Posted: October 13th, 2019 | Author: ath389 | Filed under: News | Tags: Ben Browder, Brian Henson, Farscape, Farscape 20th Anniversary, farscapenow | No Comments »
Calling all Scapers and Ben fans in the greater LA area!! Henson is hosting a special Farscape 20th Anniversary costume party on the Henson Studios lot next Saturday October 19,2019. If you have never visited it is the Charlie Chaplin Studio and is a lovely setting for any function but most especially something like this! Tickets include a variety of things but even the general ticket includes a self-guided studio tour. Farscape costumes/cosplay encouraged but not required. There will be celebrity judges including Brian Henson (host), Gigi Edgely, Ben Browder, Francesca Buller and Rockne S. O’Bannon. So dust off your leathers and get your tickets!!
Posted: October 12th, 2019 | Author: ath389 | Filed under: News | Tags: Ben Browder, Farscape, farscapenow, john crichton, nerdist | No Comments »
Most of you know that I started the #farscapenow movement as a result of Ben’s request to fans at the 2017 Birmingham con. After confirming with him that he was serious, I consulted with Avenging Angel who was the industry brain that guided me in the initial campaign. She told me that the way things worked today depended on social media picking up the topic/product— specifically Twitter and entermainment blogs. So first I came up with with the hashtag and forced friends who were Scapers to push it 🙂 We were successful! Almost two years later, as the 20th anniversary of Farscape approached, the Henson Company started using #FarscapeNow. Now Nerdist has this interview! As Brian Henson said at Dragon Con it is the fans who are the heart of saving and getting more Farscape. Each week more and more people join the boards on Facebook , join conversations on Twitter and discover the show on Amazon. I would hazard to guess that most Ben fans are also Scapers and support him in his quest to be John Crichton once again. The few that don’t confuse me 😀 So as you listen to this raise a toast to yourself and your fellow fans especially @plvanover88 , @vinegardog1 , @Content_Retired and @Damnedscientist who in the beginning were lonely voices in the twitterverse!!
Posted: October 10th, 2019 | Author: ath389 | Filed under: News | Tags: Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Farscape, farscapenow | No Comments »
#TBT Farscape Con 2000
So organizing my con photos from 19 years ago and sifting through the ones from fellow CaScaper Bob and here are a few! No one knew what to expect from the cast and many of us had been to Star Trek cons so were a bit jaded and kept our expectations low. At that time many of the Trek actors were still a bit embarrassed at cons. I had seen Gillian Anderson do her first con a few years before and she had been a treat, but I was still wary to not expect the actors to be as excited about their show as we fans were. The Farscape actors, writers, and producers were very excited to be surrounded by people who got what they were doing and loved it! All were a delight!!
Posted: October 7th, 2019 | Author: ath389 | Filed under: News | Tags: Anthony Simcoe, Ben Browder, DragonCon2019, Farscape, farscapenow | No Comments »
#ManCrushMonday
#BenBrowder
#smitten
Seeing Ben so moved by Anthony Simcoe’s comments, some of which surprised him after all these years. I think the one that moved him most was hearing that the late Andrew Prowse told Anthony that all actions were to support the Crichton character, even when Crichton was not in the scene. Anthony also praised Ben for being a great set leader. One of my favorite things about attending panels is listening to actors talk about set life including hierarchy. Jewel Stait (in a solo panel) was once asked about the Firefly set and if it was as loose as the cast seemed when together. She responded that Nathan Fillion took being #1 on the call sheet seriously and was the leader who set the tone and he was a great example which made work easier no matter what they were doing. Anthony praised Ben for being the one the actors looked to as their leader.Ben was very moved as were we, the audience.
Posted: October 2nd, 2019 | Author: ath389 | Filed under: News | Tags: Ben Browder, Farscape, farscapenow | No Comments »
I am a procrastinator when it comes to organizing this site but I am working on the galleries and should have them ready to go Saturday sometime. In the meantime new fans should visit the print page and check out the youtube channel. My next big project is to reformat some of my early con videos though likely they will still be shaky! In the meantime also follow on Twitter @Action_John and tumblr — benbrowder.net to be up to date! Be saving some money to support the birthday fundraiser for stopsoldiersuicide.org, a cause close to Ben’s heart, which starts November 11th.
This is why it is hard to work on the photos — I get easily distracted ! I think gravastar took this one at the 2003 Farscape Con.
Posted: September 27th, 2019 | Author: ath389 | Filed under: News | Tags: Ben Browder, Farscape, farscapenow | No Comments »
For those of us who were in September 6, 2002 and were galvanized into action as never before for a TV show — the current campaign to get more Farscape is tame. No anger just cautious hope. The internet has evolved making it easy. I have been looking through all my stuff and found the transcript of the first part of the chat. I was p-chatting with Ben as well during and it looks blah because mIrc was text based kids! So take a walk back in time!! No need to jump up and call or fax anyone now!!
[Barbarella] OK
[Barbarella] you guys can talk right?
[Barbarella] speak to me
[FrooniumRicky] Check testing
[FrooniumRicky] one two three fo
[Ben Browder] Testing 1… 2…
[DK] DK says Hello.
[Ben Browder] Evening all.
[FrooniumRicky] Ning, all
[Ben Browder] Wow… look at all the familiar names!!!!
[DK] Ben, why did all these people sign off after you said hello?
[Ben Browder] Shock
[Barbarella] I could say something but I’l refrain guys this is your chat
[Barbarella] 🙂
[Ben Browder] I’ve been so scarce lately
[FrooniumRicky] ah, say something, Babs
[Barbarella] here I am
[FrooniumRicky] Take it, DK
[DK] If I may, I’d like to say a few words.
[FrooniumRicky] You just did
[Barbarella] I hope its more than that
[DK] It’s rare for me to write something that’s not in script form, so please bear with me.
[FrooniumRicky] It’s equally rare… well, nm
[DK] I’m also not the most computer literate guy, as Ricky and Ben will tell you, so I beg forgiveness for mistakes.
[DK] Each and every year, at the end of the season
[DK] we have a chat with you,
[DK] our slightly bent cohorts in this
[DK] wonderful adventure,
[DK] and we wanted this year to be no different.
[DK] However, despite our best efforts, this year is a bitt different from all the rest.
[DK] In the past 24 hours, I have been
[DK] innundated with emails and calls
[DK] regarding rumors that are circulating
[DK] regarding our joint passion.
[DK] Where do we stand?
[DK] We are two days away from shooting the last scenes
[DK] of season 4.
[DK] As you know, Sci Fi has picked us up
[DK] for 4th and 5th seasons.
[DK] However, as with everything done at a
[DK] corporate level,
[DK] there was an out clause built into Sci Fi’s
[DK] pickup schedule.
[DK] As of yesterday, we were informed —
[DK] after massive efforts by everyone at Henson
[DK] and working on the show —
[DK] most importantly Brian Henson
[DK] and the 3 gentlemen
[DK] here
[DK] that Sci Fi was not going to exercise it’s
[DK] option to pick up the 5th season of Farscape.
[DK] The rumors that everyone has been calling me
[DK] about are sadly
[DK] very sadly true.
[DK] Tuesday will be the last time Ben dons the uniform
[DK] of Commander John Crichton.
[DK] We are all hugely sad.
[DK] I am shaking as I write this.
[DK] Yesterday, we all cried on the set.
[DK] Yet, as we are, at the end of the line
[DK] so to speak
[DK] being just the people who make the show
[DK] and not the corporate entities that fund and air it
[DK] we are as helpless as anyone.
[DK] And we are sad
[DK] And we are shattered.
[DK] And we are sorry.
[DK] And we wanted to come online
[DK] and talk to YOU,
[DK] our core fans who have stood
[DK] beside us for such a long and great journey.
[DK] I turn it over to Ricky and Ben for their comments.
[Ben Browder] Ricky?…
[FrooniumRicky] Ben?…
[DK] Alright.
[FrooniumRicky] DK speaks the truth; we are shattered
[Ben Browder] Ok…
[FrooniumRicky] speechless
[DK] I know what they’re feeling.
[DK] We all believed
[Ben Browder] I really should have prepared something…
[DK] as late as 36 hours ago,
[DK] that we were going to 5th season.
[DK] But Sci Fi has not picked us up,
[DK] so, as all the rumors have suggested,
[DK] we have no way to make the show.
[DK] Believe me, Brian and everyone involved
[DK] have gone LITERALLY to the ends of the earth
[DK] to make this happen,
[DK] but there does not seem to be a way around this moat
[DK] placed before us.
[DK] Ben, Ricky – should we just have the Moderator start
[DK] filtering through questions?
[FrooniumRicky] I wish we had answers, but… sure
[Barbarella] Well I’m gonna type this up with no name since many people are asking this….Are there any plans of trying to go to other networks? And Is there anything the fans themselves can do to try to keep Farscape on the air?
[Ben Browder] Yep
[DK] Good question.
[DK] At the moment, the whole deal hinges on what to do with the
[DK] first 88 eps.
[DK] Perhaps a network would be interested in running
[DK] a 5th and 6th year of Farscape —
[DK] and you should know
[DK] we have the 5th season already plotted out —
[DK] however, without the right to air the first 88
[DK] eps, they’d be hard pressed to provide financing and see no return
[DK] for years because Sci Fi has the rights to the first 88.
[DK] What can you do?
[DK] I think, just what fans everywhere have
[DK] always been able to do.
[DK] Support the show.
[DK] Watch it.
[DK] When all else fails,
[DK] let everyone know how you feel.
[Barbarella] another question?
[FrooniumRicky] ga
[DK] Let’s go.
[Barbarella] And another no name question everyone is curious is there plans for a Farscape movie possibly?…often its been hinted at and they’d love to see one
[DK] Rock and I talked about it this morning.
[DK] Despite this setback,
[DK] we still have plans to finish the script.
[DK] As you can imagine,
[DK] we’re all out of work on Wednesday,
[DK] and no one is eager to let this go yet.
[DK] It all happened
[DK] too suddenly.
[DK] Ricky, Ben, myself
[DK] and everyone
[DK] is still in a state of shock.
[DK] Ben and must’ve talked on the phone 10-12 times
[DK] since yesterday morning,
[DK] and we still can’t absorb/believe it.
[DK] Hang on a second–
[DK] I just saw someone log on as Bonnie Hammer must die.
[DK] You should be ashamed of yourself and change that
[DK] nick instantly.
[DK] That kind of reaction
[DK] without knowing who and how it went
[DK] down is totally wrong.
[Barbarella] yes please guys do try to keep the anger to a minimum since we don’t know the whole story
[DK] You are attacking the wrong people.
[DK] I am the most savaged and angry person about this you know.
[DK] Brian started on this project with Rockne in 1993.
[DK] I was brought in in 1994.
[DK] It has been essentially my life since then.
[DK] If I am not angry at Bonnie, then you have no right to be.
[DK] To answer the log on–
[DK] Bonnie is the President of Sci Fi,
[DK] and has always been a fan of Farscape.
[DK] Question?
[Barbarella] *n107* Will you have time to make season 4 wrap up all the plots? If not how many letters will it take to force Sci Fi to do the right thing for once in their history and keep the show running?
[DK] We got a 1.5 rating
[DK] for Unrealized Reality.
[DK] If every one of those people wrote a letter,
[DK] we might end up filming season 9.
[DK] Q?
[Ben Browder] The story is not finished… n107
[Ben Browder] We found out after shooting 422
[FrooniumRicky] And we mistakenly left a few people alive at the end of 422
[FrooniumRicky] Who knew?
[Barbarella] hehehe
[DK] Q?
[Barbarella] *Mukaikubo* “For DK: When the final episode- I can’t believe I said that- airs, will you let us know what The Master Plan for Season V was?”
[DK] Sure.
[DK] If there is no way for Farscape to continue,
[DK] we’ll get the story out somehow.
[DK] Perhaps
[FrooniumRicky] Mime, perhaps
[DK] 2 unemployed writers and one unemployed
[Ben Browder] we should write a book
[DK] actor/writer will
[DK] write you something.
[DK] I wonder if THAT book would sell?
[FrooniumRicky] Hey, we can act it out on street corners
[DK] Q?
[Barbarella] *SciFiChick66* when it was decided that Crais and Talyn would “die”, did you know yet that the show would be renewed for 2 more seasons? Now that it has, will you bring them back and/or resolve the dangling plotlines concerning their characters? For instance, what did Stark “know” about them that was important enough for Crais to threaten Stark w/ a knife?
[FrooniumRicky] with an open laptop case for people to throw coins into
[Ben Browder] LOL
[Barbarella] ROFL
[DK] That last question I think
[FrooniumRicky] dangling?
[DK] That last question
[DK] Oops,
[DK] operator error
[Barbarella] you want a repeat?
[DK] Question seems to have missed the point.
[DK] We have been cancelled.
[Barbarella] ahhh
[Barbarella] yes
[DK] There are no more Farscape’s planned.
[DK] We can’t resolve anything beyond what we’ve done for season 4.
[DK] And besides, this is not the time nor place for storypoints and spoilers.
[DK] Q?
[Barbarella] well a statement I am getting lots of people expressing their sadness for the loss of the show as well as their admiration of the job you guys have done and I also feel that way
[FrooniumRicky] Quit leaving; we’re hoping to hit 400 people
[Barbarella] many wished you guys to know that
[FrooniumRicky] We appreciate it
[FrooniumRicky] Farscape fans are the best
[FrooniumRicky] The looniest, but the best
[Ben Browder] Just wanted you guys to hear it from us
[Ben Browder] the shock and sadness here in Australia is profound
[FrooniumRicky] As you can imagine, it wasn’t a happy set on Friday
[FrooniumRicky] This is a family
[Ben Browder] half of my phone calls in the last day have ended in tears
[FrooniumRicky] especially after four years
[Barbarella] Many people are also asking do you have plans for spin off series or totally new and unique ideas for a new series?
[DK] If there are no more questions, then we should leave everyone to absorb the sad news that way that we are having to do so.
[FrooniumRicky] Certainly the most fun I’ve ever had on a series
[Ben Browder] And the Fans… you guys in particular
[Ben Browder] are such a huge part of the Farscape family
[DK] Ben’s point is exactly why we’re here.
[DK] We’ve always been close to the fans.
[Barbarella] also they’d like an address to write to to try to Save Farscape
[FrooniumRicky] We have ideas and stuff, sure, but right now we’re still dealing with grief and shock
[DK] Even from 8000 miles away, in many cases.
[FrooniumRicky] This was our baby
[Ben Browder] and yours
[DK] We just wanted to set the rumor mill straight and make
[DK] sure everyone knew the truth so they could deal with it.
[Ben Browder] damn… this sucks
[Ben Browder] I feel like a cop at the door
[Ben Browder] 24 hours after hearing it… it’s no easier
[DK] I shudder to think what is going to happen when this is opened up to all deserving voices.
[Barbarella] yes it does truelly….I must say the show was one of the few I watched in particular…and actually followed…and I really am saddened by all this as are all of the scapers
[DK] Did someone ask for an address?
[Barbarella] yes a name and address to write to
[Barbarella] to try to save Farscape
[DK] I would simply say, call and/or lookup
[DK] Sci Fi in NY.
[DK] In this case, speed is our friend.
[DK] Believe it or not, the sets are scheduled to be torn
[DK] down forever at the end of next week.
[Ben Browder] david means… if you want to do something…
[DK] I used to work at CBS for
[DK] over 10 years, and I know that
[Ben Browder] do it before they take the chainsaws to moya
[DK] calls and telegrams always used to get our attention.
[Barbarella] I think that can be arranged
[FrooniumRicky] did emails? I always heard real letters were much more effective than emails
[DK] Volume and speed. Dissappointment is better than anger.
[DK] Remember that furious people
[DK] are “nuts.”
[DK] Angry, but civil and controlled
[DK] people are “fans.”
[DK] Networks listen to “fans.”
[FrooniumRicky] no misspellings, no obscenities
[Ben Browder] correct grammer??? Cain’t do that.
[DK] Cain’t is southern, I believe.
[Barbarella] hehehe
[Barbarella] and your point?
[Ben Browder] correctly spelled
* Barbarella smiles a wide Texan grin
[Ben Browder] be civilised
[Ben Browder] and free refills on tea
[DK] No point. I didn’t view it as a mispelling.
[FrooniumRicky] civiliZed, you Aussie
[DK] I make up words, as Ricky will tell you.
[FrooniumRicky] words and worlds
[DK] There is no such thing as a mispelling as long as the point gets
[DK] across.
[DK] How did words get made up in the first place? 🙂
[Barbarella] grunts and growls
[Barbarella] only make it so far
[Ben Browder] Hey folks… we’re really sorry…
[DK] Spread the word. Have a wake.
[DK] Watch Farscape.
[FrooniumRicky] Have a bee-ah.
[Barbarella] ok you guys ready to unmoderate?…or do you have anything else you want to say? or statements you’d like to make?
[DK] I will tell you something interesting–
[FrooniumRicky] Buy the dvds.
[DK] The last half of season 4
[Barbarella] I think most in here have the DVD’s
[DK] has tons of material that we have
[Ben Browder] RICKY!
[DK] shot that won’t make it on the air.
[FrooniumRicky] BEN!
[DK] Way to many scenes.
[DK] Gonna be a DVD fest, folks.
[Ben Browder] I’d like to say something
* FrooniumRicky runs to Ben in slow motion
[Ben Browder] …
[Ben Browder] Thank you
[Ben Browder] Thank you all for four glorious years
[Ben Browder] we have had more fun than is
[Ben Browder] legal in show buisness
[Ben Browder] You guys… get it
[Ben Browder] you get the show and what we do
* DK would like to nod his head in extreme gratitude to the fans, and then step back. Thank you all so much. See you on the next series.
[Ben Browder] Who’d have ever thought we’d be here…
[Ben Browder] Not me.
[Ben Browder] And
[Ben Browder] I will forever be grateful.
[Ben Browder] Thak you guys
[Ben Browder] Thank you even
[FrooniumRicky] Thank you odd
[FrooniumRicky] We truly do appreciate it
[Ben Browder] that’s it…. that’s all folks
[FrooniumRicky] We’d like to take you home with us, we’d love to take you home
[FrooniumRicky] We don’t really want to stop the show
[DK] Moderator? Should we open it up now?
[Barbarella] you bet
[Ben Browder] Open it up
I hope you enjoyed this if it was new or a walk down memory lane.
#FarscapeFriday #FarscapeFanFriday #FarscapeNow
Posted: September 26th, 2019 | Author: ath389 | Filed under: News | No Comments »
As we continue to play the waiting game for more Farscape time to start thinking of the annual birthday fundraiser! I am sticking with stopsoldiersuicide.org which is still too small of a charity for Charity Navigator to review sadly. There will be several auction items (including the handmade name card in Ben’s mouth in the photo) so keep that in mind!!
Wintercon in New York City November 22-24 will be a great opportunity to see Ben along with many Farscape cast members as well as Rockne O’Bannon and Brian Henson. General admission tickets still available! Also if you are staying elsewhere in the city the venue is accessible via subway A and bus Q11 so check the trip planner. There will be many Scapers (and other Ben fans , yes nonScaper Ben fans exist!) hanging out at the host hotel in the evenings so join us!!
Continue to talk up that you want to see Ben reprise the role of John Crichton on social media!! Use hashtags!! Metrics are continually being gathered and evaluated by many entities!!
