THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS.... TWXN 55 12/24/96 Brought to you by Xena: Media Review (XMR): http://xenafan.com/xmr XMR is a periodic annotated world press review of reports regarding the internationally 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. Excerpts from the following cites will appear in future issues of XMR. EDITOR STUFF: 1. TWXN NEWS: The problems on the new and improved XMR Archive webpage has been corrected. Thanks again, Tomster. Also, I would like to take the time to thank Tricia Murphy for so graciously maintaining the previous XMR Archive. It was deeply appreciated, Trish. 2. COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR TWXN: The animated XWP straight to video full length motion picture; the Burbank Convention; spoiler for upcoming XWP episode with Ulysses in it; more prurient Xena II hi-jinks; and more!!! 3. XMR NEWS: I am now in the procrastination stage for XMR #20. (That is actually a good sign) 4. IAXS: WHOOSH #4 is scheduled to be released January 1, 1997. It will be a special double issue celebrating the change from a release date of the 17th to a more conventional 1st! I am darn excited since it is a whole week away and EVERY article has already been edited. Some spoilers? Well, wait until the next TWXN. 5. IAXS & XMR: I will not processing anything until right before XMR and the e-mail version of WHOOSH are sent out. Be patient! And now...the news!!! [ ] 12/13/96 NOTE: TEN LITTLE WARLORDS (#32), 1st release, 11/18/96. Ranked 1st action hour the second time this season with a 6.3 rating, the second time this season for this personal best. The season has averaged a 10% increase for every episode and has made steady increases except for a dip for RETURN OF CALLISTO. Comparison with other action hours: The second season first run ratings have been: 1. ORPHAN OF WAR (09/30/96) 3rd place at 5.3 2. REMEMBER NOTHING (10/07/96) 2nd place at 5.4 3. GIANT KILLER (10/14/96) 3rd at 5.4 4. GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN (10/21/96) 1st at 5.5 5. RETURN OF CALLISTO (10/28/96) ? at 5.2 6. WARRIOR...PRINCESS...TRAMP (11/04/96) 3rd at 5.7 7. INTIMATE STRANGER (11/11/96) ? at 6.3 8. TEN LITTLE WARLORDS (11/18/96 1st at 6.3 Average rating: 5.6375 Average place: 2.16 The first season first run compares thus: 1. SINS OF THE PAST (09/04/95) 3rd at 4.5 2. CHARIOTS OF WAR (09/11/95) 3rd at 4.5 3. DREAMWORKER (09/18/95) 5th at 4.4 4. CRADLE OF HOPE (09/25/96) 2nd at 5.5 5. PATH NOT TAKEN (10/02/95) 4th at 4.8 6. THE RECKONING (10/16/95) 4th at 4.8 7. TITANS (10/30/95) 3rd at 5.2 8. PROMETHEUS (11/06/95) 3rd at 5.4 Average rating: 4.8875 Average place: 3.375 [ ] 12-15-96 CALGARY HERALD. Sunday. Page C8. 365 words. "Mandel's variety show was above average" By Richard K. Shull COMMENTARY: Local Q&A about Lucy Lawless. For the record, Ms. Lawless' hair is dyed black. She does not wear a brunette wig. EXCERPT: ...Q: I get a kick out of watching Xena: Warrior Princess, but I have never seen Lucy Lawless on anything else. Can you give me some information on her? I can't imagine her as anything but the Warrior Princess. -- B.J., Tulsa, Ok. A: Lucy is a native of Auckland, New Zealand, where her Xena series is made. She's a single mother with an eight-year-old daughter, who had done a little local TV there when she did a turn as a guest villainess on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, which also comes from Kiwi-land. The producers liked her work and when the American actress scheduled to play Xena in a new companion series failed to show, they slapped a brunette wig on Lucy and she became the Warrior Princess.... [ r] 12-15-96 ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE. Sunday. Page 4D. 867 words. "Xena's clothes deemed too little, but new hair is waaay too much" By Helaine Freeman COMMENTARY: At last!!!! Someone who was not horrified by the Xena II action figure and who did not see it as sign of the collapse of moral western civilization. Ms. Freeman (a woman speaks at last!) stated the REAL problem of the Xena II was the lack of fashion accessories. The hair in the title referred to the second half of the article which went into great detail about Ms. Freeman's hair weave, thus proving how difficult it is to discuss Xena, Warrior Princess and not have the urge to start talking about hair. Excerpted in full since this is a historically important article!!! EXCERPT: Xena, the Warrior Princess of TV fame, has made the annual Warped Toy List of the Rev. Christopher L. Rose, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Hartford, Conn., and enemy of Christmas toys that he feels may teach young'uns the wrong values. The well-endowed Xena II action figure has made the list, Rose says, because of her skimpy outfit and because wording on the package encourages removal of that outfit. "What is this teaching little boys about women?" asks Rose. Xena is supposed to be a hero, for Pete's sake. So, "why is it you take her clothes off?" The toy appears to be aimed at children of both sexes, rather than girls only. And that's where the manufacturer of Xena II could have saved itself some grief. Little girls, after all, are notorious for taking their dolls' clothes off. They learn very early one of the most important rudiments of fashion: It is completely scandalous to wear the same outfit two days in a single week, let alone two days in a row. So the first thing they do when they get a doll is strip her nekkid, usually with the intention of finding something else to put on her. But little girls are busy things, and they're often distracted from this important task, so they leave a pile of nude dolls wherever they go. What the toy maker should have done was market Xena II to girls, also offering alternative Xena outfits -- Xena goes dancing, Xena goes rollerblading, Xena goes camping, Xena gets married. After all, it works for Barbie, who herself is quite well endowed and whose outfits can get pretty skimpy. (For instance, one of the swimsuited Barbies currently being sold wears a halter-style top worthy of Pamela Anderson Lee.) I still remember the day a couple of male schoolmates "rearranged" the clothing worn by the Barbie doll I'd brought to grade school. Xena -- along with her action-figure pals, Tiffany the Amazon and "Super Size Angela," who also made the list -- needs to get with the program. And she doesn't even have to give up her current outfit to do so....