Today's NYT has a rather lackluster piece pegged to "Razor," the one-off BSG episode that tells the history of the Pegasus (Galactica's sister battlestar) during what is roughly the time frame of season's one and two (though there are also flashbacks to a younger, mustachioed Adama). The two-hour mini event airs Saturday night, and will offer some insight into why life on the Pegasus was so stinking dysfunctional. Sure it's extraneous filler that doesn't really advance the BSG storyline. But I'll take it.

As for the peice itself, I couldn't figure out whether it was about the "trend" of DVD sales helping to revive a sagging series (as was the case with The Family Guy) or the "trend" of DVDs going on sale immediately after a season (or episode, in the case of "Razor," where the DVD will be available like 49 seconds after it airs). And, frankly, neither could the writer. The piece didn't really say much at all, especially if you have even a cursory understanding of the show.

Nonetheless, I read it with anxious anticipation, in the hope that it would reveal some scant bit of news about the much-delayed release date of BSG Season 3 on DVD (I've only seen the show via DVD, and am up through Season 2). Of course, no mention was made, despite the fact that the writer spoke to series creator Ronald Moore. Way to dig deep there, Sparky.

So what's a dedicated fan to do? There is one way to watch Season 3: via iTunes. But, as others have noted, BSG is one of those shows that deserves high-def, a big screen and whatever passes for surround sound around your living room. I certainly don't want to sit hunched over my 12" iBook squinting at lowish res versions.

One suspects that season 3 will drop with ample time before the launch of the fourth and final season (set for early next year, though the writer's strike may impact that).

The good news: Season 3 is available on DVD for those lucky fans who happen to live in Australia.

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The Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime over the use of name Californication, which is both the title of a 1999 Chili Peppers album (and song) and a new Showtime series with David Duchovny. The show even features a character named "Dani California," which is the main character in the Chili Peppers song. My only question is where were Anthony and the boy's lawyers like six months ago, when they started promoting this show?

The funniest aspect of the suit is that the Chili Peppers are arguing that Californication is their "signature" album. Huh? Maybe for the purposes of a lawsuit (and to people who first "discovered" the band via the MTV VMAs), but I don't think any of their fans would actually support this. Sure, it's a fine record, but it's not Mother's Milk, or even the Rick Rubin produced BloodSugarSexMagik, both of which preceded the Dave Navarro era (thankfully).

As for Showtime's take: the producers of the show say the term pre-dates the Chili Peppers. They refer back to a bumper sticker from the '70s that reads "Don't Californicate Orgeon!" You know what they say, if you don't have the Constitution on your side, the best defense is to go with a bumper sticker.

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Music photographer Janette Beckman got her start shooting London's punk scene right about the time the Sex Pistols were breaking up ('79, for those of you scoring at home). Three years later, she arrived in New York City, smack dab in the midst of hip hop's first wave. Whether it was dumb luck or a nose for emerging subcultures about to break big, she somehow landed the gig as house album-cover shutterbug for the emerging genre. In other words, she shot everybody from Eric B. and Rakim to Kurtis Blow to the Fearless Four (made up of six people, actually). Hell, she even photographed Rick Rubin when he was thin and, uh, handsome (above). Now you can celebrate all this O.G. glory with her glossy coffee table book called The Breaks: Stylin' and Profiln' 1982-1990, out this week from Powerhouse Books. And just because every guy in Williamsburg now looks like Rubin did in this 1985 portrait doesn't mean it wasn't an original look at the time.

P.S. The fact that the last 2 posts I've done feature young men pointing guns is completely coincidental and in no way advocates the use of firearms or adolescent recklessness.I just thought it was pretty cool shot of Rick Rubin.

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