TVSquad

As I said earlier, most of Sunday was taken up by panels for NBCU's cable channels. I heard, for instance, that the Oxygen panel for Coolio's Rules was a bit of a trainwreck, with Coolio actually getting up and singing. I wouldn't know, since I skipped most of the afternoon panels to check in at home and do some writing for you fine folks.

But I came down in time for the SciFi Channel's press conferences, which had the cast and producers of the series Sanctuary and the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica.

Let's start with Caprica. Right now, it's a two-hour backdoor pilot; the SciFi Channel will decide to pick it up as a series once they see the pilot. I can see why they might be a bit reluctant. From the scenes I saw, it felt more like The Godfather with some science thrown in, rather than the BSG everyone knows.

Fans of the almost late, definitely great Battlestar Galactica over at Sci Fi can keep their hopes alive that the series may return in the form of those oft-rumored movies. On June 27, Grace Park said that rumors of a Battlestar Galactica made-for-TV film have reached the set, where they recently had their wrap party for the four-year series. None of the actors have been contacted, and as we've been reporting all over the place here on TV Squad, the various actors and actresses are getting snatched up left and right for new shows.

Park's rumor had shooting beginning in August, which seems a tremendous stretch, as most of the new fall shows the actors are appearing in will be filming at that time. It would make more sense to try and film it during breaks. Or maybe it's going to go the route of Razor and feature mostly non-regular actors. Hell, she may have heard about the filming of prequel series Caprica.

Who knows what the hell is going on, but this is the new media. Facts be damned, I love Battlestar Galactica, and if Park had said this shortly before vomiting and passing out drunk off her ass, it'd still be worth a post. Anyone hear anything more?

[via AICN]

Wired Magazine has posted online an interesting interview with Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ron D. Moore. In it he discusses several topics such as his philosophies behind the Battlestar Galactica relaunch and its prequel series Caprica and his new Fox show Virtuality, his work on the Star Trek franchise as well as his personal history and religious beliefs.

In the interview, Moore confesses that he was both jock and nerd. He went to a California high school in a town that was so small, he was a quarterback for the football team yet watched the original Star Trek. Or maybe he just simply didn't believe in such labels.

He also discusses dealing with online fans, stated best in this quote: "oh really, they don't like it when we do that? Well that's what were doing. We kind of go the other way. Oh, that'll piss them off? Well let's really piss them off. This'll really piss them off, that'll drive them insane. They'll say, oh, there's this guy who really hates the show, and all he talks about is how much he hates Starbuck. Oh, yeah? OK. Let's do a Starbuck episode."

It's a very good interview. Recommended.

With Battlestar ending, and Bionic Woman ended, the lovely and talented Ms. Sackhoff could use a new gig. Why not Nip/Tuck? Sackhoff is set to join the FX series for a four episode arc as Dr. Theodora "Teddy" Lowe. She's said to present a challenge for Sean (Dylan Walsh).

But wait, there's more. What's better than Katee Sackhoff on Nip/Tuck? How about some Morgan Fairchild? She will be appearing for one episode as a movie star. I suppose we could debate which is actually better, but for me, there is just something about Morgan Fairchild. Whichever you prefer, both are nice additions for the show. Read on past the jump for more casting notes from Caprica, Warehouse 13, and that crazy sounding House spin-off idea.

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.

Just yesterday I posted about the casting announcement for Amanda Graystone in the Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica. Now comes word that one of the most anticipated characters of the series has been cast.

Esai Morales, who you may know best as Lt. Rodriquez on NYPD Blue, or as Major Beck from ill-fated Jericho, has landed the role of Joseph Adama, father to William, grandfather to Lee. Joseph is described as "a man who has done a few crooked things in his life" and is one to be feared. Remember, he knows a thing or two about the law as well.

In looking back at photos of young Bill Adama from the Razor vignettes, Nico Cortez -- who plays Bill -- could easily pass as Morales's son. I wonder if we'll be treated at all to some scenes from the future of the Cylon war, where Cortez can reprise his role.

Early last month I posted a casting call sheet for the upcoming Battlestar Galactica prequel show, Caprica. In that list was a call for Amanda Graystone, a "surgeon with a volatile streak to her" who is "something of a double agent." Well, you can scratch that one off the list of openings, as Paula Malcomson (Trixie of Deadwood and Jerri of John From Cincinnati) has been cast in the role.

My interest in Caprica hinges on how Battlestar Galactica concludes; will I really want to know more about how it all began? I could see them putting us in a place that has us craving for more, though it's likely Caprica is meant to stand on its own and without having to follow too many rules set by the BSG events. Hopefully I'm wrong.

(S04E05) It looks like Sci Fi took to heart some of the complaints over last week's online preview. This week they weren't so vague, making it crystal clear how much of a preview we were going to get. If nothing else, I could skip over the first ten minutes of the episode when it aired on TV.

As we heard tonight, the mission of the Demitrius is nearing the end of its 60-day mission, and there's noticeable tension on-board. Two months doesn't really seem all that long, but then I got to thinking -- what is a "day" to the humans as related to Earth time? Are we to assume Caprica has the same cycles as Earth? I know, I'm digressing here, but I do wonder how they differentiate a day amongst all of the different colonies, then simply say "a day" on Galactica. Most likely they have a military-set definition for it.

Tricia Helfer is hot. Really, really hot. She's also in demand as an actress now that Battlestar Galactica is coming to an end. Helfer just inked a one-year talent deal with Fox. The network will likely place her in a starring role in a drama within the next year.

While she's known to us as Six (or Caprica), it was her work in a pilot last season that got her noticed at Fox. She had a role in the drama pilot Them. Fox execs say that work, and her appearance in an indie flick called Walk All Over Me, won them over.

This is bittersweet news, really. Tricia Helfer is a spectacular actress and, on BSG, she has proven that her beauty is just secondary to her acting abilities. But BSG is such a smart, well-written show that anything else--especially some sort of procedural--seems beneath Helfer. I really hope Fox finds something to showcase her extraordinary talent. Otherwise, it's kind-of like seeing Nathan Fillion on Desperate Housewives. I'm happy that he's working, but sad that there isn't better stuff out there for him.

[via PopCandy]

Now that we got the confirmed greenlight for the Battlestar Galactica spin-off series, Caprica, of course we can expect to see more details of the series trickle in. Just today, for example, sources have provided us with casting information for the series. Cool stuff!

Anyone familiar with the details of the show knows that Caprica will center around two families, the Graystones and the Adamas, and the goings on leading up to the Cylons as we see them on the show now. Now we can get a sense of what the characters on the show will look like and perhaps make our own wishlist of who we'd like to see in the roles. I warn you that there are what to some will consider SPOILERS ahead.

Since it looks like Bionic Woman is not coming back to NBC, although nothing's been confirmed, the executive producer is moving on. David Eick is writing a pilot based on the Alfonso Cuarón film Children of Men for SciFi.

The film, brilliantly directed by the Mexican filmmaker, was a grim tale about the future -- England in 2027 -- where women have become completely infertile and the human race faces a major crises with less than a century to survive.

I have just got back from the Sci Fi Channel's 2008 Upfront and the new year looks very exciting. Upon arrival, the press was treated to an interview with the cast of Battlestar Galactica along with co-producers Ronald Moore and David Eick. They were introduced onstage by Mark Stern, the Sci Fi Channel's executive vice president of original programming.

A few announcements were made regarding the upcoming season throughout the night. I tried to keep things spoiler-free, but stuff might leak through. You have been warned.

• The new season begins April 4th, if you didn't already know.
• A streaming version of the season premiere will be available on scifi.com that day at noon if you can't wait until that night.

Ain't It Cool reports that due to the WGA strike and the resulting lack of new scripts, the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica may be filmed after all. The series is set 50 years before the events of Galactica and tells of the Adama family and the events leading up to the first Cylon war.

If there ever was proof of the statement that "every cloud has a silver lining", this is it. Mind you, without working writers to do necessary polishes to the script during filming, I wonder how good the resulting product would actually be?

I have to admit that I have a strong appreciation for a television show that knows when its story has been told, when it has approached its final chapter and chooses to say "The End." The better the show is, the more I find this to be an important realization for the creators (and the networks!) to come to recognize and accept.

The New York Post is reporting that the creators of Battlestar Galactica have it in mind for the show's fourth season to be its last, a season which just recently got the OK for the full 22-episodes. It's not a set-in-stone plan ... yet. But as much as I love the show, I think this could be the way for it to go out on a high note (and let's not forget the planned 2-hour season-gap-bridging movie). It's refreshing to know that the creators have a plan and they're going to see it through, and not allow it to be milked beyond its capacity.

Since creator Ron Moore has said before that the planned spin-off series, Caprica, hasn't been picked up yet, I could see the plan being to end Battlestar should Caprica get a greenight. If Caprica hits a stop, maybe there will be a way to see Battlestar continue past its prime, but just for a little bit. I only wish other popular shows could follow the same example, but for some it's already too late.