MSCL.com

First of all, my own thanks to Jason Rosenfeld for his tireless efforts in using persistence and leverage for getting this masterpiece finally released -- in full, unaltered, and in a wholly legal version. And to all those on mscl.com and elsewhere who initiated and abetted the crusade.

Second, my sincere sympathies to all who have struggled with this fiasco at Another Universe. I have had my own personal crusades to get credit-card compensation, so I do empathize with what you're going through.

All that being said ... I did not order this set from AU. The offer seemed amateurish and poorly thought out, even from its first posting. The "lunchbox" was, at best, a misguided effort to create a new collectible. And the bonus disk was announced before any programming was secured.

From the FAQ, I have gathered -- in multiple notes, few in strict chronology -- that only two items have been fully secured and cleared (if that) for the as-yet-not-produced bonus disc:

~ The 70-minute recent interview with Winnie Holzman, Ed Zwick, and Marshall Herskovitz.
~ The 60-minute multiple cast-and-crew interview from 1994 at the Museum of Television and Radio (West) special event in Beverly Hills.

I only saw one other potential item mentioned in passing: MTV's introductions, made by the cast, to the initial two showings of "MSCL" on that channel. Jason has said in another thread that no outtakes from production will be included, a disappointment (for me) from the earliest reports of this disc.

The extra disc, with lunchbox et al., is not worth a $60 premium or more over the amount that the boxed set costs at amazon.com and other outlets. I feel no "loyalty" to anyone beyond this Website for having put their capital forward ... certainly not Another Universe, who seems to have ended up seizing much of the capital of the rest of you, via your credit cards.

The disc would be worth, say, $19.95 at most. (I had at first thought, perhaps, $29.95 ... but I got too angry reading a few of your horror stories in this forum.) I'd pay that, if anyone wants to start a tally.

Please speak up in this thread: Would you buy it by itself, if you weren't an AU customer? Would you, if you aren't one? And how much would you pay? Presumably to AU, that is. (If "zero," please rein in the invective, eh?)

Not that I expect to see it being sold separately, mind you. How could they market it, when AU -- as Jason has also said -- isn't even using the MSCL "typewriter" logo on its packaging? And may not be legally allowed to do so?

If they market this, though, I'll take a flyer on it -- by itself. I stopped carrying a "lunchbox" in third grade, and I won't even carry one to my collectibles shelf now. Another dust-carrying tschotschke, in my apartment? Oy gevalt!

Your thoughts are welcome, as well, about the bonus disk's likely contents. I plan to go to the Museum and see the "MSCL" program, since I am fortunate to live nearby, and gauge whether a copy of it is worth such a cost. (It would have been a class act to include a donation to the Museum in the purchase price. I doubt AU would be such a class act even on a standalone disc.)

They cannot sell it on its own.

As far as the bonus material goes, it is my understanding that when the interviews were recorded for AU, Bedford Falls believed that AU was the sole source for these DVDs.

I don't know if they ever signed over the rights to AU, but the last I knew, before I pulled out of the project, the rights had not been signed to AU.

As far as the Museum of TV and Radio footage goes, I am willing to bet that if they did clear the material with the museum, I GUARANTEE that the Museum has not been paid up front. If I ever saw AU behave any differently, I would not say this. This is 100% their way of doing business.

It seems that to AU.com, everybody exists to for their enrichment, and too bad if AU doesn't give them what they promised in return. Sorry to be saying this, but I have NEVER, EVER seen any evidence that they are capable of acting in any other way.

Jason

> They cannot sell [the bonus disc] on its own. <

I know this sounds like I'm parsing it too closely, but would you tell me which sense you mean here?

~ They are contractually prevented, with one or more of the parties involved, from selling it on its own, without a boxed set of episode DVDs?

or

~ They're too inept to be able to market it effectively by selling it separately?

Probably both, though I'm betting on the first sense.

From what you say, the clearances are none too secure. I'm not expecting that this will be resolved soon. If the non-AU boxed set sales are heavy -- this "MSCL" set was at about 40th place on Amazon, last time I looked -- BMG or Bedford Falls may want their own larger cut by distributing this added material themselves.

All of that is, as I noted elsewhere, entirely apart from the likelihood of both interviews promptly ending up on Kazaa or similar peer-to-peer outlets, if the disc is ever released.