JMS on CompuServe (Aug 18, 1997) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
bbarrett at speedlink.com
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Tue Aug 19 00:00:41 EDT 1997
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The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #693626-#Son of B5 Benchmark
Sb: #693727-#Bruce on Claudia
Sb: #693785-Claudia's replacement
Sb: #693843-#Claudia's replacement
Sb: #693816-#B5, TNT, and Censorship
Sb: #693856-No Word on Fifth Season
Sb: #693895-Scripts
Sb: #693896-B'more Sun Article
Sb: #693962-#The future of Draal
Sb: #694081-Bruce on Pol. Incorrect
Sb: #694083-Bruce on Claudia
Sb: #694107-Scripts
Sb: #694148-#Stathis in Cinescape!!!
#: 693626 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-Aug-97 05:33:18
Sb: #693597-#Son of B5 Benchmark
Fm: ANNE L. WARNER
Burhaan,
>> I had no idea the show had substance. Of course, I was basing this on my
impression of the movie... <g> <<
Don't DO that! The show is much, much better than the movie.
According to something Greg found somewhere, (in other words, I did NOT make
this up myself, but I can't remember the source <g>) studio execs demanded that
Buffy in the movie be more like their daughters. Joss Whedon, the author,
originator, etc., is the executive producer in control on the TV show. Sound
like anybody we know??
Greg came in while I was typing. Someone said that about Buffy the movie in a
discussion group at RebelCon last weekend. He can't remember which person.
We like Buffy a lot. The episodes stand up well to repeated viewing.
Anne
#: 693741 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-Aug-97 23:54:11
Sb: #693626-#Son of B5 Benchmark
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I haven't seen much of Buffy, due to work schedules, but what I've seen,
I've liked. I also commend Tales from a Parallel Universe on the Movie Channel
to you...great stuff.
jms
#: 693727 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-Aug-97 19:35:31
Sb: #693589-#Bruce on Claudia
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
JMS,
<< Bruce has done a great job. He loves the role, he *is* the Captain,
and around the stage he's the show's cheerleader, team captain, and
resident bright spirit. Peter also does a lot of that, as does Rick,
but Bruce is just an amazing team player. >>
>From his appearance on PI, he also seems to have quite an interest in
history. He was certainly able to detail reasons for the
political/emotional climate which led to the internment of various
groups during WWII (acts which now are appalling). I would imagine
that a strong sense of history can't help but be an asset in playing a
role such as Sheridan, who creates history. There's obviously more
than geniality at work in the Boxleitner/Sheridan linkage.
-rje-
#: 693742 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 00:02:59
Sb: #693727-#Bruce on Claudia
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, Bruce is definitely a history buff, from the civil war period up
through WWII and beyond. That's one thing he and John Copeland share, a real
interest in WWII history and the like. Bruce, being something of a cowboy in
real life, also has a substantial interest in, and familiarity with, the old
west and native american histories. He also reads and enjoys SF.
jms
[ Summary: "So, you've written the first 4-5 scripts, but don't have
the role cast?" ]
#: 693867 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 16:06:58
Sb: #693785-Claudia's replacement
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, you almost always write the character long before you have the actor;
you just find the actor that fits the character, then slowly the two begin to
merge once the role is cast. When Bruce came on board, I think we already had
the first 4-5 scripts in hand.
In the case of Lochley, she isn't in 501 anyway, that's the 422
replacement...she's in 502, and we still have time on that one.
jms
#: 693843 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 15:14:15
Sb: #693677-#Claudia's replacement
Fm: GERARD KEATING (IRELAND)
Joe,
One of the magazines have said that Bill Mumy and Stephen Furst will NOT appear
in front of the camera for season five....
Say it aint so Joe...
gjk
#: 693868 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 16:07:01
Sb: #693843-#Claudia's replacement
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"One of the magazines have said that Bill Mumy and Stephen Furst will NOT
appear in front of the camera for season five....Say it aint so Joe..."
Ain't so. They're both in 503, and will appear thereafter as well. Also
in the main credits as usual.
jms
#: 693816 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 12:29:05
Sb: #B5, TNT, and Censorship
Fm: EDWIN CHAN
JMS:
I don't know if this has been discussed before ... but I assume you know TNT,
TBS, USA, Sci-Fi Channel, and other Turner Broadcasting Networks tend to censor
certain words that are even allowable on Network Television. Will TNT silence
out words unacceptable to their bizarre standards from the original episodes of
B5 (pilot and seasons one through four) and from the new fifth season and it's
"made-for-cable" movies?
ec in nyc
#: 693869 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 16:07:03
Sb: #693816-#B5, TNT, and Censorship
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Dunno...nobody's said boo to us about this one yet.
jms
[ Summary: "Why did the show go to TNT? [...] Is PTEN folding up
operations?" ]
#: 693953 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 20:42:26
Sb: #693856-No Word on Fifth Season
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
PTEN is more or less defunct as of this year. The syndicated stations
that normally carried B5 were not available. TNT rode to the rescue.
jms
[ Summary: "Used to be that part of the basic agreement was the writer was
the one who controlled _physical_ copies of the work." ]
#: 693963 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 22:08:58
Sb: #693895-Scripts
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Oh...got it. Yes, the places that are under discussion, like
scriptshop.com, which sell scripts without the permission of the writer, who
does control the physical script, are ripping the writers off. Yes, they are
definitely in violation of the basic agreement...but then, they aren't
signatories, either. They're just crooks.
jms
#: 693896 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 16:47:52
Sb: #B'more Sun Article
Fm: DON CROSSMAN
FYI: The Baltimore Sun ran an article on B5 today (Sunday 17 Aug 97). It was
"A world of worshipers without a church" by Tamara Ikenberg. It was roughly
3/4 page with two pictures and is a good overview/background piece. You should
be able to find the text (no pictures when I checked) in the "news" archives at
http://www.sunspot.net.
--Don Crossman
#: 693964 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 22:09:00
Sb: #693896-B'more Sun Article
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks, I didn't know it was out, will check it asap.
jms
#: 693962 S5/Babylon 5: General
17-Aug-97 21:25:02
Sb: #The future of Draal
Fm: JIMMY K
Do you plan on using the character of Draal in season 5 at all. Is the actor
that plays him available for the show or has he permanently left to do other
things?
Thanks
#: 693973 S5/Babylon 5: General
18-Aug-97 00:18:50
Sb: #693962-#The future of Draal
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The actor is on Broadway playing in Hello, Dolly, which makes his
appearance in Hello, Draaly improbable for the moment.
jms
[ Summary: "What was the union bugging you guys for?" ]
#: 694156 S5/Babylon 5: General
18-Aug-97 15:45:06
Sb: #694081-Bruce on Pol. Incorrect
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Like virtually all syndicated shows, we were non-union below the line
(meaning not counting actors, directors, and writers). There actually wasn't a
syndicated TV contract in existence...which is why most shows shoot out of LA,
because they were afraid to work something out with the union. So we then
negotiated the first syndicated TV contract that I'm aware of for shooting here
in LA, and which is now being used to bring other shows back to LA that had
left previously.
jms
[ Summary: "Speaking of which is there really a possiblity [Claudia] could
come back for movies or whatever since some of the crew and producers
now feel betrayed and they wouldn't want to work with her? Also any
news who will be replacing her yet?" ]
#: 694157 S5/Babylon 5: General
18-Aug-97 15:45:07
Sb: #694083-Bruce on Claudia
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Certainly a number of cast members are very upset with her, so we'll
have to see where that goes. We're finalizing the casting now on the part of
Lochley.
jms
[ Summary: "Why don't you sic a IP lawyer on [the script sellers]?" ]
#: 694158 S5/Babylon 5: General
18-Aug-97 15:45:08
Sb: #694107-Scripts
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Because we're siccing Warner Bros. on 'em instead...and letting the
other studios know about it. Let the big boys go in there and slug it out with
'em.
jms
#: 694148 S5/Babylon 5: General
18-Aug-97 15:03:05
Sb: #Stathis in Cinescape!!!
Fm: ANNE L. WARNER
Hey, Joe!
Guess who turned up in Cinescape magazine's letters column? Our old 'friend'
Peter Stathis. This is the July-August issue, with Batman on the cover. As
usual, he was whining about Babylon 5.
He says that he watches every episode. Then he goes on to criticize the
writing, the 'production values,' (does he mean the CGI?) and concludes that
B5 offers nothing new! (I thought myths were old by definition. You tell me.
<exasperated sigh>)
He ended with a prediction. <direct quote!> "B5 is just an above-average show
that will fade away into television history."
Is this guy for real? Has he paid any attention to the actual practice of
TeeVee? I plan to recheck that prediction in 20 years or so!
I just thought you'd be amused.
Anne
#: 694159 S5/Babylon 5: General
18-Aug-97 15:45:09
Sb: #694148-#Stathis in Cinescape!!!
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
He's a bitter, mean-spirited person who feels he has to tear down the
show. It's his obsession. Trying to explain it rationally is like trying to
play golf without those tiny holes in the ground, you've got no basis for the
conversation to take place.
As for his prediction...back when B5 was first getting going, and I was
at a convention in San Francisco that actually booed me when I said that this
show might eventually give Star Trek a run for its money, one woman in the
audience -- two Presidential elections ago -- yelled out, "Yeah, right, and
Clinton will be President."
'nuff said.
jms
[END]
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