THE ZOCALO TODAY
Last Updated
February 3, 2000 10:22pm 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.

Stephen Austin

CHAT TONIGHT

THANK YOU, Stephen Austin, for a wonderful chat with us tonight. I hope everyone had a good time. The transcript of the chat will be available soon over at the TNT site. Be sure to drop over to Stephen's website as well. That's at Stephen Austin. And be sure to check the convention calendar to see if Stephen will be attending a convention near you!

CRUSADE VIDEOS AVAILABLE

Ranger Sean says that CRUSADE is now scheduled for a video release in the UK. Each tape will contain 2 episodes; the seventh tape will have only one. Warner UK will release the first two tapes on March 6 and then release one tape per month. For more information, plus a look at the video sleeves, check out http://www.starfury.co.uk.

NEW SCRIPTS AVAILABLE

For February, the B5 Fan Club has two scripts available.

"A Voice in the Wilderness", part 1 can be ordered using this link.

Voice 2 The autographed version of "A Voice in the Wilderness" is available via this link.

Voice 3 To order "A Voice in the Wilderness" - Part 2 use this link.

To order the autographed version of Part 2, use this link.

NEW NPR SF RADIO DRAMA SERIES

Harlan Ellison will host Beyond 2000, a series of radio dramas based on clasic SF stories and novels. The show premieres on National Public Radio in April. "This will be the most ambitious attempt at doing (science fiction) radio drama since the 1950s, when Dimension X and X Minus One were on," Ellison told Sci-Fi Wire. You can read more about the upcoming series at Sci Fi Wire.

BABYLON 5 TRIVIA

Want to see how much you actually KNOW about Babylon 5? Found a cute little Trivia game this morning over at About.com. It's part of a whole range of items available on Babylon 5. Why not drop over and see how much you do remember about the show. Babylon 5 Trivia.

NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY. THANKS to everyone who have taken the time to send in a response to this week's discussion topic. There have been SO many responses in fact, that I've made this week's topic a single page and taken the older topics to a second page. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. If you haven't sent in your opinion, please take a second and do so. Just send a note to The Zocalo or sgbruckner@aol.com.

REQUEST FOR HELP

I received a copy of this message, which is actually a request for help from Babylon 5 fans who would like to see the Babylon 5 "Into The Fire" game saved. While I do not know the sender, I do know that a number of readers were very disappointed when Sierra pulled the plug on this one. Here's your chance to add your support.

"Over at Firstones.com , the webmasters and other fans have decided that convincing Codemasters to buy B5: ITF may be our last chance to save the game, and we are begining to run out of time. In order to show Codemasters how beneficial a purchase of ITF would be, we have begun a massive email campaign to show our support of ITF and Codemasters. So far, there are over 1000 emails ( and thats just in the past few days) and we are going to try to reach 2000 or so before monday, which is when there is a meeting at Codemasters discussing ITF status.

If we can show Codemasters how many people are interested in this game we will likely save the game. So this is possibly endgame, because if we get the game picked up soon, then the game will be saved, but if not, then we probably won't see it finished.

We will succeed!

Angered1
Thanks for your time"

NEW PEN PAL REQUEST

A new fan has requested some help, conversation, with the show. Drop over to our Pen Pal page and see if you want to "chat" with "V.Sinclair" about the show. Having just discovered the show, I'm sure there is a lot of information we all can share with this newbie! Let's start with a new discussion topic for the week as well, something fairly general -- but something everyone will have a comment on! Check that out in the Discussion Topic section!

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PAGES

I've added a new page to the reference index. This page covers magazines like DreamWatch, TV Zone, StarBurst and others that have covered Babylon 5 and Crusade over the last several years. This index will expand as I add more issues and new magazines.

If you have magazines that have featured Babylon 5 or Crusade that are not listed, send along their issue number and a note to indicate what the article was about. It would be nice to have a fairly comprehensive listing of Babylon 5 publications here.

CHANGE AT AMAZING STORIES MAGAZINE

Ranger Ken tells me that Hasbro (yes the toy folks) have just bought out Wizards who publish "Amazing Stories". Let's hope this doesn't change the current magazine. "Amazing Stories" has come a long way in a fairly short time, bringing us some media-related stories as well as some new stories by leading authors. While I know this is more related to card and product access, I hope Hasbro knows that the magazine is a true asset, with a growing following of readers.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Peter Woodward has heard you all asking why he had no photo with his father, Edward, during their Crusade episode together. He now has a photo from "The Long Road" that his father will be signing. Peter will have the photo with him at upcoming conventions.

SIGHTINGS

On Sunday night while watching the "X Files", I spotted William Forward as a nervous FBI agent. This was the "Millenium" cross-over episode.

Ranger Dave reports: Friday, Jan. 29th. Londo was on a new episode of Sliders. He wasn't mentioned in your earlier news of B5 cast members..

MSilva reports: "I thought i saw Jerry Doyle in a recent episode of Beverly Hills 90210 as a father of a date with one of the lead female characters."

Ranger Bill reports: I failed to mention that on last weeks premier episode of The WB's new show "Brutally Normal",Raymond O'Conner "Mack" in the eps "A View From The Gallery" pn 505,had a bit part as the school principal...he was not in tonight's show.

Ranger Helen asks: Beata Pozniak (President Luchenko) was supposed to be on "Mad About You" last night. I forgot to watch it. Did anybody else see it?

JERRY DOYLE'S CAMPAIGN

For those of you following Jerry's campaign, you'll want to check out Today's Roll Call On-line. Jerry is mentioned in an article by Rachel Van Dongen entitled "Outsider Candidates Wrestle for Respect." Roll Call on Politics.

JMS SPEAKS

Last updated: January 29, 2000

This section has a lot of information, directly from JMS. Read about working with WB in the early days of the show; his upcoming "Amazing Stories" short story and production of "Rising Stars". What does he think of Jerry's upcoming campaign? Check out the latest in the JMS Speaks section.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

Maggie Egan, ISN Anchorperson, has a new CD out entitled "Maggie Egan - Out of this World." The CD is a collection of swing era songs, done with a sci-fi touch, all with celestial titles (Blue Moon, I've Got the World on a String, etc.). You can listen to a sample at http://www.newbeacon.com". I particularly liked the parody song Maggie has out as "Maggie's Crusade".

Daniel Dae Kim (Lt. Matheson) was a guest-star on ST: Voyager in the episode "Blink of an Eye." He was a pilot from a planet and turned out to be the character who saved Voyager from being destroyed.

"A Piece of Eden" (formerly entitled "13") featuring Andreas Katsulas premieres on Friday in St. Louis. MO. Andreas will be appearing in St. Louis for the next couple of days, speaking at St. Louis University tomorrow and radio and television interviews today. For those lucky enough to be in St. Louis to hear Andreas, he will be speaking about the impact of acting on his life and this movie. Director John Hancock will also be speaking. For more information, go to http://www77.pair.com/timem/katsulas/.

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.

BOXLEITNER BOOK SIGNINGS

Bruce Boxleitner began his first book signing tour in England and Ireland this week. The tour runs through February 4. Check out the complete schedule at On the Road with Bruce Boxleitner.

Bruce's book, "Frontier Earth", has an interesting story! There are several reviews of the book listed on the Amazon site.

Ranger Anthony reports:
I saw Bruce Boxleitner in London last week where he was signing his new book at a shop called "Forbidden Planet". The fact that the show still has a following in the U.K. is indicated by the fact that the queue was long. So long that I had to opt out of the queue when I was about 10 people away from him as I had to leave to attend a business meeting ! Never mind I'm sure I'll catch up with him soon at another signing.

Ranger Steve reports:
I was at his book signing in Norwich, England yesterday. It was great. I'll give you a full report later on on what was said, but he was told to ring his agent during the Q&A session and he was offered to do an "Outer Limits" episode, and he agreed. So that's straight from the horces mouth yesterday, official news. He said Melissa did one a while back and enjoyed it.

BABYLON 5/CRUSADE IN PRINT

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.




Rising Stars #4

RISING STARS #4

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!

THIS WEEK'S DISCUSSION TOPICS

This week's discussion topics:
1. What first attracted you to Babylon 5?

We haven't had a good discussion since the holiday season began. Here's a topic everyone should be able to contribute to! Thanks to those who have shared their thoughts already.

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.

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.

IMPORTANT DATES

Birthdays

February

Bill Mumy - February 1
John Schuck - February 4
Michael Beck - February 4
Ardwight Chamberlain - February 16 (the voice of Kosh)
Karen Harrell - February 21
Majel Barrett Roddenberry - February 23
John Iacovelli - February 25
Matt Plummer - February 26
Babylon 5 History

2260 - The Babylon 5 War Council decides to contact the First Ones
2260 - Michael Garibaldi received the Book of G'Quan from G'Kar
2259 - The first Rangers arrive on Babylon 5
2221 - Birth of Michael Alfredo Garibaldi

February 22, 1993 - The Gathering Premieres in the US

** These dates are taken from the SlowDazzle calendar. I hope they are close!

FAN CLUB MERCHANDISE

SCRIPT AVAILABLE DURING JANUARY

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.

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

cartoon Another toon from Tye.

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

VISIONCON -- I'll be at VisionCon -- along with the Babylon 5 blooper reels -- all five seasons worth. If you haven't seen them before, you're in for a treat! They are truly funny.

GALLIFREY CONVENTION -- For those of you who will be attending the Gallifrey Convention coming up in Los Angeles on Feb. 18-20, JMS is scheduled to appear at 4pm on Sunday.

There are a number of other B5 and Crusade personalities attending the convention, i.e., Peter Woodward, Carrie Dobro, David Allen Brooks, Fiona Avery, Maggie Egan. Be sure to take notes and let us know how it all goes.

Jason Carter has been added to the roster of guests for this year's ICON 19 in New York and CoastCon in Biloxi, Mississippi.

For further information, check out the convention calendar.

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 .

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!

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:

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

If you have items you'd like to trade, post a note here. If you need a particular item, the Trading Post or Message Board could help you find it. Use this link to see what is listed. 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.


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.

ZOCALO LINK PAGE

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


February 5
7 am ET/PT "In the Kingdom of the Blind"


February 12
7 am ET/PT "A Tragedy of Telepaths"


February 19
7 am ET/PT "Phoenix Rising"


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!

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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