JMS on CompuServe (Aug 16, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Fri Aug 16 13:34:42 EDT 1996
[ NOTE: I'm using a new mailer, so someone please let me know if there is
a problem with this post. Thanks. -- BB ]
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE
RESPECTIVE MESSAGE AUTHORS AND CANNOT BE
REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED
PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
Note that JMS has expressed his public permission
that all of his messages may be reproduced freely.
I give permission for my summaries to be reposted in
any form, however I reserve all rights to them and
the right to revoke this permission at any time.
[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #559969-#<<Walkabout Cast>>
Sb: #559973-#WWE - Hot damn!!!
Sb: #559979-#Shadow Question
Sb: #559987-#Goodbye Old Friend..
Sb: #560101-#Lyta--Season 4
Sb: #560415-#Comics as a medium...
Sb: #560349-Goodbye Old Friend..
Sb: #560492-Lyta--Season 4
Sb: #560290-<<Walkabout Cast>>
Sb: #560556-Season 4 Title?
#: 559969 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 02:30:20
Sb: #<<Walkabout Cast>>
Fm: SIMON PALLETT
*******************
* SPOILER WARNING *
*******************
The contents of this posting may contain potential spoilers for the
upcoming
B5 episode, "Walkabout"
If you do not wish to be spoiled for this episode, please do not proceed
any
further.
*******************
* SPOILER WARNING *
*******************
Joe,
I'm being impatient here, I'll admit, but my curiosity has been piqued
considerably by something I read in the Radio Time's synopses for
Walkabout. Here is the last line of the cast list, as shown in the said
listings magazine :-
Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair : MICHAEL O'HARE
Now, when I think about it, there are three possibilities. 1)...He's
listed
because he left a recorded message for a station crewmember, that's played
back at sometime during the episode. 2)...The Radio Times have goofed, and
he is not in the episode at all. 3)...He is featured in person, in this
episode. I just wondered, is Michael really in Walkabout? Or have the
Radio Times made a mistake with their cast listing?
Simon Pallett
#: 560210 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 12:09:07
Sb: #559969-#<<Walkabout Cast>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It's a typo.
jms
#: 559973 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Aug-96 03:13:57
Sb: #WWE - Hot damn!!!
Fm: COLIN HEAPS
JMS, well, what can one say???
I had read spoilers for this for a while, but somehow they never prepare
you
for the real thing, (now I wonder why that is <g>).
I don't know how you keep it all together but this two-parter was amazing,
I
don't know where to begin..
Okay let's try this..
Firstly, my wife insists that I tell you that she was really blown away by
the
way you handled the time travel, though typically, as she observed, you now
leave us with as many questions as you have answered, (How do you do that
??).
As for that kiss, well, I remember reading a message that you wanted a
"wham",
you sure as hell did one on us! As for the bit leading up to the kiss,
well my
wife's face was a picture as she looked at me, one word escaping her lips
"SON??", you shoulda seen it.
Zathras, well, what can you say, I was chuckling every time he was on
screen,
and the bit about time being infinite, well it's a good job we tape it,
missed
the next couple of lines for laughing, then you follow it up with a "never
use
this", (though my wife thinks it was "neither is this" - who's right??).
Delenn, as passionate as ever, always a joy to watch. The look on
Sheridan's
face when Zathras says how pleased he is to meet him was really good, even
later on, in the background his reactions still came through, though the
focus
was on Sinclair - superb.
The thing that really came across was how much 'face' acting there was,
close
ups where one or two words and an expression carry a scene, there were so
many
instances, it's hard to say which really had the most impact, how did Bruce
manage to look so hateful / disgusted with Londo?
How do you manage to get the performances so consistenty high from your
cast
and crew? I have read many an article from your main actors in various SF
mags,
they all follow the series with a passion, believing in you with a fervour
not
normally seen in TV. Now i'm a cynic, always have been, but even I can't
believe that it's all just so much carefully worked out P.R. I mean i've
seen
these people in the flesh at a convention, you can see that they truly
enjoy
their work, (I know they're actors, it could be rehearsed, nope I doubt
it).
Walter Koenig said in Starbust, (or it might have been SFX), that he
watches
the show regularly and considers the work you have given him lately to have
produced the best efforts he has done so far. Outstanding praise from
someone
who has worked on what is considered 'Classic' SF, though I have to say I
agree
with him, a good meaty role, who knows how his character may develop?,
(well,
apart from you that is <bg>).
I could list all the little things that made WWE, and indeed the whole
series,
so enjoyable but I won't waste anymore of your time, anyways, I get the
feeling
it will be surpassed soon enough, after all, we used to think that Severed
Dreams was the best episode, but you just keep pouring it on.
May the powers that be work to ensuring all 5 seasons are completed, and do
try
to take it easy on those wrists of yours.
Work of this quality is seldom seen on TV, or for that matter on the big
screen, a novel on TV, a novel thing, <geddit?>.
Much regards,
ColKai.
#: 560211 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Aug-96 12:09:09
Sb: #559973-#WWE - Hot damn!!!
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks; all the characters are great in that one, and the line was
"never use this."
Re: "face-acting"...this is something I've been working on a bit
lately
in my scripts, letting the actor have a moment visually without words to
carry
it. When you're starting out in a show, and everyone's new, you have a
tendency to make sure that the emotions are expressed in dialogue, in case
the
acting doesn't carry it off. Then, over time, you learn to relax and start
playing the silences, using only a word or two here and there. A few
scenes in
some year 4 scripts play almost like haiku. You learn to trust your cast,
and
they respect that trust and return it.
I can't think of any of the cast who doesn't strongly believe in the
show, and the story...they know, on whatever level, that we're doing
something
of value here, something that's going to be remembered and talked about for
a
long time after we're gone. Lord knows it ain't the money, none of us are
getting rich here. They believe in the story, and that's truly
extraordinary.
jms
#: 559979 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 03:20:15
Sb: #Shadow Question
Fm: SIMON PALLETT
Joe,
As I've already asked you one question today, I thought I'd just pop out
another quickly...
I don't know if you've already answered this, if so, sorry for making
you
repeat yourself. You've previously stated that, when we find out what the
Shadows want, a percentage of us will agree with it. Do you, however, also
think that once we find out what the Shadows want, we shall agree that the
methods by which they go about it are justifiable?
To put it another way, is the manner in which the Shadows are attempting
to
achieve their objective the only way in which they can do so, or is there
another method they could have chosen?
Simon Pallett
#: 560212 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 12:10:01
Sb: #559979-#Shadow Question
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I don't think we'll find the methods appealing, but the motives
behind
it may have some justification.
jms
[ Summary: Tells JMS that he has "a devious mind" because of his
not-really
first kiss for John and Delenn. ]
#: 560213 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 12:10:02
Sb: #559987-#Goodbye Old Friend..
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks...a devious mind is a good thing....
jms
[ Summary: Claims that Pea Soup Anderson's isn't right by the freeway
between Los Angeles and San Diego. ]
#: 560214 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 12:10:03
Sb: #560101-#Lyta--Season 4
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, you can see Pea Soup Anderson right from the freeway, going down
the
5 south.
jms
[ Summary: Comments that someone on the "Legion of Super Heroes" mailing
list suggested that JMS would make a "dream writer" for the comic. Asks
JMS for his opinion of this and of comics in general as a storytelling
medium. ]
#: 560661 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Aug-96 23:52:16
Sb: #560415-#Comics as a medium...
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
In general terms, a comic allows you to do things that you could
never
afford to do in a TV series or movie. There's the constraint of the artist
you
choose...a great artist can elevate a book, a bad one can sink it no matter
how
good the storytelling...and having grown up on comics all my life, and
enjoyed
the work of Miller and Moore and Gaiman and David and others, I think
they're a
terrific form of expression and storytelling.
In regards the Legion...setting aside the reality that after the
situation with the B5 comic, which I felt wasn't being done correctly, and
said
so vociferously...if there's any book I'd love to do (after any of the
Superman
titles), it'd be the Legion of Superheroes. It's gone through some tough
times, mainly in the Giffin days which were as much a screwup of the
concept as
Byrne's Superman, but I have a lot of loyalty to the characters, having
come
into the title back at its formation out of the pages of Adventure Comics.
I'd
do it in a hot second, but I'd want to take it a bit back to its roots, and
I'm
not sure they'd go for that.
jms
[ Summary: Suggests that the Triluminary's origins are a paradox as it
never
originated anywhere if Delenn gave it to Sinclair who passed it on to
Delenn. ]
#: 560662 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 23:52:19
Sb: #560349-Goodbye Old Friend..
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It originated on Epsilon 3.
jms
[ Summary: Tells JMS he's flat wrong about there being a Pea Soup
Anderson's on I-5 [I'm a native Californian, I *refuse* to put "the"
before highway/freeway numbers!] between LA and SD. ]
#: 560663 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 23:52:21
Sb: #560492-Lyta--Season 4
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, there's also one on the SD/LA route; I wouldn't have said so
otherwise. (I know, I've eaten there.)
jms
#: 560290 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 14:17:19
Sb: #560210-#<<Walkabout Cast>>
Fm: SIMON PALLETT
Joe,
Thanks for clearing that up, I won't get to see the episode until next
Saturday, and as I said, my curiosity was aroused...<g>
Another question...which once again has possibly been asked previously :-
I've seen you mention in digest postings from GEnie, that you consider the
people on that service as 'friends' in a sense. I've also seen you say
that
apart from GEnie, you probably spend most of your on-line time on
CompuServe.
I was just wondering, do you consider the posters to this forum 'friends'
in
the same sense you consider those on GEnie friends?
(I know you peruse some of the threads in here from time to time, so you
must
see all the many...err...varied conversations we end up having. <g> I
wondered
if you every find any of them entertaining, or if you actually d don't have
enough time to read much of them.)
Simon Pallett
#: 560664 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 23:52:23
Sb: #560290-<<Walkabout Cast>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I try to follow as much of the general conversation as I can, but
it's a
lot to track.
Re: the CIS/GEnie thing...I was one of the first people around town
to go
on-line in the entertainment business. I was logging onto Compuserve back
in
1984, when you could only get 300 baud access, off the back of a Kaypro II
computer with 128k floppy disks. This was my first online network, and
I've
known a lot of the people here for 12 years. So there's a certain kinship
here.
With GEnie, that was the first online network to give B5 a real
chance of
being anything; a topic, then two, then a whole category, then two whole
categories were set aside for it, and they've believed in the show for a
long
time. It took a lot longer for CIS to come around and even note the show,
or
do some of the things that GEnie was already doing.
Those are pretty much the main distinctions in how I see the two.
jms
#: 560556 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 21:05:42
Sb: #Season 4 Title?
Fm: RAE AUGENSTEIN
Have you announced the overall title for season 4 yet? If so, can you share
it
with us?
Have you begun filming the next season yet? And how's the writing coming
along?
Rae ^^^^, who is very happy because
she found B5 MM #5 at Wal-Mart today!
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Rae_
#: 560665 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Aug-96 23:52:26
Sb: #560556-Season 4 Title?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
When I can announce the overall year 4 title, I will. Filming starts
August 26th. The writing is coming well. Actually walked the sets today
for
the first time since we wrapped in May; it's just too depressing to walk on
a
dead set. Lots of work going on now, new sets being built, noise and
energy
and enthusiasm...much better now.
jms
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