Last week's Battlestar Galactica episode, "Faith," rocked the house. This whole season, though, has been incredible, delving into complex, challenging issues such as religion, mortality and politics. This is not TV lite, therefore I rarely watch it on Friday nights at 10 p.m., since by then my brain is fried from the previous week's work and I can't concentrate with the appropriate amount of attention.

So, after watching "Faith" on DVR delay, I have a few observations to share with you about this most recent episode of BSG. (Please note: No attempt at synopsis has been made; for a synopsis, go here. This post is pure critique and conjecture.)

1. Starbuck has a fan base in the BSG world, too.

When Jean Barolay (Alisen Down) volunteered to go with Starbuck, Anders and Athena to the Cylon base ship to talk to the Hybrid, Starbuck told her she wasn't looking for volunteers. Jean countered that yes, Starbuck had asked for volunteers back on the Galactica, that Starbuck had been a super-hot badass leader since forever, and Jean would like nothing less than to be ordered around by Kara "Lesbian Icon" Thrace. (OK, maybe I'm paraphrasing a little, but didn't Jean seem to have a little crush on Starbuck? Too bad that crush got her killed.)

Jean Barolay (Alisen Down) in Episode 3.11, "Rapture"

Photo credit: Sci Fi/Eike Schroter

2. Six kisses Six.

After the Six who accidentally killed Jean Barolay was shot by Natalie, she confessed to Natalie that she had not been able to deal with the trauma of being killed by Jean on New Caprica. Natalie called her "sister" and kissed her before she died. I saw this as a grand, poetic statement of blood calling to blood, as well as a reflection of the fact that each Cylon model is so closely linked — closer than family, even — to the others of their model. Here's hoping most folks didn't see it as gratuitous girl-on-girl action starring hottie Tricia Helfer in a fantasy twin lesbians scenario. … continue reading

It seems as though the Law & Order franchise is having a hard time keeping its actors these days. The Criminal Intent series has had three different female detective counterparts for Chris Noth's character since 2005, and last spring the original series lost Fred Thompson to his failed (phew!) presidential campaign. Then, in late February, RENT alum Jesse L. Martin announced that he was also leaving the series after eight seasons. Now, TVGuide.com is reporting that Diane Neal, who plays Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, will be stepping down at season's end.

Photo credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Citing "new opportunities," Neal will be leaving her post as the second ADA on SVU after five seasons. She came onto the show in 2003 following the staged death of Stephanie March's character, Alexandra Cabot. It has not yet been revealed how Novak will be written off the show, but I sincerely hope she isn't killed off. If I am denied the possibility of her coming back — even for one episode — I will be one very unhappy lesbian.

When thinking of Neal's character, one particular episode from season 7, "Blinded" comes to mind. While prosecuting a schizophrenic rapist, Novak's hard exterior softens because of the history with her former fiancé's schizophrenia. Near the end of the episode, Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) realizes what she has done and confronts her; Novak shows no remorse. … continue reading

If you've been anywhere online lately, you have probably encountered what seem like unending commercials and promotions for tonight's premiere of Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica. I don't blame the show's producers for the overkill — the show is critically acclaimed and has a ravenous fan base, but has never been a huge ratings blockbuster. Hopefully people who tune in tonight after the barrage of advertising won't be completely confused by what has happened in the previous three seasons of BSG and will return for more.

Anyway, I digress. I could deliver my theories about what might happen this season, but thelinster already did that on Monday. So instead, I'll just give you some eye candy to whet your appetite. First up are some stills from tonight's episode, "He That Believeth in Me." They've been out for a couple of weeks, but they may still be new to you:

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You can always count on AfterEllen.com to keep you informed about Battlestar Galactica , especially now that the last season is at hand (April 4 at 10 p.m. EST on Sci Fi). Can I get an “oh, frak?”

You also can count on Malinda to share new BSG promotional photos when she finds them. If the women of Galactica don't make you squirm, get thee to the doctor.

Speculation about how the series will end is in high gear, even though we may not see the final 10 episodes until 2009. In an interview with Sci Fi Wire last week, Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama) said the most appropriate finale for such an innovative show is for the whole crew to die. “If it's true to form, no one makes it,” he said. This Season 4 poster does little to dispel that notion.

And I may be reading too much into it, but this trailer certainly seems apocalyptic.

Stick a fork in her: The Bionic Woman is done. What? She’s bionic; she’ll heal fast. Rumors of the show’s demise persisted for months, but its status remained in seemingly eternal limbo, thanks to the writers' strike. While NBC has yet to officially pronounce the show DOA, last week Bionic co-executive producer David Eick confirmed the cancellation to Sci Fi Wire, dashing the hopes of its dozens and dozens of remaining fans.

Now, I realize this news is probably, well, duh to anyone who watched even a couple of episodes. The incredible hype surrounding the freshman series fizzled to a barely audible meh as the season progressed. Eick attributes the failure to the show never coming together as hoped:

“I just felt that the process was so frustrating, and the conditions under which we were making that show never really came to fruition in such a way that I felt like we could make the show well. The actress (Michelle Ryan) we found was wonderful. Some of the writing was good.”

Wonderful? Well, her abs were wonderful. And some of the writing was good? That must mean some was bad. Which, of course, it was. Bionic Woman had that killer combo of uninspired dialogue, unintelligible storylines and an underwhelming lead. Also, God, how boring was her boyfriend? Snore. If he’s a secret agent, than he must be 00Zzzz.

You could count me among some of the most excited pre-fans as I eagerly awaited its arrival last fall. Heck, I think I even drooled a little. But once the dream became a reality, oh, how the wheels came off. Granted, I stuck with it so much longer than I should have. The potential of Sarah Corvus was that strong. Still, even I didn’t bother to watch the show’s final pre-strike (and now, ever) episode. I have only so many hours in my life; why waste one more? … continue reading

Are you looking forward to the return of Battlestar Galactica? If so, you might want to set your DVR for The Late Show With David Letterman tonight. Ten BSG stars will read the Top Ten list. Yes, that includes Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell, Grace Park, Tricia Helfer and Lucy Lawless.

And if that's not enough to tide you over, there are BSG articles everywhere this week:

1. The Los Angeles Times previews the season in an article called "Battlestar Galactica gears up for a fight to the finish." It includes this choice quote:

"I think there will be closure for Starbuck," Sackhoff said. "But I can't see her happy, in love and with babies. She's the happiest when she's alone, feeling pain and stress. She's tremendously flawed, but out of everyone she's the most human."

2. The Chicago Tribune blog The Watcher has a season preview too, and notes that Joss Whedon wanted to direct a BSG episode but is too busy with Welcome to the Dollhouse. Bummer. … continue reading

Is there such a thing as entertainment gaydar? Recently I came across an old friend on Facebook, whom I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Over the years, I’d wondered if perhaps she was gay — and once she had added me as a friend, I'll admit that I clicked over to her profile, curious to see if there would be anything about her sexual orientation there. While there wasn’t anything explicitly stated, I did see with interest that she listed The L Word as one of her favorite shows, and Brokeback Mountain and Chasing Amy as two of her favorite movies.

Now, entertainment gaydar, like any other gaydar, is based on stereotypes — and thus is bound to be somewhat unreliable. After all, there are plenty of straight people who like both The L Word and Brokeback Mountain. (And, actually, I think disliking Chasing Amy is probably a clearer sign of being a lesbian than liking it.) Nevertheless, this whole episode got me thinking about what a person’s tastes in entertainment may or may not say about her sexual orientation. And, using the popular AfterEllen.com forum thread "I’m so gay/I’m so not gay" as an inspiration, I decided to see how my tastes would stack up in the “stereotypically lesbianish” department.

To start off with the “I’m so not gay” category (hey, I may as well get the bit that will make me unpopular out of the way first):

1. I'll admit it — I don’t totally get the Tina Fey thing.

The fact that scribegrrrl, Dorothy Snarker, and Sarah Warn are all fans is enough to convince me that I must be missing something here — and who knows, maybe one day I will see the light. But I’ve seen 30 Rock, and the thing that amused me most about it was Alec Baldwin. (Who, whatever else he may or may not be, is definitively not lesbianish.)

2. I don’t watch The L Word.

The women on The L Word may be gay, but I’ve discovered that that, in and of itself, isn’t enough to make me identify with or deeply care about them. A little good writing goes an awfully long way.

3. I think Desert Hearts is a snooze-fest. … continue reading

One of life’s great shared injustices is the yearbook photo. We all had to get them. And — unless they’ve somehow magically found a cure for awkwardness, geekiness and general dorkitude since I was a teenager — most of us dreaded them. For whatever reason, be it bad skin, bad clothes or the steadfast yet ultimately misguided belief in the transformative properties of big bangs, many of us look back at our school pictures and cringe. Or, at the very least, giggle. But you know what? Celebrities had to get them too, just like us mere mortals. Now that is what I call justice.

So, let’s play a little game called Name That Teenager. It’ll be fun; like being back in high school, but already knowing what everyone will look like at the class reunion. Let the games begin:

Among them you have a Rock star, an Alien hunter, an alphaBette and the possible next president of the United States of America.

Give up? … continue reading

Today NBC released a slew of brand-new promo photos for Season 4 (the last! sob!) of Battlestar Galactica, which premieres on Friday, April 4, at 10 p.m. ET on Sci Fi. Here's some eye candy for you:

Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck

Lucy Lawless as D'Anna Biers

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I'm a geek worshipper. It's really a form of positive self-esteem, since I am kind of a geek myself. I always love to find women in entertainment who seem to be geeks, not only in the characters they play, but also in real life. GeekSugar.com shares that sentiment and has kicked off a poll of the most popular female geeks of 2007.

First candidate: Mary Lynn Rajskub, Chloe O'Brian on 24.

The pictures are from her spread in Geek Monthly earlier this year. Although Chloe is an übergeek on 24, always able to hack into secret data just in time to save Jack's life, Rajskub herself is not too technically savvy. But in my opinion, she has geek cred because she does things like appear as a troubadour on Gilmore Girls and volunteer for the Young Storytellers Program. I do have one geekish issue with Chloe & company, though. Are we really supposed to believe that a government agency is smart enough to use Macs? … continue reading

Ever play a game of telephone as a child? What starts out as "Katee Sackhoff is frakking hot" somehow becomes something like "my kids are smoking pot."

Apparently, we adults are not immune to such childish pastimes. Last week, reports began circulating that Katee Sackhoff had been loudly distancing herself from not only Bionic Woman (not that I blame her), but also Michelle Ryan. One blogger reportedly attended a recent sci-fi convention at which Sackhoff spoke publicly about both Battlestar Galactica and Bionic Woman, and has insinuated that Sackhoff said some not-so-nice things about both the show and Ryan.

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First, I want to admit that I have yet to see BSG: Razor. It's been recorded and is waiting patiently for me to find a few hours of spare time. See, I'm what you might call overly analytical. I can't just watch it and be done with it. I'll have to watch it, re-watch it, analyze it against the first three seasons, and likely watch it two or three more times just to be sure I didn't miss any of the important details.

That being said, the fact that the series sidebar is awaiting my perusal has me wondering when we'll start seeing season 4. This naturally leads to questions of what the season will bring, when it finally arrives. The answer, unfortunately, is greatly affected by the ongoing writers' strike. … continue reading

If you follow the phenomenon that is the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (and yes, you should), you’ll know that a special two-hour episode aptly named Razor is showing on the Sci Fi Channel next week. Razor focuses on the backstory of the battlestar Pegasus and one Lt. Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen), a young officer linked closely to Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) and essential to events leading up to season three.

I had the pleasure of attending one of the advanced screenings of Razor that Microsoft has so graciously (and so ostentatiously) sponsored, so after sitting through about 12 ads for the Xbox 360, I was presented with two hours of pure, sweet BSG adrenaline. No spoilers here, but if you have any interest in spaceships, guns, women in power and/or gratuitous amounts of Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), you should check it out when it airs on November 24.

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Believe it or not, 2007 is quickly winding down. The new year will be upon us before you know it. As a result, I am currently trying to decide which new calendar will adorn my sparsely decorated cubicle in the coming year. Really, the idea of shopping around for a new calendar is the fault of Sporty, Posh and the rest of the Spice Girls. They will not be adorning my walls, but news of their new 2008 calendar is what prompted my train of thought.

Sure, they're not horrible to look at or anything, but the two-month reunion tour will be more than enough Spice Girls for me. A full 12 months would just be overkill in my world. Paris Hilton has a 2008 calendar too, but any time spent with her would be too much for me.

Instead, I'm thinking something more along the lines of Battlestar Galactica or The L Word. The only problem is, while my cubicle is sparsely decorated, I have room for only one 2008 calendar. And frankly, the options are almost endless. So, instead of shelling out my hard-earned cash for something published by someone else, I decided to create my own calendar for 2008. And what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't share my latest brainstorm with all of you? (A non-working one, that's what kind.) So, for your perusal and enjoyment, here is Siege's 2008 wall calendar.

January — Melissa Etheridge

Her voice alone would keep me warm on a cold January night in the Midwest, and frankly, it has. Oh, to be the lucky farm girl who gets to curl up next to this every night. … continue reading