Archive-name: tv/vr5-faq/survival-guide
Posting-frequency: weekly
Comments-to: jdobbin@solutions.net (John Dobbin)
Last-updated: September 14, 1996


                   alt.tv.vr5  SURVIVAL GUIDE


Welcome to alt.tv.vr5, an unmoderated newsgroup devoted to the
discussion of Fox's science fiction/drama TV series "VR.5."
   Please read this Survival Guide before posting.


["!" in the left-hand margin denotes an added or modified line.]


news (updated 14-September-96)
 - - - - -
    Fox moved "X-Files" to Sunday nights, 
        renewed "Sliders," and
        canceled "Strange Luck," "Profit," "Kindred: The Embraced,"
                 "Space: Above and Beyond" and "Doctor Who."
    Next season, it will introduce "Millenium" on Friday nights at
      9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific, replacing "X-Files."
    NBC canceled "JAG." CBS took over "JAG" for 96/97 season.
    CBS canceled "American Gothic."
    UPN canceled "Nowhere Man."
 + CTV begins series called "Two" starring Michael Easton. Syndicated in
        the U.S.

   KEEPING VR.5 ALIVE

  [Some definitions:  Samoset Productions created and produced VR.5;
   Rysher Entertainment distributed VR.5; Fox broadcast VR.5 on
   U.S. TV.]

    Fox Broadcasting Co. <http://www.foxnetwork.com/> canceled VR.5 on 
      22 May 1995 because of low ratings, internal friction between
      members of the cast and crew, disagreements between VR.5's
      production companies and Fox, high production costs, and cost
      overruns.  Each episode had cost up to $1.5 million to produce, 
      and the dismal ratings picture couldn't justify the expense.
    Nine days later, fans organized themselves into an Internet-based
      group called Virtual Storm, dedicated to keeping VR.5 alive.
      <http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/vrstorm/>
    After six months of intense lobbying by phone and mail, Virtual
      Storm's members had succeeded in persuading VR.5 producers at
      Samoset Productions to begin working on a two-hour, made-for-TV
      VR.5 movie for Fox.  European backers supported the idea and
      had the money in place for Rysher Entertainment to go ahead 
      with it, and Fox had approved the movie and given Samoset/Rysher
      the go-ahead.
    It looked as if the movie was all set to be produced.  VR.5 writer
      Jeannine Renshaw even confirmed it at an America Online conference.
      <http://daniel.drew.edu/~adebliec/omni.log>  But for reasons that
      remain unclear, Fox reportedly pulled out at the request of Bob
      Greenblatt, Fox's vice president for programming.  This effectively
      put the movie in limbo.
    Rysher, VR.5 Executive Producer John Sacret Young, and a few members
      of the cast/crew are still eager to do the movie.  (Please see
      <http://www.geocities.com/athens/2520/vr5-blain-final.html>, a note
      from VR.5 writer Jacquelyn Blain.)  But without Fox's support, it's
      dead.
    If you're from a big company in the TV distribution arena and you
      think VR.5 has potential, contact Rysher <http://www.rysher.com/>.
    Writers at Samoset had completed at least two drafts of the movie's
      storyline by the time Fox withdrew its support.
   + FOX president John Matioan was removed from office September 1996. He is 
      replaced by Peter Roth effective immediately.

   VR.5 MERCHANDISE

  + Virtual Storm sent a formal proposal to Rysher to obtain the rights
      to produce VR.5-themed T-shirts, mugs, keychains, acoustic modems
      and other related items.  Rysher rejected it; their letter is
      available in digital form: <ftp://pearl.sri.com/pub/vr5/rysher1.jpg>.
      We can only speculate that they believe the rights to VR.5 could be
      valuable in the future.
  + In a letter related to the merchandising situation, Paul Eagleton,
      vice president of domestic television marketing at Rysher,
      expressed his support for Virtual Storm's efforts.  The letter is
      available in digital form: <ftp://pearl.sri.com/pub/vr5/rysher2.jpg>.


   E-MAIL ADDRESS CHANGES

  [The following people, who have offered services to the online VR.5
   community, have changed their e-mail contact addresses since the 
   VR.5 FAQ's last update.]

  + Jonathan Gan, who used to be <gan@west.darkside.com>, is now
      <raquele@eskimo.com>.
  + John Dobbin, who used to be <jdobbin@magic.mb.ca>, is now
      <jdobbin@solutions.net>.
  + Augie De Blieck Jr., who used to be <adebliec@drew.edu> and
      <adebliec@internexus.net>, is now <augie@nic.com>. He still 
      receives mail at his old address if the first one is down.
  + David Shaler, who used to be <dshaler@direct.ca> and
      <melrose@express.ca>, is now <melrose@smartt.com>.
  + Lisa Cunningham, who used to be <mkusic@aol.com>, is now
      <searchme@earthlink.net>.
  + Michele Santiago, who used to be <shelly47@aol.com>, is now
      <santiago47@gnn.com>.

    VR.5 FAQ

  + Jonathan Gan began writing and organizing the FAQ in September 1995.
      No guesses yet as to when it'll be finished. Augie De Blieck Jr. has now
      taken over the project.
  
sources say...
 - - - - -
  No one has stepped forward, non-anonymously, to either confirm or deny
  any of the following.

  + John Dobbin says the VR.5 movie's storyline "was to feature stronger
      roles of Anthony Head and Michael Easton.  Word remains that
      Tracey Needham's availability was in question because of JAG on
      NBC (now CBS).  Lori Singer is between opportunities at the moment."
    
resources
 - - - - -
  [NOTE:  For clarity, the Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of
   VR.5-related resources available on the Web and by ftp are enclosed 
   in angle brackets within this Survival Guide.  For example:
   <http://www.ibm.com/> or <ftp://ftp.eskimo.com/u/r/raquele/>. 
      Drop the angle brackets when you're typing URLs into Web browsers
   like Netscape, Mosaic, and Microsoft Internet Explorer.]

  VR.5 Mini FAQ.
     Lori Olson's Mini FAQ contains succinct answers to frequently asked
     questions about VR.5, plus posting guidelines and news.
        You can get it:

        + By ftp at <ftp://pearl.sri.com/pub/vr5/minifaq.txt>.
        + On the Web at
            <http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/1727/minifaq.html>.
        + By e-mailing Lori at <hobbit@pearl.sri.com>.

  VR.5 FAQ.
     The main FAQ is your definitive guide to VR.5, with character
     biographies, episode summaries, reviews, resources, trivia, and
     answers to your most niggling plot questions about the show.
        When it's finished, it'll be posted monthly to alt.tv.vr5,
     rec.arts.sf.tv, rec.arts.tv, alt.answers, rec.answers, and
     news.answers.  You can also get it:

        + By ftp at <ftp://archive.egr.msu.edu/pub/vr5/vr5fact.txt> and
            <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/tv/vr5-faq/>.
        + On the Web at 
            <http://www.eskimo.com/~raquele/vr5-faq.html>
        + By e-mailing <mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu> with a message
            containing the command "send usenet/news.answers/tv/vr5-faq/*"
            (without quotes).  Leave the subject blank.

  VR.5 Fan Fiction Archive.
     A collection of dozens of fan-written stories and parodies based on
     VR.5's plot and characters.
        You can get it:

        + By ftp at <ftp://archive.egr.msu.edu/pub/vr5/vr5story.txt>.

  VR.5 Online Conference Archive.
     Complete transcripts from all of the online conferences in which
     members of the VR.5 production team have participated with fans of
     the series.
        You can get it:

        + By ftp at <ftp://archive.egr.msu.edu/pub/vr5/vr5conf.txt>.

  VR.5 Electronic Newsletter Archive.
     The full text of every VR.5 newsletter published by Augie De Blieck
     Jr. on the Internet since July 1995.
        You can get it:

        + By ftp at <ftp://archive.egr.msu.edu/pub/vr5/vr5enews.txt>.
      
        + The FAQ and all of the archives are also available by ftp at
        <ftp://ftp.eskimo.com/u/r/raquele/archive/vr5fact.txt>,
        <ftp://ftp.eskimo.com/u/r/raquele/archive/vr5conf.txt>, etc.

  VR.5 Discussion Archive.
     When it's done, this will be the most comprehensive archive of
     online VR.5 discussion available, containing compilations of
     messages from the alt.tv.vr5 newsgroup and VR5/VRSTORM mailing
     lists and covering hundreds of topics.  The archive should go back
     to June 1995.
        Recent discussion on the VR5 mailing list (since 27 February
     1996) is currently available:
 
        + By ftp at <ftp://ftp.eskimo.com/u/r/raquele/vr5-digests/>
 
  Web sites.
     <ftp://pearl.sri.com/pub/vr5/vr5.htm>
     <http://chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk/~sa/sftv/vr5.html>
     <http://daniel.drew.edu/~adebliec/vr5.html>
     <http://rampages.onramp.net/~brummett/vr5.htm>
     <http://www.abacus.ghj.com/sci_fi/vr5/vr5.htm>
     <http://www.accucomm.net/~dsmut/>
     <http://www.clubi.ie/lestat/vr5jpg.html>
     <http://www.consiste.pt/sfsite/vr5.htm>
     <http://www.cs.herts.ac.uk/~ssam2bf/rob/vr5.html>
     <http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-bng/alt.tv.vr5.html>
     <http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bill/e309m/final/drapes/tech.htm>
     <http://www.cyberverse.com/~elf/subpages/gfxpage/vr5.htm>
     <http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/1727/>
     <http://www.intercom.no/~savage/>
     <http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/>
     <http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/committee/>
     <http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/committee/book.html>
     <http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/update/>
     <http://www.quiknet.com/~franknw/news.html>
     <http://www.eskimo.com/~raquele/vr5-faq.html>
   
    [The Dreamwatch site <http://www.flavour.co.uk/flavour/dreamwatch/>,
     which contained information about Virtual Storm, was "suspended."]


movie madness
 - - - - -
  Help us in our quest to convince Fox and Rysher that they should
  produce and broadcast a two-hour VR.5 movie.

    [1]  Sign the VR.5 Movie Petition, if you haven't already done so.
         E-mail <jdobbin@solutions.net> with your name, e-mail address,
         and location, if you agree with the following:

           We the undersigned support FOX in creating a 2 hour VR.5 for
           their Tuesday Night Movie of the Week slot.  We would like to
           see the original cast and crew back in action and realize
           that this might be the only way to get our program back on
           the network. Thank you FOX for your consideration.

         For example, I might send this info:

           Jonathan Gan raquele@eskimo.com San Jose, California, USA

         If you have family members or friends who also like VR.5,
         please include their names, e-mail addresses (if any), and
         locations.
            You may also use Nathan Donato's World-Wide Web form at
         <http://www.quiknet.com/~franknw/news.html>.
            As of the date of this Guide, the Petition contains over 700
         names from Portugal, Canada, the United Kingdom (including
         Scotland), the United States, Germany, Norway, Ireland,
         South Africa and Australia.  Updates to the Petition are posted
         occasionally to the newsgroup.
            Our goal is to reach 1000 names.  We're told that the
         petition's already had a substantial impact on the Powers That
         Be; when we're at 1000, we'll send copies of the petition to
         Fox, Rysher and Samoset, and make an even bigger splash.

    [2]  Write short letters to Fox and Rysher expressing your support
         for a two-hour VR.5 movie.  Also, please mention that you're a
         member of Virtual Storm, the Internet-based fan group dedicated
         to promoting VR.5.
            Send your letters to:

         Peter Roth
         President, Fox Entertainment Group
         Box 900
         Beverly Hills, CA 90213
         USA

         Rysher Entertainment
         Attn: Dawn Rosenquist/VR.5
         3400 Riverside Dr. #600
         Burbank, CA 91505
         USA


quick q&a
 - - - - -
  + What's with the "VR5 digest" messages?

       The VR5 mailing list, where lots of discussion happens, is piped
    into alt.tv.vr5 via the "VR5 digest" posts, so folks like you in the
    newsgroup can see what's happening.  In fact, some people at Samoset,
    Rysher, and Fox use the newsgroup solely as a way to monitor the
    happenings at Virtual Storm.

  + How do I join the VR5 mailing list?

       Send an e-mail message to <listserv@server.microserve.net> with
    the subject blank and the body of the message containing:
         subscribe vr5 My Name

       Replace "My Name" with your first and last name, or with your
    e-mail address if you prefer to remain anonymous.
       If this isn't working, or if you'd like an easier way to
    subscribe, you can do so by filling out the form on the World-Wide
    Web at any one of these sites:

        * Committee Report
            <http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/subscribe.html>
        * SciFi Site
            <http://www.abacus.ghj.com/sci_fi/vr5/vr5sub.htm>
        * SciFi Site, Portugal
            <http://www.consiste.pt/sfsite/vr5sub.htm>

       The mailing list's charter and purpose are stored on the Web at
    <http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/committee/charter>.

  + What episodes were broadcast, and in what order?
  + I forgot what happened in episode [something].
  + I missed some episodes.  Where can I get copies of them?
  + I live in the U.S., and didn't get to see the missing episodes.

    Here are all the episodes that were produced, in order:

          Title
          -----------------------------------
          1.   Pilot
          2.   Dr. Strangechild
          3.   Sisters (*)
          4.   Love and Death
          5.   5D
          6.   Escape
          7.   Facing the Fire
          8.   Simon's Choice
          9.   Send Me An Angel (*)
          10.  Control Freak
          11.  The Many Faces of Alex
          12.  Parallel Lives (*)
          13.  Reunion

        (*) = "Sisters," "Send Me An Angel," and "Parallel Lives" were
              not broadcast in the U.S.  They're called the "missing
              episodes," and were broadcast in countries like Canada,
              Norway, and the U.K.

    Descriptions of all 13 episodes are included in the main VR.5 FAQ.
       Rysher has not released plans for VR.5 videotapes.  If you want
    copies of any of these episodes, or if you live in the U.S. and
    didn't get to see the missing episodes, several members of Virtual
    Storm will be happy to copy them for you for the cost of tapes and
    shipping.
       Please send a request to John Dobbin at <jdobbin@solutions.net>,
    and he'll forward it to the people who can help you.

       Sky TV in the U.K. broadcast VR.5 out of order:

          Title
          -----------------------------------
          1.   Pilot
          2.   Dr. Strangechild
          4.   Love and Death
          5.   5D
          6.   Escape
          7.   Facing the Fire
          8.   Simon's Choice
          10.  Control Freak
          11.  The Many Faces of Alex
          9.   Send Me An Angel (*)
          13.  Reunion
          12.  Parallel Lives (*)

       They left out "Sisters" to make room for an "X-Files" documentary.

  + I'm new to the Net.

    Welcome!
       Please go to news.announce.newusers and read all of the posts
    there.  If you have questions, post them in the newsgroup
    news.newusers.questions.
       The most important article in news.announce.newusers you should
    read is Chuq Von Rospach's "A Primer on How to Work With the
    Usenet Community."  Here's the "Summary of Things to Remember" he
    put at the end of it:


                       Summary of Things to Remember


       Never forget that the person on the other side is human.
       Don't blame system admins for their users' behavior.
       Never assume that a person is speaking for their organization.
       Be careful what you say about others.
       Be brief.
       Your postings reflect upon you; be proud of them.
       Use descriptive titles
       Think about your audience.
       Be careful with humor and sarcasm.
       Only post a message once.
       Please rotate material with questionable content.
       Summarize what you are following up.
       Use mail, don't post a follow-up.
       Read all follow-ups and don't repeat what has already been said.
       Double-check follow-up newsgroups and distributions.
       Be careful about copyrights and licenses.
       Cite appropriate references.
       When summarizing, summarize.
       Mark or rotate answers or spoilers.
       Spelling flames considered harmful.
       Don't overdo signatures.
       Limit line length and avoid control characters.
       Please do not use Usenet as a resource for homework assignments.
       Please do not use Usenet as an advertising medium.
       Avoid posting to multiple newsgroups.


  + What are the asterisks?

       If asterisks surround a word, like *this*, read the word as if
    it's emphasized.

  + What is a flame?

       An emotional, often personal attack on another person's article.
    "I disagree with your statement because of X" is not a flame,
    whereas "I disagree with your moronic statement and the fact that
    you would say such a thing proves you're a moronic idiot" is.
       Flames are strongly discouraged (and rarely appear) in
    alt.tv.vr5.

  + What is a lurker?

       Someone who reads a group, but doesn't post.  Doing so is called
    "lurking."

  + What is VR.5?

       Fox says it's "a science fiction/drama series that follows an
    ordinary telephone lineswoman who tinkers with the technology of
    virtual reality and is enlisted by a secret organization to aid in
    assignments that require more than conventional methods of solution."
    <http://www.microserve.net/~server/vr5/>

  + What is Virtual Storm?

       A group of fans who like and promote VR.5.  For information on
    what they do, and how to join, please see the VR.5 Mini FAQ.

  + What is:
       Syd?             Sydney Bloom
       Sam?             Samantha Bloom
       Dunc?            Duncan
       VR?              virtual reality
       TC?              The Committee
       The Other?       the person who is brought into VR
       PTB?             the Powers That Be (like: "Oh, if only the PTB
                          renew VR.5...")
       OS?              Oliver Sampson (usually: "OS/ASH")
       ASH?             Anthony Stewart Head
       VS, VStorm?      Virtual Storm
       JSY?             John Sacret Young, VR.5 executive producer/creator
       TSJ?             Thania St. John, VR.5 co-executive producer
       Stormers,
        Virtual
        Stormers?       members of Virtual Storm
       SaRF?            Samoset/Rysher/FOX
       LS?              Lori Singer
       MOW?             Movie of the Week.  The abbreviation is used
                          here to refer to the two-hour VR.5 movie
                          that's now in limbo.

  + What's Lori Singer's address?

       There are two addresses you may write to.  Lori says she answers
    all her mail, and several fans have reported getting autographed
    photos back.

    Address #1:  Lori Singer
                 c/o PMK Public Relations
                 1776 Broadway
                 8th Floor
                 New York, NY 10019
                 USA

    Address #2:  Creative Artists Agency
                 9830 Wilshire Blvd.
                 Beverly Hills, CA 90212
                 USA

  + Tell me about alt.tv.vr5.

       alt.tv.vr5 used to receive over 500 posts a week.  Now we're down
    to around 10 posts on a good week.  :-)
       The newsgroup seems to hit periods of peak traffic -- 120 posts a
    day in July, for example -- and slowness (6 posts a week in mid-May)
    from time to time.  alt.tv.vr5 has now been accepted at thousands of
    Usenet sites worldwide.
       It's received over 7700 posts since it was created on 26 March
    1995 and re-created on 7 May 1995 (following accepted procedure).
    There have been participants from the United States, Canada, the
    United Kingdom (including Scotland), Norway, Australia, Germany,
    Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland, Argentina, South Africa and
    Mexico.

  + Tell me about the alt.tv.vr5 Survival Guide.

       This Survival Guide is compiled and updated by John Dobbin and
    posted weekly to alt.tv.vr5, alt.answers, and news.answers.  You can
    also find it:

       + On the Web at:
           <http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-bng/alt.tv.vr5.html>
       + By ftp at:
           <ftp://ftp.eskimo.com/u/r/raquele/vr5asg.faq>
       + By e-mail:
           Send a message to <mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu> containing the
           command "send usenet/news.answers/tv/vr5-faq/survival-guide"
           (without quotes).  Leave the subject blank.



Thanks for visiting, and welcome to the Game!

--

John Dobbin
jdobbin@solutions.net

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

(With the invaluable assistance of Jonathan Gan.)

           "With all this talk before Congress about
            installing "V" chips in future TVs so parents
            can block out violence for their children, it
            gave me an idea.
              The VR.5 Chip.  No matter what channel you
            tune to, you get nothing but VR.5.
              I could live with this, as long as the TV
            had a Babylon 5 chip installed too."
                                                --Stanley,
                             "Spokesman for the Committee,"
                                        28th August, 1995


