THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS... TWXN 88 07/18/97 Friday Brought to you by XENA: MEDIA REVIEW (XMR): http://xenafan.com/xmr All back issues of XMR and TWXN are available at the above site. We herein give praise and thanks to Tom Simpson for the space he has graciously donated from his spectacular, TOM'S XENA PAGE (http://xenafan.com). TWXN is the advance sheet for XMR, an annotated world press review of reports regarding the internationally syndicated television show XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS (1995 - 2000+?) and the castmembers, Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor. TWXN is not available for subscription, however it is posted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the XenaVerse, Hercules-Xena, and Chakram Mailing Lists (thank you Lucia! I am greatly indebt to you), the MCA NetForum, the Xenite Message Center, and alt.tv.xena. I also would like to thank sirvin@law.wfu.edu for assitance in collecting the newstories. For a free e-mail subscription to XMR subscribe by e-mail to ktaborn@lightspeed.net by stating somewhere in the subject or text "sub xmr". Excerpts from the following cites will appear in future issues of XMR. From the editor: 1. Some WHOOSH! news: Three new staff members have been added, two coders (Beth Gaynor and Jill Dybka) and a 'gossip' columnist (Laura Sue Dean). Beth will be helping Betsy and Kym (hey -- that's me!!! It's a third person morning!) with coding the articles, while Jill will work with Kym in helping with the massive overhaul of the episode guide Kym is obsessed with (can you say...Moby Dick?). Laura Sue will be writing the weekly "News, Gossip, Rumors" feature which should be premiering sometime today at the WHOOSH web site (http://www.thirdstory.com/whoosh) 2. The big news of this season was, of course, XWP beating the pants off of its competiton. Next week in TWXN we will devote three issues to historic moments and pivotal news stories about XWP. Monday we will relive in all its glory the moments where XWP hit the magical 7.8 rating with A NECESSARY EVIL. That, along with the previous week's (THE QUEST) 7.7, pushed XWP over the edge into the new status of WINNER, TOP DOG, and WUNDERSHOW of the season. Wednesday we will give a second look over to the ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY article of 03/07/97. Friday we will check out Larry Bonko's article on the nature of Xena hero worship. And now the stories: [ ] 03-08-97 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Saturday. Page B07. 268 words. "Shull's Mailbag" By R.K. SHULL COMMENTARY: "THEY" wouldn't dare cancel her, because "THEY" know we'd tear them limb from limb if they even merely thought about it! Xenafans are the most dedicated and rabid fans this side of media fandom! It's an ugly job, but we discharge our duties faithfully..and humbly, not like some of those HIGHLANDER fans. We don't talk about how intelligent we are as a fan base (DNRC would be proud of us!), we merely demonstrate it! EXCERPT: Lawless' 'Xena, Warrier Princess' has no fear of being canceled Dear R.K. Shull: Can you tell me how our favorite TV gal, Lucy Lawless, better known as Xena, Warrior Princess, is doing? No danger she'll get canceled, is there? - T.L.R. Dear Reader: In recent weeks, she's been the most popular among the hourlong, weekly, syndicated shows, scoring better than Deep Space Nine, Hercules or a raft of others. They wouldn't dare cancel her.... [ ] 03-09-97 THE ATLANTA JOURNAL AND CONSTITUTION. Sunday. Page 04H. 927 words. "Personal Technology. Netwatch. The AJC'S Daily Online Guide. Online providers take different approaches" COMMENTARY: Look! Look! Callisto Web Sites are now getting promoted in the professional print media!!! WHAT'S THE WORLD COMING TO? Although this little blurb is small, the impact is immense. The writer not only knows what the reader was talking about in his letter, but adds some personal opinion and even encourages the reader to actively free Callisto from the lava pit! For spoiler fans, it is COMMON KNOWLEDGE now that Callisto will be appearing in at least two episodes in the third season. There is a rumored third episode, but that has not been confirmed yet from third party sources. In RJ Stewart's June interview in WHOOSH #09, it was stated that not only would Callisto be a pivotal part of the "dark" Gabrielle story arc but that she'd also find time in her busy lava schedule to appear in a comedy! More Callisto hi-jinks! It's enough to almost forgive "THEM" for the rape scare, eh? EXCERPT: ...YOUR PICK Enough already about Xena, the Warrior Princess. Will Fleming of Tucker has joined the legion who adore Xena's nemesis Callisto, played by Hudson Leick. Will's favorite Leick Web site is at http://www.accessone.com/regards/callisto.html. You'll likely see more of Callisto on the Web than on the TV screen this season, unless someone frees her from the fiery lava pit where Xena has stranded her. Strap on that Net Watch and rescue the girl, Will.... [ ] 03-10-97 DAILY NEWS (New York). Monday. Page 70. 480 words. "New 'Buffy' Shows Real Bite" By David Bianculli COMMENTARY: Ah, the comparisons to BUFFY abound. I wish the BUFFY producers would notice. BUFFY needs to get more BUFF. More action! The show needs more Xena type action!! And also plot too, but I will over look the plot holes as long as it has ACTION. And let's explore that friendship between the Buffster and Willow, hmmmm? EXCERPT: ...In fact, during a season in which both ABC's "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and the syndicated "Xena: Warrior Princess" are big successes, an empowered, super-powered female protagonist like Buffy fits right in.... ...The dialogue, as in "Xena," offers some of the most unexpected treats. When one teen friend of Buffy's is transformed into a vampire, he tells another friend how much his senses have been heightened. "I'm connected, man, to everything," he says, like a stoner describing a drug high. "I can hear the worms in the earth." Deadpan, his still-human friend replies, "That's a plus?"... [ ] 03-10-97 MEDIAWEEK. 945 words. "$ 450-$ 500 Million Take Seen For Harte-Hanks Properties" COMMENTARY: The big news of this season was, of course, XWP beating the pants off of its competiton. Next Monday in TWXN we will discuss the amazing ratings boost that XWP encountered in February 1997. Until then enjoy this article about the incredible success XWP experienced during the 1997 February sweeps. EXCERPT: ...Xena' and Hercules' Heroic For Universal in Feb. Sweeps Universal Television Enterprises reported last week that Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys earned their best-ever ratings during the February sweeps. Xena scored the highest weekly rating of any syndicated action-adventure this season, with an 8.7 average Nielsen rating for the week of Feb. 10-16. Xena's season-to-date 6.3 rating has put the show ahead of Paramount's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (6.2) in the action-adventure race. The second half of Universal's two-hour "Action Pack" block, Hercules, also reached season-high ratings in February. Since its debut in January 1995, Hercules has bulked up its ratings by 30 percent. Ned Nalle, executive vp of first-run programming for Universal, attributed the consistent growth to "exceedingly excellent" writing, producing and directing from the series' executive producers, Sam Raimi and Rob Tappert, as well as the acting of Lucy Lawless (Xena) and Kevin Sorbo (Hercules). Nalle also credited client stations, particularly the Tribune group, for extensive on-air promotions of the block.... [ ] 03-11-97 CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Tuesday. Page 1. 86 words. "Time for Tales of Heroines" COMMENTARY: Girls as heroes!!! What a concept! EXCERPT: Xena isn't the only female who can save the day. In the book series "Girls to the Rescue," girls from around the world become heroes. They outsmart bad guys, ward off wild animals and make peace with enemies. And here's what makes our day: Bunches of girls ages 8 to 13 helped pick the stories for the books. Look for "Girls to the Rescue," Books (number) 1 and (number) 2, at bookstores; (number) 3 is due out April 1. The $4 paperbacks are edited by Bruce Lansky and published by Meadow-brook Press. [ ] 03-11-97 CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Tuesday. Page 1. 217 words. "Xena Usually Has a Fight on Her Hands" by Allan Johnson COMMENTARY: Hold the presses!!! Xena is not into frou-frou stuff! EXCERPT: Try to imagine television's sword-swinging, leg-kicking, horseback-riding Xena daintily dabbing some nail polish on a finger. That's what we saw on Lucy Lawless, who plays TV's warrior princess. We met Lucy when she was in town from her native New Zealand pumping up the show. And we noticed she had silver nail polish on a finger. She said she had tried the stuff out in a store, but didn't have any nail polish remover, so it had to stay. It sounded weird to hear Lucy worrying about her nails, when her character fights soldiers, monsters or any other bad types on "Xena: Warrior Princess" (3 p.m. Central Time Saturdays on WGN). But Lucy and Xena aren't exactly clones. Xena wouldn't be caught dead doing some of the stuff Lucy loves. Like, Lucy loves to laugh. And she's into flowers and being a homemaker. "Xena's not into that frou-frou stuff," Lucy said. Lucy, 29, said she especially loves children. "If there are kids (around), I always feel at home." Lucy has an 8-year-old daughter, Daisy. (Think Xena would name a kid Daisy?) Daisy has seen her mom taking on bad guys on TV, but Lucy says "she doesn't talk about it that much." Still, "I know she's proud of me." But Daisy doesn't consider Xena to be her fave hero. Lucy said: "She is more interested in Hercules!" GRAPHIC: 'Xena is just an alter ego of me. She's a sliver of my personality taken to extreme.'