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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 31:

RATINGS: Top SF Network Programs: Touched by an Angel 4.1; Charmed 3.2; Enterprise 2.2; Sabrina 2.1; The Twilight Zone 1.7; Smallville 1.6; Birds of Prey 1.3; Buffy 1.2, and Mysterious Ways 0.2. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 12/30/02 - 1/5/03.


THE TENTH VICTIM: According to the Hollywood Reporter, The Mummy star Brendan Fraser is in talks to headline Myriad Pictures' upcoming SF film 10TH VICTIM -- a remake of the 1965 Italian film LA DECIMA VITTIMA. Dominic Sena will direct and production begins in June. Victim is set in the future, where contract killing is a sport. A woman is searching for her 10th victim in order to achieve the highest possible score and sets her sights on a particular man who turns out not to be such an innocent victim.


MUTANT X/ANDROMEDA: Tribune Entertainment has announced renewals both "GENE RODDENBERRY'S ANDROMEDA" and "MUTANT X" for the 2003-04 season. ANDROMEDA has been renewed for a fourth season in 148 markets, including 49 of the top 50, representing 88% of the United States. MUTANT has been renewed for a third season in 103 markets, including 46 of the top 50, representing 76% of the United States. Tribune Entertainment president and CEO Dick Askin said, "Both 'Andromeda' and 'Mutant X' are two of the top-performing first-run hours in syndication. Station general managers are readily renewing both series because they value these high-quality first-run programs for their weekend schedules."


GODS AND GENERALS: The website for GODS AND GENERALS is finally up at http://www.godsandgenerals.com/. This is Bruce Boxleitner's next movie in which he plays Gen. Longstreet. The movie is set to premiere on February 21. The site includes trailers, a photo gallery and sountrack clips as well.


MATRIX: Teen Hollywood reports that Keanu Reeves gave up over $38 million to prevent the two new MATRIX films being scrapped. Reeves gave up his claim to a cut of the films' ticket sales when producers began fearing the box office would not cover the costs of making the special effects-laden flicks. A Warner Brothers insider says, "The special effects in the new movie are beyond belief - but hugely expensive."


Daredevil TV Guide DAREDEVIL: DAREDEVIL will be featured on the cover of the upcoming issue of TV Guide dated Feb. 8-14. The cover to the issue features DAREDEVIL stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner with the tagline "The World's Sexiest Man! TV's Sexiest Woman! The Hottest Comic Book Movie Ever!" Entertainment Tonight will show another exclusive clip on Thursday, this one featuring more of the first meeting between Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios.


INSIDE SCIFI THIS WEEK:

Thursday, January 30:
RATINGS: Top 10 SF Syndicated Shows: Stargate SG-1 2.7; Buffy 2.3; The X-Files 2.1; Mutant X 2.0; 3rd Rock 1.9; Andromeda 1.8; Beastmaster 1.5; The Outer Limits 1.3; The Lost World 1.0, and Profiler 1.0. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 12/30/02 - 1/5/03.


DVD SALES: Top SF DVD Sales: 1. Rings platinum edition; 2. Signs; 3. Buffy Season Three; 4. The Wiggles; 5. Futurama, Vol. 1; 6. Minority Report; 7. Young Frankenstein; 8. Beauty and the Beast; 9. Angel, Season One, and 10. X-Men 1.5. Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre DVDs, 1/24/03.


DAREDEVIL: There are some wonderful new clips available for the upcoming DAREDEVIL movie at http://superherohype.com/cgi-bin/news/fullnews.cgi?newsid1043883228,61745,. The movie opens on February 14.


THE HULK: Lou Ferrigno and Peter David have a special relationship with THE HULK. Ferrigno was the green side of David Banner on the TV Series -- Peter David wrote the comic book for 12 years and has written the new movie's novelization. They recently talked with Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming movie. "I saw the initial design drawings for the movie, and he looked much farther away from the comic book Hulk," says Peter David. "But as it progressed, it looked more and more like good old Greenskin." Says Ferrigno: "I think he's cute."


THUNDERBIRDS: The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Bill Paxton is in talks to star in a live-action film version of the 1960s cult U.K. television show Thunderbirds, to be directed by Jonathan Frakes for Working Title Films and Universal Pictures. Shooting begins in March on location in the Seychelles, with studio work at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom. Paxton's character is a billionaire former astronaut who is the patriarch of the family and leads the Thunderbirds during their missions to save the world. The film, written by William Osbourne, is about a 12- year-old boy who must save his father (Paxton) and four brothers from imminent death and save the world from the hands of the evil Aristotle Spode. He has a little help from Lady Penelope (Sophia Myles).


BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SCIFI President Bonnie Hammer talked recently to TV Guide about their effort to remake BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. "It isn't going to be that kind of grey battleship again, and it isn't going to be Star Trek-y, either. We're trying to reinvent the space opera," she explains. "They're very hard to do right now. As you know, [Fox's recently-axed] Firefly had a very tough time. What was wonderful about Farscape, in its day, was that it was fresh," she continues. "It was a different kind of space opera, and it didn't feel like any other space opera that was out there. What we need to do here is reinvent it yet again."


Wednesday, January 29:
LORD OF THE RINGS: Variety has announced a few of the Screen Actors Guild awards for this year. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TWO TOWERS received a nomination for best cast. The winners will be announced March 9 in ceremonies to be telecast on TNT. The nominated cast included Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham and Elijah Wood. Other nominees can be found at http://www.tv-now.com/daily/news.htm.


13 GOING ON 30: According to Variety, ALIAS star Jennifer Garner will appear with Mark Ruffalo in the upcoming fantasy film 13 Going on 30. Garner plays the lead role of a 13-year-old girl who finds herself transformed into a 30-year-old woman. Gary Winick (Tadpole) will direct for Revolution Studios. Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa (What Women Want) wrote the script, and Rita Hsiao and Niels Mueller did rewrites. The movie begins filming in April in Los Angeles, when Garner starts her hiatus from Alias.


ALIAS: Despite airing after the Super Bowl on Sunday, ALIAS averaged a 13.3 rating/23 share in Nielsen's overnight markets, which was tracking to be one of the lowest post-Super-Bowl entertainment programs in recent memory, according to The Hollywood Reporter.


The first season of ALIAS comes to DVD as a boxed set on September 2nd. It should be loaded with tons of stuff. When the pilot was being done a friend of J.J. Abrams shot about nine hours of behind the scenes footage. The best parts are likely to be included in the boxed set.


HARRY POTTER: The second HARRY POTTER movie is now the third most grossing movie of all time earning $568.2M internationally putting the film a head of Jurassic Park and right behind the first Harry Potter film at $649.6M.


Tuesday, January 28:
BIRDS OF PREY: The final two episodes of BIRDS OF PREY are scheduled to air consequetively on February 19. According to Birds of Prey Online, the episodes will be seamless, shown as one feature length movie, consisting of the last two episodes titled "Feat Of Clay" and "Devil's Eyes". Dina Meyer, who portrayed Barbara Gordon/Oracle, posted a farewell to fans on her website, www.DinaMeyer.com.


BATMAN: According to Variety, Director Christopher Nolan ("Memento") has been signed to helm the next "Batman" movie. "All I can say is that I grew up with Batman, I've been fascinated by him and I'm excited to contribute to the lore surrounding the character," Nolan said. "He is the most credible and realistic of the superheroes, and has the most complex human psychology. His superhero qualities come from within. He's not a magical character. " It's not yet known whether he'll write the script and whether the story will impact the other 'Bat' films in the works.


TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: You all know Peter David -- he has written a zillion novels for Star Trek and even Babylon 5. Over at Peter's website, he indicates that he has been contacted about doing a series tie in to the new animated series.


DAREDEVIL: On February 15, one day after the premiere of DAREDEVIL, Jennifer Garner, who stars as Elektra in the movie, will host Saturday Night Live. There is a new weapons section available at the official DAREDEVIL website, along with clips and interviews.


SMALLVILLE: Christopher Reeves' appearance on SMALLVILLE is getting a LOT of attention. There is a piece in the upcoming issue of TIME magazine, along with a photo from the set. The episode, "Rosetta", will air February 25. You can get a peek at the pic over at http://superherohype.com/cgi-bin/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Superman/Smallville&image=rosetta.jpg&img=&tt= .


Monday, January 27:
RATINGS: Top 10 SCIFI Programs: Stargate SG-1 1.6; Stargate SG-1 1.5; Dragon Fighter 1.5; Twilight Zone Marathon 1.5; Twilight Zone Marathon 1.4; Twilight Zone Marathon 1.4; Twilight Zone Marathon 1.4; Twilight Zone Marathon 1.4; Stargate SG-1 1.3, and Twilight Zone Marathon 1.3. Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 12/30/02 - 1/5/03.


THE SUPER BOWL ADS:: If you missed any of the trailers for upcoming movies yesterday during the Super Bowl, you can go to http://www.darkhorizons.com/news.htm and watch them all. Be sure to watch the MATRIX and THE HULK. They are among the best.


WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: DARKNESS FALLS captured $12.5 million in it's opening weekend, pushing KANGAROO JACK (and everyone else) down a notch. Here are the numbers:
1. DARKNESS FALLS, $12.5 million in this opening weekend.
2. KANGAROO JACK, $11.9 million this weekend, $35.5 million since opening.
3. CHICAGO, $8.5 million this weekend, $40.6 million since opening.
4. JUST MARRIED, $7.5 million this weekend, $44.3 million since opening.
5. NATIONAL SECURITY, $7.4 million this weekend, $26.1 million since opening.
6. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, $6.9 million this weekend, $309.1 million since opening.
7. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, $6.6 million this weekend, $145.1 million since opening.
8. CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, $6.0 million this weekend, $6.5 million since opening.
9. ABOUT SCHMIDT, $5.5 million this weekend, $37.9 million since opening.
10. THE HOURS, $4.0 million this weekend, $13.9 million since opening.


ROMULAN ALE: Ever wonder what Romulan Ale tastes like, or Ferengi Eelassser? If you live in the UK, you can drop in at the STAR TREK: THE ADVENTURE show, currently in place at London's Hyde Park and take a taste. The show runs through March 30 and Liverpudlian brewery Cains' head brewer Dave Nijs developed and bottled three varieties of mankind's greatest invention, dubbing them KLINGON EXPORT, FERENGI EELWASSER, and, of course, ROMULAN ALE (a walloping 4.5% brew).


JAMES BOND: Over at MI6Archives you can get a glimpse of some deleted footage from DIE ANOTHER DAY. Fear not, the deleted scenes will find their way onto the upcoming DVD of the movie.


Sunday, January 26:
ALIAS: Tonight's episode of ALIAS should be quite special. Not only does it follow the SUPER BOWL, but J.J. Abrams, executive producer of ALIAS, told TV Guide Online that "Phase One" may take Sydney and Vaughn's relationship to a new level. "If I had another scene of Jennifer [Garner] and Michael [Vartan] staring longingly at each other and not saying anything, I was going to lose my mind," Abrams said. "It was a relationship that we were not letting ourselves get that deep into, [and by moving it forward], it allows [Sydney] to experience as much joy and pleasure as heartache and stress and anxiety and fret." So stay tuned!


THE HULK: There are some new stills over at Comics Continuum from today's Super Bowl trailer.


Saturday, January 25:
WB PILOTS: Tis the season when networks explore their possibilities for the coming season by giving the go-ahead on several series pilots. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the WB Network is looking at "Chasing Alice," a fantasy twist on the cop show genre. The pilot, from Michigan J. Prods. and exec producer/writer Scott Lobdell and exec producer Susanne Daniels of First Move Prods., centers on a Scotland Yard sleuth who arrives in New York to search for her missing sister. Some of the underworld encounters are based on characters from Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Also ordered up is "Shadow Walkers," an action-adventure show from Regency Television and writers/exec producers Dan Angel and Billy Brown, exec producers Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey of Icon Prods. and Greg Coote and Jeff Hayes of Coote-Hayes. The show revolves around married archaeologists and their teenage kids who track down wayward characters from myth and folklore.


ROAR: Do you remember ROAR from 1997 on FOX? Well, SCIFI has picked it up for a run at 10:00pm ET weekly beginning April 2. Several episodes never were aired, so fans have something to look forward to. Not only is Heath Ledger (Patriot) part of the cast, but Jason Carter (Marcus Cole from B5) appeared in a few episodes as well. Set in 400 A.D. in Ireland (but filmed in Queensland, Australia), "Roar" was created by Shaun Cassidy ("American Gothic," "The Agency") and Ron Koslow ("Beauty and the Beast," "Birds of Prey"). The story follows Heath Ledger as Conor, an orphaned prince who assembles a rag-tag band to lead his people in a fight for freedom.


TERMINATOR 3: One of the many celebrities on hand during the Super Bowl on Sunday will be Arnold Schwartzenegger. He will do a live broadcast to unveil a new 30-second spot for the new Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.


LOST WORLD: This syndicated series has been hanging on, but now negotiations have ended and word is that there will be no fourth season or beyond. There is a possibility of a telefilm down the line which begins at season three's cliffhanger and will resolve the series major storylines. The telefilm however is no guarantee. New Line will be selling the 66 episodes at this years NAPTE meetings. The series message board will remain online until at least September of 2003.


WHAT'S ON TODAY

"UFOs: Alien Contact" on History Channel, 8:00pm - 9:00pm ET
All week, the History Channel has been trying to show folks that we are not alone in the galaxy. Tonight, they focus on efforts by Earthlings to actually reach out to aliens using scientific and other methods. Many people really believe that they will be contacted. It's important to know how to decipher the messages.

9:00 PM
John Doe
Family Man
Doe (Dominic Purcell) helps Frank (John Marshall Jones) through an emotional time, which is heightened by a teenager's kidnapping. The case is the latest in a series of abductions that includes a woman and two other children, and it resonates on a personal level with Frank, because his ex-wife (April Grace) is petitioning for full custody of their kids. Enter Doe, whose encyclopedic mind leads to the discovery of skeletal remains that appear to match those who have disappeared. But dental records prove otherwise, leaving police with four dead, four still missing and a new link to a man (Michael Gaston) who lost his family in a car accident.

20/20" on ABC, 10:00pm - 11:00pm ET
When former "Beverly Hills 90210" heartthrob Jason Priestley was in that horrible crash at the Kentucky Speedway last August, his back and feet were broken, his neck and face were slashed and his normal way of speaking was altered. Tonight, he talks with ABC News' Barbara Walters about his life since then and future plans. Jason's good friend, Luke Perry (JEREMIAH), explains to Barbara what it was like to be at his unconscious friend's side in the hospital while Mr. Death hovered nearby. Race car driver hopefuls should watch and listen.

On SCIFI tonight:

SCIFI Friday 8:00 PM
Farscape
Mental as Anything
D'Argo faces the Peacekeeper (Blair Venn) who killed his wife and then pinned the crime on him when he, Crichton and Rygel accompany Scorpius to an advanced training camp where students learn mental discipline.

9:00 PM
Stargate SG-1
Paradise Lost
While on the lam, Mayborne (Tom McBeath) touches base with Jack and convinces him that he knows the location of a possible alien weapons cache. Jack and the SG-1 team investigate, but can't work around the impenetrable entryway. Mayborne talks his way into helping out---but double-crosses Jack and leaps through an energized gate.

10:00 PM
Tracker
Trust
An alien con man asks for Cole's help after he unknowingly takes over the body of a kidnapper and mistakenly gives ransom money to Zin instead of the criminal's partners.

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 SIGHTINGS

Ranger Judy sent along the following report:

Penn (Julliette) and Teller (Reebo & Zooty) can be seen on Showtime's BULLSHIT on Fridays at 11pm.

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.

BABYLON 5 CHRONOLOGY

Another section of the wonderful Babylon 5 Chronology is now available for your enjoyment. Go to 23rd 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.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

BILL MUMY: Bill has posted a report of his TWILIGHT ZONE experience out at http://www.billmumy.com/january_2003.htm. There are a few pictures of Bill and his daughter. Looks like they all had a ball.


Bill Mumy's episode of the TWILIGHT ZONE will air on February 19 at 9:00pm ET on UPN. The episode is a sequel to "It's A Good Life" titled "It's Still a Good Life" for the "Twilight Zone" TV series. Bill will reprise 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! It's 30 years later in Peakesville, Ohio... the village that was separated from the world by Anthony all those years ago. Thanks to Bill's Fan Club for the update.


PETER WOODWARD: I've just updated the schedule for Peter's CONQUEST series on the B5 Cast page. There are some interesting episodes ahead, including one where Peter learns how to ride a bull and training for the demolition derby at the Orange County Fair in California


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.


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 #50 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #50 - On sale February 20, 2003

COVER BY: Scott Campbell
WRITER: J. Michael Straczynski
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
INKS: Scott Hanna

THE STORY: At long last, it's the story you've been demanding: Peter Parker and Mary Jane make the big decision!

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.

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

Cult Times #89 Cult Times #89: ALIAS is one of those series that leaves you wanting more -- and more. This issue looks at season one and provides a few tidbits about what is ahead. Nicole de Boer looks at her role in THE DEAD ZONE; Victoria Pratt talks a bit about season two of MUTANT X and Don S. Davis looks ahead to season seven of STARGATE SG-1.






Starburst #295 Starburst #295: DAREDEVIL is shortly be released and I'm sure it will be most evident in the major SF magazines. In this issue, the magazine explores the history of the Daredevil character. Also in this issue, Robert Hall, make-up designer for ANGEL, looks at some of his creations ahead for us.






Expose #76 Expose #76: Julian McMahon looks at his time on CHARMED; Paul-Ben Victor talks about his experience as Quesada, DAREDEVIL's first villain. Also in this issue, Hugh Jackman and Anna Paquin look at X-MEN 2 and David Greenwalt tells us about his new MIRACLES series.





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:

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

03-FEB-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 NEW GROUND
03-FEB-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 MATERNAL INSTINCT
03-FEB-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 CRYSTAL SKULL
03-FEB-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 NEMESIS
03-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 NEW GROUND
04-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 MATERNAL INSTINCT
05-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 CRYSTAL SKULL
06-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 NEMESIS
07-FEB-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) METAMORPHOSIS
07-FEB-03 11:30 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) METAMORPHOSIS
10-FEB-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 SMALL VICTORIES
10-FEB-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 THE OTHER SIDE
10-FEB-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 UPGRADES
10-FEB-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 CROSSROADS
10-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 SMALL VICTORIES
11-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 THE OTHER SIDE
12-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 UPGRADES
13-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 CROSSROADS
14-FEB-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) DISCLOSURE
14-FEB-03 11:30 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) DISCLOSURE
17-FEB-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 DIVIDE AND CONQUER
17-FEB-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
17-FEB-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 WATERGATE
17-FEB-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 THE FIRST ONES
17-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 DIVIDE AND CONQUER
18-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
19-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 WATERGATE
20-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 THE FIRST ONES
21-FEB-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) FORSAKEN
21-FEB-03 11:30 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) FORSAKEN
24-FEB-03 7:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 SCORCHED EARTH
24-FEB-03 8:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 BENEATH THE SURFACE
24-FEB-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 POINT OF NO RETURN
24-FEB-03 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 TANGENT
24-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 SCORCHED EARTH
25-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 BENEATH THE SURFACE
26-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 POINT OF NO RETURN
27-FEB-03 1:00 AM STARGATE SG-1 TANGENT
28-FEB-03 9:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) THE CHANGELING
28-FEB-03 11:30 PM STARGATE SG-1 (LBX) THE CHANGELING

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


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