BATHHOUSE GALACTICA

For my baby sister, a little pick-me-up reminder of why we obsessively watched this show...



The human drama, right?

THAT'S IT... (SORT OF)

All done. Except for the spinoff movie about life before the war, called Caprica. And the complete re-hashing of the entire war from the point of the Cylons, called The Plan.

But other than that, we are very sad to see the end of Battlestar Galactica

ONE LAST LAUGH BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE

I can't believe it, but this week marks the end of Battlestar Galactica. Yes, it's been a long, wonderful (weird) journey these past few years. So to make the final week, here's the cast of BSG promoting the current, final season by reading the "Top 10 List" on Letterman:



I'm really gonna frakkin' miss this show.

WELCOME TO THE "DOLLHOUSE"

I'm watching episode two of Fox's new Friday night thriller, Dollhouse, and I have to admit: I'm hooked. I started watching for Tahmoh Penikett (IMDB here), who is/was in Battlestar Galactica (and damn sexy, too).

But I'm hooked on the plot: dense without being difficult, new and fresh from start to finish. And it did pretty well last week, beefing up on its lead in, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, growing in size by 25%.

We'll see how this plays out.

REALLY, BATTLESTAR?

First off, let me start by saying I loved, loved, loved the return episode of Battlestar Galactica. This episode is an example of why I love, and watch this show. (There was an incredible article on the show this week in the Los Angeles Times, which went into great depth about what makes the show so incredible.)

But as much as I loved this episode (I watched it twice, natch), I had one teeny-tiny issue: the final Cylon. Ellen? Really? That's it?

What about Starbuck, what's the deal with that?
And why Ellen? She's not that important (or interesting) of a character.

But I'm willing to put up with this little f**ck-over to find out the rest of the story. (Like what happened to Earth.) And the episode was full of some amazing twists and turs - the 13th tribe are Cylon? Dualla's suicide? Yikes, I thought, this is gonna be good.

SO SAY WE ALL...

Tonight - after several long, wonderful years - the epic saga begins its conclusion.

THE FINAL (FINAL) CHAPTER BEGINS

The Sci-Fi Network announced the return of the final season of Battlestar Galatcia. The show will return for 10 final episodes, starting Friday January 16, 2009.

THE LAST BATTLESTAR SUPPER

Hidden in this recreation of The Last Supper are clues to the final season of Battlestar Galactica.
(Click to enlarge photo.)

NONE OF THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE...

and it will never happen again. After a year of waiting, and three years of watching, Battlestar Galactica begins the long road home... tonight.

CRUSH OF THE MONTH: April

My crush of the month for April are the men of Battlestar Galactica. No matter what kind of guy you're in to, BSG has some sort of tasty man candy for you to enjoy... and most of them can act, too. (Actually, they all can. It is a shame many of these actors haven't seen much work outside this show, as they are so talented.) I've singled three men out for extra attention: the actors portraying Lee "Apollo" Adama, Karl "Heilo" Agathon and Sam Anders (shown in order, below).

For additional pictures of the cast of BSG, including an extra yummy one of Anders, click here.

APRIL IS FOR NERDS

It is a sad, sad sign of just how lame (and old) I am, that I'm so excited about Friday nights this month. No, I'm not planning on going out or anything. I'll be staying in, and watching TV. But not just any TV. This month sees the return of two of my favorite TV shows.

Battlestar Galactica enters its fourth, and final season this week. I'm sad to see the show go, but in the end, I think it is what's best: the show can go out on top, and not worry about getting stale, or run-down. I'm looking forward to the resolution of several plot arcs, and answers to several key questions about the show. (The opening credits always mention a Cylon plan... just what is that plan?)

Doctor Who is, hands-down, one of the best imports to American TV in a long time. Never mind the show has been running, in one form or another, for several decades... this newest incarnation rocks, and I can't wait to see what Cycle Four (Season Four to us Yanks) brings.

A couple of thoughts about both shows, both of which will air on Friday nights on the Sci Fi Channel: Both are in their fourth seasons, airing in the fourth month of the year. Nerdy of me to notice, huh? Both shows are re-makes of shows from another era, and both offer fresh, bold perspectives on their respective sub-genres. While both qualify as science fiction, one (BSG) offers a dark, post-modern take on human struggles, while the other (Dr Who) takes a more upbeat, and at times, comical look at man's place in the cosmos.

If it is a Friday night, you'll know where to find me...

LEGO GALATICA

A quick nerd-search of the web - in anticipation of the final season of Battlestar Galactica - found a widget that counts down to the next, new episode, and these images of a Lego representation of the Viper launch bay:

WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT?

Like many fans of Sci-Fi Network's Battlestar Galactica, I was excited to see the, "special television event," last week. I'm a big fan of the show, and I don't care who knows it! Call me a geek, a nerd, a loser... whatever, I don't care - I'll stand by my show. (Stephen King listed it as one of his top 10 favorite shows, and it won a Peabody Award, so it can't be all that bad.)

But Battlestar Galactica: Razor turned out to be a colossal disappointment, from start to finish. I don't usually get suckered into believing the hype about anything, but given the ramp-up to this event, I was expecting... well, a little more.

For starters, I don't understand when the story took place - not because I'm dense, or don't understand the time line of events in this imaginary world. No, I was thrown by plot inconsistencies, redundancies and recycled ideas. The "new" elements thrown in - for whatever reason - raised more questions than they answered!

In some cases, the action only served to flush out and expand events from prior seasons. But most of the time, these "flashbacks" only served to complicate the plot, unnecessarily. There isn't much point in going back in time, and beefing up the back-story when the current story (at the end of two hours) doesn't evolve. At all.

I guess I'm just spoiled by shows like The West Wing. Nobody tells a story within a story, within a flashback like Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme. They knew how to frame a story arch, with opposing physical and emotional landscapes, so that you always knew where you were. But the trouble with Razor is, I just don't understand the point in making a special show like this. It didn't advance the plot in any significant way, and only served to frustrate me. I hope this isn't an indication of how the coming (final) season will unfold.

ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE

I'm a die-hard, nerd-alert fan of Battlestar Galactica. I mean, I own most of the last few seasons' episodes. I've been to the fan sites, seen the fan art... I even looked at those pictures of the guy who carved his pumpkin to look like a Cylon.

But I've just about had it with the build-up to Razor, the flashback movie coming out this month. First off, the "screenings" at theaters are only at certain, bizarre locations. (Antelope Valley? That's the best you could do for the entire Los Angeles area? Really?)

But more to the point, I'm not really following the online-only flashbacks. [Note: If you're not into BS the rest of this post probably won't make much sense.]

I mean, if Adama (young, not the current one) came across the Cylon experiments (as seen in these screenshots from Episode 5, or "Webisode" 5), then why is it such a shock to the older Adama when the Cylons evolve? I know, I know... someone sound the nerd-alert.

BIONIC WHAT?

I gave NBC's re-imagined Bionic Woman yet another chance... yes, against my better judgment, I watched another episode. And again, all I came away with was how wasted Katee Sackhoff (a.k.a. Battlestar Galactica's Starbuck) is in this lame show. She brings an air of cool, with a splash of camp and black humor to an other wise dull show.

But with BSG new episodes, and BSG: Razor, a movie both just around the corner, I think I'll wait to watch her really nail it.

WHAT A WASTE...

I have to be honest: I gave NBC's re-imagined Bionic Woman a chance. Heck, I gave it several tries. But I just couldn't get over the horrible dialogue and mediocre acting. And I definitely couldn't get past the fact that homophobe Isaiah Washington was hired on the show because NBC Chief thought what Washington did wasn't a, "big deal."

But, I gave it a shot anyway. Multiple shots, as it were. Mostly because it featured Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff, a.k.a. Starbuck (IMDB here).

Now, don't get me wrong... she rocks. She nails the action sequences, and delivers her lines like she knows she's in a crappy show. You know, with that sort of camp-edge to it. But her considerable talents are wasted on this half-@ss show. Even those crappy Battlestar Galactica: Razor previews on the Sci-Fi channel's website (here) are better than this disastrous remake.

What a waste.

CORRECTION/SHOUT-OUT

Just a quick update for the last post:

Yes, as Marc (Blogger profile here) noted in the comments, Battlestar Galactica doesn't debut until January. I didn't know where else to file it, other than the "Fall Preview" because very few other shows will bow during that month... or at least not enough to warrant writing about. You can check out Marc's blog here. (I would rate his blog PG-13, so enter only if you're not around small children or at work.)

I left one show off (mostly 'cuz I forgot it was going to debut): Project Runway. Yes, I'm excited to see it again, but it isn't the kind of show I can wax poetic about.

Stay tuned for more...

FALL TV PREVIEW, Part 1

The fall TV premieres are almost here, brining a new crop of crap... and a few hits, here and there. Before we dive back into the broadcast carnage, I though I'd dive into the returning shows I'm looking forward to (and why I'm looking forward to them). Here, in no particular order, are my Fall TV returning show picks:

Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi) OK, so I said they were in no particular order, but there's a reason this Peabody Award winning show popped into my mind first: it is, in my humble and informed opinion, the best TV show currently on the air. The writing is above-average, the special effects and visuals are top-notch and the acting... well, there's lots of eye candy on this show, and plenty of good acting, as well. It's pretty hit and miss, from episode to episode - sometimes the acting is all solid, and other times, it has a mild, campy sci-fi feel (which isn't always a bad thing).

When last season ended, several plot points converged, bringing about a whole new round of questions... which would be great, if the new season wasn't jumping back to the start of the story (the mini-series, not season one) to tell the story of some of the other humans to survive a nuclear holocaust.

House, M.D. (Fox) While not quite the cliffhanger of last season, season three ended with some crucial questions surrounding television's favorite acerbic doctor, Gregory House. (By the way, unconfirmed reports given to the LA Times say Hugh Laurie, who plays House, was in the running to host the upcoming Emmy awards, but at the last minute Fox went with Ryan Seacrest. You can read my reaction to their decision here.)

I'm a late-comer to House fan-club, but now that I've seen all three, previous seasons, I can honestly say I think this is one of the best dramas on television. The writing and acting are some of the best (ever), and certainly the best on Fox.

House may or may not take home an Emmy or two this fall, but one thing you can count on is that I'll be tuned in to the season four premiere.

Ugly Betty (ABC) While I wasn't a huge fan of the number of breaks in between new episodes this show took last season, the final episode was enough to draw me back in for another look... at least for now.

The pure camp element of this show, combined with its everyday gay appeal make this a highly watchable show. And the capable cast manage to rise above the dishwater-ordinary, bad soap opera writing. (And I know, it is supposed to have a soap opera quality, but some of the dialog was so bad, I almost changed the channel, and never cam back.)

Heroes (NBC) Another show that I'm on the fence about watching this season, partly for its history of unnecessary breaks between episodes (I mean, it can't be that hard to make), and the new distraction tactics they're going to engage. In between the normal episodes continuing where last season left off will be unrelated episodes... with new characters that audiences will have the choice to vote on to the main show. Sound confusing? Convoluted? Sound like a stalling tactic? We'll have to tune in to the new season and see. (Hopefully, Sci Fi will run repeats of the new episodes, freeing me up to watch something else on Monday nights, catching Heroes on a later night in the week.)

Nip/Tuck (FX Networks) I'm on the fence about this show... but for personal reasons. I love this show: its over the top in all the right ways, sexy, smart and has a great metro sensibility. But this season, the fellas at Troy - MacNaWhatever have moved their practice to Hollywood (my place of birth, and former home) - which means plenty of Los Angeles-bashing... something I'll have a low thresh-hold for. Especially considering the show was previously set in the cultural and emotional wasteland that is Florida. I mean, come on. I know they're in the business of fake: fake boobs, fake faces, etc., but if L.A. is as superficial as people say, then a couple of plastic surgeons should fit right in... but, we'll see.

Stay tuned for the next installment...

WHAT I'M WATCHING, Part Two

Heroes -- but only when its rebroadcast, on Fridays, on SciFi. Why? Dunno. OK, yes I do. I watch Battlestar Galactica every week (no tapes, no TiVo, must be live), so that preety much means by Friday night is spoken for, so I spend the time leading up to it watching TV I wouldn't normally watch... let's be honest: "Heroes" appeals to the lowest-common denomenators, and makes NO sense whatsoever. But I like the look of it: cartoony, without being childish; dark without being morose; animated without looking like a bad graphic novel. And last time (well, last week) the cheerleader took matters into her own hands. If you don't know what I mean, you owe it to yourself to check this show out.

Although, does anyone else think that guy was cuter when he was on "Gilmore Girls?"

IT'S BAAACK!

I've been waiting for this moment for sooooooo long, I thought I was going to lose my mind! I'll blog more about Battlestar Galactica after I've finished the Season 2.5 disc that's here from Netflix, but probably not before the season opener tonight -- there's an interesting connection between the direction this season seems to be taking, and the course the United States is on (in Iraq, etc.), and I can't wait to see where this goes.

Uh, the show, that is.