The Ed Wasser Fan Club Newsletter
Volume 4 Number 2
April/May/June/July 1998
FIRST, A LITTLE BUSINESS:
Well, if you have not seen the B5 episode "Day of the Dead," why
don't you just skip ahead of the sections marked in "***". Unless
you want to be somewhat spoiled...
********
Well, for me it was nice to see Ed and Morden in an episode of B5. Ed had
mentioned to me they called him back for another episode and I was thinking
"Oh, no, a B3: The Search for Morden" or some other such nonsense.
Or a clone. That's it, they cloned him from one of those little flakes of
skin. Or maybe the head would just talk on the pike. I didn't know, but
was happy with the outcome.
********
Well, we are thinking about our next fundraiser. Last year we did the ole
"autographed Morden trading cards." This year, we are thinking
of trying to impose upon Ed to record custom answering machine messages
for people's machines (via WAV files). It wouldn't be too cheap, as it would
be a big bother, but could be really neat. Does anyone like this idea? Or
do you have another one?
Look for a new newsletter around September 15, then November 15.
Editors
ED WASSER INTERVIEW:
(Below is the part of an ongoing interview with Ed. It will be continued
in every issue of the EWFCN.)
********
WERE YOU SURPRISED TO BE CALLED BACK TO PLAY MORDEN?
Yes, I was very surprised. It was very exciting to have the opportunity
to resurrect Morden. I think what I enjoyed the most about this particular
episode was the fact that I had the opportunity to work with Bill Mumy.
WAS IT FUN? WAS IT EASY TO GET BACK INTO THE ROLL?
When you play a role for five years, it's like riding a bicycle, you just
get on and peddle. What was different about this particular episode was
the fact that Morden was a lighter, friendlier, more tongue and cheek kind
of guy. For me, I interpreted Morden's return almost as an opportunity for
redemption, even though JMS said that wasn't why Morden came back; he simply
came back to mess with Lennier's mind.
SO, WAS THERE ANYTHING WRITTEN ON THAT ISSUE OF
"UNIVERSE TODAY" YOU WERE READING, OR WAS IT JUST
GIBBERISH?
The newspaper I was reading during the scene had real articles written on
it, fabricated by someone in props. I didn't get a chance to read whether
or not it made any sense. To me it was just a prop, and I was just using
it for the physicality, not for the mental stimulation.
********
TELL US ABOUT "ED, THE HANDYMAN"
Now that Suzanne and I have bought a house, we have purchased an assortment
of different power tools. The one story that comes to mind is the Sawzall
experience. We were so excited about getting this new power tool, we wanted
to try it on something. When we first saw the house, even before we bought
it, we wanted to remove this ten foot 4x8 beam, because it was cutting off
the flow of a room. One late afternoon, our friend Sande came over, and
we were talking about how ugly the beam was. So, right then and there, we
decided to attack it with our new handy dandy Sawzall. Next thing you know,
we're cutting it out of the ceiling. We had no idea whether it was a supporting
beam or not; we just knew we wanted it gone. It was an amazing feet of spontaneity,
courage, and stupidity all wrapped up in one. The beam was gone
in ten minutes, the room flowed better, and we had a sense of accomplishment.
For those of you who are curious, we did put the proper support in two days
later, and thank God the ceiling didn't fall in. I have to say using such
a powerful tool definitely gave me a sense of power.
DO YOU LIKE WORKING WITH YOUR HANDS?
I've always enjoyed working with my hands. I've refinished and re-upholstered
furniture, and, as a kid, worked in the garden with my mother. Since we've
bought the house, I've become a plumber, a tile man, hung sheet rock, plastered,
painted, put concrete piers under the house to support new beams, not to
mention now I'm a fence man. Though, I do look forward to having the house
all done so we can kick back and enjoy it.
AND A QUESTION FROM A LOYAL READER: How about Ed telling us
what he goes through to get a part, giving his latest experiences as examples?
Does some studio or agent call him up, or does he have to read the trades
(and if so, which ones)? What goes on in an audition? Are there differences
in the way director's audition more established vs. less established actors?
The Mike Hammer Private Eye show was an interesting situation. The audition
was for a young tacky Hollywood producer type. The casting director was
my agent's daughter, so I was fortunate enough to have a good contact. They
told my manager that I was too young looking to play a 35-year-old, but
they liked me, so they said, that in the future they won't call me in for
an
audition, they will just cast me in the part. Of course I never get too
excited when casting directors say stuff like that. The next day I get a
call from the casting director asking me if I can swim. I said "Yes!"
That night a script was at my doorstep to play a sleazy 40-year-old lawyer
because the guy they had originally cast was afraid of water. The audition
process can be really
unpredictable. It has a lot to do with who you know, being in the right
place at the right time, and whether or not you can swim. It just doesn't
make a whole lot of sense.
ED WASSER BIO
We will be adding to this section every issue to give you more background
about Ed. (Clever readers will notice that our questions jump all over the
map. These are primarily for fun and to try to dowhat is hard to do in a
newsletter, really let you get a sense of the little things that make a
person what they are.)
Complete the sentence:
The best book I recently read was:
"Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch.
Boy, I sure would like to do a convention in:
"Centauri Prime."
A good person is:
"one who follows his own truth."
When I stub my toe I usually say:
"damn who put that there?"
WE WANT TO MAKE YOU FAMOUS...
Have you had your picture taken with Ed? Lots of people have at the conventions
he attends around the world. And we would like to start a new section on
the web site which shows Ed with his fans.
Would you do us a favor and mail us a photo of you and Ed (along with a
line, if you like about the where, when, what, and/or an anecdote relating
to the pic)? We would like to put it on the web site. Or if you have a scanner,
email us a scan of the pic.
Mailed pics will be returned if you include a SAE. (We provide the second
"S") Anything you write in an email or letter we assume we can
put on the web page. This is not for any commercial purposes - just to put
on the web site.
Mail to: [NEW ADDRESS]
EWFC
8003 Cheno Cortina Trail
Austin, TX 78749
Thanks.
FROM THE WEB MASTER:
Well, it has been a fun few months working on the Ed Wasser web page (http://www.wasser.com/).
The site has won numerous awards for design (shameless plug :) ) Some are
really cool, and then there is the one that I have no idea where it came
from "Bill's Police Site 1998 Web Site Excellence Award" http://members.aol.com/Billisa036/index.html
Anyway, I put it on the web site not really paying attention to what it
was. I took a look at it a couple of days later. "Why did this site
win this?" "What does this site have to do with the law?"
Oh, well, yet another pondering situation.
On another note, we just recently added a section to the web page about
a Charity that Ed would like to generate some support for. "C.A.R.E."
A non-profit animal rescue organization dedicated to the rescue of unwanted
animals on death row.
Within the next few days (as soon as we work out all the details), we
will be putting up on eBay a complete set of "The Babylon 5 Collectable
Card Game" including the "ultra rare" "Morden"
card signed by Ed himself and stamped by Precedence. This whole set is valued
at several hundred bucks, and all the money will be going to C.A.R.E. (The
winning bidder will send a check made out to C.A.R.E. to the Ed Wasser Fan
Club). Check the charity section on
Ed's web page for details.
Many, many thanks to Precedence Publishing
(http://www.eternity.com/B5/index.htm)
who donated this and several other items. Check out their cool Babylon 5
Collectible Card Game.
That's about all for now, hope to hear from you soon.
mike
CONVENTION APPEARANCES
It has been reported here that Ed would be at the Sci-Fi Sea Cruise. This
convention has been canceled.
Ed will be returning to Dallas and Suzanne will be joining him. They will
attend the Stellar Occasion V, September 18 - 20. Ed is very excited about
this one because he had such a wonderful time meeting everyone, especially
Mike and Wendi Battle. To whom Ed is extremely grateful for their friendship
and support. Mike is responsible for this entire website design, creativity,
heart and soul.
Dallas at the Sheraton Dallas-Brookhollow, check out their web page for
more details: http://www.cyberramp.net/~phoenix/stellar.html
The entire cast and crew will be appearing at VORcon in Pomona CA, at the
Pomona Fairgrounds in October 16 - 18. Their web page is: http://members.aol.com/vorcon1/
Ed will be at United Fan Con November 20 - 22 in Springfield, MA. Check
out their web page for more details: http://members.xoom.com/unitedfancon/
Check Ed's website for other appearances. http://www.wasser.com.
ED'S CORNER
A man was walking down the street when he noticed his grandpa sitting on
the porch, in the rocking chair, with nothing on from the waist down.
"Grandpa, what are you doing?" he exclaimed.
The old man looked off in the distance and did not answer him.
"Grandpa, what are you doing sitting out here with nothing on below
the waist?" he asked again.
The old man slowly looked at him and said, "Well, last week I sat out
here with no shirt on, and I got a stiff neck. This was your Grandma's idea!."
:>) Hi everybody, I know it's been a long time since we sent out a newsletter.
I hope everyone in the United States had a happy, safe Fourth of July. The
weather here in Los Angeles was beautiful and perfect. Friday night. Suzanne
and I got together with friends to see a firework display in Santa Monica
at the Santa Monica College. The display was so magical, and the field was
filled with excitement, everybody stretched out on their blankets, with
picnic baskets and children running around. It was truly a patriotic event.
We had such a great time, the next day, on the fourth, we went with our
same friends to a fireworks display at the neighborhood high school. We
parked our blankets at the front of the football field. There was a country
band playin'
country music, and people were dancin'. Flags were waving and balloons were
popping, and we were chowing down on chips and dips and food. The weather
was perfect, and we were in the best location. We were directly under the
fireworks. The sky was ablaze with the light show; it was truly a magnificent
sight.
Before I forget, I would like you all to check out the charity page on my
website. Thanks to Precedence the creators and manufacturers of the Babylon
5 collectible card game, you will have the opportunity to win in an auction
"A Complete Set Of The B5 Collectable Card Game PLUS A Collectable
Autographed Ultra-Rare Morden Card (from me), Stamped By Precedence."
All together valued at $700 plus. All of the money will go directly to a
charity called C.A.R.E., a charity organization dedicated to rescuing animals
from death row and placing them with loving families. If you should happen
not to win the auction, maybe you will still feel inclined to send a couple
of dollars to aid these animals in need. There are about 1000 readers of
this newsletter.
If everyone sent in a check made out to "C.A.R.E." for $2 or $3
dollars they would be able to save, feed and find new homes for many more
animals. Please check out the charity page at:
http://www.wasser.com
Any way, what I would also like to talk to you about is Precedence, the
creators and manufacturers of the Babylon 5 collectible card game. Last
April, I flew to Miami to attend The GAMA convention, a gaming convention,
for the release of the new addition to their game, "The Shadows"
a new expansion of the Babylon 5 Collectible Card Game. I met Paul, Ran,
John, and Dave. What a great bunch of talented individuals and what a great
time Suzanne and
I had meeting them. Ran, the writer and artist of Immortal, the role playing
game, set up a quick game of Immortal for our fun. It was great, we got
a ride on the Titanic, we fought demons and sorcerers, we were invincible
and immortal. It was so much fun. Ran is truly an incredibly gifted individual.
During AgamemCon II convention in Burbank California, we all had a chance
to spend some more time together. Paul Brown, the President of Precedence,
is a brilliant man, as are Ran, John and Dave. I am proud and honored to
know them all and look forward to many years of friendship. I truly wish
them continued success.
During VORcon Precedence will be hosting an international competition with
8 finalists from around the world. Alongside THE WORLD championship will
be a World Invitational tournament which will be open to players who have
won any prior tournaments or members of Precedence's player club ZETA SQUADRON.
The winners of the invitational tournament will move up to the world championship
bracket. Check out the site at http://members.aol.com/vorcon1/events.htm. They will be
running demos of the game all day.
"You can never be free, truly free, until you share your secret with
someone."
CONTEST NUMBER TWELVE
First, the last contest:
CONTEST #11
Limericks - The highest form of poetry:
Come up with an entertaining limerick starring Morden. Example:
There once was a man named Morden
Who hated to watch Flash Gordon
He iced ol' Kosh
Sheridan cried "Oh, my gosh!"
Now the ambassadors wing is cordoned.
Have your entries to contest@wasser.com
by May 1. Usual prize: autographed pic of
Ed.
Boy - did you guys really go wild on this one. By far our BEST turnout,
and I am going to "print" two really good "runners up"
who came a hare's breadth away from winning:
From Malcolm; calling in from Lansing, Michigan:
Mr. Morden, while on Earth, (incognito)
Ate lunch one summer in a Bistro.
We knew what he meant,
In fake German accent,
When he said, "I vant food und some Wasser!"
[NOTE: "Wasser" is German for "Water"]
And from Nicolette Lewer:
There was a man from Z'ha'Dum
Whose smile was a portent of doom
If you mistreated a spider
Morden's smile became wider
Then his Associates would be seeing you.
But our grand prize winner is Thomas M.P. Catsburg, who exceeded our expectations
in quantity as well as quality. Two of his entries rated "pains in
our sides," and his final one rated our supreme "we groaned out
loud":
His character died in the end,
and a message to you I must send,
portrayed by a master,
we thank you Ed Wasser,
for Morden is everyone's friend.
Found at a table in the Zocalo,
is a man with a shadowy glow,
he'll give you a smile,
asking "Stay for a while",
but if you're Vir, you'll just wave "Hello".
[THE WINNER:]
Mr. Morden is clearly the best,
a villain who's impeccably dressed,
"What do you want", is sublime,
as found on Centauri Prime,
in the garden, a head above the rest!
Now, for Contest 12.
Once again, up for grabs is an autographed picture of Ed. Might be an 8x10,
might be a card, who knows? Anyway, you have proven your poetic ability.
Impressed us with it, even. Now we shall see if you are up for the challenge:
Morden Haiku. Maybe you can't rhyme. But certainly you can count to seven.
haiku n : an epigrammatic Japanese verse form of three short lines
or
haiku n :an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing
usually 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.
Example:
The boyish grin hides
The evil lurking within.
The avalanche starts
Go for it. Morden Haiku. Multiple entries welcome (to a point...)
Sneak peak ahead:
Contest 13: Morden's fortune cookie
Contest 14: Morden's bumper sticker
(See, we don't just make this up as we go. There is planning here. A 5-issue
arc. Every single word planned out in advance. Well, most of the important
ones.)
CONTACTING US
Contrary to the rumors you may hear, we are not on the lam from the law.
You can contact us. To subscribe, email to subscribe@wasser.com.Conversely,
when you have had enough, unsubscribe@wasser.com
will do the trick. If you want to contribute anything, we will most likely
print it, assuming it pertains to Ed, Morden, Shadows, B5 (i.e. is not going
on and on about one time we ought to have a contest where whoever comes
up with the best copy for the "(i.e." section ought to win a prize.
In fact, we should. Let's call it the stealth contest. Send your entries
to contest@wasser.com.). Email to
submissions@wasser.com. Letters
to Ed are also welcome, and they are all read and answered by him. Ed's
email is, you guessed it, ed@wasser.com.
There is a web page for us at: http://www.wasser.com. Contest submissions
are sent to contest@wasser.com.
Unless you put "don't include my name", your name or handle (however
you sign your email or your "from field") will be credited in
the newsletter. We will not include email addresses though, just names.