JMS, International Man of Mystery

He's at it again. This has to do with his "stupid request of last week:
*****************************************
(a poster comments)
>Well, there was Sheridan's fat ass frogging off of the >precipice in Z'ha'dum.

Thanks to all, and especially to all who suggested "Z'ha'dum," because that's the one I think that will fit our needs. Not that I can *explain* that need at the moment, but with hope, in time, all will become clear.

Thanks again to all who helped.

jms

**********************************
I misunderstood the request, apparently. That would be the biggest action moment of the show, but it wasn't in the final fade-out.

Oh well, such is life.

So, what do you suppose the cryptic one is up to this time?

We can hope he is pitching another B5 project. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

Great scene, but not my pick for best action shot either.

Yeah maybe .........

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
So, what do you suppose the cryptic one is up to this time?

[/quote] Probably something stupid which, after he pulls it off, we will consider very wise. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif What could one need this moment for? Ruling out personal bets due to his comments... perhaps for some kind of an overview, introduction or advertisement? I couldn't tell for sure.

As for my personal opinion, I considered the battle for Babylon 5 in "Severed Dreams" somewhat more dramatic. However, it doesn't have the same kind of properties as Z'ha'dum. In "Severed Dreams", the confict gets a clear resolution, while in "Z'ha'dum" we leave with the most general knowledge that the Shadow city took a serious hit, and Sheridan is most likely fried.

Pffft. I bet JMS knows *exactly* what moment he was going to use before he posted that.

If I wanted people to know something was up but didn't have a legal way of doing so, it's what I'd do.

Hmm. Could it have to do with "Polaris?"

From http://www.scifi2k.com/anews2187.html

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Aug 27: Jeremiah Renewed: Showtime has given its original series 'Jeremiah' a
15 episode renewal for next season. The series from J. Michael Straczynski has
also just signed Grant Rosenberg to Executive Produce the second season.
Jeremiah stars Luke Perry and Malcomb-Jamal Warner as survivors of a deadly
virus in a post-apocalyptic future where all the adults have died many years
ago. Jeremiah is filmed in vancouver, Canada. Grant Rosenberg most recently
wrapped working on Tracker. His genre list is long having worked on
Poltergeist: the Legacy, Time Trax, Outer Limits, Lois and Clark, MacGyver, and
Star Trek: the Next Generation. He's even done work on Baywatch.

[/quote]

Grant Rosenberg has been brought in at the same rank as JMS or possibly as his boss. JMS may simply want to spend more time on things like writing Polaris and so brought in a deputy. Alternatively, something very nasty is going on. If JMS welcomes the new arrival in the next 2 days then they are friends.

An action scene before the fadeout. Chosen scene - a character with initials JMS jumping. There definitely could be a hidden message in these postings.

The show already had at least two people with the title of Executive Producer. (So did B5 and Crusade, for that matter.) JMS, however, was hired as the "show runner", the final authority on the project. (Executive Producers do not, in many cases, have much hands-on contact with a series. Often the title is given to appease someone, somewhere.) JMS's original contract would be a "show runner" contract, spelling out his authority. If someone wanted to change this arrangement now, they'd have to renegotiate JMS's contract, or buy him out.

I seriously doubt this little literary exploration has anything to do with what is happening at Jeremiah.

Regards,

Joe

Sci Fi is probably liking this "sorta pilot/one time expense" thing and is funding another B5 movie.

**COMPLETE Speculation here, for those who tend to take simple words for bible sometimes**

I get the impression that Sci Fi likes the B5 franchise, but likes doing feature movies with it rather than risking a series (probably looking at the incomplete Crusade as a guiding example).

What ever it is, MAY HAVE just wanted a widely appreciated KEY moment which he could build into his ??next B5 project?? as sort of a flashback or perhaps will work a story with that event as a major crutch.....

As the Judger of The Change said in Dune..."Who knows...."
/forums/images/icons/grin.gif

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
An action scene before the fadeout. Chosen scene - a character with initials JMS jumping. There definitely could be a hidden message in these postings.

[/quote]Wasn't it John J. Sheridan? That doesn't give JMS as initials. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

The whole thing is intriguing though. But I'm sure that if it's something that would matter to or interest the B5 fan community, even if it doesn't have anything to do with B5 directly but concerns some other project, JMS will say something more about it at the earliest opportunity, provided he will have something to say.

I'm pretty sure somewhere Sheridan is somewhere quoted as calling himself John J Sheridan, maybe I'm wrong, I'm going through all my B5 stuff episodically now as it happens but I'm only at the war prayer, so i won't be able to confirm that for a few days or so. I think maybe the poster was being symbolic and suggesting the letters jms would be pasted onto the image of Sheridan jumping. I've been out of the grapevine for a long time now, but I too suspect jms is not being defensive or pessimistic here, I think he's using a segment from B5 to pitch an idea to somebody. Time will tell.

I think he refers to himself as John J. Sheridan in the movie Thirdspace can't think of an episode where does?But he probably does and I can't think of it right now.

Well, Jeremiah originally had seven executive producers to begin with - and one of them continues to be none other than Luke Perry. But JMS is the show-runner; from what he's told us, he wouldn't settle for anything less.

I don't think we'll ever know the real reason Rosenberg was brought aboard unless we're told, and even then - well, none of us know about if there were problems on the Jeremiah set - what they were and how bad they were.

I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy the show. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
The show already had at least two people with the title of Executive Producer. (So did B5 and Crusade, for that matter.) JMS, however, was hired as the "show runner", the final authority on the project. (Executive Producers do not, in many cases, have much hands-on contact with a series. Often the title is given to appease someone, somewhere.) JMS's original contract would be a "show runner" contract, spelling out his authority. If someone wanted to change this arrangement now, they'd have to renegotiate JMS's contract, or buy him out.

I seriously doubt this little literary exploration has anything to do with what is happening at Jeremiah.


[/quote]

I hope you are right Joe DM. I would prefer JMS to be pitching a new show/film rather than fighting for his job.

I was thinking perhaps he wanted to a DVD commentary during an action sequence and it be one the fans actually chose but Z'Hadum would be in the 3rd season of DVD's and the 2nd season hasn't even been O.K.'d (yet) so there goes that theory....

Rising Star 4th season acting President anounces John J. Sheridan.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I was thinking perhaps he wanted to a DVD commentary during an action sequence

[/quote]

Commentaries typically run the entire length of a movie and/or TV episode, they aren't usually tied to a specific sequence. ("Gang" commentaries sometimes are, with the composer speaking at certain points, the FX coordinator at others, etc., but this is rare.)

Besides, we already know that JMS only had time to record two commentary tracks. We know which episodes they were done for ("Signs and Portents", "Chrysalis") and we know which additional episodes he considered recording tracks for ("And the Sky Full of Stars", "Babylon Squared").

Finally, we're only seven weeks away from the release of the first season in the U.K., ten from the North American release. In that time the discs have to be QC'd, replicated, and shipped to distributors and retailers. I seriously doubt they are still tinkering with any of the content on the DVDs at this piont. And they won't start any real work on S2 until they see how S1 does. So I don't think JMS's request has anything at all to do with the DVDs.

Regards,

Joe

By the way, if jms is an international man of mystery, does that mean there is a Dr Evil jms (probably working for TNT) or mini jms. I keep thinking of the shot in SiL of jms walking to the self destruct console except it's mini jms and he can't reach the buttons... what an anti climax! /forums/images/icons/devil.gif

If he is an international man of mystery, it would certainly explain how Michael York got a guest role /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
does that mean there is a Dr Evil jms (probably working for TNT) or mini jms.

[/quote]

The latter, presumably, would be Harlan Ellison. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Regards,

Joe

ROFL! Given that JMS is very close to being bald as na egg....the image really fits well! LOL!
And yes, it is John J Sheridan, but it is Jeffrey Michael Sinclair.....it is the first and last initials that are coincidental on all three names.

climactic moment...Sheridan jumping off the balcony...hmmmm....I have no idea what he may be planning....I know that all the shows are set for this season, and if he was pitching for a movie, it doesn't matter what time of year it is. I think if he were pitching for a series, he would be prepping now for presentation in the next few months.

Well, we'll see what we'll see when it gets here.

PM

Jeffrey David Sinclair, not Jeffrey Michael Sinclair. JMS seems to have a thing for the name David. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

There are - at a quick search for 'Jeffrey Sinclair' - at least four JMS posts at www.jmsnews.com where he explicitly states it's Jeffrey David Sinclair, so I guess that's pretty certain.