XPost: rec.arts.tv, rec.arts.sf.tv, alt.tv.babylon-5   
   From: forrest@lmcg.wisc.edu   
      
   "Alison Hopkins"  writes:   
      
   > It's only libel if it is false. And if you refer to what I have said, I made   
   > it very clear that Bruce was one of the very few protected cast members. The   
   > fact that jms screwed people has absolutely nothing to do with what or   
   > whether he earns. It has a great deal to do with the fact that Babylonian's   
   > profits were protected at the expense of the actors. Who are a much larger   
   > part of the show. Let's face it, you can make a crap movie with Tom Cruise   
   > and people will still go see it. How many TV shows or films do you think are   
   > watched by people who do so *specifically* because of the writer?   
      
   So now you go from "crapped on" to "screwed", but you keep ignoring   
   the facts in order to grind your axe some more.   
      
   The contracts the actors signed for the fifth season were options on   
   the same contracts they signed in the first year.  No one was   
   "screwed".  No one had their contract changed.  Did they lose out   
   because of the change from a network to basic cable?  Yes.  Did Bruce   
   enjoy a better deal because he joined the cast after the first season   
   and was a "big name" actor?  Yes.  You don't like it?  Fine.  But try   
   to maintain the difference between what are facts and what are your   
   opinions of those facts.  Unless the contracts were changed, your   
   assertions about motive have no validity other than opinion.   
      
   As for your last question, many people watched Jeremiah on Showtime   
   only because JMS was a writer/producer.  Many of them subscribed to   
   Showtime for that reason only.   
      
   As other examples, Threshold, Galactica, Odyssey 5, and the final   
   season of Enterprise, were all shows I started watching because of   
   who was at the helm.  This is more a question of who is directing   
   the story line rather than who is writing the individual episodes.   
   I would add ER as another example of a show where the creator   
   (Michael Crichton) was a huge help in its initial success (I much   
   preferred its competition, Chicago Hope).   
      
   --   
   Dan   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)