Book with Past Ellison Scripts Available Soon

This is truly exciting news. As an ardent admirer of Harlan's work, these works will be something to both cherish and study.


(Reprinted with permission from J. Michael Straczynski from his Facebook fan page)

I don’t have to tell you who Harlan Ellison is, or that he wrote some of the most seminal episodes of science fiction television in the history of the form. His scripts for The Outer Limits, Star Trek, Twilight Zone and others have won countless awards and are considered landmarks of the genre.

A while back, I got wind of a top-secret project being developed by Publishing 180, the company that publishes the Babylon 5 script books, involving Harlan’s scripts for these series. (Important note: I do not own any part of P180 nor do I receive any financial remuneration of any kind from this project. My involvement here is strictly as a fan and admirer.) I now hold in my hand a preliminary copy of that book, and I wanted to give everyone a heads-up because folks, this is a doozy.

The book, entitled BRAIN MOVIES, contains Harlan’s scripts for “Soldier,” and “Demon With a Glass Hand” from THE OUTER LIMITS, “Paladin of the Lost Hour” and “Crazy as a Soup Sandwich” from the TWILIGHT ZONE, “Memo from Purgatory” from ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, “The Face of Helen Bournouw” and Harlan’s near-legendary manifesto on how to write good science fiction, written exclusively for incoming writers on BABYLON 5. (The scripts for Paladin and Demon received the prestigious Writers Guild Award.)

In many cases, the book contains both the script and the treatment for the script, something almost never seen outside the studio. Most amazing of all, the book contains not just the shooting script for Harlan’s HITCHCOCK episode, it contains an earlier draft filled with his handwritten annotations and changes.

When an episode is broadcast, you don’t get to see the writer’s mind at work, don’t have the opportunity to experience the moment he decided to make a line of dialogue or a scene go thisway instead of thatway, how a turn of phrase was altered in just the right way at the last moment, you see only the end product. By including the draft with the handwritten annotations, you can see the creative process being enacted right before your eyes. The opportunity to see inside the writer’s mind is unspeakably rare.

Best of all, these are not re-typeset versions of the script, they are painstakingly scanned reproductions of the ORIGINAL SCRIPTS, exactly as they were written.

And for the budding science fiction writers out there, what better than having Harlan Ellison break down in his manifesto how to write effectively in the genre, how to avoid various kinds of traps and make your writing better?

The value of this book to up-and-coming writers, academics, collectors, fans, and just plain folks who love science fiction television is inestimable. This isn’t just a book of scripts, it’s an important piece of history.

When I heard that Harlan was going to include the B5 manifesto (entitled “A Terrifying List of Things Not to Do When Writing For Babylon 5”), I offered to write an introduction to the volume, entitled “Touching Magic.” That introduction is now also in the book.
Last, and maybe coolest of all, because of the presence of B5 material, they are doing a limited number of books that are DUAL AUTOGRAPHED by both myself and Harlan. With only one prior exception, this is the ONLY time that Harlan and I have autographed something together, and never before for a published book. Once those signed editions are gone...they’re gone.

Because Publishing 180 is a boutique publisher, they do not generally release information on its upcoming titles until right before publication. But this volume is so important, so extraordinary, that I asked if I could give the B5 fans out there, and the fans of Harlan Ellison who are also in that group, a heads-up on this event. This way we reduce the risk of missing the chance to get one of the double-signed editions.

The book will go on sale in a couple of weeks – I think it’s somewhere around the 20th and those already on the B5 mailing list will get the announcement automatically – but I’ll be sure to post the info here the second it goes online. If you want to be sure not to miss it, a signup page will be up soon at www.harlanbooks.com.

Fly Eatin - the funny cartoon action game at Lil' Games

Fly Eatin - the funny cartoon action game at Lil' Games

Whatever Wednesday (One Day Late)

I've seen some comical stuff on line as of late. Here's a few of them.

My college thesis compared and contrasted these two speeches:

I wish I still found things this hysterical:

A healthy breakfast starts with Cheerios:

"My thanks to Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band...":

Elisabeth Sladen: Sarah Jane of 'Who' passes

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) with Tom Baker (The Doctor)

I have been down today after finding out about the death of Elisabeth Sladen, 63, who played Sarah Jane Smith, companion on "Doctor Who" during the Pertwee and Tom Baker years.

Her perky journalist character was a favorite because she was one of the first companions I knew because I picked up the series on PBS dung the Baker years. She also had one of the longest runs of any Who companion.

This happens to me occasionally. When someone who has been a seminal part of my younger life (as she was with the Who series) passes, I get a little depressed. (Another time I felt this way was with the death of legendary wrestling commentator Gordon Solie, as my brother and I watched Championship Wrestling from Florida religiously on the weekends.)

As cheesy as early "Doctor Who" was in special effects, the series lasted because of its intriguing characters and plots. And while there were hated or forgettable companions like the boy mathematician Adric, characters like Sladen's Sarah Jane enhanced the weekly adventures of the Doctor.

Sladen with David Tennant

Who fans were lucky enough to see Elisabeth on two spin-offs, the short-lived "K9 and Friends" and the continuing "Sarah Jane Adventures" (of which there is another season filmed and ready for broadcast.) She also appeared on Who specials and as guest spots on the Tennant and Smith series.

I'll always remember her younger years: bright-eyed, adventurous, longing for the approval of a man from space even though she had become his equal in many ways.

Elisabeth Sladen passed away from cancer April 18, 2011. She is survived by her husband, actor Brian Miller, and her daughter Sadie.

Sarah Jane, you will be missed.

Music Monday - April 18, 2011

Here's Josh Joplin, a talented modern folk singer, who I found after he appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. He has a diverse writing style and thoughtful lyrics. 

I wanted to highlight him here because he's appearing at Eddie's Attic, 515 McDonough Street, Decatur GA, April 30 for two shows, at 7pm and 9:30pm. He's an excellent performer and writer and worth checking out. Below is a session he did in Australia. The song is "I Am Not The Only Cowboy" from his album "The Future That Was."

Just a warning: You may see RUSH on here frequently. They are one of my favorite bands of all time. Not only do they have incredibly entertaining concerts but their songwriting is deep and meaningful. This song, "Mission," is one of my favorites. 

This was a funny mash-up. I was really surprised how much Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" and the Bee Gee's "Staying Alive" work together. It's scary really.

Funny Friday

Each week, I'll pick out some of the more humorous things I've seen or noted for Funny Friday!

On April 16, 122 years ago, Charlie Chaplin was born in London. 

This is one of my favorite moments from his films - "Dancing the Oceana Roll":

This is one of the funniest comedians alive, Ricky Gervais, on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Topics covered include the Golden Glodes, atheism and his new special about comedy:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Ricky Gervais Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Ricky Gervais Extended Interview Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Andy Sandford, one of the Beards of Comedy based in Atlanta, 

with a hilarious 15 minute set at the Relapse Theater:

Andy Sandford 4/08/2011 from Andy Sandford on Vimeo.

Thursday Tweets in Review

Looking back at my favorite tweets from the past week (both my own and others.)

Part of Tweet The Joke's caption contest:

Wrote this on a blah day:

Morgan Murphy with a funny yet true point about Twitter:

I try to #FF up to five people I have started following during the week.

I also try to give a solid, entertaining reason why.

And, if you've been reading the blog recently,

you can tell I've been especially frustrated with Conservatives.