Warm Glowing Warming Glow

There Are Six Things I'm Mad About

I wonder how long I can go, using Arrested Development quotes for titles.  Anywho . . .

Tricia Helfer has landed a job on something that sounds awesome. Here's the story:

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-helferinseparablecasting,0,5645756.story?track=rss

(Note also her great hair.) We love Shaun Cassidy as a television producer -- even more than we love him as a Teen Idol of Yesterday.

Frakking Spoilers

I couldn't look at the contents of this page, because I try to avoid spoilers. I think it's about the Battlestar Galactica prequel/spin-off/whatever. Do with it what you will.

Razor!

Did we already know that the Battlestar Galactica movie, the one that's supposed to tide us over until the January season 4 premiere, is called Battlestar Galactica: Razor?  I can't decide if that's a really good title -- because it makes me think of that movie in which Katie Holmes says "Razor!" when she means "OK!"? -- I think it's called -- yep -- Disturbing Behavior -- or if it's really bad for, um, the same reasons. 

Anyway, this article tells us a lot more about what the Sci Fi Channel is up to in the next few months.   I'm interested in Going Homer, because I like Ben Browder, but I feel really stupid and philistine, because it took me about five minutes before I realized that he's playing a 21st-century Homer, not a 21st-century Homer Simpson, whatever that would mean.

So Let Us Not Talk Falsely Now

The AV Club just posted an interview with Ron Moore.  It's worth checking out, even if you're not a fan of Battlestar Galactica (why aren't you?), for the weirdly messianic portrait that accompanies the interview. 

Come Back, TV!

Television is starting to trickle back from this long hiatus around Christmas.  I thought it might be helpful to start trying to keep track of when we can expect new episodes of important shows:

Sunday, January 14: 24.  Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.  Kiefer's beard looks suitably grody.  (Remember, we've got two whole hours on Sunday and then two more on Monday.)  Spoiler Alert: This season's day begins at 6:00 AM, possibly Eastern Time and Chloe might have a new hairstyle.  That's all we know.  Also tonight: Brothers & Sisters, for what it's worth.  Tonight's episode begins Jason Lewis's arc as a closeted soap star/love interest for Kevin. 

Monday, January 15: More 24.  Also, the Golden Globes, which -- huh.  I had no idea they were already here.  Another spoiler: because they are on NBC, no one will watch them.

Thursday, January 18: The Office, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty and The O.C. are all new. 

Sunday, January 21: Battlestar Galactica returns!  The new episode is entitled "Rapture," which is scary, because remember, when last we left off, Adama was going to nuke the crap out of everything in order to keep the Cylons away from that McGuffin that has something to do with everyone finding their way to Earth.  Meanwhile, on Brothers & Sisters, Marion Ross does what she does best -- stink up the joint as a difficult matriarch.

Monday, January 22: Prison Break returns and so does Heroes.  Prison Break will be picking up the whole lame conspiracy/Terrence Steadman non-murder non-mystery.  Christopher Eccleston joins Heroes.

Tuesday, January 23: Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars are both back.  Gilmore Girls is a Christmas episode, apparently.  The Hell?  I guess we're skipping over Rory's Christmas in London with Logan, despite all the anvils being dropped this spring about the Orbit girl.  Veronica Mars is a Mac episode (yay!) as well as -- duh -- the beginning of the Ed Begley, Jr. murder mystery. -- Peter 

So Say We All

More premieres . . .

Battlestar Galactica returns tonight.  I haven't been reading spoilers.  (What did Veronica call spoiler-reading?  "Douchebaggy"?)  I guess there's a chance that this is the season in which the show completely falls apart, but I don't think so.  I can't wait.  New time: 9:00 PM EDT, which is better, I think. 

The Nine.  I really didn't care for this and I'm trying to figure out why.  I think the premise is corny and false: the survivors of a hostage situation are so drawn together by their experience that they become friends.  I'm mildly interested in finding out what happened during the actual hostage situation, but based on the crappy dialogue and afore-mentioned corny premise, only mildly interested.  On the plus side: Kim Raver has a lot more to do on this show.  She and Tim Daly have actual, solid chemistry.

Kidnapped.  I'm a week behind and, it turns out, it's already been cancelled.  Are the writers going to resolve the story in the ten remaining episodes?  Will NBC actually air them?  I don't know.  I feel a little sad, though: the pilot was actually pretty good; the second episode was a little gimmicky, but still exhibited some potential. 

Ugly Betty.  Still my favorite.  This week I had a chance to pay attention to how fun the set design is.  America Ferrera just gets better and better; Vanessa Williams is great, too.  I'm worried that the show will get bogged down in self-regard like Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy.  For now, though, I'm enjoying it immensely.

. . . and one finale:

Eureka ended its first season this week and promptly got picked up for a second season on Sci Fi.  The finale was an unusually strong episode.  I feel like most of this season has been semi-disposable fluff, albeit well-acted, -written and -shot fluff.  The finale worked a nice twist on time travel and left us with a few excellent revelations.

-- Peter

Battlestar Galactica Webisodes

I keep forgetting to post this.  Battlestar Galatica "webisodes" are here. These are, I think, meant to bridge the gap between seasons 2 and 3 (which debuts next month).  I only watched the first.   It was good. 

It looks like the star of these is Dominic Zamprogna, who plays a very minor character in the series, a mechanic named -- apparently -- Jammer.  I mention this because Zamprogna is an alumnus of the weird, boring Canadian soap opera Edgemont.  I can't explain it, but Edgemont has launched a lot of actors into semi-successful careers, south of the border.  Zamprogna's former co-stars include Kristin Kreuk, Grace Park and kids who have popped up in small roles all over television: Jeremy Guilbaut and P.J. Prinsloo have joined Zamprogna and Park in a handful of episodes of Battlestar; Tyron Leitso was the love interest on Wonderfalls; Meghan Black appeared frequently on Dead Like Me; Sarah Lind made a memorable appearance on that show as well; Judy Tylor appeared frequently on That '70's Show; Chelan Simmons was excellent on both Wonderfalls and Kyle XY; Neal Grayston is on Eureka . . . What gives? -- Peter