JMS Speaks (again)

[Baze]

Ah, the old "get some more dosh" trick. Means to get extra cash. You've flown the guests over for a length of time, not just an event, so you can then take 'em out to a few SF shops to do signings for maybe a tenner apiece. Most of which goes to the organiser.

Cooney's a notorious interferer. Can't sit back and let something run. I do wonder what run-ins he's had with JMS before though.

[Wizz]

<font face="georgia">Okay, so here's the deal. There are now three episodes remaining of Jeremiah's first season, "A Means to an End," by Sara Barnes, and the two part "Things Left Unsaid" by yr obdnt srvnt.

The first is a quieter, more personal story but also sets up what's going to happen in the two-parter, and the latter (directed by Mike Vejar, our good luck charm on B5 who did our best episodes) is pretty much nonstop intensity and action and character stuff end to end.

Though we're already doing well, it would be great to go out on a real bang ratings wise, so I'm going to try an experiement. If every B5 viewer who sees this can get the word to every other viewer who gets Showtime normally (I wouldn't sign up just for this, that's fiscally imprudent) to watch the next three episodes, that would be terrific. I think that would be sufficient to kick us over the edge into a sure renewal for year two.

And they're fun episodes on their own rights, even if you haven't seen the show before. Though "Means" is, again, a quieter episode, there's one scene in it that will have just about any SF fan worth his/her salt rolling on the floor. I can pretty much guarantee you it's something you haven't seen before.

As for "Things Left Unsaid," of all the things I've written and produced, this may be the best thing I've ever been involved with, from a production standpoint and much of the writing. We kind of got pulled back a bit after the events of 9/11 put a damper on the television business in terms of the kinds of stories one can tell, but we really got this puppy back up on the rails again with the two parter, which is emblematic of what we'll do in a second year.

Anyway...just a call out from here to B5 fandom, to see if it's still there, so we can get together one more time on a biggie.

Thanks.

jms
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<font color="red">don't you think people could afford the ten bucks to get Showtime for July?</font>

Yeah, but I don't like to presume on other people's wallets, especially for just three eps. I've always valued the B5 viewer base and try to avoid asking them to plonk down bucks unless necessary, on the theory that SF fans are in general pretty exploited that way.

jms

([email protected])
(all message content (c) 2002 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

[Wizz]

<font face="georgia">Baze, ask and ye shall receive...I went to Google.com (Google is your friend!), selected "Groups", then put in "Cooney Strazinsky" in the search box. Out of many hits came the following:

Date: 09 Feb 1998 23:57:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <[email protected]>
To: Bryan Cooney <[email protected]>
Subject: Claudia on "Highlander"
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>

Since you have now surfaced again....

1) Photos were taken of myself, cast and crew at your behest for a full print run, signed by everyone, for sale to benefit charity. You said that every person who participated would receive copies of this photo. To date, several of those involved, myself included, have not yet received copies. When do you intend to fulfill your promise?

2) These photos were to be sold to benefit charity. Can you supply me with the number of photos sold, and the amount of money raised, and to which charity they have gone? And how many others remain in your custody? As one of those who participated, at your request, I have the right to this information.

3) You have stated in the past that your books on charitable donations are open to inspection. I have now asked, at least half a dozen times, for you to provide me with copies of that information. You said after my last request that it would take several months for you to assemble that data. It has now been almost a year. I have not yet received the promised accounting on this, or the prior Wolf convention, where I participated to help you allegedly raise money for charity. When will this accounting be forthcoming?

4) You have been repeatedly instructed not to show, or facilitate the public showing, of episodes in the UK prior to their official airing. I am reminding you of your obligation not to do so, or to use clips from said unaired episodes at your conventions. If you do so, I cannot be held responsible for the consequences.

5) You stated that pirated merchandise would not be available at the prior conventions. Yet in both cases, substantial amounts of illegal merchandise was being sold openly at your conventions. Will you, or will you not, honor your obligation to keep out illegal merchandise in future conventions?

jms

I'm sure there's more, but it would appear from just this one post that JMS has some reasonable concerns
Wizz

[Baze]

Yeah. Seems like Cooney is a bit of a shyster at heart. It's a shame really- SF fans being exploited again. I've always wondered about "charity" auctions at cons. Maybe there was reason to be concerned!

[Wizz]

<font face="georgia"><font color="red">I happened to watch an episode of "She-Ra" yesterday. they're doing re-runs here in Germany, on Tele 5, and I just happened to drop by. And then, watched it because in the titles, it said that the story of that episode was by "J. Michael Straczynski"???
</font>

It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

jms

([email protected])
(all message content (c) 2002 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)</font>

[Wizz]

<font face="georgia">Today [July 3rd] we finished mixing the last of the Jeremiah two-parter. It's killer. Year one is finished; now we await word on year two.

For those who might want to take a look...I did a small piece for the San Diego Comic Convention website about, well, SDCC. It's a short but fun piece that should be up in the next day or so at www.comic-con.org

Also did an introduction to Fiona Avery's newest graphic novel, WITCHBLADE: OBAKEMONO, which hits comics stores soon. The novel is some of her best work to date, and the intro "Of Samurai, Bulldogs and Applied Mathematics" is just for fun.

If you haven't gotten in your story/email/message/whatever on a favorite B5 quote (what it is, why it resonated, what it or the show in general meant, what meaning can be derived from it) for the upcoming quote book -- "But In Purple I'm Stunning, Quotations from Babylon 5," the door on submissions will be closing soon. Notes can be sent to [email protected]

Finally, I'm writing an intro for the B5 DVDs, which are proceeding along well and this should prove to be a very nice little package.

(Okay, I lied, one last-last thing...after the 12th of July or so there will likely be a small announcement from WB that's B5 related. Can't comment more than that, and it isn't anything major a la a new series or a movie or the like, but I suspect a certain sub-set of B5 fandom will be most pleased by the information.)

As of this coming February 22nd, it'll be ten years since "The Gathering" aired. Boy, that damned tempus just keeps on fugiting, doesn't it?

jms
<hr width="75%">
<font color="red">I was disappointed not to see Michael O'Hare's name among those who were *definitely* doing interviews for the DVD, and even more disappointed when Ruth O'Hare confirmed that Michael hadn't been asked. I realize the Warner Home Video wouldn't go to the expense of flying Michael in from New York just for a short interview for the DVD, but surely the AOL/TW octopus has enough units *based* in New York that some camera crew or another could have grabbed a quick interview with him at the MTV studio or elsewhere. He was only the frickin' *lead character* for the entire first season. Not having him in the supplements on the DVD seems an odd omission, to say the least.</font>

WB was frantic to find Michael. They had no direct contact information for him. They went through SAG which said they didn't have a current listing for either Michael or his agent. They asked me for help, and I gave them a number which I had a while ago but didn't work. So next we tried Sandy Bruckner, who had another number for him, which I gave to WB, and they said they left messages at that number but never heard a reply. This was all at very short notice, and there was only a week to try and track him down. B5-DVD maven Scott Devine at WB can directly confirm that they were looking for him everywhere, but the clock finally ran out.

jms
<hr width="25%">
<font color="red">Just heard from Ruth. Seems that Michael did indeed get that phone message but decided against the interview (she didn't say if for scheduling or other reasons) and didn't call back. He also didn't mention the call to *Ruth*, who only found out about it when she asked him about it a short while ago.

Well, *I* feel like seven different kinds of idiot for opening up this whole can of worms.
*Never* miiiiiiiiiiind...</font>

This is why it's best, before raising the alarms, to simply ask what the situation might be. I'm pretty straightforward in answering these things.

jms
<hr width="25%"
<font color="red">[From Ruth O'Hare]
My mistake, I should have checked. When I mentioned this to Michael just now he said he HAD got a message on the answer phone this last week. </font>

S'okay...as I said, it was kinda short notice and I can understand the availability question. Please give Michael regards from myself and Kathryn.

Best to you both.

jms
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<font color="red">I don't suppose that all the material taped for the abandoned "Sciography" B5 episode for SciFi might be obtainable for the B5 DVDs?</font>

Doubtful since it was owned by SFC not WB.


jms
<hr width="25%">
"Doubtful since it was owned by SFC not WB."

<font color="red">It should all be owned by JMS! </font>

Unfortunately none of it is owned by jms. The ironic part of it is, I had my attorney recently review the B5 contracts I'd signed some years ago, in preparation for a possible audit, but he explained that under the terms of the contract, which was my first such created-by contract, with an agent who had not really done those kinds of agreements before, an audit really wouldn't make any difference....

....because as it's phrased, I will never, ever see a dime in profits from B5. Writers residuals, sure, though those gradually decrease with time. But not a dime in profits. Ever.

(And no, there's no point to litigation because that's only useful to find hidden profits; the way the contract reads and the amount of overhead and distribution costs that can be taken eats any and all possible profits.)

Which is often the case with first-time series deals, though this was a little more onerous than others.

Such is life. I didn't do it to create a sinecure, I did it to tell a story, and I'd do it again under the same deal.

And my contracts since then have been quite different.

jms
<hr width="75%">
<font color="red">"She-Ra, princess of power,
You're my precious, precious princess of power.
She-Ra, princess of power,
I turn to you when my relationships sour."</font>

.......I'm in hell........


jms
<hr width="25%">
<font color="red">Seriously: I actually think it sounds like a rather pretty and catchy tune. It's nothing to be ashamed of.</font>

Actually, while working at Filmation I'd once put some words about a minor He-Man character to the tune of the theme music from "Bonanza" --

"Who is the man with the head of lead?
It's Ram-Man!
Who is as dense as a picket fence?
Ram-Man is his name!
Leaping here, jumping there, bouncing everywhere...."

-- which was as far as I got before everybody in the office dog-piled me to
stop the horror.

jms
<hr width="75%">
<font color="red">It isn't really funny. This guy is infamous. Paul might catch you up but if he doesn't, do a Google search in this newsgroup for the name Cooney. [in the body, not the subject]</font>

I'm being a bit loquacious today, since my hand is doing a bit better today, so I thought I'd take a moment or two to offer some thoughts here on whys and wherefores and how-the-hells....

See, there's this syndrome Linda Ellerbee came up with a few years ago. It's called Riding the Elephant.

Whenever the circus comes to town, they have to move the trained animals across town to the site of the circus, and they make a parade out of it. Along the way, they get somebody -- usually the mayor, or an honorary mayor, or some other local person -- to ride the elephant. And people show up and they wave, and the guy on the elephant thinks, "Hey, they're waving at me!"

No, they're waving at whoever got to ride the elephant for a moment.

Some convention organizers suffer from Riding the Elephant Syndrome. A show comes along -- not just B5, but any show, and to be honest, not just this but other kinds of promoters -- and it brings in lots of people. The convention organizer stands in front of the crowd and thinks, "They're here because of me! They're here FOR me!"

Not understanding that they're there for the elephant.

In the end, the promoter in most cases is simply irrelevant to the process, and over time that knowledge comes to the forefront as the promoter gets addicted to public applause, to riding the elephant. Take the elephant away, and a lot of self-image and pouter-pigeon ego goes with it.

Which is one big reason why I stopped doing conventions after a bit, doing them with increasing rarity. My SDCC appearance this year is the only one this year (absent Loscon which is a local con). Because I didn't want to start wanting it. That's why I always pushed the actors out front whenever possible.

Because I know a lot of people who got caught up in the cult of persoanlity, and got crushed by the elephant.

So I don't ride the elephant.

I just feed her the peanuts.

jms

[Wizz]

<font face="georgia">Re: Comic Con
<font color="red">So Joe, do you know yet what you'll be doing, when, and how long you'll be hanging out yet? </font>

Nope.

jms
<hr width="75%">
"So I don't ride the elephant.

I just feed her the peanuts."
<font color="red">
My, you *are* sane.
</font>

We all have our flaws.

jms

([email protected])
(all message content (c) 2002 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

[Wizz]

<font face="georgia"><font color="red">1) Was "She-Ra" so bad that nothing could have elevated it above the "waste of precious, God-given moments of life" level?

2) Did you, as a writer, phone it in?

If the answer to both questions is, "No", then you ain't got nothin' to be 'shamed of.
</font>

The answers are both no, as noted, and I never said I was ashamed of it...there was some good work done there within the limits of the form.

The chagrin is the same thing you get when somebody finds photos of you from 20 years back. Somewhere, deep in a closet, is a photo of me from the 70s in Angels Flight pants, a denim shirt and denim vest (with just a hint of fringe), a denim *cap* and shoulder-length hair (back when I *had* hair), an outfit that in retrospect is horrifying and even more horrifying to realize that a lot of that fashion has come BACK.

Writing, for me, is a snapshot of oneself, it says this is who I was at that time, and what I was thinking, and what I believed.

So SheRa, and that photo, get the same reaction out of me. And it sounds like ".....ook."

jms
<hr width="25%">
"Who is the man with the head of lead?
It's Ram-Man!
Who is as dense as a picket fence?
Ram-Man is his name!
Leaping here, jumping there, bouncing everywhere...."

<font color="red">LOL! Did you come up with other songs? [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>

Not that I will ever cop to.

jms

([email protected])
(all message content (c) 2002 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

[Wizz]

<font face="georgia"><font color="red">Just idle curiosity - are you going to ask Warner Home Video to finally put the episodes in the order you planned for them, with the small improvements in foreshadowing and "flow" that provides (and the major continuity glitch it avoids for "Day of the Day") or will you just let them go out in the airdate order we've all become accustomed to?</font>

I think to get them to restructure all their formats which have gone to stations and cable networks round the world would be more work than they'd be willing to do.

jms
<hr width="75%">
Re: ATTN JMS: Are you a millionaire ?
"You don't write for the money, because if you do, you're a monkey. You don't write for the fame, because if you do, you're a monkey. You don't even write because you like to write, because if you do, you're still a monkey. You write because to NOT write is suicide."

Stephen King
jms
<hr width="75%">
<font color="red">Any chance of more B5-related novels coming out? A series finishing off the Crusade story would be really nice.</font>

Nope, nothing's on the boards, and I think Del Rey's license has either expired or is about to expire, so any other company could certainly come in and make a case for picking up the license.

jms
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Re: JMS commentary and Paypal donation??
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...I must've missed the transmutation of threads to get to this point.

I've made it a point never to directly connect the financial dots between me and B5 viewers, I have 'way too much respect for them and I won't see them exploited for *any* reason, and this is an example of why.

I very much appreciate the gesture, but please do NOT do this. As I noted, if anyone wants to make a donation in my name to the local charity of your choice (if I can opt for a preference it should be a women's shelter), that's the best way to handle it.

That would be the best thing, honest and true.

jms

([email protected])
(all message content (c) 2002 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

[Wizz]

<font face="georgia"><font color="red">Until recently, I didn't even know he had worked on He-Man, Ghostbusters,etc. Damn, I have been watching (and reading) this guy's work for my entire life!

Kinda scary. But thanks.</font>

Thanks...but just so you know, the next guy who comes up to me at a convention and says "I've been seeing your stuff since I was a kid" gets it in the neck.


jms
<hr width="75%">
<font color="red">He has been lucky enough to be quite prolific in a high paying field for a number of years despite the pressure of TV writing being a young man's game. </font>

Harrumph...I'm still only 47, though I look about 60 in most photos.

<font color="red">would require that JMS is an idiot (something he continually disproves), has a monkey on his back (he has several, but can't say that I have detected one that is a particularly costly financial drain), or has been swindled by a CFO/Money Manager (events probably would have been leaked to CNN).</font>

The main monkey on my back is comics, comics related collectibles, and...erm...I think I just ran out of stuff.

Though I'm not going to get into the specifics of this discussion, one thing that needs to be factored into the overall understanding is that Los Angeles is a VERY expensive town in which to live and work, and the entertainment business
is a VERY expensive field in which to work.

Gas, food, restaurants, clothes, rent (average rent for a small two-bedroom apartment out here is about $1300 per month), mortagages (you can't find much anything decent in town for less than about $800,000 as your baseline, and for that you're getting maybe 1400 sq feet), it's just a money sink.

And very few people, especially writers, work year-round. You may have six months when you're flush, then six months to a year with nothing. The average WGA member makes one TV sale per year; the average WGA member makes less than your average elementary school teacher. Only about 2% of the WGA earns over $100,000 per year.

William Goldman is probably one of the best writers we have; after five years of big hits, he couldn't get arrested for nearly ten years. Then he became big again. Factor five years of income, however high, across 15 years total...you see the dilemma.

Income tax takes about 30-45% of any money you make in that tax bracket (however shortly you might be there), the agent gets another 10%, the attorney another 5%, so you're losing about 60% of your income right off the bat.

Which is why you can't let yourself get too caught up in the money part or you'll go insane. All you can do if you're sensible is focus on the art and the craft and hope for the best.

Here's the only thing I know that makes any sense when it comes to money: find what you enjoy doing, find what moves you to passion, find what you can't *not* do, and the miraculous thing about it is, if you're half decent at it, and dedicate yourself to getting better, and keep at it, after a while, sonuvagun, you can almost always find a way to make a living off it.

Well, before taxes, anyway.

jms
<hr width="75%">
Re: Season 1 DVD Box Art
There's a better picture at:

http://www.r2-dvd.org/pics/Sleeves/warner/b5-1.jpg

jms

([email protected])
(all message content (c) 2002 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)</font>