JMS on CompuServe (Jun 27, 1998) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* (1/2)
bbarrett at johndelenn.com
bbarrett at johndelenn.com
Sat Jun 27 14:43:52 EDT 1998
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 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
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Note that JMS has expressed his public permission
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #37122-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Sb: #36841-Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Sb: #36925-Process Servers
Sb: #37071-B5 Movies
Sb: #37167-SiFiChannel:Harlan
Sb: #Free New B5 Screening UK
Sb: #36777-#Where's the WHAM?????
Sb: #36775-#<Movements... HOLY COW>
Sb: #36790-#Episode WHAM!!!!
Sb: #37262-Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Sb: #37247-#SiFiChannel:Harlan
Sb: #37191-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Sb: #37254-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Sb: #37246- Dreams/Asunder Title
Sb: #37484-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Sb: #37368-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Sb: #37450-JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Sb: #37522-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
[ Summary: (See below.) ]
#: 37175 S2/Bab 5: General
22-Jun-98 00:07:07
Sb: #37122-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"FWIW, and I speak from no direct knowledge, only overheard scuttlebutt,
Paramount *couldn't* film what Harlan wrote. They simply didn't have the
budget. It got "hacked", I grant you, but it got hacked into a filmable
format. The world's best screenplay is worthless if it can't be filmed."
Except that in this case, it *was* filmable...the rest is the mythology
that's grown up around it.
jms
#: 36841 S2/Bab 5: General
19-Jun-98 09:34:03
Sb: #36722-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY
I saw the profile last night. Is is my imagination or did some choice comments
on "City on the Edge of Forever" end up on the cutting room floor?
Phil^^^^
FREE MARS!
#: 36892 S2/Bab 5: General
19-Jun-98 14:57:04
Sb: #36841-Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Dunno....
jms
#: 36925 S2/Bab 5: General
19-Jun-98 21:48:09
Sb: #Process Servers
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
jms --
You've often said that your participation on the nets during B5 has been
partly out of an interest in educating the viewing public about the process of
doing a show. Is this something that you've passed on to your actors and tech
people? The Thursday night "seminars" on the Comlink at thestation.com have
been fascinating, and I'm always amazed at how regularly others (beside
yourself) are willing to spend extra time in order to answer questions.
-rje-
Never look a gifted horse in the mouth.
#: 37100 S2/Bab 5: General
21-Jun-98 00:50:03
Sb: #36925-Process Servers
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
To a certain extent, yes, plus I've always encouraged our people in
every department to come out into the spotlight and take the credit and
applause for what they do, so we encourage them to do the comlink stuff and
other appearances.
jms
[ Summary: (See below, question about Thirdspace.) ]
#: 37110 S2/Bab 5: General
21-Jun-98 02:50:08
Sb: #37071-B5 Movies
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"Will this movie be dependent on any of the season 5 episodes? I've been
watching the reruns and have only seen through season 4."
Nope.
jms
#: 37167 S2/Bab 5: General
21-Jun-98 22:39:09
Sb: #SiFiChannel:Harlan
Fm: NEIL S. TURKENKOPF
Hi Joe!
I caught the Harlan Ellison Special on Sunday morning (10:30am) just by
chance,and thought it was very well done,indeed! I thought I'd missed all the
showings,so I was a happy guy!
I also thought it was terrific for all -your- new fans, who finally got to see
the face and hear the voice that go with the heart and soul of what we
lovingly call B5 :-)
Neil
#: 37176 S2/Bab 5: General
22-Jun-98 00:17:01
Sb: #37167-SiFiChannel:Harlan
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"I also thought it was terrific for all -your- new fans, who finally got to
see the face and hear the voice that go with the heart and soul of what we
lovingly call B5 :-)"
Yeah, and the next sound you hear will be millions of remote controls
turning the channels on millions of TV sets around the country to find
something less frightening....
jms
#: 37174 S3/Bab 5:International
22-Jun-98 00:07:06
Sb: #Free New B5 Screening UK
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Six years ago, we screened a rough cut of the pilot B5 TV movie "The
Gathering" at Wishcon on the East Coast here in the US. Those who saw it have
said ever after, "I was there."
For the first time since then, I'll be screening a work in progress at
the Wrap Party conventin in the UK in August. This will be either "The River
of Souls," with Martin Sheen and Ian McShane, or "A Call to Arms," the segue
TV movie to Crusade, which introduces some of the new characters. (Which I'll
bring with me will depend on which is most done.) This will be shown free to
all convention members. (Any kind of screening is going to require a venue in
which to show it, and equipment; the Wrap Party is donating space at a
convention that was already a going event in order to allow me to hold this
free screening for attendees.)
jms
[ Summary: (See below.) ]
#: 36808 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
18-Jun-98 23:17:09
Sb: #36777-#Where's the WHAM?????
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
There are some long-range plans for the teep crisis, yes.
jms
#: 36775 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
18-Jun-98 18:11:09
Sb: #36734-<Movements... HOLY COW>
Fm: TOM KNUDSEN
Joe,
<"and i guess we now know why the attacking centauri vessels wouldn't
have noticed lennier exchanging a little breathing--since they weren't really
using it thmselves."
Ding!>
It's almost as if you do some of these things on purpose. I can see
it now......"This'll get those little nitpickers. They'll think I've screwed
up for a few weeks and then I'll make them eat crow."<G>
Tom<*>
#: 36809 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
18-Jun-98 23:17:09
Sb: #36775-#<Movements... HOLY COW>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"It's almost as if you do some of these things on purpose. I can see it
now......"This'll get those little nitpickers. They'll think I've screwed up
for a few weeks and then I'll make them eat crow."<G>"
Not that, no, but when some people do jump on these things, figuring
it's a screwup on my part, I can't help but think..."don't you know what show
you're dealing with here? This is Babylon 5, we don't MAKE those kind of
mistakes."
I recognize that that's a very self-indulgent thought...but at the same
time, it's true.
jms
[ Summary: (See below.) ]
#: 36810 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
18-Jun-98 23:17:10
Sb: #36790-#Episode WHAM!!!!
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"Does every post here that goes, "You SADIST, you set us UP, blah, blah, blah"
bring you the sheer orgasmic joy...."
Not while I'm sitting at the keyboard. I just *bought* this system....
jms
#: 37262 S2/Bab 5: General
22-Jun-98 21:10:04
Sb: #36641-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: SHANE SHELLENBARGER
Joe,
Is there a good chance that Harlan will be on board for B5:Crusade?
Shane
#: 37273 S2/Bab 5: General
23-Jun-98 00:24:09
Sb: #37262-Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I'd say so.
jms
#: 37247 S2/Bab 5: General
22-Jun-98 19:29:09
Sb: #37176-#SiFiChannel:Harlan
Fm: SYSOP DUPA T. PARROT
>> Yeah, and the next sound you hear will be millions of remote controls
turning the channels on millions of TV sets around the country to find
something less frightening.... <<
Nonsense, there are much more scarier things on television these days.
Case in point: Fox's "When <insert-entity-here> Attack"
-SysOp Dupa T. Parrot, Technical Consultant
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dupa
OzWin 2.20 O-
#: 37274 S2/Bab 5: General
23-Jun-98 00:24:09
Sb: #37247-#SiFiChannel:Harlan
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"Nonsense, there are much more scarier things on television these days. Case
in point: Fox's "When <insert-entity-here> Attack""
Next on FOX:
"WHEN WRITER-PRODUCERS ATTACK!"
"Well, er...um...nobody notices...so maybe we shouldn't...never mind."
NEXT ON FOX....
jms
[ Summary: Asks about JMS' involvement in The Real Ghostbusters. ]
#: 37231 S2/Bab 5: General
22-Jun-98 16:21:08
Sb: #37191-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I think I wrote close to 20 or so episodes for that one. I left when
they decided to make Janine into a mommy-character instead of a strong
character, then did a few more later when they realized they'd made a mistake
and wanted her pulled back again.
jms
[ Summary: (See below.) ]
#: 37276 S2/Bab 5: General
23-Jun-98 00:30:12
Sb: #37254-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"JMS also had his claws into an episode or two of Captain Power: Soldier of
the Future. Perhaps the less said about that the better (the show had issues -
but it actually tried to be more than a kiddie show - but it was gruesomely
tied down to a toy that they were forced to market for). I think JMS was just
a writer - though I believe Doug Netter was a producer (he also of B5 fame).
I was story editor on that one (wrote 11 episodes), Larry DiTilio (also
of B5 and elsewhere) wrote a bunch, Doug Netter was co-exec producer, and John
Copeland was producer, with some EFX work by Ron Thornton and set design by
John Iacovelli. It was, in many ways, a test/launching pad for what would
become B5.
jms
#: 37246 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
22-Jun-98 19:01:13
Sb: # Dreams/Asunder Title
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
jms --
Does the title for "All My Dreams, Torn Asunder" derive from a quotation? The
word order seems poetical, and it keeps nagging at me, like something I
*ought* to remember (there are actually many holes in my mind <g>).
If it doesn't derive from a quotation, how about a quotation derived from it?
The light of faith my footsteps led To brushfires where my hopes lie dead. I
sift the ashes of my wonder And all my dreams, torn asunder.
-rje-
Never look a gifted horse in the mouth.
#: 37275 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
23-Jun-98 00:24:10
Sb: #37246- Dreams/Asunder Title
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, as far as I can remember, it's just something I thunk up.
jms
[ Summary: Asks what was actually going to happen in the series
Captain Power. Also comments on some of the obvious differences
between CP and B5. ]
#: 37512 S2/Bab 5: General
25-Jun-98 20:13:11
Sb: #37484-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I think there's a CP site out there somewhere (try Yahoo) that has the
full message I posted about the long-term arc.
RE: the different art direction between CP and B5...it's not so much
development as choosing the right look for the right show.
jms
[ Summary: Suggests that the over-merchandising of Captain Power
might have left a bad taste in JMS' mouth. ]
#: 37370 S2/Bab 5: General
23-Jun-98 20:22:11
Sb: #37368-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yeah, between that and the animated shows I worked on, it gave me a real
wariness toward merchandising.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if JMS' merchandising experience had any influence on
the way he treated the fictional Babylon 5 souvenir shop, especially
the fate he wrote for Bearbylon Five. ]
#: 37511 S2/Bab 5: General
25-Jun-98 20:13:11
Sb: #37450-JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
That informed that story a bit, yeah....
jms
[ Summary: (See below.) ]
#: 37523 S2/Bab 5: General
25-Jun-98 22:32:02
Sb: #37522-#JMS and "Ghostbusters"
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"Were there merchandising issues with Ghostbusters?"
Moreso with other shows I did, like HeMan and SheRa and Jayce; in TRGBs
we just ignored whatever the toy company wanted.
"BTW: always wondered, who thought up the movie-within-the-cartoon thing with
the Ghostbusters toon? I just loved they showed scenes from the movie in one
of the episodes..."
I wrote that one. I *think* it was called "Take Two."
To this day, as a result, there are bunches of kids who *swear* up and
down that the animated series came first, THEN the movie, much to the dismay
of their siblings and parents.
jms
[ Continued in next section -- BB ]
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