Wednesday Odds & Ends: Adama, Star Trek onesies, Wolfman, Bioshock and Facebook

Thanks everyone for all of the great Nerd Man nominations yesterday. All of the suggestions were terrific and I'm putting them in my to-do file, so they'll all get their turn soon! And now on to the news of the day:

+ Would you like to have dinner with Edward James Olmos? Personally, I'm intimidated by the man just watching him on TV, but I'm sure there are bolder folks than me out there. In conjunction with the recent release of the "BSG" prequel movie, "The Plan," UGO has announced a "Dinner with the Admiral" contest. Just answer a few trivia questions and you'll be entered in the drawing. Good luck!

+ If you have a baby and would like to turn it into a nerd before it can even walk or roll over on its own, here's your chance! You can now purchase Star Trek uniform onesies. Awesome!


+ There's a new trailer out for the "Bioshock 2" game, which is absolutely one of my favorite games ever. Not to play, mind you -- I have the dexterity of a chimp with no hands -- but to watch. It actually had a compelling plot and the graphics were just gorgeous. Can't wait to watch the husband play this one!



+ What if "Harry Potter" had come out in the 1980s? This cartoonist takes a few guesses involving, among other things, Christopher Lloyd and David Bowie.

+ Doesn't this kind of creep you out? Facebook will turn accounts into memorials for deceased users. I'm not sure if I want all my Scrabulous scores and unanswered RSVPs etched in digital stone for all eternity. How do you feel about it?

+ Want to see Benicio del Toro get all shaggy and Anthony Hopkins nibble on scenery? Then check out the new trailer for "The Wolfman" over at Apple. Looks pretty...but it also looks like something I've seen a hundred times before. It puts me in a mind to howl, though, and that's always fun. Join me, won't you? A-woooooo!

Odds and Ends: New Moon, Rifftrax, bobbleheads and The Prisoner

+ Robert Pattinson's gotten his pale on again, and he's showing it off for all the world to see in the new trailer for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." And now I have Duran Duran's "New Moon on Monday" stuck in my head. I'm okay with that.



+ Speaking of awesome movie-type awesomeness, did you know that internet web singing sensation Jonathan Coulton and that other internet web singing sensation with two people in it called Paul and Storm did their own Rifftrax skewering of "Tron?" It is indeed true. The world is a beautiful place when the man responsible for "Skullcrusher Mountain" can make fun of Bruce Boxleitner for my entertainment.

+ When your grandma's birthday comes around this year, forget those tired old Hallmarks with that cranky old lady character spouting grizzled funnies on the cover. Instead, give your grandma what she really wants -- a thoughtful message from a Cylon or sentimental Tracy Jordan malapropism. Yes, you can now get "Battlestar Galactica" and "30 Rock" greeting cards. Could this be NBC's way of making up for "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here?"

+ Need a cool gift to go with that naked Jamie Bamber greeting card? NBC is now selling "The Office" bobbleheads of characters who are not Dwight. I am in desperate need of a Creed or a Meredith myself.



+ This new preview of AMC's mini-series remake of "The Prisoner" barely lasts longer than a sneeze, but it's kind of cool to see Ian McKellan acting enigmatic. I'm starting to think this could be a very good production.

Our angst goes to eleven.

"So, want to go catch a movie later? Oh wait, sorry."

With only six new episodes left before the show heads off into the ether, I have to ask: what do you think about "Battlestar Galactica" so far this season? Be forewarned: spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen everything up to last Friday's episode, "Blood on the Scales."

I thought about being all coy with my assessment of the show, but I'm about ready to burst with wanting to talk about the damn thing, so I'll just come right out and say it: I think it's been brilliant and if this is the way the rest of the season finishes out, I'm fully on board with this show should go down as one of the best programs in TV history.

And here's why in two short words: moral ambiguity.

I'm one of those kooky people who likes my characters cast in shades of gray rather than black and white, good and bad. It's what I found fascinating about "The Sopranos." I hated everything Tony Soprano ever did but still, I couldn't help but like the guy on some level. I feel the same way about Oprah and Martha Stewart but that's neither here nor there.

This season, BSG is heaping on a big ol' helping of ambiguity and I've happily positioned myself at the head of the trough. Nearly every character is messing up somehow and unlike many other shows, those mistakes have consequences -- big ugly sticky consequences. Nothing illustrates this better than the recent two-parter, "The Oath" and "Blood on the Scales." After having his illusions shattered by Gaius Baltar on New Caprica, after having his leg shot off by a Cylon, after watching his best friend die by her own hand and after having a seriously trippy experience aboard a drifting Raptor, poor Felix Gaeta finally gets mad as hell and just won't take it anymore. He joins with professional rabble-rouser and part-time dink Tom Zarek to lead a coup against Admiral Adama and President Roslin to prevent the continuation of the human/Cylon alliance.

Needless to say, things go terribly, terribly wrong. And here's the brilliant part: as much as I found myself hating what Gaeta did, I sympathized with him. Admiral Adama has gone soft and been making very questionable decisions like leaving a Cylon as his second in command and pushing for the installation of Cylon technology in all the fleet's ships. President Roslin, the other half of the sorta, kinda Macbeth-ian pair, has given up and let the fleet drift. No one's in charge and the only thing steering the remains of the human race is entropy.

So there I am at the end of "Blood on the Scales," watching poor Felix pay the ultimate price for his actions and all I feel is anger at Adama for giving him a punishment he actually deserves. Yes, I'm mad at Adama for doing the right thing and I feel sympathy for Felix for doing the wrong thing. That's about as morally ambiguous as it gets -- and to me, that's masterful writing.

Somehow this entropy, this idea of humanity adrift and in danger, seems far scarier to me than the Cylon threat ever did. Maybe it's because, as BSG always has, it mirrors so well what's going on in our society today. There's fear over the recession, fear of a dangerous world, fear of global warming and fear of tomorrow. We want to believe we can solve our problems, but this show posits the idea that we're all just human and maybe that's not enough. Talk about terrifying. I admire a show with the balls to go this dark and even though it makes me want to take a Xanax before each episode, I'm willing to follow it right to the bitter end. Because somehow I have to believe it'll all be alright. Humanity is nothing if not optimistic, right?

Besides, you've gotta love a show that injures so many people with writing utensils and then refers to the victims as "pen pals." I'd hate to see what they could do with paper cuts.

Dirk Benedict, critic philosopher...and big fan of the cigar

Looking for a little light reading by a crazy man? Then please, put your feet up, grab a cup of coffee and read this delightful trope by Dirk Benedict in which he waxes nonsensical about how lousy the re-imagined "Battlestar Galactica" is compared to its velour-riddled predecessor. It's apparently been around for a while but yesterday was the first I've ever heard of it. Seriously, the guy is crazy. I can understand if he doesn't like the show, but really, it's the reasons he gives that really makes this thing art. Here he is talking about the transformation of Starbuck into a female character. FYI, he's very into his cigars:

The best minds in the world of un-imagination doubled their intake of Double Soy Latte’s as they gathered in their smoke-free offices to curse the day that this chauvinistic Viper Pilot was allowed to be. But never under-estimate the power of the un-imaginative mind when it encounters an obstacle (character) it subconsciously loathes. ”Re-inspiration” struck. Starbuck would go the way of most men in today’s society. Starbuck would become “Stardoe.” What the Suits of yesteryear had been incapable of doing to Starbuck 25 years ago was accomplished quicker than you can say orchiectomy. Much quicker, as in, “Frak! Gonads Gone!”

And the word went out to all the Suits in all the smoke-free offices throughout the land of Un-imagination, “Starbuck is dead. Long live Stardoe!”

I’m not sure if a cigar in the mouth of Stardoe resonates in the same way it did in the mouth of Starbuck. Perhaps. Perhaps it “resonates” more. Perhaps that’s the point. I’m not sure. What I am sure of is this…

Women are from Venus. Men are from Mars. Hamlet does not scan as Hamletta. Nor does Hans Solo as Hans Sally. Faceman is not the same as Facewoman. Nor does a Stardoe a Starbuck make. Men hand out cigars. Women “hand out” babies. And thus the world for thousands of years has gone’ round.

Benedict's been bitching about BSG for years but this stuff is just hilarious. I may save this one for those rainy days when I need a good laugh.

Battlestar blows my mind yet again

Wow.

Just wow.

That was definitely worth the long, excruciating wait.

Also, one of the more depressing season premieres you'll ever see. I did, however, help me see the similarities between "Battlestar Galactica" and "National Lampoon's Vacation": two dads go on a really long trip to get their families to the promised land (Earth, Wally World, same thing). When they get there, it's closed and they both go completely nuts. I would have given a million dollars to see Bill Adama punch a moose in the nose.

So, where to start? There were so many highlights, which I'll talk about here so as not to ruin stuff for those who have yet to see it.

What'd you guys think?

P.S. Can you tell I don't know how to do proper cuts? D'oh.

The hour is nigh!

Well, my friends, our long national nightmare is nearly over: "Battlestar Galactica" returns with a new episode tonight.

The world is a different place since last The BSG aired. Dinosaurs no longer roam the Earth. Noah built some sort of ark. The Milky Way was born and invented a candy bar. In short, approximately 12 billion years have passed since this show last aired.

Expectations are high for tonight's return. For months and months, actors, writers, directors, Canadians who stood outside while they filmed episodes and lucky critics who've actually seen the premiere episode have been telling us we will be completely blown away by the last half of this season. Will the show live up to the anticipation?

I'm guessing yes. For one thing, the show is ending because the story is done, not because the tank's empty. For another thing, save for the occasional "Woman King" and "Black Market," this show really doesn't falter...and it definitely doesn't falter when it comes to big finishes and grand finales. This show has blown my mind so often it's positively indecent.

So right now, I'm counting down the minutes until 10 p.m. tonight (and am praying George Bush doesn't have the urge to make another farewell address). It'll be good to have my imaginary friends back. It's like coming back to school after a 12 billion year summer vacation. Will Baltar still remember me? Will Roslin continue her amazing trend of never once losing her glasses despite an apocalypse or two? Will Adama continue to out-Bauer Jack Bauer in the whispery angry guy category? Will Saul Tigh ever turn that frown upside down? Will Tyrol continue to be awesomely insane? How long can Helo flex? Will Kara wipe her boots on Anders the Human Doormat or just be done with it and shoot him? How many times will I worry that Six's dress can't possibly fight gravity much longer? Too many questions. But finally, it's time for some answers.

Welcome back, BSG. I missed you...even if I did cheat on you with a skinny guy in a flying blue box all summer. Sorry about that.

NOTE: If you're recording BSG tonight, don't forget it runs 3 1/2 minutes long. You won't want to miss the surprise ending when Baltar finally figures out how to make out with himself.

Odds and Ends

+ This is actually kind of a great idea for a museum exhibit -- The Museum of Failed Relationships. This touring museum piece originated in Croatia and is designed to "create a space of secure memory in order to preserve the heritage of broken relationships.” Here's what's in it:

The museum, which has actual displays as well as a virtual, online space, has everything from romantic letters to photographs to gifts given to lovers such as soft toys, but also includes unusual exhibits such as a prosthetic leg donated by a war veteran who fell in love with his physiotherapist.

In Berlin, an axe used by a woman to break up her ex-girlfriend's furniture, along with the broken furniture, was on display alongside a wedding dress and a pair of skates.

Every single object in the museum is anonymous, and has a short description of the relationship it was part of.

Awesome.

+ Did you know you can watch all 17 episodes of "The Prisoner" on the AMC website? I've never seen this series although I've heard amazing things about it, so you know what I've got planned for this weekend.

+ Ah, yes, this was done before with "Lost" but it's still funny -- "Battlestar Galactica" done in Facebook updates. My favorite? "Gaius Baltar became a fan of himself."

+ So will the color pink traumatically scar your small female child? Find out in this article which is equal parts ridiculous and fascinating. Somehow I don't think wearing pink means little girls are being oppressed by The Man, but it is rather sad that they have so few color choices. Of course, when I say "sad," I mean "earns maybe half a frown if I'm feeling hormonal."

Odds and Ends

Hello everyone! For the Americans, hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! For everyone else, hope you had a lovely Wednesday through Tuesday. Personally, I'm just now recovering from having eaten enough pumpkin pie to choke a very chunky horse -- and it was spectacular! And now on to the news at hand:

+ Not to suggest that "House" is formulaic or anything*, but Cracked had a great item on "How to Write Your Own 'House' Episode" and yes, it does include the always-popular furrowed-brow moment.

+ Speaking of formulas that are good in spite of themselves, there's a new preview of "24" out which includes a glimpse of an old friend and also moments of Jack Bauer neither whispering nor shouting but instead making a grammatical error. It's pretty much everything you'd expect from "24." The new season debuts on Jan. 12...and I really, really want to make a cougar joke right now but will show maturity and restrain myself. Or maybe not: Cougar!

+ The DVD of "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" comes out today and features more than three hours of extras including deleted scenes, gag reel, full-length documentary and audio commentary by Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter, which better include a personal apology for disappointing the hell out of me with this movie. A movie which I will nonetheless buy because X-Files owns me and I am a sad, sad person.

+ "Battlestar Galactica" webisodes debut on Dec. 12 and I'm giddy as a school girl! Two episodes will be posted per week for five weeks, leading up to BSG's Jan. 16 season premiere. Even more awesome, the webisodes were written by Jane Espenson and Seamus Kevin Fahey, staffers who penned some of last year's best episodes. And in other way awesome BSG news, "Caprica" has finally been greenlit as a series for Sci-Fi. Now I'm beyond giddy and verging on delirious. I need pie to celebrate!

+ Have I mentioned I love the internets? Today on Twitter I was following the back and forth between Wil Wheaton and Greg Grunberg of "Heroes" as they exchanged compliments and eventually concocted the idea of Wheaton appearing in an upcoming episode of the NBC series. And now io9 has to go and be dicks about the whole thing and semi-mock Wheaton with a poll on what sort of superpower he should have when he joins the superhero league. I don't see how you can run a site like io9 and mock Wil Wheaton. It seems positively unpatriotic. (However, if he were to have a superpower, I would vote for gills. How cool would that be?)

+ Park Bench reader Crone51 sent in this great musical tribute to smart women by singer-songwriter Richard Thompson. "I want a woman from Mensa with a furrowed brow..." It's wonderful. Enjoy:



+ I got an e-mail recently announcing the debut of a new website called Book View Cafe (www.bookviewcafe.com) that offers new and unpublished literature by authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Vonda McIntyre and Laura Ann Gilman, all for free. Writers also will be offering extended versions of their work and other goodies for a small fee. Looks like an interesting experiment in publishing....

* But it is.

The Morning Report

• David Foster Wallace passed away on Friday. - Very sad news indeed.
  

• And awkward transition to, "Wait, girls play video games? What the -- ?" - It's okay, though. Apparently, we only play Wii games.

• A great profile of "The Office"'s Ed Helms. - It takes talent - and guts - to play the guy everyone hates.
  

• How did I miss this? AMC is doing a remake of "The Prisoner, set to air in 2009. - Starring Ian McKellan and Jim Cavaziel, the dude God tried to smite like 17 times for playing Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ."

• Truck driver gets in trouble for watching "BSG"...while driving. - I would never do this. Unless it was a really, really good episode.
  

The Morning Report

• Xboxes will soon be cheaper than really expensive dirt. [NY Times] - Cost will go down to $199 for basic model. We can start using them as coasters now!

• Hollywood's 5 Saddest Attempts at Feminism [Cracked] - I've got nothing to add to this. It's hilarious.
  

• Did you know that "The Fly" is being turned into an opera? [Salon] - Written by a Canadian, no less! It'll be the cleanest, most polite opera ever. With Mounties. And I mean that as a good thing.

• Bill Melendez, 'Peanuts' animator, passed away. [Yahoo News] - He drew cartoons and spoke to my class in elementary school once. I swear that's not what killed him.

• Robert Downey Jr.'s facial hair has become 'stache-tastic! [Defamer] - Who was it inspired by? Defamer has some suggestions.

• Good news! Battlestar will indeed be back in January. [Galactica Sitrep] - And there was much rejoicing!
  

THE MORNING REPORT

• 10 Geeky Movies to Raise Your Kids On [Wired's GeekDad blog] - Does everyone but me love "The Goonies?" The Coreys gave me the squicks even as a child.

• Hayao Miyazaki on hand-drawn animation versus computer animation [Yahoo News] - "Howl's Moving Castle" by Pixar? "Kiki's Delivery Service" by Disney? Never! Keep on drawing, please, Mr. Miyazaki.

• "Battlestar Galactica" season 4.5 delayed until April? [Galactica Sitrep] - I hate you, Sci-Fi Channel, and no amount of blissfully cheesy "Mansquito" films will change that.

• "Magical" mirror changes fabric appearance instantly... [Gizmodo] - Why? I have no clue but it is incredibly weird to see. You have to check out the video.

• Google's new browser 'Chrome' debuts today. [CNET] - And you can read about it in a comic book...in which the Dark Knights browses for McCain-Palin fan fiction. Eww.
  

News of the Day -- Tuesday, June 17

+ Sad news yesterday: special effects giant Stan Winston passed away at the age of 62. Without Winston, films like "Jurassic Park," "Alien," and "Terminator" would have lacked that awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping quality that made them so special.

+ "The West Wing"'s Janel Moloney has apparently been cast in the Tommy Schlamme-directed ABC pilot "Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas," Zap2It! says it's the story of "a girl who discovers a magic book that leads to a world beneath the Earth's surface."

+ Entertainment Weekly offers "Battlestar Galactica: 12 Things We Learned This Year." Number Three: Starbuck can be really annoying. Well, duh. Okay, also, does EW online do anything but make pop culture lists these days? I'm not complaining or anything, 'cause it gives me an excuse to post this photo:


Aw, man, those kids sure love their literature, don't they?

+ And finally, check out these cool roller coasters from Wired. My brain is vomiting in glee just thinking of these things:

News of the Day -- Thursday, June 12

+ Did you see Maureen Ryan's column on the similarities between "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica?" I especially love that they both have "Directional Catch Phrases" with Jack's "We have to go back!" on "Lost" and Starbuck's "We're going the wrong way!" on BSG. Hee.

+ Check out this gorgeous and wonderfully whimsical art -- including an anatomical look at a Gummi Bear (below) -- by Jason Freely at Moist Productions. I love his balloon animal images, too.


+ Pilfered from Pop Candy, have you seen this great site called Black Cab Sessions, which features pop acts performing in the back of a London black cab? It's chock full of terrific, intimate performances from acts such as Death Cab For Cutie and My Morning Jacket.

News of the Day -- Friday, April 4

+ Salon kinda, sorta liked "Leatherheads," which opened today. I'm a sucker for any movie set in the 1920s -- hell, it could be about dog catchers and I'd be marveling at how much more sophisticated dog catching was in the 1920s what with the hats and the Cole Porter. Plus this movie stars George Clooney and John Krasinski. Enough said, I believe.

+ Vroom, vroom. Mario Kart Wii comes out on April 26. And if you want to buy a couch, a large pizza and 400 frozen fish sticks when you pick up your copy, you can check out the Sam's Club midnight launch in the wee early morning hours of that day. I plan on waiting until the sun rises to pick up my copy, but that's mostly because I'm old. And already well-stocked on fish sticks.

+ The new preview for "Hellboy 2" is out. It looks like director Guillermo Del Toro may have spilled a little "Labrynth" into the mix, not that I'm complaining.

+ And don't forget, tonight at 10 p.m. is the season 4 premiere of "Battlestar Galactica." If you're interested, I'll be liveblogging the event (although I know most everyone will already have watched it online by then). Mostly, it'll consist of me going, "What? Who? Huh? Mary McDonnell ruuuuulezz...."

News of the Day -- Tuesday, March 18, 2008

+ Battlestar Galactica fans, set your DVRs or start drinking Red Bull now: ten members of the BSG cast will be reading the Top Ten list on Late Night With David Letterman this Wednesday, March 19. The scheduled cast members include Edward James Olmost ("pornstache!"), Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff and Jamie Bamber. Woot. I need some President Roslin to tide me over until April 4.

+ The grossest part of playing catch with a dog? The slobber. I knew if I waited long enough, some enterprising individual would solve my problem. It's finally happened: the automated ball tosser. I find this video of the dachshund "test subject" both endearing and mesmerizing in a Samuel Beckett/Sisyphean way. That probably means there's something wrong with me. [via Gizmodo/Boing Boing]



+ Did you see the flying saucer home that was up for auction in Chattanooga? I would love to own a house where, if aliens ever do invade, they'll look down and go, "What the fuck?" and suddenly check their Garmin to make sure they didn't make a wrong turn. The thing even has a retractable staircase!


+ And finally, Dee Dee "they made C.J. out of me" Myers, former White House press secretary for President Clinton, has a new book out called "Why Women Should Rule the World." (Um, because we can't do any worse??) You can read an excerpt from it here on the NPR "All Things Considered" site. It makes me want to go out and rule someone. Look out, cat.

News of the Day

+ It's Monday, so it never hurts to have a new addition to the office time waster line-up. Check out this oddly addictive item called Xavier Enigma's Next Physics Game. Basically, you can draw any shape and the program will make it react the way an object that shape would react in a real, gravity-filled environment. I had a lot of fun drawing circles that rolled...and also a large-headed dog. Don't ask me why. It just seemed like the thing to do.

+ People Magazine's UK edition reports that Queen Elizabeth likes to bowl on Prince William's new Wii. (That sounds kind of weird, doesn't it?) My question is, was she able to make a little crown for her Mii? Are there Mii Corgis cheering for her in the background when she picks up a spare?

+ Looking for a new craft project? Want to turn your pantry into a disco? Well, now you can, thanks to Wikihow.com's instructional guide on transforming your old CDs into a disco ball. Seriously, if anyone actually builds one of these, please send me photos. [via Lifehacker]

+ Ever wonder what Vin Diesel and Dolph Lundgren have in common besides enormous, kitten-crushing pecs? They're both apparently really smart. I know! Who'd have thought? But it's true. Read their stories in Cracked's List of Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Geeks. Also, the fact that Asia Carrera calls herself "the nerd of porn" has convinced me that if I had a favorite porn star, she would totally be it, Ron Jeremy be damned!

+ Those movies that get snubbed by the People's Choice Awards every year - I think they're referred to as "the good movies" -- got their due with the announcement of the National Society of Film Critics choices for best of 2007. (Spoiler alert: "There Will Be Blood" took top honors.)

+ And finally, Entertainment Weekly did a cool preview photo for Battlestar Galactica that's got that "Last Supper" look that's so popular with the kids these days. Check out this semi-spoilery post from io9.com that includes quotes from BSG producer Ron Moore on what the photo tells us about Season 4. You know, the season that was supposed to debut this month but that's been pushed back until April 4, nearly a full year after the last new episode aired. Not that I'm bitter.*

* Just kidding. I'm actually ridiculously bitter.

Review: Razor

"Battlestar Galactica" is a very smart TV show. Sometimes, though, it might be too smart. The new TV movie, "Battlestar Galactica: Razor," which debuted last night on the Sci-Fi Channel, suffers from this defect: it's too dense and too crafty for its own good.

Which is not to say there's not a lot to like in this two-hour film, which provides a welcome return to the BSG world after so many months away. The movie tells three stories: what happened on the Battlestar Pegasus from the moments after the Cylons annihilated the Colonies to the days leading up to their rendezvous with Battlestar Galactica; what happened on Pegasus after Admiral Cain was killed and Lee Adama took command; and a brief episode revealing what Admiral Bill Adama learned about the evolution of the Cylons during the first Cylon war. The film flits back and forth in time, tying the stories together thematically rather than chronologically. In my opinion, there is simply too much going on here. The stage feels enormously crowded, taking away from the strongest storyline: that belonging to Cain and the moral, ethical and existential struggle faced by the Pegasus crew after the massacre of the human race. I know why they balanced it with the later storyline -- to remind us of the different moral choices that leaders are sometimes forced to make -- but as glad as I was to see familiar faces (hello, Starbuck!), I couldn't help but feel it slowed the story down.

Maybe I'm just biased because of my belief that Michelle Forbes (Admiral Cain) is one of the most under-appreciated actresses out there. Sure, she always plays a hard-ass, but she always paints those portraits in subtle shades. Cain is one of her finest roles, allowing her to make us feel equal measures of empathy and horror at her bloodthirsty actions, from killing civilians to gunning down her second in command to creating a monster in her image in the form of young Kendra Shaw, the character through whom the Pegasus story is told. Somehow you can understand why Shaw admires Cain -- even to the point where she commits a horrible act in her name -- but you can understand, too, the guilt that eats her alive from that day forward.

Did I mention that this is a dark movie? Not too shocking when it comes to BSG. This really, though, is a dark tale, full of ruminations on the aftershocks that even the smallest decisions can create. How do people in the throes of war know who to trust? What happens when people they love betray them? Is it okay to ever let their guard down? Who is expendable and who isn't -- and more importantly, whose decision is that to make? These are big, dramatic issues worthy of all the dark lighting and poundy music that signify the best BSG episodes.

Which is why my cage got rattled every time Lee Adama stood around frowning on my TV screen. That's not "a very special 'Battlestar Galactica' episode." I can get that in pretty much every episode of "Battlestar Galactica." Show me something new. Or at least tie it all together better.

But again, that's pretty much my only complaint. The acting, especially that of Forbes and Stephanie Jacobsen as Kendra, was uniformly fine. And it was nice to see Starbuck back, all sassy and reckless. It was nice to see Mary McDonnell, too, although her lines were nearly all expository and her appearances pretty much felt like those mega-star cameos in all the old "Airport" movies. You barely have time to say, "Oh, hey, there's so-and-so" before they're whisked off to coach.

What "Razor" did accomplish well was whetting my appetite for more "Battlestar." There's an intriguing revelation toward the end that primes the pumps nicely for Season 4. By the end of the movie, the nerd voices in my head were very nearly screaming, "I need my fix NOW!!!" We did the arty, hyper-intelligent movie of the week. Let's get back to the nitty gritty. Let's talk Cylons and Final Fives and sickly presidents and messiah Baltars.

Is that too much to ask?

Is that a gun in your hand, President Roslin, or are you just happy to see me?

Found on the Television Without Pity boards, a preview for the new season of "Battlestar Galactica." Enjoy it now before it makes one of those magical YouTube disappearances!



Pretty cool, huh? All I can say is, "Oh my." And yes, my girl crush on President Roslin is still very much alive.

More nerdy news nuggets

* Want to learn weird things about famous authors? This Mental Floss article at CNN.com has some interesting tidbits. Who knew Edgar Allen Poe was crazy? Oh wait....

* A select group of nerdy gentlemen at a Washington university are auctioning themselves off for money and a chance to hang out with sorority girls. This may be one of the seven signs of an impending apocalypse. There've been so many lately, though, it's hard to keep track.

* Do you have a blank space on your living room wall, a barren bit between the Buffy musical poster and that way cool IKEA bookshelf you just bought? Well, have no fear. You can fill that decorative void with your very own copy of the Magna Carta, one of which is going up for auction. Nothing like having the seeds of democracy hanging on your wall. If Dick Cheney ever comes over, you'll have an awesome conversation piece.

* In completely unrelated news, Nana Visitor of crinkle-nosed "Deep Space Nine" fame is going to be a guest star on "Battlestar Galactica," says the Chicago Tribune TV columnist. The item's a bit spoilery, but it's just nice to know that BSG will be back...eventually...someday...before eternity sets in....

Point/Counterpoint: Old BSG vs. Better BSG

It's an age-old question on par with Coke vs. Pepsi, Zima vs. Lighter Fluid, Pampers vs. Huggies. Which is better -- old Battlestar Galactica or new Battlestar Galactica? Ms. C and I sat down recently, wearing Pampers and Huggies, mixing a little Zima and Coke, and tackled The Question:

Liz: The new BSG -- or should I say, the "real" BSG -- is 100 times better than the original for the simple reason that there's no velour*. Anywhere. And Admiral Adama doesn't wear a cape or a giant Bea Arthur-sized broach.

Ms. C: The new Battlestar Galactica is a fine television program, that's true. And while I concede that Captain Adama is quite the commanding figure as played by Edward James Olmos, the old version of the show was definitely better. 1.) It was the heyday of the 70's and tight pants were not only permitted, but encouraged. 2.) Lorne Greene! DIRK BENEDICT! C'MON! 3.) Starbuck was a lot more fun back then. Now, Starbuck seems more kickass, but is definitely, and annoyingly, too caught up in her own drama. 4.) You know what else I liked about the old version? The Cylons made that whoosh-whoosh sound with their eyes more. Oh, and don't get me started about the constantly naked toasters on the new version. It's like whenever the writers feel their male audience reaching for the remote, they throw some gratuitous toaster sex in the mix.

Liz: First, I can't believe you numbered your arguments when you know I suck at math. And second, the new version of BSG has Laura Roslin and that should trump everything else. She is, by far, the coolest character on the show. Kind and serene one minute, then shoving people out the airlock, inciting a religious furor and stealing an election the next. How can you resist that?

I agree that the whoosh-whoosh cylon eyes were pretty great though. And so was Dirk Benedict, although I think Katee Sackhoff could snap him like a twig and then beat him with the Emmy she'll win one day. Maybe they can save that for a big-screen BSG?

Ms. C: I have to hand it to you, Laura Roslin is my favorite. And even though the original had Patrick Macnee of The Avengers fame (as THE DEVIL! HOW COOL IS THAT?!), the acting star power in the new version is light years (You sly boots, with your space references! -- Ed.) ahead of the classic series.

I would, however, like to bring to your attention that the new BSG suffers from a severe, and grievous, lack of Daggits. Muffit, the dog/bear/robot, animated by a chimpanzee delightfully named Evolution warmed many a heart in the original series.

Liz: As a rule, I like anything and anyone played by a costumed chimpanzee, so I'll agree with you on the sad lack of Daggits. I also agree that it was pretty cool to have Patrick Macnee playing a role on the show. But you've got to admit that the new Baltar as played by James Callis is a million times better than that sniveling dude in the original series. When Callis snivels, he does it with conviction. You really believe he's pained by his delusion-driven decisions. You also really believe that he's pained by his syphilis -- because you can't make syphilis jokes too often!

Ms. C: Ewww! Syphilis! And toaster syphilis at that. You've hit me with another bon mot in mentioning Callis' convincing sniveling. It pains me to watch him writhe around like he does but that only goes to show that he's a great actor.

Well, the only thing I've got left is to say that the successful transformation of a classic series like Battlestar into a compelling contemporary science fiction program slicks up a dangerously slippery slope. What's next? Buck Rogers played by Luke Wilson? Lindsay Lohan as Wilma? Twiki reimagined as a leggy fembot?!

Liz: I would cry giant, salty tears of joy if someone re-made Buck Rogers. We'd get to see Birdman again. And the space vampire. And Twiki and Gary Coleman enduring short-person-joke hell. Maybe we could even get thin-haired Gil Gerard and his unitard back. I'm ready to relive those golden days and I'm ready to relive them NOW!

Ms. C: I loved Buck Rogers. I had a little girl crush on Gil. And to think of seeing Birdman or Dr. Theopolis side by side with today's awesome special effects...well, I'd be watching the show standing up, afraid to run to the bathroom for fear of missing something.

Liz: There's nothing to do now but start petitioning Tarantino for Buck Rogers II: In Space No One Can Hear Your Polyester Scream. Who's with me?

* Defined by Wikipedia as "a textile...(which) combines the stretchy properties of knits such as spandex with the rich appearance and feel of velvet."