Sci-Fi Channel's WorldCon Coverage (Dissing B5)

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: Sci-Fi Channel's WorldCon Coverage (Dissing B5)
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 No. | DATE        |  FROM
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s  1: Sep  9, 1996: northrup at server.chem.ufl.edu (Dylan Northrup)
+  2: Sep 12, 1996: Donsem at cris.com (Don Semmens)
*  3: Sep 12, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
*  4: Sep 12, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)

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From: northrup at server.chem.ufl.edu (Dylan Northrup)
Lines: 41

This weekend, I was watching the recap coverage of WorldCon on the Sci-Fi
channel.  Definitely makes me wish I was there.  Perhaps next year I'll have
the funds to go.

HOWEVER, one thing I noticed was the almost complete lack of acknowledgement
of Babylon 5 in any way, shape, or form.  The only B5 regular I saw was
Peter Jurasik and the only reason he was there was because he crashed the
interview with Armin Shimmerman and Roxann Biggs-Dawson (who are also a part
of the Starline series of books).  Also, in the transcripts of Peter's
online chats with fans, they've even spelled his name wrong.

During the show, there was one shot of JMS for 2 seconds (I think.  I was
reached down for a drink so I missed it).  There was absolutely nothing of
the Hugo awards presentation, just a list of the winners (however, there was
5 minutes of pre-awards interviews with people coming in to the awards).  I
understand if there were not allowed to show the awards presentation,
however, it would have been nice for them to say "We're not going to show
you the actual ceremony, but here's a lot of people who are going in who
we're going to talk to."

While it was nice to see Richard Hatch, spending 5-10 minutes on an
interview with him while almost completely ignoring any B5 regular seems. .
. boggling to say the least.

Was it just me or did anyone else notice this as well?

--
Dylan Northrup <*> northrup at pobox.com <*> http://pobox.com/~northrup <*>
Ask me about e-mail P.O. Boxes <*> "I don't want the world, just your half"
---------------
Random B5 Quote
---------------
"Would you like me to tell you all about her?  Is that it?  Would you 
  like to hear where she likes to be touched?"
'Don't push it.'
"The little noises she makes.  Does she cry out or sigh softly?"
  -- Stoner and Garibaldi, "Soul Mates"

>From 



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From: Donsem at cris.com (Don Semmens)
Lines: 48

In article <5114sm$fo8 at nostromo.clas.ufl.edu>,
Dylan Northrup <northrup at server.chem.ufl.edu> wrote:

>HOWEVER, one thing I noticed was the almost complete lack of acknowledgement
>of Babylon 5 in any way, shape, or form.  The only B5 regular I saw was
>Peter Jurasik and the only reason he was there was because he crashed the
>interview with Armin Shimmerman and Roxann Biggs-Dawson (who are also a part
>of the Starline series of books).  Also, in the transcripts of Peter's
>online chats with fans, they've even spelled his name wrong.
>
>During the show, there was one shot of JMS for 2 seconds (I think.  I was
>reached down for a drink so I missed it).  There was absolutely nothing of
>the Hugo awards presentation, just a list of the winners (however, there was
>5 minutes of pre-awards interviews with people coming in to the awards).  I
>understand if there were not allowed to show the awards presentation,
>however, it would have been nice for them to say "We're not going to show
>you the actual ceremony, but here's a lot of people who are going in who
>we're going to talk to."
>
>While it was nice to see Richard Hatch, spending 5-10 minutes on an
>interview with him while almost completely ignoring any B5 regular seems. .
>. boggling to say the least.
>
>Was it just me or did anyone else notice this as well?


While Babylon 5 didn't get a whole lot of screen time I didn't
feel the show was ignored either.  There were many shots of
fans dressed as B5 characters (I have to know how those Minbari
headbones were made).  Jurasik was shown as a panelist before he 
"crashed" the interview.

And don't forget, it was a Centauri who bought William Shatner's
hairpiece at the end of the show.

Also during the Hugo section a fan said she was rooting for 
"JMS and The Coming of Shadows".  And JMS' name and TCOS was
listed as a winner at the end. 

Yes, I was hoping for more Bab 5 on the show but I don't think there
was a complete lack of acknowledgement.

--
Vir, Intelligence has nothing to do with politics!  -- Ambassador Londo Mollari

Don Semmens <*>                           Richmond, VA
h--donsem at cris.com                        w--don at mwbb.com


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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 31

I was *very* bugged by the bozo the SciFi Channel sent to cover Worldcon. 
His report wasn't about the con, it was about *him* AT the con.  Here's
the guy in the dealer's room, putting on funny hats.  Here's the guy
telling jokes.  Here's the guy acting cute with a prosthetic puppet.  On
and on and on.  (It's the same kind of annoyance you get with a restaurant
review that tells you all about the reviewer, and how they got to the
restaurant, and what their friend talked about, on and on, when all you
want to know is if the food's good.)

The stress was on oddly dressed fans, cuteness, bad jokes, clowning
around, all by the "host," and virtually nothing of value on the con
itself.  You'd get ten seconds of something potentially interesting, then
he'd jump in again.  Nearly all of the interviews were with media people,
with very few (and brief) exceptions like Connie Willis and James White.  

And yeah, B5 got stiffed, but that's a lot less annoying than the feature
overall, and how it was approached, to be cynical or cute by turns, to
make fun of it all; it's the kind of approach I'd expect from the
mainstream, not a channel dedicated to SF...of all the famous authors
there they could've interviews, jeezus, maybe one of the last chances to
get van Vogt, they could've talked to Silverberg, others, c'mon....

(And no, that wasn't me in the shot, but someone who kinda looked like me.
 And they misspelled my name on the hugo list.)



 jms




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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 31

I was *very* bugged by the bozo the SciFi Channel sent to cover Worldcon. 
His report wasn't about the con, it was about *him* AT the con.  Here's
the guy in the dealer's room, putting on funny hats.  Here's the guy
telling jokes.  Here's the guy acting cute with a prosthetic puppet.  On
and on and on.  (It's the same kind of annoyance you get with a restaurant
review that tells you all about the reviewer, and how they got to the
restaurant, and what their friend talked about, on and on, when all you
want to know is if the food's good.)

The stress was on oddly dressed fans, cuteness, bad jokes, clowning
around, all by the "host," and virtually nothing of value on the con
itself.  You'd get ten seconds of something potentially interesting, then
he'd jump in again.  Nearly all of the interviews were with media people,
with very few (and brief) exceptions like Connie Willis and James White.  

And yeah, B5 got stiffed, but that's a lot less annoying than the feature
overall, and how it was approached, to be cynical or cute by turns, to
make fun of it all; it's the kind of approach I'd expect from the
mainstream, not a channel dedicated to SF...of all the famous authors
there they could've interviews, jeezus, maybe one of the last chances to
get van Vogt, they could've talked to Silverberg, others, c'mon....

(And no, that wasn't me in the shot, but someone who kinda looked like me.
 And they misspelled my name on the hugo list.)



 jms



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