I've decided to go back to the original title. I may keep this stylish design though - Baltar loves stylish suits, and he'd like to see his blog done in good style. Also, I apparently can't navigate Blogger's new template options. So um, I'll get back to you on that but don't you love those birds?
When I started this blog, I intended to make it about James/Baltar, pretty much 50/50. After BSG ended, I've realized I'm just going to be writing about whatever role James is currently doing, and James in general. I'm still a big Baltar fan, but since I'm not watching BSG episodes constantly, he fades into the background and James comes into focus in a ripe, delicious... I mean, um, admirable way. I could rename the blog James Callis something, but I'd have to change the url and move it to another location. Plus then I'd be confused with James Callis First Unofficial Website and All Things James Callis.
Baltarstar is a word he coined himself; it sets a silly tone, which is fitting. It doesn't suggest "OMG official James Callis website get your facts here". It's more like "A crazy fan writes about her personal oddities", which is closer to what the blog actually is. As long as Baltar is James' biggest and most varied role, I am keeping the Baltarstar Blog. If and when he gets a main role as something else, I'll reconsider.
The picture in the right margin is apparently either ENORMOUS so that you can't see it at all, or TINY so that, well, you can't see it much anyway. But I'll keep a picture of Baltar there for now.
So let's celebrate our favorite arrogant, alcoholic, nymphomaniac, cowardly.... angel / scientist / farmer /cult leader. He may not always be admirable, but he's at least MANY things!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Thursday, December 16, 2010
James Makes Sexiest Men List!
Buddy TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010: James Callis is at 41!
I know it's nothing like an acting award or review for something he's done. But. This list has a lot of men who are super toned and generally considered "hunks", and James seems to divide opinions in this matter. So I'm proud.
Maybe people are beginning to see his appeal, now that he plays more "pleasant" roles? Many people thought Baltar was gross and sleazy and a nymphomaniac, and that affected how they felt about James' looks.
So let us drool proudly, because our man is finally being recognized for the hunk he is!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
James Callis = Santa?
There have been suspicions that James Callis is in fact the same person as "Santa", or "Father Christmas". We have found a picture that seems to be evidence that he truly is...
This photo was taken by an innocent bystander at last year's FedCon Germany. Note the suspicious beard and hat on Mr Callis, and his attempt to not notice the lost reindeer. (Quite cold really, since the reindeer looks very anxious indeed!) Mr Callis left FedCon in a hurry, perhaps to watch over his elves better. He has been known to retreat to India from time to time, but we suspect the North Pole is closer to the truth...
This post is brought to you by It's Office Christmas Party Day And I'm So Drunk. And I may actually remove it tomorrow when I'm sober again. But until then, hahahahahahaaa. :)
This post is brought to you by It's Office Christmas Party Day And I'm So Drunk. And I may actually remove it tomorrow when I'm sober again. But until then, hahahahahahaaa. :)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Two Years of James Callis Bloggin'.
So I've been blogging about James Callis for two years now. My visit count is over 16,000. (That's unique visits, not unique visitors, but still. Wow.) I guess I should say something profound. *twiddles thumbs* James' belly... No, that doesn't sound quite right.
When I started this blog, I had no idea I'd write this much or for this long. I like to think of fandom as something temporary, maybe because it scares me to think of how powerful it really is. I may still be here in ten years, or I may lose it tomorrow; I don't feel I have much control over this jumble of feelings. But I'm proud of this blog, and I'm happy I'm still a fan. This was a good year, with many James roles and lots of online interaction. I'm glad I was here to see it. His roles have gotten larger and, in some cases, deeper. My hope is still that he gets his own show sometime soon, something deep and awesome like Mad Men, but maybe it's too early for that.
I feel really touched that people like my blog. I know there are many readers who have been coming the whole two years, and who still check every week to see if I've posted. These are not necessarily people I've spoken to or seen post anywhere. It inspires me to write more. So again, a big THANK YOU and hugs to everyone who's reading. And remember: James loves me, and I love you, and therefore vicariously, James loves you. Happy and merry all around.
There's also the fandom I know personally, and it's been a little quiet lately. I miss our conversations about James' acting, chest hair, and other important aspects. But I also have been quiet myself, so I get it - we are grown ups with our own lives. When I compare this fandom to the Ace of Base fanbase, it seems much more harmonious. I haven't gotten into any fights with fans. I haven't had heated arguments, and most importantly, I haven't been judged. I don't know if it was my tone or the other fans, but I often got attacked in the AOB fandom for discussing the idols' weight (in my eyes, in a favorable way). None of the James fans have accused me of being shallow, rude, or obsessed. James fans are calm about my fat fetish - amused at him as well as me, willing to admit he sometimes has a belly, completely without reproach or disappointment. I tend to think that if weight gain is a taboo, that means fat is an ugly, shameful thing. It obviously isn't to James fans. Even my fat acceptance views have been accepted and, I feel, respected. This may be a small issue to most fans, but obviously it means a great deal to me.
Every James fan I've met has been intelligent, mature, funny and kind. Some are a bit weird - I count myself in this category too - and there's quite a bit of creativity. I know I can't speak for James, but I like to think we make him proud. I think he'd enjoy a conversation with us. (Of course, it depends on what we'd tell him - some things are best kept private. ;)) The fandom is small, and since the end of BSG, it seems to have shrunk further. But this may also be a good thing - no trolls, no troublemakers, no one who's very vocally unhappy with James' choices and isn't scared to say so in every thread.
I've had more contact with James this year than I expected, so that feels.. overwhelmingly exciting and touching. And it's fun that he has Twitter and we can hear a bit of what he's thinking, whether it's philosophy or schoolboy jokes. All of this, oddly, has strengthened the image I already had of him. Maybe I'm a pretty good judge of character? I feel like I've said all of this before. I feel strangely vulnerable talking about this, like something actually happened between James and I, and I'm open in front of him and he can see me, and that makes me bigger and more significant, but also smaller and more breakable, so that my feelings get tangled up oddly. This is why I haven't been posting much. I want to describe what I'm feeling, over and over again, but maybe it's always the same words? There's a certain calmness, though. I worry less about what he thinks of me, and I've stopped worrying that he must hate fat people/gays/any other group of people I belong to. Maybe one day, I'll be able to talk to him like he's just a regular person on my level. I don't see him as a god, really, but I do see him as higher than myself, so it's still a litle awkward. But I haven't told him "OMG I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU", and of this I'm proud.
It's gone quiet on the news front. On Twitter, I still do "james callis" and "gaius baltar" searches almost daily. Usually I find the same stuff over and over, tweeted by different people around the world. Something like this:
"Hey, Gaius Baltar is on Bridget Jones's Diary! WATCH OUT BRIDGET!"
or:
"Gaius Baltar in Bridget Jones's Diary! I keep expecting to see cylons!"
It's weird that so many people are making the same jokes. It's even weirder that so many people are watching BJD - isn't it a mediocre romantic comedy from 2001? Am I missing something? I should be glad that people recognize James and that Baltar is a cultural icon, but it feels more like lots and lots of people know what Gaius loosk like, but have no idea what his character was about. (Or what I think it was about. Which is humanity, and guilt, and compassion, and cowardice, and and. But not evil or conniving. Never those things.)
Perhaps because of this, I dreamt there were ads for Bridget Jones 3: I Am a Bear. (????) In these ads, there was Rowan Atkinson, and under his picture it read: "Mr Atkinson will replace the role of the gay man." I was really relieved that it wasn't James. Not that I hate Tom or anything, but he can do better than that. I don't have any actual news on Bridget Jones 3. But look, I'm a loyal fan. If it comes out, and James is in it, I will see it in theatre. I promise.
Then there are the roles I'm truly proud of. Gaius Baltar, Gabriel McDow, Guy Curran. These roles are the ones that have touched me the most over the years. I think I'll write a bit more about them still.
I've been thinking of making some interview link posts and transcripts and all that, but we'll see. Sometimes I'm too tired to write, but the blog won't die with that. If I can't write, I'll picspam. If I can't picspam, I'll linkspam. If I can't linkspam, I'll write strange and disturbing posts about my James dreams and fantasies. Either way, I'm still here and still Jamesing strong.
James on all of you* too! Especially James himself. :* :*
* = James on you was a phrase I coined with my best friend when we were fifteen. In other words, it has nothing to do with James Callis, but really, how convenient that his name should be James? When I told my family about my fandom, they giggled and said "His name is James?!" So you know.
** = It's true! Ask my best friend.
*** = It means like "blessings on you" or "all the best". NOT "shame on you".
When I started this blog, I had no idea I'd write this much or for this long. I like to think of fandom as something temporary, maybe because it scares me to think of how powerful it really is. I may still be here in ten years, or I may lose it tomorrow; I don't feel I have much control over this jumble of feelings. But I'm proud of this blog, and I'm happy I'm still a fan. This was a good year, with many James roles and lots of online interaction. I'm glad I was here to see it. His roles have gotten larger and, in some cases, deeper. My hope is still that he gets his own show sometime soon, something deep and awesome like Mad Men, but maybe it's too early for that.
I feel really touched that people like my blog. I know there are many readers who have been coming the whole two years, and who still check every week to see if I've posted. These are not necessarily people I've spoken to or seen post anywhere. It inspires me to write more. So again, a big THANK YOU and hugs to everyone who's reading. And remember: James loves me, and I love you, and therefore vicariously, James loves you. Happy and merry all around.
There's also the fandom I know personally, and it's been a little quiet lately. I miss our conversations about James' acting, chest hair, and other important aspects. But I also have been quiet myself, so I get it - we are grown ups with our own lives. When I compare this fandom to the Ace of Base fanbase, it seems much more harmonious. I haven't gotten into any fights with fans. I haven't had heated arguments, and most importantly, I haven't been judged. I don't know if it was my tone or the other fans, but I often got attacked in the AOB fandom for discussing the idols' weight (in my eyes, in a favorable way). None of the James fans have accused me of being shallow, rude, or obsessed. James fans are calm about my fat fetish - amused at him as well as me, willing to admit he sometimes has a belly, completely without reproach or disappointment. I tend to think that if weight gain is a taboo, that means fat is an ugly, shameful thing. It obviously isn't to James fans. Even my fat acceptance views have been accepted and, I feel, respected. This may be a small issue to most fans, but obviously it means a great deal to me.
Every James fan I've met has been intelligent, mature, funny and kind. Some are a bit weird - I count myself in this category too - and there's quite a bit of creativity. I know I can't speak for James, but I like to think we make him proud. I think he'd enjoy a conversation with us. (Of course, it depends on what we'd tell him - some things are best kept private. ;)) The fandom is small, and since the end of BSG, it seems to have shrunk further. But this may also be a good thing - no trolls, no troublemakers, no one who's very vocally unhappy with James' choices and isn't scared to say so in every thread.
I've had more contact with James this year than I expected, so that feels.. overwhelmingly exciting and touching. And it's fun that he has Twitter and we can hear a bit of what he's thinking, whether it's philosophy or schoolboy jokes. All of this, oddly, has strengthened the image I already had of him. Maybe I'm a pretty good judge of character? I feel like I've said all of this before. I feel strangely vulnerable talking about this, like something actually happened between James and I, and I'm open in front of him and he can see me, and that makes me bigger and more significant, but also smaller and more breakable, so that my feelings get tangled up oddly. This is why I haven't been posting much. I want to describe what I'm feeling, over and over again, but maybe it's always the same words? There's a certain calmness, though. I worry less about what he thinks of me, and I've stopped worrying that he must hate fat people/gays/any other group of people I belong to. Maybe one day, I'll be able to talk to him like he's just a regular person on my level. I don't see him as a god, really, but I do see him as higher than myself, so it's still a litle awkward. But I haven't told him "OMG I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU", and of this I'm proud.
It's gone quiet on the news front. On Twitter, I still do "james callis" and "gaius baltar" searches almost daily. Usually I find the same stuff over and over, tweeted by different people around the world. Something like this:
"Hey, Gaius Baltar is on Bridget Jones's Diary! WATCH OUT BRIDGET!"
or:
"Gaius Baltar in Bridget Jones's Diary! I keep expecting to see cylons!"
It's weird that so many people are making the same jokes. It's even weirder that so many people are watching BJD - isn't it a mediocre romantic comedy from 2001? Am I missing something? I should be glad that people recognize James and that Baltar is a cultural icon, but it feels more like lots and lots of people know what Gaius loosk like, but have no idea what his character was about. (Or what I think it was about. Which is humanity, and guilt, and compassion, and cowardice, and and. But not evil or conniving. Never those things.)
Perhaps because of this, I dreamt there were ads for Bridget Jones 3: I Am a Bear. (????) In these ads, there was Rowan Atkinson, and under his picture it read: "Mr Atkinson will replace the role of the gay man." I was really relieved that it wasn't James. Not that I hate Tom or anything, but he can do better than that. I don't have any actual news on Bridget Jones 3. But look, I'm a loyal fan. If it comes out, and James is in it, I will see it in theatre. I promise.
Then there are the roles I'm truly proud of. Gaius Baltar, Gabriel McDow, Guy Curran. These roles are the ones that have touched me the most over the years. I think I'll write a bit more about them still.
I've been thinking of making some interview link posts and transcripts and all that, but we'll see. Sometimes I'm too tired to write, but the blog won't die with that. If I can't write, I'll picspam. If I can't picspam, I'll linkspam. If I can't linkspam, I'll write strange and disturbing posts about my James dreams and fantasies. Either way, I'm still here and still Jamesing strong.
James on all of you* too! Especially James himself. :* :*
* = James on you was a phrase I coined with my best friend when we were fifteen. In other words, it has nothing to do with James Callis, but really, how convenient that his name should be James? When I told my family about my fandom, they giggled and said "His name is James?!" So you know.
** = It's true! Ask my best friend.
*** = It means like "blessings on you" or "all the best". NOT "shame on you".
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
James Callis Brow Acting.
Got a search just now for "james callis brow acting". That's an awesome search. Does it mean the forehead, or the eyebrows? Either way, James sure knows how to brow act, and I feel like I haven't given this enough attention. So here's a picspam of James' Brow(s) in action. Enjoy!
STERN AND SURPRISED BROWS
STERN AND SURPRISED BROWS
SILLY BROWS
SAD BROWS
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Testcast 3: Learning to Do This Thing
I'll get back to you on the podcasting later once I have more to talk about.
Includes a few snippets of this column at pursuitdelange.com.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Testcast 2: My Cat Loves James Callis!
My cat Osku wishes to demonstrate to us how much he loves James. He does this with a piece of fish. This is deeply symbolic and all that.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
A Vaguely James Callis-Related Podcast.
I made a podcast!!! Look how pretty! *beams with pride*
OK, so the quality sucks, and the sound is not quite in sync, which is both Youtube and my webcam. And I didn't really have much to say, which is why this is just a testcast. I may do more podcasts later. Maybe. It'd be fun to make a review podcast of something he's in, so maybe I will do that in the future? Or maybe - James puppet show, with Jameses of various sizes and ages fighting for the mastery of the universe. The possibilities are endless!
I'm surprised at that expression I make, closing my eyes. I didn't realize I was making it. It looks a bit like James' touched eye-closing look, which is fitting.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Oldie But Goldie: The Sci Fi Guys w James Callis
I know this is an old thing, but I've never claimed that this blog is all about the latest news.
If you haven't heard the Sci Fi Guys interview with James Callis, it's a must-hear. You can stream it here. It begins around 40 minutes and goes on til about 1 hour, and after that they gush over him, calling him one of the most humble guests ever. Someone who will praise anyone but himself. So true. Nothing wrong with tooting your own horn a little, James. But it's totally sweet, of course. He also talks about how human beings are basically animals and in denial about it (I don't remember what the question was but it wasn't that deep :D), and discusses his first roles. I love how he mentions Soldier, Soldier and is like, "I made great friends from that". That's the only positive thing he has to say about it. Hee!
One thing I really love about this interview is how he talks about Tricia Helfer and Lucy Lawless. He gets the usual question of how gorgeous they are and how it is to work with them. He's like, yes they're gorgeous. BUT they are also so talented, and I'm so impressed with them, and I love Tricia as a person. This is one of those very proud fan moments. It's a very feminist thing to say, really. And just a very respectful thing, seeing her as a human being who has a beautiful face and body, but also a lot more. You can tell that the other stuff is more important to James.
And he sounds SO warm talking about her, really. You can hear in his voice that he means it all and more.
Lately I've thought of Tricia more again. From the beginning, she was part of my fandom, but it's kind of become all about James. I do miss Tricia sometimes, though. She seems like a lovely, genuine person, much like James, and I imagine they're great friends. But I don't know if my heart can handle two equally powerful fangirlisms, so James it is.
If you haven't heard the Sci Fi Guys interview with James Callis, it's a must-hear. You can stream it here. It begins around 40 minutes and goes on til about 1 hour, and after that they gush over him, calling him one of the most humble guests ever. Someone who will praise anyone but himself. So true. Nothing wrong with tooting your own horn a little, James. But it's totally sweet, of course. He also talks about how human beings are basically animals and in denial about it (I don't remember what the question was but it wasn't that deep :D), and discusses his first roles. I love how he mentions Soldier, Soldier and is like, "I made great friends from that". That's the only positive thing he has to say about it. Hee!
One thing I really love about this interview is how he talks about Tricia Helfer and Lucy Lawless. He gets the usual question of how gorgeous they are and how it is to work with them. He's like, yes they're gorgeous. BUT they are also so talented, and I'm so impressed with them, and I love Tricia as a person. This is one of those very proud fan moments. It's a very feminist thing to say, really. And just a very respectful thing, seeing her as a human being who has a beautiful face and body, but also a lot more. You can tell that the other stuff is more important to James.
I find Tricia to be amazing. I have a connection with that lady, we have a kind of chemistry we play off.. and that takes.. I can't explain,but I think it comes very naturally to her, she is a natural actress, and the things she has to do... if she couldn't do it, I couldn't do it. We are like twinned to the hip, somehow. She's a beautiful lady but she's beautiful in the inside as well. She's generous and kind and sweet, and working with someone like that, it's another gift.
And he sounds SO warm talking about her, really. You can hear in his voice that he means it all and more.
Lately I've thought of Tricia more again. From the beginning, she was part of my fandom, but it's kind of become all about James. I do miss Tricia sometimes, though. She seems like a lovely, genuine person, much like James, and I imagine they're great friends. But I don't know if my heart can handle two equally powerful fangirlisms, so James it is.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Re-uniting the Rubins Trailer!
Finally, a trailer for Re-Uniting the Rubins! (I guess I should mention that it stars James Callis, for this to show up in a Google search. So you know, James Callis James Callis James Callis.)
James' character looks pretty hard and uptight, like he described back at Evening With James Callis. He called Danny Rubin "unpleasant, naïve" and "unscrupulous", and yeah, I do get that from these clips. (Also criminally handsome, but that's just James.) He seems like a lot of fun though, and like he's going to be redeemed a little by the end. I see James' sensitivity coming through a bit there.
"Freak!" "Lesbian!" "Freak!" "Lesbian!" Hee!
Boy: "How much do you earn in hour?"
Danny: "300, maybe."
Boy (empties piggy bank): "Can I have eight minutes?"
Awwwwww! That's just heartbreaking.
I think I'm going to enjoy this film, if I ever get to see it. The trailer is a lot of fun. Other actors include Timothy Spall, Rhona Mitra and Honor Blackman.
Hair: shortish if wavy. Very luscious.
Chest hair: visible at 1:35!Patented sad puppy eyes(tm): at 1:42.
Donuts: no (this was filmed right after FedCon '09)
Drool factor: very high.
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