Caprica Season 1.5 DVD & cast updates

The Caprica Season 1.5 DVD is out this Tuesday (Dec. 21) and you can still pre-order it on Amazon. NBC has sent out copies for review and the first interesting bits about the commentary tracks come from IGN's Eric Goldman; one about plans to have James Callis and Tricia Helfer appear in the second half of season one, and another about one of the Final Five appearing in season two (if the show hadn't been pulled).

If you haven't seen the last five episodes, the general consensus is that they're the best part of the season. For better or worse, the show got a lot more prequelized and the hour that was cut last year can be felt, especially in the last two episodes, but the storylines, characters, dialogue and everything else stayed as frakking inspired as it always has been. Be warned, though. The finale wraps up the most prominent storylines of the second half of the season, but it leaves an even bigger continuity hole with Battlestar than the one it started with in more ways than one and may leave you with a sense of a beginning rather than ending. Which sucks, with the cancellation and all.

That said, on a more subjective note, with all the continuity issues between Caprica and Battlestar (and the way they 'fixed' one in particular toward the end of the season), I can't help but feel that Mark Stern et co. are being a little disingenuous about the possibility of Blood and Chrome ever going to series. With less ground to cover than Caprica, even more shackles in the story department, not to even mention character, and general insistence on more ties to the mother ship from the network (and hardcore BSG fans - most of them anyway), I am not really convinced that Syfy's plans to keep milking the franchise will extend beyond the movie. If anything, the news of Stargate's cancellation doesn't exactly spell faith in established franchises, or established fan bases for that matter.

Either way, you can catch the unaired episodes of Caprica on Syfy on January 4 or get them on DVD in a few days. I know there's been some resistance to buying the DVD, with people still not getting any less pissed off about the cancellation, but this isn't exactly a show that will get discovered by the masses as it should and, with Syfy keeping mum on all fronts, that's not gonna change any time soon. Not for anyone to profit from the show in any meaningful way anyway. Beyond that, unlike marketing and scheduling, the DVDs are the one thing they (NBC Universal, that is) actually do right. And besides, there are other ways to kick Syfy where it hurts.

UGO.com has an exclusive clip from the DVD, cleverly subtitled “Never before seen anywhere.” It includes a couple of scenes from "Blowback;" one with Magda Apanowicz and Ryan Kennedy travelling to Gemenon, and Chris Heyerdahl going batshit on the STO recruits, and the other with Brian Markinson and Tom McBeath in the GDD archives. The clip is embedded at the end of the post.

Alessandra Torresani is on TWoP's list of TV's Most Valuable Performers. And she'll be hosting Attack of the Show again this Monday.

You can vote (only once and until Monday) for Caprica in the SpoilerTV Awards polls in several categories: Best Lead Actor in a Drama (Eric Stoltz), Best Guest Star (John Pyper-Ferguson), Best Show Cancelled in 2010, and Best Episode of 2010 ("Ghosts in the Machine").

Elsewhere:

Yes, Stargate Universe has been cancelled halfway into its second season. The news came yesterday via Deadline and, in another good stroke of good judgement, Syfy had forgotten to inform the cast beforehand and took the opportunity to use the news as a springboard to promote its upcoming shows. Other than the Tuesday death slot, SGU shared writer/producer Remi Aubuchon and the occasional cast member (Mike Dopud, Anna Galvin, Zak Santiago, Ryan Kennedy) with Caprica. The remaining episodes of season two will air in the spring. More details at GateWorld.net.

Things are looking brighter for Sanctuary, which is still in negotiations for season four. Spacecast has a new video interview with Ryan Robbins and Chicago Now recently talked to Chris Heyerdahl. Polly Walker guest stars in the mid-season finale tonight (Friday) at 10 pm.

Sundance.org has posted the screening schedules for all the films premiering at the festival in January, including Gun Hill Road with Esai Morales and Vampire with Ryan Robbins. You can find them here: Gun Hill Road, Vampire.

The Battle of the Bulbs, with Teryl Rothery, premieres tomorrow (Saturday) at 8 pm on the Hallmark Channel. You can find several behind-the-scenes clips on YouTube: clip 1, clip 2, clip 3, clip 4.

Luciana Carro has landed a leading role in The Icarus II Project, an independent web series which will premiere at the San Diego Comic Con next summer. They start shooting in February. Michael Taylor is credited as script consultant on the official site. You can find more details about the project at LucianaCarroFans.com.

CSI: Miami 9x10, "Match Made in Hell," with Peter Wingfield guest starring, has been pushed back to Sunday, January 2.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, with Alex Arsenault (Philo) and Philip Granger (Tanner Willow), still has no release date for the U.S. but it has been released in Russia earlier this month. For updates on release dates elsewhere in the world, go to the movie’s Facebook page.

Patton Oswalt's book, Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, is out on January 4. AICN has a review.

The Chicago Sun-Times has a short interview with Malcolm MacIver, who worked as a science consultant on TRON: Legacy, which opens this weekend.

Spoiler TV has posted the returning dates for all network shows. Here is a round-up:

• V returns on Tuesday, January 4. Alison Araya guest stars in the season two premiere, "Red Rain."
• Private Practice is back on Thursday, January 6. The first new episode should be the one directed by Eric Stoltz.
• The Cape, scored by Bear McCreary, kicks off on Sunday, January 9 on NBC.
• Lie to Me returns on Monday, January 10. Paula Malcomson is probably appearing on the show that day.
• The Good Wife, with Scott Porter, is back on Tuesday, January 11. Spoiler TV has the synopsis for the next episode and a 2011 promo.
• House is back on Monday, January 17. Still no word in which episode Sasha Roiz guest stars, but keep an eye on his new official Facebook page for updates.
• Fairly Legal, starring Sarah Shahi and BSG’s Michael Trucco, kicks off on Thursday, January 20 on USA. Philip Granger and Ryan Kennedy will both appear on the show at some point.
• Hellcats returns on Tuesday, January 25, or possibly sooner. Heather Hemmens (Hellcat Alice) tweeted that the show will be back on January 4.

Last not least, check out How the Nerd Stole Christmas on Bear McCreary's blog.

The clip from the DVD: