_____ ______ ._ `\`/>`\ /`/` /`__________,.'>___ _____ )~\ /<`\ `\ /`/` /``\ \./------> /|\./\ |\./| / | \ /< `\`\ `\ /`/` /` | | |----\ / | |\ \ | | |././^\ \ |\__{o}\--`\`\ `\/`/` /`-----| | |-----`------\`\`\--| | |----^ \ \----. [\\\\\\\{*}==`> <`=======| | ==============`\`\`\| | |=====\ \ \==--> |/~~{o}/-- /`/ /\ \ `\------| | |---------------`\`\\ | |------\ \ \--' \< /`/` /` `\`\ `\ | | |_____,.'>| | | `\`\| | /' \ \ \ \< /` /` `\`\ `\ ,/ /^\------> / |/^\| \ | |/ \/^\\. /`/\>/` `\`\ `\`~~~~~~~~~~~\ / ~~~~~ )^\,\, '~~~~~ `~~~~~` '~~~~~` ` ~~~~~~ ========================== XENA: THE MEDIA REVIEW #09 ========================== http://www.teleport.com/~gater/IAXS.html c/o RIF BBS, P.O. Box 81181, Bakersfield, CA 93308 RIF BBS (805) 588-9349 [24hrs, 14.4bps, free] 166 subscribers and growing! This document has 1,056 lines. Xena Media Review (XMR) is a periodic annotated review of mainstream media reports found in electronic form regarding the syndicated television show Xena: Warrior Princess (1995 - ) and the castmembers, Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor. For a free e- mail subscription send "subscribe XMR" to ktaborn@lightspeed.net. Copyright, legal, and editorial notices are found at the end of this newsletter. Issue No. 09 Release date: May 31 1996 2nd edition: 07/10/96 Covering 10-29-95 to 11-20-95 Annotations 069 to 083c [069a] 10-29-95. DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Nominal mention [069b] 11-05-95. THE RECORD. Same as XMR069a. [069c] 11-12-95. THE BUFFALO NEWS. Same as XMR069a. ***[070a] 10-31-95. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Lots info ***[070b] 11-09-95. HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Same as XMR070a. * [071] 11-02-95. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Mention. [072] 11-06-95. CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Minor mention. [073] 11-06-95. BOSTON HERALD. Nick Kokotakis. [074] 11-09-95. SEATTLE TIMES. Minor mention. ***[075] 11-09-95. HOUSTON CHRONICLE. O'Connor interview * [076a] 11-09-95. DAILY VARIETY. The Reckoning ratings * [076b] 11-13-95. VARIETY. Top 20 * [076c] 11-13-95. ADWEEK. The Reckoning placing [076d] 11-06-95. DAILY VARIETY. Ratings commentary [077] 11-10-95. DAILY VARIETY. Renaisance Pictures * [078] 11-11-95. INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Answer to question [079] 11-13-95. USA TODAY. Passing mention [080] 11-15-95. DAILY VARIETY. Minor mention [081] 11-05-95. LOS ANGELES TIMES. Ted Raimi ***[082] 11-17-95. ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE. Mythology [083a] 11-17-95. DAILY VARIETY. Sinbad [083b] 11-17-95. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Sinbad [083c] 11-20-95. VARIETY. Same as XMR083a. ------------- Introduction: ------------ I have some news about the progress of the "summer projects". I am formally announcing the establishment of the Inter- national Association for Xena Studies (IAXS). All are invited to join. The only requirement is that each member MUST submit an article to the Journal at least once a year. It's PUBLISH OR PERISH, just like in real life! Do not panic just yet, though. Size is not important (is it really ever?). We are attempting universal participation, not marathon papers. If there is a problem with your submission, you will be gently aided by the editorial staff or assigned a board member to hone that great work of scholarship just busting to get out. If you cannot think of a theme, again the IAXS will help you by suggesting topics of inquiry and aiding you in your process. It's a win-win situation. You can aid Xena fandom and enjoy the fruits of others' labors. The submissions will be presented at least quarterly in the Journal of the International Association of Xena Studies. All members of the Association will receive copies of the journal (all charter subscribers of XMR will receive the Journal for the first year gratis; charter members are those requesting the netzine in March 1996). The Journal's name will be "Whoosh" (long story...BTW, do you get it?). I will be the Executive Editor aka Editor-in-Chief, and the two other editors will be Tricia Murphy (West Coast) and Marian Samuels (East Coast). When Xena is released world-wide in September, we will appoint further editors for each country. IAXS will be ran by a board of people chosen by me the first year, and thereafter voted on annually by the rank and file membership. Membership on the board requires that you take an ACTIVE part in the duties of running the Association and/or contributing submissions to each quarterly journal. If you are interested in joining the IAXS as a laymember or as a board member please e-mail me. The duties of the board will include maintenance of a web page, the production of the journal, aiding laymembers in their submissions to the journal, organization of regional conventions, and whatever else arises. The duties of the laymember will be to submit at least one article per year to the journal. Although the first journal will highlight the Hercules episodes "Warrior Princess", "The Gauntlet", and "Unchained Heart", other article themes will be considered for inclusion. For example, along with the synopses and reviews of the trilogy, I want to include an article on the relationship between "Hercules and the Amazon Women" and "Hooves and Harlots" in the development of Lucy Lawless' interpretation of Xena. Please e-mail me your suggestions and RESERVE YOUR TOPIC TODAY! This week's XMR covers the cites 69 to 83. Next week's will cover 84 to 99. At ten issues, that averages 10 cites per newsletter. I am up to my 280th cite this week. That works out to be about 18 more weeks before catching up, not including the accumulating future months of articles. It looks like I will be issuing at least two XMRs per week sometime over the summer. My goals are to be caught up by the start of next season. I also want to devote the lion's share of my time to Whoosh!. That means I have to (1) get caught up in my day job; (2) get caught up in my family job; and (3) get caught up on my other publishing ventures. Luckily, RIF is established enough that I do not have to solicit submissions. I have enough material to do into automatic. I will have to cut down on my editorials (is that a collective cheer I hear?). Eventually, XMR will retreat into the background as an IAXS research project. I anticipate it being issued once to twice a month. The real action will be Whoosh! I want it to be everything a good fanzine can be. But I can't and won't do it alone. For all those who missed the boat at the beginning of Star Trek fandom, this is it. The boat is leaving...now! Jump in while you have a chance. I will endeavor to make "the projects" as stressless as watching XWP can be and to keep it's FUNdamental fun perspective. Due to size I had to cut the interview with Lucy Lawless (XMR084). It will begin XMR #10. However, the O'Connor interview and the mythology article should keep you sated until next week. --Kym ---------- TIMELINE ---------- 01. "SINS OF THE PAST". 09/04/95. Synopsis given in XMR #06 02. "CHARIOTS OF WAR". 09/11/95. Synopsis given in XMR #07. 03. "DREAMWORKER". 09/18/95. Synopsis given in XMR #07. 04. "CRADLE OF HOPE". 09/25/95. Synopsis given in XMR #07. 05. "THE PATH NOT TAKEN". 10/02/95. Synopsis in XMR #08. --. "THE WARRIOR PRINCESS". 10/09/95. Synopsis in XMR #08. "THE RECKONING". Release date: 10/16/95. Episode #6. Share: 1st showing: 5.2 (14th, 3rd place); 2nd showing: 5.3. Synopsis: Xena, minding her own business, finds a group of peasants being attacked by a mysterious and magical foe. The peasants, as peasants are wont to do, are having the dickens beaten out of them. The New and Improved Xena (tm), perceiving a grave injustice, jumps in and heads off the magician. The magician is wily and quick. Xena is deprived of victory when the magician disappears as the peasants' peers come over the hill. The peasant peers immediately deduce that Xena was slicing and dicing their people. Unfortunately all the survivors are dead except for one guy, who passes out. The villagers take Xena to the village where the unwashed masses want to string her up. A village elder arrives to remind everyone of habeus corpus and Xena's inalienable right to trial. The trick works! The villagers leave mumbling. Meanwhile it is discovered that (1) the magician was none other than Ares, THE god of war; (2) there is a bully/sadist who lives in the town and he blames Xena FOR EVERYTHING; and (3) Xena really feels bad about killing a lot of people in her past [this trait is exploited more in "Callisto", episode #22]. Gabrielle finally gets to town and decides she'll be Xena's representative at the trial. At the same time Ares is playing massive headgames with Xena. He wants to seduce her back to the Dark Force. While rotting away in the dank prison, Ares perioidically whisks Xena (oh, calgon, take me away!) to Olympius to work on the seduction. He even encourages her to enact universal education and public good works programs if and when she becomes Ares' representative on earth. Xena starts to see some wisdom in Ares' plan. Meanwhile, back on earth where Xena's physical self still remains, the little village sadist arrives with his friends to torture Xena after the guy in the coma dies. Little did the guy realize that Xena could have whupped the entire village but did not because she would have felt like a hypocrite. After several sessions with Ares, Xena could have cared less about being a hypocrite. In mid-torture Xena goes into a fine frenzy and starts literally ripping the place apart (not to mention the sadist and friends). Gabrielle comes in during the mayhem and gets belted and thrown across the room by the Old and Unimproved Xena (tm). Xena sobers up and becomes once again the New and Improved Xena, quickly offering emergency first aid to all of her victims. After Gabrielle's attempts to disprove the prosecution's case against Xena are thwarted by Ares, and Xena refuses to be party to a jail break, Xena is saved by her own quick wit. Using cunning logic that only a warrior princess could get away with, she tricks Ares into bringing back to life the villagers that Ares slaughtered (duh, Ares). The villagers then, of course, think Xena is the best thing since sliced bread, and they all, especially the little sadist, see the error of their petty little ways. Ares is majorly bummed, but the gals slap the backs of the villagers, laugh a few laughs (hey! mistakes and misunderstanding happen all the time), then head out on the road again. "THE GAUNTLET" Release date (3rd showing): 10/23/95. [Showings as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys: 1st, ---; 2nd ----]. This was shown as a special encore showing of a Hercules episode in Hercule's timeslot. Share: 3rd release: 5.9. Synopsis: Xena gets booted out by her co-warlord-in-chief, Darfus, because he's become impatient with Xena's rules about not killing women and children and allowing villagers who agree to supply them to go unplundered. He forces Xena to walk the gauntlet, which is a Klingon-type, piratey, painstick-like thang. The gauntletee must walk through the gauntlet, where the gauntleters use deadly force to keep the gauntletee from walking the whole distance (when pin the tail on the donkey gets too dull). Suffice it to say, Darfus thinks he's killed Xena, but she survives and gets really miffed at Darfus. Meanwhile, Herc decides he wants to eradicate Xena's army. Salmoneous gets involved and is the first to see Xena's "change". When he finds out that Xena is on a vengeance kick against Darfus, and that Herc wants to destroy the army, Salmoneous suggests that they pair up. Xena refuses and goes off to her own. Xena kills Darfus, but Darfus is a special "friend" of Hera, so he comes back to life. "UNCHAINED HEART" Release date (3rd showing): 10/23/95. [Showings as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys: 1st, ---; 2nd ---- ]. This was shown as a special encore showing of a Hercules episode in XWP's timeslot. Share: 3rd release: 5.9. Synopsis: Xena relents, finds her good side, has a roll in the hay with Hercules, slowly makes friends with Iolaus, saves the baby, saves Salmoneous (helped by Herc), and decides that an unchained heart heart is okay. Telling Hercules that although her heart is now unchained, she must hit the road to redeem herself and discover this thing called "do-gooding". ----------- ANNOTATIONS ----------- [069] 10-29-95 through 11-12-95 NOTE: This Q&A from the Dallas Morning News ran on 10-29-95 and was reprinted in The Record 11-05-95 and The Buffalo News on 11-12-95. [069a] 10-29-95 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS. TV Magazine. Pg. 3. 533 words. "Q&A: Your Questions;" COMMENTARY: One of the first notices in popular print about the Beastmaster movie project. Beastermaster started out as a small-budget action/fantasy movie from the late 1980's. It starred Marc Singer and had a sequel which went quickly to video-release. Because Beastmaster always found itself in the top five most-requested videos in the entire Turner library (tentative XMR270c), the Action Packers wanted to develop the property for a 2 hour TV movie with a possibility of it becoming a series. Beastmaster was an attempt by Action Pack to capitalize on the Hercules/Xena goldmine. Reported plans to develop "Captain Zoom" into a series would be put on hold until the ratings from Beastmaster could be studied (tentative XMR238). The Hollywood Reporter in March 1996, stated that MCA announced that Beastmaster would be a weekly series (tentative XMR210), while Daily Variety the same month reported it would only if it only did well ratings-wise. Then it would be developed into a series that would be begin to be aired September '96 or January '97 (tentative XMR211). The Daily Variety repeated this sentiment in April as well (tentative XMR238). Unfortunately, part of Hercules & Xena's success is due to the creative efforts of Renaissance Pictures, the production company headed by Sam Raimi and Robert Tappert. That part is sadly missing from Beastmaster as is mentioned by some reviewers (tentative XMR275 and tentative XMR270a-d). EXCERPT: ...Q. Can you tell me what happened to Marc Singer? I saw him a year ago in an episode of Highlander and also in an episode of Sirens. - M.S., Tallahassee, Fla. A. You'll be seeing more of him next year when he stars in his third Beastmaster movie. The new entry in the Beastmaster series will be released on home video in January 1996, then makes its TV premiere later in the spring. A syndicated series, part of MCA's Action Pack (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess) lineup, comes later. Mr. Singer (V, Dallas) will co-star with Lesley-Anne Down (North & South), Tony Todd (Candyman) and David Warner (Star Trek: The Next Generation). [069b] 11-05-95 THE RECORD (Bergen Record Corp.). Television. Pg.O14. 563 words. "TV Q&A" by Norma Cavazos COMMENTARY: Same as XMR069a. [069c] 11-12-95 THE BUFFALO NEWS. TV Topics, Pg. 5TV. 831 words. "Singer Is Filming Third 'Beastmaster'; Series Then Makes its TV Premiere in the Spring" by Norma Cavazos COMMENTARY: Same as XMR069a. [070] 10-31-95 through 11-09-95 NOTE: The Milwaukee Journal ran the article on 10-31-95, and the Houston Chronicle picked it up 11-09-95. The Houston Chronicle ran it in tandem with an article/interview with Renee O'Connor [XMR075]. No quotes from any actors, but a nice rolling account of a commonly answer to the question "Why are these shows so popular?". It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out, but it is nevertheless amusing to read how the myriad television critics grapple with the problem. [070a] 10-31-95 MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Cue & Family Pg. 1. 490 words. "Hercules, Xena give legends a loony charm'" By Joanne Weintraub. COMMENTARY: Graphic is of Kevin Sorbo alone. Charatcerizes both HTLJ and XWP as "the Southern Hemisphere's gifts to trash TV." but then apologizes immediately. It is like you are participating in the debate going on in the interviewers head: she wants to call it trash, but can't. REPRINT: What comes from New Zealand and has four strong arms, two incredibly good-looking heads and two colons? Give up? It's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Channel 18) and "Xena: Warrior Princess" (Wednesdays, 7 p.m., Channel 18), the Southern Hemisphere's gifts to trash TV. Actually, "trash" is too harsh. You wouldn't confuse either of these hourlong adventures with a BBC adaptation of "Bulfinch's Mythology," but "Hercules," after just a single season in national syndication, displayed enough loony charm to end up on both Rolling Stone's "Hot List" and Entertainment Weekly's annual canon of Cool. Xena, who won a show of her own this fall after a guest shot with Herc, is every bit as cool and, beneath that iron breastplate, just as hot. Shot in New Zealand by American TV and film monstermeister Sam Raimi ("The Evil Dead," "Darkman," "American Gothic"), both shows employ a mix of Yanks and Kiwis, so that when half the actors are going around yelling, say, "Join our party!" the other half are bellowing, "Jawn air paddy!" Notwithstanding all the lush N.Z. scenery, the Hellenic names and the references to such famous neighborhoods as Assyria and Thrace, Raimi asks us to imagine that these stories are set in "fantastic mythical worlds . . . long before ancient Greece and Rome." Sure. Played by an astonishing hunk from Minnesota named Kevin Sorbo, Herc goes everywhere in tight breeches and a distractingly teeny tunic. The gods have endowed him with not only a blinding smile and a totally buff bod, but a working sense of humor as well, so that, unlike Hercules-es of the past, he actually has more charisma than a tree. Our hero despises violence but is forced by an endless parade of warlike barbarians to engage in long, exhausting bouts of self-defense. Unfortunately, the creators seem to want to have their cake and beat it, too, giving Hercules ample time each week to commit mayhem on other people (and the occasional god or Gorgon) so as to teach them that mayhem is bad. Xena, portrayed by a brooding beauty from New Zealand with the unbeatable name of Lucy Lawless, is fully as gorgeous and nearly as gigantic as Herc, though she hasn't always been as virtuous. When first introduced on "Hercules," in fact, Xena was quite the warlike barbarian, but now that she has her own series she only makes war on behalf of widows and orphans. It's a shame these good guys can't go for five minutes without having to teach some bad guy a lesson by means of a pre-Greco- Roman knuckle sandwich, because in other ways both "Hercules" and "Xena" would be good fun for families. The jokes are light- hearted, the slapstick is nimble, the scenery is groovy and the odd giant serpent or many-headed horror is more than adequately animated. If the fisticuffs and spear-slinging don't bother you too much, you may want to look in on this pair once or twice. Or even Thrace. GRAPHIC: Photo color. Kevin Sorbo is Hercules. [070b] 11-09-95 THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Pg. 1. 532 words. "Syndication gods smile on 'Hercules,' 'Xena'" By Joanne Weintraub. COMMENTARY: Same as XMR070a. It was run in tandem with XMR075, which was an indepth article/interview with Renee O'Connor. [071] 11-02-95 MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. News Pg. 8. 333 words. "The Lake Effect" by Kathy Cave & Marilynn Marchione. COMMENTARY: Local boy does good. He directed a XWP! EXCERPT: ...SHOOTING THE BREEZE: From Marquette University to "Xena: Warrior Princess." Not exactly a straight path for Charles Siebert, class of 1962. Siebert, who played an uptight doctor on the show "Trapper John, M.D." is the director of the female version of "Hercules."... [072] 11-06-95 CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. What's News; Pg. 37. 255 words. "Kinsley Stepping Out of 'Crossfire'" By Kevin M. Williams COMMENTARY: After three months, someone finally noticed that Vanishing Son had *disappeared*. The Vanishing Son "controversy" is covered in XMR011a, XMR012, XMR014 - XMR016, XMR020, XMR025, and XMR029. EXCERPT: ...YOU ASKED IT: What happened to the Channel 9 show "Vanishing Son"? ANSWER: Well, it vanished. The martial arts drama wasn't doing well, so it was replaced by "Xena, Warrior Princess," a show that better suits the theme set by its lead-in, "Hercules." [073] 11-06-95 THE BOSTON HERALD. Television. Pg. 038. 346 words. "New team replaces pair of 'Silk Stalkings'" By Mark A. Perigard COMMENTARY: Article about Nick Kokotakis, who appeared in XWP "Chariots of War" as "Darius", the pacifist widower with three children who befriend Xena after she was incapacitated by an arrow. XWP mentioned in passing. EXCERPT: Viewers of the USA cable network's sexy "Silk Stalkings" got their first jolt last night when actor Nick Kokotakis debuted as Detective Michael Price. He's no threat to the sudden romance between detectives Rita Lance (Mitzi Kapture) and Chris Lorenzo (Rob Estes). He's simply the series' new star. And fan favorites Estes and Kapture are kaput. "It's sex, marriage and death, all in about three weeks," said executive producer David Peckinpah of the episodes he wrote to ease in newcomers Kokotakis and Tyler Layton and to send off the stars who have been with the series since its 1991 premiere. "I completely understand fan fears about losing Rob and Mitzi," said Kokotakis, a New York native whose previous acting experience consists of a few commercials and one episode of "Xena: Warrior Princess." "But it's still 'Silk Stalkings' and it will still be a lot of fun to watch." Estes set the story line in motion at the end of last season when he decided to quit the show, Peckinpah said. As first drafted, the two detectives would tumble into bed, then realize they had destroyed their professional relationship. Estes would take a job in another city, leaving Kapture with a new on-screen partner. Then Kapture announced during the taping of the third episode that she was pregnant. "Hello! What do I do now?" Peckinpah said, recalling how he scrambled to save his story. Estes' character would never abandon a pregnant lover, so his became a final exit. Meanwhile, Kapture couldn't serve as an action heroine while pregnant, Peckinpah said, and after much negotiation about a diminished role, she decided to leave. Price is a hardened Chicago cop who transferred after discovering his fiancee was having an affair with his brother. As Holly Rawlins, Layton is a career cop from Alabama out to avenge the death of her drug-addicted sister. "I can't remember another show reinventing itself mid-season," Peckinpah said. "We're taking an enormous gamble, but it's one we feel we will win."... [074] 11-09-95 THE SEATTLE TIMES. Tempo. Pg. G39. 662 words. "New 'Barefoot Executive' Is an Entertaining Romp" by John Voorhees. COMMENTARY: A passing mention was made in regard to other weekly series which were having characters from other shows appear. It was happening on almost every other show that week. Of course, XWP was playing the same game. EXCERPT: ...More visitors: Hercules visit "Xena: Warrior Princess" at 8 tonight on KIRO-TV... [075] 11-09-95 THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Houston. Pg. 1. 646 words. "Houstonian revels in role as 'Xena' sidekick". By Mike Mcdaniel COMMENTARY: Reprinted in full. The first major media interview with Renee O'Connor. The article pointed out that XWP earns a higher rating there than HTLJ. Could it be Ms. O'Connor is a native daughter? Ms. O'Connor stated that she signed a 5 year contract to do XWP. The interview included Ms. O'Connor's take on Gabrielle and some personal information. REPRINT: Herc may hail from Minnesota, Xena from New Zealand, but Houston can claim Gabrielle. And as loyal viewers know, Xena's nothing but a single-dimensional sword-swinger without Gabrielle. ""She's like a comic sidekick,'' says 24-year-old Renee O'Connor, who plays the character. ""She seems to talk herself into trouble and then talk herself out of it. '' Gabrielle also provides Xena the focus she needs to prevent her from annihilating her evil opponents. Xena's one mean dude-ess, just in case you've missed the show (8 p.m. Thursdays, Channel 39). ''Xena"" is clearly a syndicated hit in Houston, averaging a 6 rating in October (1 rating point higher than ''Hercules,'' please note). And O'Connor clearly revels in her role. Gabrielle is a romantic, she says, and ""everything is a storybook to her. She likes to study myths, mythology, maps, creatures, monsters and all that. ""Xena is the personification of all this. That's why she has to be a part of Xena. Through Xena she's able to live these stories. '' But when it's time to draw swords, Gabrielle leaves the impaling to Xena. Not that O'Connor is a wimp -she's up at 3:30 every morning for a pre-work jog, plus she lifts weights. ""I think she definitely needs to be strong, and I keep myself physically fit just to be able to sell the fact that she's walking all over the country. '' The fact that O'Connor gets to play in luscious New Zealand is an extra-special bonus. ""It's beautiful here,'' she said with emphasis on the ""beau. '' ""It reminds me of San Francisco - and actually Houston, too. The rain passes pretty quickly. '' O'Connor, born in Houston and reared in Katy, has called Auckland, New Zealand, home since June. ""We do our filming about 30 to 45 minutes from here, on farmlands and in tropical forests. There's so many types of geography around this small island. You can go to a black sand beach on one side and maybe an hour away will be a white sand beach. It's just bizarre - and so beautiful. '' The beauty doesn't stop her from getting homesick from time to time. On the other hand, she's already been visited by a boyfriend, a girlfriend and her mother, Sandra Wilson, who owns, with husband Eddie, the Austin restaurant Threadgill's. When we reached her downtown apartment recently by phone, her dad, Walter, who works at Houston's Greentree Financial Corp., was visiting. O'Connor's route to TV started during a school program offered by the Alley Theater. From there she earned a spot at Houston's High School for Performing and Visual Arts, although she chose to graduate with her friends from Katy's Taylor High School. Talent manager Lee Peterson got her an audition for a ''Mickey Mouse Club"" serial called ''Teen Angel,'' which O'Connor parlayed into stints in Danielle Steele's ''Changes"" (with Cheryl Ladd), a ''Rockford Files'' movie (with James Garner), a ''Tales From the Crypt"" episode (Arnold Schwarzenegger's directorial debut) and a guest spot on ''NYPD Blue. '' Producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi had her audition for a part in one of the pre-series ''Hercules"" movies and were impressed enough to cast her in the made-for-video ''Darkman II. '' The leap to the ''Hercules"" spinoff, ''Xena: Warrior Princess,'' was a natural one. ""They're good people,'' O'Connor says of her producers. ""I think that's kind of rare, especially in Los Angeles. '' L.A., which she now calls home, is where she hopes to be during the Christmas break. Then it's back to Auckland for as long as the series demands - she's signed a five-year commitment. Which will keep the phone company happy. ""Between my mom, dad and my boyfriend, I have these huge phone bills,'' she says. Maybe she should have Xena take a look at them. She's rough on bills. And Harrys and Johns and Steves. GRAPHIC: Houston's Renee O'Connor, plays Gabrielle, the impish sidekick to Lucy Lawless Xena. [076] 11-09-95 through 11-13-96 COMMENTARY: Ratings for "The Reckoning" released 10/16/95 (The Reckoning: Full of torture and Xena-abuse, it contains the memorable scene where Xena slugs Gabrielle while in a bloodlust moment. The next time Xena gets into a wild bloodlust like that will be in "Ties That Bind" (episode no. 20), where although Xena does not get to whack Gabrielle again, Gabrielle gets to whack Xena. There is balance is the universe). The Reckoning ranked overall 14th, and placed as third highest action hour. [076a] 11-09-95 DAILY VARIETY. News. Pg. 5. 768 words. "Series Wreaks Syndie Havoc; Baseball preemptions plague mags; 'E.T.' tops 'Oprah'" By Jim Benson. COMMENTARY: Ratings for The Reckoning. EXCERPT: The final four games of the World Series caused widespread preemptions and intense competition for some high-profile syndicated magazines and other shows during the week ended Oct. 29, according to the Nielsen national barter rankings... ...Of the weeklies, Par's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" returned to winning form, gaining 12% to a 7.7, up 4% from a year ago. MCA TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess" rounded out the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, with All American's "Baywatch" fourth and MGM's "The Outer Limits" fifth... [076b] 11-13-95 VARIETY. Television; Pg. 29. 184 Words. "Nielsen Syndication Ratings" COMMENTARY: The Reckoning. REPRINT: For week ended October 29, 1995 Stations/ Rank Program % coverage AA % GAA % 1 Wheel of Fortune 224/96 11.6 -- 2 Jeopardy! 220/96 9.5 -- 3 Home Improvement 215/97 8.5 9.2 4 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 233/98 7.7 8.2 5 Entertainment Tonight 170/94 7.0 7.1 5 Oprah Winfrey Show 234/99 7.0 7.0 7 Seinfeld 214/98 6.6 -- 8 Imagination III 144/95 6.5 7.1 9 Simpsons 185/96 5.9 5.9 10 Journeys of Hercules 222/97 5.8 6.3 11 Home Improvement-Weekend 203/93 5.7 -- 11 WCW Wrestling 179/93 5.7 8.6 13 Inside Edition 163/91 5.4 5.5 14 World Wrestling Fed. PR 153/89 5.2 6.4 14 Xena 198/96 5.2 5.7 16 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 158/90 5.1 5.4 17 Baywatch 212/95 5.0 5.2 18 Jenny Jones 208/96 4.9 5.2 18 Roseanne 171/93 4.9 5.0 20 Hard Copy 168/90 4.8 4.9 AA average refers to nonduplicated viewing for multiple airings of the same show. GAA average encompasses duplicated viewing. GAA average does not apply when there is only one run of a show. [076c] 11-13-95 ADWEEK. Culture Trends. 1803 words. COMMENTARY: The Reckoning EXCERPT: ...Rank Program Rating Stations Cvrge... ...14 Xena 5.2 198 96... [076d] 11-06-95 DAILY VARIETY. News. Pg. 8. 689 words. "'ET' Ends Oprah's 9-month Streak; Newsmags slip in syndie ratings" By Joe Flint. COMMENTARY: Although what the weekly Variety is referring to should cover the ratings for "The Reckoning", it is obviously referring to the week where Action Pack aired two Hercules episodes, "Unchained Heart" airing in Xena's timeslot. EXCERPT: ...for the week ended Oct. 22... ...Among the weeklies that may have felt the impact of post-season baseball, Paramount's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" lost 19% to a 6.9; that's down 9% from last year's 7.6. However, it still was strong enough to finish first in the category. MCA's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" lost 3% to a 5.9, while his colleague, "Xena: Warrior Princess," took the week off... [077] 11-10-95 DAILY VARIETY. News. Pg. 4. 386 words. "ABC orders 13 hours of 'Lorne'" By Jim Benson COMMENTARY: An update on Renaisance Pictures' then current productions. Renaissance created and produced XWP. Renaisaance Pictures is covered in XMR028, XMR039, XMR057, XMR063, XMR065, XMR095, XMR143, and XMR187. EXCERPT: ABC has provided a 13-episode series commitment to Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi's Renaissance Pictures for a new action hour next season. "Lorne & Max"-- described as an American "The Avengers"-- is the first project from the producing team behind "American Gothic,""Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess" since their pact with MCA/Universal expired in April. In confirming the deal, Tapert said the team is searching for a deficit financing partner. ABC Prods. and Disney, which is slated to take control of the Alphabet web shortly after the first of the year, are among those talking to the producers. ABC will have the option of airing the new Renaissance series next fall or midseason. If it does opt for a September start, the network is eyeing "Lorne & Max" for 8 p.m. Thursday, where it would serve as a young-skewing counter-programming vehicle against NBC's powerhouse sitcom lineup. Production is scheduled to begin in late February or early March on the pilot penned by brothers Sam and Ivan Raimi. The plot, according to Sam Raimi, revolves around Lorne and Maxine, who are involved in solving high espionage cases outside of a national security agency. Sometimes the characters work with the agency, other times against it. For added measure, there is a love triangle involving the two principals and an agency insider named Alex, who earlier had a fling with Maxine... ...Raimi and Tapert are known for incorporating visual effects into their firstrun shows. "Hercules," which debuted as a weekly series last January, quickly established itself as the second highest-rated syndie hour behind Paramount's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." In September, "Hercules" spinoff "Xena" debuted. During its most recent Nielsen outing, the princess muscled All American's "Baywatch" out of third place. The two MCA TV hours run back-to-back in many markets. The producing team's two most recent feature films were "The Quick and the Dead" and "Timecop." Sequels to their 1992 pic "Darkman" are being released via Universal Home Video as direct-to-video titles. [078] 11-11-95 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Extra. Pg. D9; 349 words. "Shull's Mailbag: When will television shows promote safer sex?" By R.K. Shull COMMENTARY: Is XWP "a weird mix of chop-sockie and fetishism"? This viewer hit that nail on the head! EXCERPT: ...Xena phobia Saw an episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, a weird mix of chop-sockie and fetishism. Where did it come from and what is its object? It's strange stuff. - S.B. The syndicated show is filmed in New Zealand and it's offered as a companion piece to Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Only in this instance, the super-person is Lucy Lawless in a metal breastplate. She goes about chopping down evil with her whirling sword. Not very comforting to the average gender-threatened male... [079] 11-13-95 USA TODAY. Life; Pg. 3d. 607 words. "Fall '96 talk shops seek identities away from sleeze" By Alan Bash COMMENTARY: Passing mention in regard to how both XWP & HTLJ have inspired more action pilots. EXCERPT: ... Beyond the talk realm, several weekly action hours are rumbling through the development pipeline, thanks to the success of Hercules and its spinoff, Xena. They include an updated Mad Max: The Road Warrior, a new Poltergeist anthology... [080] 11-15-95 DAILY VARIETY. THE BACKLOT. 1900 words. "Changing Channels; TV season in the sun: joy, fun and questions" COMMENTARY: Minor mention in an article that dares to ask the tough questions regarding television fare. In this case, it's what word would describe a person who was afraid of Xena: "xenophobic". EXCERPT: THERE'S NOTHING LIKE lying around on the beach for a few days to make you think about the big picture, the really important stuff, the issues that matter most to you and the world around you. Then again, if you and the people you know happen to be exceptionally shallow, you might spend that time pondering unanswered riddles surrounding the world of television, like the old "Bewitched" Dick York-Dick Sargent debate -- that is, "How could they change Darrins in midstream?"-- or why every yokel encountered by the lanky David Carradine on "Kung Fu" looked at him and immediately assumed he was Chinese. While it's always tempting to dwell on the past, television provides us with lots of confounding questions today as well. As Rod Serling would say, consider if you will the following: ...IF SOMEONE WERE AFRAID of the lead character in the syndicated series "Xena, Warrior Princess," would that make them Xena-phobic?... [081] 11-05-95 LOS ANGELES TIMES. Orange County Edition. TV Times; 705 words. Pg 9; "With an Eye on . . . Ted Raimi, 'Seaquest 2032's' Nerdy Computer Genius, Looks to Grow into Leading-man Roles" By N.F. Mendoza COMMENTARY: Article about Ted Raimi, who late in the Xena first season joined the cast as Joxer. REPRINT: Ted Raimi won't don a pocket protector again. The "seaQuest 2032" star says his current role as ship's navigator is his "last as computer geek. Hopefully, I'm getting too old to play the nerdy whiz kid," Raimi says from the Victorian-era home he rents in downtown Orlando, Fla., where "seaQuest" shoots. Raimi's "played leading man twice and really enjoyed it. That's what I'd like to be doing next. Character roles are thankless. I'm tired of being the one who things happen to. I want to be the guy who makes things happen." The actor's made enough happen to be one of three remaining original cast members in the futuristic show. On this third and new season, with a new captain at the helm (Michael Ironside), Raimi plays computer genius O'Neill, the reluctant sailor with a penchant for languages. He's still his introverted, sensitive self, but he's 10 years older. And like other cast members still looks youthful. "It's due to being in outer space," Raimi explains. The show's "fun in a repertoire way and there's a real professionalism to the new cast members, though I miss my friends" who are no longer on the show, Raimi says. The Detroit native and son of retail barons -- mom's in lingerie, now-retired dad was in furniture -- Raimi, 29, the youngest of five, felt pressure to take over the family business. "It's a very Midwestern thing," Raimi explains. "None of my older brothers or sister were interested." Much younger than his siblings, Raimi "was basically like an only child," with his childhood experiences forming his concept of his on-screen nerd. "I was a very awkward-looking kid, with thick braces and head gear and thick glasses," Raimi recalls. Two bullies "threw me up on the lockers every day and said, 'Raimi, we're gonna beat you up, dude,' and then, just in time for the school bell to ring, they'd throw my books to the end of the hall." The weak kid grew up to be "a not unimposing" 6 1/2 ft. tall and 178 lbs., "but I still get hunched over and feel like that harassed kid. But, fortunately, my parents were very supportive." Raimi "never bemoaned" his life, never had many close friends and, until quite recently, never many girlfriends. "Deep inside you still have that . . . negative system," he says. "So you focus on other things, those anti-social things, like acting and writing." Studying drama at Michigan State University was like "studying theater in the Himalayas," he says. He moved to the University of Detroit, where his experience with the school's drama company solidified his interest in acting. Raimi dropped out in 1989 "when I realized there was nothing more to learn." He headed to L.A. where older brother Sam had established a career as a director ("Army of Darkness," "Evil Dead," TV's "Hercules" and "Xena"). Raimi lived with Sam for two years, landing roles in "Shocker," "Clear and Present Danger," "Hard Target," "Born Yesterday," "Lunatics: A Love Story" and the horror films "Candyman" and "Darkman" along with guest roles on TV. Now, Raimi and girlfriend, model and artist Alexa Motley, find that living in the hurricane zone can be daunting. "But it's a great house and Alexa is going through room by room painting murals on the walls." While "seaQuest" has a grueling schedule, Raimi finds time to write -- he penned last season's episode on the lost city of Atlantis. He hopes eventually to direct and produce. But but "right now, writing -- the mechanics of it are most important." He's gotten his castmates to star in an 8 mm, 10-minute comedy he penned about a Vietnam vet. The concept, the director says, is "it's cheesy fun. All those movies, 'the soldier -- he came back,' and it's like, so what? It's not a response to the actual war, but to the deluge of movies about them." His goal for the little film, is "to use it as an excuse to get together and have a party to show it." But now, "I sit in that ('seaQuest') chair all day long. I never get out it. Chair acting is the hardest friggin' thing, when you move around you can motivate yourself through action. This is all about your eyes. For my next role, I want one where I get out of the chair and walk around." "seaQuest 2032" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. GRAPHIC: Photo, Ted Raimi of "seaQuest 2032": "I'm tired of being the one who things happen to. I want to be the guy who makes things happen." [082] 11-17-95 ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE. Weekend. Pg. 2W. 718 words. "Beefcake, Cheesecake on TV's Myth Menu" by Ellis Widner. COMMENTARY: A musing about what XWP & Hercules are doing to mythology. REPRINT: I've always had a fondness for mythology, whether it's the written works of Joseph Campbell, the classic "Bullfinch's Mythology" or myth-based modern fantasy writers such as Charles de Lint. But I'm really a sucker for the myth-themed movies, such as the big-budget 1981 film "Clash of the Titans," the wonderfully cheesy "Hercules" flicks from the '60s, the fine "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963) and a number of Sinbad films, particularly "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" (1958) with its wonderful sword fight between Sinbad and a skeleton. These days I'm getting my mythology fix from TV: the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Since Herc and Xena hit the airwaves, Saturday night TV's a lot more fun. The good times roll with "Hercules" at 7 p.m., "Xena" follows at 8. Both are on KASN, Channel 38. Both shows have simple, good-vs.-evil story lines. Good always triumphs, but not without a struggle that can involve swordplay, wordplay and goofy martial arts battles with beasts -- human and mythological. Special effects are darn good, too. Then there's the beefcake and cheesecake factor. Hercules is a muscular, handsome hunk who runs around in the same outfit all the time: skin-tight pants and a shirt that never seems to be fastened. No buttons back then, I guess. Herc's the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and a mortal mother. Zeus' wife, the god-Queen Hera, was not amused. Many of the shows turn on Hera trying to exact revenge by killing the fruit of her husband's indiscretion. The gods play rough, but Herc triumphs, his sunny disposition and sense of humor intact. Xena is an Amazon-like warrior, nearly Hercules' equal in the swordplay and martial arts department. But where Herc's modest and good-natured, Xena's abrupt and all business. Think of her as a mythological Emma Peel, but instead of the skin-tight leather jumpsuit the "Avengers" heroine favored, this warrior princess tools around in a low-cut, short-skirted leather ensemble. Instead of a fierce hi-yaaaaa! you'll hear a yell that sounds like a turkey gobble on speed as Xena leaps over tall enemies with a single bound, hits the ground and cleans their clocks. Herc is the classic good guy seeking to right wrongs, to help protect humans against the gods' whims. He's a sensitive, New Age kinda guy. But Xena's a former warlord whose single act of compassion caused her army to betray her. She's a bad girl gone good and that ongoing struggle with her dark side gives her character greater depth. In a recent episode, she even outwitted her former mentor, Ares, the war god. Sounds like adventures in bimbo//himbo land, doesn't it? But what sets these shows above programs like "Baywatch" are the story lines. There's a moral. The dialogue is often tongue-in-cheek, with good-natured jabs at everything from New Age philosophies to relationships set in plots involving cyclops, centaurs and cranky deities. Both shows play loose with mythology. On last week's "Xena," for example, she and Hercules (they often guest on each other's show) team up to free Prometheus, the titan who has been captured by Hera's minions. Why worry? Because with his capture, mankind lost fire and the ability to heal. But in Greek mythology, Prometheus was tied to a rock by Zeus for eternity for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mortals. On "Xena," Hera had Prometheus chained to set a trap for Hercules. To Hollywood, even the gods are not sacred. Who would sign on for these roles? Xena is played by Lucy Lawless of New Zealand (where both shows are filmed). Is that a great name for an action actress or what? The 6-foot Lawless has studied opera, worked as a miner and on TV. Hercules is played by Kevin Sorbo, a Minnesota native who's 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 215 and does most of his own stunts. Wanna know more? Check the Web. "Hercules" is at http////www/ ca.com//tv//hercules and "Xena" is at http////www/ ca.com//tv//xena Maybe someday Xena's producers will bring Linda Carter ("Wonder Woman") on board as Xena's mom. Or maybe Peel herself, Diana Rigg. I bet there's still a good karate kick or two left in her. Oh, and by the way, how 'bout buying Herc a clean shirt? At least Xena gets a change of clothes once in a while. [083] 11-17-95 through 11-20-95. NOTE: Daily Variety and the Hollywood Reporter broke the news about MCA's "Sinbad" on 11-17-95, and the weekly Variety reprinted the article on 11-20-95. [083a] 11-17-95 DAILY VARIETY. News. Pg. 4. 162 words. "'Hercules' and 'Xena' give birth to 'Sinbad'" COMMENTARY: Shared first annoucement of MCA's "Sinbad". Reprinted in full due to size. REPRINT: The success of MCA TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess" has bred "Sinbad," a firstrun weekly hour action/adventure series in development by All American TV and Atlantis Films Ltd. for fall 1996. Ed Naha, who created and wrote the feature film "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," is the creator of the new series, which will rely on special effects and be produced by Atlantis. It is the first hour created under the regime of David Gerber, the award-winning producer who recently joined All American TV Prods. as president. Peter Sussman is president of the Los Angeles-based Atlantis Films. Atlantis will begin production on the initial 22 episodes in the spring, with casting for the series leads now under way. All American TV, whose other firstrun hour series are "Baywatch" and "Baywatch Nights," will distribute "Sinbad" in the U.S. and Europe (except Scandinavia). Atlantis Releasing will handle all other worldwide territories. [083b] 11-17-95 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 278 words. By Steve Brennan. COMMENTARY: Shared first announcement of MCA's "Sinbad". Reprinted in full due to size. "Sinbad", is another MCA project trying not to be a Hercules clone. REPRINT: First came Hercules, then Xena, fantasy action hour characters muscling up the ratings points for MCA TV in syndication land. Now Sinbads joining the fray, courtesy of All American Television and Canadas Atlantis Films. The two entities announced the new venture into the syndication action hour genre Thursday, unveiling its Sinbad project for a fall 1996 launch. But Larry Lamattina, president and CEO of All American Television, insisted that Sinbad will not be a Hercules clone. Its not Hercules in the sense that hes fighting dragons. Therell be more the magic and mysticism of Sinbad and there will be a recurring villain. Also, therell be a lot of humor, he said. David Gerber, who recently joined All American as president of All American Television Prods., said, Sinbad is one of those evergreen characters, like Hercules or Aladdin, whose name is synonymous with mystery, magic, romance and adventure. He added that the special effects work of Atlantis will be heavily utilized. In that regard, Peter Sussman, president of Atlantis Films, observed that the magic and mythical creatures and forces associated with the Sinbad stories can now be created so remarkably with todays amazing special effects technology. Atlantis will begin production of an initial 22 episodes next spring for the fall premiere. Like Hercules, which is lensed in New Zealand, Sinbad will go overseas for its principal photography. Lamattina said they were currently looking at several possible locations, including Malta. Sinbad will be distributed by All American in the domestic and European market while Atlantis will distribute in Canada and the rest of the world. [083c] 11-20-95 VARIETY. Television; Pg. 19. 113 words. "All American Sails 'Sinbad'" by Jim Benson COMMENTARY: Same as XMR083a. ------------- THE BACK PAGE ------------- XMR #10 will contain annotations #84 through #99, dated from 11/23/95 to 12/13/95. It is scheduled to be released June 7, 1996. Highlights include Lucy Lawless' 2nd major media interview; XWP's first mention in mainstream British press; Captain Zoom; Ken Sorbo interview; licensing of products; November sweeps results; three Entertainment Weekly articles (big time at last); and more! PREFERRED CITATION: When citing an annotated review, use the format: XMR:007. This example means Xena Media Review [issue #01], annotation #007. DISCLAIMER: XMR (Xena Media Review) is a free non-profit informational release. XMR in no way intends to challenge, disregard or profit from any of the original copyright holders of the material excerpted, reprinted, or referred to (including but not limited to MCA, Universal, Renaissance Pictures, Dallas Morning News, Record, Buffalo News, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Sun-times, Boston Herald, Seattle Times, Daily Variety, Variety, Adweek, Indianapolis Star, Usa Today, Los Angeles Times, Arkansas Democrat-gazette, and Hollywood Reporter). This newsletter is an academic and educational pursuit to archive, annotate, and study the media response to Xena: Warrior Princess (a television production from MCA/Universal/ Renaissance) and the actresses Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor, especially in the light of popular culture and the influence of mass media. XMR exercises its right to quote, excerpt or reprint as allowed under the law in order to review and discuss the media reports cited and annotated herein. XMR is distributed free of charge. Only national/international major media released in electronic form are considered for inclusion. Banner graphic by Colleen Stephan. Copyright 1996 by Kym Masera Taborn. REPRINT POLICY: Permission to use, copy and distribute Xena Media Review (XMR), or parts thereof, by electronic means for any non-profit purpose is hereby granted, provided that both the above copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies of the newsletter itself, and that proper credit is given for any excerpts. Any other format or purpose for distribution requires permission of the author. Reproducing XMR or parts thereof by any means implies full agreement to the above non-profit-use clause. SOLICITATIONS FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS Send cites, references, articles, annotations, and/or submissions to ktaborn@lightspeed.net. XMR is a non-profit fan publication. The editors retain editorial control and reprint privileges over the submitted materials and reserve the right to use the material in whatever way they deem appropriate. Submitted materials will not be returned to the sender. Editor-in-Chief: Kym Masera Taborn BBS: Resistance is Futile BBS (805) 588-9349: Oxnardus Internet: ktaborn@lightspeed.net US Mail: RIF BBS, P.O. Box 81181, Bakersfield, CA I also edit a free netzine called "Resistance is Futile," a Star Trek parody and all things Borgish newsletter which is issued every 19 days and has been published since 1992 (the Borg jokes just keep on coming!). Request a free subscription at ktaborn@lightspeed.net. Check out the back issues at WEB SITE: http://www.startrek.in-trier.de/rif/ Coming in September '96: WHOOSH! The Journal of the International Association for Xena Studies.