SciFiAndTvTalk

V's David Richmond-Peck Nominated For Leo Awards

Versatile and talented Canadian-born actor David Richmond-Peck. Photo copyright of The Promotion People.

CONSUMMATE performer and internationally recognized actor David Richmond-Peck is nominated for two 2010 Leo Awards for his standout performances. The actor is nominated in the Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series category for his role as Georgie Sutton in the hit ABC series V as well as the Best Performance by a Male in a Short Drama category for his role in the short film Instant. In 2006, David was honored with a Leo for Best Supporting Performance in a Feature Length Drama for Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork and Mindy. He was subsequently nominated in 2009 for Best Supporting Actor in a Series for his role as Geoff McAlister in the Canadian-made TV comedy Robson Arms. This year's Leo Awards ceremony takes place at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver on Saturday, June 5th, 2010. For more information please check out www.leoawards.com

Known as one of Canada's most versatile and chameleon-like actors, David Richmond-Peck is flawlessly adept at tackling a variety of big and small screen roles that span all genres. He has used his talents to bridge both feature film and television across North America. As noted above, the actor most recently played resistence leader Georgie Sutton on V, which also stars Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) and Morena Baccarin (Firefly). The series follows an extraterrestrial race that arrives on Earth with seemingly good intentions and gifts of scientific and medical marvels, only to slowly reveal their true intentions as they work tirelessly as well as in a duplicitous manner to ingratiate themselves to humanity.

Among David's impressive and distinctive film roles are Agent Dom Dumare in Joe Carnahan's Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball, which was directed by P.J. Pesce, and the polygraph operator in The Day The Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves. His memorable scene with Keanu, known as "The Interrogation," became a YouTube sensation before the movie's release. The actor also played Academy Award winner Chris Cooper's son-in-law in Married Life, directed by Ira Sachs. His many other film credits include 2012, Fantastic Four, Beyond Sherwood Forest, 24/7, She's The Man and The Zero Sum. David's much talked about performance in Instant has earned him a second Leo nomination this year. The film, almost a one man show, follows a man who, after losing his wife, mends his broken heart by accidentally gluing himself to a kitchen counter while alone in his cabin.

On TV, the actor is recognized for his role of CSI Detective Kassel on this season of Fringe, starring Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv and John Noble, along with guest-spots on such series as Sanctuary, Smallville, The L Word, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis and Traveler.

Born and raised in Oakville, Ontario, David now calls Vancouver home. When he isn't busy working on a project, the actor enjoys spending his free time being active outdoors, and counts sailing and snowboarding among his favorite activities. He also spends time with his fiancée, writer/director Kelly-Ruth Mercier and their two dogs, Henry and Josephine.

As noted above, photo courtesy and copyright of The Promotion People, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Jamie Bamber, Eric Mabius And Hermione Norris Star In New BBC America Sci-Fi Series

BBC America today announced the co-production of a new high concept drama Outcasts.  From Kudos Film & TV - the makers of award-winning and international hit series Life on Mars, MI-5, Hustle and Occupation - Outcasts takes viewers into a new world as it explores humans' drive for power, politics and sex in a new post-earth era. Created by Ben Richards (MI-5), the new explosive series stars Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty, The L Word), Liam Cunningham (Clash Of The Titans) and Hermione Norris (MI-5, Wire In The Blood).

Production is now underway in South Africa with Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Daniel Mays (The Bank Job, Atonement), Amy Mason (Being Human, Torchwood) and South African actress and model Jeanne Kietzmann also cast in the series.

Outcasts is set in 2040 on a recently-discovered planet and tells of the dilemmas, loves and lives of a group of people setting up a new world. This life-sustaining planet is now home to the surviving population from Earth. Here there is a chance to start again, to bring the lessons learnt from Earth and to put them into action on a new planet.

The series begins on the day the last known transporter from Earth arrives, prompting great excitement on the new planet - who is on board? Friends and loved ones? Important supplies and news from Earth? But also many questions - will the new people bring the problems of Earth with them? Will the mistakes that destroyed Earth be repeated? Will the arrival of a new, would-be leader, rock the fragile and precarious equilibrium of the fresh, unified and courageous new world? And, most importantly of all, how do is a new and better world created?

Executive producers are Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford-Collins and Faith Penhale for Kudos and Matthew Read for the BBC.

Riverworld's Tahmoh Penikett - Serious Heroics

Tahmoh Penikett as Matt Ellman in Riverworld. Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

He has battled the criminal element in Cold Squad, fallen in love with a humanoid robot in Battlestar Galactica, and doggedly pursued those in charge of a mysterious organization capable of creating the ideal human being for any situation in Dollhouse - such roles have allowed Tahmoh Penikett to exercise a wide range of his acting talents. In the Syfy Channel miniseries Riverworld, (Sunday, April 18th from 7-11:oo p.m. EST) the actor once again reached deep down into his bag of thespian tricks to bring the character of Matt Ellman to life. It is a role that he admits to having an instant connection with.

"This has only happened to me a few times, including with my character of Helo on Battlestar, which is when I first read the [audition] sides for the character of Matt in Riverworld I thought, 'I understand this guy; I know where he's coming from,'" says Penikett. "When the pieces fall together like that, you've got to trust your instincts, so I was really eager to get into the audition room.

"I met with [Riverworld director] Stuart Gillard and, honestly, I was a bit rusty as far as the audition process goes. You can be a professional actor who has been working all year long, which I'd been, but if it's been a while since your last audition it can feel a little weird. So in this instance I had a couple of rough starts, but I subsequently worked on three scenes with Stuart and he seemed pleased with what I'd done.

Matt (Penikett) doesn't quite know what to make of his new surroundings. Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"A week later my manager phoned to tell me that we were in negotiations to get me the part. At that point I still hadn't read the entire script. When I auditioned it was last minute; I got the sides and just had to go in and do it. So when I began reading the script and realized that Matt was the lead in the piece, it was kind of an extra bonus."

Based on the series of popular award-winning novels by Philip Jose Farmer, Riverworld follows the adventures of daredevil war correspondent Matt Ellman (Penikett). When he and his fiancée Jessie (Laura Vandervoort) meet an untimely demise, they are reborn on a strange world where billions of other deceased humans have been reborn as well. Ironically, it is Matt's almost obsessive desire to do some good in the world that has landed him and Jessie in this predicament.

"Matt is a young man who has been tempted and put himself in a number of very dangerous situations," explains Penikett. "There's a part of him that gets off on that, and there's also a bit of a sadistic side of him that likes punishing himself. My character has a lot of guilt because of past experiences that's he's been through, and one, in particular, that we touch upon in our story. It haunts Matt every day and is part of the reason he constantly takes on jobs as a war correspondent that most other people would turn down. Matt is forever putting himself and his cameraman in danger, but not out of selfishness. I think he feels in some ways that this is his attempt at redemption. Either that or he's literally just punishing himself for mistakes he believes he's made in the past.

Matt (Penikett) shares his thoughts with Tomoe (Jeananne Goossen). Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"My character is excellent at what he does, but he's also a little bit careless. Matt is an incredibly ambitious man when he starts out as a war correspondent and he's a brave man, too. Well-educated and raised by loving parents, he goes into this job with a great deal of drive and determination to make a difference because he believes he can. And then this one event takes place that changes him. It's something that he cannot forgive himself for and he continues to put himself in harm's way, probably even more so than he did in the past, in an effort to redeem himself.

"I think it's clear right off the bat about what kind of bond Matt has with his best friend Simon [Arnold Pinnock]. They've been through so much together and literally saved each other's lives multiple times. Through their relationship, you get a sense of what an incredibly loyal guy Matt is. He doesn't have a lot of people left in his life, and when the story opens, you find that Matt and Simon have just been through yet another hairy situation. And my back story on this incident is that once again Matt sees how fragile life is. He realizes how quickly it can be taken away from you and how important it is to move on. That's when my character decides to marry this incredible woman who he's fallen in love with and only known for two months."

Sadly, Matt and Jessie are victims of a cruel twist of fate, which is how they end up on Riverworld. One of the early scenes in the miniseries is of Matt being reborn. This was among those filmed on the first day of the production and one that sticks out in Penikett's mind for several reasons.

Our hero emerges from the banks of the mysterious river. Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"My number one memory of that day is the location that we shot at, Britannia Beach, which is just outside of Squamish in British Columbia," he says. "This is God's country and the geography is incredible in that you can have whatever type of look you want. Drive four hours away and you've got desert-like conditions, while in and around Vancouver you have gorgeous rainforests, beautiful oceans and majestic mountains, and this location was beautiful. We were blessed with terrific weather, too, and we had an excellent DOP [director of photography, Thomas Burstyn] as well, so all the shots are outstanding.

"The very first thing we filmed on-location is the scene where my character wakes up in Riverworld and literally comes out of the water. So within an hour-and-a-half of getting a little haircut and having make-up put on, they threw me in the ocean. Man, was it ever cold. I froze my ass off for a couple of hours doing that," says the actor with a chuckle. "It was early April and not exactly warm for that time of year up in B.C., but, again, it was a gorgeous day.

"I also had one of my first scenes that day with Jeananne Goossen [Tomoe], and funnily enough it's one of the last scenes in the miniseries. It was an interesting test as actors to film what essentially was an integral beginning scene, and then jump right into one of the end scenes. It was good, though, and everything felt right. I really liked the crew straightaway; everyone seemed to be on point and Stuart and I had already established a little bit of a relationship beforehand just discussing the Matt character and his back story. I immediately had a good feeling about him and he proved to me on day one that he was going to be an excellent director. Stuart was an actor, and I often find that some of the best directors are actors, were actors or at least tried it. They know how to talk to actors and understand us. Their dedication to do that is just incredible to me, and I can't tell you how much it means to an actor, too.

Who is this mysterious blue individual and what is he or she saying to Matt (Tahmoh Penikett)? Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"Actors need to be communicated to. We're here to serve the story. We make strong choices and as you become more experienced and confident in your craft, you're going to bring a lot to the table. But a good director can always bring out the best in you, and Stuart spoke my language. He was completely open to any suggestions I had to try to better the script or anything I could offer up that might allow us to touch on a different angle or aspect of a scene. For my first leading role, to have that kind of relationship with a director who is so open and so intelligent was, for me, a real confidence builder as well as inspiring and I learned a great deal from Stuart."

Although Matt has known Jessie for only a relatively short period of time, there is no doubt in his heart that this is the woman for him. "If you've done any traveling in your life and spent a week with someone else, that's like knowing that person back home for four or five months," says Penikett. "Oftentimes when you're travelling you're not bothered or distracted by responsibilities. You're completely present and focused on the individual you're with, and in my character's back story that was the case with Matt and Jessie.

"He saw her helping an old lady in the street and couldn't resist introducing himself to her because it truly was love at first sight. Matt had never experienced that before. This is someone who has had a lot of loss in his life. In the back story I came up with for Matt, he lost his older brother as well as his parents. The only family member he has left is his sister, so in a lot of ways he's very guarded and closed off to true love. So when he sees this girl he just can't believe it. Jessie is the most beautiful girl Matt has ever laid eyes on, and then the two of them share eight passionate weeks together and they just click. They're soul mates, and Jessi is one of the few people who can break through all the pain that Matt carries with him and help him deal with it. That's why when he finished his last assignment with Simon, he realizes, 'I have to go for this. You only get this chance once in your life, and this is the woman I want to be with.'"

Jessie (Laura Vandervoort) and Matt, destined to be together forever...or are they? Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

They may have died together, but when Matt and Jessie get to Riverworld they are separated. Penikett's character sets out to find her with the help of a few others, including a 12th century Samurai warrior named Tomoe.

"There's an immediate connection and attraction between Matt and Tomoe," notes the actor. "Yes, Matt is madly in love with Jessie and his first and foremost goal is to find her, but he and Tomoe are thrust into this situation and they form a bond with and love for each other. They go to amazing lengths for one another, and it's a neat parallel to Matt's and Jessie's relationship in that as that story goes on, the respect and friendship that Matt and Tomoe share continues to grow. So there's a lot of potential there with them too, you know? I also think that it's confusing to both of them, but Tomoe's loyalty and bravery is obvious."

Matt and friends travel up the mysterious river in search of Jessie on a riverboat, courtesy of Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemens (Mark Deklin). "I was very excited about the paddlewheeler because I'm from the Yukon and they're historical up there," says Penikett. "Most of them were burnt down, but the S.S. Klondike is probably the most famous one that's still in the City of Whitehorse. I grew up with that being an historcial site. These boats were from the Gold Rush days when everyone was coming up from Skagway and trying to head up to Dawson City to make their fortune.

Matt (Penikett), Simon (Arnold Pinnock), Sam Clemens (Mark Deklin) and Youseff (Kwesi Ameyaw). Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"So I couldn't believe it when I found out we would be shooting on an actual paddlewheeler. We did a ton of scenes in and out of it, and it's very much another character in the miniseries. Within days of us being on it, Mark Deklin was saying, 'This boat is an integral and important character in the story,' and we all adamantly agreed Some of the most important scenes in this four-hour miniseries play out on that boat."

Our heroes eventually cross paths with British explorer/adventurer Sir Richard Burton (Peter Wingfield), who claims he can lead them to Jessie. Matt, however, is less-than pleased when the arrogant and duplicitous Brit admits that he has developed an affection for her, and vice versa.

"That really throws my character off," says Penikett. "The Powers That Be in Riverworld let Matt know that he and Burton have a connection that needs to be dealt with, and possibly only one of them will survive. It's a strange experience for Matt, but all the signs keep on showing him that there's this truth out there and he doesn't have a choice in the matter. So he ponders carefully and moves forward as he tries to deal with it.You've got to understand that Matt and everyone else in this place want to know, 'Is this a nightmare? Are we in heaven, or hell? What are the rules? Are we here to atone for the mistakes we've made?' There's a total sense of loss and confusion there, which really messes with Matt and most of the relationships he has in Riverworld."

Could this be it for Matt (Penikett)? Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

Matt and Burton eventually come to blows, literally, towards the end of the miniseries, and Penikett enjoyed the physical challenges associated with putting together as well as executing this fight. "Our head stunt coordinator, Marshall Virtue, was excellent," he praises. "His family is a legendary stunt family from here in B.C. They've worked on a lot of projects and Stuart has worked with Marshall's father Danny for 25 years.

"Marshall is a smart kid and for this project he brought in one of the best martial arts fight coordinators in the business, Larry Lam, and to get to work with someone of his caliber is just exceptional. I'm a martial artist myself, and Larry and I connected right away. Having done a great deal of this [type of fighting], too, I tend to pick up the fight choreography fairly quickly. With Riverworld, we were constantly changing things, and that's just the nature of filming.

"Oftentimes you'll choreograph an incredible fight, but due to time and delays in shooting, parts of it will usually be cut out. When we went to shoot our big fight, we actually ended up cutting out a couple of little chunks. No matter what, though, it's really important to always be safe with the fighting. If you take a wrong swing or use the wrong hand, there's a chance that someone is going to get hurt. I have to give a shout out to our stunt guys because they were amazing. On the day of filming there was a point where I jumped off the stairs and straight-kicked one of them. I've got a big foot and I didn't actually hit him, but because I was above him, I did hit his stomach pad. He went flying off the stairs, but he took it like a champ.

Matt (Penikett) and Tomoe (Jeananne Goossen), a dynamic fighting duo. Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"I also had this one final scene between Matt and Burton, and once again I was fighting with a stuntman. We rehearsed it numerous times and I was supposed to throw a roundhouse kick at him. Well, my pants were so loose that they kept slipping down, which, of course, is going to impede how high you can kick. Right before the roundhouse kick, I did a bunch of other kicks. Well, my pants came down, but I didn't realize it and I went for the roundhouse kick, which was probably a good two inches lower than it should have been. Luckily, the stunt guy ducked right under it.

"Fortunately, we all walked away pretty much unscathed. I love that sort of stuff, though, and the more I do it, the better I'm getting at the whole fight choreography thing."

Who will live, who will die? Who will win Jessie's heart, Matt or Burton? You will have to tune in to Riverworld to find out, and Penikett is confident that audiences will enjoy the ride. "Every actor in this miniseries really invested himself or herself in their character and I think the bar was set high right from the start," enthuses the actor. "I worked my ass off and so did the rest of the cast as well as the crew. Everyone was very focused, ambitious and present. Ultimately, we did everything we could to make the best story possible."

Steve Eramo

As noted above, all photos by James Dittiger and copyright of the Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

The Syfy Channel Sizzles During Summer 2010

THE Syfy Channel goes boldly where it has never gone before in Summer 2010 with its first ever Thursday night reality bloc (Mary Knows Best and Paranormal Investigators); new scripted series (Haven) based on a Stephen King novella; popular returning series (Warehouse 13, Eureka, Ghost Hunters Academy and Ghost Hunters International), and fan favorite Saturday Night Original Movies including Lake Placid 3 and Stonehenge Apocalypse.

The traditional holiday movie marathon runs from Friday, May 28th through Monday, May 31st, including "cold as ice" films (Yeti), horror flicks (premiere of Wrong Turn on Saturday, May 29th @ 9:oo p.m.), "creatures in the water" films (Lake Placid 2) and a festival of Stephen King adaptations (The Stand) on Memorial Day, May 31st.

The new Thursday night reality bloc premieres Thursday, July 15th @ 9:oo p.m. EST/PST with Mary Knows Best (working title), a docu-soap reality series following Mary Occhino, a successful radio host, psychic intuitive and mother of three, who gives a whole new meaning to the term "mother is always right." Her children, Jackie, Chris and Carl, are a mismatched group f siblings consisting of a skeptic, a paranormal investigator and a reluctant psychic. In each episode, viewers will meet a humorous and unforgettable cast of family characters including Mary's outspoken older brother Charles and two adorable grandchildren. The series is produced by Atlas Media Corp.

Following @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST is Paranormal Investigators, which debunks fact from fiction by uncovering the truth behind supernatural and unexplained occurrences which have been caught on tape. In each episode, the six-person team, led by former FBI Special Agent Ben Hansen, searches for the most intriguing and unusual images, videos and unnatural phenomenon found online and around the world. Selecting the most intriguing images, the team heads into the field attempting to re-create the video, carrying out key experiments and searching for clues and evidence. The team uses all the latest tools CGI (computer-generated imaging) and investigative techniques at its disposal to try to answer the question, "Is it real?" Produced by Base Productions.

The new drama series Haven premieres Friday, July 9th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST. Based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King, it follows FBI Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose), who arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine to solve the murder of a local ex-con. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people with a remarkable range of supernatural abilities. Among the townspeople are local cop Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant), who eventually becomes Audrey's partner, and the mysterious and charming Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour).

Cable's top paranormal franchise, Ghost Hunters Academy returns with brand-new episodes on Wednesday, June 2nd @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST. Expert instructors Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango will once again train a group of recruits to become the newest team member, but this time, one hopeful will be voted off each week by one of the ultimate judges of paranormal investigating: Ghost Hunters' Jason Hawes! Jason, Steve and Tango will put the new recruits through the paces with challenging investigations at six of the most daunting and memorable past Ghost Hunters locations: Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Waverly Hills, KY), Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston, WV), Mark Twain House (Hartford, CT), Fort Delaware (Delaware City, DE), Mansfield Reformatory - a.k.a. "Shawshank Prison" (Mansfield, OH) and the infamous Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, CO).

Season two of Warehouse 13 debuts on Tuesday, July 6th @ 9:oo p.m. EST/PST. The series follows two Secret Service agents who find themselves abruptly transferred to a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse's caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the Warehouse itself. Warehouse 13 also features Allison Scagliotti, along with series guest-star CCH Pounder.

Eureka kicks off its fourth season on Friday, July 9th @ 9:oo p.m. EST/PST with the introduction of new series regular James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) as Dr. Grant, a former resident of the town whose unexpected return is cause for serious alarm and, considering his romantic interest in Allison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), significant friction with Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson). New and returning fans won't want to miss the big changes in store for everyone in the small town of Eureka after a cataclysmic shift turns their lives upside-down. Eureka also stars Joe Morton (Henry Deacon), Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo) and Niall Matter (Zane Donovan).

On July 14th, new episodes of Ghost Hunters International premiere @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST. Like their U.S. counterparts, TAPS (The Atlantis Paranormal Society), GHI is a squad made up of everyday ordinary citizens who investigate and attempt to debunk claims of otherworldly activity. In the premiere episode, the team travels to the famous town of Nottingham, England and search for the Sheriff of Nottingham's Ghost at the Galleries of Justice. Other countries on their global adventures will include Wales, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia and many more. The team includes Robb Demarest, Barry FitzGerald, Brandy Green, Ashley Goodwin, Paul Bradford, new cast member Scott Tepperman as well as Ghost Hunters Academy winners Susan Slaughter and Karl Pfeiffer.

Saturday Night Original Movies

Lake Placid 3 premieres in June 2010. In this sequel to Lake Placid 2 (most watched Syfy Saturday Original Movie ever), a game warden, his wife and their young son move into their aunt's cabin on Lake Placid, where the lonely boy starts feeding baby crocodiles he considers to be pets. Three years later, the crocs start looking at him and his family as food. Stars Colin Ferguson (Eureka).

Stonehenge Apocalypse premieres in June 2010. When the giant stones of Stonehenge begin to move and cataclysms occur all over the Earth, only a fringe radio talk show host who's an expect in UFOology figures out that the ancient monument is really alien technology. Stars Hill Harper (CSI NY).

Jack Hunter And The Lost Treasure of Ugarit premieres in July 2010. Jack Hunter, an adventurous fortune hunter, goes to Syria to find an ancient treasure buried thousands of years ago, which might be cured. Stars Joanne Kelly (Warehouse 13).

Goblin premieres in July 2010. A family vacations in a mountain town haunted by a goblin that steals babies. When their newborn disappears, it's up to his older half-sister to rescue him.

Mandrake premieres in August 2010. A group of adventurers searching for a Spanish conquistador artifact find that the jungle around them is a single living being - and it's not happy they're there.

Riverworld Comes To Syfy In April

THE Syfy Channel sets sail this spring with the 4-hour Sunday night television movie Riverworld, premiering Sunday, April 18th from 7-11:oo p.m. EST. Starring Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica/Dollhouse), Laura Vandervoort (V/Smallville) and Alan Cumming (Tin Man), Riverworld is an epic adventure featuring familiar characters in an unfamiliar world and is based on the popular award-winning series of novels by Philip Jose Farmer. The TV miniseries is produced by Reunion Pictures and will be distributed internationally by RHI Entertainment, who teamed up to also bring TV audiences two other Syfy Channel TV events, Tin Man and Earthsea.

Matt Ellman (Penikett) is an American war zone reporter who has witnessed the worst of humanity first-hand, yet still grasps on to an optimistic spirit. When a suicide bomber kills both Matt and his fiance Jessie (Vandervoort), they awaken separated in a mysterious world where everyone who has ever lived on Earth seems to have been "reborn" along the banks of a seemingly endless river. Determined to locate Jessie, Matt joins forces with a 13th century female samurai warrior named Tomoe (Jeanne Goossen) and American novelist Sam "Mark Twain" Clemens (Mark Deklin). Together they sail upriver in search of its source, and to discover where they are and who put them there. Alan Cumming guest-stars as the mysterious "Caretaker."

James Callis Joins Syfy's Eureka

PRODUCTION begins this week in Vancouver on season four of Eureka, one of the Syfy Channel's most popular original series, it was announced by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Development at Syfy, and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. The dramedy's new season welcomes an all-new regular cast member, James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) as Dr. Grant. Syfy has ordered 20 episodes of Eureka, which will once again be shot entirely on-location in and around Vancouver, Canada, and is slated to premiere on Friday, July 9th of this year.

Throughout the four-season run of Syfy's award-winning Battlestar Galactica, James Callis starred as Dr. Gaius Baltar, garnering both critical acclaim and fan adoration for his portrayal of the self-serving, opportunistic, conniving genius. On Eureka, Callis will play scientist Dr. Grant, a former resident of the town whose unexpected return is cause for serious alarm and - considering his romantic interest in Allison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) - significant friction with Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson). New and returning fans won't want to miss the big changes in store for everyone in the small town of Eureka after a cataclysmic shift turns their lives upside-down.

Once again this season, series stars Colin Ferguson and Joe Morton (Henry Deacon) will direct episodes, and making her directorial debut as well is female lead Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Also, special guest-stars returning this season include Jaime Ray Newman (Dr. Tess Fontana) and Matt Frewer (Taggart).

Caprica's David Eick and Paula Malcomson - Vive La Difference!

Caprica co-creator/executive producer David Eick. Photo by Chris Haston and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

Paula Malcomson as Caprica's Amanda Graystone. Photo by Joe Pugliese and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

On January 22nd, 2010, the long-awaited Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica premiered on The Syfy Channel. A few days before, series co-creator/executive producer David Eick and cast member Paula Malcomson, who portrays Amanda Graystone, spent some time on the phone speaking with myself as well as several other journalists about the series. The following is an edited version of our conversation. Enjoy!

Can you talk about the intention to make Caprica different from Battlestar Galactica, because it definitely has a whole different feel to it.

DAVID EICK - I think we're very intently committed to the idea that this show stand on its own, and that it not in any way feel like an echo, a descendent or an extension of Battlestar Galactica. You'll note that the title is not Battlestar Galactica Caprica, but simply Caprica. The relationship that it has to Battlestar is purely inconsequential. It's kind of in an Easter egg sense of fun for the fans and audience that followed Battlestar Galactica. However, if you never saw a lick of that show, it will have no impact on your ability to really get involved in and relate to the characters as well as the drama that we're doing on Caprica.

People can pretty much watch Caprica in a lot of different places other than on the Syfy Channel, such as on-line. Is that part of your design or does that come from the network?

DE - Well, it was a network design, but I believe - and I'm not certain about this - that it's a release strategy or a distribution strategy that other networks have tried as well. I think Glee may have done something like this where the pilot premiered and after a period of time went by, the pilot re-premiered as a launch to the TV series. So I think in a multi-platform universe as it were, where people are consuming dramatic material on their televisions, DVD players and the Internet, it's really kind of smart and ahead of the game to figure out new and unorthodox ways to launch a TV show. But, yes, that was definitely the network's call and we were happy to get onboard. In fact, it gave us an excuse to spend even more money on the pilot, and the version that ultimately aired was sort of tricked out with a bunch of new shots and visual effects as well as a couple of scenes we even re-shot. So it's been worth it all around.

Paula, it seems from watching the first few episodes that your character has a lot of really tough moments to play, and she makes a lot of choices that might make her unsympathetic in the eyes of a lot of viewers. I'm wondering how you struggled with portraying that and making her a likeable character?

PAULA MALCOLMSON - It's definitely something that occurs to you in the back of your mind, but as an actor you have to sort of put aside your own judgements in terms of whether your character is necessarily good or bad. I think being a good actor is sort of understanding the complexity of the human psyche and also knowing that none of us are perfect. So it was tough and I did think about it, particularly that many people would perhaps find Amanda unsympathetic. I just really tried to tap into the character's loss and pain as well as the fact that she has made mistakes and then go from there, you know?

DE - I would also add that I don't think in the sort of canon of this show or shows like it, that there's a tremendous amount of concern for what I would call old-fashioned television tropes-like sympathetic characters. I think audiences want challenging characters and ones who are neither black or white but somewhere in the middle and who are going to challenge the audience's expectation in every way. One of the reasons that Paula plays her character so well is that you're never quite sure what to expect from her. And there are times when you expect her to maybe lose it, but, in fact, she completely holds it together and vice versa. I think that's human and real and part of what I think is the hallmark of the show.

David, how much impact did female viewership play in not setting the series in space or relying heavily on space scenes?

DE - Most of the people I spoke to about Battlestar in terms of the fan base were women, so the empirical demographic breakdown of the audience is something that I just chose to keep at bay and not pay a lot of attention to. So I never really think in terms of gearing a show towards a particular audience. In more general terms, yes, I do recognize the fact that perhaps a female audience might be more inclined to watch a story that's more of a soap operatic kind of melodrama and without the accompanying visual sort of ghetto and spaceships and outer space. Something like that might have more accessibility to a female audience just because of that generalization. But that was never a motivation for not setting Caprica in space. The motivation was to make it as different and unique from Battlestar as possible.

David, when you guys did Battlestar Galactica, you and Ron Moore (Caprica co-creator and executive producer) talked about how the plot of the show evolved organically instead of having everything mapped out in a specific direction. Based on your experience, have you changed that creative process, and if not, why have you stuck with that mentality?

DE -Ron Moore and I had a number of discussions about this very early on. We come from very different backgrounds in terms of how writers' rooms are run. On Star Trek - and I heard all this third hand and cannot confirm any of it - but presumably the outline process takes place in the room. It's very precise, very detailed. There's not a lot of jazz or improvisation invited or tolerated, and it's almost a military-like environment. That's not to say that the work was any less good, it's just that it was run with that level of discipline and structured parameters. I've worked with other writers and producers in a variety of different capacities and there was a much looser environment where young writers were encouraged to come up with ideas and contribute. You might throw some suggestions out, and you might find others brilliant. The downside of that is you would sometimes have an episode that didn't work.

So I think we wanted to sort of combine the best of both these [writing] environments. When it came to how the writers' room was run on Battlestar, and then later on Caprica, it's about having a structure or large picture plan usually concocted by me and Ron during the hiatus. That would then be delivered to the writing staff and everyone was encouraged to improvise and add and subtract and change and go crazy and just sort of create an environment where there are no bad ideas. If then we lost our way, we'd circle back to where we really wanted to go. So it really is a combination of running a tight ship and yet allowing for there to be a great deal of improvisation and changes on the fly, purely with the intent of developing the best ideas.

PM - That applies on-set with the actors as well in terms of loosely dealing with the script, so when a surprise or something interesting comes up, we have the luxury to be able to follow that instinct. It's really the only way to work as far as I'm concerned, otherwise there are no surprises and it's boring, you know? Just the other day one of the directors said to me, "I never know what you're going to do," and I said, "Neither do I." There's just something amazing and beautiful about that, and hopefully it works.

Paula, could you tell is a little bit about how you first became involved in Caprica and about your audition process for the role?

PM - I met with Jeffrey Reiner, who directed the pilot, and I hit it off with him. He's very smart and a huge film buff, so he just seemed like the kind of director I wanted to work with. So it was first of all responding to the material, and then meeting Jeffrey. I initially auditioned for the role of Sister Clarice, but Jeffrey wanted to see me play Amanda. I was hesitant about that, though, because I didn't know if I could play that character. I was frightened of that, and I realized that that was a really good thing. Then I met David and Ron and everyone else involved. I think was the first person they cast, followed by Esai Morales [Joseph Adama], Eric Stolz [Daniel Graystone] and then Polly Walker [Sister Clarice], so I was delighted with the people who I'd be working with.

David, with the first season of the show almost wrapped, what maybe have you enjoyed most so far about bringing the Caprica story to life?

DE - Well, the biggest and most pleasant surprise was the one that we sort of didn't allow ourselves to dream could happen, which was to get as lucky as we did with this [acting] ensemble. That phrase about you're only as strong as your weakest link really applies when you're dealing with an ensemble cast. And so we were very fortunate to have such strength across the boards from such established and well-recognized actors like Paula, Polly Walker, Esai and Eric, combined with people like Sasha Roiz [Sam Adama], who were going to be brand new to an American audience and are able to hold their own. Those are things you can't plan for, you just have to hope. We got together in Lake Tahoe way back in January of last year to start breaking stories, so it wasn't for lack of planning when it came to aiming to make the show good in every way that we could control. But as hard as you might work on casting and such, you just never know until you get there, and we just got incredibly lucky with our cast and crew as well.

As noted above, photos by Chris Haston and Joe Pugliese and copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

La-La Land Records To Release Battlestar Galactica: The Plan/Razor

Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama) stepped behind the cameras to direct Battlestar Galactica: The Plan. Photo by Justin Stephens and copyright of the Syfy Channel.

NBC Universal and La-La Land Records revisit the acclaimed TV series Battlestar Galactica with the release of the soundtrack for the two extended TV events, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan and Battlestar Galactica: Razor on February 23rd, 2010. Both The Plan and Razor feature music by series composer Bear McCreary. La-La Land Records is releasing The Plan/Razor soundtracks through a license agreement with NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan/Razor composer McCreary's Galactica score has been described as "sharp and sensitive" (The Wall Street Journal), "a key element in establishing the show's dark, complex tone" (The Hollywood Reporter) and "rich, raw, oddly stirring...kick-ass and powerful as hell," (E! Online). It "fits the action so perfectly, it's almost devastating: a Sci-Fi score like no other" (NPR). McCreary has performed sold-out shows with the Battlestar Galactica orchestra during Comic-Con in San Diego, and in Los Angeles at the Grand Performances series and at The Roxy.

McCreary currently scores the new FOX series Human Target, NBC's Trauma and two series for The Syfy Channel - Eureka and the Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica, both of which are produced by Universal Cable Productions. McCreary's credits include the Capcom video game Dark Void and the feature films Wrong Turn 2 and the Rest Stop films. McCreary was among a handful of select protegés of late film music legend Elmer Bernstein and is a classically trained composer with degrees in Composition and Recording Arts from the prestigious USC Thornton School of Music.

"After finishing my four season journey scoring Battlestar Galactica and releasing four remarkable albums with La-La Land Records, I am thrilled to be able to return to this musical universe," said McCreary. "These two scores make any fan's album collection complete."

Edward James Olmos (Admiral William "Husker" Adama) directed Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, which was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2009, and aired on Syfy in January 2010. 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: Razor also tells the story of what happens on the eve of a devastating Cylon attack, this time from the perspective of Officer Kendra Shaw - who reports for duty on the Battlestar Pegasus. When mankind's future is forever changed on that fateful day, Kenda is reshaped into a "razor," a tool of war, under the ruthless guidance of her commander, Admiral Helena Cain. Battlestar Galactica: Razor tells the untold story of Pegasus and provides chilling clues to the fate of humanity as the final chapters of the Battlestar Galactica story unfold. Battlestar Galactica: Razor originally aired on Syfy in November 2007, and was released a week later on DVD and Blu-Ray.

"When I compiled the Season 4 soundtrack, it became clear that there was not enough room on even a two-disc set to accommodate cues from Razor and The Plan," said McCreary. "Combining them on one album made perfect sense, because both narratives flashback to the same time period within the larger BSG story and offer different perspectives on the same events. The scores to Razor and The Plan are two sides of the same musical coin." Also available from La-La Land Records are McCreary's soundtracks for Battlestar Galactica seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4, Caprica, Eureka, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Wrong Turn 2 and the Rest Stop films.

As noted above, photo by Justin Stephens and copyright of the Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Michael Trucco, Kari Matchett and Eric Johnson In Syfy's Meteor Storm

A passing meteor shower turns into a deadly storm from space that threatens to destroy San Francisco. As the city's disaster official (Michael Trucco) tries to evacuate the population, a scientist (Kari Matchett) races to unravel the mystery of the repeated strikes. She discovers that remnants of an ancient meteor strike, found under San Francisco, contain a new element that exerts a magnetic pull on the meteorites. While the city is devastated around her, she has a bigger problem to solve - how to stop a huge meteor from being pulled in and creating an extinction event.

Meteor stars Michael Trucco (Battlestar Galactica), Kari Matchett (Invasion, 24) and Eric Johnson (Flash Gordon, Smallville) and airs Saturday, January 30th @ 9:oo p.m. EST on The Syfy Channel.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan Comes To Syfy

IN Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, the Galactica saga is revisited one last time as the origin of the Cylons "plan" to annihilate the human race is finally revealed in full and unfolds from the beginning. Directed and starring Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama), The Plan also stars Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Dean Stockwell, Michael Trucco and Kate Vernon.

The Cylons' sneak attack on the 12 colonies devastates the human race, but it is not a death blow and Cylon model #1, John Cavil (Dean Stockwell), is determined to finish the job.

Two of the Cavil models end up taking different approaches to the task. One makes his way to Galactica's fleet, working covertly to direct the actions of the Cylons living and working, undetected, among the humans. Not many of these Cylons, including Boomer (Grace Park), the Six called Shelly Godfrey (Tricia Helfer), and Leoben (Callum Keith Rennie) have formed ties, even loving bonds, with humans. This Cavil's frustration mounts as his efforts to destroy the fleet fail and the humans get closer to touching his own hardened heart.

The other Cavil goes to Caprica, where he insinuates himself into the rebel group led by his "father," Sam Anders (Michael Trucco). This Cavil learns a lesson about the durability of love that changes everything. The two-hour Battlestar Galactica: The Plan airs Sunday, January 10th @ 9:00 p.m. on The Syfy Channel.

Check out the following link for a preview of this episode - http://rcpt.yousendit.com/799429716/6579a9d46532416395a4f01e9ea18eb8