TVSquad

I haven't even gone to get my badge yet, where I hear from Cinematical that there's lots of goodies to have, and lookee here -- Sci Fi stuff! The fine folks over at Sci Fi Channel were nice enough to drop off a ginormous purple bag full of loot, like the Raider model above; t-shirts, breath mints, temporary tattoos ...

Check the gallery for more, and check out what they're giving to registrants over at Cinematical.

(S04E10) Russell T. Davies proves me wrong...and right. I have said since the first season of Doctor Who's relaunch that the man can't write science fiction. I still believe that. But I never said he couldn't write. Actually, he's a very good writer in terms of writing about emotions and relationships (which is why we're introduced to each companion's family in the new series). Fortunately, this episode's writing plays more upon his strengths.

Tracy Morgan is a busy man. Along with his role on the NBC comedy 30 Rock, now entering its third season, Tracy is also taking on the reigns of host of the SciFi Channel program Scare Tactics, also in its third season. Premiering on July 9th, Scare Tactics is a hidden-camera, reality-comedy hybrid that allows friends and loved ones to set up unsuspecting victims into a series of horror hoaxes that are staged with movie-style special effects and makeup.

Earlier this week, Tracy, who is the third host of the program after Shannen Doherty and Stephen Baldwin hosted the first two seasons, joined Tactics' Executive Producer Scott Hallock on a conference call to talk about this upcoming season.

Get ready for many, many Friday nights of having to find something better to do than sit in front of television to watch Battlestar Galactica. You could always dig into your past-season DVDs to reminisce on what's happened before ("and will happen again?") or simply watch BSG online. There's also the unimaginable: spending time with friends and loved ones, stepping out of the house or, gods forbid, getting some extra sleep.

While we all think of what to do with that extra hour we have every week, let's go over a few things going on since last week's mid-season finale.

(S04E09) Well now, how was that for a surprise ending? Well, that is, for those who didn't get to see the screening in L.A. Wednesday night. I was invited to go but, seeing as I live on the other side of the country, it wasn't really all that practical to be there.

While this was an amazing episode, I've got mixed feelings of sorts. I'm elated that this isn't the finale episode of the series, that we've got another slew of episodes to go through before "the end." However, this episode felt like it possibly could have ended the series -- will the real final episode pay off as well as this one did?

I mean seriously, what the frak? Why the frak do we have to wait until frakking 2009 for the final frakking season of Battlestar frakking Galactica. Those motherfrakking skinjobs, and I know they're Cylons or they wouldn't do this to us, really like to frakking torture us diehard frakking fans, don't they. Frakkers! Wow, that does make it incredibly frakking easy to drop frakking curse words all the frakking time without really frakking cussing. How frakking liberating is that!

But back to business. Executive producer Ronald D. Moore spoke at a Wednesday night screening of this Friday's summer finale and broke the news that the remainder of this fourth and final season of BSG probably wouldn't air until early 2009. The show just doesn't want to have to face off against the new fall slates on the networks or football and baseball, which I guess I can understand. Why not wait until January so all you have to deal with is those crappy shows nobody watches like American Idol and 24? And nobody will be interested in the build-ups to the season finales of shows like Lost and Heroes. It's a frakking no-brainer!

It's not often that I write up about an episode of Ghost Hunters, but this one was quite different than the rest. Unfortunately I'm not talking about something spectacular the GH team caught on video or a wild EVP recording.

During the second half of the 'Widow's Watch' episode, Grant, Jason and crew headed out to the Moss Beach Distillery in Moss Beach, California, to investigate reported sightings of a mysterious "Blue Lady" ghost. Spencer Gray, the exec chef at the restaurant, gave the team a hammy tour of the place, pointing out the various places where sightings and sounds had been reported.

(S04E09) I've been reading a lot lately from people who've become disappointed with this show the past few episodes or so. I've felt the same way. I'm happy to say, though, that while this episode didn't exactly make up for the lack of luster, it was certainly enjoyable.

Even without seeing the previews for this week (which, I admit, I can't even help but watch), we knew this episode would start with a flashback to what happened when Roslin and the occupants of the stolen Base Star jumped away. Right away we saw that a Cylon ship jumping has a strange effect on humans, though it's not clear if anyone other than Roslin had those brief visions.

This was a very close race, both in the Readers' Choice poll and among the TV Squad team. In fact, the RC poll has been ping-ponging back and forth for the past few days, and I had to wait until the last moment to declare that winner by a slim margin of only two points! But before we get to who you, the readers chose, let's get on with the TV Squad choice: Heroes.

Heroes is one of those shows that evolved over time with respect to the special effects presented to us. The pilot episode, for example, had much to be desired. When I first commented about the pilot back two years ago, I wasn't at all impressed with what we saw. I thought the effects of showing Nathan fly looked amateurish and with crappily edited wire tricks.

Move ahead through last season of Heroes, and it's been a whole different story. We've got the impressive effects of Hiro's time time-stopping ability, Claire's regenerating wounds, the numerous powers of Peter and even the other times we've seen Nathan fly.

Among the TV Squad team, it was a race between Heroes and Battlestar Galactica. When it came down to voting, these were the only two in contention to win. The readers has roughly the same idea, putting Heroes and BSG neck-in-neck throughout the voting process. By only two points, Battlestar Galactica takes the Readers' Choice award this year. Supernatural had a very tough showing, coming in a rather close third.

This award isn't just about great special effects. There are lots of different ways a show or movie can display effects that dazzle and wow us. This is about a show that uses special effects in ways that, as closely as possible, make us believe what we're seeing could be "real" -- if what we're watching on TV were ever a reality, this is what it would look and sound like, what it would be like. For example, this is what it would look like if someone were to stop time. To pass through walls. To fly.

Congratulations to you, Heroes, for taking the first annual Most Real Unreal award. And a congrats to Battlestar Galactica for taking the Readers' Choice award this time around. As for the other shows that didn't win this time around: make us believe in your reality next year.

(S04E06) The Doctor gives birth to a daughter. And he didn't even get any snu-snu out of it.

A quick synopsis: The TARDIS suddenly dematerializes unexpectedly before Doctor Martha Jones has a chance to leave and finds itself on the planet Messaline in the year 6012. There is a generations-long war between the two occupying races, the humans and an alien race called the Hath.

(S04E08) After two weeks of waiting, and through several other shows having their season finales, we're back for more frakking BSG, baby. And speaking of season finales, after watching Lost last night with all of its flashbacks and flash-forwards, it almost seemed as though we may be seeing a bit of flashbackery next week to explain what happened to Roslin and the others aboard the hijacked Base Star.

In case you're wondering what the title means, it's a latin legal term, of course.

Apparently, NBC Universal wants to make more Battlestar Galactica television movies like Razor, possibly as soon as this summer. According to Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, discussions have just started regarding this.

Ronald Moore has stated that Battlestar Galactica in its current format would not be continued after this season. Given the death rate of the surviving humans, I wonder if any of the characters will be left to film after the season's end. My guess is that the TV movies would serve as filler for what could be a long delay between the first and second halves of season four.

What keeps Battlestar Galactica intriguing is that, much like Lost, you never know who will be alive or dead by the end of the episode. This makes for exciting storytelling.

On the other hand, the TV movies could simply be tie-ins to the upcoming prequel series Caprica. What do you think the TV movies would be about?

The wheels keep on turning for the Battlestar Galactica spin-off Caprica. Eric Stoltz is the latest addition to the cast. He'll be playing Daniel Graystone, wealthy computer engineer. Details are few and far between, of course, but so far we know that after a family tragedy he will use his knowledge of technology to forever change the future of Caprica. He's joined by Alessandra Toressani, who will play his daughter, Zoe. And if your mind just flashed to Stoltz in Killing Zoe, we're on the same page.

That news is given a bit more of a boost if you recall that Paula Malcomson has already been cast as Amanda Graystone, a surgeon described as "something of a double agent." Now, add that to the previously revealed bits that tell us the story takes place 50 years before Galactica and focuses on the creation of the Cylons. A picture starts to emerge.

(S04E04) The Ood return.The race was seen two years ago in the two-parter "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" as a servant race. In this episode, we learn exactly why they're so good at being servile. Here's a hint: it's not by choice.

Arriving on the planet known as the Ood-Sphere in the year 4126, the Doctor and Donna find the planet's Ood-production factory which prepares them for shipping throughout the three human-occupied galaxies.

(S04E06) More than a few people thought last week's episode was filler. Things picked up again this week, with a lot of reveals along with a few more questions. Throw in another "red shirt" death and some other surprises (that I won't mention here in case there are spoiler-phobes about), and you've got the makings of a good episode.

This week I didn't bother with the ten minute preview online. In an interview with Mark Verheiden regarding last week's episode, he indicated that this episode was originally going to start off at a different point. So, in essence, if you were watching the preview today, you were seeing what was meant to be in last week's episode, originally.