Then & Now: Latino hero booster (EJO)
Mon 27th Feb

Source: Express-News

Even before his Emmy Award-winning television role as Lt. Castillo on "Miami Vice," actor-filmmaker Edward James Olmos had visited San Antonio to tout social causes.

Olmos has spoken out on U.S. Hispanic issues while getting both acclaim and criticism for his work. He lately has taken on a rare science fiction role in a reincarnation of TV's "Battlestar Galactica" on the Sci Fi Channel and has long hoped to make a film about South Texas war hero and Medal of Honour recipient Roy Benavidez.

Born on Feb. 24, 1947, in East Los Angeles, where he grew up, Olmos aspired at first to play baseball, then performed rock music at clubs while taking acting classes and going after small TV and stage roles.

His acting career got under way with roles on mid-1970s TV shows "Cannon," "Kojak" and "Police Woman" before he was in the film "Zoot Suit" in 1981. The next year, Olmos played Mexican Gen. Santa Anna in the TV movie "Seguin" and starred in the film "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez," about a 1901 incident in Gonzales.

In a visit to San Antonio in 1982, he helped honour 27 students for pursuing bilingual studies. Because most had spoken Spanish early on, he encouraged them to keep studying English while retaining their "mother tongue," the San Antonio Express-News reported.

"I hope you carry on the tradition of speaking two languages because it doesn't make sense nowadays to suppress one language when you could have access to both," he said.

His breakthrough "Miami Vice" role from 1984 to 1989 and an Oscar-nominated best actor performance as a teacher in "Stand and Deliver" in 1988 raised Olmos to national status. But he continued to speak to South Texas children, at schools and detention facilities, telling them to stay in school and respect their teachers.

Olmos had a lead role in his directorial debut, "American Me," a dark portrayal of Mexican American gangs. It got mixed reviews, lagged at theatres and reportedly prompted gang members to make death threats against him.

"You'd better hope that everybody sees this movie and screams at our government. Screams! Because our children are killing each other," he told about 350 people who attended a local screening in 1992.

Olmos said he gained 65 pounds in order to portray Abraham Quintanilla, father of slain Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla Pérez, in the 1997 film "Selena." The role earned him praise.

"I look for roles that mean something," he told the Express-News as parts of the film were being shot here in 1996.

Olmos has testified before Congress about diabetes among Hispanics and other minorities, and he has backed efforts to raise AIDS awareness among Hispanics. He's advocated more roles for them in movies and TV, as well as a national holiday honouring the legacy of the late civil rights leader César Chávez.

"There is not one American hero of colour, other than Martin Luther King, on a national level. Latinos need their day," he told about 200 Hispanic media executives, writers and actors at a local gathering at the Guadalupe Theatre in 1999.

Olmos has a movie script about Roy Benavidez, a master sergeant in the Army's Special Forces. Benavidez, who died in 1998, was born near Cuero and raised there and in El Campo.

During the Vietnam War, Benavidez was wounded by a land mine. He amazed doctors with a recovery at Brooke Army Medical Centre before returning to the war, where he saved eight men, despite multiple stab and gunshot wounds.

Olmos has tried for 22 years to make a film on Benavidez.

"This movie will be made. It's been a long, long journey," he said last week. He said he needs to secure $15 million, but is committed to seeing the project through.

He said he's completing another film, "Walkout," based on a true story of a 1968 protest of racial and educational biases at East Los Angeles high schools.

Olmos is set to visit San Antonio on April 8 to discuss and promote the Roy P. Benavidez Scholarship Fund. He said he still makes public appearances to support his favourite causes.

"I think it's basically giving back more than you receive. I've received so much," he said.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

'Battlestar' back in top form
Sat 25th Feb

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

After a string of episodes that even the producers admitted were pedestrian at best, it was beginning to look like "Battlestar Galactica"'s star was fading. "Black Market" was just too meandering; "Scar" seemed like a retread of an old "Space: Above and Beyond" episode; and the hostage-scenario "Sacrifices" just came across as contrived.

Not to mention the dramatic changes in pace: Earlier episodes took place within days of each other and now we're skipping a month or more, just to reach the nine-month date for the baby to be born this episode.

But Friday night's episode, "Downloaded," refreshingly succeeds on so many levels as we head into the season finale. It's a story told largely from a Cylon point of view, following the lives of Baltar's No. 6 and the "original" Sharon Valerii after they are resurrected.

In addition to finally getting a sense of what Cylon society looks like when it's not solely bent on wiping out humanity, we get a well-told tale of the travails No. 6 and Sharon go through after having lived and died in ways that made them more individual than other Cylons (not unlike the wayward Borg Hugh from "Star Trek: The Next Generation.")

The best twist is that this No. 6 is haunted by her own internal Baltar -- though that gimmick still reminds me of John Crichton's internal Scorpius from "Farscape" -- not to mention Mrs. Muir's ghost.

Though we see masses of Cylons strolling about and lounging at a coffee shop, teasingly we see only some of the handful of models we've already seen -- the Sharons, the No. 6s, the Lucy Lawless version (No. 3) and the public relations guy (No. 5). It's a great image to see them all walking around each other, but you have to wonder how they tell each other apart.

And if they are really individuals and their minds are not connected to each other, how did the original Sharon get programmed as a sleeper? (We know that human form Cylons can a) still use their bodies to generate command signals, as Sharon did to deactivate the Cylon raiders and b) the memories of dead Cylons can be transmitted over great distances from a dead or dying body, so there are some mechanisms involved.) And if the Cylon collective has that much ability to control an individual, why doesn't it purge or reprogram this Sharon and No. 6 when they're reborn?

Plus, is the Sharon model -- possibly designed just for her role as a Colonial warrior -- built less sturdily than other models? We saw one No. 6 body shield Baltar from a blast wave and another defeat the warrior Kara Thrace, and in this episode we see a No. 3 require two blows to the head with a chunk of rubble to kill -- but mama Sharon on the Galactica nearly bleeds to death giving birth?

Those are only quibbles -- and I'm sure we'll be well rewarded in the two-part finale as we deal with the loose plot threads of fate of the Cylon baby, Baltar's run for the presidency, the nuclear weapon Baltar gave the the Gina No. 6 to aid the insurgency and whatever the fleet's current goal has become. Are they still fleeing the Cylons and searching for Earth -- or did they indeed turn around to harass the Cylons?

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

Galactica actress buckles down for role
Sat 25th Feb

Source: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

When Katee Sackhoff got the part of Lt. Kara "Starbuck" in the Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica," she had no idea the role had originally been played by a man.

That might have deterred some actresses, but it didn't faze Sackhoff, 24. "My agents and my managers are saying, 'Are you sure?' I say, 'What's the big problem? I don't get it,' " she says.

"What's interesting is that I didn't even watch the show. I might have watched a half an hour of an episode, and the fans – if you read the Internet some of them say – 'There's moments when she channelled Dirk Benedict (the original Starbuck). I swear to God she tried to copy him.' . . . So I was, like, 'I'm sorry, maybe they just cast the part right.' "

Sackhoff was 8 when she rode on the E.T. ride at an amusement park and first thought of acting. "I looked at my mother when the little bicycles are going through the air, and I says, 'If this is what acting is, this is what I want to do.' "

". . . I went home and forgot about it for years because I was swimming, and I just assumed that I was going to swim in college and that was the path my life was going to take."

But a knee injury ended her competitive swimming career.

"I had to find something else I could do. It was a really a weird moment in my life because my life revolved around swimming," Sackhoff says.

Faced with the lack of an athletic outlet, she began acting at 16. It was then that she knew she would try her luck in Hollywood.

Sackhoff, who grew up in Portland, Ore., left home at 18 with a U-haul filled with furniture she'd bought in anticipation of her move.

It was hard for her parents to see her go, she says.

"They went from thinking their daughter was going to go to college to realizing that I was going to go try something that everyone thought I was going to fail at," she says.

"I think they believed in me, but I think every parent's biggest fear is that their child is going to be hurt and they're not going to be able to heal that pain."

Though she suffered three failed series, she began auditioning for Starbuck in December and landed the part in February.

"I had the whole Christmas break to sit there and say, 'I want this part; I want this part,' " she laughs.

It wasn't hard, she says. "Because I knew I was going to get it. I just knew. There's moments when you just know – I guess that's the way I am – I know when I've nailed the part. … I don't know what it is, but I definitely know when I'm going to get a job. And I just felt like this was my part from the day I read the script."

A self-confessed introvert, Sackhoff says she doesn't like crowds or getting dressed up and she hates working out with a passion.

Her father was a developer and used to hire Sackhoff to clean up the places after they'd been refurbished.

She may have learned a lot about cleaning, but now, she says, "I don't like to pick up after myself and to run errands and to sit down and balance my check book. I hate that. … "

She's an excellent cook, loves food and says she'd like to own a restaurant someday.

". . . A tiny three-seater in the closet of a bigger restaurant. I'm a really good entertainer, I have dinner parties at my house, and I just relish it. Thanksgiving I cooked for 15 people. I love to be in the kitchen and love to make people happy with food and love to cook really-bad-for-you foods, comfort foods," she says.

Sackhoff's sweetheart is Australian guitarist Troy MacCubbin. While she's filming "Battlestar Galactica," he's often touring with a band. But they manage, she says.

"Relationships are hard. I think it makes you try a little bit harder," she says.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

Cylons' world on 'Battlestar Galactica' gets complicated
Fri 24th Feb

Source: Scripps Howard News Service

Lucy Lawless has won many fans with her starring role in "Xena, the Warrior Princess." The New Zealand actress could develop a similar following for her depiction of a villainous leader on "Battlestar Galactica."

Lawless effortlessly becomes comfortable with her characters, and that proves true again as she returns as D'Anna Biers, a wicked Cylon _ a robot in a humanlike body. The episode, "Downloaded," airs at 10 p.m. Friday (Feb. 24) on Sci Fi.

Previously, Lawless' character had pretended to be a reporter aboard the Battlestar Galactica. This week, D'Anna uses her leadership role to change the heart of the resurrected Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valeri (Grace Park) on Caprica, the world conquered by the Cylons. She wants Sharon to get back into the spirit of being a Cylon.

But these Cylons are becoming as human as they look. Sharon, who didn't know she was a Cylon when she served aboard the Battlestar Galactica, is angry about how the Cylons used her to try to kill the man she loved like a father, Cmdr. William Adama (Edward James Olmos). (Sharon was killed on the Battlestar, and as is customary among the Cylons, her consciousness was downloaded into another copy of her body.)

Lawless' D'Anna Biers wants Sharon to get over that remorse in a plot full of surprises and involving Number Six (Tricia Helfer). Number Six gained the defense codes that allowed the Cylons to drop nuclear bombs on Caprica.

The episode is a strong one because of the writing and the performances by Helfer, Park and Lawless. The Cylons, whose entire culture is based on total agreement on their mission, are now faced with a question for which they weren't programmed: individuality. Friday's episode is powerful because it shows that individuality in action. And that could change the whole dynamic of "Battlestar Galactica."

Lawless will return next season as a regular cast member, and her presence will add another layer to one of the most complicated and genuine sci-fi shows on TV.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

Curing Cancer and Saving Battlestars!
Thu 23rd Feb

Source: Now Playing Magazine

In the first part of our new interview with Battlestar Galactica executive producer Ron Moore ("The Cylons Take Over Galactica" News Topic Post), we discussed tomorrow's "Cylon POV" episode "Downloaded." As we continue our discussion here with the show runner, we take a look back at some of the plot threads that took place earlier this season. First up: President Laura Roslin's recovery from terminal cancer.

"The question was how do we deal with her ongoing illness and resolve that storyline," recalls Moore of the episode "Epiphanies." "Baltar finds this connection between certain Cylon cells and how that can be used to cure Laura's cancer. It [doesn't] necessarily take off the table the possibility of the cancer coming back. It's essentially gone, but I'm sort of holding it on the table that it could recur, it could come back. It's cancer and sometimes you feel like you're clean and it can come back at some future point."

For a standard sci-fi TV show it wouldn't be so surprising for a character to be cured with a script-writer's snap of the fingers, but for Galactica, which depends greatly on its "realism" (albeit in a sci-fi world), it's a far trickier plot twist to pull off.

"This particular storyline just really couldn't drag on indefinitely," continues Moore. "There was a point where it starts to become false, because you realize, 'Is she dying or isn't she?' It was a terminal prognosis and she's either going to die or they have to do something about it. And I didn't want it to be [a cure] from within Colonial science, or some new alien who would show up, or some sort of deus ex machina device. And there was a nice symmetry to the fact that the unborn Cylon child, which is where the blood comes from, that there was something in that that would then be used to help Laura. And that Baltar would be the one to figure that out. All the puzzle pieces seemed to play out pretty well, so I like the way that worked itself into the storyline."

The episode is interesting because it can also play on a couple of other levels. For one, it's Moore and Co.'s stab at addressing the stem cell issue debate – "In fact, in the early stages of the script we were using the term stem cells," he says – but it also ties into Laura Roslin's religious side. She is seen by many of the Colonials as a sort of religious prophet, and her recovery from the near-death experience of cancer is a second coming, if you will.

"There's a lot of weight in terms of people saying part of Laura's authority comes from the idea that she might well be the prophet that is talked about in some of their scriptural references," says Moore. "And if she's dying that sort of cements the idea, and if she's not dying that raises more questions about her legitimacy, about whether they should listen to her in the first place. So it does put things into a different light."

Playing the "religious card," as Laura herself would call it, has also allowed the Galactica writing staff to shine a not-always-pleasant light on the religious right of our real world. Take last week's episode, 'The Captain's Hand,' which saw a debate break out among the Galactica fleet over the topic of abortion – that's about as real-world an issue as it gets, and it's something the Colonials must deal with just as us Earth-folk do.

"We've established that people from the colony of Geminon tend to be religious, and they have a sort of fundamentalist agenda," says Moore. "And that sort of political fallout [will be seen in] future episodes. In episode 17, which is "The Captain's Hand," a significant B-story is going on that has to do with abortion has to do with the [Geminon people] applying political pressure because they supported Laura as a religious leader and now they want their agenda to be moved forward."

Moving forward here, as well, Moore also touched on a more fan boy-centric topic during our talk. The topic of the Battlestar Pegasus came up, a throwback to the original Galactica series that has been handled in a much different manner on the modern show. For starters, the Pegasus has actually lasted on the new series for more than two episodes!

"Yeah, I sort of felt that one of the safe assumptions that the audience would have going into that episode was, 'Well, obviously by the end of this they're going to destroy the Pegasus or get rid of it in some way,'" laughs Moore. "And I just thought we'd definitely subvert expectations and go in a different direction. So right from the get-go it was, 'We're gonna keep the Pegasus around.'"

The same cannot be said for that Battlestar's commander, however, Admiral Cain.

"She was doomed from the get-go!" Moore laughs again. "Which is interesting: There was never any serious discussion of any other way to go. It wasn't until we cut it all together and watched it that we really realized what a great job [Cain actress] Michelle Forbes had done. We all kind of went, 'Gosh, it's a shame we killed her.'"

Since the Admiral's untimely passing, the Pegasus has had several replacement commanders in a short spate of time. "The Pegasus sort of has a string of bad luck in terms of its commanders," chuckles Moore. But so far it's the hard-ass Cain who's been most interesting to explore as a character for the writing staff (well, with the exception of the newest CO, Apollo, that is).

"I see [Cain] as a very complicated person who had a very different take down the road that Adama went down," Moore offers. "But at the same time she was faced with a very different set of circumstances than Adama was faced with. She was literally on her own and she made some hard choices that she felt had to be made, and they were all in service of the same idea that Adama was dealing with, which is survival and striking back at the Cylons. And I think some of the things that she sanctioned were horrific and morally questionable, to say the least, but I don't think she was a moustache-twirling villain. I just think she was someone who made a different call."

Rest in peace, Admiral Cain. And Commander Fisk. And Commander Garner… and check back here soon for more from our Ron Moore interview.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

The Cylons Take Over Galactica
Thu 23rd Feb

Source: Now Playing Magazine

Spoiler warning

It's hard to believe we're almost done with the second season of the Sci Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica already. But if it seems as though these episodes are coming and going so quickly, it's largely because of the quality of each instalment of the hit show. Things never get boring on the good ship Galactica (or the not-so-good ship Pegasus for that matter), and that mandate has never been more true than in this Friday's episode, the long-anticipated "Cylon POV" segment.

"Downloaded" finally presents us the world of Galactica as seen by the Cylon androids, the enemies of the human Colonials who are typically our series leads. It's an idea that's been brewing for some time, says executive producer Ron Moore, and it will feature some familiar yet nonetheless surprising faces.

"The episode is essentially following two Cylon characters," he explains. "It's going to follow the character we're calling Caprica Six, who is the Six that Baltar was involved with in the beginning of the miniseries, and she's the Six that was killed when his house was destroyed. She wakes up and is reborn. And then we're also following Boomer, the Cylon that was shot on Galactica by Cally. And it's the same thing. We follow her and she is reborn. And it's essentially the story of those two characters. I don't think all the main cast is in the show. The A-story takes place primarily on Cylon-occupied Caprica, and there is a B-story on Galactica."

It makes complete sense, of course, that both Caprica Six and the Galactica Boomer (or Sharon) would be reborn into new bodies – even though audiences have generally taken it that both characters were dead and gone. But they're also changed creatures as a result of the experiences they had in their former bodies, with Six still lamenting the loss of her love Baltar, and Sharon refusing to give up on the life she had when she was conditioned to believe that she was human. Hailed as heroes of the Cylon for their part in the Colonial holocaust, the two meet on Caprica and take a path by episode's end that certainly isn't expected of them. And "Downloaded" itself perhaps takes an unexpected path too, as many fans have always believed that the "Cylon" episode would take place on the heretofore unseen mysterious Cylon home world rather than on plain old Caprica. Moore warns, though, that we won't be seeing that particular planet any time soon.

"That episode will not have that, and we still don't have any plans to do that," he says. "My instinct is kind of not to go there. I feel like I don't have a great clear vision of it; at this point if we tried to do something there it would look very familiar and not as interesting as it is in your imagination."

After all, the Cylon world must be fairly similar to a Caprica or Kobol, right? The Cylons are, more or less, humanoid. "It still has to be a place where bipedal creatures can walk around and do things," laughs Moore. And that makes sense, too. How disappointing would it be to go to the Cylon home world and find that it looks a lot like the outside of a Canadian shopping mall? Or that the Imperious Leader still sits in that really high chair in that really dark room, where the production budget really can't afford props? Besides, fans thought they weren't getting this episode at all up until a few weeks ago.

"In fact, it was never off track," says Moore. "I'd seen that speculation and I was wondering, 'Why do they keep saying that?' There was probably some confusion because we were talking about doing a clip show at one point for budgetary reasons. They're much cheaper to produce and we were having huge cost overruns, but when we split "Resurrection Ship" into two pieces and got another episode out of it, we didn't need to do a clip show. So that was the episode that got kicked out, and "Downloaded" just moved down the line sequentially because there was an extra episode before it."

The mention of a clip show (a "greatest hits" sort of segment that relies largely on footage from past episodes) sounds abhorrent, but Moore sees it as a viable option – and in fact he sites several current successful shows that have made the idea respectable again.

"It was a possibility," he says. "The lion's share of the reason was that it was strictly money [and] budget. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Part of it was also seeing the success clip shows have had. Desperate Housewives and Lost have been able to have entire clip shows, and they don't even have the pretext of some kind of framing device where characters think back or whatever. They just put up a whole bunch of [past scenes] and get really good ratings for it! For a show like this that has so many serialized elements to it and complicated stories, there is value to at least considering the idea of putting up a show that does nothing but catch up audiences. There's still costs because whenever you use a clip you have to pay the actor and director and the writer of that particular episode. So it's not a freebie, but it's certainly substantially less than a full-blown episode."

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

Galactica remake is 'fraking' spectacular
Thu 23rd Feb

Source: Arkansas Traveller

Chances are, few people actually stay home on a Friday night or set their TiVO for 9 p.m. to watch "Battlestar Galactica." They're missing the critically acclaimed show that is considered "the best show on TV."

The chances are even slimmer that people know it's a remake of one of the campiest television shows ever made. The original version of "Galactica" premiered in 1979 as a made-for-TV movie that was quickly changed to a series.

It was notoriously camp: the laws of physics didn't apply, costumes looked like rejects from "Logan's Run" and the show lasted barely a season before it had to be spun-off into the even campier and much derided "Galactica: 1980." Also, the villainous race of alien-made robotic Cylons was considered so close to the Imperial Storm troopers of "Star Wars" that George Lucas sued Universal.

This time however, things are different.

The redesigned Galactica still leads a rag-tag fleet in search of Earth, and the Cylons, created by man this time, have returned after their initial rebellion and nuked the 12 colonies on which humanity lived.

There are parallels to contemporary times, which lead the show to be culturally relevant to today's issues. There are suicide bombers and terrorist cells, disputed elections and military coups, and a war the leadership calls "unavoidable."

It's not as obvious as "24," but then again, when people are on their seat as often as Galactica viewers are, that doesn't matter. It's the human drama that makes the show.

Edward James Olmos plays the fleet's admiral, William Adama. This is a role Olmos was born to play.

His love-hate relationship with his son, Lee, played by Jamie Bamber, was featured heavily in the first season, as well as Adama's conflicts with the new President of the Colonies, played with believable conviction by Mary McDonnell. Many overlook the drama because it seems science-fiction-y. The show could be set on an aircraft carrier (which is really what the Galactica is) in the Pacific and no one would have any reservations about watching it.

Lee Adama's relationship with one of the characters who received a sex change is a key plot device in the second season, which is now two thirds over.

Katee Sackhoff's Starbuck changed a character played by Dirk Benedict, from a womanizing, alcoholic, hot-shot pilot into… well, an alcoholic, hot-shot, man-eating pilot.

As in the original series, a human aided the Cylons. This time however, instead of the insidiously and intentionally evil Count Baltar that helped the Cylons, they now have Dr. Gaius Baltar, scientist extraordinaire. This conflicted Baltar, played fantastically by James Callis, has visions in his head of the ridiculously beautiful woman known as Six, played by Tricia Helfer, the woman who tricked him into betraying humanity.

The sheer reality of the show is remarkable. Every episode is shot in a documentary style with everything from steadicams to handhelds and feels 100 percent authentic. This makes it seem like watching a real-time drama, with realistic costumes that could be in a modern military.

This dedication to realism doesn't falter when space-combat begins. Done by Zoic Studios, the same company that did the space company for "Firefly" and "Serenity," the ships follow the laws of physics to a T, and look so genuine it's hard to believe it's nearly all computer generated.

Even the music makes viewers ride a gambit of emotion, from the haunting opening to the stirring drum rolls of combat and split-second decision-making.

One holdover from the original show is use of the word "Frak." The word is used as a general expletive, but not grossly so. It adds to the realism because people in the military aren't puritans, they use expletives - a fictional multi-function is just as good as putting it on HBO.

Galactica has been nominated for two Emmy's and has won a Hugo, as well as being named Time Magazine's "Best Show of 2005." Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide have lauded brilliance of the show week-in and week-out.

Even if people don't stay in or tape it on a Friday night, they should at least pick up the mini-series at Blockbuster and give it a whirl. Who knows: they might just broaden their horizons' beyond "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost."

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

Bear McCreary scores Season Two Finale!
Wed 21st Feb

Source: Soundtrack.Net

Today "Battlestar Galactica" composer Bear McCreary held a strings and piano session at the Warner Brothers Eastwood Scoring Stage in Burbank, CA. The session was to record music for the upcoming two-episode "season finale", which - according to McCreary - will leave fans yelling at their screens, due to the cliff-hanger aspect.

There is just over 50-minutes of score over the two episodes (a 60-minute, and 90-minute finale), with only 16-minutes requiring strings. McCreary conducted the 21-piece string session, which included a cue that ran the entire act (approximately ten minutes).

"I had 36-hours to write 55-minutes of music, for a 2.5-hour long monstrosity - and only five days to produce it all," explained McCreary. Score mixer and music co-producer Steve Kaplan made sure that the pre-records worked with the strings, and fans of the show are sure to be clamouring for some of these cues when La-La Land Records releases the soundtrack in June.

Click on the link and at the bottom is a link to a pod cast from the scoring session.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

Lucy Lawless on Playing the Purest Cylon
Sun 19th Feb

Source: About.com

A few days ago, the Sci Fi Channel provided the good news that Lucy Lawless' character on Battlestar Galactica will be featured in a ten-episode arc at the start of the show's third season. Lawless plays a fiercely dedicated investigative reporter D'Anna Biers, who has turned out to be a Cylon.

"Will you be in all ten episodes?" I ask.

"They're still writing, so nothing is certain, but I think I'm going to be in all but two of them," Lawless says.

"What angles are you adding to the character now that we in the audience know she's a Cylon?"

"You know, I just finished reading a book, The Fantasy Bond [Structure of Psychological Defences, by Robert W.Firestone]. It's about the fantasies that we endow our relationships with, whether they're there or not," Lawless explains. "What if your mother is evil, but you can't help but love this woman? You see her as your mother. It's all about the psychology of relationships.

"I recognize this character, using this book, as you'll see. She has all the hallmarks of a friend, but there's no warmth to her. So, instinctively, you find her menacing."

"She's menacing, all right," I agree.

"I was watching her while I was doing the looping," Lawless continues, "and I'm tickled pink with the way it turned out. And I have to tell you, I'm so thrilled to be part of this team. They really have given me the greatest role I've had since Xena.

"D'Anna leaves me lots of room to be twisty. She's like the ultimate narcissist. Sharon and Six are really having some real crises of faith with the Cylon ID, and my character finds that just so repugnant."

The tone of true disgust in Lawless' voice is priceless.

"The challenge is to keep her menacing and likable," Lawless explains. "You'll have to see what you think when you see the episodes. She's one of those people you watch because you don't quite trust her. You can tell she's got an agenda, but you're not sure what it is."

"This is all made even more interesting because she's a reporter," I can't help pointing out. "We're so suspicious of the press in general right now, so concerned about what agendas they have."

"Well, there's a supposed role of the media to be the good guys and to tell the truth," Lawless says, "and she does that. It's just that D'Anna's description of the truth isn't human."

"I'm guessing you and Ron Moore have been talking about this?"

"Yes, we had lunch, and I'm really curious about what Ron's going to do with my character. Her agenda doesn't jibe with Sharon's or Six's. She considers herself the pure form, so everybody else needs to come into line with her."

"So you're really describing a character that is reflecting our times," I note. "Are you going to end up accidentally shooting Starbuck in the face?"

"Nobody here but us chickens!" Lawless laughs. "But that works, doesn't it? She's Dick Cheney with boobs."

"Oh, dear."

"Well, we can see on the show and in the news that civility is a luxury. When we're faced with disaster, apparent civilization just breaks down. D'Anna does whatever it takes to get things done quickly. My character has to out-manoeuvre everybody. [The writers] are going to twist this in a million ways, but my challenge is to play her in such a way that is believable

"There's no room for cheese on this show. We did cheese on Xena and we were proud of it. But the world has changed, and I've changed as an actress. To be, D'Anna has to be incredibly subtle. Everything she does is played for maximum efficacy."

"Without spoilers, what challenges will D'Anna face next season?"

"Her obstacles are always that she needs to bring everybody in line with her world view, and she will drag them kicking and screaming is she has to. She knows what best."

"Since you've joined the show, have you been watching it?"

"I'm a fan of the show, but I'm not a TV watcher or a film watcher. Honestly, sometimes I don't know how I got to be in this business. My TV is stuck on Nancy Grace, and I don't have the will to change the channel."

[At this point, I asked who Nancy Grace is, and could feel my validity points sinking fast on the other end of the phone. After the interview, I Googled her and found out she's a CNN anchor who tries to solve crimes, or something. I'd ask my assistant, Cat, if she knows about Nancy Grace, but Cat's already being pretty snobby towards me lately. "What? You don't know about fill-in-the-blank? They already talked about it on the Best Week Ever blog!"

Anyways…]

"You were down here in New Orleans [working on Vampire Bats] when we talked before," I remind her. "You need to come back now and bring all your rich friends."

"I'd like to bring all my filmmaking friends."

"We'll take 'em! What other projects do you have on the burner?"

"Ah, I've been cancelling all my meetings, except for a few things. I've hit a time in my life where I'm not interested in forcing myself to feign interest in something."

"I've asked you before, but I'm going to keep asking if you keep agreeing to talk with me," I warn. "Are you going to end up directing?"

"No, absolutely not. Directing is all about control and clock-waiting. I gravitate towards the free-fall of acting." Lawless laughs, then reveals a possible explanation for why her characters always seem so independent and self-directed on the screen: "I'm not interested in controlling anything."

Production on Battlestar Galactica's third season starts production in Vancouver this April. Catch it on the Sci-Fi Channel Friday nights, 10 PM.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

Weekly Chat Room discussions at GS/RA
Fri 17th Feb

Galactica Station/Ragnar Anchorage will be holding another weekly discussion about tonight's episode in the Galactica Station Chat Room' we will aim to start an hour before the episode airs and can go on as long as people are in there.

May contain spoilers

To enter just click the

To connect via IRC' server info is irc.centralchat.net port 6667' room #Ragnar-Anchorage-Chatroom

Posted by Blade Runner

Interview with Chris Zapara Zoic Studios
Fri 17th Feb

Source: CG Channel

Somehow, I feel the new Battlestar Galactica television series, produced for the Sci-Fi Channel in the US, is changing the look of science-fiction in a way comparable to the way Miami Vice changed cop shows in the 80's. The look and feel of this new BSG (Battlestar Galactica) is like no other sci-fi shows out there.

Zoic Studios is the principal digital VFX vendor on the series and they managed to pull some amazing visuals for this ground-breaking television series currently airing on the Sci-Fi Channel (in the US).

We interviewed Chris Zapara at Zoic as Digital Effects Supervisor on the work he and his crew created for BSG season two.

CGC: Let me begin by asking if you had ever watched the original series before embarking on this revamp well over a year ago?

Chris: I was nine years old when the original series aired, so you can bet I was a big fan of the show. Before starting on this new series in Season Two, I had seen the miniseries and the first season, which I also loved.

CGC: At the time, it was rumored that the original series (produced by Universal) was cancelled after pressure from George Lucas and Lucasfilm who threatened legal actions due to the many similarities with their own Star Wars (Twentieth Century Fox). Was this a factor when working on the new series?

Chris: Not as far as I know, any legal issues from that conflict are long over.

CGC: Visually speaking, I guess you could say BattleStar Galactica is as Revolutionary to sci-fi as Miami Vice was to cop shows in the 80's. You Guys played a big role in this. Would you mind explaining why BSG looks the way it does and the role Zoic played in making it happen?

Chris: The lighting and camerawork in our effects simply reflect the lighting and camerawork in the show. It's a harshly lit, documentary-style production, and if our effects are truly going to blend in, our lighting and cameras need to behave the same way. Effects shots have often been stable and slow moving, originally because that was the only way to do them, but later I think because that is what people expected an 'effect shot' to look like. I think if we had gone that route, our shots would stick out like a sore thumb.

CGC: First of all, could you begin by giving us a quick overview of the work you have done on the previous season of Battlestar Galactica and how it compares to this new season?

Chris: That's easy; I was not involved with BSG until season two. For the show in general, though, we had much more interactions with the Cylon Centurions, so re refined our model and character rigs to reflect that. We also had MUCH more complicated battle scenes, which required lots of look development and choreography. It's been a pretty exciting season, and there's still some great stuff to come.

CGC: Without revealing too much on plots and yet to be aired episodes, could you give us an idea of what we can expect in season 2?

Chris: Expect to see some more battles, some more great character moments, and the surprising arrival of a race of evil space monkeys. Or at least two of those.

CGC: Just out of curiosity, could you give us some rough figures on the actual models; polygons, textures, etc… How big?

Chris: Some of the larger ships fall between two and three million polygons for the full model. At those sizes, we try to be very exacting in our use of texture memory, so we drop bit depth whenever we can. Because we deliver the show in full HD, our models have to hold up as if they were in an actual film.

CGC: Tell us about your design team, the people responsible for designing props, ships and the work they do on the show?

Chris: The core of my team are Steve Kullback, our producer at Zoic, Mark Shimer, our Lead CG Artist, Lane Jolly, our Lead Compositor, and Liz Alvarez, our coordinator. Our compositing, modelling, animating, and effects artists include, but aren't limited to: Dustin Adair, Steve Graves, Richard Payne, Kyle Toucher, Don Kim, George Loucas, Matt Smith, Gabe Koerner, Jose Perez, Sean Jackson, Geoffery Mark, Adam Leibowitz, Jarrod Davis, and Emile Smith. I also have to give credit to my former producer Matt Gore, and my predecessor from season One, Lee Stringer. These are the people from Zoic who make the effects so beautiful for BSG.

CGC: What do you like the most about this show?

Chris: As a fan, I love the longer arcs and the emotional impact of the stories. As an effects supervisor, I love the fact that Ron Moore, David Eick, and especially Gary Hutzel (the Visual Effects Supervisor for the whole show), give us a lot of freedom to come up with interesting effects, and only make changes when our shots don't work in context.

CGC: Although Zoic has made some breakthroughs in film VFX and commercials, it really seems to have taken a lead position when it comes to television FX. Why do you think that is?

Chris: There's some amazing VFX work being executed in television as a whole, and lately it hasn't just been spaceships and lighting bolts. Visual effects in television are starting to serve the purpose they're serving in film, which is to enhance the story in any way, and not just by cutting away to something patently unreal. These days, the viewer will not always know there is an effect on the screen. It's that level of transparency that we're most proud of, and I think my colleagues at other facilities would agree. As for the effects on BSG, we try to include the small details that the viewer might not miss if they were gone, but whose presence makes the shot that much more believable.

CGC: Some of your competitors use pretty much the same technology you do. So why do we see so much bad VFX on TV these days?

Chris: No effects are perfect, ours definitely included. Artists can be steered down the wrong path by persons above them, can run out of time, can run out of money, or can simply make bad choices. When you start compounding those problems, a given shot can turn ugly very fast. The trick is not only to minimize those problems, but also to hide their effects when they inevitably occur. Got a bad shot? Hide it by dazzling the audience with a great shot right after. With the limited resources inherit to television, the effects team has to choose their battles wisely, which takes time to learn.

CGC: Just for the sake of speculating, if we ever see a new Star Trek franchise emerge in the next couple years, you think BSG will have an impact on the way it looks?

Chris: Possibly. The two shows are very different. Trek had always focused on the Utopian ideal of the future, and as a result, the camera in those shows had a stately, majestic tone to it. BSG, in contrast, is about desperation and paranoia, and the jittery camera work reflects the darker tone. In both cases, the effects cameras reflect the real world cinematography. If Trek does get updated, and it adapts some of these more documentary style trends in it's camera, then it might start looking more like BSG, but I wouldn't say that it was BSG that changed it, but rather a larger trend in television cinematography.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

BSG's Tricia Helfer Not Looking for Attention
Fri 17th Feb

Source: The National Ledger

LOOKING OUT OF THIS WORLD:

"Battlestar Galactica's" Tricia Helfer is being hailed the new pin-up girl of science fiction, but the actress admits she doesn't pay too much attention to it.

"I'm kind of removed from it. In my own time, I don't look like my character. I can take the wig off and step away so it doesn't really seem to affect me much," claims Helfer, who plays Number Six on the popular show. In fact, she's proud that her character is much more than just a pretty face. "At first, people thought she was the sexy one of the show, but she's intelligent, and there's a lot more going on with her."

It's no surprise Helfer's beauty is being admired, considering she spent 10 years as a model.

Now, she's using that experience in order to host and produce "Canada's Next Top Model." "It's insane the amount of countries that have bought up this show," she tells us of the reality program, which will follow Tyra Banks' format. "It's perfect timing because Canada is actually at the forefront of top international models right now." Though she's excited about the experience, Helfer admits she was reluctant to sign on. "I haven't modelled in over four years, so certainly I was worried about taking a step back. I fought for four years to be taken seriously as an actor. There's a huge stigma that models can't act. It's taken me a while to shed that."

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

Heavenly body
Fri 17th Feb

Source: Timeout

When Katee Sackhoff joined the crew of Battlestar Galactica, she had no idea she'd become a geek love goddess


"I'm so terrified of flying that I'm clutching my rosary and saying Hail Marys the entire time."

In only its second season, Battlestar Galactica has reached a cultural tipping point, crossing over from cable-TV cult status to mainstream recognition. The Sci Fi Channel's remake of the short-lived '70s series about a ragtag fleet of spaceships escaping alien annihilation has been noted by such august publications as The New Yorker, and was on numerous 2005 top-ten lists—including the American Film Institute's. Much of the praise has gone to Katee Sackhoff, 25, for her star turn as Kara Thrace, a.k.a. Starbuck, the hot-headed fighter pilot who, when it comes to kicking ass, most certainly does not hit like a girl. After weathering criticism from fans of the original series who didn't like the idea of a female Starbuck, Sackhoff has settled into the character, making it her own. "At this point I've played the role longer than anyone," she says from her home in Los Angeles—where she is occasionally interrupted by barks from her Chihuahua-pug mix, Meatball.

Time Out New York: How does it feel to be a geek sex symbol?
Katee Sackhoff: [Laughs] I don't know. I guess I have my moments. It's so hard for me to think of myself that way. I'm very reluctant to start believing any of the hype, because I've never really thought of myself as sexy.

TONY: Many people would disagree. You've even been mentioned on The Office, in which one of the characters, Dwight, is obsessed with you.
KS: It's very weird. But I love that show. I think we're trying to work out having me as a guest star—you know, something like Dwight goes to a sci-fi convention to see Starbuck. It's not a definite thing, but I want to do it so bad that I'm like, "Come on!"

TONY: You're sounding a bit impulsive there, like Starbuck.
KS: I'm extremely impulsive. I have no edit button. My mom's always telling me to look before I leap, but I never do. I always just go with my gut. Sometimes it burns you, sometimes it doesn't. My gut told me to take Battlestar, and I took it.

TONY: What's an example of going with your gut and getting burned?
KS: Every single ex-boyfriend! [Laughs]

TONY: When you first took the role of Starbuck, a lot of male fans of the first series complained that the character, originally played by a man, shouldn't be played by a woman. Has that died down?
KS: Yeah. I think I won nearly everyone over within the first year. But you're always going to have a couple of people that just don't like you or don't like the change at all. These people would've been perfectly content with the entire original cast and the exact same show.

TONY: One of those people is apparently the original Starbuck, Dirk Benedict…
KS: Oh, totally. He wrote this article called "The Castration of Starbuck" or something like that.

TONY: "Lost in Castration"…
KS: That's it. You know, we met at Starbucks as part of a publicity shoot.

TONY: Wait, you mean like Starbucks at Starbucks?
KS: Yeah. And I thought it went great. Then, two or three months later, the article came out. I was like, "Wow, a little two-faced there!"

TONY: You know what would freak him out? If you got the job playing Faceman in a remake of The A-Team.
KS: [Laughs] I'm going to make a career out of doing all of his old roles.

TONY: Are you surprised the new Battlestar has become so huge?
KS: I think it's crazy that it has become such a big deal. This is the third or fourth series that I've done, and every single one has been quickly cancelled. So I'm extremely pessimistic when it comes to the life span of a television show. Every season we get picked up, I'm like, "Holy crap, are you serious?"

TONY: Have you ever thought of becoming a space tourist and taking one of those rocket flights being offered on Virgin Galactic?
KS: You know, I think it would be very cool. But I'm so terrified of flying that I'm clutching my rosary and saying Hail Marys the entire time.

TONY: Is it true that you actually dream in character?
KS: I do. I'm insane. I have dreams as Starbuck. Dreams that I would imagine she would have, about my job on the ship, or about the other characters.

TONY: Sexual dreams?
KS: [Laughs] No, not yet. But pretty much every cast member has been in there at some point.

TONY: Is there anything you can share with us about how the season ends and what happens to Starbuck?
KS: It is going to be the ultimate cliffhanger. It shocked the hell out of everyone in the cast! But you're also going to see a different, much softer side of Starbuck. There is more of Katee in the last episode.

TONY: That should please Dwight. There is going to be a third season, right?
KS: Oh yeah. We're starting to shoot on April 3. And honestly, because of the way things leave off at the end of the second season, if there wasn't going to be a third season, me and I'd assume every fan of Battlestar Galactica would be so livid that we'd all just riot. I'd definitely be out there with my sign in front of the Sci Fi Channel.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

SCI FI Expands BSG Season 2 Finale to 90-Minutes
Thu 16th Feb

BIGGEST 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA' EPISODE EVER
Released by Sci Fi

NEW YORK -- February 15, 2006 -- The season two finale of SCI FI Channel's critically-acclaimed original series 'Battlestar Galactica' will be its biggest episode ever. "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2" will be presented as a special 90-minute television event on Friday, March 10, 2006 @ 10pm-11:30pm ET/PT.

In true Galactica-style, the expanded season finale cliff-hanger is sure to leave viewers wanting more. Up to this point, the last remnants of humanity have been on the run from the Cylons and searching for a mythical planet called Earth. They have been led by President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), a woman whom many believe is the chosen prophet of human scripture, and Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos), a retired war hero forced back into service after the Cylons' near-genocide of the human race.

Now, with the presidential campaigning in full swing, the election's outcome hinges upon a core debate - whether or not to abandon the search for Earth when the Galactica crew discovers a habitable planet. When the election begins to swing in favour of Baltar (James Callis) - a man whom Roslin is convinced is a Cylon collaborator - the incumbent president must decide whether or not to take drastic measures for the greater good. Things become even further complicated when the Cylons, led by Caprica Six (Tricia Helfer) and Sharon (Grace Park), find the planet and offer humanity a stunning proposal of peace.

The 90-minute 'Battlestar' finale will follow the season finales of SCI FI's other hit original series, 'Stargate SG-1' (8pm) and 'Stargate Atlantis' (9pm).

Production on season three of 'Battlestar Galactica' will begin in April in Vancouver, with Lucy Lawless joining the cast for a 10-episode arc.

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.

Posted By Blade Runner

Fans' devotion surprised star of 'Galactica'
Thu 16th Feb

Source: Relish

In the late 1970s, actor Richard Hatch - not to be mistaken for the Survivor winner - became part of an epic science-fiction saga known as Battlestar Galactica. More than 25 years later, he's still a part of Galactica, both upholding the legacy of the original with a series of novels and playing a recurring role in an innovative remake of the series.

The original Galactica ran on ABC from 1978 to 1979, and the first few episodes were edited together into a theatrical film. Hatch played Captain Apollo, a dashing young star fighter pilot helping protect humankind from the evil Cylons, robotic aliens determined to exterminate organic life.

In the new Galactica, he plays Tom Zarek, a charismatic political activist whom some view as a freedom fighter, others as a terrorist.

Hatch is, so far, the only star of the original Galactica to take part in the new series. The series is shown on the Sci Fi Channel at 10 p.m. Fridays.

Hatch will appear this weekend at Stellarcon 30, a science-fiction convention being held at the downtown Radisson Hotel in High Point. He will be there Friday through Sunday, signing autographs, talking with fans and holding workshops.

Hatch is about to enter his 11th year on the convention circuit, after spending the previous 15 years of his life thinking that his Galactica days were behind him.

"I wasn't really aware of conventions, to tell the truth," he said. "I didn't even know about them until I dated this girl who was French but also a big sci-fi fan."

She persuaded him to take part in Grand Slam 1995, a Star Trek convention held in Pasadena, Calif..

"She said, 'I know people there, they'd like you to sign,' and I said 'Me, sign? But it's a Star Trek convention!'"

When he arrived, he saw big lines for the Star Trek guests and worried that no one would come to talk to him. But he spent hours signing autographs and talking with fans, including a Navy admiral. "I started realizing how much love and passion there was for Battlestar," he said.

He began attending more and more conventions, and realized just how passionate the show's fans were. That inspired him to imagine a new series that would continue the Galactica storyline. He collected market research that showed how diverse the fan base was for Galactica, a show that the whole family could watch together and enjoy. He also gathered a special-effects crew and some actors and spent tens of thousands of dollars producing a mock trailer to drum up interest.

At conventions, fans were bowled over by the trailer. "It got rave reviews around the country," he said. And he showed it around Hollywood.

"Everybody wanted to do it," he said. "Except Universal."

The problem was, Universal Studios was the company that owned the rights to Galactica.

"They could not understand how this could draw an audience," Hatch said. He contented himself with reviving Galactica in print form, in a series of novels that followed the adventures of Apollo and his fellow Galactica crewmembers 20-some years after the events of the original series.

Then X-Men producers Tom DeSanto and Bryan Singer expressed an interest in doing a continuation of Galactica. With major Hollywood producers interested, a series revival seemed imminent.

But their vision fell by the wayside when Singer became busy with X-Men 2. The Sci Fi Channel decided to hire sci-fi veterans Ronald Moore (Star Trek) and David Eick (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) to create a new "re-imagining" of Galactica, with a new cast, rather than a continuation of the original with returning castmembers mixed with newcomers.

Fans were outraged, especially when major changes were announced: characters' genders were changed, the Cylons now looked human, and the stories would be much grittier than the original.

Hatch was disappointed, but didn't want to stand in the way of the new version.

"I had kind of stepped aside once I realized all these major players were involved," he said. "I had no information about the new series. I was for the continuation, but I wasn't against anybody."

He invited Moore to speak at a convention, giving him a chance to persuade an audience of irate fans.

"I respected this man standing and speaking his truth in front of an audience that was opposed to the re-imagining," Hatch said.

The new Galactica debuted in late 2003 as a miniseries, which was followed in 2004 by a weekly TV series. Hatch was invited to play a guest role as Tom Zarek, which has become a recurring role on the show.

"You can love and appreciate both shows for different reasons," he said. "You have to deal with (the new series) for what it is.... And what it is, is a terrific television show."

Hatch also continues to write his Galactica novels set in the continuity of the old series. The most recent novel, Redemption, is his seventh. He is also working on a new, non-Galactica novel, Great War of Magellan, which explores the "prodigal son" metaphor with a story about an ancient star mariner and the discovery of a secret history of humankind. The first three chapters of the novel are up on his Web site, www.richardhatch.com, and he is also working on a comic-book adaptation and computer game.

He also teaches seminars and workshops on acting, making it in show business and skills for success.

And he still finds time to attend seven to 10 sci-fi conventions a year. The new Galactica hasn't obscured the original; in fact, thanks to DVDs, action figures and video games, the 1970s Galactica continues to thrive.

"The new show's success has put even more light on the original," he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Want to beam over?

Richard Hatch will be one of the guests of honor at Stellarcon 30, a science-fiction and fantasy convention taking place Friday through Sunday at the downtown Radisson Hotel, 135 S. Main St. in High Point.

Other guests of honor will include writer Lynn Abbey (the Thieves' World series), game designer Sean K. Reynolds (Dungeons & Dragons) and artist Raven Mimura.

The convention will also include other guests from the fields of literature, art, films, television and gaming; an art show; a dealer room; and musical performer White Plectrum.

The convention is produced by the Science Fiction Fantasy Federation, a student organization at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Tickets are $15 on Friday, $25 on Saturday and $10 on Sunday for adults; $8 on Friday, $13 on Saturday and $5 on Sunday for children 6 to 12; and free to children under 6. Weekend passes are $35, $20 for children. Part of the proceeds will support Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro. Additional fees may apply for workshops.

For more information, go to www.stellarcon.orgor e-mail stellarcon@yahoo.com

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Posted By Blade Runner

BSG receive 4 Saturn Category nominations
Wed 15th Feb

Warner Bros. Pictures leads all film studios with an astounding total of 29 nominations.  Both 20^th Century Fox and Universal Pictures received 13 nominations each.  Buena Vista follows up with 12 nominations.  Paramount receives 7 nominations. 

In the television categories, "Lost" and "Smallville" received a total of 6 nominations each.  "Battlestar Galactica" garnered 4 nominations while "Stargate SG-1" and "The Triangle" received 3 nominations each. 

This year The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has established categories to honor and recognize video game releases.  Some of the titles which received nominations include Psychonauts, Timesplitters: Future Perfect, Guild Wars, F.E.A.R., Indigo Prophecy, Star Wars Battlefront II and Peter Jackson's King Kong.

BEST SYNDICATED / CABLE TELEVISION SERIES

Battlestar Galactica
The Closer
The 4400
Nip / Tuck
Stargate: Atlantis
Stargate SG-1
                         
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR ON TELEVISION
 
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje    ("Lost")
Jamie Bamber          ("Battlestar Galactica")
James Callis            ("Battlestar Galactica")
Sam Neill                ("The Triangle")
Terry O'Quinn          ("Lost")
Michael Rosenbaum  ("Smallville")
                            
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS ON TELEVISION
 
Catherine Bell           ("The Triangle")
Claudia Black            ("Stargate SG-1")
Erica Durance           ("Smallville")
Allison Mack             ("Smallville")
Michelle Rodriguez     ("Lost")
Katee Sackhoff         ("Battlestar Galactica")

BEST TELEVISION RELEASE ON DVD

Battlestar Galactica, Season 1 & 2.0 (Universal)
Frankenstein (Lionsgate)
House, Season 1 (Buena Vista)
Lost, Season 1 (Buena Vista)
Smallville, Season 4 (Warner)
Star Trek Enterprise (Paramount)

academy's official Web site.

Posted By Blade Runner

Katee Sackhoff to Co star with Nathan Fillion
Tue 14th Feb

Source: Bloody Disgusting

Star of cult show "Firefly", and its spin off movie "Serenity", Nathan Fillion, has joined the cast of "White Noise 2: The Light".

He will also be joined by Katee Sackhoff, most famous for playing Starbuck in the modern version of "Battlestar Galactica".

Synopsis:
In the sequel, scripted by Matt Venne, a man's family is murdered and he is brought back from the brink of death. The man realizes he has changed and can now identify those among the living who are about to die. When he tries to save people from their fate, he discovers there is a price to paid for interfering with the natural order of life and death.

Posted By Blade Runner

Galactica Will Become More Disturbing.
Tue 14th Feb

Source: Sci-Fi pulse

It has been a year in coming but finally the UK has released the official Battlestar Galactica magazine which is jam packed with features about the re - imagined version of the classic 70's show. The first issue features an exclusive interview with Edward James Olmos who is more than happy to talk about his role as Commander, now Admiral Adama in the new series.

When he initially read the script for the new series Olmos was impressed and said from the start that the moment an episode features aliens with dodgy headgear he would leave the series. To date the dodgy aliens have not happened and Olmos feels the show has just gotten better. In fact the show has surpassed even his expectations of it.

"I've been doing this for almost 40 years. I did Miami Vice. I've done a lot of interesting work, but nothing prepared me for this. I'm overwhelmed because they are not falling prey to the normality of what this genre usually does, and that allows your mind to go into a fantasy world. There is no fantasy in this."

In fact the new series has in many ways proved to be extremely political to a point where some people have accused the show and its political leanings of being damn right un - American. Olmos feels that the shows strength is how it mirrors contemporary times and holds a mirror up against humanity and shows how stupid and self-serving the human race can be. In fact the show has gone a lot further down the line than even Olmos would have expected it too.

"It evolved much farther than I could have ever expected. It resonates into contemporary times - people are seeing the complexity of it and the way it reflects what we are going through right now. It's not so much about the hardware. It's about the characters and where we are going. That's why I love it so much. I'm anxious to read the scripts every time I get them, and I haven't been let down yet. This season is better than last season."

One of the re-imaginings biggest selling points is the 'Gritty Realism', which is what Re-imaginer Ron D. Moore, wanted from the outset. In fact some of the brutality, dysfunctional human relationships and down right disturbing things which have been depicted thus far have disturbed and upset quite a few people and Olmos reveals that the situation is not likely to get any better.

"I think this show is going to become harder to watch. I don't think that they are going to tone it down, and I would be very surprised if we drop off in our viewership. The word is going to spread. There are some disturbing, disturbing things coming up. And it's not that they are disturbing in a violent, raw or crude sense. It's the psychological aspects of the show that makes you stop and say, 'Wait a minute this isn't television. I'm thinking about how this effects my life."

In closing you get the distinct impression that Olmos is happy to continue on as Admiral William [Husker] Adama till the show ends.

"The only way I'll stop working on it is if the show isn't picked up any more," Olmos promises, "and the only way this show won't be picked up any more is if the writer's can't write. If they lose their authority and integrity. Then the show will self - destruct and I can go out the door. I'm proud of this show. This is some of the most innovative television that I have seen in awhile."

You can read more of this interview with Edward James Olmos about his role and his perspective on how the new series in progressing in the new Battlestar Galactica Magazine which is out now in the UK in all good news agents.

Posted By Blade Runner

Was the recent Death Necessary?
Mon 13th Feb

By Jim Iaccino (Koenigrules)

Spoiler warning for ep 216 highlight to see

In the latest episode of Sci-Fi's Battlestar Galactica, President Laura Roslin's aide, Billy Keikeya (played by Paul Campbell), is shot protecting the love of his life, petty Officer Dualla (Kandyse McClure). This was one of the most moving episodes of Galactica's second season, especially when Billy dies in the arms of Dualla who had just rejected his marriage proposal.

Billy was one of the secondary characters in this sci-fi drama who was introduced in the miniseries and had a recurring role throughout the first two seasons of Galactica's run. But was it necessary to kill off Billy in Episode 216, appropriately entitled "Sacrifice"?

This reviewer thinks it was. Billy had an innocence about him that shone through in the limited appearances he made. In fact, he was so squeaky clean that at times it did not look like he was aware of what was going on around him. According to actor Paul Campbell who plays Billy, "He [Billy] is incredibly insecure and has no history of relationships with females, and that makes it more difficult for them [Dee & Billy]" (in David Bassom's Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 129).

In keeping with Campbell's statements, take his proposing to Dualla (Dee) in this episode. She is taken aback because she cannot believe Billy wants to move this relationship to a whole new level. Not only is Billy unaware of Dee's true feelings, but he also does not see that she has set her sights on a new man, Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama. It is this obliviousness that really makes Billy a liability to the show. And, as Galactica is a very dark series with good always intermixing with evil, Billy just does not fit into the show's basic premise. Even Adama's son was recently shown having a relationship with, of all people, a prostitute! That certainly surprised fans, but only for a moment or two.

I am sure my comments will generate a fair bit of controversy, especially for those who loved Billy for who he was. But I call them the way I see them. When a character like Billy cannot stand up to Lee Adama and tell him just how strongly he feels about his girl, then you can go no further with the character. I think Ron Moore and others reached a dead end with Billy. And if that is the case, it is better Billy goes out dying to protect the one he loves -- but can never have.

Yes, Laura Roslin lost a very close member of her new 'family.' But Galactica is all about loss, and Billy was the latest casualty to remind viewers nothing ever remains the same for long -- not even platonic love.

Posted By Blade Runner

Like Father, Like Cylon
Fri 10th Feb

Source: Tahmoh's Interview in Dreamwatch #13
Transcribed by SBR

Battlestar Galactica viewers have every right to be jealous of Hunky actor Tahmoh Penikett and he knows it. As Lt Karl C "Helo" Agathon, not only has he become an integral and interesting character in the sci fi channel series, but in season one he made out and did the dirty with Cylon Babe Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Maxim Girl Grace Park).
"I realise I am the envy of other guys "Chuckles Penikett. "I remember how funny it was leading up to that. We did the scene in the rain, in the moss, and we are on the side of a hill, trying to balance in the moss and I tried to make a bed for us. We have a camera literally a foot away from my bare ass. It is far from exotic or sexy like everyone thinks it is it was lots of fun, but on the day it really is work."
Ironically, Penikett almost missed out on the chance to pack some heat on Battlestar Galactica.
"The funny thing is I was working on another project, a CBS independent for a friend "he recalls "I was filming the day of the audition. We had a little conflict on set and I basically said, "Look I'm going for this either give me an hour or I have to walk out of here and I don't want to do that to you."
Penikett nailed the part but Helo was never supposed to live past the initial mini-series .Sent to evacuate colonists on Caprica, he nobly relinquished his seat on the Raptor for Doctor Gaius Baltar. As far as Penikett was concerned Helo was a goner. This is until he was contacted about reprising the role for the first full season.
"After we finished the mini-series, there was optimism about the show going on but as far as I was concerned, and the way it was written, my character was killed." Says the Canadian resident. "In this business you don't depend on anything regardless of compliments . Unless I'm signing the contracts, that door has been closed to me. Not long after, I booked the cop show Cold Squad and did a season of that. When I got the call for Battlestar Galactica, I was down in Los Angeles for Pilot season. I got a call from Ron Moore saying." Look we have this idea for a separate storyline that will take us outside the ship. Were Helo is alive and trying to survive on the planet.

I thought wow this is great "it just fell into my lap."
Stranded on Caprica, an injured and exhausted Helo was overjoyed to discover Boomer had returned to rescue him. Not privy to plot secrets, even Penikett was caught off guard to learn her true agenda.
"There wasn't much dialogue between the executive producers and me, which I kind of appreciated, especially when we started out." He States. "If anything, it showed they had confidence in me as an actor and the choices I was going with. So every Time I got a script it was a surprise. "Oh wow I'm making love to this woman who is a Cylon and okay she's getting pregnant, another curveball."

Treacherous Re-Entry

While Penikett was happy to finally say goodbye to Caprica and interact with the other characters. Helo's arrival on the Galactica was anything but warm welcome.
"There is some animosity," he agrees. "Helo is prepared for that and sure it is going to happen but he doesn't know to what extent. He just keeps to himself somewhat and steps carefully. We establish in the second season that he is trying to re-introduce himself and re-integrate into the crew but he definitely facing prejudice."
Naturally, a lot of that attitude flows from Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol who was also in love with another Cylon version of Boomer. His pent up anger and confusion results in an inevitable all out brawl on the flight deck between the pair. Once the air clears, the two seen to be patching things up when they find themselves on common ground.
"That is the Irony of these two characters "acknowledges Penikett. " The animosity between them is huge but the love for his Female Cylon actually brings them together and that stuff is put aside. That is a great twist. There was all this talk about love triangle that sounded soap opera-ish to me. The Direction they took it in is much more interesting. In one episode, Sharon is in trouble and we are the only two guys who sympathize with the situation. There is definitely a possibility for a friendship there in the future."
In Pegasus that Battlestar's Lt Thorne attempted to break Sharon by sexually assaulting her. When Helo and Chief rush to her aid, they accidentally kill him. Consequently, the two are quickly court marshalled by Admiral Cain and sentenced to death. Obviously, Helo and Chief avoid their problems don't simply vanish.
"Those charges aren't simply forgotten." notes Penikett "We get back to our ship and once there we are somewhat under the protective care of our Admiral. And going back to our grave situation a lot of things are forgotten. There are only so many able -bodied men so some things are overlooked."

Fatal Flaws?

Helo still has plenty to fret about when Boomer's Pregnancy comes to an end. "We have some situations with the baby right off the bat." Penikett reveals." He's gone back to trying to do his duties mend relationships with the rest of the crew, and gain their trust. At the same time, Helo has to protect Sharon and work on the trust between her, Adama
and the president. That's his goal and he is the mediator between them."
Apparently, Helo and Boomer do get to be parents to their child, albeit briefly….
"We do but whether the baby survives or not is another question." Teases Penikett.
Described as "a selfless, generous Character with a strong morals and Values." Helo has been put through the emotional ringer. But despite his feelings for Boomer can he implicitly trust her with his life?
"We've gotten to the point in the second season where he has to, but there is always a doubt there." He confirms." How can we really empathize with this Character? Its like living in the United States, losing family in September 11th, and then finding out your wife, the one your in love with is a Al Qaeda operative. As an actor , I made choice so that what it really comes down to is having someone you love betray you and its is even more complicated because of circumstances like having a baby."
Arguably, Helo is no longer the relaxed hero who gave up his spot in the mini-series and Penikett would like to see the creative team continue to mind his flaws.
"Helo has come to a point with Boomer where they've been trough so much together and have all this baggage that there is no turning back for them," he concludes. "They are together until the end. I'd like them to explore a little bit of that existing conflict .Every time we wee a glimpse of it, it is healthy. As long as they keep it exciting for the audience and me, I'm game for anything. I'm a huge drama fan. I like the nitty gritty so if they give me more of that, which they've done I'm a happy camper."
 

Posted By Blade Runner

Aaron Douglas Interview
Thu 9th Feb

Battlestar Atlantia

"Interview by Peter Glotz and Rene Kissien"
German to English translation: Rene Kissien
Caprica City.de

Caprica City: "Hello Aaron. This is your first convention in Germany. Is there anything you like in particular, besides the really nice people and the beautiful landscape between the airport and the hotel?"

Aaron Douglas: "I haven't seen anything else to be honest with you. The beer is really good. This weekend is supposed to be for the convention and the people. The people who run this hotel do a really nice job, they're very nice people. It looks beautiful outside, I just haven't got out yet. Ask me when my tour in Germany is over, than I'll have a better idea of what to think. Until now everything has been great, it's fabulous. I haven't had as much sleep as I'd like, but that's because I'm nine time zones away."

CC: "Is there a difference between German and American conventions?"

Aaron: "Not really, no. Only in size. This convention is only about 100 people, when you go to Comic Con in San Diego it's 100000 people. Hey host it in the second largest convention centre in the world and the convention floor itself is probably the square footage of two soccer fields. It's huge with literally hundreds of dealers. Some of these booths are the size of a large restaurant. It's just huge. 'Star Wars' had a booth there and they had a full size Xwing fighter and another full size ship. And they had this guy is in Storm trooper and Boba Fett costumes just to man the booth. That was pretty cool. They have the small ones, too, but America also has 300 million people and that's where the show is based, so a lot more people are interested in visiting such conventions. The next one in England for 'Stargate Atlantis' is about 450 people, I think. So, other than size, you know, everybody is nice. In America you got more odd questions than in Europe. You get sort of the random guy who is a little to into the show and he's having a hard time differing between the show and reality. There's a few more of those types over there."

CC: "Could you give us an example for this kind of questions?"

Aaron: "Oh, you get guys who go 'In episode six of season one, when you were fixing the Viper and you were working on the screen you pressed a red button which ran a diagnostic on this part of the engine. Now, in episode thirteen of the second season you pressed the same red button, but that button ran a diagnostic on the landing gear. Was this button initiating a specific diagnostic system no matter what it's hooked up to or was that a mistake?' I just said, like, 'what?'. The attention to details is phenomenal, but some people take it to the Nth degree. Or 'how did you feel when you shot so and so or when you punched Starbuck or whatever'. I say 'well, I didn't do this, my character did'. They have a hard time getting into it and see the difference between Aaron the person and Tyrol the character. They seriously do, they ask this really really high end aerodynamic questions, questions about physics and I have no idea."

CC: "Aerodynamic in space?"

Aaron: "Yes, exactly. 'Why do you need wings on the ships in space?' I say, when you enter the atmosphere you need this wings. 'Oh, yes, but this ship is not designed to enter an atmosphere.' You know, when you pick on a part long enough you gonna pick it apart. Yeah, you get some bizarre questions."

CC: "How do you react to this questions? Like Shatner with a 'get a life'?"

Aaron: "Oh god no! Never never never. I have some answers. When somebody asks a question about the plot or the story that I can't answer, I say 'You know, that is an excellent question, but rather than answer it, let's see if anybody else knows.' And then you get like thirty people with the answer. Or I say 'well, you know, some people haven't seen this episode yet, so I don't want to give away any spoilers. We are not here for spoilers, so ask me later.' And then I leave the building. But the strangest one was the one with the red button."

CC: "You said you watch the show yourself. Who do you think will be exposed as a Cylon?"

Aaron: "Oh. I think Gaeta is a Cylon. Although, that's a little obvious. So I'm kind of thinking it might be Gaeta, but maybe not. It'll be really interesting to see which one will be the next Cylon. I don't think it's me, I don't think it's Helo. I think Gaeta, or maybe make it, like, Dualla. Dualla or maybe Apollo, which would be really really weird. Gaeta is always like putting something up, putting something down. So they either trying to set him up as a Cylon so people can look back and go 'oh, that's why he did this and this. Or they're just making it look like he is one so that you take the focus of everybody else and then Dualla stands up and shoots Adama again."

CC: "What would be the easiest way to get on the set, besides taking acting lessons for two years?"

Aaron: "If someone wants to visit? Probably the easiest way is to contact the head of marketing for the show, she's the on site marketing person on the production office. If it's for instance somebody like yourself and you tell her that you are journalists from Germany and you like to have a set tour, maybe. If it is a regular person, there's a lot of security. It's tough to get on a film set in North America, especially since 9/11."

CC: "Even in film studios? Is that a terrorist target?"

Aaron: " Oh yeah, al Qaeda is looking to bomb film studios to fight the American machine, I don't know. Its overkill in my mind, but yes, the security at the gate is pretty tough, it's tough to get on the lot. The average person needs to know somebody who knows somebody. Otherwise nobody gets close."

CC: "On set you have a Viper in actual size. Did you ever climbed into it and played pilot?"

Aaron: "No, but I bring my nine year old son and put him in the Cockpit and he flies around. It's funny, when he was younger, he watched the show but didn't see it as fantasy versus reality. So he came down to see the spaceship and he asked me 'can I go up in one?' and I said, 'no, they don't fly'. 'Yes they do, I saw it on TV'. I said 'No, that are special effects. They don't actually fly'. He was devastated, he was so upset. It was really funny. He was heartbroken. Yeah, we have two of the old Vipers, we have the one new one that Apollo flies, the Mark VII. We have a full size Raptor and a Cylon Raider. And some props like missiles and torpedoes."

CC: "Can you remember your first day on the set?"

Aaron: "When we first toured the set they were almost done. I think it was the hangar deck that wasn't quite finished. I was impressed by the size of it, it was huge. I remember walking around the corner and see a Viper for the first ti