Just watched the first Act of "Occupation" on line, it was pretty awesome!!
Can't wait to see the full episodes tonight!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
BSG - Cylon "Family" picture
It begins again!! Season 3 - 2hr episode on October 6th at 9pm Pacific Daylight Saving Time (check your local listings) on Scifi Network!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Battlestar Galactica - Coverstory on EW
Great Space Coasters
''Battlestar Galactica'': Inside TV's next great cult hit. If you're already into this sci-fi series, you know it rivals ''Lost'' and ''24'' among TV's best. If you're not, catch up with our preview of the new season by Jeff Jensen
'BATTLE' STARS (From left) Olmos, McDonnell, Callis, Sackhoff, Helfer, Park, and Bamber, ready for season 3's liftoff
In English, the word ''frak'' means...absolutely nothing. But in the not-so-faraway fantasyverse of Battlestar Galactica — Sci Fi Channel's critically exalted reboot of the 1978–79 TV series about space-faring humans fleeing genocidal robots known as Cylons — ''frak'' is similar to a certain FCC-unfriendly epithet that also begins with f and ends with k. Judging from a recent visit to the show's Vancouver set, the multipurpose word will be heard frequently when Galactica returns for its third season on Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. It will be used to express angst when married military man Lee ''Apollo'' Adama (Jamie Bamber) finds himself yearning for married fighter pilot Kara ''Starbuck'' Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) and mutters ''Frak me.'' It will be used to express awe once chief mechanic Gaelin Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) discovers a secret saloon inside the titular battleship and marvels, ''Holy frak!'' And it will be used to express rage after a high-ranking officer (nope, we ain't tellin') drives a pen into the neck of tortured traitor Gaius Baltar (James Callis) and screams ''MOTHERFRAKKER!''
Yep: There sure is a lot of frakkin' human drama on this sci-fi show. Sometimes there's more of it than there is actual science fiction — and that's exactly how they like it in Galactica's little corner of the cosmos. To be certain, the show has its fair share of far-out bits, like visually stunning F/X, trippy concepts (a half-Cylon/half-human baby whose blood has cancer-curing powers), and, of course, Number Six (Tricia Helfer), an immortal platinum blond Cylon partial to wearing crimson red dresses and high heels. But more than that, the show has distinguished itself as one of television's very best dramas — on a par with 24, The Wire, and Lost — because it so utterly transcends both its genre and its source material.
The original ABC series was a one-season wonder of Star Wars-era escapism that over time has attracted a nostalgic, multigenerational cult following. But this gritty new version has taken the same bleak conceit of its predecessor — the unceremonious obliteration of humanity on the peaceful planet of Caprica by cybernetic invaders — and rewired it with prickly, challenging post-9/11 relevance. No longer are the Cylons chrome-plated toasters with oscillating LED eyes — they've evolved into flesh and blood, which allows them to hide in plain sight, like, say, as a muckraking journalist (D'Anna, played by Lucy Lawless). Moreover, they're now motivated by their radical belief in one God to wipe out their creators from existence. Fortunately, the Capricans are as resilient as cockroaches.
Exactly 50,298 surviving souls soon boarded a fleet of star cruisers — led by the massive battleship Galactica — and embarked on a possibly fruitless quest for a mythical lost colony called Earth. They were led by Adm. William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), along with ace fighter pilots Apollo and Starbuck; once-trusted pilot — and Cylon sleeper agent — Sharon Valerii (Grace Park); and the brilliant but slightly mad scientist Baltar, whose feverish visions of Number Six propelled his unlikely ascension to the presidency in season 2. That disastrous development only led to more problems once the refugees found a home on the barren planet of New Caprica; by the finale, their bid for a new beginning came to an end when the Cylons returned.
For nonviewers, this may induce a massive headache. But the series' sophisticated stories have also attracted a distinctively new breed of fan, one who's not necessarily a sci-fi buff. ''Some of the smartest people I know are addicted to this show,'' says McDonnell. ''All it takes is one or two episodes and you're hooked.'' Though routinely snubbed by the Emmys (yeah, it stings them), Galactica recently won a prestigious Peabody award, and the affirmation has the cast and crew psyched. ''The last thing that I wanted to be doing was science fiction on cable television,'' says Olmos. ''But this, to me, is a real gift. I'll be in science fiction every day of my life if they can give me this kind of drama.''
Now, if only they could give him a bigger audience. Galactica averaged 2.3 million weekly viewers in season 2, and while that's impressive by Sci Fi's standards, conventional wisdom says its ratings could — and should — be much larger. Blame the complicated plots and the genre's fringy rep, a stigma that's only exacerbated by a glut of similar-sounding (and inferior) shows like Stargate Atlantis, Farscape, and Andromeda. Says Callis: ''It's strange to exist in the popular consciousness, but so few people actually watch the show. I can't tell you how many times I've had to tell people, 'No, we're not Stargate. Really.'''
''Our name has always been a blessing and a curse,'' says exec producer Ronald Moore. ''Now it's really a curse. We've done market research. People who would watch Nip/Tuck, The Shield — that's our audience. But the minute you say Battlestar Galactica, you can see the lights go off in their eyes.'' Adds Park: ''I can't even get my agent to watch the show. I appreciate your laughter, but it's true. Sooooo true.''
And yet. Mounting buzz and fan-generated ardor have raised hopes that a giant leap forward in popularity is at hand. At the same time, the show is about to make some of its riskiest moves yet. In a strategic shift, Galactica will return in early October — not during basic cable's usual summer-launch season — but for the first time against the broadcast networks' big guns. ''Moving to fall isn't going to hurt,'' insists Sci Fi president Bonnie Hammer. ''With the right product, we can go toe-to-toe during network season. And we truly believe Battlestar Galactica can do it.''
But this is its third season, a critical time when even the best TV series start to struggle with maintaining their creative vitality. So Moore and coexec producer David Eick are, ironically enough, ramping up some of those allegedly alienating sci-fi elements for season 3, which features an exploration of Cylon society via an extended stay inside one of their base ships. Eick, naturally, feels compelled to share some jumping-the-shark anxiety here at the moment of Galactica's breakout opportunity. ''We approach season 3 with nothing but terror, insecurity, and sheer liquid horror that we're going to screw it up if we're not really, really careful,'' he says. ''That's our mantra: Don't screw it up.''
Then again, it seems that Battlestar Galactica has actually done pretty well for itself by trying to steer prospective viewers in the other direction. When Sci Fi relaunched the franchise with a 2003 miniseries, there was certainly a ragtag band of enthusiasts — including original star Richard Hatch — clamoring for it. Since 1998, Hatch had led a charge to get Galactica's copyright owners to resume the saga via a new show. He nearly got his wish: In 2001, a concept developed by director Bryan Singer and his X-Men producer Tom DeSanto for Fox focusing on a new generation of Galactica denizens imploded after delays infringed upon Singer's commitment to X-Men United. Enter Sci Fi — and exit the whole ''continuing the saga'' idea. The network instead optioned the property with the intention of ''reimagining'' the franchise — same characters and concept; different actors and aesthetic approach — and hired former USA Cable exec Eick. He, in turn, snagged Moore, well-known in sci-fi circles for his years as an acclaimed writer and producer in Paramount's Star Trek factory. Neither man had any nostalgia for the original series; to this day, Eick still hasn't watched the entire pilot.
The faithful got their first glimpse of Galactica 2.0 at a 25th-anniversary convention organized by Hatch at a Hollywood hotel. Reports of Moore's revisionist plans had already reached and irked fans (Starbuck's now a chick?! Heresy!), so Hatch invited him over to respond to his critics. Moore accepted, and even brought clips from the still-in-production miniseries. The reaction: boos, hisses, even threats of popcorn throwing. ''At one point,'' recalls Moore, ''they asked me, point-blank, 'Will you pledge to make a different show if this goes to series?' And I said, 'No.'''
And you know what? Those angry fans all probably watched anyway: The miniseries garnered promising ratings for Sci Fi, and the series launched in January 2005 (though not until a foreign partner was recruited to help underwrite the costly enterprise). This version still has its dissenters; you can Google ''Galactica in name only'' to sample their vitriol. Most of their fury is still directed at the now-female Starbuck. Her sex change rankled diehards because of affection for original portrayer Dirk Benedict (who reportedly was going to reprise his role in the Singer/DeSanto version), and because it represented the death of a dream: to see a continuation, not a revamp, of the saga. ''At first, it totally sucked,'' says the new Starbuck, Sackhoff, of the derision. ''There were petitions on the Internet to, like, save Starbuck's genitalia. I started becoming obsessed. I'd be up until 2 a.m. after every episode, trying to figure out if I won them over. And because it takes 100 positive remarks to let go of one negative comment, I would be going, 'Okay, one more positive, one more positive… S---! It's a negative!' I was like, I've got to stay off the Internet.''
For his part, Hatch thinks they just need to get over it. ''The miniseries was very hard to watch for the original fans, and for me, not because it wasn't wonderful, but because it was so different,'' says the actor, who has a recurring role on the new Galactica as a political dissident-turned-leader. ''It's the same thing as life: We grudgingly yield to change, and ultimately realize that change is good. This Battlestar has balls. It has guts. It digs more deeply into the premise than the original ever could.'' Under Moore and Eick's watch, Galactica has thus become a TV think piece teeming with politically potent issues. Moore said he felt the very premise — a society is devastated and transformed by a catastrophic terrorist attack — demanded that the show's fiction speak to our post-9/11 environment. Embracing the opportunity, they resolved that Galactica ''was going to be about us,'' says Moore, ''about the experience that we're having right now.'' He and Eick praise Sci Fi for the freedom they've been given, although their penchant for coloring heroes with disturbing moral ambiguity (Starbuck brutally torturing a prisoner; Adama drowning a baby in a dream sequence) has sparked some clashes with network brass. ''They could be a wee bit more hopeful and aspirational,'' says Hammer. ''But it's a huge learning curve, and they're finding the right balance.''
Still, don't expect the bleak skies to clear up completely. The fleshbots may have again found their targets, but they're increasingly conflicted over their genocidal policy: They've set up Baltar as a puppet leader, and are making the New Capricans live under their boot instead of crushing them with it. Galactica's geopolitical touchstone, meanwhile, has shifted from Patriot Act America to occupied Iraq. As such, the rooting interest for viewers has become murkier. In the season premiere, for instance, human insurgents make a shocking choice to employ suicide bombers. For the actors, bringing to life this juicy dilemma was a mixed blessing. ''I was thrilled by the possibility of taking people that we know and love and seeing them put in a circumstance where anyone can become [someone] they don't want to be,'' says McDonnell. ''Shooting that particular episode, everybody looked sad, everybody felt sad. We realized we were all sort of going through the same thing: the hopelessness of an occupied nation.''
If relating to an oppressed people was rough for the cast, venturing behind the iron curtain of Galactica's oppressors was just plain weird, and not everyone believes that getting to know the Cylons is a good idea. ''My personal jury is still out,'' says Bamber. ''I think where the show really works is in the daily grind aboard the Galactica, trying to run from this unknown and therefore ultimately terrifying enemy.''
The encouraging news is that the creative gambit has been given considerable thought. To prep the Cylon actors, Moore wrote a veritable Cylon manual called ''Life on a Base Ship.'' ''It was like gold,'' says Helfer, who declined to divulge any nuggets. ''But I did share it with other actors who didn't get copies. Not any humans, mind you, just my fellow Cylons.''
For all the hand-wringing, Hammer believes the Cylon plotline enriches the provocative question at the center of season 3's stories: ''How do you know which side you should root for?'' She hopes Galactica's audience can grow this season; if it doesn't, its current ratings and network-enhancing reputation — combined with ancillary revenues from DVD sales and the hugely popular original webisodes that have netted 1.8 million downloads since launching earlier this month — still make it a very valuable asset. Sackhoff puts it in perspective: ''The show is good because we're on a smaller network that allows us the freedom to take chances. I don't know if this show could go mainstream, and if we'll get any bigger than we already are. Let them have their Grey's Anatomy, you know? We'll keep our secret to ourselves until it's time to give it up and move along.''
Like the original Galactica, this version has an implicit conclusion: the eventual discovery of Earth. Moore and Eick say they have an ending in mind, but won't say if it involves the Galactica and its fleet actually reaching our fair planet. Ask the cast, and they'll tell you (after insisting that Galactica is really about the journey, not the end...blah blah blah) about a popular joke on the set: The series' climactic scene will find the fleet being blown to bits by America's president. ''You know it's never going to end happy,'' teases Park. ''They think Earth is this magical Eden, but we all know how we treat each other here. Then again, you know the Cylons are just going to follow them to Earth and bring their little war to our backyard. So maybe it would be better all around if [the American president] ordered a nuclear strike on Galactica. That would be like the biggest 'F--- you.''' Or frak you, as it were.
(Posted:09/21/06)
Thursday, September 07, 2006
BSG Webepisode 2 Transcript
Outside - New Caprica - Duck, Jammer, and Galen around what looks to be a small water tower
Duck: Look, part of me would love to kick some chrome plated ass with you guys. But, it?s not gonna happen. I just?.got other plans.
Duck leaves
Jammer sighs
Galen: Other plans. What the frak is that?
Jammer: Nora.
Galen: So what! I?ve got a wife and a kid - you don?t think I worry about them? What kind of a future are we gonna leave them if we just lay down and quit?! That?s just a spineless excuse.
Jammer: Duck?s no coward, Chief. He made his choice, we made ours. Let?s just leave it at that.
Galen: Frak that.
Galen walks away.
Jammer fumbles with the water hose.
Inside - Temple Tent - Jammer, Jean, Tigh, Sister Tivenan
Sister Tivenan walks by with an offering.
Jean: We give thanks for the food you have presented us. May this harvest be spared the blight.
Jammer & Tigh: So say we all.
Jean: So say we all.
Sister Tivenan exits.
Jean: We picked up all the weapons from the other sites. They?re in crates marked ?machine parts?. We?ll smuggle them over here a few at a time.
Jammer: Wait a minute?You want to hide the firearms in the temple?
Jean: Something wrong with that?
Jammer: This is sacred ground. The cylons respect that. Which is why we should leave the temple alone.
Tigh: And that makes it the perfect hiding place.
Jammer: But it?s sacrilege!
Tigh: I?ll tell you what - you say a prayer, ask the Gods to forgive us. We move the guns in tonight.
Tigh and Jean exit.
BSG Webepisode 1 transcript
New Caprica - 67th day of occupation.
The Tyrol's Tent
Cally (handing out jackets to their guests) : Here you go.
Galen (Offering alcohol): One for the road? Keep off the cold and wet?
Duck: Oh, no. Not for me. Curfew?s in twenty minutes, the sun?s goin down even quicker. The last thing I wanna do is spend the night in a Cylon jail cell.
Jammer: Cylon?s show up to help us - first thing they do is build a jail.
Baby Tyrol cries.
Nora (Looking at Baby Tyrol): He?s so beautiful.
Cally: You two should have one!
Duck: We?re working on that!
Jammer: Great work if you can get it!
All laugh
Nora: Thanks! Bye.
Cally: Bye, be safe.
Outside, walking
Duck (to Jammer): We need to find you a lady buddy, you?re starting to walk funny.
Laughing
Jammer: Yeah, if Nora has a sister, I?m there!
Nora: Sorry, I can?t help you!
Jammer: Story of my life!
Jammer offers Duck and Nora a Cigarette.
Duck: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, we quit.
Nora: If we?re gonna have a baby, we gotta clean up our act.
Duck and Nora kiss.
Jammer: You hear about Longo(?)
Duck: No, what?
Jammer: Toasters got him. Found his weapons stash.
Back to Galen?s Tent
Tigh: You think Duck?ll bite?
Galen: Jammer?s finding out right now.
(opens stash of weapons)
Galen: At least the cylon?s didn?t get um all. Longo had these hidden under his latrine.
Tigh: This is all that?s left? This is frakking pathetic. If this keeps up, we?ll have nothing but rocks left to throw at the bastards.
Galen: Yeah. And nobody to throw um.
Back outside to Jammer, Nora and Duck.
Nora: They shot him in cold blood?
Jammer: Toasters claim when they found his stash, he was reaching for his gun.
Duck: What? Charlie?s not that stupid. Those frakkers murdered him.
Nora: Gods! Poor Charlie. Hiding weapons in his tent? What does he expect.
Duck sees a recruitment poster for the New Caprica Police
Duck: And now they want us to do their dirty work for them? Are you kidding me? New Caprica Police? What a bunch of crap!
Jammer: Some people say it?s a good thing.
Duck laughs
Jammer: Get the centurions off the streets and let us patrol them ourselves? Maybe Charlie would still be still be alive if they had human..
Duck (interrupting): Oh no, no, no, no. No matter how you try to swing this, you work for the toasters, it?s treason.
Duck rips the add off the wall, crumbles it, and throws it away looking suspicious.
Duck: Lets go.
Jammer: Oh hell. Hey! I forgot my hat back at the chiefs. I?ll see you later.
Jammer kisses Nora and shakes Duck?s hand.
Jammer (to Duck): See ya man.
Jammer walks back towards the Chief?s tent.
Duck (to Nora): What do you think about him being a Godfather?
Nora: Yeah.
Duck: Yeah!
Nora: Yeah!
Duck: Haha, Yeah!
Back to The Tyrol's Tent.
Cally (whispering to baby Tyrol): bedtime..
Galen: Adama?s not gonna have a hope in hell of getting us off this rock if we don?t put together an effective fighting force.
Tigh: We?ll have to keep these here until we find a better hiding place.
Cally looks concerned.
Galen: Colonel, I?ve got a wife, a newborn.
Tigh (interrupting): We?ll move them as soon as we can.
Jammer enters.
Galen: Well?
Jammer: Duck hates the toasters, no doubt about that.
Tigh: He?s also an ex Viper jock with forty kills! Talk to him, make him understand that we need him! Throw in some poetic crap about the struggle for liberty against the cylon oppressors, whatever it takes! We need more people or this resistance movement is going to die in it?s crib.
The Tyrol's Tent
Cally (handing out jackets to their guests) : Here you go.
Galen (Offering alcohol): One for the road? Keep off the cold and wet?
Duck: Oh, no. Not for me. Curfew?s in twenty minutes, the sun?s goin down even quicker. The last thing I wanna do is spend the night in a Cylon jail cell.
Jammer: Cylon?s show up to help us - first thing they do is build a jail.
Baby Tyrol cries.
Nora (Looking at Baby Tyrol): He?s so beautiful.
Cally: You two should have one!
Duck: We?re working on that!
Jammer: Great work if you can get it!
All laugh
Nora: Thanks! Bye.
Cally: Bye, be safe.
Outside, walking
Duck (to Jammer): We need to find you a lady buddy, you?re starting to walk funny.
Laughing
Jammer: Yeah, if Nora has a sister, I?m there!
Nora: Sorry, I can?t help you!
Jammer: Story of my life!
Jammer offers Duck and Nora a Cigarette.
Duck: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, we quit.
Nora: If we?re gonna have a baby, we gotta clean up our act.
Duck and Nora kiss.
Jammer: You hear about Longo(?)
Duck: No, what?
Jammer: Toasters got him. Found his weapons stash.
Back to Galen?s Tent
Tigh: You think Duck?ll bite?
Galen: Jammer?s finding out right now.
(opens stash of weapons)
Galen: At least the cylon?s didn?t get um all. Longo had these hidden under his latrine.
Tigh: This is all that?s left? This is frakking pathetic. If this keeps up, we?ll have nothing but rocks left to throw at the bastards.
Galen: Yeah. And nobody to throw um.
Back outside to Jammer, Nora and Duck.
Nora: They shot him in cold blood?
Jammer: Toasters claim when they found his stash, he was reaching for his gun.
Duck: What? Charlie?s not that stupid. Those frakkers murdered him.
Nora: Gods! Poor Charlie. Hiding weapons in his tent? What does he expect.
Duck sees a recruitment poster for the New Caprica Police
Duck: And now they want us to do their dirty work for them? Are you kidding me? New Caprica Police? What a bunch of crap!
Jammer: Some people say it?s a good thing.
Duck laughs
Jammer: Get the centurions off the streets and let us patrol them ourselves? Maybe Charlie would still be still be alive if they had human..
Duck (interrupting): Oh no, no, no, no. No matter how you try to swing this, you work for the toasters, it?s treason.
Duck rips the add off the wall, crumbles it, and throws it away looking suspicious.
Duck: Lets go.
Jammer: Oh hell. Hey! I forgot my hat back at the chiefs. I?ll see you later.
Jammer kisses Nora and shakes Duck?s hand.
Jammer (to Duck): See ya man.
Jammer walks back towards the Chief?s tent.
Duck (to Nora): What do you think about him being a Godfather?
Nora: Yeah.
Duck: Yeah!
Nora: Yeah!
Duck: Haha, Yeah!
Back to The Tyrol's Tent.
Cally (whispering to baby Tyrol): bedtime..
Galen: Adama?s not gonna have a hope in hell of getting us off this rock if we don?t put together an effective fighting force.
Tigh: We?ll have to keep these here until we find a better hiding place.
Cally looks concerned.
Galen: Colonel, I?ve got a wife, a newborn.
Tigh (interrupting): We?ll move them as soon as we can.
Jammer enters.
Galen: Well?
Jammer: Duck hates the toasters, no doubt about that.
Tigh: He?s also an ex Viper jock with forty kills! Talk to him, make him understand that we need him! Throw in some poetic crap about the struggle for liberty against the cylon oppressors, whatever it takes! We need more people or this resistance movement is going to die in it?s crib.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Battlestar on earlier
BSG Moving to 9pm Friday
Source: Futon Critic
LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Sci Fi is expanding its signature Friday lineup with repeats of NBC's newcomer "Heroes" and CBS's short-lived drama "Threshold" while October will see the return of "Ghost Hunters" and the launch of a new weekly newsmagazine "Sci Fi Investigates."
Said moves, along with several other developments, were confirmed today with the release of the network's schedule for October.
"Heroes," which bows Monday, September 25 at 10:00/9:00c on the Peacock, will encore each Friday on Sci Fi at 7:00/6:00c starting September 29 while "Threshold" will take over the Friday, 10:00/9:00c hour starting October 13. The pair join new seasons of "Doctor Who" and "Battlestar Galactica" as well as repeats of ABC's "Night Stalker" revival.
To review, here's a breakdown of Sci Fi's Friday lineup for the fall:
6:00/5:00c - "Night Stalker" (as of September 29)
7:00/6:00c - "Heroes" (as of September 29)
8:00/7:00c - "Doctor Who" (as of September 29)
9:00/8:00c - "Battlestar Galactica" (as of October 6)
10:00/9:00c - "Threshold" (as of October 13)
The delayed starts for "Galactica" and "Threshold" are due to the expanded season premieres of both "Doctor Who" and "Galactica" itself.
Newshound: SciFi
posted by Blade Runner @ 05:11
Source: Futon Critic
LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Sci Fi is expanding its signature Friday lineup with repeats of NBC's newcomer "Heroes" and CBS's short-lived drama "Threshold" while October will see the return of "Ghost Hunters" and the launch of a new weekly newsmagazine "Sci Fi Investigates."
Said moves, along with several other developments, were confirmed today with the release of the network's schedule for October.
"Heroes," which bows Monday, September 25 at 10:00/9:00c on the Peacock, will encore each Friday on Sci Fi at 7:00/6:00c starting September 29 while "Threshold" will take over the Friday, 10:00/9:00c hour starting October 13. The pair join new seasons of "Doctor Who" and "Battlestar Galactica" as well as repeats of ABC's "Night Stalker" revival.
To review, here's a breakdown of Sci Fi's Friday lineup for the fall:
6:00/5:00c - "Night Stalker" (as of September 29)
7:00/6:00c - "Heroes" (as of September 29)
8:00/7:00c - "Doctor Who" (as of September 29)
9:00/8:00c - "Battlestar Galactica" (as of October 6)
10:00/9:00c - "Threshold" (as of October 13)
The delayed starts for "Galactica" and "Threshold" are due to the expanded season premieres of both "Doctor Who" and "Galactica" itself.
Newshound: SciFi
posted by Blade Runner @ 05:11
BSG 3 - A Season of Hope
A Season Of HopeSource: Sci-Fi Magazine
Primed to breakout into a mainstream hit, Battlestar Galactica is back to explore a new world.
By: Tara Dilullo
FOR MOST TELEVISION EMBARKING on their season, it's enough to have finally found a creative groove and just keep doing the things that got them renewed in the first place. Maybe the writers add a little more action or sex or cast a new, high-profile character or two, but really status quo is the standard key to success in TV?just don't bother telling that to Battlestar Galactica's creator and executive producer Ronald D. Moore.
From the early development of his groundbreaking series, Moore has always made I his goal to "reinvent the modern science-fiction drama" with the new incarnation of Battlestar Galactica. For all intents and purposes, the man is getting it done. The series has won a prestigious Peabody Award and an American Film Institute Award, ranked number one on Time magazine's list Best TV Shows of 2005 and received consistent critical gushing form publications like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly.
But that's not good enough for trailblazer Moore and his creative team, who decided to turn their show on its creative head and change the entire series dynamic in preparation for season three, which debuts on SCI FI Channel on October. How exactly do you freak out the viewers and your cast and crew in one fell swoop? Well, you take the last act of your season finale, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2," and fast-forward the entire narrative timeline ahead a calendar year-with no warning.
For Battlestar Galcatica, that meant taking the concept of the series-the last vestiges of humanity stranded in space running from their robotic enemies, the Cylons, who are intent on exterminating them from the universe- and having the beleaguered humans finally find a habitable planet, New Caprica. They settle it, and one year later the Cylons show up to occupy their abject failure of a settlement. "Shocking" and "bold" are words thrown around loosely when describing television, but in the case of the Battlestar finale, audiences and critics agreed wholeheartedly that those terms absolutely applied.
Knee-deep into production on the third season, Battlestar's Moore is currently planning the midseason episodes, but he takes time to look back at the season-two finale. He says changing up the show in such a dramatic way wasn't a desperate stunt, but rather necessary choice to stay to the story goals.
"[The idea] was pretty late developing sort of as we got into the later half of the second season," Moore says. "After we completed the Pegasus arc and we were talking in earnest about what the end of the second season would be, there were some plot threads that were moving that felt like they had to come to resolution , one of them being the election [for the leadership of humanity]. We promised an election, and we already started moving pieces of the puzzle where it seemed clear the [Gaius] Baltar would be the one who would run against [President] Laura [Roslin]. So it wasn't so much about ?Are we going to do an election?', but what it's gong to be about.
"It had to be about something substantive, and we had this other idea kicking around from the first season about "What if they come across another planet that is a potential home? What if there are some people that want to stay and some people who want to go, so what would they do?" That's natural place to centre the election on, and then it became if we are going to have Baltar win-and we all wanted Baltar to win because it's more interesting and delicious as a story turn-well, they move down to the planet, and then what? If the Cylons show up right away, then it was much ado about nothing. All the arguments never mean anything because you never got a chance to see them colonize the planet.
"So we talked about how long it would take to get down there and settle, and we start talking weeks, months or a year. If you are gong to do that, then what's the show? We didn't want to be completely planet bound for a whole season, and it would take the Cylons out of it completely. It didn't seem like a practical alternative. We had discussions about doing a time jump, and it just seemed like the time to do it. The first discussions were about doing the jump in between season, where you see Baltar wins and come back and have season three a year later. But that seemed pedestrian , and the more we talked about it, it came down to doing it in the show. It seemed like a great opportunity to surprise the audience and challenge their expectations of what the show is and where it is going."
Season three is being touted as the "season of hope," which happens to encapsulate many of the issues surrounding the series, not only in terms of story, with humanity on New Caprica desperate for rescue by the leftover fleet that escaped the Cylon occupation, but also in terms of the real-world expectations of many in the industry at to whether this show can finally break out to become a mainstream hit this season.
Addressing the themes for this season, Moore says, "It starts four months into the occupation. Time has moved on, and certain things have had time to develop. There's an insurgency on New Caprica. [Human spaceships] Galactica and Pegasus are off someplace desperately trying to figure out a way to get back and rescue everyone. Baltar is still the president, but he is under the occupation authority. There are humans who are working with the Cylons, but are they collaborators or are they trying to make things better?
"We deal with bombings and a lot of sort of contemporary heavy-duty issues again in the third season. But then there is fallout. Whose side were you on when the chips were down? Who is a collaborator, and what should happen to them? What of Gaius Baltar? We'll also be telling stories on the Cylon side. We're going to do a running Cylon storyline throughout the first 11 episodes, and it cuts over the a [Cylon] Basestar spaceship for the first time."
While "hope" seems a word light in tone, anyone who knows Battlstar understands that suffering and angst are always going to be the path on this series. Hope will have to earned through pain-and plenty of it.
Actress Grace Park, who plays dual roles as humanoid Cylon Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii/Number 8, says reading the first episodes of the season quickly put the season in focus for her.
"When we come back to season three, you will get a sense of what Sharon has been going through with her interactions with humans. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and it's almost like a chess game that is being played, and everything is secretive. Everyone has an agenda, if not two, and it's actually going to get darker." Pausing, she laughs and adds, "When I heard that I said, Darker? How can Battlestar get any darker?"
Actor Edward James Olmos, Adm. William Adama and commander of the exiled warship Battlestar Galactica, concurs with Park in her assessment.
"Basically, it's going to get darker. The problems that face Adm. Adama are just monumental. You won't believe it," he says, a bit bemused himself. With his character desperate to return to New Caprica to save the bulk of humanity still left with the Cylons. Olmos ponders his character's decision of running in the season-two finale.
"I think it was truly a reality. There was no way that we could fight. We had 10,000 people aboard the ships and 39,000 people on the ground, so we must preserve what little we have left. We had to safeguard the people we had on board and try to figure out what to do.
"When we come back, all hell breaks loose, and it becomes very difficult. What happens on New Caprica is monumental. You see things that are going to make sense , and all of a sudden you are going to start to realize how people can do the things they are doing, like suicide bombers and turning your back on humanity . People will be very moved all the way around by what is going to happen. I can't tell you how incredible it is and shocking when you get inside of what we're doing. By the seventh episode, you will be mind-boggled as to what is going on with him and where he's going. I've never seen a show do this to the protagonist on all level. You'll be amazed at what these writers are writing. The third season is jus monumental. People are going to get spun around like crazy."
In structuring season three, Moore says that flashbacks will feature heavily in episodes as the events of the past year are slowly explained.
"Flashbacks work really well if there are big questions in the past that you are desperate to get the answers to, and wanted to utilize that to fill in some of the blanks of what happened in the missing year and get a glimpse of what did happen."
In particular, some of those flashbacks revolve around Cmdr Lee "Apollo" Adama, the son of Adm. Adama and former lover of fighter pilot Capt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. Actor James Bamber, who plays Apollo, says those glimpses back will help fill in the blanks for fans and answer lingering questions even the actors were curious about.
"There are tons of surprises," he says. "At the end of the second season, there is an implication that me and Kara fall out in a substantial way, and we're not told why that is. During the new episodes, you really do find out why they absolutely have no time for each other. It's always surprising to find out what the missing pieces of the jigsaw has been that has led to this place. We are shooting an episode now that sees a change in their relationship, and there is an absolutely huge episode in which there is a revelation about [Admiral] Adama that changes everything about the way that we perceive him. Only a couple of characters have been let in on the secret, me being one of them. It's my favorite scene that I've ever played on the show, just listening to something that will change the character completely and the way he sees his dad completely and the way he is."
Another of the most pressing and juicy storylines is that of President Baltar, a pawn of the Cylons who has fulfilled his potential by governing New Caprica into such a hole of inefficiency that the Cylons are able to just walk in and overtake the settlement. Actor James Callis, who recently won a Saturn Award for best supporting actor for his layered twist on the character, says he loves the direction this season is taking Baltar.
"In a strange way the fact that he's become Caligula-esque shows in some fashion an intelligence, like the whole world has gone to screw and so have I, and he's revelling in it," he says, laughing. "Initially, in flashbacks though, you see that he tried. What I think is interesting is that in so many points along the way, nearly all of the characters have given up at different points? ?Please just shoot me through the bleeding head right now, because I can't take it anymore.' He chuckles. "Then something happens and it doesn't end up happening that way.
"Most of the cast has faced death a lot of times, and it looks like they are going to be facing it a lot more, and on some secret level. I think Baltar particularly has a death wish. In some fashion , if he could muster the courage to kill himself, he would. He's not afraid of death, per se, because everybody [on this show] has looked it in the eye.
"This idea of going forward a year and all of the things that went with it is so inspired." He continues. "If we hadn't done that jump, I think this season would have begun to look tired. This device, which I think very few shows could pull off, has taken us into another realm, and we all feel it. It's an exciting place to be. I believe this season will again reinvent itself. The story takes such drastic turns in Episodes 10 and 11, which are looking spectacular."
This season will also continue to explore the sordid, complicated connection between Baltar and his sultry Cylon instigator, Six, played by Tricia Helfer.
"The Baltar/Six dynamic is still there." Callis says. "These two are tied to one another in more ways than one. Baltar is trying to work out what their relationship is-if he's in love and if he's really on some kind of spiritual, messianic quest. At the same time of working out the relationship, he's also asking questions about himself. Even I'm slightly confused jumping from Caprica Six to Number Six. I never know which way to look."
Tricia Helfer, who does multiple duties as the various Sixes, says, "The firs couple of episodes are on New Caprica, and we do see Caprica Six with Baltar, and the relationship has sort of gone back to a comfortable relationship. I think Baltar relies on Caprica Six for protection, but a little bit for guidance."
The actress is even more excited this season to delve deeper into her Cylon brethren. "One of the things for my character, and the Cylons in general, and for those fans interested in more details on the Cylons in general, and for those fans interested in more details on the Cylon world and what life on a baseship is really like.
With the Cylon stories oftentimes exploring the deeper religious issues of the show, many of which reflect modern-day theological debates. Helfer says she feels the weight even more this year with the intensity of the storylines.
"Sometimes it almost gets a little overwhelming, and I'm thinking, ?Wow I really want to do this justice, and it's so intricate.' When we get on the baseship, we start to realize there is some dissension within the humanoid Cylons themselves, and, in an odd way, it makes them disagree for the first time. We got hints of it in ?Downloaded,' with different points of view from those Cylons who have more contact with humans, Boomer and Caprica Six. We really start to see the Cylons get a little rattled for the first time. With the religious issues, you see certain Cylons are bigger believers than others and what it does to them."
Religion, politics, the inconsistencies of was: all subjects Battlestar tackles head-on every season with challenging twists and disarming clarity. It's another reason the show has been embraced by critics, as it's the only show dealing with issues that reflect contemporary global issues. Moore says their genre label actually allows them to get away with more than the typical drama ever could.
"We get a lot more freedom to play around with things than we would if we were just telling it as a straight drama. I'd rather do it his way because it's not so much that we want to tell the exact story of what is happening today. Even though the show has a lot of allegorical elements and metaphors and what have you, it's not a straight analogy. Laura [Roslin] is not Bush, and the Cylons are not Al-Qaeda. But what the show provides is a way to twist all those things around and have you look at them from different perspectives and really mix up the motivations of the players and get to the underlying truths of what is going on. If you are all dealing with them all by their proper names, and dealing with all the pieces exactly as you see them every day, you are trapped into certain modes of thinking and you can't really break out of that the way that science fiction can by presenting it through a different prism and making you see it with different eyes."
Others inside the creative, such as Carol Barbee, executive of CBS new post-apocalyptic themed drama Jericho, explains Battlestar's far-reaching influence. "It's referenced so many times in our writer's room, and people are going home and studying Battlestar Galactica. Jon Turteltaub is the creator of our show, and he's never seen Battlestar Galactica. The first couple weeks in the writer's room he would hop in and out, and every time he was in there, BSG would get referenced. Coincidentally, he had to go to an awards dinner and he was seated with Joss Whedon [creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly]. He said to Whedom, ?All right, I have to ask you something. I have heard Battlestar Galactica referenced in my writer's room like four time in 20 minutes, why is everybody talking about it? Joss said. Because it's just the best television show on."
For the man labouring behind the creative scenes, Moore is candid about the realities of the industry and the limitations of the genre he's embraced as his storytelling medium of choice. "It's frustrating at time," he admits. "The series title is both a blessing and a curse at this point. It's the thing that got the show made, and certainly people gravitate to it because of the name. People don't really know what to expect because it is on the SCI FI Channel, and with a name like that it's not getting all the people who may enjoy it, that watch Nip/Tuck or The Shield or The Sopranos, who would probably genuinely enjoy our show. We are still getting over the leap of faith that it takes to tune in to SCI FI and watch a show called Battlestar Galactica."
Regardless, Moore and his cast and crew march on, telling the stories they are compelled to tell in the way they need to tell them. I'm very pleased with the opening arc on New Caprica and the occupation and all the players and what happened to people. All of that really is interesting and challenging and some of the best things we've done. There are some real heavy hits that the characters that we love and know take in those first few episodes. There are some familiar beloved characters that meet untimely ends in various ways. People make choices, some good and some bad , and I think it's really interesting, provocative stuff. This experience has been incredibly gratifying for me. I am very surprised and happy at the way it's been received by the critics and the press, and the fan base has been tremendous. It's just a great production. The cast is a dream, and we have one of the best production crews I've ever worked with, and you're able to really push the boundaries of what televisions is."
"I think it can be breakout show, and it's breaking out now," says Edward James Olmos. "It's just not breaking out in respects in how most people think for commercial pieces. At the same time, it is showing itself to be intellectually stimulating, and people that are finding it are really grateful that are being exposed to the material. I think there will be more people that will see this as the years go on."
posted by Blade Runner @ 05:19
Newshound : Giorgio
New BSG Webisodes begins Sept 5th
Saturday, September 2
BSG webisodes set to begin Sept 5th
According to commercials and trailers seen on the Sci-Fi Channel, the long awaited "webisodes" for Battlestar Galactica start on September 5th. These mini-episodes will be shown via streaming video on Sci-Fi's Pulse Network, and will be online exclusives. These web episodes will chronicle some of the adventures of the season 3 New Caprica resistance that is led by Samuel T. Anders (Michael Trucco), Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan), and Tyrol (Aaron Douglas). The 10 web episodes will be 2-3 minute shorts, that will run approximately twice a week up to the premiere of Season 3 on October 6th.
For more details, check out: Scifi.com.
Newshound: Sic Sic Heretic of Fleet Ops Command
posted by Phantom Dennis @ 10:54
BSG webisodes set to begin Sept 5th
According to commercials and trailers seen on the Sci-Fi Channel, the long awaited "webisodes" for Battlestar Galactica start on September 5th. These mini-episodes will be shown via streaming video on Sci-Fi's Pulse Network, and will be online exclusives. These web episodes will chronicle some of the adventures of the season 3 New Caprica resistance that is led by Samuel T. Anders (Michael Trucco), Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan), and Tyrol (Aaron Douglas). The 10 web episodes will be 2-3 minute shorts, that will run approximately twice a week up to the premiere of Season 3 on October 6th.
For more details, check out: Scifi.com.
Newshound: Sic Sic Heretic of Fleet Ops Command
posted by Phantom Dennis @ 10:54
Friday, September 01, 2006
BSG Season 3 updates (3 articles)
Thursday, August 31
Season three - an early look
Source: TV Squad
Battlestar Galactica season three -- an early look
When I returned home last night, a package awaited me that I later knew would most definitely define a good portion of the near midnight hours of my night; a large, thin, hard bound book containing beautiful pictures, text and DVDs for the first four episodes of Battlestar Galactica's third season.
It's extremely difficult to tell you too much about the new season and the episodes I watched without spoiling things for you, especially when I'm such a hardcore member of Spoilers Anonymous as it is. Sorry in advance if I'm giving too little or too much away, but I think this will be a good start to get you even more excited for the new season, which starts Friday, October 6.
Let me start by saying that you won't be disappointed. I admit I was afraid things were going to be pretty sketchy this season, with the show's creators taking a leap of faith by transplanting the series a year into the future. I'm extremely pleased at how well it's working, and there are lots of hints of promise for what's to come.
The opening scenes of the two-hour premiere (called "Occupation / Precipice") are almost poetic, and they definitely give you that excited feeling that "holy crap, BSG is back!" That haunting, ethereal music, teasing shots of people we've come to know on the show. It only keeps getting better.
The opening credit scenes, though they looked a little unfinished, are a bit different than last season. In the opening "they have a plan" intro, they've thrown in a few scenes from last season. During the opening credits scene, they've stuck with the format of teasing us with future scenes from the episode, while also changing the scenes prior to those teases. Nothing major, but they're there.
My tired eyes only allowed me to watch the two-hour premiere, the following episode and about ten minutes of the next. Oh, you can bet your ass I'll be finishing up the last two episodes tonight. But here's some teases I can give you from what I did see without giving anything too spoilery away:
We start about 134 days later than we last left the show. I'm reasonably sure this isn't news, but I can now confirm it. The colonials have been living amongst the Cylons for all this time, and you'll see all that's changed because of it. And I think there are things that will surprise you.
Someone who many suspected to be a Cylon last season looks not to be one. It's not explicitly stated, but when you see just the opening minutes of the two-hour season premiere, you'll likely come to the same conclusion.
Starbuck's situation will surprise you. Not only will her whereabouts surprise you, but when Starbuck meets someone named Casey, you may be surprised at her reactions toward her.
Lee Adama's state of body and mind is a bit shocking. Remember, he's back on Galactica and Pegasus with his father and a paltry skeleton crew. He hasn't had a whole lot of motivation, to say the least.
Colonel Tigh isn't taking things laying down. Maybe it's just me, but I've always felt Tigh acted very much like an old seasoned sea captain, who'd take no crap from the bad elements thrown at him. I was disappointed when we saw a lot of his weak side on Galactica in the past two seasons, especially when he couldn't do a whole lot without Adama around. He's acting more like that seasoned sea captain now, along with the battle scars to earn it. Put it this way -- the promo pictures for season three showing Saul aren't quite accurate (yet, at least).
There are dogs on New Caprica. Not really a spoiler, but I found it odd that there was a domesticated dog on the planet, when they've only been there less than two years. Did they really have dogs on Galactica?
I'll leave you with that for now. I'm sure there will be more to mention once I watch the two-parter I've already started (and then the following episode after that). I'll leave those for my next Spoilers Anonymous entry, though I'll be just as cryptic if not moreso.
So yes, be excited for season three. Very excited.
posted by Blade Runner @ 15:02
-----------------------------
Wednesday, August 30
Season 3 promotion Images
The marketing department of Sci-Fi have released 33 very high resolution promotional images of the main cast of Battlestar Galactica ready for the Season 3 premiere on October 6th.
To view all these images please visit the Season 3 Gallery of Galactica Station and be prepared to wait for them to load
posted by Blade Runner @ 05:45
----------------------------
Ron Moore's Blog Updated
August 29, 2006
Source: Sci-Fi.com
Big Scary Disasters and You
It was a year ago, as I watched the Katrina coverage, that I first thought about doing this blog entry. Now that we're on the first anniversary of that catastrophe, it seems like as good a time as any to at least talk about this subject.
The subject is the one most likely to inspire yawns and rolling of eyes, so ready your mouse to click onto something else: Disaster Preparedness.
Still awake?
Okay, look, I'm not writing this because I've been sentenced to doing PSA's off some DUI conviction or something, but I do work on a show that's premised on the idea of an apocalyptic event actually happening to group of people and their struggle to survive in its aftermath, and so the idea of being ready for the unexpected does actually occur to me on occasion.
I won't make this a rant or a sermon, but I will ask anyone reading this blog to take at least a moment to think about the idea that maybe, just maybe, something really bad can happen to you and the people in your life that you care about. Your life can be upended by any one of a litany of disasters and in that moment of maximum peril, the one thought that should NOT be going through your head is, "I wish I had thought about this ahead of time."
And don't think for a moment that just because you don't live in a hurricane area or an earthquake zone or next to a potential terrorist target that something bad can't happen to you. It can. Houses burn, cars crash, and sometimes things just fall out of the frakking sky. That's life and it sucks, but you can at least help yourself by waking up to the idea that bad things happen to good people all the time and that means YOU.
Get some supplies. Get a plan. Get a clue.
There are plenty of websites out there to help you, I'm not going to hold your hand and give you a list of things to do. Battlestar Galactica is all about the precious few survivors of a holocaust and how they cope with the reality of their lives in its aftermath. Give yourself a fighting chance to be a survivor.
Get some supplies. Get a plan. Get a clue.
Thank you. This site will now return to its regularly (or intermittently) scheduled programming.
posted by Blade Runner @ 05:03
-----------------------
Death comes to BSG
August 29, 2006
Source: Sci-Fi Wire
Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica, told fans that the upcoming third season of the hit SF series could see some fatalities among the characters. "Oh, there're some changes in the air," Moore said at the 64th World Science Fiction Convention, or WorldCon, in Anaheim, Calif., over the weekend. "We're going to lose some people this year. Not all of our friends are going to make it all the way." Moore declined to be specific, but said that the show's writers have finished breaking the story arc for the end of the upcoming third season.
Moore added that the upcoming season 2.5 DVD set will include a special 90-minute version of the episode "Pegasus," which ran only 60 minutes in the original broadcast. In addition, fresh material in the form of specially filmed "webisodes," Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, will air on SCIFI.COM's SCI FI Pulse broadband network twice weekly, starting Sept. 5. The two- or three-minute shorts will serve as a lead-in to the new season and, although not essential to the plot, will enhance the viewing experience.
Moore was joined at WorldCon by executive producer Mark Verheiden, supervising producer Michael Taylor, story editor Anne Cofell Saunders, producers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson and SCIFI.COM senior vice president Craig Engler in screening a trailer for and talking about the upcoming season.
When asked whether the show was still true to his initial vision, Moore said he felt it was on track, but that there had been surprises along the way, from both writers and actors, that made both the storyline and the characters richer.
"One of the great things about writing for Ron is you do feel empowered to try things, and it doesn't have to be ... what was in the story outline," Weddle said. "I'm sure many of you remember in season two, where Callie shoots Boomer. That was never in an outline. That wasn't a planned moment. ... [Writer] Toni Graphia called Brad [Thompson] and [me] one day and said, 'You know, I think I want Callie to shoot Boomer.'"
Moore agreed: "There's nothing like reading a script and being surprised," he said of his reaction to the change. "It's the experience of watching the show." Season three of Battlestar Galactica begins airing Oct. 6. Galactica will air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT
posted by Blade Runner @ 17:25
Season three - an early look
Source: TV Squad
Battlestar Galactica season three -- an early look
When I returned home last night, a package awaited me that I later knew would most definitely define a good portion of the near midnight hours of my night; a large, thin, hard bound book containing beautiful pictures, text and DVDs for the first four episodes of Battlestar Galactica's third season.
It's extremely difficult to tell you too much about the new season and the episodes I watched without spoiling things for you, especially when I'm such a hardcore member of Spoilers Anonymous as it is. Sorry in advance if I'm giving too little or too much away, but I think this will be a good start to get you even more excited for the new season, which starts Friday, October 6.
Let me start by saying that you won't be disappointed. I admit I was afraid things were going to be pretty sketchy this season, with the show's creators taking a leap of faith by transplanting the series a year into the future. I'm extremely pleased at how well it's working, and there are lots of hints of promise for what's to come.
The opening scenes of the two-hour premiere (called "Occupation / Precipice") are almost poetic, and they definitely give you that excited feeling that "holy crap, BSG is back!" That haunting, ethereal music, teasing shots of people we've come to know on the show. It only keeps getting better.
The opening credit scenes, though they looked a little unfinished, are a bit different than last season. In the opening "they have a plan" intro, they've thrown in a few scenes from last season. During the opening credits scene, they've stuck with the format of teasing us with future scenes from the episode, while also changing the scenes prior to those teases. Nothing major, but they're there.
My tired eyes only allowed me to watch the two-hour premiere, the following episode and about ten minutes of the next. Oh, you can bet your ass I'll be finishing up the last two episodes tonight. But here's some teases I can give you from what I did see without giving anything too spoilery away:
We start about 134 days later than we last left the show. I'm reasonably sure this isn't news, but I can now confirm it. The colonials have been living amongst the Cylons for all this time, and you'll see all that's changed because of it. And I think there are things that will surprise you.
Someone who many suspected to be a Cylon last season looks not to be one. It's not explicitly stated, but when you see just the opening minutes of the two-hour season premiere, you'll likely come to the same conclusion.
Starbuck's situation will surprise you. Not only will her whereabouts surprise you, but when Starbuck meets someone named Casey, you may be surprised at her reactions toward her.
Lee Adama's state of body and mind is a bit shocking. Remember, he's back on Galactica and Pegasus with his father and a paltry skeleton crew. He hasn't had a whole lot of motivation, to say the least.
Colonel Tigh isn't taking things laying down. Maybe it's just me, but I've always felt Tigh acted very much like an old seasoned sea captain, who'd take no crap from the bad elements thrown at him. I was disappointed when we saw a lot of his weak side on Galactica in the past two seasons, especially when he couldn't do a whole lot without Adama around. He's acting more like that seasoned sea captain now, along with the battle scars to earn it. Put it this way -- the promo pictures for season three showing Saul aren't quite accurate (yet, at least).
There are dogs on New Caprica. Not really a spoiler, but I found it odd that there was a domesticated dog on the planet, when they've only been there less than two years. Did they really have dogs on Galactica?
I'll leave you with that for now. I'm sure there will be more to mention once I watch the two-parter I've already started (and then the following episode after that). I'll leave those for my next Spoilers Anonymous entry, though I'll be just as cryptic if not moreso.
So yes, be excited for season three. Very excited.
posted by Blade Runner @ 15:02
-----------------------------
Wednesday, August 30
Season 3 promotion Images
The marketing department of Sci-Fi have released 33 very high resolution promotional images of the main cast of Battlestar Galactica ready for the Season 3 premiere on October 6th.
To view all these images please visit the Season 3 Gallery of Galactica Station and be prepared to wait for them to load
posted by Blade Runner @ 05:45
----------------------------
Ron Moore's Blog Updated
August 29, 2006
Source: Sci-Fi.com
Big Scary Disasters and You
It was a year ago, as I watched the Katrina coverage, that I first thought about doing this blog entry. Now that we're on the first anniversary of that catastrophe, it seems like as good a time as any to at least talk about this subject.
The subject is the one most likely to inspire yawns and rolling of eyes, so ready your mouse to click onto something else: Disaster Preparedness.
Still awake?
Okay, look, I'm not writing this because I've been sentenced to doing PSA's off some DUI conviction or something, but I do work on a show that's premised on the idea of an apocalyptic event actually happening to group of people and their struggle to survive in its aftermath, and so the idea of being ready for the unexpected does actually occur to me on occasion.
I won't make this a rant or a sermon, but I will ask anyone reading this blog to take at least a moment to think about the idea that maybe, just maybe, something really bad can happen to you and the people in your life that you care about. Your life can be upended by any one of a litany of disasters and in that moment of maximum peril, the one thought that should NOT be going through your head is, "I wish I had thought about this ahead of time."
And don't think for a moment that just because you don't live in a hurricane area or an earthquake zone or next to a potential terrorist target that something bad can't happen to you. It can. Houses burn, cars crash, and sometimes things just fall out of the frakking sky. That's life and it sucks, but you can at least help yourself by waking up to the idea that bad things happen to good people all the time and that means YOU.
Get some supplies. Get a plan. Get a clue.
There are plenty of websites out there to help you, I'm not going to hold your hand and give you a list of things to do. Battlestar Galactica is all about the precious few survivors of a holocaust and how they cope with the reality of their lives in its aftermath. Give yourself a fighting chance to be a survivor.
Get some supplies. Get a plan. Get a clue.
Thank you. This site will now return to its regularly (or intermittently) scheduled programming.
posted by Blade Runner @ 05:03
-----------------------
Death comes to BSG
August 29, 2006
Source: Sci-Fi Wire
Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica, told fans that the upcoming third season of the hit SF series could see some fatalities among the characters. "Oh, there're some changes in the air," Moore said at the 64th World Science Fiction Convention, or WorldCon, in Anaheim, Calif., over the weekend. "We're going to lose some people this year. Not all of our friends are going to make it all the way." Moore declined to be specific, but said that the show's writers have finished breaking the story arc for the end of the upcoming third season.
Moore added that the upcoming season 2.5 DVD set will include a special 90-minute version of the episode "Pegasus," which ran only 60 minutes in the original broadcast. In addition, fresh material in the form of specially filmed "webisodes," Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, will air on SCIFI.COM's SCI FI Pulse broadband network twice weekly, starting Sept. 5. The two- or three-minute shorts will serve as a lead-in to the new season and, although not essential to the plot, will enhance the viewing experience.
Moore was joined at WorldCon by executive producer Mark Verheiden, supervising producer Michael Taylor, story editor Anne Cofell Saunders, producers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson and SCIFI.COM senior vice president Craig Engler in screening a trailer for and talking about the upcoming season.
When asked whether the show was still true to his initial vision, Moore said he felt it was on track, but that there had been surprises along the way, from both writers and actors, that made both the storyline and the characters richer.
"One of the great things about writing for Ron is you do feel empowered to try things, and it doesn't have to be ... what was in the story outline," Weddle said. "I'm sure many of you remember in season two, where Callie shoots Boomer. That was never in an outline. That wasn't a planned moment. ... [Writer] Toni Graphia called Brad [Thompson] and [me] one day and said, 'You know, I think I want Callie to shoot Boomer.'"
Moore agreed: "There's nothing like reading a script and being surprised," he said of his reaction to the change. "It's the experience of watching the show." Season three of Battlestar Galactica begins airing Oct. 6. Galactica will air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT
posted by Blade Runner @ 17:25
Friday, August 25, 2006
Galactica Gets Dark(er) in Season Three
Friday, August 25
Galactica Gets Dark(er) in Season Three
Source: Now Playing Magazine
Written by Cindy White
The first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica weren't exactly light-hearted affairs, but according to executive producer Ron Moore and star Edward James Olmos, the upcoming third year will be its darkest yet. In separate interviews, the two recently spoke to Now Playing about where the show is going and what's in store for both the human and Cylon factions (Hint: It's not going to be pretty for either side).
"The writing, the story, the character development is devastating," Olmos says. "I cannot tell you. I worked last week and I've never had a week like that in my life, because everything that's happening to the human species is into the final steps of its annihilation. So every single moment becomes the end of the existence of the human species, and it's deadly when you are working at that level constantly. The attention is overwhelming. Both Mary [McDonnell] and I are sitting there going, ?My God. This is too much.'"
Olmos revealed that the humans will use (spoiler to follow, highlight to reveal) a pandemic to try and annihilate "a race" (he didn't say which one, but it's not difficult to guess) by infecting them with a deadly virus. He also talked about returning to the director's chair for the 12th episode, which will be the first to air after the mid-season hiatus. The tone of the episode will be quite different from his previous effort, last season's "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down."
"This one will be more connected to the main body," he says. "The other one was a comedy. We decided to try one in the first season just to lighten things up. And it worked well. I thought it worked very, very well. It was very different, and it introduced some very strong characters. And in turn, those characters now are going to devastate you. What happens to them is brutal. It's very sad."
For executive producer Ron Moore, the turn to the dark side is something that was always part of the show's natural progression. "I think we deal with some dark material in the third season," Moore agrees. "I don't know that it's any darker than anything we've dealt with previously, but the show continues to sort of take risks and be provocative and do challenging stuff. I'm happy about that. But the show is not nihilistic. The show is not a bleak show about really depressing things. I think it's really just about how people react and how people are and how people behave in situations and that's what you're tuning in to see."
Moore adds that he's not worried about the series getting too serious. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel. "The show's always had a dark premise at its heart, [but] the show's also always been about hope and the human condition and the fact that these people struggle on in spite of everything that happens to them."
The season premiere of Galactica airs Friday, Oct. 6 on SCI FI Channel.
posted by Blade Runner @ 04:55
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Special BSG Recap to air
Viewers Prepare: The Return Of BSG
Source: Fouton Critic
One-Hour Recap Special Preps Viewers for the Season 3 Premiere Sweeping Distribution to Include Online, In-Store, And On-Air Across Every NBC Universal Property New York, NY August 9, 2006 After a long, hot summer, SCI FI Channel offers some sweet relief to 'Battlestar Galactica' devotees and new viewers alike a one-hour recap special to whet their appetites for the series' season 3 premiere in October. Incorporating footage from the original SCI FI miniseries and the show's previous two seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will serve as a refresher for current fans and as a primer for anyone new to the world of Galactica.
Told through the voice of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the Secretary of Education-turned President - turned resistance leader on now Cylon-occupied New Caprica, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will chronicle humanity's costly struggle to survive against its deadliest enemy. In a broad synergistic move, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will air across all NBC Universal platforms NBC, USA Network, Bravo, Sleuth, Universal HD, and online on SCIFI.COM's own broadband channel, 'Pulse.'
The special will be broadcast as follows:
Sunday, August 13 at 10PM NBC West Coast (following Football)
Monday, August 28 Free On Demand via SCI FI's cable affiliates
Friday, September 15 at 12AM USA Sunday, September 17 at 7PM Universal HD
Monday, September 18 at 9AM USA Friday, September 22 at 8PM Universal HD
Friday, September 22 at 6PM Sleuth Friday, September 29 at 7PM BRAVO
Saturday, September 30 at 11AM BRAVO
Saturday, September 30 at 4PM Universal HD September SCIFI.COM's Pulse Friday, October 6 at 7PM SCI FI
*Other SCI FI airings TBD in Sept/Oct*
SCI FI's comprehensive promotional outreach will extend far beyond just the broadcasts. Throughout September and leading up to the season 3 premiere, 'The Story So Far' will also be made available for download via iTunes and XBox Live the first longform program ever to be offered via XBox and will be distributed at Best Buy as a bonus dvd with the 'Battlestar Galactica' season 2.5 dvd set, as well as other genre titles, from Universal Home Video. The dvd will also be distributed to visitors to the Universal Studios theme parks, and snippets of the special will be available on YouTube, Google Video and other video portal sites.
'Battlestar Galactica' is the gripping saga of humanity's last remnants and their struggle to find a new home while fleeing from their deadly Cylon enemies. Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, 'Galactica's intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it numerous awards, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award.
Executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, the series stars Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park.
'Battlestar Galactica' is from NBC Universal Television Studio.
SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 85 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.
Newshound: bugmenot
Source: Fouton Critic
One-Hour Recap Special Preps Viewers for the Season 3 Premiere Sweeping Distribution to Include Online, In-Store, And On-Air Across Every NBC Universal Property New York, NY August 9, 2006 After a long, hot summer, SCI FI Channel offers some sweet relief to 'Battlestar Galactica' devotees and new viewers alike a one-hour recap special to whet their appetites for the series' season 3 premiere in October. Incorporating footage from the original SCI FI miniseries and the show's previous two seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will serve as a refresher for current fans and as a primer for anyone new to the world of Galactica.
Told through the voice of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the Secretary of Education-turned President - turned resistance leader on now Cylon-occupied New Caprica, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will chronicle humanity's costly struggle to survive against its deadliest enemy. In a broad synergistic move, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will air across all NBC Universal platforms NBC, USA Network, Bravo, Sleuth, Universal HD, and online on SCIFI.COM's own broadband channel, 'Pulse.'
The special will be broadcast as follows:
Sunday, August 13 at 10PM NBC West Coast (following Football)
Monday, August 28 Free On Demand via SCI FI's cable affiliates
Friday, September 15 at 12AM USA Sunday, September 17 at 7PM Universal HD
Monday, September 18 at 9AM USA Friday, September 22 at 8PM Universal HD
Friday, September 22 at 6PM Sleuth Friday, September 29 at 7PM BRAVO
Saturday, September 30 at 11AM BRAVO
Saturday, September 30 at 4PM Universal HD September SCIFI.COM's Pulse Friday, October 6 at 7PM SCI FI
*Other SCI FI airings TBD in Sept/Oct*
SCI FI's comprehensive promotional outreach will extend far beyond just the broadcasts. Throughout September and leading up to the season 3 premiere, 'The Story So Far' will also be made available for download via iTunes and XBox Live the first longform program ever to be offered via XBox and will be distributed at Best Buy as a bonus dvd with the 'Battlestar Galactica' season 2.5 dvd set, as well as other genre titles, from Universal Home Video. The dvd will also be distributed to visitors to the Universal Studios theme parks, and snippets of the special will be available on YouTube, Google Video and other video portal sites.
'Battlestar Galactica' is the gripping saga of humanity's last remnants and their struggle to find a new home while fleeing from their deadly Cylon enemies. Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, 'Galactica's intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it numerous awards, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award.
Executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, the series stars Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park.
'Battlestar Galactica' is from NBC Universal Television Studio.
SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 85 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.
Newshound: bugmenot
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Adm Adama interview (Season 3)
CHUD Interviews EJO
Source: CHUD.com
(Warning: Minor Spoilers in text)
Battlestar Galactica is surely the biggest television surprise of the last decade - who imagined that a crappy Star Wars rip-off TV series from the 70s could be reimagined in the 21st century as the smartest, most relevant show on any network? It took me a long time to accept that this show could be worth anything, but when I gave in and watched it, I got hooked immediately. Every person I bring to the show is an uphill battle ... until they actually sit down and watch the thing.
Battlestar doesn't take place in the future; rather it's a show set in another galaxy where humans have colonized twelve planets and created a peaceful society. A generation ago the human's robot slaves, the Cylons, rebelled, and a bloody war was fought. Forty years of peace followed, with the Cylons disappearing. But they return one day and wipe out the twelve planets, leaving only a ragtag fleet of less than 50,000 human survivors lost in the galaxy, trying to find the mythical planet of Earth. Meanwhile, the Cylons have new models that are indistinguishable from humans, and they have infiltrated the human fleet. The show examines war and conflict in a very modern setting - a recent episode had a human partisan on a Cylon occupied human world acting as a terrorist, blowing up a café ¦ull of humanoid Cylons.
The cast of Battlestar was at Comic Con this year, but I was too busy to make it to their panel. Color me very bummed. I was able to get a few minutes with Edward James Olmos, though, as he was promoting his son's directorial debut, the gangster film Splinter. On Battlestar Olmos plays Admiral Adama, the man in charge of the ragtag fleet, and the man who has had to make some tough and controversial decisions to keep humanity alive.
Q: Talking to the cast of Splinter, one thing that keeps coming up is that while the film is a thriller and it needs to be exciting, the movie has reality to it. It seems to be the same thing with Battlestar - sure it's sci fi, but it's addressing political issues. How important is that to you in your work?
Olmos: It makes all the difference in the world when you have this passion for what you're doing. You've got to have a strong sense of understanding of that. It affects everything. Intent equals content - the intention with which you're doing something comes out in the content. Everytime. If your intention is to make money, you see it like that in the art. If your intention is to become rich and famous you can see the intention in the choices the person is making and where they're going. There's no hiding a commercial artist when you see one. I've never been able to do that - and I've made commercial pieces of work. They all had the sense of understanding humanity in a way that allowed you to go to the movie and come out understanding a little bit about yourself. That's what it's all about.
Q: Do you think the reality is important to the audience as well?
Olmos: Did you see American Me? That's an ugly movie; nobody should be exposed to that. What the hell do you want to go for two hours and watch that life? Better you should go to The Godfather - at least that's romantic and you come out humming the theme song.
Q: Life is ugly sometimes.
Olmos: It is. And that's exactly what [Splinter] is.
Q: The reality that you guys bring to Battlestar will be continuing in the third season - we're going to learn that Adama has a dark past.
Olmos: Man, it's brutal. I can honestly tell you the first two years cannot prepare you for what happens in the third. Not even close. I'll tell you this, you're going to have to deal with suicide bombers. You're going to have to deal with the spread of a pandemic for the annihilation of an entire race ... done by the good guys! The good guys are the ones doing it. It makes you stop and re-evaluate.
You're talking about the last vestiges of the human species. When we enter the third season - we were 49,000 people when we left our planets at the very beginning, at the first episode of this journey to find another planet to breed humankind again. We're now less than 38,000. We lost 11,000 people, man.
Q: Are you surprised that the show can be that dark and that brutal and yet be so popular?
Olmos: Yeah! Yeah! I'm totally blown away. We won the Peabody, man! Give me a ****ing break. How in the world does that add up? Where does that line cross? How does that happen? I get chills. I've been doing this for 41 years, man, and Battlestar Galactica wins the Peabody? I'm the ****ing guy that did Stand and Deliver! I'm the guy that did The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. I have used the television medium to the best of my abilities and done stuff that will be lasting forever in the annals of the artform - and Battlestar Galactica gets the Peabody.
Q: How long do you see the show going on for?
Olmos: We've been talking about it. It's hard to write this. These guys are always on the verge of a nervous breakdown because they can't go in for the flash and the simple, basic sci fi mode. If they do that, they'll crush everyone.
Q: Everybody expects more.
Olmos: Oh man, they do. And they're waiting, and they're anxious. And you know what? I'll give you my attention, and you are the best show. Now what are you going to do this time? People are dying to turn on the television and see this piece of work. It's unbelievable. I don't know what to say about it. I'm blown away.
Q: Adama has to make tough decisions, has to do things that cross the line or could be considered troubling - how important is it that you agree with him, or understand where he's coming from?
Olmos: As a human being? Me, as an actor? I never get into that kind of psychology. When you're inside that world, everything is the end of all humankind. Every single day, every single time. We did last week - it was the darkest week I have ever spent in film, ever, in which I am literally going to annihilate, push all the nuclear weapons I have on the ship to annihilate everything. The Cylons, us, everything. It's all over guys! I have my finger on the button, man! And it's so brutal. It's just so brutal what happens, man.
Q: How do you decompress from that?
Olmos: It's hard. You come home from work worn out. The whole day you spent in this vicious, vicious world that's self-destructive. I'm in constant conflict with everybody - my son, Tigh, the relationship between me and everybody. It's tremendously difficult. You just feel for everybody.
Q: That's part of the joy of the show.
Olmos: It is. Everybody loves it. They love that tension, they love to go, 'What's he going to do now?' It's amazing. I am so lucky - I am a true believer in the program. I believe this is one of the greatest programs I have ever been involved with in my life and that I have ever seen on television.
Newshound: Sci-Fi
Source: CHUD.com
(Warning: Minor Spoilers in text)
Battlestar Galactica is surely the biggest television surprise of the last decade - who imagined that a crappy Star Wars rip-off TV series from the 70s could be reimagined in the 21st century as the smartest, most relevant show on any network? It took me a long time to accept that this show could be worth anything, but when I gave in and watched it, I got hooked immediately. Every person I bring to the show is an uphill battle ... until they actually sit down and watch the thing.
Battlestar doesn't take place in the future; rather it's a show set in another galaxy where humans have colonized twelve planets and created a peaceful society. A generation ago the human's robot slaves, the Cylons, rebelled, and a bloody war was fought. Forty years of peace followed, with the Cylons disappearing. But they return one day and wipe out the twelve planets, leaving only a ragtag fleet of less than 50,000 human survivors lost in the galaxy, trying to find the mythical planet of Earth. Meanwhile, the Cylons have new models that are indistinguishable from humans, and they have infiltrated the human fleet. The show examines war and conflict in a very modern setting - a recent episode had a human partisan on a Cylon occupied human world acting as a terrorist, blowing up a café ¦ull of humanoid Cylons.
The cast of Battlestar was at Comic Con this year, but I was too busy to make it to their panel. Color me very bummed. I was able to get a few minutes with Edward James Olmos, though, as he was promoting his son's directorial debut, the gangster film Splinter. On Battlestar Olmos plays Admiral Adama, the man in charge of the ragtag fleet, and the man who has had to make some tough and controversial decisions to keep humanity alive.
Q: Talking to the cast of Splinter, one thing that keeps coming up is that while the film is a thriller and it needs to be exciting, the movie has reality to it. It seems to be the same thing with Battlestar - sure it's sci fi, but it's addressing political issues. How important is that to you in your work?
Olmos: It makes all the difference in the world when you have this passion for what you're doing. You've got to have a strong sense of understanding of that. It affects everything. Intent equals content - the intention with which you're doing something comes out in the content. Everytime. If your intention is to make money, you see it like that in the art. If your intention is to become rich and famous you can see the intention in the choices the person is making and where they're going. There's no hiding a commercial artist when you see one. I've never been able to do that - and I've made commercial pieces of work. They all had the sense of understanding humanity in a way that allowed you to go to the movie and come out understanding a little bit about yourself. That's what it's all about.
Q: Do you think the reality is important to the audience as well?
Olmos: Did you see American Me? That's an ugly movie; nobody should be exposed to that. What the hell do you want to go for two hours and watch that life? Better you should go to The Godfather - at least that's romantic and you come out humming the theme song.
Q: Life is ugly sometimes.
Olmos: It is. And that's exactly what [Splinter] is.
Q: The reality that you guys bring to Battlestar will be continuing in the third season - we're going to learn that Adama has a dark past.
Olmos: Man, it's brutal. I can honestly tell you the first two years cannot prepare you for what happens in the third. Not even close. I'll tell you this, you're going to have to deal with suicide bombers. You're going to have to deal with the spread of a pandemic for the annihilation of an entire race ... done by the good guys! The good guys are the ones doing it. It makes you stop and re-evaluate.
You're talking about the last vestiges of the human species. When we enter the third season - we were 49,000 people when we left our planets at the very beginning, at the first episode of this journey to find another planet to breed humankind again. We're now less than 38,000. We lost 11,000 people, man.
Q: Are you surprised that the show can be that dark and that brutal and yet be so popular?
Olmos: Yeah! Yeah! I'm totally blown away. We won the Peabody, man! Give me a ****ing break. How in the world does that add up? Where does that line cross? How does that happen? I get chills. I've been doing this for 41 years, man, and Battlestar Galactica wins the Peabody? I'm the ****ing guy that did Stand and Deliver! I'm the guy that did The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. I have used the television medium to the best of my abilities and done stuff that will be lasting forever in the annals of the artform - and Battlestar Galactica gets the Peabody.
Q: How long do you see the show going on for?
Olmos: We've been talking about it. It's hard to write this. These guys are always on the verge of a nervous breakdown because they can't go in for the flash and the simple, basic sci fi mode. If they do that, they'll crush everyone.
Q: Everybody expects more.
Olmos: Oh man, they do. And they're waiting, and they're anxious. And you know what? I'll give you my attention, and you are the best show. Now what are you going to do this time? People are dying to turn on the television and see this piece of work. It's unbelievable. I don't know what to say about it. I'm blown away.
Q: Adama has to make tough decisions, has to do things that cross the line or could be considered troubling - how important is it that you agree with him, or understand where he's coming from?
Olmos: As a human being? Me, as an actor? I never get into that kind of psychology. When you're inside that world, everything is the end of all humankind. Every single day, every single time. We did last week - it was the darkest week I have ever spent in film, ever, in which I am literally going to annihilate, push all the nuclear weapons I have on the ship to annihilate everything. The Cylons, us, everything. It's all over guys! I have my finger on the button, man! And it's so brutal. It's just so brutal what happens, man.
Q: How do you decompress from that?
Olmos: It's hard. You come home from work worn out. The whole day you spent in this vicious, vicious world that's self-destructive. I'm in constant conflict with everybody - my son, Tigh, the relationship between me and everybody. It's tremendously difficult. You just feel for everybody.
Q: That's part of the joy of the show.
Olmos: It is. Everybody loves it. They love that tension, they love to go, 'What's he going to do now?' It's amazing. I am so lucky - I am a true believer in the program. I believe this is one of the greatest programs I have ever been involved with in my life and that I have ever seen on television.
Newshound: Sci-Fi
Saturday, August 05, 2006
New BSG Season 3 titles revealed!
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON THREE 2006-2007
OCCUPATION 301
The Colonials survive on New Caprica under Cylon rule, with some collaborating and others fighting back. D'Anna discovers that the hybrid child has survived.
PRECIPICE 302
EXODUS, PART 1 303
EXODUS, PART 2 304
COLLABORATORS 305
TORN 306
HERO
THE PASSAGE 309
EYE OF JUPITER 310
RAPTURE 311
TAKING A BREAK ... 312
The crew considers the very real possibility that its new prisoner is a Cylon -- and he's no longer sure they are wrong.
Friday, August 04, 2006
The OC (Fall 2006)
The O.C. Spoilers (in Invis-text, highlight to reveal)
Updated on August 2, 2006
The O.C. airs on FOX on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST. The series was renewed for a 4th season of 16 episodes and will remain in its timeslot.
Episode 4.01: The Avengers
Airdate: November 2, 2006
07/22 - Seth works at a comic book store in Newport. Kirsten drops by the store to ask Seth if he has something to send Ryan in a "care package" she is preparing. Later, Seth tries to talk Ryan in coming to dinner at the Cohens' but the latter isn't easily persuaded, saying he works nights, etc. At her dorm, Summer and a friend named Che try to rally students for a protest. Summer gets a phone call from Taylor who seems to be in Paris. Leon from Season 2 is in the episode. Source: SpoilerFix.com
07/14 - 16-year-old twins Brad and Eric Ward (Luke's brothers) will make their first appearances as recurring characters in the season premiere. In the season premiere, the twins and Kaitlin go to Newport Plaza to study and smoke a joint. Kaitlin is surprised to see Dr. Roberts and the Step-Monster (aka Summer's step mom) together at the mall. Later, Kaitlin and the twins go to a party on the beach where she leaves them stranded in a car on the beach. Source: SpoilerFix.com [Note: It is unknown if this means Luke will be on the show and if so, if he will be guest starring in a few episodes or be a recurring or regular. Also, it seems we will not clearly see who the step-monster is.]
Episode 4.02: Title Unknown
Airdate: November 9, 2006
08/02 - When talking with Taylor, Amber, Summer's roommate, is surprised to know Summer has a boyfriend. Amber asks Taylor if Che is said boyfriend... Source: SpoilerFix BuddyTV Spoilers Chat
07/30 - Ryan goes to Vegas in order to find Trey. Seth is also in Vegas and seems to be living life on the edge, which includes getting a tatoo and drinking too much. Taylor is at Summer's dorm where she meets Amber, Summer's roommate, who is totally unlike them. Amber is suprised when Taylor mentions Summer has a boyfriend... Julie and Kaitlin take part in a clothing drive at Harbor School. Source: SpoilerFix.com [Note: Some reports say that Ryan and Seth will be in Mexico and not in Vegas.]
General Season 4 Spoilers:
06/07 - Yes, it's true. The show doesn't come back until early November and, with the scheduling for this fall and next winter/spring, Fox only needed 16 at this point. I'm told that number can easily (and quickly) be increased. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/24 - Josh Schwartz reveals: [Season 4] won't pick up directly. We're not coming back until November, and I think we'll use some of that time to put a couple of months between us and the tragedy. But it certainly will not be forgotten. Volchok will be around, and you'll have an opportunity to see how [killing Marissa] landed on him and affected him, and I think that will be interesting. The show was originally about Ryan and the Cohens, and that's what it's going to go back to next year. It's really going to be about the Cohen family surrounding Ryan after this and the battle for his soul. Some people have gone to college when the show starts, some people haven't been able to go, and some people are waiting to go. We'll break the mold next year. [Part of the show will be set in Rhode Island.] Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/19 - When the series returns for season four, high school seems like a distant memory to the young graduates, who have been thrust into adulthood after the life-changing events of graduation night. Who heads to college to try to put the past behind them? Who stays in town because they can’t let the past go? Will the person responsible for the tragedy go free? Or will someone decide that the way to heal is through revenge? It’s a battle for Ryan’s soul as the Cohens struggle to keep him focused on the future, fighting the forces that threaten to pull him back into his old life. Sandy returns to the Public Defender’s office, and he and Kirsten find themselves reaching out to another troubled teen, but this one is not a stranger. It’s Kaitlin Cooper, the number-one troublemaker at The Harbor School, and too much to handle for her mother Julie, who’s off making some trouble of her own. The person most excited about leaving high school finds himself back there – as a teacher. And new cast member Taylor Townsend finds herself with some unlikely new roommates – and family members. As much as the arrival of Ryan has changed the lives of this community, so too has the departure of Marissa. The season hits the ground running with just the right mix of heart, humor, action and romance as our characters embrace their futures together. It’s a new day on THE O.C. … Source: FOX
04/19 - Josh Schwartz told my colleague Ileane Rudolph that he's planning a major "reinvention" of the show next season. For starters, Kaitlin (Willa Holland) will move back to town full-time, sparking a "repopulation of the high-school universe," Schwartz says. "You will see a whole new generation through Kaitlin's eyes." The "older" set, meanwhile, will segue into a "twentysomething world beyond just the bait shop. There's a whole young-adult world in Newport for our kids to get in trouble in." Schwartz won't guarantee that the core four — Seth, Summer, Ryan and Marissa — will all be back, but he did share this most welcome scoopbit: Autumn Reeser (Taylor) will be made a series regular. "You can anticipate a more fully evolved, romantically evolved version of Taylor in Season 4." Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
Updated on August 2, 2006
The O.C. airs on FOX on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST. The series was renewed for a 4th season of 16 episodes and will remain in its timeslot.
Episode 4.01: The Avengers
Airdate: November 2, 2006
07/22 - Seth works at a comic book store in Newport. Kirsten drops by the store to ask Seth if he has something to send Ryan in a "care package" she is preparing. Later, Seth tries to talk Ryan in coming to dinner at the Cohens' but the latter isn't easily persuaded, saying he works nights, etc. At her dorm, Summer and a friend named Che try to rally students for a protest. Summer gets a phone call from Taylor who seems to be in Paris. Leon from Season 2 is in the episode. Source: SpoilerFix.com
07/14 - 16-year-old twins Brad and Eric Ward (Luke's brothers) will make their first appearances as recurring characters in the season premiere. In the season premiere, the twins and Kaitlin go to Newport Plaza to study and smoke a joint. Kaitlin is surprised to see Dr. Roberts and the Step-Monster (aka Summer's step mom) together at the mall. Later, Kaitlin and the twins go to a party on the beach where she leaves them stranded in a car on the beach. Source: SpoilerFix.com [Note: It is unknown if this means Luke will be on the show and if so, if he will be guest starring in a few episodes or be a recurring or regular. Also, it seems we will not clearly see who the step-monster is.]
Episode 4.02: Title Unknown
Airdate: November 9, 2006
08/02 - When talking with Taylor, Amber, Summer's roommate, is surprised to know Summer has a boyfriend. Amber asks Taylor if Che is said boyfriend... Source: SpoilerFix BuddyTV Spoilers Chat
07/30 - Ryan goes to Vegas in order to find Trey. Seth is also in Vegas and seems to be living life on the edge, which includes getting a tatoo and drinking too much. Taylor is at Summer's dorm where she meets Amber, Summer's roommate, who is totally unlike them. Amber is suprised when Taylor mentions Summer has a boyfriend... Julie and Kaitlin take part in a clothing drive at Harbor School. Source: SpoilerFix.com [Note: Some reports say that Ryan and Seth will be in Mexico and not in Vegas.]
General Season 4 Spoilers:
06/07 - Yes, it's true. The show doesn't come back until early November and, with the scheduling for this fall and next winter/spring, Fox only needed 16 at this point. I'm told that number can easily (and quickly) be increased. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/24 - Josh Schwartz reveals: [Season 4] won't pick up directly. We're not coming back until November, and I think we'll use some of that time to put a couple of months between us and the tragedy. But it certainly will not be forgotten. Volchok will be around, and you'll have an opportunity to see how [killing Marissa] landed on him and affected him, and I think that will be interesting. The show was originally about Ryan and the Cohens, and that's what it's going to go back to next year. It's really going to be about the Cohen family surrounding Ryan after this and the battle for his soul. Some people have gone to college when the show starts, some people haven't been able to go, and some people are waiting to go. We'll break the mold next year. [Part of the show will be set in Rhode Island.] Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/19 - When the series returns for season four, high school seems like a distant memory to the young graduates, who have been thrust into adulthood after the life-changing events of graduation night. Who heads to college to try to put the past behind them? Who stays in town because they can’t let the past go? Will the person responsible for the tragedy go free? Or will someone decide that the way to heal is through revenge? It’s a battle for Ryan’s soul as the Cohens struggle to keep him focused on the future, fighting the forces that threaten to pull him back into his old life. Sandy returns to the Public Defender’s office, and he and Kirsten find themselves reaching out to another troubled teen, but this one is not a stranger. It’s Kaitlin Cooper, the number-one troublemaker at The Harbor School, and too much to handle for her mother Julie, who’s off making some trouble of her own. The person most excited about leaving high school finds himself back there – as a teacher. And new cast member Taylor Townsend finds herself with some unlikely new roommates – and family members. As much as the arrival of Ryan has changed the lives of this community, so too has the departure of Marissa. The season hits the ground running with just the right mix of heart, humor, action and romance as our characters embrace their futures together. It’s a new day on THE O.C. … Source: FOX
04/19 - Josh Schwartz told my colleague Ileane Rudolph that he's planning a major "reinvention" of the show next season. For starters, Kaitlin (Willa Holland) will move back to town full-time, sparking a "repopulation of the high-school universe," Schwartz says. "You will see a whole new generation through Kaitlin's eyes." The "older" set, meanwhile, will segue into a "twentysomething world beyond just the bait shop. There's a whole young-adult world in Newport for our kids to get in trouble in." Schwartz won't guarantee that the core four — Seth, Summer, Ryan and Marissa — will all be back, but he did share this most welcome scoopbit: Autumn Reeser (Taylor) will be made a series regular. "You can anticipate a more fully evolved, romantically evolved version of Taylor in Season 4." Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
New Spoilers for Fall 2006 Smallville
Smallville Spoilers (Inviso-text, highlight to reveal) from Spoilerfix
Smallville Spoilers
Updated on August 1, 2006
Smallville airs on The WB on Thursdays at 8 p.m. The CW has renewed the series for a 6th season and will leave the show in its current timeslot.
Episode 6.01: Zod
Airdate: September 28, 2006
07/13 - Aaron Ashmore — aka Veronica Mars' former beau, Troy Vandegraff — has been cast as Jimmy Olsen on Smallville! My Super mole confirms that Jimmy is being groomed as a love interest for Chloe! Source: The Ausiello Report
07/01 - Casting notices for the role of "Jimmy Olsen" have gone out for the season premiere! "Secretagentman" has revealed that Smallville's Jimmy Olsen is in his twenties. He is described as "adorable" and pesters Chloe for a dinner date until she finally gives in. Apparently they'd interacted in the past and each thought the other wasn't interested. The casting breakdowns imply that the character will recur throughout the season. It also says that Jimmy nicknames Clark "C.K.," which is a trait originated with Michael Landes' Jimmy Olsen in Lois & Clark. Nam-Ek and Aethyr (from "Arrival") WILL be seen again, but the roles ARE being recast. The role of the President is also being cast for the episode. Casting notices have also gone out for the role of a character named "Raya," whom "Secretagentman" reveals was an assistant of Jor-El's who helps Clark get out of the Phantom Zone. It sounds as though Raya will give Clark a crystal that will help him to stop Lex/Zod. Source: KryptonSite
Episode 6.02: Sneeze
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/14 - "Secretagentman" strikes again with some spoilage: One of the characters being cast for the episode is "Orlando Block," an unbalanced commando who kidnaps Lex. Initially it seems he is torturing Lex to learn all his secrets, but actually he is the employee of a mysterious mastermind. Source: KryptonSite
07/08 - Title is from KryptonSite.
Episode 6.03: Wither
Airdate: Fall 2006
08/01 - Just heard that there’ll be a big episode in which Lex throws a charity fundraiser at the mansion and gets The All American Rejects to play. The band is filming on Wednesday and singing their hit song, “It Ends Tonight,” which will appear on the show. The party is a costume party and we’ll get to know the show’s new addition, The Green Arrow (Justin Hartley), a little better and see which lucky lady he’s asked to escort him to the ball. Source: Kristin on E!Online
07/29 - Gough told The Continuum that Oliver won't be wearing his costume from the comics. "Although there will be a nod to it in episode three during a costume party," he said. Source: Comics Continuum
07/29 - The latest from "Secretagentman": There's a character named Gloria who is a "naturally beautiful" park ranger investigating some weird happenings inthe woods. A young couple is "frolicking" in the woods, and they are dragged away and left barely alive. Lois Lane barges into Oliver Queen's office. Lex hosts a costume party. Clark tries to dance with Gloria and a lumberjack "growls" at him. Source: KryptonSite
07/08 - Title is from KryptonSite.
Episode 6.04: Arrow
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/21 - [The] TV Guide's July 24 edition [reveals that] DC Comics character of Oliver Queen, better known to fans as Green Arrow, will be making an appearance in Smallville for a story arc that will go for "at least seven episodes." "He will start to form the nascent Justice League," Smallville executive producer Alfred Gough tells TV Guide in this week's issue. "He's trying to find like-minded people with special powers and put a more formal structure in place." The article goes on to say that Clark will initially be wary of Green Arrow, much like he was when future characters such as the Flash or Aquaman showed up in previous seasons. "Ultimately Clark will see the value of what he is trying to do," Gough says. "But as he's gotten older, Clark has become more cautious. He will always be there to help out, but he doesn't want to be part of a formalized organization." Just as big as the announcement of the character is the casting - Justin Hartley, who played the role of AC/Aquaman in Millar & Gough's Aquaman pilot will be playing the role of Ollie. TV Guide also reveals that Lois Lane will take a romantic interest in the emerald archer. Source: KryptonSite
07/21 - Title is from KryptonSite.
Episode 6.05: Subterranean
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/21 - Title is from KryptonSite.
General Season 6 Spoilers:
05/17 - Al Gough reveals: The theme [of Season 6] is the rise of Lex Luthor. You're definitely going to see the more ruthless Lex Luthor you know from the comic books really start to emerge. The season will also be about the corruption of good — not only Lana, but Martha. Will she get involved with Lionel? And when Clark does come back from the Phantom Zone, what will it have done to him? We never really explored what happens to somebody inside the Phantom Zone, which is really the ultimate incarceration. [...] The idea was that on Krypton — and we'd like to explore some of this in Season 6 — Zod was the ultimate terrorist. He and Jor-El were once friends and became enemies. As a result, there was a breakaway. It has more to do with political intrigue rather than that the planet started spinning too close to the sun, which has always sort of been the traditional story. Source: TV Guide Online
05/16 - The two Kryptonian baddies last seen in "Arrival" may return in Season 6. It is rumored that James Marsters may appear in Smallville's Season 6 premiere. It sounds like all of Smallville's seven lead characters will survive into the next season. Will Lex keep his powers? Guess we'll have to wait and see... Source: KryptonSite
Smallville Spoilers
Updated on August 1, 2006
Smallville airs on The WB on Thursdays at 8 p.m. The CW has renewed the series for a 6th season and will leave the show in its current timeslot.
Episode 6.01: Zod
Airdate: September 28, 2006
07/13 - Aaron Ashmore — aka Veronica Mars' former beau, Troy Vandegraff — has been cast as Jimmy Olsen on Smallville! My Super mole confirms that Jimmy is being groomed as a love interest for Chloe! Source: The Ausiello Report
07/01 - Casting notices for the role of "Jimmy Olsen" have gone out for the season premiere! "Secretagentman" has revealed that Smallville's Jimmy Olsen is in his twenties. He is described as "adorable" and pesters Chloe for a dinner date until she finally gives in. Apparently they'd interacted in the past and each thought the other wasn't interested. The casting breakdowns imply that the character will recur throughout the season. It also says that Jimmy nicknames Clark "C.K.," which is a trait originated with Michael Landes' Jimmy Olsen in Lois & Clark. Nam-Ek and Aethyr (from "Arrival") WILL be seen again, but the roles ARE being recast. The role of the President is also being cast for the episode. Casting notices have also gone out for the role of a character named "Raya," whom "Secretagentman" reveals was an assistant of Jor-El's who helps Clark get out of the Phantom Zone. It sounds as though Raya will give Clark a crystal that will help him to stop Lex/Zod. Source: KryptonSite
Episode 6.02: Sneeze
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/14 - "Secretagentman" strikes again with some spoilage: One of the characters being cast for the episode is "Orlando Block," an unbalanced commando who kidnaps Lex. Initially it seems he is torturing Lex to learn all his secrets, but actually he is the employee of a mysterious mastermind. Source: KryptonSite
07/08 - Title is from KryptonSite.
Episode 6.03: Wither
Airdate: Fall 2006
08/01 - Just heard that there’ll be a big episode in which Lex throws a charity fundraiser at the mansion and gets The All American Rejects to play. The band is filming on Wednesday and singing their hit song, “It Ends Tonight,” which will appear on the show. The party is a costume party and we’ll get to know the show’s new addition, The Green Arrow (Justin Hartley), a little better and see which lucky lady he’s asked to escort him to the ball. Source: Kristin on E!Online
07/29 - Gough told The Continuum that Oliver won't be wearing his costume from the comics. "Although there will be a nod to it in episode three during a costume party," he said. Source: Comics Continuum
07/29 - The latest from "Secretagentman": There's a character named Gloria who is a "naturally beautiful" park ranger investigating some weird happenings inthe woods. A young couple is "frolicking" in the woods, and they are dragged away and left barely alive. Lois Lane barges into Oliver Queen's office. Lex hosts a costume party. Clark tries to dance with Gloria and a lumberjack "growls" at him. Source: KryptonSite
07/08 - Title is from KryptonSite.
Episode 6.04: Arrow
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/21 - [The] TV Guide's July 24 edition [reveals that] DC Comics character of Oliver Queen, better known to fans as Green Arrow, will be making an appearance in Smallville for a story arc that will go for "at least seven episodes." "He will start to form the nascent Justice League," Smallville executive producer Alfred Gough tells TV Guide in this week's issue. "He's trying to find like-minded people with special powers and put a more formal structure in place." The article goes on to say that Clark will initially be wary of Green Arrow, much like he was when future characters such as the Flash or Aquaman showed up in previous seasons. "Ultimately Clark will see the value of what he is trying to do," Gough says. "But as he's gotten older, Clark has become more cautious. He will always be there to help out, but he doesn't want to be part of a formalized organization." Just as big as the announcement of the character is the casting - Justin Hartley, who played the role of AC/Aquaman in Millar & Gough's Aquaman pilot will be playing the role of Ollie. TV Guide also reveals that Lois Lane will take a romantic interest in the emerald archer. Source: KryptonSite
07/21 - Title is from KryptonSite.
Episode 6.05: Subterranean
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/21 - Title is from KryptonSite.
General Season 6 Spoilers:
05/17 - Al Gough reveals: The theme [of Season 6] is the rise of Lex Luthor. You're definitely going to see the more ruthless Lex Luthor you know from the comic books really start to emerge. The season will also be about the corruption of good — not only Lana, but Martha. Will she get involved with Lionel? And when Clark does come back from the Phantom Zone, what will it have done to him? We never really explored what happens to somebody inside the Phantom Zone, which is really the ultimate incarceration. [...] The idea was that on Krypton — and we'd like to explore some of this in Season 6 — Zod was the ultimate terrorist. He and Jor-El were once friends and became enemies. As a result, there was a breakaway. It has more to do with political intrigue rather than that the planet started spinning too close to the sun, which has always sort of been the traditional story. Source: TV Guide Online
05/16 - The two Kryptonian baddies last seen in "Arrival" may return in Season 6. It is rumored that James Marsters may appear in Smallville's Season 6 premiere. It sounds like all of Smallville's seven lead characters will survive into the next season. Will Lex keep his powers? Guess we'll have to wait and see... Source: KryptonSite
MORE BSG Season 3 Spoiler (BIGGIE)
For Grace Park Fans ...
Wednesday, August 2
SFX interview-Grace Park
Source: SFX Contains Spoilers (in Inviso-text ... highlight to reveal)
"Before we begin frantically searching the Battlestar set for a glass of ice water, Park describes what's in store for Valerii in season three - which begins four months after the Cylon invasion of New Caprica "she's flying again. So you witness her being reinstated. I found out that I was married, too."
Reinstated? Married? Does this mean Adama has finally come to trust Valerii? "I think Adama trusts her. The President is still quite wary. Obviously Helo trusts her and they are a few of her long time friends that are perhaps happy she's back, but not necessarily openly sharing how they feel about that. Because there's almost dissent in the ranks now, which you'll start seeing a little bit later, that starts creating chaos...She's never completely trustworthy. I think like anyone, she tries her best but she's been tested so hard that sometimes she snaps and she's liable to do something that's probably not rational.
"I think season two definitely saw a lot of trauma and catastrophe around Sharon. Every episode there was a new disaster and it didn't seem like it was gonna let up. At the same time the storyline also changed. But just when you think you can trust her they (the writers) throw in something. I think they like to keep playing with the audience. And that's fun. I think that's part of the intrigue of her character.
Though Park praises Battlestar's entire cast - calling them "a damn good troupe" - she gives special credit to the man who play's Valerii's new husband Helo -actor Tahmoh Penikett. "It's really rewarding working with Tahmoh, because he's always growing and changing as an artist. And if I'm stuck he definitely puts his two cents in and either laughs at me or gives me some good advice...
Newshound: newbieUK
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
More BSG Season 3 Spoiler from Gateworld
Battlestar Galactica
Season 3 Spoilers: in of course Inviso-Text, (highlight to reveal)
The following information is gathered from various sites including:
— Official SciFi Channel Battlestar Galactica Website & Forum
— Galactica Actual (offline)
— Gateworld: Battlestar Galactica
— Hangar Deck 5
— Various publicity articles and cast/crew interviews.
Despite efforts to filter out unreliable content, this information can be considered RUMOR and subject to change or otherwise inaccurate. In a effort to track spoilers a bit, Season 3 spoilers will actually be dated.
All spoilers that are posted will stay posted (though they will be edited for clarification when additional information warrants) in an effort to have a track record (good and bad), rather than revisionist history. That said, seemingly innocuous details like which supporting characters are still around will continue to be included and not be edited out as an episode moves closer to air. There are fans of various supporting characters and are interested when they appear. An example is the spoiler that Helo appears in the third season's first episode, which was first reported about half way through the airing of Season 2.5.
Episode 1: Occupation; October 2006
2/06: Helo appears.
4/11/06: Episode title added.
4/11/06: Ellen is cheating on Tigh with someone who works at the "Cylon Planning Ministry." A new Oracle is shown. D'Anna Biers visits the Oracle. Apparently, the Cylons have not given away the fact that she's another Cylon model. The Oracle tells D'Anna that she know that her dream brought her to see her. The Oracle tells D'Anna that Sharon's child still lives. Tyrol and Anders work on bombings and other sabotage, while Laura and Tory gather the names of the 200 or so odd collaborator police force working for the Cylons. Tigh, who has lost one eye, has recently been captured and is "debriefed" by a Cavil.
4/12/06: Filming began on April 10th.
4/12/06: The episode picks up four months after the arrival of the Cylons and Baltar's surrender.
4/12/06: The fleet is only a background (B) story in this episode.
Episode 2: Precipice; 2006
4/12/06: Episode title added.
4/12/06: Tigh is tortured by the Cylons, while it's revealed that Ellen is carrying on with a Cavil.
Episode 3: Exodus; 2006
7/13/06: Episode title added.
Episode 4: Collaborators; 2006
7/13/06: Episode title added.
4/12/06: Ellen dies. [She finally gets her just reward, especially in light of her latest affair.]
Episode 5: Torn; 2006
7/13/06: Episode title added.
Episode 7: Hero; 2006
7/13/06: Episode title added.
Episode 9: The Passage; 2006
7/13/06: Episode title added.
General Spoilers:
7/13/06: Season 2.5 DVD is available for order NOW.
6/20/06: Season 2.5 DVD is to be released September 19th.
4/12/06: As was the case in Vichy France in WWII, there will be a lot of collaborators and those who play both sides.
4/12/06: Lee will be "fat" for the first 5 episodes.
4/12/06: The fleet will be more of a factor in the storyline in episode 4 and return fully for episode 5.
4/12/06: The occupation will be dealt with by episode 4.
4/12/06: In addition to the death in Episode 4, there are to be other "significant" deaths over the first part of the season, so some recurring characters are likely to bite the dust.
3/31/06: Ronald D. Moore last week confirmed that Zarek is Baltar's Vice-President, but their relationship soured quickly. Zarek stopped cooperating altogether beginning with the Cylon occupation [Thanks to Eric for passing this one along.]
3/10/06: There will be an ongoing story arc dealing with the Cylons, which will center on the Cylon homeworld. The use of a parallel storyline sounds similar to the Helo/Sharon Caprica storyline from the first season and early second (2.0) season episodes. The first seeds of this story arc were probably planted in Episode 2.18 (Downloaded) and furthered by the Caprica Cavil in Episode 2.20 (LDYB, Pt 2).
3/10/06: The plot point about Leoben looking for Kara will take three episodes to be tied up.
3/10/06: The Cylon occupation will be dealt with in either the first four or first six episodes of the season.
3/10/06: Kara, Tigh and Roslin will put together a resistance that echos Vichy France of WWII.
3/10/06: Episodes will begin airing on on SciFi in October, not July.
2/21/06: Episodes will begin airing on on SciFi in July.
2/21/06: Season 3 picks up the storyline [immediately] from the end of Season 2. [Update: Apparently not. It will pick up 4 months after Season 2.]
2/21/06: According to Aaron Douglas, six teleplays have already been completed.
2/21/06: According to Aaron Douglas, filming begins on April 10th.
Filming starts April 3rd (?)
The Cylons will have some internal turmoil of their own and perhaps find that they are more like humanity than they had believed.
A D'Anna Biers model [Webmaster's note: the one killed by Reborn Caprica/Baltar Six?] will claim to be the Cylon God [Webmaster's note: 'leader' might be a better term], which leads to some factions developing in the Cylon culture.
Lucy Lawless has signed to appear in ten episodes in Season 3.
Kara's "missing ovaries" will be a major plot point in Season 3.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
July 29th Spoilers (Lost, GA, NCIS)
Lost Spoilers
Updated on July 29, 2006
Lost airs on ABC on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST. The series will return in October for 6 episodes and then go in hiatus for 12 weeks and come back for 17 straight episodes.
All Spoilers are in "Inviso-Text" (highlight to reveal)
Episode 3.01: A Tale of Two Cities (Kate-centric)
Airdate: October 4, 2006
07/29 - This episode will be Kate-centric and have flashbacks featuring a 60-year-old motherly, warm, and funny woman as well as handsome twenty-year-old Karl. Source: SpoilerFix.com [Note: The role of Amelia, posted in the General Season 3 spoilers on July 14, may now be part of Kate's flashback.]
07/21 - During an interview Carlton Cuse revealed: We pick up where we left off, but obviously there are different stories on different parts of the island, and, you know, we will get to all of them in the first few episodes. But like last year, we didn't deal with the raft survivors in the first episode. Not everything is going to be answered in the first episode. But the captivity story [with Jack, Kate and Sawyer] will definitely be addressed. Source: The Ausiello Report
General Season 3 spoilers:
07/29 - Elizabeth Mitchell has joined the cast of ABC's hit drama "Lost" as a possible new love interest for Matthew Fox's character, sources said. Source: Yahoo! [Note: We believe that she will play "Juliet" decribed in out July 14 spoilers below.]
07/26 - Rodrigo Santoro, best known to American audiences as the hot dude Laura Linney crushed on in Love Actually, is joining the cast this fall. Source: The Ausiello Report
07/22 - Among the revelations to come: Viewers will learn more about Desmond and Penny, why Locke was paralyzed, why Libby was in the asylum, and why the island has healing powers. Source: Sci Fi Wire
07/22 - The smoke monster is definitely not made of nanobots. Kate will "make her choice" in the first six episodes of the season. Her choice is presumably between Sawyer and Jack. The word "clone" will never be heard on the show. The Powers That Be all but confirmed Libby will be appearing in flashbacks, most logically Desmond's or Hurley's. If you're asking about daddy issues, you're asking the right questions. Strong implication that an underwater hatch might exist and that it might be explored this season. The producers say the hieroglyphics on the timer translate to "underworld". Source: Kristin on E!Online
07/21 - During an interview Carlton Cuse revealed: We almost view the first six as a miniseries. And it's going to answer what we left hanging at the end of the finale. Obviously, we're going to explain what happened to Locke and Desmond and Eko, and sort of deal with the fact that Sawyer and Kate and Jack are in captivity. We would love to sort of finish up [Libby]'s story. We're casting two female roles and one new male role. I can't tell you where the characters are going to come from, but obviously, one of the things we're doing this year on the show is... learning a lot more about the Others, and their society and their history. So it might be fair to say that you're going to learn more about some other characters who are also Others. I wouldn't call it the season of sex, but I will say that romance will play a much more active part of the show this year... We actually meant to get to it last year. We didn't really get to the romance as fast as we thought we were going to. So this year that's definitely on our agenda. I think actually one of these new female characters is going to be a romantic interest, possibly for Jack. There will be several new romances on the show this year... I think that this year we're looking to make the show a little bit brighter, a little bit more vibrant, a little bit more on the action-adventure axis, a little bit more on the romance axis. I don't think the show will be as dark and as intense this year [as it was last season]. And it will be, I think, even more on the character axis than on the mythological axis. John Locke will be a very different person in Season 3. All of his questions and his doubts and his uncertainty have been answered. In fact, the button did mean something. And there was something at stake. And I think that will bring about a change in that character. Penny is an important character in the overarching mythology of the show. The interrelationship between the outside world and the island will be something that will be a part of Season 3. The monster will be a part of Season 3, as will the polar bear. People are asking what happened to the polar bear, so we will be doing some polar-bear stories. The smoke creature and the monster are one and the same. I hope Cindy shows up at some point. Let's just say we have many actors on our show; she is not at the top of the list of actors we're servicing. Source: The Ausiello Report
07/14 - Juliet, a woman in her mid-30s, will be added to the cast as a regular. Juliet is a natural leader and a smart and independant woman. One of her flashbacks (?) will involve her mother Amelia. During said flashback, the ladies will discuss burnt brownies and Juliet's love life. It seems that Juliet may be an Other. Jack is held alone in a room and Juliet looks at him, separated from him with a glass window. Jack tries to break the chains that are holding him. Juliet tries to convince a pissed off Jack to trust her. Source: SpoilerFix.com [Note: It is unknown when those scenes will be seen and if they will be part of an episode.]
------------------------------
Grey's Anatomy Spoilers
Updated on July 29, 2006
Grey's Anatomy airs at 10 p.m. EST on Sundays on ABC. The series was renewed for a 3rd season and will air at a new day and time: Thursdays at 9 pm.
Episode 3.01: Time Has Come Today
Airdate: September 21, 2006
07/29 - A new, possibly recurring African-American couple is introduced. Joe shakes off a proposition. A patient is caught shoplifting. Another asserts her independence. One doctor's admiration of a gay patient seems out of place. We will see flashbacks featuring a five-year-old Meredith. Source: SpoilerFix.com
07/21 - I'm told that Diahann Carroll (aka Whitley Gilbert's mom on A Different World) is going to be the first new guest star on the show this year. Source: Kristin on E!Online
General Season 3 Spoilers:
07/01 - [Chris O'Donnell] is in talks to increase his Season 3 episode order from two to six. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/22 - Katherine [Heigl] WILL BE on Grey's Anatomy next season. Source: Kristin on E!Online
05/19 - Sara Ramirez, who plays George's new squeeze, Callie[, revealed:] "I'm a series regular next season!" Source: Kristin on E!Online
05/17 - As partially confirmed by Shonda Rhimes herself in my blog Q&A, Kate Walsh (Addison) and the returning Eric Dane (McSteamy) are now on board for all of Season 3. They were originally only committed through mid-season. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/10 - Sara Ramirez (aka dirty-hand-lady Callie) is only committed through the end of [Season 2]. As of Monday, my spy tells me there has been "no movement to retain her." That doesn't mean she's not coming back, it just means she's not currently contracted to. Chris O'Donnell, meanwhile, is still booked for eight episodes - six this season and two next. Again, this doesn't mean he won't stick around longer. Meanwhile Kate Walsh (Addison) is on board through early '07, which just happens to mirror the deal the returning Eric Dane (aka McSteamy) just signed. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/09 - Callie is going to be back next season. Source: Kristin on E!Online
-------------------------------------
NCIS Spoilers
Updated on July 29, 2006
NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. The show was renewed for a 4th season.
Episode 4.01: Shalom
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/14 - Someone connected to Mossad assassinates a foreign bigwig in Georgetown, and Ziva happened to drive by the location. She tries to stop it, but the police regard her as a suspect. The team (with Tony as the new leader) tries to help her out. New to the team is Michelle Lee, the new probie, who'll be a recurring guest star. She studied law at Harvard. Director Shepard and Abby also appear. Source: SpoilerFix.com
Episode 4.02: Escaped
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/29 - A man brought to justice by Gibbs and Fornell manages to escape from prison and manages to make his way to Fornell, to ask him to reopen his case. Fornell is not amused, as he has his little daughter with him at the time. Gibbs is persuaded to come out of retirement once again to help out. The team ask around old accomplices and people the fugitive knew before he went to jail. Abby, Ducky and Director Sheppard also appear in this episode. Source: SpoilerFix.com
General Season 4 Spoilers:
05/24 - Mark Harmon is not leaving the show. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
Updated on July 29, 2006
Lost airs on ABC on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST. The series will return in October for 6 episodes and then go in hiatus for 12 weeks and come back for 17 straight episodes.
All Spoilers are in "Inviso-Text" (highlight to reveal)
Episode 3.01: A Tale of Two Cities (Kate-centric)
Airdate: October 4, 2006
07/29 - This episode will be Kate-centric and have flashbacks featuring a 60-year-old motherly, warm, and funny woman as well as handsome twenty-year-old Karl. Source: SpoilerFix.com [Note: The role of Amelia, posted in the General Season 3 spoilers on July 14, may now be part of Kate's flashback.]
07/21 - During an interview Carlton Cuse revealed: We pick up where we left off, but obviously there are different stories on different parts of the island, and, you know, we will get to all of them in the first few episodes. But like last year, we didn't deal with the raft survivors in the first episode. Not everything is going to be answered in the first episode. But the captivity story [with Jack, Kate and Sawyer] will definitely be addressed. Source: The Ausiello Report
General Season 3 spoilers:
07/29 - Elizabeth Mitchell has joined the cast of ABC's hit drama "Lost" as a possible new love interest for Matthew Fox's character, sources said. Source: Yahoo! [Note: We believe that she will play "Juliet" decribed in out July 14 spoilers below.]
07/26 - Rodrigo Santoro, best known to American audiences as the hot dude Laura Linney crushed on in Love Actually, is joining the cast this fall. Source: The Ausiello Report
07/22 - Among the revelations to come: Viewers will learn more about Desmond and Penny, why Locke was paralyzed, why Libby was in the asylum, and why the island has healing powers. Source: Sci Fi Wire
07/22 - The smoke monster is definitely not made of nanobots. Kate will "make her choice" in the first six episodes of the season. Her choice is presumably between Sawyer and Jack. The word "clone" will never be heard on the show. The Powers That Be all but confirmed Libby will be appearing in flashbacks, most logically Desmond's or Hurley's. If you're asking about daddy issues, you're asking the right questions. Strong implication that an underwater hatch might exist and that it might be explored this season. The producers say the hieroglyphics on the timer translate to "underworld". Source: Kristin on E!Online
07/21 - During an interview Carlton Cuse revealed: We almost view the first six as a miniseries. And it's going to answer what we left hanging at the end of the finale. Obviously, we're going to explain what happened to Locke and Desmond and Eko, and sort of deal with the fact that Sawyer and Kate and Jack are in captivity. We would love to sort of finish up [Libby]'s story. We're casting two female roles and one new male role. I can't tell you where the characters are going to come from, but obviously, one of the things we're doing this year on the show is... learning a lot more about the Others, and their society and their history. So it might be fair to say that you're going to learn more about some other characters who are also Others. I wouldn't call it the season of sex, but I will say that romance will play a much more active part of the show this year... We actually meant to get to it last year. We didn't really get to the romance as fast as we thought we were going to. So this year that's definitely on our agenda. I think actually one of these new female characters is going to be a romantic interest, possibly for Jack. There will be several new romances on the show this year... I think that this year we're looking to make the show a little bit brighter, a little bit more vibrant, a little bit more on the action-adventure axis, a little bit more on the romance axis. I don't think the show will be as dark and as intense this year [as it was last season]. And it will be, I think, even more on the character axis than on the mythological axis. John Locke will be a very different person in Season 3. All of his questions and his doubts and his uncertainty have been answered. In fact, the button did mean something. And there was something at stake. And I think that will bring about a change in that character. Penny is an important character in the overarching mythology of the show. The interrelationship between the outside world and the island will be something that will be a part of Season 3. The monster will be a part of Season 3, as will the polar bear. People are asking what happened to the polar bear, so we will be doing some polar-bear stories. The smoke creature and the monster are one and the same. I hope Cindy shows up at some point. Let's just say we have many actors on our show; she is not at the top of the list of actors we're servicing. Source: The Ausiello Report
07/14 - Juliet, a woman in her mid-30s, will be added to the cast as a regular. Juliet is a natural leader and a smart and independant woman. One of her flashbacks (?) will involve her mother Amelia. During said flashback, the ladies will discuss burnt brownies and Juliet's love life. It seems that Juliet may be an Other. Jack is held alone in a room and Juliet looks at him, separated from him with a glass window. Jack tries to break the chains that are holding him. Juliet tries to convince a pissed off Jack to trust her. Source: SpoilerFix.com [Note: It is unknown when those scenes will be seen and if they will be part of an episode.]
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Grey's Anatomy Spoilers
Updated on July 29, 2006
Grey's Anatomy airs at 10 p.m. EST on Sundays on ABC. The series was renewed for a 3rd season and will air at a new day and time: Thursdays at 9 pm.
Episode 3.01: Time Has Come Today
Airdate: September 21, 2006
07/29 - A new, possibly recurring African-American couple is introduced. Joe shakes off a proposition. A patient is caught shoplifting. Another asserts her independence. One doctor's admiration of a gay patient seems out of place. We will see flashbacks featuring a five-year-old Meredith. Source: SpoilerFix.com
07/21 - I'm told that Diahann Carroll (aka Whitley Gilbert's mom on A Different World) is going to be the first new guest star on the show this year. Source: Kristin on E!Online
General Season 3 Spoilers:
07/01 - [Chris O'Donnell] is in talks to increase his Season 3 episode order from two to six. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/22 - Katherine [Heigl] WILL BE on Grey's Anatomy next season. Source: Kristin on E!Online
05/19 - Sara Ramirez, who plays George's new squeeze, Callie[, revealed:] "I'm a series regular next season!" Source: Kristin on E!Online
05/17 - As partially confirmed by Shonda Rhimes herself in my blog Q&A, Kate Walsh (Addison) and the returning Eric Dane (McSteamy) are now on board for all of Season 3. They were originally only committed through mid-season. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/10 - Sara Ramirez (aka dirty-hand-lady Callie) is only committed through the end of [Season 2]. As of Monday, my spy tells me there has been "no movement to retain her." That doesn't mean she's not coming back, it just means she's not currently contracted to. Chris O'Donnell, meanwhile, is still booked for eight episodes - six this season and two next. Again, this doesn't mean he won't stick around longer. Meanwhile Kate Walsh (Addison) is on board through early '07, which just happens to mirror the deal the returning Eric Dane (aka McSteamy) just signed. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
05/09 - Callie is going to be back next season. Source: Kristin on E!Online
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NCIS Spoilers
Updated on July 29, 2006
NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. The show was renewed for a 4th season.
Episode 4.01: Shalom
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/14 - Someone connected to Mossad assassinates a foreign bigwig in Georgetown, and Ziva happened to drive by the location. She tries to stop it, but the police regard her as a suspect. The team (with Tony as the new leader) tries to help her out. New to the team is Michelle Lee, the new probie, who'll be a recurring guest star. She studied law at Harvard. Director Shepard and Abby also appear. Source: SpoilerFix.com
Episode 4.02: Escaped
Airdate: Fall 2006
07/29 - A man brought to justice by Gibbs and Fornell manages to escape from prison and manages to make his way to Fornell, to ask him to reopen his case. Fornell is not amused, as he has his little daughter with him at the time. Gibbs is persuaded to come out of retirement once again to help out. The team ask around old accomplices and people the fugitive knew before he went to jail. Abby, Ducky and Director Sheppard also appear in this episode. Source: SpoilerFix.com
General Season 4 Spoilers:
05/24 - Mark Harmon is not leaving the show. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide
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