lurkers-guide/ftp/CompuServe/cs98-03

JMS CompuServe messages for March 1998.  Collected by John Hardin
<jhardin@wolfenet.com>.


Date: 02 Mar 1998 00:04:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael L. Wonch <73373.3533@compuserve.com>
Subject: Thirdspace - WHEN?

{original post had no questions}

      Just got clarification and verification: Thirdspace does indeed
air July 19th, and another B5 TV movie airs November 23rd, and one more
on January 3rd.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02 Mar 1998 00:24:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Interesting Quote

{original post had no questions}

      Trivia...actually, the original Latin phrase (if I have this
right from memory) is "exceptio probat regulum," a colloquialism which
actually means "the exception puts the rulte to the test of proof." 
It's the bastardized interpretation which comes out to "exception
proves rule."

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 01 Mar 1998 14:26:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Robert R. Wiggins <76703.3036@compuserve.com>
Subject: Interesting Quote

{original post had no questions}

      Got it, thanks.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 02 Mar 1998 00:04:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael L. Wonch <73373.3533@compuserve.com>
Subject: Thirdspace - WHEN?

{original post had no questions}

      Just got clarification and verification: Thirdspace does indeed
air July 19th, and another B5 TV movie airs November 23rd, and one more
on January 3rd.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02 Mar 1998 00:24:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Interesting Quote

{original post had no questions}

      Trivia...actually, the original Latin phrase (if I have this
right from memory) is "exceptio probat regulum," a colloquialism which
actually means "the exception puts the rulte to the test of proof." 
It's the bastardized interpretation which comes out to "exception
proves rule."

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 03 Mar 1998 11:39:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael L. Wonch <73373.3533@compuserve.com>
Subject: Thirdspace - WHEN?

 Michael L. Wonch <73373.3533@compuserve.com> asks:
> After all that great B5 stuff, any plans for the Big Screen of a
> periodic return with the occassional movie after the Season 5
> run?

      We'll have to see on that one; I'm in no major rush.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03 Mar 1998 11:39:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ed Brandt <100274.2672@compuserve.com>
Subject: "Big Screen B5"?

 Ed Brandt <100274.2672@compuserve.com> asks:
> Also, I heard WAY back that there was a possible third movie in
> the plans that might touch on the Valen/Sinclair story?

      There have been discussions, but nothing firm as of this time.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03 Mar 1998 11:39:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: Thirdspace - WHEN?

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> another one?
> These the ones already in the can or is TNT just going hog wild?
> Have you asked if they would be willing to give you two hours to
> go out on and make up the additional time with something like a
> big wrap up of the making of the show?

      No, the episode is the episode; the only reason I could get in
15 minutes back in the pilot was because I could find 15 minutes to cut
*out* to make room for it easily, and still maintain the same basic
running time.  SiL is as tight as it's ever gonna get.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 05 Mar 1998 01:54:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dan T. Davis <71121.1254@compuserve.com>
Subject: Secrets of the Soul

 Dan T. Davis <71121.1254@compuserve.com> asks:
> Has that show been moved up to March 11?
> How does this relate to how the Centauri did the same thing to
> the race that developed in parallel with them? ("What did the last
> (parallel-Centauri-race) say as he died?

      Yes, Neil's episode is up next...and as for the Xon, the
difference is that the Centauri main-line clashed with the Xon when
both were primitive and fighting for food, resources, that sort of
thing, similar to our Neanderthal - Cro Magnon struggle, whereas the
Hyach did it when they were more advanced, and it wasn't a struggle,
more of a program of extermination.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 06 Mar 1998 13:11:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com>
Subject: Episode resuffle

 Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com> asks:
> I was just curious as to why Day of the Dead has been moved
> forward to March 11th?

      We felt it wise to adjust the airing order so we could ramp up
the following episodes prior to the NBA delay without having any
interruption in the tone of the episodes (i.e., 2 tense, 1 funny, 2
tense vs 1 funny and 4 tense in a row).

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06 Mar 1998 13:11:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <SotS> Soul of Secrets

{original post had no questions}

      Good stuff, as always...btw, the pak'ma'ra used a translator
before in "Legacies."

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06 Mar 1998 13:11:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ballpark <74541.3464@compuserve.com>
Subject: Rebo & Zooty

 Ballpark <74541.3464@compuserve.com> asks:
> When is the famous (uh Infamous) "Rebo & Zooty" episode set to
> air?

      It's next week.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06 Mar 1998 13:11:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Secrets of the Soul

 (blocked) asks:
> Who was broadcasting Lyta's memories while she was making love to
> Byron? Was Lyta's mental "power" so strong that the other teeps
> couldn't help but "hear" it? Was the "joining" of Lyta's and
> Byron's minds such a strong force that it "leaked" into the other
> teeps minds? Or was Byron broadcasting what should have been very
> private information without asking Lyta for permission first?

      It was everything being stimulated, and coming to the surface,
mainly from her, but echoing off him.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 08 Mar 1998 00:03:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Gardner L. Harris <76657.3333@compuserve.com>
Subject: Secrets of the Soul

 Gardner L. Harris <76657.3333@compuserve.com> asks:
> In that society is love making not considered a private/personal
> matter? A more mundane question: was the scene difficult to shoot;
> was Pat concerned about doing a nude scene or was it shot so that
> a body double was used for all nude/semi-nude shots? Any comments?

      I had the group there to further reinforce their tightness, and
that it's a different way of living...as for Pat, no, no body double
was used.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08 Mar 1998 00:03:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dan Deckert <74156.1432@compuserve.com>
Subject: <SotS> Soul of Secrets

{original post had no questions}

      1) It wasn't filler, it's setting up one of the major arcs of
the story.

"It sucked, IMHO, and I expect you to do better from now on! <grin>"

      2) "grin" at the end of a note does not excuse bad manners.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 08 Mar 1998 22:05:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dan T. Davis <71121.1254@compuserve.com>
Subject: The Progress of Year 5

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks...I agree with pretty much everything in your note.  The
thing about this show, one of many, is that I do tend to look at each
season as a separate volume in the story, and I try to give each season
a unique and distinct flavor...from the main titles (the book's "cover)
to the stories, and the *way* those stories are told.  The first few
episodes are always the transition point, the plateau, where the
changes are worked out.

      The other thing is that in the past, I've generally said "this
is part of the arc" by doing a lot of finger-pointing, flag-waving and
jumping up and down.  I figured that after 4 years of seeing that the
first third of the season is generally setup for the consequences that
will follow, that I wouldn't have to do so much "fireworks-pay-
attention" to this stuff...but I may have been wrong in that respect. 
No, I haven't *said* "this is meaningful" even though it is, and will
be more obviously so in hindsight, because I figured by this time in
the game everybody knew the routine and I wouldn't have to red-flag it
in advance.

      I was talking about this to some of the folks on the show, and
they had the same reaction, offering: this is a history, and sometimes
when a major event takes place, nobody knows it's happened yet.  On the
day the stocks began to fall, could someone have stood up and said,
"And from this came the great depression?"  When Archduke Ferdinand was
killed, could someone have said, that day, "And from this comes World
War One and World War Two and the Cold War."  You only see the pattern
in hindsight.

      What's being laid out in the first part of this season are the
threads that will become increasingly important, and fundamentally
change the lives of everybody in the show...but because it's not being
flagged as such, some people tend to dismiss it as filler.

      As one person noted to me today in email, it's as if someone
wrote to Tolkein and said, "Listen, the book is okay, but on page 248
why the hell did you spend so much time on hobbits when the story is
about Aragorn?  What the hell is it with you and hobbits?  I'm not
saying that I'm going to stop reading the book, but unless you get back
to Strider fast the story is going to suck and wander."

      Bottom line...I'm doing now exactly what I have done with the
show from day one: I'm writing this to please myself, to tell the story
that *I* want to see.  If others want to see that, great; if others
don't, that's fine too, because the exercise is getting the story told
the way I want it told.  And that I have done.  And in the long run,
that's what's pulled people to this show: it's a singular vision, a one-
man story, told the way one person wants it to be told, as in any novel
off the shelf.

      I just hope, when all the shouting and hand-wringing is done,
and the season is over, and all the threads of the story lead right
back through to the beginning of this season, showing the filler to be
nothing of the sort, that these same folks will come out and say they
were wrong, as those who said at the time that there was no arc in
season 1 have done since the show has gone into reruns and the arc has
become totally evident.

      I can hope that because I specialize in writing fantasy, you
know....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08 Mar 1998 22:05:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Strange relations

{original post unavailable}

      Good question...I don't know.  I will have to inquire.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 08 Mar 1998 22:05:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Meryl Yourish <103470.2703@compuserve.com>
Subject: <tVftG> Prismatic View

{original post had no questions}

      Cool....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Mar 1998 00:14:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Robert R. Wiggins <76703.3036@compuserve.com>
Subject: Dramatic Structure

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks...the denouement or falling action is where you get to
show the consequences, that's often where a lot of the more interesting
things happen. Otherwise, it's just "okay, it's over" and that's it. 
I'm a big subscriber to the notion of proper dramatic structure, and I
try to hew to it on a large scale with the overall arc, and each
individual episode.  You can track every episode, and every season,
from the progression of introduction, rising action, complication,
climax and denouement.  I figure it's a solid literary framework that
has worked for several thousand years, it's *got* to be good enough for
TeeVee....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Mar 1998 00:14:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: Robin Atkin Downes

 T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did that first appearance lead to the subsequent roles?
> was he cast as Morann first or Byron first?

      We were impressed by his portrayal of Minbari, and that led to
him coming in for Byron.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Mar 1998 15:51:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Ratings

 Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com> asks:
> (The militant Trekker agitators over there are out to milk this
> one for whatever mileage they can get out of it.) While I've had
> the good sense not to get involved in their ongoing scuffle
> concerning this, I find myself wondering about one thing with
> respect to B5's ratings now that it's being shown on cable: are
> the two separate airings of the season 5 episodes tabulated
> cumulatively, or separately?

      No, the ratings are added for the two showings in a week.

      As for the ratings...we are TNT's second-highest rated show. 
Where does it say we have to be in the top 15 of everything on cable or
it's not a success?  Voyager's and DS9's ratings would put it at the
bottom of the network pile, but it's closer to the high-middles in
syndication.  The only ratings figure that matters is this: have the
ratings been high enough for the show to stay on the air, and let me
tell the story that I wanted to tell?  And the answer to that is yes. 
And now the show is out there; nobody cares 10 years from now if it was
in the top 15, or 5, or 50...the show is the show is the show.

      And those who come in from the Trek camp to badmouth B5 because
of the ratings should be reminded that the original Star Trek was
canceled in its third year because of poor ratings...and was considered
a failure by the networks and the studio.  But the show was the show
was the show, and now it has grown.

      As will B5.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Mar 1998 23:59:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Ratings

{original post unavailable}

      Much the opposite; for a fanatical portion of them, this is a
religious war, and the more B5 succeeds, the more they become unhinged.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Mar 1998 23:59:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Ratings

{original post had no questions}

      B5 has *killer* demographics, substantially better than Lois and
Clark, which did very good demos.

      But see, this is the trap...you let the other guy define the
argument for you, and the second they do that, they win the argument. 
"Unless B5 does as good as ST, then it ain't worth squat."  Well,
you're comparing a 5 year show against a 30 year franchise...apples and
oranges.  Now, if you want to compare B5 in its 5 years against the
original ST...then B5 wins, because we're on two years after they were
CANCELED.

      The fight is a dopey one on the face of it...caused by people
who want a fight between the shows, and want to define the argument
such that it makes everybody feel they have to defend something that
does not require *any* defense.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Mar 1998 23:59:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Richard P. Manny <70762.141@compuserve.com>
Subject: Secrets of the Soul

{original post had no questions}

         Thanks....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Mar 1998 23:59:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: Kosh figures

 T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> JMS,do you have a date for the Kosh (& Ivanova) figures?
> are they just 9" ones?

      No date that I can remember...but I know they're coming out
(both in 9" and 6", and a whole line of B5 chracters in pewter figures,
which are gorgeous).

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 10 Mar 1998 22:04:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Kosh figures

 (blocked) asks:
> Any date for pewter figures?

      Should be soon, I've already approved the final versions.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10 Mar 1998 22:04:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Note in a Bottle

{original post had no questions}

      Thing is, I stared at that message, and tried to draft a reply,
for 10 minutes...I can't think of any decent answers.  I think I'm
zoned.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 11 Mar 1998 20:27:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Your religious past?

{original post unavailable}

"Have you ever studied Gurdjieff or Sufism, or any of the Eastern
religions like Bhuddism?"

      I think studied is too formal a word...I've read just about
every religious book out there, in whole (the Bible) or in part (the
Gita, others). It's a good idea to be well-rounded.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 12 Mar 1998 13:33:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com>
Subject: DotD Writing Question

 Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you give them a framework and let them run with it?
> How do you maintain the continuity while working with someone
> from the outside?

      It varies, I get involved to different degrees with different
writers; with Neil, it was more "What do you want to write?"  He
noodled around with some ideas, ran one past me that he liked, and I
liked it...he asked for a truckload of scripts for reference, picked
the characters he wanted to use, researched them, we talked on the
phone and via email a number of times as he refined his ideas further,
then wrote the script.  I tucked and nipped a little here and there,
but pretty much left it alone.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13 Mar 1998 00:07:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Day of the Dead

{original post had no questions}

      Neil kept the humor sort of off-base...operating on the
assumption that there are some things that become au courant or funny
because of context: Steve Martin's "excuuuuse me," for instance.  Now,
it ain't funny, it's just annoying...at the time, EVERYbody was saying
it and laughing.  R&Z are similar cultural phenomena...their "with a
machine" catchphrase, for instance, which the crowd new and reacted to.
To us, and Lochely, it didn't mean anything. Lochley's reaction was
tailored to be EXACTLY the same as most women's (and some guy's)
reaction to the Three Stooges: either it's funny, or you can't figure
out why people are laughing.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13 Mar 1998 00:07:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: News from AOL?

 Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this correct?
> Have you already made your choices regarding the casting of both
> of the new movies and the new series? Is there anything you can
> comment on here?

      This is not quite correct, but that's all I can say for now. 
There are one or two actors who might slide to Crusade, depending on
circumstances, and we have spoken to them on the QT about it...which is
probably why this was said, because I asked the actors in question not
to say anything until we got closer to seeing how things were going to
work out; the inquiries were mainly of an "if we had this role, would
you be interested in doing it?" nature, checking avails and
possibilities so we could plan accordingly.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 14 Mar 1998 23:11:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Sam Waas <73052.2644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Rebo & Zooty

 Sam Waas <73052.2644@compuserve.com> asks:
> area?
> How did this guest appearance evolve?
> I mean, you couldn't sit down at your computer to write the
> episode and say to yourself "Let's see -- I need some external
> thread to bind the episode together as a plotline B to supplement
> the Day of Dead plotline A -- mmmm -- Why not have Penn & Teller
> guest star?" In other words, how could you write the characters of
> Rebo & Zooty into the script without prior communication from
> P&T? You modified the character to fit the guest stars, right?

      Neil wrote for R&Z, and we looked around for casting...it
occured to someone -- may have been me, maybe casting, I don't remember
 -- that it might be better to use a real comedy team than create one. 
B5 called P&T, and they said yes.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14 Mar 1998 23:11:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T. Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: Day of the Dead

 SysOp Dupa T. Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was the laughter mostly acting or mostly genuine?

      Depending on which take was being shot...half and half.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 15 Mar 1998 00:50:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Episode Name Change?

 (blocked) asks:
> Cat and Mouse)" part simply because this was the working title
> that we've all seen on the upcoming episode lists, or is there
> something more to it? Is there anything to the "Tradgedy"
> spelling, or is it a TNT mistake?

      It's a typo on their parts...and Cat and Mouse was a) a working
title which I kept out there to b) avoid possible spoiling of various
directions for as long as possible.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 17 Mar 1998 00:09:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Day O' Dead Mistake?

 (blocked) asks:
> When we got the first look at the gold comet symbols that the
> group was hanging around the station, did you mean for them to
> look like they did?

      It was...it was...plastic surgery, see...yeah, that's what it
was, plastic surgery, that's the ticket....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 17 Mar 1998 14:54:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Episode Name Change?

{original post had no questions}

      Yeah...I figured, a flock of geese, a herd of buffalo, a tragedy
of telepaths...actually, though, the credit for that must go to John
Copeland, who came up with it over lunch one day.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 17 Mar 1998 14:54:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Richard Biggs

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks...they're all great folks, and Richard's a real kick.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 17 Mar 1998 23:35:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Rebo & Zooty

{original post unavailable}

"Was it always part of the script for Zooty to speak through a
machine, or was that something added so that Teller won't have to speak
on camera?"

      The latter.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 19 Mar 1998 16:37:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 hiatus in Toronto

 T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this a deal made by Warner?

      Yeah, I'm sure it was done to ensure that the US doesn't lag too
far behind.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19 Mar 1998 16:42:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com>
Subject: ItKofB

 Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com> asks:
> Had you toyed with the idea of including a quick peek?

      No, I think some things are best left to the imagination.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19 Mar 1998 22:31:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Extended Thanks

{original post had no questions}

      Will do.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 20 Mar 1998 23:36:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shawn D. Ratner <73753.175@compuserve.com>
Subject: Congratulations

 Shawn D. Ratner <73753.175@compuserve.com> asks:
> How do you feel now that the 5 year arc is completed?
> How was the feeling on the set today while filming "Wheel of
> Fire" compared to "Sleeping in Light"? What do you plan to do now
> that the series has been completed?

      Thanks, for all that.

"How do you feel now that the 5 year arc is completed?"

      Exhausted, but relieved; we made it to the end.  We did what we
said we were going to do, and nobody and nothing can take that away
from us.

"How was the feeling on the set today while filming "Wheel of Fire"
compared to "Sleeping in Light"?"

      The last ep filmed today is "Objects at Rest."  The attitude was
a bit different than SiL, because there was some hope of a fifth season
that took some of the edge off SiL...but here it's clear: I said this
was a 5 year series, and it ends at five years, so everyone knew this
was it, at least for the series.  There were a lot of tears, hugging,
some speeches...it was hard.

"What do you plan to do now that the series has been completed?"

      Make the next TV movies, and get going on the next project.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 20 Mar 1998 23:36:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Severed Dreams

{original post unavailable}

      I didn't have any particular battle in mind, no, but I have a
passing familiarity with battle tactics, and wanted to create that
sense in a battle of pieces...you never really see the whole battle,
each soldier sees his or her part of it, and at the end, we call it the
battle of X.  That sense of out-of-control events.  It was something I
wanted very much to get right.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 22 Mar 1998 00:11:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Congratulations!

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks...it was a long and hard road, but we finally got here.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 00:11:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian F. Swisher <74642.2701@compuserve.com>
Subject: Corwin

 Brian F. Swisher <74642.2701@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is it something to do with the still-independent nature of B5's
> status, or is there some other reason? Or is there something going
> on behind the scenes that we're not aware of?

      Actually, I seem to recall he got a promotion from LT junior
grade to full lieutenant a couple of years ago...he'd probably get one
in year six.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 00:11:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Severed Dreams

{original post unavailable}

      I think it comes from being a depressing person to be around.

      "Oh, look, you got a present!"

      "Yeah, well, I'll probably get a paper cut opening it...."

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 00:11:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: End of the run

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 00:11:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Loose Ends

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks...there are times I've felt the same way, not wanting to
deal with it because I knew this was it.  It's natural and
understandable. Endings are always hard.  And, of course, beginnings
are also hard.  Then again, middles are particularly hard.  So I guess
if we consider it all hard, then one shouldn't be any worse than the
other.

      Fitting too that the last day of shooting was the first day of
spring, a new beginning....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 22 Mar 1998 21:12:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: Congratulations

 Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> TV, books, play?

      Thanks...though there's no nap yet, with what all else needs to
get done.

      It's been a heck of a ride, no mistake.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 23:27:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Season 5 in UK?

{original post unavailable}

      Maybe earlier....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 21:12:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Extended Thanks

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 21:12:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Meryl Yourish <103470.2703@compuserve.com>
Subject: Corrupting the kiddies

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks...and that's the darndest thing...I never anticipated
that kids that young would get into it.  Or even *get* it.  Who'd'a
thunk it?

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 21:12:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Severed Dreams

{original post unavailable}

"Given the amount of lousy TV around, you must be an optimist, since
you dug into the manure and found the pony."

      Damn thing bit me, too....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Mar 1998 23:30:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: casting minor characters

 T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> JMS, do you personally interview all the actors who had speaking
> roles?

      Yes, I'm there for 99% of all auditions; the final decision is
mine, Doug's, John's and the Director's (3 out of 4 is all we need). 
Only the really, really minor characters -- two words, one sentence,
that's all -- get past me.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 23 Mar 1998 16:58:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Lenier <101671.630@compuserve.com>
Subject: Season 6?

 Lenier <101671.630@compuserve.com> asks:
> I know, or thought I knew that B5 followed a 5 year arc, so what
> is the truth?

      No, there is no season 6, whatever you may have read in SFX
(which also got the facts wrong with the Caitlin Brown interview).

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Mar 1998 16:58:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: PPG Prop Gun

 (blocked) asks:
> Hey, JMS, Since filming is over could I buy one of the PPG prop
> guns for REAL?

                                       no.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Mar 1998 16:58:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Lyta/Mars Rebs mistake?

{original post unavailable}

      Lyta did go through the Resistance, but didn't *tell* them she
was a teep.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Mar 1998 22:47:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Script Standards?

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you write a script intentionally just a bit over, since it
> would be easier to edit down than to scramble to add the
> necessary after editing? If so, have you ever written a script
> that came in *exactly* as you wrote it?

      You never know exactly how long it's going to be on film; you
ballpark the page count, and sometimes you come in a bit long,
sometimes you come in a bit short.  We're usually pretty close to time,
and only have to do small line cuts.  Easier to trim than to add after
the fact.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 24 Mar 1998 22:31:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian Prothero <76711.663@compuserve.com>
Subject: Word on Severed DVD yet?

 Brian Prothero <76711.663@compuserve.com> asks:
> Any word on the "Severed Dreams" DVD yet?
> If you do go ahead with the DVD, do you know if it will be
> released in 16:9 "anamorphic" widescreen (aka enhanced wide
> screen)? Does that mean that the character name will be cut off
> when viewed in widescreen? Do you have any idea if/when Babylon 5
> is released there will be 3 episodes on each DVD?

      Haven't heard anything new, no.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 25 Mar 1998 22:47:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Will Caraway <73671.2434@compuserve.com>
Subject: Arthur on Narn

 Will Caraway <73671.2434@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will we hear about any of "Arthur's" exploits in the Narn
> resistence?

      It's one of those stories I doubt we'll hear much about.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 26 Mar 1998 13:02:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 after TNT?

{original post had no questions}

      Interestingly, one of the requirements of the shows that began
under PTEN is that they must show a profit *the very first year*,
rather than having to wait for the long run...so B5 has been turning a
profit for WB since the first day.

      Not that my statement reflects this, natch, and never will,
because then they'd have to actually *pay* me some of those profits....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Mar 1998 23:36:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 after TNT?

 (blocked) asks:
> I look forward to the final chapters, and especially to getting
> onto to the TNT board and saying, "*Now* do you see what he was
> doing?!" Without saying too much, I've heard that we should keep
> our ears open around April 2? Should we?

      Exactly.  What a number of people tend to overlook is that if
you look at the structure of the show, the bigger the zetz that you're
about to get, the more I allow you a bit of breathing time in between
zetzes.  So it's a safe bet that the longer the breathing time, the
bigger the ball bat....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Mar 1998 23:36:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Babylon Squared

{original post unavailable}

      We did deal with the B4 issue in a later episode, War Without
End.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Mar 1998 23:36:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Joe Salemi [ZD Net] <72631.23@compuserve.com>
Subject: Newbie comments

{original post had no questions}

      Cool...thanks.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 29 Mar 1998 22:06:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Lee Whiteside <76711.2660@compuserve.com>
Subject: TNT ALERT S5 Schedule

{original post had no questions}

      You're correct; a number of folks have told TNT that they're
waiting until seeing all the S1-4 episodes before watching season 5, so
they're timing the new cycle of S5 eps, starting from the beginning, so
these folks can catch up after the end of the S1-4 episodes.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 29 Mar 1998 22:06:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shawn D. Ratner <73753.175@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon Project: Crusade

{original post had no questions}

      One part or another of that may be accurate; one part or another
may not.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 29 Mar 1998 22:06:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mike Lovitt <75021.1731@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vir's wife

 Mike Lovitt <75021.1731@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is Vir still married?

      He was never married, she came to B5 for a pre-marriage visit,
but remember that it got postponed indefinitely.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:34:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Netter Digital

{original post had no questions}

      Cool....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:34:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Na'toth - yay

{original post unavailable}

      SAG rules specify where credits go; it's sometimes a bummer if
you're trying to keep something secret, but there you go.

      The Na'Toth thing was something I wanted to do, called Caitlin,
she was up for it, and I wrote the ep.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:34:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Lyndisty

{original post unavailable}

      No, different person.

      Remember, the Credits are our Friends....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------



Date: 31 Mar 1998 23:41:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Simon Grierson <100407.2075@compuserve.com>
Subject: Channel 4 UK B5 showing

 Simon Grierson <100407.2075@compuserve.com> asks:
> Would you not agree that you aim B5 squarely at the 16-adult
> group - rather than children and young teenagers? If at all
> possible, - as the creator and executive producer of the show,
> are you able to lend credence to any campaign to get Channel 4 to
> reschedule? As an artist, does it not aggreive you that your
> masterpeice is not being shown as it was intended?

      I have zip influence on when anyone screens B5...it's not in my
jurisdiction.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 31 Mar 1998 23:41:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Vir's wife

{original post unavailable}

      Some terrors even Vir cannot escape....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 31 Mar 1998 23:41:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Na'toth - yay

{original post unavailable}

      You have to join SAG after having done a certain amount of work
in SAG jurisdiction.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------