Universal Pictures has set Bryan Singer to direct and produce a feature version of “Battlestar Galactica.” It’s not clear whether Ronald Moore, exec producer of the recent series, will be invited to write the screenplay, but Singer will clearly put his own creative stamp on the project, as the studio indicates that the film will be “a complete reimagination.” Glen Larson is aboard to produce. The original version of the series ran for two seasons on ABC beginning in 1978. Singer had long been intrigued with “Galactica” and flirted with relaunching it into a TV series right after he directed the original “X-Men” (Daily Variety, Feb. 22, 2001). At the time, he was teamed to exec produce the series with Tom DeSanto and to direct the pilot of the new version. The director got busy on other projects, but he was prescient, at the time calling the Galactica brand “a sleeping giant.” Moore became the executive producer of the 73-episode series, which had a successful run on the then-Sci Fi Channel starting in 2004.

Woot! This is frakkin’ amazing news. To be honest, I’m surprised that a BSG movie hasn’t been made before now. The series was such a huge hit and it is RIPE for the big screen. It was rumored that Singer was planning to return to the X-Men fold to direct another movie (a spin-off that was to be focused on the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning titled X-Men: First Class) but it looks like he’s decided to take on Battlestar instead. I suppose Bryan Singer is a good director but he’s not my fave. I’d love someone like David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) to make a BSG movie but … I’ll take what I can get. You know, in a movie … there can be more incidents of nudity than a TV show allows. I’m just puttin’ that out there ;)

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The series will end next Friday night in the 2-hour, Part II of the finale. The show is so great, I’m really bummed that it’s ending. BUT, I have to say, there was much more excitement leading up to the “season finale” that we saw last year. As those shows winded down, the imminent discovery of their long-searched for goal was really very exciting. This time, the events leading up to the series finale aren’t so much exciting as they are enlightening. No matter how the show ends its run, I am very much looking forward to next week’s finale (which I’ll have to watch later since I’ll be at SXSW next weekend).

Not sure what’s on tap for today, I believe we’re doing dinner with a bunch of friends but beyond that, I dunno. The sun is finally shining this lovely PM … it looks like a great day to be outside.

Holy Frakkin’ Hell! The ep was good and, I thought, a great way to kick-off the coming half-season of new eps. At long last, the 5th Cylon was revealed and the cliff-hanger from last June was kinda, sorta resolved. There is so much more to come, I can’t wait for the rest of the eps to air. In case you missed it, folks here in the US can click HERE to watch last night’s ep Sometimes A Great Nation in full online.

I read the entirety of Ayn Rand’s masterpiece Anthem before going to bed, I’ve got The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged lined up for reading next. I may get out and enjoy the sun today but … no pressure. This is one of my last weekends in my current apartment. I think I’m gonna spend as much time at home as I can, while I can.

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I admit, my dumbass was not “in the know” about this series until just this past Summer. I had heard how amazing it was but never invested the time to get to know the show. For my birthday, Kirsten got me the first season of the show and I was hooked like a mofo. I watched the entire series up to the point were it left off last June in the weeks that followed, loving every minute of it. I am SO excited for new eps … even tho I’m very sad the series is ending, I can’t wait to see how the whole story wraps up. Those of you who watch the show know how UNBELIEVABLE the last new ep that aired in June was … I’m just totally anxious to see how things pick up tonight. There are only 10 episodes left in the entire series … you don’t want to miss a single thing. Battlestar Galactica airs tonight at 10PM on Sci-Fi. How many of y’all will be tuning in to watch tonight with me?

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At #10 is The Incredible Hulk:

This movie may not have been the best superhero film of all time but it beat the hell out of Ang Lee’s Hulk and really did a service to both the comic book series and the TV series from the ’70s. This film really paid homage to the beloved TV series for the first half of the film and then represented the comic books very well in the second half of the film. All I know is that I had a really good time at the movies watching this film … and isn’t that what’s most important?

At #9 is W.:

Oliver Stone films are really hit or miss and this one was a pretty nice hit. Josh Brolin played a superb GWB and managed to put our soon-to-be ex-president in real context. I am no GWB fan by any stretch of the imagination but this film actually made him a sympathetic character. Props to Oliver Stone for actually doing the impossible.

In the #8 position is Doubt:

This film is all about the acting. And among the amazing acting performances, Meryl Streep far outshines everyone else in this film. She absolutely turned in the most powerful acting performance this year … she absolutely deserves all the Best Actress awards and, IMHO, the Best Actor awards as well — she is that good in this film. I feel bad for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, who both turned in exceptional performances, cuz Streep just steals the spotlight. She made this movie such a delight for me to watch.

At #7 is Milk:

At long last, the story of Harvey Milk’s life made it to the big screen … and Sean Penn did his memory a great service. Milk may not have been a blockbuster but it is a very important story that is told so expertly that I wish it had made more money at the box office. Penn’s cast of supporting actors were also pretty phenomenal … as a whole they told a tale that an entire generation of people were hearing for the first time — which was eerily similar to the events that were playing out on the streets of SoCal this past November.

At #6 is WALL•E:

OMG … what can I say about WALL•E that hasn’t been said a million times before? The movie is just cute as hell and actually caused kids and grown adults alike to fall in love with a sweet little animated trash compactor. I had my doubts about this film before I saw it for myself … but man, once I saw it — I was hooked. WALL•E is absolutely the Best Animated Film of 2008.

After the jump, check out my Top 5 Fave Films of 2008 as well as my list of my Fave TV Shows of the Year …

My #5 pick is The Dark Knight:

Don’t get me wrong … I love The Dark Knight but I really felt that, for me, there were a few movies that were better this year in terms of overall entertainment value. That said, Chris Nolan gave us a Batman that is worthy of the top awards that are handed out for outstanding achievement in film making. Heath Ledger was just stunning as The Joker … I absolutely contend that he would still be getting Oscar buzz if he hadn’t passed away last January. He is deffo my pick for Best Supporting Actor at the coming Academy Awards.

At #4 is Iron Man:

THE best superhero film of the year … funny and action-packed with loads of amazing special effects and a great story — this film had it all. The casting was pretty perfect … except for Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes (who I did not care for at all) … especially Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. Robert Downey, Jr. is just the man … there ain’t anyone else who could play playboy millionaire Tony Stark. It’s too bad he won’t win any awards for his work on Iron Man cuz he really deserves one.

My #3 is Slumdog Millionaire:

The perfect rags to riches story with a great modern twist. I laughed, I cried, I actually stood up and cheered at this movie. The youngest actors were BY FAR the best thing about this film. Believe the hype, Slumdog Millionaire is really as good as everyone says.

My second fave movie of the year is Sex and the City:

At long last, the Sex and the City Movie made it to the big screen and it did NOT disappoint. The movie was the perfect length to feel like a mini-season of the show. The fabulous clothes, the steamy sex scenes and the camaraderie between Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda all conspired to make a far too entertaining movie. I saw this film 3 times in the theaters … and 3 more times since it came out on DVD. I just can’t get enough!

And my #1 fave movie of the year is Cloverfield:

OK … I’m sure a lot of y’all will not agree with me on this one but, in all honesty, this was my fave film of the year. Since it came out last January it really set the benchmark for me and, truth be told, I wasn’t as thoroughly entertained by anything else as much as I was by Cloverfield. I’m not saying it is the best movie of all time but for 2008, it was the perfect marriage of viral marketing, Internet savvy and fun movie-making that all came together IMHO perfectly. I still contend that it was as “real” as a monster invasion movie could be. It really had that Blair Witch Project magic that grabbed me entirely. I was actually surprised that so many people hated this film (mostly because of the shaky camerawork) because I loved it so entirely. While there were some pretty amazing films released this year, I have to say that my fave of the bunch was the one that made me believe the most.

Here are my Top TV Shows of 2008:

1. Skins
2. In Treatment
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. Gossip Girl
5. Project Runway (both seasons)
6. 90210
7. Breaking Bad
8. Torchwood
9. Saturday Night Live (mainly for the Tina Fey as Sarah Palin skits)
10. All the election coverage on CNN and MSNBC

Which films and TV shows were YOUR faves in 2008? Is anyone with me on Team Cloverfield?

Oh my gods! Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner how amazing this TV series is? To be honest, I’m surprised my friends didn’t haul off and slap me in the face sooner for my ignorance. Even David managed to watch a couple seasons of the show before I did. I gotta say, I really love everything about it … I vaguely remember the original series from the late 70’s but this new incarnation is just really impressive. The writing and the character development is utterly superb and the acting performances by the entire cast are just … riveting. I can’t get enough. I love how the interplay of politics and religion offset humanity’s struggle to survive and quest to keep some semblance of order all overun one another from ep to ep. I’m hooked, I’m a fan. I’ve managed to stay away from anything about the show online so as not to spoil any of the series for me … so I have no idea when new eps of BSG are scheduled to air again on Sci Fi. The developments of season 4 are just … INSANE! Woot!!!

I know there are a lot of BSG fans out there … and now I know why. I just cannot wait to see how the whole damn thing ends … it’s maddening. The race towards Earth is so compelling … I need more!!!

Hahahahaha … OK, I think I’ve calmed down enough to carry on. Tonight Josh and I are heading out to The Forum in Inglewood, CA for the final Nine Inch Nails show of the first leg of the Lights in the Sky Over North America tour. Words cannot express how FREAKING excited I am for tonight’s show … tomorrow, I will reveal why ;)