lurkers-guide/ftp/America-Online/aol96-03

Subj:  Re:Eating Crow...Part 2
Date:  96-03-01 03:23:12 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{how about giving us fans one of those infamous cryptic
previews of the things we can expect in April and March....Please!!!!!}

How do you like your crow?  Medium?  Well-done?  It can't be rare because
crows are hardly ever rare.

What's coming up?  Hmmm...the world is turned upside down, other people turn
their backs on everything they think they believe in, a voice comes from the
distant past, there's a change in fashion sense, there's romance (intended
and unintended), heroics, the return (as it were) of Babylon 4, revelations,
revolutions, treaties and a whole lotta gunfire.

jms



Subj:  Re:Lyta Alexander
Date:  96-03-01 03:24:22 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{I read somewhere that Lyta is deaf.}

No, the novelist didn't blow it, Joe blew it, because in proofreading the
manuscript, Joe missed that line somehow, and didn't catch it.  It's my job
to catch these things.  (Just spent a whole week going over the A-Z of
Babylon 5 coming out from Boxtree Books in the UK to keep it as accurate as
possible.)

jms


Subj:  Re:Point of No Return - Spoi
Date:  96-03-03 01:42:03 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Wendy: thanks.  We do try....

jms



Subj:  Re:Hour 25
Date:  96-03-03 01:22:27 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Ehh...I'm not really a radio personality kind of guy...still working on ANY
kind of personality...and I don't know if I would have much of anything worth
saying to a national audience.  So it's pretty much a moot point.

jms



Subj:  Re:Sick feeling
Date:  96-03-03 01:24:30 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Thanks.  We disturb, from time to time; other times we amuse, or inform.
That's what TV should be for.  "Be sand, not oil, in the machinery of the
world," as someone said.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Earthforce officer
Date:  96-03-03 01:25:32 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Wanda's tied up elsewhere, but we do plan to use more hispanics in the show,
as well as other ethnic groups.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Withdrawels
Date:  96-03-03 01:25:56 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yes, I think those two will be rerun in short order.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Withdrawels
Date:  96-03-03 01:28:58 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

It's perfectly okay to show this stuff in class, as far as I know, so it's
cool.

jms



Subj:  Re:Foreign Markets
Date:  96-03-03 01:30:28 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

We're on in a lot of countries: France, Germany, Norway, Canada, Taiwan,
Singapore, England, Australia, Israel, Jordan and a number of others.

jms



Subj:  Re:Frankly, You Amaze Me
Date:  96-03-03 01:33:44 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

"...you're doing the same thing without the pain of two "bad" records."

Hrmmm...I dunno about that.  There are a number of things I've done in the
course of learning my craft that I wouldn't necessarily want to put back on
the air just now.  It's like the first time you learn carpentry; eventually
you can make swell stuff, but you know that hidden in the other room is the
napkin holder you made where the angles don't come together, the glue is
visible, the dowels don't quite fit properly....

Any form of art is trial and error.  You make the same mistake 999 times, so
the 1,000th time you don't make that mistake anymore.

jms



Subj:  Re:Space Potatoes?
Date:  96-03-03 01:34:29 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The ship was hidden there to avoid it being destroyed during the war.  May or
may not see General Franklin again anytime soon.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS- And The Rock Cried
Date:  96-03-03 01:35:15 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

"And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place" is a quote from the Bible, from a
passage also used in various gospel songs.

jms



Subj:  Re:Boom Today?
Date:  96-03-03 01:35:47 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Boom April 3rd.

jms



Subj:  Re:Actors
Date:  96-03-03 01:36:50 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I'm directly involved in casting; all cast, guest and regular, must be
approved through my office.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: PONR Questions (Spoi
Date:  96-03-03 01:38:23 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

If I were to answer any of these questions, which will be answered in the
very next batch of new episodes...well, there wouldn't be much point in
showing them...

jms



Subj:  Re:LuvSerfie 
Date:  96-03-03 01:20:42 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Wow...I've never seen a tactical nuke used in battlefield combat before....

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Any cons?
Date:  96-03-04 05:30:04 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yes, I'll be at the Chicago Comic Con in June in neighboring Rosedale.

Am tentatively planning to be at the Syndi-Con convention in San Francisco
over the weekend of April 12-14.

jms



Subj:  Re:Inquisitor quotes
Date:  96-03-04 05:28:34 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Thanks.  The Inquisitor was a great episode to write, and Wayne did a killer
job with it (so to speak).  That one episode has received more mail than most
others, particularly from those in the religious community, as well as at
universities, crisis centers, you name it.  Something there seemed to strike
a chord.

It's easy in an SF show to cut to the EFX and let it rock; to me, the
challenge is what's shown in those scenes: two people, locked in a room, no
(or few) EFX, no car chases, not even much of a set...with explosions of
dialogue and character.  Ah loves it.

jms



Subj:  Re:Messages from Earth
Date:  96-03-04 05:22:45 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Allow me to disagree with you.  Re: "The Nine Billion Names of God," the
whole purpose of that story had nothing to do with alien contact; it had to
do with gettting all the earthbound names of God into a computer, so they
could create the end of the world.  The monks are on B5 in an attempt at
studying the different religions out there for the purpose of better
understanding...or more succinctly, comparitive religious studies, which long
predate Clarke by, oh, about 500 years.

The buried shadow vessel was put there to hide it from destruction.  Are you
suggesting that every time someone buries something alien it's 2001?  

jms



Subj:  Re:praise for PoNR
Date:  96-03-04 05:25:08 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Tiger: thanks.  All I can say is that when you see "Severed Dreams," I think
you'll find it was worth the wait.

jms



Subj:  Re:Syndicated ratings: 2/11/
Date:  96-03-04 05:19:23 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

There are usually anywhere from 250 to 275 or more syndicated shows every
week; at #43 or 38 out of that, we're in the top 15-20%.

jms



Subj:  Re:Trek vs. B5 on AOL part 2
Date:  96-03-04 05:34:23 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Jeez...I'm surprised one of them didn't write "Go back to russia where you
came from!"  All I can offer is that that reaction is not typical of all ST
fans, only the noisy minority who show up at cons in Spock ears and make the
majority of open-minded, mature ST fans shake their heads in dismay.

jms



Subj:  Re:favorite episode
Date:  96-03-04 05:35:29 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The episode you cite was "The Geometry of Shadows."

jms



Subj:  Re:Delenn in PoNR
Date:  96-03-07 03:04:26 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Delenn was taking care of some business on Minbar.

jms



Subj:  Re:Great episodes
Date:  96-03-07 03:04:58 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Darla: thanks.

jms



Subj:  Re:Hello???????
Date:  96-03-07 03:05:45 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The info came from the Vorlons, and from the last war the Minbari fought
against them.

jms



Subj:  Re:Why didn't we see the fig
Date:  96-03-07 03:07:41 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

We could've easily played the EFX full-screen, as WB used them in the promos,
after all.  But it's a slow tease, a reveal.  You do it big in Messages, hold
it back just a bit, at arm's length, in PoNR, then bring it all REAL close
again in the next episode.  By putting it at some remove in PoNR, it makes
the viewer almost like one of those in the Zocalo, fighting for a better
look, stranded out far away, trying to figure out what's going on.  

jms



Subj:  Re:Religion on B5
Date:  96-03-07 03:11:28 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

We hope to have Harlan's script for next season.

"I hope that perhaps you have done some searching in areas of your faith as a
result of that episode."

No.  Don't see any reason to do so.  I wasn't *exposed* to that episode, I
*wrote* it, the same way I'd write a convincing show about Minbari...I don't
have to believe they exist to write convincingly about them.

I keep being astounded that others are astounded that an atheist can write
well about religion without being religious.  Writing is writing.  Characters
is characters.  Either you're honest as a writer, or you ain't; either you're
telling a story, or you're using the medium for propaganda.  

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS:LOTR and the Future
Date:  96-03-07 03:12:27 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

There's a lot more here than anything like LoTR; the show uses mythic
archetypes, so you tend to see whichever myth-cycle you're most familiar
with.

And we do certainly hope to get this story finished, yes.

jms



Subj:  Re:Corwin
Date:  96-03-07 03:13:43 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Thanks.  Corwin's question is really one that hits a lot; you see things
starting to fly apart, but you keep thinking it's gonna work out..then it all
goes to hell, and you're standing there trying to figure out how it all
slipped away.  It's a very innocent, yet universal question.

jms



Subj:  Re:Inquiries from the Rim
Date:  96-03-07 03:15:05 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I'd love to see an Aggy micromachine.  As for the rest...why would I tell you
what each of her prophecies means, thus defeating the surprise or the impact
when they're shown?  That would be absolutely self-defeating.

jms



Subj:  Re:ISN's role
Date:  96-03-07 03:15:39 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yes, that's a very good question.  It'll be answered in *the very next new
episode*, in fact.

jms



Subj:  Re:B5 on TNT?
Date:  96-03-07 03:16:18 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

TNT starts rerunning the show in 1998.  It doesn't guarantee our renewal,
however.

jms



Subj:  Re:Equality on B5
Date:  96-03-07 03:21:50 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Cristine: thanks.  For what it's worth, I have always admired/been attracted
to strong, capable, intelligent and witty women.  I like independence of
thought, and nothing delights me more than being surprised, or topped in a
verbal exchange.  And I've seen some women police officers and soldiers who
could clear out a bar without even breaking a sweat.  Several women friends
of mine are very much into the martial arts.

Wimmin iz peoples too.  I don't understand why some folks have such a hard
time with that concept.  

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Narn Religion
Date:  96-03-07 03:24:20 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

G'Quan was the greatest of the Narns, a prophet, a religious figure of great
proportions; G'Lan was one of those second-tier types who showed up
afterward.  (The comparable human analog would be if G'Quan -> Mohammed,
G'Lan -> Angel.

(And yes, I know I've crossed religious structures there.)

jms



Subj:  Re:Bad transliterations
Date:  96-03-07 03:25:37 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yes, and "sure" should be spelled "shoor."

jms



Subj:  Re:Misunderstanding
Date:  96-03-07 03:26:04 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Nope, we did San Diego ourselves.

jms



Subj:  Re:Battles as Tales
Date:  96-03-07 03:26:46 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The only comment I would have is, be patient a bit....

jms



Subj:  Re:marcus and the link
Date:  96-03-07 03:30:30 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I just summoned up Marcus in my head.  Here's what he said: "Because I won't
wear the bloody thing, that's why.  Bad enough you've got those pagers you
wear in 1996, no privacy, no chance to get away, always at somebody's beck
and call.  Why not just put a leash around your neck and get it over with?
It'd be faster and a good deal more honest.  I'm down in the bar trying to be
inconspicuous, dangerous characters on all sides, trying not to be
noticed...and the link goes off, and I'm dead.  Or at minimum seriously
thumped.  No, absolutely not.  You'll never get me to wear one of those."

(This is btw the reason why I absolutely *refuse* to wear a pager myself.)

jms



Subj:  Re:New episodes
Date:  96-03-07 03:30:58 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

April 3rd.

jms
Subj:  Re:Just Wondering
Date:  96-03-07 03:31:23 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The good guys *always* get whacked, at some point....

jms



Subj:  Re:Hi again, JMS, thanks & a
Date:  96-03-07 03:33:30 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

There are no immediate plans for Talia's return...but we haven't heard the
last of that relationship, and the reference I promised is in the very next
batch of new eps.

jms



Subj:  Re:Names
Date:  96-03-07 03:39:29 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Actually, it's Clark, not Clarke, so that one's not a tribute; neither is
Morden, though it has some of the sounds of Mordred and Mordor and other
Murderous names.  I'd actually suggest that 90% of the names used have no
other reference than their own identity.

jms



Subj:  Re:Shadows/Vorlons
Date:  96-03-07 03:39:50 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{does Kosh merge with his ship? Aren't the Vorlon ship
organic too?}

Yes, but only in a manner of speaking.

jms



Subj:  Re:stuff
Date:  96-03-07 03:47:35 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

"For I Am Become Death" was a working title; I finally decided that "Point of
No Return" was a more apt title for the year.

If one is being accurate in Eastern-European terms, it's pronounced
strah-chin-ski; in general Americanized terms (which is what I go by), it's
strah-zin-ski.

jms



Subj:  Re:click... *click*...  CLIC
Date:  96-03-07 03:50:55 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I was the Supervising Producer brought on under Executive Producer David
Moessinger when "Walker, Texas Ranger" was first being produced for CBS.  I
left in fairly short order to do B5, which had already been commissioned
prior to doing Walker, but David asked for some help, and I never decline a
friend.  Unfortunately, the studio was Cannon TV, which is not exactly known
for its sterling rep, so after a while I was driven mad and ran screaming out
into the night.  "WTR" was eventually transferred to a different, better
studio.

jms



Subj:  Re:Bad transliterations part
Date:  96-03-07 03:56:53 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Nope, still don't buy it.  How many versions have we seen of names in Vietnam
or China in English?  Look at an atlas for China in the 1960s, and now.
Notice that now X is used where once Ch was used.  (Chou becomes Xiou.)
Technically, my name is pronounced strachinski, but it's got a czy in the
middle of it.  

There's also a difference between transLATION and transLITERATION.  The
latter is often less accurate than the former.

You may choose to take any linguistic position you choose; however, the
language as it is used does not reconcile with that stance.

jms



Subj:  Re:Misunderstanding
Date:  96-03-09 05:15:12 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

How big was the San Diego Nuke?  Big enough, and dirty enough, to make the
area officially uninhabitable for a long time.

jms



Subj:  Re:Hi again, JMS, thanks & a
Date:  96-03-09 05:16:44 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I can't send you a copy of the ep; but if you use the www jumpgate at the top
of the B5 area here, it will take you to the Lurker's Guide at hyperion.com,
and you'll find all you need there.

jms



Subj:  Re:No, no! Don't touch...ACK
Date:  96-03-09 05:18:09 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I think you're misremembering; Bester nudged up his right sleeve with his
left hand and held it out; Franklin stuck the needle in.  I don't believe he
held his hand (which was gloved in any event).

jms



Subj:  Re:To:  JMS
Date:  96-03-09 05:19:56 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The syndicated market is changing so much I don't think it'd be feasible in
anothr year or two.

jms



Subj:  Re:Harlan Ellison
Date:  96-03-09 05:20:50 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Harlan is generally quite jovial and funny in person; but he feels outrage
deeply when it takes place, and isn't afraid to do a deserved Jeremiad when
necessary....

jms



Subj:  Re:Lennier (mis)information?
Date:  96-03-09 05:22:35 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I have no idea where that came from; not from me (re: Lennier).  As for
Sinclair, I think you'll get what you're asking for in the two-parter.

jms



Subj:  Re:To: JMS Re: Renewal?
Date:  96-03-09 05:24:33 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I won't know until April/May.  The main issue, I think, is going to be the
second-runs in most markets.  It wasn't a problem the first two years, but
now with so much new syndicated product on the market, the logical and
understandable reaction is, "Why should I rerun an episode of one show when I
can put on a *new* episode of *another* show and make *more money*?"  But the
advertising is sold based on double-runs in some cases, or at least a certain
percentage of double runs.  So we'll have to see.  I am, for now, cautiously
optimistic.

jms



Subj:  Re:Questions, Schmestions!
Date:  96-03-09 05:25:22 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

B5 orbits Epsilon Eridani.

jms



Subj:  Re:Just Thinking
Date:  96-03-09 05:26:59 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

"Since Warner Brothers does not seem to have an understanding of what they
have on their hands,   (Don't they realize the cash potential they have?!)
Would you object to us, (loyal following) writing to them (Snail or E-Mail)
and expressing more promotions or recognition be given the show?   If so, can
you publish the CEO's name and address here? (preferably, E-Mail address)"

That would be Robert Daly, at WB in New York; don't have his address at hand.

jms



Subj:  Re:Att'n JMS:  The Equalizer
Date:  96-03-09 05:28:47 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I enjoyed the Equalizer, though I didn't see all the episodes, and it wasn't
anywhere in my head when I was coming up with the show.  

The key to *any* good character is to make them real.  You have to invest a
lot of yourself into that process, differentiating how they move, walk, talk,
think, believe.  It's a lot of work, but the result is worth it.

jms



Subj:  Re:Other aliens in backgroun
Date:  96-03-09 05:29:30 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

It does sorta look like that, on reflection, but it ain't Sandman-esque.

jms



Subj:  Re:Susan's revelation- a ?
Date:  96-03-09 05:30:29 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

That information was sent to Earth, where it's led directly to the series of
current investigations that were launched...and which forced Clark's hand
into declaring martial law to distract from all that.

jms



Subj:  Re:Z'ha'dum
Date:  96-03-09 05:30:56 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{Why didn't the Vorlons destroy the Shadows on Z'ha'dum}

It's not that easy; you'll figure out why soon.

jms



Subj:  Re:Religion on B5
Date:  96-03-09 05:39:46 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I've always been a writer.  Even when I was just a kid, I was "preparing,"
always checking out different kinds of writing instruments, collecting the
artifacts of writing...took 3 years of typing in high school until I got to
120 wpm...but I didn't start writing until mid-high school, when I finally
decided I had read enough, thought enough about it, and was *ready*.  

That day, I started writing finally.  I wrote a story I placed with the
school magazine done out of one of the writing classes.  The next thing I
wrote ended up in a small outside magazine.  Then I began writing and placing
articles and plays and stories....

I took some writing classes in college, but the only ones of value were the
workshops, not the ones where you're taught to write the way the teacher
*wants* you to write.  The whole theory of writing is to find your unique
voice; if you surrender that by writing the way somebody else writes, you've
sacrificed the only commodity you had to offer: your unique vision of the
world.  In any event, as stated, I was writing and selling long before I took
my first writing class.

Since 1971, I have written 5-10 pages per day (the last 12+ years generally
10 or better) every day of the week, 52 weeks a year, except for my birthday,
christmas, new year's, and my spouse's birthday.  On my first trip to
England, I swore I wouldn't write, I'd take some time off; I ended up
sneak-buying a small notepad and, by the time I got back, had outlined my
first novel, later published by Dutton.

I've written over 500 published articles, dozens of published short stories,
12 produced plays, a number of songs recorded here and there (including two
for a prime time ABC special), 2 published novels, 1 published anthology, a
number of screenplays (some made as TV stuff, some not produced), and 145+
produced TV scripts, among other stuff.

I write all the time.  It's not what I do, it's what I *am*.

jms



Subj:  Re:Levels we haven't conside
Date:  96-03-09 05:40:20 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{Are there higher levels in the show that we aren't considering}

There aren't higher levels per se....but different levels.  You'll see.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS:  Question for a frie
Date:  96-03-09 05:42:03 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Your friend needs to switch to a decaffeinated coffee.

jms



Subj:  Re:Z'ha'dum
Date:  96-03-10 04:01:36 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Delenn and Kosh told the truth as they knew it.  And the trailer for Severed
Dreams won't be available until closer to airtime.

jms



Subj:  Re:Actors imput
Date:  96-03-10 04:06:17 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

This is a hard question to answer.  When you create a character in your head,
you always hear them a certain way.  Sometimes, when you bring in an actor,
you hear it a different way, and you have to adjust.  Sometimes the actor
sounds just like what you had in mind (as with Jason Carter and Claudia).  

For me, what's interesting is when an actor finds something in the text that
was there, that I didn't recognize even though I'd written it, and
illuminates a corner of the character.  (And sometimes I discover I've
revealed more about myself than I'd intended in a scene, only finding this
out when I see the actor saying the words.)  

Probably the biggest impact in B5 terms was in seeing the humor that Claudia
could bring to the part, and the vulnerability that Peter summoned up.  The
scene in the pilot movie where Londo goes to Garibaldi and says, basically,
yes, I messed up, and yes, I'd do it again, showed a great depth of feeling,
of conflicting emotions that lifted that scene way beyond what was on the
page, and showed me that I could take Londo anywhere I wanted, and the actor
behind the character could and would take it all the way without ever
stumbling.  

jms



Subj:  Re:Minbari Bone Ridges
Date:  96-03-10 04:07:36 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Worker caste tend to fade into the background; we've seen them here and
there; pilots and traders (visible in "Strife") are worker caste, and others.
They don't have as much a stylized manner of bone-carving as the other
castes.

jms



Subj:  Re:writer's block
Date:  96-03-10 04:11:23 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

No, I've never had writer's block.  (I hate saying that; it's like saying out
loud at the top of the 9th inning that you've got a no-hitter going...the
universe loves to trip you up.)

I think it comes from being a generalist; if I don't have a script at hand to
think about, I flip over to writing a short story, a novel, an article,
something else.  Also, I never sit down to write out a scene or a section
until I've "seen" it in my head so many times that it's practically
transcription at that point.

jms



Subj:  Re:re wrists and stuff
Date:  96-03-10 04:12:03 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Won't work.  I've tried dictating, didn't work (despite allegations that I'm
a dictator).  I write out of my fingers; I can't dictate the stuff.

jms



Subj:  Re:Janet Greek
Date:  96-03-10 04:13:36 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Janet just signed onto a series -- jeez, I just forgot the name, it fell out
of my head -- as a writer and director.  If I can drag it out of my brain,
I'll post the name.

jms



Subj:  Re:B5 the Series
Date:  96-03-10 04:16:14 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

"This is better than sex!"

Thank you.

Now keep those hands to yourself, mister.

jms


Subj:  Re:Conundrum
Date:  96-03-13 18:06:07 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Warner Bros. is not so much a monolithic company as a series of mutually
competing divisions.  WBN and PTEN are totally different entities, and
there's almost no chance of overlap.

jms



Subj:  Re:Lot's O Q's
Date:  96-03-13 17:46:20 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The station is about 5 miles long, so the rest you can work from there.

You *can* see the length of the station from some of the living quarters,
such as Londo's, and from Sheridan's office.

Yes, the Neville Chamberlain parallel was intentional.

jms



Subj:  Re:PoNR - Fixed Stars!
Date:  96-03-13 17:47:26 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

We've gone over this a lot; because the station rotates, you'd need a
circular, rotating starfield that would be twice as tall as our stage ceiling
to make it work, and it'd be hideously loud.

jms



Subj:  Re:The creative process
Date:  96-03-13 17:48:36 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Because I knew it'd have to be a multi-year format, which limits you to
either books or TV, since you couldn't do all of this stuff in films.  (You'd
need 55 movies.)  So...TV.

jms



Subj:  Re:PoNR - Fixed Stars!
Date:  96-03-13 17:50:30 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

C&C is *not* in the center of the station, which is the zero-g docking bay;
it's 1/3rd of the way down, so it has about 1/3rd gravity.  That means a 200
pound person weights 67 pounds, so you're not exactly going to be bouncing
around or anything.

jms



Subj:  Re:Uniform Question
Date:  96-03-13 17:51:24 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Only time will tell.

jms



Subj:  Re:World Con...
Date:  96-03-13 17:51:49 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Well, I'll be there; we'll see about the rest.

jms



Subj:  Re:No Free Will?
Date:  96-03-13 17:53:14 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yes, the characters surprise me...but the characters aren't real, and
"they're" not surprising me, it's something that burbles out of my
subconscious.  Only living beings can truly have free will.  Fictional
characters don't.

jms



Subj:  Re:Hot Jalla
Date:  96-03-13 17:55:32 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

It's not a connection, but a resonance; jalla is made from the jalwah tree,
and yes, G'Kar's father was hung from a jalwah tree.  But I wouldn't read too
much more into that.

jms



Subj:  Re:Name that tune
Date:  96-03-13 18:04:47 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I listen to just about every kind of music there is, except for hard country
music.  It just grates; not to say it's bad, lots of folks like it, it just
gets my teeth grinding like tectonic plates.  (The closest I get is bluegrass
and folk, with the Red Clay Ramblers being a favorite there.)

When I work, I tend to listen to different things as the mood strikes me.
Everything from rock to jazz to big band to "new age" to classical to Irish
music to Japanese music to Australian aboriginal music to Gregorian
chants...you name it.  I was heavily into Japanese KODO music for a while,
but because I was playing it all the time I kinda got KODO'd out after a
while.

Among the stuff that turns up most often on the stereo while I'm working
these days: Meatloaf, Slade, Enya, Alice Cooper, Melissa Etheridge, Sarah
MacLachlan, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Red Clay Ramblers.  I'll probably
cycle through into more orchestral/instrumental stuff soon.

jms



Subj:  Re:What type of Government E
Date:  96-03-13 17:31:17 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Each nation/state on Earth has its own government internally, and its own
leader, who is part of the EA Senate.  One senator per nation/state.  (Mars
is treated as a colony rather than an independent entity, same with the more
important colonies, while other, less valuable ones are more loosely
attached.)  Clark has full military control as Commander of Chief of
Earthforce, though the military is funded jointly by all participants.

jms



Subj:  Re:My point exactly KSTEEN!
Date:  96-03-13 17:40:54 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

"Nightwatch does, in fact, have an "heraldic banner" which is in the form of
its black uniforms."

Err...I hate to correct you, but Nightwatch members do NOT have black
uniforms.  Many of them wear armbands, but others do not.  Julie Musante did
not wear an armband.  Neither did the snitch in C&C who turned in the Narn
cruiser in "Fall."  B5 security members were given the arm bands as part of
their uniform, indicating that they were serving Nightwatch in an official
capacity, the same as you'd give a badge or ID to someone working for two
agencies.  There are and can be others who are part of Nightwatch who don't
wear the arm bands.

Also, it's not "an heraldic."  It's A heraldic.  You only use AN if you can't
hear the H sound; if you can, then you use A.  As in "An hour" and "A horse."
Similarly, the use "an historic" is also incorrect.

jms


Subj:  Re: B5 CANCELLED
Date:  96-03-15 04:25:44 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Because, Harokin, this stuff happens *every season* at this time, and after a
while, one gets tired of chasing down and denying every rumor that comes
along, time after time.  I posted a brief note about this in the ask jms
category, that should cover it.

jms



Subj:  PS to Harokin
Date:  96-03-15 04:26:42 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Don't take the tone of my prior note as indicating annoyance; it's just that
this happens every year, and it wears thin after a while.  It's not your
fault.

jms



Subj:  Re:Beginnings
Date:  96-03-15 04:07:25 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I first discovered the Red Clay Ramblers when they were the musical
accompaniment for the Broadway show (then touring) FOOL MOON.  I thought they
were absolutely terrific, and still do.  (And the show's terrific too; if it
comes to your town SEE IT.)

"Where did B5 start? What was the germ of the whole idea? Who were the first
characters? Were any characters conceived as men that ended up as women and
vice versa?"

No, the men were men and the women were women (and they LIKED it that way).
The primary "germ" of the notion was the setting in this case, a locale where
the stories would come to us rathre than chasing new worlds every week.
Obviously you need a command staff, and I began filling it out from there.
Then, one day, the whole story just sorta unfolded in my head in a moment of
total clarity.  That happens sometimes....

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Fan Clubs
Date:  96-03-15 04:08:03 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yes, I do believe the various actors fan clubs are sanctioned by the actors
(at least, the ones we know of; not every fan club is sanctioned, obviously.)

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS:88 notes in your musi
Date:  96-03-15 04:09:29 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

We never know from year to year on the B5 status, same as with every other TV
series.  No studio will give you a 2-year buy unless you're Spielberg.  We'll
have to see....

jms



Subj:  Re:Station Interior
Date:  96-03-15 04:10:31 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yes, the interior has been mapped to great detail; as Sheridan falls, you can
see perspective on many of the structures, due to the 3d mapping.  Don't know
if we'll ever make a map available, at least in the short run.

jms



Subj:  Re:Cancellation of B5!?
Date:  96-03-15 04:15:33 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

This happens every season.  People with too much free time on their hands
start posting rumors long before anything has even been *discussed*.  This
happened after the pilot ("I just heard from a VERY reliable source that it's
never gonna make it to series") after the first season ("a guy I know at WB
says the first season was just a fluke, they got pressured, there won't be a
second season"), after the second....

Nothing is ever decided on these things until the execs meet to go over it,
and that won't happen until late April/early May.  Anyone who says he's heard
anything definitive before then is simply full of it.

jms



Subj:  Re:Dear JMS:Starfury "Nose A
Date:  96-03-15 04:16:56 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yes, there's nose art for most (though not all) of the furies.  Ivanova's is
traditionally Russian, and Sheridan's is the Flying Tigers (we actually got
permission from them to use the symbol).

jms



Subj:  Re:No Free Will?
Date:  96-03-15 04:17:50 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Ah, but it wasn't Holmes who forced himself back into the writings of Doyle;
it was pressure from readers (real people) who refused to let it go away.

jms



Subj:  Re:Artwork from Atlanta
Date:  96-03-15 04:18:49 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Unfortunately, the answer to both is no, unless you want to give it to one of
the actors at Fantasticon to pass along....

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Couple'a Questions
Date:  96-03-15 04:20:01 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Now that S3 of B5 is almost done, I can finish the deal to write the Grimjack
movie, which will take me through the next few months to finish.

jms



Subj:  Re:Apologies are in order...
Date:  96-03-15 04:23:35 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

This season is an unintended aberration re: writers; I hope to use others
next season.

As for your story...apology not accepted because it is unnecessary.  As it
happens, I remember your comments, and yes, at the time, they were hurtful.
But they came from honest criticisms of the show, rather than any particular
agenda, and I never have a problem with honest, fair criticism.  Hell, I had
my own problems with the pilot, which I was determined to fix in the series.

What you did that counts is that you were sufficiently open-minded and fair
to give the show a chance when it hit series, and you found that the promises
were true.  And now have said as much.  What more can anyone ask of one?

jms



Subj:  Re:My point exactly KSTEEN!
Date:  96-03-15 04:01:54 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Nope.  Zack did wear an armband the whole time he was involved with
Nightwatch.  

jms



Subj:  Re:Foundationalism
Date:  96-03-17 23:23:03 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The impact of other alien races on contemporary religions is a good question,
and one that I hope to carve out some time to examine down the road a bit.
The Foundation was a way of saying, in essence, that there aren't various
religions, there's just *human* religion as opposed to what has been
developed on other worlds...that every human religion is an aspect of the
whole, like blind men describing an elephant by each holding onto a piece of
it.  They looked to the foundation of all religions, and combined them, so
there's aspects of nearly every major and minor belief in them.

jms


Subj:  Re:some questions...
Date:  96-03-21 03:23:59 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

There are no shadow vessels buried on Narn, no.  The shadow influence on the
Psi Corps has been growing for about 7 years now.

jms



Subj:  Re:ATTN: JMS
Date:  96-03-21 03:25:52 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I wasn't really happy with what we did with n'grath; it's not any fault of
Optic Nerve, they did a bang up job, it's just...it's a subjective opinion,
and when I looked at it, it never really worked for me.  So we may not see
that group again.

jms



Subj:  Re:Cancellation
Date:  96-03-21 03:27:26 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

At this point, we're still assuming we'll be renewed, so it's a moot
question.

The larger issue comes down to commercials, though.  To get national
advertisers, you need X number of stations, in Y markets, carrying Z
commercials, preferably on two nights (first run and rerun).  If you can't
get national sponsors, paying enough money, it doesn't matter if the show is
over, on, or under budget...you're a dead duck.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS - Voices of Authority
Date:  96-03-21 03:28:45 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{What did the Walkers say about the Vorlons}

Well, this isn't a *literal* translation, because some words don't translate,
but the *sense* of the sentence would be "the vorlons can kiss my ____."

jms



Subj:  Re:Dawn of third age
Date:  96-03-21 03:29:39 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The dawning of the third age really happens over the course of the B5 saga.

jms



Subj:  Re:B5 Cast in the UK
Date:  96-03-21 03:31:24 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I don't think the overseas audience numbers will overly affect the decision
either way; studios tend to look at domestic as the primary market, and
everything else as ancillary, despite the fact that we are now a global
electronic community.

I think a few of the cast will hang about the UK for a bit while they're over
for the cons; in general, many of our cast and crew hang out together and do
things while on vacation...they like each other, and getting them apart is
tough.

jms



Subj:  Re:Tom Baker
Date:  96-03-21 03:31:47 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I'd love nothing more than to use Tom Baker on the show at some point.

jms



Subj:  Re:protecting your work
Date:  96-03-21 03:32:45 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

No, there's not much point to copyrighting the work; if you're really
concerned, you can always register it with the Writers Guild, but frankly,
stealing is not as common as one might think.  

jms



Subj:  Re:The Shadow Wars
Date:  96-03-21 03:34:07 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

No, the whole point of a mystery done *right* is that some folks won't ever
figure it out, a majority of them will have some vague ideas, and some *will*
figure it out.  That's the only outcome -- a bell-shaped curve -- if you're
playing fair with the audience.  The clues have to be out there, and if they
are, some will notice.  If nobody gets it, you didn't play fair.  This was
one of the lessons I learned working on MURDER, SHE WROTE.

jms



Subj:  Re:bad copies of b5
Date:  96-03-21 03:35:35 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I have no idea, unless when the tape was duped en masse, they just got a bad
copy and nobody QC'd it to find out.  But 90% of all stations pick up the
downlink, so this shouldn't be a problem.

jms



Subj:  Re:Black uniform clues/hints
Date:  96-03-21 03:35:58 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

No, the black uniform you've seen here and there isn't a Psi Cop uniform.

jms



Subj:  Re:Apologies are in order...
Date:  96-03-21 03:38:22 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Every line an actor speaks is written down in a script; the actor's task is
to find the character in that, and breathe life into it via the performance.
So when someone asks, "who creates the character?" one can say the writer
creates, and the actor interprets...but at the same time, that really isn't
indicative of the vast contribution brought by the performer.  Londo in the
hands of any other actor but Peter wouldn't be *Londo*.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Broken Limbs...
Date:  96-03-21 03:44:09 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Oddly enough, Jerry's broken arm tied *beautifully* into something that had
happened in the course of the episode we were filming, so all it took was a
line or two to sell it.

The funny thing is...in the very next episode after the incident, there was a
line in the script I'd written *weeks* earlier, and it freaked everybody
out...when Garibaldi asks someone to do something, and the person responds,
"What, you've got a broken arm or something?"  At first some people thought
I'd put it in there to pink Jerry, but it'd been there the whole time.  

Similarly, in the Claudia incident, there was a line (cut for time) where
Sheridan says talking to the Drazi is like trying to talk to your right
foot...and Ivanova replies "I'll have you know I have a sublime relationship
with my right foot."  Yep, the next day...that's the foot she broke.

Just recently, I was trying to explain time travel to one of the actors.  I
used the analogy, over lunch, "Suppose you finished eating your chicken here,
then got sick as a dog a few hours later, then got in a time machine to go
back in time and warn yourself not to eat the chicken."  Well, a few hours
after that...the actor got sick as a dog from the chicken.

I have been asked, expressly, not to make any further mention of actors' body
parts in scripts....

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Game Time
Date:  96-03-21 03:44:44 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

No, nobody's approached us about an Ivanova-based game, but it's a great
idea.

jms



Subj:  Re:Mr. Morden
Date:  96-03-21 03:45:32 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{Are Morden and his associates equals?}

Well, he may sometimes *think* of his associates as equals...and my cat
thinks he actually owns this house....

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Shadows ships & bein
Date:  96-03-21 03:45:58 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

You can see one of the shadows in the main titles; not too much like their
ships.

jms



Subj:  Re:Fan Club
Date:  96-03-21 03:47:04 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

We have an address for the fan club, but haven't finalized details of price
and material yet.

jms



Subj:  Re:jms: derivation of word a
Date:  96-03-21 03:48:10 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

An arc is simply a geometry; it starts at an angle, goes up, and then comes
down, like the arc of a flare fired by a flare gun.  Similarly, a story has
its own dramatic arc.  

jms



Subj:  Re:Any Comment on Hypernauts
Date:  96-03-21 03:49:10 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

No, I had nothing to do with Hypernauts beyond recommending Christy; it's
entirely their work.  It's good to see our methods and techniques used to
bring more SF shows around; that was what we were hoping for.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: complex show
Date:  96-03-21 03:50:49 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Thanks.  I think you'll warm to Marcus as we go deeper in; he's a great
character, and Jason does a terrific job of it.  

Not backing away from anything re: Ivanova's diversity...we clarify something
about her relationship with Talia very soon, in fact.

jms



Subj:  Re:The Psi Corps
Date:  96-03-21 03:51:40 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The initial tests can indicate if the teep is a P1 to P12, they don't
generally start at the same level.

jms



Subj:  Re:Open letter to JMS
Date:  96-03-21 03:52:24 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Fired?  I'm surprised you let him live.

Next time....

jms



Subj:  Re:Question going Waaay Back
Date:  96-03-21 03:53:55 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

They could've punched their way out, but been even less able to get a direct
location in real space because their new position, unpredictable, could be
hundreds of light years away, and they couldn't pinpoint exactly where they
are.  They could then jump back, and because of the math, gotten even further
lost.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Casting Question
Date:  96-03-21 03:54:23 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I honestly don't remember what happened with that, or even if we considered
him.

jms



Subj:  Re:Who are you/What do you w
Date:  96-03-21 03:55:34 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

You miss the point.  It's not that there's a *correct* answer, but that
there's an *informed* answer.  If you decide what you want, before you know
who you are, you're likely to get something that will destroy you; if you
know who you are, you can then ask for something that will be of greater use
to you.

jms



Subj:  Re:Vir's family
Date:  96-03-21 03:56:30 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I can, but I'd rather show it; you'll find out a lot more about Vir and
family relations in "Sic Transit Vir" in mid-april.

jms



Subj:  Re:An Open Letter to JMS
Date:  96-03-21 18:45:15 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Good points.  I'd point you, incidentally, to an essay by Mark Twain on, I
believe, the Boxer rebellion, in which he dissects the phrase "my country
right or wrong," the earliest use I've ever seen of that phrase.  Also A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which has some very serious
commentary on what *is* patriotism, what what *is* the Nation?

Uncritical jingoism is as inherently unpatriotic as uncritical attacks.  It's
important to see what a goverment does that is good, by our ability to
perceive the good, and support it...and to find what is in need of redress,
and fix it.  But either way, we have to be honest about what we see, and ask
ourselves if it's right.  Even if we come back toward saying yes, it *is*
right, at least we've thought about it, and now have reasons and objective
criteria for *why* it's right.  Or why it's wrong.

jms



Subj:  Re:4th Season Status
Date:  96-03-21 18:46:21 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

What gives is that it's a long process, always is, every year.  We'll know
for sure when they finally tell us.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS:  Contest 
Date:  96-03-21 18:47:55 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I believe Canada is considered part of foreign distribution; I don't know the
figures on income from foreign runs, 'cause by the time any of that info gets
to us, it's been...fixed...in the books to keep any possible profit from
showing, so I have no real idea.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Slade?!?!?!?!?
Date:  96-03-21 18:48:52 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yeah, I confess I enjoy Slade quite a bit; have most of their CDs.  Wish they
had more currency here in the US.

jms


Subj:  Re:Hey!
Date:  96-03-22 03:50:10 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Songu, I answered something like 16 or 20 questions in a row; it's not
possible for me to answer every single question or I'll never get the show
made.  I'm not avoiding anyone's questions, and don't yell "HEY!" if I don't.
It's rude.

jms


Subj:  Re:Novels & Comics
Date:  96-03-22 03:52:33 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I'm involved in the comics and novels, but the problem with the novels is
that I get only a few days to review the manuscript before it has to go back,
and given everything else I'm doing, sometimes I miss things.  I try to keep
it as close to the show as I can, but there are always going to be glitches
when you let it out of your direct supervision and into the hands of others.


jms


Subj:  VQT News
Date:  96-03-25 02:52:47 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I just heard this over on CIS, and I'm trying to verify it before saying it
officially, but it appears that Viewers for Quality Television has taken the
next step and actually *endorsed* BABYLON 5, which is a very important thing
for us.  If correct, this is great news.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS:  G'Kar's Writing
Date:  96-03-23 04:19:16 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Sometimes things slip through; the on-screen writing was done at Foundation,
since we don't have that capability, and they did it left to right.  I wasn't
able to be on set at the moment we shot that to check (and, likely, wouldn't
have been able to change it if I had been there, since we had to go and it
takes time to re-do that stuff).  Normally, however, Narns write right to
left.

jms



Subj:  Re:More silly questions
Date:  96-03-23 04:20:08 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I think both those questions are better answered in the series than blown off
here.

jms



Subj:  Re:New B5 book
Date:  96-03-23 04:20:57 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Yeah, initially Dell kept going for one-word titles, and I generally don't
like that, so I told them to have the writers come up with more interesting
titles.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS:  Kabalistic themes
Date:  96-03-25 02:50:26 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Thanks.  The job of the show is to ask questions and pose scenarios for
discussion, while at the same time entertaining, which is our primary
responsibility.  

I wouldn't say there's any one dominant area here, whether Kabalistic or
strictly Judaeo/Christian or otherwise...it's a hodgepodge of elements.  You
can find historical, religious, social and political echoes to a lot of
things.  In the area you mentioned, there's bits and pieces of the two areas
you singled out, plus buddhism, moslemism, zoroastrianism, Zen, catholicism,
you name it, because it helps to create an authentic feel to the alien
cultures and other aspects of the show.  Similarly, there are aspects of WW
2, WW 1, Korea, Vietnam, JFK...I try to grab from lots of different areas so
that it avoids being about The One Thing and becomes a synthesis that is
about *us* in all our various permutations.

jms


Subj:  Re:Mumy on Sci-Fi Buzz
Date:  96-03-26 16:37:56 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I believe the clip in question was from "Ceremonies of Light and Dark."

jms



Subj:  Re:Lincoln
Date:  96-03-26 16:40:35 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

"the last, best hope of Earth" was from Lincoln, yes.  We quoted it in
"Points of Departure."

jms



Subj:  Re:Pilots
Date:  96-03-26 16:42:16 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The story just kinda shifted away from that for a while; I try not to stay
too long with any one thread.  They sorta come in waves; as with this season,
we emphasized Earth stuff for the first 11 or so episodes; then we slide back
into the Centauri stuff, then the Minbari, then the Narn.  Aspects of the
show rise and fall in prominence as needed for the story.  We'll get back to
the pilots in the fullness of time.

jms



Subj:  Re:West/East End of London
Date:  96-03-26 16:46:39 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

What I'd said, and maybe I wasn't sufficiently clear, but my sense was that I
wasn't going to change it *prior to the first US airing.*  I found out about
the mistake -- it was a typo, I knew the difference, I just became
momentarily stupid and wrote west when I meant to type east -- after the show
aired in the UK, and had a couple of months in which I could've chosen to
make the change.  But I was concerned that the dub wouldn't have the same
power as the original performance, so I was willing to let it go until after
it aired, so it would've had that impact, then make the change later.
Happily, the loop came out *very* well, so it worked out.

jms



Subj:  Re:Odd Questions
Date:  96-03-26 16:48:44 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The Ranger colony was financially supported by the Minbari; the Drazi allowed
them to use one of their colony worlds as a base.

If humans are special, and in some measure we are or we wouldn't be in the
story, I should think it's more for what we *do* than what we *are*.  There
is something very unique about us which comes in handily in the series.
Delenn's already pointed this out.

jms



Subj:  Re:Ask not.
Date:  96-03-26 16:52:47 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Phil: thanks.  A wonderful and very encouraging analysis.  Sometimes I forget
how much we're really packing into this show until I see it broken down like
that.  Then suddenly I'm tired...but vastly pleased.

As for Trent, we still plan to do that story at some point.

jms


Subj:  Re:Who are you/Whaddya want
Date:  96-03-26 16:56:42 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Exactly.  I think the process of transcending is much more interesting than
*having* transcended.  The struggle is what's dramatic.  

Re: n'grath...while that didn't work as well as I'd've liked, I'm still
looking to explore some alternate ways of showing alien (non-humanoid) life
forms.  We'll get there.

BTW, I note that you use semi-colons correctly in your messages...it's a tiny
thing, but it's the sort of thing rarely done anymore; the semi-colon seems
to have become a form of vestigal punctuation.

jms



Subj:  Re:dolls
Date:  96-03-26 16:58:35 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

If you've got a petition, then a place like Playmates, which tends to make
action figure license deals, would be a good place to start.

Otherwise, there aren't any character dolls at the time; eventually we'll get
to it.

jms



Subj:  Re:Renewal Process
Date:  96-03-26 17:10:05 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The renewal process for B5 is a little different than the norm, due to the
PTEN structure.  It works in two parts, as I understand it.  (If I'm
incorrect on any of this, I hope that any of the onlooking WB folks will set
me straight.)

Part one comes from the stations.  Each market looks at the show, and how
it's doing in their area, which is a combination of ratings and demographics,
and sometimes audience support for a show, though the first two always take
precedence over the third.  They then decide whether or not to offer to take
the show for another season.

Part two comes from WB and the national advertisers.  As the stations line up
yea or nay, you keep a running tally of how *many* stations, when they want
to air it, and if they want to do a double run or not.  You need a certain
percentage of major markets, national coverage, to get national sponsors; and
you need to guarantee them a certain number of viewers.  Best if you can
deliver a certain *kind* of viewer, the kind advertisers look for.

The last part of WB's decision is if the show is profitable for the company
given all of these elements.  (WB gets the advertising money for national
spots in general, while local stations can sell other spots for local
sponsors, generating their income.)  Unlike most TV shows, which can run at a
deficit for a number of years, on the theory that they'll make it up in
long-term syndication, our show and Kung Fu have to show a profit *from the
word go*.  So the bear is much closer to us at all times.

The problem that all syndicated shows are currently running into is that of
diminishing berths for their programs.  Most communities have, at most, 1 or
2 local independent stations.  When B5 went on the air, these were all
available to us.  Since then, the Warners Network and UPN have come into
existence, with contractual requirements mandating x-hours per week for their
programs.  And Fox stations have grown, expanded their range of programming.
So now you find that there are fewer and fewer available timeslots for
syndicated shows not affiliated with one of these weblets.  A number of new
syndicated shows announced recently have been pulled for the simple reason
that they can't find enough stations that have available slots.

It's a noose around our neck that we're definitely aware of, particularly
given the importance of double runs for the national sponsors, which is even
*more* difficult given the current glut of programs and the few slots
remaining.  The game is trying to finish the story and get out before the
noose closes around our neck.  

It's going to be tight....

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Which Episode does
Date:  96-03-27 04:13:37 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I'll tell you that *after* the episode airs...if I tell you before, you'll be
looking for it, and prepared for it, rather than being surprised.

jms



Subj:  Re:Renewal/alternatives
Date:  96-03-27 04:15:35 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I think the WB net would be very doubtful, since they're trying to create
their own identity as a network, and taking a syndicated show would likely
work against that; UPN is Paramount and I think they'd cut off their
own...er...noses before taking on B5, given our relative histories.

jms



Subj:  Re:Five MILES long?!
Date:  96-03-27 04:17:50 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Well, I suppose he could've said six-point-one kilometers (or whatever the
figure would be, I'm too tired and it's too late in the evening to do the
math), but it'd kinda spoil the flow of the sentence; and if it's total
length works out to five miles, give or take a bit, that seems the way to go.

jms



Subj:  Re:Minbari rings
Date:  96-03-27 04:18:16 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{whatever happened to the Minbari Rings Delenn used in
the pilot?}

The rings are still there; we just haven't yet had cause to use them.

jms



Subj:  Re:Why Io?
Date:  96-03-27 04:20:09 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{Why is there a base and jumpgate on Io.}

Yes, this is the primary jumpgate for Earth.  It's positioned at Io (most of
the base is actually in orbit outside Io, some of it on the surface, as we
showed in "Chrysalis") to keep Earth a bit safer by removing it some
distance, and because putting it near the huge energy field of Jupiter makes
it more difficult for weapons to target it from a distance.  It's mainly a
tactical decision.

jms


Subj:  Re:Renewal & Howard Stern
Date:  96-03-29 00:55:27 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Howard, who is a big fan of the show, spoke a bit out of turn, and WB has
since been in contact with him about it; he'll correct the statement soon,
I'm told.

jms



Subj:  Re:*Where* Jms Learned *?*
Date:  96-03-29 00:57:13 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I learned proper use of the * at a Shao-lin monastary after years of silent
meditation upon a drawing of * set before me on a wall.

jms



Subj:  Re:B5 Fan Club and Newslette
Date:  96-03-29 00:57:57 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Hang tight, we'll get out the word on this soon.

jms



Subj:  Re:Morden and Bester
Date:  96-03-29 00:58:38 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

That would be telling, wouldn't it?

jms



Subj:  Re:Continue
Date:  96-03-29 00:59:46 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Just noticed the new folder after answering stuff here; can you either leave
it for a bit or move the stuff over?

jms


Subj:  Re:JMS-YOUR GREAT
Date:  96-03-29 01:01:03 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{Good luck with the future sucess of the show}

Thanks....

jms



Subj:  Re:B5 micro-machines/new & o
Date:  96-03-29 01:00:42 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I have no idea what the deal is here on this; I think there may be an error
somewhere, but will try and find out.  And thanks....

jms



Subj:  Re:Sinclair is the First...
Date:  96-03-29 01:01:47 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

"Changes are coming; Sinclair was the first, there will be others."  He was
referring to more changes coming.

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS - another fan/questio
Date:  96-03-29 01:03:07 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The thing about Ivanova, as noted here and there in the show, is that while
she was born in the Russian Consortium, she was raised mainly abroad, going
from school to school as her mother kept her one step ahead of the Psi Corps.

jms



Subj:  Re:Observations
Date:  96-03-29 01:05:10 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Thanks...and yes, soldiers are soldiers, female or male.  I see no reason,
barring some small differences in upper body strength, which can be
compensated for, to make female characters any less active physically than
male characters.  

Frankly, in watching the Tyson/Bruno match on Showtime the other night, the
best fight of the whole evening was the pre-fight with the two femal boxers
who went the distance and showed incredible heart and determination.

jms



Subj:  Re:Line from AtSFoS?
Date:  96-03-29 01:06:16 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Actually, Sinclair says "I know you" in the present, as Delenn comes toward
him, in referring to his remembering seeing her on the ship.

jms



Subj:  Re:Keep up the RAD Work!
Date:  96-03-29 16:30:02 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Thanks.  The elements you cite are the reasons why it took us 5 years to get
this thing on the air; it's something a bit different, for the US at least.
We could've sold it a lot faster, and easier, if we'd taken some different
approaches -- dumbed it down a little, dropped the ongoing story, made it a
bit less ambitious -- but then it wouldn't be the story I wanted to tell.

And yes, the bits and pieces add up, and gain further weight by seeing how
they relate to different parts of the story.  It's a very careful, elegant
little dance which I think will be seen even more clearly once we go to daily
syndication.

jms



Subj:  Re:B5 is The One
Date:  96-03-29 16:31:36 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

James: good suggestions.  One of the points of B5 is to encourage discussion
about these areas, to be informed, to lead the examined life.  If we can add
some impetus to read, to explore myth and history and culture, then the
effort of making the show has been worthwhile.

jms



Subj:  Re:bother??
Date:  96-03-29 16:33:50 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

If they're the music clips off Franke's BBS, as far as I know that's fine,
because they were made available as samples as part of his license.  Other
sound clips...I can't endorse it, because past I think 20 seconds you run
into legal problems.  (Actually, it's not within my authority to "endorse"
much of anything, it's WB's copyright, I can only offer suggestions or
guidance.)

jms



Subj:  Re:conventions
Date:  96-03-29 16:35:41 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The San Francisco con is at the Cathedral Hill Hotel; check the B5 fan events
folder here in this area for more info.

jms



Subj:  Re:conventions
Date:  96-03-29 16:36:28 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

That's the Worldcon; it's the biggest convention in the world every year.  I
don't have the info at hand, but I'm sure it's readily available.

jms



Subj:  Re:Mood change or what?
Date:  96-03-29 16:38:18 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

The short version of the answer, as yes, I've answered this a lot: it was
done primarily for story reasons.  I discussed the idea with Michael, to
accommodate some changes I wanted to make to the story, he at the same time
had some other options he wanted to pursue...so we parted ways very amicably,
on the theory that at some point we'd link up again for a bit.  And we have,
in this year's two parter.

jms



Subj:  Re:B5 Action Figures or movi
Date:  96-03-29 16:39:21 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

No immediate plans for action figures; WB has broached the idea of a movie,
but so far it's just an idle speculation sort of thing.

jms



Subj:  Re:Question about Kosh & She
Date:  96-03-29 16:40:05 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{What happened with Kosh teaching Sheridan to fight the Shadows?}

There's been some follow-up, but not a lot, and Kosh has kind of dropped the
ball on some of this.  That will have to be dealt with.

jms



Subj:  Re:G'Quon and Valen
Date:  96-03-30 03:32:57 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

Valen and G'Quan were not the same person.

jms


Subj:  Re:It's Pat
Date:  96-03-30 03:33:47 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I have no idea what this refers to, and suspect strongly that you're thinking
of someone else.

jms



Subj:  Re:B-5's survival
Date:  96-03-30 03:35:32 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

It's always chancy on every show as you come to renewal time; the added
problem here is that the marketplace is fast running out of slots for
syndicated shows due to the committed time slots for WBN, UPN, Fox and
others.  So there are a lot of factors coming at us from all sides, which
didn't exist when we first went on the air, but we remain cautiously
optimistic.

jms



Subj:  Re:Season #1
Date:  96-03-30 03:36:40 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

I suggest you go to the opening menu here in the B5 area, for the www
jumpgate; then go to the Lurker's Guide, which has info on every episode of
the series to date, well presented.  That should bring you up to speed on
year one, since they don't plan on rerunning anything from year one until
we've finished our run.

jms



Subj:  Re:Narn battlecruisers
Date:  96-03-30 03:37:13 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

{Why are Narn warships painted in such a manner?}

It's just their culture's idea of a good paint job on a warship.  

jms



Subj:  Re:JMS: Kosh Assassination
Date:  96-03-30 03:38:50 EST
From:  Jms at B5       

No, it was covered in the pilot: the assassin was a member of a radical
military caste clan which was against Minbari involvement in B5, and figured
they'd sabotage the whole thing from within.

jms