JMS on CompuServe (Jul 11, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Thu Jul 11 13:53:38 EDT 1996
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 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: #537661-J.M.S. at S.D.C.C.
Sb: #537617-#Harlan Ellison on Snyder
Sb: #537627-Susan and Talia
Sb: #537838-#Babylon 5
Sb: #538039-#B4 wireframe sighting
Sb: #538084-B5 BUBBLE BUDDY
#: 537661 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Jul-96 05:37:01
Sb: #537612-#J.M.S. at S.D.C.C.
Fm: SHANE S. SHELLENBARGER
>>When we finally do pull off an official B5 convention here in the states, I
suspect it's gonna be *awful* big.<<
I suspect it will be glorious!<g>
BTW, standing and pacing for ninty minutes must be tiring, couldn't they get
you a bar stool?
Shane
#: 538050 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Jul-96 21:08:55
Sb: #537661-J.M.S. at S.D.C.C.
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
There were chairs there, but I would've been low-eye level, and given
that there were SO many folks so FAR in the back, all you would've seen from
that distance would've been the table and a little bump for a head. So I
stayed on my feet. Besides, a moving target is harder to hit....
jms
#: 537617 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Jul-96 01:21:09
Sb: #Harlan Ellison on Snyder
Fm: WILLIAM H. DIPAOLA
Subj: Harlan Ellison on Snyder Section: Babylon 5: General
To: Burhaan Ahmad, 75754,3065 Wednesday, July 10, 1996 4:21:37 AM
From: William H. DiPaola, 76521,1751 #537616
>> Why is it that Snyder does not at the very least MAKE MENTION OF THIS when
introducing Ellison as his guest just before he comes out?????!! <<
<<<Perhaps Joe should hear this question. I'd like to know why as well.>>>
Hmmm, so be it. :)
#: 538051 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Jul-96 21:08:57
Sb: #537617-#Harlan Ellison on Snyder
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Because he and Snyder are long-term serious buddies, and he'd brought
Harlan there to talk about his heart attack, and flog the book, and it just
didn't occur to him.
jms
[ Summary: Wonders if Talia would have "touched" Susan's mind when
they were intimate. ]
#: 538052 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
10-Jul-96 21:08:59
Sb: #537627-Susan and Talia
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Well, a telepath can also hold it back and avoid dipping any further into
someone's mind, if not permitted or asked not to do so.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if there will be another Babylon 5 comic series. ]
#: 538117 S5/Babylon 5: General
11-Jul-96 00:24:36
Sb: #537838-#Babylon 5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, there are currently 4 or so different publishers vying for the
rights to do the B5 book, now that the rights have returned from DC.
jms
[ Summary: Wonders if the wire-frame station we see in the opening
sequence of season two and in "Revelations" is Babylon 4. ]
#: 538118 S5/Babylon 5: General
11-Jul-96 00:24:41
Sb: #538039-#B4 wireframe sighting
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
That ain't B4.
jms
[ Summary: A poster comments on how JMS seems to be going back on his
promise of licensing only quality merchandise that enhances the show
by licensing the rubber stamp set and the Bubble Buddies. ]
#: 538131 S5/Babylon 5: General
11-Jul-96 00:54:40
Sb: #538084-B5 BUBBLE BUDDY
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Ah, I see that His Snideness rears his head again....
You may be interested to know that I mentioned the Bubble Buddies thing
myself not long ago on another forum. Basically...how could I *not* go along
with something with the remarkable name of Bubble Buddies? As I mentioned
online, one of our co-producers on the show, George, did 20 minutes just on the
title of it.
Nor were the items micromacs...I believe they made a deal to use the same
molds, but they're two separate companies. Toys for very small kids in general
don't do big numbers in sales, that's in the teenage market. So they find ways
to cut some of the upfront costs so they can still produce something of some
quality.
Primarily, though...these two items (the stamper and the vial of bubble
stuff) are intended for *wee children*. Not for adult fans (so you can
certainly justify purchasing one for yourself.) To date, we've done nothing at
ALL for those viewers, and we do have a LOT of children who watch the show.
Until now, it's all been aimed at adults. The CD-Rom screensaver, the
soundtrack, the comic was very adult-reader-oriented, the coffee mugs, the
t-shirts (all of which are produced only in adult sizes)...the licensing folks
pointed out that there's just *nothing* for little kids in that group. So we
did something.
Kids like to use the stampers (I had a huge set of rubber stampers when I
was a kid), and a toy which would encourage them to spend some time taking
baths or blowing harmless bubbles seemed like a good idea. The packaging even
goes so far as to indicate that this is for little kids.
If you are incapable of distinguishing between an artistically oriented
item intended for adult fans of the show, and a couple of items for very small
children, the problem is yours, not mine.
These are, btw, the ONLY such kid items currently available or on the
boards. The rest of the items coming out include a new CD soundtrack, volume
2, "Babylon 5: Messages From Earth;" a VERY complex adult role playing game
from LiveWire which is relying heavily on the intricacies of the series; a new
set of trading cards from Fleer; several major companies are now making bids on
taking on the B5 comic; several more novels from Dell have been commissioned
(which have thus far used many leading names in SF such as S.M. Stirling)....
But you don't really care about any of that. You just popped your head
up in here to use a child's toy as an excuse to rag on the show, and me. As it
happens, I have those items in my office, on a shelf, along with all the other
B5 merchandise, and I'm quite comfortable with them, because they are suited to
the audience for whom they are intended: small children.
I deliberately didn't want anything violent, or inappropriate, I wanted
something that could be used for some fun. When we did the hand-held game, I
insisted, and won, that the game wouldn't be a shoot-em'up like 99% of all the
other hand-helds out there, but a rescue game. So we have key chains to help
them organize anything they might have, or for some adults who might want them,
stampers to have fun and get creative in "painting" pictures, and stuff they
can use in the bath. When you're 2 years old, blowing bubbles is pretty close
to high art. And stamping a picture can encourage kids to draw them.
What would you prefer? Something dark and violent? Or something over
the heads of the children who might buy it? They're 2-4 years old, they're not
exactly going to catch onto anything of a serious, intellectual nature. So to
gig the items for not being artistically oriented or highly intellectual when
they're being made for kids who barely have language skills is quite frankly
ridiculous.
And so are you.
jms
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