September 24, 1999
WELCOME TO THE ZOCALO - TODAY!
What's New
Thanks to Randy for the neat new counter at the bottom of the page! It looks wonderful!
NEWS ABOUT THE BABYLON 5 SIMULATION GAME: While there is nothing yet on the Sierra home page, word of Sierra reorganizition and cancellation of this much acclaimed game is reported in ISN News . There is a comment on the game from JMS in the JMS Speaks section.
People over at http://www.firstones.com have created a petition to raise awareness of fan support for the product. If you would like to participate in the petition, please use this link Petition 2
OPEN COPYRIGHT VIOLATION!
It has come to my attention that some people have been circulating a very detailed synopsis of "Value Judgements" -- a Crusade script written by Fiona Avery. Talk about copyright infringement! Even though the script was not filmed or aired, it is the property of Fiona Avery only. While a brief synopsis can be permitted, the copy going around is in NO WAY brief. Fiona is a fledgling writer and has been selling the script at some writing conferences, like NASFIC last month and WFC in Providence, RI Nov. 2-4. Needless to say, a document like the synopsis can't be doing her any good, in fact, I'm sure there are many who would feel it is unnecessary to buy the script when it can be read on-line! I hope that people who have posted the synopsis will delete it.
NEW AUCTION ITEMS ON EBAY
Bidding on John Copeland's personal travel mug has ended. High bid: $154.10.
The t-shirt, signed by Bruce Boxleitner, Bill Mumy and Kurt DeFlipp (the set decorator) went for $112.10.
I hope more items will be available soon.
NEIL GAIMAN TOUR - Neil Gaiman, author of "Day of the Dead" is currently on a tour, giving readings of his short fiction in Washington, DC and Boston. He'll be in Bethesda, at the Bethesda Theatre Cafe on September 21 and at the Brattle Theatre at Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA on September 23. For more information, visit Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or call 1-800-99-CBLDF.
NEIL's "Murder Mysteries" are now featured on the "Seeing Ear Theatre" at the Sci-Fi Channel. Visit their web site Sci-Fi Channel. This is a great site for audio drama, so visit often!
New Discussion Topic: The responses are coming in -- and they are marvelous! What is your favorite B5 Season One Episode? See discussion topic below for details.
SAVE CRUSADE Everyone is encouraged to get out a sheet of paper and write a letter of support to the Sci-Fi Channel and Warner Bros. For addresses follow this link Campaign.
If you want to read more about the entire "Save Crusade" campaign, please go to Save Crusade and read all about the effort and see what the ratings have been over the 13 episode run of the show.
Efforts have been wide-ranging as far as where to write in support of the show. Lori H. has collected a list of all the sponsors for the 13 episodes. Drop over to her website and see the information she's compiled. You might want to pick one or two addresses and drop them a line of support as well. Couldn't hurt! http://www.msu.edu/user/holuta .
TNT CHATS
David Allen Brooks, the wonderful actor who portrayed Max Eilerson on Crusade, spent an hour with fans on last Monday
night in the TNT chat room. Between 75 and 80 people showed up to ask questions of the actor. The transcript is now
available at the TNT site.The transcript of Carrie Dobro's chat at the TNT site is now up for everyone to enjoy. The URL is http://tnt.turner.com/crusade.
I hope to get Marjean Holden, Carrie Dobro back for a chat. And perhaps some other cast members as well.
JMS Speaks
Read the latest posting from JMS on the various on-line services. Click here
for JMS Postings Last updated: September 23, 1999. To learn about the future of the Babylon 5
Fan Club, read Fan Club Transition .
KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW
RUMOR MILL: Bruce Boxleitner will star, along with Kevin Sorbo, in the new Gene Roddenberry series "Andromeda"! This was mentioned in the "SFX" magazine -- and also posted at the Cinescape site http://www.cinescape.com .
Sept. 13: Mira Furlan will be performing in the New Group world premiere of CRANES, a play by Dmitry Lipkin at the Theatre at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street in New York City). Previews begin October 8 and the play officially open October 20th. The show closes on November 14. For tickets call (212) 279-4200. Visit http://mirafurlan.simplenet.com/cranes.html for information about ticket prices and show times.
Jeffrey Willerth and Pat Tallman tied the knot about 2 weeks ago. Congrats to you both!
Jeffrey promises wedding photos soon at his site so drop on over to www.Kosh.org.
Rick Biggs series "Any Day Now" was renewed. The show is the Lifetime channel Tuesday nights at 9pm. Rick has been doing "As You Like It" in some summer stock and is filming an episode of "90210" very soon. On a personal note, Rick and his wife Lori are expecting their first child any day now!
Speaking of new additions, Ed Wasser and his wife Suzanne have a new SON!!! Yes, Evan was born about 4 months ago. If he has Dad's eyes and Mom's smile, look out world!
The different segments of the newsletter are beginning to fill in. We've gotten some great discussion responses so far. Today, we received our first unique Trading Post item. Check out the poem by Jason Carter! Jason has just finished filming an episode of the new series "G vs E". It airs on Sunday nights on the USA network. He plays a sleazy Australian literary agent with a bad wardrobe (Jason's words).
Marjean Holden (Dr. Chambers) has filmed an episode of "La Femme Nikita" entitled "Hand to Hand". La Femme Nikita airs on the USA network Sundays at 10 pm.
David Allen Brooks (Max Eilerson) has been spotted on "The Young and the Restless" soap. He is playing Keith Dennison.
Claudia Christian is featured in this month's PlayBoy magazine.
BABYLON 5/CRUSADE AROUND THE WORLD
Canada has a wonderful Babylon 5 Information Page at
http://www.interlog.com/~schrist/b5/ . Check out the latest on Crusade there along with airing
dates for Season 5 of Babylon 5 on Space. Channel Nine in Australia will begin showing "Crusade" on September 30.
Norway's TV2 has purchased the rights to Crusade. No air date has been announced.
BABYLON 5 SCHEDULE -- TNT ON SATURDAY MORNING
September 25
7 am ET/PT -- "Z'Ha'Dum"
8 am ET/PT -- "The Hour of the Wolf"
October 2
7 am ET/PT -- "Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi""
8 am ET/PT -- "The Summoninng"
October 9
7 am ET/PT -- "Falling Towards Apothesis"
8 am ET/PT -- "The Long Night"
October 16
7 am ET/PT -- "Into the Fire"
8 am ET/PT -- "Epiphanies"
FAN CLUB MERCHANDISE
Crusade Writer's Bible
This is a 25+ page publication that gives background on the series, the main and supporting characters and even
a little on the Apocolypse Box! This is just like the document given to potential writers of episodes for the
series.
Unsigned copies of the Bible are still available for $20. Order your copy now:
1) send an e-mail message to crusade_bible@thestation.com
2) fax your name, address, credit card information to 1-818-753-1990
3) use the toll-free number to order - 1-888-777-8517
4) order on-line at http://www.thestation.com. The Bible is in the Emporium under collectibles
5) send in your order directly to the Fan Club at the address on the order form
THE GATHERING SCRIPT
September is "The Gathering" month. The script is during September only. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, visit http://www.thestation.com. There is a link to the order from in ISN.
MORE SCRIPTS TO COME The Fan Club plans to make scripts available - one a month - in episode order. For October, "Midnight on the Firing Line" will be available. Orders for the script will not be taken prior to October 1.
Babylon 5 Profiles
A new set of cards is on the horizon from Fleer/Skybox. The Profiles set will concentrate on the main characters over
the 5-year span of the series. The basic set will consist of 100 cards in various categories:
Directors Chair - A 9-card set will include all the head Directors from behind the scenes with their biographies. This insert set will also include a color-foil stamp.
The Prop Cage - An 18-card set printed on uncoated paper and gold foil, will accent the most memorable props used throughout the series.
The Optic Nerve - A 9-card Alien Make-up set featuring Artist Concept Sketches on the front and finished Alien heads on the back as created by "Optic Nerve" studio. This set will include a foil stamp and be printed on uncoated paper.
Autograph cards - Autographs from the main cast as well as special guest stars.
Harlan Ellison Card - One card highlighting the career of Harlan Ellison. This very limited card will be printed on a holographic prisma-foil paper and be hand numbered to only 1000.
The set release date has been set at September 15, 1999.
Precedence Entertainment has a number of collectible card games associated with Babylon 5. They even have announced one for "Crusade"! Check out their website at http://www.eternity.com for release dates and upcoming products.
DelRey informs us that the latest in the Psi Corps novels Final Reckoning will hit the bookshelves on October 5.
Mark your calendars! This one should be fantastic! This story will reunite old friends Alfred Bester and Michael Garibaldi.
FINAL RECKONING will include a bonus excerpt from the next "Babylon 5" novel, LEGIONS OF FIRE: THE LONG NIGHT OF CENTAURI PRIME, by Peter David. This novel launches the three-book Centauri Republic series, and THE LONG NIGHT OF CENTAURI PRIME is on schedule to be on sale the first Tuesday of
December.
The first book in the Centauri Trilogy, LEGIONS OF FIRE: THE LONG NIGHT OF CENTAURI PRIME by Peter David, is scheduled for December release, and will be followed by two more LEGIONS OF FIRE novels which will weave through Babylon 5 and Crusade territories. In the second half of next year or the beginning of 2001, Jeanne Cavelos (of THE SHADOW WITHIN fame) will begin her Techno-mage trilogy.
The Winter edition (not the current fall issue) of Amazing Stories will contain the second short story by J. Michael Straczynski. The story will follow G'Kar and Lyta as they venture into unknown space. They happen upon a Psi Corps mothership floating dead in hyperspace and discover a planet whose very existence endangers all who come near! Information on how to subscribe to the magazine can be found at their web site http://www.wizards.com/Amazing .
BABYLON 5/CRUSADE IN PRINT
OFFICIAL BABYLON 5 MAGAZINEWe can always depend on the Babylon 5 magazine to have the BEST in coverage of both Babylon 5 and Crusade.
In the latest issue, we get to know the doctors of the Babylon 5 universe - Stephen Franklin (Rick Biggs) and Sarah Chambers (Marjean Holden). Randy Gardell and staff also give us insight into the change in uniforms aboard Crusade!
This month's Station Log focuses on "The Believers" - the first season episode that made believers out of a LOT of Babylon 5 fans.
There's much, much more so don't miss an issue. Many Barnes & Noble bookstores carry the magazine.
STARLOG #267
Joe Nazzarro gives us a look at a typical day at the studio while filming "The Needs of Earth".
It's a great study of how a TV series is actually produced and gives you some idea of how complex
an operation it is. Two episodes are under production at the same time. We see Mike Vejar putting
together notes on the episode as Tony Dow begins work on "The Memory of War".
The best article in the entire magazine, however, is the fold-out piece on costume designer Randy Gardell. Sketches and commentary for some of the various costumes give you some insight into how the operation of design is conducted. With Galen's cloak, "We used simple shapes and then let the fabrics speak for themselves. There are leather-covered buttons, as a double-breasted thing, but they're functional. He can wear it in a variety of ways. The hood folks back nicely and neatly, so when he's not using it, it still looks and works well with the coat. It doesn't look cumbersome - it looks interesting - so getting that right was tricky."
BABYLON 5 CARTOONS
Todd Brugmans has created another wonderful toon for our enjoyment. Thanks Scotsman
Convention Calendar
Coming Up Next:
StarCon '99
September 24-26, 1999; Denver CO
Place: Holiday Inn DIA
Guest: Peter Jurasik
For more information, visit their web site at:
http://www.starland.com.
Valley Con 24
October 1-3, 1999; Fargo, ND
Place: City Center Super 8
Guests: Jeffrey Willerth (Kosh), J. Gregory Keyes (author Psi Corps trilogy)
For more information, send e-mail to valleycon@hotmail.com or visit their web site at http://www.netcenter.net/~jnelson/vc/
FarPoint
October 8-10, 1999; Baltimore, MD
Place: Hunt Valley Marriot, Baltimore
Guest: Peter Jurasik, Mary Kay Adams, Peter Woodward, Carrie Dobro. I'll be there too with the B5 bloopers!
For more information, send e-mail to napasha@aol.com or visit their web site at http://www.bcpl.net/~wilsonr
Rising Star
October 8-10, 1999, Glenvar High School, Salem, VA
Guests: Richard Biggs, Julie Caitlin Brown
For more information, call Fred R. Eichleman at 540-389-9400.
Our Photo Gallery
Zocalo Trading Post
THIS WEEK'S DISCUSSION TOPIC
What is your favorite B5 First Season Episode??
Discussion TopicAll submissions should be sent to The Zocalo. Please put Discussion Topic in the subjec t line.
The Zocalo - Today, Issue #1
LINKS
The Station
ISN News
A Great List of B5 sites
The Lurker's Guide
Canada's B5 Info Page
The Babylon Project
UK Babylon 5
UK Crusade
The Shrine of Alyt Neroon
International List of Links
White Star 14
Sites for Cast and Crew
Crusade Babes (site for Marjean Holden and Carrie Dobro).
Peter Woodward
Mira Furlan Site
Balkan Gold - Mira Furlan site
An unofficial David Allen Brooks site
Maggie Egan site
Jeffrey Willerth
Chat Sites:
Groucho's
Support Crusade
JumpGate
TNT Chat Room
Some of the Yahoo Club sites are accessible by invitation only. If you are interested in chatting at these locations, let me know and I can take care of invitations for you.
SUGGESTIONS
What is The Zocalo Today?
The Zocalo is a newsletter providing information on Babylon 5 and Crusade. It consists of three major parts: the web site, an e-mail group and a hard-copy newsletter published once a month. The hope is to get information to you on your favorite programs as easily and as rapidly as possible. When you subscribe to the e-groups mailing, you have 4 options for receiving messages from the group -- regular e-mail, a digest summary or a digest daily full-text of messages distributed on a regular basis or viewing on the web only. Choose which method works best for you! Just go to www.egroups.com and use your e-mail address to log in to the system and edit your profile. To read messages on the net, just type in http://www.egroups.com/list/thezocalo.The Zocalo is a moderated mailing list -- which means that no one can post to the listing but me! Hopefully that will eliminate some of your concern about skads of e-mail filling your box. This list will be used for The Zocalo and special announcements only. The mailing list is also not available to anyone for review.
Thank you for your support. Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can return often to see if anything new has been added. I have tried to segment the major sections of the newsletter off so that you can pick and choose what you want to read - and when you want to read it. Updates will be done as often possible. The e-mail listing will be for reminders of things coming up -- and to highlight changes at the The Zocalo. This is not the old Zocalo -- where everything was in the e-mail message delivered to you. That's what made it too long and prevented you from enjoying it more. The new version of the Z is short and to the point! But we will have longer articles and even interviews. So stay tuned!
Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
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