Tahmoh cancels appearace at Wrath of Con (Updated)

Tahmoh and Aaron Douglas were both forced to pull out of their scheduled appearances this weekend at the Wrath of Con convention in Panama City, Florida due to Battlestar filming commitments.

Here's a message from Aaron with more details:

I cancelled wrath. I have to work, as does tahmoh. We agreed to wrath before there was a strike & we thought there would be no problem as the show would be done in March. we are in the last days of shooting & they are not officially clearing anyone for anything. I would have loved to go & my apologies to all the fans who were hoping to see me on the weekend.

Update: Tahmoh just asked me to express his apologies as well for having to cancel his appearance this weekend:

"Please give my sincere apologies to all the fans who were expecting to see Aaron and me this weekend. Because of our work schedule right now it's impossible for us to make it."

New Battlestar on-set photos from seasons 1-3

Thanks to Michelle at Battlestar Blog for discovering that Sci-fi Channel photographer Carole Segal has posted nearly a hundred never-before-seen photos from the Galactica set during seasons 1-3.
More than a dozen feature Helo (half of which are new). You can see all the Helo photos over at the all.about.tahmoh Flickr.

Dollhouse: Behind-the-scenes look (plus buzz & fan art)

The positive buzz for Joss Whedon's Fox series Dollhouse continues, with this breathless entry from Entertainment Weekly's blog, Pop Watch:

Dollhouse will touch on all of the things that enrich the soul of the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Drop-dead-gorgeous female hero? Check. Her search for identity and purpose while carrying out a specific mission (or, in this case, the specific mission-of-the-week)? Done. Disparate people banding together to forge a family out of isolation? In there. Skillfully twisted dialogue that's both catchy and revealing? Boom. Lots of the kicking of ass? Youbetcha.

Is watching Eliza Dushku's Echo have a different persona implanted on her each week, while searching for the truths of who she really is and how she got stuck in "the Dollhouse," something you're up for? (And does the prospect of Battlestar Galactica's Tahmoh Penikett — as a federal agent on her trail — taking his shirt off sweeten the deal?) I've already got my TiVo primed...how about you?

As for the promised behind-the-scenes look, if you're curious about Dollhouse, you simply must go check out the 20 photos of the main set for the show that have been posted to Dollverse.com.

Very warm, earth tones with a Zen quality--simply stunning and huge! As the outsider FBI agent in the story, Tahmoh's character Paul Smith presumably won't be spending a lot of time on set, but Tahmoh should be used to that from the first season of Battlestar.

With the emergence of the trailer, sneak peek scene and promo photos for the series, a lot of fan art for the show is now appearing. Here are a few Paul icons by visualthinker11 and two banners by the talented Katee from the Sci-fi forum "Tahmoh Penikett Appreciation Thread."

Happy Birthday Tahmoh! (with added Dollhouse buzz)

Best wishes for a wonderful day celebrating with friends and family!

Photo from the Chicago Creation con in October 2007 thanks to starbuck042786.

Update: Speaking of Chicago, here's some birthday buzz for Tahmoh and Dollhouse from Chicago's Red Eye, which includes a photo of Tahmoh and both the Dollhouse trailer and Paul & Echo's scene together:

"Joss, Eliza & Tahmoh—3 reasons to already love 'Dollhouse'"

Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku and Tahmoh Penikett—those are three big reasons I can’t wait to see “Dollhouse” when it debuts on Fox in January 2009....

Speaking of wardrobe, I’m hoping Penikett’s is kind of sparse, or at least he wears those sleeveless shirts he’s always in as Helo on “Battlestar Galactica.” Wow. Easy on the eyes much?

Penikett plays FBI Agent Paul Smith, who also is investigating the Dollhouse. I hear he and Echo eventually become involved romantically too. Penikett’s a great actor and I’ll enjoy seeing him move beyond Helo and “BSG,” which ends its run next year.

This is one show I am so looking forward to watching. And by the way, Fox has upped its order to 13 episodes from the originally reported seven episodes.

Read the whole article.

This may be the first time Tahmoh's been referred to simply by his first name in a headline. Can anyone in Chicago check if the article is in the paper edition of Red Eye?

For more photos from the Chicago convention, see the all.about.tahmoh Flickr.

Updated trailer for Dollhouse; more news & reviews

An updated trailer for Dollhouse has been posted to Dollverse.com with improved graphics and a few new scenes and lines of dialogue.

Check it out!

See the All about Tahmoh flickr for approx. 50 screencaps of Tahmoh in the trailer by toomanysides. Be warned that seen together the screencaps are rather spoilery (much more so than the trailer above).

How excited are you for Dollhouse? Vote in the poll at right. ----->

Entertainment Weekly has a fun behind-the-scenes look at the series and new photos from the pilot and on set.

Whedon says that, like Buffy and Firefly, Dollhouse aspires to be both deep (how does society shape, influence, ''program'' the individual: discuss!) and fun.

This photo seems to follow the special sneak peek scene between Paul (Tahmoh) and Echo on view at seat42f.com.

Reviews and reactions to Dollhouse are now appearing. David Bianculli (of TV Worth Watching and NPR's Fresh Air) writes:

After a week of seeing (or not seeing) pieces of the new fall TV series, Dollhouse and Fringe were the first shows that were more captivating than disappointing... Dollhouse, based on the premise, the cast, Whedon's reputation and the enticing clips shown, is my first-impression pick -- subject to seeing the full pilots of all the shows, of course -- as the best new show of the 2008-09 season.

The Hollywood Reporter was on hand at the LA Screenings and reports:

The complex set for one of Fox's big pushes at the Screenings, Joss Whedon's sci-fi fantasy "Dollhouse," went up in less than two weeks. Footage for a pilot was in the can in as much time. And yet the series created considerable buzz among buyers over the weekend based on just an eight-minute showcase.

Dollhouse was picked up by CanWest Media (for Canadian distribution) and Channel Ten (Australia).

Trailer screencaps thanks to toomanysides at Blank Dolls.

Some new (& old) photos of Tahmoh at various events

Thanks to Valeria for the heads up that some newish photos of Tahmoh have surfaced. Here are two of Tahmoh at the TV Guide Sexiest Stars 2008 event held on May 1 [click to make them slightly larger]:

Dailyceleb.com also has a few alternative shots of Tahmoh at several different 2007 Emmy events. Unfortunately they're only available as thumbnails:

One minute clip of Paul/Echo scene now online

Seat42f has posted an exclusive one-minute clip from the Dollhouse pilot featuring Tahmoh as Paul and Eliza Dushku as Echo.

Watch it now!

First trailer for Dollhouse: "linchpin of the Jan. season"

The two and a half minute trailer for Dollhouse that aired at the FOX Upfronts today is now up on YouTube. It's a must-see early look at the series, which is reminiscent of the Bourne Identity and Alias.

Update: YouTube link is down. Watch it here or here.

The most exciting news after the trailer is that FOX has decided to air Dollhouse with fewer commercials:

"We're going to have less commercials, less promotional time and less reason for viewers to use the remote," Liguori said. "We're going to have more character, more content, more value."

"Remote-free TV. It's a simple concept and potentially revolutionary," he said. "We're going to redefine the viewing experience."

Both "Fringe" and "Dollhouse" would have network commercial loads of about five minutes per hour, about half the usual. The commercial pods also would be shorter, and they would have about half the promo load as well, all to enhance the viewing experience. Liguori and ad sales chief Jon Nesvig acknowledged that there was a risk but that the network was committed to doing those two shows that way.

FOX Entertainment President Kevin Reilly spoke about the show's scheduling:

"Dollhouse" will be a "linchpin of the second season," Reilly says, launching around the same time as network perennials such as "24" and "American Idol."

Wired presents their first peek at the series, with a few spoilery hints. They also remark re: Tahmoh:

Whedon tapped Battlestar Galactica stud Tahmoh Penikett to stand in as Echo's twisted love interest and an FBI agent obsessed with the urban myth of a such a "Dollhouse."

Update: Turns out the YouTube trailer above wasn't what was shown at Upfronts. The Upfronts trailer had more Tahmoh, including the scene captured below of Echo (Eliza Dushku) and Paul:

Update: Watch the one-minute clip the above screencaps are from here.

Dollhouse to air Mondays @ 8pm; First photo released!

At Upfronts today, Fox announced their upcoming schedule and Dollhouse is set to air on Mondays beginning in January as the lead-in for 24:

FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: BEGINNING JANUARY 2009
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM DOLLHOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM 24

The promotional photo accompanying the release includes Tahmoh as FBI agent Paul Smith wearing a suit--a very different look from Helo!

According to MeeVee, listening in on a conference call with reporters:

Someone just asked the execs how they decided whether to give "Fringe" or "Dollhouse" the fall launch. Entertainment President Kevin Reilly - I think it was him, anyway - said it was "a high-class problem to have." Whedon had seven scripts written from the get-go, but Abrams finished pilot production sooner. Whedon welcomed the extra time, the execs said.

You can read a substantive analysis of the Dollhouse pilot over at Zap2it, which remarks:

"It's Dushku's show, but the pilot suggests potentially meaty roles for Williams, Kranz, Acker, Penikett and Harry Lennix, as Echo's trainer."

For even more Dollhouse behind-the-scenes info, be sure to check out today's LA Times interview with Joss Whedon, the show's creator and executive producer.

How are you balancing being a writer, producer and director?

After the first day, we were in this tiny cramped apartment, which I had scouted. The actors would do three lines and we'd have to move the camera. It was a nightmare. I was like, I forgot how to do this. You get a big apartment and you make it look tiny. I'm away from my family. This footage is terrible. It's over. Bury me. People who know me know that's probably not the first time I've said that. But it always feels like the first time. And I really thought, I've blown it. What am I doing? Where are my children? What's going on? I'm dizzy.

Directing is my way of creating the style, of relating to the actors and dialing in what their characters are. For me to be doing that as an executive producer over another director's shoulder isn't fair to them. And I happen to be one of my favorite directors. I'm not the best, but I'm just easy to get along with. I agree with almost everything I say. I won't do it the whole season. I have to be home and I have to get the scripts out on time. It's going to be a new skill that I'm learning.

Read the rest of the interview.

Update: Here is the FOX Dollhouse press release, thanks to Blank Dolls.

It includes a spoilery hint about Paul's character arc, so beware! Notice that Tahmoh gets third billing on the cast list (after Eliza Dushku and Olivia Williams).

Thanks also to Blank Dolls for the high-res photo!

Fox orders 13 episodes of Dollhouse for midseason

Joss Whedon confirmed that Fox had picked up Dollhouse for 13 episodes (up from the earlier 7 episodes) for midseason, likely January. Kristin from E!Online has more:

Joss Whedon (pinch me!), who told me they he just wrapped on the pilot shoot for Dollhouse Friday, and that he has a very good feeling about the series because "Eliza Dushku can play anything, and in this series, she does." Can. Not. Wait. He also very kindly shared this info about the show:

• Joss directs the second episode as well as the finished-on-Friday pilot, just to get things rolling.
• Sarah Fain and Elizabeth Craft are the show runners.
• Steve DeKnight and Tim Minear are both consulting producers on the series.
• Tim is writing and directing the midseason two-parter, namely episodes seven and eight.
• Joss would love to get Jane Espenson to join the gang too, if he could, but she's on Battlestar at the moment and the show's budget might not permit it. (Is it just me or do you want to send Fox a check right about now?)
• As reported earlier this week, Dollhouse will go at midseason, and, according to Joss, it's likely premiering in January.
• There is no Dollhouse presentation planned at the Fox event, but Eliza Dushku might appear on behalf of the show.
• Joss: "I'm still having so much fun. I keep waiting for it to not be fun anymore."

Also, Pink Raygun has read the pilot script and has 10 tidbits to share. Including this interesting fact:

10. Missions for the Actives are only supposed to last 10 hours, or else the imprint could be strained. However, lately certain missions have taken quite a bit longer, some lasting for days…

Read the rest over at Pink Raygun!

Dollhouse rumored for midseason on Fox

The Hollywood Reporter and Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily both hear that Joss Whedon's Dollhouse will premiere midseason on Fox. Dollverse.com disagrees, believing it will premiere in the fall. Seat 42F is reporting the show has been picked up for 13 episodes at midseason (it originally had a 7 episode order).

We'll find out who is right this Thursday, May 15 at 4pm EST as Fox presents its slate of shows at the Upfronts. We should learn more details on the show then as well as the intended airdate. Also look for the first photos and preview clips from the pilot.

To all who think midseason is death, calm down. 24 and Idol both are coming back at midseason and if Fox chose to pair Dollhouse with either of those, nothing could be better.

The banner above is from Dollhouse Forum, an active Dollhouse discussion board.

Tahmoh to appear at Starfury con (London) in Dec.

Tahmoh has signed on to appear at Battlestar Starfury this December. Also set to appear are Leah Cairns (Racetrack), James Callis (Baltar) and Michelle Forbes (Cain).

Thanks to Michelle from Aaron Douglas Fans for the head's up!

Screencaps of Tahmoh’s cameo in Robson Arms

Thanks to Chamalla for these screencaps of Tahmoh's cameo on Monday night's episode of the Canadian series, Robson Arms, where he gallantly comes to the rescue with an umbrella. In the episode, titled "Positivity" (3.04), Tahmoh is said to be one of the stars of "Battlestar Metallica" and has a Whistler-esque headshot to show for it.

See a couple more shots from the episode over at the all.about.tahmoh flickr.

New York Magazine praises Tahmoh's performance

Tim Grierson lauds Tahmoh's performance in Friday's episode in the Vulture blog of New York Magazine or as he says in his personal blog post:

"In this week's Vulture recap, I sing the praises of Tahmoh Penikett, who plays the quietly heroic Helo. He was all over Friday's episode, and he was terrific in it."

Here's the relevant portion of the praise from New York mag:

"There are flashier, more compelling characters on Battlestar, but deep down, the one we most admire is Helo. Noble, loyal, and levelheaded no matter the latest emotional ringer he’s being put though, he’s a good guy who’d make a great leader, except he doesn’t have the ego for it — which, of course, only makes him more appealing.

His steely calm was put to the test in “The Road Less Traveled,” trapped as he was between the increasingly kooky Starbuck and his concerned Demetrius crewmates who wanted to remove her from command. This season has been pitched a little too high emotionally, so it was a relief to watch Tahmoh Penikett (who plays Helo) deliver another terrifically modulated performance, balancing Starbuck’s nuttiness, the crew’s paranoia, and his own doubts about the wisdom of their wild-goose chase to find Earth. The episode was all about how people manage to maintain their basic decency in impossible situations, so who better to shine than the quietly heroic Helo?"

We also score a higher-res and un-watermarked version of this promo photo:

Cameo by Tahmoh in tonight’s Robson Arms (CTV)

Tahmoh will make a cameo appearance as himself in tonight's episode of Robson Arms, a CTV series shot in Vancouver. There's an interview with one of the show's stars Alisen Down (Jean Barolay on Battlestar) on CTV's website:

In the episode, "Positivity," which airs Monday, May 5 at 9:30 p.m. ET, the normally caustic Sault Ste. Marie (Alisen Down) discovers the power of positive thinking and tries to turn her life around.

Down has a long list of acting credits to her name, including roles on "Stargate," "Smallville" and "Battlestar Galactica." Down also won a Gemini and a Leo for her appearance on "Cold Squad."

In "Positivity," Sault even gives a shout-out to Down's former series when she fawns over "Battlestar" actor Tahmoh Penikett as an act of wishful thinking.

"It's the best made sci-fi show ever," gushes Down. "I think it's really well made and the actors are incredible."

Any Canadian fans who could record it, please contact me.

To read what Tahmoh has said about his appearance on the show, see this earlier post (though beware, it contains spoilers for the episode).

Battlestar 4.05 - "The Road Less Traveled"

Wow. Great episode last night and I think the best acting we've seen from Tahmoh thus far in the series. Terrific, terrific work.

Ron Moore's podcast is not yet available here.

Screencaps of Helo in the episode are up in the site's Flickr, thanks to Chamalla.

Vote in the new speculative episode poll at right.

If you missed it, "The Road Less Traveled" is available streaming with ads via Hulu and SciFi Rewind, or as an ad-free download at Amazon Unbox for $1.99 (PC only).