lurkers-guide/ftp/CompuServe/cs98-06

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


Date: 01 Jun 1998 18:08:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: Furst directing

 T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> " Was that intentional on your or his part, or accidental?

      It just sorta worked out that way; it wasn't something we did or
he asked for intentionally.  Some things happen through a weird,
organic kind of synchronicity.  That's one of them.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 01 Jun 1998 16:17:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All 
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

      The London screening of "In the Beginning" late in July was
always intended to be a free screening.  When I learned that twenty
pounds and more was being charged per ticket for a free screening, I
and Warner Bros. got into this situation, causing a bit of a stir with
the organizers who insisted that this was the way it was supposed to
be, first trying to fob off the money as being for the actors, then
saying that WB wanted the money.

      Well, WB has just confirmed the following: the Wolf con
organizers have been taken out of the loop; the screening is now free,
as it was intended to be; any monies paid will be refunded; and
tentatively, Bruce has agreed to stop by one or both of the screenings
without cost to the fans (this last bit depending on his
schedule/arrival times in the UK).

      This event was always meant to be free to the UK fans as
recognition for their support.  And now it is what it was meant to be.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 02 Jun 1998 12:55:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

{original post had no questions}

      I have no idea.  But they're going to be at the convention, are
they not?  And virtually everyone who got tickets is also going to the
convention, as far as I've heard.  Either way, though, I  haven't heard
one way or another on this.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 02 Jun 1998 12:55:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Kalus <100265.3065@compuserve.com>
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

 Michael Kalus <100265.3065@compuserve.com> asks:
> Pardon, any chance that we will see such an event in Germany?

      I don't know, that's something that will have to be looked into
by the WB video division in Germany.  Maybe if fans push for it there,
they may be able to do something.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 02 Jun 1998 12:55:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

 (blocked) asks:
> Also, when you say Warner Brothers, to which company are you
> referring to?

      I'm sorry, but there is only ONE Warner Bros.  There are offices
of the company, as with any company, but they are all owed by Warner
Bros. in the United States, here in Burbank, and it was from the main
office that this has come.  There are some folks involved here who are
trying to muddy the situation by saying there are all these different
companies, but there aren't. There is only one IBM, and only one Ford,
and only one Warner Bros. And it's that main office that I've been
dealing with on this.

      Sorry, I am *not* confusing the situation.  It's others who are
trying to blur the facts here.  Perhaps if you were less obviously
trying to justify their activities, you might be able to see that.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 04 Jun 1998 00:57:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

{original post unavailable}

      That I don't know...I can guess that the folks who had signed up
to pay for them will get them by default, but I don't know that for a
fact.  (I try to stick to what I actually know to be true on these
things.)

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 04 Jun 1998 00:57:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Babylon Project: Crusade

 (blocked) asks:
> Appreciative treatment by TNT, a follow-on series, two episodes
> on a tape and maybe a movie? What is this?
> Excellence on television - being *rewarded*?
> What's the world coming to?

      Thanks...yeah, I can't figure it out either.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 04 Jun 1998 03:16:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Darkness Ascending

 (blocked) asks:
> OK, so is anyone going to try to pass *this* one off as non-arc
> "filler"? You'd think the Royal Court asking about the other races
> shipping schedules would be a dead giveaway on that one - what
> legitimate reason could they *possibly* have for asking about
> that? And what the *hell* was going on with Lyta and Garibaldi's
> dream? Was she just in the dream, or was she actually involved in
> some fashion? And, either way, what does it mean?

"OK, so is anyone going to try to pass *this* one off as non-arc
"filler"?"

      Exactly.  See, that's where I get nuts about some of the other
comments. A number of folks said last week's was just filler...but last
week we saw the process by which Lennier was sent to White Star 27,
what he was looking for, and why...we were introduced to the captain,
the mission...and now this week it pays off.  It seems like the
*result* is considered arc, and the set-up is considered "filler."

      Similarly, Lyta's actions in this episode (and those that are
going to follow) are a direct result of the whole Byron thread, which
is going to spiral further in some interesting directions.  Some said
the Byron stuff was just filler...but it was there to move Lyta into a
whole new direction that will have a substantial effect on the show and
her character (and at least one other).

      It seems to me that repeatedly, people dismiss something new in
the mix as filler or non-arc...when in fact it's ABSOLUTE arc stuff
once you've seen the whole thing.  (Except for those who only seem to
feel that results are arc, not setups, which is as nutty a view as I've
ever heard.)

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 04 Jun 1998 03:16:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: Darkness Ascending

{original post had no questions}

      I wouldn't say she has any sexual interest in G'Kar...she had
her pleasure threshold expanded with Byron just recently, and as for
her parting comment, I think it came more under the category of "you
ain't getting it, but since you were still wondering..."  A friendly
plink.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 04 Jun 1998 03:29:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

{original post had no questions}

"so that means they were in the loop at some point, and WB knew about
it..."

      That's certainly the party line, being spouted on the Wolf web
site, and repeated by you almost verbatim.

      But nobody ever said Wolf wasn't in the loop...obviously they
were in contact with various people at WB in the first place or the
screening couldn't have been planned in ANY event, at cost or
otherwise.  So this new comeback is utterly silly and absolutely
meaningless.

      The question at hand is how well they were handling the loop.

      Obviously some folks are trying to save face any way they can,
regardless of whether the latest statement actually makes sense or
not.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 04 Jun 1998 12:38:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Darkness Ascending

{original post had no questions}

      I know...if I do a bunch of arc episodes in a row, certain
people say it's "obviously rushed."  If I take a more leisurely pace to
develop certain characters and themes, the same folks say it's
"wandering, lost its way."

      The show is what the show is, and what the show is, is what I
wanted to write.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 04 Jun 1998 12:38:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jeff Peterman <75361.430@compuserve.com>
Subject: Darkness Ascending

{original post had no questions}

      I go by Joe.  Call me Joe.  Joe is fine.  Joe is simpler to
spell, quicker to type, friendlier on-screen, one syllable.  Michael is
two syllables, and I don't respond to it.

      Straczynski, pronounced just right and with the proper force
behind it, can actually strike a cow dead at twenty paces.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 04 Jun 1998 21:35:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Darkness Ascending

{original post unavailable}

      Having spent a lot of time on Earth at the end of S4, I'd rather
do a few other things this time.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 05 Jun 1998 14:56:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Pam Jernigan <75540.2554@compuserve.com>
Subject: Darkness Ascending

{original post had no questions}

      s'okay....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 05 Jun 1998 14:56:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: Darkness Ascending

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, I tend to agree...they are indeed very hard to pull off,
and we only get a few here and there.

      The remarkable thing is...there are at least 4 or 5 of them in
the next 3 episodes alone.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 06 Jun 1998 22:27:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com>
Subject: Darkness Ascending

 Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com> asks:
> how *would* a human and a Narn mate, anyway?

      Well, as G'Kar said in the pilot, there would have to be rather
substantial genetic manipulation and adjustment to allow for the
different DNA structures to mix.

      After that, it would require the usual: dinner, flowers, and
being willing to sit through a chick-flick....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 09 Jun 1998 12:43:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jim Levy <105315.155@compuserve.com>
Subject: Creating Crusade?

 Jim Levy <105315.155@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is the sketch of the 'Excaliber' shown in the June issue of 'Cult
> Times #33' gonna basicly be what we see in the show? ...or is this
> a initial rough draft shot?

      It's an early conceptual design; we've modified it a fair amount
since then.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 10 Jun 1998 00:44:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dave Vincent <75460.1133@compuserve.com>
Subject: Darkness Ascending

 Dave Vincent <75460.1133@compuserve.com> asks:
> In space?

      That might be a more reasonable concern if it were more of what
one would consider a standard crew that would be concerned about such
things.

      Which is all I can say about it for now.  More in two weeks.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 10 Jun 1998 21:57:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kevin Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com>
Subject: An Effect Goes Astray?

 Kevin Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com> asks:
> Even if the fighters shown were only part of the escort, leading
> Redstar 9 away, shouldn't they have been a bit more active? What
> was your intent?

      No, they were fighting...they were just more running away than
they were fighting.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 10 Jun 1998 21:57:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Director's Viewpoint

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Given (for those of us who have read your TCOS script in your
> scriptwriting book) that you give quite detailed visual details
> in your scripts (angles of shots, focus-points, mood), what is
> the contribution of the director as far as the visual outcome?

      It was shot for shot what I wrote...but at the same time, a
director can realize that well, or poorly.  I thought that Goran did a
terrific job.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 11 Jun 1998 22:43:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rick and Cindy <71561.3255@compuserve.com>
Subject: Latest Ep 6/10/98

{original post had no questions}

      Well, do bear in mind that the events in "War" were 17 years
after the fact, so the shadow allies could have come at any time;
Sheridan didn't fully understand what a keeper was, and also bear in
mind that there is no reason to suspect anything in this situation. 
People can indeed start wars without having keepers on them, you know. 
We do it all the time.  He would have to have some overwhelming
proof...and even then, if he says anything to Londo, he might risk
changing the timeline, and that would have potentially disasterous 
consequences.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 11 Jun 1998 13:10:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Director's Viewpoint

 Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> That was Goran's episode??

"I have to say this was one of the best episodes of the entire series.
If this is any indication of what the rest of the season is
like.......watch out."

      Well, the next episode is even more so...and the one after that,
more so still.  You get a slight breather for an episode or so -- still
very strongly arc, though, just not as in-your-face hardhitting -- and
then the last are whammers.

"I suspect a stream of apologies to your are about to begin."

      Yeah, right, and pandas will fly out of my butt.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 11 Jun 1998 13:10:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 on UK Sci-Fi Channel?

{original post had no questions}

      Yes, the Sci Fi channel in the UK/Europe have indeed acquired
the rights to show B5, which I think will begin in the fall or
thereabouts, and we've been told that they will show the series uncut.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 11 Jun 1998 13:10:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: Director's Viewpoint

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> I am, however, moved to ask, are you getting a lot of repeat
> business from the naysayers?

      Oh, I still hear plenty from the naysayers...they can't argue
with the quality of the episodes now, so they say, "Well, it's too
little, too late," totally ignoring all that went before to set this
up.

      Screw 'em.  This season, there wasn't any pressure, there wasn't
any fighting for renewal since we knew this was gonna be it, so I wrote
exactly the show that I wanted to write.  As long as more folks like it
than don't, which is precisely the case here, that's all that matters.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 11 Jun 1998 22:49:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Director's Viewpoint

{original post had no questions}

      Yeah, that was a visual pun written into the script, the other
shoe dropping...but also reflecting that kind of low energy thing in
the morning, when you put one slipper on, and you just *don't* want to
leave...and you just let the energy drain away, and the slipper falls
from your hand...which also overlaps the gavel dropping, as scripted.

      I took a great deal of care in blocking out every shot in that
one, as opposed to some other cases, as with Mike Vejar, where I wrote,
in "The Face of the Enemy," "They pull down Sheridan like a pack of
wolves bringing down a lion" knowing that he would then take that and
turn it into art.  And he did.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 11 Jun 1998 22:49:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

{original post unavailable}

      I don't know how tickets are now available; I suspect they'll go
to those who had originally volunteered to pay for them, but I don't
know that for a fact.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 12 Jun 1998 02:11:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Schmulenson <72447.224@compuserve.com>
Subject: Latest Ep 6/10/98

{original post had no questions}

      The fifth season ends in 2262.

      The telepath war: 2264/5.

      Crusade: 2267.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 12 Jun 1998 15:23:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: Latest Ep 6/10/98

{original post had no questions}

      Yes, we will know...some things...about how the telepath war
ended. It's certainly moved a number of the pieces around.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 13 Jun 1998 23:38:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ansawdd <113556.402@compuserve.com>
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

 Ansawdd <113556.402@compuserve.com> asks:
> could "In the Beginning" be the first B5 movie?
> And another thing - a screening in July?
> Which year?
> I suppose that this is mostly down to the use of Computer
> Graphics?

      ItB is the B5 prequel TV movie, which aired here in the US in
January, and will be released on tape in the UK shortly.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 13 Jun 1998 23:38:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com>
Subject: Director's Viewpoint

{original post had no questions}

      I come from a similar background.  Hence the truthfulness in
some of this.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 14 Jun 1998 21:09:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: DougP <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Season 5

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, I appreciate that.  And actually, there are 5 more eps
to go; 501 was moved to the end of year 4 as "Deconstruction," so
you've got this next one, then the wait, and the final four.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 16 Jun 1998 13:11:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Darkness> glitch

 T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> Who is responsible for these little mistakes?
> the director?
> editor?
> actor?

      Such things are tracked by the dialogue/continuity editor on-
set, but they can also occur when you trim up a scene a bit.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 16 Jun 1998 23:40:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P.Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Darkness> Lyta/G'kar

{original post had no questions}

      Except, of course, that Lyta has no reason to think that G'Kar
is lying, and she considers him a friend or at least a potential ally,
and that alone would mitigate against the need for any scan.  She
doesn't go around scanning everybody she talks to.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 Jun 1998 02:17:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All 
Subject: Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch

      For those who get the Sci-Fi Channel, the series MASTERS OF
FANTASY will be doing a half-hour show on Harlan Ellison (Thursday at
5:30 and 9:30, don't know if that's broken down by time zone, and the
following Wednesday at the same times).

      Interviewed were me, Robin Williams, Willam Gibson, Leonard
Nimoy, and other folks.  It actually came out pretty cool.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 17 Jun 1998 13:05:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Actress?

{original post unavailable}

      Yes, they're the same person, Beata Poznia.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 Jun 1998 23:02:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Garibaldi's Song

{original post unavailable}

      No, it's a song that's been around for a long time, and been
used in many places.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 Jun 1998 23:02:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Where's the WHAM?????

 (blocked) asks:
> And we have to wait FOUR MONTHS to find out what happens
> NEXT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

      Well, it's kinda what I've been saying all along...the bigger
the planned wham, the longer the quiet ramp-up.  And, again, the arc
was there when it didn't seem to be: this whole thing started when the
raids started to take place, which goes back quite a ways.  And Lyta
would not be in this position, not this assertive with her abilities,
had she not gone through the fire (literally and figuratively) with
Byron, whose fate more or less kicked her out of her shell.  The old
Lyta would never have just up and gone to the Drazi homeworld on her
own; but the money, needed to follow her and Byron's dream, propelled
her.

      It was ALL there, more or less in plain view.

      And without it, without all that careful and deliberate setup,
this episode (and especially those that follow) would never have played
as well, if at all.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 Jun 1998 23:02:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch

{original post had no questions}

"you are a perniciously base wickedly depraved conniving vile
detestably abhorrent..."

      Why, thankyew.

"...and utterly undenieably blindingly brilliant author."

      And you were doing SO well there for a moment.

      I gather this episode has had the desired effect....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 Jun 1998 23:56:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rick Sharon <76416.2213@compuserve.com>
Subject: Movements

 Rick Sharon <76416.2213@compuserve.com> asks:
> and you do that to them?
> or are going to do to them <maybe, next episodes>?
> Hey, after all the sweet talking I did to you at the start of
> this note, when do the fall episode (full) previews begin? Huh?
> Huh?
> huh?
> can-ya can-ya can-ya?

      Thanks...it's a cool one, exceeded only by those yet to come.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 18 Jun 1998 13:43:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com>
Subject: Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch

{original post had no questions}

      We didn't become friends until years later.  Some time
thereafter, I recounted that incident to him.  He distantly remembered
it, and asked "Did I offend you?"  I said, "If you'd been wrong I
would've been offended."

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 Jun 1998 17:21:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com>
Subject: Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch

 Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com> asks:
> Which of his books would you recommend I start out with?
> Why oh why did TNT have to leave us hanging with *that* one??!!

      I'd try Shatterday, or Strange Wine.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 Jun 1998 13:43:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Darkness> glitch

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> How in the hell do things like that get on broadcast?
> Are their tiers of editors?
> Do these guys have a journeyman while B5 got a master?
> I understand that they have essentially the same budget as you
> (in the neighborhood of a million an ep give or take), so what's
> the deal?

      Not knowing the situation, it would be inappropriate for me to
comment.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 Jun 1998 14:32:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Where's the WHAM?????

{original post unavailable}

"Actually, it's possible that this is all just a coincidence of
timing. After all, JMS didn't write these episodes knowing when the
breaks in the season would take place. On the other hand, I hate
coincidence and this is one hell of a big one..."

      Funny thing about that.  When I wrote this, this was the first
part of a very tight two parter (well, actually, it's part 4 of a five
parter; if you watch them straight through, one dovetails right smack
into the next, it's one really huge episode).  Anyway, for the fifth
one, the next one to air, I decided to do a recap in the teaser, a
"Previously on Babylon 5..." compilation.  Hadn't done it with the
others, but just decided to do it with this one, since it picks up
seconds after the other.

      Later, after putting it together, in a phone call with TNT, they
told me about the decision to put in a break after this episode.  "So
you may want to consider putting a recap into the teaser, since this is
a two-parter and it's been a long time and that's something you didnt'
anticipate."

      "Well, actually...I already did that."

      A long pause.  "How did you know?"

      "I didn't."

      Scared 'em real good with that one.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 Jun 1998 14:32:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kirk Darling <73063.3115@compuserve.com>
Subject: Movements... HOLY COW

{original post had no questions}

"and i guess we now know why the attacking centauri vessels wouldn't
have noticed lennier exchanging a little breathing--since they weren't
really using it thmselves."

      Ding!

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 Jun 1998 23:17:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Movements... HOLY COW

{original post had no questions}

"It's almost as if you do some of these things on purpose.  I can see 
it now......"This'll get those little nitpickers.  They'll think I've
screwed up for a few weeks and then I'll make them eat crow."<G>"

      Not that, no, but when some people do jump on these things,
figuring it's a screwup on my part, I can't help but think..."don't you
know what show you're dealing with here?  This is Babylon 5, we don't
MAKE those kind of mistakes."

      I recognize that that's a very self-indulgent thought...but at
the same time, it's true.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 Jun 1998 17:21:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Movements

{original post unavailable}

      A man must have hobbies.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 Jun 1998 23:17:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Where's the WHAM?????

{original post unavailable}

      There are some long-range plans for the teep crisis, yes.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 Jun 1998 23:17:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Episode WHAM!!!!

 (blocked) asks:
> Does every post here that goes, "You SADIST, you set us UP, blah,
> blah, blah" bring you the sheer orgasmic joy of knowing just how
> well you pulled this off? Please tell me you're human enough to
> enjoy that little self-righteous glow of, "DAMN, I'm good!"????

"Does every post here that goes, "You SADIST, you set us UP, blah,
blah, blah" bring you the sheer orgasmic joy...."

      Not while I'm sitting at the keyboard.  I just *bought* this
system....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 19 Jun 1998 14:57:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is is my imagination or did some choice comments on "City on the
> Edge of Forever" end up on the cutting room floor?

      Dunno....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 21 Jun 1998 00:50:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Process Servers

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this something that you've passed on to your actors and tech
> people?

      To a certain extent, yes, plus I've always encouraged our people
in every department to come out into the spotlight and take the credit
and applause for what they do, so we encourage them to do the comlink
stuff and other appearances.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 21 Jun 1998 02:50:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Movies

{original post unavailable}

"Will this movie be dependent on any of the season 5 episodes?  I've
been watching the reruns and have only seen through season 4."

      Nope.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 22 Jun 1998 00:07:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch

{original post had no questions}

"FWIW, and I speak from no direct knowledge, only overheard
scuttlebutt, Paramount *couldn't* film what Harlan wrote.  They simply
didn't have the budget.  It got "hacked", I grant you, but it got
hacked into a filmable format.  The world's best screenplay is
worthless if it can't be filmed."

      Except that in this case, it *was* filmable...the rest is the
mythology that's grown up around it.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 22 Jun 1998 00:17:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Neil S. Turkenkopf <102664.3532@compuserve.com>
Subject: SiFiChannel:Harlan

{original post had no questions}

"I also thought it was terrific for all -your- new fans, who finally
got to see the face and hear the voice that go with the heart and soul
of what we lovingly call B5 :-)"

      Yeah, and the next sound you hear will be millions of remote
controls turning the channels on millions of TV sets around the country
to find something less frightening....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 22 Jun 1998 00:07:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All 
Subject: Free New B5 Screening UK

      Six years ago, we screened a rough cut of the pilot B5 TV movie
"The Gathering" at Wishcon on the East Coast here in the US.  Those who
saw it have said ever after, "I was there."

      For the first time since then, I'll be screening a work in
progress at the Wrap Party conventin in the UK in August.  This will be
either "The River of Souls," with Martin Sheen and Ian McShane, or "A
Call to Arms," the segue TV movie to Crusade, which introduces some of
the new characters.  (Which I'll bring with me will depend on which is
most done.)  This will be shown free to all convention members.  (Any
kind of screening is going to require a venue in which to show it, and
equipment; the Wrap Party is donating space at a convention that was
already a going event in order to allow me to hold this free screening
for attendees.)

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 22 Jun 1998 16:21:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Julie Mehta <113367.1506@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

 Julie Mehta <113367.1506@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does anybody know how extensive JMS's involvement with the
> cartoon "Ghostbusters" actually was? Did he write many episodes?

      I think I wrote close to 20 or so episodes for that one.  I left
when they decided to make Janine into a mommy-character instead of a
strong character, then did a few more later when they realized they'd
made a mistake and wanted her pulled back again.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 Jun 1998 00:30:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post unavailable}

"JMS also had his claws into an episode or two of Captain Power:
Soldier of the Future. Perhaps the less said about that the better (the
show had issues - but it actually tried to be more than a kiddie show  -
but it was gruesomely tied down to a toy that they were forced to
market for). I think JMS was just a writer - though I believe Doug
Netter was a producer (he also of B5 fame).

      I was story editor on that one (wrote 11 episodes), Larry
DiTilio (also of B5 and elsewhere) wrote a bunch, Doug Netter was co-
exec producer, and John Copeland was producer, with some EFX work by
Ron Thornton and set design by John Iacovelli.  It was, in many ways, a
test/launching pad for what would become B5.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 Jun 1998 00:24:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Dreams/Asunder Title

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does the title for "All My Dreams, Torn Asunder" derive from a
> quotation? If it doesn't derive from a quotation, how about a
> quotation derived from it?

      No, as far as I can remember, it's just something I thunk up.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 Jun 1998 00:24:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T. Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: SiFiChannel:Harlan

{original post had no questions}

"Nonsense, there are much more scarier things on television these
days. Case in point: Fox's "When <insert-entity-here> Attack""

   Next on FOX:

                     "WHEN WRITER-PRODUCERS ATTACK!"

      "Well, er...um...nobody notices...so maybe we shouldn't...never
mind."

   NEXT ON FOX....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 Jun 1998 00:24:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch

 Shane Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, Is there a good chance that Harlan will be on board for
> B5:Crusade?

      I'd say so.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 23 Jun 1998 20:22:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post unavailable}

      Yeah, between that and the animated shows I worked on, it gave
me a real wariness toward merchandising.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 25 Jun 1998 20:13:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

 (blocked) asks:
> Does that explain your treatment of the shortlived "Babylon 5
> Souvenir Shop" in the Zocolo? Or could you just not resist
> "Bearbylon 5"?

      That informed that story a bit, yeah....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 Jun 1998 20:13:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

 (blocked) asks:
> Really?<startled> I can see the beginnings of Mr Thornton's CGI
> designs, but the sets were not much like B5<G> (to many pieces of
> polystyrene rock for my taste<slightly embarrassed g>) Is this a
> reflection of the behind the scenes development rather than the
> visual elements? what actually WAS going to happen in captain
> power? I know you had said that the suits would become defective,
> and the group would be in a lot of trouble, but is it possible to
> point me at any place where i can see how the planned 3 year arc
> would have come out?

      I think there's a CP site out there somewhere (try Yahoo) that
has the full message I posted about the long-term arc.

      RE: the different art direction between CP and B5...it's not so
much development as choosing the right look for the right show.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 Jun 1998 22:32:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post unavailable}

"Were there merchandising issues with Ghostbusters?"

      Moreso with other shows I did, like HeMan and SheRa and Jayce;
in TRGBs we just ignored whatever the toy company wanted.

"BTW: always wondered, who thought up the movie-within-the-cartoon
thing with the Ghostbusters toon? I just loved they showed scenes from
the movie in one of the episodes..."

      I wrote that one.  I *think* it was called "Take Two."

      To this day, as a result, there are bunches of kids who *swear*
up and down that the animated series came first, THEN the movie, much
to the dismay of their siblings and parents.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 24 Jun 1998 13:47:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Town Has Turned to Dust

{original post unavailable}

"So, what do YOU think, Joe?  Do you think Rod Serling would approve
of the new adaptation or his name being attached to it?"

      Unfortunately, I haven't seen it, and tend to shy away from
making any kind of sweeping comments about things I haven't seen.  If I
can take your description as accurate, then my answer would probably be
no.  I would think that by now, we could do the story as he had
intended it to be done. Certainly every generation stories get
reinterpreted; I once saw Two Gentlemen of Verona produced in a 1920s
context, and if the Bard can be shuffled about in time, anybody can.

      That is somewhat different, however, from altering the text or
the dramatic intent.  Herein lay the dilemma.  Do we have any copies of
Rod's original work, as he had intended it to be done?  Or were they
working off the only version, the altered one?  If so, then it's
altered one more iteration from something that was not the proper
version anyway, so yes, it's off course, but is it demonstrably more
off-course than the original softened version?

      On the other hand, if they did have the original version, it
would have been better served to go with that...however, if they did
so, the odds are that the SciFi Channel would never have produced it,
since there's nothing SF about it.

      I dunno...again, I haven't seen it, so I'm trying to be measured
in my comments.

"Also, to get this somewhat back on topic, do you agree with Harlan
Ellison's "scorched earth" policy with regard to unfinished works?  If
you had suffered a fatal stroke a year or so ago, would you have
approved of someone else stepping in to finish B5 "just the way Joe
would've wanted it" or for B5 to have died with you?  Would you want
your unfinished works archived, with the ever-present possibility that
someone might later acquire "rights" to produce them, or used as fuel
for your funeral pyre?"

      I don't want anybody rifling through my stuff and putting it out
there after I'm gone, especially in unfinished form.  I come to this
opinion by a hard road; when doing Twilight Zone, I was assigned to
write a teleplay based on one of Rod's unproduced outlines, and for me
that was one of the highlights since it let me kind of see into his
creative process a little, and the story was a good one.  At the time,
the issue of posthumous literary use really hadn't occured to me. 
Since then, I've had a great deal of time to think about it, and have
finally come down on the side of "no."  If I had expired prior to
finishing B5, I would rather let it end at that than have someone else
finish it for me, in a way not what I would've wanted...as a painter 
would not generally let someone else finish his painting after his
passing.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 24 Jun 1998 13:47:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: PAUL SHEWARD <100256.1563@compuserve.com>
Subject: Free New B5 Screening UK

{original post had no questions}

      However there are a lot of hidden costs in the Wolf conventions.
For instance, at the SFX awards, we (John Copeland and I) were under
the impression that that was just a part of the convention's overall
umbrella, only to discover that the fans attending sprung for an
additional 30 pounds each to be at the tables.  (When we discovered
this, rather to our horror, John and I decided we had better be damned
more entertaining, and used our drink chits to take care of the table
all night, so it would balance out at lesat a little.)  At the end of
the day, when you add up the hidden costs, it works out about the same,
as when they tried to charge for the ItB screening that was supposed to
be free to convention attendees.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 26 Jun 1998 21:33:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post had no questions}

"To this day, when I am trying to explain B5 and it's attention to
detail to newbesI just show them that RGB and say "this guy is so
obsessed about details he couldn't stand not explaining why the cartoon
characters looked different and were voiced by different people.""

      "Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."

                     - Michelangelo

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 26 Jun 1998 21:33:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post unavailable}

"What was Jayce?"

      An adventure/SF series "Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors," a dopey
concept I again hijacked in an attempt to make it into something more.

"BTW: what was the situation with that other Ghostbusters show?"

      Dunno...they revived it, I heard about it, they dumbed it up,
that's all I know.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 26 Jun 1998 21:33:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: One for the Wish-List

{original post had no questions}

      One more for the list....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 27 Jun 1998 22:35:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com>
Subject: The Art of Babylon 5

{original post had no questions}

      I believe the book is currently on hold at this end.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 27 Jun 1998 22:35:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post unavailable}

"You seem to have a lot of exposure to cartoons and/or kids shows.
Would you ever go back?"

      Only if it were my show, top to bottom, and no toy company
creative input.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 30 Jun 1998 01:06:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carol Naylor <100645.2613@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post had no questions}

"Just had a really twisted thought - the only way that Joe can stop
anyone marketing a toy simply called BaBearlon (no logos or anything)
is to trademark the name."

      Well, it's the only way only IF you set aside the use of certain
medeival torture instruments applied in utterly innovative and
colorful ways.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 28 Jun 1998 19:17:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com>
Subject: Episode Order (again)

 Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com> asks:
> Therefore would it make more sense to have 'Day of the Dead'
> after 'The Ragged Edge' and before 'Corps..'?

      We'll probably juggle this about down the road, once we're into
reruns full time.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 28 Jun 1998 19:17:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Inspiration

{original post unavailable}

      I think that's great.  Best to upload them here, so that others
can see them as well.  I look forward to seeing them.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 29 Jun 1998 00:11:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Showers&Baths

{original post unavailable}

"PS: This is something that gnaws at my subconscious...  In one of the
very 1st episodes wasn't the gender of Santiago given as female by an
ISN reporter speaking about the coming election?  There are so few
flubs in the story arc that I almost feel sure it is my immagination
BUT it gnaws..."

      It's your imagination; that was the candidate running against
Santiago, not the guy himself.  I know because we used Doug's picture
for Santiago, and a picture of our wardrobe designer for the
opposition.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 29 Jun 1998 00:11:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ray Pelzer <70475.1263@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post had no questions}

"I think he meant the Filmation thing taken from the Forrest
Tucker/Larry live show that got into all the legal hassle over the
naming (I think you once said that was why you added "Real" into the
name)."

      Oh, that...yeah, there was a live-action show called
Ghostbusters that those two (Larry Storch) did, which sued over the
name Ghostbusters, and won the right to do an animated series by that
name.  Which is why ours was called The Real....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 26 Jun 1998 21:33:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post had no questions}

"To this day, when I am trying to explain B5 and it's attention to
detail to newbesI just show them that RGB and say "this guy is so
obsessed about details he couldn't stand not explaining why the cartoon
characters looked different and were voiced by different people.""

      "Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."

                     - Michelangelo

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 26 Jun 1998 21:33:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post unavailable}

"What was Jayce?"

      An adventure/SF series "Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors," a dopey
concept I again hijacked in an attempt to make it into something more.

"BTW: what was the situation with that other Ghostbusters show?"

      Dunno...they revived it, I heard about it, they dumbed it up,
that's all I know.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 26 Jun 1998 21:33:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: One for the Wish-List

{original post had no questions}

      One more for the list....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 24 Jun 1998 13:47:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Town Has Turned to Dust

{original post unavailable}

"So, what do YOU think, Joe?  Do you think Rod Serling would approve
of the new adaptation or his name being attached to it?"

      Unfortunately, I haven't seen it, and tend to shy away from
making any kind of sweeping comments about things I haven't seen.  If I
can take your description as accurate, then my answer would probably be
no.  I would think that by now, we could do the story as he had
intended it to be done. Certainly every generation stories get
reinterpreted; I once saw Two Gentlemen of Verona produced in a 1920s
context, and if the Bard can be shuffled about in time, anybody can.

      That is somewhat different, however, from altering the text or
the dramatic intent.  Herein lay the dilemma.  Do we have any copies of
Rod's original work, as he had intended it to be done?  Or were they
working off the only version, the altered one?  If so, then it's
altered one more iteration from something that was not the proper
version anyway, so yes, it's off course, but is it demonstrably more
off-course than the original softened version?

      On the other hand, if they did have the original version, it
would have been better served to go with that...however, if they did
so, the odds are that the SciFi Channel would never have produced it,
since there's nothing SF about it.

      I dunno...again, I haven't seen it, so I'm trying to be measured
in my comments.

"Also, to get this somewhat back on topic, do you agree with Harlan
Ellison's "scorched earth" policy with regard to unfinished works?  If
you had suffered a fatal stroke a year or so ago, would you have
approved of someone else stepping in to finish B5 "just the way Joe
would've wanted it" or for B5 to have died with you?  Would you want
your unfinished works archived, with the ever-present possibility that
someone might later acquire "rights" to produce them, or used as fuel
for your funeral pyre?"

      I don't want anybody rifling through my stuff and putting it out
there after I'm gone, especially in unfinished form.  I come to this
opinion by a hard road; when doing Twilight Zone, I was assigned to
write a teleplay based on one of Rod's unproduced outlines, and for me
that was one of the highlights since it let me kind of see into his
creative process a little, and the story was a good one.  At the time,
the issue of posthumous literary use really hadn't occured to me. 
Since then, I've had a great deal of time to think about it, and have
finally come down on the side of "no."  If I had expired prior to
finishing B5, I would rather let it end at that than have someone else
finish it for me, in a way not what I would've wanted...as a painter 
would not generally let someone else finish his painting after his
passing.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 24 Jun 1998 13:47:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: PAUL SHEWARD <100256.1563@compuserve.com>
Subject: Free New B5 Screening UK

{original post had no questions}

      However there are a lot of hidden costs in the Wolf conventions.
For instance, at the SFX awards, we (John Copeland and I) were under
the impression that that was just a part of the convention's overall
umbrella, only to discover that the fans attending sprung for an
additional 30 pounds each to be at the tables.  (When we discovered
this, rather to our horror, John and I decided we had better be damned
more entertaining, and used our drink chits to take care of the table
all night, so it would balance out at lesat a little.)  At the end of
the day, when you add up the hidden costs, it works out about the same,
as when they tried to charge for the ItB screening that was supposed to
be free to convention attendees.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 25 Jun 1998 20:13:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

 (blocked) asks:
> Does that explain your treatment of the shortlived "Babylon 5
> Souvenir Shop" in the Zocolo? Or could you just not resist
> "Bearbylon 5"?

      That informed that story a bit, yeah....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 Jun 1998 20:13:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

 (blocked) asks:
> Really?<startled> I can see the beginnings of Mr Thornton's CGI
> designs, but the sets were not much like B5<G> (to many pieces of
> polystyrene rock for my taste<slightly embarrassed g>) Is this a
> reflection of the behind the scenes development rather than the
> visual elements? what actually WAS going to happen in captain
> power? I know you had said that the suits would become defective,
> and the group would be in a lot of trouble, but is it possible to
> point me at any place where i can see how the planned 3 year arc
> would have come out?

      I think there's a CP site out there somewhere (try Yahoo) that
has the full message I posted about the long-term arc.

      RE: the different art direction between CP and B5...it's not so
much development as choosing the right look for the right show.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 Jun 1998 22:32:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS and "Ghostbusters"

{original post unavailable}

"Were there merchandising issues with Ghostbusters?"

      Moreso with other shows I did, like HeMan and SheRa and Jayce;
in TRGBs we just ignored whatever the toy company wanted.

"BTW: always wondered, who thought up the movie-within-the-cartoon
thing with the Ghostbusters toon? I just loved they showed scenes from
the movie in one of the episodes..."

      I wrote that one.  I *think* it was called "Take Two."

      To this day, as a result, there are bunches of kids who *swear*
up and down that the animated series came first, THEN the movie, much
to the dismay of their siblings and parents.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 30 Jun 1998 14:39:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK B5 Screening Now Free

 (blocked) asks:
> Do you now accept that you were actually wrong to accuse Wolf in
> THIS matter?

      Gerard, I have already told you, weeks ago, in response to your
emails, that I will not respond to you further.  Take it somewhere
else.

                                                                  jms


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