STAR TREK: BUJOLD TOO BOLDLY GOES! #818975 DATE: SUN SEP 11, 1994 4:55:26 I was lucky to have a *number* of very fine, talented actors when I was working on THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Bruce Weitz, Eddie Albert, Janet Leigh and others. The thing about TZ and other anthology shows is that it lets you do the kind of writing you really can't do on regular series, because there isn't time, you're rushing from one complication to another, whereas a show like TZ is built around one central element, and what matters is how that one element affects the characters. It gives you the luxury of *time*. (And the episode you cite, "Rendezvous in a Dark Place," is one of my favorites as well, up with the Albert and Weitz episodes.) In the first season of B5, we worked hard to keep the pace as fast as possible, to really crank the story, establish the universe, and jump start this puppy. Now that that's done, I'm working now to apply a somewhat Zone- ish approach, in that we're carving out time now for more personal stuff, to see how the stories affect our characters. If I can blend these two approaches, I'll be a happy man. jms DATE: MON SEP 12, 1994 6:38:24 #820032 "...there is going to be a Star Trek store someday." Too late. There's already a Star Trek store on the Universal Studios tour, and in other amusement/tour locations, and the Creation/Sci-Fi Universe stores, despite carrying a small number of items from other shows, are primarily ST stores, and they're spreading. jms DATE: TUES SEP 13, 1994 1:34:01 #820574 I once asked David Gerrold how many Trek movies would finally be made, when all was said and done. "One too many," he said. jms STAR TREK: VOYAGER CAPTAIN QUITS! #820931 DATE: TUES SEP 13, 1994 2:50:25 "Stephanie Beacham is off VOYAGER because she didn't want to move with the production to Florida." Huh? Last I heard, SeaQuest was moving to Florida, not Voyager. jms STAR TREK: BUJOLD WALKS--RUMOR? #818977 DATE: SUN SEP 11, 1994 4:55:22 We shoot an episode of B5 in 7 days. Then the director gets 3 days to make his cut (he's been doing so all along with the editor as film comes in, but that's the final period where he or she has to finish). Then John Copeland and I go in and re-edit the director's cut (to small or major degrees) to make the producer's cut. Another three days. So two weeks so far. We then do an edit-master of the episode (done on film, as opposed to the edit, done on computer-image Avids), which arrives in about 5-7 days. So three weeks. We're also waiting for any rotoscope work that needs to be done on the show (PPG blasts, other non-space stuff, like the thought-wall in "Mind War"), and for any compositing work (live + CGI), which can take up to a few more days to a few weeks. Split the difference and say two weeks. So now we're up to five weeks. Midway through this process, we meet with Chris Franke and the sound people to spot the episode, indicating where sound EFX and music should go. We're also designing titles, doing any looping that might be required. We now wait for the music to be scored, and for the sound EFX to be designed. Give it another 10-14 days. Now 7-8 weeks in. Finally, at that point -- 8-9 weeks or so -- we go in and do the final sound mix, entering in all the finished elements, and deliver the episode a week or so later. jms STAR TREK: BUJOLD WALKS--RUMOR? #818976 DATE: SUN SEP 11, 1994 4:55:11 I believe you're thinking of a recent problem in Comics Forum, where a journalist was MISquoting people (viz: me) in a certain magazine, without my prior knowledge or permission, and I was leaving unless some procedures were put in place protecting Forum members from having this happen to them, particularly the pros. This has been done, insofar as it *can* be done, so that tussle is now over. On the topic of religion...yes, we've spent a fair amount of time on the subject, and to your note that the "show has portrayed religion exceptionally well; it is nice to know that faith is not dead in your future as in all the ST shows," someone commented on another forum that because I'm an atheist, and don't have any particular axe to grind, it's possible to treat the beliefs of others with some measure of equanimity. It seems a sensible idea, I hadn't really thought about it, and there may be some measure of truth to that. I've always taken a great degree of interest in varying belief systems. I've read the Bible cover to cover (twice), as well as whatever other books I could get my hands on, from the Bahagavad Gita (hope I spelled that right from memory) up and down the road. What you come away with is a sense that the religious impulse, whether or not any one of them is fundamentally correct, is part of the human dynamic, and it's not going to suddenly up and disappear. The job of the writer is to treat his subject honestly, and that seems to me the truth of the matter. For six thousand years, humanity has been in the process of trying to figure out itself, and where its place is in the universe, and what the universe IS, really. There are a number of ways one can approach that question, and the religious impulse is part of that. In the earliest stages of its development, it was the religious impulse that prompted us to look up to the stars and ask, "What?"...and to look at ourselves and each other and say "Who?"...and to look at death and say "Why?" It was, in a sense, the earliest form of the scientific method, except there weren't the tools for true inquiry. But if humanity had not begun with the process of asking questions, it might not have developed science, since science is predicated upon self-awareness, and questioning, and looking at the universe and asking those very same questions. The paths taken, and the means used, diverge quickly, and I'm not in ANY way equating science and religion, they are of necessity and by definition different creatures, but they share some roots in the intentions that created them. jms BABYLON 5: RELIGION IN B5 #820033 DATE: MON SEP 12, 1994 6:38:25 Actually, we did have a pagan and a wiccan in there, though we couldn't prolong the voice-over long enough to get there. In at least one other shot of that in dailies, it's very plainly there. jms BABYLON 5: SURVIVORS #820918 DATE: TUES SEP 13, 1994 2:39:18 Definitely; there are additional fighters berthed inside Earthforce One, with a minimum four outside on constant patrol. In addition, it's got some pretty hefty defensive weaponry on board, though they're worked into the design so that they don't appear too obvious (bad for PR). jms ================================= BABYLON 5: SCRIPTS AND CC #819567 DATE: MON SEP 12, 1994 3:39:12 FROM: SYSOP LEE WHITESIDE Joe, I've watched a couple of B5 episodes with the closed captioning on and it is interesting to see how what they display on screen is a lot of times not quite what the cast is actually saying. Do the Closed captioning people work from a script or from a tape of the episode? ================================= BABYLON 5: SCRIPTS AND CC #819569 DATE: MON SEP 12, 1994 3:55:22 Supposedly they're working off scripts...not very well, from what you're saying. jms BABYLON 5: B5 WINS MAKEUP EMMY #819568 DATE: MON SEP 12, 1994 3:55:21 We get virtually *no* coverage from any major publications on anything near a regular basis. We're as close to a stealth television program as you can get. I think there'll be a small piece in Newsweek as part of an overall roundup on TV/BBSing in a few weeks or less, but that's all. jms BABYLON 5: B5 WINS MAKEUP EMMY #821230 DATE: TUES SEP 13, 1994 7:29:11 Yes, we've definitely gotten more coverage, and continue to do so, in the UK than we do here in the US. The show rates very highly on Channel 4, and they've already committed to year two without having to look at the first batch of episodes, which they don't usually do. I think the audience in the UK is more used to the kind of thing we're doing, and so it's grabbing hold just that much more quickly. Thus the media pays more attention. Ironic that we're having a harder time here than overseas; it's usually the other way around. (Apparently we're also doing very well in other countries as well; in some cases, we do better overseas than here in the US.) jms BABYLON 5: B5 WINS MAKEUP EMMY #820576 DATE: TUES SEP 13, 1994 1:34:02 Thanks, and to you guys on the ones you walked off with. jms BABYLON 5: B5 SHIRTS/800TREKKER #822797 DATE: THUR SEP 15, 1994 12:53:12 I just saw some new shirt designs from a non-Creation licensee, All-U, and they're *gorgeous*. And some new Creation items, bookmarks and pins, that also look quite nice. jms ===== QUESTION #821957: LDS/Mormon missionary in the receiving line (PoD)? ===== BABYLON 5: RELIGION ON B5 #822772 DATE: THUR SEP 15, 1994 12:42:21 Yes, I believe that's correct. No Scientologists, though. jms BABYLON 5: B5 WINS MAKEUP EMMY #822795 DATE: THUR SEP 15, 1994 12:53:08 Generally speaking, in the past, Starlog has generally screwed up one aspect or another of their coverage of B5, to the point where I won't have anything to do with them. I won't stop my cast or crew from talking to Starlog -- that's their choice, and I don't feel that in all good conscience I can interfere -- but you won't see an interview with me in Starlog. Part of this is also due to the fact that Dave McDonnell has stated to many people that he feels obliged to carry B5 coverage, because it's a legitimate show, and it does draw attention...but because they are primarily a STAR TREK magazine, they will NEVER do a B5 cover. So they get the coverage, but refuse to give it the respect it deserves with a cover story. Which is pretty much what I expected. jms ========== QUESTION #824019: What did the rest of the listing say? =========== BABYLON 5: SIGNS & PORTENTS #824120 DATE: FRI SEP 16, 1994 4:32:04 AM Some things are better left un-commented upon. jms ========== QUESTION #823723: Why was the ship in Lady Ladira's name instead of Lord Kiro's? =========== DATE: FRI SEP 16, 1994 12:03:23 AM #823906 Ladira was Kiro's aunt, and much of the family money/property is in her name. jms STAR TREK: BUJOLD: THE REAL REASON! #823907 DATE: FRI SEP 16, 1994 12:03:25 AM One thought indicating mercy for Bujold...apparently, according to DAILY VARIETY, they were shooting 19 hour days. This means that you show up at 6 a.m. and don't leave until 2 a.m., counting makeup and costume and other daily requirements. (The schedule is apparently to make up lost time for the debut.) That's a *lot* to ask of ANY actor, and if you're the lead, then that means you're in virtually every scene. This isn't like showing up at 10 a.m. and going a few hours overtime; this is, as stated, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. jms STAR TREK: BUJOLD: THE REAL REASON! #825165 DATE: SAT SEP 17, 1994 4:39:14 Actors do not generally share in merchandising revenue. That goes to Paramount. (Or whichever studio is involved in a project.) Actors only get the salary for the series and movies they do. The fans do not bestow wealth on the players of Trek. For near 15 years after the original Trek, virtually none of the cast members could get work. They had been typecast. It practically killed some of their careers, and many of them have had virtually no careers outside of the movies, which are few and far between. Many current ST cast members are concerned about any new work; which was why Brent Spiner only agreed to do the movie after it was agreed in his contract that he had to do two non-ST movies. The fans of a show view appearing in that show as a gift from God. An actor approaches it as a job, and has to. Just a word of perspective. jms ======= QUESTION #825242: ======= DATE: SAT SEP 17, 1994 5:59:17 #825746 I suppose it depends on the level of performer you're talking about. jms STAR TREK: NEW INFO ON BUJOLD #826219 DATE: SUN SEP 18, 1994 12:29:31 The 154 days includes only weekdays. (That's shooting 22 episodes in 7 days each.) Weekends are off. Also, no single actor works all of those 12 hours every day. Some actors may appear in only one scene in an episode, and to all intents and purposes have the rest of the week off. Or they may appear over several days, but staggered, a scene here or there. Most of the time any actor spends in a day on set is waiting... waiting for the lighting to get set, waiting for the camera to get moved to another set, waiting for the director to block stuff out, waiting for wardrobe or prosthetics or other areas. When they're finally on, they work a lot: first the master shot (of which there are often multiple takes), then over-the- shoulder shots, then closeups, and sometimes extreme closeups, anywhere from 2-7 takes each, which are then repeated for every *other* actor in the scene. It's hard, rigorous work. The main difference in all of this is whoever your lead is; the captain in a role like this can often be there through every scene or a majority of scenes...which adds up fast. jms BABYLON 5: NEW NETWORKS #822796 DATE: THUR SEP 15, 1994 12:53:10 There was never talk of putting B5 on the WB network; its is only PTEN, and if PTEN goes, so will B5. (And if WB does go through with its purchase of NBC, I have a feeling they won't need a separate WB network, so that may go away, and again I don't know therefore if they'll continue with PTEN either...and B5 wouldn't be shifted to network in any event.) jms DATE: FRI SEP 16, 1994 4:32:03 AM #824119 PTEN is a consortium of stations that have formed a partnership with Warner Bros. Television. Shows produced for PTEN are owned jointly by WB and the stations. It is *highly* unlikely that the station-owners would allow a show to go from their side to a network of any kind, given that this is their competition. PTEN is a fine organization, and I have every hope for its longevity. Nothing here should be construed to mean anything else. But many PTEN spokespeople have stated that the weblet may, or may not, last beyond the next few years, depending on corporate wrangling. Should PTEN go, it would take B5 with it, unless it were such a HUGE success by then that WB could choose to try direct syndication. The Warner Bros. Network is a whole different corporate arm, and is very competitive with PTEN. They would not want in any way to take up any PTEN shows because it would muddy their identity (and they're probably right in this). jms THE CON SUITE: ATHEISM AND HUMANISM #825770 DATE: SAT SEP 17, 1994 6:25:16 The Humanist Manifesto is known to very few, and read by fewer still. Humanism is not a religion. It has been defined that way by religionists who want to be able to attack it. "Humanism" by their definition is anything they don't happen to like. They created it and piled it high with every conspiracy theory, every social change, and created this great boogeyman that does not in fact exist. Because hard-core religionists MUST have some kind of crisis, some kind of looming spectre to pepetuate the mindset that says they're standing against this dark force. With the fall of communism, now it's so-called humanism. Secular means only that, non-religous. Humanism means concerned with the affairs of humans. It's not a religion in any way, manner, shape or form; it has no collection plates, no churches, no doctrine, no schisms, no ministers, no tax-free status, no deities, nothing. Okay, fine, so a few people got together and wrote a tract. What does this have to do with anything? Nobody I know has ever read it. I've never seen it in any bookstores. You cling to this one tract as though it were Proof Positive of the Great Secular Humanist Conspiracy. It was just some people defining their attitudes, but this gets twisted around into some terrible threat. Sad that a few people expressing an opinion in a tract that gets almost no circulation would be perceived as a threat to the mighty religious empire of 24-hour-a-day religious programming, and religious colleges, and massive religious text publishing companies, and radio stations...don't you see the pathetic nature of this? It's like the elephant reeling in horror at a mouse. By your definition, anything that states a principle is a religion. I'm sorry, but language means what it means, it doesn't mean what you want it to mean. A religion, according to the dictionary, requires the belief in or worship of supernatural beings or gods. But you play the oldest game: redefine the terms of the argument in ways that benefit your side. Let me repeat: this great Secular Humanist Conspiracy DOES NOT EXIST. You and others like you have created it out of gossamer and a few pieces of paper in order to have something to point at. Tell me, do you think there are Secular Humanist cell meetings in the middle of the night? I'm an atheist, I sure as hell wasn't invited to any of them. Where Is it based? Where is its funding? Where can I go to a meeting? So a few guys wrote down their opinions....again, so what? They speak for no one but themselves. Just as I speak for no one but myself. You and others like you have come up with a name and shoved into it whatever you don't like, then try to convince others that it exists. It's as simple as that. jms ======== COMMENT #825796: ======== DATE: SUN SEP 18, 1994 12:29:28 #826218 Of course...because you have no facts to back you up. jms THE CON SUITE: ROBERT BLOCH PASSES AWAY #833044 DATE: SAT SEP 24, 1994 1:09:27 AM Tonight, at 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time, noted author and screenwriter Robert Bloch, a good and kind man considered one of the brightest lights in his field, passed away from cancer. jms DATE: SAT SEP 24, 1994 5:23:00 #833584 Forrest Ackerman released that information *despite* being asked by the family NOT to do so. Everyone respected their decision to have this kept private until he passed except Ackerman. They were *very* distressed that he released this. jms BABYLON 5: NO STORY IDEAS, PLEASE #828590 DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 3:20:13 Just a reminder not to post or send story ideas for episodes. I've just had a flurry of them wind up in my email box, and I've had to delete them without reading them, and send cranky notes back to the people who sent them. Story ideas open up legal liabilities that potentially jeapordize my ability to stay here. Please don't send them to me. We're solid for the season at this time, and virtually every story for the full five year run is more or less plotted out. Thanks for listening. jms BABYLON 5: B5 SOUNDTRACK INFO #832408 DATE: FRI SEP 23, 1994 3:17:14 PM At this point, the soundtrack wouldn't include the music from the pilot in *any* event; the plan at this point is to do just the series for now, and maybe the pilot later. And if the CD Chris plans to release is the same one as I've got now...it's a LOT longer than 40 minutes, closer to 50 or a squidge more. He's orchestrated the various cues into one long-playing suite, so one flows into the other, and it's a whole piece that plays on throughout the CD. I'm very critical about music, and this is *real* nice. jms BABYLON 5: B5 NOVELS? #829686 DATE: WED SEP 21, 1994 John Vornholt has turned in the first B5 novel to the publisher, Dell; Lois Tilton is working on a second, and John will also do a third. The first novel, "Voices," should be out around January, I'm told. We're doing something kinda unusual with both the novels and the comic due out from DC, in that we're trying to keep them in line with B5 continuity, so that they can be considered canon at a basic level, rather than unrelated throwaways. I'm personally overseeing the novels (just finished my notes on John's first book, very light line edits for the most part), as well as the comic (in addition to writing the first issue, and providing the story arc for the next 8 issues, taken to script by others). It should all be part of the overall story, not just done to make some bucks. It takes a little more work, but I think it's important. jms DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 2:50:20 #830922 Ron Thornton keeps wanting to do a tech manual, so I'm sure it'll happen in time. Optic Nerve has already put together an Aliens of B5 guide for in-house use at this time (with material written by Larry DiTillio), which may eventually see the light of day outside the B5 offices. At present, no role playing games that I know of are in the works. jms BABYLON 5: JESUIT #828594 DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 3:27:24 There really is no "Jesuit connection" on B5. While I was raised Catholic (sorta), it wore off quickly. But it's something I know about. In talking with my spousal overunit Kathryn about this, she also felt that if he were as Catholic as I'd made him out to be, he'd probably have been trained by Jesuits, the closest things we have to theological pit-bulls. It made sense, so that's what he became. jms BABYLON 5: MATEWAN #831939 DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 11:51:19 Er, actually, this was a reference to a real and traumatic strike a number of years ago in a place called Matewan. Different place, and a real strike, immortalized in film. jms STAR TREK: SEAQUEST DSV OR TNG? #829163 DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 8:17:12 Here's comedy for you...I don't think I've ever received as many "thank you" notes about Babylon 5 in any 48 hours as I did in the 48 hours following the broadcast of the new SeaQuest.... jms DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 11:51:14 #831936 "Do you make Babylon 5 too?!" No, just Babylon 5, I'm making no other shows at present. jms SF/FANTASY TV: SCHNEIDER RIPS SEAQUEST #830048 DATE: WED SEP 21, 1994 Hasburgh needs to get a clue, methinks.... (And the "baby-in-a-bucket" scene you refer to was one of the most moronic things I've ever seen; it guaranteed the kid would die, given that we never saw it surface, or give any inclination to surface; the only reason the kid survived was that SQ was conveniently there...but of course they didn't know this. A trash receptacle, sinking to the ocean floor, with NO oxygen supply, sealed and airtight...yeah, that's a *real* good idea for keeping your kid alive.) jms DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 2:50:16 #830920 I really don't watch DS9, and thus don't really have an opinion on the writing of the show. The only time I see it is if it's on while I'm walking through the room. jms DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 3:14:31 #831284 I try when possible to watch the debuts of new SF series, but I generally don't have time to watch thereafter; I'm at the studio from morning until 7:30, then I write at home until sometimes 3-4 a.m., with only a break for dinner, so watching *any* TV becomes problematic at best. I'm often forced to tape stuff and watch a little of it on the weekend. The only shows I try to catch weekly are X-Files, TV Nation (when it was on, and let's hope it's renewed), and MST3k. I tried to stay with SeaQuest, and made it through about the first hour, but finally dived out; I just thought it was dumb and juvenile and populated with breathtakingly annoying characters. (Just one man's opinion; your mileage may vary.) I wasn't able to watch more than about 20 minutes of the new Lois and Clark, but that was mainly due to work pressures; I hope to try and catch it again this weekend. For my money, X-Files is still one of the spiffier shows on TV. jms SF/FANTASY TV: SAVE ROBO: NEW INFO! #831959 DATE: FRI SEP 23, 1994 12:05:22 AM Word on the street is that it's too late, Robocop has been officially canceled. jms --- DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 2:50:18 #830921 "Chrysalis," a cliffhanger of sorts, leads right into "Points of Departure," which picks up some of the tables kicked over by "Chrysalis," the balance of which are picked up in the second episode, "Revelations." By the end of the second new episode, pretty much everything is now in place for the rest of the second season...though not everything is in quite the same position as it originally was. jms DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 3:14:29 #831283 Season two of Babylon 5 is 22 episodes, same as season one. jms DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 8:09:08 #829159 It's my understanding that Channel 4 has already agreed to pick up season two, and it'll probably commence around the same time as the American airdates start: November or thereabouts. jms DATE: WED SEP 21, 1994 #829684 New B5 episodes will start late October, beginning with the last episode of year one, "Chrysalis," followed the next week by the season two opener, "Points of Departure." jms DATE: WED SEP 21, 1994 #830041 There is one more new season one episode remaining to be aired, "Chrysalis," which airs mid-late October. This is followed by the second season debut, "Points of Departure," a week later. jms STAR TREK: VOYAGER SCRIPT #828589 DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 3:20:06 TO: SYSOP LEE WHITESIDE We've been pretty good at keeping episode scripts out of circulation; a couple have gotten out, but that's about it. What we do plan to do, a bit down the road, is to sell B5 scripts in a *proper* fashion: those who've written for us and want their scripts sold, we'll sell through a still-in-the-planning-stage fan liaison office. (If they choose not to have their scripts sold, that's fine too.) The original writer will get a ROYALTY from each copy sold, just like with a novel. This is frankly how it *should* be done...thus, that's how we're going to do it. (Insofar as I know, to the previous message here, Lincoln Enterprises does not pay any kind of royalty to the authors of scripts they sell.) jms DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 3:54:18 #828933 Stephen, you say that "there are plenty of ways to legally obtain them," and then you cite as examples of this "script vendors in the Hollywood area...(and) dealers at cons." NEITHER of these are legal, Stephen. The *only* legal means is through a studio/production company, and they are rather tight with these things. This is a profound misunderstanding on your part. jms DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 8:09:05 #829157 Actually, the physical script *does* remain the property of the writer, even in American TV. The copyright to the characters, the story, what's IN the script, is owned by the studio/network (making pirating illegal on that level), while the physical script is owned by the writer under separation of rights (which makes the pirating doubly illegal). jms DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 12:23:31 #828438 Stephen...calm down. This (the matter of scripts floating around at script stores and cons and the like) is a very difficult, touchy issue. On the one hand...I and any other script-pro loses money, and our copyright is violated, every single time one of our scripts ends up in a convention bin, photocopied endlessly. On one hand, I take that very personally, and when I find it at a convention, I remove the copies from the dealer's table. If the dealer has a problem, I urge him to call security so that I in turn can press charges against him. Because, frankly, they *are* dealing in stolen merchandise. It's no different than if someone photocopied the latest Dave Brin novel, and was selling the copies at a convention. *On the other hand*.... If I step away from my own vested interests for a moment, the reality is that it's *very* hard to get one's hand on scripts, in order to learn from them. Early in my career, I bought a lot of scripts from various script sellers, and at conventions, so that I could study them and learn how to write scripts. Even now, when I'm at a convention, if I see the script to a show I want to study, to see how the writer did it, I'm *very* tempted. Sometimes I give in. Is this a massive contradiction? Absolutely. And I have thus far not figured out how to resolve it. The closest I've come is in deciding not to blame the person who buys the script, as much as the person who sells it. I've had people come up to me at conventions with a copy of the B5 pilot script, purchased on the "black market" and ask me to *sign it*. I debated for a long time how to handle this, and finally decided to do so by signing it, and writing on the front page, THIS IS A NON-AUTHORIZED COPY OF THIS SCRIPT, AND IS NOT FOR RESALE FOR PROFIT, FOR ANY REASON ON EARTH, THIS IS ONLY (name's) PERSONAL COPY, PERIOD, AND IF HE SELLS IT I WILL COME TO HIS HOUSE AND HUNT HIM DOWN LIKE THE DOG HE IS. I've found this a *most* effective deterrent. Point being...the person to be yelled at is probably the dealer, who knows full well what he's doing, rather than the person who buys a script, not entirely aware of the details, only wanting a piece of something that he or she experienced and enjoyed. jms DATE: WED SEP 21, 1994 #829685 Studios are not licensed to permit ANYONE to sell scripts by the author; that is the right of the writer, period, unless specifically given in contract (which would violate WGA's agreement). Their general right to operate may have been renewed, but that's got *nothing* to do with who has the right to sell scripts. And yes, generally speaking scripts can be bought in advance of debut at many of these script operations. jms DATE: WED SEP 21, 1994 #829683 Very few people, really, would want to read a script in script form (in the case of novelizations). The sales of the former would be so small as to be negligible, and wouldn't cut into the sales of the latter in any real way. Novelization rights are usually purchased with the rights to the contents of the script, btw, and are generally controled by the studio, as opposed to the physical script, with remains with the writer. In the case of B5, we don't intend to do any novelizations of scripts in any event, so the question is moot. jms DATE: FRI SEP 23, 1994 2:10:01 AM #832059 Stephen...several real points of contention. 1) Re: people giving the story away to you because they read it...how is that any different than people who give the story away to you because they saw it, or in a review? I had the same problem you did with EMPIRE, not because anyone bought the script, but because a stupid reviewer in the San Diego Tribune blabbed it all in his review...I was walking into the theater to see ROCKY, having scrupulously avoided seeing any kind of reviews or articles...and somebody coming out yelled, "ROCKY LOSES!" This is really a tangential issue. 2) Re: other people not wanting to see the movie because X-character dies...again, by the time the movie hits the theaters, this information will be running around. What difference is there if that person makes up his mind on that basis now, or the day before the movie opens? This isn't about script leaks, this is about people's eccentricities. You seem to think that if scripts aren't available, there will be this huge vacuum, and nobody will know anything about a movie until they walk in the door. This simply ain't so. 3) "When you steal those scripts, you are depriving Lincoln of legitimate income." Is it legitimate? Again, the physical ownership of a script is the writer's, unless it is specifically transferred. 4) "Paramount has to hire additional staff to track down stolen scripts and enforce confidentiality." To my knowledge, Paramount does no such thing. If they do, it doesn't come out of the Star Trek production budget in any event. "That's money that could be invested in hiring better writers..." Do you think there's a two-tiered system, bad writers cost X, good writers cost Y? The Writers Guild determines salary minimums, and I don't believe that there is much wide divergence in this area over there. "or doing special effects or buying that special script from an outside writer." Again, Stephen, as far as I know, ST pays the same rates for all scripts that it buys, same as every other show in Hollywood. There is no seperate category for "special scripts." Again, the WGA determines the price of scripts. What you describe here, as above, simply DOES NOT HAPPEN. And, again, any tracking-down of scripts and stuff would be done by Paramount Legal Affairs division, on behalf of ALL their shows, and would come out of that budget, not the show budget. That kind of cross collatorization isn't done, because there'd be no way to keep track of it. Some of your points are fairly reasonble, but you don't buttress your case by including wild fancy. jms --- NOTE: RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT POSTER --- DATE: SAT SEP 24, 1994 5:06:01 #833576 Of course, at the bottom-line, what you're saying is that if someone chooses not to put something on the market, or cannot viably do so, then it's okay to steal it, and folks shouldn't complain when it happens. jms BABYLON 5: GILBERT SAYS O'HARE FIRED #829158 DATE: TUES SEP 20, 1994 8:09:06 I'm trying to track down a copy of the tape now, but I've heard other characterizations of the interview as not being quite so aggressive in this regard, in which she defended O'Hare. This is turning into a game of interpretations; once I have the tape on hand, this should be clarified. jms ========= POST #829457: ========= DATE: WED SEP 21, 1994 #829681 Brett: if I can't dig it up elsewhere, yeah, I'll probably take you up on that offer. It's not a big thing, frankly, but I generally prefer first hand knowledge of stuff, and certainly your characterization has usually been spot-on. jms BABYLON 5: B5 IN TV GUIDE... #830919 DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 2:50:15 ...sigh...well, at least they acknowledged our existence for a change. jms DATE: THURS SEP 22, 1994 11:51:15 #831937 Negative, Electronic Arts let the rights to the B5 game lapse; they are now in the hands of Merit Software. jms