them, and it’s not long before the Brother Cavill is offering him up in exchange for the planet-bound artifact. Gaius is surprised. To him, the Galactica is still home, but one he can never go back to. He knows that if he’s lucky, this will be the last time he sees any of his own kind, and the thought of that, tears him up inside.

Adama throws the Cylons off his ship, threatening to nuke the entire planet rather than let them have it. The first half of the season ends in one of the most intense and incredibly complex standoffs seen in the series so far. Cylons are raiding Apollo’s camp on the ground below. Starbuck has been shot down by Cylon Centurions. Anders reveals that he knows what Apollo and Starbuck are up to, and ends up screaming at Apollo to send a rescue mission into the hills for his wife. Dualla is somewhere near Starbuck’s crash, scouting Cylons. The Chief is somewhere in the temple trying to come to grips with his dislike for religion while trying to figure out the puzzle of the Eye of Jupiter before they all get fracked. Baltar and D’Anna declare their love to Caprica only to ditcher and take off for the planet to meet what they think is their destiny. Boomer and Helo have just found out the truth about what Rosalyn did with their child. Adama has his nukes pointed at the planet prepared to launch and everything, and I mean everything, is about to go straight to hell.

See you on January 21st.

Battlestar Galactica' may sacrifice a character

Source: Metromix

One of the central themes of "Battlestar Galactica," which has its midseason finale at 8 p.m. Friday on Sci Fi, is sacrifice. What are people willing to give up in order to survive, the series asks, and is it always worth it? Are people willing to die, or even kill their own kind, for the greater good?

This season, we've seen the Galactica's second in command, Saul Tigh, sacrifice his own wife on discovery of her treason with the Cylons, who are bent on subduing and destroying humanity. Other lives have been lost along the way, but in Friday's episode, Admiral Adama entertains the idea of a pretty stunning sacrifice. (Don't read further if you don't want to see spoilers for Friday's episode and beyond).

The Galactica and her rag-tag fleet find a planet that has a sacred relic, the Eye of Jupiter, that could tell the remnants of humanity how to find Earth. The catch is, there's a good chance the Cylons might locate the artifact first. The thought of the Cylons finding Earth is more than Adama can stand, and he considers nuking the planet -- despite what, or who, is at stake.

"Several of [Galactica's] people are down on the ground in `Eye of Jupiter' -- [Adama's son] Apollo, Starbuck, Dualla and Anders -- who all happen to have very conflicted relationships these days," executive producer Ron Moore said in a recent interview. "A lot of the drama down on the surface has to do with [the fact that], as they are forced to work and fight side by side, the Cylons try to make a play for the artifact."

Adama is determined that the Cylons should not "get the key to Earth," Moore said. "When faced with the idea that not only might he lose this battle but the Cylons might actually get to Earth . . . he's willing to sacrifice people as well," Moore says.

Friday's episode is the first half of a two-parter that concludes Jan. 21, when "Battlestar Galactica" returns and moves to Sundays. And speaking of sacrifice, Moore warns that when the show comes back in January, "there are more losses still to come."

"There's a pretty big loss coming midway through the second half of the season," Moore said. "You'll be pretty shocked about what happens to somebody."

That somebody, he hinted, would be a lead character. But wouldn't the death of a major character alter the nature of the show?

"It would," Moore replied. "And I'm not really saying that we're doing that. I'm just saying that there's a fairly significant loss that will happen" before the third season ends.

The next batch of episodes also "has a couple more stand-alone episodes that delve more into the civilian aspects of the fleet more than we've done in awhile," Moore adds. We'll find out about the five human-looking Cylon models that we haven't seen yet, the half-human, half-Cylon child Hera will come into play, and the wily Gaius Baltar will find a way to survive yet again. We'll even get a glimpse of Adama's ex-wife.

That all sounds quite intriguing, but once Moore mentioned the big "loss" that's coming, it was difficult to contemplate anything else.

Then again, nothing is certain in the world of "Battlestar Galactica." And sacrifice is part of the deal.

"There are things that you could do to the show that would fundamentally alter it," Moore said. "The question for us is, we want to play the loss and the mortality of all the characters without completely disrupting the fabric of the show, and that's sort of the challenge of it."

Galactica cliffhangs

Source: Desert News

Season 3.0 of "Battlestar Galactica" ends tonight, and when season 3.5 begins next month it will be on a new night.
The show moves to Sundays on Jan. 21.
As has become common operating procedure for "Galactica," it's taking a midseason break after tonight's episode (7 and 9 p.m., Sci Fi Channel). So ... we're going to get a big cliffhanger!
There is, of course, continuing conflict between the humans and the Cylons. On the algae planet, the humans have found the Temple of Five. And, according to legend, that's the home of the Eye of Jupiter. And, according to legend, the Eye of Jupiter contains the key to finding the lost planet Earth.
But the Cylons have found out that the humans have found the Temple of Five. And they want the key to Earth themselves. Which sets up a cliffhanging conflict between humans and Cylons.
And that's not all. Baltar (James Callis) and D'Anna (Lucy Lawless) are stirring up trouble inside the Cylon fleet. And — gasp! — Sharon (Grace Park ) has discovered that the half-Cylon, half-human baby she gave birth to didn't die, as she was told.
It's great stuff.
"Battlestar Galactica" remains one of the best shows on TV. And — stop me if you've heard this before — it's not just for sci-fi geeks. This is great drama set against a sci-fi background, but it's by no means a special-effects show.
It's not unusual for TV critics to get review copies of episodes that aren't quite completed — that don't have the special effects yet. And that affects, oh, maybe a couple of minutes of a "Galactica" episode.
The unfortunate thing is that the ratings haven't been really good this season. Which is prompting the move to Sundays.
Hopefully, the move will work. There are few shows on any network that deserve an audience more than "Battlestar Galactica."

IN THE WAKE OF my most recent column gushing over the wonderful-ness of "Heroes," a bunch of readers want to know how they can catch up with the series.
OK, if you've never watched an episode, the Sci Fi Channel is repeating the pilot today at 5 p.m. (Sci Fi airs repeats every Friday at 5 p.m. On Dec. 22, it will air Episode 9, "Homecoming.")
And next month NBC will repeat five of the 11 episodes that have aired to date.
On Monday, Jan. 1, on Ch. 5, you can see Episode 5 ("Hiros") at 7 p.m.; Episode 6 ("Better Halves") at 8 p.m.; and Episode 7 ("Nothing to Hide") at 9 p.m.
On Monday, Jan. 8, on Ch. 5, you can see Episode 9 ("Homecoming") at 8 p.m.; and Episode 11 ("Fallout") at 9 p.m.
Or you can go on the Internet and see any or all of the 11 episodes at nbc.com.
If you haven't gotten hooked on "Heroes" yet, it's not too late!

Rocket Man

Source: Out.com

Now that Battlestar Galactica has won over gay sci-fi fans with its gender-blind universe, will the cult hit put gays in space? Jamie Bamber, one of the show’s stars, is ready.

Tight yellow tunic, broad chest, and a slightly manic, hungry look in his eye: There’s little argument that Star Trek’s Captain Kirk cut a dashing figure, at least by the TV standards of 1966. Yet despite Kirk’s legendary status as the most capable ladies’ man in space, adept at wooing and bedding both human and alien females, Battlestar Galactica’s resident sexpot, Jamie Bamber (Lee “Apollo” Adama), has already seen more bedspring action than Kirk got in the full run of his show.

The new, sexier incarnation of Battlestar began in 2003 when the Sci Fi Channel produced a miniseries “reimagining” the 1978-1980 series. The new show retains many of the same basic elements, most notably the plotline: After the 12 planets of a distant colony of humans are decimated by a race of cybernetic beings called Cylons, the few surviving humans set off into space searching for a lost mythic planet called Earth.

The show has been widely acclaimed as superior to the very popular original series, due in large part to its creators’ rejecting many of the well-worn sci-fi TV tropes made into virtual guiding principles of the genre by Star Trek. In addition to Battlestar’s other revolutionary elements—including handheld camera, bullets instead of energy beam weapons, and a primitive-sounding drum score rather than the more familiar orchestral bombast—the show also features some of the most appealing forms in outer space, including burgeoning lesbian icon Katee Sackhoff (“Starbuck”), hunky Tahmoh Penikett (“Helo”), and, of course, Bamber.

The Sci Fi Channel’s runaway hit is emblematic of a new trend in science fiction television toward more fully realized, complex characters, many of whom even have sex lives. And if the sexing of sci-fi TV is a trend, then gay fans are thanking their lucky stars for sexy Bamber, whose body-conscious tank tops and revealing sex scenes turn the more common objectification of sci-fi women (think Princess Leia in the golden bikini) on its ear. Bamber’s season 2 scene in a unisex locker room in which he wears only a towel (and not for long) was no less than a queer blogosphere sensation.

As hunky as Bamber is, he’s the show’s accidental heartthrob. During casting, the 5-foot-9 Bamber says, he was dwarfed by the competition: “There were several other hunks in the room that were a lot hunkier than me. They were huge! The overall average physical body type in Los Angeles is completely different [than] in the U.K. So I’m not used to being in a room with a bunch of guys that look like they play college football—and yet they were obviously good actors as well. They didn’t want the archetypal sort of jock hero. They wanted someone a bit more, I guess, cerebral.”

Battlestar executive producer and writer David Eick says he and director Michael Rymer decided against casting the beefcake actors vying for the role: “I just thought it was a mistake to go in that direction because it felt more traditional, more the archetype of the genre.” Eick initially thought of Bamber as “sort of a small, retreating, very nice English guy… That was before I saw how he looked on film. The camera really likes Jamie. He cuts the light, as they say, in a very arresting way, and I can certainly see why gay men and straight women find him attractive.”

Despite the fact that sci-fi TV has been an almost categorically hetero medium, depictions of worlds in which homophobia, racism, and sexism were artifacts of a less sophisticated era (ours) are appealing to anyone regularly on the wrong end of an epithet. Nevertheless, the genre has been tediously ham-fisted when it comes to depictions of romance. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s edict for all the spin-off shows was that in the future, human society would be more enlightened. While the concept was rosily utopian, it presented a dilemma for writers. “There was little opportunity for conflict between characters because it was written in stone that they all get along and are highly professional and much more evolved than we are,” notes Bryan Fuller, a gay former writer on the Star Trek series Deep Space Nine and Voyager. “With that came a sort of sexual sterility.”

“When you look at Battlestar Galactica, they’re fucking all the time—because they’re playing people,” says Fuller. “Every [Star Trek character] was this one-line description for a character, which really isn’t the most fertile ground to write from. The sexuality was always a little more removed.”

“Sexuality in the show is one of the ingredients that turns it from a kids’ show into more of an adult thing,” says Bamber. And we’re not talking hyperflowers and space chocolates here; there’s not much wooing going on. “There are people in very confined spaces that have to live in close proximity to one another. So it makes sense that sex is a much more aggressive, confined act. And this world is a kind of gender-blind world. Men and women are called ‘sir,’ there are coeducational facilities, the shower and everything, and they bunk and they sleep and live and eat and do everything together. In that regard, I guess what we’ve created is a world in which sex is not as much of a taboo as it is in our world.”

This genre has blazed trails before: The famous first televised interracial kiss was between Uhura and Kirk on Star Trek. The international cast was a veritable United Colors of Benetton, plus a Vulcan. Various Star Trek series created episodes that metaphorically dealt with sexism, racism, and even AIDS, yet they never once created a gay character of any significance.

For the most progressive and groundbreaking show in the genre, Battlestar’s lack of gay characters is acute. “Well, as far as you know you haven’t seen any gay characters,” says Eick, claiming that because the characters are still dealing with the annihilation of civilization, there’s not much room for gay story lines yet. “As we evolve through the series and get further away from that cataclysm, we may feel like it’s less of a stretch to start showing people getting involved with each other. Who’s to say who won’t turn out gay?”

Bamber champions the prospect: “There’s no reason, in a world that is gender-blind, on the Battlestars and across this fleet, that we haven’t had an overtly gay relationship come to fruition. It should be there, and it should be as unabashedly honest as the heterosexual relationships.”

While Battlestar may be late to the game in this respect (assuming the show’s creators do enter the game at all), others have already begun to take up the mantle of depicting characters more reflective of their queer audiences. NBC’s upcoming fall drama Heroes, created by Crossing Jordan exec producer Tim Kring, features a diverse international cast and depicts the fallout in ordinary people’s lives when, due to an evolutionary leap, they discover they have extraordinary unexplained abilities. Heroes will feature a gay character, according to Kring and Fuller, who is now writing for the show. In the pilot a popular high school cheerleader with superhuman invulnerability selects a loner from her class to divulge her secret to—though he’s not revealed as gay in that episode. Kring admits, “I’m feeling a little odd about it, because I literally haven’t even discussed it with the actor yet.”

On the network that brought us Will & Grace, there’s still resistance even to peripheral queer characters. Fuller says, “There was a moment on the set where [Kring] was with an NBC executive, who shall remain nameless, and the exec said, ‘Hmm, you need to watch [the cheerleader’s friend] because that character could be interpreted as gay.’ And Tim said, ‘Why do we need to watch that?’ ”

Kring hints that there may be queers in the second wave of rotating characters. “I am intrigued by a gay character front and center, and we are openly discussing it in the studio and in the writers’ room now,” says Kring, undaunted by network resistance. “It doesn’t scare me at all to do that, and it’s always been a battle with networks on that sort of thing. There’s a subversiveness that you’re forced to think about these things with. You try to come in through a side door.”

The queerest rebellion in sci-fi TV is doubtlessly the latest incarnation of the British classic Doctor Who, which recently aired its first season on the Sci Fi Channel, starring Christopher Eccleston and written by out Queer as Folk creator Russell T. Davies. The third season of the show is now in production in Wales.

“There’s very classically and traditionally a strong gay fan base for Doctor Who, ” Davies told The New York Times recently. In the first season of the new Who, the Doctor and his assistant, Rose (played by Billie Piper), join forces with Captain Jack Harkness, a 51st-century bisexual time traveler played by out actor John Barrowman. Handsome and debonair, and as comfortable with his clothes off as with them on, Jack is at ease seducing both male and female characters.

As a sort of omnisexual James Bond of the future, Captain Jack is getting his own spin-off series created by Davies. Called Torchwood (an anagram of “Doctor Who”), the show is billed as sci-fi for adults, and it promises not to shy away from the sex as Jack and company explore alien phenomena in modern-day Britain.

On this side of the pond, look for a Battlestar prequel series called Caprica, now in the early stages of development. Though it takes place on a distant planet, Eick says it will be “more like Dallas than it is like Star Trek.” And in Battlestar’s upcoming third season, Xena star Lucy Lawless, a bona fide lesbian icon, returns as a Cylon for 10 episodes.

Jamie Bamber’s character, who begins the season married and 30 pounds heavier (thanks to prosthetic makeup), will no doubt return to his fighting form in no time. But Eick issues a warning: “It is a war show first and foremost. The audience should never get too attached to any single character because you never know when they may not be around anymore.”

Interview with Luciana Carro part 3

Source: galacticabs

This is the third part of a three part Q&A with Luciana Carro, the actress who portrays Lt. Louanne 'Kat' Katraine in Battlestar Galactica. The questions come directly from Luciana's fans, they were sent to her and she kindly took time out of her schedule to answer them. The staff of Galactica BS would like to thank Luciana and her agent Adam Levine, without who's help this would not have happened.

15. In "Thirst", the fifth episode of "Smallville's" fifth season, your character Kayrin has some English lines, but also one line in Italian or Spanish. Unfortunately, none of the usually reliable transcribers got it. Would you please solve this mystery?
You know, I never saw that episode. I think basically I was calling her a drunken idiot in Italian.

16. I'm told the Al Pacino movies "Casino" and "Godfather" rank among your favorites. Is there a connection to your role on Pacino's "Two for the Money"? I mean, did you become an Al Pacino fan after that film or did you specifically ask your agent to search for a role in a production featuring Pacino?
There is no connection. It was sheer luck that I got to work with an actor whose work I admire so much. A dream come true. I have always been a huge Pacino fan and have loved every one of his movies.

17. When I read your interview in David Bassom's official companion to the second season of "Battlestar Galactica", I was surprised to learn that you auditioned with the help of your Xbox joystick. Funny story, btw!
Oh, the question. Right.
Well, would you please tell us what kind of games you play? Do you invite other people for gaming sessions?
Oh my gosh! That’s funny! I don’t play games. The reason I had a XBOX was because my DVD player had broken. I was pretty broke so a friend of mine lent me his XBOX so I could watch movies. Two weeks later I bought myself a new DVD player. Thanks Battlestar!!

18. Which do you find more satisfying, modeling or acting?
LOL. Oh you’re talking about the Dorinha photo shoot. I really wouldn’t call myself a model although modeling is a lot of fun. Actually Dorinha, the designer for Dorhina Jeans, is a very close friend of mine. I met her on the set of White Chicks. Her clothing line is really popular across Canada. They are pretty much all I wear! She asked me if Id be interested in doing some modeling for her. To answer your question acting is my passion.

19. How do you rank you Battlestar Galactica experience with your other projects? I know you have pushed away some other projects because of your commitment to BSG. How many episodes will you be in Season 3 and which one do you like the best so far?
Ya its true I have had to turn down a considerable amount of projects this year because they have conflicted with my BSG shooting schedule but I don’t regret it at all. I love the show I’m on. I love all the people that are associated with BSG.
I had to turn down something like 2 or 3 BSG episodes in season 2 because it conflicted with my Dr. Dolittle 3 shooting schedule. I was so heart broken. Than they offered me the Final Cut episode and when I read the script I told my agent “YOU GOTTA MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!” And she did. Dolittle gave me one day off. I shot all my scenes in Final Cut in one day. That day was pretty intense let me tell u! But it was worth it.

20. What was the most remarkable encounter with a fan of yours you had so far? I know you've been to VCON 30 together with two other great BSG ladies, Jen Halley and Leah Cairns. Can you tell us about this experience?
Ooooh yes VCON. That was my first convention. Actually it’s the only convention that I’ve been to. I was sooooo nervous! It was a great learning experience though. I had a lot of fun! Gave me a chance to meet and talk to the fans of the show. What’s really remarkable to me is the amount of Kat fans out there! This show has such a strong fan base. It’s amazing but not surprising.
Some of my fans create these really cool cartoons of my characters and these cool banners and websites. They blow my mind!
I’ve been receiving a ton of fan mail; I do read all of it.
I get stopped in the airport a lot. The custom and immigration officials are big fans. They always want autographed photos and spoilers! Now when I travel I make sure to bring some autographed pictures. It makes them happy.

21. Would you attend other conventions?
Yes I would love to. There is nothing that I would love more than to meet my fans in person.

22. I've seen you on "Everwood". What was it like to join a cast when every one else is pretty much occupied with wrapping up? What can you tell us about your time on the set?
I got hired on the show with the intention of being Ephram’s (Gregory Smith) new love interest. I was hoping the series would get picked up for another season but WB decided to go with 7th Heaven instead. We actually shot two different ending for the season finale. One if we got picked up for season 5 and another if we didn’t. Well unfortunately we didn’t get picked up so Ephram got back together with Amy. BOOO!! Working on Everwood was a great experience! I had so much fun. It was really refreshing for me to play a character like Stephanie. What I loved most about playing her was that she was a lovable character. She was cool and free of bullshit.