Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:42:18 -0700 (PDT)

Putting this on a recent thread here where it’s more likely to be seen in a quick fashion….

Several things just to update folks.

First, many thanks to all those who sent along research suggestions and offerings to be of assistance on the project I can’t talk about.

I’ve been swamped with deadlines and unable to reply to any of the public notes and private emails, but as soon as I can get my head above water, be assured that I’ll be in touch with many of you.

Second, as noted in the original thread before I hijacked it, yes, the plan at the moment is that I will be at Comic Con San Diego this year, primarily doing my thing on Thursday and Saturday afternoons.

There is a *chance* mind you, it’s just a slim chance but to be honorable I must mention it that a work situation *may* preclude my appearance there. Or it may not. I’ll know more by the end of next week, and for now as far as I know, everything’s on target for me to be at SDCC. If that changes, I’ll be sure to let everyone know as far in advance as possible.

One final note re: recent discussions on TMoS and more Lost Tales.

B5:TLT was commissioned at a $2 million budget to, yet one more time, “test the waters” for B5. We did what we could with that, and that was that. As we did with Rangers, which also suffered from not having a lot of money because of concerns about “is there really a B5 audience?” Which is, of course, a foolish question from a studio that has never really understood what it has in B5.

Of late, there have been more discussions from WB about doing more DVDs, again at a low cost, or a cable thing, again with minimal investment.

So for the last few months, I’ve been giving this whole subject a lot of quiet thought. And I’ve come to a conclusion.

B5 as a five year story stands beautifully on its own. If anything else is to be continued from that story, it should be something that adds to the legacy of B5, rather than subtracts from it.

As well intentioned as Rangers and TLT were, as enticing as it was to return to those familiar waters, in the end I think they did more to subtract from the legacy than add to it. I don’t regret having made them, because I needed to go through that to get to the point where I am now psychologically, but from where I sit now, I wouldn’t make them again.

So I’ve let everyone up here know that I’m not interested in doing any more low-budget DVDs. I’m not interested in doing any low-budget cable things or small computer games. The only thing I would be interested in doing regarding Babylon 5 from this point on is a full- featured, big-budget feature film.

It’s that or nothing.

And if it’s nothing, I’m totally cool with that because the original story stands on its own just fine. I’m not lobbying for it, I’m not asking fans to write in about it (nor should you) because such campaigns never really have much impact…that’s simply the position I’ve taken up here. Lord knows I don’t lack for other things to do these days. I’m busier on more prestige projects with terrific people and great film-makers than at any other time in my career.

At the end of the day, for me, it’s not just a matter of getting more B5. It’s a matter of getting more *good* B5 that respects what came before it and doesn’t have to compromise visually or in terms of action. The original show deserves better than that, the surviving cast members deserve better than that, and the fans who have supported it over the years definitely deserve better than that. A lot better.

So I’ve drawn that line in the sand, and I’m happy living on whichever side of that line the universe puts me. Just thought you should know, ‘cause it’s your show too.

jms

Over at Comic Book Resources, there’s a good summation of JMS’ appearance on the DC Comics Panel at Wondercon this past weekend. Thanks to Ian Smith for the heads-up link!

The highlights:
* More “Lost Tales” is on the way”
* Filming on “The Changeling” is complete, film due in November 2008
* “World War Z” adaptation still going
* “Silver Surfer” movie to include more Galactus
* “Rising Stars” and “Dream Police” under consideration for production
* No more “Jeremiah”, no more “Crusade”

So much for the in-joke opening for podcast Season 3!

Welcome to Show #84!

Since Michael, Jeffrey and Summer were prepping for their trip to Podcast and New Media Expo last week, there was no recording session. Thankfully, Brad and Jarsto have done admirable work in our absence.

B5 Audio Drama: The Three-Edged Sword Episode 14: “Small Problems” (TS: 1:25-9:50) What you’re hearing here on The Babylon Podcast is just a small part of the story… the full audio drama can be heard at Voices of Babylon, so what are you waiting for? Go over and check them out!

Yes, finally, it’s here! The long-awaited Deep Geeking ™ for “Over There”, the second episode in Volume 1 of “Babylon 5: The Lost Tales”.

Deep Geeking: Tim and Summer commence the geeking for the second Lost Tales episode, “Over There”, chronologically picking up right after the Keegan MacIntosh interview.

We talk about how smoothly Bruce has slipped back into the character of Sheridan, with a little more age and a lot more leadership experience added to season. This story truly showcases some of the best elements that die-hard Babylon 5 fans truly love.

We also talk about Sheridan’s diatribe about being pulled again into the forefront of seeing a horrible future that needs to be countered before it’s too late, and the implications that Technomages and others who keep turning to Sheridan out of a belief that he can change the course of destiny, and make large sections of the universe bend to his will. Talk also ventures from city skyline landmarks of today lasting long into the future, where Vorlon technology may have been scooped up to be analyzed and adapted by humans, and more.

Discussion ranges around Sheridan being faced with the conundrum of meeting a jaded innocent, knowing that he might be destined to devastate Earth, and the reality of seeing and talking to a young man who hasn’t done anything yet save being born into a poisonous royal court and growing up with the fallout of what his own father almost did to the planet.

What to do? What manipulations and machinations truly lie deep in the heart of a Technomage? We may never know.

Babylon 5 Information Gathering: Can we and should we mount a Babylon 5 propaganda campaign, in order to get sales of The Lost Tales to the point where Warner really really wants to greelight more volumes of TLT? Let us know…

Also, if you know of a dead or abandoned B5 related website that may be in need of a new home, let Summer know!

Summer still needs to find the long versions of the B5 promos that ran on TNT prior to Season 5, the ones narrated by Keith David… anyone have any old VHS copies of S5 they taped from TNT? Specifically, the :30 spots, one featuring Ivanova and the other G’Kar… they were part of the series of ads TNT ran promoting the addition of B5 to their lineup.

Yes, we really are still working out logistics on the Jerseys. We’ll keep you posted on when you can place your pre-order!

Your feedback does matter, and is welcome! You can call us at 206-338-2259, or email us and tell us what you think… and likely hear it played or read on the show. Please try to keep the voicemail comments as brief as possible.

Shameless related begging: There’s a box of Babylon 5 novels sitting here, books that were rescued from unknown fates at used bookstores in his area by Brad from the PodCulture podcast. The B5 library collection grows… if you have a request, send it in.

Promo: What the Cast
Link: Voices of Babylon

Welcome to Show #83! Summer’s literally so rushed off her feet she doesn’t have time to post this, so notes by Jarsto. Please, be gentle.

Summer, Jeffrey, Tim (the first one) and Tim (the younger) open up the show. The opening pretty soon moves two universes over into the realm of the Jedi. Then it goes to Summer’s life as a girl geek. And then to an apology from Jeffrey, for a bad joke he made. Somehow they manage to close the opening and move on with the show.

Interview: Keegan Macintosh (Prince Vintari) joins the Babylon Podcast crew for an interview, “confesses” to listening to the show, and moves straight on to mastering the accent, how he got cast as Vintari, and what David Bowie had to do with it.

The discussion moves on to the “no mercy” atmosphere among the B5 cast on the set, the nature of green-screen work, and the joy of being a Starfury, both while filming and watching it back on the screen.

The “start at season two” B5 recruitment advice leads to a discussion of good television series. Then a brief look back at how Keegan first heard about the role, and a discussion of the potential for more Lost Tales (and more Vintari).

Doug Netter’s (and JMS’s) sense of humor, comparative times spent in makeup for Vintari’s hair versus Galen’s lack of same, the need to be careful with the hair, the convention scene, Keegan’s current lack of website, and possible future parts round out the interview.

Fan Cast: The Three-Edged Sword Episode 13: “Examinations and Recalibrations” (TS: 35:06-44:33) This is the long version of TES that will normally only go out on Voices of Babylon, because of the short(ish) show.

Finally our intrepid editor Brad, and his lovely assistant Christina, provide a close and explain what’s going on with the end of this show (and where the promised geeking on Over There is).

Babylon 5 Information Gathering: Can we and should we mount a Babylon 5 propaganda campaign, in order to get sales of The Lost Tales to the point where Warner really really wants to greenlight more volumes of TLT? Let us know!

Also, if you know of a dead or abandoned B5 related website that may be in need of a new home, let Summer know!

Jerseys Are Go! (really… we’re still moving forward with these!) Interested? Let us know if you’d place a pre-order!

Your feedback does matter, and is welcome! You can call us at 206-338-2259, or email us and tell us what you think, and likely hear it played or read on the show. Please try to keep the voicemail comments as brief as possible.

Link: Voices of Babylon
Promo: The Scape Cast

Welcome to Show #82!

Summer, Jeffrey, and Tim are joined by Brad and Tim A, and the sock puppets just plain take over the joint. Tim throws out a theory for JMS’ sock puppet escapade, that maybe there was a method behind the faux madness.

And just how can we convince WB that more B5 product from them would be just as well received, if not better, with just a little bit of well-placed advertising? How can it make sense to not advertise a project because you’re worried about the financial risk, when running an ad in a space targeted to Babylon 5 fans will ensure maximum saturation in the group most likely and most interested in buying said project?

Summer’s confused and upset about the lack of support and promotion for “The Lost Tales” DVDs, and Brad wonders if WB does it on purpose. Which opens up ten other cans of worms, but we want to do more, and in return, receive more B5 for it.

Interview: Peter Woodward joins an excited B5 crew to talk about his Babylon 5 experience, which all began with his being late for an audition for “A Call to Arms”, and how Galen’s enigmatic nature just *is*.

We hear how yet another cast member would gladly rent out body parts to continue to do more B5 projects, and gives us as much insight into Galen as he can without activating the remote zapper feature in JMS’s secret B5 cast & crew implant.

Peter’s also been a cog in other genre shows, with appearances in “Brimstone” and “Stargate”, and portraying the Source of All Evil in “Charmed”, and he tells us about growing up watching Doctor Who, and enjoying science fiction and it’s characters, and more.

The Galen-focused show titles get a little silly.

images courtesy of Legion Six Victorius and their “Conquest” gallery

Fan Cast: The Three-Edged Sword Episode 12: “The Aftermath” (TS: 41:04-46:29)

We promise to get to the Deep Geeking on “Over There” next week. Oh, and put down the sock puppets, and slowly back away.

Bonus: Stay tuned after the closing credits… there’s an extra treat. Trust us.

Babylon 5 Information Gathering: Can we and should we mount a Babylon 5 propaganda campaign, in order to get sales of The Lost Tales to the point where Warner really really wants to greelight more volumes of TLT? Let us know…

Also, if you know of a dead or abandoned B5 related website that may be in need of a new home, let Summer know!

Jerseys Are Go! (really… we’re still moving forward with these!) Interested? Let us know if you’d place a pre-order!

Your feedback does matter, and is welcome! You can call us at 206-338-2259, or email us and tell us what you think, and likely hear it played or read on the show. Please try to keep the voicemail comments as brief as possible.

Link: Voices of Babylon
Promo: Things Are Looking Up

Thanks to our friends over at ISN News, we got word of an interview JMS gave to Starburst Magazine in their July issue. The folks over at TrekWeb have a small excerpt here. The whole magazine can be purchased here. For those who don’t feel like clicking through (or spending $10.99), the crucial exchange is this:

Are you thinking about the next stories [for the next DVD] ? Would a Garibaldi story be in the mix if there’s another DVD ?

JMS : Yeah, if we do another one I would definitely put the Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) story in and probably a Londo (Peter Jurasik). That would be my preference for the next two [...].

Now we just await word from Warner Brothers to turn JMS’ “if” into a “when”!

Welcome to Show #80!

We’re running a little behind because of Dragon*Con Recovery Syndrome.

Jeffrey is back home in LA, and Summer reminds him that the desert in Phoenix is really hot, and he has to come visit in it, but Tim the Younger promises to take him out to keep hydrated. Jeffrey also assures us that he survived his encounter with military training runs in Fort Knox, with no major or minor injuries to report. Tracy Scoggins scored a movie gig, so she was unable to join us this evening… but she promised to talk to us when she’s got a free moment.

Listener Feedback: “The Lost Tales” seems to have brought out many comments from the listeners, and we address a bunch of them here… and in case it wasn’t apparent: Spoilers are contained herein!

Molokov from Australia submits a listener review of “The Lost Tales”… we could use more of these.

Babylon 5 Information Gathering: Can we and should we mount a Babylon 5 propaganda campaign, in order to get sales of The Lost Tales to the point where Warner really really wants to greelight more volumes of TLT? Let us know…

Also, if you know of a dead or abandoned B5 related website that may be in need of a new home, let Summer know!

Summer still needs to find the long versions of the B5 promos that ran on TNT prior to Season 5, the ones narrated by Keith David… anyone have any old VHS copies of S5 they taped from TNT? Specifically, the :30 spots, one featuring Ivanova and the other G’Kar… they were part of the series of ads TNT ran promoting the addition of B5 to their lineup.

Jerseys Are Go! (really… we’re still moving forward with these!) Interested? Let us know if you’d place a pre-order!

Your feedback does matter, and is welcome! You can call us at 206-338-2259, or email us and tell us what you think… and likely hear it played or read on the show. Please try to keep the voicemail comments as brief as possible.

Shameless related begging: There’s a box of Babylon 5 novels sitting here, books that were rescued from unknown fates at used bookstores in his area by Brad from the PodCulture podcast. The B5 library collection grows… if you have a request, send it in.

Promo: The Dragon Page “Cover to Cover”
Link: Voices of Babylon

Welcome to Show #79!

Tim is back, and Jeffrey is Kentucky, and Summer is always here. Jeffrey’s wrangled up some “Lost Tales” fan related interviews for us! Also stay tuned for more video content as part of the Lost Tales-apalooza month long (or longer) fest.

Interview 1: Adam Francis, production assistant during Season 2, joins us to tell us about how long his fan interest in Babylon 5 extends back, some of the running around he did during his tenure on the show, seeing and talking with the cast and crew he worked with after so much time, and more.

Fan Cast: The Three-Edged Sword Episode 10: “The Storm” (TS: 24:01-28:30) What you’re hearing here on The Babylon Podcast is just a small part of the story… the full audio drama can be heard at Voices of Babylon, so what are you waiting for? Go over and check them out!

Interview 2: Acclaimed conceptual artist Tim Earls rejoins us to give us some of the work he did for “The Lost Tales”, mostly storyboarding for all the scenes and visual effects. He also talks about some of the updates that went into set and ship design, and how some of his changes were incorporated into the finished product. Will we ever see the CG-intensive Garibaldi-focused story that Tim laid out?

Tim’s currently the set designer for the new fall show, “Pushing Daisies”, and is working on a still-secret new Serenity project for Quantum Mechanix

Deep Geeking: Tim and Summer conclude the geeking for the first episode, “Over Here”. We talk about the possible implications of Lochley’s theory and solution to the problem of what to do with Simon Burke… what could humanity do without the threat of devils and demons to haunt their dreams, and without a need for the Church amongst the stars? Will ancient evil be left behind when the cradle of humanity vanishes into dust when Sol goes nova? Will new battles be waged for the souls of all races, not just humanity, out beyond our galaxy?

And how do we know that all of this couldn’t have been investigated by a telepath? Lochley used to have a good relationship with Bester… did what happened during the Telepath War change her willingness to use a telepath first, or did her upbringing cause her to lean towards something in her comfort zone?

Babylon 5 Information Gathering: Can we and should we mount a Babylon 5 propaganda campaign, in order to get sales of The Lost Tales to the point where Warner really really wants to greelight more volumes of TLT? Let us know…

Also, if you know of a dead or abandoned B5 related website that may be in need of a new home, let Summer know!

Summer still needs to find the long versions of the B5 promos that ran on TNT prior to Season 5, the ones narrated by Keith David… anyone have any old VHS copies of S5 they taped from TNT? Specifically, the :30 spots, one featuring Ivanova and the other G’Kar… they were part of the series of ads TNT ran promoting the addition of B5 to their lineup.

Jerseys Are Go! (really… we’re still moving forward with these!) Interested? Let us know if you’d place a pre-order!

Your feedback does matter, and is welcome! You can call us at 206-338-2259, or email us and tell us what you think… and likely hear it played or read on the show. Please try to keep the voicemail comments as brief as possible.

Shameless related begging: There’s a box of Babylon 5 novels sitting here, books that were rescued from unknown fates at used bookstores in his area by Brad from the PodCulture podcast. The B5 library collection grows… if you have a request, send it in.

Promo: George Hrab’s Geologic Podcast
Promo: PodCulture
Link: Voices of Babylon

Welcome to Show #78!

Tim is on vacation this week, so Summer, and Jeffrey welcome Jarsto as a last-minute fill in, and we all continue with “Lost Tales” celebration month, and remember… there will be spoilers contained in all of the August episodes, so be forwarned. If you want to avoid spoilers, then skip these next few shows until you’re all caught up!

Fan Geeking: Jarsto gives us a little insight into what’s gone into the making of “Three-Edged Sword”, and working with both Edmund and John on crafting the episodes and the overall arcs of the story.

What you’re hearing here on The Babylon Podcast is just a small part of the story… the full audio drama can be heard at Voices of Babylon, so what are you waiting for? Go over and check them out!

Fan Cast: The Three-Edged Sword Episode 9: “The Calm” (TS: 16:30-21:33)

Fan Geeking: Brad tells us how he joined the show, and the work that goes into editing the final product that you, the listeners, will receive over the feed. He also tells us how he’s used “The Lost Tales” to reel in his girlfriend Christina as a new fan of Babylon 5, and the appeal the series has for him, even after all this time.

Listener Feedback: We have voicemails! Bronzethumb in Australia gives a rundown on how he introduces potential new viewers to B5, and wonders about the correlations between B5 and Lord of the Rings; Gary from Jacksonville has a run of voicemails to close out the feedback segment.

Babylon 5 Information Gathering: Can we and should we mount a Babylon 5 propaganda campaign, in order to get sales of The Lost Tales to the point where Warner really really wants to greelight more volumes of TLT? Let us know…

Also, if you know of a dead or abandoned B5 related website that may be in need of a new home, let Summer know!

Summer would also like to find the long versions of the B5 promos that ran on TNT prior to Season 5, the ones narrated by Keith David… anyone have any old VHS copies of S5 they taped from TNT? Specifically, the :30 spots, one featuring Ivanova and the other G’Kar… they were part of the series of ads TNT ran promoting the addition of B5 to their lineup.

Jerseys Are Go! Interested? Let us know if you’d place a pre-order!

Your feedback does matter, and is welcome! You can call us at 206-338-2259, or email us and tell us what you think… and likely hear it played or read on the show. Please try to keep the voicemail comments as brief as possible.

Shameless related begging: There’s a box of Babylon 5 novels sitting here, books that were rescued from unknown fates at used bookstores in his area by Brad from the PodCulture podcast. The B5 library collection grows… if you have a request, send it in.

Promo: Mike’s Hotdish, part of the Next Generation of Radio
Link: Voices of Babylon

Welcome to Show #77!

Tim, Summer, and Jeffrey gleefully continue with “Lost Tales” celebration month, and remember… there will be spoilers contained in all of the August episodes, so be forwarned. If you want to avoid spoilers, then skip these next few shows until you’re all caught up!

Best Buy Hollywood Event: Jeffrey plays a segment of the interviews he did with the Babylon 5 stars attending the Los Angeles Best Buy release party event: Tracy Scoggins, Bruce Boxleitner, Peter Woodward and Doug Netter.

The video of this segment is coming soon!!

Fan Cast: The Three-Edged Sword Episode 8: “Battle Plans” (TS: 19:42-24:25)

Deep Geeking: Tim and Summer waste no time in Geeking on the first Lost Tale, “Over Here”. Geeking on this story will continue next week.

Listener Feedback: And there was much commentary on “Passing Through Gethsemane”

Babylon 5 Information Gathering: Can we and should we mount a Babylon 5 propaganda campaign, in order to get sales of The Lost Tales to the point where Warner really really wants to greelight more volumes of TLT? Let us know…

Are you interested in listening to more Babylon 5 audio drama? Voices of Babylon is coming soon, and maybe you can get your own story out, too.

Also, if you know of a dead B5 website that may be in need of a new home, let Summer know!

Summer would also like to find the long versions of the B5 promos that ran on TNT prior to Season 5, the ones narrated by Keith David… anyone have any old VHS copies of S5 they taped from TNT?

Jerseys Are Go! Interested? Let us know if you’d place a pre-order!

Your feedback does matter, and is welcome! You can call us at 206-338-2259, or email us and tell us what you think… and likely hear it played or read on the show. Please try to keep the voicemail comments as brief as possible.

Shameless related begging: Summer’s working on an idea for that essay collection on Babylon 5. If you’d be interested in buying one if they did do a B5 collection, let Summer know, either here in comments, or over in the Babylon Podcast forums.

There’s a box of Babylon 5 novels sitting here, books that were rescued from unknown fates at used bookstores in his area by Brad from the PodCulture podcast. The B5 library collection grows… if you have a request, send it in.

Promo: Second Shift
Promo: What the Cast?
Link: The Lurker’s Guide