Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

NOTE: This original recorded version of this episode has been edited down by about 30 minutes in order for the podcast version (available here and on iTunes) to come somewhat closer to our usual one-hour running time. To hear (and see) the unedited version of the episode, watch the video recording of the episode at Ustream.tv by clicking HERE.

PTG Episode 103 is brought to you by Live Trivia Entertainment, who we here at PTG humbly submit for your consideration as the folks bringing the best Trivia Nights to locations all over the Central Florida area. If you enjoy competing and enjoy trivia games in a fun, relaxed setting, click on the link above to find a location near you and get in the game! Me personally, I’ve been part of a team playing at Red Star Tavern in Orlando on Wednesday nights for the past month and a half, and I’ve enjoyed myself each and every week, win or lose. PTG is excited to help get the word out about Live Trivia Entertainment events in Central Florida, which include the Quarterly Team Trivia Championship Tournament, the only tournament of its kind in the U.S.. Teams can qualify for the tournament by competing and amassing points during the weekly Trivia Nights. Register for the tournament at a Live Trivia Entertainment trivia night location near you, rack up enough points, and you qualify to compete for a piece of the $1,200 prize pool. Check it out!

In this episode, The Man from Slacker and the Man and I talk once again about the current season of 24, which we learned late last week would be its last, as well as the mid-season finale of Caprica, which could also be in its last season depending on whether or not it can hold on to its target audience. [CORRECTION: During the episode I said that the hiatus for Caprica would only be one month, but in fact Caprica's season will resume in September. Apologize for the confusion!] We also discuss the merits of the film portfolio of Paul W.S. Anderson, the director responsible for Mortal Kombat, the Resident Evil franchise, Alien vs. Predator, Soldier, and now a new big-screen adaptation of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. We wrap up the hour (more like 2 hours in the original recording!) by talking about last week’s Blackest Night and Siege tie-ins from DC and Marvel, respectively. Enjoy!

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 91 is brought to you by Talk Nerdy Show. If you haven’t yet, PLEASE head over to www.talknerdyshow.com and check out Episode 1 of Talk Nerdy Show, which features among other bits yours truly in an interview which truly displays my lifelong geekdom. I do have to say also that it’s the first time anyone has ever referred to me as a “local stud.” As unexpected and flattering as that was to hear, I think it’s contradicted ENTIRELY by the contents of the interview. You cannot openly talk about AD&D 2nd Edition and be considered ANY kind of stud. I’m sorry, but that’s just simple, irrefutable fact. Don’t forget, I’ll have both Carin and Ryan from Talk Nerdy Show in the SomaCow studio for the February 20th show–don’t miss it!

In this episode we at last review Caprica, the prequel series to Battlestar Galactica that has BSG fans … well, puzzled. The show’s ratings, according to TVbythenumbers.com, are slipping, and that’s no doubt in part due to the fact that the show is so completely different than its predecessor. The argument can be made that the show isn’t even fanboy material or fanboy/fangirl accessible, at least not yet. That’s not to say it isn’t GOOD, and we cover the show’s strengths as well as its weaknesses during the hour, but the show’s concept and execution really might be working against it in this case, and it’s not a sure bet at all that it will get another season from SyFy. Also in this hour, we hit on a GREAT comic book allusion found in last week’s episode of Human Target, the winter finale of Fringe, and last week’s big Marvel Siege issues, Siege #2 by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel, and Siege: Embedded #2 by Brian Reed and Chris Samnee. Enjoy!

It’s hard to believe BSG has been gone for as long as it has already–the final episode of Season 4 aired on March 20. Perhaps it’s because the images and scenes from the series finale are still so vivid in my mind, makes me feel as though I watched it just last week. Of course, not everyone was happy with the way the series ended; as with everything else throughout the show, nothing was pat, nothing was neatly tied up, nothing was uncomplicated, and that, I know, frustrated viewers who for once wanted a straight answer out of the show runners. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan , which was supposed to answer many other questions, really didn’t make much of an impression on fans or TV viewers. Perhaps the idea of seeing previous events in the series through the eyes of the Cylons wasn’t enough of a hook for fans to get excited about the made-for-television film. Whatever your feelings about how the series ended might be, we as fans are all pretty much unanimous in how we feel about how the series began, so if you feel like revisiting the beginning, why not pick up the blu-ray version, available now for pre-order? You won’t have long to wait for it–copies hit store shelves on Tuesday, January 5th. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is available now.

Or, if you don’t feel like indulging your BSG nostalgia on video, how about with some of the awesome action figures and toys released through Diamond Select and available from Entertainment Earth?

Battlestar Galactica Apollo and Dualla Action Figure 2-Pack
Battlestar Galactica Cylon Six Bust
Battlestar Galactica Boomer and Athena Action Figure 2-Pack
Battlestar Galactica Cylon Centurion Action Figure

Some of these items are part of Entertainment Earth’s Year-End Sale and some are pre-order items, so click on the images or links above and check things out depending on what you’re looking for. Cool stuff all around, trust me!

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com

PTG Episode 55 is brought to you by Friday night TV programming, a.k.a. The Dead Zone. For all the rave reviews that both the season premieres of Smallville at 8PM on the CW and Dollhouse on FOX at 9PM received during the past week, both shows generally went unwatched by the public at large. Now, of course, the numbers reported do not include those folks who might have LIVES and actually don’t stay home on Friday nights, preferring to record any Friday night TV they simply can’t live without. But you can’t ignore how damning the numbers SOUND.

Smallville scored the worst score of the night, according to TV by the Numbers, drawing 2.5 million viewers. The winner that night in the 8PM time slot? The season premiere of Ghost Whisperer drew over 8.5 million viewers. Hell, a RERUN of the series premiere of FlashForward drew more viewers at 8PM than Smallville did! Way to go, CW.

As for Dollhouse, the numbers were the worst in the show’s history:

9-9:30 p.m.: 1.0, 1.0, 2.698 million
9:30-10 p.m.: 1.0, 1.0 2.427 million

It’s a far cry from when the show debuted back in February following the now dead-and-buried Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and helping FOX to double its Friday night audience, but about even with the May finale. This is familiar territory for Eliza Dushku, whose last show, Tru Calling, suffered a similar fate in its second season. But hey, at least Dollhouse didn’t come in last in its timeslot the way that Smallville did–that “honor” went to America’s Top Model, another CW program. At least they’re consistent.

It’s a real shame too, particularly for Dollhouse, which had a VERY strong start in terms of what’s in the episode. We cover Dollhouse’s second season premiere, along with the premieres of Heroes and ABC’s new show, FlashForward, in this episode. A review of the new Bruce Willis sci-fi “thriller” Surrogates sneaks in there, as well. Enjoy!

PTG Episode 45 is brought to you by the Cure For the Run. Yes, SomaCow’s day to help the homeless and hungry in Orlando is this weekend, and there’s still time for you to get involved. Registration for the event begins at 4PM at Wall Street Cantina in downtown Orlando, and the event itself starts at 5PM, so if you’re local to Orlando and you want to help out, come on down, walk the 164 ft., and hey, get a free vodka drink from the Cantina for your efforts! If you’re NOT local to Orlando, you can still help by making a donation at the event website. Just click on the links in this article, hit the “Donate via PayPal” button, and you’ve done your good deed for the day. All proceeds go to Rock For Hunger. Thanks to everyone who has already donated!

In this episode, Mad Mario, EricathePimp, and I talk about last week’s announcement that director Bryan Singer has been tapped to direct a big-screen adaptation of Battlestar Galactica, one that will have no connection to the TV series we’ve all came to know and love, and compared it to other “Worst Ideas Ever” this year. We also hit on last week’s Blackest Night issues from DC Comics, and in our new “Mad Mario Potpourri” segment, the Destroyer of Worlds reviews Coraline and Watchmen on blu-ray and looks ahead to The Beatles Rock Band. It’s good stuff, but you knew that, ’cause it’s Mad Mario in the studio, and he always brings it when he joins us in the studio. Thanks again, dude–can’t wait until your next visit.

Oh, and speaking of games, just one last bit–Sony announced yesterday that FINALLY they’re dropping the price of the PS3 by $100 on all existing models AND introducing a new model, the PS3 Slim, in September that, among other neat things, uses 34% less energy. So what I want to know now is this: Any chance Sony will start a trade-in program for older PS3 systems so that we can get more “green” and use less energy as a gaming community? I mean, yes, we want those bigger hard drives, too, but seriously, it’s more about the lower electric bills and the environment! (Yeah, I know, not very likely, but you never know until you ask …)

PTG Episode 37 is brought to you by George Carlin: At Carnegie Hall, one of my all-time favorite stand-up performances from the late, great George Carlin. If you’re wondering how or why George Carlin’s observations about the worst thing that can happen to you while cleaning out the refrigerator has any connection to this episode’s content, be sure to listen to the entire podcast. Trust me, it’s in there. And afterward, if you are familiar with this particular Carlin performance, order the DVD from Amazon using the link above, or just watch it on YouTube, as you can find the entire performance there, separated into seven separate videos.

Episode 37 begins with me screaming at the rain, so to speak. As with many a ‘Felix is Fuming’ segment, there’s not much point to railing against the perceived (at least by me) bias the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences carries towards sci-fi and fantasy genre television, aside from it being somewhat cathartic. (It also proved to be a great warm-up for singing at the Karaoke-Tweetup later in the evening.) After all, nothing short of EVERY prime time television comedy and drama having some sort of sci-fi or fantasy hook or premise will really change anything. But I said my peace, it’s out there, and you’re certainly welcome to debate or disagree with my conclusions. I may actually concede to watching this year’s Emmy Awards when they air, just because there were a good number of genre shows nominated for awards, including Battlestar Galactica, and it would be a pleasant surprise to see one or two of those nominations actually turn into wins. Time will tell.

Looking ahead to this weekend, many a geek will be a-twitter (literally) over the many panels, presentations, and signings happening at San Diego Comic-Con, which is without a doubt the biggest pop-culture event of the summer. Though I cannot be there personally, our good friend James Wright, a.k.a. ‘Chuck Spear’, will be calling into PTG during the first hour to talk news and highlights. James is an aspiring comic book writer himself, and hopefully in addition to filling us in on everything he will have seen and heard up until Saturday afternoon, he’ll talk to us about the project he’s currently working on and pitching to publishers. We thank James in advance for taking the time to contribute to PTG this week, and look forward to the chat!

Hour 2 of Prime Time Geek’s 13th Episode kicks off with the taiko drums that us BSG fans have come to know and love, the music that’s been part of the lead-in for arguably the best show on television these past six years. I could think of no better lead-in for this hour of PTG than that music, since a big part of the hour is taken up by discussing Parts II and III of “Daybreak,” the series finale of Battlestar Galactica.

Riveting, thrilling, heartbreaking, triumphant, and yes, flawed, Galactica’s final episode does not, by any means, answer all of our questions, and that’s been a source of frustration for many among the legion of fans across the country that have reacted since the episode aired last Friday night. I find it amazing and a little depressing that there would be so much outcry, so many complaints, about the show and its handlers not tying up every one of the show’s loose ends into a neat little bow, not handing up explanation after explanation for the mysteries that have vexed us, for not dumbing the show down in its final hours into something less than stellar just so that absolutely everyone can say, “I get it now.” The number of complaints and criticisms saddens me because its seems clear to me that had Ronald D. Moore, David Eick, and the show writers actually done just that, come up with clean, neat answers to ALL of the show’s conceits, that there would STILL be complaints, but instead those complaints would sound more like, “Oh, it’s too neatly packaged up.” Galactica never pandered to our sensibilities by giving us easy answers. It always, ALWAYS left us with ambiguity, and so I feel that leaving a few things for us to make up our own minds about is fitting. There’s also a complaint out there that the end was too predictable, and to that charge I ask, “do we really need shock and surprise simply for the sake of shock and surprise?” Have we been so spoiled by all the times this show has taken a turn we did not expect over the last six years that when something actually goes in a way that’s less than surprising, we feel cheated? That’s simply insane. No, the finale was not perfect, and there were decisions made that left me wishing for something different, certainly. But the brilliance of that 2 hours and 11 minutes far outshined its shortcomings, and I, for one, will argue its merits to anyone who feels as though the whole effort should be written off as poor or lazy writing simply because it didn’t spell everything out for us in black and white.

Hour 2 of Prime Time Geek Episode 12 is ALL about Marvel Comics!

Actually, no, that’s a lie. Two-thirds of this hour of Episode 12 is all about Marvel, specifically:

• Invincible Iron Man #11, written by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca;
• Marvel Studio’s revised schedule of films being produced and released through 2012, including Iron Man 2, Thor, Spider-Man 4, The First Avenger: Captain America, and The Avengers
• Prime Time Geek’s casting recommendation for the role of Thor in Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Thor epic: Karl Urban!

What about that last third of the hour, you ask? Well, it’s devoted to a little, tiny event going on called the SERIES FINALE OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA!!! I could write a ton about Part 1 of the finale, “Daybreak”, (and actually, I already did, but I deleted it accidentally. Doh!) but it would really just repeat a lot of what’s covered in the podcast, and why should I do that if you’re going to listen anyway? (yeah, I just don’t want to retype it all. ‘Nuff said.) Anyway, enjoy!

Hour 2 of PTG Episode 11 continues Mad Mario’s in-studio visit and focuses for much of the hour on upcoming geek movies for 2009. The opening sound drop is, of course, from the Hugh Jackman-John Travolta film debacle Swordfish, which, though abysmal, is actually pretty quotable … all right, fine, just that one moment in the sound drop is quotable.

Some of the highlights of the hour include:

-thoughts on how not-psyched either of us seem to be about X-Men Origins: Wolverine;
-thoughts on how COMPLETELY psyched both of us are about Star Trek, along with some discussion about who Kirk should or should not get it on with before and after he takes over the center seat, and a great moment where Tobey (madmarioswife, joining us in the chat room) expresses her, ahem, admiration for actor Karl Urban, who plays “Bones” McCoy in the new film. This is followed immediately by Mad Mario wishing Mr. Urban bodily harm involving him and a large mass transit vehicle;
-thoughts on the current direction of Battlestar Galactica as it hurtles towards its THREE part finale episode, “Daybreak”, which begins this Friday at 10PM on Sci-Fi Channel (During the show we erroneously referred to it as a two-part episode). It’s also revealed that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Kara “Starbuck” Thrace on the show, would be Mario’s “free pass.” Hmm … just have to find out for him the next time she’s coming down to Florida for one of those “Women of Sci-Fi” Conventions that Vulkon Entertainment sponsors every year. It’s the least I can do for a friend, right? However, I’ve heard she really digs football players.

Once again, many thanks to Mad Mario for sitting in last week and providing lively discourse, and also to Tobey, wife of Mad Mario, costume goddess, PTG graphic designer extraordinaire, and fervent admirer of Karl Urban, for joining the live chat and adding fodder to our in-studio banter with her comments!

I began Hour 2 with a clip from Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home, thinking I would have a chance to talk about that film’s blu-ray release (along with the other “Original Crew” films and Season One of the Original Series) on May 12th, but alas, the time got away from me and I didn’t get to it. This clip loses a little something when you can’t SEE what’s happening, but Bones’ line about “the bureaucratic mentality” and Kirk’s “Let’s see what she’s got,” are well worth it. And even though we only got to see it for about 5 seconds, that was always my favorite Enterprise bridge–the gleaming white with blue chairs and glossy black control surfaces. One of my biggest gripes about Trek V (and I have MANY) was the Enterprise bridge redesign for that film. Bleagh.

Hour 2 features some praise for Marvel’s resident evil genius, Brian Michael Bendis, as he weaves a deliciously wicked web for the ‘real’ heroes of the Marvel U to find themselves out of, complicated mightily by Norman Osborn’s team of ‘Avengers’, currently starring in their own Avengers book, Dark Avengers. Bendis must simply be having a blast writing this, taking all the ‘wrongness’ of villains pretending to be good guys that he worked so well in Thunderbolts and kicking it up a notch with villains pretending to be our favorite good guys, good guys like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, and Ms. Marvel, and dressing up once-and-soon-to-be-nutcase-again Norman Osborn in Iron Man armor painted like the American flag. So, SO wrong, and yet still SO entertaining.

Due to confusion over the different time slot for Episode 9, JC did not make his planned appearance, so the second block focused on more upcoming DC fodder, with particular emphasis on Battle For the Cowl. My one fear about this book is the length of time they’re going to drag things out with Dick Grayson resisting taking on the mantle of the Bat, the mantle everyone ELSE whose opinion matters KNOWS is one only he is deserving of. Others involved in the storyline, most notably Jason Todd, will certainly disagree with that conclusion, and will no doubt step up to fill Batman’s cape and cowl before Dick can get over his reservations, or at least that’s how it would go in a very conventional, predictable, boring kind of way. Please, Tony Daniel: surprise us.

The hour wraps some talking up of MegaCon this upcoming weekend and the BSG after-action report on “Deadlock”, last Friday night’s rather lackluster entry into Season 4.5. Easily the weakest of this half-season’s episodes, it serves the purpose of moving pieces into place for the final run of four episodes, as well as showing us something surprising. Before, while Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon) was alive and in the fleet, before her death on New Caprica, it always seemed like there was NOTHING redeeming about her character, and she just served to bring out the worst in Saul (Michael Hogan). Now we see the truth: Saul and Ellen bring out the worst in EACH OTHER–it wasn’t all Ellen after all. On the Basestar in “No Exit”, Ellen is thoughtful, intelligent, maternal, sympathetic. Get her onboard Galactica and with Saul and she’s the bitchy, spiteful, manipulative harpy we were happy to see poisoned at the start of Season 3.