A real "Battlestar Galactica" prequel? Bring it on!

When the second incarnation of "Battlestar Galactica" left the Syfy airwaves in 2009, it left a real void for fans of genuine, smart sci-fi, so this is certainly good news

Executive producer David Eick, one of the big brains behind the version that began in 2004, has pitched to the station a prequel of sorts called "Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome," and it has so far picked up at least a 2-hour pilot. The show takes place in the 10th year of the first Cylon war, and follows the exploits of young ensign William Adama, a recent Academy graduate and now a rookie viper pilot. In the 2004 show, of course, Adama was played by the great Edward James Olmos, but they'll now clearly have to cast some new blood for this.

According to the plot synopsis, Adama "finds himself assigned to the newest battlestar in the Colonial fleet, the Galactica. The talented but hot-headed risk-taker soon finds himself leading a dangerous top secret mission that, if successful, will turn the tide of the decade-long war in favor of the desperate fleet."

Nothing but epic awesomeness there, and though there's no word yet if co-creator Ronald Moore will once again be involved, here's a final word from Eick to give "Battlestar" fans a sense of just how good this could be.

"While maintaining the themes of politics, social propaganda, and the timeless question: what does it mean to be human? - 'Blood & Chrome' will also return us to the authentic, relentless depiction of combat and the agony and ecstasy of human-Cylon war, which was the hallmark of 'Battlestar Galactica's' early seasons."

I don't have too much after that today before the videos because, before working on a Saturday, I have to go swimming and then do my laundry, but there is a bit of goodness to get to for fans of Wes Anderson.

No, unfortunately, it isn't any more details on the film he apparently plays on shooting next spring or so, but it is a glimpse of his writing before he went on, with his first three movies, to make three of my favorites in "Bottle Rocket," "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums."

Thanks to the head's up from Hitfix.com for this link to a short story he wrote for the University of Texas literary journal Analecta. I haven't read it yet, but I just printed it out, so will do so today to take my mind off of laundry for a bit. Enjoy the story here.

OK, on to the videos. I can't remember a movie in recent history that's had as much trouble simply coming out (no pun intended, really) as "I Love You Phillip Morris." Is it simply that the characters played by Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor are gay? I suppose so, and that's truly sad, because as you'll see from this first full trailer I know of for the movie by "Bad Santa" creators Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, it looks pretty wickedly funny. Look for this in what surely will be a limited release Dec. 3, and enjoy the trailer.



I'm a big, big fan of the UK teen skeen "Skins," and an even bigger fan of Baltimore, but sadly, I can't see this turning out to be anything but awful. It seems that MTV is remaking the great show (which aired on BBC America here, I believe) with a cast of way-too-fresh-faced (the original cast was rather scruffy) young Americans, and somehow transporting the action from the north of England to Charm City itself. If you've seen the original, you'll see that they at least kept a few of the characters' names, but seemingly none of the spirit of the original show. "Enjoy" this trailer for the show, apparently coming in January.

MTV Shows

OK, where better to end up today then with the trailer for a movie I'm definitely psyched to see at the end of this year, even if it does look rather morose. John Cameron Mitchell is best known as the stage and later movie creator of Hedwig, the star of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," still by a wide margin the greatest botched sex change/punk rock movie ever made. As you'll see below, he's come up with something completely different for "Rabbit Hole," his new movie starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, set to come out hopefully everywhere in December. It's about a couple dealing with the death of their very young son, and though that indeed sounds thoroughly depressing, I love Mitchell's work and I'll watch Kidman in just about anything, so I'm there. Enjoy the clip, and have a great weekend. Peace out.

Major Emmy nominations for "Battlestar Galactica"? Why the frak not?

Garnering attention for a sci-fi show - even one as sensational as "Battlestar Galactica" - from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences would seem to be the definition of a lost cause, but just in case I have some hidden pull I don't know about I'm gonna make the case anyway.

In general, I pay a lot less attention to the Emmys than I do the Oscars. Don't get me wrong: I watch at least as much TV as the average human being, though NEVER any reality programming, but I just can't get seem to get amped for the Emmys.

I will, however, check out the nominations list when it's announced July 10 to see if "Battlestar" does indeed manage to find some unexpected love, and not just in the sound and visual effects categories it has attracted attention in thus far.

One reason I really never care about the Emmys, however, is the voters have a rather amazing record of ignoring what are obviously the best shows on TV. As far as I know, "The Wire," "Friday Night Lights" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" have, between them, a total of only three Emmys, with "The Wire" only even being nominated once for the writing on the Season 3 episode "Middle Ground." (And I won't even get into the single biggest Emmy snub of all time, the inability to give Lauren Graham even one nomination for her superb work on "Gilmore Girls.")

My rather long-winded point is the deck would seem to be stacked very high against "Battlestar," but luckily its creators don't seem to know that or refuse to believe it. If you go to any movie trade paper sites or the IMDB, you'll inevitably be slapped in the face by a pop-up ad touting the show for Emmy consideration.

And why the frak not? It's clearly the smartest drama on cable or network TV right now, with "Mad Men," "Pushing Daisies" and "Friday Night Lights" close at its heels. In it's strongly serialized story lines, it takes on the issue of what it's like to live in a state of almost constant fear in our post-9/11 world. And, of course, it delivers all this punctuated with the space battles us geeks so sorely need.

And the acting, throughout, is just first-rate. Edward James Olmos, who obviously has a long history in film and television, has just taken over the role of Admiral William Adama to make it his most memorable one of all. I was surprised to find he had already won one Emmy, surely well deserved, for Best Supporting Actor for his work on "Miami Vice." The man certainly merits at least one more nomination.

As for the women, Katee Sackhoff as Kara Thrace and Mary McDonnell as President Roslin are certainly also worthy of Emmy attention, and the writing, be it by Ronald Moore, David Eick, Jane Espenson or another talented member of the staff, is also first-rate.

Though it's probably not gonna happen, the timing for some major-category Emmy attention for "Battlestar Galactica" would be just about right. With the show reaching the midpoint of its fourth and final season tomorrow night, it's high time to shower it with some serious Emmy love before it ends its very entertaining run next year. Peace out.