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Crusade DVD's

Re: Crusade DVD\'s

I got my set yesterday, and I've been going over the extras. Did anyone else get a sense that Straczynski's commentary may ahve been edited? There seemed to be a greater number of long pauses than I recall in his previous commentaries, and a couple of those pauses seemed to come when he got anywhere near mentioning the aborted run of the series.
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

Well, I've watched most of the episodes, and all the special features. I've only got a couple of comments...

1.) Where is the *real* story about what happened to Crusade? I was under the impression it would feature on the JMS commentary; but there's nothing in either that or the documentary about it. Fair enough, I know what happened - but I thought that JMS would only allow the set to be released with the full explanation. I've also gone over the discs with a fine toothed combe, and can see no hidden features that might provide the truth.

2.) Watching these episodes, and seeing/hearing the special features has made me really quite sad. I'm so frustrated and annoyed that this show was cancelled. When you hear JMS talking about what he had planned, and what the show was going to become, it will really make you angry. Crusade was going to be brilliant; with the ideas JMS had, it was bound to be as good as (if not better than) Babylon 5. It's such a tragedy it never made it past 13 episodes. Damn TNT, damn them to hell!

On a side note, did anyone else notice how much weight Stephen Furst has put on since the last documentary he appeared on? I remember them joking in a B5 cast commentary that he wouldn't be able to play Vir anymore as he was too thin; but he's perfect Vir size now! And Carrie Dobro, does she look hot, or what? Sexiest. Alien. Ever :p

All in all, a great purchase - nice to *nearly* have everything in the B5 universe on DVD :D
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

I got my set yesterday, and I've been going over the extras. Did anyone else get a sense that Straczynski's commentary may ahve been edited? There seemed to be a greater number of long pauses than I recall in his previous commentaries, and a couple of those pauses seemed to come when he got anywhere near mentioning the aborted run of the series.
Click to expand...

Of course, the only way any of us will know is to ask. Unless you do not want an answer.
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

I got my set yesterday, and I've been going over the extras. Did anyone else get a sense that Straczynski's commentary may ahve been edited? There seemed to be a greater number of long pauses than I recall in his previous commentaries, and a couple of those pauses seemed to come when he got anywhere near mentioning the aborted run of the series.
Click to expand...

Of course, the only way any of us will know is to ask. Unless you do not want an answer.
Click to expand...

On Wednesday, December 08, 2004 at 11:25 AM, I asked JMS, on rastb5m:

Regarding the Crusade DVD Set, where's the extra hidden,
where you tell what happened with Crusade and TNT? I
haven't been able to pick up my set yet, but that extra was
the first thing I wanted to watch when I get the set in the
next couple of days. Evidently, others have had trouble
finding it.

...or did Warner Brothers cave and not include it?
Click to expand...

So far, no answer. Maybe Warner Brothers took it out, and he's pissed. :confused:
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

Nathsn, I'm asking what other people who have the set on this board think for a few reasons:

1) It's very possible I'm imagining something, and wanted to get the impressions of other people before I did anything to make it an issue on the newsgroup.
2) My ability to get messages posted to said newsgroup is incredibly spotty, and I figured by the time I did so there was a good chance someone with faster access would have brought it up.
3) I thought it would be an interesting issue to talk about, given that the documentary also steers clear of any controversy.
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

Maybe Warner Brothers took it out, and he's pissed. :confused:
Click to expand...

To put it mildly. What's appeared on the newsgroup:

Subject: Re: "Crusade" DVDs in TNT order
From: jmsatb5@aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 12/10/2004 5:10 AM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id: <20041210050809.15947.00001982@mb-m02.aol.com>

>I've listened to the commenary and features but I haven't heard anything
>really
>about what happened. Certainly not anything like the story we were told at
>Hawthorne. One wonders if they gave in and let JMS talk about what happened
>and then simply edited it out.

Yes, that's exactly what happened.

I sat down to watch the DVD set yesterday, having picked it up at the local
store, and went to the commentary. I'd put that information at the very start
of my commentary.

Now, understand: what I'd told WB was this....if you want me to do the
commentary, my requirement is that you let me tell what really happened. If
you want to use the commentary, you have to leve that in. If you don't want to
have that in, then don't use the commentary at all. Everybody agreed.

So I started it up...listened...and it was gone.

In its place is a segment taken from the on-camera interview.

This was the one tape they didn't send me for approval, which being busy I
didn't track back, but I was always told there wasn't a problem. At no time
did ANYONE from WB or New Wave Entertainment tell me that this was being done.

Doing these DVDs was the only way I had to date to get the bad taste of that
experience out of my mouth, the sheer dishonesty and rudeness of it all.

So much for that goal.

The term "furious" doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm normally a very quiet,
soft spoken kind of guy.

But last night I broke the sound barrier and the dictionary all at the same
time.

Furious.

You have no idea.


jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2004 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)
Click to expand...

After all this time they haven't learned not to screw around with him?!?
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

:mad: Corporations....
Knowing JMS he'll may now swear never to work with WB ever again on principle and ditch TMOS.

Why does the guy keep on getting shafted?
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

This is why I come more and more to the conclusion that you should "get it in writing" when it comes to dealing with anything in the way of business.

They just outright lied to him. Now, who wants to place a bet? A WB spokesman will say it was all a terrible "miscommunication".

It is amazing the crap I've seen dismissed or excused at my college on the grounds that "it was all just a miscommunication". And they get away with it year after year, time after time.

It's plausible deniability in seeing what was happening on the grounds that your head was up your butt. :rolleyes:
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

:mad: Corporations....
Knowing JMS he'll may now swear never to work with WB ever again on principle and ditch TMOS.

Why does the guy keep on getting shafted?
Click to expand...
I am beginning to wonder: is it like this in "the business" for everyone?

At JMS's moderated group one fan suggested that everyone return their Crusade DVD sets on the grounds that they are defective. :D I suspect that, legally, that wouldn't fly.

Or could it? Could it be interpretted that an implied promise was given, and some fans bought the set primarily for that one feature?

Not that it would be worth the hassle, mind you. But it would send a definite message to Warner Brothers.
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

I am beginning to wonder: is it like this in "the business" for everyone?
Click to expand...


If "the business" means the Entertainment business, I can not make a comment on it. But in the real world every company that I have worked at has always promised the workers everything to get to the ends the company wants. Then when it gets there, there is always an excuse why the promises can't be kept.

The worse part is that upper management can't understand why moral gets to be so bad.
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

can someone please check the regionalcodes of the crusade box? perhaps they are tge same as the rc's from the movie box ( RC1,2,3 and 4)
would be nice to know.
many thanks.
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

Well, if JMS does blow up, it may well scuttle TMoS, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made for principles.

I expect the best revenge JMS could concoct would be to spell the story out in excruciating detail in public. Maybe it wouldn't do much, but it would probably embarass the WB a bit.
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

Interesting idea to return the DVDs as defective because there was an "implied promise" to tell the TNT ( :mad:) story.
Unfortunately, the WB defence is obvious........The implied promise was NOT made by WB, but by JMS. :rolleyes:
So even theoretically, it wouldn't fly.
What this implies for the future of TMOS, I dread to think :(
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

What this implies for the future of TMOS, I dread to think :(
Click to expand...

While it seems to indicate a lack of respect, I seem to recall that JMS has said that divisions of WB are run separately so I don't think one will effect the other.

Jan
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

After all this time they haven't learned not to screw around with him?!?
Click to expand...

I guess TNT-Atlanta has more money than God, and that kind of clout weighs heavily on Warner Brothers. I'm reminded of a certain scene where Delenn acts irrationally:

"Bastards!"
 
Re: Crusade DVD\'s

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for commentary tracks on future DVD releases, that's for sure.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but there's nothing left of any significance or importance.
 
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