Battlestar Galactica

Blu-Ray Round Up, Nov. 5, 2009: ‘Battlestar Galactica: The Plan,’ ‘Love Actually’

BrianTT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:07:28 -0700

CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray Round Up is back with two HD music releases, a beloved holiday movie from a director with a new comedy on the horizon (Richard Curtis, “Pirate Radio”), and a release that’s a must-own for fans of one of the most popular shows of the ’00s. This informative column is designed to let you know synopsis, technical specs, and features for titles that may have slipped under your radar. Pick your favorite.

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009” and “Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live At Red Rocks” were released on October 13th, 2009.

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” was released on October 27th, 2009.

“Love Actually” was released on November 3rd, 2009.

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan”

Photo credit: Universal

Synopsis: “The Cylons began as humanity’s robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.”

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” stars Edward James Olmos, Dead Stockwell, Michael Trucco, Grace Park, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Callum Keith Rennie, Rick Worthy, Lymari Nadal, and Tricia Helfer. It was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos. The film runs 112 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by aan English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include “From Admiral to Director: Edward James Olmos and The Plan,” “The Cylons of The Plan,” “The Cylon Attack,” “Visual Effects: The Magic Behind The Plan,” Deleted Scenes, and Commentary with Director/Actor Edward James Olmos and Executive Producer/Writer Jane Espenson.

“Love Actually”

Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Synopsis: “”Get Ready for Fun!” (Leah Rozen, People) with the “feel good movie of the year!” (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood) Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy from the makers of Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting Hill. Funny, irresistible and heartwarming, an all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, to name a few!) will take you on a breathtaking tour of love’s delightful twists and turns. Fall under the spell of Love Actually and share the laughs and charm again and again.”

“Love Actually” stars Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Martine McCutcheon, and Rowan Atkinson. It was written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film runs 135 minutes and is rated R. It is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include Deleted Scenes, “The Music of Love Actually,” Kelly Clarkson “The Trouble With Love Is” Music Video, Billy Mack “Christmas is All Around” Music Video, “The Storytellers,” and Feature Commentary with Director Richard Curtis and Actors Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, and Thomas Sangster.

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009”

Photo credit: E1 Entertainment

Synopsis: “Bikes! Babes! Bands! Join Nickelback as they take the stage in front of 35,000 screaming fans at the world-famous Sturgis “Rockin’ The Rally” show. Shot in glorious high definition, Nickelback Live At Sturgis 2006 is the definitive Nickelback live Blu-ray. Featuring 12 of the hard-rockin’ band’s fan favorites and a behind the scenes glimpse of life on the road for one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Nickelback Live At Sturgis captures the band firing on all cylinders and blowing the sold-out crowd away! Tracks include: Animals, Woke Up This Morning, Photograph, Because of You, Far Away, Curb Medley, Never Again, Savin’ Me, Someday, Side of a Bullet, Drum Solo, How You Remind Me Too Bad, Figured You Out.”

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009” was directed by Daniel E. Catullo III. The film runs 65 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.

Special features include “Behind-the-Scenes with Nickelback,” Photo Gallery, “Sturgis 101 Vignette,” and “Rockstar” Video.

“Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live at Red Rocks”

Photo credit: E1 Entertainment

Synopsis: “The Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado a legendary venue that has been graced by rock luminaries from The Beatles to U2 provides the awe-inspiring backdrop for Rob Thomas in one of the most memorable stops on his Something To Be Tour. Featuring the multi-platinum recording artist performing 18 hits from both Matchbox Twenty and his solo career, this incredible set also includes a special acoustic arrangement of “Smooth” and a cover of the David Bowie classic “Let¹s Dance.” Tracks include: Something To Be, Fallin’ To Pieces, If You’re Gone, When The Heartache Ends, Ever The Same, Not Just A Woman, 3 AM, You Won’t Be Mine, The Difference, Bent, Problems Girl, Let’s Dance, Lonely No More, I Am An Illusion, Now Comes The Night, Smooth, You Know Me, This Is How A Heart Breaks.”

“Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live at Red Rocks” was directed by Joe Thomas. The film runs 95 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track.

Special features include a bonus “Streetcorner Symphony” video.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: Complete Your ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Collection With Season 4.5

BrianTT — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:25:15 -0600

CHICAGO – When the decade began, who would have guessed that one of the best shows of the ’00s would air on The Sci-Fi Channel? I’m as much of a science fiction junkie as the next guy, but the network known for straight-to-cable movies like “Mansquito” and “SS Doomtrooper” wasn’t exactly the go-to place for quality drama. Until “Battlestar Galactica”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

When the history books are written decades from now, there is no doubt that one of the most beloved, important, and influential series of the first decade of this millennium will be “Battlestar Galactica”. I would even go as far as to suggest that the sci-fi resurgence we’re seeing in film with movies like “Star Trek,” “Moon,” and “District 9” this summer started with television and shows like “Battlestar Galactica,” “Firefly,” and “Lost”.

The dramatic final season of the highly rated show is now available on Blu-Ray, as is the entire series in a massive complete set. If you already own “Battlestar Galactica” seasons one-four, you may hesitate to upgrade to the full Blu-Ray complete series, but it’s nice to be able to cap off your collection with a gorgeous HD set.

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 was released on Blu-Ray on July 28th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal

The “Battlestar Galactica” DVD and Blu-Ray releases have been acclaimed for years and Universal is not about to fumble the ball on the final run to the end zone. It’s a little odd that they didn’t upgrade the non-HD seasons outside of the complete series release, but that’s the only conceivable complaint. What I mean is that if you missed a season in your collection and don’t want to spring for the full Blu-Ray set, you’re going to have to have a mix of standard DVD and Blu-Ray. All of the seasons should be available as stand-alone Blu-Ray releases along with the “Complete Series” set.

The final season of “Battlestar Galactica” looks amazing in HD with a 1080p High-Definition Widescreen transfer with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and sounds perfect with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

The final 3-disc set for “Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5” includes over 10 hours of intense, groundbreaking features.

All three discs include Universal’s amazing “U-Control” functionality, allowing interactive features to play while you watch the episodes. This time it’s used for two features - “The Oracle,” an interactive guide including ships and characters, and “Battlestar Actual,” a glossary of all the unique “Battlestar Galactica” terms.

BD-Live functionality allows for more bonus content and “Battlestar Galactica: Ultimate Battle Card Game,” an interactive feature in which you can challenge your buddies, as Colonials or Cylons, in the ultimate battle of strategy.

Disc one includes the Hi-Def feature “The Journey Ends: The Arrival,” a must-see for fans of the show. Additional features include deleted scenes, “Evolution of a Cue,” “What the Frak is Going On With Battlestar Galactica?,” Ronald D. Moore’s podcast commentaries and an unaired extended version of the second episode on the disc, “A Disquiet Follows My Soul,” with commentary by Executive Producer and Director Ronald D. Moore.

The simple fact is that the features on the first disc of the three-disc set justify the purchase price on their own. But they’re just the beginning.

Disc two includes deleted scenes, David Eick’s Video Blogs, the Moore podcast commentaries, and an extended version of “Islanded in a Stream of Stars” with commentary by star and director Edward James Olmos.

Disc three includes deleted scenes, “The Musicians Behind Daybreak,” podcast commentaries, and an extended version of “Daybreak” with commentary by Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore. Hi-Def Features include the featurettes “A Look Back” and “…And They Have a Plan”.

Just reading over the special features on “Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5” - commentaries, featurettes, extended episodes, deleted scenes - makes it clear that this is no quickie TV-on-DVD release. It’s made for fans of this already-influential show and it’s impossible to think that any of them won’t be completely satisfied by one of the best TV Blu-Ray releases of the year to date.

‘Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonalle, Katte Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park, and was created by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. The Blu-Ray and DVD were released on July 28th, 2009. It is not rated.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

DVD Round Up, May 7, 2009: ‘Caprica,’ ‘Look,’ ‘Two and a Half Men’

BrianTT — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:30:39 -0600

CHICAGO – The Round-Up is back with a house-cleaning version of our legendary column that brings five titles together that have almost nothing in common other than the fact that they might have slipped under your radar as you were busy spring cleaning. A Bollywood musical, an indie film, a new TV show, an old one, and a foreign one. We’ve got something for everyone.

“Caprica” was released on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009.

“Chandni Chowk to China,” “Gavin and Stacey: Season One,” and “Look” were released on Tuesday, May 5th, 2009.

“Two and a Half Men: Season Five” will be released on Tuesday, May 12th, 2009.

“Caprica”

Photo credit: Universal

Synopsis: “An astonishing breakthrough is taking shape on the planet “Caprica”. The rapidly evolving spheres of human and mechanical engineering have collided, along with the fates of two families. Joined by tragedy in an explosive instant of terror, two rival clans led by powerful patriarchs, Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) and Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), duel in in era of questionable ethics, corporate machinations and unbridled personal ambition as the final war for humanity looms.”

“Caprica,” from the Executive Producers of “Battlestar Galactica,” stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson, Alessandra Toreson, Magda Apanowicz, and Polly Walker. It was written by Jane Espenson and Ryan Mottesheard and is unrated. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen with a 1.78:1 aspect ration and accompanied by a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.

Special features on “Caprica” include a feature commentary with director Jeffrey Reiner, executive producer/writer Ronald D. Moore, and executive producer David Eick, deleted scenes, and video blogs.

“Chandni Chowk to China”

Photo credit: WB

Synopsis: “Have you ever dreamed of being more than your circumstances? Sidhu (Askay Kumar) longs to escape his dreary existence cutting vegetables at a road-side food stand in Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest and busiest markets in Delhi, India. When two strangers from China proclaim he is the reincarnation of a Chinese war hero, Sidhu envisions fame, fortune and adventure. Journeying with them back to China, Sidhu meets the alluring Sakhi (Deepika Padukone) and love blossoms. But can it survive the vicious smuggler, Hojo (Gordon Liu) and his cadre of kung-fu assassins?

Megalomaniacal villains, crazy inventors, Chinese mystics and outlandish kung-fu assassins all get thrown together in this joyful, uplifting adventure full of beautiful landscapes, attention-grabbing songs, and high energy dancing.

Featuring top Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone and produced by acclaimed father and son duo, Ramesh and Rohan Sippy, Chandni Chowk to China promises to excite.”

“Chandni Chowk to China” stars Mithun Chakraborty, Akshay Kumar, Jun Li, Chia Hui Liu, Chang En Lu, Deepika Padukone, Ranvir, Shorey Conan Stevens, Kevin Wu, and Roger Yuan. It was written by Shridhard Raghavan & Rajat Aroraa and directed by Nikhil Advani. It is not rated. The film is presented in matted widescreen with a Hindi Dolby Surround 5.1 track.

Special features on “Chandni Chowk to China” include additional scenes.

“Gavin and Stacey: Season One”

Photo credit: BBC/WB

Synopsis: “Gavin is an ordinary boy from England, Stacey is an ordinary girl from Wales. They speak every day on the phone at work, and yet they’ve never met… until now. But when Gavin and Stacey finally meet and their ordinary worlds come together, we see, through their families, their friends and their differences, that there’s no such thing as ‘ordinary’ after all.”

“Gavin & Stacey” stars Alison Steadman, Rob Brydon, Larry Lamb, Joanna Page, Matthew Horne, Melanie Walters, James Corden, and Ruth Jones. The show was written by James Corden & Ruth Jones and directed by Christine Gernon. It is not rated. The show is presented in widescreen with a Dolby Stereo track.

Special features on “Gavin & Stacey” include “How It Happened,” outtakes, “Behind the Scenes in Leicester Square,” and audio commentaries with Ruth Jones, James Corden, and Christina Gernon.

“Look”

Photo credit: Anchor Bay

Synopsis: “There are an estimated 30 million surveillance cameras in the United States. On any given day, the average American is captured approximately 200 times. Every one of us is constantly being observed at our jobs, on the street, while shopping, and sometimes even in our own homes. Every one of our secrets, lies, crimes and most private moments are all being recorded. But who is watching us? Rhys Colro (Entourage), Hayes MacArthur (The Game Plan), Jamie McShane (24) and Spencer Redford star in this award-winning drama from writer/director Adam Rifkin that takes the ultimate look at our “big brother” world.”

“Look” stars Hayes MacArthur and Jamie McShane. The film was written and directed by Adam Rifkin and is presented in anamorphic widescreen with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by a Dolby Surround 5.1 audio track.

Special features on “Look” include “A LOOK Behind the Scenes,” audio commentary with writer/director Adam Rifkin, producers Brad Wyman and Barry Schuler, and actor Hayes MacArthur, alternate & deleted scenes, “Director Adam Rifkin: Outtakes,” trailer, and TV spot.

“Two and a Half Men: Season Five”

Photo credit: WB

Synopsis: “Televisions #1 comedy celebrates five seasons of funny with big laughs and hilarious new storylines. Charlie (Charlie Sheen) tops the charts as kiddie-song sensation Charlie Waffles. Alan (Jon Cryer) at last meets the perfect woman who just happens to be dating Charlie. Jake (Angus T. Jones) starts junior high, armed with reams of “helpful” advice from Alan and Charlie. Evelyn (Holland Taylor) ties the knot for the fifth time (lots of guests at the wedding, lots of cops at the reception). And as always, Berta (Conchata Ferrell) deals with it all by dealing out a royal flush of deadpan zingers. The guys are in and the welcome mat is out at everyones favorite Malibu beach house. Have a great time!”

“Two and a Half Men: Season Five” stars Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones, Marin Hinkle, Conchata Ferrell, and Holland Taylor. The show as created by Chuck Lorre is not rated. The show is presented in widescreen in Dolby Surround Stereo.

Special features include “Two and a Half Men at 100,” “The Lore of Chuck Lorre: Must Pause TV The Genesis and Evolution of His Vanity Cards at the End of Each Episode,” “Two and a Half Men Dying is Easy, Comedy is Hard: Chronicling the Crossover Episodes Between Writing Teams of Two and a Half Men and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” and·Bonus Episode: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Two and a Half Deaths.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Tricia Helfer Makes Fans Melt on USA’s ‘Burn Notice’

BrianTT — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:04:21 -0700

CHICAGO – Tricia Helfer would have been famous just for her sexy and stellar work on the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” but she’s also become an essential part of the hit USA Network show “Burn Notice” as the mysterious and deadly Carla, the woman who holds the secrets to Michael’s (Jeffrey Donovan) past and future.

The gorgeous Helfer recently sat down for an informative press conference about the upcoming season finale of “Burn Notice” and series finale of “Battlestar Galactica”. She revealed information about her start on “Burn” and whether or not she’s on board for the next one. Bad news Carla fans. “I’m not on board for next season, no,” Tricia Helfer reveals. “As I like to say, I was the baddie of the second season, so yes, my last two episodes are this week and the finale, March 5th.”

Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, Tricia Helfer as Carla
Photo credit: Glenn Watson

Of course, let’s not jump ahead to the end. The beginning came when Tricia Helfer was offered the job. She was up in Vancouver filming “Battlestar Galactica” and was approached by her agent or her manager about the job. “I actually hadn’t seen it, the show, because being in Canada a lot, in Vancouver filming Battlestar, Burn Notice doesn’t air up there yet, unfortunately. So they sent me DVDs and I was hooked from the first episode and gladly signed on to join in for the second season.”

Tricia Helfer
Photo credit: Glenn Watson

We noticed it as viewers, but Helfer and Donovan had instant chemistry on the show. As for the rest of the cast, “I met Gabrielle and I met Bruce and worked with him a little bit. Bruce is just such an easy going guy it’s impossible not to get along with him, and Gabrielle is really sweet. Jeffrey had actually emailed me prior to going down there the first time to welcome me and say he was excited that I was joining the show. So, I went down knowing it was going to be a great cast to work with and they didn’t let me down, they were just really wonderful to work with.”

When Helfer joined the cast of “Burn Notice,” she didn’t really know her character arc and that made the part a little difficult for the actress. “With Carla, I didn’t know who Carla worked for,” Helfer says. “I didn’t know who management was the entire time I filmed, so you’re just kind of filling in the blanks yourself, but at the same time you don’t really want to say, okay, this is who it is or make too strong of a back story yourself in case it is revealed. The hardest thing is Carla was pretty much as elusive to me as the actor as she is to the audience.”

But she’s not elusive any more. Helfer hinted at the resolution fans can expect with the last two episodes of this season of “Burn Notice,” “I think the first two episodes back from the midseason hiatus definitely showed that Carla had been taken by surprise a bit, she’s been rattled, which she’s not used to. It definitely comes to a culmination in the finale where she’s been trying to get information from Michael Westen about who tried to kill him, who tried to blow up his apartment, and it really comes to a culmination with management breathing down her back. And she’s put her neck on the line in terms of vouching for Michael Westen and Michael hasn’t really fully come up with anything to help her out, so it comes to a culmination point in the finale.”

And what will that culmination point be? Will we finally meet the management that has been pulling everyone’s strings, including Carla’s? “You’re definitely going to get a big clue, a big hint in the finale about who management is. I won’t say for sure if you’re going to find out who, what the organization is, but there will be another piece to the puzzle and you will definitely meet Carla’s higher ups, you will meet management, yes.”

Helfer seems a little concerned about typecasting after playing two tough women on two hit cable shows. As she says, “I’d rather play an ass-kicking destroyer or a super strong spy or agent than some meek, vulnerable character. But it’s definitely, I don’t want to get typecast as one thing, and that’s certainly some of the other things I’ve been doing in hiatus, doing other roles, although I have one coming up where I’m an ass-kicking spy, so I don’t know about that. I don’t know how well my not being typecast is going, but they’re great shows. I’m super happy to be part of them. I think it’s important as I go to some of my next jobs maybe are a different take, a different type of character, but they’re certainly fun characters to play. They’re smart. They’re strong. Who wouldn’t want to play a strong female character?”

Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, Tricia Helfer as Carla
Photo credit: Glenn Watson

Of course, unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that “Battlestar Galactica” is airing its last episode soon. Helfer called the shooting of the last episode “intense”. “Not only do emotions run really high because obviously this is the last time you’re working with a lot of these people and you become like family over five years, but it’s also very intense because last episodes tend to come in very long. I think we had a four hour script in a two hour time frame to shoot that we were maybe given a couple of extra days. So we really shot incredibly long hours and everybody was kind of like zombies at the end of it. So it’s intense, emotions are really high, but it’s also a wonderful feeling, it’s a great feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie, too.”

Tricia Helfer
Photo credit: Glenn Watson

Helfer has worked with some great people and sees similarities between actors like Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell on “Battlestar Galactica” and Jeffrey Donovan and Gabrielle Anwar on “Burn Notice” because they all bring so much professionality to their work. “It was just an incredible experience to be able to work with them. For all of the younger cast on Battlestar it was wonderful to have these two kind of helm the show and you got to really see what two people who are so talented, how their passion to the work goes and how much work they put into it and how much dedication. It was very similar going down to Burn Notice and you have that same vibe with people that are just—they love the show they’re working on. They’re dedicated to it and they’re really hard workers. So there really wasn’t that much difference, aside from, obviously, the show itself and the type of show.”

It’s hard to believe, but Helfer even leaves a door open for a “BSG” return, saying that she had never really thought about the possiblity of a future spin-off or return of the series. “Without giving away the finale, I guess there sort of could be. It’s definitely a closing in one respect, but now that you mentioned it, there could possibly be a spin-off. I don’t expect there to be. I really don’t expect there to be and I don’t think that’s their intention, but I guess you can never say never in this business.”

With “Battlestar Galactica” ending and Helfer’s character on “Burn Notice” going away, where does Tricia Helfer go from here? “Well, I’m right in the middle of pilot season right now. It’s my first year in five years of being available because of Battlestar now being finished. I got Battlestar in my first year of acting, so definitely being on a show, it’s amazing to be on a show, you want to be on a show, but it also limits what you can do with your hiatus when you’re shooting 22 episodes a year of a show.”

“Now is really the first pilot season and I’m actually in negotiations right now with a pilot that I’m quite excited about, but it’s a little too early to stake my claim on it yet until everyone has signed on the dotted line. But yes, I’m looking, as one of the callers earlier asked about varying roles and I’m definitely looking for my next project to be something that’s a little bit different. First off, I’ll be playing a human and not a spy. But yes, I’ll be looking for something that varies the roles up.”

‘Burn Notice,’ which airs on USA, stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, and Tricia Helfer. The last two episodes of the season air on February 26th, 2009 and March 5th, 2009 at 9PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

The Best of What’s Out There: The TV You Should Be Watching in Early 2009

BrianTT — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:08:20 -0700

CHICAGO – We were considering looking back at the best programming of 2008 when something dawned on us - a lot of it isn’t on the air right now and not yet available on DVD. We at HollywoodChicago.com believe in being productive and helpful, so why tell you something is great when you can’t even see the show?

The final season of “The Shield,” the third season of “Dexter,” the fourth season of “Weeds,” the fourth season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the final season of “The Wire,” the second season of “Mad Men,” the entirety of “Pushing Daisies,” and the two best new shows of 2008 - “True Blood” and “In Treatment” - all rank among the best programming of 2008, but none of them are on the air right now and none are on DVD yet. What’s a TV fan to do?

Tina Fey, Jennifer Aniston, Alec Baldwin on “30 Rock”.
Photo credit: Nicole Rivelli

That’s why we’re here - to help. Instead of giving you another list of shows that you can’t even see on DVD yet, we’ve found some equivalent (or at least similar) shows currently on the air that we think you should give a chance. With dozens of new and returning shows hitting the airwaves every week, it can be hard to know what’s right for you. Let us guide the way.

First, there are a FEW of the best series of 2008 still on the air or returning soon. “Lost” comes back January 21st, 2009. Check out our review of the first two episodes for a sneak peek. The quick version? It’s real good.

The best comedy on television, “30 Rock,” is still kicking butt on Thursday nights even if we do slightly agree with the criticism that the show has gotten a bit too gimmicky for its own good recently. Hey Tina, cut out the revolving door of guest stars and get back to the characters we know and love.

“Battlestar Galactica” comes back on January 16th and, as for the best of reality TV, Jeff Probst and “Survivor” return on February 12th and Phil Keoghan and “The Amazing Race” start running again three days later, February 15th.

Finally, “Reaper” returns to The CW on March 17th. Yes, The CW can actually lay claim to one of the best shows of 2008. If you don’t believe me, catch up with the first season, now on DVD, and come back for more coverage in the coming months of one of the most sharply written and clever shows on television.

Bret Harrison and Ray Wise on “Reaper”.
Photo credit: Lionsgate

The rest of the “Best of 2008”? It’s all off the air, but we found relative equivalents for most of them. Of course, there will not be an equivalent for ABC’s great “Pushing Daisies” for a long time. Just watch season one again. It was brilliantly unique and left us way too soon.

One of the main reasons that HBO’s “True Blood” and Showtime’s “Dexter” were two of the best shows of 2008 was that there’s nothing on the air like them. What could we possibly compare to Alan Ball’s gothic vision of vampires or Michael C. Hall’s riveting performance as a serial killer with a moral code?

There are two shows coming up that seem to have that unique quality that separated “True Blood” and “Dexter” from the pack in 2008.

The first season of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” was hit-and-miss but the clarity of Bryan Cranston’s excellent performance on that show reminds us a bit of what Hall does as Dexter Morgan on the excellent Showtime drama. “Bad” returns to AMC in March.

As for “True Blood,” the show that has similar what-the-hell potential has to be Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse”. The long-delayed and controversial series starts on February 13th on Fox. Rumors of reshoots and behind-the-scenes trouble have made us nervous, but Whedon is the kind of risky TV voice that always brings the potential for greatness, kind of like “True Blood“‘s Alan Ball.

Toni Collette on “United States of Tara”.
Photo credit: Nigel Parry/Showtime

If neither “Breaking Bad” nor “Dollhouse” works for and you’re still looking for something left-of-center like “True Blood” or “Dexter,” put April 9th on your calendar. That’s when “Harper’s Island” premieres. We haven’t seen much, but the preview we did see from last Summer looked like “Gossip Girl” if one of the beautiful people from that show happened to be a serial killer offing his socialite friends on a remote island. Yeah, it looks like twisted fun.

But what should fans of the other great shows from 2008 do with their time in early 2009?

One of the best comedies of the last few years, Showtime’s “Weeds,” will be back this summer, but there’s another half-hour comedy that looks at suburbia from a different angle on the same network - “United States of Tara” - that’s currently on the air.

Featuring a stunning performance by Oscar nominee Toni Collette as a mother with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), the Diablo Cody creation fits perfectly in the Showtime milieu of characters who may look normal but live very different lives from you and me. With a dark, black streak of humor, “Weeds” has been consistently entertaining for four seasons now and, based on the promise of the first quartet of episodes, it’s not hard to see “United States of Tara” staying on the air just as long.

DVD Review: Catch Current Season of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Before Mid-Season Premiere

BrianTT — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:31:59 -0700

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Battlestar Galactica” returns to the Sci-Fi Channel on January 16th, 2009, at 9pm CST for the final arc of episodes of the beloved series. There’s still time to catch up with season 4.0 before the mid-season premiere of 4.5 in an excellent TV set from Universal. The “Battlestar Galactica” TV packages have been some of the most critically lauded and popular of the format and the new release is no exception.

With perfect video and audio and exhaustive special features, the only negative thing that can possibly be said about “Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0” is that you’ll eventually have to replace it with a Blu-Ray set. Universal has revealed that “BSG” seasons will be released on the HD format as soon as later this year.

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0 is released by Universal Home Video on January 6th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

“Season 4.0” features ten episodes on three discs and the 101 minute movie, “Razor,” for a total of over seven hours of sci-fi goodness. In season four, the civil war amongst the Cylons has escalated and the quest for Earth continues. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick dropped a few hints about what to expect from the conclusion of this season but you’ll want to catch up first.

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0 is released by Universal Home Video on January 6th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

The first thing that’s notable about “Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0” is the remarkable technical presentation. “Battlestar Galactica” is a beautiful show, shot more expertly than most feature films. The widescreen 1.78:1 picture and the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound transfers are among the best in the history of TV on DVD. It’s jaw-dropping to think about how great these are going to look on Blu-Ray.

The “Battlestar Galactica” sets have been praised for their extensive special features and “Season 4.0” is no exception. Just including the unrated version of the TV movie “Razor” will be seen as a special feature for some and that movie comes with deleted scenes, “The Look of Battlestar Galactica,” “My Favorite Episode So Far,” “Season 4 Sneak Peek,” and a commentary to the unrated extended edition by Moore and writer Michael Taylor.

“Razor” was previously available (and this disc is exactly the same as what was on the market in December of ‘07), but it’s great that Universal chose to include it in this set instead of making fans have an extra DVD outside of the season boxes. You can sell your stand-alone copy of “Razor” now.

Of course, fans are going to be most interested in the new special features for the ten episodes from season four itself. Most episodes includes the podcast commentary by Ronald D. Moore and deleted scenes. There are new commentaries on “Faith” by Moore and supervising producers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, “Guess What’s Coming to Dinner” with Moore and writer Michael Angeli, and “Sine Qua Non” with Moore and writer Michael Taylor.

Disc three features “David Eick’s Video Blogs” - “Love in Space,” “Why Hath David Forsaken Us?,” “So, This Is It,” “What Next? What Now?,” “Digital Pressure,” “Space Cowboys,” “Lucy’s Breakdown,” “Are You Frakkin’ Kidding Me?,” “I’m a Frakkin’ Cylon,” and “Last Call”.

The behind-the-scenes featurettes are housed on the last disc and include “The Journey,” “Cylons: The Twelve,” “Season 4.5: The Untold Story - Untold,” “The Music of Battlestar Galactica,” and a sneak peek at “Caprica”.

A commentary on every episode, deleted scenes for every one, a perfect video and audio transfer, and exhaustive special features. What more could a TV on DVD season possibly include? There are a few series - “24,” “Lost,” “The Simpsons” - that stand head and shoulders above all others on the format. “Battlestar Galactica” is in that group.

‘Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Grace Park, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas, and Tahmoh Penikett. It was released on January 6th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Returning to ‘Battlestar Galactica’ With Producers Ron Moore, David Eick

BrianTT — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:53:51 -0700

CHICAGO – The highly acclaimed and beloved “Battlestar Galactica” returns to the air on Friday, January 16th and executive producers/creators Ron Moore and David Eick recently sat down for a press conference to discuss the fifth season premiere of the Sci-Fi Channel series.

The upcoming season of “Battlestar Galactica” will be the last for the popular series starring Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Grace Park, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas, and Tahmoh Penikett. But Moore and Eick did drop some information about the upcoming spin-off/prequel “Caprica”.

Ronald D. Moore, Executive Producer/Writer
Photo credit: Evans Vestal Ward

David Eick is clearly proud of the way the series wraps up, saying, “I think we were able to answer most of the questions that we had raised over the years. And, sort of, resolved most of the mysteries and the grander questions of the show. And, also at the same time, give a resolution to all the character arcs. And, sort of, to wrap it all up by the end. I think you’ll find that we don’t save everything until the last episode. We sort of start answering questions along the way.”

It’s rare for a series to be able to go out on top like “Battlestar Galactica,” something Moore and Eick are keenly aware of but that they’ve been intending for a few years now. Moore revealed that they had talked about the ending two years ago and said, “I would add that it’s so rare that you get to end things in the way that you intended.”

Of course, most of the conversation at the press conference with Ron Moore and David Eick revolved around the end of the show, something that neither man was willing to give up major spoilers about but that both are clearly happy with. Moore said, “I would say I found it very satisfying. I mean I was very pleased with the way that the show ended, creatively and personally. It just feels like we’ve completed the piece. And now to be able to step back a little bit and look at it from beginning to end I feel good about the complete story that is Battlestar Galactica.”

Tricia Helfer as Number Six in “Sometimes a Great Notion,” Episode 413
Photo credit: Carole Segal

Why should people tune in for the final season of “Battlestar Galactica”? Moore summed it up succinctly, “Well I mean, you know, why finish the end of the book? You’ve come this far. Don’t you want to see how it all turns out? I mean that seems like the most fundamental reason to watch the end.And it really is the end. It’s the conclusion of their stories. It’s what happening - happened to them finally. You know, where did they end up and under what circumstance? And who made it and who died? And who’s the last Cylon and sort of what did it all mean? I mean if you’ve been a fan of the show, you know, at all up until now why wouldn’t you want to watch how it all concludes?”

The fans who have been with “Battlestar Galactica” since the beginning may have even had an impact on the development of the show. Moore revealed, “I have a habit of going and sort of monitoring Web sites on the night that a - that a new episode airs. I’ll kind of surf around a few Web sites just to kind of pick up, you know, fan reaction. I get a kick out of sort of seeing message boards entries as the show was on the air. I’ll try to go to like a, I’ll put a couple windows up on my computer and watch sort of, you know, live reactions to people as they get to act breaks.I think that’s kind of enjoyable. And sort of receive some reviews and kind of see what the general tenor of it is. But after that I kind of don’t, I don’t monitor it very closely beyond that.”

Katee Sackhoff as Kara “Starbuck” Thrace in “Sometimes a Great Notion,” Episode 413
Photo credit: Carole Segal

As for message board postings or web sites with theories about what will happen in the final season of “Battlestar Galactica,” it turns out that a few of you may have gotten it right. Moore said, “Yes there’s, there’s theories out there of things, of guesses about different parts of the mythology or different revelations that are spot on. Fortunately they’re buried with so many other bad ideas that it’s like, you know, you just leave them alone and, you know. But I don’t know that I’ve seen anyone who’s nailed the whole thing. Or anyone who’s gotten exactly what the show is going to be at the end or anything.”

So how do the writers themselves come up with the twists and turns of a show like “Battlestar Galactica”? Moore revealed a bit about their process, saying, “The final four came up literally in a moment in a writer’s room where we were struggling with the end of season three and trying to figure out certain things. And I just said, you know, because it was all about the trial of Baltar. And we had always set that up to be the end of the season. And it was, the structure was working fine. But it just didn’t seem to satisfy. And it didn’t quite seem as big an idea to me. And I said, you know, I just wish that there was, we had some bigger revelation here. And I just said, you know, I just got this image of like four of our people walking from different areas of the ship and all ending up in one room together. And they all close the doors and they look at each other. And they say, okay we’re Cylon. And then we just reveal like four of them, you know, in one fell swoop. And everyone was kind of taken a back in the moment.”

“The more we talked about it, it just became, well, why not? Why don’t we really do that? And then we just talked about who those final four would be with an idea of holding out the last one for the last season. And then settling on the last one. We kind of had a good idea going into the last season who the final Cylon was. And, but we were willing to sort of, you know, look at other candidates and see who it could be and which one makes the most sense in the mythology. And ultimately we stuck with the original choice because it just made the most sense in terms of the history of the show and what it means for the characters.”

The cast of Battlestar Galactica.
Photo credit: Art Streiber

As for spoilers, Moore did drop a big one - the identity of the last Cylon won’t be saved for the final episode. He revealed that it won’t be a last frame or last shot reveal. And don’t expect a “Sopranos”-esque open ending. Moore said, “This is it. You know, this is the end of the story. I think that there might be some things that are still somewhat ambiguous or you might want to think about more that are not spelled out in bold letters. But, you know, by and large I’d say the vast majority of the questions will have been answered. They may not be satisfying answers, but they will be answers.”

Of course, as all good “Battlestar Galactica” fans know, this final season doesn’t mean the end for the universe that Ron Moore and David Eick have created. The spin-off show, “Caprica,” starts shooting in July with a full-season order already in place. Moore revealed, “We’re putting the writing staff together now and the crew. And, you know, just staffing up and getting ready to go. We’ll start breaking stories probably in February or maybe even as soon as the end of this month, kind of depending when all the pieces go together. We have a game plan of sort of what the general story line is and sort of some direction. So we’re not starting completely from scratch. So things are well in hand. In Caprica we feel really good about that.”

Tahmoh Penikett as Karl “Helo” Agathon in “Sometimes a Great Notion,” Episode 413
Photo credit: Carole Segal

“Caprica” is a prequel that takes place 50 years before the action of the entire series of “Battlestar Galactica,” but you won’t have to be a huge fan of “BSG” to enjoy the new show. Of course, it would probably help, but Moore said, “we sort of set out deliberately to set up Caprica in a way that you didn’t have to see Battlestar. I mean I think you could literally watch the pilot to Caprica without seeing a frame of film on Galactica and you would get it. And you could invest in that story completely on its own and just go from there. Because we wanted it to stand as its own project and we didn’t want you to have to study up on Battlestar in order to enjoy Caprica.”

As George Lucas learned with the “Star Wars” prequels, it can sometimes be difficult to tell an entertaining story when the audience knows where it’s all going to end up. So how can “Caprica” avoid the prequel curse? Moore said, “Well, hopefully, they view it as is intended, which is a period piece. You know, we’re doing a period piece. And in any period piece you kind of know what lays in the future if you’re doing madmen you know, you know, the ’60s are a-coming. And you know that that whole world is going to collapse. If you’re doing a World War II piece, you know the Nazis are going to lose. But, you know, you still are able to tell, you know, fascinating and compelling stories as periods. And I think that’s what we’re doing for this as well. I mean that’s at least the intent.”

Jamie Bamber as Lee “Apollo” Adama, Edward James Olmos as Admiral William Adama, Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin
Photo credit: Justin Stephens

Interestingly, Moore’s experience with the different incarnations of “Star Trek” (he worked on “The Next Generation,” “Deep Space Nine,” and “Voyager”) may have some influence on how he approaches “Caprica”. He said, “First and foremost, don’t try to repeat the formula. I think that I questioned at the time when, after Deep Space Nine, they developed Voyager, and, then subsequently, Enterprise. Both those projects felt too similar to Next Generation and to the original series for me and by my lights. And I felt that Deep Space was the way to do a spin off series of an existing franchise where you really are doing a very different show. It’s a different format. It’s a different feeling. And the Deep Space Nine station lent itself to continuing stories. The Next Generation was episodic. I mean they were just very different animals. And I felt that it was more creatively satisfying to do that instead of doing a spin off that just felt like a different version of the mother ship. And so that definitely informed, you know, the process as we went into Caprica.”

Finally, any fan who may have hopes that “Battlestar Galactica” could return after this season for a movie like the successful “Razor,” Ronald Moore dashed those hopes, saying, “I don’t know that there’s really any opportunity to do more Battlestar pieces. We’ve struck the set. You know, I mean the sets are gone. So that alone, you know, raises a huge hurdle to try to do any more. Because, you know, I don’t know what, how they would scrape together the money to reassemble that ship. But, you know, there’s always virtual versions of the ship. And you never say never. But I would say it’s very, very unlikely that there would be any more.”

‘Battlestar Galactica,’ which airs on SCI-FI, stars Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Grace Park, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas, and Tahmoh Penikett. The premiere of the last season airs on January 16th, 2009 at 8PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

2009 Mid-Season TV Preview: ‘Lost,’ ‘Damages,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ ‘24,’ More

BrianTT — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:08:01 -0700

CHICAGO – Be honest, TV fans. Fall 2008 was lackluster at best. The TV season really starts now.

With the strike delaying production on established series and the development of new ones, many more programs are returning or premiering in Jan. 2009 than the average mid-season. It couldn’t have come at a more important time for the medium, too.

To be blunt, the first 31 days of 2009 could be one of the most important months in the history of television. It comes down to this - If established hits like “24,” “Damages,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Monk,” “American Idol,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Lost,” and “The Closer” don’t meet expectations and if a new show like “United States of Tara,” “The Beast,” “Lie To Me,” or “Trust Me” can’t take off and become an established hit, television is likely to change forever.

Sound like an exaggeration? Consider this - NBC gave up on an hour of original, scripted programming every single night. They’re so disappointed in their slate of 10 pm dramas, including failures like “My Own Worst Enemy,” that they’re handing over an hour of TV every night to talk show host Jay Leno. It’s one of the most amazing programming decisions of the last few years and proof that original television on the big networks is changing for good. Does anyone think we’re that far off from all reality and talk on the major networks with original programming relegated to pay cable, basic cable, and the internet? I don’t.

And the Leno story is only one of the biggest headlines of a season that has seen far more failures than successes. Shows that took off the post-strike period, including “Pushing Daisies” and “Dirty Sexy Money,” saw ratings decline every week before their cancellations. It feels like people left during the strike and simply never came back.

New hits? There aren’t any outside of CBS, the only network that has anything to be happy about this year with the massive success of “The Mentalist” and the continued growth of “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother”. More than ever, the buzz in 2008 went from the big networks to the cable box with HBO launching new hits, Showtime developing their own, and even AMC developing a reputation for quality.

We’ll get into what worked and what didn’t in our TV year in review next week at HollywoodChicago.com, but let’s look ahead before we look back. Is it too late for the broadcast networks to save this sinking ship? Are NBC, Fox, and ABC done? Will there be another “Mad Men” in the bunch of shows premiering this month? Can a series actually improve on last year’s ratings for once? Let’s hope so.

Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for reviews and coverage of all the upcoming series and mark your calendar with the highlights of the coming month on the following page, in chronological order.