THE ZOCALO TODAY
Last Updated
January 14, 2000 09:27am EST





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What's New

UPDATES: I know it may be hard to find the things that have been added to the page each day, so I'm going to try a couple of different methods. Today, I'll use this color for all updates. Tomorrow the update's information will revert to the color of the rest of the page. Only updates will be in this color. Hopefully this will help you identify NEW items.

NEW ITEMS ON EBAY

The Fan Club has just put up three new items on the e-bay auction site.

Fifth Season Autographed Poster - This professionally framed poster hung in the hallways of Babylonian Productions. It is signed on the glass by J. Michael Straczysnki, Douglas Netter and John Copeland. Use this link to place your bid on the Season Five Poster.

"A Call To Arms"Poster - This 27x40 poster hung in John Copeland's Office. It's signed on the glass by J. Michael Straczysnki, Douglas Netter and John Copeland. Follow this link to place you bid on A Call to Arms Poster.

Autographed Babylon 5 Magazine #1 -- Volume 1, Issue #1 of the Babylon 5 magazine has been autographed by Bruce Boxleitner. This magazine has been out of print for quite some time! It is "rare" -- and so is the autograph! Here is a link to use to place you bid on this Babylon 5 #1 Magazine.

FARSCAPE CHAT

FARSCAPE creator Rockne S. O'Bannon will take part in a live chat at SCIFI.COM this Thursday night, at 9pm ET. He will discuss the four-part season finale which began last week, as well as what's in store for Moya's crew later this spring when a new season begins. O'Bannon was the creator of SEAQUEST DSV, and his writing credits include ALIEN NATION, PETER BENCHLEY'S CREATURE, and NBC's INVASION.

UPCOMING SPECIAL

Flying Tigers Ranger Penny has confirmed that the January 23 program on the History Channel is one produced by John Copeland and narrated by Bruce Boxleitner. Here's the description:

The Real Flying Tigers. (History Undercover)

In 1941, with the U.S. government's tacit approval, retired Army Air Force Captain Claire L. Chennault, then a colonel in China's Air Force, formed the mercenary American Volunteer Group to fight Japan. Later dubbed "Flying Tigers", these brave pilots set records yet to be equaled in the annals of aerial history. This is their story. (cc) [TV G]

Tiger Patch John describes this project as a "labor of love" for everyone who worked on it. If you've ever been in John's office, you know by the pictures on the wall that the Flying Tigers were of great interst to him and I can't wait to see this program. Check your local listings to see when this program will air in your locality. A look at the History Channel website gives this information:

Airing dates/times are:
Sunday, January 23, 10-11:00pm
Monday, January 24, 2-3am
Saturday, January 29, 3-4pm

DVD PETITION

The site for the Babylon 5 DVD petition is still up and going strong. Signature count currently is 4322, so if you have not yet voted, please do so. B5 DVD Petition

Birthday Cake

BIRTHDAY WISHES

TODAY - chatter Ellen Naranek
January 27 - Julie Caitlin Brown

CONGRATULATIONS!

Todd and Sarah became Mr. and Mrs. Brugman on January 7. Todd is one of our very talented cartoonists. We wish them happiness and joy!

NEW REFERENCE SECTION

Since so many people have been asking about the Official Babylon 5 Magazine, I have begun a B5 Reference Section. The first page contains an index of all the B5 magazines and gives a brief listing of what the issue contains. (Reviews can be found over at the TNT website under Reports.)

Distribution in the US is handled by Eastern News to news stands and by Diamond Distributors to special science fiction and comic shops. I've had great success in finding the magazine at Barnes & Noble bookstores.

This section will expand with additional magazine references as I gather up my old magazines and put them into some sort of order.

Rising Stars #4

RISING STARS #4 IS OUT

Rising Stars #4 is now out on the shelves! This blurb can be found at the Top Cow web site describing the current issue:

The hit series of 1999 continues as readers are introduced to a young woman who was born as a Special, but didn't manifest any powers or abilities. Or did she? Sometimes in life, the right circumstance just needs to present itself. Additional Rising Stars' characters and background history are revealed in this very powerful issue.

FC 32 pages $2.50 ON SALE 12/20-12/24/99

If you want me to pick up copies for you -- drop me a line!

NEW JMS STORIES

In the latest issue of the Official Babylon 5 Magazine, readers are asked to select from four areas or characters to assist JMS in building a new story. Votes MUST be in by January 31. You can mail in entries to: "B5 Fiction Vote", Babylon 5 Magazine, Titan Magazines, 144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP. Internet votes are welcome at b5magmail@titanemail.com. Please put B5 Fiction Vote in the subject line. The categories/characters are:

A. Old B5 Crew (during the 5 year arc)
B. New B5 Crew (after the 5 year arc)
C. Garibaldi
D. G'Kar

Please do NOT include story ideas or suggestions.

PHOTO GALLERY ADDITIONS

I've received some new photos from John Upton, Paul Baltrunas and Nancy & Grieg Nancy Pederson of conventions to share. They are now in the Photo Gallery Thanks for sending them along. They are wonderful!

If you have photos to add to the convention gallery, let me know. If you'd like to start a reader's gallery, that's possible as well. Just send along your photo and I'll begin a rogue's gallery for everyone to enjoy!

JERRY DOYLE'S POLITICAL CAMPAIGN

Sci-Fi Weekly has an update on Jerry Doyle's campaign for Congress. He's now the only qualified Republican candidate. When asked why his candidacy should be taken seriously, Jerry responded:

"I'm the only candidate with his own action figure."

Read the full article at Sci-Fi Weekly.

JMS ON CBS' SUNDAY MORNING

CBS has a transcript at their site of JMS' appearance on CBS' Sunday Morning program. Follow this link to read what JMS had to say Future Seekers.

New Projects

Now that the holidays are behind us, I have a number of things I want to include here at The Zocalo Today, i.e. more interviews, chats, etc. If you have suggestions as to things you'd like to see included here, drop me a line at sgbruckner@aol.com.

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SHOWS

I've started to add items to the Other Sci-Fi section of the Zocalo. Since I know a lot of you follow FarScape, StarGate and other items, I'll drop little notes over there of things that I find interesting. The most recent items include information from Majel Barrett Roddenberry and the new "Andromeda" series.

Peter Woodward's new movie "The Patriot" has a treaser out that you might enjoy. The Patriot

NEW BABYLON 5 GAME

I know a LOT of people were disappointed when Sierra pulled the plug on the B5 game. Just saw a note over in the newsgroups that indicates a new model under development using the Freespace game engine which is based in the B5 universe. I took a brief peek and so far, it looks great. Check out their progress at http://www.planetdescent.com/planetfs/babylon/.

TIM CHOATE INTERVIEW

I talked to Tim in November, after he had done his "Crusade" episode. He provided me with some interesting comments concerning his work on both Crusade and Babylon 5. While reading will not do it justice, he did answer a number of questions I think every Babylon 5 has had about Zathras! Interview Page.

NEW MESSAGE BOARD

Want to leave a note for someone, want to wish someone a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, drop in a new recipe for spoo? Now you have someplace to do that! Just put up a simple message board. Want something posted, drop me a note and I'll get it into the message board.

BOOK REVIEW

Dave Brown has provided us with another review, this time of "Legions of Fire" -- the first in a trilogy by Peter David of the Centauri Republic. Drop over to the Review Page and read his review of "Legions" and his earlier review of the last of the Psi Corps Trilogy books.

If you would like to share your views about any of the Babylon 5 novels written to date, send them to me and so that they can be shared with other readers here at the Z.

JMS SPEAKS

Last updated: January 8, 2000

Just put some new material in this section you might want to check out!

Want to know what's on JMS' mind these days? Read excerpts from internet statements JMS has made on subjects like: Jerry Doyle running for Congress; B5 being included in a list of shows using vulgarity, etc. This and more is in the JMS Speaks section.

BACK ISSUES OF THE ZOCALO TODAY

As the front page of The Zocalo Today changes, 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!

UPCOMING BOOK SIGNINGS

Bruce Boxleitner begins a book signing tour to England and Ireland, January 24-February 4. For those of you who have not read Bruce's book Frontier Earth be sure to check it out. It's an interesting story! There are several reviews of the book listed on the Amazon site.

The schedule for Bruce's signings can be found at On the Road with Bruce Boxleitner. I hope this is the first of many such tours.

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE IN PRINT

Amazing Stories #600 Harlan Ellison has a wonderful short story in the current issue. You'll not want to miss it! In the Summer issue, Amazing Stories will once again feature an original Babylon 5 fiction by J. Michael Straczynski. Issue 602 on sale June 26!

If you need information on how to subscribe or obtain back issues to this magazine, drop over to Amazing Stories. If you're having a trouble finding a copy of the current issue, drop me a note. I can pick up an issue for you.

OFFICIAL BABYLON 5 MAGAZINE - Issue #19 . There are some wonderful items in this month's issue, including an insightful interview with Michael O'Hare, a terrific look at "A Sky Full of Stars" in the station log, and the third part of an interview with Bruce Boxleitner. This issue also has part two of a special Babylon 5 timeline that is absolutely marvelous.




KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

Gary Cole recently made a guest appearance on "Family Law" -- the new CBS drama staring Dixie Carter, Kathleen Quinlan and Julie Warner. Gary portrays a father who is having trouble keeping custody of his young child.

Gary has also been doing some voice work for two cartoon series. He has been featured in an episode of "Batman Beyond", as well as several episodes of the Fox television comedy "The Family Guy".

Jerry Doyle just returned home to Los Angeles from Canada, where he finished filming independent movie "Devious Being".

THIS WEEK'S DISCUSSION TOPICS

This week's discussion topics:
1. What is your favorite Season Three Episode -- and Why?
2. What is your favorite Babylon 5 book -- and why?

I know! There's a let-down now that the holidays are over. But if you have opinions to share, send them along. They are most appreciated.

Visit the Discussion Topic page to see what other topics have been discussed. And pass along suggestions for future topics you'd like to chat about!

Discussion Topic

Send in your submissions to The Zocalo. Please put Discussion Topic in the subject line.

FAN CLUB MERCHANDISE

NEW SCRIPT AVAILABLE

The script for January is "Mind War". It is available through the Fan Club for $20 and can be found in the Collectibles section. This is one of those episodes with a LOT going on throughout the entire hour. Catch Bester at his BEST!

Babylon 5 Bible -- The original Season One Babylon 5 Writer's Bible. This massive tome weighs in at over 60 pages with comprehensive backgrounds on all characters and story arc; as well as guidelines for writing SF for TV. This document is peppered with original (color and B&W) illustrations by Peter Ledger. Use this link to place an order Babylon 5 Writer's Bible.

Babylon 5 Series Treatment -- This beautifully bound original Babylon 5 Series Treatment written in September 1988, was used to sell the series. It contains different characters than were ever seen in the show. This treatment was ONLY given to Network/Studio heads. This document is peppered with original color illustrations by Peter Ledger. Use this link to order your copy from the Emporium Babylon 5 Series Treatment.

Autographed Babylon 5 Magazines

Four different sets of magazines, autographed by a number of individuals, are still available via the Fan Club. Set #1 includes autographs of Bill Mumy, Peter Woodward and Christopher Franke. To order, follow this link Set #1.

The second set features Kathryn Drennan, author of Babylon 5 Novel #9, Walter Koenig and Richard Biggs. Use this link Set #2.

The third set includes autographs by John Copeland (Producer of B5), Jerry Doyle and Tracy Scoggins. This link goes to Set #3.

The last set includes Peter Jurasik, Bruce Boxleitner and J. Michael Straczynski. Follow this link Set #4.

Sets are available, while they last, for $50 each.

Membership Credits:
The Club has a chart up at thestation.com that shows what credit you will receive based on your membership expiration date.

Ordering Information: There are a number of ways to order merchandise from the Club:

Credit card purchases can be made on-line, by mail, or by fax. The Fax number is 1-818-771-1677.

FOR PHONE ORDERS: Here are the numbers to use: 1-888-777-8517 or 1-818-623-1198 . Phone lines are open Monday thru Friday, 10-6pm PST. If no one answers the phone, please leave your credit card information on the voicemail. Val and Tony do process orders based on the time-stamped voicemail messages. Be sure to leave your phone number as well, just in case they have any questions.

You can send a check or money order for merchandise -- made payable to Babylon 5 Fan Club -- to Official Babylon 5 Fan Club, P.O. Box 856, North Hollywood, CA 91603.

** For all orders done by mail, it's best to send in an order form with your check or money order. Use this link to get a copy of the Order Form. There is a new reference list as well, so that you can check to see what merchandise is still available. Ref List.

BABYLON 5 CARTOONS

Another toon from Todd Brugman (babblingfarce@hotmail.com).

I'm moving some cartoons from Todd and Tye over to a new page so that you can enjoy them longer than just a week. Check out the new Toons Page!

There's an interesting competition going on right now over at ToonZone. It's asking people to submit a "punch line" for a B5 cartoon. Pop over and try your hand at filling in the bubble!












Got toons? Want to share them? Drop me a line at sgbruckner@aol.com and let's chat!

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE CONVENTIONS

CONVENTION UPDATES

Rick Biggs and Jason Carter have been added to the DragonCon roster!

Stephen Austin has signed up for a few more cons! He'll be attending DragonCon in Atlanta and Best of Both Worlds in Sydney! Check the calendar for specifics.

Harlan Ellison has been added to the guest list for AggieCon 31 - March 23-26, 2000 on the campus of Texas A&M University. For more information, check out http://cepheid.tamu.edu/aggiecon.

Claudia Christian has been added to the guest roster for the Gateway convention this summer. For more information check out Gateway's web site.

CONVENTION REPORTS

The Convention Reports page includes: Sci-Fi Cruise, Best of Both Worlds (Sydney), Praxis, Tropicon, Slanted Fedora (Raleigh), Vulkon (Orlando) and United Fan Con are now loaded in the Reports section. My report on Far Point, with a few photos is also there. Catch the new photos in the convention photo gallery.

If you have experiences you'd like to share -- or photos -- send them along. We'd love to see/read them.

CONVENTION ATTENDANCE

Are you attending one of the conventions on the calendar? Or another one perhaps? Do you want to see who else might be there? Drop your e-mail address to The Zocalo. We've begun an attendance page so that perhaps we can get together while enjoying the activities of the convention. Convention Attendance .

CONVENTION PHOTO GALLERY

We've captured some of the ComLinkers on film -- yes, at conventions. Here are just a few pictures people have sent along for all of us to share Convention Pictures If you have photos you would like to include here, send them on to me at sgbruckner@aol.com or thezocalo@aol.com.

CONVENTION CALENDAR

Want to know what conventions are ahead for the Babylon 5 and/or Crusade cast and crew? Use this link Convention Calendar.

Coming Up Next:

Hollywood Collectors Show
January 22-2, 2000; North Hollywood, CA
Place: Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn
Guest: Stephen Austin (Pak'Ma'Ra Ambassador)

More information to follow.



ShevaCon
Feb. 4-6, 2000; Virginia Beach, VA
Guest: Peter Woodward

For more information, visit their website at SheVaCon or write to SheVaCon, P.O. Box 416, Verona, VA 24482-0416.

Gallifrey One
Feb. 18-20, 2000; The Airtel Plaza Hotel; Van Nuys, CA
Guest: J. Michael Straczynski, Peter Woodward, Carrie Dobro, David Allen Brooks, Fiona Avery, Maggie Egan

For more information, send a note to Gallifrey Conventions, PO Box 3021, North Hollywood, CA 91609 or call 818-752-3756. Visit their web site at: http://www.gallifreyone.com.



VisionCon
February 18-20, 2000; Springfield, MO
Guests: Michael O'Hare

For more information, call 417-886-7219 or write to Visioncon 2000, PO Box 1415, Springfield, MO 65801-1415. Visit their website at http://www.visioncon.net .

ZOCALO TRADING POST

It's not e-bay, but we have some interesting items in The Trading Post now from Jason Carter and Michael O'Hare. So check it out!

If you have items you'd like to trade, post a note here. You never know who might respond. Use this link to see what is already out to trade. 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

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.

HAVING TROUBLE LOCATING MAGAZINES?: If you are a fan of the British magazines but can't get them in your local bookstores, why not drop a line in the Trading Post or Letters section and see if someone would like to trade you British magazines or US magazines or novels?


The Zocalo - Today, Issue #3

I just put out a copy of The Zocalo Today - Issue #3 in PDF format, for those of you who like to have a hard-copy version of the newsletter. The Zocalo, Issue #3. You will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat to open the file. If you don't have that, please go to Adobe and download a copy of the software.

Babylon 5/Crusade Links

We haven't forgotten all the wonderful pages created in support of Babylon 5 or Crusade. They now have their own page! I've added a few new ones, so be sure to use the button at the top of the page or Links Page.

BABYLON 5 SCHEDULE -- TNT ON SATURDAY MORNING

January 15
7 am ET/PT "Learning Curve"


January 22
7 am ET/PT "Strange Relations"


January 29
7 am ET/PT "Secrets of the Soul"


SUGGESTIONS

If you have suggestions of other things that should be added to The Zocalo, please drop me a note at the e-mail address above or at sgbruckner@aol.com.

Subscribing to The Zocalo Today

When you subscribe to the e-groups mailing, you have 4 options for receiving messages from the group -- regular e-mail, a digest summary or a digest daily full-text of messages distributed on a regular basis or viewing on the web only. Choose which method works best for you! Just go to www.egroups.com and use your e-mail address to log in to the system and edit your profile. To read messages on the net, just type in http://www.egroups.com/list/thezocalo.

The Zocalo is a moderated mailing list -- which means that no one can post to the listing but me! Sorry about that -- that's why you receive an error when you try responding to a note regarding The Zocalo. It's one of the restrictions I've run into when using e-groups.com. It prevents responses from rippling through the group, but forces you to do a new e-mail message when you want to respond to a topic or send in information.

Thank you for your support. Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can return often to see if anything new has been added. The new buttons will help you move around the various parts of the newsletter. The subscription listing will be for reminders of things coming up -- and to highlight changes at The Zocalo. This is not the old Zocalo -- where everything was in the e-mail message delivered to you. That's what made it too long and prevented you from enjoying it more. The new version of the Z is short and to the point!

LOOKING AHEAD!

If you would like to write something -- like a book review -- for placement in The Zocalo, drop me a line and let's talk. I'm at bruckner@isnnews.net or The Zocalo.

HELP!!!

If you would like to take some flyers to a convention to help spread the word that The Zocalo is Back! drop me a line. I'll be glad to send you some in the mail. I've created a PDF file that can be downloaded and printed. Flyer Thanks for helping to spread the word about The Z!

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

http://zocalo.isnnews.net

Awards

BABYLON 5 Awards Your web site, "The Zocalo Today", has been chosen to receive the BABYLON 5 UK TOP FLIGHT award ! Your coverage of the J. Michael Straczynski universe of Babylon 5 and Crusade is top flight ! Late breaking news, books, merchandise, cast & crew tid bits and humor, The Zocalo Today seems to be a one stop fan resource.

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