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From: BOTTKE@LPL.ARIZONA.EDU (B
To: ALL
Subject: JMS compiled messages (1/
Datum: 04-13-95
Area: rec.arts.sf.t
0R 34 04/13 16:26 Internet ->2
0Usenet Message_ID: <3mjlfb$cpk@news.ccit.arizona.edu>
0QWKFrom:bottke@lpl.arizona.edu (Bill Bottke )
Hello,
Not too long ago, I was your typical B5 fan reading the net (i.e. checking
out the WWW sites, reading the messages from jms to gain insights on
past and future shows, etc.). Then, I got my girlfriend interested in
watching the show. Since she does not have access to the internet, I began
compiling a file containing many of the more interesting things that I had
found on the B5 internet sources. It was easy to do with my workstation and
it was a good way to blow off steam while I finished up my dissertation.
Now, since the internet provides free access to everyone, I thought I would
post these files so that others could enjoy them. Most regular lurkers will
find the following messages redundant, but they may be useful to others who
have less time to surf the internet. To any event, I hope you enjoy these
files.
Cheers.
- Bill
Bill Bottke | Tel: (520) 621-1594
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory | Fax: (520) 621-4933
University of Arizona | E-mail: bottke@lpl.arizona.edu
Tucson, AZ 85721
"The two most common things in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity."
- Harlon Ellison
=============================================================================
Robert Lynn Rhodes: in return for your good post, here's a gift:
while we won't see Zathras this season, we will HEAR his name, but not
from anyone who was on B4. He's around, but he's not *here*.
jms
Just to clarify...I *think* what I said was that you couldn't GET
Kosh on a mug, not that you couldn't FIT Kosh on a mug....
jms
Every episode is cut to varying degrees; I think there's been
maybe one out of 42 shot to date that's come out exactly right, without
anything having to be cut. (You always err a little on this side
because the last thing you want is to come out SHORT, which is a major
pain in the butt, and by the time this is known it's often too late to
shoot stuff within the timeframe of that episode.) Generally, you WANT
an episode to be about 2-4 minutes over, so you can trim and tighten.
Generally speaking, our episodes come in 5-8 minutes over *in the
director's cut*. One or two have gone as far as 10 minutes over in that
cut. And what's discovered is almost always that there's a lot of air,
long lingering shots that slow down the pace...my feeling is that 1) it's
better to have more story than time than more time than story, and 2)
all our episodes should be edited at a dead run, so tight they scream.
Consequently, while episodes may start out long, and often missing
scenes deleted by the director, once John Copeland and I go back in and
start tightening the screws, we almost always get all those scenes BACK
again, and then I line-cut here and there within scenes. So with very
few exceptions, there aren't very many scenes that would've added
anything that are missing, even from "Revelations." I think that that
was one of our longer ones, and we dropped bits here and there, but
in the long run nothing much really of consequence.
jms
Matt, I have never considered that your motives have ever been other
than the well being of Babylon 5.
In that respect, we are alike.
One thing to remember is that B5 has developed a very hard-won
reputation for square dealing, and for taking care of those viewers who
have chosen to support us. This comes from the executive producer's
office. On anything that uses the B5 name, or which is connected to
B5, we take great pains to make sure everything's on the up and up, that
when merchandise goes out, or deals are made, it is done straight-up,
done properly, and the quality is assured. Anytime anyone buys anything
or supports anything involving B5, they have to *know* that it went through
my hands, that it's been checked out, vetted, and approved not by aides
but by the people who make the show. Sometimes that's a pain in the ass,
but it's the only way of protecting the fans in the long run, and the only
way I know how to make this show.
jms
SFRT2 Category 18, Topic 26 Message 311 Sun Mar 26, 1995
NTH.DEGREE [Peter B.] at 03:53 EST
Joe: you mentioned that there were many problems at the Planet
Hollywood gig, most of which the fans (including me) weren't aware of. What
else besides the lack of a microphone and some problems with the viewing of
AAITN went wrong? I think everyone knew that *something* was odd, but the
fact that the guests were so charming and approachable made up for it.
Peter
------------
SFRT2 Category 18, Topic 26 Message 312 Sun Mar 26, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:53 EST
Advance work should have been done which would have indicated the huge
sound problems involved. When they occured, nobody could hear a word of the
teaser. Tom did nothing, and was nowhere to be found. I had to go,
repeatedly, to the general manager and yell. Finally, as act one wsa just
starting, I was nose to nose with the guy running the sound board, the manager
right behind me, screaming bloody murder and making sure it was ABSOLUTELY
clear that if the sound wasn't fixed in ten seconds I was leaving and taking
the press and cast with me, because the fans out front had paid thirty-bucks a
shot to see this thing, and by god they were GOING to see it or somebody was
going to be minus a leg.
There wasn't a lack of a microphone, it turns out that the mike was for
the whole club, and thus couldn't be used, since we had only a part of the
club. Surrounded by hideously sound levels, we had to scream to be heard, and
many fans at the periphery of things couldn't hear what was being said or
asked.
The plane tickets weren't first class, but were *upgrades*, which
generally get bumped and cause massive problems in booking, and I had to shell
out the money for the difference (later repaid), but it was still an annoying
hassle. The hotel reservations vanished. The tour of the convention
facilities, probably the most important reason for going, never happened. No
one knew what to expect with the Capricon side-trip, and the actors hadn't
been informed about it. At Capricon, we were put at a table *selling other
pirated merchandise* including pins, links, patches and other material, which
was *extremely* inappropriate. Nobody knew we were coming to Capricon, no
advance work had been done, no room set aside. I finally objected,
strenuously, to being shoved at an illegal dealer's table, and at the last
minute a room was found, which we were only able to use for about 25 minutes
before having to leave...and the reason we had to leave was that the car was
promised to take care of a children's birthday party. And at every step of
the way, everything -- the hotel, name it -- was paid for in cash only, which
always worries me.
And *that* is only a small portion of the hassles encountered; there were
others, but I'm hesitant to put them into print because they involve certain
breaches of trust with information.
Suffice to say that from the moment we left LA, to the moment we got
back, NOTHING in between went right, everything was disorganized, and the more
I saw, the more concerned I got.
jms
--
It is nice to have friends, is it not? Even if only for a little while. -
Londo to Garibaldi, in _Acts of Sacrifice_ - Richard Feldman, aka Chats
Thus far, there are licensed caps, shirts, a soundtrack, an LCD game,
Micromachines, the comic, the novels from Dell...and soon to come, trading
cards, a screen saver and some other stuff. The most common illegal stuff
tends to be fake Links, patches, pins, PPGs, Starfuries and boarding
passes. None of this has been licensed, so if you see it, it ain't legit.
I think this should stay within the purview of the fans, rather than
sending us constant notification of this. I don't want people to feel
obligated to rat this stuff out; that's our problem. Don't support it,
but I refuse to turn enjoyable con weekends into exercises in Big
Brotherism.
jms
Anne: straight up...do you want me to set aside my beliefs on how
conventions should be run and just say "the hell with it?" What if the
con turns out, as I suspect it would, as a disaster and a disappointment?
Then what happens to the fans?
The fans are not being punished. I'm put in mind of "A Comedy of
Terrors," where Vincent Price keeps trying to slip poison into Boris
Karloff's soup, saying it's medicine, only to be thwarted by Karloff's
daughter, who rips the bottle away...and in response, the addled
Boris bemoans the fact that she keeps taking away his medicine. And she
gets the rap.
What makes this show special, and the reason you like it, amon
others, is that it stems from certain principles and idea. Are you now
asking that I set aside that which makes the show what it is? Because that
would be the result. One learns a lot about a person by whom one sleeps
with.
jms
Selling the blooper reel(s) is something we've discussed, but so far
haven't decided one way or another.
jms
"War Doth Make Murderers of Martyrs"
One aspect of JMS that impresses me most is his understanding that
history, like math and science, is a universal constant. How many times
has Pickett's Charge or Bosnia been repeated in human history? So then,
how many times in UNIVERSAL history, on planets unknown and by races yet
undreamed of. Just as 2 + 2 always equals 4, we are all, in similar
situations capable of making the same mistakes. Life itself is the
greatest drama, the greatest comedy, truly the greatest tragedy,
constantly playing on a hundred billion stages.
FDR's Lend-Lease Act of WWII, as noble as it sounds, was Britain's
burden and America's shame. The LLA was FDR's attempt to sidestep
policy in his struggle to get congressional support for US military
intervention in Europe, very similar to the situation Sheridan faces
with the Narn. But do you really think sanctions and embargoes and a
few extra guns can win a war? (Compare the effectiveness of Operation
Desert Storm to Desert Shield. Or do you really think sanctions ended
apartheid in South Africa?) The only truth here is that there's no
force in the universe greater than the power of an idea whose time has
come. Minds and thoughts turned into actions win or lose wars.
Until the end of 1941 Britain truly stood alone and the only good that
came of it was when Churchill said "This was our finest hour." It truly
was THEIR finest hour. How much longer before the Narn can make this
same beleaguered boast?
And what about Churchill? Do you actually think you can impose 1990's
political correctness on a 1930's figure and find a recognizable hero?
We find our idols by viewing history selectively, keeping that which we
agree with while discarding that which fails to fit. Sheridan is now
finding out that truth is not always a pleasant thing, but a hero is
anyone who recognizes the truth in a situation and acts appropriately.
War is ugly, horrible, and inhumane. Go back and watch ST:TOS "A Taste
of Armageddon" if you need a lesson. Even Shakespeare recognized that
war doth make murderers of martyrs. Read Henry V, Act III, scene iii,
lines 33-43 to see how even the grandest souls become butchers when war
confronts them (these are arguably the most authentic lines uttered by
Shakespeare's overly ennobled Hal). You simply can't make war
politically correct -- don't even try!
Next, I've observed that many people seem to be having trouble with
"We/I stand between the shadow and the light/the candle and the star."
IMHO the problem comes from taking the whole concept entirely too
literally. The Minbari don't stand between the Vorlons and the Shadows
in a military or diplomatic sense, but rather in something a bit more
Lovecraftian. Like the aliens in Lovecraft's mythos, the Shadows have
been cast out, imprisoned perhaps, and the Minbari are their gate. But
something happened 2,000 years ago - something that caused a weakening
of the Minbari who are the very power holding the Shadows in check.
Ever since then the Shadows have been creeping through, biding their
time, building their forces, and waiting, waiting for a time when they
can again sweep their hand of darkness across the galaxy.
Through all this, one question remains unanswered with no clue ever
given. What happened to cause the Minbari souls to take on human form
and weaken the crucial balance that has held back the Shadow forces for
countless eternities? Perhaps we'll never know, but I'll bet that the
answer would tell us much.
Finally, I've heard it commented that the reason why the Earth Alliance
hasn't stepped into the war between the Centauri and Narn is because
they're still rebuilding following the Minbari War. Sorry, but I don't
buy that. With the exception of actual wartime, the periods immediately
following a war are historically the most productive for the military
and its personnel. POF, the number of military patents issued from
1945-1952 was nearly double that of those issued in the years preceding
the war. Military contracts are still being filled and there often
remains a general feeling of insecurity that is comforted by a strong
military presence. If anything, the Earth Alliance should be
considerably stronger and better supported now than before the war.
Don't forget, 10 years have passed, plenty of time to rebuild and
resupply.
The Earth Alliance simply has too much internal conflict to be bothered
with the affairs of other races. It's a narrow view, but sadly a
historically correct one. And remember, Kosh told Sinclair to "Let them
pass." Perhaps this time keeping out of it is the best course of
action. Unfortunately, I get the impression that for the EA another
Pearl Harbor is on the way. Perhaps Franklin's father will be at Ground
Zero when it hits. That was, after all, a hell of a setup. But
ultimately I have no doubt EA will end up in the middle of this
conflict, for better or worse. Fortunately, we only have to watch it.
Hakuna Matata,
The Big Cat (Melody Womack)
Melody: marry me.
jms
I've never been overly worried about Kosh, because though some have
strayed near, no one has entirely *got it*, so it's cool. There have been
one or two stories, small ones, that yes, have been scuttled because
they've been suggested here, but not too much. Basically, if I were to
keep changing directions every time somebody makes a guess, I'd be all over
the landscape. You can't tell a story that way.
jms
Is this the New York portion of AbFab? Is it as good as the rest? I
wondered if they were going to take the edge off because of the American
connection.
(Sadly, I will have to deny every being a fan of AbFab the day the
Roseanne Barr version hits TV.)
jms
jms asked for this to be posted on the net:
Subj: From JMS re: Big Bang
Date: 95-03-30 17:29:34 EST
From: Jms at B5
Several confusing elements have come out about this whole situation; I
wanted to dive in for a second to (hopefully) straighten out some of them.
To the question of what and when...the Planet Hollywood excursion was
intended as a "dry run" (to use Tom Christofferson's words) so that we could
see how things worked. Prior to that time, we thought everything was fine.
Upon returning from Chicago, all of us had very grave concerns about what we
had seen, in terms of organization and the ability of CMC to pull off the
convention. I took one week to talk to various cast members, think it over,
and then sent a 4-page fax to Tom C. explaining that we were all very
concerned, and delineating how things were going to have to be done in future
if B5 was to cooperate with this operation. He agreed to those points, or
seemed to. I wanted to give Tom a second chance to demonstrate that he could
do things right. It was about a week or so later that we learned about the
pirated merchandise, the copyright infringement, and that promises made to
us, and to me personally, by Tom had not been kept.
Thence commenced a *very* angry phone conversation with Tom, after
initially denying to John Copeland that anything amiss had happened. I told
Tom at that time that after giving him a second chance, he had blown the
whole thing and we were going to pull out. He said that if we said this
publicly, it could kill the convention and hurt him. He then suggested that
he would cancel the convention, no names, no blame; it would let him get out
with some dignity. The few cast members who had been given partial advances
would be allowed to keep them (since the cast, as well as the fans, were the
ones most likely to be harmed). At that time, I went along with it. So I
waited. A week passed. More time passed. It became clear after a while the
he was NOT going to cancel the convention, and he continued to maintain that
everyone was coming when I had made it *absolutely* clear to him over the
phone that this was not going to happen. (So those fans who called and were
told by him that this was all news to him, were not told the truth.) By now
my alarms were going off pretty loud, and I felt it was time to go public.
To the notion, expressed by Tom, that CMC is not the same as the company
that made the pirated material (posters bore the markings T3, for
T-cubed)...again, this is misinformation. To the notion that Tom is not
directly running CMC, and just an employee who messed up...again, not true.
As part of the material I requested from Tom, I wanted a full fiscal
background check. He sent me several pages of information. In his letter of
February 28, to me, he indicated that CMC was working with the merchandising
and licensing aspects; the financial information he gave for CMC was the
financial statement for T3, represented to us in that letter as being the
backing and structure of CMC. He represented to us that financially and
corporately T3 *was* CMC. Tom signed the actors contracts on behalf of CMC,
and in the corporate information provided to us by him lists himself as Vice
President of both CMC and T3. Different names, but all part of the same
company and corporate structure. Further, when we (Michael, me, Mira and
Claudia) met with Tom and his associates at the T3 headquarters, Tom
represented to us in front of T3 staff and executives that T3 was involved in
equal partnership with CMC in running Big Bang.
Further, remember again the full extent of this, and how things
happened. Tom C. requested artwork for B5 patches for a "demo" jacket. Upon
meeting him in Chicago, he made quite a big deal out of the fact that he was
keeping these secret; he pulled them out from under his jacket and hidden in
the trunk of the car, repeated that these were for our eyes only. I repeated
to him, in front of witnesses, what I'd said previously: that these were not
for distribution to ANYone outside the company.
e (Tom) also stated to me that he had PERSONALLY overseen the
production of the patches, and their manufacture. So CMC, in the person of
Tom, *did* make those items (and at the time, Claudia mentioned that she saw
a LOT more than the few he was supposed to show us for approval, and wondered
why). After telling us repeatedly that this was all just for approval, he
then turned around and began selling them without authorization, without
license. There was NO misunderstanding. He told us one thing, repeateddly,
and then did something else. Ditto on the artwork.
He'd requested/bought CGI images to be used as backdrops or banners AT
THE CON. And ONLY for that purpose. That was provided to him. He showed me
prints of the images at Planet Hollywood, indicating that they were having
some problem in blowing them up to the right size. As people noticed them, I
repeated to Tom that these were not to be used for any other purpose. He
said he understood that. And then turned around and made the prints he
showed me (again indicating to me that he was directly responsible for the
artwork) into posters, and began selling them.
The notion that CMC isn't responsible because the posters had T3 on them
is a classic shell-game. He and CMC are directly responsible for their
manufacture.
To the notion that all actors and I are paid and contracted to appear:
again not true. Only a couple of actors had received any kind of small
advance. I had never signed any contract. I have already sent back the
advance with a formal letter stating that I will have nothing to do with this
operation.
From the very instant we arrived in Chicago, things with this convention
weren't right. This is only the capper, after having given CMC a second
chance. Matters of trust were constantly violated. Private conversations
were repeated widely (Jerry Doyle had NOT given Tom permission to announce
his engagement, for instance). Dealers promised information and other
material after buying space received nothing. I was *very* worried about the
fact that everything was being paid for by CMC in cash, without any credit
references being used. Advances were paid with *money order*. It created
the impression that money from ticket purchases was being used to pay for all
this, and a con of the size that CMC had discussed would take great resources
to pull off. There were constant foulups on every level...the hotel we'd
been booked into canceled the reservations, and didn't seem to know anything
about it, and we ended up cruising through Chicago near midnight trying to
find a hotel. If you're going to run a convention for thousands of people,
you'd better have your act together if you can't even handle four people.
(The hotel was also canceled because there had been no credit reference
provided.) The logistics at Planet Hollywood were a nightmare, fans couldn't
hear anyone unless they were right next to the person, and there was pirated
material everywhere. I was shown home-made PPGs and links and pins, told
they were working with Tom for eventual licensing from WB...and then, the
next day, at CapriCon, we were put at a table where these items were BEING
SOLD. Time and time, our trust has been betrayed, promises have not been kept,
legalities have not been adhered to, and the clear impression we got upon
coming back from Chicago was that there were *real* problems, that this
convention was never going to come off unless DRASTIC changes were made. We
were in the process of trying to deal with that when the final straw was
finally laid on the camel's back. This is not a case of a simple
misunderstanding, except where CMC are trying to create the false impression
of one to cover their butts in this.
I probably should have gone public with this earlier than I did. But I
was trying to give CMC one last chance to make things right. Which was my
mistake. (Note: anyone wishing to repost this to Internet is free to do so.)
jms
Bloopers still use the likenesses of the actors, ARE the actors, shot
on our sets, using our costumes...one can't take that and sell it around
town without giving something back to the actors, I think. If we should
end up ever selling the blooper, or scripts, we would find some formula to
give back to those involved.
I'd expect to hear more on the CD Rom after the 3rd year pickup.
Valen willing.
jms
Yeah, I'd love to see the C4 ratings; if you think it'd be better
email, that's fine, or public, either way. I understand we're doing VERY
well at C4, one of their higher-rated American shows, but I haven't been
given the hard-and-crunchies by WB International.
jms
It is nowhere stated that the messages to Garibaldi or Delenn is
the first communication they've had from Sinclair; only the first that
WE've seen.
jms
My notes, alas, are very free-form, jumping back and forth; so you
can't just peel off the year 1-2 notes without substantial editing. I.e.,
"Have Kosh say X because we'll need this in year 2 when X does Y."
jms
Joe,
I was reading your book OTHERSYDE this past week (thank The Great Maker for
libraries, huh?), when I came across the paragraph where one of the characters
praises the "only decent SF show on television." While I tend to agree with this
statement, I had to look at the date of publication on the novel: 1990? Was this
an attempt at self-fulfilling prophecy? Here it is, 5 years later and we
DO have a show of the same name that IS the best SF on TV. What gives?
I enjoyed the book a lot, especially the resonances with the B5 arc. Why have
your novels gone out of print?
I slipped the reference to B5 into OtherSyde to see if it would become
a self-fulfilling prophecy or just a fictional reference. Just for fun.
My books are out of print because I guess I haven't actively pursued
keeping them IN print. When I finish my next novel, I'll probably be able
to get them back into print, but that won't be until B5 is done, since the
next book -- a contemporary dark fantasy -- is targeted at about 1,000
manuscript pages, and I won't really be able to get into it until then.
jms
This file contains messages posted by J. Michael Straczynski on GEnie from
Feb 1 - Feb 28th, 1995. Postings are copyright 1995 by J. Michael Straczynski
with compilation copyright by GEnie.
************
Topic 1 Mon Oct 26, 1992
SF-MARSHALL [Dave ] at 18:50 EST
Sub: Babylon 5 - The Series (Non-Spoiler)
Welcome to the Babylon 5 General category. This is the main topic for the
hit SF series. We discuss all general information on the series in this
topic. Topic 2 is for SPOILERS! DO NOT POST STORY IDEAS!
571 message(s) total.
************
------------
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 360 Mon Feb 06, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:46 EST
The VO at the end of all the PTEN shows has been dropped.
jms
------------
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 374 Tue Feb 07, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:51 EST
Sean: if you could send me a copy of that TV Guide piece asap, I would be