Fall Battlestar TV Movie

Usually, the surfing ends up having a theme, and today's is Battlestar Galactica. It started from a Pop Candy reference to a Katee Sackhoff Esquire interview. It didn't occur to me that she's still a baby (27).She's going to play the bad bionic woman in the upcoming TV show (on my list of things to watch in the fall mostly because of this) on NBC. When asked if she's seen the show:

Not until my boyfriend started driving me nuts doing the sound effects. When I finally got the job I was like, "You've got to stop this." And he was like, "Why?" And I was like, "Because I have no idea what you're doing!" And he was like, "You've never seen it before?" He went and bought all the DVDs and made me sit down and watch it. And we both decided that it's still a great show.

First of all, who is your boyfriend so that I can crush him? Secondly, that sounds like something I would do, so he's probably a cool guy. So, even though I will crush him, I promise he will not suffer. Much.Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not list any name or location of Ms. Sackhoff's boyfriend, but it does have a link to Kara Thrace. Then, I end up reading about the synopsis to the last episode of Season 3, just because it was so money. But then I notice a link to the NEXT episode, "Razor", which apparently isn't an episode so much as a full-length TV movie:

According to IGN, "the movie will indeed focus on an untold story about the Battlestar Pegasus, and feature Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) ... While this story with Cain occurs before she and the Pegasus crew joined up with Galactica, the entire cast of the regular series will appear in the movie, as the Pegasus portion is portrayed via flashbacks"[2].

And just to spice things up, we're going to throw in some hot girl-on-girl action:

According to several unconfirmed reports, it will include flashbacks to the original Cylon War, complete with original series Cylons and spacecraft, and reveal that Cain watched her parents and sister be killed by Cylons. A lesbian relationship will also be hinted at between Cain and Gina [Number Six].

The writers never have disappointed with the series, and according to SyFy Portal, they look to start off Season 4 with a bang:

"Razor," however, won't just be a typical flashback episode, sources tell SyFy Portal. It will bring together fans of both the original 1970s series and the 2003 remake like no episode has before, and it will feature revelations that will make jaws drop and instill fear on what might come in Season 4.

Michelle Forbes -- introduced to genre fans as the Bajoran Ensign Ro in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- will reprise her role as the iron-balled admiral in the telemovie, proving to viewers that her sunny disposition wasn't exactly the result of the Cylons annihilating nearly all of the human race. Cain is fighting some demons of her own, one of the biggest ones stretching back to the original Cylon War 40 years before where she watched her parents executed by the 1970s versions of the living machines, and being forced to make the impossible decision of leaving her little sister behind in an effort to save herself.

But the biggest skeleton in Cain's closet will finally come out, so to speak. Remember the disgust Cain had for Gina (Tricia Helfer), the Number Six Cylon prisoner she was holding on Pegasus by the time the military vessel met up with the Galactica? Well, things weren't always that bad between the two ladies. In fact, before her exposure as a Cylon, things were much, much, much, much different.

"Cain and Gina were quite close," a source tells SyFy Portal. "In fact, they were lovers. We don't exactly come out and say it, but you'd have to be sleeping through the middle of all this to not pick up on their relationship."

The only downside is that the TV movie (which will be released simultaneously on DVD, I hear) will be the only Battlestar episode in 2007; the rest of the last season won't be until 2008. At least for a show that loves cliffhangers, it gives good ones.

Welcome to the 21st Century

In a stunning display of common sense, Egypt finally instituted a law that really shouldn't be necessary, but apparently is if you live in an ass-backward religiously-driven society:

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt on Thursday finally banned all female circumcision, the widely-practised removal of the clitoris which just days ago cost the life of a 12-year-old girl.

Officially the practice, which affects both Muslim and Christian women in Egypt and goes back to the time of the pharoahs, was banned in 1997 but doctors were allowed to operate "in exceptional cases".

On Thursday, Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali decided to ban every doctor and member of the medical profession, in public or private establishments, from carrying out a clitoridectomy, a ministry press official told AFP.

Any circumcision "will be viewed as a violation of the law and all contraventions will be punished," said the official, adding that it was a "permanent ban".

A survey in 2000 said the practice was carried out on 97 percent of the country's women.

In the latest fatality, 12-year-old Bedur Ahmed Shaker was taken by her mother to a private clinic in Minya, a town on the Nile south of Cairo, for the operation. She died before she could be transferred to hospital.

Her mother accused the woman doctor of negligence, charging that her daughter's death was linked to the anaesthetic and not the removal of the clitoris, for which she had paid 50 pounds (nearly nine dollars). Police have arrested both women.

Of course, there are some countries where the practice is culturally driven rather than by religion. You'd also think that this was one of those "duh" decisions and Egypt was the last to stop this barbaric tradition. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. Here's a map from Wiki showing the prevalence of FGC (Female Genital Cutting):Maybe they finally got this Law & Order re-run in Eqypt. Ah, the power of Lenny Briscoe.

Six Times as much fun

Clearly, Sam Raimi has failed to learn the lessons of Spider-Man 3 and X3, in that more is not necessarily better. It appears that the following comments were made with complete candor:

As Raimi sees the next installment, according to MTV: "I would love to see Electro, Vulture, maybe the Sinister Six as a team."

So, even though most of the negative press for Spider-Man 3 was focused on there being far too many characters involved in the film (which is now the 11th-highest grossing film of all time, proof that $ <> :)) to the point that story and development were sacrificed, Sam thinks it would be great to add a few more villains the next time around. Say, another three.

Frankly, two villains at a time is about the most you should attempt to muster. One has generally proven to be the most reliable number (but it is the loneliest number, and so must be consoled), with the original Spider-Man, Batman, Superman doing quite admirably. There are always exceptions to this guideline (I'm looking at you, Fantastic Four, which I didn't loathe, but I didn't necessary tolerate without being heavily sedated.), but with the origin story of two -- hero(es) and villain -- to cover within the framework of an actual tale, it's best to not get bogged down with multiple threats in the first episode of the series.

Beyond two, you get into murkier territory. Generally, when you take on two new villains, you'll need an origin story for both, so again, you incorporate their stories into the general plot and development of the film. When you have too many egos involved, you'll get mixed products like Batman Returns or Batman Forever. Not to pick on Batman, I will say that Batman Begins is the how-to in handling two villains in one picture.

Now, I have to admit I haven't seen Spider-Man 3 precisely because I thought there was going to be too much going on. I can't confirm this, but neither can I say that I think putting SIX villains in a picture will make it anything other than an incoherent mess. Maybe this is a warning to those contemplating making a Justice League or Avengers film, or for fuck's sake another Brett Ratner's X-Men, where this time it's 20-on-20! I hope that Sam comes to his senses and, IF he can make Spidey-4, he scales it back.