JMS Usenet messages for August 1996. Date: 1 Aug 1996 15:33:32 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS's new scriptwriting book LOCIS listing; ISBN included "1) Will you be doing a book tour for your scriptwriting book?" There are no plans for that at present, though I may try to coordinate something or other when I do the occasional convention. "2) How can we get your book signed in the event of no book tour?" Conventions, mainly. Problem is that the book is coming out right when we're in the thick of production, and getting away at this time is nearly impossible. jms Date: 1 Aug 1996 15:37:27 -0400 Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Milton? If by this you mean "better to reign in hell than serve in heaven," then no, that ain't it. jms Date: 1 Aug 1996 15:40:39 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Character Aquisition "How did you pick / decide upon the actors who are presently involved in the story? And are you planning on appearances by "named - major" personalities in upcomming episodes?" If by this you mean how do we cast the actors...the actor comes in and auditions, reading dialogue for that character from a given episode. The one that comes in the door and is most what I saw in my head when I created the character, gets the job. jms Date: 1 Aug 1996 16:04:24 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS Shadow Hugos... Interesting...we'll see how this compares to the real results. jms Date: 1 Aug 1996 16:08:41 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Will Adam Nimoy direct any 4th season episodes? We've asked about Adam, but he may be booked on other shows, alas. jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 00:17:21 -0400 Subject: Re: Mr. JMS: So, which is the best of Final Five? It would be an even tie I think between the final two, "Shadow Dancing" and "Z'ha'dum." The two episodes are also linked at the hip, so they're really more like one unit...not so much a two-parter, but siamese twins, story-wise. They're both very exciting, move the arc forward hugely, and though they rely on a lot of backstory, are also good points for folks new to the show to dive in, because they also *explain* a lot of backstory, so they can get into it. They're both just lovely, knockout episodes. And, at times, scary as hell. jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 00:21:50 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS: Shooting Filming begins August 26th. jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 01:04:53 -0400 Subject: Re: AAA Rating on Customer Service "I've seen you be gracious, informative, and mentoring in this newsgroup but this takes the cake." (shrug) No big, it's just part of the service. Jim's right down the hall, ain't much of a problem to take ten minutes to go down the corridor and annoy him. In fact, I'll take any chance I get to annoy him.... jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 01:06:10 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Question about maybe new show The sequel would be a syndicated show. We'll see.... Meanwhile, something I probably should mention since it showed up in the trades the other day...my associates, Doug Netter and John Copeland are directly involved in a new series which is just about set to go into pre-production, called "Battleground Earth." The series is based on a series bible and script written by Gene Roddenberry in the early 70s. Majel Barrett Roddenberry is also directly involved with the show. I've been more or less sworn to silence until the news broke in the Hollywood Reporter. I first found out about this shortly after Majel did our show, at which time she was very impressed with how we do things here, and decided she wanted to work with us. David Kirschner, primarily known as a film producer, is also involved with the series. They initially asked me to write the new 2-hour pilot script, since a) the original is considerably out of date, given when it was first written, and b) there was a general concensus that a Roddenberry/Straczynski collaboration would be infinitely promotable. The job was basically mine for the asking, but after giving it a great deal of thought, I declined, even though the money was good and the show would get a lot of promotion. I have a moral obligation to B5, and that has to come first, I can't have any outside distractions. So instead I've recommended a very good SF TV writer who's worked on a number of network shows lately (no, don't ask, I won't tell you, and it's probably not who you'd think anyway, and it'd be inappropriate for me to say in any event until a deal is signed). I think it'll be a good match-up of talents. Beyond that, I have no involvement with the series, and it'd also be inappropriate for me to talk any more about the content or nature of the show; that will have to come from those directly involved. (BTW, for those who get the Sci-Fi Channel, B5 producer John Copeland will be on their new show VORTEX, along with Majel, this Friday.) jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 15:04:16 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Question about maybe new show "This sounds like a very exciting show, but will Netter and Copeland still be able to perform their duties on B5 or will you have to replace them?" Doug's job on B5 is primarily oriented toward the business end, so that's not a problem; John was in on the sale of the project, but now that it's done, a line producer will be brought in for that show (John's the line producer on B5), so John will definitely be staying with B5 in his capacity of producer, and not directly involved in the daily running of the new show. jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 23:22:23 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: your Meyers-Briggs type No, haven't taken that particular test, though while I was in university I took a number of personality inventories and the like as part of my degree plan in psychology. Right up through the MMPI and others. The career evaluation inventories indicated that I should be either a clerk or in the Air Force. jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 23:25:14 -0400 Subject: Re: B5 Beards Sort of the ZZ Top of television production.... jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 23:51:55 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS Idle thoughts. Well, one can always assume that Morden received some help, in one form or another, in adjusting to the shadows.... jms Date: 2 Aug 1996 23:51:52 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS: Shooting No, I'm afraid the new episodes won't be aired here in the US until October, with the first year 4 eps beginning in November. jms Date: 3 Aug 1996 17:43:18 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: New Twilight Zone Actually, the character in that episode of the new TZ was Jeremy St. Claire, not Sinclair. jms Date: 3 Aug 1996 17:43:57 -0400 Subject: Re: What's so important about Z'ha'dum? Yeah...you'd almost think there was something or someone there that they considered important. jms Date: 3 Aug 1996 18:04:16 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: season 4 intro vioceover... "So basically, what I'm asking is does the fact that G'Kar gets the last major speech in season 3 mean that he gets to do teh voiceover for season 4?" Not as such, no.... jms Date: 3 Aug 1996 18:05:18 -0400 Subject: Re: Why JMS really believes in God? I love it when people decide to tell me what I *really* believe, or don't believe, that what I say and think is my view of life isn't really it at ALL...and then throw all the old, cliched, hackneyed "how can god allow evil to happen" straw men into the argument so they can be easily shot down, when that has *nothing* whatsoever to do with my attitudes on the subject. And the notion that it takes more belief to have a non-belief than belief to have a belief is so illogical, so deep in paralogia and cliched thinking as to be beyond commenting on because any response would be utterly and permanently drowned out by laughter. jms Date: 4 Aug 1996 02:46:07 -0400 Subject: Re: Attn JMS: The Real Ghostbusters "If I am not mistaken, you worked on the Real Ghostbusters cartoon show. I also remember reading that you wrote a few scripts. Which scripts did you write? How much were you involved in the show?" Yikes...trying to remember them all, there were something like 15-20 episodes that I wrote..."Janine, You've Changed"..."Ragnarok and Roll"..."Citizen Ghost"... "No One Comes to Lupusville"..."Take Two"..."Xmas Marks the Spot"..."The Halloween Door"..."Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream"..."Russian About"... "Chicken, He Clucked"..."The Haunting of Heck House"...a whole bunch of others. I was story editor on that series, for both the ABC and syndicated versions, editing 78 episodes in one season. It was a hoot; we got to go totally nuts and be obscure and adult and funny and outrageous. jms Date: 4 Aug 1996 02:50:05 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Driving "I was really surprised to read in the TV Guide article that you don't drive. How have you been able to live in auto-dependent Southern California for so many years with out giving in and starting to drive? I'm amazed that you manage to do it..." So am I, some days. It's a moral thing; I'm a *terrible* driver, easily distracted, my depth perception sucks, and...I hit things. And they frown on that. So for the good of the Commonweal, even though it's a monumental pain in the ass, I stay off the road. So when I can't catch a ride with someone, I have an occasional (per-job) driver, or I get cabs. Used to ride the bus all the time. All the time I was working at Filmation at the start of my TV staff career I bussed it in; took about 2-2 1/2 hours to get from Glendale to Encino, approximately a 45 minute drive by car. Now it's usually just a car, one way or another, but it's still a pain. At the same time, though, I know I could never live with myself if I ever harmed someone else, so here we are.... jms Date: 4 Aug 1996 02:50:38 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS Idle thoughts-request enhancement Yes, it would be a correct assumption. jms Date: 4 Aug 1996 04:44:12 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Shadows' motives? "Do you agree with the Shadows motives?" Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Motives are one thing; the means to achieving that motive, however, are a different issue. And those means I do not agree with. But on some level, their motives can make sense...as can the Vorlons' motives.... jms Date: 4 Aug 1996 05:00:50 -0400 Subject: Re: jms' beliefs Since I've got nothing else to do at the moment...well, except write.... 1) he prefers pepsi to coca-cola, though he prefers zima to both of them. Actually Pepsi and Coke are about the same to me, though in a pinch I'll go for Coke over Pepsi. As long as it's got caffeine, I'm a happy man. Otherwise it's coffee (Arabian Mocha Sanani, preferably, or Silawesi). Don't drink Zima. Don't drink *period*. Last thing you want is to give an obsessive-compulsive personality a drink. Don't smoke or do drugs. Utterly boring. My only vices are chocolate, coffee, soft drinks, and the net. 2) he prefers dogs to cats, and prefers irish terriers over all other dogs. MUCH prefer cats to dogs. All kinds cats, but Abyssinians the most, followed by your basic tabby cat. Dogs are okay, but overall the one breed I'd ever consider owning -- even though it'd be a second career/job to raise the creature -- would be an English Border Collie, the obsessive-compulsives of the dog world. 3) his favorite sports are kickboxing and the ultimate fighting championship. Don't generally watch sports. 4) his favorite color is purple. Black. 5) his favorite newspaper is usa today (all those nifty computer generated graphics). Who has time for ANY papers these days...? 6) his favorite breakfast is bacon and orange juice. You left out scrambled eggs, a toasted water-bagel and coffee. 7) his preferred method of mailing packages is UPS. FedEx. And just to round stuff off...I use MovieMaster for script formatting, Wordstar for general writing, my favorite meal is a good lean steak with mashed potatoes, spinach, cut corn, I use a Dell pentium computer tricked out with every device on the planet (including, shortly, ISDN), just picked up an IBM Thinkpad 560 as my main road computer system, like my foods well done, and my favorite TV shows (after B5, natch) are 60 Minutes, MST3K, The Simpsons, and X-Files. That ought to blow a hole in this thread, I think.... jms Date: 4 Aug 1996 05:03:59 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Poetry on B5 I've read Matthew Arnold, but have always found him a bit dry for my tastes. I go for the more passionate, beat-the-drums stuff. I'll continue to try to find ways to work in bits of it here and there, never hurts to let people know there's stuff other than TeeVee out there. Should sneak in a much longer version of Tennyson's "Ulysses" early in season four. jms Date: 4 Aug 1996 17:30:45 -0400 Subject: Re: jms' beliefs jdn...yes, I got that it was sarcasm...I was just goofing around.... jms Date: 5 Aug 1996 02:49:42 -0400 Subject: Re: jms' beliefs The final 5 eps for this season will be broadcast in October, leading into year 4 in November. jms Date: 4 Aug 1996 05:03:56 -0400 Subject: Re: Why JMS really believes in God? "For the next few months all we're going to hear are threads from Morgan and Co. regarding Joe and the scene where Brian stands at the window starkers." On the other hand, at least it'll be a much smaller thread.... jms Date: 7 Aug 1996 00:08:16 -0400 Subject: Re: Attn JMS: 4th Season Episodes We're currently 4 scripts into the 4th season; on the season title, that's usually something I hold back announcing until we're a bit deeper in. jms Date: 8 Aug 1996 00:02:57 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: your Meyers-Briggs type I'm starting to get the ugly notion that my messages aren't getting throgh the AOL internet feed. I sent two notes on this, both mentioning that I took the test, and came out an INTJ, even gave the web page number for the full analysis, but I don't think it ever go through. jms Date: 8 Aug 1996 01:29:36 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: More edited out of I&E? Yes, there was a bit edited out of the Sheridan/Kosh conversation, but nothing of real importance. It was at the beginning, as he catches up with Kosh, and discusses his meeting with the League worlds and how important it would be for the Vorlons to get involved. jms Date: 8 Aug 1996 16:12:35 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Jeff W. coming back -- any chance? Actually, Jeff has just become John Copeland's executive assistant, something of a move up; don't know if he'll be putting on the headpiece of the new Vorlon in town yet, but we'll see... jms Date: 8 Aug 1996 16:14:44 -0400 Subject: Re: Is it asking too much? "Is it too much to bloody ask to be able to see *one* mere episode of Babylon 5?" Sure...come on by the office, I've got 5 of 'em just sitting here. jms Date: 8 Aug 1996 16:23:59 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Advice for other online producers? "You're in a unique position, as the first TeeVee producer/writer/show creator to interact on Usenet with the fans of your series. I'm writing up a Usenet dossier for Bryce Zabel, executive producer of _Dark Skies_, who is thinking of coming online in an interactive capacity when his show starts airing this fall. Do you have any advice that he, or others who come online in the future, would find useful?" Hi, Bryce. Don't know if we've met, but I've seen your work, and seen you about; was lurking in the back of your Fangoria talk a bit ago. Also saw the pilot (ve haff vays); I think it has great potential. How you're going to work the structure of the story once they're out, without support, we'll see. (said vaguely to avoid spoilers) That aside.... He should be sure what he's here for. If it's just promotion...it almost ain't worth the time involved. Lots of folks have used the nets to promote stuff, but for one thing it pisses people off that once the promotion part is over, boom, they're gone (a la "Sneakers" a year or so ago). And the cold reality is that if you added up everyone who reads the nets...it ain't even a blip on the ratings. The best way to maintain a presence on the nets is to get a sense of the room, to see if what you're doing is working *in general*. You'll get tons of conflicting opinions, so you can't let that sway the story...but you'll know, in general, if the story you're telling is getting through, and succeeding. I'd strongly suggest you adopt the same "no story ideas" policy I've used, particularly with a show like "Dark Skies," where it would be easy for somebody to say, "Okay, aliens get involved in X real-life historical situation," even though it's the obvious thing, which you'd already planned to handle, and then sue you for plagiarism. Best to avoid it all up-front. How you deal with criticism is up to you. We all react differently. Online fans are bracingly blunt in their opinions; this is generally a good thing, except where sometimes some of them forget they're talking to a real person, not a computer screen. But it's a good thing overall. If someone's being unfair, say so, but other than that...you're in for quite a ride. The good thing about the nets is that it's the great social equalizer. The bad thing about the nets is that it's the great social equalizer. Anyone with a modem has equal access, equal say. Which is terrific. We can be tall, short, fat, skinny, old, young...what matters is the quality of the thoughts and the clarity of their expression. The flip side of this...if someone came toward you with a bright orange fright wig, dead cats strapped to his chest and a live parrot up his ass, you'd have sufficient warning that this may be a Loony, and thus avoid the person. On the nets, you don't get that kind of advance warning. There are some loonies here. They get the same access as everyone else, they can get on because they bought a modem, but they live for the singular purpose of making your life a living hell, because you have created something, they have created nothing, and they can only live with that contradiction if they tear you down. Some of them are literally psychologically disturbed, and potentially dangerous. And you won't have any notion who they are until one day, after exchanging private or public mail, the dog satellite goes by overhead and they turn on you viciously, start spreading rumors, attacking you in public...and you realize that yep, this person has a parrot up his ass. Happily, those folks remain the exception rather than the rule. The remaining 99% are fun, and intelligent, and can teach you things about your own show you didn't know were there. Jump on in...the water's fine. jms Date: 9 Aug 1996 23:16:25 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: At what price / personal life? Except that I don't think there's much of interest in my personal life, and it has little to do with the work itself. jms From Date: 9 Aug 1996 23:23:19 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS - What In Valen's Name?! Some difference of opinion among the Minbari. jms From Date: 9 Aug 1996 23:22:20 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS : Wantings... No, there isn't enough info yet to know what the shadows want; that's in the final 5 of this year. jms Date: 10 Aug 1996 14:15:06 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: At what price / personal life? "In order to fully understand the message, you must understand the messenger." Hrrmm...yes and no. Understanding the messenger can add a second layer of interpretation, but the primary layer must stand on its own or it's flawed. I don't need to know that Joe Orton was gay to fall out of my chair laughing at "Loot," don't need to know that Chekhov had a drinking problem to appreciate "Uncle Vanya," don't need to know that Mark Twain lost both his daughters tragically to appreciate "Letters from the Earth".... Well, okay, I'll give you Twain, as the tragedies in his life fed right into his later work. That's the yes part in yes and no. It's just that I already put out a lot of info on my personal life, likely more than I should, and the question "what price have you paid?" can only solicit a self-indulgent and self-serving answer. jms Date: 11 Aug 1996 03:05:02 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Best Dramatic Presentation Hugo Yes, I'll be at the Hugo ceremony, no question about it. jms jms Date: 11 Aug 1996 03:13:32 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Centauri Emporers/Godhood "While looking through the new selections in the Lurker's guide, I was reminded of something. In Chrysalis Londo asks how many gods there currently are (I believe he's only referring to the ones that were Emporers) and Vir replies that there are fifty, then he corrects himself and says technically fifty-one, but there was one that he never really considered a god." Ah, yes...that one wasn't an emperor, that was Zoog, which was really just a household god, primarily associated with one noble family, that somewhat imposed Zoog where possible, forced the religious establishment to recognize the temple they'd built to Zoog...it was strictly an act of vanity on their part, to create a god, and elevate a household god, which never really carries much weight, to something greater, adding to the general pantheon. "Also, could you tell us what happened with the original Ambassador To Minbar? The one that "Went local" as Londo recalls it?" Went native. Bought into the whole Minbari theological system, dropped his Centauri citizenship, was last heard of in a distant retreat trying to grow a bone. jms Date: 11 Aug 1996 16:44:50 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Dream sequence from AAitN Just offhand, yeah, I think all the info is there for the dream...either way, it'll be explained by the end of the third season. jms Date: 11 Aug 1996 16:47:09 -0400 Subject: Re: Brian and Wendamatica go nuts! or The Drool Contest. I do hope that these stories will not use B5 characters or situations, as I've asked repeatedly, and politely for the most part, that there *NOT* be any B5 fanfic where I can see it. (Would prefer not to have it anywhere, but the odds of getting that are slim, I suspect.) jms Date: 11 Aug 1996 16:58:22 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Writting Difficulty:( I try to write but find my work greatly influenced by outside sources such as other written works, movies and television shows. I seem to be unable to write something that hasn't already been done or write something that has been done in a different way. Does that make sense?" There's a quote, I forget who said it: "Of course everything has already been said, but since no one was listening, we must begin again." The problem, I see, in what you've described...and this is on the benefit of three paragraphs and ten seconds thought, so take this with a grain of salt...is that you don't actually know what it is you want to say as a writer. Or that you need to say. You're drawing sources from outside wriers, TV shows, "unable" to do otherwise, by your statement. Let me toss another quote in here, again from a source I can't recall: "Too many people mistake a passion for reading with a desire to write." It's possibly you may fall under this category. See, the problem with the writing biz is that everyone has access to keyboard, and we all think we can write, if we just had the time to do it. Not true. Give me a warehouse full of paintbrushes and easels, and 100 years, and I may in time become adequate, but never more than that. Writing is a mug's game. It's heartbreak. It's pain and struggle and rejection and isolation and the only reason...the ONLY reason...to do it is if you've got something to say, something that burns in you so that you can't *NOT* write. If you're doing it on a whim, as a curiosity, as you say "trying your hand," then this may not be the field for you. This is a hardass, hard-work, lifetime job, and if you're not driven to say something, maybe you should consider something else. On the other hand...you're 18. Sometimes it takes us a while to figure out just what the hell it is we want to say, or want to do. What it is you need to say may not have occured to you yet. On a third hand, I think all writers begin by playing around with other writer's voices, using techniques of other writers as sort of training wheels while they hone their own voice, dropping them by the wayside as new personal techniques are perfected, until the writer's voice is unique. Decide what it is you want, and what you *need,* not what seems like itmight be kinda interesting...the rest takes care of itself. jms Date: 12 Aug 1996 15:48:17 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: B5 in Pournelle "Life on Mars" article. I know that Alex is a big fan of the show, have spoken with him several times, so that's likely where the mention came from. jms Date: 12 Aug 1996 16:08:53 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS, *grin* "Perhaps there have been some spelling drifts in the next three centuries, and JMS spends so much time in the future that he has trouble with our local-present archaic English....." I would point out that the phrase "local-present archaic English" is ungrammatical and at odds with English useage. You could say, "with our current-day English which he finds archaic," but not what you've written here, which implies that English is present only locally -- presumably local to where you are, when in fact English is present in many parts of the globe -- and that the present English is also archaic in fact, as opposed to being perceived as such by me.... I could go on and on about this particular turn of phrase, because it's ungrammatical on several levels, but this forum has better ways to spend its time. Note, however, that I could have done this with *many* of your posts, which correct me or others on one word, while containing whole *phrases* which violate the rules of grammar. Which is what you do. The difference is, I have manners and don't feel it's my god-given responsibility to correct other people on their useage on-line. One could also offer a thought or two about the notion of "not seeing the forest for the trees," correcting people on little word choices while oneself applying incorrect phrases. One could also take exception with your notion that if you have made up your mind about an issue, then that is the single and sole truth, and that anyone who offers a contrary opinion is either stupid, or deliberately misleading people, since there cannot possibly be reasonable differences of opinion about such issues as gun control, there cannot be any possibility of reading studies in different ways, there is Gharlane's way, which is the Truth Eternal, and those who are deliberately stupid or willfully misinformed. There is a phrase in the bible, Gharlane: go and pluck the log out of your own eye before you try and remove the splinter from someone else's. You repeatedly use sloppy grammar, misuse the English language, and turn its complexities on its head in order to support your political positions...then have the audacity to correct the grammar and spelling of others. I don't do this to you, even though your messages provide boundless opportunities for this. Because I try to err in the direction of politeness. So may I suggest that, with your studies in grammar, spelling and syntax, you consult a book of manners and expand your horizon in that area as well. And since you take umbrage whenever someone objects to your advising them on grammar and other niceties, I'm confident that you will not in any way argue with or be upset by this reply to you, since that would be a direct contradiction to your own stance on being corrected. jms Date: 12 Aug 1996 16:09:40 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: 5000 down, how many to go? No, then I wasn't clear...there were 1,000 waiting to be mailed that week, there have already been piles and piles sent out over the last few weeks, as can be confirmed by many here. jms Date: 12 Aug 1996 16:09:55 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Non-spoiler sequel question There's a story for the sequel, an arc it'd follow, but it wouldn't be as intense an arc as with B5...more stand-alone in nature. A bit more fun in some ways. jms Date: 12 Aug 1996 23:41:39 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Embarrassing Fan Club item We did check the card before it went to the printer; expiration was spelled correctly. When they came back, due to the need to get things out fast, they weren't rechecked...and some got out. We had them redo the print run, but some had gotten out by then. jms Date: 13 Aug 1996 04:02:52 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: B5 Model Kits No, those model kits are 100% unlicensed. However, I've been told just this week that WB has finalized a contract for a model license...I'll post the info when it's permitted for me to release it. jms Date: 13 Aug 1996 04:03:53 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Thanks, & questions on Foundation & MST I've no idea what Foundation is up to outside B5. As for MST3K...yeah, I'd heard Trace was leaving. Vastly unfortunate. They've bounced back from losing Joel (and, in some ways, I feel it's a definite improvement), from the first assistant Mad Scientist (ditto squared), sorta came back from losing TV's Frank (though Forrester's mom just doesnt do it for me, and the show still lacks something without Frank)...but to get by without Dr. Forrester...AND Crow...or at least Crow's voice and attitude...I dunno. That's gonna be a tough one. I met Trace briefly in San Diego, and spoke with him on the phone a couple of times over the last year or two. I love MST3K, and my assistant at the time, prior to Joanne, got the full cast to sign a photo for me, which is now the ONLY non-B5 item framed on my office wall at the B5 stage. (In return, we sent them a batch of B5 caps.) So we'll see what happens, they're a good bunch and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt...but this one's gonna be real tough. jms Date: 13 Aug 1996 04:27:36 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:parrots:(was:Advice for other online producers?) "And the funniest part of all is, JMS actively supports the party and the individual politicians who brought you the "Communications Decency Act," which would, if it hadn't been hamstrung by a court which had actually read the Constitution, have resulted in eventual restraint of such modes of expression......" That's right, Gharlane. I supported the individuals now residing in the White House, and still do...because I'm not a one-issue person. Is the CDA a stupid, invidious, badly written, paranoid, neanderthal, repressive bill? Absolutely. And I supported the people who were actively against it, as I was actively against it. I don't have this notion that I must agree 100% with a politician, or have that politican hew to every single belief which I hold, in order to support him or her. There can be respectful (or loud) disagreements on principle on individual points. The issue is: *on balance*, which side do I tend to support? Both parties are flawed. Candidates on both sides have eccentricities, failings, misfired notions. But on balance...you've got Bob Dole, who doesn't have any notion on the leadership of this country except the vague idea that he's *earned* his shot, and he's going to have it. It's not about providing a new vision, it's just about being the one wearing the pointy hat. He wants the ultimate promotion. Kemp I find interesting, but saddled with Dole this is a non-starter. And from where I sit the Republican party has capitulated to the Religious Right on every issue of substance...people who've said they want to designate this a Christian nation, drag creationism into the schools (saying they want balance, but I don't see anybody offering to let folks teach Darwin from the church pulpit on Saturday nights), who've whipped up so much hatred against physicians and classes that murdering doctors is simply an unfortunate consequence.... Are there flaws to the Democratic side? Absolutely. An inability to come to grips with social programs long in need of serious reform, a soft-hearted and sometimes soft-headed approach to social organization, de-emphasis on infrastructure in deference to social programming, too much concern about words and not enough concern about actions, grass-roots disorganization.... You say you're a fan of this show. Well, consider this: that if the government envisioned by Phyllis Schlafly and Pat Buchanan and Robert Dole and Bob Dornan and Alfonse D'Amato (possible spelling error there) ever took serious hold in this nation, Babylon 5 -- with its sometimes subversive nature, its open and frank discussions on religion, death, sexuality, violence, the conflict between belief and medicine -- would be the first program chucked out the door. It was under the Reagan years that the Captain Power series -- for all its flaws, some episodes very good, some less so -- got shot out from under the producers because of the then-fashionable assault on violent TV by pressure groups (many of them on the far right), so don't tell me it can't happen...I was the one on the opposite side of the conference table when religious-right "consultants" on Satanism advised the network on another show where I was working on what they had to do to avoid sending unintentional Satanic messages, which meant leaving out references to fictional books like the Necronomicon, being unable to use the name Lovecraft, and being told that the signs of a kid succumbing to Satanism are "he's curious...he's sometimes depressed...he tries to reject authority...and he's susceptiple to peer pressure." No, I'm NOT making that up, that's verbatim. And these are the same groups bending the Republican party to their own whims. I've seen their work up-close and personal, and I tell you frankly, that if they got in charge, this show would be deep-sixed so fast it'd make your head spin. The present administration may be muffin-headed at times, may have its personal pecadillos and quirks...but compared to the mean, venal, anti-intellectual, anti-artist opposition, the opposition of Jesse Helms and Pat Buchanan...I'll take it, and be glad of it, and when something as inherently dopey and destructive as the CDA gets passed, be absolutely open in complaining about it. And thank you for dragging my personal politics back into this...and throwing it in my face. Anything else you'd like to drag up? jms Date: 13 Aug 1996 16:06:09 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:parrots:(was:Advice for other online producers?) "I find your logic slipping a bit. First off to compare what is wanted in the teachings of the _public_ schools against what is done in the _private_ church is flawed. What is done with government money is well within the right of the people to voice their opinion on." Except, of course, that the churches have *tax exempt* status, on the theory that they are separate and apart from the State...yet have been mingling more and more in politics. I'm absolutely deleriously happy if they want to get into politics, but then drop the tax exempt status. So given that the church is getting a free ride with our government money, as you say above, it's well within the right of the people to voice their opinion on (dangling participle notwithstanding). Basically...make up your mind. Do you want to be involved with partisan politics? Do you want to be a part of the State, as many folks now want to make this a Christian nation? Then start carrying your fair share of the tax burden. It's not fair to say, "we deserve to interfere with government," then when the tax man comes around say, "we deserve to be separate from the government." Choose one. "While it is very tragic that "doctors" have been killed over this issue, what I know as fact makes me understand it a bit." That you have put "doctors" in quotes, and indicated you can understand the wanton murder of civilians, tells me you have just struck your colors. So if you knew a baby was going to grow up to be a doctor, who provided abortion services, would it be okay to abort *that* baby, or just wait until they're older and kill 'em then? May as well be efficient, save college loan money and the like, yes? And while I see anti-abortion groups lobbying for that aspect, I don't see many of them offering to adopt crack babies, or babies that are the result of incest or rape, or funding social services for all the infants that will be born if they get their way. Pass every law you can think of to make sure they're born, protect those rights... then toss 'em aside after their born. Sure, that makes sense. Why didn't I see it before? "Are the "..." sequences a pause or are you leaving out text? For example ,was the quote "he's curious about death, he's sometimes depressed to the point of talking about suicide, he tries to reject authority by openly experimenting with drugs....". All of these would be bad signs." No, I said I'm quoting verbatim...verbatim means as said, unedited. They didn't say that a bad sign was that he's curious about death, just that he's *curious*, that he's sometimes depressed, and that he listens to heavy metal music (I forgot that one), and that he rejects authority. Broad-based statements. The religious right uses fear tactics on a daily basis to get what it wants. To describe what they've actually done isn't fear tactics, it's strictly reporting what happened. If you find it scary...well, so do I. jms Date: 14 Aug 1996 00:08:50 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: New B5 Web Presence Just checked it out. Nicely done.... jms Date: 14 Aug 1996 00:12:55 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Walkabout cast list? Then the Radio Times is in error. It happens. jms Date: 14 Aug 1996 00:20:12 -0400 Subject: Re: www.thestation.com is up, but... Actually, just to clarify all this...the site is up, but not officially all together yet; we're still waiting for approval from WB before putting some stuff online, and making the full area list available. Right now it's basically just a shell, which we'll put things into as we go. But we haven't announced the site being up yet because it's still more or less in beta stage. jms Date: 14 Aug 1996 04:02:39 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:parrots:(was:Advice for other online producers?) "If you were actively against (the CDA), why weren't you using your public position to anathematize the California senator who was a major initial proponent of the CDA? Why didn't you spearhead a movement for her recall?" Real simple. I'm very much aware that the nature of my work gives me a platform, a soapbox...and I tend to look to that famous Greek philosopher, Peterus Parkerus, who opined, "With great power comes great responsibility." That platform is accorded me by people who have come to trust that I have no personal agenda underlying my storytelling, that I'm slogging my way through to try and find out what the hell the right thing to do is, and to do it. That trust is hard-won and not lightly to be exploited. When and if I should use that soapbox, it has to be something bigger than the CDA, bigger than something that might be self-serving...rather than using up that resource on one cause or another that's best dealt with in other ways. Otherwise, why just that one cause, and not the many others I feel strongly about? Should I be here with twice-weekly sermonettes about violence against women, the need for improvements in schools, and a hundred other issues? This ain't the Let's Hear JMS's Latest Political Rant Forum (though sometimes it does tend to become the Gharlane's Latest Political Rant Forum, but that's another topic for another time). I tend to get into these things (and always with subsequent regret) only when poked or prodded or otherwise poked in the eye. There's only one thing I'm currently considering using this limited platform to address, something that should get support from every side of the spectrum, and would be a worthy legacy of this show, apart from the storytelling and the series itself. But I'm still pulling my thoughts together on this, because if I get into it, it's going to take a lot of work. So we'll see. As for the rest of your message...it's more of the usual liberal-baiting Gharrolousness that reduces everything and everyone involved down to the most basic stereotypes and eliminates discussion by replacing it with scarecrow logic, demonizing, and rhetorical dead-catting...so really, what's the point? jms Date: 15 Aug 1996 02:45:12 -0400 Subject: Re: Attn JMS: 'different' viewpoint.... I've actually seen it; saw it a while ago, while surfing the B5 sites. I like the approach you've taken...it's twisted. I like that. jms Date: 15 Aug 1996 02:46:37 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN:JMS: An oddly... topical song? Thanks, and thanks for forwarding on those lyrics; they're terrific, and I enjoyed them. jms Date: 15 Aug 1996 02:48:25 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS: Greetings, Thanks & Season 4 in UK Thanks. Haven't yet heard about the UK airdates for year four, but as soon as I hear, I'll note them here. jms Date: 15 Aug 1996 02:48:50 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS : Are there enough fingers pointing? Hmmm...I think you've got most of the fingers, but not all of them.... jms Date: 15 Aug 1996 02:51:16 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Post B5 post "When all has been revealed at the end of year five, have you considered releasing a guide to these modifications and what effect they had on getting to the overall conclusion? If nothing else, those of us playing the guessing game would be interested to see where we have been given additional side-tracks or simplifications." Nope. No more than a magician hands out a manual after a performance showing how that darned rabbit got into that tiny hat. jms Date: 16 Aug 1996 06:38:27 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Thanks Thanks...it's always a hoot. jms Date: 16 Aug 1996 14:33:21 -0400 Subject: Re: Attn:JMS -Thank You Thanks. That's why, as a fan myself, it's important to get this show right. jms Date: 17 Aug 1996 20:05:06 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTM JMS: Thanks and one small question No, while Sheridan is a descendant of Phil Sheridan, Garibaldi is no direct relation to the famed Italian war hero. jms From Date: 18 Aug 1996 02:27:10 -0400 Subject: Re: A Civilian in Babylon No other civilian viewings at the office are planned; this was a one-off. It was brought to my attention that in my original response to Wendy, which was made lightly and in jest, I'd committed a UM, an Unintended Meanness, and it was important to me to fix that. This was done. jms Date: 18 Aug 1996 23:47:22 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS- Do *YOU* Agree With What The Shadows Want? "I don't know If this has been asked before, but I would like to know if you are part of the 1/3 who will agree with the Shadows intentions?" It's...not that easy. Can I make a pretty good argument for some elements of what they're about? Yes. (And did, in the ep.) It's a matter of extremes...their notion is fine, taken in small doses...in larger doses, no. jms Date: 18 Aug 1996 23:39:42 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Who's the Oldest??? "So who is older, the Shadows or the Walkers???" The shadows, but just by a smidge. jms Date: 19 Aug 1996 04:51:15 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Who *WAS* the Oldest??? "So, if that is the case, were there ever species older than the shadows? " Well...at least one.... jms Date: 19 Aug 1996 17:30:40 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS also available on rastb5m "Due to time constraints, I don't subscribe as a reader to the newsgroup directly, but pick up Brent Barrett's listserver "b5jms". There is a faint possibility that each of my questions was somehow answered by another fan with great detail..." It's possible. If it's an informational request, and someone gets to it first and answers accurately, there's not much point to my stating the same thing twice, when there are 500 more messages waiting. "...but I have seen very "trivial" mesages, just natter and fun that you have answered, yet some questions which ONLY you could have answered went completely unnoticed." Some, yes; many, however, *do* get answered. Sometimes I choose to "not see" a question if it's something that, if I answer it, will give something away, or if I don't have a good answer, or I just don't know, or if I get caught up and I'm just unable time-wise to reply. I'd point out to you and another poster who said that a reply from me on a given issue was "required" that I'm not on salary or retainer here; there is no obligation in my part to answer ANY questions. I do as much as I can keep up with, and there's a lot TO keep up with. I'm dancing as fast as I can. But telling me that an answer is required, or busting my chops because you're not satisfied that I haven't answered every single question put to me isn't going to help. "According to test postings I've made, other people appear to get the messages on the group, so I ask with all sincerity, do you "skip over" messages on rastb5m, or is there some "personal" affront that is associated with my name?" Given that I don't have any idea who you are, and have no memory of your name, it seems unlikely that there is any affront. I haven't noticed you before now. "Given your tendency to shred offensive people and not just ignore them, I tend to think that somehow you don't see my messages." It's altogether possible. "Would you be kind enough to let me know if my "idle commentary" and "dumb questions" are being read by you?" Why? First, you'll note that you're calling them dumb and idle, not me, so don't attribute that to me. Second, should I sit here and do this for every user on this system? Or just you? For every message posted, should I say, "Hello, User, I just saw this message, hello..." "I don't necessarily need an ego scratch every time I post - the benefits of your "being busy" are wonderful, so I don't mind if you don't have the time to respond to everything - but some indication that you are at least *seeing* what I post would be nice. Thanks." See above. "As an example, I am extrememly concerned that the final episodes of season three may not air in Canada because of the switch in broadcasters. Could you please officially confirm whether a special arrangement has been made to have the new station(s) air the eps at the same time as the rest of the world gets them? I have e-mailed the station, but have received no response. I've seen the speculation on various web pages, but would like an official word from you." I don't have one. I don't know what the situation is in that regard. If that was youre question, and I didn't have any information, I likely would've passed it by until I did have accurate information...assuming I saw it all, and I don't recall doing so. There's a tendency some can fall into of thinking they're the only ones on the net, and thinking, "well, he can respond to me, or do this one thing for me, it's not like everyone else is doing it," when in fact lots of other people have exactly the same outlook. I've asked, repeatedly, that people not send private email with story questions best put in public forums...but every day I have 30 or more of them, each thinking, "well, it's just me." I answer as many questions as I can out of the 500+ that float in front of my eyes every day. If there's not a reply, don't assume I'm "affronted," I don't take affront out of the ether or arbitrarily. And when there IS affront, the person involved knows about it pretty fast. There's a certain wisdom here about "the perceived center of the universe," but it's too obvious.... Thanks again. jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 15:22:17 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Intertwining "A" and "B" stories I answered this one in considerable detail earlier; I'd hate to be redundent. jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 15:31:57 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS *and* everyone else!: Thanks Thank *you*...the pleasure is entirely mine. Re: information dense, that's about right. I believe in writing fairly lean; if it doesn't belong there, it shouldn't be there. Thanks for noticing. jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 16:00:19 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Misdirection, or Misdirection? (Walkabout spoilers) No, those are two different scenes; the first one takes place in Kosh's quarters, the second one out in the hallway. Perhaps that could've been made clearer.... jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 16:00:16 -0400 Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Writing "Just out of curiosity--which is harder for you, writing an episode (not counting the physical aspect) or letting someone else do it?" Yes. jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 16:00:22 -0400 Subject: Re: Lyta - P5 or P10? Lyta has been certified as a P5 by the Psi Corps. jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 16:00:20 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Is this a Licensed Product? Yes, it's licensed, back from the pilot, which exlains why there are Vorlon ships coming at the station. jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 15:21:08 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Favor to Moderators? "Considering the service that the moderators provide to us, would it bepossible to provide themwith tapes of the final 5?" WB will not allow us to make tapes available to ANYone, for any reason. jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 23:08:16 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS (Dream Sequence) The entire dream sequence will be laid out and explained by 3rd season's end. (Can you tell it's going to be a busy final five...?) jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 23:08:15 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS: an old, unaswered question Why telepaths began to appear among humans...is something you'll find out by this (3rd) season's end. jms From Date: 20 Aug 1996 23:12:03 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Walkabout (SPOILERS) don't look It was the same effect you would get in a massive energy burst that "paints" shadows on the wall, which only he could see. And no, there's nothing dangerous at all about a fleet coming out of hyperspace or a jump point together. The look of the new Vorlon was developed by John Vulich of Optic Nerve based on my suggestions. I got in after a bit and redesigned/sketched the headpiece a bit, and recommended the colors used. We're actually doing a bit of fine-tuning on the new Vorlon prior to next season. jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 23:13:56 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS - About Walkabout You've been watching Empire too much, yes.... jms Date: 21 Aug 1996 00:02:55 -0400 Subject: Re: Mr. JMS: 4th season intro & title Yes, I've decided on who will give the narration, and what it will say, and the overall title of the season...but why just blow that out now and lose the impact of actually *doing* it? jms Date: 20 Aug 1996 23:06:34 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS Walkabout (Spoiler) Because Bester is on Earth or Mars, can't just drop everything and come when beckoned, and it would take 3 days to get there, and they were in kind of a hurry to test this. Besides, P10s are very few and far between; they're more likely to have lower levels as their main weapons, so best to see what impact those will have. jms Date: 21 Aug 1996 16:14:28 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Blow by Blow spoilers.. I gave my reasons in a second post on CIS, and would rather have that go through than repeat it all again at length. In brief, I just think that in that much detail, it removes any and all chance of surprise, of seeing how something happens. And the episode is held hostage to how well the person presents the synopsis. For instance, you could say, "in this episode, Kosh dies." Okay, that's a spoiler, and that's fine...the person can know what to expect, but still not know *exactly* when it's going to happen, and still enjoy it when it does. Similarly, if someone does a beat-by-beat and describes something very flatly, or poorly, it can prejudice the viewer against the episode before it even airs. I can't tell you the amount of email I've received from people who say, "I read this detailed synopsis of X on my listserve, and from the way it was described it sounded really dopey, but it was great!" Bottom line...I didn't ask people not to post them, can't enforce it if I wanted to, I was just kind of aghast. Obviously people are gonna do whatever they wanna do, that's a given. It just sorta brought me up short a bit, that's all. Especially knowing how often this can get in the way of enjoying the episode, even for those folks who want to be spoiled. jms Date: 21 Aug 1996 22:59:25 -0400 Subject: Re: Att JMS: Writers' Boot Camp? Disclaimer: I know nothing about this program except what I've heard casually around town, so take everything that follows with a grain of salt. Anyone who tells you that, by following a formula, you will turn out a saleable script in 6 weeks is almost always lying. If the program here is mainly just in discipline, and that's something you need to apply butt to chair and fingers to keyboard, then that's a different issue. So beyond that, I can't give you an informed recommendation either way. jms Date: 22 Aug 1996 03:35:16 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Religion, Creativity, etc. "I just saw "Passing through Gethsemane" again, and felt compelled to write, for the first time. I understand you're not religious, but I just wanted to take the time out to thank you for your respectful treatment of the issue in that episode." Thanks...but it really isn't a big thing, it's just being honest as a writer. And if it's helped urge on your own creative works, as you say, then all the better. jms Date: 22 Aug 1996 03:37:07 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS or JPL: Who edits the editor? Comments should go to Jim. I only had a chance to review the newsletter after it'd been laid out, and caught some errors, not others. I've also asked Harlan to help with the newsletter, subsequent to the first issue, so that should add to it a bit. jms Date: 22 Aug 1996 03:42:04 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:Questions about Z'Ha'Dum and some background mythology... "1) Why has Z'Ha'Dum not been destroyed by the Vorlons et al in one of the previous wars to prevent the Shadows return?" Funny, that...you'd think maybe there was something of interest there. "2) If the planet has been there for so long, would not the star that it orbits have died quite some time ago, given that the Shadows are so old?" I don't think so. Stars live an awfully long time. "3) Was Kosh inspired by the Russian myth of "Koshchei the Deathless"?" Nope. "4) Is the Minbari caste system inspired by the Zoroastrian belief that was prevalent in ancient Babylon? They too divided themselves into 3 castes, warrior, religious and worker." I kinda knew about this in the back of my head, so it may have been subconscious, but if the question is did I consciously do this, no, I ain't that smart. jms Date: 26 Aug 1996 05:51:14 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS ... World Con Autograph I haven't heard about a Saturday session, but we'll see what happens when we get there. I think they've *way* underestimated the interest there... jms Date: 23 Aug 1996 14:28:17 -0400 Subject: Re: Who writes Marcus. I wrote that particular line; knowing the longstanding British/French "feud," for lack of a better term, it seemed appropriate. jms Date: 23 Aug 1996 19:59:01 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: 5th season? "...the rumor I heard is more specific and goes on to say that a critical character won't be around for a fifth year." This is another nonsense rumor. Not a single cast member has stated this to us. jms Date: 24 Aug 1996 18:00:06 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Actors' Preparation "I was just wondering how the actors get themselves back in character after several months off, especially since there is supposed to be something of a cliffhanger from the end of Season Three. Will the whole cast get to sit down and watch the Final Five, or At least the Final One in order to help get them mentally back into the B5 Universe quickly? Have any of them seen the episodes, yet? I'd love to hear their reactions!" Usually they just pick up the script...and get right back into it. They've got the characters down now, so there's not a lot needed to get back into it. Some of them run lines with each other, like Stephen and Peter, since that relationship is something very special, but mostly they just learn the lines and come in. Some of them want to see the final episodes, but some don't. The only one to see most of the last two episodes thus far is Bruce, who was just totally knocked out by them. Peter has said that whenever he needs to get back into character, he just straightens and says, "MISter GARiBALdi," and he's right back into it. jms Date: 24 Aug 1996 18:05:10 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: About Quakers Yeah, I know, I know, it was late and I screwed this up...I realized it ten minutes after posting the message (and noted such in my next reply). mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.... jms Date: 24 Aug 1996 22:34:29 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Novels vs. TV -- How difficult? "As one who has successfully accomplished both, which do you consider the most difficult: Getting a first novel published, or getting a first TV series on the air? I'm not speaking in terms of the amount of work involved, rather I mean the difficulty in overcoming the odds against you in each respective field." This is a no-brainer. The TV series is the hardest. To write and sell a novel, you need just write the novel; once it's out there, you don't have to have written 15 prior successful novels to get it sold. The book is judged on its quality and marketability, and if it's good, somebody buys it. My first novel, DEMON NIGHT, sat in a closet for, oh, about 2 years (having written it just for myself) until my agent got wind of it, sent it off to a NY affiliate, who sent it to an editor/publisher, who bought it on sight. This was when I didn't really have much of a name in TV (which actually works against you in literary circles), so that wasn't a factor. Now, obviously, that's an extremely fortuntate and atypical series of events, but still indicative in this sense.... People come to me and say they want to sell a TV series. I try and tell them it's impossible if you don't have a credit list an arm long. Not difficult, we're not talking here degrees of difficulty or "overwhelming odds," there ARE no odss. It's simply impossible. Can't be done. Hasn't been done. Ideas are a dime a dozen. What a network wants is someone who's shown he or she can run a series, write for TV, and produce for TV. (Or film for those who've crossed over.) If a network is going to spend upwards of $22 million for a series in one year, not even COUNTING what's spent on advertising, marketing, publicity, overhead and the like, they need to have a certain comfort factor, they need to know that the person knows what s/he's doing, and is an experienced writer/producer or, preferably, a full-blown show runner. You don't have to have that for novels. The odds of selling a first novel are, from what I heard somewhere once, about 1 in 6,000. The odds of selling a first TV series if you don't have credits are 0. If you *do* have credits, the odds are still massively stacked against you. Every season, the networks put maybe 10-15 shows each into development. That refers to as little as a single pilot script order, or as much as multiple scripts, a produced pilot, or pilot plus X-number of episodes. Of those 10-15, maybe 4 or 5 will ever see the light of day. The rest simply vanish. So that's about 50 possible series per year (and that's a very generous figure). There are around 6,000 members of the Writers Guild. Most writer/producers go through several development deals before ever getting anything on the air. And B5 wasn't my first in that sense. I developed series for CBS, ABC, syndication groups, re-developed the V series for Warner Bros., and others. It's a very, very long progression to this particular chair. jms Date: 25 Aug 1996 06:16:11 -0400 Subject: Re: Who writes Marcus. "The writers on Voyager could do it in their sleep." They could. But they never do. Therein rests the difference. jms Date: 25 Aug 1996 06:25:36 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Novels vs. TV -- How difficult? > It's a very, very long progression to this particular chair.- jms "Well, I'm glad you're in it, that it fits you so well, and that you're as comfortable in it as you are." Well, yeah, mostly, until every second Thursday when they hook it up to the wall socket.... jms Date: 25 Aug 1996 18:48:34 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Novels vs. TV -- How difficult? "If this is the case (which I know it is), how come there is so much out there that is, in a simple word, terrible? I mean, if some of these shows are the ones that DO get through all this, I shudder to think about the ones that don't." Because so much of TV is formulaic, and because the networks often get into the process too much, knocking off all the corners and edges that make a concept interesting. I think that's starting to change, but we'll see how far it goes. "Also, does this set-up mean that established writer/producers can easily get something through that never would otherwise (Steven Bochco and "Cop Rock" comes to mind...)" Yes. The networks often make long-term deals with major producers and set aside stuff sight unseen. The 10:00 timeslot is basically "owned" by a very small group of producers, with the rest of the prime-time hours a bit more up for grabs. "On a completely different note, you've written some plays-- how much of a Producer role did you take on some of those, and how much did you enjoy that aspect of it-- how does theatre compare to TV?" I had zip involvement as producer, and wouldn't have been qualified to do so. I enjoyed it immensely, and plan to get back into theater one of these days. jms Date: 25 Aug 1996 21:05:09 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS Do Any B5 Actors Read Newsgroups? I don't actually know...I do know that Peter, Stephen and Jason are on AOL, which would theoretically give them access to the net, but whether or not they come into the usenet groups to read, I dunno. jms Date: 26 Aug 1996 00:26:32 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Writters Question? "1. How do you go about finding relatively obscure records for researching a story? I have tried every resource I know of short of packing up and traveling a 500+ miles to the city in question just to go to the library. And is there a newspaper archive you know of that has all of the newspapers online? " I don't know the online databases well enough to comment here; when I did this sort of thing, I generally just went down to City Hall Records and started there, and the local newpaper morgue. "2. As someone who has written both science fiction and horror, do you think one is easier than the other to work in." Horror, only nominallyl, because you don't have to be quite as rigorous about the science (though the supernatural aspect must be consistent), and because it's an easier thing for me...I like scaring people. jms Date: 26 Aug 1996 22:16:17 -0400 Subject: Re: Attn JMS:Can't ask him, so i'll ask you+Ed Wasser. In general, I connect to Usenet via my AOL account, regular 28.8 modem for that. I have a couple of web accounts, one on Earthlink (soon to go away) one on IBM net, using Netscape 2.0 for most stuff, FreeAgent for the rest. Now, I'd *bought* a Motorola ISDN modem, but even though I've configured it right, had the lines put in, it's greenlighted...can't seem to connect to anydamnthing, and I don't have the ISDN numbers for IBM net (and getting this info, despite some help from a few folks over there, is like pulling teeth)...I'm wired to the gills, but the triple-damned thing ain't happening. Some days I just despair.... jms Date: 27 Aug 1996 16:47:50 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: work, if any, after Star Trek "It seems to me that William Shatner got a lot more work than the rest. Is there a reason for this that you know of? Would it help the eventually-to-be-ex-members of the B5 cast?" Not for some time, and not consistently. That he was the lead helped, but the actors from that period had a real problem which, fortunately, has been mitigated a bit in the last 10 years or so. Working in SF isn't as much a liability anymore, so it shouldn't be a big factor for current B5/ST actors. jms Date: 27 Aug 1996 17:09:38 -0400 Subject: Re: Att JMS: Your pending mainstream success... "After season three's writing marathon, do you consider yourself a science fiction writer, at least to the extent that you won't be annoyed when our soundbyte media feels the need to pigeon-hole you into a single category?" I don't tend to put myself into any one category, but generally don't get bugged when I'm referred to one way or another. After my first couple of horror novels, and a nomination for a Bram Stoker Award, and the Nightmare Classics gig for Showtime, I was called a horror writer...I did The Real Ghostbusters and they said I was a comedy writer...I went to conventions while I was a writer/producer on Murder She Wrote and one person with whom I shared a panel asked what somebody who just wrote TeeVee mysteries was at an SF convention and why anyone should listen...and now people call me an SF writer. It doesn't bother me. It's actually kind of funny on one level, that people feel they have to somehow pigenhole you by whatever you've done last. But beyond that, as an SF fan, with a great respect for the genre, if somebody calls me an SF writer, I don't mind. "I think TNT will really establish this series in the mainstream culture and wonder if you've ever had to fight the public's perception of you." I think the mainstream public was for the most part unaware of me. Still is, I think. And that's okay too. It's about telling a story, not getting a certain kind of approbation. "Do you think you'll be able to resist the gravitational pull of "science-fiction" fame? Before your writing has been pretty much all over the place and not giving anyone the opportunity to ensconce your name into a genre. Do you see yourself writing science fiction for a long time or being a guest at science fiction conventions every once in a while for the rest of your life? Or will you purposely zig-zag away in another direction?" I'll probably just keep doing what I'm doing. I've been playing around with a notion for a series that could do something quite revolultionary for mainstream TV, and that'll get me described as a manstream/intrigue writer...if it goes anywhere. If not, I'll just keep going from genre to genre as the stories grab me. That's the only real criterion I can apply. I follow the story that interests me. If that happens to be a horror novel, it's a horror novel; if it's an SF story, it's SF. I go where the story takes me. jms Date: 27 Aug 1996 17:09:55 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: At what point? Most of that will be covered in year four. Especially the Earth situation. jms Date: 27 Aug 1996 17:10:34 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Hour 25 (Aug. 23, 1996) That's great. Hour 25 can be a good venue into the SF community out here; it certainly eased my transition when I came to LA. jms Date: 28 Aug 1996 19:16:15 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: ratings confusion No confusion, just different terms. Stations that tend to support the show tend to do great ratings; San Francisco, Portland, Washington DC, others...the show does gangbusters. In places where the show is not well supported, or it has a crummy timeslot, then the ratings are not as good. When your station refers to low ratings, they're referring to their specific area, for starters, which often hits the problem noted above. Stations have zip interest in the national ratings, since they only sell their local spots based on their ratings *there*. Nationally we do quite well. The national advertisers are all very solid, and the cost per minute is high enough for WB to make a tidy profit. But that doesn't help a local station where it's not getting support, or otherwise not doing what they need it to do for them. In many cases, we've found that a station may have taken a show not because they actually wanted the show, but because they didn't want anybody *else* to get it initially, to prevent that threat. Or because they were part of a station group that bought it as a package. And thus it doesn't get supported. Invariably, when a station in this category drops the show, it *helps* us because another station almost always picks it up, and just as invariably does *better* with it than the first one. jms Date: 29 Aug 1996 01:34:10 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Influences Without belaboring the point, as Yevgeny noted, yes, Serling was a huge influence on me, as a writer, and in my writing, slightly different things. I find it's useful, whenever I find myself getting too comfortable, thinking I've got it sussed, to sit down and watch anything he wrote...it humbles you *real* fast, and makes one realize that one isn't qualified to even carry his pencil case. If there were a pantheon of influences, I'd put Rod Serling, Harlan Ellison, Norman Corwin, Ray Bradbury and HP Lovecraft at the very top of the pile. jms Date: 29 Aug 1996 02:17:28 -0400 Subject: Re: I ask why... "In other words, it's cheesy makeup." Once again, the remarkably inept Theron Fuller demonstrates that he doesn't have a clue about what he's talking about. But he does that so often now, that one hardly even notices anymore. "Cheesy" has specific connotations. Words mean what they mean. It refers to how it's used, how much is paid for it, how slipshod it is, and how cheap it is. Mira's makeup is overall the most complex of all the characters. It is also the most expensive after G'Kar. It also takes longer than just about anyone else on the show. Bill is out in about 90 minutes, sometimes less. Andreas can get out in just under 2 hours. With Mira's makeup, it's extremely subtle, very thin to get out the emotions that come through the movements of the skin, and takes as much as 2 and a half hours to apply properly. The bone piece is especially difficult and expensive, as it has to contain elements that work into the hair, which also has hair delicately woven into the edges, and has to fasten at the temples without any noticeable movement. "The justification for this is that Joe Straczysnki Himself once explained that Delenn's "bone arrangement" was done for the convenience of the makeup artist and the actor." No, I never said that. You're making this up, as you make up half the information you post and state as fact. Your grasp of reality, always tenuous, seems to be getting worse after you targeted some poor innocent person as being the alleged Il Porco, possibly doing his business damage and attacking his character in a public forum based on *zero* proof, and being, in fact, totally wrong. But you never let the facts get in the way of your statements, as here...I never made the statement you attribute to me. Never happened. You are, as always, lying. If it were done for convenience, we'd've stayed with the overall bald cap Delenn had in the first season, which took *less* time than what she has now, and was overall less expensive. The change itself was done for story reasons, as she became more human. We needed to see the hair. There were two ways of doing this, one to have the hair come down through the bone, the other to attach hair to the back of the piece and use a wig, which seemed silly. (Though, again, some hair is woven into the bone piece to smooth the lines.) "Like the non-rotaing star field in the C&C shots, it's an example of where the low budget of the series pokes through in a particularly jarring manner." No, it's not that we're or it's low budget. The problem is a mathematical one. C&C rotates *below* the center of the station, the core of the rotation. So the rotation wouldn't be at the center of the window, but rather above it, so you'd have a movement from side to side that's far more pronounced. To pull off this in a practical effect, you'd have to build a *round* starfield about 30 feet high, which is bigger than just about any TV soundstage around, and would have to rotate without making noise at that size (almost impossible). To do blue-screen compositing of starfields for the length of scenes we play in C&C is outside the limts of ANY TV series, including ST, which invariably uses a star curtain for window scenes of the same size as the B5 C&C, or sparingly uses bluescreen for smaller windows seen less frequently. You continue in your practice of lying, misquoting, and making up stuff to cause friction or slam the show or myself. You attack people who don't even know who you are and smear their names on the net for being someone they're not and never even heard of. You're a sick, pathetic, twisted, vicious individual, Theron. Sop why not take your bile and your lies and your delusional bullshit somewhere else. jms