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One of the things, which have people talking a lot about Ron D. Moore's re-imagination of Battlestar Galactica, is how he has portrayed the Cylons. In the original 1970's series the Cylons were a cybernetic race who had evolved from a reptilian alien, only with the series having never realised it's true potential we never learned that much about the original Cylons. Ron Moore's Cylons however were created by the colonies in order to act as their servants; only they rebelled and went to war with their masters.

When the series started back in December 2003 with the mini series fans were introduced to a more complex human looking Cylon in the form of the lovely Tricia Helfer, In a recent interview for the official Battlestar Galactica Magazine Helfer who has thus far portrayed 4 variations on the Cylon Model Number Six revealed just how complex a role it can be for an actor.

"As an actor that's fantastic. The Six in Baltar's head can be limiting, in a way, because you can't interact with the other characters. There's a certain relationship that they have that doesn't let you branch out. For me, its fun to have other Six's, to be able to have scenes with [other characters]. I Love working with James [Callis, Baltar], I don't want to change that! But at the same time, it's really technically hard to do those scenes. It's not necessarily so much about interacting with other characters; it's just technically really hard. There's so much that you have to pay attention to - half the time I'm chasing the camera around, so that at the exact moment where the camera pans, where it was empty a moment ago suddenly I'm in there and supposed to be in the scene. It's hard to get there mentally when you've got so much to be thinking about. So for me as an actress, it's nice to be able to let that technical stuff go and really get into the scene and be interacting with everyone else."

During the pilot episode and the first season of Battlestar Galactica the Number Six which was within Baltar's head seemed to be very cold and unemotional, however all this changed mid way through the second season when Six came face to face with a brutalised version of herself aboard the Battlestar Pegasus.

"Those are the scenes where you go home at the end of the day and you're exhausted, because to get yourself there emotionally you have to bring things from your own life in," the actress says of those episodes. "That's hard in one sense, playing a robot, because you don't have something to base yourself on, necessarily. It is hard, but it's a challenge. But as an actor, to play it is great. It really brings it down to Earth, a level of realism and I think that's what makes this show. It's not just attractive to a typical Science Fiction audience. In my opinion, one of the main reasons why the show has been successful is because the realism is there and it draws people in."

As to season 3 which is currently in production with a view to launching in October the actress has a few ideas about where she's like to take Number Six next.

"It would be fun to see to have Number Six in the flesh as well," she says, "and be able to relate to other characters, like the Six we saw on Caprica - but you don't know anything more about that Six at all. So I think just delving further into the Cylon world and finding out more about her is what I really want to do."

You can read much more of this interview with Helfer in the new issue of Battlestar Galactica Magazine which is out now in all good news agents throughout the UK.

TV Guide's Michael Ausiello spoke to Battlestar Galactica Executive Producer David Eick about Season 3, which will include an emotional crisis for Lee Adama, and the departure of a certain cast member:

I don't know about you guys, but there's no more torturous time of year than the months between Battlestar Galactica seasons. This latest break has been particularly agonizing, due in large part to the sheer length of it. When Season 3 launches in October, we will have endured a six-month Cylon drought. Talk about cruel and frakkin' unusual punishment. Luckily, I've discovered the perfect cure for our separation anxiety: a major dose of scoop courtesy of David Eick! Here's my long-promised Q&A with the Battlestar exec, featuring exclusive prattle on this season's big death, the new mystery man from Adama's past and Apollo's new (and not-so-improved) physique.

Ausiello: We need some scoop to tide us over until October.
David Eick: It's always a tightrope walk, isn't it? I'm trying to think in terms of what is adequately titillating without blowing our wad or giving away too much. I can tell you that the character of Lee is going to be battling an emotional crisis that's manifesting itself in a change in his physique, which is something I think many Americans, unfortunately, can relate to. I'm certainly one of them.

Ausiello: You mean he's going to gain more weight?
Eick: He had put on some weight at the end of last season, and I think we're going to see that idea maintained, and we're going to see what the character does about it.

Ausiello: Is he going to get bigger?
Eick: (Laughs) No.

Ausiello: OK, 'cause that might cause some fans to riot.
Eick: I know. Also, the big surprise is the fact that a very central character will no longer be with us by the end of the third episode.

Ausiello: Was this a creative decision or did this actor or actress ask to leave?
Eick: It's always motivated [by story] — so far anyway. We've been very blessed on this show. We have an incredibly professional and exceedingly well-behaved cast, and we haven't had any situations emerge where we needed to think about making changes in the cast because of the cast. It always emerges from stories. At the end of the day, this is a war show and there are casualties. And I think in order to continue to be honest about that and how we pursue the storytelling, sometimes that's going to mean the people we have come to know and love are no longer going to be with us. We can't just see Vancouver day players and extras get killed in the background. Sometimes it's got to hit us where we live.

Ausiello: Are you taking any precautions to ensure that the victim's identity doesn't leak out?
Eick: Always. There will be severe ramifications if the secret is leaked.

Ausiello: OK, give me another big scoop, please.
Eick: I think it's going to be very interesting for the audience to finally get a sense of how the Cylon culture operates from within their base ship, their answer to the Galactica. We've seen the base ships from the outside going back to the miniseries and we've seen how formidable they are, but we've never been inside one. And I think the biggest surprise for the audience is going to be how very different and completely unhumanlike the method of operating a base ship is. The very idea that Cylon technology is all about organic life and mechanistic life cohabitating is taken to the next step in the Cylon base ships. They really are, in a variety of ways, living beings themselves.

Ausiello: Will this be in a particular episode or spread throughout the season?
Eick: We'll begin to introduce that concept in Episode 4 and it will remain a constant from that point on.

Ausiello: Fans are buzzing that the one-year jump may have all been in Baltar's head. Care to comment?
Eick: False.

Ausiello: Will flashbacks show us what transpired during that year?
Eick: There will be opportunities in future episodes to review and, in some cases, actually to see events that took place on New Caprica during the intervening year.

Ausiello: Will the new season pick up exactly where last season left off?
Eick: It will not. There's a bit of a lapse between the final moments of Episode 20 and the beginning of Season 3, but only to advance certain story lines to a breaking point, not to deprive the audience of any more of the storytelling history that I know they will be clamoring for.

Ausiello: Are we talking hours, days, weeks?
Eick: A couple months.

Ausiello: The thing I wanted to know more than anything at the end of last season was why the Cylons went back on their word. Will that be revealed early on?
Eick: It's discussed that they saw that there was a light from the nuclear blast that functioned as something of a signal to them. But what we're going to find is that they're not really going back on their word to the extent that their intent is — technically, anyway — peaceful coexistence with the human populous. There's a natural and inherent enmity between these two cultures, and we're going to see how that snowballs once again. It's not really about them violating any kind of truce, because they're presence on the planet is merely a defensive position as far as they're concerned at the beginning. It's to ensure that they aren't attacked again.

Ausiello: Who came looking for Starbuck in her tent? Or was that something we were supposed to know? I certainly didn't recognize him.
Eick: I think some people in the audience who are savvy about the show going back to its first season [knew] that that was Leoben, with whom Kara Thrace had something of a deep connection.

Ausiello: In the opening title sequence, it says the Cylons "have a plan." Are they still pursuing this original plan, or has it been revised?
Eick: I don't think the plan has been revised. I think because the human beings have proven themselves to be more unpredictable and more tenacious than the Cylons anticipated, there are changes in their plan to deal with those unanticipated situations. But there is not a fundamental shift in their plan.

Ausiello: Any romantic developments coming for Apollo and Starbuck?
Eick: Apollo and Starbuck are always going to have a very unusual relationship. It's never going to be as simple as an unrequited love. It's never going to be as platonic as brother and sister. It's never going to be [just] professional. It's never going to be two people who like to screw and then go back to work. It's all of the above and none of the above. It's just not a simple relationship, and I think in that way it's much closer to a lot of male-female relationships that remain mysterious for years and are never entirely resolved to be one thing or the other. I think there's always a bit of murkiness about that. And we intend to continue to investigate that timeless male-female dynamic.

Ausiello: How does her new hubby Sam fit into all this?
Eick: They will experience some of the difficulties that newlyweds will recognize as being pretty consistent with the kinds of problems that people who are struggling with a young marriage are dealing with.

Ausiello: A lot of fans like the Apollo-Roslin dynamic. Will that be explored more?
Eick: Yes. You're going to see a newfound trust between them. And you're also going to see that there are many ways in which Laura continues to turn to Lee when she's unable to get answers from Adama.

Ausiello: Will we get a specific answer regarding what exactly Caprica Six in Baltar's head is?
Eick: No. (Laughs) Because I think there's not a definitive answer to it.

Ausiello: Just curious: What did Baltar call her on Caprica? She must've had a real name.
Eick: We always liked the idea that Baltar was a man of many tastes and that there's every likelihood that he never knew her name.

Ausiello: Will Sharon's baby have a rapid-aging gene?
Eick: There may be physiological differences that make this child different than a human child, but we have not defined any of those yet and it will not include a rapid-growth hormone.

Ausiello: Any new characters this season?
Eick: There's a new character that we'll introduce in Episode 7, which I am in the middle of writing now. It will be a character that Adama knew from before the attacks. He's a contemporary of Adama's and Tigh's who arrives on the Galactica with a very dark secret about something Adama did in the past. It's a really juicy role for a new actor.

Ausiello: What's the latest on the Caprica spin-off?
Eick: It's in the very earliest embryonic stages. We're now working on the outline with Remi Aubuchon, who's the writer. We're going to be submitting the document to the network in the next week or so.

Ausiello: Fans are worried that your attention will be pulled away from the original and it'll suffer.
Eick: I think the difference this time is that we have a partner in Remi, who's going to be taking the lead with the new project. And the new project, at this point, is in the very earliest stages. Ron [Moore] and I [aren't] approaching Caprica like we approached Galactica, which is to say it was just the two of us. We're deeply involved with Caprica, and we're very enthusiastic and thrilled with the opportunity, but when it comes to the detail work of pounding out the script, there's a third partner involved who's at the helm. And that, I think, is the job that tends to be the one that creates the distractions and dilutes a person's attention and focus. So in this particular case we don't have that problem.

Ausiello: Has Sci Fi ordered a pilot, or is it just a script?
Eick: Right now it's a script. We'll probably know if it's a pilot around July.

Ausiello: Do you have any specific Emmy strategy in place this year for Battlestar?
Eick: We've been pretty fortunate in that the network has been incredibly aggressive and deeply committed to getting the word out about the show to the Academy. They've put together a set of DVDs with packaging that emphasizes the critical response to the show and it de-emphasizes the science fiction nature of the show, which is an honest presentation because the show really is a drama first before it's a sci-fi drama. I think we're always going to be an underdog because of the title and because of the genre. If we can get past that and the people who vote on these things actually watch the show, I think we have a shot. But it's a tall hurdle to try to clear. I think we'd certainly be thrilled with any recognition from that world, because it would represent a first in many respects for a show like this.

Ausiello: We included Battlestar in our Dream Emmy Ballot for best drama. Hopefully, it'll have some influence.
Eick: Wow, that's great. We'll know who to send the Candy Gram to if we get a nomination.

Source: Comic Book Resources

I hate movie and TV adaptations in comics.

With the rare exception of a "Fray" or a "Tales of the Vampire," I avoid them more that my smelly Aunt Ida (yes, Aunt Ida, if you are reading this, you need deodorant).

Still, I can't wait until the first issue of Dynamite's ongoing "Battlestar: Galactica" series (an adaptation of that amazing Sci-Fi network show) to hit the stands, written by Greg Pak who's signed on for the first thirteen issues..

I'm fairly certain a lot of this has to do with the writer, Greg Pak. I didn't want to like his work. I was more sceptical of his "Phoenix: Endsong" miniseries than I was "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles." But then Pak did something that surprised most of the industry: he provided an emotionally grounded, fascinating character study that worked on both a cosmic and intimate level.

Hmm...an emotionally grounded fascinating character study that works on both a cosmic and intimate level.... Does that definition fit "Battlestar: Galactica," or is it just me?

Anyway, I'm throwing all caution to the wind and admitting that I think this is going to be a damn fine book, and Pak was kind enough to take a few minutes to talk up his newest release.

Robert Taylor: Hey Greg, how's life?

Greg Pak: Pretty good, thanks! Congrats to you, by the way, on getting the column picked up by CBR.

RT: I'm like a roach, you can't kill me no matter how many shoes you hit me with. So how'd you get the "Battlestar: Galactica" gig?

GP: After "Phoenix: Endsong" came out, Dynamite called to see if I might be interested in working together. When I learned that they had the rights to make a comic book based on the new "Battlestar: Galactica" series, it was all over -- I was hooked.

RT: What drew you to the book?

GP: I love the show. Loved the original series as a kid; love the new series now. Could not say no. I also was impressed with what Dynamite had done with getting "Red Sonja" out into the world and had faith that they'd do everything they could to make the "Battlestar: Galactica" book work creatively and reach as wide an audience as possible.

RT: What about the television series has turned you into such a big fan?

GP: It combines big science fiction ideas with compelling characters and an incredibly high stakes plot. It deals with thorny questions about power and paranoia and racial and sexual politics in a subtle and dramatically compelling way. It's brilliantly written, shot, edited, scored, and acted. And the Cylons are pretty darn cool.

RT: No doubt! Now, when does the comic series take place?

GP: It fits right into the continuity of the show, falling in the middle of the second season, right after the return from Kobol and before the arrival of the Pegasus.

RT: Most comic book adaptations of TV shows go easily under the radar. This one has huge advance numbers and major buzz, getting articles in magazines like TV Guide. Why do you think this is so?

GP: The fact that the television show's been so incredibly well received and reviewed certainly has a lot to do with it. But huge credit is due to the folks at Dynamite who have hustled like nobody's business to raise awareness about the book.

RT: So what are your plans for the series?

GP: Look for real emotional development for key characters, exploration into the origins of the Cylons which you won't find anywhere else, and an enormous twist at the end of Issue #0 which fans of the first season won't believe and which leads right into issue #1.

RT: What do you see as the difficulties with capturing the tone of of a television show like "Battlestar: Galactica?"

GP: A big part of the impact of the show comes from its staccato editing, mobile camera work, and haunting score. Those aren't easy elements to reproduce on the comic page. But Nigel Raynor's layouts and pencils do a great job of evoking the emotional turmoil and tension behind the scenes, and the amazing coloring work by David Curiel has given the comic an almost tactile atmosphere, which helps evoke the feel of the show.

RT: Do you have a favourite character?

GP: Adama.

RT: How about a least favourite character?

GP: No such animal - I love 'em all.

RT: In the comic, which characters do you plan on working with the most?

GP: In the first arc, Adama, Starbuck, Apollo, and a character whom I cannot name for fear of spoilers provide the heart and soul of the story. Gaeta and Dualla and Roslin have key scenes as well. Starting with Issue #4, Sharon is going to be a major player.

RT: What concepts and themes presented in "Battlestar: Galactica" this far interest you the most?

GP: The new "Battlestar: Galactica" actually shares many of the themes of "Robot Stories," a feature film I wrote and directed several years ago. Both projects use questions about the emotional lives of robots to get to the core of what makes us human. Both projects depict flawed characters struggling to find their way in the world. Both projects depict a multiracial cast in stories that on the surface have nothing to do with race. So I'm very much at home grappling with the ideas of "Battlestar: Galactica."

RT: You mentioned that you felt artist "Nigel Raynor's layouts and pencils do a great job of evoking the emotional turmoil and tension behind the scenes." Tell us a bit more about Nigel.

GP: Nigel has great storytelling skills and a real sense for subtle character moments. That's hugely important for a book like "Battlestar: Galactica" that depends as much on tiny character interactions as it does on fireworks and explosions.

RT: How has it been working with Dynamite?

GP: Dynamite's been great. They're doing everything they can to make the book succeed artistically and commercially - my hat's off to 'em.

RT: Let's finish up here by talking with some non "Battlestar: Galactica" thoughts. What comics can you never miss?

GP: "Scott Pilgrim." "Daredevil." "Runaways."

RT: Has there ever been a comic book that touched/changed your life? What was it?

GP: Whoa. Big question! I'm moved by great comics almost every day -- the fact that comics can me viscerally and emotionally is exactly why I read them. A comic book that changed my life? No doubt "Peanuts" influenced my sense of humor as a kid. And comics like "Micronauts" and "Akira" and "Nausicaa" have nurtured my love of epic storytelling. And the mythic elements of the great comic heroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk no doubt affected me in all kinds of subliminal ways as I was growing up.

RT: If you could only write one book for the rest of your career, what would it be?

GP: I have a few creator-owned ideas which I'm developing - can't spill the beans about any of them yet, but one of them would probably be the one I'd pick. But out of the preexisting characters/properties I've been working on, I'd have to say "Incredible Hulk." I'm having a huge amount of fun writing "Planet Hulk," and editor Mark Paniccia and I have some big ideas and plans for our big green buddy through "Planet Hulk" and beyond - I honestly can't get enough of the character.

RT: Who would be your drawing partner?

GP: I can't pick! Carlo Pagulayan, who's drawn the first four issues of the "Planet Hulk" epic, and Aaron Lopresti, who's drawing the next four, are both amazing pencilers who are an absolute pleasure to work with. And the cover artist Ladronn is a genius -- I'd love to get the chance to work with him on interiors one day.

RT: What's the best comic book movie ever made?

GP: The first "Superman" movie. Lois Lane's spoken word poetry is a thing of horror and beauty.

RT: What is your weirdest convention experience?

GP: Walking onto the floor of Wizard World Los Angeles and seeing the giant "Planet Hulk" banner over the Marvel booth was pretty surreal.

RT: If you were remembered for only one thing in your career, what would you want it to be?

GP: I recently picked up "Taran Wanderer" by Lloyd Alexander, a book I hadn't read since I was a kid. And while I was re-reading it, I realized I'd remembered very few specific details about the characters or story. But I had a very strong moral memory of the book, if that makes sense. The tone, the feel, the ethos of the book had really stuck with me -- it's a coming of age story in which a young man learns what really matters in the world, learns the value of honest work and building community over glory and honours. And I think that message really resonated with me as a kid -- maybe helped become the person I am today. So to answer your question, I'd be thrilled to be remembered as someone who told stories that resonated on a real, human level; that in some way helped contribute to our struggle to figure out what just we're supposed to be doing here anyway.

Microsoft reveals a slew of upcoming HD-DVD titles

The sleuths over at AVSForum.com have uncovered a page at Microsoft's Windows Media website offering a sneak peek into the future of HD-DVD. It reveals the first part of an alphabetical list of upcoming titles, amongst them the first confirmation of a television show and a couple cult classics.

The List includes: 12 Monkeys, 2 Fast 2 Furious, American Pie, Animal House, Army of Darkness, Backdraft, Battlestar Galactica (2004) Season 1, Conan the Barbarian, Dante's Peak, Dazed and Confused, Dracula (1931), Dune Theatrical and End of Days.

I'm personally going to be all over "Army of Darkness," "Conan the Barbarian" and "Battlestar Galactica: Season One." Now all we have to do is get ahold of F through Z!r

Two years ago a certain actor turned writer, philosopher and all round nice guy Dirk Benedict wrote an article, which highlighted the difference between 70's television and the politics thereof and modern television. This article caused much controversy amongst fans of the new re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica and even had Katee Sackhoff up in arms, even though the article in question didn't single her out at all as was claimed. In the new issue of Dreamwatch both actors were given a chance to talk about this and hopefully make peace and below are just a few excerpts.

For his part Benedict feels that much of what was written was taken by certain media outlets and taken completely out of context.

"I think a lot of people have 're-imagined' my article," revealed the actor. "I've seen a lot of comments about it saying things like, 'Dirk Benedict is a bitter, old, washed - up actor who's hiding in the mountains, angry he's not a part of the new show'; or Dirk Benedict obviously hates women, he's a misogynist.' That pretty much covers the range of people's responses to it. I haven't heard one astute comment on the piece itself. And I find that astounding... and sad.

"When you read my piece, it should be very clear that what it's really about is the politics of the TV Business; the culture of the 1970's versus the culture of today; and most importantly, the war against masculinity. It's about how the television industry and the world have changed since the 1970's. It's more a political commentary than anything else. So people who read the piece should debate these issues, rather than just call me names."

The actor does however re - affirm that he would rather have had Starbuck remain of the male gender, and still feels that the sex change of the characters wasn't truly necessary. He also added that his commentary was based primarily on the script of the mini series, which he still hasn't seen to this day, nor does he watch the new series.

"I don't have any axe to grind about the existence of the new Battlestar Galactica," he said. "I don't bear a grudge against anyone. I have never trashed the show. And, unlike Richard [Hatch, Apollo in the original] I never fought to stop it getting remade."

With regards to the article having supposedly hurt the feelings or Katee Sackhoff. The actor was quite surprised that it had such a ripple affect.

"I never imagined - or should I say re-imagined? - The piece would hurt Katee's feelings. When I met her [for the 2003 Sci Fi Channel Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown], I thought she was very cute and charming. My article had nothing to do with her. I hoped she'd laugh about it. I had far worse things written about me when I did the original show."

With so much water under the bridge the million-dollar question is whether or not Dirk would accept a role on the new show if it were offered.

"After all of this, if they offered me a good part on the new show and the money was right, would I do it? Sure," he reveals. "I'm an actor after all, so of course I would. I would walk onto the set and they could say, 'Here's the asshole himself!' And I would say, 'Yup, here I am', and then give them a copy of my article. "

In regards to Katee Sackhoffs attitude. She may have been somewhat more sensitive to the article or the re-imaginations of it due in a large part to the amount of hate mail she got during the early days of the re-imagining.

"I got a hell of a lot of hate mail when I first got the job," Sackhoff confirms. "That sucked. But things have definitely changed since then. I get a lot of fan mail - and it's definitely better on this side of things!

"The new show has proven itself beyond any doubts," she continues. "My hat is off to the shows writers, producers and crew, as well as the rest of the cast."

In regards to the Dirk Benedict article she feels that everything got totally blown out of proportion.

"I felt that Dirk had stabbed me in the back," she recalls. "I had met him when we were promoting the mini series and he had never said anything like that to me, so I felt really disappointed and upset.

"But I'm over all that now," she adds firmly. "People have been making too much of a deal about it anyway. If he's on the show, he's on the show. If he's not, he's not. It's as simple as that."

You can read much more of what both Benedict and Sackhoff shared in the new issue of Dreamwatch Magazine which is out now in all good newsagents throughout the UK.

Source: IGN

Upfronts: NBC announces several new online tie-ins, including a BSG spin-off and a Heroes animated comic.

At the Upfronts this year, while introducing their new series and schedules, each network took time during their presentation to speak about all the new opportunities provided by providing content online and on mobile phones. Much of the discussion focused on providing full episodes, whether it be through iTunes or other outlets such as via direct access on a network's own websites. However, there is also an increasing amount of series providing totally original additional material, such as the already announced online "webisodes" for The Office and "mobisodes" for Lost.

While all the networks noted their commitment to expanding these sorts of tie-ins, NBC was notable in revealing very specific details about their plans for adding a unique online component to several series, running the gamut from dramas to reality and talk shows and we'll take a look at these announcements in this special NBC focused edition of TV Online.

The most exciting news on this front involved Battlestar Galactica, which airs on the NBC Universal owned Sci Fi Channel. Debuting later this year will be a Web series spin-off for the acclaimed series called Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance. Lasting ten episodes, The Resistance will fill in the gap between season two and the upcoming season three.

Sci-fi has created a nifty Emmy page for Battlestar. They're lobbying to get the show nominated in a slew of categories. All the main cast are up for nominations, though that doesn't include Tahmoh. Maybe next year?

In happy news, Helo does feature prominently in Grace and Katee's clips and briefly in the "outstanding drama series" category.

All text lifted from All about Tahmoh Penikett

Source: Gateworld

Battlestar Galactica co-star Jamie Bamber will appear on next week's season premiere of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown! Bamber plays Lee "Apollo" Adama on SCI FI's hit series.

The episode airs Wednesday, June 7th at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific on the cable network, as Game 1 of the Season Eight tournament.

Bamber will be playing for charity against Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), and Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, Andromeda).

Future tournaments include such notable TV faces as Jorge Garcia (Lost) and Fred Savage (The Wonder Years).

Filmed in front of a live audience, each episode of "Celebrity Poker Showdown" features five celebrities competing against each other for the chance to win thousands to donate to the charity of their choice. Each week, a new group of celebrities meet at the table to go head to head until only one remains. The winner from each week's game will advance to the championship sixth game. To date, "Celebrity Poker Showdown" has given away $2,450,000 to charities around the world.

All celebrities this year will be playing for charities benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Source: Comic Book Resources

Dynamite Entertainment has provided CBR News with preview pages from the upcoming "Battlestar Galactica" #0 by writer Greg Pak and artist Nigel Raynor. For more on Pak's plans for the series, don't miss our interview with the scribe.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #0
WRITTEN BY GREG (X-MEN, HULK) PAK
ART BY NIGEL RAYNOR
COVER ART BY STEVE (CIVIL WAR) MCNIVEN (50%) AND SIX PHOTO COVER (50%).

The wait is over, the new adventures of the crew of the Battlestar Galactica begin here with DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT, writer GREG PAK, and artist NIGEL RAYNOR! Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents their all-new Galactica series with a special #0 issue featuring an original story with a "dynamite cliffhanger" ending that leads into the ongoing series! PAK is an exclusive writer for Marvel Comics, but has carved out this series for DYNAMITE and he's turning out a comic that fans both new and old are going to love. And we're so sure they're going to love it, that this introductory issue is available for just one thin quarter! And what would this issue be without a RED-HOT Photo cover featuring the beautiful Cylon - Number Six! PLUS: A Special preview of Brett Matthews and John Cassaday's Lone Range comic book series from Dynamite will also be included! Future covers by Billy Tan, Michael Turner and more to be announced! The special #0 issue is scheduled to arrive in stores first week in May and will be supported with ads in monthly Dynamite Comics including Red Sonja and AOD!

FANS: BE SURE TO CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL RETAILER ABOUT THE MICHAEL TURNER "SNEAK PEAK" COVER TO BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #1. THIS "SNEAK PEAK" COVER IS ONLY AVAILABLE AS A RETAILER INCENTIVE COVER!

FANS: BE SURE TO CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL RETAILER ABOUT THE RRP COVER TO BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #1. THIS RRP COVER IS ONLY AVAILABLE AS A RETAILER INCENTIVE COVER!

Source: La-La land Records

LA-LA LAND Records is now accepting pre-orders for BSG Season 2 Sound Track. Order now and get your cd autographed by composer Bear McCreary at no additional charge. For a limited time. SHIPPING JUNE 13

Helo Hath No Fury: An Interview with Tahmoh Penikett, Part One
Sun 21st May

Source: SciFi Brain @ IGN

The love between Battlestar Galactica's Helo and Boomer is akin to Romeo and Juliet. Find out the motivations behind Helo's actor, Tahmoh Penikett, in part one of this exclusive two-part interview.

Helo Hath No Fury: An Interview with Tahmoh Penikett, part one

"Well, as an actor and as a person, it makes me feel honored," Battlestar Galactica's Tahmoh Penikett answers about the show's season long subplot created just because of the positive fan reaction to his character. By the end of the reimaged mini-series, which is based after the campy 1970s space opera with the same name, Penikett's character, Karl "Helo" Agathon, is left to defend by himself on his war-bruised homeworld. The actor continues, "They wrote me into the storyline with the fact that they didn't see the character going into anything but the mini-series. Helo dies on the planet. So, I mean it was a surprise. I was very excited, and once I found out everything just sort of fell into place."

After the mini-series was done shooting, Penikett joined a well-known Canadian series known as Cold Squad. He said he flew down to LA during the pilot season to see what was brewing, but didn't find anything. To make matters worse, he said he got a call from the producer of Cold Squad, and was told the show was in its final season. "I was having a bad week!" Then, as luck would have it, "I got a call from Ron Moore, who said, 'hey, we got an idea for Helo on the planet out of the ship. It is totally different storyline and would you be interested?' I was like, 'Hell yeah!' "

Thus began another tale in the myriad of the show's dramatic stories. The character, in constant pursuit by Cylon agents, was reunited with former Raptor co-pilot (and the secret love of his life), Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Grace Park). Little did Helo know that Boomer was in fact a Cylon herself. Their love tryst was born out of deception of the Cylons' master plan. What plan is that? To produce a Cylon/Human hybrid-something they were unable to do previously. By the end of the first season, Boomer unwillingly revealed herself as a Cylon infiltrator and soon-to-be mother of his child.

It has been long debated whether Cylon Sharon's affections for Helo are genuine or another elaborate ruse built up by the mimicking machines. "I think that she absolutely cares for him," Penikett affirms. "There is no doubt about that. It was established in the first season. It adds to the story and the plotline whether she is loyal or [not]. As far as I am concerned, it is established that this Cylon, [whether] she is this organic creature or not, is in love with Helo. She loves him very much. That she would trade in her own people to save his life."

In the first season, Cylon Sharon turned her back on her fellow Cylons, but didn't admit to Helo what exactly she was. He discovered it by spotting another Cylon copy of the Sharon Valerii model, also known as Number Eight. By the beginning of season two, they reunited and he even stopped an assassination on her life by his longtime friend, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackoff). Cylon Sharon and Helo eventually returned to the Battlestar Galactica, where she faced the sins of another Number Eight model, Sleeper Sharon, for shooting Commander Adama. Cylon Sharon was incarcerated, yet Helo and Boomer's relationship still flourished.

However, at the end of that season, things went for the worse between the star-crossed lovers. Their baby, a daughter named, Hera, was born. Their love strained, Cylon Sharon cursed Helo's affections. What became of their doomed romance, or the fate of Cylon Sharon, is unknown. But, Canadian-born actor Penikett has a positive outlook.

"I hope to see [their] rekindling love and intimacy. Maybe a small reprieve from the antagonistic state that they are always in. They have always been trying to survive, you know, feeling the animosity and prejudices with everyone else, but hopefully, we will see a change to that."

The crowning glory to any romantic pair on television isn't the lighting or the angle the camera is pointing, but the chemistry between the actors. "Grace and I have been working together since the mini-series, and we are great friends. We have grown together as the show has gone on. I have watched her become and blossom into this amazing artist. It is incredible the challenges they have given her on this show. Having to play multiple roles with the same character. She has stepped up to the plate, and has done an incredible job!" He goes on to say, "The one thing I appreciate in working with Grace is that because we share so many scenes together, we have gotten to the point where we do a lot of analyzing together. If we see a scene that is worked a certain way, we are always trying to look back on the story. We just do a lot of extra work trying to figure out where we are coming from."

Probably the most emotionally charged episode was season two's "Pegasus," in which the crew of the Battlestar Pegasus attempted to rape and dehumanize Cylon Sharon. When Helo and Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) caught wind of their comrades' unscrupulous intentions, the duo raced to her rescue. In the end, the two were charged with treason and the murder of one of the Pegasus' senior officers.

"Grace does a lot of research about it. She reads about posttraumatic stress. She talks with people about it. She had some strong choices and that was one of the few times we didn't discuss it so much." Penikett gave his fellow actress nothing but high praise for her emotionally stressful and motivating performance.

A groundbreaking stand-alone scene for Tahmoh Penikett was in the episode, "Epiphany." An ailing President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) orders Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) to abort the hybrid child before it is born. During the scene where Adama is escorting a sedated Boomer, Helo blocks his superior officer from continuing on to the medical bay. With his hand firmly held on his holstered gun, Helo consciously debates whether or not to take action. He even goes as far as to ask for a Raptor to leave Galactica behind. But, the Admiral doesn't cave in, he talks Helo down.

"If Adama wasn't there," the actor addresses the scene if his commanding officer hadn't talked him out of it, "I think there is a strong possibility-you have to understand I am asked this question many times about Helo's character, but you have to remember he is a soldier. He believes so strongly in his rank and being in the military. Yet, at the same time, he also realizes that he is the only one who can protect this woman and his unborn child. Because, they have everyone against them. Because of his values, because of his morals and who he was before he even met this creature and fell in love with her. He didn't ask for this, it just happened. I don't know if he'd take it to the point of shooting fellow soldiers to protect his unborn child and [lover], but hopefully or possibly he'd disarm them and do what he could to get off the ship. Helo would have taken it all that way, but I would definitely change the situation if Adama had not been there. I don't think there is anyway Helo would have harmed Adama."

This scene, also, is one of Penikett's favorites.

"Adama plays father to so many of these kids on the ship, and I think he has known Helo for a long time. I really felt that scene was one of the first episodes where I got to share some heavy scenes with Eddie. The scene before where he tells me the bad news that the President wants to terminate the pregnancy is a huge scene for me! I finally got to do the dance with Edward James Olmos, one of my idols. It was a big deal for me.

"I really felt that relationship like father and son-and mentor. I look up to this man completely and I am at the same time, I am trying to tell him, 'Look, this is what I am willing to do, give me an opportunity to get out of here. You have a child of your own, we don't need to get into this.' I mean it was a heavy scene."

One aspect of Helo's character to yet be explored is his dark side. One fan, Mahalia from Sapporo, Japan, wanted to know if the show would ever take him down that direction and how the Canadian-born actor would react to it.

"Absolutely!" he answers. "I am up to any challenge. I mean Helo obviously has a dark side, yet he is such a nice guy. He is honorable, a selfless, brave individual who steps to the plate because of his ethics and his morals. If we have the opportunity to see Helo's dark side, yeah I'd love to explore that. There is always the possibility for it, because of the animosity, the prejudice [Boomer and he] face. If he is put in a certain situation, I think one thing that we sort of just treaded around the edges of Helo's temper. I think if he is put in the wrong situation he could be violent and he could definitely be dangerous."

Since Tahmoh Penikett's character is supporting, much of his back-story remains left to the imagination of the audience and interpretations of the actor portraying him. Penikett has hopes that the future will hold enlightenment on the character's past life back on Caprica and the family he's lost along the way. "One story I have given Helo is about his family and who he lost, but I defiantly have chosen that Helo has lost people he's loved. Maybe we can explore that some time in the future."

One close person Helo hasn't lost from his life on Caprica is best gal-pal and fellow officer, Starbuck. While the origin of their friendship hasn't been shown on screen, it is obvious the two have a strong bond together that goes beyond friendship. "Katie and I made choices a long time ago, initially in the mini-series you have the fight scenes. I mean we are old friends and we have been through a lot together. I have been asked this question before, but I think it is pretty safe to bet that we were either in the academy together or we have known each other for years. Whether there has ever been a romantic relationship, that is definitely a possibility-especially with Starbuck," he jokes. "It could have been a one night stand, but there is in fact a relationship. We are more like brother and sister, and have been through a lot together. Helo really understands Starbuck and she understands him. They are a lot closer than most people think."

When it comes to their off-screen relationship, they're nevermore all chuckles. "Katie and I, when we get to goofy on set, we are always giggling and laughing."

Stay tuned next week for the second part of our exclusive interview with Battlestar Galactica's Tahmoh Penikett. When he talks about his favourite episodes and being shouted at in public for being on the show. What are we talking about? You're just going to have to find out next week...

SOURCE: Battlestar Magazine issue 5 June/July
Transcript: Sharon Gasling.

Battlestar Galactica VFX supervisor GARY HUTZEL, takes a look back at his department's most significant designs for season two.

Throughout the second year of Battlestar Galactica viewers continued to be offered stunning visual effects courtesy of Gary Hutzel and his dedicated team of talented CG artists. Together they created a plethora of battles, atmospheres adn ships that perfectly enhanced the drama of the stories against which their art was a backdrop. Taking a break before starting work on the show's third year Huzel reveals the highlight of season two.

SG-What is your own personal approach to the visual effects in Battlestar Galactica, as VFX supervisor on the show?

They say that I'm the Cylon's agent on the show because I always come in and say "Don't ever put a Cylon in that doesn't do anything just because it looks cool." You don't want to drain the visual effects from the show. Something that has been the premise of Battlestar Galactica from the beginning is that we don't do science fantasy. We don't just drape a bunch of fun pictures on the show. We get people to watch, we make sure that it's part of the storyline and that it helps push the story ahead.

SG- Viewers have been given the opportunity to see a lot more of the Cylons as warriors and ships in season two. The first such sequence came during Valley of Darkness, when Galactica is boarded.

You should have seen the rest of the sequence that didn't make the cut! We had a bunch of cool stuff. One of the things about the visual effects on this show is that for any of the larger episodes that we do we do a lot preliminary work. So we have a lot of stuff that never makes it to the air [because] it's eventually taken out.

That [episode] originally had a Cylon sequence that I wanted to do. Prior to that time, the Cylon had only been there as a story device to say. "Oh we have to run away now" or, "We've got to shoot them in the head and kill them." That's the only reason they were there. They never served any higher function, they were just there to kill you. So in episode two, I wanted to unravel that. Michael Rymer had seen that episode, and Michael is a great proponent of change - when you go and you want to make sweeping changes, you want to do it on his shows! If he's willing to back you on it, then he'll go to the mat to bring in new ideas. I wanted to do an anthropomorphic Cylon who was communicating to [his colleague]. So instead of walking like mechanical men we gave them more power, and also we gave them the ability to communicate with each other. Originally, we established that the Cylon had surrounded the humans. It occurred to me if the humans were in the hallway they could be approached from the two sides. There is no reason for the Cylons not to attack from both sides at once. So we had a Cylon moving down through the hallway , coming around behind the humans. So they would attack them first from on side to distract them, then two Cylons would come in including the lead Cylon from the front.

Those sequences were quite extensively created as pre-visualization in order to create that idea. Eventually, the story had to streamlined. What happens a lot on Battlestar Galactica, is that the scripts are written are very long for every episode. That's done intentionally so that the shows can be pared down in post-production, to test their basic elements. It's not unusual at all for a final cut on our shows to be 10 minutes over. So there was an entire secondary plot to the Cylons in the hallway , and that had to be dropped. The tip of the iceberg that remained were the two shots where the Cylon is hit, falls down in the hallway, climbs back uop and starts to attack again. But it was decided that Billy discharging his weapons and getting their attention was more important than the secondary piece, so all of that was taken out.

SG-One of the new ships tht you produced as department this year was the Cylon Resurrection Ship. How did that develop?

There were a number of different design elements to that ship. My original concept for it was that it was a fish - like structure. There was an elaborate rigid structure around it, and then within it were these large domes and within those domes were pods where the human Cylons were created. So the overall effect was that it looked like a fish with egg sacks on it that could be expended. They could take the pods and put them wherever they wanted - drop them on a planet, or whatever. That was my original concept, but ultimately the producers decided to go with something a little more straightforward. They were afraid that the fish analogy didn't really fit in with the concept that we had already. They wanted something more rigid so Doug McClean came up with a design that was resurrected (no pun intended) from the mini-series which was actually originally a design for Galactica. We were looking for exotic designs for Galactica - my original design per the dirctor and the exec producers were much more like the original Battlestar Galactica on the mini-series. But Sci Fi didn't want to do that , they wanted a departure. So we ended up looking at some designs. The art department had come up with this design that was based on a very famous architect's work Frank Lloyd Wright. That was the original thrust on the mini-series. So that was brought back out and it was decided let's go in this direction [for the Resurrection Ship]. So when I saw that the first thing that occurred to me was, because of the arches that are part of the design, it's very church-like . That made sense so we went in that direction. We created a framework that had the elements of actually having a spoke-like pinnacle to it, and then the interior section was all glass. So it took on very religious overtones, as well as being functional recognisable as being an antenna-like structure for receiving the souls of the dead Cylons to then be transmitted down into the ship and resurrection later.

SG-We also met the Battlestar Pegasus, which was designed to be a more advanced version of the Galactica. How did that evolve?

Yeah, we had to go back and design Pegasus. That was also a process where David [Eick] said , "Well, I want it to be different enough that there is no confusion between the two battleships." We started off with different designs. I brought back an idea that I had had on the mini-series - a ship that we had never developed that I thought would be cool. Se we brought up those, and we were kind of going in that direction, and then Ron came in and said he wanted to have the two ships be clearly of the same type of basic design. So we ended up taking from the shape [of Galactica] and adding some different elements to it to make it defined, much like if you took an older aircraft carrier. They would be quite similar if you didn't have them side-by-sidde. We went in that direction instead, and ended up with Pegasus. So the elements of Pegasus are very much the same, it has a lot of similar shapes. We took into account what Richard Hudolin had [designed] in working on the interior of Galactica. Richard put in an over-arching artistic design into the structure of it, but ultimately it has this feeling of being a very old used ship. Richard decided o Pegasus to go with almost (as he said), an office environment. The interior of Pegasus is much more refined that Galactica. So given the interior, we took that to the exterior elements as well. There are a lot more lights than we have on Galactica and open structures that allude to the idea that there are pathways on the exterior of the ship and work areas that are part of an environment just under the surface of the ship. There is more of this office building idea something more refined, much in the same way that a submarine that is 40 years old can be compared to a modern submarine. A modern submarine has flat surfaces, it's very smooth, a 40 year old submarine has pipes sticking out of it everywhere. So same kind of idea. We constantly use nautical references for what we're doing on the show.

Battlestar Galactica is the subject of a June 2 seminar at Manhattan's Museum of Radio & Television that's scheduled to feature Sci Fi showrunners Ron Moore and David Eick, as well as cast members to be announced. Public tickets go on sale tomorrow. (MT&R members can buy now.)

137th Gebirg From Ragnar Anchorage has made his very own Dradis screensaver and has now released 2 versions for download. 137th Gebirg has also built a separate fully encapsulated "silent" version of the screen saver should anyone want it.

Even though it is called a screensaver it would only be wise to use it with a Flat screen monitor and not on a CRT

Source: live Journal

Here's something for fans of both the Simpsons and Battlestar Gallactica. Dylan Meconis, an artist from Portland Oregon, has meshed the two shows in a fun series of illustrations she's aptly entitled Battlestar Galacticsimpsons. Check them out here. Actually, a Simpsons version of BSG isn't such a bad idea.

Source: Play.com

The Sci-fi Channel's hottest TV series returns as Battlestar Galactica 2.0 blasts onto DVD. As the epic second season begins, the fight to save humanity rages on - even as civil war looms within the fleet between the followers of President Roslin and Commander Adama. Relive all the intensity and excitement aboard the Galactica. It's a heart-pounding adventure you can't afford to miss!

price: £39.99 Delivered

Posted by Blade Runner

Diamond Select Does Battlestar Galactica
Thu 18th May

Source: ICV2

Diamond Select has announced that it will partner with Art Asylum and Universal Studios Consumer Products Group to produce Minimates and resin collectibles based on the Sci Fi Channel property Battlestar Galactica, as well as the original series.

Art Asylum will handle the development of the products; DST will handle marketing and sales of the line.

Several resin busts featuring characters from both series are planned. The first Minimates series will ship later this year.

Posted by Blade Runner

JAMES CALLIS TALKS BSG - SEASON 3
Thu 18th May

Actor talks about saving Laura Roslin, CAPRICA, and the fourth Cylon

Source: IF magazine by SEAN ELLIOTT Associate Editor

At the Saturn Awards in Los Angeles James Callis won best actor in a science fiction series for his portrayal of the "betrayer of humanity" Gaius Baltar on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. SCI FI Channel has already started filming the third season in Vancouver, but Callis was on-hand at the Saturns to accept his award plus the two others that the series won (best actress Katee Sackhoff and best series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA). After the awards and before the party, iF cornered Callis and got the exclusive scoop on what we can expect from the third season opening episodes of GALACTICA when they air in October.

iF MAGAZINE: How many scripts ahead have you seen?

JAMES CALLIS: I've seen three scripts and several drafts for episodes after that. It can still change, and it's organic to a certain extent. I think this year they really know where they're pushing this thing. They knew exactly what the first two scripts were going to look like, and how they were going to do them. In that respect we as a cast, for the first few episodes know more about what's going on this year moreover than we have ever before.

IF: How do you feel about the possibility (especially with the way things were left at the end of season two) of main characters dying off this season?

CALLIS: I think you can kill anybody really. Sadly, life teaches us that this is the way. As long as you drain the zest from the lemon; otherwise there's no point. I would certainly say Gaius Baltar is certainly a candidate for looking over his shoulder!

IF: Do Baltar and President Roslin get to have a big blowout this season with her no longer being polite in her opinion of him?

CALLIS: In a little way. Slightly, but not too much. Her problem is, is that she realizes that he's a tortured guy. She doesn't know what the hell is going on with him, but she realizes that he's far more complicate than someone who just wants to stab you in the back. [Baltar] despite the fact that he can't bear her, admires her. You've got these two people who are like opposing magnets, and yet they find it difficult to finish each other off. There is a slight bein faïence in the middle that acts like a buffer, and they can't quite get to each other in the manner in which they do. In this particular season, Gaius Baltar can't help but save her life all the time. I think Gaius would like to be an inch of Laura Roslin. He wants to be unflappable [like her], she knows the right answers, she's sure of herself in way that he isn't. He's a technical genius in a way that she isn't. Isn't it a bit like the two guys in a hole who have to grab each other's arms to become a human ladder and help each other to get out [of the hole]? In a faltering way, that's what they're doing for each other.

IF: Where does season three pick up from where you left off?

CALLIS: Pretty much immediately. We have surrendered. Everyone gets tortured. It just depends upon your idea of what is torture. Torture is being put in a situation that you can't handle and won't do. When you say torture, the thing that comes to mind is physical like thumbnails being pulled out or dental work. There is that sort of thing is going on as well.

IF: Were you surprised about the CAPRICA announcement?

CALLIS: We had been talking about it for sometime on set. There were lots of jokes and ideas as to where the Cylons came from, etc. I think it's exciting because there are a lot of questions as fans that you want to know. Where the hell did this technology come from? How did we get in this situation? Why did these robots keep quiet for forty years? Then you're going to see the canvas from which our series was sprung. I think it's very clever to have a retrospective.

IF: Have you seen the fourth Cylon?

CALLIS: I know what the new Cylon is. We can't tell you about it because it's not going to be for several episodes until this thing is resolved.

Posted by Blade Runner

Ron Moore Answers questions
Thu 18th May

Source: Sky One