CliqueClack

BSG: Blood & Chrome off to a superb start – VIDEO

After years — yes, years — of waiting, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is finally here. It may not be making a traditional debut on television, but that’s certainly not saying the quality of the videos are lacking in any way.

The gist of the story of Blood & Chrome is that this is essentially a prequel for Battlestar Galactica … and I guess you could call it a sequel to Caprica. It follows the first days of a young Bill “Husker” Adama out of the academy, embarking on his first official mission. Luke Pasqualino as Bill Adama works quite well, displaying a great mix of cockiness and humbleness when it matters. I especially like Ben Cotton‘s Coker Fasjovik, the second-tour co-pilot for Adama, though right now I can’t help but feel like he’s got a touch of red-shirt-itis coming his way before the series is through.

I was a big critic of the Battlestar Galactica series finale. In short, I pretty much thought the ending stunk. As I was reeling from that disappointment, along came Caprica, and I had a hard time caring enough about it when I knew it all just ended up with that crappy BSG finale. So, Caprica lost my interest before it was through. When I heard of Blood & Chrome a couple years ago, I was very “meh” about it — I wasn’t sure I was ready for more punishment. Being away from the BSG universe for years seems to have allowed me to let my disappointment go and simply enjoy Blood & Chrome on its own, not letting the knowledge of what was or what’s to come get in the way.

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For James Bond, things get personal in Skyfall

After a long four years of uncertainty about the future of the James Bond franchise – due to the financial problems of MGM – Bond is finally back in Skyfall. And after the last Bond film, Quantum of Solace, was met with less than enthusiastic reviews (the film went into production with an allegedly unfinished script due to the 2007 writers strike), fans of the agent with the licence to kill may be wondering if the wait was worth it.

The answer is a definite yes! As Bond celebrates his 50th anniversary on film, Skyfall really seems to be striving to get back to basics. I remember when the producers decided to take the series into a more gritty, darker and realistic direction towards the end of Pierce Brosnan’s run, dropping all the campy one-liners and gadgets from Q Division to ground Bond in the world of today, and Daniel Craig’s movies have maintained this attitude, getting even more grounded in reality thanks to another American agent by the name of Jason Bourne. But, I think it’s safe to say that Skyfall may be hinting that the series is about to get back to the classic Bond formula that began with Sean Connery.

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I watch Haven’s Eric Balfour for his mind – not his body

I’m secretly crushing on Haven’s Eric Balfour. I know, I know. It isn’t that much of a secret. And, yes, I know, I share that crush with half of North America, the UK, and more. However, here’s the kicker. I’m crushing on Eric Balfour not for his pretty hair, pretty abs or pretty face, but for his pretty mind. I know! I feel like I should hang up my lady parts in shame. I got a feel for Balfour’s intelligence on the Haven conference call at the beginning of September. However, it came across three-fold in the New York Comic Con (NYCC) press room interview with Balfour and Emily Rose.

Before I get into why I’m crushing on Balfour, I have a mini-story to share. I arrived five minutes late to the Haven press room as my Person of Interest press room table went over with Amy Acker. The PR reps at the front desk handed over my name tag and suggested I start at Emily and Eric’s table because the second table was full. Now, here’s the kicker. There was only one space left. It was beside Eric. Unfortunately, there was no chair in the chair-sized space beside him. Here’s the double-kicker. There was no space for me to easily carry a chair. Both interview tables were close together with only a small amount of space for one person to squeeze through. And, as both tables were engrossed in their interviews, I couldn’t exactly ask people to skooch. So, I figured eff it. I will kneel at the table beside Emily and Eric for 10 minutes until time allowed me to grab a chair.

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The Haven cast let their hair down at NYCC

Basically, everything you’d expect from a young, interactive cast and writing staff happened in the New York Comic Con Haven panel. Everyone just relaxed and let their hair down. Eric Balfour (Duke) and Lucas Bryant (Nathan) fist-bumped each other. Cast and crew all pretended they didn’t want Stephen King (whose novel started it all) on the show. Of course they do! Charles Ardai is still working his magic. The producers joked that Nathan is better looking than Lucas while Lucas casually lounged against Emily’s chair.

I always like panels and in-person interviews because you get a chance to see how actors tick. No matter how press-prepared they are, their feelings towards certain events always leak through. Emily literally glowed while describing her love of the Sarah character. Eric Balfour might be pretty, but, he isn’t a pretty boy. Mentally, he fires on all cylinders. He complimented Adam (aka the Edge) as proving a better actor than wrestler. And he meant it. Basically, if you think Edge is a kickass wrester, wait until you see him act. Speaking of Eric Balfour, why is our favorite long-haired hippie growing his hair out? To play the original long-haired hippie, Jesus, in a zombie flick.

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What are the writers’ plans on The Walking Dead?

Showrunner Glen Mazzara has said time and again he could hardly wait for the fans to see this season of The Walking Dead.

We now know several reasons why.

Each episode of the series thus far has progressively ramped up and advanced what’s been going on with Rick and Company — not to mention the eventual and upcoming showdown with Woodbury (Is that really news to anybody?)  — and it’s been a pretty satisfying ride thus far.

But the shit hasn’t even begun to hit the fan yet. Based on what we’ve seen, I’m certain the creators have got it in for us in a multitude of manners, none of which we may see coming.

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CliqueClack Hungry Trolls Podcast – Episode 10

Friend, contributor and comedian Jay Black has brought his Hungry Trolls podcast here to CliqueClack. Jay joins friend and comedian Vinnie Nardiello in what he tells me will be a twice-a-week deal!

Make sure you tune in and make your friends tune in as well, and comment and rate us on our iTunes page! We’re also on Stitcher!

Please keep the comments coming and let us know what you think. Got suggestions? Questions? We’d love to hear ‘em! Make sure you get everyone you know to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (and rate us, please!) or via some other feed — we feed Jay’s ego a careful diet of traffic numbers and subscriber count, so let’s not let that sucker die of starvation. You can also check-in via GetGlue!

Thanks for listening! And please visit our new sponsor, Audible.com!

(Here’s a direct link to the podcast — enjoy!)

Happy birthday, Robert Patrick

Robert Patrick turns 54 today. This slightly bewilders me, as I still remember being traumatized as a child by the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and nine years later, counting on him to protect me from super soldiers during the final two years of The X-Files. I was a Robert Patrick fan not that long after I was out of the womb, so this calls for some sort of a celebration.

The first movie I ever saw was Terminator 2 in 1991, and my first movie memory involves being terrified of the liquid metal guy. I was five (and before you start jumping on my parents, they didn’t know I’d snuck into the room). The T-1000 had that unnerving tone of voice and that downright almost violating glare and I had nightmares that it was going to kill me instead of John Connor. At the same time, though, I was intrigued by the fact that something I knew wasn’t real was having a very real effect on me. (To this day Terminator skeletons still make me uncomfortable.) It was my experience with the T-1000 in Terminator 2 that got me interested in entertainment and made me a Robert Patrick fan.

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The Venture Bros. Halloween special was all treats

This autumn has been a dark time in the Schenkel household. Between Community pushed back to February, DC Nation (which includes both Young Justice and Green Lantern) put on a surprise three month hiatus after only two weeks back and a bunch of my favorite shows like Legend of Korra still not back after their summer seasons, I’ve been pretty bummed out lately. Luckily, Adult Swim was kind enough to give me a little taste of the show that always keeps me waiting — The Venture Bros.

Look, the show is well worth waiting for, but that doesn’t make the couple years between seasons any easier to swallow. Last year we got a very brief, less-detailed animated short chronicling Hank’s band in a Behind the Music-eque documentary (narrated brilliantly by Bill Hader). Besides that, the last episode we got was the hour-long season four finale “Operation: P.R.O.M.,” which premiered on November 21, 2010. So yeah, after close to two years since the last season ended, I’ve been hungry for more from Astro Base Go! … which is why the Halloween special was a much needed treat.

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Is Sal Price Dexter’s new nemesis?

Y’know, I was totally wrong in my pick for Dexter’s new pain-in-the-ass for this season, when I thought now-deceased Louis Greene would take the honor. Disappointingly, the writers chose to throw away all of the mystery of Louis — like why he was so obsessed with Dexter in the first place — and instead make him just some whiney nerd. It could be that we’ve now found out the reason for that gear change, with the introduction of one Sal Price.

It was mentioned back in July that Santiago Cabrera (Heroes) would be playing this character this season. The fact that a more well-known actor was placed into the role spells out that there’s more to his character than simply a way of getting Dexter a little more info on Hannah’s past. Now that things have been put into motion with regards to Sal and Debra having some sort of relationship, Sal’s not going anywhere soon. So what does that mean?

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Get ready for Christmas with new TV on DVD releases

With Election Day falling on new release Tuesday, the studios have backed off of releasing many new or current shows on home video this week. But they are helping us get ready for the holidays with a complete box set of the HBO series Entourage, and several holiday themed TV shows and specials, including classics from the likes of Carol Burnett and Dean Martin. Have a look at our handy guide to see if there might be something you just have to have for yourself or as a stocking stuffer. It’s never to early to start your shopping. Click on a link for more information or to make a purchase from Amazon.com, and show your support for CliqueClack at the same time.

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