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ATTN JMS: What about these two past plans of yours?

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jpf...@att.net

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Aug 23, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/23/00
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Hi Joe,

I remember you stating that you had an idea for a video game that hasn't
been done yet. Have you scrapped that idea?

The show you tried starting up with Chris Carter. Do you no longer have
any interest in that series premise?


Jms at B5

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Aug 23, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/23/00
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>I remember you stating that you had an idea for a video game that hasn't
>been done yet. Have you scrapped that idea?

The game company which had been interested in doing the game went kerplunk
(Looking Glass); haven't had time to really take it anywhere since.

>The show you tried starting up with Chris Carter. Do you no longer have
>any interest in that series premise?

I do, actually, but development season didn't begin until just recently, and if
I end up on a show, as it seems I will, it takes precedence over development of
other shows, since you're kind of exclusive to the show you're working on.

jms

(jms...@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
(all message content (c) 2000 by
synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
to reprint specifically denied to
SFX Magazine)

Pål Are Nordal

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Aug 25, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/25/00
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John Dutka wrote:
>
> Well, there's always the hope that Into the Fire will get picked up and
> brought to market.

It actually seem like this may happen. Read the updates at http://www.firstones.com/

--
Donate free food with a simple click: http://www.thehungersite.com/

Pål Are Nordal
a_b...@bigfoot.com


Pål Are Nordal

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Aug 25, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/25/00
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Jms at B5 wrote:
>
> I do, actually, but development season didn't begin until just recently, and if
> I end up on a show, as it seems I will, it takes precedence over development of
> other shows, since you're kind of exclusive to the show you're working on.

You say "end up on a show"... Did you create it, or are you just
stepping in as a showrunner?

in_vale...@hotmail.com

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Aug 25, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/25/00
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In article <20000823214031...@ng-fq1.aol.com>,

jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) wrote:
>
> >The show you tried starting up with Chris Carter. Do you no longer
> >have any interest in that series premise?
>
> I do, actually, but development season didn't begin until just
> recently, and if I end up on a show, as it seems I will, it takes
> precedence over development of other shows, since you're kind of
> exclusive to the show you're working on.

Now will somebody tell David E. Kelley that? :)

Ah, well. There's always next season, eh?

scott tilson.
--------------------
Recommended: WANDERING STAR by Teri Sue Wood.
http://www.sentex.net/~jnorthey/TSW/WanderingStar/Wandering_Star.html


Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.


Jms at B5

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Aug 26, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/26/00
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>You say "end up on a show"... Did you create it, or are you just
>stepping in as a showrunner?
>

I'll be running the show, and developing it from an outside concept. And the
deal closed today, though I can't talk about it in detail yet for various
reasons.

JBONETATI

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Aug 26, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/26/00
to
<<And the
deal closed today, though I can't talk about it in detail yet for various
reasons.
jms>>

By now I've realized that the announcement has to come from an outside source
before you can talk about it. Can you tell us when/where that'll be? <g>

And congrats!

Jan


Jms at B5

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Aug 26, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/26/00
to
>By now I've realized that the announcement has to come from an outside source
>before you can talk about it. Can you tell us when/where that'll be?

I don't know, as I said, we just closed the deal for me to come on board as
executive producer/show runner this week, and the first substantial creative
meetings start on Wednesday.

What I *can* say is this:

* it's in the SF genre

* it's for one of the pay cable networks (which means no censoring of language
or ideas or images, which is a terrific situation for any writer, allowing you
to go as far as they have on, say, The Sopranos or Oz)

* it's slated to start with a 2 hour pilot which I'll be writing and is due no
later than December

* it'll probably be shot in Vancouver since there are a lot of locations in it
that we can find in one place only up there

* there's a high profile director attached to the project and that involvement
was one of the real inducements for me to sign on with this because I've always
admired his work in TV and film

* assuming the pilot script passes muster, we'll probably begin shooting in
February or March for a Fall debut. (What's nifty is that while there's a
pilot required, as with ANY new series, in this case they're willing to go into
production on the series based JUST on the script, we don't have to go out and
shoot a full pilot first)

* on a personal level, it pays over double what I got on B5 or Crusade, which
is kinda nice

* it will have an arc to it, but not as rigorous as the B5 arc

And like that.

My *guess* (and that's all it is) is that the network will release some info
about this over the next couple of months, but will probably hold back anything
more substantive until after the pilot is written.

Practically from the first day after Crusade went down, there have been various
offers, but except for the Chris Carter deal, which went down when Harsh Realm
was pulled, none of them were things I could get really excited about. This
one, though, is something I think I can really sink my teeth into.

It's really been an amazing year so far... Tribulations has been the #1 read on
bookface.com for three weeks running, City of Dreams is a bonafide hit on
scifi.com, we closed the deal for me to write the Rising Stars movie for MGM,
and now the series deal is now in place....

You just got to keep doing what you're doing, and do it to the best of your
ability, and sonuvagun, somehow things work out.

Gharlane of Eddore

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Aug 26, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/26/00
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In <20000827021023...@ng-bg1.aol.com>
jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) writes:
>
....<deletia>

>
> What I *can* say is this:
>
> * it's in the SF genre
>
> * it's for one of the pay cable networks (which means no censoring of
> language or ideas or images, which is a terrific situation for any
> writer, allowing you to go as far as they have on, say, The Sopranos
> or Oz)
>

That's not very far, compared to concepts YOU have already slipped into
prime-time work.... *grin*

>
> * it's slated to start with a 2 hour pilot which I'll be writing and is
> due no later than December
>

How soon can you get auths to let go the non-critical parts of the format
for the guys at MidWinter to post up on the Net?

>
> * it'll probably be shot in Vancouver since there are a lot of locations
> in it that we can find in one place only up there
>

Try to select for Canucks who've had enough training to avoid subtle
slips into Canuckian accents. One or two Canuck-sounding folks per
show should be a limit; I know you like to hire the disadvantaged, and
stand up for the challenged, but there are limits, after all.

>
> * there's a high profile director attached to the project and that
> involvement was one of the real inducements for me to sign on with
> this because I've always admired his work in TV and film
>

*gasp* You got JERRY LEWIS?

>
> * assuming the pilot script passes muster, we'll probably begin shooting
> in February or March for a Fall debut. (What's nifty is that while
> there's a pilot required, as with ANY new series, in this case they're
> willing to go into production on the series based JUST on the script,
> we don't have to go out and shoot a full pilot first)
>

You and Spielberg. Difference is, yours will likely be worth watching.

( Spielberg sold "AMAZING STORIES," "EARTH 2," and "SINKQUEST" just on
his name, with two-year guarantees in some cases... and they all tanked,
because he and his folks weren't tooled up for the job; money is no
remedy in the absence of competence. )

>
> * on a personal level, it pays over double what I got on B5 or Crusade,
> which is kinda nice
>

Just don't spend it on barbecued ribs. we'd LIKE you to last a few years.

>
> * it will have an arc to it, but not as rigorous as the B5 arc
>

You mean, you've learned your lesson, and it won't have an overtly
manifest arc showing, until people notice what you're actually up to,
a year or two down the line.

>
> It's really been an amazing year so far... Tribulations has been the #1
> read on bookface.com for three weeks running, City of Dreams is a bonafide
> hit on scifi.com, we closed the deal for me to write the Rising Stars movie
> for MGM, and now the series deal is now in place....
>
> You just got to keep doing what you're doing, and do it to the best of
> your ability, and sonuvagun, somehow things work out.
>


All things come to nasty tall buggers with baseball bats. *snicker*


Okay, that's TWO impending series we can cross our fingers over, yours
and Wolfe's "ANDROMEDA." Next year might be survivable after all.


Brian Stinson

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
I hope it's HBO. I'm already paying for that one to get The Sopranos, OZ,
Arliss and Sex in the City. I'd hate to have to dole out the cash for
another network ( I'd do it though ). After seeing how great these series
are, I can't tell you how great I think it is that you get to play in this
medium. I wonder what JMS uncensored will have to say.

On the down side, I guess this, in effect, puts the last nail in Crusade
since I doubt you'll have time for long time to come.

Pål Are Nordal

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
Brian Stinson wrote:
>
> On the down side, I guess this, in effect, puts the last nail in Crusade
> since I doubt you'll have time for long time to come.

Only if he decides to run it like he did B5, writing most of the scripts
himself. If he however hires a couple of writer/producers and story
editors on each show, it would be eminently doable.

Bryan H. Ackler

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
Jms at B5 wrote:

....<deletia>

> I don't know, as I said, we just closed the deal for me to come on board as
> executive producer/show runner this week, and the first substantial creative
> meetings start on Wednesday.

> What I *can* say is this:
> * it's in the SF genre

> * it'll probably be shot in Vancouver since there are a lot of locations in it
> that we can find in one place only up there

Any possibility that you will be able to employ any of your B5 designers
and technical staff on this project?

And if you find yourself "laid over" in Portland while in transit,
my wife and I would enjoy taking you to dinner.

> You just got to keep doing what you're doing, and do it to the best of your
> ability, and sonuvagun, somehow things work out.

And congratulations..........

> jms
> (jms...@aol.com)

Bryan H. Ackler
Portland, Oregon


lisa_c...@my-deja.com

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
In article <dVaq5.32$s23....@nnrp2.sbc.net>,

Brian Stinson <blee...@swbell.net> wrote:
> I hope it's HBO. I'm already paying for that one to get The
Sopranos, OZ,
> Arliss and Sex in the City. I'd hate to have to dole out the cash for
> another network ( I'd do it though ). After seeing how great these
series
> are, I can't tell you how great I think it is that you get to play in
this
> medium. I wonder what JMS uncensored will have to say.
>
> On the down side, I guess this, in effect, puts the last nail in
Crusade
> since I doubt you'll have time for long time to come.
>
>

I have to admit - I'm hoping it's HBO too, which we already get. OTOH,
SHowtime has always had very good programming, and I'd certainly be
willing to pick it up for this. Kudos, Joe! You kept slugging and it
came out all right.

Lisa Coulter

JMarien3

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
Brian Stinson blee...@swbell.net
on 8/27/00 wrote:
>
>I hope it's HBO. I'm already paying for that one to get The Sopranos, OZ,
>Arliss and Sex in the City.

Great shows, all---except maybe Arliss, which I think had a great first season,
then went downhill. Still watchable, though. And Sex & the City has gotten
better each season. And one can't say enough about The Sopranos!


in_vale...@hotmail.com

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
In article <8obsb4$1g2$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,

lisa_c...@my-deja.com wrote:
> In article <dVaq5.32$s23....@nnrp2.sbc.net>,
> Brian Stinson <blee...@swbell.net> wrote:
> > I hope it's HBO. I'm already paying for that one to get The
> > Sopranos, OZ, Arliss and Sex in the City. I'd hate to have to dole

> > out the cash for another network ( I'd do it though ). After
> > seeing how great these series are, I can't tell you how great I
> > think it is that you get to play in this medium. I wonder what JMS
> > uncensored will have to say.
> >
> > On the down side, I guess this, in effect, puts the last nail in
> > Crusade since I doubt you'll have time for long time to come.
>
> I have to admit - I'm hoping it's HBO too, which we already get. OTOH,
> SHowtime has always had very good programming, and I'd certainly be
> willing to pick it up for this. Kudos, Joe! You kept slugging and it
> came out all right.

In the spirit of the great tradition of fanish speculation :)
I suspect it's for Showtime. They've been fairly supportive of SF
programing, Joe's did a Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde adaption movie for them
(I think), and they offered Outer Limits to him before Glassner.

But I'm almost hoping for HBO, as they've supported some inventive new
comedies and dramas. I'm curious to see how they'd handle SF.

Has HBO ever done any original SF shows before?

scott tilson.
--------------------
Recommended: PLANETARY / THE AUTHORITY: RULING THE WORLD by Warren
Ellis & Phil Jimenez. http://www.dccomics.com/bnw/june/planet/a.htm

Pelzo63

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
in_valens_name wrote:

>In the spirit of the great tradition of fanish >speculation :)
>I suspect it's for Showtime. They've been fairly >supportive of SF
>programing, Joe's did a Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde adaption >movie for them
>(I think), and they offered Outer Limits to him before >Glassner.

i too am gonna pick showtime, although it doesn't matter much to me, as long as
it's not encore/starz. i get all the rest. and i doubt there's much chance
it's enc/starz. as far as the outer limits goes, isn't that ending soon? or
already has ended? i believe i saw it somewhere, and if it does, that would
leave a time slot on "sci-friday" right after Stargate SG:1. :-)

incidentally, after looking through the long list of shows jms has done, i find
i unknowingly have enjoyed nearly everything with his name on it(i didn't even
know who he was until late in B5S5), so i'm fairly sur i'll enjoy the new show
too.[1]

>Has HBO ever done any original SF shows before?

depends, do you count "Tales From the Crypt"? if so, then yes, if not, then, i
don't know for certain.

.....Chris
http://pelzo63.terrashare.com
[1] there's only 1 other person who has nywhere near that high of a batting
average with me. hint: he did quantum leap.


Jms at B5

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
>incidentally, after looking through the long list of shows jms has done, i
>find
>i unknowingly have enjoyed nearly everything with his name on it(i didn't
>even
>know who he was until late in B5S5), so i'm fairly sur i'll enjoy the new
>show
>too.

I've been getting this a lot from people lately. "Oh, I just knew you from B5,
I didn't know you had done (fill in the gap) until I was watching my old tapes
the other day and...." Sometimes it's Murder She Wrote, but more often it's
The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight Zone or Captain Power or,
well, pick one...which invariably gets followed by, "I *grew up as a kid*
watching your stuff."

At which point I want to smite them with a very large mallet. Or a very large
mallard, whichever is nearer at hand.

Pål Are Nordal

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
Jms at B5 wrote:
>
> I've been getting this a lot from people lately. "Oh, I just knew you from B5,
> I didn't know you had done (fill in the gap) until I was watching my old tapes
> the other day and...." Sometimes it's Murder She Wrote, but more often it's
> The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight Zone or Captain Power or,
> well, pick one...which invariably gets followed by, "I *grew up as a kid*
> watching your stuff."

Me too!!!

And while we're on the subject of your older stuff... I just have to ask
(and from what I've heard, it wasn't a pleasant experience for those
involved)... Did you have anything to do (develop/story edit?) with
"Spiral Zone"?

Jms at B5

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
>And while we're on the subject of your older stuff... I just have to ask
>(and from what I've heard, it wasn't a pleasant experience for those
>involved)... Did you have anything to do (develop/story edit?) with
>"Spiral Zone"?

I wrote the pilot, then when I saw what they were going to do with the show, I
took my name off it and walked away from the show. I think I put on Fettes
Grey as my pseudonym, which are the names of two grave robbers from a well
known piece of fiction.

How the heck did you know about that one?

Jeffrey Gustafson

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
A few days ago, jms...@aol.com took time out of his busy schedule and
typed:

"I'll be running the show, and developing it from an outside concept."

Is that "outside concept" for the series based on a book or movie
(etc.), or is it just somebody else's (series) creation? Thanks,


-The Jeff

Sheridan:"So how did you find out all of this?"
Bester:"I'm a telepath. Work it out." <*>

Jms at B5

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
>Is that "outside concept" for the series based on a book or movie
>(etc.), or is it just somebody else's (series) creation? Thanks,

The former.

Michael J Wise

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
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Jms at B5 wrote:
> * it'll probably be shot in Vancouver since there are a lot of
> locations in it that we can find in one place only up there

It's a nice place from July thru September, but after that, grey skies.
'Course, for filming, this may be just what you want for an outdoor shot.

Some places that you really should check out for eats:

Sophie's Cosmic Cafe.
Anton's.
The Ferguson Point Tea House.

'Course, with my luck, they've all closed, or are serving only Vegan food,
or some such. Or you're a vegan. Dunno. But those are/were my three
favorite restaurants. Check 'em out.

And as for the PAY bit, hey, I just unsub'd. Oh well. Can we directly
subscribe to video-tapes of the series, perhaps?

Aloha mai Nai`a (owner of the 4 DVD set of "From the Earth to the Moon") !
--
"Please have your Internet License http://kapu.net/~mjwise/
and Usenet Registration handy..."

Gharlane of Eddore

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
Brian Stinson wrote:
>
> On the down side, I guess this, in effect, puts the last nail in
> Crusade since I doubt you'll have time for long time to come.

In <39A9A114...@bigfoot.com> a_b...@bigfoot.com writes:
>
> Only if he decides to run it like he did B5, writing most of the scripts
> himself. If he however hires a couple of writer/producers and story
> editors on each show, it would be eminently doable.
>

Don't hold your breath. Delegation of authority has never been one
of Joe's strong suits.... *grin*


Gharlane of Eddore

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Aug 27, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/27/00
to
in <39A9E97E...@bigfoot.com> Someone asked:

>
> And while we're on the subject of your older stuff... I just have
> to ask (and from what I've heard, it wasn't a pleasant experience
> for those involved)... Did you have anything to do (develop/story
> edit?) with "Spiral Zone"?
>

*LARGE* SNICKER.... this situation is famous in some circles.
Usually spoke of with an awed, hushed, amazed tone.


In <20000828004403...@ng-cl1.aol.com>


jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) writes:
>

> I wrote the pilot, then when I saw what they were going to do with
> the show, I took my name off it and walked away from the show.
> I think I put on Fettes Grey as my pseudonym, which are the names
> of two grave robbers from a well known piece of fiction.
>

I always liked the name composed of two notorious assassins,
"Judas Booth," which showed up as the writer credit on the TV
version of "DUNE." But "Fettes Gray" would be Right Up There.


In <20000828004403...@ng-cl1.aol.com>


jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) writes:
>

> How the heck did you know about that one?
>


Joe, we've even got a copy of "SNOW WHITE" in the reference
files. Your life ( your *professional* life, at any rate )
is an open book, since thousands of people have been studying
your work since before Captain Power Summoned The Thunder....


Jonathan Biggar

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
Jms at B5 wrote:
> I've been getting this a lot from people lately. "Oh, I just knew you from B5,
> I didn't know you had done (fill in the gap) until I was watching my old tapes
> the other day and...." Sometimes it's Murder She Wrote, but more often it's
> The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight Zone or Captain Power or,
> well, pick one...which invariably gets followed by, "I *grew up as a kid*
> watching your stuff."

You're dithpicable!

--
Jon Biggar
Floorboard Software
j...@floorboard.com
j...@biggar.org


Rob Perkins

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
"Jms at B5" <jms...@aol.com> wrote in message

> * it's for one of the pay cable networks (which means no censoring of
language
> or ideas or images, which is a terrific situation for any writer, allowing
you
> to go as far as they have on, say, The Sopranos or Oz)

While that's nice, I'm sure, (I'm not a writer, but I can see the point),
keeping it TV-14 or "cleaner" will guarantee that my wife will let me watch
it. :-) (Due to small children, we keep the TV-MA and R-rated stuff out of
the house)

Hopefully it also means you can keep from encountering the stupid TNT-style
interventions of series' past. I *certainly* hope it's not Disney; they
interrupt their own movies with ads for ABC programs, for cryin' out loud!

> * it'll probably be shot in Vancouver since there are a lot of locations
in it
> that we can find in one place only up there

Speaking as someone who is from the Original Vancouver (Fort Vancouver on
the Columbia River), which Vancouver are you talking about?

Rob, noting that there is an incredible array of different locations not far
from *here* as well!
Vancouver, Washington, USA

Jerome

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to

Jms at B5 wrote:

> I've been getting this a lot from people lately. "Oh, I just knew you from B5,
> I didn't know you had done (fill in the gap) until I was watching my old tapes
> the other day and...." Sometimes it's Murder She Wrote, but more often it's
> The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight Zone or Captain Power or,
> well, pick one...

For our curiosity, just how much of those shows, especially "He-Man" and "Real Ghostbusters", did you write? The occasional script? Most of them? Consultant?

I ask about those shows in particular because I remember watching them as a......

> ..which invariably gets followed by, "I *grew up as a kid*
> watching your stuff."
>

> At which point I want to smite them with a very large mallet. Or a very large
> mallard, whichever is nearer at hand.
>
> jms

Well, I wasn't really a "kid". More a high schooler and college freshman. Of course, there's the fact I got my master's degree over ten years ago... ;-)

Iain Rae

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to


I have a distant relative who was in crossroads (very bad UK soap, I
mean really bad) he once said he knew he was getting pretty old when
people started saying "Oh yes, my mother used to watch that".

Sorry jms, it can only get worse.
<obligatorygetjobforarelaitvetypeplug>
NB If anyone is looking to cast a small elderly Glaswegian.......
--
Iain Rae
Computing Officer
Dept. Civil & Offshore Engineering
Heriot-Watt University


Message has been deleted

lisa_c...@my-deja.com

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
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In article <39AAABF4...@ctinet.net>,

I was going to say roughly the same thing. I really remember Real
Ghostbusters and He-Man She-Ra, which I remember watching when I was
much too old to watch them.....maybe it was my younger brother! Yeah,
that's it (well he can't defend himself since he's not here <g>)

Lisa Coulter

in_vale...@hotmail.com

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
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In article <1048-39A...@storefull-177.iap.bryant.webtv.net>,
Psico...@webtv.net (Jeffrey Gustafson) wrote:
> Oh my god, he *is* a vorlon (though he narrowed it down to "books,
> movies, etc." indirectly, of course). It's all good. At least the
> answer wasn't just "yes." ;)

Yeah, that's a neat hint. I'm hoping it's from an SF book. IMO,
despite rare exceptions, the best SF concepts and stories are in novels.

But JMS is so well read, I wouldn't have a clue where to start
guessing! (Stabbing blindly in the dark) James Blish's CITIES IN
FLIGHT series?

(Awaiting the enigmatic silence.) :)

scott tilson.
--------------------
Recommended: MARVEL BOY by Grant Morrison & J.G. Jones.
http://www.nextplanetover.com/pulse/excerpts/marvelboy000614-1.asp

Gharlane of Eddore

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to

In <8oeljp$6ld$1...@nnrp1.deja.com> in_vale...@hotmail.com writes:
>
> Yeah, that's a neat hint. I'm hoping it's from an SF book. IMO,
> despite rare exceptions, the best SF concepts and stories are in novels.
>
> But JMS is so well read, I wouldn't have a clue where to start
> guessing! (Stabbing blindly in the dark) James Blish's CITIES IN
> FLIGHT series?
>
> (Awaiting the enigmatic silence.) :)
>


Funniest part of that would be retconning the blips in the continuity;
Blish actually blew up the entire universe to get out from under that
series ( in the same way that Doyle tossed Holmes off the top of the
Reichenbach Falls along with Professor Moriarty ) ... and then a few
years later had enough money and concept waved in his face that he
was inveigled into revisiting the CIF universe for another novel-serial,
which he had to insert into the *middle* of the series continuity....
Fortunately, Campbell was a big help on making the details match, but
there are still some massive dissonances. *grin*

( *GOOD* series. You can get all four books packed into one volume;
if you haven't read 'em, buy a copy and do so. )

Andrew Swallow

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
In article <20000827230531...@ng-cl1.aol.com>, jms...@aol.com (Jms
at B5) writes:

>
>I've been getting this a lot from people lately. "Oh, I just knew you from
>B5,
>I didn't know you had done (fill in the gap) until I was watching my old
>tapes
>the other day and...." Sometimes it's Murder She Wrote, but more often it's
>The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight Zone or Captain Power
>or,

>well, pick one...which invariably gets followed by, "I *grew up as a kid*
>watching your stuff."
>

Does this mean that you are now one of the few produces that can open a show?

Andrew Swallow


Pål Are Nordal

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
Jms at B5 wrote:
>
> >"Spiral Zone"?
>
> I wrote the pilot,

Did it have a name? Was it produced? I'm just curious, because the first
few episodes in the airing order have no introductory information. And
even horribly mutilated jms is worth tracking down :-)

> then when I saw what they were going to do with the show, I
> took my name off it and walked away from the show.

Ahhh... It seem to me like a very cool concept being used for an average
toy commercial...

Now you have to tell us what you were intending to do with it? An arc?
Making the whole thing _really_ dark?

> I think I put on Fettes
> Grey as my pseudonym, which are the names of two grave robbers from a well
> known piece of fiction.

The only writing credits I could find were Story Editors (Jim Carlson,
Terrence McDonnell, Mark Edens) and Story Consultant (Dawn Tarnofsky).

> How the heck did you know about that one?

Michael Reaves blabbed in an interview.

Pelzo63

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
jmsatb5 wrote:

>Murder She Wrote, but more often it's
>The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight >Zone or Captain Power
>or,
>well, pick one...which invariably gets followed by, "I >*grew up as a kid*
>watching your stuff."

Murder she wrote, Ghostbusters, T-Zone, he-man, and captain power were among
those i was thinking of, though i never heard of jayce before a thread on this
forum a few months ago.

and i won't mention this big box of he-man figures, and 3 WORKING captain power
"vessels" as well as captain power himself, and a captain power video, and how
they were...youthful...christmas gifts. <g> and i'm sitll upset that my dog
chewed off my Man-at-Arm's figure's ARMS(ahh, the irony).

>At which point I want to smite them with a very large >mallet. Or a very
>large
>mallard, whichever is nearer at hand.

i'll take the mallard, but only if it's Sinclair's. <rlh>

....Chris
http://pelzo63.terrashare.com


Pelzo63

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
in_valens_name wrote:

>Yeah, that's a neat hint. I'm hoping it's from an SF >book. IMO,
>despite rare exceptions, the best SF concepts and >stories are in novels.

mark me down as hoping that it's something from asimov, perhaps foundation.
(with special effects by foundation imaging? now there's a nice irony). <g>
this is gonna be a LONG few months now.

..Chris
http://pelzo63.terrashare.com


Pål Are Nordal

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
Gharlane of Eddore wrote:
>
> in <39A9E97E...@bigfoot.com> Someone asked:
> >
> > And while we're on the subject of your older stuff... I just have
> > to ask (and from what I've heard, it wasn't a pleasant experience
> > for those involved)... Did you have anything to do (develop/story
> > edit?) with "Spiral Zone"?
> >
>
> *LARGE* SNICKER.... this situation is famous in some circles.
> Usually spoke of with an awed, hushed, amazed tone.

Joe resigning, or Tonka executives "improving" the scripts :o)

> I always liked the name composed of two notorious assassins,
> "Judas Booth," which showed up as the writer credit on the TV
> version of "DUNE." But "Fettes Gray" would be Right Up There.

You have heard about what he wanted on Crusade, right? (Eiben Scrood)

> In <20000828004403...@ng-cl1.aol.com>


> jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) writes:
> >

> > How the heck did you know about that one?
> >
>

> Joe, we've even got a copy of "SNOW WHITE" in the reference
> files.

SHHH!!! This is *NOT SOMETHING ONE MENTIONS PUBLICLY* - Do you want to
give poor Joe a heart attack?

BTW - The introduction is a hoot <veg>

> Your life ( your *professional* life, at any rate )
> is an open book, since thousands of people have been studying
> your work since before Captain Power Summoned The Thunder....

If you're "connected". Us mere mortals are limited to hours trawling
though net search engines...

Maybe I should start blackmailing you for information...

Pål Are Nordal

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
Gharlane of Eddore wrote:
>
> Don't hold your breath. Delegation of authority has never been one
> of Joe's strong suits.... *grin*

Well, he did manage assign out the majority of the scripts while he was
story editing animation, so he *is* capable of it. He said it himself,
main reason he started doing it in B5 was that he was the only one close
enough to the material.

Pål Are Nordal

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
Jms at B5 wrote:
>
> >Is that "outside concept" for the series based on a book or movie
> >(etc.), or is it just somebody else's (series) creation? Thanks,
>
> The former.

"The Compleat Crab and Lobster Book by Suzanne T. R.
Crocker(Illustrator), Christopher Russell Reaske (Paperback - June 1999)"?

Jms at B5

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
>For our curiosity, just how much of those shows, especially "He-Man" and
>"Real Ghostbusters", did you write? The occasional script? Most of them?
>Consultant?

I was story editor on both shows (also on the He-Man followup series, She-Ra).
I wrote something like a dozen eps for those two shows, and around 18 for
TRGBs.

Jms at B5

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
>> How the heck did you know about that one?
>
>Michael Reaves blabbed in an interview.

Hand me my chain saw, mother, I'm going out to catch dinner....

Tammy Smith

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
What is Spiral Zone? Never heard of it.

Tammy

Pål Are Nordal

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Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to
Tammy Smith wrote:
>
> What is Spiral Zone? Never heard of it.

http://www.epguides.com/SpiralZone/

Syndicated 65 episode cartoon from 1987. I'm a bit sketchy on the
background, as I've only seen 6 episodes, but I've gathered it was set
sometime in the no-too-far future.

The main baddie, Overlord, had dumped pods containing "zone generators"
all over the world. The generators projected a green field (I think
bacteria was mentioned once) that turned anyone inside without
protection into mindless zombies. The name came from the spiral pattern
the zone formed around earth, going though everything from farmlands to
major cites.

>From there on you had your standard heroes and villains, with the plots
centred around the good guys going into the zone to destroy a generator
and the bad guys trying to stop them.

Gharlane of Eddore

unread,
Aug 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/28/00
to

Jms at B5 wrote:
>
> I've been getting this a lot from people lately.
> "Oh, I just knew you from B5, I didn't know you had done
> (fill in the gap) until I was watching my old tapes the other
> day and...." Sometimes it's Murder She Wrote, but more often

> it's The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight Zone
> or Captain Power or, well, pick one...which invariably gets
> followed by, "I *grew up as a kid* watching your stuff."
>


Don't sweat over it Joe; some of us are *OLDER* than you are by
more than a bit, and *we* grew up stuck with Saturday-morning
movie serials from Republic.... think of the old "BUCK ROGERS"
and "FLASH GORDON" series, as an example.

"CAPTAIN VIDEO," "SPACE PATROL," and "ROCKET RANGERS" and
even "ROCKY JONES, SPACE RANGER" were all a step up when they
came along, even though they weren't exactly Great SF.

Heck, "MISTER PEEPERS" often had better SkiFfy scripts than
we'd seen in the serials.

The only thing close to reasonable SF that came across the
airwaves prior to "TREK"'s excursion into high-grade SkiFfy
was "MEN INTO SPACE." ( And occasional decent scripts on
Ivan Tors' "SCIENCE FICTION THEATER." )

So relax, you're a young sprat, and a whole lot of us
grew up on stuff that was written and published and
dramatized before you were born, or at the very least
before you were weaned.

There, does that make you feel better?


Jon Niehof

unread,
Aug 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/29/00
to
> The game company which had been interested in doing the game went
> kerplunk (Looking Glass); haven't had time to really take it anywhere
> since.
Talk to Warren Spector at Ion Storm Austin (the division that *doesn't*
have John "Daikatana" Romero). He's hired on at least five ex-LGS
employees, and is running the Thief III project. He worked on System Shock
and a bit on the original Thief, in addition to producing the *excellent*
Deus Ex.

--Jon, N9RUJ jnie...@calvin.edu www.calvin.edu/~jnieho38

The boy's pure dang-nasty evil! They all
sense it, why can't you?
--Star Wars, Episode II: The Menace Strikes Back

Jon Niehof

unread,
Aug 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/29/00
to
> Well, there's always the hope that Into the Fire will get picked up and
> brought to market.
Has anyone heard anything from Sector 14 Studios lately? I haven't heard
anything since they announced their formation.

David E. Bath

unread,
Aug 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/29/00
to
In article <dVaq5.32$s23....@nnrp2.sbc.net>,
Brian Stinson <blee...@swbell.net> writes:
> I hope it's HBO. I'm already paying for that one to get The Sopranos, OZ,
> Arliss and Sex in the City. I'd hate to have to dole out the cash for
> another network ( I'd do it though ). After seeing how great these series
> are, I can't tell you how great I think it is that you get to play in this
> medium. I wonder what JMS uncensored will have to say.

>
> On the down side, I guess this, in effect, puts the last nail in Crusade
> since I doubt you'll have time for long time to come.

My guess is Showtime, they already have a fondnes for SF series while
HBO hasn't with the exception of Tales From the Crypt. That is, no
other live action shows.

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
David Bath mailto:davi...@bigfoot.com


Dan Dassow

unread,
Aug 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/29/00
to
In article <8od0vm$f...@news.csus.edu>,

ghar...@ccshp1.ccs.csus.edu (Gharlane of Eddore) wrote:
> in <39A9E97E...@bigfoot.com> Someone asked:
> >
> > And while we're on the subject of your older stuff... I just have
> > to ask (and from what I've heard, it wasn't a pleasant experience
> > for those involved)... Did you have anything to do (develop/story
> > edit?) with "Spiral Zone"?
> >
>
> *LARGE* SNICKER.... this situation is famous in some circles.
> Usually spoke of with an awed, hushed, amazed tone.
>
> In <20000828004403...@ng-cl1.aol.com>
> jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) writes:
> >
> > I wrote the pilot, then when I saw what they were going to do with

> > the show, I took my name off it and walked away from the show.
> > I think I put on Fettes Grey as my pseudonym, which are the names
> > of two grave robbers from a well known piece of fiction.
> >
>
> I always liked the name composed of two notorious assassins,
> "Judas Booth," which showed up as the writer credit on the TV
> version of "DUNE." But "Fettes Gray" would be Right Up There.
>
> In <20000828004403...@ng-cl1.aol.com>
> jms...@aol.com (Jms at B5) writes:
> >
> > How the heck did you know about that one?
> >
>
> Joe, we've even got a copy of "SNOW WHITE" in the reference
> files. Your life ( your *professional* life, at any rate )

> is an open book, since thousands of people have been studying
> your work since before Captain Power Summoned The Thunder....
>
It's a good thing that Joe has forgiven me for discovering that "SNOW
WHITE" is his first published play and that the play is still
being performed.

Kay Shapero

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Aug 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/29/00
to

Jms at B5 <jms...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000827230531...@ng-cl1.aol.com...

>
> I've been getting this a lot from people lately. "Oh, I just knew you
from B5,
> I didn't know you had done (fill in the gap) until I was watching my old
tapes
> the other day and...." Sometimes it's Murder She Wrote, but more often
it's
> The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight Zone or Captain Power
or,
> well, pick one...which invariably gets followed by, "I *grew up as a kid*
> watching your stuff."
>

Well if it makes you feel any better, I used to watch (and tape) The Real
Ghostbusters up until they started dumbing it down (in retrospect I probably
"walked" about 4 episodes after you did.) And I'm older than you are, heh
heh heh... :->

Jerome

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Aug 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/29/00
to
Great to know. I, as many of the other fans here, am interested in seeing other JMS creations since there was such an obvious talent behind B5.

BTW - glad you didn't hit me with a very large mallet. I wasn't afraid of the very large mallard, since then I would remember to DUCK.

Michael Kilgore

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Aug 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/29/00
to
In article <8ofk4t$2...@news.csus.edu>, ghar...@ccshp1.ccs.csus.edu
(Gharlane of Eddore) wrote:
> [...] *we* grew up stuck with Saturday-morning

> movie serials from Republic.... think of the old "BUCK ROGERS"
> and "FLASH GORDON" series, as an example.

Tch. Perhaps a disgruntled acolyte has been stirring the slurry. Or,
more likely, you know that all of these serials are not from Republic;
and you meant that you were stuck with Republic serials instead of the
sturdier earlier ones. (Whatever else might be said about Buster
Crabbe's swordplay, it was not the ritualized brawl required in each
chapter of each later Republic serial.)

> "CAPTAIN VIDEO," "SPACE PATROL," and "ROCKET RANGERS" and
> even "ROCKY JONES, SPACE RANGER" were all a step up when they
> came along, even though they weren't exactly Great SF.

Not great SF, no. But a great catalyst for the imagination of a
susceptible boy at the right time in the century. RJ in particular
ensnared me, with wonderful theme music (adventuring in space *was*
dangerous) and occasionally epic stories (the destruction of "planets",
lost extra-solar wanderers and ancient spaceships). The treatment was
vivid enough that some of the episodes still come back to me.

> Heck, "MISTER PEEPERS" often had better SkiFfy scripts than
> we'd seen in the serials.

> [...]

Tom Corbett on the small screen also tried to do actual SF. As
story-telling, though, my favorites (the Flash Gordons, Undersea
Kingdom, Phantom Empire), cheesy or corny though they may be, all
treated their core stories seriously. Honest story-telling (mixed in
with the the less-than-B-movie treatment) is what, I suppose, keeps them
entertaining. Which brings us back to the original topic, I hope, if
only peripherally. (Yeah, ok, so I'm reaching here.)

(*sigh* Note to self: stay *off* the soapbox. Also note: don't post
when tired -- caught by the a.d.n. trick again, may someone's
glass-cased atmosphere wax positively tropical.)
--
Michael Kilgore


Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted

pazi

unread,
Aug 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/30/00
to
In article <9391-39A...@storefull-178.iap.bryant.webtv.net>,
Psico...@webtv.net wrote:
>*tromp* *tromp* *tromp* *tromp* *TROMP* *TROMP* *TROMP* *TROMP* .....
>BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!!!!!

Shouldn't this've been "BATBATBATBATBATBATBAT!!!!!"?

-zi

--
pazi on the net since '87. Beware of cheap imitations.


Pål Are Nordal

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Aug 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/30/00
to
pazi wrote:
>
> In article <9391-39A...@storefull-178.iap.bryant.webtv.net>,
> Psico...@webtv.net wrote:
> >*tromp* *tromp* *tromp* *tromp* *TROMP* *TROMP* *TROMP* *TROMP* .....
> >BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!!!!!
>
> Shouldn't this've been "BATBATBATBATBATBATBAT!!!!!"?

Or WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Scott Advani

unread,
Aug 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/30/00
to
As long as you don't forget to duck.

I can remember when the show was TWCNBN, and I've got the tee shirt to
prove it.

Do you get the sense that your career is just really hitting its stride,
or has it been there for some time?

-= Scott =-

Jms at B5 wrote:
>
> >incidentally, after looking through the long list of shows jms has done, i
> >find
> >i unknowingly have enjoyed nearly everything with his name on it(i didn't
> >even
> >know who he was until late in B5S5), so i'm fairly sur i'll enjoy the new
> >show
> >too.


>
> I've been getting this a lot from people lately. "Oh, I just knew you from B5,
> I didn't know you had done (fill in the gap) until I was watching my old tapes
> the other day and...." Sometimes it's Murder She Wrote, but more often it's
> The Real Ghostbusters or Jayce or He-Man or Twilight Zone or Captain Power or,
> well, pick one...which invariably gets followed by, "I *grew up as a kid*
> watching your stuff."
>

> At which point I want to smite them with a very large mallet. Or a very large
> mallard, whichever is nearer at hand.
>

Jms at B5

unread,
Aug 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/30/00
to
>Do you get the sense that your career is just really hitting its stride,
>or has it been there for some time?

I've really no idea....

Michael J Wise

unread,
Aug 31, 2000, 3:00:00 AM8/31/00
to
David E. Bath wrote:

> That is, no other live action shows.

One of the jewels of my DVD collection is the 4-DVD set of:

"From the Earth to the Moon"

...by HBO.

Aloha mai Nai`a!
--
"Please have your Internet License http://kapu.net/~mjwise/
and Usenet Registration handy..."

Everett Ogden

unread,
Aug 31, 2000, 8:39:50 AM8/31/00
to
davi...@bigfoot.com (David E. Bath) wrote (in part):

>In article <dVaq5.32$s23....@nnrp2.sbc.net>,
> Brian Stinson <blee...@swbell.net> writes:

>> I hope it's HBO. <Snip>


>
>My guess is Showtime, they already have a fondnes for SF series while

>HBO hasn't with the exception of Tales From the Crypt. That is, no
>other live action shows.

Don't forget that JMS has a history of dropping hints, in both his
shows and his postings here. He's already narrowed it down to HBO,
Showtime or TMC. But before that he said:

>* it's for one of the pay cable networks (which means no censoring of
>language or ideas or images, which is a terrific situation for any
>writer, allowing you to go as far as they have on, say, The Sopranos
>or Oz)

I take that as a clue.


Everett Ogden <ogd...@global2000.net>

James Bell

unread,
Aug 31, 2000, 2:53:46 PM8/31/00
to

Everett Ogden wrote:

More than a clue, he was telling us without telling us. It *is* HBO.

Jim

JBONETATI

unread,
Aug 31, 2000, 7:41:14 PM8/31/00
to
<<>
> I take that as a clue.

More than a clue, he was telling us without telling us. It *is* HBO.>>

Hate to tell you this folks, but I think you're reading too much into it. JMS
has said *several* times over the last several months how much he enjoys
Sopranos-that it's the one show he makes time to watch regularly.

He'll tell us what he can, when he can.

Jan

Jerome

unread,
Sep 1, 2000, 12:25:55 AM9/1/00
to
Quackquackquackquackquackquackquackquack....?

Jon Niehof

unread,
Sep 1, 2000, 12:43:30 PM9/1/00
to
> "BTW - glad you didn't hit me with a very large mallet. I wasn't afraid
> of the very large mallard, since then I would remember to DUCK."
>
> *tromp* *tromp* *tromp* *tromp* *TROMP* *TROMP* *TROMP* *TROMP* .....
> BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!!!!!
For some reason, that reminds me of something that a few of my friends
wrote in high school. They were bored on a band trip or something, and
wrote a story of a lovable little duck that played in cesium-based
fertilizer, grew to the size of the Sears Tower, and walked around causing
mayhem until he was taken out and grilled up by the newly-renamed "Kentucky
Fried Duck." Unfortunately, I forgot his name...

--Jon, N9RUJ jnie...@calvin.edu www.calvin.edu/~jnieho38

If the humans don't want me, why did they create me?
--Naomi Armitage


pazi

unread,
Sep 1, 2000, 12:53:59 PM9/1/00
to
In article <39AF3074...@ctinet.net>, kal...@ctinet.net wrote:
>Quackquackquackquackquackquackquackquack....?

Oh, no! Not Sinclair's d*ck again!

http://www.cs.tut.fi/~leopold/Babylon5/Kumiankka/Img/Roanoke.jpeg

RG063

unread,
Sep 2, 2000, 12:59:13 PM9/2/00
to
>Quackquackquackquackquackquackquackquack....?

is this the Narn Quack Squad now?

Pål Are Nordal

unread,
Sep 2, 2000, 6:30:08 PM9/2/00
to
RG063 wrote:
>
> >Quackquackquackquackquackquackquackquack....?
>
> is this the Narn Quack Squad now?

No, it's the Narn Cat Squad.

Wesley Struebing

unread,
Sep 5, 2000, 7:33:23 PM9/5/00
to
On 4 Sep 2000 11:06:38 -0700, "Kay Shapero" <kaysh...@earthlink.net>
wrotf:


>
>And that reminds me of the time Maynard G. Krebbs injected the rooster with
>two cups of growth hormone...
>
Gee. Must have trying to start up his own Krebbs cycle...

(...HEY! Get them Narns outa...WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM!

ohh, that - hurt...)


--
--Take care; faith manages!
--
--Wes Struebing
--
--+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-- str...@americanisp.com
-- ph: 303-343-9006 / FAX: 303-343-9026
-- home page: http://users.americanisp.com/~wstruebi/

A. Safron

unread,
Sep 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM9/20/00
to
Hello folks & JMS!

It's been a while since I had a chance to read the newsgroup, so
these comments are late, but still valid.

> * it's for one of the pay cable networks (which means no censoring of
language
> or ideas or images, which is a terrific situation for any writer, allowing
you
> to go as far as they have on, say, The Sopranos or Oz)

OH NO! I've never gotten a thing on pay cable. Maybe just this once.....
>
>
> It's really been an amazing year so far>snip<
> You just got to keep doing what you're doing, and do it to the best of
your
> ability, and sonuvagun, somehow things work out.

I'm not even to bother looking at your transits. You can't keep a
great writer down for long. Congrats!

-Ann Safron


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