- ISN News: The Zocalo Today [an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Main Top Line Main Top Left Blank Main Top Right
Blank   [an error occurred while processing this directive]

The Zocalo Today

Welcome! I am glad that you found The Zocalo Today and dropped by. Take your shoes off, get comfortable and stay a while. There is a LOT of information here and you won't want to miss any of it.

The Zocalo Today is an interactive newsletter, encouraging interaction with readers through a discussion topic each week. If you have suggestions as to how The Zocalo can be improved -- or be more responsive -- send them along. The Zocalo Today is as much YOUR newsletter as it is mine! I'm just pulling together things for you!

Join our weekly discussion topic. It is just one way you can interact with other Z readers. If you have other information you would like to share, send it along. If you see Babylon 5 cast and crew in other roles, let us know. We enjoy convention reports, photos, etc. Don't miss our back issues. I hope this will become more than just a newsletter. It's a community of people that enjoy sharing their experiences and interests. Don't be shy. Join us today!

If you have questions, drop me a line at sgbruckner@aol.com or thezocalo@aol.com. If you would like to join the mailing list for our bi-weekly newsletter, send me a note and I'll include you on the list. Or you can use the subscription block at the left.

Again, WELCOME!



What's New Today

Friday, January 24:

RATINGS: Top 10 SF Network Shows: Dinotopia 2.5; Charmed 2.4; Sabrina 1.8; Enterprise 1.4; Smallville 1.4; Buffy 1.0; Twilight Zone 1.0, and Mysterious Ways 0.5. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 12/23/02 - 12/29/02/.


BUFFY/ANGEL CROSS-OVER: BUFFY's Willow (Alyson Hannigan) will be turning up on ANGEL soon. While Hannigan couldn't say much about why Willow was in LA, she did say it was a little crossover. It marks the first time Hannigan has appeared on ANGEL since she and ANGEL regular Alexis Denisof got engaged.


SMALLVILLE: Everyone is anticipating the episode of SMALLVILLE featuring Christopher Reeve (airs February 25). During a recent press conference in New York, Reeve said he welcomed the opportunity. "It's a great break from lobbying and politics," Reeve said, referring to his work as an activist for spinal cord research. There has been talk about Reeve 's guest appearance—as a doctor who gives Clark important information about his origins—turning into a recurring role on the series. To that, Reeve answered, "Let's see how this goes."


NEW SF PILOTS: UPN has ordered up two SF pilots. WEAPON X is about a government agent who gains superpowers after having computer chips implanted in his body. Silvio Horta (from SCIFI's series THE CHRONICLE) wrote the pilot and will executive produce with Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo. NEWTON, from writer Craig Silverstein (The Dead Zone) and producer Joel Silver (The Matrix), is a the story of a family that moves to a new town, which also happens to be the testing site for an array of high-tech gadgetry.


PALE HORSE: According to Variety, Disney has bought the rights to Piers Anthony's fantasy novel ON A PALE HORSE, attaching Jamie Foxx to star and produce along with Top Cow Productions. The book is the first in a series of seven fantasy novels by Anthony, best known for the fantasy novel "Xanth." In "Horse," Foxx would play an insurance agent so distraught with his life that he plans a suicide. When the Grim Reaper makes a premature appearance to claim his body, the man gets spooked and fatally shoots the angel of death. He is then drafted into becoming his replacement. The project is being put together by Top Cow's Spike Seldin, who came over from TNT two years ago to help activate the film production division of Top Cow. Top Cow is the third biggest comic book publisher behind Marvel and DC. Subsequent novels in the series deal with characters like Father Time and Mother Nature. Top Cow is developing a remake of The A-Team at Fox, Fathom with James Cameron, Rising Star at MGM, Inferno at Warner Bros. and The Cleaner with John Woo at MGM.


SUPER BOWL: Even if you aren't a football fan, watching Sunday's game should be fun. The commercials are worth the price of admission. We'll surely see new trailers for a number of upcoming movies, including THE HULK and DAREDEVIL.


DAREDEVIL: A number of new soundtracks from the movie are up at http://www.daredevilmusic.com/audio/index.html.


INSIDE SCIFI THIS WEEK:

Thursday, January 23:
ENTERPRISE: Co-creater of ENTERPRISE, Brannon Braga, told SCI FI Wire that some of our old favorites will be returning to Star Trek space. The Tholians, first seen in the original Star Trek episode "The Tholian Web" in 1968, make an appearance during another installment of the Temporal Cold War. Braga also mentioned Jeffrey Combs (who we remember from Babylon 5 as the telepath in "Eyes") returning as Shran, an Andorian who has already appeared in several episodes.


DVD SALES: The top 10 SF DVD Sales: 1. Rings platinum editionl 2. Signs; 3. Buffy Season Three; 4. Spirited Away; 5. Minority Report; 6. Beauty and the Beast; 7. The Ring; 8. Angel Season One; 9. Donnie Darko, and 10. Buffy Season Two. Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre DVDs, 1/17/03.


FARSCAPE: Season Three of FARSCAPE will be released on April 11. ADV Films has chosen to restrict the release format to DVD for the series. The discs will be available independently for $19.98 or in a set for $39.98 which includes both discs in a slipcover. Each disc will contain two episodes and offer extras such as commentary.


CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS: While many of our science fiction favorites never get a mention (or almost never) for major awards, the American Society of Cinematographers just announced their nominees and quite a number of our favorites have NOT been overlooked. They include:

EPISODIC
*Michael Barrett, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (episode "Snuff" ), CBS
*Michael Bonvillain, "Alias" (episode "Page 47" ), ABC
*Frank Byers, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (episode "Fight Night" ), CBS
*Thomas Del Ruth, ASC, "The West Wing" (episode "Holy Night" ), NBC
*Billy Dickson, ASC, "Ally McBeal" (episode "Reality Bites" ), FOX
*Robert Primes, ASC, "MDs" (episode "Wing and a Prayer" ), ABC
*Bill Roe, ASC, "The X-Files" (episode "Release" ), FOX

BROADCAST MOVIE/MINISERIES/PILOT
*Michael Barrett, "CSI: Miami" pilot ("Cross Jurisdictions" ), CBS
*Victor Goss, ASC, "Carrie," NBC
*Clark Mathis, "Birds of Prey" pilot, The WB
*Brian J. Reynolds, "American Dreams" pilot, NBC
*Peter Wunstorf, "Haunted" pilot, UPN

CABLE MOVIE/MINISERIES/PILOT
*Jonathan Freeman, "Taken" (episode "John" ), Sci Fi
*Jeffrey Jur, ASC, "Last Call," Showtime
*Serge Ladouceur, "The Case of the White Chapel Vampire," Hallmark Channel
*Anthony Nakonechnyj, "Point of Origin," HBO
*William Wages, ASC, "Miss Lettie and Me," TNT


COMIC BOOK UPDATES: Over at Comics Continuum, you can catch up with the latest releases from Marvel, DC and Image.


Wednesday, January 22:
RATINGS: Top 10 SF Syndicated Shows: Buffy 2.6; Stargate SG-1 2.6; The X-Files 2.3; 3rd Rock 2.2; Mutant X 2.1; Andromeda 1.9; Beastmaster 1.3; Sabrina 1.3; The Lost World 1.2, and The Outer Limits 1.2. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 12/23/02 - 12/29/02.


SMALLVILLE: You will find a number of extras included in the Feb. 25 release of the soundtrack for SMALLVILLE. Variety reports that the February 18 episode featuring Steadman performing at a fund-raising event, where the CD is being sold, will also be included. The CD will also provide access to online bonuses, including the first issue of DC Comics' Smallville comic book, a 3-D interactive map of the town of Smallville and videos of live performances by bands VonRay and Remy Zero.


HARRY POTTER: HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS will be released on DVD or VHS April 11. The DVD two-disc set includes 19 additional and extended scenes.


ALIAS: February sweeps is bringing out a number of stars into guest sequences for TV shows. On February 9, we'll see Christian Slater as a scientist kidnapped by SD-6 head Sloane (Ron Rifkin) and ordered to piece together mysterious artifacts left behind by 15th-century scientist and apparent visionary Milo Rambaldi. Ethan Hawke will guest star a week earlier on the show as a possible double agent.


DRAMATIC PILOTS ORDERED: ABC is focussing on drama! They have ordered up pilots featuring quirky lawyers, an Alaskan state trooper, a sexy federal marshal and an unlikely pair of female undercover cops. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network also confirmed that it has ordered multiple scripts for "Teranus," a "Gladiator"-esque period piece. UPN also confirmed drama pilot orders on three projects, including a refurbished "Hotel" from Aaron Spelling.


Tuesday, January 21:
BEST SELLERS: Top 10 Best Selling SF Books: 1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; 2. The Lovely Bones; 3. Crossroads of Twilight; 4. Harry Potter Schoolbooks; 5. Hobbit Rings box set; 6. Potter Sorcerer's Companion; 7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; 8. Unofficial Potter Guide; 9. Prey, and 10. Potter paper box set. Source: Amazon.com, 1/17/03.


DAREDEVIL: There is a super clip from DAREDEVIL at Comics2Film. Jennifer Gardner as Elecktra is awesome.


DARK ANGEL: Fox announced the release of the first season (22 episodes) of DARK ANGEL on DVD for May 20th. The expected price is 59.99. The set will be full-frame with Dolby 2.0 surround sound. You'll get some commentary over four episodes, three featurettes, audition tapes, gag reel and bloopers. Depending on sales, season two could follow.


Monday, January 20:
QUANTUM LEAP: Now here's a great way to spend the day! SCIFI has a nine-hour marathon planned for us today -- beginning at 7am and ending at 4pm!


RATINGS: Top 10 SCIFI Channel Shows: Stargate SG-1 1.5; 13th Warrior 1.2; Route 666 1.0; Amityville III 1.0; Wishmaster 0.9; Clash of the Titans 0.9; Kull 0.9; No Escape 0.8; Wishmaster 3 0.8, and Warlock 0.8. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 12/23/02 - 12/29/02.


RICHARD CRENNA: Richard Crenna died over the weekend. He was 76 and his acting career covered a broad spectrum of film and TV. From RAMBO's mentor to a defender in SLATTERY'S PEOPLE, he was a very talented actor that will be missed.


WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Jerry Bruckheimer's comedy KANGAROO JACK hopped into first place this weekend along with other newcomers NATIONAL SECURITY and JUST MARRIED. LORD OF THE RINGS is still going strong, this week in the #4 spot pulling in nearly $300 million since it opened. Here are the numbers:
1. KANGAROO JACK, $17.7 million in this opening weekend.
2. NATIONAL SECURITY, $15.7 million in this opening weekend.
3. JUST MARRIED, $12.5 million this weekend, $34.0 million since opening.
4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, $11.4 million this weekend, $299.0 million since opening.
5. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, $11.3 million this weekend, $135.0 million since opening.
6. CHICAGO, $8.0 million this weekend, $27.7 million since opening.
7. A GUY THING, $7.1 million in this opening weekend.
8. ABOUT SCHMIDT, $6.3 million this weekend, $30.1 million since opening.
9. THE HOURS, $4.7 million this weekend, $7.4 million since opening.
10. TWO WEEKS NOTICE, $4.1 million this weekend, $85.1 million since opening.


Sunday, January 19:
With the holiday, most news services are closed until Tuesday. Have a great holiday and see you then!


JMS: I have added a new update from JMS on Midnight Nation and other projects. See below and on the JMS Speakspage.


Saturday, January 18:

HARRY POTTER: Despite the fact that the book will not be available until June 21, Reuters reports that HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX is already topping the best-seller lists. Announced on Jan. 15 by the publisher, online book store Amazon.com made J.K. Rowling's long-awaited sequel available for pre-order almost immediately after the announcement, without listing a price. Two hours later the book was the top seller on the site. While first-day figures were not released by Amazon.com, they did exceed the first-day figures of the last book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which set a record for the largest book pre-order in history at more than 400,000 orders prior to its release three years ago. Ranger Sara indicates that her BORDERS (Not Barnes & Noble) has been flooded with orders and they will be having a HARRY POTTER party on the day the book is actually available.


SHREK: A new addition is coming to the Universal Studios Theme Parks in California, Florida and Japan. According to AP, SHREK will join other Universal characters and delight guests. The film's stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow will provide voices for the attraction, called Shrek 4-D. Universal and DreamWorks Pictures are producing the film, which will be shown in a special castlelike theater with seats capable of vertical and horizontal motion. Park guests will need to wear special "OgreVision" eyeglasses to watch the 15-minute film, which will be combined with in-theater effects.


Speaking of SHREK, Dark Horizons reports that Julie Andrews will voice the character of Princess Fiona's mother in the upcoming sequel SHREK 2. Andrews joins Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy, who all reprise their roles from the original, and John Cleese, who will provide the voice of Fiona's father.


DREAM TEAM: No, this isn't Mel Gibson and Danny Glover or The Lone Ranger and Tonto. It's Annabelle Gurwitch and Michael Lennox, co-hosts of SCIFI's new DREAM TEAM WITH ANNABELLE AND MICHAEL. Gurwitch, best known as the former co-host of TBS' "Dinner and a Movie," and Lennox, a psychotherapist who has been interpreting dreams for 15 years, join forces on January 20 at 11pm. Guest dreamers are featured live in the studio, as well as by videophone and telephone, but have been pre-selected by submitting their nighttime fantasies to the producers. According to Lennox, every dream has an interpretable meaning. Whether or not it is relevant is up to the individual. The only value in an interpretation of a dream is if the person who had the dream can do something with the information gleaned, or is comforted by it.


Smallville SMALLVILLE: I love this show -- and I'm not alone. On The WB Winter Press Tour last weekend in Hollywood, SMALLVILLE was named the network's most-watched series. Al Gough and Miles Millar and cast members Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum and Kristin Kreuk held a press conference to discuss the series. An abbreviated transcript can be found at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0301/17/smallville.htm.


WHAT'S ON TODAY

"Son Of Frankenstein" (1939) on Turner Classic Movies, 8:00pm - 9:45pm ET
Under one roof, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula and Frankenstein ... sort of. Basil Rathbone stars as the son of the good doctor, in Transylvania to inherit his dad's estate, and eventually, pop's fascination with used body parts. Bela Lugosi plays Ygor, an assistant with bad posture caused by a hanging. The monster master, Boris Karloff, stars for the last time as the creature in need of a shock and some townspeople to scare. Lionel Atwill plays the local constable who is hindered by a wooden arm.

"Hauntings: New England" on A&E, 9:00pm - 10:00pm ET
Meet a lonely lass who wanders a Connecticut homestead; a murderer's ghost that roams a bar he once owned; a witch that haunts the site of her torture; and the House of the Seven Gables' family of specters.

9:00 PM
John Doe
Mind Games
After a woman claims Doe fathered her son via artificial insemination, he learns he's one of eight possible candidates, one of whom he finds murdered in a precise manner.

On SCIFI tonight:

7:00 PM
Dead Zone
Descent
Johnny's efforts to retrieve four teenagers from a collapsed mine shaft are complicated when recurring visions of his past force him to confront painful family issues.

SciFi Friday 8:00 PM
Farscape
Twice Shy
Chiana (Gigi Edgely) rescues a slave girl (Paula Arundell) from a trade ship, but as her Moya crewmates begin to disappear, Chiana becomes suspicious of her new friend.

9:00 PM
Stargate SG-1
Smoke and Mirrors
O'Neill is accused of being involved in the assassination of the influential Sen. Kinsey (Ronny Cox) while Gen. Hammond investigates a security breach within SG-1.

10:00 PM
Tracker
Roswell
Using the lifeforce of a telepathic alien he has captured, Cole tracks the alien's brother to Roswell, N.M.

B5 SIGHTINGS

Ranger Michael reports that:
Richard Biggs was on NYPD Blue Tuesday night as Sgt. Snider of IAB.

The following report is from Ranger Penny:
While we were watching "24" last night, I was happy to see Daniel Dae Kim's name in the credits. He played a CTU agent named Baker for a few short scenes in tonight's ep - I don't know if he'll be back.

There was another piece of dialogue that brought B5 to mind for my whole family .... President Palmer's wife answered a remark of his by saying, "I've always been here." We all looked at each other and said "oooo, how Vorlon of her!" :-)

JMS UPDATE

Here is a portion of an update submitted by JMS thru the B5 moderated discussion group. For the entire listing, go to JMS Speaks.

Just to bring folks up to date on stuff. Please forgive the crass commerciality of just dumping this information out in a blipvert like this, but people have been asking about the status of various projects for a while, so I figured I'd just do a brain dump of it all at once.

1) Midnight Nation

After various delays on the publishing side, the graphic novel/trade paperback version of Midnight Nation will be out in bookstores this coming Wednesday (January 15th). This is something I'm immensely proud of, and from my point of view represents some of my best work to date.

It's also available via Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1582402728/qid=1042432838/sr =8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-3188390-0907960?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

2) Novels

I'm pleased to note that I've just signed a deal with iBooks/Simon and Schuster to republish all of my prior works of fiction, making them available both online and in major bookstores. This includes my novels Demon Night, OtherSyde, and Tribulations, in addition to a collection of my short stories tentatively entitled Straczynski Unplugged (which should make it just about impossible for readers to find it by spelling the title), which would include a number of my Twilight Zone stories, combined with stories published elsewhere but never previously gathered into a single collection (such as "Say Hello, Mister Quigley," originally published in Pulphouse, and "Your Move," originally published in Amazing Stories), and a number of brand new, previously unpublished short stories. I think they're targeting Spring/Summer for the books to come out.

3) Comics: Supreme Power

On new comics projects, I've just turned in issue 3 of Supreme Power, so I'm about 3 weeks ahead of schedule on the writing. The first issue, drawn by Gary Frank of Midnight Nation, is due to hit stores around March 16th. This is a very serious story, one of the most mature things I've written, oddly enough, given the medium. My scripts have turned into these huge, 50 page (for a 22 page book) Alan Moore-ish tomes that are designed to be visually dense. It's a rethinking of a number of superhero conventions that, so far, has turned out very well, I think. For various reasons we've kept a fairly low profile on this, until we could get a number of issues ready to go, and to avoid word getting out prematurely on what we have in mind, 'cause over the long haul it will prove to be kind of controversial. Once it hits stores, I suspect it'll move out pretty fast unless folks have dibs on copies.

4) Comics: Doctor Strange

Finally, I've turned an expanded, 35 page outline for a Doctor Strange limited series in to Marvel, and will be writing the script for that one as soon as I can get my head above water (easier on the keyboard that way). I wanted to bring the Doc into the 21st century and revisualize certain aspects of his character and his history. It's not intended to be as deep or as potentially controversial as Supreme Power, this one's for fun because I'm a longtime fan of Doc Strange, and want to do something nifty with the character.

I've also agreed to do a three-issue Spider-Man/Fantastic Four crossover, which should also be fun. (Which is the only reason to do anything, to be honest.) I think we've slotted that one to begin around issue 55 or so of Amazing Spider-Man.

Anyway, I think that's about it on the pubishing side...apologies again for the commercialness of this.

jms

B5 Season One DVC

BABYLON 5 DVDs

News on Season Two DVD:

B5 Season Two DVC Here is the rundown on the Season Two DVD of Babylon 5 from Warner Home Video.

The acclaimed second season of this science fiction cult favorite is now available for the first time ever as a 6-disc DVD set. All 22 episodes have been digitally remastered to provide Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and widescreen format.

Special Features:
Introduction by producer/creator J. Michael Straczynski and various cast members. 2 episode commentaries by producer/creator J. Michael Straczynski. Episode commentary by cast members Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian and Jerry Doyle. Building Babylon: Blueprint of an Episode featurette. Shadows and Dreams: Honors of Babylon featurette. The Universe of Babylon 5 data/tech/personnel files. Babylon 5 Timeline. Original episode promos.

JMS wrote this in the B5 moderated newsgroup recently:
Interviews for year 2's DVD have been set, or already conducted, with Stephen Furst, Andrea Thompson, John Iacovelli, Anne Bruice-Ailing, Jerry, Claudia, Bruce, me, John Copeland, Doug Netter and others.

In addition, I'll be doing commentaries on "The Coming of Shadows" and "The Fall of Night," and there will be a bonus group commentary by Bruce, Claudia and Jerry on "The Long, Twilight Struggle."

There's talk about a special musical sequence for the season 3 DVD, with Chris re-scoring 2-3 episodes end to end with non-stop music, future segments on "The Future According to Babylon 5" with NASA and JPL guys (btw, James over at a certain House subcommittee, if you're reading this and could drop me a note, that'd be great). I'd like to see the final bonus section on year 5 be about the fans of the show.

Point being...they're putting a LOT of energy and work into this to make each set better than the one before.

Season One DVD

B5 Season One DVC The long awaited Season One of BABYLON 5 is now available on DVD. The 6-disc set is loaded with extras, including commentaries by series creator, J. Michael Straczynski. You can pre-order the DVD over at www.babylon5.com for $79.95. Warner Home Video has extended their "Free Shipping" deadline thru November 30th.

For a preview of a few of the extras available on this wonderful DVD set, WB has given me permission to post a number of trailer streams (they are in Windows Media, Real Media and Quicktime formats). Go to Extras to hear Joe, Rick Biggs, Jerry Doyle, Stephen Furst and others talk about their time on Babylon 5. Use this link to read the Press Release from WB.

Here's the latest from The WB on distribution of the DVD sets:

Babylon 5 season 1 has already been released in Europe.

The Gathering will be available in Europe in January. Season 2 will be available in Europe in May, and season 3 in September.

Babylon 5 Seasons 1,2 & 3 do in fact have worldwide rights, but the other international territories (Latin America, Japan and Asia) are not releasing...for now.

BABYLON 5 CHRONOLOGY

Terry Jones has updated the tremendous Babylon 5 chronology and we will post it here in segments, beginning with the INTRODUCTION TO THE BABYLON 5 CHRONOLOGY. New segments will be added over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Another section of the wonderful Babylon 5 Chronology is available for your enjoyment. Go to 20th Century .

A BIG THANK YOU and note appreciation goes to Terry for taking the time (and considerable effort) to pull the chronology together -- and for updating it to include CRUSADE, the novels and other relevant Babylon 5 material. THANKS TERRY!

DISCUSSION TOPIC

How do you think the science fiction of today compares with years ago? Is it better, worse, the same? Is there too much concentration on special effects in movies? Are stories being lost in the spectacular nature of movie-making?

Send in your opinions to sgbruckner@aol.com or thezocalo@aol.com. I'll post the responses on the Discussion Page for everyone to share.

REVIEWS WANTED:

Reviews have begun to come in. See if your opinion of LORD OF THE RINGS matches that of Ranger Helen. Go to Reviews to see. Want to express your opinion? Just drop me a line and you too can see your name in lights.

Read any good books lately? How about the movies. Did you like LORD OF THE RINGS, NEMESIS? Send along a review and share your thoughts with the readers here. Let's make one of our New Years Resolution one of staying in touch here at The Zocalo Today.

SCI FI TALK

Tony Tellado is constantly conducting marvelous interviews with individuals involved in some way with science fiction. He is pulling out an interview with Robert Wortham Krimmer (Cartagia) from the archives where he discusses his B5 experience. Be sure to check out www.scifitalk.com. For 56K modem or less connections, go to http://www.live365.com/stations/211667. For a broadcast schedule, go to http://hometown.aol.com/scifitalk/broadcast.htm.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

DANIEL DAE KIM: Ranger Mac reports that Daniel Dae Kim will appearing on 24 very soon and continuing for "at least six" episodes! His character will be an Agent Tom Baker.


BILL MUMY: Bill Mumy will be traveling to Vancouver next week to film the sequel to "It's A Good Life" titled "It's Still a Good Life" for the "Twilight Zone" TV series. Bill will be reprising the role of "Anthony Fremont," the kid who send you into the cornfield if you upset him. Bill Mumy's daughter Liliana (who costarred in "Santa Clause II," currently has a recurring role on "My Wife And Kids,") plays his daughter, Amy Fremont. Liliana looks just like her dad! Cloris Leachman may be involved, although that cannot be confirmed right now. It's 30 years later in Peakesville, Ohio... the village that was separated from the world by Anthony all those years ago. If you thought it was tough going THEN... "It's Still A Good Life" will air in February during sweeps. Thanks to Bill's Fan Club for the update.


ANDREA THOMPSON: Andrea Thompson was Talia Winter on B5, a copy of NYPD Blue and a CNN reporter on Headline News. Now she is hoosting a show examining the use of psychic mediums by police for Court TV. Told from a detective's point of view, "Psychic Detectives" looks at crimes where a psychic was brought in to help locate missing persons or solve crimes. Stressing that everyone is psychic (or intuitive) to a certain degree, the show will teach the audiences some of the techniques used.


PETER WOODWARD: The schedule for Peter's upcoming series can be found on the B5 Cast page. CONQUEST airs tomorrow and Sunday with DEMOLITION DERBY and WEIRD WEAPONS OF THE MIDDLE AGES.


JASON CARTER: Jason's latest movie, BEHIND THE RED DOOR (starring Kiefer Sutherland, Stockard Channing, and Kyra Sedgwick) will air on Showtime on January 12, 2003 at 8:00pm ET. For more information on the movie, go to http://www.sho.com/movies/movies_product.cfm?titleid=114974.


TIM CHOATE: I received a postcard from Tim the other day. He's starring in THE EMIGRANTS at The Coronet Theater in Los Angeles. The play by Slawomir Mrozek (translated by Henry Belssel) is being directed by Neno Pervan. The play runs from December 6 thru the 22nd. If you are interested in attending, call 310-657-7377 for reservations.


RICHARD BIGGS: Richard was in the series ANY DAY NOW for quite a while. The series is running on A&E now so check your local listings.


BABYLON 5 BIRTHDAYS

January 9 - David Allen Brooks
January 24 - Peter Woodward
January 27 - Julie Caitlin Brown
January 27 - Tamilyn Tomita

Have I missed anyone? If you know the birthday of someone connected with Babylon 5, pass the information along. We want to include everyone in our Happy Birthday Wishes.

READER DIRECTORY

Sometimes you just can't find the e-mail address for someone you know you have -- it's someone who responded to a discussion topic or you met in one of the chat rooms. You'd like to send a personal note, but .... No address!!!!

We've started a White Pages of Zocalo Readers! It's a handy way of keeping track of people -- and putting together a birthday/greeting card list as well. If you would like to be part of the listing, just send me your name, state, e-mail address and (if you'd like to have it listed) birthday (without year) to sgbruckner@aol.com. Check out the Directory of Readers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY READERS

Here are some of our readers who are having birthdays this month:

Name: Justin Fisch
State: Ohio
E-mail address: jfisch2042@aol.com
Birthday: January 1

Name: Lessa Redding
State: Colorado
E-mail address: queendragonrider@juno.com
Birthday: January 26

Name: Arwen Rosenbaum
State: New York
E-mail: arwen@panix.com
Birthday: Jan. 1

Name: Michael Rosenthal
Birthday: January 12

Don't see YOUR birthday here? That's easy to remedy. Send your birthdate along to me and I'll post it with others in our directory.

COMIC BOOKS

Amazing Spiderman #52 Written by J. Michael Straczynski, art by John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna, cover by J. Scott Campbell.
Part 2 of a 3-part story.
32 pages, $2.25, on sale April 2.

Here's an update from JMS:
BTW, for those following the comics, Spidey 46 and 47 came out over the last month or so, and 48 is due out this coming week.

I've just finished going over the balloon placements on 49, and in some ways, though this has the least amount of action, it's my favorite issue to date...there are a lot of laugh-out-loud pages, and some real emotion, and it follows up on what I wanted to do from the start, to really build up Peter's character, get to the core of who he is. This builds on that foundation and takes it to the next level. I'm just real happy with it.

I should have 51 turned in shortly.


NOVELS

BOOK CLOSEOUTS:

Ranger Dave sent along the following information on books you may be interested in picking up -- at reduced prices:

Title: Searcher (Frontier Earth)
Author: Bruce Boxleitner

Overview: In the American West of the early 1880's, the enigmatic gunman known as Macklin has made a home for himself in Tombstone, Arizona, with the Earp brothers among his closest friends. But as his memory returns, he has come to realize that he is not human, that he is a being from another planet sent to protect Earth from a coming invasion by another alien species. Still, he has many questions and he thinks he can find some answers in Tucson, where another of his kind lives. But as he searches for the man, he is drawn into the conflict that rages in the mountains outside of Tucson, between the men who mine for silver and the Apaches who hold the mountains sacred. Caught in the middle of a human war, Macklin must not forget that while he has been hunting for the truth, something is still hunting him. Something not of this Earth... 328 pages.

List Price: $23.95
Sale Price: $4.99
You Save : $18.96

Title: Diplomatic Act
Author: Peter Jurasik

Overview: Richard Faraday didn't believe in aliens, even though he played one on TV. Unfortunately, the aliens believe in him...or rather, they believe in Harmon, the alien diplomat Faraday plays on the SF program Star Peace. A war is threatening to tear the civilized galaxy apart, and only a diplomat as superb as Harmon can stop it. The problem is that the real aliens are just a little confused about the bizarre human concept known as fiction. They think Harmon is real. Well, real or not, "Harmon" had better solve their alien problems fast or Faraday, galactic civilization, and Earth itself will be abruptly cancelled.

List Price: $22.00
Sale Price: $3.49
You Save : $18.51

For more ordering information, go to www.bookcloseouts.com.

24 A Day in the Life: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to 24
by Keith Topping

Extraordinary, dangerous, high-octane, and sexy, 24 has been nothing short of a television phenomena on both sides of the Atlantic. Author Keith Topping delves deep into the confines of this critically acclaimed series to reveal the hidden agendas lurking in the backdrop, and the root of its overwhelming success in mainstream media.

Spage 1999: The Foresaken SPACE 1999: Powys Media has joined forces with Carlton International Media to continue the cosmic odyssey of Moonbase Alpha in a series of officially authorized and licensed original novels based on the cult science fiction series SPACE: 1999. The first two titles in this new line of original novels are RESURRECTION by William Latham and THE FORSAKEN by John Kenneth Muir. For more information on how to order the books, go to http://www.cerebralmassage.com/powysmedia.html.

Star Trek: Brave and the Bold, Book 2 Over at Cinescape.com the latest Star Trek novel is reviewed. Star Trek: The Brave and the Bold, Book 2 by Keith R.A. DeCandido covers both Voyager and Next Generation, having Captains Picard and Janeway working together. The review is quite favorable and makes me want to check out Book 1 to see how the entire story plays out!

Buffy Novel Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Angel & Buffy—Monster Island
by Christopher Golden & Thomas E. Sniegoski
The half-demon Doyle’s demonic father, Axtius, has arrived in Los Angeles, intent on building a pure-demon army and avenging his son’s death. But the massing of a demon army has not escaped the notice of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Now, on a small island off the coast of California, a showdown is scheduled, with nothing less than the fate of the world, and a human soul, at stake!


BABYLON 5 NOVEL

B5 Novel Shadows Within DelRey has reprinted one of the most popular Babylon 5 novels written! Jeanne Cavelos' novel SHADOW WITHIN is now at your book store or available through online ordering. If you haven't read the book already, now is your chance to own a copy. Here is the description of the novel from DelRey:

The electrifying space epic continues as Anna and John Sheridan battle deadly foes at opposite ends of the universe.

The dedication of the new Babylon 5 Station is fast approaching, and desperate enemies intend to see it end in catastrophe. The fate of the fledgling space alliance lies in the hands of John Sheridan, newly appointed captain of the spaceship Agamemnon. His orders are to stop the attack. Unless he first gets to the bottom of the near-mutinous behavior of the Agamemnon’s unruly crew, Sheridan and his spaceship will share Babylon 5’s doom.

Time is also running out for his wife Anna, headed to Z’ha’dum aboard the Icarus. Young, beautiful, and brilliant, she was thrilled to be appointed chief science officer of the follow-up mission to this mysterious planet on the edge of the known universe, where artifacts rumored to hold stupendous powers have been discovered. But the offer she could not resist threatens to become a dark destiny she cannot avoid, for an unimaginable horror lies somnolent on Z’ha’dum–and the monstrous consequences of disturbing the sleeping evil will haunt every living thing in the cosmos. . . .

Babylon 5 created by J. Michael Straczynski

SCI FI PUBLICATIONS

TV Zone#159 TV Zone #159: CHARMED gets some space in this latest issue. Executive Producer Brad Kern and Director James L. Conway talk about this season with three beautiful witches. The cast of STARGATE SG-1 talks about the last half of season six -- and Doctor Who turns 40!






Cult Times #88 Cult Times #88: Nicholas Brendon takes a look at being Xander Harris on Buffy; Sam Jones III talks about being Clark Kent's friend and Amy Acker and J. August Richards discuss their lives on and off the set of Angel.






Cult Times Special #24 Cult Times Special #24: This special issue looks back at 2002 and ahead to 2003! There are previews of Angel, Buffy, Charmed, Enterprise, Smallville, Alias and more. Tim Minear talks about the new season of Angel and Brandon Camp, co-creator of John Doe, takes a look at the series and it's main character.






Starburst #294 Starburst #294: Anthony Stewart Head has returned to Buffy as Rupert Giles; the actor talks about coming back and playing an active role in the series. New releases are also featured, including Two Towers, Nemesis, Die Another Day and Harry Potter.






Starburst Special #55 Starburst Special #55: A look at 2002 -- Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Terminator 3, Nemesis, Firefly, Buffy. Christopher Lee discusses his role as Saruman in Lord of the Rings.






Expose #75 Expose #75: The Two Towers is breaking records at the box office. In this issue, some of the cast talk about making the movie -- including Brad Dourif -- from B5 fame. Dominic Purcell talks about being John Doe -- and how much fun he is having on the show. Also featured, Victoria Pratt of Mutant X and Vincent Kartheiser as Connor on Angel.





Expose Special #22 Expose Special #22: A look at some of the best programs for 2002 -- including Stargate SG-1, Buffy, Angel and Dead Zone. John Shea talks about Mutant X and Bryan Singer looks at X2.




BABYLON 5 BOOK OF QUOTES

For all those who submitted quotes and experiences to the Babylon 5 Book of Quotes, word from JMS is that the book, plus emails and suggestions, is being compiled now, and they're targeting February, the 10th anniversary of B5, for the publication date.

SCI-FI SCHEDULE

STARGATE SCHEDULE:

23-JAN-03 1:00 AM STARGATE:SG-1 FOOTHOLD
24-JAN-03 9:00 PM STARGATE:SG-1 SMOKE AND MIRRORS
24-JAN-03 11:30 PM STARGATE:SG-1 SMOKE AND MIRRORS
27-JAN-03 7:00 PM STARGATE:SG-1 PRETENSE
27-JAN-03 8:00 PM STARGATE:SG-1 URGO
27-JAN-03 9:00 PM STARGATE:SG-1 A HUNDRED DAYS
27-JAN-03 10:00 PM STARGATE:SG-1 SHADES OF GREY
27-JAN-03 1:00 AM STARGATE:SG-1 PRETENSE
28-JAN-03 1:00 AM STARGATE:SG-1 URGO
29-JAN-03 1:00 AM STARGATE:SG-1 A HUNDRED DAYS
30-JAN-03 1:00 AM STARGATE:SG-1 SHADES OF GREY
31-JAN-03 9:00 PM STARGATE:SG-1 PARADISE LOST
31-JAN-03 11:30 PM STARGATE:SG-1 PARADISE LOST

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE PHOTOSHOP PHOTOS

Stephen Austin David-Max








You do NOT have to pay the prices asked for over at e-bay! Here are photos of B5 and Crusade cast members at fantastic prices. Check out Photo Shop. Ordering is easy -- and you can't beat the prices! Just let me know which photos you want and I'll check to make sure they are still in stock.


BABYLON 5 TOONS

John Cook has a new cartoon contest going. Try your hand at a punch line.

Sci-Fi TV Cartoon Contest header
Sci-Fi TV Cartoon Contest. Copyright 2000 by John Cook.

Punchline
Name
Email

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE CONVENTIONS

CONVENTION CALENDAR

Farpoint 2003
February 14-16, 2003
Place: Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD
Guests: Armin Shimerman, Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint, Michele Scarabelli, Gil Gerard, Erin Gray
For more information, visit their website at http://www.bcpl.net/~wilsonr/flier.htm.



Gallifrey 2003
February 14-16, 2003
Place: Airtel Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
B5 Guests: Julia Nickson, Tim Choate, Julie Caitlin Brown, Carrie Dobro, Stephen Austin and Bill Blair
For more information, visit their website at http://www.gallifreyone.org.



Slanted Fedora
February 20-23, 2003
Place: Las Vegas, NV
B5 Guests: Jerry Doyle, Bill Mumy
For more information, visit their website at http://www.sfedora.com/Conventionschedule.htm.



Redemption '03
February 21-23, 2003
Place: Ashford, Kent, England
B5 Guest: Damian London (Regent of Centauri Prime), Mike Collins (comic artist who worked on In Valen's Name)
For more information, visit their website at http://www.smof.com/redemption.



Be sure to visit our Convention Calendar for a full listing of upcoming conventions featuring Babylon 5, Crusade and Legend of the Rangers cast members as guests.

If you would like to share your convention experience with your other Zocalo readers, send along a convention report. I will gladly post it for all to read. Got pictures? I'll post those as well.

ZOCALO TRADING POST

Do you have extra copies of B5, Amazing Spiderman, Midnight Nation or Rising Stars comics you'd like to trade? How about those extra trading cards or B5 magazines? There are a lot of fans looking for these items -- and the Trading Post can help you buy or sell them. To see what's available, just use this link to the Trading Post. To have items included in The Trading Post, send a note to The Zocalo. Please put Trading Post in the subject line.

Pen Pals

If you are looking for someone to talk about Babylon 5 and Crusade with, the Pen Pal section is for you! Check it out! Drop a note to someone who is feeling B5 withdrawal -- BIG TIME!

People thought a Pen Pal page was a good idea. If you would like to meet people who you could chat with or share your opinions of the show with, send along your e-mail or snail-mail address The Zocalo. It will be incorporated on the new Pen Page Page.

MAIL FOR CAST AND CREW

Here's a recent note from JMS on the subject:

Just an FYI to those who've been using the Ventura Blvd. mail drop for fan mail to actors....

As mentioned before, we're phasing out the forwarding of fan mail because we a) don't have the resources, complicated by b) the actors have scattered to the four winds, and it makes it very difficult to get everything to everybody in a timely fashion.

So, having provided prior notice...fan mail to actors coming to the Ventura Blvd. mail drop will be sent back. Mail to actors should be sent via their official fan clubs. I will still be taking mail there, since it's my mailbox, but that's it.

Just so's y'all know and save a few bucks on postage and returns.

JMS' mail can be sent to:

14431 Ventura Boulevard, PMB 260
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

WARNER BROS:

Warner Bros. Address:

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522

Warner Home Video:

Mr. Douglas Wadleigh
VP for Marketing and Special Features
Warner Bros.
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522

SCIFI:
Bonnie Hammer, President
Sci-Fi Channel
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY. 10020-1513

Mr. Thomas Vitale
Senior VP of Acquisitions, Scheduling & Program-Planning

BACK ISSUES OF THE ZOCALO TODAY

The front page of the The Zocalo Today changes daily, so be sure to check the back issues to make sure that you haven't missed anything IMPORTANT! I don't want the front page getting too long so I shift information periodically into the archives. So if you aren't a regular visitor to The Zocalo Today, be sure to check out the back issues. Just use the button above!


Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
The Zocalo Today

http://www.isnnews.net
Copyright - SBruckner, 2002


Blank
Main Top Line Main Bottom Left Blank Main Bottom Right
Blank
[an error occurred while processing this directive]