Coloial Dispatch 1.15.2009

JUMP!

Let's start with Eddie and Mary on ABC's The View from this morning (thanks to lester94111):



JUMP!

On to the headlines and articles...

The Propworx auction is almost on! Good luck getting onto the Propworx site though (the page has been trying to load for me for ages). The Auction Network site seems to be loading okay though.

LA Times continues their BSG beat, with mild spoilers (in that they are somewhat suggestive of the screener of episode 11 they watched) in each: One supposedly "safe" set photo from 4.5 appears in 'Battlestar', countdown to the end, and just way too talky about tomorrow's episode in 'Battlestar' crew confronts a terrible reality. Here's a non-spoilery LA Times post: 'Battlestar Galactica' countdown: Alessandro Juliani's Felix Gaeta.

The only other "spoilery" thing is at The New York Times online. They are also just a little too chatty about what they saw and presumed to have not seen in the advanced screening of episode 11. Maybe wait until Saturday to read The Things You Can't Know About 'Galactica'.

Also at NYT online, but non-spoilery, is John Hodgman's "expert" answer to a reader's question about BSG (LOL!).

Variety.com has a frakking awesome series of posts about real people relating to BSG. It would be too hard to link to all of them separately here, but if you click on The U.S. Marine: Byron R. Harder:'Battlestar' captures essence of military life to start, then continue reading the "More Articles". They are all similar real life takes on BSG. Also don't miss 'Caprica' aims for broader demo, which may have more links to the series not found in the previous link.

Speaking of Caprica, check out The Deadbolt Interview's Back in Time with the Crew of Caprica.

Crave online continues with their BSG series with James Callis on Gaius Baltar's End, and Jamie Bamber Wraps Up on BSG.

From IGN - Tricia Helfer Returns in Battlestar and Burn Notice: The actress talks to IGN about Galactica's end and conflict with Michael Westen.

Helo speaks: Chatting with 'Battlestar Galactica's' Tahmoh Penikett at zap2it

Rekha Sharma of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ at Louisiana's channel 2 2theadvocate.com

Find a Frak party near you! From Wired online: Frak Partiers Prep for Battlestar Galactica's Final Season.

Some thoughtful thoughts about BSG so far from Newsarama with 5 Things I Love (and miss) about Battlestar Galactica by Lucas Siegel.

Also somewhat thoughtful from The Washington Times - TELEVISION: Battlestar America? Politically conscious sci-fi program begins its final countdown.

Very nice nuts n' bolts cross analysis going on at DVICE (although admittedly, I think they might be a little bias) - Starship Enterprise vs. Battlestar Galactica: Who would win?

Heads up for a coming Lucy Lawless web series! From PR Newswire: Crackle.com to Premiere Thriller Web Series 'Angel Of Death' on Monday, March 2nd.

JUMP!

Colonial Dispatch 1.13.09

All circuits are burning. Almost exactly 3 days (72 hours) to go at the time of this posting. Let's see if we can sift through the madness of the moment...


As usual, spoiler-free unless otherwise noted (there were a few postings that were spoilery enough that we won't even link to them here).


That being said, we'll just get the most spoilery link out of the way first. Over at the LA Times, they've been covering the frak out of Battlestar in this final stretch, and the latest post in their Hero Complex blog starts off by giving us the name of the episode that will air this Friday (not a big deal for some, but for total spoiler virgins it is), and although they mention that they viewed an advance copy of the episode, they promised no spoilers and they came through, except the behind the scenes photos from the filming of the episode which they posted courtesy of director Michael Nankin. So now you know what to expect. The photos are really not very telling, but again, if you're a purist do not click this link to 'Battlestar' behind the scenes.


DVR ALERT (or other pending plans)!! This Friday's episode, and the premiere of season 4.5, will run 3 and 1/2 minutes longer. Okay, I really say "DVR alert" because everyone else says that, but don't most DVRs automatically detect the beginning and end of the program? Eh, what do I know - just don't jump up to pee at the turn of the hour thinking you're scott-free (Sci Fi Wire). But then again, as they say in Nerdvana; "No DVR can contain the return of Battlestar Galactica".

Jane Espenson talks to Newsarama about wrapping up Battlestar and other projects.

IGN continues their series of goodbyes to Battlestar characters with a Jamie Bamber interview in Battlestar Galactica: Apollo's Journey

Crave online jumps on the series coverage band wagon with some interviews - one with David Eick and the other with Tricia Helfer.

As far as I can tell, there are slight variations in the transcriptions of the teleconference last week with David and Ron, by various members of the media. Here's the Eclipse Magazine version.

Here's a note from HULU about their Battlestar offering (because if you can access HULU and SciFi.com video, you know the former kicks the frak out of the latter):

"New episodes of BSG return to Hulu 1/17. The first five episodes will be posted on Hulu the day after their TV broadcast. Subsequent episodes will be posted 8 days after their original broadcast date....We are able to offer five older episodes from the previous season; they will be available until 5 a.m. PST on 1/31/09."

Speaking of the latter, SciFi.com has recently posted the latest installment of David's video blog, which is a TOTAL MIND FRAK. Speculation warning (not quite a spoiler): The beginning of the video may be indicative of which episode the final Cylon is revealed. At least that's something I read into it. Otherwise, the video blog titled "The 5th is Among Us" is just as unrevealing and goofy as all the other video blogs, and you can watch it here at sciffy (sometimes HULU posts these things too, but not this time).

Ooh! I don't think I've ever watched an actual episode of The View on ABC, and I'm a little scared to start, but apparently both Mary and Eddie will be guests on this Thursday's show (January 15, 11:00am EST), so that might be my first. We'll try to get the video for that up here if possible! Via The Watcher via Sitrep

Thanks to io9 for the reminder that the first of the four part comic book series Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War is due out tomorrow (January 14)! I don't indulge in comics as much these days, but 'Cylon War' will be telling a part of the Battlestar story we haven't been able to see before (aside from the Razor "flashbacks"), and if there's any chance to encourge a Battlestar "expanded universe" then I'll take it! If you can't make it down to a comic store, TFAW is my trusted online source.

Lastly, the random BSG mention of the day: At The Boston Herald's blog The Edge, Mark Perigard refers Barack Obama to the experiences of some famous TV presidents, including Laura Roslin. If you don't feel like following the link:

"Laura Roslin, “Battlestar Galactica” (Mary McDonnell, 2003- present, known for trying to shepherd the last remaining humans to a promised land and for being tricked by the crafty Cylons in her midst): Don’t try to rig an election, no matter how badly you think the nation might need you for another term. You’ll be horrified by the karmic payback. Anyone who seems to be too good to be true is probably a robot."

The Face of the Enemy Webisode 10

Thank you indysid:



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THIS FRIDAY WE WILL KNOW THE TRUTH (or start to at least)! *winks*

Latest 4.5 trailer

From youtuber MaureenAppleton, and as is hopefully obvious, if you don't want to know a thing about 4.5 then don't watch:



Spotted at Melancholygeek blog

Aaron chats with Slice of SciFi and The Chief's Deck

Check out the podcast interview with Aaron Douglas at Slice of SciFi "about the history of his character and his approach to playing Chief Tyrol." The interview officially starts around 29:20, but really starts at 30:15, if you want to skip the rest of the news and podcast, but they do have a pretty cool Dollhouse discussion right before Aaron's interview. Also, here's the Rekha Sharma interview from July that they mentioned, and if you click their "Battlestar Galactica" tag, there is a good amount of other juicy BSG stuffs. And wow - I could totally deal with going to CactusCon in Phoenix (Starting January 23) after suffering the northeastern winter so far.

(Edit) Here is a Q&A with Aaron over at the Live Journal fan site The Chief's Deck in their "Ask the Chief" section.

Colonial Dispatch 1.10.09

Less lip flapping, more BSG headlines...

Both from LA Times, for their "Battlestar Galactica Countdown" series:
Michael Hogan, surprised to be a Cylon
Rekha and embracing the inner Cylon

Battlestar Galactica: Life after Earth from Time Magazine online

IGN.com's Battlestar features this week:
Battlestar Galactica: Gaius Baltar's Farewell
Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck Says Goodbye

Who is Battlestar Galactica's Final Cylon from Film.com (Hilarious! I am with them on this theory too, even though anything goes at this point)

Ten Sc-Fi Flicks for the Thinking Man from Rotten Tomatoes and inspired by the painstaking wait for BSG 4.5

Verheiden Talks Galactica, Heroes, and My Name is Bruce from Comic Book Resources

Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Knowledge Here Begins out There - a book preview (?) at EurekAlert.org

A Better Way to Play Battlestar Galactica - an older article, but totally wicked cool, about a hand-made Viper cockpit for video gaming at Popular Science online

Ron and David's conference call now fully transcribed at Media Blvd Magazine and Cinema Blend - I haven't cross reference these yet to check for differences

Last but not least - Also via Cinema Blend is a 3 part video series with Ron and David explaining the "Top Ten Things You Need to Know about Battlestar Galactica". It's really cool hearing Ron and David recap everything from the series leading to the end of season 4.0, even if you've seen it all:

Katee's Hit List

Browsing through today's print version of The Wall Street Journal, of course the most captivating article for me was a brief part in the Weekend Section featuring Katee Sackhoff talking about her top 3 sci-fi movies. Aside from the absence of any Star Wars movie, this list is a match to mine. Blade Runner is definitely number 1 for me. The Fifth Element is in my opinion one of the most underrated sci-fi films... possibly ever. But Alien... well, aside from being absolutely traumatized by this movie thanks to a mom that thought I was old enough to see it with her (but I really wasn't - I hid in the bathroom for half of it), I really appreciate how much was done right in this movie and that it is certainly an all-time classic, now that I'm all grown up that is. Still can't can't take the parts with aliens latching onto people's faces and the bursting bellies though.

WSJ has the main interview with Katee posted in whole here.

ONE MORE WEEK! Is it true?

The Face of the Enemy Webisode 9

Thanks this time to youtuber nahiyyeaa. Sorry about the absence of commentary versions for webisodes 8 and 9. Once we find them, they'll get edited in to their respective posts.



Webisode 10 will be airing on January 12, but if you're just itching to see the final one, go ahead and run a search on youtube.

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Edit - Here's webisode 9 with commentary thanks to SevorTB/ddt73:

Colonial Dispatch 1.7.09

It looks like the Colonial Dispatch might be pretty busy in the coming weeks as Battlestar news is coming on like a deluge. We'll try to sort through it here...

The LA Times makes good on their word to incorporate reader questions into interviews with Battlestar cast and crew. Here's a chat with writer Jane Espenson and one with Richard Hatch at the Show Tracker blog. The LA Times has also given recognition to Battlestar Blog blogger Tara Gelsomino's Facebook creation Battlestarbook. Keep up to date with The LA Time's Battlestar coverage at their main BSG page.

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Ron and David have been busy with press conference calls. Cinema Blend will have more on that in the near future, Deadbolt.com gets a few questions in to the dynamic duo, as does Geek Sugar.

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Cinema Blend also has a feature with Eric Stoltz which mostly discusses Grey's Anatomy, but there's a few words about Caprica in there too.

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There's no shortage of nice things being said about the greatness of the new Battlestar series, especially now (and more keeps pouring in). Time Out New York takes a look at Starbuck's character and Katee Sackhoff, we'll excuse The Washington Post's Express Night Out blog for it's use of the original series spelling of "frak" since their review of what makes BSG so awesome is so compelling, and Culture 11 lauds BSG with their FAQ that touches on The Face of the Enemy webisodes, Jane Espenson, and other BSG stuffs.

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To end today's Colonial Dispatch: Chris Gore's DVDuesday review of season 4.0 (at end of segment) which is brief but positive, and because I have a filmy fangirl crush on Chris :D

Season 4.0 on DVD: Frak Yeah

It's finally here for region 1! I went for the Best Buy exclusive which includes a set of Starbuck's dogtags, the unrated extended edition of Razor (the case says it includes the same bonus content as the stand alone "exclusive" release of Razor from Best Buy, but since it's one disc instead of two I can't see that happening - we'll have to see), and a nice little collectible character book "Battlestar Galactica: So Say We All":


The case for this DVD set is also different from the regular version of the 4.0 set which instead has a picture of Apollo, Bill, and Starbuck with the obligatory pensive stares. Even though I love that the BSG "Last Supper" is on the exclusive cover (albeit only partially), it doesn't quite match all the other season DVD sets thus far.

At first look through the character book, I thought it was merely a reproduction of the cast profiles on the Battlestar site at Sci Fi, but it's not. The booklet includes a nice little story set up, and two page spreads with profiles of all the main characters with lots of great photos (promo shots that we have moslty seen before anyway).

Before the season 4.0 marathon begins, I'll be digging through the bonus materials and deleted scenes right off the bat. (Edit) - After a run through of the bonus content, the absolute winner is "The Music of Battlestar Galactica" which is an extended version of the bits that got out during Comic Con right before Bear's big concert. This feature is absolutely hilarious! The rest of the bonus content, aside from the deleted scenes, are mostly regurgitated bits from David's video blogs.

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I also recently scored the "official" Battlestar Galactica 2009 wall calendar. I say official because it's the same one listed at the NBCU store, even though another version also seems to be available with a different cover (I definitely prefer the "Last Supper" cover) and slightly different photos. Some of these photos have to be the same though, since they are obviously from the same batch of promos as the formerly mentioned calendar. Grace and Tricia, as pictured in the Amazon link, are wearing the same clothes in both calendars, and even the "official" calendar features different shots of cast members wearing the same clothes. Kind of lame if you ask me, especially since a lot of these promotional shots are obviously dated from even as far back as season 1 (you can tell by the hairstyles mostly).





"Official" version photos:



Even so, I'm glad to have these shiny pictures of the prettiest group of humans ever to trek across the galaxy to find their true home. And what a nice way to start off the new year with a spread of the boyz of BSG for January (I also wasn't disappointed to find Helo as the hunky poster boy for April - my birthday month). As you can see below, I might have gone a little overboard on wall calendars this year. It's not my fault calendars go for 50% off after the new year!

Colonial Dispatch 1.6.09

Today is the release of season 4.0 on DVD for region 1! See the next post for more on that. Otherwise, welcome to the first Colonial Dispatch of 2009, and the 3rd one ever. We comb the web so you don't have to :p

First up to bat: I've been sort of inadvertently following the Auction Network's campaign to hire a host for their coverage of the Propworx BSG prop auction coming up in a couple of weeks. Tomorrow they will announce the winner, but right now they have some great audition reel material posted on youtube. If you go down to the videos section you will find the most recent ones are all the auditions for the BSG spot. Fun stuff, and I especially enjoy trying to answer the trivia questions before the candidates do. Lauren is my first choice; I want to see a woman up there, but not just any old booth babe. She's obviously a fan from her answers, and compared to other interviewees I watched, she has the best personality:

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After finally updating my news feed for SciFi Wire since they changed the site at the end of December, I'm catching up on a couple of weeks of Wire news. Most recently they posted a new exclusive clip from Caprica. How dare they interfere while we are in the angst ridden final stretch of BSG? Well, it definitely summons some intrigue. I believe SciFi Wire video can be viewed internationally. If anyone outside of the USA can't view the video in that link, please mention it in the comments.

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Check out Cinema Blend's "Best of 2008" where they give props to BSG for Eddie Olmos's performance as Bill Adama. I don't think I can forgive them for their choice of Best Drama though.

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Lucy Lawless gets a nice feature in her hometown paper The New Zealand Herald. It's mostly concerning her work in the new release Bedtime Stories, but it's good to hear her also talk about how she's getting back to work in general.

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Here's something random but really cool - This post from January 2008 at Robin Shantz's blog bloginhood was recently stumbled upon during a web search for some other BSG stock images. One should note that the photos shown in the post are of the set for season 4.0's final episode "Revelations" which aired in June. Hopefully it wasn't seen by too many fans until then (unless of course they wanted to be spoiled). Otherwise, how cool would it be to have been out for a hike and then stumble upon something like this?!

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Tis the season for top 10 lists! This one at Mutant Reviewers from Hell is a must see though. Al and Lissa list each of their top 10 BSG moments of all time (which actually gives us 20 moments), as well as the 5 moments they'd rather forget. This got me brewing up what my top (and bottom) moments are in the series so far, which I'll post down in the comments when I get it all sorted (and after I watch a few season 4.0 episodes). What are yours? This might have to be a new poll.

The Face of the Enemy Webisode 8

Thanks to indysid this time around! And an FYI - If you do want to see all 10 webisodes, they are banging around youtube thanks to that Amazon glitch I presume, which if that is the case, you will probably not find webisode 9 anywhere. Otherwise, webisode 9 airs in just two days on January 7.



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Still looking for a youtube version with commentary. Be back shortly...

The Final Stretch

Here we are exactly two weeks before the night of the premiere of Battlestar Galactica season 4.5, and as some of you may be noticing (if you browse around the web for it) there have been press screenings of the January 16th episode, along with the almost inevitable spoilers that go along with that. We here at FRAK hope to continue maintaining a spoiler-free environment (with spoiler warnings where necessary), especially as we tread the final stretch.

Over at The Watcher, Maureen Ryan has been privy to one of those screenings. While she has no spoilers in her recent post (except the title of the January 16th episode and a very un-telling photo from it), she does recommend that Battlestar fans remain as spoiler free as possible to enjoy the unfolding of the series finale, and to steer clear of any internet or print mention of the final episode(s) until after they've aired. Thanks Maureen, and again - FRAK is here to serve and protect!

Alan Sepinwall also posted at his blog yesterday about viewing the screening and vows to remain spoiler-free as well, and the entailing discussion from that post prompted him to post a July interview with Ron Moore today which discusses in a mostly non-spoiler way the themes of the coming series Caprica and the formulation of the Battlestar Galactica finale. The extent of the spoilers in the interview are general thematic and character discussions of Caprica, and some direct yes or no answers about whether certain issues in Battlestar will be adressed in the final episodes (Alan was prepared with a list gods bless him!). There is also some discussion about how Caprica does and does not tie into Battlestar, as well as other TV series that Moore has been influenced by. That being said, you can read this incredibly insightful interview here at nj.com or at his blog What's Alan Watching. Originallty spotted at Galctica Sitrep