Numb3rs, Fan Fiction, And Donuts

Numb3rs

I'm going to see the Numb3rs episode next week, so I'll be blogging about it then. See kixxa's beautiful photos of the...well, I can't say beautiful but certainly fascinating Mason Duryea. He looks NOTHING like James at all, just... haggard and crazy and weird. I hear James is doing an Oklahoma accent on the show. This should be interesting!

Another interview with James about the role!

TVGuide.com: Have you ever been this hirsute?
Callis: I think I have been hairier, possibly, in a few other gigs. But half of that was mine and half was borrowed. I bet you could tell which half was which! [The producers and I] were of the same mindset that I wanted to be as disguised as possible. The wig we used for when I was in prison, we called the "Jim Morrison look."

So that's this. This has got to be the scariest and least recognizable James picture ever! They really did a good job of masking him.

Heh heh, "hirsute". Too bad he doesn't go deeper into the hirsutism issues, like his chest hair.

You'd be frightened as f—k if this guy sat down to dinner with you, because he's a time bomb. You don't know when he's going to go off.

I'm frightened just seeing him. Strangely, I had another nightmare about Beginner's Luck, where Alex tried to steal my mobile phone. I'm blaming Duryea, although it might be that seeing BL was just such a traumatic event.

A little pointer to people searching for the episode: Gaius Baltar did not appear on Numb3rs. James Callis does not equal Gaius Baltar. And Duryea is a lunatic who kills people, and Gaius isn't. Yes, they both have a harem; they both pose as religious cult leaders; but that doesn't mean they're exactly the same OMG James Callis has been typecast. There is a difference. Seriously.

A bit about the final scene (edit: of BSG, not Numb3rs):

...at the time I wasn't totally sure what that scene meant. A lot of people actually thought we shot it in New York. I was like, "Sadly, no."

Does he know what it means now? I'd love to hear his views on that scene.

Fan Fiction

Gaius Baltar is probably the most difficultBSG character to write about (and I'd argue that's even true of the show writers, since James had to constantly tell them he doesn't want Gaius to be evil). Some of the fan fiction has made him out to be a complete bad guy, which always annoys me. Here are links to two fics that depict Baltar as a more multi-faceted character.

BSG: The Simple Life by Wolfen Moondaughter (who made the awesome Gaius painting for MegaCon) is set a few years after the finale. It discusses some of my favorite themes: Baltar's guilt, redemption and starting over. As Hera faces danger, Gaius has to face death and his guilt eye to eye again. There's also a follow-up on Baltar's cult (still there, much to his dismay), Helo and Athena, as well as Lee and Kara, who didn't get much of a goodbye in the finale. Kara appears as an angel guiding Lee here, which is a nice touch. Baltar is depicted as an in-depth, complex character, growing to reconcile his past and the future on the new planet. And there's Caprica-Gaius love, which is always good.

Ask Me No Questions And I'll Tell You No Lies by kixxa is written from Aaron Doral's point of view. Set on New Caprica, the story features a brief but heated conversation between Doral and Baltar, exploring the morals and life philosophy of both characters. I'd never really thought of Doral's point of view (or even of him having one, as we usually see that model in groups rather than as individuals), so it's very interesting. Baltar shows courage, speaking his mind to the cylon who's in the position to make his life very difficult, or indeed end it.

It's interesting about the element of courage in both stories. Throughout most of the show, Baltar was a coward, but he certainly had moments of bravery and even heroism (especially in the very end). Both of these fics could be seen as backtalk to the negative image most BSG fans have of Baltar: he can be a hero when he sets his mind to it, and despite his negative qualities, he's not a bad man.

Donuts (yes, still. Shut up.)

Kixxa sent me a lovely present - The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne Du Maurier, read by James Callis. I really enjoy listening to his soft voice, and the story is very compelling so far. I might blog about it later (I still haven't written about any of his old projects other than BL, so I'll see when I get around to it - probably a James drought coming soon, so I can work on it then).

She also included a couple of old-style post cards. I've gotten a lot of donut-teasing jokes thrown at me lately, but this is the best one so far:



Heeee! :D :D
(I'm sorry about the low quality of photography. My webcam is at a breaking point, and it's very hard to aim.)

And I've finally found a picture that kinda-sorta shows it - on page 47 of a James Callis picture search, after such relevant items as Alexander Siddig and myself, there it was. Behold: the donut gut! It's pressing against Tricia, but it's there and it looks so soft. Just beautiful.

Here's my own attempt at fan fiction. *blush* I'm sure you'll all hate it and it's really inferior to the stuff I just linked to, but *blush* I'll just post some of it anyway *blush and giggles*

As the sweet, greasy pastry filled his mouth, James groaned to himself. He knew he shouldn't have another donut, especially since it was his tenth one that day, but the siren song of the frosting was too strong.

Even as the washed down the moist, soft goo with the pulsating nectar of life - sugary Coca-Cola -, he could feel the fat lodging drowsily onto his expanding waist. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'I get to do bed scenes with Tricia Helfer - life isn't so bad.' He gave his hirsute chest a ruffle and decided to go ask for an extra rehearsal. He didn't even notice how his hand reached for another luscious morsel of fat and carbs...

I'm thinking of expanding this into a 200+ page novel. If James doesn't allow the use of his name, I could always use a fake one - like Ames Phallus or something. Who's playing... Baius Galtar in... Cattlestar... well, I'll work that out later.