EPISODE SEVEN REVIEW & RATINGS:

I have put up a review of the seventh episode of Crusade, "The Rules of the Game", written by Lars Joreteg.

Here is a small quote from the review:
"Overall this episode is lacking quite a bit, but it is saved from the depths of mediocrity by many nice character moments and a good B-plot. Hopefully it is uphill from here"

The rating for episode 7 - "The Rules of the Game" was 1.0.

Don't forget to put your views on the ISN News message boards.

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID ALLEN BROOKS:

Interviewer: Tony Tellado

"Crusade's David Allen Brooks is an actor with a varied resume appearing in such TV series, Jag, Melrose Place and appeared recently on the Young And The Restless, Daytime Drama. His film roles included Nighthawks with Billy Dee Williams and Sly Stallone and working for Oliver Stone in The Doors. He brings his experience to the role of Max Eilerson, The Excalibur's linguist and Xenobologist. I spoke to him on a hot July day in 1999."

Tony Tellado: This is a nice cast that was assembled for this series.

David Allen Brooks: That's nice to hear that because when you work in an insular situation you don't know what you have going.

T2: I like the character of Max Eilerson for a lot of different reasons. My main is that he kind of tells it like it is in the episodes I have seen. When you first got the script what popped into your head to play Max.

DAB: It was actually the audition piece that gave me a pretty strong clue. The writing is strong. I basically went between a combination between a fashion designer and fascist.

T2: (Laughter)

DAB: Do you know what I mean ?

T2: I know exactly what you mean.

DAB: He's described as brilliant. Which I'm not. Don't tell anyone though. The fact that he was so satiric. He was in to this beat language mysticism. He was really much the linguist and very much the archeologist and very brilliant and that should be enough. And people should make way for this and when they didn't, the social skills obviously fell down. I think that the fascist part was mainly..I'm telling you stuff you already know...The facisit and the fashion designer...He was like elegant, he had his own sense of things. He wasn't socially skilled. He wasn't a nerd. That wasn't how quite I saw him. I saw him as just offended as Hell.

T2: He didn't get off to a good start with Captain Gideon at all.

DAB: No. Silly man didn't know who he had working for him.

T2: If you could talk to the fans directly who are pulling for Crusade show and are making the effort to drum up support, what would you say ?

DAB: I would say, Thank you for your attention. I appreciate your efforts to get the show back on the air for all of our sakes. For good literature and good entertainment. Keep having fun.

HYPERSPACE SITE RE-LAUNCHED:

Are you interested in Babylon 5 / Crusade technology and ships?

Then go to "Hyperspace - A guide to Babylon 5 and Crusade Ships", now operating in affiliation with ISN News. This site covers almost every ship that has appeared, with general information and pictures of each ship. This website was created by Lars Joreteg, who contributes Crusade reviews to ISN news.

Hyperspace is located at: http://hyperspace.isnnews.net/

CRUSADE AIR DATES THIS WEEK (26/07/99):

US, Canadian & UK air dates & times for Crusade this week. (The week of 26/07/99)
- As always, check your check your local listings for the time in your area just in case.

Monday
TNT (US) - Episode 7: "The Rules of the Game". 11 pm ET/PT - (repeat)

Tuesday
CityTV - Episode 7: "The Rules of the Game". 8:00pm

Wednesday
TNT (US) - Episode 8: "Appearances and Other Deceits". 10:00pm ET/PT

Thursday
CFCF-12 - Episode 7: "The Rules of the Game". 00:00am (i.e. Midnight - start your vcr on Wednesday at 11:58PM or so)

Friday
None

Saturday
SPACE - Episode 8: "Appearances and Other Deceits". 7pm ET

Sunday
SkyONE (UK) - Episode 5: "Patterns of the Soul". 8pm

CRUSADE RATINGS FOR EPISODE 6:

The rating for episode 6 - "Ruling from the Tomb" was 1.3. Crusade has maintained it's rating of 1.3 for two weeks now and is doing really well, inspit of TNT's lack of advertising.

Two posts from JMS have been added to the "jms posts" section. They contain his replys when asked if Crusade will be renewed now that the actors contracts have expired, if he wants to it be renewed, how he feels about the situation and what he is doing now.

A second review of "Ruling from the Tomb" has also been added, written by Brandon McKown

SAVE CRUSADE!:

Since February of this year, when the news was released that TNT had unilaterally cancelled "Crusade", the sequel to the award-winning series, Babylon 5, fans from around the world have united in a concerted effort to save the show. Petitions have been circulated. Letters of support have been written to TNT, the Sci-Fi Channel (the network most likely to pick up Crusade), and Warner Brothers, urging them to continue the series. Ads have been taken out in major magazines (Sci-Fi Entertainment and Daily Variety) both to drum up additional support and to let the industry people know of the united fan effort. A second letter-writing campaign has been aimed at the show's sponsors, letting them know that fans support their sponsorship and urging them, in turn, to contact the powers that be in the TV industry.

The concentration of activity from Crusade's premiere on June 9th until now has been predicated on the knowledge that the actors' contracts expire on or around July 15th. That date has now passed, and so far there has been no word from anyone on whether or not Crusade will see a second season. Some have wondered what the Crusade Campaign Coordinators response is to the silence from Hollywood.

Answer: "Keep working, keep writing, keep watching."

The expiration of the actors' contracts does not mean that these same actors will not be available should the show be picked up later this summer or fall. It simply means that they are no longer under obligation of current contract. All have likewise expressed a willingness to renegotiate their contracts; none of the actors have officially given up on Crusade although a few have made plans to work elsewhere at this time. Furthermore, the show's creator, J. Michael Straczynski, has indicated that the Sci-Fi channel would most likely want to review the entire thirteen episodes before making a decision. And despite schedule changes, and late-night airings, Crusade has continued to garner decent ratings.

Crusade's fans are continuing to write letters, continuing to contact pertinent agenices, continuing to call the Sci-Fi channel and others. Most importantly, fans are continuing to watch the show, and inviting others to join them. The more than half of the filmed episodes aired so far promise a story arc as enthralling and as entertaining as its Babylon 5 predecessor. And the best is yet to come.

For more information on "Crusade" and what individuals can do to support the show, please check out the following URLs:

Crusade: The Quest for Life

The Crusade for Crusade

CRUSADE EPISODE SIX REVIEW:

I have put up a review of the sixth episode of Crusade, "Ruling from the Tomb", written by Lars Joreteg.

Here is a small quote from the review:
"Overall I think this episode could have been executed better, but it was still very enjoyable due to the humor and great character interaction."

Don't forget to put your views on the new message boards.

CRUSADE AIR DATES THIS WEEK (19/07/99):

US, Canadian & UK air dates & times for Crusade this week. (The week of 19/07/99)
- As always, check your check your local listings for the time in your area just in case.

Monday
TNT (US) - Episode 6: "Ruling from the Tomb". 11 pm ET/PT - (repeat)

Tuesday
CityTV - Episode 6: "Ruling from the Tomb". 8:00pm

Wednesday
TNT (US) - Episode 7: "The Rules of the Game". 10:00pm ET/PT

Thursday
CFCF-12 - Episode 6: "Ruling from the Tomb". 00:00am (i.e. Midnight - start your vcr on Wednesday at 11:58PM or so)

Friday
None

Saturday
SPACE - Episode 7: "The Rules of the Game". 7pm ET

Sunday
SkyONE (UK) - Episode 4: "The Path of Sorrows". 8pm

CRUSADE EPISODE FIVE REVIEW:

I have put up a review of the fifth episode of Crusade, "Patterns of the Soul", written by Lars Joreteg.

Here is a small quote from the review:
"Overall I was thoroughly entertained by this episode, despite some flaws. Several nice character moments and interesting loose ends make this episode very enjoyable."

Don't forget to put your views on the new message boards.

LAST WEEKS TNT RATINGS:

July 8 - 1.3 - ("Patterns of the Soul")

July 5 - 1.0 - ("The Path of Sorrows") (repeat)

As you can see, last weeks ratings were very good and a big improve on the ratings the week before as TNT aired the episode at it's normal time instead it being delayed by the NBA draft... Hopefully the ratings will stay at this level.

NEW BABYLON 5 MESSAGE FORUMS:

Several new Babylon 5 message forums have been created for discussion about Babylon 5 in general, the characters and the episodes (season by season).

You can go straight to the message board's here

EVAN CHEN INTERVIEW:

There is a very good interview at thelogbook.com, where Evan Chen talks about his music for "A Call to Arms" & Crusade.

You can go directly to the interview here

CRUSADE AIR DATES THIS WEEK (12/07/99):

US, Canadian & UK air dates & times for Crusade this week. (The week of 12/07/99)
- As always, check your check your local listings for the time in your area just in case.

Monday
TNT (US) - Episode 5: "Patterns of the Soul". 11 pm ET/PT - (repeat)

Tuesday
CityTV - Episode 5: "Patterns of the Soul". 8:00pm

Wednesday
TNT (US) - Episode 6: "Ruling from the Tomb". 10:00pm ET/PT

Thursday
CFCF-12 - Episode 5: "Patterns of the Soul". 00:00am (i.e. Midnight - start your vcr on Wednesday at 11:58PM or so)

Friday
None

Saturday
SPACE - Episode 6: "Ruling from the Tomb". 7pm ET

Sunday
SkyONE (UK) - Episode 3: "The Well of Forever". 8pm

TNT RATINGS FOR THE PATH OF SORROWS (EP 104):

(June 21) - Episode 2: "The Long Road" (repeat) = 0.7. (This episode was shown at 1am....)

(June 28) - Episode 3: "The Well of Forever" (repeat) = 0.8

(June 30) - Episode 4: "The Path of Sorrows" = 0.8 (This episode was delayed, it followed the NBA Draft broadcast, also it was show at different times around the US, it was 'meant' to be shown at 11:30pm on the EAST coast and 8:30pm on the WEST coast...)

The ratings are disappointing, but there are reasons for them being low, for the first repeat on the list, it was bound to be low because it was a repeat also being shown at 1 am couldn't have helped, though it is still quite high.... The second repeat on the list it ok, being shown at 11pm ET/PT.

The rating for the premier showing of "The Path of Sorrows" is disappointing, but as it was delayed because of the NBA draft broadcast, some people may have thought that was wasn't on, also being shown at different times around the country couldn't have helped either. So hopefully the ratings will stabilise next week as it is being shown at the normal time (10 pm ET/PT), and shouldn't be delayed.

CRUSADE EPISODE FOUR REVIEW:

I have put up a review of the fourth episode of Crusade, "The Path of Sorrows", written by Lars Joreteg.

Here is a small quote from the review:
"Overall I think this episode is the best Crusade episode so far, with interesting drama, great performances, and many unanswered questions for the future (just the way I like it) :-) I only hope Crusade will survive, so we can get some answers to these questions."

Don't forget to put your views on the new message boards.

"PATTERNS OF THE SOUL" FORUM ADDED

The discussion forum for the episode (105) "Patterns of the Soul" has now been added, ready for when the episode airs tonight. Why not air your views and see what other people think about it? :-)

US, CANADIAN & UK AIR DATES & TIMES FOR CRUSADE THIS WEEK:

(For the week of 05/07/99) - As always, check your check your local listings for the time in your area just in case.

Monday
TNT (US) - Episode 4: "The Path of Sorrows". 11 pm ET/PT - (repeat)

Tuesday
CityTV - Episode 4: "The Path of Sorrows". 8:00pm

Wednesday
TNT (US) - Episode 5: "Patterns of the Soul". 10:00pm ET/PT

Thursday
CFCF-12 - Episode 4: "The Path of Sorrows". 00:00am (i.e. Midnight - start your vcr on Wednesday at 11:58PM or so)

Friday
None

Saturday
SPACE - Episode 5: "Patterns of the Soul". 7pm ET

Sunday
SkyONE (UK) - Episode 2: "The Long Road". 8pm