My new AOL TV column doesn’t officially debut until Sept. 1 — and debut it will, with a title and picture and everything. But when the nerd Batphone rings, you can be sure Mo Ryan will answer it, whether or not the Photoshop wizards have finished working on my column photo.

I found out that ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is breaking out the big guns for its impending move to Thursdays, and I just had to get this exclusive news out there now: Katee Sackhoff is guest starring on the CBS comedy again this fall.

The actress, who played Kara “Starbuck” Thrace on ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and Dana Walsh on ’24,’ won’t be in the season premiere of ‘Big Bang’ (Thurs., Sept. 23, 8PM ET on CBS), but keep reading for scoop on that one, too.

Sackhoff will return later this fall to the role she first played last year — the version of “Katee Sackhoff” who acts as the conscience of Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg). The episode will also feature the return of Melissa Rauch as Wolowitz’s ex-girlfriend, Bernadette.

“He’s struggling with his feelings about Bernadette and them breaking up, and in pops Katee Sackhoff again,” Sackhoff laughed. “I can probably say [the scene] won’t be in the bathtub. I don’t know for sure … I can’t imagine them doing the same thing twice, but you never know.”

Appearing on ‘Big Bang’ — which grew into such a hit that CBS is using it as part of a new sitcom block in a hotly contested Thursday slot — “really, really helped me decide that I could do [comedy],” Sackhoff said. “So when [co-creator Chuck Lorre] called to see if I could do a second episode, I said, ‘Of course.’”

Sackhoff admitted that, prior to her first ‘Big Bang’ experience, she had avoided funny roles for years. It’s not surprising given that her first Hollywood guest role — on the WB comedy ‘Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane’ — didn’t go very well, especially when her character had to deliver a “throaty laugh.”

“I was 18 years old. I had no idea what a throaty laugh was,” Sackhoff said. When the episode aired, another actress’ voice had been dubbed over hers for the laugh. Sackhoff’s reaction: “And I will never do comedy again!”

But she said that a decade spent playing serious roles on shows like ’24,’ ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘Bionic Woman’ had her on the lookout for a change of pace. “I think that people remember you for your last job, and … no one can picture you outside of that,” Sackhoff said. “So I was looking for something to tear the lid off that box.”

Appearing on ‘Big Bang’ last November (in the aforementioned bathtub scene with Wolowitz) was “daunting … thank God for the bubbles, because I didn’t have to do it in front of a live audience,” she added with a laugh. Though she said she was relieved that the episode was largely well-received, she was a bit thrown by the surprising reaction in some quarters.

“My mom called me and she goes, ‘Everyone online thinks you’ve had your boobs and your lips done.’ I was like, ‘What?!’” Sackhoff recalled. “I just thought it was absolutely the funniest thing ever. I realized it’s because they’ve never seen me with that much makeup on before. And because it’s supposed to be Wolowitz’s fantasy, I had on the stuff that pushed my boobs together and we traced the line of my lips to make them bigger, because in his mind, they’re huge. I mean, it was a caricature of myself. I cracked up.”

So is she open to coming back for more? Absolutely. “We’re just trying to figure out how many times Starbuck or Katee Sackhoff can pop up in Wolowitz’s head. It can’t be every episode … I mean, I would love to have me pop up every episode, but maybe it’s too much. Maybe I could do a ‘final thought,’ like Andy Rooney does, at the end of every ['60 Minutes'] episode,” she joked.

If you can’t wait until Sept. 23 to see Sackhoff, she’s also appearing on ‘Futurama’ this Thursday (Aug. 26, 10PM ET on Comedy Central).

Oh, and if you see her and Tricia Helfer (Six!) passing through your town this October on motorcycles, know that A) You are not seeing things, and B) the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ castmates — who are very good friends in real life — are riding from Los Angeles to Louisiana to raise money for the Gulf region in the wake of the BP oil spill.

“We’re trying to continue to raise awareness that this will be an ongoing problem,” said Sackhoff, who’ll start selling T-shirts benefiting Gulf causes via the site actingoutlaws.org in a couple of weeks.

Even when not riding for charity, she and Helfer like getting on their motorcycles and cruising around Los Angeles. I asked what the reaction is when ‘Battlestar’ fans see them at gas stations. “It’s kind of funny, especially when [fellow 'BSG' actor] Michael Trucco goes with us,” Sackhoff said. “People are like, ‘Wow, what just happened?’”

Katee is going to make a guest appearance in next weeks episode titled ‘Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences’. The episode will premiere Thursday, August 28 at 10pm ET on Comedy Central. Other guest stars include the show creator Matt Groening, executive producer David X. Cohen and MAD Magazine’s Sergio Aragonés.

Katee lends her voice to Grrl, the sexy alien out to steal the heart of Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8. Check out images of Katee’s character at ComedyCentral.com.

Her hair seems just to be getting redder and redder. Maybe she’s indeed going for the role of Typhoid Mary..

• 9th Annual InStyle Summer Soiree x6

Also, keep voting for Katee for choice tv actress in action (24). Vote at http://www.teenchoiceawards.com.

Plus Photos from Kiehl’s LifeRide for AmfAR 2010 kick-off have been added to the photo gallery.

New York Comic Con (NYCC) has today announced a line up of celebrity actor guests who have starred in television, film and theater and who will appear at the show to autograph and mingle with fans. The introduction of these Special Guests highlights the scope of the convention’s guest appearances and underscores the broad appeal of New York Comic Con which has rapidly become a pre-eminent pop culture event. The entertainment guests who have been announced are: Christopher Judge, James Marsters, Katee Sackhoff, and Ian Whyte. They join other celebrity guests from the world of comics including Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and John Romita, Jr. among many others. Officials at NYCC recently announced a line up of comic guests including Adam Hughes, Steve McNiven, Steve Epting, Bob Layton and Greg Pak. The New York Comic will be co-located with the New York Anime Festival (NYAF) this year and will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, October 8 – 10, 2010. Both shows are produced by ReedPOP, a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions.

“These celebrity guests from the world of TV and film have contributed enormously to the pop culture world and they have helped bring iconic comic and pop culture characters to life,” notes Lance Fensterman, Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for NYCC. “We are indebted to them for making their time available to us and for being available to our thousands of fans. This certainly proves how vast the pop culture universe is and we plan to include ALL of it at NYCC! This year’s show will be bigger than ever.”

With the exception of James Marsters, the celebrity guest appearances are sponsored by Celebrity Authentics and they will be appearing in the Celebrity Authentics booth. James Marsters will appear in Autograph Alley, as well as participate in panels and a Saturday (October 9, 2010) evening concert. Concert details and ticket information will be available soon at http://www.jamesmarsters.com. Information about autograph prices, times, etc. will be posted soon on the NYCC website. Tickets for NYCC and NYAF may also be purchased at the convention’s website, http://www.nycomiccon.com. Other information about the shows, as well as news about ReedPOP, which also organizes Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), is available at Lance Fensterman’s blog, http://www.mediumatlarge.net.

KATEE SACKHOFF:

As one of the stars of the critically acclaimed television series, Battlestar Galactica, Katee Sackhoff has wowed fans and critics alike with her portrayal of Kara “Starbuck” Thrace. Beyond Galactica, she’s well known as Dana Walsh on 24. Katee is appearing at the Celebrity Authentics booth.

>> Read more

Visit www.newyorkcomiccon.com for more info

Read more at shore-leave.com

Katee Sackhoff, who played Starbuck in the ‘Re-Imagined’ version of Battlestar Gallactica will be appearing at this years London Film & Comic Con.

LFCC takes place every summer at Earls Court 2 in London. Celebrating the best of film, television, comics and sport, London Film and Comic Con is a day out unlike any other, giving you the chance to meet your idols, ask them questions and have your photograph taken with them as well as grabbing the latest film/tv/comic merchandise on the market.

This year for an event that is promising some big names, with William Shatner already announced, as well as a 30th Anniversary celebration of ‘Empire Strikes Back’. You can join in the fun of Cosplay and dress up as your film, tv or comic book idol – don’t be shy, or you can simply marvel at the many costumes that will be on display in the Cosplay Zone. There will be some of the top artists demonstrating their skills in Artists Ally, and there might even be some cool props from the latest films on display – don’t forget your camera!

Visit www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/ for more info

Voting begins this month, so please make sure and go to the website, teenchoiceawards.com/, and vote for Katee.

The awards will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre on Sunday, August 8th. The show will air on Monday, August 9th at 8:00PM (ET/PT) on FOX.