Asta 2

The Tease Is Over

I'm slowly recovering from whatever the con inflicted on so many of us. And, on and off today, I've been working on transcribing my interview with Jamie Bamber. Yeah, that was the big tease. I got to sit down with Jamie for twenty minutes and conduct an interview. After listening to the recording repeatedly (man, is transcribing hard work!) I lament the questions I forgot to ask and, also, the moments I sounded like a dork. :p And the interview was conducted on the Walk of Fame so interruptions and distractions were inevitable. Of course, when Jamie asked me if I had a place to do the interview I said, "No, because you never got back to me." Keep in mind, I'm the same person who has hollered at James Marsters, so chastising Jamie should be of no surprise to anyone. I had contacted Jamie's publicist about a month ago about doing an interview, Jamie confirmed he received the email, but admitted he's not good with following up.

Anyway, if any of you are interested in the interview it can be found HERE at jamiebambernews.

One thing I couldn't believe I forgot to ask about was if he had any projects on the horizon and as I was leaving the BSG panel on Monday, Aaron Douglas mentioned that Jamie wasn't there because he had to fly to Shreveport to start a film. D'Oh! But when I e-mailed Jamie's publicist Tuesday to thank him for putting a bug in Jamie's ear about the interview I also asked him about the film project. I won't go into detail about the film (long story), but, I have to say, the guy is not only amazing about getting back to people, he's quite funny. Either publicist's get a bad wrap or this guy is an exception to the rule.
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    Re: Spoilery for part of your interview comment ...
    asta77
    I had mixed feeling listening to him talk. On the one hand, he did seem interested in the new direction Lee was going in and it would seem to be a continuation of where we saw Lee at the end of Season 3. On the other hand, he also seemed frustrated to not be more a part of the central storyline. When he said he was glad the show was coming to an end it took me back because he's expressed such mixed feelings about the show ending thus far. And, to his credit, I still think he feels very highly about the show and that it's been a unique experience he's been fortunate to be a part of, but, personally, it has to be tough if your character is so often on the sidelines.
    blondeheroine
    Look at you go!

    WOO HOO!

    I'm telling you - a good publicist is fantastic. So many of them are assholes. Looks like he's got a good one.
    smact46
    You did a fantastic job. I would have been totally a cotton mouthed stumblebum - and I *have* to talk to people for a living!

    That was a great interview, and as always it is great to hear what Jamie has to say. I was a little bummed to hear that they still don't seem to know what to do with him by season 4 - and that he hasn't had many scenes with Katee- but hopefully things will have picked up by the second half of season 4. It must have been great to have had the chance to talk to him like that and he sounds like he was pretty open and engaging as well as gorgeous.

    Great photo too.

    Thanks so much for sharing,

    A very jealous Aussie
    asta77
    You're welcome. :)

    I was a little surprised to hear Lee was still adrift in Season 4. In the last three episodes of the season they seemed to be getting a good handle on him, but it sounds as if his character development may have been put off to the side once again as they probably focus on the Final Five and Kara's return and the search for earth.
    mirandaflynn
    chastising Jamie should be of no surprise to anyone.

    Now I know why you took the whip :)
    asta77
    It just flew out of my mouth! And, I mean, since he got my email he could have told his publicist to set up a time and I could have been more prepared and he wouldn't have been trying to juggle so many things at once. Celebrity butt kisser I am not. ;p
    indigo419
    Very well-done interview!! And how lovely that you got to spend quality time with Jamie.

    I do wonder about his tone - he comes across as a tad frustrated (and understandably so) - but I note also that you spoke to him on Friday, and he seemed bored and restless at the panel. Hopefully he felt more positive by the end of the con (and of course he had/has Ioan's wedding to look forward to!). :0)
    asta77
    I wondered if his tone came across. He was incredibly nice, but, yes, when talking about BSG his frustration with Lee's role and his script not being filmed was evident. I do think he may have been a bit cranky that day. He seemed tired at the panel and I found out from Bill, his handler, that they didn't have much of a lunch. Jamie didn't take any breaks and signed autos all afternoon. I think if I had caught him on another day I would have gotten longer, more diplomatic answers. Then again, I seemed to have gotten the most honest interview with him of the weekend.
    reckleslinguist
    Wow, that is awesome. Bully for you! And you did a great job with the interview. I was wondering though, was it awkward conducting the interview from his lap? ;)
    roadrunnerdm
    Congrats on both scoring the interview and on the great job you did with it. Bravo!

    I also have to echo queenofthorns about Lee's story (or lack of) in season 4. I'm not concerned about his lack of scenes with Kara - as Jamie said, they've already played out that relationship as far as it can go, and it's time for the story and characters to move on. But I've long had a bad feeling that if Lee was moved off to a different place than before, he would possibly end up watching all of the action from the sidelines, it now appears that is exactly what's happening.

    I think we need to brace ourselves for a BSG that is no longer a "drama about real people", but has turned a corner into just another commonplace scifi clichefest, that is now all about the Cylons, magic destinies, and immortal beings. What a shame.
    asta77
    I think Lee is damned if he were to stay where he was at and damned if he branches off into something new. The writers just don't seem to know what to do with him which is odd since they did a pretty good job with his character development through the first half of Season 2. It's funny, no one thought to ask about Dee, but in a panel there was a joke about getting laid and Jamie said Lee hadn't been laid in awhile so I guess that means the marriage is kaput - Phew!

    As for Lee/Kara, like Katee, his opinion seems to change depending on where they are at in filming. I think I'd have less of a problem with them reuniting in the end, but really have no desire to see the angst-o-rama dragged over the course of a season.
    roadrunnerdm
    Lee hadn't been laid in awhile so I guess that means the marriage is kaput
    Or it's the proof that he is still married! hehe

    But seriously, since I still hold out hope that he will patch things up down the line with Roslin, I'd like to see him reconcile his marriage as well. His relationship with Dee was the only one in his entire life that was any good for him, so this would make more sense for Lee than getting tangled up again with Kara (who btw also still has a devoted husband, so any new hook-ups would require yet another round of angst-o-rama and once through that quagmire was enough!) Though whether it would be good for Dee is another matter -- Adama men have many admirable traits, but they don't appear to make good husbands.

    The writers just don't seem to know what to do with him
    Sad, but true...though it boggles my mind. How can you not know how to involve the most heroic, skilled, insightful, and dependable leader in the fleet at the heart of any life-and-death conflicts???? And therein was my concern over Lee's "new direction". The show is "Battlestar Galactica" and the Galactica is a warship. Everything has to be aiming toward the long build-up for the final big blowout between Galactica and the Cylons...and if Lee is pushed off out of the military, then naturally he gets left out of all the action. The math is pretty simple. It's disappointing, but given the long-term pattern with this writing team, I'm not surprised.
    gobi_rex
    Go Asta! This was a cool interview, thank you! I'm very impressed. I wouldn't have been able to get one word out without stuttering.

    I'm a bit gloomy after reading the spoilers, and I really hope it doesn't stay this way for the whole season. Lee is such a terrific character, TPTB shouldn't waste him.
    asta77
    It's weird, I know I won't be happy if Lee is marginalized, yet hJamie saying he's happy the show is ending made me feel better about the show ending.
    pukajen
    I'm glad you had such a good time at Con, even if it kicked your ass when you got back home. Happy you're starting to feel better.
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