 |
 |
 |
 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Use the navigational buttons above to enter the various rooms at The Zocalo Today!
"Special 100-page giant-size issue! It's a farewell to arms and a farewell to Babylon 5 Magazine with the last issue ever! As Babylon 5 Magazine draws to an exciting conclusion, Issue 24 chronicles the making of Season 5, the TV Movies and the spin-off series, Crusade. Babylon 5 Magazine has exclusive new fiction from author J. Gregory Keyes and a final epic installment in the acclaimed Official Babylon 5 Chronology. In a special feature, get to the heart of the conflict between the Shadows and the Vorlons which lies at the center of the Babylon 5 story. Also, Babylon 5 Magazine talks to series creator J. Michael Straczynski for the final time. Don't dare miss it!"
Further information from the magazine website:
Titan Magazines confirmed 2 March 2000 that Babylon 5 Magazine would cease publication with Issue 24, a double-sized issue. The closure reflects a drop in sales since the series completed its five-year run, resulting in the reluctant decision not to renew the license for the title with Warner Bros. as the licensing period reached its end.
"Since the show came off air sales have declined and this makes its continuation economically difficult," commented current editor Brian J. Robb. "We're sorry to have to wind down the magazine. However, all those who worked on the title are proud to have been associated with one of the best magazines based on a TV show. I'd like to thank all our readers and Babylon 5 fans for their support and contributions during the life of the magazine."
Titan has or will have published 34 issues of the magazine by the end of its run, beginning with a special comprising material originally published in the United States. The regular run featured completely originated material including interviews, background features, episode guides and more. Nine issues of the first volume were published in the UK and Eire alone before the second volume was given North American and Australasian distribution. In the last few months Titan has continued to publish new material within the title including the official Babylon 5 chronology -- a complete timeline to the series -- and new Babylon 5 fiction in the last three issues from J. Michael Straczynski (#22), J. Gregory Keyes and Fiona Avery.
The WB video releases:
Posted by an employee of a comic shop to the newsgroup, received from their distributor Diamond Comics:
E-mailed Diamond Comics (my supplier) and asked them about it. This is what they had to tell me:
"We carried every B5 video Warner had offered. Warner has stopped releasing them due to low sales outside of our market. (The last round we accounted for about 45% of orders) There are currently no plans to release more episodes. Should that change we will resume listing these."
The Jerry Doyle Fan Club has a few copies of the Universe Today -- signed by Jerry -- for sale. Check out their ad in the Trading Post.
REPORTS
Francesca has sent along a report for Visioncon (Springfield, MO).
DISCUSSION RESPONSES A number of people have written in with their favorite special effects from the show. See if you agree -- or if you have favorites of your own that haven't been mentioned, send those along to sgbruckner@aol.com and I'll include them.
The remaining schedule for the remaining videos is:
Vol 1.3 10th April
Vol 1.4 8th May
Vol 1.5 5th June
Vol 1.6 10th July
Vol 1.7 7th August
Volumes 1-6 will contain loyalty vouchers in them that will enable people to 'mail away' to receive volume 7 free (offer expires 31st Aug 2000)
Don't miss your chance to own copies of these two favorites. Use the links above to order today!
A long Main Story, 5 essays covering each season, a full 5-season annotated episode guide, sidebar spotlights on J. Michael Straczynski, Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Bill Mumy, Andrea Thompson, Patricia Tallman and sidebars devoted to Casting B5, Costuming, Music, Production Design, makeup, Foundation Imaging SFX, and "Final Days."
Here's the interviewee breakdown:
producers/writers/directors/crew:
J. Michael Straczynski, Joe Copeland, Douglas Netter, Larry DiTillio, David Gerrold, Neil Gaiman, Christy Marx, Bruce Seth Green, Richard Compton, Adam Nimoy, Jim Johnston, David Eagle, Janet Greek, John Iacovelli, John Vulich, Ann Bruice-Aling, Ron Thornton, John Teska, Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz, John Flinn, Christopher Franke (21)
cast:
Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Michael O'Hare, Peter Jurasik, Andreas Katsulas, Bill Mumy, Mira Furlan, Andrea Thompson, Patricia Tallman, Walter Koenig, Julie Caitlin Brown, Jeffrey Willerth, Brian Carpenter, Melissa Gilbert (14)
A number of people have asked where to pick up the issue once it's out. Most of the bookstores carry the magazine. The current issue has Voyager on the cover. If you see that in the store near you, you should be able to find the B5 issue once it comes out.
Ranger Jim reports that the current issue of Wizard - The Comics Magazine (#103) contains a coupon that can be used to
order an exclusive issue of Rising Stars #1/2. Thanks Jim for the information!
If you could choose the 20 top episodes, what would they be? Send your responses to sgbruckner@aol.com or bruckner@isnnews.net. Deadline for voting will be March 20.
Responses have been wonderful so far. Here are some of the results!
And A Sky Full of Stars - 10
Babylon Squared - 15
Chrysalis - 16
Comes the Inquisitor - 12
Dust to Dust - 16
Endgame - 14
The Fall of Centauri Prime - 13
In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum - 12
Interludes & Examinations - 13
Into the Fire - 11
Messages from Earth - 13
Point of No Return - 13
Severed Dreams - 28
Shadow Dancing - 17
Sleeping in Light - 26
The Coming of Shadows - 15
The Long Twilight Struggle- 11
War Without End - Part 1 and 2 - 54
Z'ha'dum - 24
Fandom magazine is conducting a poll -- collecting information about what the fans would like to see next from Star Trek. Fandom.com will provide a special e-mail link for you to send in your suggestions. For one week, you will have the opportunity to submit ideas for a TREK TV show. Those suggestions will be compiled by the Fancom staff; from them five finalists will be selected for the subject of a week-long poll, allowing all of our browsers to vote on their favorite direction for the next TREK. Got a new idea for a show, send it in!
"SF Age: magazine will discontinue publishing with the May 2000 issue. This bimonthly magazine began publication back in November 1992, combining SF media and literature, with stories nominated for Nebula and Hugo Awards, including one Nebula Award winner. Closure is attibuted to the decline in subscriptions.
Scott Edelman, editor of SF Age for the entire run, will leave Sovereign in March to become the editor of Satellite Orbit, a monthly TV programming guide with a circulation of 375,000. He will also leave his duties as editor of Sovereign's SCI FI Magazine, the official publication of The SCI FI Channel.
FIRST FRONTIER
A new science fiction series is in the works -- "First Frontier". LightWorX Productions is trying to gather general information about potential fans such as demographics, merchandising, preferences in science fiction shows, etc. Basically, they want to find out what the fans want so that they can create the best show possible. The survey will only be available for a few more weeks, closing around mid March to review the results.
The site URL is http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/wilhelm/173/index.html.
The survey URL is http://www6.bravenet.com/vote/vote.asp?userid=uk28467.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA -- I didn't get to see the Magellan clip Richard Hatch was to bring to the convention, but I did see his Battlestar trailer. It was SUPERB! You can see the care, love and desire to get this project off the ground ooze from this production. Richard Hatch has done something quite wonderful in bringing this to life. Visit Battlestar Galactica for more information.
This Sunday:
Another chat at Groucho's Yahoo Club site. The chat is scheduled for the first Sunday of each month beginning
at 5:30pm ET on Sunday. Groucho's is a good place to drop over and
chat anytime. I've found a pretty good group of people there at lunchtime (12pm EST).
If you have magazines that have featured Babylon 5 or Crusade that are not listed, send along their issue number and a note to indicate what the article was about. It would be nice to have a fairly comprehensive listing of Babylon 5 publications here.
This section has a lot of information, directly from JMS. Read about working with WB in the early days of the show; his upcoming "Amazing Stories" short story and production of "Rising Stars". What does he think of Jerry's upcoming campaign? Check out the latest in the JMS Speaks section.
Sandy, just to let you know that on 3/28 PAX will show the Scarecrow and Mrs King episode 'Wrong Number'. This is the
episode that guest stars Peter Jurasik!!
Talk to ya soon!! Jobsie
Fiona also has a new mailing list on egroups. It's called "Fionaverse@egroups.com" and "it's a moderated mailing list that will go out once a month -- or if there's some surprising news a few more times than that but not much -- that just keeps folks up to date with where they can find me next. It's not an interactive thing, it's an update mailing".
You simply subscribe to the mailing list by sending an email to:
fionaverse-subscribe@eGroups.com
Bill revealed that he had been approached to reprise the character of Will Robinson for a re-make of the original series. Mumy says, "I would return to that character as long as the deal wasn't embarrassing or tacky."
OFFICIAL BABYLON 5 MAGAZINE - Issue #20 . The theme of this issue is "Time Travel". Stephen C. Smith examines
the nature of time travel and looks at the science behinnd the time travel events in Babylon 5. The special Babylon 5
timeline continues in this issue. War Without End - Part 2 is featured in the Station Log and Zathras takes center stage
in a number of features. I have to admit, the feature on The Zocalo Today is really, really nice!
** If anyone needs a copy of Issue #19, let me know. I have a couple extra copies.
TV Zone #123 - Are you interested in visual effects or fantasy art? Then here's an issue for you. Wayne Barlowe, the
artist who brought the creepy creatures in "Thirdspace" to life is interviewed in this issue. The sketches showing his
early perception of what was needed in this TV movie are awesome.
TV Zone Special #36 - Bruce Boxleitner talks about his new book, "Frontier Earth", his work on the B5 CD-ROM "Into the Fire", shooting the final
episode of Babylon 5, "Sleeping in Light" and a lot of other topics.
Dreamwatch - Issue #65 takes a look at the Babylon 5 movies, "In the Beginning", "Thirdspace", "River of Souls" and "A Call to Arms". I'll
agree with the assessment of Wayne Barlowe's graphic effects in "Thirdspace". Awesome! There is also a review "Crusade" along
with some nice photos.
March Birthdays
Rick Biggs - March 18
Brad Dourif - March 18
Jesus Trevino - March 26
Ed Wasser - March 26
Michael York - March 27
Babylon 5 History
March 2, 2258 - Dr. Stephen Franklin assumes control of MedLab on Babylon 5
March 3, 2262 - EarthGov formally declares Mars independent
March 4, 2260 - Dr. Mary Kirkish is called to Ganymede to excavate a buried Shadow vessel
March 11, 2260 - David Corwin is promoted to full Lieutenant
March 18, 2260 - Dr. Mary Kirkish arrives on Babylon 5
March 20, 2260 - John Sheridan takes the White Star to Ganymede and witnesses the activation of a Shadow ship
March 23, 1994 - Filming is completed on the first season of Babylon 5
** History dates are taken from the SlowDazzle calendar!
The B5 Fan Club has just made available a Season 3 jacket, just like the one worn by Bruce Boxleitner and John Copeland
in this photo. This black, brushed twill jacket has a blue satin lining and is pleated in the back. There is an embroidered
B5 on the front, a starburst on the back, a ranger patch on the right sleeve and a B5 shield on the left sleeve. With each
purchase you also get a free B5 Fan Club button and Agamemnon hat.Visit
The Station for details.
The Fan Club has opened up Gold Channel for all Babylon 5 and Crusade fans. Be sure to drop in to see the exclusive photos
and background material on the show. It will be updated soon.
Babylon 5 Bible -- The original Season One Babylon 5 Writer's Bible. This massive tome weighs in at over 60 pages with comprehensive
backgrounds on all characters and story arc; as well as guidelines for writing SF for TV. This document is peppered
with original (color and B&W) illustrations by Peter Ledger. Use this link to place an order
Babylon 5 Writer's Bible.
Babylon 5 Series Treatment -- This beautifully bound original Babylon 5 Series Treatment written in September 1988, was used to sell the series.
It contains different characters than were ever seen in the show. This treatment was ONLY given to Network/Studio
heads. This document is peppered with original color illustrations by Peter Ledger. Use this link to order your
copy from the Emporium
Babylon 5 Series Treatment.
Ordering Information: There are a number of ways to order merchandise from the Club:
Credit card purchases can be made on-line, by mail, or by fax. The Fax number is 1-818-771-1677.
FOR PHONE ORDERS: Here are the numbers to use: 1-888-777-8517 or 1-818-623-1198 . Phone lines are open Monday thru Friday, 10-6pm PST. If no one answers the phone, please leave your credit card information on the voicemail. Val and Tony do process orders based on the time-stamped voicemail messages. Be sure to leave your phone number as well, just in case they have any questions.
You can send a check or money order for merchandise -- made payable to Babylon 5 Fan Club -- to Official Babylon 5 Fan Club, P.O. Box 856, North Hollywood, CA 91603.
** For all orders done by mail, it's best to send in an order form with your check or money order. Use this link to get a copy of the Order Form. There is a new reference list as well, so that you can check to see what merchandise is still available. Ref List.
Another toon from Tye.
I'm moving some cartoons from Todd and Tye over to a new page so that you can enjoy them longer than just a week. Check out the new Toons Page!
There's an interesting competition going on right now over at ToonZone. It's asking people to submit a "punch line" for a B5 cartoon. Pop over and try your hand at filling in the bubble!
Got toons? Want to share them? Drop me a line at sgbruckner@aol.com and
let's chat!
Bob Krimmer has been added to the roster of guests at Tachycon 11 -- Orlando, FL.
Rick Biggs, Stephen Austin and Robin Atkin Downes leave soon for Australia! Have a great time guys at Best of Both Worlds 8! Those Aussies are AWESOME!
CONVENTION REPORTS
Ranger Kailin has sent in the first part of her report on JMS' panel discussion at Gallifrey last weekend. Drop over to the Reports Page and have a look!
Francesca has sent in a convention report to add to my photos of Visioncon. Along with the photos are a couple of works by Jamie Murray, a fantastic artist who also attended the convention. Jamie is not only a super individual -- he's a great talent as well. Love his pictures of Michael, Claudia, Mira and the others. Have a peek.\ Here is a site that display's more of Jamie's fantastic artwork http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/suehaley/myhr.htm . I think he is AWESOME!
The Convention Reports page includes: Sci-Fi Cruise, Best of Both Worlds (Sydney), Praxis, Tropicon, Slanted Fedora (Raleigh), Vulkon (Orlando) and United Fan Con are now loaded in the Reports section. My report on Far Point, with a few photos is also there.
If you have experiences you'd like to share -- or photos -- send them along. We'd love to see/read them.
CONVENTION ATTENDANCE
Are you attending one of the conventions on the calendar? Or another one perhaps? Do you want to see who else might be there? Drop your e-mail address to The Zocalo. We've begun an attendance page so that perhaps we can get together while enjoying the activities of the convention. Convention Attendance .
UPCOMING EVENTS
Best of Both Worlds 8
March 11-12, 2000, Sydney, Australia
Place: Southern Cross Hotel
Guest: Richard Biggs, Robin Atkin Downes, Stephen Austin
For more information, visit their website at http://www.bobw.com.au/ Or send an e-mail to alc@nlc.net.au.
I've received some new photos from John Upton, Paul and Marti Baltrunas and Nancy & Grieg Pederson of conventions to share. They are now in the Photo Gallery Thanks for sending them along. They are wonderful!
If you have photos to add to the convention gallery, let me know. If you'd like to start a reader's gallery, that's possible as well. Just send along your photo and I'll begin a rogue's gallery for everyone to enjoy!
If you have photos you would like to include here, send them on to me at sgbruckner@aol.com or thezocalo@aol.com.
CONVENTION CALENDAR
Want to know what conventions are ahead for the Babylon 5 and/or Crusade cast and crew? Use this link
Convention Calendar.
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.
March 11
7 am ET/PT "The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father"
March 18
7 am ET/PT "Meditations on the Abyss"
March 25
7 am ET/PT "Darkness Ascending"
Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
The Zocalo Today
http://zocalo.isnnews.net
Your web site, "The Zocalo Today", has been chosen to receive the BABYLON 5 UK TOP FLIGHT award !
Your coverage of the J. Michael Straczynski universe of Babylon 5 and Crusade is top flight ! Late breaking news,
books, merchandise, cast & crew tid bits and humor, The Zocalo Today seems to be a one stop fan resource.