| Volume III, Issue 1 |
Welcome to the latest issue of the EWFC Newsletter. You are probably getting this right before the end of season three. No - there are no spoilers in this issue. Never have been, never will be. Oh, Ed might let slip that he's really "The One" or that he is Zathras's Evil (Genetically Altered) Twin, but nothing too revealing. Seriously, isn't this an awesome season?
Nothing much in the way of business this month. There is a really good, long article in November's Starlog about Ed Wasser, with a nice full page picture. Pick up an issue, and a special thanks to Suzann for sending us a copy.
One thing, one of the hardest things to do each issue is the interview with Ed. There are millions and millions of things to ask, and we try to think of things that are of general interest or are fun. Why don't you take just a sec and send us some questions you would like to see in an upcoming interview. Provided they meet the bare minimums of decency, you will probably see them in an upcoming issue.
Finally, normally, V2 N6 would come out in late December. But, we are leaving town for the holidays and want to have the next newsletter in January. So, Jan/Feb 97 will be V3 N1. There will not be a V2 N6.
(Below is the part of an ongoing interview with Ed. It will be continued in every issue of the EWFCN.)
The money, the chicks, the drugs, the ego, any role that pays....just kidding. The first thought that comes to mind is, does the movie have integrity. I've done my share of projects that I'd like to bury, so my decision making process has changed a lot over the years. I look for a character that challenges me in a way that I haven't been challenged before. Be it psychological, physical, accents, or content, right now where I am in my career, I still can't afford to be too picky. But, I am now in a position, in my career, where it's not just about money, I can look for quality and content. As for the future, it's my wish to do projects that are politically sensitive, mind altering, thought provoking and constructive in the way people deal with one another.
Robert Deniro, Al Pacino, Jack Nicolsen, Anthony Hopkins, Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, and Michele Pfeiffer, to name a few. They are all brilliant actors, and it would be a blessing to get the opportunity to work with any of them.
Hollywood can be evil and decadent if you allow yourself to get caught up in it. It's filled with very confused, fragile, struggling people. It also has the wild parties, the fast cars, the fast women, the fast men, the money, the glamour, the glitter. But, it can be like anywhere else in the world, as long as people are seduced by "the land of the living" they will be tempted to compete in a world that brings very little satisfaction. If you keep your head screwed on straight, and ground yourself with people who walk in the light, Hollywood can be like any place on this earth...a place to do business and a place to live. I happen to be very fortunate that the people close to me are grounded and good examples.
Yeah! Shot my third episode for season 4 just last week. That's about all you're going to get from me. Big Brother ("JMS") is watching.
I'm in like Flynn, I'm on like John, I'm cool like school, I'm dead like Ed....I don't really know, but may be if you write a letter, I'll get in....
Absolutely, we know we're covering new ground and we're all proud of it ("allowing me to speak for everyone else"). Since Babylon 5 is before its time, I don't think that the true appreciation for its integrity will rise to the surface until years after the show has completed its cycle.
Pepperoni and cheese, extra large.
We will be adding to this section every issue to give you more background about Ed. (Observant readers will notice that my questions jump all over the map. These are primarily for fun and to try to do what is hard to do in a newsletter, really let you get a sense of the little things that makes a person what they are.) I don't drink soda, it has too many chemicals in it, except when I stay at Byron's because he doesn't drink anything but soda. I only drink purified/filtered water, and of course juices, preferably organic, have you guys ever tried Trader Joe's Blueberry Juice? It's mmmmmm mmmmmm good! Presents on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve? Hanukkah works for me, old buddy. But if I had to choose it would be Christmas Day. One of the things that bothers me a lot, is that people assume that Christmas is the only religious holiday being observed during the holiday season. I'm all for Christmas, and I love the mystical spiritual excitement that surrounds it as much as I do Hanukkah. It's just my wish that people were more aware of the joys of the holiday season without narrowing it down to one religion. Left handed or right handed? Don't you think you're getting a little personal. But let me think...uuhhh, uuuhhh.....uhhh, uhhhhh, well I think it's...right handed.... Sock-sock-shoe-shoe or Sock-shoe-sock-shoe?
Boy these are really tough, I do fasten zip, what do you do? Actually, the truth is I wear button flies, don't you? Doesn't everyone wear Calvin's too? Everybody does right? Don't they?
Total conspiracy, I don't even want to get into bashing the government, they'll kill me off before my time.
James Reese, the web master extraordinairre and brother of yours truly, recently enjoyed a dinner with Ed. James is a big B5 fan and wanted to write a piece for other fans about what it was like to dine with the Dark One.
I finally got a chance to meet Ed last month. He and his S.O. (sorry ladies, he's taken) flew up to Oregon to spend the weekend with Byron and Sharon Reese (my brother and sister-in-law). I was able to wrangle an invitation for dinner. We made reservations for 8 o'clock at a local restaurant, known for their great prime rib. Ed and the rest of his party showed up promptly at 9 o'clock, fashionably late. Ed was wearing his "Morden" smile and oozing charisma. Throughout the night,I would look up and see Ed's grin, and glance quickly around, afraid the waitress was about to dump ice water down my back, or maybe there was a fly in my soup.
Ed is a very likable fellow, and extremely funny. He kept us entertained through-out dinner with stories and amusing anecdotes, and I put my foot in my mouth when I complimented him on his richly accented "New Yorker" impression. I was not aware he was a native New Yorker, so I guess the compliment should be for his non-New York accent.
One thing I noticed was Ed tended to be a "drifter" when he told his stories. A typical story went like this (events, characters, etc. are all fictitious):
"Did I ever tell you the time a fire broke out on the set of B5? I was standing by the door, talking to Mark. Yeah, 'ol Mark used to drive the catering truck for Amos' Sandwiches. They made this great corned beef sandwich, but not as good as the deli on 51st street. I used to go to lunch there every Friday, with my best friend Joe. Joe's playing fiddle for a small band in Nashville". Then I would interrupt with "And about the fire?" and he would say, "What fire?"
After dinner and a few glasses of wine, Ed had me loosened up and began proposing changes to the Web Site. Sound clips, Quicktime Movies, animated GIF's, the works. Work has begun on the new web site, but is not progressing as fast as I would like (I tend to become more agreeable to anything after half a bottle of wine or more). The new site should be up by the first of the year, and I think all concerned will be well pleased.
Now if I could only get invited to the set.......
The next convention Ed has booked is Stellar Occasion 3 near Dallas the week between Christmas and New Years. For the whole story, point your browser to:
http://www.cyberramp.net/~phoenix/
Ed will be appearing at a major British event in November of this year. As part of the Folkestone and Boulogne International Film Festival, there is to be a weekend Festival of science fiction and fantasy on TV and Film. Ed Wasser is a confirmed guest.
One of the highlights will be a trip through the Channel Tunnel on the evening of Friday 22nd November, to view a major SF film at the new Gaumont Complex in Boulogne. The cost of this is included in the registration - please bring passports!
The event will take place over the weekend of the 23/24th November in Folkestone. It is a *fan run* event, and all profits will go to our two charities, Muscular Dystrophy and CARE (Famine Relief). For more details, you can email at fn62@dial.pipex.com.
Most of the time I use my Ed's Corner space to talk about something frivolous or something `deep.' I try to do things that have meaning to me. If you they have meaning to you, as well, so much the better. If they don't, well, ask Byron for your money back. :-)
This Ed's Corner is a bit different. (I doubt Patrick Stewart writes things like this!):
Health, something we just don't spend enough time educating ourselves about. In the last six months, I have been taking a product to start the process of cleansing the inside of my body. I read some horrific statistics that got me excited about being more healthy and aware, and I wanted to share them with you. I didn't realize that according to the National Cancer Institute in their MedNews, an estimated 160 thousand Americans are diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer per year. Also, it amazed me that there was an estimated 70 million people in America that suffer from some form of bowel problem.
So I did some research and learned about the importance of cleansing. I didn't realize that the average person carries around 10 - 20 pounds worth of waste in their colon and how much damage can occur from that.
James Parsons, M.D., nutritional specialist in Orlando, Florida says, "Toxic materials stagnating in the colon create more illness than any other cause related to the human body. Damaging effects that occur from auto-intoxication (self-poisoning) are lowered immunity, sluggish organ and glandular functions, faulty circulation, and tissue degeneration."
Basically, in layman's terms, when we become chronically constipated, our waste by-products putrefy in our bodies causing self-poisoning. Eventually, the walls of the colon become encrusted with fecal matter, hampering the absorption of vital nutrients. Accumulated matter in the colon provides a breeding ground for harmful bacteria which multiplies in this decaying waste. These toxins are then absorbed into the bloodstream by capillaries lining the colon wall and recirculated through the system. Pretty scary isn't it?
This program that I'm on is a two step cleansing program called 'Herbal Tune-Up' and 'Serious Business'. I personally like it so much that I recommend and urge all of you to get in touch with the distributor, for 21st Century Manna, "detoxinators@earthlink.net." This is not one of those `celebrity endorsement' things. Really. I just am really impressed with the difference it has made in my life.
I have lost weight, I have more energy, I feel lighter, The food passes through me much quicker and I have peace of mind knowing that I'm cleaning out my system and preventing the toxins from building up and possibly hurting me later on in my life.
Our health is something we all have to take into our own hands. No one teaches us about preventive care. Certainly the government and the pharmaceutical and chemical companies don't want us to learn about preventive care, because they lose money if we stay healthy. Our medical system is built around 'staying sick', just like the credit card companies are built around 'keeping you in debt'. It's big business. Let's put the money back in our own pockets and stay healthy. Let preventive care lead us into the new millennium.
If Morden were to have a theme song, what would it be? Send title and artist to contest@wasser.com. Usual time, usual prize. One extra rule: Anyone who submits "Me and My Shadow" will be executed.
Our winner of this contest is Mircalla Mordenheim with the entry Man of Mystery by The Shadows. Could there be any other winner? Mircalla wins an autographed picture of Ed Wasser. Congrats!
This month's contest - Another top 10 list. While he is not plotting evil, Morden likes to hang around the Zocolo picking up babes. So this month, we are looking for "Top 10 pick-up lines Morden uses at the Zocolo." Send as many entries as your particular demented mind can imagine.
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. doesn't ramble on about how both Dole and Clinton want bigGER government, each wanting to taking over 50% of your money to spend as they see fit - all thinking people recognize this for the evil that it is, and we will not tolerate more ramblings on that subject.). Email to submissions@wasser.com. Letters to Ed are also welcome, and you have his word that they will all be 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.catalog.com/wasser. It is growing, so be patient. Contest submissions are sent to contest@wasser.com.
| Volume III, Issue 1 |