Bionic Woman

Michelle Ryan hit the red carpet again for the Britain’s Best Awards in London, wearing a stunning black dress and perfect locks. Her real accessory, however, was her lips which were painted in a stunning pale red color that was perfect for her features.  It is no wonder that the press was in awe of her, mentioning her among the most prominent celebrities in attendance thanks to her amazing look and little black dress.

Michelle was photographed with Atonement sensation James McAvoy, who has been the toast of Britain this year.  Michelle was also photographed with Mischa Barton of The O.C., but not with an Audi - the latter is unusual as Michelle has been photographed more with Audis than with celebrities at red carpet events in 2008.

The event was a very glam affair with guests that included the British Prime Minister, Jude Law, Victoria Beckham, war heroes, London mayor Boris Johnson, architect Lord Norman Foster, and a wide variety of Britain’s glitterati.

Lucky magazine is all about shopping, and Lucy Hale hit their event in New York City earlier this week to pick up some swag.  She was with her new BFF and costar, Ashley Newbrough, from Lucy’s new show How to Survive the Filthy Rich.

Other celebrities who were swagging the same day as Lucy included Eliza Dushku, star of Joss Whedon’s new series Dollhouse, Molly Shannon, Bonnie Sommerville, Law & Order’s Jill Hennessey and Kathryn Erbe, and a host of others.  The day before Rainn Wilson from The Office was there, along with the cast from Gossip Girl, Brooke Shields, Connie Britton from Friday Night Lights, Daniel Dae Kim from Lost, Alison Sweeney from Days of Our Lives, Zachary Levi from Chuck, and various folks from 30 Rock.

According to TV Guide and to several sites, Katee Sackhoff was virtually a lock for a steady role on the mega-hit show CSI … until the producers changed their mind at the last minute.  What happened?  The official word was that Katee was just not right for the role, but one has to wonder if Bionic Woman tanked her chances.

Katee won rave reviews for her portrayal of Sarah Corvus, Jaime’s bionic nemesis on Bionic Woman.  But many people felt she overpowered her costars and stole the scenes simply by using her natural charisma. 

It is possible that her potential CSI costars worried she would overpower them on the procedural drama, especially since she has a proven ability to make even the most technical dialogue worth watching on Battlestar Galactica? 

There is a vast difference between Galactica and BW, of course, especially since the cast of BSG includes Academy Award nominees Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell.  Nothing against Will Yun Lee or Michelle Ryan, but EJO and MM are simply in a class of their own.  And nothing against William Peterson and Marg Helgenberger, but Katee’s charisma beats the pants off Jorja Fox any day.

We have no doubt that someone will soon realize the brilliance that is Katee, and cast her in something worthy of her talents.  In the meantime Katee-Sackhoff.org is reporting that she will be back on Jimmy Kimmel at the end of May.  If you are in the area and would like to try to get tickets, click here.

Michelle Ryan looked amazing in a skin-tight purple dress at the world premiere of the Sex and the City movie in London earlier this week. 

As always, the British press went mad for Michelle, and several UK newspapers featured her in photographs instead of Sarah Jessica Parker and the other stars of the film.  She won kudos from the British fashion watchers for the way the dress highlighted her famous curves.

The premiere was held at Leicester Square, a popular place to root a red carpet in London.  Other stars in attendance included film stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrell, Vivienne Westwood, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon, as well as Davina McCall, Kim Stewart, Kelly Rowland, Kirsty Gallacher, Mario Cantone, Martine McCutcheon, Alex Curran, and The Sugarbabes.

Will Yun Lee, who played Jae on Bionic Woman, recently hit the red carpet for the JC Penney Asian Excellence Awards at UCLA.  Will was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work on the show, but he lost to Rex Lee of Entourage.  His companion for the evening was an unidentified blonde, and he wore his hair longer and shaggier than usual.

Other celebrities in attendance included Lindsay Price of Cashmere Mafia and Beverly Hills 90210, Steven Segal, Cheryl Burke and Karina Smirnoff from Dancing with the Stars, Bai Ling, Tia Carrer, Daisy Fuentes, Olympic Gold medalist and Dancing contestant Kristi Yamaguchi, Quentin Tarantino, and many others.

Will attended the 2007 Asian Excellence Awards as well, which were hosted by Grace Park from Battlestar Galactica and Daniel Dae Kim from Lost.

A new Battlestar Galactica clip was put up on Hulu this weekend, a video blog entry from David Eick and the crew of BSG related to David’s energies on Bionic Woman.  It is very interesting viewing, considering what we know happened after this video was made.

The clip was obviously shot during the heady, optimistic months of last Spring when Bionic Woman was NBC’s most anticipated pilot and the show the marketing folks said had the best chance of being a hit.  It features David referring to BSG as “Bionic Galactica” and members of the BSG crew talking about his absence on their set like petulant teenagers … and the message is clear, everyone expected Bionic Woman to take off faster than a screaming Cylon raider.

There’s Grace Park, who plays Boomer and Sharon “Athena” Agathorn, talking about how David was “disowned” by his BSG family.  There’s Jen Halley, who plays Seelix, talking about how she wants to raid Bionic Woman’s craft services area.  There’s Tahmoh Penikett, who plays Helo, and Allesendro Juliani, who plays Geata, talking about how the show feels David’s absence.  And Michael Hogan appears without his Tigh eye patch to give a crusty blessing … assuming David will cast him in his new show.

But that was a year ago, and as we all know how the big hit did not happen.  The early detractors were right, Bionic Woman had major problems and the more the folks behind the scenes tried to fix them the worse the show became.  The show was hurt by many factors, not the least of which being the cocky lust for a hit that is seen so clearly in this Hulu clip.  It’s just another sad reminder of the bionic potential of this show, and how it was frittered away.

Entertainment Weekly has an four-page feature on blonde action heroine and former bionic babe Katee Sackhoff in this week’s issue, where the star talks about her roles on Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica as well as her plans for the future.

Among the more interesting revelations for Bionic Woman fans was Katee’s frustration about how watered down Sarah Corvus became as the show got more and more attention.

“She was sooooo much crazier than what ended up on the air,” said the actress.  “She kept being pulled back.  That’s the norm for network television, as far as I am concerned.”

It’s another insider comment about the stunted potential of what could have been a great show, and one that is especially intriguing considering the Sarah Corvus scenes that made it on the air were pretty crazy.  The Sarah we saw was needy, violent, homicidal, caring, self-destructive, palpably alive and yet slipping into psychosis while dying. 

What Sarah Corvus could have been, or would have been, if Sackhoff had been allowed to truly unleash her man-eating and scene-chewing glory will be a mystery for the ages.  As will the question of who she was with in the pilot, and what would have become of her complicated relationship with the elder Anthros played by Mark Sheppard.

The article also contained high praise for Katee from Bionic and Battlestar executive producer David Eick:  “You’ll see I tend to cast Katee in everything I possibly can … She’s a very special find.  Those actors who can combine the qualities of strength and vulnerability - they usually call those people movie stars.”

The magazine interview featured some gorgeous pictures of Katee looking fiercely lovely with flowing blonde extensions.  There are also videos of Katee from the shoot on the magazine’s web site for those who are interested.

A post on the NBC.com message boards reports that a scam artist is taking advantage of fans’ sorrow over Bionic Woman’s cancellation to scam money by pretending to be Michelle Ryan’s agent.

The man contacts fans through message boards and e-mail and claims Michelle has a bank account that she would like them to contribute to, which she will then use to donate to the charity of her choice.  The scam is obviously fake, and hopefully no unwitting fans fell for this ploy, especially since the man is asking for contributions of two thousand dollars and up.

As the poster reported:

“This a Man is a fake..michelle’s agent is a Woman (i think) and i ask this guy why is the account in his name shouldn’t it be in michelle’s name or the charity the she is supporting?..I didn’t hear back from him after that..so be warned..”

The poster later reported she had alerted Michelle’s real agent of the scam, and her legal team was looking into the issue.  Let’s hope the fan also included the accompanying electronic data, and some e-detectives are in the process of tracking down this tacky trickster.

It’s been a rough week for Michelle, as fans hopes for a Bionic rebirth were further dashed by David Eick’s openness about the show’s impending official cancellation. 

On the bright side, Bionic Woman continued to be a ratings sensation in her home country of the United Kingdom.  After setting records for ITV2 during its premiere, Bionic Woman continued to do well on the channel during its second week.  Also, the news of Heather Mills’ dramatic final divorce hearing, where she dumped water on the attorney of former husband Paul McCartney, gave the British tabloids another beauty to bash for awhile.

It has been a long journey for WatchingBionicWoman, and while the hours of labor I put into this blog are nothing compared to how hard the cast and crew worked on the show it was still a huge disappointment to read last week’s announcement from David Eick.  I will post my thoughts on the cancellation news soon, but in the interim be sure to check out the Top Ten Things That Hurt Bionic Woman list and check out the news as it arrives.

Molly Price’s new movie, The Life Before Her Eyes, will premiere April 18 in the United States.  Molly plays Uma Thurman’s mother in the film, which surrounds the secret life of Uma’s character as she comes to terms with her guilt about a violent incident in her past.  Evan Rachel Wood plays Uma’s character as a young girl and you can see a glimpse of Molly in the movie’s trailer, which is below.

Word is that David Eick is refreshingly candid on his DVD commentary during the first episode of Bionic Woman, stating the show was “the most difficult production ever.”

Katee Sackhoff hit the road during the writer’s strike, taking her Harley out for a spin around some wineries with her Battlestar Galactica costar Tricia Helfer (”Number Six”).

Miguel Ferrer is mentioned as a possible link in the new game “Six Degrees of David Duchovny,” which could be the new “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”

Will Yun Lee apparently turned 37 this weekend … I never would have guessed he was a day over 30!  Happy Birthday Will, and may you land many great roles in the year to come.

Executive Producer David Eick broke ranks with NBC Universal last week, telling the press that Bionic Woman really is over even as the network has stood by its claim that no official decision has been made about the future of the series.

“I just felt that the process was so frustrating, and the conditions under which we were making that show never really came to fruition in such a way that I felt like we could make the show well. The actress [Michelle Ryan] we found was wonderful. Some of the writing was good.

“We just didn’t ever bring it all together like we did with Battlestar,” he continued. “At a certain point, when it becomes that frustrating, I think you’re better off to say, ‘Let’s try again another time,’ and let it go.”

SciFi Wire got the scoop at last week’s SciFi Channel upfronts, where Eick was promoting Battlestar Galactica and the upcoming prequel series Caprica. 

The Toronto Star had some additional commentary from show star Katee Sackhoff, who played Jaime Sommers’ frenemy Sarah Corvus:

“It’s no one’s fault,” Sackhoff told the paper. “The hype was so big before the show came out, and they were so scared that it would fail, that everyone had an opinion. There were too many cooks in the kitchen, and they didn’t know what they were cooking.

“I mean, I know what went wrong. Had they given me the show, I could have figured it out. I could have told them exactly what to do. But then everyone would have put their hands in, and the same thing would have happened. You can’t blame anyone. That’s just how it goes.”

Katee Sackhoff channeled her Kara “Starbuck” Thrace persona last night on The Late Show with David Letterman.  This is a photo of Katee outside the Ed Sullivan Theater, where she and nine other Battlestar Galactica cast members shot a BSG-themed Top Ten List. 

The next night Katee partied at the SciFi Channel upfronts party, promoting the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica and enjoying what may be the show’s last upfront party.  Check out the photo below.

Will Yun Lee’s short film The Seed will be showing tomorrow evening at the Boston Underground Film Festival.  For more information on this endeavor, and to watch the preview for the film, check out the previous post.

While the British press continues to be hostile towards Michelle Ryan, some bloggers in her home country have echoed the feeling in the States that Bionic Woman still has tremendous potential for success.  Take this post excerpt, for example:

“Bionic Woman 2007 has the potential to be an engrossing, action-packed romp – and having a political subtext really shouldn’t be an obstacle to that. Let’s just hope the big suits in the States reckon there is life in the show. With a few nips and tucks, it could be amazing.”

Speaking of “could be amazing,” this blog post inspired me to think about what Bionic Woman would have been like on another (less meddling) network.  NBC proved it could make scifi exciting again when Heroes took television by mutant storm in 2006, proved it could make anything boring in 2007 … I wonder what the network will do in 2008?

Will Yun Lee shifts from playing Jaime Sommers’ trainer on Bionic Woman to playing a disturbed man in the film The Seed:

“SUNG (Will Yun Lee) is a homeless veteran losing his mind on the banks of the L.A. River. Pursued by unseen forces, fighting unseen foes, Sung is ostensibly ‘just another lunatic.’ But as his invisible war continues, under bridges and in tunnels, we are taken deeper and deeper into Sung’s nightmare and mind.

“Into a nightmare of conspiracy, cloaking and the government’s unseen war. Sung struggles to fight through what is visible to him, yet invisible to the world around him. Ordinarily, someone like this is perceived as “crazy.” Beyond what we can see, beyond what we don’t want to, lies…THE SEED.”

The Seed is the film directorial debut of Joe Hahn, the turntablist/disc jockey for the popular band, Linkin Park.  Hahn has extensive experience directing music videos, but The Seed is his first short film. 

The Seed was shot in four days, and features Will in full fight scene mode.  The shoot was almost two years ago, but since it was a side project and not the director’s first love it has taken awhile for the film to be released. 

The film originally premiered at the Pusan International Film Festival last fall, and will be available on ITunes on March 24, 2008.  According to Rolling Stone, Hahn had always planned for The Seed to have an online release.

More information about the short film can be found on the band’s web site, or on the movie’s MySpace page.  You can also check out the second of three available “making of” clips below.

Bionic Woman star Kevin Rankin, who plays Nathan on the show, recently gave an interview in which he was asked about the plight of disappearing cultures in the modern world. 

Kevin stopped by a gifting even in Los Angeles in December, and while there agreed to answer a question about diminishing cultures.  The interviewer asked Kevin what he thought should be done, or not done, in order to help preserve cultures that are vanishing in the modern world. 

Kevin’s answer was fairly impressive considering that he did not seem prepared to speak about such a complicated topic that day, and the question was far more intricate than the fluff questions television actors typically get at swag events. He managed to connect the issue of globalization of commerce with people’s need to understand the cultures that made our world what it is today:

“Well, as far as preserving culture, once you start losing that foundation …  I mean everything we have today is because of the existing cultures before it.  You can’t have the branch without the tree underneath.  You start losing sight of the culture, of influences, you start to question why are we doing this again, the things we are doing today you don’t know what the reasons are, what the traditions came from, if you don’t know what the past was about. 

“And I think that, you know, enough with the globalization, we don’t need a McDonald’s on every corner, yeah it may create a job or two, but ultimately it make take away from the distinct taste of cultures that were there before us.”

The question was related to a film that will be released in 2008 called Hawaii: A Voice for Sovereignty.  The documentary was toasted in Los Angeles on February 29 at a green carpet gala that marked the film’s premiere.

Lucy Hale, who plays Becca Sommers on Bionic Woman, has been telling fans on her official web site that the show has definitely been canceled.  Meanwhile, NBC has apparently been communicating with fans and telling them that no official decision has been made to date.

False rumors about the cancellation of Bionic Woman have been swirling for months, and at this point so many people have reported that the show has been canceled that even many in the mainstream media believe it to be true. 

The reality is that no one connected with the show has made an on-the-record statement about its future, however, and there is officially still a chance the show could return in some form in the fall.  The show’s production offices are still open, according to local Vancouver newspaper the Globe & Mail, and the show’s episodes and information remain up on NBC.com even after other shows that have been canceled have been removed.

Last week, NBC Vice President Rebecca Marks apparently told a fan in an e-mail that no official decision has been made on the show:

“Thanks for your support on Bionic.  I think it is a great show too.  We are still determining its future.  We should know more in May.  Hang in there.”

Over on LucyHale.com, however, the actress is being very clear with fans that she has been told that the show will not be returning:

“My manager was notified by NBC that the show was being cancelled [sic].  There has been a lot of rumor about the show, but unfortunately it is definitely over.  I’m sad, but it was such a good experience for me.”

In response to one fan’s opinion that NBC failed the show with its constant meddling, Lucy posted:

“I was disapointed to learn about the ending of the show, of course,  but it is just how this business goes. Thank you for being concerned about the cast! We will be fine though.  I appreciate the support.”

Lucy’s posts definitely make it harder to keep hope alive for Bionic Woman.  While this blog will not report the show is canceled until it comes from the network, it is plausible that NBC is telling its stars one thing and the fans another. 

The reality is that NBC has a very strong motivation to delay an official cancellation announcement, as the show has yet to start airing in many overseas markets.  Michelle Ryan, the show’s star, is proving herself to be a mature professional by continuing to do cheerful publicity for the show in Great Britain in anticipation of Bionic Woman’s UK debut this week.

As with all things Bionic Woman, fans will continue to have to wait and see.

Michelle Ryan is grabbing headlines in the United Kingdom with some sexy photos she shot to promote the British premiere of Bionic Woman, which starts Tuesday across the pond.  To see the shots some newspapers have labeled “bionic bosoms” click here.

Bionic Woman is still alive and kicking, despite what you may hear from the press.  Everything I have heard is that the fate of the show is still undetermined, and that seems to be reinforced by NBC which has continued to feature the show on its web site, and communicate hope to its fans.  Word is the show will be “returning soon” or at least still has a chance to come back on the air in the fall — hopefully with a new and sturdier vision.

Of course, not everyone is a fan.  Lee Majors has a problem with the modern version of Bionic Woman, and Roco at Bionic Blog has a problem with that.  Roco lashes out at Lee’s criticisms in the show and states that Michelle Ryan could take the alter ego of The Six Million Dollar Man in a fight.  Roco may be right.

Miguel Ferrer is getting good reviews for his voice performance in the new animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier.  Miguel plays the Martian whose arrival on Earth is the catalyst for many of the events in the movie, which also stars the voices of Lucy Lawless, Kyra Sedgwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Kyle McLachlan, David Boreanaz, and Jeremy Sisto.  If you have seen the DVD let us know what you think.

One lucky fan got to get face to face with Michelle Ryan when she was on the red carpet in London for the Brit Awards.  Check out the quick clip of a harried Michelle saying “hi” below.