James Callis = Santa?! Part 2.

It has come to our attention that Mr Callis has been suspiciously quiet during the past few weeks on Twitter. This might mean he's busy working. Or chilling with his family. Or also, like we hypothesized before, HE MIGHT IN FACT BE SANTA CLAUS.

We believe that Mr Callis is in hiding, due to the fact that he's quite white and bearded at this time of year. We have manipulated this photo to show what he might be looking like right now:

(mentally add some extra Santa pounds, of course!)

After Christmas, Mr Callis - or is it Mr Claus? - tends to show up again all clean-shaven and slender, but what about the holidays? I guess we'll never know.

So in case I don't get around to posting more before Christmas, this is it. Happy Hanukka, Christmas, Boxing Day etc. (If I do post, you can expect something very sugar-fueled and silly indeed.)

Have a good time, eat lots, and think about James at regular intervals. And remember: Be good!

James Callis at Galacticon Five: Check Back for Updates

Sunday, 9th of January


Well hello there. You must have thought this post was done for. I certainly did. But as it often goes, the best con updates come later, and here they are: THE FULL PANEL WITH JAMES IS ON YOUTUBE!

It's all here at ProiezioniMentali's Youtube channel. THANK YOU SO MUCH! If I find the time and/or energy, I might provide a transcript. James' voice is not dubbed, thank the gods, but there is a translator, so every time he gives an answer, there's the Italian translation, and it's slightly awkward.

Highlights: he talks about the angels in BSG, and he says it's more like the Western idea of angels. He explains how in the Western world, we think of people as separate, and therefore God is a separate being, angels are people with wings, etc. But in the Eastern view, which he leans more to, people are connected instead. Thus it's not the same idea of God. (This is in video 4.) When I heard him say that, like an epiphany about how he sees himself and fans. If we're all connected, then he's not "the star" and he doesn't try to be higher than us, and maybe I could even be on the same level with him, or on every single level, and not embarrassingly obsessive about him and so much younger and dumber etc. etc. I tried asking him but I fumbled it and deleted the tweets, because maybe in the end I was asking if he sees me as inferior or not, and it's not fair to ask him something like that. So now I feel mighty embarrassed, because he might have seen the tweets anyway. But it felt GOOD, is the point. Like I saw his approach to humanity and it was very connected and not separatist. But um. I'll get back to James and out of my own issues and oddities.

Anyhoo, I thought it's very interesting. Since his wife is from India and he's visited India a lot, he probably has a pretty good idea of the Oriental way of thinking and the sort of religions they have there. Without bringing it back to my own issues, I think this understanding of being connected could be helpful in finding empathy for other people, something that it seems western culture lacks lately. It's like there's better people and worse people, whether the division is rich/poor, able-bodied/disabled, white/black, male/female, straight/gay, whatever. I wonder if that comes from this sort of separation thinking. Like it's the dark side of individualism or... Or maybe that's just capitalism and I'm projecting my own thinking to this.

I was also glad to hear he doesn't see Gaius as limiting to his career, and that he saw Bridget Jones as a lot more limiting, because they wanted him to play the gay friend every time. "I'd go to a meeting and they'd go, 'Right, it's an alien movie, but the alien has a gay best friend.'" LMAO! I hope that's not a real example. (I seem to recall a movie in The Simpsons universe called "My Best Friend's Gay Baby".)

He mentions working with "people who made Napoleon Dynamite", so that's Jerusha Hess and Austenland. Interesting. He doesn't go into detail about the movie, but mentions that it's a role he got because of BSG. Also, Hollywood people apparently think BSG is called "Battlestar GalactiStargate". :D

The first couple of videos have some of the old questions about auditioning, but I think it's cute how he retells the same stories, it's never exactly the same. The philosophical stuff is in videos 3 and 4 mostly though, if you want to get right to the new stuff.

He's wearing the tie and the plaid shirt and I must admit it looks oddly suave, especially with his glasses on (which he removes quite early on though). It's hard to make out his contours under the shirt though, which is obviously a drawback. Some tighter clothing would be nice, but other than that, this outfit is growing on me. (Not literally though.)

Tuesday, 8th November 


LOL!!!! OK, here's the video and.. heee! "Buga buga!" Oh James! How obnoxious, you go to Italy and first thing, you compare their president to Gaius Baltar. How rude! :D Thanks to ProiezioniMentali for the upload.



*rubs his hair nervously* You know, I think I have a James-touching-his-hair-fetish. I keep finding new fetishes, it's a bit worrying really.


Monday, 7th November.

There's another photo on Twitter, you can click to enlarge the new profile picture of Tommy_The_chef. Very nice indeed! The tie gets curiouser and curiouser as you look closer at it, because apparently it's  made up of tiny black dots on a white base or something. Which makes it look brown or beigeish? Interesting. Or maybe I just zoomed in so much that the picture became overly pixelated. Hard to tell. Also, Tommy sounds like another very happy customer (if you can say that).

Someone promised to put together a video of James talking about Baltar and Berlusconi (??!), but Twitter search refuses to show that entry right now. I'll link to the video if/when the link shows up. I must say I'm quite curious - what does Baltar have to do with Berlusconi? (Maybe the Italians don't like their president very much?)

James' hair seems like it's bigger from the front than the back. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or an incredibly hot thing. It's often hard to tell.

Don't you love con time? So many people loving our boy. Ah, James' be.. I mean, James. Ahem.


Sunday, 6th November. 
First fan pictures! Ah, so the tie is BEIGE or brownish! Not yellow. The plaid shirt is growing on me, actually (not literally). I like the way it looks on him, kind of a casual yet neat look. But the tie is a mystery for the ages. There's some stubble on a closer look, which always adds to his sexiness. Also he looks friendly and relaxed, so that promises good things for fan satisfaction. (Did that sound dirty? Or not dirty enough? I'm a bit ill, so my writing's not top notch but who cares.)

From the look of the tweets, it sounds like James did great.

PILO7980 PILØ
It was a pleasure lunching and talking with @jamescallis , a great actor and a wonderful person.

Natychan11 Nespola Plebea
comunque James Callis(Gaius Baltar) è una persona fantastica!!abbiamo chiacchierato tantissim *__*

According to Google Translate (I know), this means: "However, James Callis is a fantastic person! We talked a lot." :) :)

More updates as they come in. I'm feeling more mellow now that we have a few pictures and I know what James is looking like Right Now. (And I know the look is to my liking.) (Although it's never NOT been. I don't know why I always feel nervous about this.)



Saturday, 5th November 2011. 


Yay! James at a con! This is so exciting! It's been over a year since the last time, so my googling skills may be a bit rusty, but here's the first photo!

And he's wearing - a flannel shirt and a yellow tie??? O.o Oh James' con fashions! I've missed you. In fact, there seems to be a fancier shirt under the flannel shirt, but then he has the flannel shirt and the sleeves rolled up, so maybe he's cold.. or hot? I... Heeeeee.

The hair looks very short still. I had somehow expected for it to be longer by now. I wonder if he's doing shorter-haired roles, or if he just prefers it short on his off-role time. Fascinating. Hopefully more updates (and deep analyses) soon!

James Callis on BBC's Merlin: A Deep Dish Analysis.

("Camelot!" "Camelot!" "Camelot!" "It's only a model.)

I was going to say "deepish" anallysis, but deep dish sounds much funner and fits in with my favorite type of pizza. So we'll go with that. Ahem. This is a very serious post though, really. I'm putting on my academic glasses.

I was kinda hoping that James would play a valiant knight who can carry a damsel in distress - even a very plump one - into safety on his strong arms. But even if Julius Borden is the worst kind of scoundrel and I won't be fainting into his arms anytime soon, I really enjoyed this performance. The role isn't particularly layered, but James can do a lot with it; his expressions and voice add layers to the otherwise slightly two-dimensional character. He uses the gruff "bad guy" voice, but it's not too distracting, because he plays with the intensity. Some lines he almost barks from the throat, while others are slightly more high-pitched, closer to his usual voice. This makes it sound more organic than it has before (say in One Night With the King). Does he sell the evilness though? I find myself asking that, but it might be because I know he's really NOT like that. I find it very hard not to like James, no matter how the character is. So I kinda did like Borden there for a moment. He must have had a really tragic childhood or something, right?

Yes, he's really a good guy deep down. Very deep. Well, if nothing else, he's very handsome! *drool*

Speaking of which, it might have been nice to know a little more about Borden. You get a hint that he and Gaius have a shared past - he cheated Gaius in some big way and disappeared. But we don't find out how exactly. Also, I'd have appreciated more horseback riding. And where's that scene of Gaius climbing over a stone wall? We never see that. (Or maybe I skipped too much of the knights searching him, which was frankly a long boring bit.)

There are also many firsts, like James descending down a rope; jumping over a huge gorge (I'm not entirely sure he did this himself, but still) and climbing up the cliff bank; James shooting, first with some medieval gun thingy and then with a slingshot (hee!) and James waving a huge fiery fire..stick in rage. He's really pretty scary, but if you look upon it as a performance, it's just awesome and fierce.

And amazing faces of course! As Borden, James plays an arrogant, ruthless guy, and his faces range from sneaky to greedy (pictured) to fierce to pleading. It's enjoyable to watch him just for that. (It also makes for particularly good screenshotting!)

This seems to be a one-off episode, not something that would require previous knowledge of the show/myth. Basically, Julius Borden is an old pupil of Gaius* (Merlin's master), and he comes back to town to get a special magical KEY. The key leads to a dungeon containing the FINAL EXISTING DRAGON'S EGG. Merlin, as the last dragon lord, really wants to help with this, and does so against Gaius' ADVICE. Borden is a sneaky bastard and tries to KILL MERLIN, even after Merlin SAVES HIS LIFE. Then, Merlin runs away with the egg and Borden IS BURIED IN RUBBLE. But we don't actually see him die, so maybe he will come back to retaliate?!!! The DRAGON BABY is summoned out of the egg by Merlin, who names him "Aithusa". The dragon is WHITE.

This all sounds rather silly, but the show manages to pull it off with some seriousness, even with the CGI talking dragon. Borden's desire to get the egg is believable, and Merlin's dragon lord self is pretty impressive. However, the show loses some dignity when Merlin REMOVES ARTHUR'S PANTS WITH THE POWER OF HIS EYES. This was a fan favorite moment and OK, if someone removed James' pants, maybe I'd feel the same. But it was a bit, well, not so serious.

There's quite a lot of James, and I've already made a few photo sets over at Fuck Yeah James Callis! and will make more tonight. I've just been delayed slightly by people being wrong on the internet.

Just a quick couple of pictures here, re: his weapons on the show.

Bow and arrow of sorts!

 fire and fiery rage!

And the somewhat less impressive slingshot.

Last but not least - his mighty fists! 

I greatly enjoyed his look for the show, what with the gruffy beard (evil beard?). The hair could have been slightly less cropped, but maybe it was the style of the day. Now I made a promise to not mention certain issues re: his physique, and it seems I am being tested (possibly by the Lords of Kobol). But I will cheat a bit and show you, in picture form, how I feel about his body right now.

* yes, Gaius and Gaius, a joke that has been widely acknowledged. James himself noted it and appreciated the irony in May. I think all the jokes have already been told. Hmm. Two Gaiuses walked into a bar...

(I guess I could have picked a screenshot where Gaius isn't out of focus, but this is a James blog, so let us be partisan.)

Merlin Gush! O.o

Seen Merlin so excited OMG I will post more coherent stuff later but you can check my tumblr Fuck Yeah James Callis! for the first excited picspams. I'm trying to not post much yet because I'm just too excited for my own good and I have a feeling the post would not be very HOW GREAT IS THIS CAN YOU BELIEVE HE WAS ON TV AGAIN SO SEXY coherent.

I mean how exciting was that?! It was really exciting! Just... so exciting! I'm so excited!
*yip yip yip yip yip*

..so a very quick recap: he's kinda evil and he tries to kill Merlin. But his expressions, voice (gruff evil guy voice) and body language and everything, so fitting and so hot. There were quite a few firsts - descending down a rope! And jumping over a cliff! And just, being really scary and crazy! (Actually he did that in Numb3rs too so it's not strictly a first. Just a different kind of crazy.) Great performance, I'm proud to say. (Why am I proud? It's not like he's my son or something. I'll analyze this later.) Sadly, it seems like it will be only this one episode, but who knows?

And yes, in a slapstick moment, Merlin does pull Arthur's pants down with the power of his eyes. This seemed to take all the fans' minds to the gutter and it's hard to find commentary on anything else. But hey, I can relate. If someone pulled James' pants down, I doubt I could focus on much else buttocks. It'd be nice to see what the show's fans thought of Borden though. Maybe on a calmer day.

Ahhhhh *reaches nirvana*

James Callis in BBC's Merlin: Trailer!

"Borden is not a man to be trusted". Very intriguing indeed! James will be in this week's Merlin (but without a mysterious book of beasts I hope). He seems to be leaping and running and threatening people with knives too. (And we know from his tweets that he will be riding a horse! But he isn't in this clip.) He looks ruggedly handsome, although I'm not a fan of the hairstyle. His "deep voice" is employed here, so we know we're dealing with a masculine, perhaps not altogether good guy. I'm not sure how I feel about another "villain" type character, but oh who cares it's JAMES ON TV AGAIN!

James will play Julius Borden. (Ah, I wonder if they thought of Gaius Baltar's father, and the fact that he's an ex-pupil of another Gaius on this show!) Apparently the plot has something to do with dragon eggs, and the show also includes a giant talking dragon. I've never watched, so I'm very confused indeed. There's an episode synopsis here.

This episode, titled "Aithusa", will air this Saturday on BBC One, and I'll probably see it on Sunday, completely legally of course. Screenshots and descriptions coming. I might not know enough about Merlin to give a really good analysis or whatever, but when it comes to James' acting, I'm really the expert, so you're in good hands. (Well, right after James himself.) I'm open to guest posts though, if a Merlin fan would like to write about it.

This is so exciting! We haven't seen James in a new episode since... is it since EUREKA?! O.o That would mean over a year ago. I've almost forgotten what it was like. I faintly remember it was glorious and gave plenty of material for screenshotting, analysis, and fangushery. Much drool was spilled over various parts of his physique which I've promised to no longer comment on. However short-lived, this bliss will soon be ours again. I should start getting in the mood.

Re-Uniting the Rubins: Clip, Dates, and Trailer!

The time has finally come that we may SEE Re-Uniting the Rubins! If we're in the UK, that is. But I'm pretty sure that a DVD release will follow.

Check out the Facebook group Re-Uniting the Rubins: the Movie for all details. You can also see the show dates here, and helpfully the site tells me my distance to the cinemas - the nearest one is ONLY 1443.7 miles away. Um, I probably won't be there.

If a reader is going and would like to write a review, I'd be more than happy to publish/link to it here. Just let me know in the comments. I'll write a report of my own when I finally see the film. I'm certainly buying the DVD from play.com as soon as it comes out.

Orange.co.uk has an interesting clip with James Callis as Asshole Businessman (Danny Rubins). Or should I say - a right plonker? Is that correct British? He's really rude and unlike himself here. (The Behind the Music mockumentary comes to mind.) Also, he can apparently speak Chinese! The Facebook group has a few other clips up.

Here's the official trailer:



This looks like such a fun film. I've enjoyed the little clips we've been given. It's a bit weird to know that the film was completed two years ago and has been shown in a festival or two, but the large audience is learning about it now. It's like new, yet not. I wonder how it feels for an actor to see something emerge two years later; it's a bit strange but delightful to a fan.

Unfortunately, the two clips I linked to earlier have been password-protected, and I took down those posts. I never meant to step on anyone's toes, and I did link back to the site which was public, so it feels a bit odd. But obviously, if I leaked something that wasn't meant to be out, I apologize. If you see something on my blog that you'd like me to take down, please let me know. I only publish things when they're already public, or I have specific permission from the person who owns the rights. But these lines are hard to tell online.

It's YoungJames! Eating Toffee!

OMG THIS IS A TREASURE! A young James Callis playing the Colonel in "Patience". This is from his University days, so it's YoungJames. The wig is very interesting indeed!

This is hilarious! I've never seen this play before, but it looks like so much fun.

Also it's James...eating... toffee. And taking more. And.. and.. *stares tantalized*  COSMIC! O.o

(I always thought toffee was called "fudge" in English-speaking countries?)

James Callis in BBC's Merlin: New Pics and a Blooper!

Two scrunchy new HI-RES photos have been posted of James in BBC's Merlin! See here at the farfarawaysite's gallery. This is only promotional photos so far, so it doesn't tell us much about the character, but does speak volumes of James' sexy posing stylings. Mmm hmm. The hair is unusually short (not my favorite style but not bad) and perhaps dyed darker than usual? Hmm. The outfit is very layered. This is, of course, a bad thing; I hear he plays "guy in a mac" in Threatre of Dreams too. One day soon, I hope he'll play "guy who wears nothing but tight T-shirts and shorts". But outfit-wise, it looks quite fascinating with its strings and details. Have we ever seen him in wrist-length gloves before? The pants seem sort of modern to me, but then, I'm not that up-to-date on the latest pant developments. There's some mustache and beard, which looks quite...virile, I might say. Chest hair visibility is at about 15 % (margin of error 3 %). Definite eyebrow action.

James will play "Borden" (not to be confused with Lizzie Borden, hopefully), an old pupil of Gaius (!). Nice bit of irony there with the names. Apparently he's in episode 4, at least, so it should air in a couple of weeks!

Also: a fun detail in the Merlin season 4 blooper reel. At about 2:54, James is having trouble putting something into his pocket. This is so adorable. I've seen very few failed takes with James. The BSG gag reels were funny, but they had very few actual bloopers.

Gaius Baltar: Not That Evil, Part 1,000,000

James is featured as number 40 in EW's "Biggest Emmy Nomimation Snubs". I love that he's there, although he could be higher (like say number 1). I know James has said he doesn't care about the Emmys, and maybe he has a point, but still. He did a great job as Gaius and deserves some award love. 

Once again, I have to take objection to how Baltar is presented though. 

Callis' Baltar has worn so many masks, it's still hard to pin down who he is: weasel-like traitor, Iago-esque manipulator, power-hungry despot, broken political prisoner, crazed cultist?

I wouldn't describe him as any of those things. Well, maybe broken political prisoner. Weasel-like? Yes. Traitor? Yes, but he didn't know the stakes, so it's a bit debatable. Lago-esque manipulator? Absolutely not. Who did he manipulate and how? If anything, HeadSix manipulated him throughout the show. "Power-hungry despot"? That one made me laugh a little. I don't think he even cared about being president, in between the hookers and the drinking. He was just really miserable. "Crazed cultist"? That role was thrust upon him. He never really believed in the cult thing anyway, and secretly despised the women but was kind to them, because he had no choice.

But see - he was KIND to those women. He was kind to Gina, kind to Caprica (also bitchy at times, but that's part of a relationship), kind to Gaeta in the end, etc. He really did very little evil, and he wasn't consciously manipulative or scheming, ever. 

Did James Callis "redefine onscreen evil"? That's an interesting claim. I'm really not sure. On the one hand, he did give "evil" a kinder face, much kinder than the writers and producers would have. But was Baltar evil enough to redefine evil? Can you really put him on par with all the real baddies who have no conscience or heart to speak of? I don't think you can.

Callis drenches Baltar in such palpable fear and insecurity that his evil acts can actually make sense... making them all the more horrifying.

I agree with the first part, that's good writing and a good analysis of the role. But the second part? I just feel like they had to make it seem like Baltar is evil in the end. Maybe he did a few things that I thought were horrifying - almost killing the Chief to torture Sharon, for instance, and giving Gina the nuclear war head - but those acts didn't really make sense to me, and I don't think he was horrifying. He always seemed conflicted and guilty afterwards. 

What's horrifying about Baltar is how human he is. It horrifies me when I can relate to him, because it says something scary about my own personality: we're all weak and we could all end up in his position. That's the horror, not his evilness. 

BBC Merlin News Snippet

James' BBC Merlin role has been named: he will play "Borden, an old pupil of Gaius"! Digital Spy reports that James will appear in the fifth episode of the new season. The show will return in one month, which means James' episode will be aired in about two months' time. Exciting!

I must admit I've never watched this Merlin, but it's pretty cool he got to do a scene with Gaius of all names. Also, he will be riding a horse, which is exciting to me for some reason. (I'm not sure why - maybe I just like the skill of it? I've never done much riding.)

I don't have any other news about this, so here's the clip of him "climbing the wall" in "the rain", again.

New James Callis Project(s?)!

Screen Daily reports that James will be in a British soccer-related film in Manchester. It's described as "Billy Elliot meets Bend it like Beckham". So will it be sappy or funny? Hard to tell from the description, but it's James working with children, so it should be awww material! Also, it promises to be "distributed in the UK in 2012", so this might be something we will actually see. What worries me is that James is mentioned sixth, so it might be another small part. Must stop hoping he'd always have starring roles.

There is an indie film too, A Little Place off the Edgeware Road. And while indies are never something we get to see, I'm kinda hoping he does this one. He's unconfirmed, but very much wanted in the lead, and it's based on a Graham Greene story. I'd love to see him do something literary. (Bridget Jones doesn't count.) It's very sweet if he does this, because he'd basically be working pro bono, but I'm not sure if the soccer film comes first.

Oh, James tweeted he's already in Manchester! The Jamesman flies on, never stopping long in one place. They say Tampere is the Manchester of Finland (I guess because it's an industrial city), a.k.a. "Manse", so by admittedly rather far-fetched logic, he and I are in the same city. O.o Cosmic!!

As a side note, I almost eletrocuted myself with my old hair dryer. (It wasn't really that serious, but I had to go to the emergency room.) It reminded me of this deleted scene from Meet Pursuit Delange, so I'm re-posting it:

"It was certainly food for thought, and I knew that for the rest of the day, my mind would be filled with personal mission statements, Campari-fueled incontinence nightmares, and concerns about badly wired home appliances." 

So you know what my mind's filled with right now. Well, apart from the incontinence thing.

Like they said at the hospital, my heart is in great shape, but I do suffer from very severe fangirl-itis. Modern medicine knows no cure, so I'm not gonna quit the blog anytime soon. More news as it comes in!

News Splash

Firstly, some long-awaited news: Reuniting the Rubins has announced a release date on Facebook! 21st October, it will run a whole week in the UK cinemas, but the screens are still to be announced. I wonder if I could pester the local arthouse cinema Niagara to show this film. The previews seemed pretty promising.

Little birds have tweeted that we haven't seen the last of Dr Trevor/Charles Grant! The finale for Eureka was shot last week, and James Callis was in attendance. I'm quite excited about this! He was a no-show in the second part of season four (unsurprisingly, as we knew he was in Delhi while they were filming it). Dr Grant might just come to wrap things up neatly, or wreak more havoc. We'll see!

Edward James Olmos announced at Dragon*Con that he, James, and Ron Moore were going to Portland to shoot "an improv BSG skit"! :D This sounds awesome, and just up James' alley. I wonder what the skit will be like, with just the Admiral and Gaius Baltar. If it's anything like the Music of BSG segment, we're in for a treat. Edited to add: Oh, and it's apparently on a show called "Portlandia", which I had never heard of. So a guest starring role! Nice! Also something I can expect to see online soon after it airs. Watch this space!

Tricia Helfer, on the other hand, mentioned that she and James used to take shots of scotch before love scenes. Heee! They really needed alcohol to find each other attractive? I'm starting to wonder if Gaius Baltar's drink glasses contained actual scotch instead of some fake swill. BSG set was an openminded place...

During the past week, James has apparently managed to be in Vancouver, Portland, Zürich, Delhi, LA and London. (Or at least all of the airports, if I deciphered his tweet correctly.) This will only fuel the rumors of Mr Callis being Jesus, or Santa, or an unknown super-powered entity. We'll keep watching him for signs of greatness and report as need be.

If indeed Mr Callis had flown through the air without the means of a plane, we imagine it would have looked something like this...

(Reconstruction of possible situation; not an actual photograph. All rights reserved.)

Re-Uniting the Rubins Making of Teaser!

Re-uniting the Rubins: Behind-the-scenes Teaser from tomhollings on Vimeo.

Much like the film itself, the making of documentary doesn't actually seem to be available. But hey, here's a snippet of the first day of filming! James Callis can be seen several times, looking happy and donning his bubblewrap vest. (OK, sorry James, it's a very stylish coat, really. Ahem.) Rhona Mitra can also be seen. Timothy Spall and Honor Blackman are NOT in this video.

What you can see in this video is the amazing amount of PEOPLE present in every scene. If the scene is three people walking along a corridor, there are five others following them with cameras and microphones. It seems like so much work. How do they make it seem so effortless?

The movie does look good. I hope I get to see it some day.

Mustenland?

OMG people. LOOK AT THIS. James Callis posted this photo on Twitpic yesterday and I can't even.

Colonel Moustache

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :D :D :D :D :D
I was gonna joke at him at some point that if he's an old-timey gentleman, he needs those moustaches with the ends twirling up. Well, apparently he's got it!!! Also, LOL at "trailer trashistrocracy" :D I love his puns so much.

If he looks like this on the movie, I don't know. Very nice outfit and dignified, but that moustache! And even the sideburns, I mean look at them. Are they glued on? Is the moustache real? I will have some real trouble taking this seriously. Hehhehhee.

Other news from twitter:

mrbonturcode Bradley Porter 

@ 

@VMShorts Always. On set at the moment as Bret McKenzie is giving r&b dance lessons to Jane Seymour, JJ Feild & JamesCallis. Friday feeling

Sounds like they're having a lot of fun! :)

Also, author Shannen Hale reports:

 After one very cute and sweet actor shared some chocolate with me, I felt I had to report it to my husband, because hey, he was cute and British and he gave me chocolate!

 I choose to believe this was James. It just sounds like a James thing to do; eating chocolate AND sharing it? Swooon and gushhh (but only tentative ones in case it turns out it was Bret or Rupert instead!).


I'm also happy to hear they've been ad libbing. It might make for a nice genuine feel and allow James to build up Colonel Andrews a bit. The film really sounds pretty promising.

Ahhh *fantasizes about sharing chocolate with James, but then remembers the moustache and starts to giggle again* hihihihi.. :D

James Callis Shirtless Ideas

I get so many "James Callis shirtless" searches lately that I have decided to post a few gratuitously shirtless movie/tv show ideas for him. With pictures of him shirtless thrown in. No need to thank me; I aims to please.

"Oh no... I think the fangirls are objectifying me again!"


Shirt Free.
Hillbilly couple Jimbob (James Callis) and Trishlene (Tricia Helfer) decide to become hippies. They take their shirts off and wander around in the wild, putting flowers in their hair and singing stupid songs about going shirt free. Their arch enemy is Rody (Edward James Olmos), an angry old chief of police who hates nudity of all kinds, yet can't turn his eyes away from it. Their friend Ostrich (Jamie Bamber) is always at hand to join in the shirtlessness, as well as take shirt-free photos of them. This sitcom will run for eighteen seasons, despite being extremely formulaic. In each episode, they are almost but not quite caught by Rody, and Ostrich takes a series of sexy photos of them.

Some dialogue:
Jimbob: Golly, it's mighty fine going without a shirt! (ruffles chest hairs)
Trishlene: Oh yeppers. (ruffles boobs)
Ostrich: I done me a picture series that done been very sexy. I will get some cash for these. Yeehaw!
Rody: FREEZE!!!!
Jimbob: Oy, not him again. (puts shirt on)
Trishlene (puts shirt on, reluctantly)
Rody: YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR... wait a minute, where's your shirtless bodies?
Jimbob: Them's under them shirts.
Trishlene: Them. (points at boobs)
Rody: Hot fidgety fudge!!! *stomps ground in a comedic fashion*

Chest to Chest. 
What if shirts had never been invented? What if people just rubbed lotion on themselves and each other to keep warm- and safe? This horror drama explores such a sexy but dangerous world. Fyvush (James Callish) and Driwsha (Trisha Helfer) are starring, among others. Oh let's be honest, it's the entire BSG cast with no shirts to speak of.
Fyvush: Honey? Time to get up.
Driwsha: Mmmh. I had a beautiful dream that there were no chest-eaters. We just ran around happily with no fear.
Fyvush: But it was only a dream. The reality is, they are out there...
(looks out the window. A futuristic, poorly CGI'ed bird-beast stares back and licks its lips.
Fyvush: Ugh. (cuddles his chest)
Driwsha: Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll just rub this repellent lotion on ourselves and each other.
(30 minutes of lotion-rubbing in slow motion)
Bird-beast: GAWKK!!! (flies away from the smell of the repellent)
Fyvush: We finally found the right smell to repel them.
Driwsha: Too bad it's the smell of shit. But hey, you get used to everything.
(The TV turns on by itself)
Fyvush: We gotta fix that thing.
Reporter: A chest-eater mauled a young woman to death today in city chest. It was later found to be a suicide. The 25-year-old woman had left a note saying, "I cannot stand the smell anymore." She was a notable model and studied medicine... (Picture of the woman; Katee Sackhoff)
Driwsha: Oh my chest. Such a pointless death!
Fyvush: That's it! I will find a lotion that smells better than shit!

A chest-eater!!! Honestly how creepy is that?! (Toby says it just looks cute and I'm too easily scared. Maybe he's just scarred from playing too many Silent Hill games. It's HELLA SCARY.)




34t My 541rt.
(eat my shirt)
This ground-breaking idea explores a world that is exactly like the internet. People of all sizes keep stopping for sexy posing, while the jealous troll them relentlessly. The dialogue goes into many directions, but someone always mentions Hitler.
(beginning screen) You must be 18 or over to proceed. Please click YES if you are and NO if you are not.
(invisible hand clicks YES) We're not sure we believe you. But wtf ever, how could we tell?
(Street. Regular-looking people walk around. Among them - Jimbyc (James Callis) and trutricia (Tricia Helfer). People randomly stop to pose shirtless, sometimes pantsless.)
Jimbyc (takes his shirt off and gives some sexy poses.) (He could gain some weight for this role. Just an idea.)
Troll: LOL U R fat
Jimbyc: LOL Shut up haters u just jelous
Trutricia: F U stop being rude to my boyfriend he's rily hot u not
Troll: WTF is this Nazi Germany u just want ppl to say u r hot f u both
Troll 2: Show ur b00bs
Trutricia: (shows them)
Troll 2: w00t [CENSORED]
Jimbyc: WTF Shut up u perv its my gf u r talkin 2

I could go on forever, but I think I'll stop here. I hope you were turned on, I sure was.

A Slight Alleviation. (James Callis in Austenland)

So I dunno. I'm not going to say that I will LOVE this thing, because I probably won't. BUT.

-If you do a search, dozens of blogs are already squeeing over this film. It's all over the net. People are going to watch this. People are going to watch James. So it might not be the main role or anything, but he's at least VISIBLE to the great audience again. Some will watch for Stephenie Meyer (sigh), others will watch for Keri Russell, some because they love the book or Colin Firth. So it's visibility, and all visibility is good for his career.

-James' role is Colonel Andrews, according to this link, which is Shannon Hale's personal blog, so we can be pretty sure it's accurate. There's a preview of Austenland here, and browsing through it, I found Colonel Andrews on page 27 and on. There are fairly many scenes with him; he's an OLD-TIMEY BRITISH GENTLEMAN, just like I hoped. Swooon!!!! I want to see this! James is so good for the part of a gentleman, because well, even off character, he is. He may be down-to-earth and a bit clumsy and awkward sometimes, but always polite, and in some way very British. So it at least sounds like a fitting role and one I can enjoy watching.

-Colonel Andrews is described as "fair-haired, with a decent set of shoulders and a very ready smile". Fair-haired?! I wonder if they've given up on that or if James will dye his hair. Also, he is said to emit a "whiff of tobacco", which is fitting too. So maybe we get to see him smoke again!

That's about it. I must admit I couldn't read the book; I can't focus on this kind of fiction. I fear I sound like a snob now, I do enjoy entertainment, just not of the chick lit kind. However, I have no idea how much bearing the book will have on the actual film; Bridget Jones's Diary, while entertaining enough, was a terrible adaptation that took away the best scenes and shrunk the best characters into the margin. So reading the book might actually not warm me to the film at all. Maybe it's best to just know what part James will play and look forward to gentlemanly charm. I do find Keri Russell charming and a good actor, so that's also a plus.

I guess you could say I don't have "great expectations" for this film. Heh heh. Wait, no, that's Dickens. I'm approaching this film with too much "pride and prejudice". See? That works! I am clever! I should totally write a chick lit novel about a girl who obsesses over James Callis.

James Callis to be in "Austenland". (AKA I'm Sorry But.)

So James will appear in "Austenland", a rom-com about a woman who's obsessed with Colin Firth's Mr Darcy (who's apparently not called Mark except in Bridget Jones - so much for my classical literature education ;)). It's an adaptation of a book by Shannon Hale, starring Keri Russell. Brief article here.

I'll start with the good: it sounds like a mainstream film that WILL make it to Finland, so I can actually go see him in the cinema and buy the DVD. Yay for that! The premise sounds like it could be interesting, book adaptations tend to be better than run of the mill rom-coms, and I do like Keri Russell. (And Colin Firth, assuming he appears in the film at least in some way.)

But the bad... Oh, dear. OK, I'll just say this now, before I know more about the film: I'm a huge James Callis fan, but that comes second seat to my politics. I'm a feminist, and rom-coms exhibit all things I hate about modern "women's culture": they're shallow, feminist on the surface but patriarchal in the core, terribly dated and stereotypical, and what's worst of all, totally unfunny. I've seen a couple I liked, but there's a big chance I will not like this film. And I'm sorry, but I will gripe in that case. If I think it's a waste of my time and James' talent, I will gripe. I'll try not to make the posts ALL about that, but I won't make totally unpolitical gushery posts if I'm not feeling it. The only thing that will stop me from griping, if it's anything like other rom-coms I've seen, is if a) James is fat or b) he gets to play a really charming, funny, sexy gentleman (a well-written one). Preferably both. I know, boring feminist grouch, but there it is. (I wouldn't apologize if this were my personal blog, but I always feel like a fan blog should be a little more for the other fans, and I've already made it so much about me. But I am what I am.)

Also: SUPPORTING cast. In a rom-com. If this is another Bridget Jones's Diary, I will just... I mean, I know some good actors (Colin Firth) have done a bunch of rom-coms of varying quality. Maybe I'm biased because I'm just a big ol' fangirl but James is talented. He's smart, he brings a world of emotion into his roles, he's handsome, he has it all. He could be doing main roles, serious movies, genuinely funny comedies, Charlie Kaufman or David Lynch or something like that. It troubles me when he's cast like this, mentioned last in a Stephenie Meyer project. Is there something I'm missing? Is it his accent? His height? His lack of buffness? The fact that BSG was popular only in nerd circles? Or maybe he's just happy doing this kind of thing and doesn't want the stress and fame that would come with a bigger role. Maybe I'm taking him too seriously again and I need a new hobby.

On the other hand, he was going to be working on 17th Precinct, and probably passed by some other roles because that was his first choice. So maybe there's more good stuff coming later.

All of that said, I will give "Austenland" a try, and if it's good, address a full and frank apology for suspecting it sucks. (But can you blame me? Stephenie Meyer, Nacho Libre writer.)

Incy Wincy James Callis Came Climbing Up the Wall

Taken at Pierrefonds on May 10th, 2011. At 1 minute: James Callis climbs the wall of the castle. It's fascinating to see how this happens. What surprises me is how many people are constantly there while a scene is being filmed. And they're all so quiet.

Have you ever wondered how they film rain scenes? Apparently they just use a big hose to create it. And when someone has to climb the wall? He has a LADDER. He makes it look like a lot of work. And OK, hanging in that position and being rained on, it probably is, but so much for the magic of cinema! I've never watched Merlin, but I'm intrigued to see why James climbs up the wall and what happens inside the castle. I know he filmed many inside scenes, so we'll see!

In the scene with the horses (near the end), you can see someone who MAY be James with a white horse. I really can't tell if it's him. After staring at his pictures so much, I really should be able, but all I can say from such a distance is that it could conceivably be James. Maybe. (I have the same problem with his figure, the clothes are really bulgy and hangy. Hmmm.)

I also think it's adorable how that guy - Colin Morgan? - is kissing his horse in the end. So cute.

Edit: Oh, and where are my manners? Original video here, big thanks to JulesVids!

Fan Musings o' the Moment

I posted this on my LJ already, but it belongs here too, I reckon. How I'm feeling about fandom right now. Short version: I'm feeling well. 

I was randomly James Callis-browsing as usual, and finding nothing new. (I have this theory that a fan can exhaust all the good hits on Google in two years. It's based on my own bitter experience.) There was a mention about him being smaller than on the show, though, and it made me think. 

Maybe they meant shorter and not thinner (isn't he plenty thin in most people's eyes already?), but it made me think. When I met the fat guy in Ace of Base, he didn't seem all that fat. What's more, the fatness kind of didn't matter, because he was THERE and human. He seemed... flat in some way, stripped of his idol-greatness. Granted, this happened after my fandom sort of withered to death, so I might still see James as idol-great.

I always thought it might be super disappointing to meet him, because I had built up this image. Like I'd realize that image is totally bogus, and it'd be shattered, and I would be left with an admiration for some vague guy I don't even know. 

But in one way, I'm already meeting him on Facebook and Twitter. (By which I mean, mostly, seeing him.) I saw him flattening when I first read his posts. It was weird. It was like, "he's really there, tweeting, right now". And it meant - he's human in a way I hadn't considered. He's got a computer or phone or whatever, he's typing - and not always correctly - and that sort of puts him on even keel with me. I'm not sure why, but it does. He has more followers than me, but it's not like a JamesCallis template, it's just him posting on a regular site. 

But it wasn't a disappointing sort of flattening. For a while, I felt sad that we're really not friends and probably never going to be; it was like that was suddenly clear to me in a new way. But I realize that I might not be able to handle constant close contact anyway. There's no rejection in not being friends, nothing personal. There's also no pressure; I can talk to him when I feel like it, he won't block me or be rude about my feelings. He might not always respond, but I know he can see it, and sometimes I just want to be seen by him. (I'm not sure why, and I worry that's a kind of neediness, but I can't help this.) 

I haven't been disappointed in James. It's like the good things I admire are still there, more so than I had expected. He may not be larger than life, but he's a good guy, and funny, and kind. He's interesting to follow. The surprise is that imaginary James - is still there. I can still coo over his belly, feel like I know him and we share a special bond, and I can blog from this angle, but I can't talk at him like that. It's just a different mindspace. 

There are two Jameses: the real him, who's a little more distant, someone I don't quite know; and the imaginary guy, who I can mold to whatever needs I have at the moment. He held my hand when I was severely depressed; he laughs at my jokes and eats with me and all that. If I don't need him, he's not there. 

I can't ask anything of the real James, and I need to remember the constraints of the fan-idol thing, the constraints of his limited time. I have a certain respect for him that I don't have for the guy in my head. The real James doesn't share a telepathic connection with me, but it's somehow better, because it's always surprising what he ends up saying and when. I also enjoy the spectator role, the friendly distance between him and fans. 

What disappeared is the Evil Idol. I don't remember if I wrote about this before, but when you see your idol as ideal, you know it's gotta be false, so your mind creates an alternative image, the Evil James who hates fat girls in general and me in particular; someone who really thinks my blog sucks and wants nothing to do with me and blocked me on Facebook blah blah. The flattening seemed to happen on THAT end. 

Why did the evil image disappear? Probably because I see on Twitter how many people are talking to him, how many people want a piece of his time. He only has 24 hours a day like other people, and he has a super busy job, travels a lot, and has three kids. Is he going to have time to dissect every word people say about him and look for possible insults? Would he want to use his precious time on reading a blog he hates? Would he really choose to hate on a fan or fat girls in general or anything like that? The answer is obviously no. 

Also, he has never once stepped in it and said something rude that upset people. By which I mean, he's never been openly sexist/racist/ableist/whatever else. He's not spewing bigoted jokes or uneducated opinions about things he knows nothing about. He really sounds friendly in his tweets; and deep-thinking; and like someone who just wants to live and let live. I'll admit I'm very easily offended, so this is an achievement. It must mean he's either unusually kind and non-judgemental, or unusually good at judging what to say and when. Either way, epic win. 

For better or worse, I'm not a huge part of his life. James might or might not have an idea of me, as separate from the other fans, simply because I talked to/about him so much. That idea might be negative, but really, it's more likely to be positive or neutral. Hate takes a lot of mental energy, and his attitude on people is generally benevolent. He doesn't have unlimited time to ponder on me and my feelings for him. If he ever chooses to talk to me, or read my blog, I can take that as a huge compliment. Because he considers me worth his time. 

Spam, Spam, Spam, Wonderful Spam!

You know, spam can take many forms, and I often find it highly amusing. I found this "blog" where "James Callis" (might be their real name, or might be using our James's name in vain - blasphemy!) writes about various products he's tested and is happy with. It's all so amusingly NOT James's style. I mean, look at this:

My friend showed me this video game called Angry Birds, and it is surprisingly entertaining.

I know he has an iPhone, but I don't think James would ever say it like this. "This game called Angry Birds"? He would assume everyone already knows what it is and he's late for the party. He'd say something like "Finally tried Angry Birds - I guess an old dog - can learn - new tricks - t.g. 4 the iphone! xxx" 


Also, since James has a 2-year-old, it's good to hear they're finally getting her a crib, and a stroller, and some other essential child goods. His spouse is really on top of this kind of thing, apparently. Heh heh. I can't imagine a tweet here, because he doesn't tweet about his private life, and only obsessive baby parents describe this stuff anyway. 


But the one most amusing to me, for obvious reasons, is this weight loss-related one. 

There are lots of different diet programs on the market, however I am leaning towards ones which reduce the carbohydrates to help lose weight. Most of these make the most sense in my opinion because I’m able to understand that the majority of the foods I take in have a lot of empty carbs without any vitamins and minerals

I guess he's finally mending his donut-loving ways, LOL! I'd think he was always able to understand their nutritional value though. 


I could imagine how he would write if he were to embark on a valiant weight loss journey. Actually, I can't really, because my own fantasies get in the way and it gets way too detailed and descriptive (exactly what his belly looks and feels like, etc.) I think he'd just be self-deprecating and brief. Or would he even tweet about it? Probably he would not. 


One thing's for sure, though: he wouldn't write about this stuff just to endorse a product. 

James Callis Birthday Pix. (Linx.)

I'm having a James' birthday bash over at Tumblr where there will be lots of new and old pictures. The old ones are mostly from the Unofficial Website though, browse their photo gallery, it's amazing. James was very young and cheekboney. I think he looks better nowadays but I can't put my finger on why. More wisdom? More confidence? Even more kindness? He looked kinda young and insecure here still. But he really hasn't changed much in 20 years. No wait, it's only fifteen years since the first photos.

Also, Janine posted a bunch of James Eureka promo shots and he looks amazing! Link here.

I might as well link again to the latest pix we have of him, on the set of BBC's Merlin. So the age has brought a couple of lines (adorable) around his eyes, a bit more chub (even adorabler) and not much else.

What will the future bring? Hopefully more chub. Seriously though, I can see him only getting better as an actor as he has more life experience. I just hope he gets roles that are worthy of his talents. And I hope him happiness and good health and lots of joy. Oh f, I promised myself I wouldn't cry.

James Callis' Birthday (40th); A Formal Greeting and Congratulation

Ahem. Dear Mr. Callis, it has come to our attention that thou - thee? - you are celebrating thine - thorne? - 40th birthday today. We are taking this with the utmost seriousness, and thus have composed for thee - thou? - a poem that goes thus:

Ah!
Each time I lay eyes onto you
My heart doth stoppeth.
For it is in the gentle forms and slopes
of your form
That I
cometh.

Ahem. Yes, sometimes on times like these, we have a tendency to get overly, well, stimulated. Perhaps it is best to device a new poem, this time more appropriate.

Thy beauty fills the Earth and skies
And rivers, lakes beneath it;
Ah, how fans wish they could device
a machine with which to repeat it;
So then we could jump onto thee
and...

Perhaps it is the poetic format here that is making the... lack of ... or the excessive... Let us attempt in a more contemporary, jocular style.

You are turning 40
The fans are getting horny
Today is your birthday
So make it your girth day
Eat lots of donuts
..something something gonads?

Oh for f's sake! Can't I write something NORMAL and non-horny! This bugs me.

My fandom, my fandom,
it makes my heart explode.
It's not any of your fault,
but I still want you to know.

What the fuck was that?!

You bring so many people joy,
don't ever stop being a little boy
at heart and soul and imagination
continue to create and seek elation.

Hmmm, bland yet boring. But it's not creepy. This is a step in the right direction.

I think I thought of just the perfect thing to say. Ahem:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMES!
You are the wind beneath my wings,
the apple of my eye,
the whiskey in my brandy,
the stretch marks on my thigh;
the wind in my willows
the fluff in my pillows
the wuthers of my heights,
the power of my lights;
my failure to comply,
my tendency to lie,
my rifle of the night,
my sorrow shining bright;
my grown up teenage dream-a,
my Anna Karenina,
my heart.

*sniff* that was beautiful. I'm happy now.

Blah.

I've tried but I just can't write about 17th Precinct anymore. It was going to be so great, and just.. I just can't. Let's just pretend, for now, that the whole project never happened and we weren't promised an awesome James-Jamie-Tricia reunion and a cool premise that might have been AMAZING, only to have it yanked out from under us. NBC sucks, and if  I didn't love Community, I'd boycott it.

A propos Community: couldn't James Callis join it? Pleeease? Just a thought. It's just his kind of humor. Well, technically, it's just my kind of humor, which may or may not be his kind. But I think he'd be awesome on that show.

What else? I guess nothing. I have no idea what's going to happen with James this year. He was going to be John Bosson - sniff! - and now just.. could be anyone. I mean, maybe a window will open up elsewhere and he will be in an amazing role. We just have to have faith.

And now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get drunk. There's always a risk that I send James some embarrassing messages while intoxicated, but that's a risk I have to take.

Dear "James Callis Penis" Searchers.

I hereby announce that I HAVE NO INFORMATION PERTAINING JAMES' PENIS, whether it be its size, shape, or whereabouts. I doubt any other site does either. Just saving you a lot of time. 

If you wish to ask James about his penis (not recommended), please direct all questionts to his twitter at http://twitter.com/jamescallis I assure you he knows more about the topic than do I. 

Also: LOL and he's not a porn actor, people. 

Thank you. 

I AM SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW.

So it seems official: 17th PRECINCT WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. Ever. The wise executives of NBC have decided that a show with James Callis, Jamie Bamber, AND Tricia Helfer is really too good to be true.

I am so mad right now, I will express my sentimets in this crudely drawn Paint "art"work. The grey represents the dullness of the TV landscape without 17th Precinct; the broken heart symbolizes my broken fan heart; and the ugly background color is a symbol for how annoying everything is right now. Also, my cat is very angry.

I'm so mad and disappointed, I can't even talk about it more right now. Mo ranting will probably follow.

Mr Tourist Goes to France..

There are some photos of James Callis on set of BBC's Merlin here! And I mean, look at him. "OMG I'm in France! There's a castle here! Let's see if I can get a good angle! These will be great for my holiday album!" Plus flirting with all the ladies on set, obviously. LOL!

I don't know how he always manages to look like he's not working, but having a fun holiday somewhere. I guess acting could be one of those jobs that don't feel like a job, especially if you're just guest starring and don't have a lot to film.

I'm not sure if he's in costume here or if these are his own clothes. They look a bit big on him, but then his clothes tend to, so go figure. (Also note: he's wearing a coat while the women are in T-shirts. Always cold. <3) The hair is still short and there's a minor mustache alert, with stubble. Handsome combination if you ask me. The belly looks slightly bulgy - slurp - but it's hard to tell. Unfortunately, due to my new job, I have to focus on other things and can't do proper analytics on his belly size and prize. Maybe another time. Sigh. No, I love my new job. It's just hard to focus sometimes when stuff is going on with James.

Les Nouvelles de James Callis

Il me faut écriver en francais, parce que James is in France filming BBC's Merlin! Awesome!

jamescallis James Callis In Merlin (UK) filming in France scenes with merlin and Gaius (!) and on a horse called Galactico!!! #comeoncoincidence!!!

Wow, that's like the hand of God guiding him to the role. Except that the horse's name is one letter off. God doesn't do typos.

This is the good Merlin, from what I hear. I haven't watched it, but I probably should. He's going to be in season four.

I like seeing James on a horse. It's pretty sexy and impressive. I mean the horse isn't sexy, just James is. But if the horse makes him sexier, does that make it pervy? OR will I see anything as sexy if it's connected to James?

Also, he's impressing people left and right with his French skills on Twitter, so check it out. Also what looks like Italian to me. He's really pretty good, and he clearly enjoys impressing people with it. J'espere qu'il mange beaucoup de croissants et baguettes. Et.. donuts, whatever that is in French.

The sad nouvelles is that it really sounds like NBC won't pick up 17th Precinct. I'm really hoping it's just a rumour, but if not, I will sulk and grump in another post. Glad to know James has work even if it doesn't happen. (But not with Jamie and Tricia :( )

Ramble Baubles, Part 1,000,000

I feel like I haven't written a real post post in a while. Not much is going on, of course, but that never used to stop me. I'm feeling down lately, and that also reflects into the fandom. Some of the joy is lost, but probably not for good. Also, I have the flu right now so if this post turns out to be super blah, it's just because of that.

I'm still very much NOT blah about James, though. Tumblr is proving a lot easier to post photos with, so I'm posting a couple per day over there. Also reblogging some beautiful artwork with James/James and Tricia. See it all at Fuck Yeah James Callis!

Soon we should have news about 17th Precinct, and I'm very hopeful that it will be picked up. If/WHEN it is, James will return to Vancouver to shoot next month, and there will be more delicious tidbits. I've purposefully not written a whole lot about the show so far. The thing is, I want to withhold my judgement until I've seen it or at least heard a little more about it. I'm a little unsure and nervous if I'll like it. I don't usually like police procedurals. But I do like James, Jamie and Tricia, and I like Ron's writing. I think I'll get a kick out of the magical elements too. So I'm cautiously optimistic still. It may not be my new favorite show OMG, so I'm trying to not be too pre-emptively gushy.

The good news is that James is very happy with the show, as told by Aaron Douglas:

theaarondouglas BTW. Spoke to James Callis, said 17th precinct was a great shoot & everything he hoped it would be. Check it out when it airs, gonna be gold

After BSG, James must have high expectations. We don't always have the same taste - Merlin?? - but he must hold Ron D. Moore up to a very high standard. This should be good.

Whether I like it or not, the show being picked up would be a great thing. It would mean more visibility, new fans, possibly more cons. It would mean lots of James and Jamie and Tricia being gorgeous together. From a less selfish perspective, it would mean that James gets to work with people he loves in a place he loves. So I'm really hoping for a green light here.

In the meantime, James has been tweeting a lot. His Twitter is everything I had hoped: funny, at times insightful, friendly. He doesn't spam with every minute detail of his life, and he doesn't get into fights with people. The tweets sound playful and down-to-earth. Some celebrity twitters are a bit, well, self-indulgent, and I never get that impression with James. (But then I may be biased. Maybe.) I enjoy reading his thoughts. I feel a bit nervous and jittery when he posts still, and I reply too much, but this too shall pass.

He's also a big fan of Radiohead, which is kind of cool. And odd. He can have fans and he can be a fan... which kind of means he's higher than us and Radiohead is higher than him? OR he's on the same level as us and also in the position of wanting to admire other people and their work? Hmmm. Sorry, I'm working on trying to bring him down to a more human level and not put him on a pedestal. It's not always easy for me. I tend to really get into things I love, and sometimes I need a reality check.

He hasn't put his foot in his mouth with some racist/sexist/etc. comment yet, so I'm starting to think he never will. I think he's actually really OK and accepting of other people. He's just human, so surely he has some bigoted notions and biased ideas, but he's smart enough to not tweet them. Sometimes actors, particularly comedians, dwell in the negative or offensive things, or they want to stir shit and say stuff that's "daring" and rude. The temptation might be quite high if you have a thousand followers. I respect James for not going that way. He has a beautiful mind. Am I putting him on a pedestal again? It's hard to tell.

There has been much request - or at least many searches - for "James Callis shirtless". There are no recent photos depicting him in such a delicious condition, but if you want to see some assorted BSG and Going Wrong goodies, look in my Tumblr, here. There are several pages. Some are just from his shoulders up, but there are several that show his lovely and somewhat hirsute torso too. Mm hmm. And I promise to keep adding screenshots in this category, too.

Some more search terms just for fun:
"james callis hair". I get a lot of these searches. Ah, the luscious mane! The lion's pride and horse's billowing-in-the-wind appendix. I know I've always been vocal about my love for his hair in all forms - perhaps too much so - and I do hope he won't go bald in the near future. If you wish to see pictures of his hair, see, well, every picture. But also the ones specifically tagged long hair or short hair.

"does James Callis smoke" - James Callis smokes, now don't you forget it.

"does james callis hate jamie bamber?" NO. They were very chummy on the set of 17th Precinct. See here. (Why should he hate Jamie? Or anyone, for that matter? I don't think he's the hating type.) They've always said what good friends they are, so I'd be very surprised if they suddenly fell out. And frankly, a little upset.

"James Callis always crying" - Umm, I don't think he is. Actually, I've never seen him cry off character. I imagine he's a touchy-feely guy, but it's not like he sits around weeping for no reason. If you mean on BSG, I think it's in part because he's so emotional and in part to humanize Baltar. He has the loveliest sad puppy eyes, doesn't he? Nicole made a great list of Baltar crying moments, but I can't find it for some reason. Maybe some linkage, Nicole?

"james callis weight" / "how much does james callis weigh"? You know what, get on Twitter and ask the maestro himself. If he doesn't like a question, he won't answer it. And I refuse to ask him, because he probably knows I'm horny about it, and it would be awkward. I'm not that curious about the number, actually, just his attitude on it. Not that it's any of my business, but then, what is?

Speaking of weight: "james callis thin"/"james callis skinny". It kind of varies. Usually, in the last couple of years, he is not skinny. Either way, don't worry, he's not anorexic or something. It's strange, I used to see him as very skinny before the donuts comment. I wonder how much of the chub I'm actually projecting and how much is there. For your own analysis, I refer you to the shirtless pictures linked above. Or perhaps the "tummy" tag.

"great Gaius Baltar quotes". I'm sure there's a site with some.. .let's see. If there isn't, I may have to make a post. Oh my, "Gaius Baltar thought of the day"? This is gold, Jerry, gold! Most of my favorites are already in there. I'd add "Oh my god, oh my giddy aunt!", "No, I haven't done anything!" (when asked "Are you Gaius Baltar?") and... Hmmm. I should really make some posts/tumbls about my favorites. Tumblr has gotten me into a major Gaius Baltar fangirl mood again.

"men pissing" - sorry, wrong blog. 

"finnish blog fandom james callis" - right blog. Unless you be hatin'. 

"hot girl standing next to paint horse" - wait, what?