THE ZOCALO TODAY

November 18, 1999






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What's New

NEXT BABYLON 5 NOVEL Peter David's "Legions of Fire" -- book one of a trilogy on Centauri Prime, is scheduled for release in December. DelRey has a brief synopsis of the book out at their website http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.cgi?isbn=0345427181. Drop over and have a peek -- unless you are afraid of spoiling the pleasure you'll have when you read the novel.

ROBIN ATKIN DOWNES ON NASH BRIDGES

Hey there. Robin will be on this week's episode of Nash Bridges. Here on the East Coast, the show is seen at 10pm, so be sure to check your local listings to see when it airs for you.

GARY COLE ON TWILIGHT ZONE

Gary appears in "The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics" on the Sci-Fi Channel November 26 at 1pm EST. Gary's segment is entitled "The Theatre".

SCI FI CHANNEL - SEEING EAR THEATRE

It had been a while since I'd visited the Seeing Ear Theatre so I thought I'd go to see what was new and different there. Wow, it's great. They have added all sorts of new works, making it an even more fabulous place to visit. Whether listening to one of the classics, an original drama like Neil Gaiman's "Murder Mysteries" or a couple of works featuring B5 personalities like "George and the Red Giant" or "Think Like a Dinosaur", you're in for a treat. The Seeing Ear Theatre brings you some of the best science fiction available!

CONVENTION REPORTS

There is a new convention report -- Vulkon Orlando -- over in the reports section. There are also some new photos in the convention photo gallery. Click on the buttons above to go directly to those pages.

Thanks to the people who have taken the time to send these things along! I really appreciate it.

BABYLON 5 ON DVD

Some folks have gotten together a petition to let Warner Home Video know that B5 fans want Babylon 5 on DVD. If you would like to add your voice to this effort, visit this web site b5petition.ii.net and sign the petition.

THURSDAY NIGHT'S CHAT WITH TIM CHOATE!

Even though we got off to a rocky start -- thanks to Yahoo -- Tim Choate, our man Zathras, was wonderful in his first on-line chat. I'm sure a transcript will be available soon, and we'll have to have him back so that you can have more time to ask him questions! Thanks SO MUCH TIM. You were great!


IT'S A BOY -- Just got word that Rick and Lori Biggs have a new son -- Richard John -- born on October 28!


JMS Speaks

Hold onto your hats! The B5 Bibles are here! Yes, JMS announced that two Babylon 5 Bibles would be available soon at http://www.thestation.com and you can now order them.

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.

A limited number (100) of an autographed version of the Writer's Bible was available -- but alas, they are now sold out!

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.

A limited number (100) of an autographed version of the treatment was available -- but yes, you guessed it, they are now sold out, too!

The next issue of Rising Stars out November 22. JMS talks a little about the upcoming issue in JMS SPEAKS.

Want to know what JMS has been doing recently? Check out the JMS Speaks page! I just updated this section and I think there are some really interesting comments there you'll want to review, especially the one from October 20! That one should get your curiosity going! Click here for JMS Postings Last updated: November 8, 1999. JMS recently made a statement regarding the future of the Babylon 5 Fan Club. Read Fan Club Transition .

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

Pop over to the Galactic Gateway for some beautiful wedding pictures of Pat Tallman and Jeffrey Willerth. Gorgeous bride -- terribly handsome groom!

Walter Koenig will portray Ebenezer Scrooge in the SANTA SUSANA REPERTORY COMPANY's 10th ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION of CHARLES DICKENS' A CHRISTMAS CAROL. It begins December 3 and runs through 19, 1999 at the Scherr Forum Theatre in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.Thousand Oaks, California. Rediscover the true meaning of the holidays with Dickens' timeless masterpiece. A Ventura County tradition, SSRC presents their 10th anniversary production with music, dancing, lavish costumes and special guest stars. Tickets: $22 to $25 and are available at the box office or Ticketmaster: Call (805) 583-8700 and (213) 480-3232. For group sales discounts call: Debbie Pizzano (805) 522-8010.

Richard Biggs has just completed an episode of VIP, the series starring Pamela Anderson. Richard has also finished an episode of Beverly Hills 90210.

At the Best of Both Worlds convention in Australia, Bruce Boxleitner talked about a new series he hopes to be doing for Majel Roddenberry. The series is being shopped around now and Bruce hopes it will begin production in the spring. Meanwhile, he has just signed to do an independent film which begins shooting in November in Los Angeles. He will portray a doctor. Bruce's new book Frontier Earth is coming out in November. For more information about the book, visit Amazon.com. For a review of the book, visit the BB Grapevine. There will be some upcoming book signings, so we'll try to alert you as to when those will occur.

Jerry Doyle has just signed to appear in an independent film. Not much information available on it as yet.

David Allen Brooks, the loveable Max Eilerson, is busy working on a play. However, he's taking some time out for conventions, so check out the convention calendar.

Stephen Austin, the Pak'Ma'Ra Ambassador, just completed an episode of the X-Files!

SIGHTINGS

Date: 11/16/99 9:19:31 PM
From: LVibber

Hi, Sandy! The Vibbers have been busy with B5 actor sightings this week! I got the following message from my husband Jim:

Speaking of B5 actors showing up in odd places, here's the guy who played the sleazy lawyer in "River of Souls," in a commercial for AMD's new microprocessor.

http://www.amd.com/advertising/tv/train.html

A little searching on the Lurker's Guide provided the names -- Stuart Pankin played sleazy lawyer James Riley in "River of Souls". This website will let you view the commercial, and also provides a list of television airdates! He's playing a computer user, not a lawyer, but he looks nearly as sleazy by the end of the ad!


Date: 11/14/99 12:17:11 AM
From: LVibber

Hi, Sandra! My son Brion, who is a junior at USC's Film School, sent me the following sighting on 11/11/99.

Guess who was in one of my classmates' films this semester? I somehow missed seeing one set of their dailies and only saw the completed film for the first time today... It's an absurdist, very cartoonish film (with wall-to-wall soundtrack and sound effects from the Warner Bros animation sound library) about a man in an insane asylum who is given strange tests to determine whether he's safe to release to society.

As I'm sitting there watching the final cut, I think to myself, "Hmm, the woman playing the doctor looks awfully familiar... Ya know, she looks kinda like Lise! Naw, couldn't be..." Credits come along, and sure enough it's Denise Gentile! Right there in dazzling 16mm! Wow.

-- brion "how come she didn't audition for _our_ film?" v"

Brion says the title of the student film is "Crazies 'R' Us" (backwards R), written and directed by Nolan Lebovitz. Denise was the Doctor.

Pretty cool!
--Lee Vibber


Date: 11/11/99 4:27:22 PM
From: dorci_b5fan@hotmail.com (Dorci Eisenbeis)

Last night I saw Daniel Dae Kim in a commercial, however I don't remember what it was for. He was dressed in a state troopers uniform and he had stopped some people on the road. (Maybe a cheese commercial)? Anyway, I wondered if anyone else had noticed it or not. It might be someting you want to put in the ZOCALO.

Thanks for the great newsletter!!!!!


Date: 11/11/99 4:22:48 AM
From: DelennToo

Well, here's quite a few tonight, and all in the same 1-hour show! Tonight I caught the last half hour of a show called D.R.E.A.M. Team. This is noteworthy because the Director of Photography is John Flinn III (B5's DoP), and the two guest stars were Martin Sheen and Ian McShane, who were the guest stars in the B5 movie, "River of Souls." Isn't that a funny coincidence? Here's another - there is a gorgeous red-haired woman in this episode whose name is .... you guessed it - Lyta (or pehaps Leeta or Leda)!! I'm pretty sure this was the first episode; another one airs on Monday at 1 a.m. on WBPX in Boston.

I happened to stumble across a note on Jeff Willerth and Pat Tallman's message board from none other than Tim Earls, who designed many of the wonderful ships and alien worlds on B5. He has been working on the sets at Star Trek: Voyager and posted this reply to my note on the message board: "Hi Penny! Are they keeping me busy?? I've never been busier! I'm really enjoying my time on ST:V but I don't think I've been there long enough to be included in a chat yet. However, next time you're in a book store look up Star Trek: New Worlds, New Civilizations. I did a couple of illustrations which I hope will lead to something bigger."

There is a review of this book at: http://www.eonmagazine.com/archive/9911/REVIEWS/REVIEWS/PAPER/star_trek_new_world/default-body.htm.

B5 PSI CORPS TRILOGY AVAILABLE

Ranger Larry sends word that The Science Fiction Book Club is offering a limited, hardcover, book club edition of the Psi Corps Trilogy at their online site. The SFBC edition has all three titles: "Dark Genesis," "Deadly Relations," and "Final Reckoning" available as a single volume. Some of their titles can be purchased without becoming members (as I did), and I think this is one od them but they've got some interesting titles (although this is the only B5 title I could find) so it wouldn't be a real burden to join. The site is at www.sfbc.com and search under authors "K"– although it was being featured on the home page yesterday.

THIS WEEK'S DISCUSSION TOPIC

This week's discussion topic: Since Babylon 5 has ended, have you found yourself reading more? If so, what are you reading?

Thanks to everyone for submitting responses. They are great! Don't forget to visit the Discussion Topic page to see what other topics have been discussed. Discussion Topic

Share your views with us! Send in your submissions to The Zocalo. Please put Discussion Topic in the subject line.

If there is a subject you would like to suggest for discussion, please do send it (or them) along. I'm always looking for topics that people are interested in talking about!

SPECIAL EVENTS

GALAXY BALL

The 2nd Annual Galaxy Ball, hosted by Robert Beltran from ST Voyager, was held on October 30 in Los Angeles. Cari has done up a report on the event and has some great pictures out at her site. Take a peek at www.coribright.com.

Just posted a fantastic report on the Galaxy Ball on the Reports page at the Z. It's most enjoyable, so don't miss it. Thanks Penny/Karen!

MIRA IN NEW YORK PLAY

Mira Furlan is 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 began October 8 and the play officially opened 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.

CRUSADE MUSIC AVAILABLE

A new Crusade CD is available with the music of Evan Chen. Produced by Sonic Images, it runs 68+ minutes and incoporates music from several episodes. Click here to go to the web site at Sonic Images. Along with the music is an interview with Evan that is of interest. He tells how he developed the original sound track of "A Call to Arms", etc.

FAN CLUB MERCHANDISE

Autographed Babylon 5 Magazines

Set #1
Volume 1, Issue 8 - signed by Bill Mumy
Volume 2, Issue 4 - signed by Christopher Franke
Volume 2, Issue 5 - signed by Peter Woodward
Follow this link Set #1.

Set #2
Volume 1, Issue 4 - signed by Kathryn Drennan (author of B5 novel #9)
Volume 1, Issue 6 - signed by Walter Koenig
Volume 2, Issue 3 - signed by Richard Biggs
Follow this link Set #2.

Set #3
Volume 1, Issue 3 - signed by John Copeland (Producer of B5)
Volume 1, Issue 9 - signed by Jerry Doyle
Volume 2, Issue 1 (UK) - signed by Tracy Scoggins
Follow this link Set #3.

Set #4
Volume 1, Issue 5 - signed by Peter Jurasik
Volume 2, Issue 2 - signed by Bruce Boxleitner
Volume 2, Issue 6 - signed by J. Michael Straczynski
Follow this link Set #4.

Sets are available for $50 each, so order them now! They will make fantastic Christmas gifts for that special B5 fan - maybe even you!

Babylon 5 Scripts - "Soul Hunter"

"Soul Hunter" is now available through the Fan Club. Use this link to place your order Soul Hunter Script.

The Crusade Writer's Bible is still available at thestation. 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. Use this link to purchase a Crusade Writer's Bible from The Fan Club.

Membership Credits:
The Club has a chart up at thestation.com that shows what credit you will receive based on your membership expiration date.

Ordering Information: There are a number of ways to order merchandise from the Club:

Credit card purchases can be made on-line, by mail, by phone at 1-888-777-8517 or 1-818-623-1198 or fax to 1-818-771-1677. Phone lines are open Monday thru Friday, 10-6pm PST.

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.

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE IN PRINT

Amazing Stories #599 This is the issue featuring Lyta and G'Kar. It goes on sale October 25, so keep an eye out for it! If you would like to read about other features in the issue, drop over to Amazing Stories.

OFFICIAL BABYLON 5 MAGAZINE - Issue #17 just arrived. It has the first part of an interview with Bruce Boxleitner, the first part of an article outlining the JPL Connection to B5 and Crusade, a set report on "Each Night I Dream of Home", and a LOT more. Love this magazine!

Sci-Fi & Fantasy Models International have an interview with Optic Nerve's Jerry Gergely, who worked on seasons four and five of B5, and it's illustrated with a lot of photographs. The mag's web site is http://www.nextmill.demon.co.uk/. Thanks Dave for the info: dbrown@newdawn.u-net.com

NEXT BABYLON 5 NOVELS

FINAL RECKONING was released in early October! It includes 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 scheduled to go on sale the first Tuesday of December.

LEGIONS OF FIRE 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.

BABYLON 5 CARTOONS

Another toon from Todd Brugmans for our enjoyment.















Convention Calendar

Want to know what conventions are ahead for the Babylon 5 and/or Crusade cast and crew? Use this link Convention Calendar.

Coming Up Next:

Tropicon
November 19-21, 1999; Boca Ratan, FL
Guest: Peter Woodward

For more information, visit their web site at: http://www.sfsfs.org/Tropicon.




ExotiCon
November 19-21, 1999; Metairie, LA
Place: Quality Hotel, New Orleans Guest: Jason and Susie Carter

For more information, visit their web site at: http://www.exoticon.net.


Hollywood TV Nostalgia & Celebrity Autographing Show
November 20-21, 1999, Hollywood, CA
Place: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Guests: Jason Carter, Carrie Dobro, Peter Woodward

For more information, call 818-409-0960 x 225 or visit their website at http://www.creationent.com .

Des Moines Sci-Fi Expo
November 20-21, 1999, Des Moines, Iowa
Place: Des Moines Marriott

Guests: Stephen Furst, Walter Koenig

For more information, call 913-327-8735 or visit their website at http://www.sfedora.com .

LosCon XXVI
November 26-29, 1999, Burbank, CA
Place: Hilton Burbank Airport
Guest: J. Michael Straczynski (Sunday), Fiona Avery, David Allen Brooks

For more information, write to Loscon XXVI, c/o The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, 11513 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601, or call (818) 760-9234 or email Loscon26@lasfs.org. Visit their website at http://www.lasfs.org/loscon26/



Mid-Ohio Con
November 27-28, 1999; Columbus, Ohio
Place: Adams' Mark Hotel
Guest: Harlan Ellison, Bob Krimmer

For more information, visit their web site at: http://www.midohiocon.com.


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 .

Our Photo Gallery

We've captured some of the ComLinkers on film -- yes, at conventions. Here are just a few pictures people have sent along for all of us to share Convention Pictures If you have photos you would like to include here, send them on to me at sgbruckner@aol.com or thezocalo@aol.com.

Zocalo Trading Post

We know a number of you collect the B5 trading cards from Fleer/Skybox and collectible cards from Precedence. If you want to trade with others here at The Zocalo, this area is reserved for postings of that sort. Use this link to see what others have to trade. Trading Post. To list items to trade, send a note to The Zocalo. Please put Trading Post in the subject line.

Pen Pals

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.

TRADING PARTNERS: Here's a suggestion for those of you in the US or abroad that find it's really hard to get your hands on Babylon 5 merchandise -- whether it's magazines or whatever. Why not find yourself a trading partner! For example, I have a great friend in the UK -- Mark -- who helps me with all the magazines published in the UK that feature B5 or Crusade! He sends me the magazines and in exchange, I send him things he can't get in England -- like the trading cards or the novels or the "Rising Stars" comic books! There are a lot of things that you can exchange -- and it's FUN too!


The Zocalo - Today, Issue #2

Since I know some of you would prefer a hard-copy of the newsletter, here's what could be produced. Use this link to view the PDF file. The Zocalo, Issue #2. You will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat to open the file. If you don't have that, please go to Adobe and download a copy of the software.

Babylon 5/Crusade Links

We haven't forgotten all the wonderful pages created in support of Babylon 5 or Crusade. They now have their own page! Use the link at the top of the page or Links Page.

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE AROUND THE WORLD

Ranger Atte sends word that Warner TV began airing Crusade on November 7 to all of Latin America.

For readers in Canada, visit the Babylon 5 Information Page http://www.interlog.com/~schrist/b5/ for the latest on Crusade and Babylon 5

The lucky folks in Bellingham, WA will begin viewing Crusade on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 9pm. It's available via Roger's Basic Cable out of Vancouver, Canada.

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.

Ranger Deiter reports that "Crusade" began airing in South Africa last week. That's wonderful. They have never seen Babylon 5, however, so it might be interesting to learn what they think of the series.

BABYLON 5 SCHEDULE -- TNT ON SATURDAY MORNING


November 20
7 am ET/PT "The Exercise of Vital Powers"
8 am ET/PT "The Face of the Enemy"


November 27
7 am ET/PT "Intersections in Real Time"
8 am ET/PT "Between the Darkness and the Light"


December 4
7 am ET/PT "Endgame"
8 am ET/PT "Rising Star"


SUGGESTIONS

If you have suggestions of other things that should be added to The Zocalo, please drop me a note at the e-mail address above or at sgbruckner@aol.com.

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.

How To Subscribe?

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! Sorry about that -- that's why you receive an error when you try responding to a note regarding The Zocalo. It's one of the restrictions I've run into when using e-groups.com. It prevents responses from rippling through the group, but forces you to do a new e-mail message when you want to respond to a topic or send in information.

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. The new buttons will help you move around the various parts of the newsletter. The subscription listing will be for reminders of things coming up -- and to highlight changes at 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!

LOOKING AHEAD!

Interviews will be coming!

If you would like to write something -- like a book review -- for placement in The Zocalo, drop me a line and let's talk. I'm at bruckner@isnnews.net or The Zocalo.

HELP!!!

If you would like to take some flyers to a convention to help spread the word that The Zocalo is Back! drop me a line. I'll be glad to send you some in the mail. I've created a PDF file that can be downloaded and printed. Flyer Thanks for helping to spread the word about The Z!

Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
The Zocalo Today

http://zocalo.isnnews.net

Awards

BABYLON 5 Awards 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.

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