from jms: crusade update
Jms at B5
It's been kinda hectic here, between the new sets under construction, meetings,
and other stuff, some of which has been hinted around by others. At this
point, we're still on target for filming to start up on October 19th.
One of the issues brought up by TNT had to do with a decision we all made early
on that the first episode up, Racing the Night, would just jump right into the
story, without doing the usual pilot-episode thing of showing the team coming
together, which was our other option.
On reflection, TNT figured that the best thing might be to do that "coming
together" episode after all, to set the stage for all that follows. It's a
lateral change, really, you could have it or not, either way, it's dealer's
choice. But if we're going to do that, we may as well get the sets and other
stuff ready to go for that first episode and the ones that will immediately
follow. We're also making some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up
with a pretty funny way to make the transition in the story). All of the prior
produced episodes are still in, and still going to be broadcast, nothing's
changed that as far as I know.
Anyway, things continue to progress, the script for the alternate first ep is
in, and all should be cool from this point on. Which is not to say there
haven't been some knife-fights...but we seem to have reached some
understandings....
jms
(jms...@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
Laura M. Appelbaum
>
> It's been kinda hectic here, between the new sets under construction, meetings,
> and other stuff, some of which has been hinted around by others. At this
> point, we're still on target for filming to start up on October 19th.
>
pushed back? Any truth to that -- when SHOULD we expect to see the new
show?
> One of the issues brought up by TNT had to do with a decision we all made early
> on that the first episode up, Racing the Night, would just jump right into the
> story, without doing the usual pilot-episode thing of showing the team coming
> together, which was our other option.
>
> On reflection, TNT figured that the best thing might be to do that "coming
> together" episode after all, to set the stage for all that follows. It's a
> lateral change, really, you could have it or not, either way, it's dealer's
> choice. But if we're going to do that, we may as well get the sets and other
> stuff ready to go for that first episode and the ones that will immediately
> follow. We're also making some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up
> with a pretty funny way to make the transition in the story).
Some nutjob named Laura Appelbaum snuck aboard one night and tore up
everyone's clothes with a scissors? ... ooops! There goes a story idea!
<VBG>
All of the prior
> produced episodes are still in, and still going to be broadcast, nothing's
> changed that as far as I know.
>
> Anyway, things continue to progress, the script for the alternate first ep is
> in, and all should be cool from this point on. Which is not to say there
> haven't been some knife-fights...but we seem to have reached some
> understandings....
>
> jms
Glad you were able to beat them off with your three-edged sword! Now --
report to triage immediately! :D
LMA
Michael Ross
Just saying thanks for letting us know...
BTW, did you get spammed by Slowdazzle? If so, exactly how many
nanoseconds was it from your seeing the spam to their getting a
reaction... 'here's a great idea, we'll trawl the groups and spam all
the B5 fans... oops, the creator/writer/etc also posts to newsgroups
and he's the guy who can stop our merchandising... wonder if he likes
being spammed for merchandise for his own show...!'
Marketing Darwin Award.
Mike
Rangers Catering Corps - 'We boil for the One, we fry for the One'
John Norris
in, and all should be cool from this point on. Which is not to say there
haven't been some knife-fights...but we seem to have reached some
understandings...."
Y'know, I've been watching Joe Straczynski talk about B5 and Crusade
pretty much from the git-go -- and there's nothing in what he says about
the recent developments at Crusade, and nothing in the way he says it,
that makes me think this process is going well. He may yet salvage the
situation, in the short or long term, but it seems quite likely that a
group of clueless suits has given Crusade -- and by extension, JMS -- a
beating, not a massage.
<John Norris, Duke University Medical Center, j.no...@cellbio.duke.edu>
GaryG4430
In article <19981008194722...@ng149.aol.com>, jms...@aol.com (Jms
at B5) writes:
>We're also making some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up
>with a pretty funny way to make the transition in the story).
Hi Joe:
NOT the old "lost in the laundery" gag AGAIN?
<G,D,&R!>
Nice to hear your making progress.
Don't let the (#*%##@*s grind you down.
Yours,
Gary G.
Gary Grossoehme, Oregon Electronics, 503-239-5293
GaryG4430 "at" aol "dot" com - Member: AfterBurner Fan Club.
"I'm a hologram, dammit, not a Doctor!"
Daryl Nash
> Anyway, things continue to progress, the script for the alternate first ep is
> in, and all should be cool from this point on. Which is not to say there
> haven't been some knife-fights...but we seem to have reached some
> understandings....
>
> jms
>
> (jms...@aol.com)
> B5 Official Fan Club at:
> http://www.thestation.com
It doesn't seem to get any easier, does it? I expected Crusade to be a breeze
after the hell you went through to get B5 made. No rest for the weary and other
cliches....
Best of luck. As long as you're sticking to your guns, I'll be looking forward to
Crusade.
D.
pnrcompsrv
Laura M. Appelbaum wrote in message <361D94...@mindspring.com>...
>Jms at B5 wrote:
We're also making some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up
>> with a pretty funny way to make the transition in the story).
>
>everyone's clothes with a scissors? ... ooops! There goes a story idea!
><VBG>
>
uniforms are what the TNT guys wanted....nice and tight to show off more
T&A. I have a funny feeling this isn't good news.
Steve
Michael A Benedetto
j.no...@cellbio.duke.edu (John Norris) wrote:
> Y'know, I've been watching Joe Straczynski talk about B5 and Crusade
> pretty much from the git-go -- and there's nothing in what he says about
> the recent developments at Crusade, and nothing in the way he says it,
> that makes me think this process is going well. He may yet salvage the
> situation, in the short or long term, but it seems quite likely that a
> group of clueless suits has given Crusade -- and by extension, JMS -- a
> beating, not a massage.
Funny how the only people who say "Joe Straczynski" instead of "jms" (and
who don't address the man *directly* when responding to his comments) are
the ones who are about to slam him hard and/or predict doom for his work.
Pay heed, all you budding trolls: this is the surest way to prevent people
here from listening to a word you say.
To take this seriously for the moment, though... jms doesn't *need* to do
Crusade. If TNT were actually serious about wringing the life out of it,
he'd leave in a hot second and return to writing novels et al -- he's
always said that he'd do just that when he was through with B5 and related
series. The burden is on you, Mr. Norris, to demonstrate that we have
anything to worry about even though our best sources have indicated
otherwise. (And "Yeah, well, he's probably lying to get us to leave him
alone" just doesn't cut it.)
For those of you who haven't lost patience with my endless departures and
returns -- I'm just sticking a toe back in for the moment. I still don't
think I'll ever be back at full capacity, since something or other is
always sure to annoy me in short order, but I've given up on total
nonmembership. That's probably going to be unrealistic as long as there's
a show.
-Mike
--
I've been around. Well, maybe I haven't been around... but I've been nearby.
-Mary Richards
Jamie
pnrcompsrv <pnrco...@erols.com> wrote:
>
>Now we don't know what the uniforms look like. For all we know the new
>uniforms are what the TNT guys wanted....nice and tight to show off more
>T&A. I have a funny feeling this isn't good news.
<only partly in jest>
While I would like to see realistic clothing, I'm not going to howl if
it's the usual skiffy spray-paint job. After all, we've all seen what
*real* astronauts wear, at least on board current spacecraft -- polo
shirts and baggy sports/cargo pants that look like they came straight out
of Lands End. I don't think we've ever seen this type of clothing on any
SF TV show, B5 included.
</only partly in jest>
If spray-painted uniforms is the concession JMS had to make to get them to
leave his story line alone, I can live with them.
(Speaking of spray-paint, there's a male fan who shows up at Chicago area
cons wearing a form-fitting TNG 1st season uniform -- *very* form fitting,
because it's briefs and full body paint...)
--
Jamie
This account receives NO mail (nyah, spammers!) If you'd like to comment
on one of my USENET posts, you'll need to do so in the newsgroup.
Jay Denebeim
Michael A Benedetto <mb...@acsu.buffalo.edu> wrote:
>Pay heed, all you budding trolls: this is the surest way to prevent people
>here from listening to a word you say.
Nah, call him 'Mike' that's a sure way to announce you're clueless.
>I still don't
>think I'll ever be back at full capacity, since something or other is
>always sure to annoy me in short order, but I've given up on total
>nonmembership. That's probably going to be unrealistic as long as there's
>a show.
Speaking of which, I hope everybody comes back for the last few weeks
of the show. It'll be nice to say 'hi and bye' to everyone.
Jay
--
* Jay Denebeim Moderator rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated *
* newsgroup submission address: b5...@deepthot.ml.org *
* moderator contact address: b5mod-...@deepthot.ml.org *
* personal contact address: dene...@deepthot.ml.org *
Jamie
Michael A Benedetto <mb...@acsu.buffalo.edu> wrote:
>j.no...@cellbio.duke.edu (John Norris) wrote:
>
>> Y'know, I've been watching Joe Straczynski talk about B5 and Crusade
>> pretty much from the git-go --
>> beating, not a massage.
>
>Funny how the only people who say "Joe Straczynski" instead of "jms" (and
>who don't address the man *directly* when responding to his comments) are
>the ones who are about to slam him hard and/or predict doom for his work.
>here from listening to a word you say.
Two points -- JMS's comment about "knife fights" is all the "proof" *I*
need that TNT and JMS have (or at least had) very different ideas of what
TNT bought when they bought B5. I knew there was some reason to be very
nervous when TNT started referring to B5 as a "franchise"...
<goofy_serious mode>
Secondly, to create the proverbial greasy spot on the ground --
As far as what to call the creator of B5 -- if you ask him (and I can
rummage up the post if necessary) he specifically asks that you call him
"Joe". H.Ellison refers to him as "Joe" or "Joe Straczynski" as do all his
professional friends/acquaintances -- at least, this is how I've always
heard him addressed at panels, IIRC.
Now, if the above responding poster is objecting that the original poster
was calling JMS "Joe" as a way of being falsly and/or disrespectfully
familiar, that's a different matter -- OTOH, since the man has asked to be
called "Joe", it could be argued that referring to him as "JMS" (or the
variant "jms") is grovelling fannishness.
However, common useage on rast.b5.mod (such as there is any common useage)
*does*, I admit, seem to be "jms" or "JMS" -- even from those who have
been lucky enough to call the man "Joe" in person. It's similar to
(according to strict etiquette) Person A discussing friend VIP B with
Person C, who is not a friend of VIP B -- since Person C would not call
VIP B by their first name, Person A does not "name-drop" by doing so,
either.
At any rate, as Jay mentions in a followup to this post, calling the man
"Mike" is a dead giveaway.
(For that matter, I've never heard the man refer to himself as "JMS" --
IIR his San Antonio Worldcon presentation C -- it's "J. Michael" (his
stage persona) and "Joe Straczynski" (which seems to be both his writer
persona and his "inner child") but not "JMS". Anybody have a different
experience?)
And I've just decided I've been doing *way* too much name authority
control work in my cataloging class, so I'm going to stop stalling and go
do my housework now ...
My thanks for your indulgence :-)
(and how *would* you design a MARC authority record for someone with
multiple personalities?)
(G,R & D)
</goofy_serious mode>
J. Potts
>
>(Speaking of spray-paint, there's a male fan who shows up at Chicago area
>cons wearing a form-fitting TNG 1st season uniform -- *very* form fitting,
>because it's briefs and full body paint...)
Fortunately, he has a nice form so on him it looks good.
--
JRP
"BLONDE? Blonde? You didn't TELL me you were a blonde....."
--Gharlane of Eddore
Michael A Benedetto
> >Funny how the only people who say "Joe Straczynski" instead of "jms" (and
> >who don't address the man *directly* when responding to his comments) are
> >the ones who are about to slam him hard and/or predict doom for his work.
> >Pay heed, all you budding trolls: this is the surest way to prevent people
> >here from listening to a word you say.
>
> Two points -- JMS's comment about "knife fights" is all the "proof" *I*
> need that TNT and JMS have (or at least had) very different ideas of what
> TNT bought when they bought B5. I knew there was some reason to be very
> nervous when TNT started referring to B5 as a "franchise"...
Well, that's a separate issue. Though jms was initially insistent that the
arc could not stand *any* further extension into movies or new episodes,
he apparently changed his mind and decided that the series could stand a
few tie-in movies on top of the minimal merchandise lines. That doesn't
ruin anything about the five-year arc, IMO; on the contrary, ItB enhanced
some aspects of it. And B5 is *such* a far cry from ST in popularity that
they probably aren't going to bother to demand much more.
And if they've reached understandings that satisfy jms, I don't much care
that knife fights took place along the way. It happened with WB/PTEN
before B5 started -- just read the first couple of GEnie digests on the
Lurker's Guide. I also feel better that he didn't try to underplay this
power struggle.
<your interesting and well-written analysis of naming deleted>
Ah, but you've missed my larger point. It's "Straczynski" that's become
almost an epithet -- people who like him call him either "jms" (the online
handle) or "Joe" (implying, rightly or not, a first-name-basis
relationship). Anyone who declines that kind of freely-offered familiarity
is invariably out to piss people off. Theron, anyone?
Jeff Vavasour
[Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set]
[Some characters may be displayed incorrectly]
Jamie <ja...@MCS.COM> wrote:
>I knew there was some reason to be very
>nervous when TNT started referring to B5 as a "franchise"...
I dunno... two series, four TV movies, a rumoured theatrical release... sounds
like a franchise to me.
- Jeff
Jms at B5
More on the costumes in another thread, but suffice to say...skin tight they
ain't. We're going for a more conventional military look in terms of jump
suits and cargo pants, something a little rougher looking...but that elsewhere.
Alfredo Narvaez
> Anyway, things continue to progress, the script for the alternate first ep is
> in, and all should be cool from this point on. Which is not to say there
> haven't been some knife-fights...but we seem to have reached some
> understandings....
>
>
> jms
>
Ahhh...a Mexican stand-off????
Hobbes
Michael J. Hennebry
GaryG4430 <gary...@aol.com> wrote:
>
>In article <19981008194722...@ng149.aol.com>, jms...@aol.com (Jms
>at B5) writes:
>
>>with a pretty funny way to make the transition in the story).
>
>
>NOT the old "lost in the laundery" gag AGAIN?
><G,D,&R!>
Nah. There'll be a cameo appearance by Larry Niven playing his main
character from "On a Foggy Night".
--
Mike henn...@plains.NoDak.edu
"Pax Romana was a Visogoth." -- Theo Vavrina
Patrick M. Berry
> Y'know, I've been watching Joe Straczynski talk about B5 and Crusade
> pretty much from the git-go -- and there's nothing in what he says about
> the recent developments at Crusade, and nothing in the way he says it,
> that makes me think this process is going well. He may yet salvage the
> situation, in the short or long term, but it seems quite likely that a
> group of clueless suits has given Crusade -- and by extension, JMS -- a
> beating, not a massage.
I've read JMS's message half a dozen times, and I can't find any hint of
what you suggest in it. I think this whole business is turning into a
Rorschach test for B5 fans: you see in it whatever you want to see. (Which
makes me a Pollyanna-type optimist, I suppose, but that's fine with me.)
I'm even more impatient for January to arrive than I was originally. Not
only am I eager for the new show to begin, I also can't wait for the rumors
and speculation to end.
Michael J. Hennebry
For events in the relevant theater, North Dakota State University lets
its students in for free and charges others a dollar. I don't know if
they make any money that way.
>From whom would I need to get permission?
If your feeling kind, a name and address would be nice.
Alexander Pavloff
wrote:
> Y'know, I've been watching Joe Straczynski talk about B5 and Crusade
>pretty much from the git-go -- and there's nothing in what he says about
>the recent developments at Crusade, and nothing in the way he says it,
>that makes me think this process is going well. He may yet salvage the
>situation, in the short or long term, but it seems quite likely that a
>group of clueless suits has given Crusade -- and by extension, JMS -- a
>beating, not a massage.
One of the problems with the newfound connection between those who "do
things" and those on the internet that "don't do those things" is that
those of us here in internet-land have never had any experience in the
production of a Sci-Fi space series.
We tend to criticize the things we don't understand based on our
non-existent experience.
I myself, have never produced a television series. Therefore, I shall
refrain from comments on the production of the series, and wait for
the thing that I can do. I'll wait until the series comes out,
exercise my well-honed "watching" skill and decide then whether the
series is good or not.
How about you?
Stanley Friesen
>
>More on the costumes in another thread, but suffice to say...skin tight they
>ain't. We're going for a more conventional military look in terms of jump
>suits and cargo pants, something a little rougher looking...but that elsewhere.
Hmm, sounds good.
Any comments on the rumor that the first airing has been pushed back
several months?
The peace of God be with you.
Stanley Friesen
Aubrey W. Adkins
You describe a logical and reasonable approach to the situation. We both
know those products aren't very hot these days.
Aubrey
Michael J. Hennebry
Jms at B5 <jms...@aol.com> wrote:
>follow. We're also making some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up
>with a pretty funny way to make the transition in the story). All of the prior
Perhaps JMS is going to do to the TNT suits what the Smothers Brothers
tried to do to the NBC censors.
Laura M. Appelbaum
>
> For those of you who haven't lost patience with my endless departures and
> think I'll ever be back at full capacity, since something or other is
> always sure to annoy me in short order, but I've given up on total
> nonmembership. That's probably going to be unrealistic as long as there's
> a show.
>
they develop an anti-rastb5mod gum a la Nicorette, you'll be stuck with
us and vis versa for some time to come ... I can just see the commercial
now:
"Whenever I get the urge to rant and post, I bite down on a piece of
Neterette, which releases a gradual dosage of Gharlane speeches into my
system. It gives me just enough Internet sensation to allow me to get a
life! Now available without a doctor's prescription!" ;D
LMA
John Horner
On 13 Oct 1998 09:37:45 -0600 henn...@plains.nodak.edu (Michael J.
Hennebry) wrote:
> In article ,
> Jms at B5 wrote:
> >follow. We're also making some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up
> >with a pretty funny way to make the transition in the story). All of the prior
>
> Perhaps JMS is going to do to the TNT suits what the Smothers Brothers
> tried to do to the NBC censors.
Just my nickpicking trivial mind, but the Smothers Brothers had their
problems with the CBS censors. They said they put things in that they
knew the censors would force them to cut, just so they could include
the things they really wanted.
John
--
Surf Usenet at home, on the road, and by email -- always at Talkway.
http://www.talkway.com
Laura M. Appelbaum
>
> In article <j.norris-091...@composer.cellbio.duke.edu>, j.no...@cellbio.duke.edu (John Norris) writes:
>
> > pretty much from the git-go -- and there's nothing in what he says about
> > the recent developments at Crusade, and nothing in the way he says it,
> > that makes me think this process is going well. He may yet salvage the
> > situation, in the short or long term, but it seems quite likely that a
> > group of clueless suits has given Crusade -- and by extension, JMS -- a
> > beating, not a massage.
>
> what you suggest in it. I think this whole business is turning into a
> Rorschach test for B5 fans: you see in it whatever you want to see. (Which
> makes me a Pollyanna-type optimist, I suppose, but that's fine with me.)
>
> I'm even more impatient for January to arrive than I was originally. Not
> only am I eager for the new show to begin, I also can't wait for the rumors
> and speculation to end.
I've kind of chosen this post as a random example of the "I hate rumors
and speculation post" to reply to, so don't take this TOO personally,
BUT ....
Just the other night, while performing extensive modifications to my B5
Model kit, I decided to rewatch "In the Beginning." I IMMEDIATELY
thought about this phony "controversy" here on the newsgroup about to
discuss or not to discuss "Crusade" and TNT when Lenonn, summating the
accumulated wisdom of the Anla'Shok Nas for the last nine hundred years
or so, stated;
"Rumors are at the core of what we do. I've learned that the more
vehemently a rumor is denied, the more often it tends to be true."
I also laughed really hard. Think about it folks!
LMA
Michael J. Hennebry
John Horner <md_...@kcpl.lib.mo.us> wrote:
>
>On 13 Oct 1998 09:37:45 -0600 henn...@plains.nodak.edu (Michael J.
>Hennebry) wrote:
>> In article ,
>> Jms at B5 wrote:
>> >follow. We're also making some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up
>> >with a pretty funny way to make the transition in the story). All of the prior
>>
>> Perhaps JMS is going to do to the TNT suits what the Smothers Brothers
>> tried to do to the NBC censors.
>
>Just my nickpicking trivial mind, but the Smothers Brothers had their
I sit corrected.
>... They said they put things in that they
>knew the censors would force them to cut, just so they could include
>the things they really wanted.
This I didn't remember, but I'm not surprised.
I shouldn't expect others to have a better memory than mine, so for those
who don't already know: the Smothers Brothers did a skit of the censors
at work. Needless to say, it was censored. I don't remember the title
of the book it was in.
Michael J. Hennebry
Laura M. Appelbaum <l-app...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>discuss or not to discuss "Crusade" and TNT when Lenonn, summating the
>accumulated wisdom of the Anla'Shok Nas for the last nine hundred years
>or so, stated;
>
>"Rumors are at the core of what we do. I've learned that the more
>vehemently a rumor is denied, the more often it tends to be true."
There is also LJB's comment: Who cares if it's true? Just get him to deny it.
Isoline M. Sanderson
[snip]
> Just the other night, while performing extensive modifications to my B5
> Model kit, I decided to rewatch "In the Beginning." I IMMEDIATELY
> thought about this phony "controversy" here on the newsgroup about to
> accumulated wisdom of the Anla'Shok Nas for the last nine hundred years
> or so, stated;
>
> "Rumors are at the core of what we do. I've learned that the more
> vehemently a rumor is denied, the more often it tends to be true."
>
>
> LMA
Let's not forget the line from the very first episode of the first
season (from your & my fave character, Laura...), "Ignore the
propaganda; focus on what you see..."
--Isoline
Laura M. Appelbaum
you think? Lenonn seems to be pointing out that those rumors that are
actually rooted in fact are the ones people try hardest to finesse
around and deny (a la "I never slept with that woman ..." <G>) whereas
the ones that are completely false and the product of nothing more than
someone's over-active imagination don't stick around very long or
generate all that much interest or denial.
LMA
Captain Nerd
Yeah, but the non-prescription strength version doesn't have
the spelling/grammar, er, corrections, that you get with the
prescription version...
Cap.
--
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