Blade: The Series – Jill Wagner Interview

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To celebrate the DVD release February of Blade: The Series in the US we had the chance to talk to the lead actress in the show Jill Wagner.

Blade: The Series stars Kirk ‘Sticky Fingaz’ Jones as Blade the vampire hunter. Plus there is Jill Wagner as Krista Starr a newly turned vampire playing both sides and the head vampire Marcus Van Sciver played by Neil Jackson. Blade is supported by Shen (Nelson Lee) and Marcus has Chase (Jessica Gower).

How did you come to be in Blade: The Series?
My manager gave me the script on a Sunday. I auditioned for it on a Monday, callbacks were Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday was the studio test and Friday was the network test. I found out Friday on my way home from the Network test that I got the part and that Sunday I moved to Vancouver to begin filming. It was quite fast process.

What did the audition entail?
Four scenes, a few with Blade (Sticky [Fingaz] read with me in the network test).

Tell us about your character Krista Starr.
She is a war vet. She is a bit of a tomboy and a lets just way she’s not afraid to run with the boys. She is hardened by the news of her brothers murder and seeks revenge. She could be seen as the victim in this series but I try to show her stronger side. She goes through an emotional roller coaster throughout the series. She was a great character to play.

Your character guides the audience through the world of Blade and the vampires. Did you find it hard to play someone torn between the two sides working for Blade and living with them?
Yes. I was always thinking as Krista and finding it hard to even smile at Marcus after what he had done. She leads two lives. Good and Evil.

Did you ever have second thoughts about being involved with a sci-fi show? Knowing sci-fi fans are more critical than other audiences?
No not at all, I have always loved sci-fi and the stunt work that comes with it really attracted me. I love to hear what the fans say…good and bad. Sometimes it helps me to think about certain things in a different light.

Do you have a favorite fight from the show?
Probably the last episode when I fight Chase.

Did you find it hard to do the action sequences the role required?
No.

It’s said that you have a gun collection, did this help you prepare for a high action role?
Of course, however you never get fully comfortable with pointing a gun at someone or vice versa.

What was your funniest experience when filming the series?
Neil [Jackson] was carrying me out of the ritual room from the 1st episode and he forgot to turn my body to fit through the door and about took my head off. The set was silent until everyone heard me laugh, them the jokes poured in. Neil was always the funny one on set.

What are your best memories from making Blade?
Hanging out with the cast and crew on set from day to day. We had such an amazing group all around.

Is there a part of Krista’s past you wish had been covered more?
Yes, her life and experiences in the military. My dad was a marine (war vet) so I always wanted to play a character who had been in the military.

Were you familiar with the Blade franchise before the show? If so in what format: Comics/Movies?
I had seen and was a fan of the movies.

Are you a fan of any other vampire shows/movies/books?
Bram Stoker was my favorite.

The season ended in a cliffhanger. Could you tell us what you know about what was to be the second season’s storyline and how the cliffhanger was to be resolved?
I wish I could tell you. I knew nothing.

Are there any current plans for a second season?
I think there were some talks about having another TV movie that wrapped up the cliffhanger… not sure if that is still in talks though.

Do you know if you will be making a third appearance in Stargate: Atlantis, if so when can we expect it?
I believe so, have no clue when though, but as soon as I know I will post it on my Myspace page at Myspace.com/jillwagner

Do you have any upcoming projects?
A Sci-fi thriller movie called Splinter coming out in Jan or early Feb.

Blade: The Series – The Complete Series arrives on Region 1 DVD on February 12th. The pilot House of Chthon is available now on both Region 1 and 2 DVD.

Lost Fans Rejoice! Sneak preview of Lost Season 4

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Honestly do I need to say anything in this post? Here’s the first 1.5 minutes of the first episode of Lost Season 4! Lost returns to ABC on January 31st at 8pm.The clip might not make sense at first, but oh it does at the end and it’s so good, forget those crappy Lost Minisodes…

More cool game swag you’ll never get your hands on.

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Why do developers enjoy tormenting me? First the Weighted Companion Cube plush sells out before I can get one, then the Okami Complete Works book gets delayed indefinitely, and then I hear about the cool chocobo mug several months after Square-Enix sells out its original production. The latest useless bit of junk I’m doomed to lust after and never get my greedy paws on? A kick-ass fan with official artwork of Okami on it. This one they’re not selling at all, so at least I don’t have to blame my chronic late to the party status this time

Blockbuster releases to be more spread out in future, says analyst

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It seems that gaming publishers may finally be getting the message, shouted daily from countless enthusiast web communities, that we want to play good games all year round, not just in the fall. About damn time too; when a quirky, niche Atlus title is the most exciting release for three months, while the next three feature Mario, Mass Effect, and Uncharted, there’s something wrong. Thankfully, the SimExchange’s Jesse Divnich says there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

A broader release schedule could positively affect retailers such as GameStop and make them more attractive to the investment community as they will have more months of strong sales to hedge themselves against any negative short-term economic factors

It’s the same logic we enthusiasts have been using against game developers for years: while releasing at the end of the year is good for those who can stand out from the pack, just as many titles see decreased sales from increased competition. The logic hasn’t changed from last year, and sales numbers this holiday season were up from last year, so why expect change? While Jesse doesn’t offer an explanation for the publishers’ change of heart, he does provide ample evidence for his claims.

Before the first half of 2008 ends, we can expect the release of AAA titles such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl (expected to achieve 13.95 million units of GLS [global lifetime sales]), Wii Fit (expecting 8.7 million units of GLS), Grand Theft Auto IV (expecting 17 million units of GLS), and Metal Gear Solid 4 (expecting 4.7 million units of GLS).

While I’d be surprised if even half of that list actually releases in Q1 or Q2 2008, the point is well taken. This year’s early releases are the best recent memory. Call me cautiously optimistic that, burned by flops like Stranglehold and Blue Dragon, publishers will be less likely to flood the retail channel around the holiday season.

For more, see here.

NBC Videos Get a new player, it’s not Hulu

NBC has updated its video site with a brand-new player. These videos differ from it’s Hulu.com website as they are news oriented rather than fictitious shows.

Apparently NBC has truly learned how to go web 2.0! It’s allow third party websites to be able to embed their videos onto their own pages. Ok that’s not really an original idea or that exciting, but the player itself is responsive and the video quality is great. Of course there are ads and there is no way for video embedders to earn a percent off of the views they bring to these clips.

NBC definitely has the content that people want to watch, but if they could build a network like the AP’s The News Room – bloggers would be all over this service. If a website is bringing in viewers to your content, they should receive some sort of credit for doing so. The future for online video is going to be perfect for both content producers and syndicators, if syndicators are able to receive royalties for bringing views to ad supported videos created by the content producer.

We here at StuffWeLike will at some point have this capability for our media player The Pipeline so it’ll be interesting to see how that affects the usage of it.