November 6, 2001: Haiku Campaign Finnish

And the winning Haiku is:

In an evil world
We long for simple heroes.
Bring back "Sentinel".

by Jane Mailander

Wow! and another Wow! You did all great. The amount of incoming Haikus for the last round to be sent to Mrs. Bonnie Hammer shook us off our chairs. Thank you for your creativity and your work. Without you Mrs. Hammer wouldn't receive 747 Haikus as in "Bring back The Sentinel". In order you all can dive into the creativity of our fandom we proudly announce The Haiku Pages! Have fun reading.

Nevertheless don't stop writing letters and / or call. We updated the contact information for the SciFi channel.
Go here.

August 16, 2001: SOS CAMPAIGN PROPOSALS
POSITIVE FEEDBACK TO SPONSORS!
Haiku Attack
Birthday Challenge

By now you've probably heard the bad news that SciFi has taken The Sentinel off their schedule for the rest of this year due to budgetary concerns. Although SciFi has indicated to us that our show will be back by January 2002 (if not sooner), we here at SOS feel TS fans need to do everything possible to ensure that really happens. That's why we came up with these campaigns.

To learn more about the campaigns and your important role click here.

Thank you from all of us at SOS!

August 3, 2001: Adopt a wolf - Donations in the name of Garett Maggart / Moonridge Zoo

Sharon spoke with Debbie at the park earlier and advised her that a number of  people were donating in Garett's name and this is what was decided:  

In response to the question of donating in Garett's name:

Moonridge Animal Park has three grey wolves up for adoption, their names are Wakiza, which means "one who fights against all odds," Nova, which means "Butterfly chaser," and Echo.  Wakiza is the dominant female in the group and her sister is Nova, who is the least dominant.  They are both about one and a half years old.  Echo is about eight years old.  There is actually an animal adoption auction planned at the event that night, so this is a perfect idea. All donations can be sent to our non-profit organization

MOON RIDGE ANIMAL PARK
ATTN: Debbie
PO Box 2832
Bigbear Lake, CA 92315
USA

or

go to Sharon's website if you want to make your Payment via her PayPal account: www.garettmaggart.net

Debbie says her personal favorite is Wakiza and that she loves people, and she's a very beautiful wolf. So if you'd like to become the proud parent of a needy wolf and show your support for Garett--this is one way to do it.  :)

August 1, 2001: The Sentinel Garett Maggart appearance

Finally, after a long absence from the public, Garett is making a personal appearance and has specifically requested that the event be publicized via the net in order to reach the majority of his fans.  

Please feel free to forward this announcement to ...

Garett will be appearing at the Moonridge Animal Park in the San Bernadino Mountains of Southern California, on Saturday, August 25th at a special celebrity fundraiser event.  He will be appearing with other celebrities such as: Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels, Richard Karn from "Home Improvement" as well as a number of professional athletes. Also,  unconfirmed are Betty White, Loretta Swit from "MASH" and Stephanie Powers from "Hart to Hart," they hope to raise money to help benefit the zoo.

**No other Sentinel Stars are booked.**

Tickets are available in advance as well as the day of the event.  Cost is $15 per person.

Event time: 3:00 pm to 7:00, Pacific time. There will be a mixer beginning at 7:30 pm, with times for autographs and pictures.  A banquet will follow at approximately 8:00 pm, Pacific time, ending at:   no specified time.  The cost for the banquets is *approximately* $50. *This is subject to change*

For additional information, please contact: Debbie Richardson at 909/584-1299
(she's on Pacific time)

Thank you Sharon for the information

July 18, 2001: Information on recent removal of TS off Sci-Fi's schedule

In two separate conversations with The Sci-Fi Channel on July 18, SOS has learned of the following. Chris Regina, Director of Programming, and Bonnie Hammer's office confirm that The Sentinel has been removed from the Sci-Fi schedule, most likely for the remainder of 2001. Both sources state that this is for "budgetary reasons". This was further explained by Regina as Sci-Fi having exhausted their budget for showing TS for this year. They have a certain dollar amount to spend on the showings, and it must be spread out.

Both state that this action is for *this* year. Both say that TS will be back in January 2002. Regina further stated that while January is more likely, there is the possibility that it will come back as early as October.

Stay Tuned!
The SOS-Team

Interview with Richard Burgi in French Tele 7 JOURS Issue 2104 - September 23, 2000

Richard Burgi
Happy is he who, like Ulysses
by Henry ARNAUD

"I definitely put my bags down when my wife Lori told me she was expecting Jack. Now, I don't want to roam the world, but see my family growing."

Between 18 and 24, this former traveller, who became the hero of "The Sentinel," airing on M6, sailed the oceans working on cargo boats.

"I wanted to travel but I didn't have money. That job allowed me to see the world."

Having become an actor by chance, after auditioning for the fun of it, Richard Burgi couldn't stay put for a long time in front of the cameras. New York, Mexico, Australia, Canada or Hawaii, the actor always accepted roles that took him far away from Hollywood.

"We shot "The Sentinel" for three years in Vancouver, but I took advantage of every week's holiday to leave with my backpack. Fortunately, my wife always followed me."

Happy is he who, like Ulysses.  The series stopped last year, after four seasons and 65 episodes.

"I would've loved to continue the adventures of James Ellison, the detective endowed with supernatural powers, because we had many fans. But the end of this series allowed me to start a new life. I bought a house looking out onto the Pacific Ocean, and I restored it myself. This is where I watch my son growing up."

Two hours from Hollywood, Burgi spends his days surfing and taking care of his four-year-old Jack, taking him to school every morning.

"Lori will give birth to our second child in early October [sic]."

Still, Richard shot an episode of the series "Veronica's Closet," which aired on France 2, where he plays Kirstie Alley's fiancé. A very, very sturdy fiancé!

---

Interview with Richard Burgi in French TeleK7 monthly special video issue - August, 2000

NOTE: Some things in this article do not seem to be correct, i.e. timeframe of TS cancellation and similar. Also, according to the RBFC Richard didn't build his house completely by his own but did some work on it. We also couldn't verify an outcome of a DVD either from UPN, Paramount or whomsoever. This is unconfirmed.

Burgi: Five senses to succeed
Since "The Six Million Dollar Man" in 1973, television never stopped glorifying supermen as different as Robocop, Superman or Flash. In 1996, "The Sentinel" unquestionably showed a certain renewal of the super hero.

In spite of the relative failure of their series "The Flash," in 1990, where a lab assistant played by John Wesley Shipp ("Dawson's" father) turned into a superman as a result of a mistake in an experiment, producers Paul de Meo and Danny Bilson never gave up the idea of bringing back to life a hero true to the spirit of the popular US "comics."

They went much further with "The Sentinel," giving the viewers a clever combination of Superman, Rambo and Rick Hunter.

But who is The Sentinel? Neither bionic nor recomposed, the ex-GI Jim Ellison inherited his abilities from a mysterious Peruvian jungle tribe that took him in and looked after him. Back to work with the Cascade police, his heightened senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch are all qualities that help him lead his investigations, along with a young anthropologist who uses him as a "guinea-pig."

The audience was quickly hooked, getting a kick out of the cocktail of humor, suspense, action, fantasy and even the paranormal. Finally, Jim Ellison's role seems tailor-made for the actor Richard Burgi, an ex-docker and accomplished sportsman, someone polymuscular between Stallone and Bruce Willis, an "inexpressive dull hunk" according to some critics, but quickly adopted by the fans. A sturdy man in his forties, 1.90 meters tall, Richard Burgi was a rather adventurous teenager, travelling across Europe with a backpack, then creating a private detective agency with his brother and leaving it to try his luck as an actor.

He was the pediatrician Elaine hit on in "Seinfeld" in 1990, he used his robust charm on Cheryl Ladd with whom he topped the bill in "One West Waikiki" in 1994, and he drove Kirstie Alley wild in "Veronica's Closet."

If Burgi says straight out that he'd rather "open a door in a cult series than portray the hero of a rubbishy one," it's because he knows the value of each role. And according to him, Jim Ellison's part is one you don't refuse.

Accessible to all audiences because of its non-violent nature, "The Sentinel" was successful for three years before being abruptly stopped on August 12th 1999. However, the extraordinary adventures of Jim Ellison are far from being over since cable channel UPN considers producing some "special" made-for-TV movies, like Columbo, on a yearly basis, and releasing a Trivia game inspired by the series and a Dolby stereo DVD with the best episodes.

Looking forward to that predicted comeback, Richard Burgi played Cole Riccardi, a new action hero, in a pilot TV series shown in the fall 1999.

And he sure smiles when he is reminded, just like in "The Sentinel" credits, that "he is the only one, he is unique," a feeling he experiences in the house he built with his own hands in Laguna Beach, where he enjoys happy days with his wife Lori and their three-year-old son Jack. Searching every day the waves of the Pacific shore where he likes to surf, the man is undoubtedly the sentinel mindful of his own happiness.

Jean-Jacques JELOT-BLANC

---

Stork Sighting and Congratulations! - August 15, 2000

Congratulations to Richard Burgi and his wife Lori for the newest addition to their family. On August 15th the stork hit their home and they got their second son Samuel Bridge. Many thanks to Richard and the RBFC for letting us know.

---

Interview with Richard Burgi in French TV Guide TéléStar - June 5, 2000

He believes in premonitions

Richard Burgi
"A voice foretold my destiny when I was 16"
by Franck Ragaine
Télé Star Nr 1236 - 10-16 June 2000

Since "The Sentinel" stopped, Richard Burgi has never found another part as intense as Jim's in this famous show. On the other hand, his private life is becoming more and more valuable to him every day.

Télé Star:  You shot the last episode of "The Sentinel" in December 1998. Was it enough after four years as Jim Ellison?

Richard Burgi: I would've enjoyed it going on for one more year! At least to have some of the leading character's facets deepened. "The Sentinel" combined action, humor and much intensity in human relationships. And I'm a lot like Jim! If I was asked to play that part again, I wouldn't hesitate for a second!

Télé Star: What have you been doing since then?

Richard Burgi: I appeared in two other shows: "Action," which unfortunately stopped, and "Providence", never released in France yet. On the other hand, I turned down several projects - including filming in Bulgaria - that would've kept me too far away from my family. Since my wife is pregnant, I want to stay with her more than ever.

Télé Star: You say you've always been sure of three things: you were going to have a family, you were going to be an actor and you were going to surf...

Richard Burgi: I had my first premonition when I was 16. I was in High School when a voice told me I was going to be an actor. I was 25 when I decided to take acting lessons. It was just as incredible about surfing:  the same voice told me I was going to surf! A few months later, I got a part in "One West Waikiki," with Cheryl Ladd, and the shooting was taking place in Hawaii. So I began to surf, and it's a real passion. As for my wife, I met her in 1994, and I knew immediately that she would be the mother of my children.

Télé Star: You were 37 when you got married. Is it more reasonable then than at the age of 20?

Richard Burgi: It was for me anyway. We were both experienced, so we consciously made that choice. This allows us to settle the inevitable petty conflicts in a couple's life with enough hindsight.

Télé Star: Do you take being a father very seriously?

Richard Burgi: Oh yeah! So much so that I work a lot less since I have this responsibility. My wife and my son are the most precious things in my life. When I look at Jack, that three-and-a-half-year old little innocent being and the symbol of our love, I feel a lot of emotions. I know that, like others, his destiny will be made of joys and pains, and I already fear those times when he will have to overcome difficulties.

Télé Star: It seems that you and your brother haven't always been very careful when you were young...

Richard Burgi: Our most outstanding memory - and the most disastrous too - was the day when we set our parent's garage on fire. I was 12 and we loved playing detectives in our house in New Jersey. As part of our "investigations" we sometimes carried out chemical experiments. One of them didn't work very well (or maybe too well!) and started a fire we quickly put out.  My mother realized it only years later.

Télé Star: What do you still dream of?

Of living and working in Europe for a year with my family, so that my children will discover new cultures. I also dream of a world where man would learn to respect nature again and stop wasting its resources.

Thanks Christine for sending in the article and the translation

---

Timeslot Change for TS on the SciFi Channel - June 2, 2000

According to the schedule bot at the SciFi Channel's website, The Sentinel will air from July 10th on at 5 pm Eastern.

Easter Basket mentioned in  Scifiguys Newsletter - May 18, 2000

I'm very happy to report that the Easter basket full of plastic eggs stuffed with notes about TS that the Ad Group sent to Bonnie Hammer at the Sci Fi Channel last month was mentioned on The Sci Fi Guys website, in their newsletter. Here's the blurb

Sci Fi Support Groups

Remember when it was unique for a show to have an active fan base trying to save it? Not so much anymore. "Roswell" has the tabasco bottle revolt, and the tireless fans of "The Sentinel" have sent a gift basket with Sentinel messages to the Sci-Fi Channel to encourage the powers that be to pick up the series. Apparently, the basket was well received. Gotta give them points for creativity. Well, good luck to all of you. Just let me know when "Brimstone" gets revived. Sigh.

Thanks Barb, Founder of the Sentinel Ad Group

TS Back in New Zealand - May 17, 2000

There it is in white on colorful background. Channel TV2 in New Zealand starts airing The Sentinel from May 26th on. Check out their schedule at http://tv2.co.nz/html/whatsonindex.html. Episodes will air Fridays on 9:30.

Thanks to Lucy for pointing us in the right direction

Interview with Richard Burgi in French TV Guide TeleK7 - May 6, 2000

Richard Burgi : "Ellison is Superman!"
by Gilles Toucas
web: TeleK7

Richard Burgi, alias Jim Ellison, the detective with heightened senses, is back on M6 where the fourth season of The Sentinel is airing again.

TK7 : Do you get much mail from France?

RB:  A lot. My character, Lt. Jim Ellison, fascinates the French, but also the Germans, the Spanish, the English. The Sentinel is now airing in about 30 countries. My wife, Lori, takes care of the fan mail.  I'm not surprised at the enthusiasm for the series since I've always been proud of our work.

TK7 : How do you organize your family life and career?

RB:  I turn down any job offer if it means my family can't be with me. We have a three-year-old, Jack, and I would have left The Sentinel rather than stay away from him and Lori, who gave up her modelling career to have a child. They were with me while we were shooting The Sentinel in Vancouver.

TK7 : Last year, you told us about the release of  a video boxed set of The Sentinel. How far have you got?

RB:  It's still being studied in the US. It could eventually be a DVD rather than a VHS. I collected a lot of behind-the-scenes footage from the series that will go with the episodes we'll choose. We might also add a "trivia" game on the DVD for those who know everything about the show.

TK7 : How do you explain the success of The Sentinel?

RB:  It's a cocktail of action, suspense, humor and supernatural events. In their letters, the viewers compare The Sentinel with The X-Files, adding that we've got many more special effects and stunts. Ellison is Superman.

TK7 : The shooting stopped last year after four seasons. Are we going to see new episodes?

RB:  The Sentinel Fan Club wants the cast back, and Paramount would like to revive the idea for two to four special made-for-TV movies. I don't believe The Sentinel will be back on a weekly basis, since production costs are too heavy and therefore too expensive for UPN. On the other hand, made-for-TV movies, like Columbo, would be an excellent idea.

TK7 : What are you doing meanwhile?

RB:  I played Kirstie Alley's lover in Veronica's Closet. My character is a muscular playboy who makes her fall for him by having her face tattooed on his chest. For a long time I've wanted to change my image as a serious guy by doing comedy. For Veronica's Closet, we rehearsed two days before filming the episode, in front of a live audience. It felt like doing theatre.

From our correspondent in the US, Gilles Toucas

Thanks to Chris for sending in the article

---

TS back on French TV - May 4, 2000

From May 6 on French Viewers will finally see The Sentinel's 4th season. The Sentinel airs in France on channel M6 on Saturdays 21:45.

Thanks Chris for the information

The SciFi channel received special Easter greetings from the Ad Group - April 28, 2000

In an ongoing attempt to keep The Sentinel forefront in SciFi Channel's mind, this week the 46 members of the Ad Group sent an Easter basket to Bonnie Hammer, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SciFi Channel.

Inside the Easter basket were 46 plastic eggs stuffed with notes about The Sentinel, written by the Ad Group members. The campaign was a huge success, with the notes ranging from humorous to serious, with all those taking part having fun in the process.

If you'd like to see what the notes said, head on over to the Ad Group's NEW webpage and click on the WHAT'S NEW button.

Here's what Barb, founder of the Ad Group has to report:

Yesterday, SOS was in contact with SF Channel, inquiring about the Easter basket full of TS messages the Ad Group sent, and the Chain Reaction poll the Ad Group ran.

And their response?

Bonnie Hammer LOVED the basket.  In fact, she shared the messages (which you can read at the Ad Group's site on the WHAT'S NEW page) with the entire programming department!  They thought it was creative and charming and that it was a real hit.  And it was also perfect timing, because of the upcoming TS Chain Reaction and our own Chain Reaction poll.  SF said that TS is fresh in their minds. Exactly the whole point of the campaign!  It worked!

SciFi Chain Reaction on May 29

In an attempt to make SciFi change its mind about the episodes they chose for the chain reaction to be held on may 29 (see also the current schedule) the Ad Group did a poll on their sites to let the fans vote for their favourite episodes. This list was faxed to the SciFi channel.

And their response?

They were staggered by the number of voters who went to the site in such a short time and promised to do everything they could to get the schedule changed to reflect our poll results.

YESSS!!  We ARE being heard!  This is fantastic!  So keep those fingers crossed that the episodes WE picked will be shown during the Chain Reaction on May 29th.

I can't thank all of you enough who participated in either or both of the above campaigns.  It's because of all of YOU that SF is thinking about TS again - which has been the goal of the Ad Group since day one.

And my great thanks to SOS, for contacting SF channel about all of this, and just for all that they do for the fandom.   Thanks, guys!

Keep up the good work, everyone!  Don't stop writing those letters, especially now! 

Barb
Founder, Sentinel Ad Group

Thank you Barb

TS back on Dutch TV - April 1, 2000

The channel is called Veronica and TS is on each Wednesday around 23:50. They shift it from time to time. Next week's episode is Deep Water.

Their schedule (also in Dutch can be viewed one week in advance) can be found on their multiguide page: Multiguide

Their main page is Veronica

Thanks to Steffi for the info

TS FLYERS - NEW DESIGNS

Thanks to "SentiCon", a number of great ideas were suggested to SOS and the AdGroup, including new flyers to advertise The Sentinel's return to Sci-FI.

Please stop by, grab a couple of designs and get to work. We still have to spread the word any way we can. Cons, bookstores, message boards, work break rooms, parking lots--all have great potential for gaining new viewers.

TS Flyers

GOOD NEWS!- March 24, 2000

According to Sci-Fi, "The Sentinel" will the recipient of a "Chain Reaction" on Monday, May 29 starting at 9:00 am, est., and continuing through until 6:00 pm. That's a remarkable *TEN* hours of "The Sentinel". At this time, however, episodes titles are *not* known and we encourage everyone to write Sci-Fi and suggest their favorite eps.

feedback@scifi.com

NEW INFO ON THE SCI-FI SCHEDULE - March 21, 2000

According to Sci-Fi, "The Sentinel" will begin airing again at 4:00 pm (est) Monday - Friday, starting on March 27th. Episodes will "air in order" starting with "The Switchman".
According to our contact at Sci-Fi, they ARE noticing the number of mailings by Sentinel fans. This is a key element to our continued success.

Keep up the good work!

feedback@scifi.com

UPDATE ON THE SCI-FI AIRINGS - January 11, 2000

According to Ms. Bonnie Hammer of Sci-Fi, "The Sentinel" will *NOT* air completely before being off the schedule for "one or two months", leaving off without airing the last four episodes.
Fans are encouraged to write Sci-Fi in protest.

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