Patricia Tallman's Pleasure Thresholds

_In case you don't know, Patricia Tallman is an actress/stunt woman who, among other things, starred in one of my all time favorite TV shows, Babylon 5. She played Lyta Alexander, a telepath who becomes a central figure in the plot that involves several alien races and struggles for power and control.

It was an awesome show and she played a real kick-ass character. I had the opportunity to meet Pat at the Visions Science Fiction Convention in Chicago in 1997. She was a guest along with fellow Babylon 5 cast members, Julie Caitlin Brown (aka Na'Toth) and Jeff Conaway (aka Zack Allen). It was a very fun weekend and Pat even stopped by the Babylon 5 party my friends and I hosted. She loved the teddy bear cake I made with the words "Babearlon 5" written on it. When I told her Joe Straczynski (Babylon 5's creator and producer) didn't appear to be very fond of it when he came to the B5 party we threw in San Antonio, she said, "Fuck Joe."

Pat had some fantastic stories to tell of being Gina Davis' stunt double in The Long Kiss Goodnight. If you ever have a chance to see her at a convention, do it. You'll be glad you did. She's very engaging and funny. The only complaint I had was that it was very hard to get a good picture of her onstage, not because she's not beautiful (she obviously is) but because she is so animated when she speaks that all my pictures came out blurry! But then, that's what makes for an entertaining experience.

So, if you are all a fan of Pat or of Babylon 5, I highly recommend her memoir, Pleasure Thresholds. Besides a behind the scenes look at the show, her journey as the character and tons of pictures, there's also a bonus CD-ROM with some video clips of her talking about the book and working on Babylon 5. In addition, the CD includes an audio commentary of the Babylon 5 episode that she does along with Joe Straczynski "Secrets of the Soul." You'll need to have something that can play the audio track while you watch the episode. In my case, I put the audio track on an MP3 player so I could sit in comfort in my living room watching my DVD of the episode. It took a couple of attempts on my part to get the two synced up but I blame that on the clumsiness of the operator. And in case it wasn't obvious from before, Pat doesn't censor her words and she has a bawdy sense of humor so this might be a treat you keep away from the wee kids.

There's a lot of information she reveals regarding how the television industry works (especially how smarmy suits can ruin a good thing). She also talks candidly about her co-workers and the deaths of actors Andreas Katsulas, Rick Biggs and Jeff Conaway. You learn just how hard it is for the average actor to make a living and what it's like working as both an actress and a stunt woman. I know I couldn't have done what she does.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Pleasure Thresholds and watching/listening to the bonus material on the CD. The book and CD are for sale through Cafe Press at: http://www.cafepress.com/b5pat. Oh, and it's also autographed by both her and Joe. I think it is well worth the price and you'd be helping a hard working and dedicated actress/stunt woman who's also actively involved in Penny Lane, a home for abused children. She and her fans have helped raise more than $250,000 for them over the last several years.

---