It's A Wrap....

It\'s A Wrap....

>Joe, good to see ya posting again... guess that signals a break in
>production? Couple hours off to catch your breath? Rangers are still
>progressing well, we trust?

We wrapped last night (back in LA now).

It's a thing of beauty.


jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)




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"Faith Manages"

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

Well all I can say about B5LR is.........


Please, just PLEASE don't suck.

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Re: It\'s A Wrap....

No kidding...LOL

Is it possible to live up to the hype?
To the Babylon 5 standard?
Well if anyone can do it, it's the guy that's done it all along....

"It's a thing of beauty."

I sure hope so



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"Faith Manages"

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR> Please, just PLEASE don't suck.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Oh, ye of little faith.

You are not ready.




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Yes, I like cats too.
Shall we exchange Recipes?

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

Well, I will say this: I do have faith in JMS...he is a pefectionist after all.

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Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out.

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

One question:

Is it bubble wrap?

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Sheridan to Bester:
And I could nail your head to the table, set fire to it, and feed your charred remains to the Pak'ma'ra.

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>'A veiw from the gallery' killed my faith<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh, yeah. Come to think of it JMS never produced a single worthwhile episode after that one.

Every year JMS tried to do at least one show that was "off format" and a little bit experimental. "And Now for a Word" was an example, as was "The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father." Some people loved them, others hated them. Odds are you are not going to love every episode of any show. Sometimes the writers just choose to do something that is not to your personal taste. I don't like all of the B5 episodes equally, that's for sure, and there are one or two I probably wouldn't miss if Warner Bros. lost the master tape.

But I don't assume from this that there is something wrong with those shows, or that JMS suddenly forgot how to write, or "lose my faith" in his ability to tell a good story. He has his strengths and weaknesses as a writer. By and large the strengths predominate. Sometimes he tries to stretch too far and comes crashing back to Earth. But I'd much rather watch a show produced by someone who is willing to risk the occassional failure than one produced by committee and dedicated to the concept that the formula is sacred, no risks can ever be taken and Thou Shall Not Threaten the Franchise.

I've read several quotes by TV producers spanning about 40 years, including comments by JMS, Gene R. and Rod Serling, which all boil down to the same thing: In any given season on any TV show you're lucky if a third of your episodes are good, a third OK and another third so bad you never want to see them again. By this standard, B5 was an exceptionally successful television show.

In any event I don't see how anyone's faith could be destroyed by "A View", even if they hated it, considering that it was followed by "All My Dreams Torn Asunder", "The Fall of Centauri Prime" and "Objects at Rest" To say nothing of A Call to Arms, which ranks as either the best or second best of the TV movies in most fan polls, and Crusade, which despite all the problems, was pretty good most of the time.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

As to whether or not B5LR can live up to all of the hype, and some people disliking some episode(s) of B5, I say yes it can, and such is life. The reason B5LR has a great chance in my book for success is the very fact that JMS still holds as a key axiom that you have to take chances. I'd rather watch a show where I didn't really like an episode here and there, but that challenged me than steady mediocrity any day. I can't really think of a B5 episode that I "hated", though I might skip rewatching them for the third time.

I say, As Antony and others have already said, that as long as JMS is willing to stretch himelf and keep taking chances, I'll probably enjoy what he brings forth. I refuse to be pessimistic this time!

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"Why not? Only 1 Human captain has ever survived battle with the Minbari fleet. He is behind me, you are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else."

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

I really liked A View from the Gallery. It was great to see B5 from an ordinary guy's pov. Wasn't it suggested by Harlan Ellison? It was because of him that I kept on watching the series in the first place, because frankly, I didn't like year one until well towards the end, but because of Harlan I felt I was missing something. So I kept watching.

As Joe says, no series is going to please everyone in every episode. I really hated Hunter, Prey and yet there are others who count it among their favorites.

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Re: It\'s A Wrap....

I am one of the people who believe "A View from the Gallery" is one of the finest episodes in the series. It turned the "normal" viewpoint on its head. That's what it was _supposed_ to do.

It also answered the old question: "Have you looked down in the bottom of the Ark? Who's going to clean up that mess down there?" (BTW, no prize at all for those who recognize the source of that quote.)

It also showed how an episode could be both funny and Tragic at the same time withoug compromising either.




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Yes, I like cats too.
Shall we exchange Recipes?

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

Wrenolds Wrap

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"Faith Manages"

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bakana:

Oh, ye of little faith.

You are not ready.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

'A veiw from the gallery' killed my faith

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Re: It\'s A Wrap....

Bakana, I fully agree with you.

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Re: It\'s A Wrap....

Bill Cosby.

I'd like that No Prize in silver if that's still available.

I first saw Cosby do the "Noah" routine on one of his first prime time specials on network TV and a few weeks later pestered my parents into buying two of his albums. (Younger readers who need to know what an "album" is can send me an e-mail, and I'll explain.) I listened to both many times, and used to "do" the "Noah" bit at school and at parties at the drop of a hat.

I no longer have those albums (in fact, I no longer own a turntable) but I think I could still do that routine from memory.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

[This message has been edited by Joseph DeMartino (edited June 10, 2001).]

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

I also liked "A View From The Gallery".

Now when you talk about off-format shows, "Intersections in Real Time" is a poster child. No matter how experimental some episodes were, they all had at least one subplot.

If I remember correctly, IiRT had no subplots; it was about Sheridan's torture and nothing else. I strongly believe that episode to be a love-or-hate episode, and sorry, I'm on the hate side.

But as you said, Joe, one show shouldn't make you lose faith and while I despise Intersections, it's sandwiched between Face of the Enemy and Between the Darkness and the Light, which are fine episodes.

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Not many fishes left in the sea. Not many fishes, just Londo and me.

[This message has been edited by Ninja_Squirrel (edited June 10, 2001).]

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

I thoroughly enjoyed A View from the Gallery. I love seeing things from a different perspective or timeframe.

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Re: It\'s A Wrap....

I like "Intersections" But you're right, it is an off-format show that people either love or hate.

Not only did it not have a "B" story, it almost lacked a supporting cast. Except for the Drazi, a couple of guard/technicians and the second interrogater, it is virtually a two character play.

The title refers to the fact that each approximately 11 minute "act" plays out in real time. There are no jumps in time, no cutaways to other characters and situations, just two men in a room for most of the show. It is probably the only episode of B5 that could be mounted as a stage production, which is not surprising because not only JMS but much of the cast and crew of the show had theatrical backgrounds. Nearly all of the show is driven by the dialogue. It is almost the concentrated essence of drama: two characters in opposition, on a bare stage.

I think the show works wonderfully for people who like the theater, and not at all for people who find plays boring and want TV and movies to do the things that TV and movies do best - action, spectacle, movement.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

Come to think of it, I didn't *hate* any of the off-format episodes. I liked both the ISN broadcast ones (And Now For A Word and that other one from Season 4, the name of which has escaped me for the moment. Was it perhaps The Illusion of Truth?).

As for Intersections..., the last time it was on TV, I wasn't sure if I wanted to see it again. Decided to watch it anyway and found, much to my surprise, that it seemed a lot better/more interesting/more captivating than the first time I saw it.

I liked the idea of A View From the Gallery and thought it was a good episode - but I must admit I didn't like the workers. That big guy (Mack? or was that Bo? the big one who wanted to fly a fighter?) was alright but the little guy got on my nerves. Oh well, can't have everything.

Deconstruction of Falling Stars was interesting, although I didn't like all the parts equally well.

On the whole, though, I think that having 5-6 off-format episodes out of 110 worked well. Too many such experiments might have started to turn some viewers off, IMHO.

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"It's animal magnetism. What can I say."

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

Does anyone know if Harlan Ellison has anything to do with B5LR? I admit, I did not see all of B5 in order (came in late) but the fact that Harlan was in on it kept my attention long enough to begin appreciating the show.

Now, of course, I'm hooked. Does anyone know if Harlan will have anything to do with B5LR?

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"Why not? Only 1 Human captain has ever survived battle with the Minbari fleet. He is behind me, you are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else."

Re: It\'s A Wrap....

JMS hasn't said anything, and come to think of it I can't remember anybody asking him this question. I suppose it would depend on the series budget and Harlan's schedule. (JMS mentioned that on Crusade they didn't have the money for the conceptual consultant slot, so they couldn't use him.)

But I don't think this will even become a question until they sit down to hash-out a series deal. They wouldn't have Harlan on board for what may be a one-shot pilot.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net