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The Zocalo Today

Welcome! I am glad that you found The Zocalo Today and dropped by. Take your shoes off, get comfortable and stay a while. There is a LOT of information here and you won't want to miss any of it.

The Zocalo Today is an interactive newsletter, encouraging readers to join a discussion topic each week. If you have suggestions as to how The Zocalo can be improved -- or be more responsive -- send them along. The Zocalo Today is as much YOUR newsletter as it is mine! I'm just pulling together things for you!

Join our weekly discussion topic. It is just one way you can interact with other Z readers. If you have other information you would like to share, send it along. If you see Babylon 5 cast and crew in other roles, let us know. We enjoy convention reports, photos, etc. Don't miss our back issues. I hope this will become more than just a newsletter. It's a community of people that enjoy sharing their experiences and interests. Don't be shy. Join us today!

If you have questions, drop me a line at sgbruckner@aol.com or thezocalo@aol.com. If you would like to join the mailing list for our bi-weekly newsletter, send me a note and I'll include you on the list. Or you can use the subscription block at the left.

Again, WELCOME!

What's New Today

Friday, June 27:

RATINGS: Top SF Network Shows: Smallville 4.5; Buffy 3.0; Enterprise 2.8; Alias 2.1; Twilight Zone 1.6; Sabrina 1.6, and Charmed 1.5. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 5/19/03 - 5/25/03.

NIELSEN RATINGS: Week of 6/16/03 - 6/22/03: 1. CSI 9.7; 2. CSI: Miami 9.1; 3. Without a Trace 8.7; 4. Raymond 8.6; 5. 60 Minutes 8.4; 6. King of Queens 8.2; 7. Law & Order: SVU 7.4; 8. Law & Order 7.1; 9. Law & Order: CI 7.0, and 10. Friends 6.7.

TRON: Comic book company 88 MPH Studios has teamed with Disney Publishing Worldwide to develop and release a comic book series based on the universe of TRON. Two four issue mini-series are being planned by 88 MPH. The first will serve as a sequel to Disney's TRON 2.0 PC video game, scheduled for release next month. TRON 2.0 follows the adventures of 20-year-old Jet Bradley, son of Alan Bradley (played by Bruce Boxleitner in the 1982 movie) as he explores the digital world. The first issue of the full-color series will be out sometime this winter. The second TRON mini-series will launch in spring 2004 and be set 20 years in the past. It will revisit the characters from the Disney movie.

THE PUNISHER: Casting continues for this upcoming movie project. MULHOLLAND DRIVE's Laura Elena Harring has signed on to play the wife of mobster Howard Saint (played by John Travolta), a woman just as devious and dangerous as her beau. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos from X-MEN is in talks and likely to sign. Filming is scheduled to begin next month in Florida.

TRACKER/ROAR: Although ROAR was on the schedule at SCIFI, the series has been pulled and replaced by Adrian Paul's TRACKER. SCIFI promised to show the five remaining episodes of ROAR that had not been aired before. However with the early departure from the schedule, the last two episodes remain unseen.

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: As the July 11 premiere gets closer, more materials are being released. There is a new clip available at http://www.x2-movie.com/lxgfirstlook/index.html.

STAR WARS: The Sydney Morning Herald talked to Star Wars: Episode III producer Rick McCallum about the final film in the saga for which George Lucas has finished the script and shooting is set to start at Fox Studios Down Under. McCallum said the main shoot would take 12 weeks, with Lucas returning for additional filming over the next 18 months. The $US115 million ($172 million) film has yet to get a title but covers Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark side to become Darth Vader - completing the six-film saga that began with Star Wars in 1977.

INSIDE SCI-FI THIS WEEK:
Thursday, June 26:
TOP 10 SF DVD SALES: 1. The Two Towers; 2. Adventures of Indiana Jones; 3. Buffy Season Four; 4. Stargate SG-1, Season Three; 5. Chamber of Secrets; 6. Animatrix; 7. Die Another Day; 8. Angel Season Two; 9. Cowboy Bebop, and 10. Fellowship of the Ring. Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre DVDs, 6/20/03.

DEAD LIKE ME: Showtime is getting ready to premiere a new series entitled DEAD LIKE ME. Ellen Muth, star of the series, told SCI FI Wire that the show defies easy classification. "I call it a supernatural dark comedy. It is supernatural, and it is funny, but in a dark way, because it has to do with death." In DEAD LIKE ME, Muth plays Georgia "George" Lass, a young woman killed by a chunk of MIR space station debris and subsequently recruited by a team of not-so-grim reapers (Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Rebecca Gayheart), led by Mandy Patinkin. Showtime will launch DEAD LIKE ME on June 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with a 75-minute pilot.

TERMINATOR: With TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES set to open on July 2, Arnold Schwarzenegger and co-stars Claire Danes, Nick Stahl and Kristanna Loken will host the SCI FI Channel's presentation of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY on June 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Throughout the three-hour widescreen broadcast, the actors will answer questions from fans about the upcoming T3 film. SCI FI will also air exclusive, never-before-seen footage from the new movie. Also joining the cast bill be visual-effects guru Stan Winston and director Jonathan Mostow.

Speaking of ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER -- he will be spending his 4th of July in the Mideast, entertaining the armed forces with TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES. Arnold's first stop will be in Kuwait; then he will travel into Iraq to bring a little bit of home to the troops for Independence Day.

THE HULK PIRATE CAUGHT: It seems that every time there is a new movie released, there is already a copy of that movie out on the internet. This internet piracy is costing movie makers millions in lost revenue. The most recent case involved a copy of Ang Lee's THE HULK turning up online three weeks before the film opened in theaters on June 20. Universal has taken the reigns of fighting digital piracy by finding the person responsible and prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law. A charge of felong copyright infringement has been laid against Kerry Gonzalez, the man who uploaded the copy of HULK to the net. Gonzalez pleaded guilty and now faces sentencing. The maximum charge Gonzalez faces is three years in federal prison.

SINBAD - LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS: DreamWorks Pictures will release their new animated adventure, SINBAD - LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS on July 2. The animated film features voices of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Joseph Fiennes and Dennis Haysbert. For a review of the movie, go to http://www.comingsoon.net/news/reviewsnews.php?id=407.

THUNDERBIRDS: Tidbits have been coming out about this project for weeks. For some pictures, pop over to http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=15541. The material comes from a licensing sheet handed out at the New York Licensing Show.

Wednesday, June 25:
RATINGS: Top 10 SF Syndicated Shows: The X-Files 2.3; Buffy 2.2; Stargate SG-1 2.2; 3rd Rock 2.0; Mutant X 2.0; Andromeda 1.9; Adventure Inc. 1.7; Outer Limits 1.5; John Edward 1.4, and Lost World 1.3. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 5/26/03 - 6/1/03.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: This new Disney film will have a special premiere on June 28. Disney will, for the first time since 1955, close the entire park to all but invited guests. THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN will be shown from New Orleans Square as it is projected across the water onto a screen on Tom Sawyer's Island.

STARGATE SG-1: According to Trek Web, Jolene Blalock from ENTERPRISE will have a recurring role as a Jaffa leader in STARGATE SG-1. Blalock's character, Ishta, will first appear in the season seven episode "Birthright" and the door is open for further appearances to be made. Ishta is also being shaped to be a love interest for Teal'c, portrayed by Christopher Judge.

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: The official website at http://www.lxgmovie.com/ has been updated to include a section entitled "Technology and the League". It's a great section showing the cars, and other vehicles used in the movie.

Tuesday, June 24:

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Ranger Frank pointed me over to http://www.genreonline.net/Battlestar_Galactica_Photos_Sci-Fi.html this morning for some great pictures of this upcoming mini-series from SCIFI. I loved Edward James Olmos in MIAMI VICE, so we'll see what he can do as Commander Adama. Over at http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/ you can also find some teasers for the upcoming mini-series. They are short trailers and a view of the bridge.

TOP 10 BEST SELLERS: 1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; 2. The Da Vinci Code; 3. Potter box set; 4. Potter hardcover set; 5. The Lovely Bones; 6. The Dogs of Babel; 7. Angels & Demons; 8. Eternity Code; 9. Potter schoolbooks set, and 10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Source: Amazon.com, 6/20/03.

STAR WARS: There is always great speculation regarding the titles for the upcoming STAR WARS movie. Over at Coming Attractions, they indicate that the title being used for EPISODE III (and allegedly by Lucas himself) is REVENGE OF THE SITH. I guess we'll see as work continues.

MONK: MONK returned to the USA Network schedule for its second season on Friday. The show registered its highest-rated episode yet. The 10 p.m. premiere drew a 4.1 household rating, up 18% from the first-season premiere. A total of 5.4 million viewers and 3.6 million homes watched the episode, making it the highest-rated second-season premiere for an original scripted series on basic cable. Among viewers 25-54, "Monk" scored a 2.8 rating, beating out all broadcast and cable competitors in that demographic except NBC, which aired "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Among viewers 18-49, "Monk" scored a 2.1 rating. "Monk" benefited from exposure last season on ABC, which aired episodes in primetime during the summer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, no decision has been made on whether "Monk" will return to ABC for a second season.

Monday, June 23:
RATINGS: Top 10 SCIFI Programs: Stargate SG-1 1.4; Arachnid 1.2; Dagon 1.2; Fangs 1.1; Epoch 1.1; Disturbing Behavior 0.9; Necronomicon 0.9; Spiders 0.8; Ghost Stories 0.8, and Warlock 0.8. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 5/26/03 - 6/1/03.

THE WORLD OF TOMORROW: Variety reports that Paramount Pictures has picked up distribution rights to THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, a sci-fi fantasy film starring Jude Law (A.I.), Gwyneth Paltrow (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) and Angeline Jolie (TOMB RAIDER). Described as part INDIANA JONES, part ROCKETEER, THE WORLD OF TOMORROW is set in a 1939 New York City filled with plenty of gadgets and adventure. Law plays a "Sky Captain" who comes to the rescue of a reporter (Paltrow) who's just discovered a plot to kidnap the world's scientists. The movie was written and is being directed by Kerry Conran. The $70 million dollar movie requires a year's worth of post-production due to its extensive digital imagery component. The actors filmed nearly all of their scenes against blue-screen backdrops which will be created using computer graphics. Even with WORLD's year-long post-production time, the picture should be ready for a summer 2004 release.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: As expected, THE HULK smashed a number of records this weekend, easily taking the #1 spot at the box office with an estimated $62.6 million in receipts. The latest Marvel character actioner, helmed by Ang Lee and starring Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, logged the biggest opening of all time in June, topping New Line's "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" ($54.9 million); it was the seventh straight No. 1 debut for a Marvel Studios movie. It marked the third consecutive film from Universal to open to more than $50 million -- an industry record. It was a terrific weekend for Universal. They had three films in the top four spots. Those three films, including the "2 Fast 2 Furious" in the third slot with $10.3 million and "Bruce Almighty" in fourth with $10 million, grossed nearly $83 million and comprised 58% of the total for the top 12 films. Buena Vista's "Finding Nemo" was strong enough to keep the G-rated picture swimming strongly in the second spot with an estimated $20.5 million in its fourth weekend, down a scant 28%. The animated picture from Pixar has picked up a sensational $228 million to date. Paramount's "The Italian Job" moved up into the fifth slot from the seventh a week ago, taking in an estimated $7.2 million and slipping a modest 25% in its fourth frame. The action-heist film has quietly lifted about $67.7 million so far.

10.5: A number of very familiar names have signed up for an NBC mini-series entitled "10.5" -- a drama about a deadly earthquake that hits the West Coast. John Schneider, David Cubitt, Fred Ward, Dule Hill, Kaley Cuoco, Rebecca Jenkins, Ivan Sergei and Beau Bridges have joined Kim Delaney in the project from Jaffe/Braunstein Films and Pearl Pictures. The story centers around a seismologist (Delaney) at the University of Washington who discovers a correlation between the early tremors and warns that they will lead to a big one.

Sunday, June 22:
HARRY POTTER: While doing my errands yesterday, I stopped at CostCo and discovered mounds of the new HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX for $15.99. For a hardback book, that's a bargain. And it seemed like it was a requirement for leaving the store. For a review of the new novel, go to http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2003-06-20-potter_x.htm. See if you agree with the review.

PETER PAN: There are a number of films already tagged for release during the holiday season. Universal will have PETER PAN. The website for the movie www.peterpanmovie.net launched. The site offers a new trailer for the film, an overview of the project and who is starring and working on it. There are also wallpaper images and a PETER PAN screensaver that can be downloaded.

SCIFI CHATS: THe transcripts for all of last week's chats are up and available at www.scifi.com/chats. The STARGATE SG-1 cast members, Amanda, Rick and Chris, were terrific and I hope that you all enjoyed the chats as much as I did. Thanks SCIFI for having them.

Saturday, June 21:

HARRY POTTER: The wait is over! HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX officially went on sale at 12:01AM this morning. Many bookstores were celebrating last night -- with copies available for your reading pleasure.

DARK TOWER: Stephen King fans will be glad to learn that the last three books in his seven-volume DARK TOWER series will be published over the next 17 months. When King was struck by a minivan and nearly killed four years ago, the incident "got me going again" on the epic western fantasy series. "Wolves of the Calla" will come out in November, "Song of Susannah" in summer 2004 and "The Dark Tower" in November 2004. King will release a completely revised edition of the series' first book, "The Gunslinger", on June 23. In the revised edition, King changed or deleted words on nearly every page, added three scenes (about 35 pages' worth) and cut false starts that went nowhere in the books that followed.

VAN HELSING: Cinescape.com and Entertainment Weekly have the very first photo ever seen of Hugh Jackman as VAN HELSING. The long-haired vampire killer is also seen with his souped-up crossbow and wearing a black leather trenchcoat, two must-have fashion items for any monster killer. The movie is set for release in May of 2004.

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: For a complete run-down of the characters in this upcoming film, go to Comics Continuum.

THE HULK: You are probably at the overload level on THE HULK. If not, go to http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0306/09/hulkindex.htm for some interviews with Ang Lee and the cast of the movie. There are 120 stills from the movie as well.

DAREDEVIL: Comics2Film.com has a collection of items that will be found on the DAREDEVIL DVD when it comes out later this year. There are some very interesting clips, including Ben Affleck being fitted for his outfit!

WHAT'S ON TONIGHT

"Monk" ("Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico") on USA Network, 10:00pm - 11:00pm ET
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) heads south of the border to see how a skydiver drowned in mid-air.

"Dead Like Me" on Showtime, 10:00pm - 11:30pm ET
The debut of this series is well worth your time, if for no other reason than to enjoy the way that college drop-out Georgia Lass (Ellen Muth) loses her young life. Georgia is killed when a falling toilet seat from the MIR space station drives her into the pavement. But life is just beginning to get interesting for the recently departed. She is chosen by a team of grim reapers to continue her Earthly journeys as a member of their group. Her main duty: guide people's souls to the afterlife. The job has one major perk - she gets to stay on Earth in a physical body. Unfortunately, she also is left with all the problems that haunted her before death. Mandy Patinkin, Rebecca Gayheart, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson and Callum Blue co-star.

8:00 PM
The Crow: Salvation
The third movie in the franchise finds a man who was wrongly executed for murder brought back to life by the mysterious crow. A brooding thriller.

On SciFi Tonight:

8:00 PM
Tremors
Project 4-12
Cletus (Christopher Lloyd) returns to help Burt, Tyler and the rest of the Perfectionistas to stop the rampage of a killer creature that broke free from a Government science facility.

9:00 PM
Stargate SG-1
Orpheus
A glum Teal'c battles to revive his spirits and save his son in a moody episode written and directed by ex-21 Jump Street star Peter DeLuise. Fans of the taciturn Jaffa warrior may be surprised to see him so angst-ridden from a laser wound. The reasons are twofold: His son Rya'c (Neil Denis) is missing, and Teal'c is shamed by his own feelings of weakness. As Teal'c works to heal both his body and mojo, teammate Daniel Jackson, a former godlike entity, inspires a rescue plan after recalling images from his omnipotent past. The clues lead to a Goa'uld labor camp where Rya'c and the Jaffa elder Bra'tac (Tony Amendola) are being held.

FAN FILM CONTEST

Buddy and B5 music video creator John Hudgens has entered another fabulous film in the competition for the Star Wars FanFilm Awards 2003 sponsored by Lucasfilm. Here's John's description of his entry:

The Jedi Hunter
Directed by John E. Hudgens

The Jedi Hunter uses a sharp two pronged stick to poke fun at both the Star Wars universe and the The Crocodile Hunter TV show. In this thrilling episode, Boba Fett dons his bounty hunter gear as he canvasses the galaxy, hunting Jedi in their natural habitat. Crikey! There's some feisty ones out there!

Go to http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/content/jedi_hunter to see John's entry. Be sure to watch the other entries and cast your vote! On-line voting ends July 7th, and the winners will be announced at the San Diego ComicCon International in July. The grand prize is being picked by George Lucas himself as his favorite fanfilm... and that winner and another (they call it the Skywalker Sound Award) will get a visit to the Skywalker Ranch for an audio-production session with a Skywalker Sound engineer.

DVD BARGAIN ALERT

Ranger Gary reports that CostCo has some great deals on DVDs. They have the STARGATE SG-1 SEASON THREE DVD for $39.99. That is well below what I've seen on e-bay and about $30.00 less than Suncoast Video Stores. Gary also reports that they have a huge supply of the latest BUFFY DVD.

RISING STARS

JMS has pointed everyone over to http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13 for an answer to the burning question, Where is Rising Stars?

A number of readers have asked about JMS' comic book series, RISING STARS. It has been quite a while since the last issue came out and they were wondering when they might expect to see the next one. JMS was asked this question in the B5 moderated newsgroup not long ago. His response was:

June 3: That depends entirely on a situation with Top Cow that is in need of resolution. The delay in writing has not been a delay in writing; it's been working through some problems with Top Cow for the last...almost year now. The final issues won't be turned in until those issues are resolved.

SCI-FI TALK

Tony Tellado has been very busy gathering interviews from the cast and crew of MATRIX RELOADED. You can listen to interviews with Keanu Reaves, Carrie Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburn Jada Pinkett Smith, Monica Bellucci plus Producer Joe Silver and Efx Master John Gaeta daily at Sci-Fi Talk At Live365.Com. The Matrix Page will feature transcripts.

Be sure to check out Sci-Fi Talk's schedule on Broadcast Schedule - http://hometown.aol.com/scifitalk/broadcast.htm.

Home Page - http://www.scifitalk.com
Listen To Sci-Fi Talk:
For 56K Modem or less connection - http://www.live365.com/stations/211667
Cosmic Landscapes Radio - http://www.cosmiclanscapes.com
Broadcast Schedule - http://hometown.aol.com/scifitalk/broadcast.htm

JEREMIAH

Fans of this JMS show have been wondering when it will return to the Showtime line-up. JMS responded to a question in the B5 moderated newsgroup that gives a bit more information than previously available:

"The season finale aired July 19, 2002, so it's less than one year since the season ended. Last I heard the show was going to run starting the first week in September so that it could conclude with the last four shows in November sweeps."

There are a couple of places where you can find information on JEREMIAH. Monica has a very up-to-date site at http://abyss.hubbe.net/jeremiah/. She has a newsletter that you can sign up for as well so that information comes into your mailbox on a regular basis. The "official" website is located at http://sho.com/jeremiah/. It isn't terribly timely, but it does have background about the show if you need it.

B5 SIGHTINGS

A Ranger named "Survived The Line" reports: "When i saw the hulk on friday i was pleased to see Daniel Dae Kim in there, cool huh!"

Ranger Judy reports: Johnny Sekka (Dr. Kyle - The Gathering) can be seen on "A Visit to a Chief's Son" Show2 - 6/24/03 @6:30am; 6/30/03 @6:15am; Show Fam Zone - 6/28/03 @1:45AM.

NEW BABYLON 5 RPG

Ranger Jason has filed the following report that will be some interest to you:

Mongoose Publishing recently received the B5 Licence to do a d20 style game in the B5 Universe. The main book and supplements will start rolling out very soon (next 3 weeks).

They published a sneak peak booklet at http://www.vita.clara.net/b5preview.pdf which has tons of useful B5 stuff including a diagram of the station, and a near comprehensive map of the B5 Universe.

We need B5 Fans to support this because unless JMS releases another series or book, this will be the only new B5-feel product for some time.

Mongoose's site can be reached here http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/.

BABYLON 5 SEASON THREE DVD

Thanks to everyone who have sent along their suggestions for extras on the upcoming DVDs. So far, some good items have been mentioned.

Warners is SO happy with sales of Babylon 5 DVDs they are pushing up the release of Season Three. The release projected date is August 12. You can put in orders now at Amazon.com.

Season 3 Details
5/08/2003

Warner Brothers has announced August 12th as the street date for Babylon 5: The Complete Third Season. Subtitled "Point of No Return", it will be another 6-disc extravaganza featuring all 22 episodes of the third season. In addition, Warner is again working with producer/creator J. Michael Straczynski to bring you the very best in the way of supplements:

Introduction from series creator J. Michael Straczynski
Commentaries on 3 key episodes by series creator and stars
Documentary: Behind the Mask: Creating the Aliens of Babylon 5
Documentary: Designing a Better Narn
Documentary: Designing Tomorrow: The Look of Babylon 5
Data and Personnel Files

Once again this will by brought to you in 16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen, and with sound remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1...all for a list price of $99.98.

BABYLON 5 SEASON TWO DVD

Over at SciFi Dimensions you can read a review of the Season Two DVD. I think you'll agree with this closing comment:

Babylon 5: The Complete Second Season firmly establishes this show as one of the great all-time franchises in science fiction. Every self-respecting fan owes it to himself or herself to own this DVD series.

The WB has promoted the new Season Two DVD in a number of ways. You will see ads on the WB network and they provided a number of B5 sites with promotional material. Rather than try to deal with all the material, I invite you to visit Monica over at The Abyss who has done a marvelous job of putting all the material out for everyone to enjoy! Thanks Monica. Go to http://abyss.hubbe.net/b5/dvds/boxed-s2promos.html

Don't forget about the Season One DVD! I spent a very enjoyable evening watching many of the season one episodes again -- and listening to JMS' commentary on disks 4 and 6. It is a wonderful way to keep Babylon 5 for future fans to see.

SYNOPSIS
The long-running Emmy Award-winning television series Babylon 5 takes place in the year 2257 A.D, on an immense space station floating in a stationary orbit in a neutral corner of a distant galaxy. Staffed by a crew of peaceful Earthmen and women, Babylon 5 serves as a non-political economic and social hub for the four alien races -- the Narn, Centauri, Vorlon and Minbari -- who fight to control the galaxy.

Babylon 5: The Complete Second Season
$99.98 SRP
STREET DATE: April 29
RATING: NR
RUN TIME: approx: 990 minutes

BARGAIN ALERT: Ranger Donita has a tip for those wanting to purchase DVDs here in the U.S.
The cheapest place to get B5 Season 1 and 2 is Playcentric. I paid $59 for season 1 and $60 for season 2. Also to get the cheapest price on all DVDs I recommend using Bargainflix.com, for those of us in the US. All you have to do is to type in the name of the DVD, or actor, or director, and they will show you the price comparison. Great for those of us who like to support our favorite sci-fi shows and movies by buying the DVD.

Ranger Dave sent along this report on purchasing the Season Two DVD in the UK: " I picked up the Season 2 DVD of B5 at MVC for £5 less than most other people are selling it - including Amazon.co.UK or Play.com. If you become a card member (it is free, hardly a hassle and takes a moment) you can get the set for £37.99 where as most others are selling it at £42.99 - just a handy saving tip."

Ranger Manuela has a bargain to match Dave's -- in Germany. Here is here report:

Got one like that for German readers: avides.com (despite the url, they're located in Lower-Saxony here) are selling season two for 39,95 Eur. It's got English and German on the dvds, so perfectly fine. :-)

DISCUSSION TOPIC

#1: Did you enjoy the return of STARGATE SG-1 on Friday night? Was the premiere episode all you had hoped for? Less? Why?

#2: For those of you without cable:
What are some of the features you would like to see on upcoming Babylon 5 DVDs? I think JMS has done a terrific job of commentaries and involving those who want to contribute. What else might be done?

Send in your comments to sgbruckner@aol.com. I'll post the responses on the Discussion Page for everyone to share.

BABYLON 5 CHRONOLOGY

I've put up another wonderful segment of the Babylon 5 Chronology. This segment begins with 2256 and runs through2258 . Go to 2256 .

This chronology continues to be a source of information for a great number of people -- including JMS. Terry Jones has done the B5 community a great service in pulling this chronology together. It is a tremendous resource. THANKS TERRY!

CONVENTION UPDATE

J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI: JMS will be at San Diego ComiCon this year -- July 17-20. From a post available in the B5 moderated newsgroup, JMS says he will be offering the last of the Sleeping in Light scripts with missing material that he had at Wondercon. This will be the last time they will be made available at a convention.

RICHARD BIGGS, JASON CARTER and ROBIN ATKIN DOWNES: You can catch up with these three at the GenCom Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana beginning July 24.

JASON CARTER: Jason has been added to the guest list for TORONTO TREK for July.

BILL MUMY: The folks at FarPoint are excited to announce that Bill Mumy will be joining them in February!

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

MELISSA GILBERT: The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Robin Givens has joined Farrah Fawcett and Melissa Gilbert in CBS' telefilm HOLLYWOOD WIVES: THE NEXT GENERATION, based on Jackie Collins' best-selling novel. The project, from Patriarch Pictures, centers on a Hollywood superstar (Fawcett) who, fed up with her fourth husband's cheating, hires a private investigator. Givens and Gilbert play the star's best friends, a sultry soul singer and an actress married to a powerful Hollywood director, respectively. Filming of the telepic, based on a script by Nicole Avril, is scheduled to begin next month with Joyce Chopra directing. Collins, Tom Patricia and Renee Valente are executive producing.

ROBIN ATKIN DOWNES: Robin has been pretty active over the last few months. He will be turning up in conventions over the summer in Cleveland, Tampa, Indiana, England, France, Prague, Atlanta and Orange County. You will also see him in some advertisements on the tube as well. For example, beginning this summer, he will be the Irish announcer in the Sprint Yellow Pages on Golf Spot. He also plays a Russian Basketball player in love with a chicken for Dairy Queen. That spot is scheduled to run nationally beginning in September. He has done some CD ROM work as well for gamers, including BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. He plays the lead pilot, Adama. The game is coming to game cube. Visit http://www.xbox365.com/news/zcomment.cgi?article=EpVEVVFkAyPCtMysan&tmpl=xxt_zc_template&prof=dev for a preview.

BABYLON 5 BIRTHDAYS

Jeffrey Willerth - June 5
Donovan Brown (Optic Nerve) - June 6
Ann Bruice Aling - June 8
Mark Walters - June 10
Susan Norkin (Post) - June 10
Adrienne Barbeau (Amanda Carter) - June 11
Mike Vejar - June 25

Have I missed anyone? If you know the birthday of someone connected with Babylon 5, pass the information along. We want to include everyone in our Happy Birthday Wishes.

READER BIRTHDAYS

Sometimes you just can't find the e-mail address for someone you know you have -- it's someone who responded to a discussion topic or you met in one of the chat rooms. You'd like to send a personal note, but .... No address!!!!

We've started a White Pages of Zocalo Readers! It's a handy way of keeping track of people -- and putting together a birthday/greeting card list as well. If you would like to be part of the listing, just send me your name, state, e-mail address and (if you'd like to have it listed) birthday (without year) to sgbruckner@aol.com. Check out the Directory of Readers.

Name: Sandra Bruckner
E-mail: sgbruckner@aol.com
State: Maryland/Washington, DC/Pennsylvania
Birthday: June 2

Name: Melody Pritchard
State: North Carolina
E-mail: mockinbird_21@yahoo.com
Birthday: June 9

Name: David Shepherdson
State/Country: West Yorkshire, Great Britain
E-mail address: dragonrider@clara.co.uk
Birthday: 14th June

Name: Marilyn Strauss
E-mail: marilyn@miraclebaby.com
Birthday: June 1

TRADING CARD HELP

Ranger Tia sent along this note to share with B5 card collectors:

Don't know if you've heard of my card program yet or not, but I thought the other B5 card collectors might like to try it out. With having almost all of the B5 trading cards and CCG cards available and no program to keep track of them withm, I started writing my own. Here's the website for it. Go half way down and click on the small screen shot for a full size screen shot. I have the pic of Pat Tallman's card from the Profiles card set feautured in the shot.

Oh, and I also have a lot of the card lists already saved as files so people won't need to type in all the card names. Being written by a B5 fan, ALL the card lists have already been made and are downloadable. :)

http://cardkeeper.usethis.com/keeper/index.html

Tia

COMIC BOOKS

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #58
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencils by John Romita Jr., cover by Tony Harris.
J. Michael Straczynski concludes the two-issue story arc leading into next month's historic Amazing Spider-Man #500.
32 pages, $2.25, in stores on Sept. 24.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #57
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencils by John Romita Jr. and cover by Tony Harris.
J. Michael Straczynski is back flying the Spider-Man ship solo in a 2-part story arc leading up to October's Amazing Spider-Man #500.
32 pages, $2.25, in stores on Aug. 13 and Aug. 27.

SUPREME POWER #2
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencils and cover by Gary Frank.
I n a world with no heroes, what happens when powerful superhumans emerge? And now that the government knows that superbeings exist, what lengths will they go to use them for their own purposes? J. Michael Straczynski tells a hard-edged, mature and deeply personal saga that pushes the limits of the comics form into new, uncharted territory.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Sept. 3.

SUPREME POWER

Joe Quesada talks about SUPREME POWER at Wizard World East. See the excerpt over at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0306/05/index.htm.

Here is an update from JMS on SUPREME POWER:

Just an FYI for those who've been keeping an eye on this one...on August 6, Supreme Power will hit the stands, with pre-orders being taken now at comics stores. Up until now, I'd always felt that Midnight Nation was the best thing I'd ever managed to pull off in comics. (I enjoy the heck out of writing Spidey, but there's just something about Midnight Nation that won't let me go.)
Supreme Power may, I finally think, supplant that one.
There's something going in in Supreme Power, a strong emotional core, that pulls me in every time I sit down to write it. It's got an edge, it's profoundly sad in places, and weirdly funny in other places. Some elements are bound to be a bit controversial, but that's part and parcel of telling this particular story. Emotions are, for me, the whole point of telling a story, and those who've read and reviewed Midnight Nation as it slowly revealed itself know what I'm talking about.
Not coincidentally, Gary Frank is doing the art, who also did the art on Midnight Nation. So that may also be a part of it. The art is just stunning, especially the way he captures the emotion of the characters in their eyes.
Given the reactions of some folks who've seen the black and whites proofs of the first issue, I think this is going to move out pretty fast, and Marvel for the most part doesn't reprint issues, so if it ain't ordered in advance, it might not be available until the gather it together for the trade.
Anyway...I don't want to belabor the point. I don't generally come on to promote something unless I feel strongly about it, and this one I *definitely* feel strongly about.
I'm inestimably proud of this book, and I hope you'll check it out.
From Previews magazine:
SUPREME POWER #1
by J. Michael Straczynski & Gary Frank

Presenting a brand-new vision of a world about to give birth to its first generation of superheroes! This new MAX ongoing series follows the origins of these new heroes - from their birth through adulthood, and examines how their lives and abilities change and shape the world around them. A hard edged, mature, and deeply personal saga that pushes the limits of the comics form into new, uncharted territory.

FC, 32 pg ..........$2.99

CSI: BAD RAP

IDW Publishing will launch its next series of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation comic books, entitled Bad Rap, in August. IDW will return the creative team of writer Max Allan Collins and artists Gabriel Rodriguez and Ashley Wood. The publisher describes the series:

"Bad Rap injects the CSI team into the world of gangsta rap and murder. Murder is something they know well; rap is one they will soon learn. When famous and volatile rapper Busta Kapp is found dead in his limo, the suspects are many. It seems that Busta had as many enemies as he had gold chains, and when things go from Bling Bling to bang bang, the CSI team will have to separate the blood from the gold."

Also in August, IDW Publishing will collect their original 5-issue CSI mini-series, CSI: Crime Investigation--Serial. In addition to the story, the trade paperback features an exclusive introduction by CSI TV series creator Anthony E. Zuiker, never before seen story pages, and a new three-page story by Collins and Woods.

BOOKS

BABYLON 5 NOVEL

DelRey is reprinting the original Babylon 5 novels. They started with #7 - Jeanne Cavelos' THE SHADOW WITHIN. Here's one I've been waiting for -- Kathryn Drennan's TO DREAM IN THE CITY OF SORROWS. The release date is scheduled for July 29, 2003. I love the new cover art! It can be pre-ordered from www.amazon.com. For those of you who love Babylon 5, this one reads just like an episode from the series. You just can't put it down.

SCI FI PUBLICATIONS

Cult Times Special #26: Immortals are the subject of this issue. There have been a number in science fiction history and whether they are people who just won't die -- or images that live on and on, it is an interesting premise to explore. Also in this issue, Richard Dean Anderson joins fellow producers Robert C. Cooper, Michael Greenburg and Brad Wright in discussing STARGATE SG-1; Ben Browder looks at the last days of FARSCAPE and JJ Abrams discusses the changes ahead for ALIAS.

TV Zone #164: The big attraction for this issue will be JMS's look at Season Two of Babylon 5. Also included are interviews with James Marsters (Spike), Carlos Bernard from 24, and a look at what TV Zone readers feel is The Best Cult Television Program Ever.

Expose Special#77 Expose Special #77: This special issue is a review of 2002. With Harry Potter #2, Lord of the Rings and Terminator 3, they also look at Star Trek: Nemesis, FIREFLY, Buffy and Dinotopia.

Starburst #298: ANGEL's new season is the focus of the issue. David Boreanaz talks about what makes the show so special to him. Also in this issue, a behind the scenes look at MATRIX RELOADED. Another show with changes ahead is SMALLVILLE. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar talk about what is in store for the next season.

SCI-FI SCHEDULE

BABYLON 5

27-JUN-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) WAR WITHOUT END -PT 2

30-JUN-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) WALKABOUT
01-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) GREY 17 IS MISSING
02-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) AND THE ROCK CRIED OUT, NO HIDING PLACE

07-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) SHADOW DANCING
08-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) Z'HA'DUM
09-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) THE HOUR OF THE WOLF
10-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MR. GARIBALDI?
11-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) THE SUMMONING

14-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) FALLING TOWARD APOTHEOSIS
15-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) THE LONG NIGHT
16-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) INTO THE FIRE
17-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) EPIPHANIES
18-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) THE ILLUSION OF TRUTH

21-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) ATONEMENT
22-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) RACING MARS
23-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) LINES OF COMMUNICATION
24-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
25-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) RUMORS, BARGAINS AND LIES

28-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) MOMENTS OF TRANSITION
29-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) NO SURRENDER, NO RETREAT
30-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) THE EXERCISE OF VITAL POWERS
31-JUL-03 9:00 AM BABYLON 5 (LBX) THE FACE OF THE ENEMY

STARGATE SCHEDULE:

27-JUN-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX)
27-JUN-03 11:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX)

30-JUN-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 PAST AND PRESENT
30-JUN-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 JOLINAR'S MEMORIES -PT 1
30-JUN-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 THE DEVIL YOU KNOW -PT 2
30-JUN-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 FOOTHOLD

07-JUL-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 PRETENSE
07-JUL-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 URGO
07-JUL-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 A HUNDRED DAYS
07-JUL-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 SHADES OF GREY

11-JUL-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) REVISIONS
11-JUL-03 11:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) REVISIONS
14-JUL-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 NEW GROUND
14-JUL-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 MATERNAL INSTINCT
14-JUL-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 CRYSTAL SKULL
14-JUL-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 NEMESIS

18-JUL-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) LIFEBOAT >br> 18-JUL-03 11:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) LIFEBOAT
21-JUL-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 SMALL VICTORIES
21-JUL-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 THE OTHER SIDE
21-JUL-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 UPGRADES
21-JUL-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 CROSSROADS

25-JUL-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) ENEMY MINE
25-JUL-03 11:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) ENEMY MINE
28-JUL-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 DIVIDE AND CONQUER
28-JUL-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
28-JUL-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 WATERGATE
28-JUL-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 THE FIRST ONES

FARSCAPE SCHEDULE:

29-JUN-03 12:00 AM FARSCAPE INTO THE LION'S DEN -PT 1:LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER
06-JUL-03 12:00 AM FARSCAPE INTO THE LION'S DEN -PT2: WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING
13-JUL-03 12:00 AM FARSCAPE DOG WITH TWO BONES
20-JUL-03 12:00 AM FARSCAPE CRICHTON KICKS
27-JUL-03 12:00 AM FARSCAPE WHAT WAS LOST -PT 1: SACRIFICE

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE PHOTOSHOP PHOTOS

You do NOT have to pay the prices asked for over at e-bay! Here are photos of B5 and Crusade cast members at fantastic prices. Check out Photo Shop. Ordering is easy -- and you can't beat the prices! Just let me know which photos you want and I'll check to make sure they are still in stock.

BABYLON 5 TOONS

John Cook has a wonderful collection of cartoons -- many are take-offs from Babylon 5. Here's just one of them. What Do You Want?

He has a cartoon caption contest going on as well. Try your hand at a punch line.

Go to http://contests.sev.com.au/index.php?contestid=1

Punchline
Name
Email

SCI-FI CARTOONS

I love science fiction related cartoons and Tye Bourdony is one of the most talented artists out there. He has done dozens of toons for Babylon 5. Here is his latest -- for FARSCAPE fans.

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE CONVENTIONS

CONVENTION CALENDAR

Origins
June 26, 2003
Place: Columbus, Ohio
B5 Guest: Carrie Dobro

For more information, visit their website at http://www.originsgames.com/.

Trek Expo 2003
June 27-29, 2003
Place: Exposition Center, Tulsa, OK
B5 Guest: Walter Koenig
Other Guests: William Shatner, Leonard Nemoy, George Takei, Dominic Keating
For more information, visit their website at http://www.starbase21ok.com/trek__expo__2003.htm.

Toronto Trek 2003
July 11-13, 2003
Place: Regal Constellation Hotel, Toronto, CA
B5 Guest: Julie Caitlin Brown, Jason Carter
Other guests: James Marsters-CANCELLED (Anthony Stewart Head replacing him), Gil Gerard, Erin Gray
For more information, visit their website at http://tcon.icomm.ca.

Shore Leave 25
July 11-13, 2003
Place: Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn
245 Shawan Rd., Hunt Valley, MD 21031
Tel. 410-785-7000
B5 Guest: Andrea Thompson (Talia)
Other Guests: Christopher Judge, Marina Sirtis, Marc Singer, Vaughn Amstrong, Carolyn Seymour, Alan Ruck, Phil Morris, BarBara Luna, Robert O'Reilly, J.G. Hertzler, Judson Scott, Denise Crosby
For more information, visit their website at http://www.shore-leave.com.

Vulkon
July 18-19, 2003
Place: Tampa, Florida
Tampa Airport Hilton
B5 Guest: Robin Atkin Downes
Other Guests: James Marsters, Mercedes Mcnab, Jeams C. Leary, Andy Hallett, Iyari Limon
For more information, visit their website at http://www.vulkon.com.

San Diego ComiCon
July 17-20, 2003
Place: San Diego Convention Center
B5 Guest: J. Michael Straczynski

For more information, visit their website at http://www.comic-con.org/.

GenCon Gaming Convention
July 24-26, 2003
Place: Indianapolis, Indiana
B5 Guest: Richard Biggs, Robin Atkin Downes, Jason Carter

For more information, visit their website at http://www.gencon.com/display.aspx?file=indy.

Official Star Trek Las Vegas Convention
August 1-3, 2003
Place: Las Vegas Hilton, 3000 Paradise Rd.
B5 Guest: Richard Biggs
Other Guests: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, James Doohan, Michael Dorn (a ton of ST stars)
For more information, visit their website at http://www.creationent.com/.

Bill Blair Birthday Celebrity Cruise
August 18-22, 2003
Ports of Call: Key West, Cozumel
Guest: Bill Blair, Peter "Chewbacca' Mayhew
For more information, visit Bill's website at http://www.BillBlairFanClub.com.

DragonCon
August 29-Sept. 1, 2003
Place: Atlanta, GA
B5 Guests: Stephen Furst, Peter David, Bruce Boxleitner, Mira Furlan, Walter Koenig, Peter Woodward, Brad Dourif, Julie Caitlin Brown, Bill Mumy
Other Guests: Luke Perry, Ray Bradbury, Christopher Judge, John Rhys-Davies, George Takei, Virginia Hey, Tony Amendola

For more information, visit their website at http://www.dragoncon.org.

Be sure to visit our Convention Calendar for a full listing of upcoming conventions featuring Babylon 5, Crusade and Legend of the Rangers cast members as guests.

If you would like to share your convention experience with your other Zocalo readers, send along a convention report. I will gladly post it for all to read. Got pictures? I'll post those as well.

ZOCALO TRADING POST

Do you have extra copies of B5, Amazing Spiderman, Midnight Nation or Rising Stars comics you'd like to trade? How about those extra trading cards or B5 magazines? There are a lot of fans looking for these items -- and the Trading Post can help you buy or sell them. To see what's available, just use this link to the Trading Post. To have items included in The Trading Post, send a note to The Zocalo. Please put Trading Post in the subject line.

PEN PALS

If you are looking for someone to talk about Babylon 5 and Crusade with, the Pen Pal section is for you! Check it out! Drop a note to someone who is feeling B5 withdrawal -- BIG TIME!

People thought a Pen Pal page was a good idea. If you would like to meet people who you could chat with or share your opinions of the show with, send along your e-mail or snail-mail address The Zocalo. It will be incorporated on the new Pen Page Page.

MAIL FOR CAST AND CREW

Here's a recent note from JMS on the subject:

Just an FYI to those who've been using the Ventura Blvd. mail drop for fan mail to actors....

As mentioned before, we're phasing out the forwarding of fan mail because we a) don't have the resources, complicated by b) the actors have scattered to the four winds, and it makes it very difficult to get everything to everybody in a timely fashion.

So, having provided prior notice...fan mail to actors coming to the Ventura Blvd. mail drop will be sent back. Mail to actors should be sent via their official fan clubs. I will still be taking mail there, since it's my mailbox, but that's it.

Just so's y'all know and save a few bucks on postage and returns.

JMS' mail can be sent to:

14431 Ventura Boulevard, PMB 260
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

WARNER BROS:

Warner Bros. Address:

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522

Warner Home Video:

Mr. Douglas Wadleigh
VP for Marketing and Special Features
Warner Bros.
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522

SCIFI:
Bonnie Hammer, President
Sci-Fi Channel
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY. 10020-1513

Mr. Thomas Vitale
Senior VP of Acquisitions, Scheduling & Program-Planning

BACK ISSUES OF THE ZOCALO TODAY

The front page of the The Zocalo Today changes daily, so be sure to check the back issues to make sure that you haven't missed anything IMPORTANT! I don't want the front page getting too long so I shift information periodically into the archives. So if you aren't a regular visitor to The Zocalo Today, be sure to check out the back issues. Just use the button above!

Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
The Zocalo Today
http://www.isnnews.net
Copyright - SBruckner, 1999-2003

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