The Best Cast in the Biz

When Ronald D. Moore reimagined Battlestar Galactica, he realized one way to distance it from the typical trappings of space opera was to hire top-notch actors. He envisioned casting Oscar-caliber actors like Edward James Olmos (1988 best actor nominee for Stand and Deliver) and Mary McDonnell (1990 supporting actress nominee for Dances with Wolves). Surprisingly, both actors saw past the science fiction title and realized therein lay defining roles of their careers.

But having seasoned veterans ground the cast was not enough. The rest of the BSG ensemble needed the “chops” to stand toe-to-toe with Olmos, McDonnell, and veteran character actor Michael Hogan. The fact BSG actors continue to be in demand shows that Moore and fellow executive producer David Eick assembled what Entertainment Weekly calls “the strongest ensemble cast of the past decade.”

To wit:
• Katee Sackhoff will be on the Fox hit 24 this fall
• Jamie Bamber plays Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin on Law and Order: UK (side-by-side with Doctor Who’s Freema Agyeman—Yowza!)
• James Callis plays the titular role in the upcoming Sci Fi Channel original Merlin and the Book of Beasts
• Tricia Helfer has guest starred on Burn Notice and Chuck, as well as the forthcoming Fox series The Human Target
• Grace Park co-stars in TNT’s series The Cleaner
• Aaron Douglas plays the lead in the new police drama The Bridge
• Tahmoh Penikett is part of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse

And the list goes on…

I’ve had the privilege of meeting most of the above actors and happily report they are some of the nicest I’ve encountered in my 16 years of working in “the business.” As the Propworx eBay auctions draw to a close in the next few weeks, now is the time to pick up that special memento used by your favorite BSG cast member. Who knows, if you go to Comic-Con or Dragon*Con you may be able to get him or her to sign it for you.

Thomas

Admiral Adama’s Dog Tags

Hey guys,  before I get to the awesome that is the Adama tags, first I want to let you know we are still apparently having a few email glitches, so if your responses are slow that’s why.  You all know I love chatting with you so dont think I’m ignoring you!  We are working on it but please be patient, we are working on it!  In other news, our store will be online in a few hours!  How awesome is that?!  Have fun but dont forget, we are still doing regular ebay auctions, so keep bidding, it keeps the Battlestar’s lights on!

Now, on to a Blog, which is written by Damian. Adama’s Tags anyone??

Ebay is Back!

That’s right, all of you who were wishing/praying/crying, cry no more!  We are back with some fantastic auctions, some of which were chosen by you!  I had gotten some questions and requests and I’ve done my best to put those items up, so dont let me down guys, lets see the bids!

One of those items requested are Hotdogs tags.  Now I originally thought we did not have another set of these, but I went rampaging through the character bins, and voila! Hotdogs hero bin, with a set of tags.  Sweet!  These are a great set, and the last for Hotdog, so get um while there hot!

Another item I picked special for a few of the girls on the board.  That’s right Cain fans, this one is for you!  This week we have the gym bag for Helena Cain, Admiral of the Battlestar Pegasus.  This gym bag was not shown on screen, but is still a great item for the Cain-atic in your life!

Finally we have a few different paintings by Kara “Starbuck” Thrace, from her time aboard the Demetrius.  These are fantastic pieces, some done on canvas, some on file folders, all showing Kara’s growing obsession with finding Earth.  She was so engrossed in this mission, she painted on everything, the canvas, the bulkhead, file folders, you name it and she painted on it.  Hey, we sold her painted up bdu’s at the live auction, where is that guy/girl?  YOU NEED THESE!!  See, look how helpful I am!  Well, at least I’m not calling his/her house…ooo, good idea..

Anywho, these and more can be yours this week, lets see some good bidding everyone!  Remember, how you guys bid influences what I put up, so make sure you get the good stuff up there!  Also, I love the chatter I’ve seen on the boards, and I do look for the stuff you guys ask for (see all above stuff!) so keep up the comm traffic!  Hope you all had a great weekend, and I look forward to our last few weeks of auctions.  So say we all!

All About Lee…

Ever wonder what goes into a Colonial military jacket? (girls please don’t drool too much, there are no pictures!) Today we will take a look inside Captain Lee “Apollo” Adama’s personnel file, and get some inside information!

All military files give basic background and education information, and Lee’s is no different.  Lee’s date of birth is 432:979:021and his home at the time he entered into the service was Balmorin, Caprica.  He is listed as having won several commendations, including the Silver Eagle, and the Golden Falcon.  Lee also contributed to the Cylon war veterans education assistance program, which is very much in line with his character, he always tried to help people.   Lee’s file states that he is an excellent pilot and a highly respected CAG.    I would say the only negative in his file is that he apparently has not had a dental appointment in a while (his file says he has not had an examination within 90 days of placement) but all in all, a good officer.

Now that you know a little more about Lee, you can bid on his file, which will be available in the first auction after our live auction next week. WE STILL HAVE SOME COOL STUFF!! Dont forget, this week is NOT the last Ebay auction, so keep checking our site for updates, and make sure you log on and bid in the live auction starting Friday May 8th!   We now also have a twitter!  please follow us for my ramblings about life at propworx at: https://twitter.com/Propworx

Like a Razor…

While Admiral Cain was only on the show for a short time, she seems to have developed quite a following, (yes, I mean all of you people emailing me!!) and since you’ve asked, we have this week a set of ‘Hero’ tags worn by the Character of Helena Cain.  These tags are a plastic set, usually worn while the actress was speaking, so as not to make noise.  These tags are weathered and feature the Colonial Phoenix symbol, with H. Cain written below, as well as her serial number:  Ser. 886931

Admiral Cain, leader of the Pegasus crew and for a short time, Admiral of the fleet.

I know all of you die hard Cain fans are reading this, so make sure you bookmark this auction!  We have very little Pegasus, and in particular, Cain stuff left, get it while you can, and make sure to be at our live auction in a week, we have a few very cool items from Cain, Kendra, and all your favorite Pegasus crew members.

C-Buc’s Rule! Pyramid Ball up for Auction

Pyramid, the colonial sport we first get a glimpse of in Season Two’s “Resistance” in which Kara and Sam go one-on-one in the Buccaneers makeshift Pyramid court.   The audience starts to get a picture of what Pyramid is like, as well as learning that Kara was scouted for the pros, but taken out of contention because of a bad knee.  The most important part of Pyramid, besides the players of course, is the Pyramid ball.  The game is played by getting the ball into one of the scoring backdrops.  We saw Kara demonstrate this (much to Anders surprise) in their pickup game on Caprica.  We later see Kara bouncing the ball off the deck of the Astral Queen, before Lee takes it from her.

A Pyramid ball is slightly larger then a softball, and about as soft as a soccer ball.  Each ball is painted black with red stripes, and most have quite a bit of weathering from use.  Each ball measures about 4.63 inches in diameter.  This is a great item and can go in any display case, or on a desk. If in need of a way to ‘motivate’ people, and add a little BSG flare, toss a Pyramid ball in their direction!

What the Frak is Gak?

Quite often you may see us use the term “gak” in some of our eBay listings or in the Live Auction. You may think to yourself, “What the frak is gak?”

“GAK” is a slang term used in the film industry to describe stuff that is used to add detail to props, set dressing or costumes.  It is the acronym for “Goods All Kinds,” but I like to think it stands for “Garbage And Knick-nacks.” Typically, props made from used items purchased at junk yards or flea markets can be said to be made from “gak.” For those in the Vancouver film industry the word gak is used quite often to describe props in general. “I have to wear all of this ‘gak’ in the next scene.”

The following image is a great example of “gak.”

As you can see “gak” is nothing more than bits of everyday stuff or goods, acquired from pretty much anywhere, that can be used to make a prop or set look more interesting or realistic to the camera and the audience.

National Geographic: Mankind Meet Your Mother

Hopefully by now you’re all seen the finale, and what a finale it was.  The prop you’re sure to be looking for after viewing the episode is this production modified National Geographic. It was seen near the end being read by a New Yorker, (who is actually Ron Moore) and includes a full color insert that makes reference to Hera, the “Mother” of humanity, as well as a custom made cover depicting a piece of Hera’s skull.

In the final scene Number Six is looking over the shoulder of a Ron Moore reading the National Geographic article. Two custom pages were added to the center of the magazine.

If you missed last weeks eBay auction to acquire one of the back-up magazines, Don’t fret as the “hero version” will be available for you to bid on in our upcoming Live Auction in Pasadena California May 8-10, 2009.

Items from the Finale

As those following our eBay auctions can see, we have items up this week that are from the two hour finale, “Daybreak, Part II.”

Among these items are:

• The actual bags carried by Caprica Six and Gaius Baltar when on the second Earth.
• A set of recon maps about the second Earth, which are doubles.
• Various pictures of Laura Roslin’s family that were in Laura’s home, as seen in the flashback sequences of “Daybreak.” (Item 1, Item 2, Item 3, and Item 4.)
• A retirement brochure for The Regency, the retirement home that Caprica Six finds for Julius Baltar.
• A large geographical map of Earth.
• A medical scanner from the Cylon colony that was a part of Simon’s medical tool set.

Arrow of Apollo

There are some iconic props in this auction, and the ones that usually strike a chord with fans are the ones that are the focus of an important story or scene.  Starting in Season 1’s two-part season finale, “Kobol’s Last Gleaming” and well into the first quarter of Season Two, the Arrow of Apollo was the focal point of the story arc where Starbuck steals the captured Cylon Raider and goes back to Caprica to find the Arrow of Apollo, which President Roslin hopes will help guide the fleet to Earth.  This leads to one of the best cat fights in years as Six beats up on Starbuck, until Six falls into a pit and directly upon an upright piece of rebar. After this fight-and after meeting up with her future husband, Samuel T. Anders, Starbuck with Helo and the Sharon later known as “Athena” escape back to the fleet.  The arrow later helps activate the Tomb of Athena, which is the home of a galactic planetarium to show Adama and crew the path to Earth via constellations and astronomical phenomenon.

Lots 482 and 483 are the two fantastic props from these episodes.  Lot 482 is the metal “hero” Arrow and lot 483 is the rubber stunt version used in
the fight scenes.  Many props will have a “hero” version, which means that it is created with close ups in mind.  It is usually made of better material, may light up, or work in some way.  “Stunt” versions are either back-ups or made to be used in action scenes where either the prop or the actors needed to be protected.  In this fight scene, the arrow was thrown around a bit, so the rubber version saw a lot of screen time.  Both are “screen-used.”

There are a handful or props that are iconic, and the arrow is one of those.

You can bid on the Hero Arrow here:

http://www.auctionnetwork.com/UpcomingItem.asp?EventId=29946&ShowId=321

And the Stunt Arrow here:

http://www.auctionnetwork.com/UpcomingItem.asp?EventId=29947&ShowId=321

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