w00t??

Watch: Robots that are more human? (BBC)

My criticism is that I agree with the reporter that this is more unnerving than the comfort that MIT guy was talking about. Hasn't he seen Battlestar Galactica? I just want a working R2 astromech and I'll be happy.

Cylon Arts & Crafts

It's been about a month since the contest closed, but DVICE pretty much just posted the winners of the SciFi sponsored Make a Cylon contest. Check out the winners and losers here, or just continue on to the 7th place winner's Flickr page, which was the best one in my humble opinion. I'm not Grace Park or Tricia Helfer though, so neeeeeeooooowwwww, I couldn't vote. The fracking (Classic BSG spelling!) magical unicorn is mine!

Rekha Sharma talks to LA Times

Just pulled up this article from a month ago (better late than never!) with The LA Times talking to Rekha Sharma. This is post-NYCC, but pre-shooting wrap and SDCC.

Quotable:

What do you do to relax?

Shortly [after killing Cally] we had a great party at my house!

Tahmoh at IGN

Tahmoh Penikett spoke with IGN's Eric Goldman shortly after the series wrap about the final days (of course), and his upcoming Dollhouse gig with Joss. Read the interview here. Okay, Ron? Snatch up Tahmoh while you can, eh?

IGN: We've heard about the new Battlestar TV-Movie. Will you be a part of that and even if you're not, would you want to revisit Helo again at some point?

...I don't know if I'm going to. I haven't been asked as of yet. It would be speculation right now for me, but I'd be honored to be, of course.

Here's a video clip with Tahmoh at SDCC (about a week after the interview) from IGN, along with some other snazzy Battlestar video:

BSG at Dragon Con

Dragon Con is coming to Atlanta, Georgia from August 29 through September 1. The Battlestar guests are starting to slim down though. Jamie Bamber and Leah Cairns canceled as of several days ago, and the most recent drop-out seems to be Katee Sackhoff, who had reportedly said that this would be her last convention.

Fret not, since you can still expect to see Aaron Douglas, Tahmoh Penikett, James Callis, Richard Hatch, as well as NASA scientist and BSG science advisor Kevin R. Grazier.

Those of us stuck at home will be anxiously awaiting news from DC attendees!

Possible spoilers?

I will NOT post the spoilers here, only links to them. None of these spoilers are conclusive either. They only serve to paint a loose picture of what season 4.5 might look like.

I just caught this potentially spoilery Katee Sackhoff article with interview tidbits from The Chicago Tribune's Red Eye Blog. It's a potential spoiler (without giving away any spoilers here!) in that she mentions an addition to a wardrobe accessory of hers, which you could take in any number of different ways. It's only a semi-spoiler in that sense, and if you just want zero impressions for the upcoming series finale, then don't even bother following the link. Otherwise, the article includes some other words from Katee about the final days of shooting that I haven't read before.

From Livejournal's Battlestar Blog: a fan met up with Richard Hatch at a Star Trek convention, and asked the biggest spoiler question of all. Richard's answer was such a complete spoiler, that it absolutely can't be true. Or can it?

Probably the biggest spoiler of them all, yet still only a semi-spoiler in that it can't give away plot points and only tells us about a character we will see in some shape or form at the end of 4.5, is this actor's IMDB entry. I see a connection between this spoiler and another spoiler in this here entry. Of course I ain't sayin' which one!

For the sake of blogging...

This is where I throw everything together in one entry, for lack of a better way to do it. Included is an obligatory fangirl photo of Michael Trucco just for the heck of it. No, I don't have any new news on Michael (except that supposedly his sleeper-agentness will be dealt with in the upcoming prequel movie)...

Still finding some SDCC interviews out there that I hadnt caught before. Here's one with Jamie Bamber and Comic Mix.

If you weren't sure that it was officially official that we would be getting extended episodes in season 4.5, well here's the proof from TV Guide as confirmed by Sci Fi. It's still unknown as to how exactly it will be extended, and by how much.

I guess what's also official is that we will be getting two seperate DVD sets for season 4. One for season 4.0, and another sometime after the series ends for season 4.5. As much as I don't love buying more DVD sets, I don't mind if it means we get extended cuts and more bonus features. It will also make the DVD sets for season 2.0 and 2.5 not look so strange on the shelf between the chubbier complete seasons 1 and 3 DVD sets. Season 4.0 is set to be released on DVD this December. Thanks again TV Guide.

Ron Moore, along with several other industry professionals, will be having a panel discussion at The University of Southern California on September 10th. The discussion, titled In the Name of God: Terror, Torture, and Television is part of Live From L.A.: Good/God and Evil, "a series exploring the religious and ethical ramifications of 9/11 in broadcast television". See the USC announcement here. Admission is free. A plane ticket from the east coast and a hotel room unfortunately are not. Thanks for the heads-up Sitrep.

Last but not least, and certainly the most oddly interesting is that Tricia Helfer will be speaking at NVISION 08 on August 25th in San Jose. Tricia will discuss "how visual computing has affected the TV and film industries" (Neoseeker). How cool is it to hear that Tricia is doing this? Very, especially for this female blogger. We ain't no booth babes!

Grace Park joins CBC's 'The Border'

Grace is jumping in for the second season of the Canadian series The Border, where she will be playing Liz Carver, a US Homeland Security agent. Canadian Press reports.

The io9 Toaster Test

Check out the awesome shiny new Battlestar Galactica toaster they tested against "another brand" over at io9. Hilarious (yet somehow practical)!

Definitely, Yes

It's now officially official, if that wasn't clear from the news posts yesterday - SciFi has announced the "prequel" movie. But, I'm a little confused at the way they put it in this SciFi Wire report:

"

12:00 AM, 07-AUGUST-08
	New Battlestar Prequel Coming SCI FI Channel announced that it will air a new Battlestar Galactica two-hour prequel movie, set to air in 2009 following the conclusion of the series. Directed by star Edward James Olmos, the as-yet-untitled new film will be set before the events of the original Battlestar miniseries and will focus on Cylons: Number One, known as Cavil (Dean Stockwell), resistance leader Sam T. Anders (Michael Trucco) and Chief Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas). In the beginning, the Cylons had a plan, but it didn't account for one thing: survivors. During the chaotic aftermath of the nuclear destruction, two powerful Cylon agents struggle with plots and priorities on the human ships that got away and among the resistance fighters who were left behind. The film will be written by Jane Espenson and will begin shooting in Vancouver, Canada, at the end of the summer. After airing on SCI FI, it will be released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The final 10 episodes of the fourth and last season of Battlestar Galactica will begin airing on SCI FI Channel in 2009.

"

- So if it takes place before the events of the miniseries, then how will it have to do with the Cylons dealing with survivors of the attack (since the attack took place during the miniseries... at the end even!)?

Also don't get how the series Caprica has been picked up in the UK already, but it hasn't become official yet in the US where the parent company (NBCU) is based anyway - ? Granted, they are probably just securing rights, if at least just for the pilot for now.

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

YES!

Judging by the wording "Shooting will begin promptly in Vancouver, Canada" used in this report from The LA Times today, I am going to take it as a confirmed "yes" that a second (to Razor) Battlestar Galactica movie event is a go. Eddie Olmos will direct, Jane Espenson will write, Aaron Douglas and Michael Trucco, as well as Dean Stockwell are confirmed, and it will be a flashback to shortly after the Cylon apocalypse (I'm thinking the general era of season 1 after the miniseries).

Expect to see the still untitled event (shortly?) after the conclusion of the series in 2009.

Frakkin' yeah.

Final Days on the Set of Battlestar

Some video footage and photos from the last days on the set of Battlestar Galactica have made it out to the intrawebs. It's spoilery since it shows the filming of the last episodes, so if you're like me and can't resist, prepare yourselves to go off on wild mental tangents as to what the end of the series will be like.

i09 has it all collected and uploaded here, or you can go straight to the source here from Livejournal's Battlestar Blog, and download the whole thing.

A little misty-eyed I am!

Backstage at Comic-Con with Galactica cast

TVGuide.com posted some video of short interviews with Katee, Michael, James, Jamie, and Tricia after their panel at SDCC. To see all the videos, click the link and navigate to Fall TV - Cable