Asta's Journal

Farscape: The Complete Series

2009-11-13T12:29:32Z

This morning, I saw an email from DeepDiscount.com informing me they are having a mega sale on DVDs, CDs, and books. So, before I placed my order for the Farscape DVDs with Amazon, I thought I'd take a look at their price - FRELLING $74.38! Yep, they are selling it at 50% off retail. If you want to buy a copy I suggest placing an order before the price goes back up.

Now, Best Buy is selling a limited edition with Peacekeeper Wars included, but I can't rationalize paying a lot more for one disc I already have.

I'm Baaaaaaack

2009-11-10T05:40:47Z

simplystars made me promise to post as soon as I got home. The 21st century way to let everyone know you're home safe and reasonably sound. My plane actually got in two and a half hours ago, but after a bit of drama involving who would be picking me up at the airport (I ended up taking a cab) and a long chat with my mother, this is my first opporunity to get at the computer.

I had a FABULOUS time and miss everyone already! I do not have enough fan girls near me and that fills me with woe. But I got to spend five fun filled days with danceswithwords, brynnmck, the aforementioned simplystars, 50mm, pdxscaper, kernezelda, pukajen and her friend S (who OMG does not have an LJ!) and I got to meet the delightful zegeekgirl.

I'll have much more to say about all of them and the awesomeness of Ben Browder and Claudia Black after I get some much needed sleep. I also was able to catch up on some TV on the plane and I have thoughts on Bones, White Collar and Friday Night Lights. In their own ways, they all rocked last week. :)

Heading West

2009-11-05T14:35:40Z

In a few hours, I'll (hopefully) be on the first of two planes heading to LA. The nice thing about a later flight is a) being able to sleep in and b) not having to worry about getting everything packed and organized the night before. Actually, I'm hoping to make it over to the apartment complex office to pick up a package to see if I want to take any of the clothes I ordered with me. :)

And I realized last night I'll have quite a bit of TV I will be missing. I was double and triple checking the DVR setting then realized ALL the shows would pop up on Hulu eventually.

I have no clue what kind of internet access I'll have while away. No one do anything terribly exciting until I get back Monday night, OK? This trip I had the wisdom to not go back to work the next day so hopefully I can recover from the jet lag before dealing with the crazy at work.

::waves::

Weekend TV Highlights

2009-11-03T03:35:33Z

I'm a wee bit late with my White Collar thoughts. My digital cable, which had been working fine all day, suddenly decided to get glitchy during the show Friday night. And there was also some travel drama (I'm heading to LA this weekend) which, fortunately, was quickly rectified. I finally had the opportunity to watch a non-glitchy version of the episode Sunday.

The second episode of White Collar doesn't quite meet the standards set by the pilot – the characterizations remain strong, but the plot is rather lackluster – but it didn't experience a huge letdown after such a strong opening.

Two new characters are introduced this week: Peter's more by-the-book boss and Agent Lauren Cruz. Agent Cruz looks to be a regular fixture on the show. I have no strong feelings about her yet, but I can't help but be a bit disappointed that in dropping Diana the writers are setting up a flirtatious relationship between she and Neal.

We learned a little more about Elizabeth. She's a party planner. Besides providing immediate assistance with the case this week, it establishes she knows people, has contacts and perhaps will be of further assistance in the future. I don't want to see Elizabeth become the third wheel, but I appreciate the writers introducing ways to bring her into the stories. She's not merely around to be there for Peter at the end of the day so he can unload about a case or Neal.

The partnership and friendship between Peter and Neal is developing nicely. Peter may tell Neal he doesn't trust him, but, out of earshot, Peter tells his boss he trusts Neal's instincts. And Peter is willing to defer to Neal's judgment, at times.

At the same time, we learn Neal has trust issues. As much as he loves Kate and relies on Mozzie's assistance, he trusted neither with the information as to where his ill gotten gains were hidden. He was testing them both. And Kate may have been forced to reveal where she believed everything was stashed, but how hurt might she have been to discover he lied to her? That he didn't trust her.

I like that while Neal may not have been completely truthful with Peter as to why he wanted to see the footage of Kate, he took Mozzie's advice and went the direct route and just asked. He didn't try to scam Peter. And Peter, in turn, kept his promise.

Having the real New York City as a backdrop for the series continues to be an outstanding choice on the part of the creators of the show. I tip Neal's hat to the USA for allowing the show to shoot on location rather than forcing them to pass off Vancouver as New York.

Peter's office appeared smaller, less sleek and high tech this week. I thought this was a good move. White collar unit or not, last week I found the offices a little too high end for the FBI.

“You're lucky. They have you on a two mile tether. That's a lot in New York.” Thank you Mozzie and thank you writers! I made the same comment last week. It seemed like a hell of a lot of space to give Neal to roam and I'm glad it was acknowledged how lucky he was, if not explaining outright why the FBI would be so generous. Maybe they're seeing where he might take them?

There was one moment this week that, to me, showed the people behind the series are interested in the small details - the dress stuffed in Dimitri's mouth mimicking a pool of blood. Perhaps it was a little overly dramatic, but I appreciate the effort in trying to create such a striking and artistic image.

And while there were a lot of great lines, two of my favorites were courtesy of Peter: “No dancing in the office” and “Ask me what I know about a Prada bag sometime.”

In other TV news, in preparation for ABC's reimagining of V, I watched the original miniseries V and V: The Final Battle yesterday on SyFy. I was pleasantly surprised at how well both hold up. And all these years later I still feel sorry the lizard baby. It's not his fault he was born all green and veiny and tore his way out of his mother's womb! Actually, I found the mother much creepier.

And in case you haven't heard, TNT has saved 'Southland'! TNT purchased the seven episodes that aired last season, plus the six recently filmed. The series is scheduled to return January 12th at 10:00pm. Yep, that's right, it will be airing against Leno and hopefully kicking his ass in the ratings. MUWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

It's Baaaaaack! BSG Commentary Recapping

2009-11-03T02:51:00Z

It's been awhile, my friends. The skills were a bit rusty. But I've managed to listen to ~~Ron's podcast~~ Jane and Eddie's DVD commentary so you don't have to. To be honest, it wasn't nearly as painful as I feared it would be. Eddie barely spoke! I know! I'm shocked too! I actually felt a bit sorry for Jane. It's clear she didn't think she would be doing most of the talking. By the midway point there were long silences she tried to fill by asking Eddie questions and attempting to get him to speak, with no luck. When he did talk it was mostly to say how "terrific", "fantastic" and "great" the cast and crew were. While it was nice of him to bestow so many compliments on the people he worked with, it makes for a boring commentary track.

So, there is not a lot of revealing information to share.....although there was a small highlight for the Sam/Jean shippers. I had no idea there were Sam/Jean shippers until recently. As a Lee/Sonja shipper, I feel we obscure shippers need to stick together. ;)

Rather than have Dean Stockwell talk to air or a random crew member during the scenes in which Cavil is talking with Cavil, Eddie cast the role of Cavil's double.

Jane reminisced about how hard they worked to get the old and new footage to match. There were even discussions about matching Caprica's lipstick shade. And Eddie made an effort to get the original hairdresser so Caprica's hair would match. (I found this somewhat humorous since Tricia switched to a wig years ago.)

Cavil to Ellen: "I'm a mysterious stranger." Jane included that line because in the series Ellen described being rescued by a mysterious stranger.

The rubble Ellen and Cavil were buried under was the remnants of Galactica's hanger deck after it was torn down. Technically, bulldozed. Eddie described it as the saddest thing he had ever gone through. (I assume he meant on set.)

Jane: "Baby Tyrol. Looking so young." Hee.

The very last raptor was painted ambulance colors to make it into a rescue vehicle.

During the scene in which Anders and the others are looking down from the bridge to where the Centurions are gathering their fallen comrades, they debated having a moment where Anders goes face to face with the raider that takes off and flies by them and have it recognize him. (If the raider had pegged him as one of the Five back on Caprica, wouldn't that have negated a lot of future events?)

Sidenote: I assumed the Centurions were picking up parts of other Centurions in order to recycle the parts. But if they really were trying to 'save' their comrades, they're more sentient then I gave them credit for.

If you had any doubt, yes, Baltar did leave the note for Adama.

Jane commented she really liked how they slowed down the footage going into act breaks because it felt like closing a chapter.

It was difficult keeping track of how many days after the attacks events took place. They tore their hair out getting the numbers right.

There are still lots of questions left unanswered about the creation of the Cylons that weren't relevant to story, but may get answered in Caprica. Jane thinks they hit the big loose ends of the show such as who was Six talking to on Caprica and who left the note? She didn't feel like they left anything big hanging. Eddie felt very complete at the end. (Huh? I guess the series completes him. :p)

Jane: One Cavil is desperately trying to seek the love of his parents; the other is desperately trying to kill the last few humans. One Cavil realizes that the love of humanity is sort of the key to why Cavil will never win; the other Cavil is not realizing it.

Matthew Bennett (Doral) ad libbed all sorts of stuff on the set. There was a moment between Doral and Shelley where Shelley explained that if they blow up they will download and it will be OK. Doral's response was, "But I made this suit." It was totally right for Doral.

"Let's get this genocide started." Jane realized it was a dicey joke, but it plays to Cavil's character. He's hard and loveless and devoid of humanity, but he's also someone who can joke in the darkest moments and that is a gift to a writer.

The train wreck was already there for them to use. It was a training center for rescue personal.

Jane was glad she could give Jean stuff to do and felt the actress was excellent. You were able to get this whole sense of the relationship Jean and Anders had had. And I must quote Jane here, "At least I did. Maybe I was writing in my head." ;-)

Anders was not afraid to be scared. He was not always the fearless rebel leader, but scared like any person would be.

There was a moment cut after Doral sees the explosive vest. He looks at it askance and Cavil says, "Well, you could paint it teal."

The Leoben story was hard to do. Part of the difficulty was they were stuck with events that happened on Galactica. They had to construct a story that would slot into and not after places he was already dead.

When they were casting the boy, they had a picture of Dean Stockwell from The Boy with the Green Hair. Eddie thought it would be neat if the boy looked like a young Dean. Wardrobe even copied Dean's outfit form the movie. If you notice (I didn't), the kid has jeans, which broke a long standing rule on BSG - no blue jeans.

There were a few references to Lymari Nadel - her fantastic performance, how she came up with the lines, "I hate this jumpsuit. Everyone is doing what they can.", and Eddie bringing her ideas to Jane - yet neither ever made a reference to Lymari being Eddie's wife. Weird!

The Boomer/Six scene was an unused scene from the finale.

The Cybel was a new ship introduced. Jane seemed excited she got to introduce a ship.

In the pit of bodies, those were all real people being burned. WTF?

After Cybel Simon (or Gianna's Simon or I Love Humans Simon) tells Cavil it was hard for him to get away to meet him, Cavil comments that it's also been hard for D'Anna to get away. They wanted to explain that Cavil was aware of D'Anna's presence, but he let her go off and do her own thing. It was a way to explain Lucy's unavailability.

The Plan was for everyone to die and when it didn't happen it was all improv after that. O.....K.....

Leoben is listening to a recording rather than the wireless because Kara was in the infirmary with busted knee at that point in time. They needed to find a way that he could be listening to her.

Jane found it funny that the spiritual center of the ship turned out to be Cavil's lair. They already knew he was working as a priest on Galactica; they just needed to give him a chapel.

The kiss between Cavil and Boomer is where their relationship starts. (Everyone, EWWWWWW.)

The film answers questions you didn't know you had. (In my opinion, not really.)

The downfall of the entire existence of Cylons was the one thing they weren't ready for - love.

Cavil hoped to hear from Anders, one of his parents, absolution and that they had learned their lesson. He's hanging on to that.

Sidenote: It struck me as I rewatched that Simon and Cavil on Caprica were the opposite of their counterparts on Galactica. On Caprica, Simon wants to put an end to the charade and kill the humans while Cavil wants to keep them alive for his own benefit. While on Galactica, Simon and Cavil have the exact opposite desires. How might things may have been different if the Cavils had switched places and met up with the other Simons?

Jane stated the lone naked male pilot was an effort to get a penis on film so it wouldn't be unfair. In her opinion, it wasn't fair to include all naked women and no naked men. Interestingly, they cast a shy actor and it was difficult to get a, er, small piece of footage. ;) Eddie chimed in with "You girls are funny about that." Then he proceeded to explain how the show is not about sexuality. People had to realize sexuality became something else (?) and there is no nudity taboo or gender inequality. (I know some who would debate that issue.) It is only true to the story to have equivalence in footage...and from there I got really confused by what he was attempting to say.

There was talk of doing three movies. Verheiden would write the first, Weddle and Thompson the second and Jane the third. When the other writers were hired on to other shows, the film fell to her.

Jane mentioned flash-forwarding to all the Kara/Leoben moments that hadn't happened yet, but didn't explain what it meant. :(

The final exchange between Cavil and Simon was much longer. Simon came in and started talking about his medical team being called to Galactica after Adama's shooting. They decided just to cut right to Simon telling Cavil that if Adama wasn't dead, he was dying.

Cavil's, "Where'd the bottle go?" was a Dean ad-lib.

There was a long subplot (really long - it's one of the deleted scenes described below) in which Caprica Cavil went away, met up with other Cylons, came back to the camp with Centurions and devastated part of the group.

For those who haven't purchased, rented or acquired the bonus material for The Plan, here is a run down of the deleted scenes.

There was more of the C-Bucs training prior to attacks.

There was also more of Ellen and Cavil on Picon. She comments that "the rents are cheap and so's my husband. Technically still my husband." She goes on to say Tigh knows what is right and wrong for the entire universe; Cavil talks of justice. Ellen says, "You're just like him", which gets quite the reaction from Cavil. There's additional talk of not learning lessons and right after the first bomb hits, Ellen asks what's happening. Cavil says, "Whatever it was I'm starting to think it was a bit premature."

There's a brief clip of Anders walking towards a cliff and looking at a devastated coastline...so the writing on the screen tells us. Then he turns around and says, to no one, “I'm so sorry.” I think he was running away!

Random shot of Boomer thinking about Tyrol after visiting Cavil. Not sure why they bothered to include it.

We see Jean track down Anders right before they discover the pit. Jean says, "I woke up and you were gone." What?! Well, that raises some interesting questions. He asks how she found him; she says "you're not all that hard to follow T". She then asks where he's going and he comes up with he thought maybe there were more survivors.

More Cavil and Boomer. Boomer states "He believes in me." Whether he means Tyrol or Adama, I'm not sure. Cavil says reaching for the explosives would have taken her home. But, forget about it, he still needs her for something special.

Finally, there is the long scene involving Cavil and Anders. It begins with Anders recounting to Jean what he witnessed in 'Downloaded'. He's convinced the Cylons aren't unified anymore. He's talks about Boomer and Caprica. He tells Jean he should have been down in the city spying the whole time. Jean says why not now, but Anders says it's too late, they've lost too many people. Jean mentions Kara.

Cavil shows up and Anders is glad to see him. Cavil tells him and the others who have gathered that he believes the Cylons needed a messenger. He was tortured for answers, but then things started to change. A few Cylons started to think differently. The ones known as the war heroes. He tells them a story of people thriving on Picon. And maybe the Cylons learned they made a mistake. Killing humans wasn't a way to get what they wanted. They now see to get understanding and not just revenge they have to show mercy. Anders points out that before the Cylons grabbed Cavil, he was already defending them. Cavil asks if Anders thinks he's a collaborator? Then he asks Anders if he is sick. Anders explains they killed Simon, but not before he had contaminated their anti-radiation meds. Cavil states he's not his enemy, but his friend and he knows it. If you reach out to the Cylons, they'll reach out to you.

Then they cut to a sizable part of the group walking towards the gate outside the camp. Boomer and Caprica (on crutches!) are walking towards the camp and are all smiles. They tell them to follow them; the truce begins here. Anders, Jean, Cavil and others are some ways away watching all this. Jean calls the group going with them idiots. The wording on the screen tells us Centurions are approaching and they open fire. Boomer and Caprica are devastated and fall to the ground, crying.

Thoughts About the Latest Fandom Kerffufle

2009-10-25T02:41:28Z

Since The Plan leaked last weekend, fandom has had kerfuffle #153. Normally I avoid the drama, but a couple of aspects of this kerfuffle bothered me. Some of the criticism of the film came from people who hadn't seen The Plan yet, a pet peeve of mine. And after reading several angry comments I was left wondering - my apologies for paraphrasing an overused and cliched expression - why we can't all just get along?

I’ve never understood ship wars, in any fandom, and find them exhausting even when I’m merely hanging out on the periphery of them. The Plan, inadvertently, triggered another round of fighting. There is some humor within the situation though because what has upset people isn't actually in the film.

I'm going to digress and provide a little personal backstory. Up until BSG, I always shipped what was considered THE couple on a show. Mulder and Scully. John and Aeryn. Buffy and Spike. Ok, sure, there are a equal number of Buffy and Angel shippers, but I didn't start watching Buffy until Season 4. I never look for a pairing to ship when I begin watching a series, but if it happens it’s usually the pairing the majority supports. Lee and Kara took off as a couple rather quickly, the consensus seems to be after Lee was presumed dead and they reunited on Galactica in the mini, but I could never warm to the idea of them as a couple. As friends and as siblings, yes, but I had no desire to see them in a romantic relationship.....even though I support Jamie taking his clothes off.

For reasons many do not understand, I ended up the in the small - yet determined and resilient - group known as Lee and Laura shippers. Was I disappointed that Ron never saw the brilliance of the pairing and didn’t go there? Sure, but, at the same time, I avoided a lot of wank and kerfuffles because I never shipped Lee and Kara. I’ll call it a win.

Even though I never shipped Lee and Kara, I won’t deny there was chemistry. I won’t argue it wasn't clear there was love and sexual tension between the two. But because of Zak, guilt, fear, insecurity, bad timing and probably a half a dozen other issues, the two were kept apart. If you shipped them, given their relationship in the first three seasons, I can see why you had an expectation the two might end up together, eventually. I say "might" because given how dark the show could be and given Ron's habit of killing off characters I really did conceive of an ending where both Lee and Kara died.

I’m not sure why the romantic relationship was dropped in Season 4. Depending on how you want to view the ending, Lee and Kara never got to be what they could have been and died alone or Kara and Sam met up in the afterlife and Lee climbed that mountain with Sonja to start populating the world with beautiful hybrid babies. Ok, that last part about Lee might just be me and beccatoria’s interpretation of Lee’s future. ;)

So, having said all that, let me get back to The Plan. The film was leaked and there were write ups and discussions of the implications of the film. Kara and Sam shippers were pleased. For many of them, the film reinforced the importance of the two, both separately and together. There was squeeing and there was, in my humble opinion, joking references made to their "epic" romance. This led to a backlash amongst some Lee and Kara shippers who felt it was their ship that was the epic ship.

None of the ship talk really mattered to me since I ship neither pairing and, as I mentioned before, kerfuffles exhaust me. But when I sat down to watch The Plan, I kept what I had read in mind to see who might be right and who might be wrong. I also wanted to see how so much shippiness could be worked into a film supposedly about Cavil's quest to annihilate humanity.

The Plan is not in any way a pro Kara/Sam film. If you ship Kara and Sam, I can see how you would likely be pleased by the film. I know it does my Lee/Laura heart good anytime those two are in a room together and I actually get to see it rather than have to imagine it. So I totally understand seeing what you want to see. For anyone not interested in Kara and Sam relationship, I'm perplexed by the ire at the inclusion of recycled footage of the two in the film. No new footage was shot and thus no new insights created.

The film is from the Cylon and mostly Cavil's perspective. It is through one Cavil that we see Sam and Kara interact and Sam's love for Kara. None of this is new information. You can even argue that Sam's feeling are completely one-sided since we get no hint of what Kara is thinking or feeling within the context of this specific story. What little footage of them together there is needs to be shown or otherwise there would be gaping holes in the overall plot (which already has some problems for other reasons). For the Kara and Lee shippers, be upset with Season 4, I can understand the disappointment, but The Plan shouldn't be lumped in with that. Lee and Kara, separately and together, are a non-issue in regards to the Cylon-centric material being covered.

Ultimately, I don't understand why we all can't squee over whatever we want to squee about. I know there are people who can't fathom how I can ship Lee with Laura. She's a surrogate mother to him! Accept I never saw her as such. I'm able to make a look, a gesture, a turn of phrase mean something more than Ron and Co. meant it to in regards to my OTP. And I've read interesting discussions about awesome Lee/Kara scenes in which one of them wasn't even present in the scene. We all see what we want to see. I didn't view The Plan as a love letter to Kara and Sam or a declaration that their romance was "epic", but the Sam/Kara folks should be allowed to view and enjoy the film as they choose to.

Besides, we all know that Ellen/Tigh was the epic romance of the series. They were together for 2,000 years. No one can beat that.

And I am DONE writing posts for the day. Phew!

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

2009-10-25T00:22:43Z

The Plan: I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. Oddly, I had no strong feelings after watching it. There was some interesting new material, but it felt mostly like someone rewatched the first two seasons, found relatively small gaps in the story, cut and pasted existing footage together, then threw in some new footage to fill in the gaps. While the film didn't really add anything new to the saga, it didn't ruin anything either. My biggest disappointment was a lack of powerful character moments and not a single stunning revelation. The answers given to lingering questions were answers I assumed long ago. While I can pat myself on the back for piecing so much together myself, it doesn't make for gripping viewing.

I'll start with what I did enjoy, then move on to the less impressive aspects of the film.

While the CGI was a bit iffy, I still found the attacks on the colonies both stunning and horrifying. Caprica seems to have fared better in the attacks than the other colonies, likely because Caprica was home to the most advanced society and thus the best location for the Cylons to create their new home world.

In a recent interview, Tricia Helfer stated we'd finally get an answer as to why all the Sixs are different. We really don't get a definitive answer to that mystery, but we do see it is the Sixs who choose to differentiate themselves. It's an interesting idea that doesn't get explored as fully as I would have liked. But it is another indication that all the models are programmed a bit differently.

Leoben fell in love with Kara's voice and, later, sensed her specialness because of her ability to fly a raider. Those revelations were both sweet and unexpected. It also seems the Twos were the tech guys among the Cylons. What I'm less clear about is a confusing montage of images envisioned by Leoben of he and Kara together in the future. Are we being told that, like Kara, Leoben is special and chosen by ~~God~~ Whats-its-name? Is he able to see things others, humans and Cylons, can not? It would certainly explain why Leoben knew information about Kara in 'Flesh and Bone' that he had no other way of knowing. But if he was special and unique and seemingly important, why didn't he play a larger role in Season 4.5? (Putting aside CKR might have had other filming commitments.)

I'm not sure how I feel about the new information regarding Boomer and her sleeper status. Before I believed she was at war with herself; her Cylon self fighting to get out, not to force her to carry out her mission, but to stop her because she had grown to love her human life. The last part of my theory was reinforced when Boomer stated she was happier as a human. But we find out it's Cavil triggering Boomer in and out of consciousness. It's Cavil and his plans for her she's fighting against. Still, we get a good basis as to why Boomer was torn the rest of her life. She may have felt betrayed by the human race, but she also desperately wanted to remain part of it. Only as a human was she the person she wanted to be. A person she loved.

The film provided clarity as to why it was the Twos, Sixs and Eights who chose to split from their fellow Cylons: love. Leoben's love for Kara. Caprica's love for Baltar. Sharon's love for Tyrol. But it was more than loving one individual, it was their interactions with humanity and seeing humanity's capacity for love. Even Caprica Cavil would experience this concept through his relationship with Sam. And one Simon chose to become part of a family. So why were the Ones and Fives unwilling to broker a peace with the humans? I think the key is downloading.

The Cylons have the ability to share each others memories. Sometimes it's a selective process (See the Eight in 'The Hub') and sometimes it's done for the good of the collective. Shelley Godfrey may not have been in love with Baltar, but she had an infatuation with him. No doubt a result of sharing Caprica's knowledge and feelings for him.

Simon killed himself out of range of a resurrection ship. Galactica Cavil had Caprica Cavil boxed. They didn't have the opportunity to 'infect' the consciousness of the others. Had they been reintroduced into Cylon society, how might things have been different?

While I approve of Simon FINALLY getting a storyline and one that gave us new insights into the character, I'm more than a little suspicious that Gianna, who we had not seen since the mini, suddenly had a very substantial role in no small part due to the actress being EJO's wife.

I loved seeing Shelley Godfrey again and finding out what the frak happened to her. I had assumed she went out an airlock and the only twist was Cavil made her do it, which she didn't seem too happy about it. It was a nice explanation as to how the Cylons were able to keep tabs on where the fleet was early on.

A subtitle for The Plan could have been A Tale of Two Cavils. I'm pretty certain no amount of interaction with any human or Cylon could have changed John Cavil's mind about humanity and his thirst for eradicating humankind. Still, it's fascinating to see that the Ones, like all the other models, were able to be swayed in their opinions. Caprica Cavil, unlike Caprica Six, certainly felt no remorse for what he had a hand in, but he also didn't see the point of going on with the mission. They were never going to be seen as better or more worthy in the eyes of their 'parents'. In fact, given their actions, the Five were likely to love humanity even more.

And the final of the good? THE ARMS OF APOLLO! It was nice to see you again, boys. :)

As for the not so good aspects of The Plan...

The continuity people dropped the ball. When Adama was giving his big speech to rally the troops, Lee was no where near Galactica.

The film cuts from Adama receiving the note about there being twelve Cylon models to Baltar in CIC, implying he left the note. This makes NO sense. Baltar wouldn't have that information. I wish they had just let that plot point go. (ETA: nicole_anell, my resident Cylon expert ;), reminds me that Baltar did have that information. I stand corrected. But it still doesn't make much sense.)

I fully support nudity and sex on TV when there is a point to it. While the bathroom and living quarters are shared by men and women, would they really walk around naked like that? Don't most people grab a towel when they get out of the shower? The nudity was gratuitous and ridiculous. But it paled in comparison to the creepiness of EJO directing his wife in a totally unnecessary graphic sex scene. Issues!

The almost complete lack of Tory was odd. I guess Cavil really didn't care about her either? :(

I was unmoved by Cavil's murder of John. Usually violence of any sort against a child affects me, but I felt nothing. I think the problem is a combination of an underdeveloped character and a character we didn't know and didn't have time to. (I wonder if anyone thought about recasting Boxy? It would have been a nice explanation of what happened to him. And he had a connection to Boomer who had a connection to Cavil.)

It's also hard to believe John's parents didn't want him. People were looking to build family units after the attacks and we're to accept that not only did his parents ditch him, but no other person wanted to care for him. Had they said he had only one surviving parent who was too traumatized to take care of him, I could buy.

There's something wrong with a universe in which John Cavil gets as much action as Lee Adama. And more than Sam Anders and Karl Agathon.

White Collar: A Great SyFy Friday Substitute

2009-10-24T23:29:19Z

I don't have any White Collar icons yet, but I will. Oh, I will. The Fall TV season was off to a slow start for me. Sure, there were some returning shows to hold my interest. Castle is nice, frothy entertainment. House, for the moment, shows small signs of it's former glory. The Office and 30 Rock continue to amuse. I was waiting for Southland to return until NBC made the WTF decision to cancel it two weeks before it premiered. But new series had yet to fill me with any sense of joy. FlashForward has not lived up to the hype. Glee continues to be a mixed bag. Modern Family has fulfilled the promise of being the best new comedy of the season with some genuine laugh out loud moments, but with no comedies around it to interest me, I can catch it any time on Hulu. Let us not even speak of Stargate: Universe.

Following so much disappointment, I had just one series yet to look forward too. One series that had earned good early reviews. One series that starred Matthew Bomer. Matt's (he's credited as Matt for White Collar) Bryce Larkin was one of my favorite things about Chuck. During the pilot for Chuck, I thought, "He can't be dead!" Fortunately, he wasn't. Part of me wished he could be a regular, although he would prove distracting from Zachery Levy; part of me thought it would be awesome if he landed the lead role in a good series. A series I would eagerly look forward to each week. And it happened. :)

White Collar's pilot isn't perfect, but it's as well developed and produced a pilot as any I've seen. The mistakes it makes are small and handwaveable given a) it's a pilot and b) the writers needed to quickly establish the premise.

I'm no expert on the U.S. prison system, thankfully, but that was NOT a super max prison. Certainly it would cost more than $700 a month to house a prisoner in super max. It looked more like a medium security facility. And while Neal is prone to escaping custody, he's a non-violent criminal. I don't think they needed to be so specific as to where he was being housed.

I also question, given they are in New York City where everything you need can be found within a few blocks, Neal would be allowed a two mile radius with the anklet. The government is being rather generous.

But those are small quibbles. Everything else is awesome.

The pilot is beautifully photographed and filmed on location in New York. No CGI cityscape or recognizable Vancouver landmark in site! And there is a remarkable attention to detail. June's mansion is gorgeous and representative of a bygone era. Even the much more modest Burke home feels lived in and representative of who they are. Tidy, but not cold, with small, personal touches throughout.

Neal's wardrobe is fabulous and Matt looks fabulous in it. Neal's penchant for vintage clothing and classic tunes (Bobby Darin for the win!) isn't a random quirk assigned to him, it's a natural and essential part of who the character is. Neal Caffrey may be a criminal, but he's a gentleman criminal, and a romantic. He does what he does because he's gifted at it and, yes, to make lots of money, but he's not out to hurt anyone. When he does hurt someone by his actions, his wife Kate, he's devastated. And not because she abandoned him, but because he failed to keep a promise to her.

I feel I need to say that even though I find Matt Bomer devastatingly easy of the eyes and charismatic and with oodles of screen presence, the boy can act. I can't get sucked in by just a pretty face. It just makes me take notice. ;)

But Neal isn't the only unexpected and very welcome character. Tim DeKay's Peter Burke is not your typical FBI agent. He may be the most original FBI agent on TV since Fox Mulder.

Neal may aggravate and frustrate Peter, but Peter also likes him. In a nice twist, Peter isn't saddled with Neal by the FBI; Peter goes to the FBI and presents a case for how Neal could be useful to them. And he's not upset when it's Neal that uncovers a clue that helps catch the bad guy. Peter wants results and isn't bothered if it's him or Neal or anyone on the team that brings them.

Peter reminded me of House in a way. He's a kinder, gentler and hell of a lot happier version of House, but. like House, he enjoys solving puzzles and he's good at it when he has all the pieces. But also like House, he's not particularly good at reading people. That's where Neal helps. He understands the mind of a thief and, more importantly, artist. He knew to look for the "CH" printed on the bond and it was telling that in Peter's pursuit of Neal, he never saw the "NC" hidden within Neal's work.

Ultimately, what I enjoy most about the series is the friendship between Neal and Peter. There's respect between the two. There's admiration. Peter's impressed when Neal uncovers a piece of evidence; Neal's impressed when Peter recounts capturing him. I love it was Neal's plan to be taken into the warehouse that cracks the case and that the two men can hang out on the desk, proud of what they accomplished, together. And I suspect it was Peter who signed off on Neal becoming an FBI consultant rather than just being the con helping them out.

I was going to talk about what a great idea it was to make Diana a lesbian so we could avoid years of UST and will they/won't they, but I'm not sure if Diana is in future episodes. I didn't see her in any previews and imdb only lists the actress as appearing in one episode.

I did love Peter's, "We don't ask; we don't care", line regarding Diana's sexuality. It made me think about this past week's FlashForward in which a female FBI agent talks about feeling compelled to stay in the closet. I wonder which show is closer to the truth? It probably depends on who they are working with.

I'm not sure I'll be so verbose in the coming weeks, but, dammit, I need a show to talk about!

Last week, Entertainment Weekly reported that Hulu looks to begin charging for content in 2010. There are numerous 'How dare they!' and 'I'm through with Hulu as soon as they start charging!' statements left in comments. I love how people feel they are owed free TV and movies. How do they think the product they are watching is paid for? When I clicked on the Broadcasting and Cable link within the article I saw the situation is not as dire as EW reported. I've long assumed the day would come when content would become tiered. For instance, if you want to see episodes the day after they air on the network, you'll have to pay. Want to watch a thirty year old episode of Barney Miller? It's free. I'm actually not put out by the thought of possibly having to pay for some content. Maybe I'll cancel part of my cable package.

And forgive me in aadvance for being spammy this evening. I have two BSG related posts I plan on getting finished tonight. :)

Catching Up

2009-10-15T03:03:31Z

So, I've been back since Sunday night, but have been battling fatigue and the soul-suckingness of work. Today, for instance, I wanted to lecture a partner on personal responsibility and treat him like the child he was acting as if he was at the same time. Those statement may seem contrary, but if you knew him it would make sense.

I was so glad I was able to make the trip to New York to meet up with her, though a bit sad I missed spending an extra two hours with her because of a flight delay. Besides that hiccup, pretty much everything went as (sort-of) planned. The most amazing thing is how at ease we were with each other. There was no awkwardness of meeting in person for the first time. (Though I was a bit surprised at how slight her accent was. ;) We immediately started talking and didn't stop for over two hours. It was fabulous being able to talk all weekend about BSG, Lee/Laura and all the missed potential of the ship, and my long, long, long gestating Season 4 AU fic face to face. We watched a couple of Lee/Laura-centric episodes, 'Resistance' (in which I may have blurted out Paul Campbell was a bastard. The DC bitterness lingers!) and 'Crossroads'.

Oh, and thanks to comparisons made between Kara/Leoben paint sex and Adama's seeming desire to have paint sex, beccatoria and I came up with a series of crack ships. She still favors my D'Anna/Jammer pairing, but I think it's a tie with the Kara/Leoben/Adama love triangle.

But it wasn't all BSG. I totally sold her on Leverage! We watched the first two episodes and a couple of vids and I filled her in on as much as I could about the show without spoiling her too much. And I can't wait to see who she ends up fangirling more - Hardison or Parker.

She, in turn, talked a bit about future vidding projects (in hindsight, I lament not asking more questions, but, not being a vidder, I tend to think vids are harder to explain than fic, though that's probably my bias), and shared some real cracky Star Wars stuff with me. I'm now deeply disturbed by one part of the SW radio drama.

We did manage to leave the hotels and enjoy some sites. Friday night we ventured into Times Square for dinner (a yummy hamburger and cheesecake at Roxy's) then we set off on a pilgrimage to M&M World where I enlightened her as to my fascination with all things related to the Blue M&M. She, too, thought the store was awesome and ended up spending more than I did.

Saturday we walked what felt like most of the city and my legs felt the after effects on Sunday *and* Monday. We checked out The High Line, a park constructed around old, abandoned high rise railroad tracks, in the Chelsea area before having some yummy Challa French Toast at a diner. Then it was a very long walk to 3rd Avenue and 60th Street to the famed(?) Serendipity where we met up with no_detective and nicole_anell. no_detective I had not seen in several years and nicole_anell I barely got to see at Dragon*Con so it was wonderful to be able to catch up with both of them. Sadly, chalia43, who had hoped to meet up with us and I had really hoped to meet, got stuck out of town on business.

We only had to wait about an hour to get into Serendipity, which, given what I had read, was a short wait and the frozen hot chocolate lived up to the hype. After we finished, no_detective had to leave, but nicole_anell hung out with us for awhile longer. beccatoria dragged us into a "sweets shop" and then we walked around Central Park for a bit. I had never walked around the park in the evening and it was quite lovely.

After nicole_anell left us, we made are way back to the hotel. Long story, but we only had a hotel in the city for one night and needed to get our stuff and head to our other hotel in Newark. It seemed like we would be waiting for quite some time at the hotel for a cab to take us to Penn Station when bike-cab (not sure what else to call it) operator pulled up, dropped off a couple, asked if anyone needed a ride, and mentioned he could go to Penn Station. beccatoria and I decided it would be an adventure and climbed in. Though we were dodging in and out of traffic in an open vehicle and came within inches of several cars and buses I surprisingly never feared for my life.

Sunday we just hung out at the hotel and watched BSG before it was time for me to go to the airport. It was hard to leave. We had so many terrific fandom related conversations, got to learn more about each other and were so comfortable together that I really hate we live so far from each other and are unable to do this more often. And I can honestly say she is one of the sweetest, kindest, generous, and enthusiastic people I have had the pleasure of meeting.

I was shocked to learn beccatoria had not yet seen the 'Shatner on the Mount' video that seemed to spread like wildfire on the internet following it's endless showings at Dragon*Con. Just in case anyone else missed this soon to be classic, here it is:

And speaking of Dragon*Con, THEY HAVE GUESTS ANNOUNCED! They've never announced guests this early before! Trek looks to have a large contingent in 2010 with Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, Mirina Sirtis and Jonathon Frakes already signed. I'm especially pleased to see Frakes listed because I'm hoping he'll talk about his work on Leverage.

And speaking of Leverage, Dean Devlin announced on Twitter that there will be a Leverage convention in Portland March 19th-21st. I'd love to go, but I'm not sure I can fit in the travel.

In TV news, I still find I don't have much to say. beccatoria and I both lamented that neither of us have a show we feel compelled to discuss at length and analyze to death since Battlestar Galactica ended. TSCC was an heir apparent, but we know how that turned out. House is, surprisingly, holding my interest thus far this season. I'm enjoying seeing the old team back together and House is both the same, yet a little bit different. If I had one problem with this weeks episode it was in the last five minutes. The writers went with an ending that lacked balls and didn't make any sense.

Remember how I said I thought the Stargate: Universe premiere wasn't very good, but it didn't feel me with rage? Well, I decided to watch the second episode, which is actually part 3 of the pilot, and there was rage, people.

I don't know where they got the Stargate personal from, but they never would have made the cut under the leadership of the last two series. I've never seen so much disregarding of orders in a single episode in all my years of viewing. Then there was the senator's wife who claimed to be close friends with the president and his wife and threatened to tell the world about the Stargate program unless her daughter was rescued and returned to her. Someone needed to tell her it would be her good friend the president that would have her declared insane and locked up until she shut up.

There was also a bunch of little stuff that annoyed me to no end, like playing a song with the lyrics "don't forget to breathe" just as the machine that generates air for the ship went back on line. Seriously???

But I became offended when, while on a mission, Dr.Rush confronted Sgt.(?) Greer about Greer'shis anger which, in Rush's opinion, was the result of growing up poor and because of poverty he had two choices in life - jail or the military. And Greer is the only black character on the show. Need I say more? I almost feel out of my chair.

And that's probably it for my posting for the week.

Yeah, I've Got Nothing for a Subject Line

2009-10-08T03:34:55Z

Wow. I haven't posted since September 26th. My life is so boring! The cold, hard truth is it's a new season of TV and I have nothing I'm fannish about. It's a first for me. I've always had one show that I could go on and on and on about. You know me. There are shows I enjoy (Castle, Modern Family, Bones, The Office, Community). Shows that I feel have moments of brilliance and the potential to be great when I'm not thinking "Die, Terri, Die!" (Glee). Shows that I Hulu at work (Fringe) because I don't care that much about them. I have some thoughts about House, but I'm not nearly as invested in the show as I used to be. Hugh Laurie is still awesome and there are moments that remind me of why I once loved the show, but I feel as if I can walk away and not look back at any time.

How could they have cast ~~Darth Vader~~ James Earl Jones and not have him share a single scene with Hugh Laurie? They chose this episode to have House finally listen to Cuddy's orders and stay away from patients? That just seemed like a huge wasted opportunity.

I don't know how I feel about ~~Luke turning to the dark side~~ Chase murdering a patient. He can rationalize he saved thousands of lives, but he also screwed over his friends, family, and the hospital by his actions.

And I didn't realize until the episode was over that Taub was no where to be seen or even mentioned. And I didn't miss him. I also didn't miss Thirteen when she wasn't around.

I gave Stargate: Universe a shot. It didn't fill me with rage as I feared, but it's just not any good. In the first fifteen minutes they ripped off the opening Alien and a plot point from The Last Starfighter. Let me repeat that last bit. They stole from The Last Starfighter. But the worst part may be that none of the characters are likable. (Or hot. How can a 'Stargate' series have no hot guys?) And when SyFy told the producers they wanted a darker show like BSG, they apparently took that to mean literally turning down the lights.

I recently rewatched Season 1 of Leverage, with the episodes in the order they were intended to air, which allowed me to develop an even deeper appreciation of the the show and I feel as if I've gone from really liking it to loving it. I even began listening to the episode commentaries, which I rarely do, and found myself jotting down notes. I think it's become a compulsion after years of BSG podcasts. Before I try and break myself of the habit, would anyone be interested in highlights from the commentaries?

In Dollhouse news, there will not be a third season. There, I said it. Also, I saw Eliza Dushku on The Late Show last night wearing an outfit only a Goa'uld would love.

I'm heading to New York City this Friday to meet up with beccatoria. I'M SO EXCITED! Three days of talking about BSG! And Lee and Laura! And vids! And Fic! And, oh, yeah, seeing some sites. We're also hoping to meet up with a few people while there. ::crosses fingers::

So, yes, back to LJ silence for while.

Dollhouse: Vows

2009-09-26T16:36:31Z

As many of you know, I am not a Dollhouse fan. I tried, really. I've liked all of Joss's other TV series, but with Dollhouse I had too many issues with the concept and casting and I gave up. I even declared I would never watch again.....unless Jamie Bamber made a guest appearance. Very funny, Joss.

Since I had to watch another episode, I tried to go in with an open mind. Maybe the writing got better. Maybe the themes were less sketchy. Maybe Eliza took acting lessons over the summer. But fifteen minutes in, I realized all the old issues I had were still there. So, if you love the show, you may want to skip what I have to say. If you love Jamie Bamber and/or Amy Acker, you may wish to read what I have to say. And if you are going to try and convince me why I should love the show, please don't waste your time.

I must confess I had a bit of a fangirl squee moment when I saw "Special Guest Star Jamie Bamber". He wasn't just a guest star, he was a special guest star.

I'm won't dwell on the superficial because when doesn't Jamie look good on screen? I only wish he could have stolen the wardrobe for personal use. ;)

Though I'm used to hearing Jamie's British accent, I did find it odd to hear it on an American television show. It's probably just me.

I may not care for the show, but I was very pleased to see Jamie show more range. The two roles he is best known for (Lee Adama, Archie Kennedy), he is more often heroic than not. He has played some less than admirable characters in supporting roles, but he's never played the bad guy. I do wish Martin Klar was a better developed character and that the A storyline was not the weaker of the two, but Jamie made the best of the material he was given.

I found buying Martin as an international arms dealer difficult. Joss needed to address, at least briefly, how Martin came to be in the line of work he was. However, I was able to accept Martin as the loving husband one moment and abusive husband the next. He was downright scary shifting from calm an collected to smashing Echo's head against the desk, then telling her it was all OK, he could have the desk refinished. I've heard enough stories from victims of abuse on TV to know this could be a real scenario.

Also, Jamie finally getting to take down Tahmoh? Priceless.

The other highlight of the episode for me was watching Amy Acker. The moment when she confessed to Topher that she knows she is in someone else's body, but is afraid to give it up because it would mean here death was heartbreaking. I've read comments by others that Amy should be the star of the show. And I wholeheartedly agree she is a far more compelling actress than Eliza, but I can't see her as Echo nor could I see Whiskey as the character front and center in the Dollhouse. I'd love to see a series starring Amy/Whiskey in which the ramifications of the 'job' on the dolls is the central story and directly confronted, but that's not the show Joss is writing right now. .

I'm not going rehash my list of previous complaints other than to say, in my opinion, the show is misogynistic and the dolls are still being raped, mentally and physically, each week. Adding insult to injury, Eliza continues to parade around in skimpy outfits and push-up bras (which, as a producer, I blame her for as much as Joss). And I was positively revolted that one of Echo's memories is triggered by a gynecological exam and that memory was of girl on girl action with Whiskey. Really, Joss?

My other complaints are less rage inducing and consigned more to the episode itself:

Eliza really needed to practice walking down the aisle more.

The Jonas Brothers? Yeah, that won't seem dated in a few years.

As I mentioned, Jamie wasn't given much to work with. The writing of his storyline was weak and riddled with plot holes. I don't know much about bomb making, but I do know the capability exists to make a dirty bomb with readily available materials. Why would any terrorist need such a high tech device? Especially one that doesn't seem to have much more impact than a bomb triggerd by a cellphone.

It was bad enough that Joss stole the Wolfram & Hart set for the series, but now he's stealing Angel's fifth season arc. Angel made a deal with his enemy to save his son; Paul made a deal with his enemy to take down the guy he couldn't take down when he was with the FBI and, presumably, save Echo. It's an interesting conceit; Paul destroying himself for what he believes is a greater good. But it also has a been there/done that feel. And Paul is supposed to have some sort of connection with Echo, yet the two lack chemistry together. I thought Paul and Adele's scenes were much more interesting. Though, in another Angel flashback for me, they had a sort of Wes/Lila vibe to them.

When Martin finally came face to face with Paul he said, "My God, this is becoming surreal." Did anyone else feel that was written after Jamie had been cast?

Not Quite So Full of Glee

2009-09-24T21:22:44Z

I don't think I've discussed Glee at all, but we're up to episode four and I seem to have a different take on the than many viewers. I haven't found 'Somebody to Love' ;) yet on the show, which may be why I can't seem to work up the same enthusiasm as others. But there is also the writing which I find problematic.

I loved the pilot for Glee. The second episode I found disappointing after the high expectations set by the pilot. Last week's episode I almost turned off because I found the writing, particularly the characterization, a mess and the story boring. This week's episode, 'Preggers' was a big improvement over last week's episode, but I'm still having issues.

The Good

Kurt's storyline suddenly made sense to me. I was frustrated when I thought we were to believe, after Kurt coming out to Mercedes last week, that Kurt was, inexplicably, still in the closet. That people didn't know he was gay. You just can't be that much of a cliche and not have people know you are gay. But, thankfully, we find out it was just Kurt convincing himself that no one knew the truth when, in fact, everyone knew.

I loved Kurt's conversation with his father and his father telling him he's known since he was three. And the moment I most appreciated was when his dad told him that he may not be in love with the idea, but Kurt is who he is and he can't change him.

The Not So Good

The characters are still woefully underdeveloped. They either are one dimensional, cliches, or, most frustratingly, unbelievably stupid. I was shocked when Finn believed he impregnated Quinn, in the hot tub, with their suits on, and with no, um, intimate contact. Or maybe I shouldn't be shocked when he reveals he just discovered you can check books out of a library! SERIOUSLY?

But Finn's just the shining example of an overall problem. Ryan Murphy et al have gone to such extremes with the characters in order to mine humor that the characters are not believable. Will is not much better in the brains department, accepting a store bought belly as his unborn child.

And I'm not sure what they are doing with Rachel. I thought she was supposed to be one of the characters we are meant to identify with, but who want's to identify with such a spoiled, selfish, stuck-up prima donna? She really believes she's entitled to be THE star, but it's a glee club, a team, and she'd rather they all fail then be part of their success.

Oh, and I'm apparently the only one who was bothered by this, but breaking out into dance on the field? It's a fifteen yard penalty! If not a loss of the down! Where were the referees???

The Ugly

I'm rarely a fan of pregnancy storylines on series. Occasionally, pregnancies have to be written in to a series due to an actress's actual pregnancy, and the plot can be handled well (see Phoebe's pregnancy on Friends). Or pregnancy storylines can be done for creative reasons and still work (see Tami's pregnancy on Friday Night Lights). Terri's pregnancy has angered me on several levels and Ive been trying to find ways to deal with it. But now they've made Quinn pregnant as well...with Puck's baby...with Terri trying to acquire it from her. I've seen less convoluted plot lines on soap operas. And I'm also feeling as it the women on this show are shown to be self-serving manipulators while the men are played as sympathetic schmucks.

Because I do enjoy parts of the show, I'm not willing to quit it, yet. But it's definitely being DVR'd from here on out. That way I can fast forward over any scene involving discussion of pregnancy. :p

I Feel Mondays Need a Series Called 'Condo'

2009-09-24T00:53:39Z

The new TV season sneaked up on me and I'm already behind on posting about TV. I figured I better get Monday's thoughts posted (I didn't have anything but Flipping Out to watch last night and all I can say is Jeff Lewis is funnier than Jay Leno ;) before a glut of new TV tonight and tomorrow night and 'Damn You Joss Whedon for Making Me Watch Dollhouse' Friday night.

I feel about the House season premiere much as I did about the Bones season premiere - it was a lot better than where they left off last season. But, also like Bones, there were lingering problems from the season finale that needed to be dealt with. I never bought that House split from reality, had a breakdown, went crazy...however you wish to refer to it. I will accept that he, perhaps, became addicted to narcotic painkillers. (And I really wish in the five years the series has been on the air, during the various times characters were screaming "Addict!", that someone would have mentioned viable alternatives to what he was taking.) I will also accept House was in need of therapy because, yes, he does 'deal' by closing off parts of himself and deflecting and lashing out at others to cause pain when he feels it himself. The guy is a mess and could, with treatment, be a better man without losing his edge as a doctor. But going Haley Joel Osment and seeing dead people, as well as imaging having sex with Cuddy, came out of nowhere and the episode never directly addressed why his imagination ceased running wild. Since the visions went away during detox, I suppose we can assume the drugs were the cause. But the writers never implicitly tied the two and it really wouldn't make sense since House was addicted for years without hallucinating. So, yeah, I still don't feel House belonged in an institution.

Another issue I had was the supporting cast as well as lack of supporting cast. It should be troublesome to the series regulars that they were MIA for two hours and not really missed. But Andre Braugher and Franka Potente were fabulous in their respective roles. I had concerns about each being wasted, but they were given substantial roles and did well with the material they were given. It was also refreshing to finally have a character (Dr. Nolan) challenge House, to do so for House's own good, and, most significantly, to like the person taking House on. As for Franka/Lydia, she had as much chemistry with Hugh/House as any actress ever has on the show and the relationship was, by and large, a mature one. Any juvenile romantic sparring between House and Cuddy is going to seem even more ridiculous now.

Where I became disappointed with the characters was in the final half hour or so. Dr Nolan, of course, has to turn to the brilliant Dr. House to get confirmation that his father is gone. House, of course, sleeps with yet another married woman who chooses her family over him. And one of the patients, of course, is miraculously cured by House or, more precisely, a music box House retrieves. It was all utterly predictable, which has been one of the series biggest problem the past couple of years. And going by the preview for upcoming episodes, all of House's very important life lessons learned will go out the window as soon as he returns to Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital.

I'll stick with the show, which is something I wasn't sure I could do after the end of last season, but I'm still wary of where things will be going or not going.

I have no deep thoughts on this show. It pretty much picked up where it left off, yet it's clear by Kate's hair (I like the new do, but, please hair and makeup, cut back on the hairspray!) and Castle trying to get back in her good graces, time has passed and he pissed her off. I could figure out before it was stated that the wee bit of tension between the two was the result of Castle investigating her mother's murder, but I wish we had seen the conversation that triggered her to insist he no longer work on cases with her..

I continue to wish the dialog was, well, better. It's horribly stilted and cliched at times and while Nathan can seem to do wonders with it, Stana, not so much. I don't hate her in the role, but she and Anna Torv seem to be in competition for female leads lacking sufficient talent and charisma.

Castle's relationship with Alexis still continues to be the high point of this series for me. It's awesome the writers have chosen to depict such a close, loving relationship between a father and daughter and doing so without making the relationship overly wacky or schmaltzy.

Dragon Con Post the Second: The Quadrangle of Doom

2009-09-15T04:07:22Z

I'm still not sick, but am suffering from some sort of post con extreme exhaustion, hence my long delayed second post. So, without further adieu.....

Monday's BSG panel I didn't think I would be able to attend, but danceswithwords kindly checked out for me and wrangled my luggage down the elevator and into the holding area (you have to be there) so I was able to make it to the panel. Neither Micheal was on the panel. Trucco had been scheduled, but apparently got an early flight. Hogan wasn't scheduled, but EJO had been and there seemed to be an expectation he'd fill in. So the panel ended up being Kandyse McClure, Richard Hatch, Luciana Carro, and Kevin Grazier.

About midway into the Q&A, someone in the audience asked Kandyse what would have happened if Billy had not been killed? Would there have been a future for Billy and Dee? Or something close to that. I thought Kandyse would either not have an answer or would have to resort to speculation. I wasn't really paying close attention until Kandyse commented that it was really Paul's story to tell. Which left me going, "There's a story to tell?"

At least some (like me!) in fandom have wondered what really went down when Paul Campbell left BSG. It was known Paul had a pilot to shoot and needed some time off in early season 2, which accounted for Billy's odd decision to not to leave Galactica with Laura in 'Resistance'. And I believe Ron stated either in a podcast or interview there were contract issues with Paul over his reoccurring status. The thing is, I don't recall any actor on the series ever wanting to leave and over the course of the weekend this belief was reinforced. Kate Vernon expressed her sadness at learning Ellen was to be killed off and her joy at being told she would be returning. Alessandro, though he loved Gaeta's arc, expressed his disappointment at getting so close, but not making it to the end of the series. Luciana wished Kat could have walked on Earth - either of them. And Trucco joked that, unlike Aaron Douglas and Hogan, he was thrilled to learn he was a Cylon because it meant a twenty-two episode commitment. :) And for the actors who had other commitments during the run of the series (Callum Keith Rennie and Lucy Lawless come to mind) Ron made every effort to work with their schedules. So Billy's demise and Paul's leaving never struck me as quite right.

Kandyse didn't go into detail, but it was clear there was drama and it was a bad break up. It turns out, Ron had a plan, at least when it came to Dee and Billy. The relationship between the two would have continued to develop, but problems would have arisen because of their positions within the fleet – Billy as aid to the president and part of the civilian branch of the fleet and Dee as, essentially, aid to Adama and a member of the military branch of the fleet. Their loyalties to the president and admiral would have eventually led to conflict within their relationship and they would have been forced to choose between the duty they felt to those they served or each other.

The storyline sounded very interesting and full of possibilities. But what really hit me was the realization that because Paul apparently chose to go on to bigger and better things, we got stuck with the frakking Quadrangle of Doom. Sure, Ron could have paired Lee with someone else and we could have had the same storyline, but I struggle with who else Ron could have used to complete the quadrangle. It seems like a case of Kandyse/Dee about to be set adrift so Ron came up with Plan B and paired Dee with Lee. Sigh.

Kandyse also spoke about Billy's death as if Ron wanted to leave no possibility for Paul/Billy to return. She said the scene where Billy was shot and killed was the very last scene Paul filmed and her crying over Billy's body was her really crying. She sounded as if she was pretty gutted by Paul's leaving. And while Kandyse had nice things to say about Paul (she loved working with him, the usual), she also commented that Paul did what he felt he needed to do.

After Kandyse finished answering the question, Richard Hatch turned towards Kandyse and asked, in all sincerity, if Paul had done anything lately? I think there was a bit of laughter from the audience, but Richard stated he really was curious. The moderator said Paul had appeared on 'Knight Rider' last season and Richard responded with an, "Oh, Okay", and that he also recently completed an independent film with Andy Griffith. That last bit of news seemed like, well, news to Kandyse and she said something along the lines of "good for him".

What struck me is that no one seemed to have had any contact with Paul since he left the show. And it seemed a bit odd considering how close the cast was/is and, even if they don't see each other as often anymore, they appear to stay in touch.

Speaking of the Quadrangle of Doom, ddt73 posted the extended cut of the Lee/Kara scene from 'Taking a Break...' that was included in the BluRay box set. There is some interesting discussion on the scene in comments on ddt73's post as well as in comments on taragel's post. Of course, as a Lee fan and as someone who doesn't ship Lee and Kara, I have a different take on the scene. ;)

I've read comments that the extended version of the scene should have been included in the episode because Kara comes across as more open, honest, and vulnerable than she had previously. And because the talk between the two alludes to the possibility of a future, together, for Kara and Lee.

Given a choice, I would prefer seeing the scene between Lee and Kara in it's entirety in the episode rather than a drunken Lee humiliating himself in the corridors of Galactica as he searches for his wedding ring. It's the one time on the series I actually felt embarrassed for Jamie.

I defended Lee's words and actions toward Kara in the truncated version and I don't find Lee, or Kara, any more sympathetic in the longer version. Actually, I find Kara, at worst, more dismissive of the enormity of the situation for Lee and, at best, oblivious to what her ever changing mind is doing to him.

But I don't wish to paint Kara as the 'bad guy'. Sure, I think Kara is being rather selfish here, but it's not like Lee is the picture of nobility. Lee is prone to immature behavior and rather than confront an issue head on, and be honest with himself and the other person, he'll choose avoidance and he has been avoiding Kara. See also his actions in 'The Captain's Hand' and 'Unfinished Business'.

And Dee is still shown to be Lee's second choice, his Plan B. Lee doesn't want to hurt Dee, I believe he's genuine in that desire, but he also doesn't want to end up alone. Maybe Kara would have left Sam this time, but history has given Lee every reason to doubt her following through. Lee told Kara he loved her and she married another man. Lee reconciled with her and said he'd leave Dee so they could be together; Kara countered with an affair and making him the other man. He's been jerked around by Kara too many times and I get why he wants to make it work with Dee - Dee is the sure thing. His choice is understandable if not honorable.

When Kara announces she said some words to the wrong guy, Lee is taken aback. It's what he's wanted to hear and his hopes are raised, for a moment. But Kara's "If I leave Sam" seems to temper the hope. "If" only provides the possibility of changing the situation, which Lee was willing to do before, only to have Kara make excuses. There is still not a definite commitment from Kara.

Another (big) problem I have with the extended scene is Kara referring to Sam as "the wrong guy". This contradicts Kara's feeling for and commitment to Sam in Season 4.5. Granted, the back half of the season was rewritten and at least the first two seasons laid the groundwork for Lee/Kara rather than Kara/Sam, but Kara/Sam did end up the canon relationship. And had Kara's "the wrong guy" statement remained in the episode, not only would the sentiment have been confusing, it would have painted Kara in a bad light.

No promises on when my next DC post will be, but I foresee one more BSG related post, followed by thoughts on 'Buffy', 'Trek', 'Stargate', and 'Farscape' because I actually do have other interests! ;)

This May Not Be The DragonCon Post You Are Looking For

2009-09-11T03:02:57Z

Yeah, I'm already behind on posting highlights from the con. Thus far, I've managed to avoid full blown illness, but I do feel exhausted so I'm trying to rest as much as possible. I have no plans this weekend so, hopefully, I can catch up on a lot of stuff. Including laundry.

But, I did want to make a public service announcement. Rooms are available for DragonCon 2010! At least if you want to stay at the Hyatt, Hilton, or Sheraton. The Marriott will not open reservations until October 1. This has been confirmed by DC and quite a few people who asked as they were checking out of the Marriott. I just reserved as a room at the Hyatt as a Plan B using this link. No code is necessary since it's a site set up specifically for DC reservations. If you click on the link for a four night stay, you may get a message stating no rooms are available. If you go back and click on the link for a three night stay, you can put in the dates you want and it will let you reserve a room, though the cost is a few dollars more per night. I don't get it either.

The Hilton's site is here and the code you'll need is DGC. The Hilton will charge you for one night's stay immediately. This is the main reason I made the Hyatt my Plan B.

I didn't look at the Sheraton's site. I'm lazy and don't want to walking two blocks to panels.

Most of the above I gathered from dragonconrooms which is a great source for information. Also, the Daily Dragon on Twitter first alerted me to rooms being made available for next years convention.

Dragon Con Post the First: Yes, Mary McDonnell is Frakking Awesome

2009-09-09T02:33:54Z

I'm back from DragonCon. I've been back almost 24 hours, but this the first time today I felt like I could sit at the computer and post. I don't think I've developed a full blown illness, but I was sick both Friday and Monday at the con and have felt exhausted all day. So while I feel better at the moment, I thought I would attempt making a post.

As with every DC I attend, there were highs, there were lows, and there was various success in getting to see people. I hung out most of the weekend with danceswithwords, thmoasina75, molly_may, 50mm, and sugargroupie. I did manage to have a lovely conversation with frolicndetour as well as catch up with nicole_anell, sebaceanbabe, greycoupon and rebelliousrose. And I got to meet emmiere, cujoy, and nnaylime as well as a friend of Nnaylime whose LJ name escapes me. Sadly, I missed meeting up with wisteria_, though I caught glimpses of her at the BSG panels and taragel.

I've been thinking about how to do posts this year. Do to illness and other things I did practically no posting after the last two dragon cons. It an era of YouTube it seems silly to spend hours typing up detailed recaps when the panels will soon be online. (The Nimoy/Shatner panel and one Stargate panel are already posted in their entirety.) Plus, after seeing four BSG panels, the information starts blurring together. So, I'm opting to do a series of shorter 'highlight' posts. I'll also post some photos, after I download and edit them, since I feel I got some good shots.

Today's post I think may be the most popular and led frolicndetour to say, "You are posting this to LJ, right?" ;)

Friday's Battlestar Galactica panel included Kevin Grazier, Michael Hogan, Michael Trucco, Kate Vernon, Mary McDonnell, Luciana Carro, Alessandro Juliani and a "surprise" appearance by Aaron Douglas. (And by "surprise" I mean it was no surprise to anyone I know and considering the moderator had a question prepared for Aaron it would seem it was no surprise to him either.)

Before I get to what was the low light of the panel that led to a highlight of the con for me, as I was listening to excerpts of an audio recording I made to jog my memory, I came across a question and answers that may be of interest. The cast was asked what their favorite line to say or moment was on the series.

Luciana: "My cup runneth dry."

Kate: "I have my ways."

Mary: "I'm coming for all of you! Do you hear me?!" (For the record, Mary's enthusiasm for the line seemed to come from the words themselves and had nothing to do with Adama. ;)

Alessandro: "If you drink enough ambrosia, it doesn't hurt." (And he pulled down the collar of his shirt as he did in 'The Final Cut'.)

Michael H: "It's in the frakking ship!"

Aaron talks about his ad libs.

Trucco: "Lighten up, it's only the end of the world."

Trucco, earlier in the panel, also mentioned his love of his final line, "See you on the other side", and how he believed it beautifully summarized Sam's relationship with Kara. (Check out frolicndetour for a much better recap of Trucco's thoughts.)

The moderator recapped what Tyrol had gone through in Season 4 - being demoted, allowing Boomer to seduce him again, killing Tory with his bare hands (which elicited applause) - then asked Aaron what his favorite 4.5 moment. Aaron answered, "Killing Tory with my bare hands." There was even bigger applause and screams of approval. Aaron went on to explain he told the writers Chief had to find out Tory killed Cally and he had to kill her. In his scenario, Tyrol would take Tory into a hug, pretend it's OK, and "then snap her neck". The writers thought that was great, but the plan was for Tory to get bumped and fall over the railing to her death. (OK, I have to say that does sound rather lame.) Aaron said, "No, no, no, the chief has to kill her." And thought snapping her neck was very cool. :/

As Aaron told his story and a large segment of the audience applauded, I happened to look over at Mary and Kate. Both women had their arms crossed in front of them and were rigid in their seats. They were staring out at the audience and had expressions that were a combination of displeased and pissed off, seemingly a reaction to both the audience's and Aaron's exuberance. If you want to get a really good idea of how they looked think of the look Laura gave Lee after Baltar's not guilty verdict in 'Croosrpoads' and think of how Ellen looked as she confronted Saul in 'Deadlock' about his love for Bill. (Side note for the Trucco fans: While I wasn't as focused on him, he was sitting next to Kate and Mary, and he didn't seem happy with what had been said and how people were reacting either.)

For the rest of the panel and after the panel, I couldn't forget how Mary and Kate looked. Generally, I try and get autographs Saturday morning when the Walk of Fame is relatively empty thanks to everyone being at the parade. This year, with the BSG panel being at 11:30am, I had to get in line around 9:30 that morning. While I was disappointed I'd have to stand in line to get Mary's autograph, seeing her later in the day, after the panel, afforded me the opportunity to ask her about what I thought I saw.

Before I get to the part of my discussion with Mary relative to the panel, a personal note. Two years ago, when Jamie was at DC, I had done a drawing for him to autograph. I had the idea, three days before the con this year, to attempt to do a drawing of Mary. While I didn't feel I had completely finished the drawing, I did feel it was good enough shape to present it to her for signing. When I handed the drawing to her, I did go a bit fan girl and explained I had done a drawing for Jamie to sign two years ago and wanted to have her sign one as well since Lee and Laura were my favorite characters and, by extension, she and Jamie were my favorite actors. She said something about it being very nice to hear and appreciated my comment. (And, for the record, while there were two Adama/Roslin photos on her table, there was also a Lee/Laura photo!)

I don't want to sound as if I'm bragging (and I hope I don't!), but she was extremely enthusiastic about the drawing. Much more so than Jamie who I'll cut him some slack and say it's a guy thing. ;) I won't go into everything she said because some it was personal, but she truly seemed impressed and stated it was the best drawing she had ever seen of herself. It meant a lot to me and I was quite touched when she didn't want to sign the drawing and "ruin it".

I also must add she has a great memory. At first she thought I had used one of the photos at her table for a reference, but quickly realized I hadn't. As she was trying to place the image she said, "Kara was in this photo!" I told her she was correct; I had cropped Kara out.

So as she thanked me/I thanked her and she shook my hand, I said, "I don't want to hold up the line, but I had a quick question." She smiled and told me to go ahead. (Another side note: I have to say, while Mary had lines all weekend - no where near Shatner, Nimoy, or Stewart, but, still - she seemed to really make an effort to take as much time as she could with people.) So, I proceeded to say maybe I was reading too much into it, but while Aaron was talking about snapping Tory's neck I happened to look over at she and Kate and both of them didn't look happy. Her smile gave way to a look similar to the one she had at the panel and she stated they were very unhappy with what had happened. She didn't go into detail, but I took her words to mean she was both unhappy with what Aaron had said and the audience reaction. I said something along the lines of, "So, I wasn't reading anything into what I saw."

Around this time, Mary leaped out of her chair to look me straight in the eye, which was very cool, and I stated the audience reaction made myself and others very uncomfortable. And while I had no problem with Tory dying (Mary agreed with me on this), it was the way she died that was problematic. Mary said that she felt Tory's death was one of the few times the series crossed a line and was actually hateful toward women. I said I felt it was misogynistic.

When I added I knew from reading reaction online there were a lot of people who didn't like what happened, and didn't feel as a large segment of the audience did, she asked, "Did people write letters?" I said I didn't know about that, but there was a lot of discussion online and I wasn't sure how much of it may have gotten back to people. She said she had been very tempted to speak up at the panel, but refrained because she was dealing with a lot of other issues and didn't want to add to that. I have no idea what she may have been referring to. Mary has always struck me as very diplomatic and it may simply be a case of not wanting to hurt people she genuinely likes or just not wanting to get involved with fandom wank.

I wrapped things up by saying I just wanted to let her know that, yes, people felt as she did. She said she was very happy I picked up on her and Kate's reactions, that I shared what I did with her, and she would make sure to tell Kate what I had said.

Phew! I think that is everything! :)

Tomorrow's DC Post: 'Why I Now Hate Paul Campbell'

Off to Atlanta

2009-09-03T13:26:51Z

I'm about to shut down the computer and finish packing. I have no idea what, if any, internet access I will have so I may not be back online until Tuesday. Hopefully, only good things will be going on with you all and Jamie Bamber doesn't do anything exciting while I'm gone. :)

Dragon Con Guest Change

2009-09-01T11:17:53Z

2009 Programming Changes » Daily Dragon

Edward James Olmos is out and Michael Hogan is in. Still no word on what this means for the 10am panel on Friday. Mary certainly could do a solo panel, but perhaps she'll be added to the afternoon panel.

ETA: Just saw a comment on another post that states the DC Director of Programming has said Mary still plans to do the Friday panel.

Battlestar Galactica Deleted Scenes

2009-08-30T17:05:43Z

New deleted scenes from Battlestar Galactica are making there way to the interwebs. I'm assuming these are all from the BSG BluRay box set - if I'm wrong, please correct me. On the set is a quiz and if you answer all the questions correctly you unlock a series of deleted scenes. I've read there are a total of seven clips. The first deleted scene I came across is from The Passage and involves Laura Roslin addressing the fleet inter-cut with shots of Sharon and Helo, Adama, and Kat among others. The scene was long, over four minutes. Unfortunately, the poster has now locked their post and I haven't located an alternate source for it.

kellychameleon3 has posted a transcript (transcribed by ds888) for an extended cut of the scene between Lee and Kara in 'Taking a Break from All Your Worries'. I'm rather glad we only saw what we saw. The extended cut leaves me even more confused as to what is going on with Lee and Kara and a remark about Sam doesn't really gel with what happens in Season 4.

Thanks to various people I was pointed in the direction of the rest of the scenes.

Lee and Kara in 'Maelstrom'

Maelstrom - Deleted Scene @ Yahoo! Video

The scene makes me even more sympathetic to what Kara is going through and shows Lee struggling with figuring out what is going on with Kara and how to deal with it, but it doesn't really tell us anything we already didn't know or add to the plot of the episode.

The Pilots Discuss Lee Being Removed from Duty in 'The Son Also Rises'

The Son Also Rises deleted scene @ Yahoo! Video

It's interesting to learn Kelly had a direct role in getting Lee removed from his position as CAG and to hear Skulls (?!) defend Lee's absentmindedness in the wake of losing Kara. And I always approve of more Narcho. ;) But while the scene demonstrated the pilots had legitimate fears of a mourning and distracted CAG having their lives in his hands, again, it doesn't add anything to the episode.

Lee and Dee in 'The Son Also Rises'

The Son Also Rises - Lee and Dee DS @ Yahoo! Video

This is the one scene I really wish had not been cut. Lee is using Baltar's trial as a reason to keep him away from home. Dee keeps her back to Lee, but we, the audience, see her profound sadness. She knows that even though Kara is gone, she still has lost her husband to her. Lee sneaking the picture from the book serves to reinforce her belief. Dee's walking out on Lee makes A LOT more sense in light of this scene. I'm sure the trial played some part in her decision, but it was this, knowing Lee wasn't really there with her and finding reasons to be away that led her to leave him.

Lee and Adama in 'Six of One'

DS - Lee and Adama from Six of One @ Yahoo! Video

This was a scene Ron described in the podcast. And it's not as bad as thought it would be given his description! I still wish Adama was more supportive, but he's not coming off as an asshole which, given Ron's setup, I thought he would. I do love Lee's little eye roll. :) Lee's, "I wanna see Kara again", strikes me as a bit odd, as if he's never going to see her again when he's only going to another ship. However, Adama's, "So do I", is an interesting remark. He seemed to have serious doubts as to who or what was in the brig.

Lee Addressing the Quorum in 'Guess What's Coming to Dinner'

DS - Lee and the Quorum from GWCTD @ Yahoo! Video

I love this scene. Lee defending Laura and supporting her mission. Reminding the Quorum how much she's sacrificed for them. And asking them to wonder how much longer she might have lived had she put herself first and declined to serve as president all those years before. Would they have made the same choice she did? I also adore Lee's line about giving her the benefit of their doubt. While the scene adds, imho, to the Lee/Laura relationship, I have to be honest and say it really wouldn't have added anything to the overall plot. But I'm thrilled I got to see it. :)

In other news, the 2009 Dragon Con is testing me. Now the Shatner/Nimoy panel has been moved to the Centennial I-III with the Q&A being broadcast to the Atrium. Which a) means they know this is going to be the biggest line EVER and b) I have to decide whether to get in line for the panel or the overflow. O_o Or just say screw it and watch it on TV. Tough I really would like to say I was there and nit sitting in my room. Sigh.

TNT Orders Third Season of 'LEVERAGE'

2009-08-27T17:01:23Z

The Con is On as TNT Orders Third Season of Hit Series LEVERAGE

I was pretty confidant that this was going to happen, but it's nice to have a definitive answer before the second season even wraps.

And just a suggestion for next season - more wet tee shirt scenes with Christian Kane. :)

Sometime I Amaze Even Myself

2009-08-26T23:02:17Z

This is pretty much a pointless post, but I must share my excitement. As I type I am watching the words appear on my TV. EEEEEEE!!!!! A year after buying the TV, after months of trying to figure out what cable I needed in order to connect my laptops to the TV, after spending half an hour trying to figure out why the TV said "no signal", then how to switch displays - I HAVE SUCCESS! Actually, I'm finding I'm not really keen on using my 40" TV as a monitor, but that was never my intention. No, I wanted to be able to do what everyone else seemed to be able to do and watch avi files on the big screen. And now I can! I can have Jamie back on my TV!

So, um, yeah, I'm sure some of your are sitting there thinking, "This she gets excited over? But it's so simple!" You have no idea how dumb I can be when it comes to computers!

Now I shall go collapse. I had a whopping three hours of sleep last night. My mind is starting to race with all the stuff I want to get done before heading to Atlanta next week. WHY do I always wait to the last minute on certain things? For someone who has had a hotel room for eleven months, you wouldn't think I'd be such a procrastinator. :/

ETA: Ok, have my LJ layout colors always looked wonky? I'm hoping it's just the conversion from non-HD computer to HD TV. The layout looks fine on the three computers I use.

Dragon Con 2009 Schedule Version 2.0

2009-08-26T04:10:17Z

American SciFi Media tweeted after DC posted the full schedule, "Please keep in mind that the Panelists are not accurate they had to be put in early. I'll be sending out the rest of the schedules today."

How early? Other tracks have been updating their schedules frequently and DC's schedule seems to match those found individually on the various track sites. ASFM's guest list has been inaccurate for months and their last schedule updated was bare bones. Unless Ben and Claudia defect from the Farscape panels to Stargate panels, I'll assume MY schedule is pretty much set.

I have no plans to attend any X-Files or Torchwood panels, but as I was perusing the tracks I thought there might be someone reading this who would be interested. And I threw in the Michael Biehn panel for you, molly_may. ;)

Bolded you'll most likely find me there if you are looking for me; italics you might find there.

Friday

10:00am Shatner and Nimoy: Centennial I-III, broadcast in Atrium
10:00am BSG - An Unlikely Partnership - EJO and Mary: Sheraton Grand Ballroom A-F
11:30am Torchwood - James Marsters and Gareth David Lloyd: Sheraton Grand Ballroom A-F
11:30am Stargate: Atlantis: Paul McGillion and Joe Flanigan: Atrium
1:00pm Farscape – Virginia Hey and Lani Tupu
1:00pm Terry Gilliam/The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: Atrium (2 ½ hours)
1:00pm Buffy & Angel: Julie Benz, Charisma Carpenter, Felicia Day and Kristy Swanson: Centennial II & III
2:30pm An Hour with Ron Glass: Centennial II & III
4:00pm Stargate: SG-1: Gary Jones, Ben Browder and Colin Cunningham
5:30pm BSG - Launch Tubes Active! – K Grazier, K Vernon, K McClure, A Juliani, M Trucco, and L Carro: Atrium
5:30 X-Files Retrospective – D Haglund, S Larken, and R W Goodwin; M106-M107 (Marriott)
7:00pm - 11:30pm Dr Horrible Sing A Long/Buffy Horror Picture Show: Sheraton Grand Ballroom

Saturday

11:30am BSG - Journey's End – Vernon, Olmos, McDonnell, Juliani, Trucco, and Carro: Atrium
11:30am An Hour with Ron Glass; Centennial I
11:30am Torchwood – Lloyd: Grand Ballroom A-F
1:00pm Trek Trak Show with Patrick Stewart: Atrium
1:00pm An Hour with Michael Biehn: A601-A602 (Marriott)
4:00pm Stargate Panel: Jones, McGillion, Luttrell, Mamoa, Flanigan, and Cunningham: Centennial II and III
5:30pm Farscape - Ten Arns and Counting – B Browder, C Black, V Hey, and L Tupu: Centennial II and III
5:30pm Buffy & Angel: Benz, Carpenter, Marsters, and Swanson: Atrium
7:00pm Improve with Dean Haglund: Hanover C-E (Hyatt)
10:00pm BSG Party: Sheraton Grand Ballroom

Sunday

10:00am Beyond Spock – L Nimoy: Atrium
10:00am Smallville – Marsters, Juliani, H Slater, and J Schneider: Centennial II – III
10:00am Torchwood – Lloyd: Grand Ballroom A-F
11:30 Farscape - Back Down the Wormhole – Hey and Tupu: Centennial I
1:00pm Patrick Stewart: Atrium
2:30pm Buffy & Angel: Benz, Carpenter, and Swanson: Atrium
2:30pm Stargate: Luttrell, Black, Mamoa, Browder, and Flannigan: Centennial II and III
2:30pm Dean Haglund; M106-M107 (Marriott)
4:00pm Life in the Dollhouse – Felicia Day: A601-A602 (Marriott)
5:30pm BSG - Galactica Decommissioned at Last – Hatch, Olmos, McDonnell, McClure, Trucco, Vernon, and Carro: Atrium

Monday

10:00am Farscape - Fugitive Heroes- Browder, Black, Tupu and Hey: Centennial II & III
10:00am Stargate: Jones, McGillion, Luttrell and Mamoa: Atrium
10:00am Working with Ron – Glass and Swanson: Crystal Ballroom (Hilton)
11:30am BSG - Into the Bright Beyond – Hatch, Grazier, Olmos, McClure, Trucco and Carro: Atrium
11:30am Star Trek Guest Stars: Louise Fletcher, Bonita Friedericy, Richard Herd, Alan Ruck, Dwight Schultz, Malcolm McDowell, Thomas Dekker and Kate Vernon: Sheraton Grand Ballroom

Oddly, William Shatner is only doing a panel on Friday. Mary McDonnell is only scheduled for Friday through Sunday and Claudia Black Saturday through Monday. Ben Browder looks to be around all weekend and he's the only guest I really want to make sure I get an autograph from. Of course, that probably means I have to jump through Julie Caitlin Brown's hoops. :/

Because I can't pass up the opportunity to mock, check out James Marsters site for details on his private party/concert. You need to scroll about half way down the page. I love the half hour window of opportunity to secure your "reservation". And I wonder how much of this "cash only" event is being reported to the IRS?

The Dragon*Con Pocket Program and Schedule Grid PDFs Have Arrived!

2009-08-25T15:46:01Z

Dragon*Con Pocket Program and Schedule Grid PDFs for Download » Daily Dragon Online

WOO! The serious planning commences! :)

Which reminds me, if you have any interest in meeting up and I don't already have your cellphone number or some sort of contact information, drop me a line at asta77 (at) livejournal (dot) com.

SciFi Sunday

2009-08-24T04:39:05Z

Today was devoted to man's inhumanity to man...or aliens...or Cylons. This afternoon, I finally managed to get to the theatre to see District 9. Then, a couple of hours later, I sat down to complete my Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5 rewatch with the extended cut of 'Daybreak'.

Before I discuss the film, I wanted to mention a few of the trailers I saw. Zombieland looks like it could be a fun film. After a rash of slasher flicks and torture porn, it was refreshing to see a film poke fun at the genre and seeming to do so in a smart way. And it took a moment to recognize Abigail Breslin. She's growing up on screen fast! Legion has an intriguing cast, but I also know from experience that doesn't mean it's a good film. And I have to admit, seeing the Avatar trailer on a big screen and in HD does make a difference. I still wasn't blown away. Nor am I eagerly awaiting the film's release. The problem still remains, whereas District 9 did an amazing job of putting CGI creations in our world seamlessly, with Avatar I feel very aware I am watching a world created on computers.

District 9 looks to be the surprise success of the summer and it deserves to be. It's not a perfect film, but it's ability to provoke thought amidst alien encounters and explosions makes it a standout in a sea of brainless, even insulting, Hollywood sci-fi/action summer blockbusters. While Star Trek was exceedingly well made summer escapism, it didn't make me contemplate what it is to be human or why we too often treat anyone different than ourselves as less than ourselves.

Set in South Africa, the film draws heavy parallels to the country's history of apartheid. The aliens, whose real name we never learned, are referred to as "Prawns", a derogatory name given to them because of their prawn-like appearance. Discovered dying of illness and starvation aboard their ship hovering above Johannesburg, the aliens are "saved" and placed in a camp that quickly degenerates into a slum, District 9. After twenty years of living in squalor, the citizens of Johannesburg decided they have had enough of dealing with a growing population of aliens and growing crime rate. A plan is hatched to uproot all million plus aliens and relocate them far outside the city to a lovely new compound....of tents.

It's clear little effort has been made in over two decades to get to know the race of aliens. Reminiscent of a ridiculous tradition passed down through the centuries, the aliens aren't recognized by their names, but are assigned human names, though they are treated as less than human. It is one of the aliens, Christopher, who comes closest to filling the role of hero and brings into sharp focus humanities failings. We're told by one so-called expert on the aliens (much of the film is presented as a documentary) that the aliens were found close to death because they were nothing more than mindless workers; their masters having perished soon before or soon after the ship arrived and they were thus unable to take care of themselves. Yet, it is made clear that Christoper is highly intelligent. When he's confronted with eviction from his 'home', we discover he can read English, knows his rights, and what is legal and what isn't under the (human) law. More importantly, he's spent twenty years working on a way to get back to the ship hovering above the city and return home and has finally amassed enough bio fluid needed to power a small ship he's managed to keep hidden. And all this accumulated knowledge he's passed on to his young son.

Christopher doesn't just elicit our sympathy; it is he who we connect with and not his human oppressors. We feel the love he has for his son as well as his fears for son's survival. (I spent a good deal of the film worrying something horrible would happen to the boy. Besides stringent population control, there may have been other reasons no other children were seen.) We share his horror as he discovers the remains of his fellow aliens in a lab, subjected to experimentation and dissection. And when he makes a promise to a human, we believe he'll keep it because we want to believe the best of him as we want to believe the best in ourselves.

The human he makes the promise to is Wikus Van der Merwe, a corporate middleman and flunky who learns the hard way the sacrifices to be made in the name of profit. After accidentally spraying himself with alien bio fluid accumulated by Christopher and confiscated in a search, he begins to transform into one of the aliens. When the company learns this can be used to their advantage (all the high tech alien weaponry confiscated over the years is useless without an alien, specifically their DNA, to operate them), the company treats Wikus as they would any piece of equipment; they prepare to strip him for parts, harvesting blood, marrow, organs, and limbs.

Wikus manages to escape the company's grasp and a manhunt begins. He eventually seeks refuge in the only place he can, District 9. Once there, he teams up with Christopher to retrieve the bio fluid that means salvation for both - the ship is not only Christopher's means to return home, but he tells Wikus he can receive treatment aboard the ship that will restore him to his former self.

I did feel the film began to loose focus at this point. When Christopher announces it will be three years before he can reverse the change in Wikus, Wikus, in a desperate move of self-preservation, knocks Christopher unconscious and steals the small ship, with Christopher's son onboard, to make his way to the mother ship. It's unclear how he could begin to heal himself with no knowledge of the alien's science or technology, but I can believe the idea of losing oneself proved greater than rational thought. Quickly, the ship is shot down and all hope seems lost to Wikus's self-serving actions. But whether the better part of himself or alien DNA drove him, he ultimately performs one selfless act, providing an opportunity for Christopher and his son to escape.

Amidst the smaller, more personal moments between Wikus and Christopher are full scale assaults by the company's private military as they track down their prized asset, exploding bodies thanks to alien weaponry, and counter attacks by a Nigerian gang living in and doing business in District 9 with their own reasons for wanting Wikus (it involves a rather cliched and ignorant interpretation of voodoo) . In other words, stuff you typically see in summer blockbusters and at least some of it I felt was unnecessary.

And one question I had throughout the film was how such a large group of aliens, many of whom had weapons more powerful than the humans, could be moved quickly and without an extreme, violent reaction to a new location? The question is never answered, but we learn at the end of the film that the relocation happened and the population had grown to over two million.

'Daybreak' I had not watched since March. I worried that my largely positive feelings about the finale may not still be there. I worried I hadn't watched with a critical enough eye the first time around. I worried all the negative reviews and posts I had read would alter my opinion. I worried I would love the show just a little bit less. It turns out I worried for nothing. I liked it more.

Maybe it's that time has passed and absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or maybe I like being contrary. ;) In truth, I think reading all the backlash helped me to focus more on the finale and Season 4.5 as a whole. Not to look to contradict those who didn't like it because, yes, there are legitimate criticisms to be made, but to find answers to lingering questions I had. None of this is to say there aren't flaws. I can watch the finale a hundred time and the damn pigeon will never make sense. And I may have fast forwarded through some of Adama's scenes. But in the end, I asked myself how it could have ended differently and.....I've got nothing.

I have more in-depth thoughts to share. It's a matter of taking pages of notes and dividing them up into easy to digest posts rather than, "OMG, when is this going to end?!" Right now I'm thinking there will be a general thoughts about the finale post, a Kara post (yes, you read that right), and a 'Why Lee Adama is AWESOME and He Was Happy, Dammit!" post.

OMG, SHATNER IS COMING TO DRAGON CON!!!

2009-08-19T01:44:13Z

Dragon*Con! Guest List

Can William Shatner's ego take sharing a stage with Leonard Nimoy? If those two are on stage together, that panel is becoming a priority.