There’s still more Toronto Comic Con footage to share, including an interview with Caprica’s Magda Apanowicz, and Luciana Carro of both BSG and Caprica!

Photo courtesy of Syfy

Wallace Langham & Liz Vassey of CSI

It seems like nearly every day, there’s news of another comic book or graphic novel getting the film treatment. Without a doubt, comics have never been hotter, and comic book conventions are must-attend events. The conventions don’t stop at comics – science fiction and fantasy are huge draws as well. With the ever increasing popularity of annual events like San Diego Comic Con, it was just a matter of time until con culture invaded prime time TV. And where, you may ask, did the con make its appearance on network TV? The crime procedural, particularly CSI and Bones.

I’d almost be as bold to say that this sudden interest in cons would be further proof that “geek” has become cool, but I thought I’d ask Steve Saylor of This Week in Geek what his thoughts were on the appeal for crime procedurals to set episodes at cons. Here’s what he had to say:

I think shows like CSI and Bones setting episodes at cons are just trying to cash in on the appeal of geeks to watch their show. If say, for instance, a show has a big geek icon, they’ll usually cast them in that kind of an episode. I think the only show that was able to pull this off really well was the episode of NUMB3RS where Wil Wheaton was cast as a comic book publisher and he was a complete tool. Wil obviously loved playing the part even if he isn’t a tool; and the episode was set at a comic book convention. Now maybe it was because Wil gave his geek seal of approval to the show because they did their research and did everything right, but they took what would normally be cliche, and made it something interesting and different.

Now, I’d already seen CSI’s “A Space Oddity” and Bones’ “The Princess and the Pear”, but I hadn’t seen the Numb3rs episode that Steve mentioned, so I did my homework and tracked down “Graphic”. Here are some of my thoughts on this genre’s forays into cons.

CSI’s “A Space Oddity” was timely. It aired about a month following the series finale of Battlestar Galactica, and just a few weeks before the release of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek. In it, lab rat Hodges runs into co-worker Wendy at a con, and realizes they are both fans of AstroQuest, a revered sci-fi series that bears more than a striking resemblance to Star Trek. It’s only minutes until they discover the body of Jonathan Danson, the man behind a controversial re-imagining of AstroQuest. BSG’s Ronald D. Moore and Grace Park have cameos, and Kate Vernon has a guest-starring role. It was an entertaining episode, complete with Hodges’ daydream sequences of him and Wendy as AstroQuest characters, as well as references to red shirts and Trekkies … er, Questers. Interesting side note – Wallace Langham (Hodges) was on an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and Liz Vassey (Wendy) appeared in a Star Trek: TNG ep in 1992.

The Bones episode “Princess and the Pear” was definitely the weakest of this trio. The episode could have easily been set at a sports memorabilia convention with a rare baseball card as the coveted collectors’ item. It lacked the requisite passion of the fans, and the element of competition/rivalry that was represented in both CSI and Numb3rs. The crime solving team seemed too detached from the subject matter.

I have to agree with Steve that Numb3rs’ “Graphic” gave con culture the best treatment.

All three episodes shared some common threads. Most notable? Someone on the crime solving team is revealed as a “geek”. On Bones, Sweets is outed as a sci-fi fan, and Fisher admits to being a geek. On CSI, Hodges and Wendy end up at the same con, and realize they have something in common. Sinclair and Larry on Numb3rs are revealed as comic book aficionados. The Bones and Numb3rs episodes included a stolen items that ended up at auctions – a valuable prop sword, and a priceless comic book. CSI and Numb3rs also had some great casting choices for guest roles, namely BSG’s Kate Vernon and TNG’s Wil Wheaton.

So what do you think? Is the presence of con-centered episodes of crime procedural dramas just a way to capitalize on the loyalty of sci-fi/fantasy fans, or is this another prime-time win for the “geeks”? And if you’ve seen these three episodes, which did you think was best?

My next post in this series will focus on what is, in my opinion, the biggest “geek” success story on the tube at the moment – The Big Bang Theory. Come back soon for Part 3 of Has Geek Become Chic?

If you’re looking for something to help alleviate BSG withdrawal, here’s a little treat: a Countdown to Caprica widget! In addition to the countdown clock, the widget includes a trailer and a bonus clip.You can add the widget to your blog, website, or Facebook profile and count down the hours by visiting Discover Caprica. There are also some other fun extras on the site to pass the time until Caprica’s available on DVD and digital download.

April 21st is going to be a good day! So say we all!

The Frakkin’ Finale Party at The Sports Centre Cafe in midtown TO was definitely the place to be for fans, bloggers, podcasters and vodcasters alike.

The energy in the room was unbelievable as we watched Daybreak Part 2 on over ten screens – we ate, we drank, we laughed, we cried, we cheered!

Here are just a few pics from the night:

Delicious Cylon Centurions!

The crowd chats during a commercial break

Me tabulating the results of the BSG Death Pool - Courtesy of Sarah F.

If you have any pics you’d like to share, send them to televixenmel-AT-gmail-DOT-com. I’ll be setting up a photo gallery to commemorate the event.

A special thanks goes out first and foremost to my fantastic party co-host, Daniel The TV Addict for all of his hard work in helping make this event a success. I’d also like to thank attendees Matt and Nat of BSGcast, Russ of the Ramble With Russel Podcast, Steve Saylor, Brian for bringing the awesome BSG coasters, and Bill of Verbal Brew. Thanks to the staff at The Sports Centre Cafe, and to the person who brought the yummy cookies to share with everyone. And last, but certainly not least, a great big thank you to everyone who chose the Frakkin’ Finale Party as the place in Toronto to celebrate the end of BSG!

Well my friends, Battlestar Galactica has ended, and what a ride it was! I’ll be posting my detailed review of the series finale tomorrow, as well as pics from the Frakkin’ Finale Party in Toronto which was the hottest place to be on Friday night!

For now, I’d like to do a little survey to see just how happy you were with how BSG ended. Vote in the poll, and if you comment below, you might just be quoted in my review!

I don’t want you guys to think you’re going to go through this without getting yourself really twisted … it’s brutal what happens to us. Not many of us make it.

Amongst all this darkness, there’s got to be some light. How about some healthy competition between friends with a little BSG pool? Our friend The TV Addict created The BSG Death Pool for this evening’s Frakkin’ Finale Party in Toronto. If you’re having your very own Frak party tonight, and would like to play along with your guests, print it out and let the predictions ensue!  Just don’t airlock the losers

Now, I’ve seen Edward James Olmos speak once before, and he’s a very compelling speaker, but this clip from the UN session really blew me away!

I bet no one ever imagined a resounding chorus of “So say we all” in the hallowed halls of the UN! And if anyone ever doubted the relevance of the themes in BSG to viewers and the human race, take a couple of hours to watch the full session HERE.

Ronald D. Moore is ready to let go of Battlestar Galactica. But are fans ready to say farewell to their beloved series?

At the Sci Fi Channel’s upfront presentation on Monday, RDM was steadfast that this was the right time for BSG to end. SciFi Wire quoted him as saying:

I was ready to let it go creatively. I knew that the show had entered the endgame, and I knew that we were in the third act. It was time to wrap up the story. I wasn’t emotionally ready to let it go, and I’m still not. It was a very important experience for me. I love it. I loved working on it. I loved the people I got to know. I loved the end product. I liked watching the show. I was a fan of the show. So it’s hard to know that there’s not more Galactica coming. But as a producer and as a writer, I’m very happy that we got to end it on our own terms.

As much as I’m going to miss BSG, I am pleased that they were able to give the series a proper ending, and weren’t forced to drag it out a few more seasons. Now it’s just a matter of waiting to see how the final two hours will play out this Friday night.

So how about you? Are you ready to let go of BSG?

Ahhh, The Cylons. What a complicated race! They’ve gone from enemy to ally, destroyer to creator.

I’ve always thought The Cylons were pretty darn cool, but for me, their entire mythos really fascinated me after the faces of the Final Five were revealed to D’anna on the algae planet.

As part of BSG Series Finale Week, I thought I’d do a poll to see who you’d choose as your fave Cylon.

It’s BSG Series Finale Week here at TheTelevixen.com, and I’d like to kick things off with a reminder for Toronto area readers. This Friday night, you could be at the Battlestar Galactica Frakkin’ Finale Party, hosted by yours truly, and the fantastic TV Addict.

Join us at The Sports Centre Cafe, 49 St. Clair Avenue West, only steps away from St. Clair Subway Station. What’s in store? Food, fun, and the finest frakkin’ series finale ever! Be surrounded by BSG on 2 giant screens and several smaller wall-mounted screens. Don’t miss the sci-fi TV event of the year!

And really, who could pass up the chance to break out their BSG gear? Costumes and eye patches, anyone?

To RSVP, visit the Facebook Event Page. Not on Facebook, but still want to RSVP? Contact me directly at televixenmel-AT-gmail-DOT-com.

To our friends outside of Toronto – what do you have planned to toast the ending of BSG?