Looking for the Friends of Mike O'Hare
Default Trumpet User
I am looking for the two women who forward news and information off the net
to Mike O'Hare. Last night I met Mike O'Hare here in Chicago at Planet
Hollywood. He was having a smoke with two women in the hallway when I
bumped into him. Waiting for a break in the conversation I leaned over
extended my hand, greeted him as "Mr. O'Hare" and congratulated him
on his portrayal of Sinclair. To which he replied, extending a beefy hand,
"Call me Mike." We spent a few minutes talking about this and that and I
mentioned that I hoped he would be coming back soon. I also mentioned that
I sent off an e-mail wishing him best of luck when he "left" the series.
At that point he responded warmly and mentioned with equal warmth, anyone
who has had the pleasure of standing around and chatting with him knows
what I mean, that anyone who would like to see his character return on a
more regular basis should send off a letter to the head of PTEN. What I
would like is for someone out there to send me off the address for these
bozos who got him thrown off the show. A few friends of mine and I are
going to write telling them of their mistake. I hope all of you will do
the same. Thanks.
Charles Goetz
szgi...@monet.ucdavis.edu
: To the Friends of Mike O'Hare:
<snip>
: What I
: would like is for someone out there to send me off the address for these
: bozos who got him thrown off the show. A few friends of mine and I are
: going to write telling them of their mistake. I hope all of you will do
: the same. Thanks.
: Charles Goetz
Well, if you stick around here long enough you may just hear
from one of the "bozos who got him thrown off the show".
Neil
. .
* . . .
******************************************************* . | .
*The past tempts us, the present confuses us, * \ | / .
*and the future frightens us...And our lives slip * . . \ | / . .
*away, moment by moment, lost in that vast terrible * . ------*------ .
*in-between. But there is still time to seize that * . . / | \ . .
*one last fragile moment, to choose something better, * . / | \ .
*to make a difference......... * . . | . .
******************************************************* . . .
Bureau of Policy and Programs
I've had the pleasure of pulling comments from the Internet and sending
them off to the Friends of Michael O'Hare for a while now. Michael is
very interested in what people have to say about the show and his
character. As his note mentioned a few weeks ago, he wants people to
watch Babylon 5 and give Bruce Boxleitner a chance. As you know from
having met Michael, he's unlike anyone I've met before, especially one
that can be considered a "star". This warm, personable man should be
back on the show "full time", as far as I'm concerned. He gave it a
continuity that it lacks now. Perhaps it's in the overall plan that this
will happen, I hope so. Michael is a rare man in this day and age, when
no autographs are signed, no time given to fans. Michael is the exact
opposite.
I will be more than glad to pass on your note to him and hope he enjoys
it as much as I did.
Thanks.
Sandy
Bureau of Policy and Programs
Forgot the addresses you asked for. They are:
Dick Robertson, c/o Warner Brothers Domestic Television,
4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank. CA 91522. It is suggested that
you not write Babylon 5 on the envelope.
Sandy
Richard Feldman
In a previous article, cgo...@kentlaw.edu (Default Trumpet User) says:
>I sent off an e-mail wishing him best of luck when he "left" the series.
>At that point he responded warmly and mentioned with equal warmth, anyone
>who has had the pleasure of standing around and chatting with him knows
>what I mean, that anyone who would like to see his character return on a
>more regular basis should send off a letter to the head of PTEN. What I
>would like is for someone out there to send me off the address for these
>bozos who got him thrown off the show. A few friends of mine and I are
>going to write telling them of their mistake. I hope all of you will do
>the same. Thanks.
> Charles Goetz
>
Sigh.... it's time, yet again, to post the TRUTH about this.... why don't
these people EVER learn that SOMETIMES jms DOES tell the truth??? This is
from GEnie....
LONG POST WARNING - THIS IS THE FAMOUS "MESSAGE 560" FROM GENIE
Category 18, Topic 1 Message 560 Fri May 20, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:57 EDT
I have some news that must be imparted. I think that the best way
to convey that news is to start at the end of the story, make my
way to the middle, and end at the beginning.
So: the end of the story.
Everything is okay. Nothing major really changes. All is well.
Now the middle of the story.
I've been asked, several times, what happens if something *happens*
to me, or one of the cast members, during the five year arc, since
this is a fully-worked-out novel. Generally, I blow off the question
with humor. But the truth is, obviously, I've taken every possible
step to make sure that no one is disappointed. In my case, I've
made sure the story is available somewhere.
The trouble, of course, is that unlike writing a novel, where the
characters exist only on a sheet of paper, actors and writers are
some discussion on the best of days). They can get sick, they can
get into contract disputes, they can be hit by meteors, they can
decide to buy a house in Cambridge and raise hedgehogs under an
assumed name. There are, in short, *always* unpredictables in any
such endeavor.
Consequently, in drafting the story for Babylon 5, I made sure to
compensate for any possible changes. For lack of a better term,
there is a "trap door" built into the storyline for every character.
Obviously, you don't want to lose anyone, but in *every* case any
such change momentarily shifts the story about ten degrees to one
side for a little bit, and then you're back on track again.
Case in point: Dr. Benjamin Kyle and Lyta Alexander. Here are the
only two humans who have seen or scanned a Vorlon. This is Very
Important to the storyline. Alas, as later events unfolded, things
did not work out, and the characters were dropped...but their story
remained important, in that it was established that they were soon
afterward recalled to Earth under mysterious circumstances (as noted
in "War Prayer"), which actually *helps* the storyline in many ways.
This is not meant to sound callous. As a writer, and as a producer,
it's my job to tell the story, to be responsible, and to make sure
every possible contingency is covered. To do anything less would be
simply irresponsible.
Now to the beginning of the story.
Over the last few weeks, we've been re-activating our cast, making
the deals for the coming season. One aspect of this has been a
series of conversations with Michael O'Hare. Having produced one
full season, and having learned a lot, and having fine-tuned the
"saga" along the way, it was our goal to expand the show, bring in
some new characters, and take the show in some new directions, which
will prove quite interesting, I think. (One sidelight to all this:
now that we've established the series, we'll be able to spend a bit
more time on personal stories, to let our audience learn more about
the characters, particularly the humans, who kinda got short shrift
this season.)
There is also the question, from an actor's point of view, about
other opportunities, any possible concern about typecasting, the
limitations of a continuing role (and the role of the commander
does have some definite "walls," giving more freedom in many ways
to other characters). Now is the point where one needs to take
a breath and assess one's future, because the deeper we get into
the story, the more problematic it is to change things (though,
again, it's do-able, as noted above).
As a result of these discussions, it has been agreed that we will
have a separation, in the role of the commander. Let me emphasize
this very clearly, so there is no chance of miscommunication: this
is a mutual, amicable, and friendly separation. This isn't a Tasha
Yar situation. Moreover, we will be handling this in such a way
that, down the road, Sinclair could potentially return to the story.
The character of Sinclair will achieve an important destiny, and the
mystery of the Battle of the Line will be explained, both in the
first episode of the new season. His story will still track. And
the series will still track precisely as planned. I take pains to
mention this because both Michael and I want it clear that we both
believe in the show, and want this in no way to interfere with the
series. He has asked me to convey for him his encouragement, his
best wishes, and to emphasize that this is, again, an amicable and
friendly separation.
He has said that he is happy to continue to do the conventions, to
promote the show, because he believes in it, and because he is an
important part of this season's success. We can think of no
finer ambassador for Babylon 5 at conventions than Michael O'Hare.
He is a dynamite speaker, he cares about the fans of the show, and
his compassion shows. We think he's a nifty guy.
On our part, we wish Michael only the very best. We know that
he is very much in demand, and look forward to seeing him in other
projects over the next year. This will also allow us to pursue some
new directions avenues for the show that will help to expedite the
overall story. Sinclair disappearing for an indeterminate period
after the events of "Chrysalis" will allow us to tighten the screws
of the story, and heighten the tension of things going on in the
storyline.
If I can speak personally for a moment...those of you reading
this on-line know that I've always talked straight with you. If
I thought this in *any* way would interfere with the story, you'd
hear about it from me loud and clear. When problems have arisen in
the past, I've always spoken about them quite bluntly here (much
to the chagrin of some people). This is okay. We're all still
very much friends. I speak frequently to Michael, and consider
him a friend, just as he considers me a friend. This was a hard
decision, but we both knew that it was the right decision, for
very different reasons. We both kinda came to the same place
at the same time from different directions. We've got to do
what's right for the show, and for each other, and in many ways,
this does just that.
So both we on the show, and Michael are served by this mutual and
amicable separation. We will go our separate ways for now, with
the possibility of meeting Sinclair again down the road a piece,
as Gandalf disappeared for a time into Mordor, only to return when
needed most. (We will also be keeping the character of Sinclair
alive in the comic, and some of the planned novels, to keep that
option available to us.)
Once again, let me emphasize that the story continues on the path
that has been set for it, everything you learn this season still
obtains, the show remains solid, with all of the other cast members
coming back for a new season, and that the saga of Babylon 5 will
continue to reveal itself exactly as planned. And I hope you will
continue to stay with us for that journey.
Sincerely,
Joe Straczynski
Creator/Executive Producer
BABYLON 5
Therefore, Charles, the "bozo" concerned is one Joseph Michael
Straczynski, who is joined by the other "bozo," Michael O'Hare.
I believe you owe them an apology. I will resist the temptation to call
YOU any names....
--
I'm not saying what I'm saying. I'm not saying what I'm thinking. For
that matter, I'm not even thinking what I'm thinking. There's only
one thing on my mind right now... I need a drink. (Sheridan to
Franklin in _A Race Through Dark Places_. Chats, aka Richard Feldman
Dirk A Loedding
[description of meeting with O'Hare snipped]
>What I
>would like is for someone out there to send me off the address for these
>bozos who got him thrown off the show. A few friends of mine and I are
>going to write telling them of their mistake. I hope all of you will do
>the same. Thanks.
> Charles Goetz
Uh....Charles? Nobody threw O'Hare off the show...It was a mutual and
amicable decision arrived at by O'Hare and JMS. If you were so worried
about this, why didn't you ask O'Hare while you were talking to him,
rather than re-start this whole discussion about O'Hare being fired?
You could have saved a *whole* lot of trouble.
Instead, you proceed to shoot your mouth off, and call the creator and
executive producer of the show you seem to like so well a bozo.
Real bright.
--
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Dirk A. Loedding ju...@america.net dirk.l...@datadim.com |
| <*> |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Theron Fuller
Loedding) writes:
>
>cgo...@kentlaw.edu (Default Trumpet User) wrote:
>[description of meeting with O'Hare snipped]
>
>>What I
>>would like is for someone out there to send me off the address for
these
>>bozos who got him thrown off the show. A few friends of mine and I
are
>>going to write telling them of their mistake. I hope all of you will
do
>>the same. Thanks.
>> Charles Goetz
>
>Uh....Charles? Nobody threw O'Hare off the show...It was a mutual and
>amicable decision arrived at by O'Hare and JMS. If you were so worried
>about this, why didn't you ask O'Hare while you were talking to him,
>rather than re-start this whole discussion about O'Hare being fired?
>You could have saved a *whole* lot of trouble.
If you go back and read the JMS post, you'll see that JMS unilaterally
decided the Sinclair character was going to be completely de-emphasized
and O'Hare should leave the lead. JMS then had an amicable meeting with
O'Hare where O'Hare then amicably and mutually agreed with the decision
JMS already made.
You can either call it a "firing" or a "mutual and amicable decision for
O'Hare to leave." Either term aptly describes the situation.
>
>Instead, you proceed to shoot your mouth off, and call the creator and
>executive producer of the show you seem to like so well a bozo.
>
>Real bright.
Regards,
Theron Fuller
--
Theron Fuller <ful...@ix.netcom.com> Liz Fuller
"I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from
going insane." --Waylon Jennings
David Hines
Theron Fuller <ful...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>If you go back and read the JMS post, you'll see that JMS unilaterally
>decided the Sinclair character was going to be completely de-emphasized
>and O'Hare should leave the lead. JMS then had an amicable meeting with
>O'Hare where O'Hare then amicably and mutually agreed with the decision
>JMS already made.
>
>You can either call it a "firing" or a "mutual and amicable decision for
>O'Hare to leave." Either term aptly describes the situation.
Theron, *shut the fuck up.*
You've been going on about this for *months.* You're not just
beating a dead horse, you're *sodomizing* it.
I met Michael O'Hare this weekend too. I was at CapriCon, and at
Planet Hollywood the night before the con opened.
At Planet Hollywood, I had the opportunity to chat with Mr. O'Hare
for several minutes. He is, as a number of people have stated, a
nice guy. And he is, as JMS has said, hurt by the stuff that's been
said about his departure.
However, it's one thing to have JMS tell you that Michael O'Hare
has been deeply hurt by this stuff, and something entirely different
to see first-hand how deeply hurt O'Hare is. I was shocked to see
how upset he was. He was *visibly* upset when he mentioned the stuff
that had been said on-line.
He has a low vision of Usenet as a result of what happened. Christing
damn, he was so upset about the shit that was thrown about that *I*
felt the need to apologize to him.
Way to go, Theron.
David Hines
dzh...@midway.uchicago.edu
Theron Fuller
writes:
This carefully worded message from JMS has always puzzled me. Since I
got viciously and falsely accused of being a "mindfucker" by the Great
One himself when the raging debate was going on, I don't have any qualms
at all about discussing the situation.
I've read this statement several times. In my personal opinion, It's
very professionally written to imply a lot and actually say very little.
What is carefully implied is that JMS and O'Hare had one or more
discussions where JMS and O'Hare together decided that O'Hare would be
replaced as Commander of B5. But JMS never says this.
The substance of the message is that JMS and O'Hare mutually agreed that
O'Hare would leave the show before the second season started.
The question I have is this: Did JMS decide to replace O'Hare as a lead
actor before he started discussions with O'Hare? In other words, were
JMS's discussions with O'Hare whether he wanted to stay on the series
with someone (Boxleitner) replacing him as Commander of B5, and he
playing what amounts to a bit role, or would he like JMS to release
O'Hare from his B% contract so O'Hare could pursue a meaningful career
somewhere else?
Aaron Brezenski
Theron Fuller <ful...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
[entire (HUGE) post by someone else deleted]
>The question I have is this: Did JMS decide to replace O'Hare as a lead
>actor before he started discussions with O'Hare? In other words, were
>JMS's discussions with O'Hare whether he wanted to stay on the series
>with someone (Boxleitner) replacing him as Commander of B5, and he
>playing what amounts to a bit role, or would he like JMS to release
>O'Hare from his B% contract so O'Hare could pursue a meaningful career
>somewhere else?
I don't care if you spout your conspiracy theories around here, Theron. But
if you want us to read them, could you *please* stop quoting the previous
writer's *entire* post?
Hint: a good Usenet rule of thumb is
If your text is vastly outnumbered by that of the person you quote, SUMMARIZE!
Aaron Brezenski
"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean there's not someone out to get me."
Card-Carrying Member of the Illuminati
"If it can't be expressed in figures, it is not science. It is opinion."
"... what are the facts, and to how many decimal places?"
Jeff Gilkey
Theron Fuller <ful...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>If you go back and read the JMS post, you'll see that JMS unilaterally
>decided the Sinclair character was going to be completely de-emphasized
>and O'Hare should leave the lead. JMS then had an amicable meeting with
>O'Hare where O'Hare then amicably and mutually agreed with the decision
>JMS already made.
>
>You can either call it a "firing" or a "mutual and amicable decision for
>O'Hare to leave." Either term aptly describes the situation.
Sinclair was replaced by Sheridan. Look back over the past dozen of so
episodes and I don't see a one where Sheridan's role could have been
fulfiled by Sinclair.
This has started my to wonder if something wierd is going to happen with
Sheridan. So weird that JMS did not want to destroy the Sinclair character
and therefore introduced an new character for us to grow to like and then
have him turn on us.
All the speculation of Sheridans dream, the Psi corp pin etc, makes me wonder
if Sheridan might turn out to be a real bastard soon.
~
The_Doge of St. Louis
>
>Here were are, a few months into season two and I still do not see why
>Sinclair was replaced by Sheridan. Look back over the past dozen of so
>episodes and I don't see a one where Sheridan's role could have been
>fulfiled by Sinclair.
>
couldn't possibly have had the "cover" with the xenophobes back on Earth that
John "Starkiller" Sheridan has. As someone who appears to be a pro-Earth,
gung-ho "Boy Scout" (and who appeared that way to many of us fans, at least
at first), he's the ideal front man for the developing conspiracy.
And then, there's the possible connection with the Shadows through his
late wife.
It seems to me that Sheridan *must* be where he is now, just as
Sinclair must be on Minbar. And, yes, I expect jms has some surprises in
store for Sheridan's character. But then, surprises are one of the few
things we probably CAN count on with B5. >:-)>
--
*******************************************************************************
* The_Doge of St. Louis |"One Step Beyond"-Sundays 3 pm, 88.1 FM*
*******************************************************************************
Richard Feldman
David - After I stopped LMAO over your comment about him sodomizing the
dead horse, I then read the rest of your post. Thank you for stating this
SO clearly and concisely. Michael IS a wonderful person, in all meanings
of that word, and he IS extremely upset by all of this crapola. I don't
know what kind of "agenda" the people who say otherwise are following,
but they're dead wrong. Period.
David Van Meter
>FROM: Theron Fuller <ful...@ix.netcom.com>
>
>The question I have is this: Did JMS decide to replace O'Hare as a lead
>actor before he started discussions with O'Hare? In other words, were
>JMS's discussions with O'Hare whether he wanted to stay on the series
>with someone (Boxleitner) replacing him as Commander of B5, and he
>playing what amounts to a bit role, or would he like JMS to release
>O'Hare from his B% contract so O'Hare could pursue a meaningful career
>somewhere else?
Lets see if I can answer Theron's questions to her satisfaction, if she
will accept JMS's statements (and my interpretation of them) as the basis
of the answers.
1) JMS had not decided to replace Mr. O'Hare when Season 2 negotiations
began. The story arc, as it was then written, would have had CDR
Sinclair as a minor character in Season 2 had Sinclair remained on B5.
Thinking of ways to improve the show, JMS had developed changes to the
arc which required Sinclair to be off the station for at least one
season. In either case, yes, JMS had entered the negotiations having
decided to not have Mr. O'Hare as the "lead".
2) The discussions then centered on whether Mr. O'Hare was willing to
accept a much reduced roll (and I assume salary). Since Mr. O'Hare was
having concerns about being sterotyped, a la the cast of Star Trek, JMS
and Mr. O'Hare agreed (and it could have been Mr. O'Hare's idea) for
Sinclair to leave. They also agreed that Mr. O'Hare could persue other
work during the upcoming year, so long as he was available for some bit
parts.
3) Nowhere has there been any indication that Mr. O'Hare was released,
fired, laid off or in any other way relieved of his contract to
Babylonian Productions. His status is more of a leave of absence and
there are still 3 option years remaining on the contract.
I hope this answers your questions, Theron.
Dave V.
Byran Lee
> riends of Mike O'Hare
> Message-ID: <D4FF0...@midway.uchicago.edu>
> Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5
> Organization: The University of Chicago
> Way to go, Theron.
> David Hines
> dzh...@midway.uchicago.edu
Like I said before, the best thing people like Theron and the rest of
his ilk could do for the human race is for them to stick a gun in
their mouth and blow their so-called brains out. They wouldn't be
missed at all, and the gene pool would be greatly improved.
* AmyBW v2.11 *
... Never underestimate the degree of Theron's stupidity.
The_Doge of St. Louis
[...]
>Like I said before, the best thing people like Theron and the rest of
>his ilk could do for the human race is for them to stick a gun in
>their mouth and blow their so-called brains out. They wouldn't be
>missed at all, and the gene pool would be greatly improved.
>
Default Trumpet User
>From: ai...@lafn.org (Richard Feldman)
>Subject: Re: Looking for the Friends of Mike O'Hare
>Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 15:18:59 GMT
Gents and Ladies:
Wow, a real live thread created by lil' ol' me. I'm flattered. I would
like to thank those who sent off the addresses I requested. My letter has
been sent off. It says, simply enough, that I support the show, watch it
regularly and encourage others to do so --and have made a few converts
who are now doing the same. It also stated that I missed Michael O'Hare's
character and hoped that he would return. At no point did I mention any
particulars of his leaving, only the consequence, that he is gone and that I
for one miss his character and wished/hoped that he would be around much
more regularly in the future.
As to this thread, I really think some people have to seriously lighten
up. Write your letters of support and speculate here on the ultimate
consequences of each episode. The behind the scenes goings on, to the
extent that we are not made privy to them, are none of our business, and
really should be none of our concern. If you really have an irrepresible
desire to pry into other people's lives, go read the National Enquirer,
where enquiring minds want to know. Considering your bent, I am certain
taht your will there discover that Striebs are in fact
taking humans captive. In fact, instead of the Michael O'Hare topic, I
suggest you conspiracy theorists start speculating on the fact that JMS is
in fact a turn-coat Strieb who is trying to warn us in code of an impending
take over of our culture by another dominant alien race.
I say this because I am *embarassed* that my first message was so poorly
written that others have found the need to perpetuate this thread. Stop it,
if only for me. I don't want this associated with my name. Lastly, those of
you who have bothered to carry on here "sodomizing the dead horse" and who
haven't taken the five minutes it takes to write a letter of support for
this show, especially now during sweeps week when it matters most, should be
ashamed of yourselves.
One fan's opinion
Charles Goetz
Tom Hayosh
A speculation: Replacing Sinclair with Sheridan is going to help
tie Psi Corps much tighter into the story. With Sinclair, the Psi
Corps would have still played an important role, diverting Earth's
attention to internal matters at a time when the Shadows' activities
called for an interworld focus. Sheridan, it appears, will have
much stronger ties not just to the Shadows as JMS has indicated, but
to Psi Corps as well as the end of AAiTN indicates. I have no idea
how the Shadows and Psi Corps might collide later in the series or
what role Sheridan might play in such an event, but Sheridan in
command definitely makes it more possible that Sinclair.
Tom Hayosh
Tomasz Szczeszynski
(Stuff deleted)
> Lets see if I can answer Theron's questions to her satisfaction, if she
> will accept JMS's statements (and my interpretation of them) as the basis
> of the answers.
(More stuff deleted)
> 3) Nowhere has there been any indication that Mr. O'Hare was released,
> fired, laid off or in any other way relieved of his contract to
> Babylonian Productions. His status is more of a leave of absence and
> there are still 3 option years remaining on the contract.
This question whether Mr. O'Hare was fired, or removed from
season two because of contract desputes, has been on my mind ever
since I read the post here about his absence. I am very glad to hear
that this is just the consequence of the arc, and that O'Hare will be
returning in one of the upcoming seasons. Thanks for clearing this up
David, and maybe now we can close this subject for good.
Btw: Is B5 going to be over after the fifth season?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomasz Szczeszynski
Carleton University
Email address: tszc...@chat.carleton.ca
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Feldman
In a previous article, tszc...@chat.carleton.ca (Tomasz Szczeszynski) says:
[deleted]
>Btw: Is B5 going to be over after the fifth season?
Tomasz - jms has stated that once the fifth season has ended, that's it.
That's all he wrote! GG The arc has been planned for that period.