Script Book # 3 - SPOILERS

[Karen]

Sadly, I have now finished volume 3 and now must endure the long wait for volume 4....

I, too, love the footnotes. Worth the price of admission by themselves. Now there's a thought...volume 16: The Footnote Edition!

[Joe Nazzaro]

Solo, I took a quick look through my files to see which interviews IÆve done with Andreas and hereÆs what I came up with:

TV Zone #59 (September, 1994)
B5 Magazine #3 (September, 1997)
Andreas Katsulas & Peter Jurasik B5 Magazine #7 (February, 1998)
TV Zone Special #30 (August, 1998)
Starlog #298 (May, 2002)

IÆm sure I donÆt have to tell anybody that Andreas is one of my all-time favorite people. One of my best B5 memories is the day Andreas and I sat outside the studios, watching the sunset, he in full GÆKar costume and makeup. Hard to do an interview when youÆre busy admiring a beautiful sunset.

When I went out to Vancouver to cover Legend of the Rangers, I was lucky enough to be on set when Andreas was working, but I was told by the publicist in no uncertain terms that I was not to bother him, that Mr. Katsulas was really press shy and wouldnÆt want to talk to him. I got to say hello of course, but that was about it. The following Monday after I went home, I got a call from a very embarrassed publicist. Apparently Andreas couldnÆt understand why I didnÆt want to talk to him, especially since weÆve known each other for several years. She had to tell him it was actually her fault, and in fact she had discouraged me from doing an interview. A day later, we were on the phone together, having the conversation we should have had in person.

[nottenst]

Volume 3

My Volume 3 (and my Grey mug) finally arrived yesterday. I only had time to read the beginning and a couple of episode intros. I was a little disappointed about the bit that "No one else will" know the story of why they switched from Sinclair especially as it said on the web site this would contain "including a lengthy discussion of the change-over from Sinclair to Sheridan." Well, we did get how the change went to Sheridan, but we'll never really learn why. Such is life.

Still, lots of cool things so far including the whole Agamemnon Sheridan arc bit.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the intros tonight.

Neil

[Nacho]

One thing that jms wrote about in the new content that really hit home to me: He was preaching about the futility of war, and basically said that "All it takes is for someone in the line that would continue it on to say .. NO .. it stops here, I'm not going to do that." That was the Centauri Emperor's message in "The Coming of Shadows".

That has a lot of, what I'll say, "political ramifications". It hard to read jms sometimes, to see if what he is saying/writing has a political agenda, or is just simply preaching right from wrong. Usually by what a person says or writes, I can place them politically. But I can't place jms politically left-vs-right, or democrat-vs-republican. Maybe that's a clue that he is just preaching with no political agenda (which is good in my estimate).

I see the same thing he is talking about nowadays and when I was growing up. It wasn't so much war, as it was and still is, prejudice of other people because of race or religious beliefs. In fact, I think that encompasses more in this same line than just jms' preaching about "war", and is quite a bit of the time the underlying reason for war.

Check out politics today .. I see lines drawn because of race and religion. And not only lines drawn but both sides using race and religion to try to benefit and further their political goals. That's not right.

I came to the conclusion, way-way before reading jms' preaching that the only way race/religious prejudice is ever going to stop is on the level of an individual. Political (groups) thinking will never get us there. That "A" person has to reject what the learned behavior is and say: "No .. I don't believe that and am not going to follow that, reject what I was taught/heard, and treat another person without regard to race/religion".

I don't subscribe to the same jms message that that is all it takes. It takes more .. that part has to become a learned behavor. But maybe that was really jms' message, that to realize changes, it has to start with an individual; not that all it takes is one individual.

[Jan]

That has a lot of, what I'll say, "political ramifications". It hard to read jms sometimes, to see if what he is saying/writing has a political agenda, or is just simply preaching right from wrong. Usually by what a person says or writes, I can place them politically. But I can't place jms politically left-vs-right, or democrat-vs-republican. Maybe that's a clue that he is just preaching with no political agenda (which is good in my estimate).

Well, this might at least explain a little where he's coming from. From the Hawthorne con transcript::

Audience: Yes, I've read an awful lot on your moderated newsgroup on various political issues and (something, wondering if JMS might consider doing a column or official opinion pieces.)

JMS: I'm not sure that I have enough cogent things to say to merit a column. A lot of people write columns who shouldn't, a lot of people are on the air who shouldn't be on the air. (by-play) I appreciate the compliment, I'm not sure it's deserved. (something) tremendous talent. I've always tried to take...not a left or a right or Democrat or Republican point of view, but say "what makes sense?" 'Cause the reality is that the American Eagle, needs both a left and a right wing or he ain't getting' off the ground. You know? It's real frickin' simple. The problem is when both sides become didactic and the system breaks down. Which is happening, we can see happen right now. I've always said that politics has to make sense (aside: an oxymoron I understand) but I try to deal in my email, my (something) just what makes sense to me. And it isn't the colorful position you can work a column around. I'm (something) my own territory here, arguing for common logic. I thank you for the sentiment about my writings on the political stuff but I'm not qualified. Not by a long shot.

I don't subscribe to the same jms message that that is all it takes. It takes more .. that part has to become a learned behavor. But maybe that was really jms' message, that to realize changes, it has to start with an individual; not that all it takes is one individual.

No, whatever needs doing almost always needs more than one person and I think he realizes that. What I think he means, though, is that change can happen or start to happen with that one person. You know, that pebble starting an avalanche thing.

Jan

[Nacho]

Thanks for the link Jan .. a long, but good read.

Were you there conducting the interview? or out in the audience asking questions? Or what was your connection with it?

I especially liked the anecdote vis Rod Serling .. that was great!

There were parts of it that supported the thought that jms is not concerned/witing with political motivations, but more or less the personal (and maybe/sometimes moral) conclusions that he had come by from life experiences .. and no one person swaying his stance. I had suspected that. It makes the preaching all the more acceptable !

[Jan]

Were you there conducting the interview? or out in the audience asking questions? Or what was your connection with it?

Glad you enjoyed it. The event was a comic 'convention' held by a high school in PA. The art department was trying to raise money due to budget cuts and JMS heard about it (see this post.) As it turns out, several of the folks from the Moderated newsgroup live within driving distance of there and were planning to go. In a moment of minor insanity, I decided to go up there from Florida. So I was in the audience and asked a few questions and I was the one who wrote "TMoS 101" on the blackboard. And the one JMS teased about having copies of scripts when somebody asked him about his writing. Joe Nazzaro who's a member here was there helping JMS out, too.

One of the gang recorded the JMS spotlight session and sent me the tape. I transcribed it so that people who don't get to meet JMS might have an idea of the fun we had. I've done one other transcript from the Wizard Convention in Philly last year that DougO was kind enough to post here.

I especially liked the anecdote vis Rod Serling .. that was great!

There were parts of it that supported the thought that jms is not concerned/witing with political motivations, but more or less the personal (and maybe/sometimes moral) conclusions that he had come by from life experiences .. and no one person swaying his stance. I had suspected that. It makes the preaching all the more acceptable !

He makes no secret of the fact that he absorbed a lot of his moral values from reading Superman comics as a kid. If there's one think I've always applauded, it's his stance that one has to periodically examine what one believes and figure out why one believes that way. All too often it seems that people believe what they do simply because they always have.

Jan

[Joe Nazzaro]

My memory of the Hawthorne con was a bit surreal; literally sitting in a classroom with JMS as the teacher. I'm sure it's been said before, but Jan definitely deserves thanks for taking the time to transcribe the Q&A. As somebody who has to do it for a living, I can attest to the fact that this one wouldn't have been easy to do, especially with the acoustics.

I just finished reading Volume #3 the other night, so a few random thoughts. Going back to an issue being discussed on this board a while ago, while it's a shame that Joe didn't go really go into the Michael O'Hare situation, I'm sure he was doing what he thought was the right thing. Having said that, I'm not sure he should have made an issue of it, only to basically say, 'I'm not going to talk it about it here.'

What I did find interesting was the fact that Michael York was all but lined up to play Sheridan, but that PTEN vetoed the idea. I suspect that JMS could fill an entire volume with PTEN idiocy, but this one has to rank pretty high on the stupidity meter.

That said, I think Bruce Boxleitner ended up being absolutely the right choice, not only as an actor but as the kind of guy who threw himself into the series 100%, even hiring his own publicist to promote the show since Warners was less than useless in that area. What Joe said about Bruce having a kind word about everyone is true and has been true from day one- although I did once see that distant look alluded to in one of the footnotes. It was actually during the filming of A Call to Arms, and we were sitting on the back steps of the studio. Bruce had (as did a lot of the other cast members at this point) finally realized that plans for Crusade didn't necessarily include him, and although he didn't make a big fuss about it, his disappointment was obvious. Having spent a good deal of time on the Crusade as well, Gary Cole may have been been a good actor, but he could have leaarned an awful lot from Bruce Boxleitner about being a spokesman for his show, or for that matter, just being a nice guy.

Finally, I enjoyed JMS's comments about The Coming of Shadows and the way he knew it was going to be a winner right from the start. Personally, the episode remains my own personal favorite, for some reasons, be it the tight script, Janet Greek's superb direction, or the performances by Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas. And Turhan Bey of course, who was perfectly cast as the emperor. I had the good fortune of meeting him when he came in to audition for another role some time later, and after talking to him for two minutes, I could see why everybody loved him. A real gentle, lovely guy.

You know, looking over this post, I realize that it reads like a big sloppy fan letter. Not that I meant it that way of course, but when I think about some of the people I had the good fortune of meeting on this show, it becomes apparent why we're all still talking about it so fondly several years after it ended. Thus endeth the trip down memory lane.

[Joe Nazzaro]

I know my last post was mind-numbingly long, and this probably belongs in the Comics forum, but I couldn't resist adding a comment to Jan's previous post about JMS taking some of his values from Superman, or the comics thereof. In case nobody got a chance to read this from the interview I did with JMS for my book, Writing for Science Fiction and Fantasy Television, here's the lovely Superman story he told me...

Joe: Do those who haven't heard the story, could you tell it again?
JMS: I was at the Chicago Comicon, and I was in the dealer's room, just browsing around. I always take the big comic cons as my chance to shop; I come back with boxes of crap. I'm a comic fan, so I look for anything for any stupid Superman or Green Lantern or Spider-Man crap, I bring it back.

At one convention, I dropped something like three thousand dollars in six hours. Anyway, I was in the dealer's room in Chicago and I heard this shout and looked off to the side, and there was this young guy, racing down the aisle, being pursued by an older guy, who was shouting, 'Stop him, he's a thief, a shoplifter!' and everyone did a fast fade on both sides of the aisle to get out of the way. I didn't think about it, I just jumped at him, and the two of us brought him down, and held him until the cops finally showed up. He was a big strong guy, I think he was a sailor or something, and one of the con organizers came over and said to him, 'Oh, you should be flattered, the creator of Babylon 5 helped to bag you!' and he said, 'F**k you!' He didn't seem real impressed.

But they said, 'You could have gotten seriously hurt, how could you do that?' because he was a rather large guy.' I pointed to the Superman cut-out overhead and said, 'How could I not do this right in front of him?Æ

[phazedout]

Just on the spiderman 9/11 thing which is mentioned in the Hawthorne Q&A - could somone give me the title please, I'd like to buy and am unusually flush post-chrimbo (less alcahol I suppose).
Phaze
on the "got all the B5, now I just need everything else he's ever done" ID

[Garibaldi's Hair]

IIRC it weas issue #36 of Amazing Spider-Man. Unfortunately, it is the only issue of JMS' Spidey run that I don't have ... I had ASM on order through my local comic store from the day JMS took over writing duties, but the store (UK) wasn't able to get hold of a single copy of that issue for any of its customers.

It is, however, available as part of "Revelations", which volume 2 of the Trade Paperback series starting from JMS' takover of the writing.

Check it out here

[Jan]

It's ASM #36, Phaze, also known as the 'WTC' issue or the 'black issue' as the cover is all black with the 'Spider-man' title in white. There are usually a few copies to be had on Ebay but they command a pretty good price. Here are the current listings that I found for it.

But while the pictures are great, the words are the thing and in Sept 2002, JMS posted a slightly revised text with permission to post it where it might help. Check out JMS's 9/11 text here. It'll send chills down your spine and likely bring tears to your eyes.

Jan

[Jan]

I know my last post was mind-numbingly long, and this probably belongs in the Comics forum, but I couldn't resist adding a comment to Jan's previous post about JMS taking some of his values from Superman, or the comics thereof. In case nobody got a chance to read this from the interview I did with JMS for my book, Writing for Science Fiction and Fantasy Television...

Umm....Joe? Look, I'm really sorry to say this but I'm afraid I have to give you a failing grade in the 'shameless self-promotion' category. I knew that you do a lot of magazine writing but had no idea that you've got multiple books published.

What I did find interesting was the fact that Michael York was all but lined up to play Sheridan, but that PTEN vetoed the idea. I suspect that JMS could fill an entire volume with PTEN idiocy, but this one has to rank pretty high on the stupidity meter.

That made me grind my teeth, too. And when he mentioned Ben Cross (in one of the memos, I think), my jaw dropped. I'm quite happy with how things turned out with Bruce, though. His work on B5 should have earned him better parts than 'Snakehead' and 'Young Blades'...

And I enjoyed your long posts.

Jan

[Nacho]

Jan,

In a moment of minor insanity, I decided to go up there from Florida.

Dang! You drove up all the way from Florida to Pennsylvania for that! Depending on where in FL you are that could have been .. what .. 1000 miles or so maybe.

I guess sometimes .. reading what jms writes, I see him as a "regular" guy (RE: the political/moral values of what he writes), but then reading it again, I can't figure out how a "regular" guy could put all of that together. Go figure.

[Joe Nazzaro]

Incidentally, and not to get too far off the original topic here, it should be noted that JMS heard about the Hawthorne convention, which was to raise money for the school's badly under-funded art department, and came out at his own expense. Not only did he help raise a couple of thousand dollars, but as Jan and everyone else there will attest, he also reached into his own pocket and wrote a check for another grand! I actually bumped into the convention organizer Alan Rosenberg recently, and I think people in the school are still talking about that day.