Red Flag No. 74 that Cane is toast. Polly Walker, who in addition to a run on HBO's Rome appeared on CBS' ill-fated drama series, is the latest to join the cast of Sci Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica prequel. On Caprica, which will premiere as a two-hour movie/backdoor series pilot, Walker will play Sister Clarice Willow, an eloquent (if duplicitous) high priestess and headmistress of a private religious school. — MWM
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Summer may be over, but for the next few months, sandals will remain in fashion. Also swords. And tunics, which have a way of dropping at a moment's notice.
HBO has transported us, at no small expense, to ancient Rome, and who'd be foolish enough to refuse? Think Deadwood with baths, or the Sopranos breaking bread with the I, Claudius crew. Far from a stuffy costume epic, Rome (Sundays at 9 pm/ET) is a feast for the eyes and an orgy for whatever other senses may be stimulated by a ripping good story.
As is often the case with HBO shows — I didn't get hooked on Deadwood until more than midway through the first season — the 12-episode Rome unfolds slowly, with the feel of a classic miniseries. It may take a few episodes for viewers to sort out the enormous cast of nobles and brutes, and to fully appreciate the sprawling, brawling pageant of debauchery, savagery and treachery. I've seen six hours and can't wait for the re
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Oh, man — do you love intrigue? Long as it's intriguing, right? And violence? Long as it's justified by the intrigue (and stays on the screen rather than in your actual life). So I know we're in for a treat here, 'cause HBO is no slouch when it comes to good historical drama. First good sign: Everyone has a British accent, which nearly always signifies a class act — and oh, yeah, the fact that this is a coproduction with the BBC. Duh. But if anyone knows class struggles, it's the Brits. I mean, when Polly Walker's Atia tells her servant she'll use the eyes of his children for beads if he doesn't bring her son Octavian back safely, can you imagine it coming out nearly so well from, say, the mouth of Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan?
Anyway, like any good epic, this one requires a flow chart, so I can't begin to summarize here. The most important bits: Caesar's been off commanding his victorious army for eight years, sending spoils back to the common people to b
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