_____ ______ ._ `\`/>`\ /`/` /`__________,.'>___ _____ )~\ /<`\ `\ /`/` /``\ \./------> /|\./\ |\./| / | \ /< `\`\ `\ /`/` /` | | |----\ / | |\ \ | | |././^\ \ |\__{o}\--`\`\ `\/`/` /`-----| | |-----`------\`\`\--| | |----^ \ \----. [\\\\\\\{*}==`> <`=======| | ==============`\`\`\| | |=====\ \ \==--> |/~~{o}/-- /`/ /\ \ `\------| | |---------------`\`\\ | |------\ \ \--' \< /`/` /` `\`\ `\ | | |_____,.'>| | | `\`\| | /' \ \ \ \< /` /` `\`\ `\ ,/ /^\------> / |/^\| \ | |/ \/^\\. /`/\>/` `\`\ `\`~~~~~~~~~~~\ / ~~~~~ )^\,\, '~~~~~ `~~~~~` '~~~~~` ` ~~~~~~ ========================== XENA: THE MEDIA REVIEW #12 ========================== 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] 199 subscribers and growing! This document has 1411 lines. Xena Media Review (XMR) is a periodic annotated world press review of reports regarding the internationall 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. 12 Release date: 06/21/96 2nd edition: 07/10/96 Covering 12/26/95 to 01/16/96 Annotations XMR #115 to #139 ------------ INTRODUCTION ------------ Changes are in the air ---------------------- I have decided to include fan magazine annotations in XMR. I have been trying to catch all that I can, but if anyone knows of one that I have missed, I would appreciate being sent the cite. As a rule I will not excerpt the fan magazine articles. However, like all rules, there will be notable exceptions. Since I do not get these articles in ascii format, nor do I have the time to physically type portions of the articles, they will be for the most part not excerpted. Only really special articles, like XMR128, will get me doing grunt work. I have also decided to start stream-lining this newsletter. I got rid of the annotation list and the episode synopses. The annotation list was redundent and the synopses will appear in Whoosh!, XMR's sister publication. Also, to date we have 199 subscribers....who will be the lucky 200th subscriber? Find out next week (I hope!). Xena as allegory ---------------- I finally got a copy of the May 1996 issue of Spectrum, which contains the first part of an episode guide (episodes 1 through 10) and a seasonal review of XWP. It's a wonderful effort and I applaud an "off-Broadway" journal for beating Cinefantastique and SCI-FI Universe to the punch of putting together an episode by episode review of XWP. Much thought and care to detail went into the production and some very good issues were raised. I feel somewhat disappointed that Whoosh! did not beat Spectrum as the first journal to present XWP as an artwork worthy of such analysis, but I am also heartened knowing that Whoosh! will devote it's whole being to XWP and not just ten pages out of forty. In the analysis for "The Reckoning" (where that wild and crazy god Ares attempted to seduce Xena back to the dark side while Xena was being tortured and put on trial for murders she did not commit) Craig Miller (the producer of Spectrum) wrote: "Just as 'Cradle of Hope' seems partially inspired by the story of Moses in the Old Testament, "The Reckoning" brings to mind the incident in the New Testament where Satan tempts a weakened Christ. This parallel might seem like a bit of a stretch, although Robert Tapert told SCI-FI ENTERTAINMENT, 'For both shows [Hercules and Xena], we'll start to raise a few stories from the Bible.' On the other hand, this parallel (and others) should not be over-emphasized or over- analyzed. Xena is certainly not an allegory, and we doubt that it employs, or even attempts, symbolism. The writers simply pull story elements from a wide variety of sources for whatever occasion suits their needs." There are several issues I should like to discuss. First. The theme of temptation is firmly established in our literary traditions. It's historical antecedents include not only Christ's temptation but also is found in the modern age in Star Wars, westerns, and many other popular artforms. It easily joins in with the themes of redemption and the hero's quest, which are also themes found in great supply in XWP. Many of the themes found in the Bible are found in earlier tales and later tales. These themes are used in the art of storytelling. The story-teller uses themes as tools to weave their craft. Thus, it is not really that much of a stretch to read the episode as an essay in temptation. Ares uses a variety of techniques to convince Xena to join him as his Queen. That he would go to that much trouble clearly establishes that temptation is a major focus, if not THE focus, of this episode. Since the anticipated audience for this episode would be primarily western Christian, it does not take a rocket scientist to make the connections between this episode and the other great tales of temptation in our past. The Temptation of Christ is a major western civilization theme. Second. Such parallels seem to abound in XWP. The writers and the producers are very canny people. They have made a very intelligent parody that has a firm foundation in many themes exalted by western civilization. The fact that XWP can be analyzed in progressively deeper levels (as is being discovered on several of the mailing lists about XWP) shows that there are things in it worthy of analysis. Things which perhaps are capable of surviving over-emphasis or over-analysis. Third. XWP is an allegory. An allegory is "a literary, dramatic, or pictorial device in which each character, object, and event symbolically illustrates an idea or moral or religious principle." (from Webster's). XWP is not an allegory as Dante's Inferno is (which, to give Mr. Miller a reasonable doubt, I shall assume this is what he meant by saying XWP is not an allegory). Of course not, because XWP is a television show which must make money and entertain at the same time. It also gets made weekly with a possibility of continuing another year if it's lucky. It is not written by one person, it is not guided by one creative power, and it is not likely to be completely self-consistent. However, there are classic themes involved in the story-telling in Xena. These are great themes found in all literature and all stories of all cultures on earth (and even in Klingon stories!): redemption; temptation; loyalties of friendship; the hero's quest; and tests and difficulties, to name a few. These themes are played out through characters, objects and events in XWP. It happens with such a great frequency that one can only conclude that the writers and producers are aware of this and are cultivating it (hmmm, sounds like a conspiracy to me! Quick call Oliver Stone!). Fourth. XWP not only utilizes symbolism, but in fact embraces it. Perhaps given the inspiration of the fuzzy pre-classical Greek timeframe, the show reaps symbols from all over the world from ancient times to the present. The show is a cultural moshpit: racially diverse cast and extras; asian marital arts; middle eastern weapons; Southern California accents; popular culture references and American slang; European medieval clothing; permed hairstyles; anachronistic set design; etc. Through all this confusion, the use of symbolism and allegory have become important unifying devices of the show. All of this is too prevalant. This prevalance is evidence that it is being done purposely and is being developed and cultivated. I would say this is strong evidence that the writers and producers not only are attempting symbolism, but that they are successful at it. Fifth. True, "the writers simply pull story elements from a wide variety of sources for whatever occasion suits their needs." On a level which is concerned with the integrity of the individual story elements, that is true. However, one mus ask what are the writers' needs? How do they use these elemtns? Do they produce something which is unique to that episode? Or do they try to build on something that has already been started? Do they employ the devices of symbolism and allegory? Do they hearkened back to a previous tradition or allude to a moral theme? Do they implement macro-themes or micro-themes? The the macro-theme an allegory? Is the micro-theme a symbol? I obviously disagree with Mr. Miller's observation that XWP is not an allegory or that it attempts to use symbolism. XWP is a very witty and canny television show. It is also campy and silly. However, many of the underlying themes and continuing plots employed by the show are indeed expressed through allegory and symbolism. I am leaving the soap box now, but if anyone has a copy of the SCI-FI ENTERTAINMENT article referred to by Mr. Miller, please e- mail me. ---Kym ------------------- AMENDED ANNOTATIONS ------------------- [050.1] 10-01-95 SCI-FI UNIVERSE. Vol. 2. No. 10. Page 23. "Herc's So Good. Executive producers Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi pull off another guilty pleasure with Hercules: The Legendary Journeys". By Dan Vebber. COMMENTARY: Passing mention in a full-color four page interview/spread on HTLJ and Kevin Sorbo. EXCERPT: ...So much media savvy that the show became the highest-rated new program in syndication last season, and will this fall be joined by Xena: Warrior Princess, an hour-long spin-off based on one of Hercules' most popular peripheral females..." [050.2] 10-01-95 SCI-FI UNIVERSE. Vol. 2. No. 10. Page 27. "Xena. Xena: Warrior Princess follows Hercules into the treacherous ground of first- run syndication this fall". By Dan Vebber. COMMENTARY: One page introduction to the series with three photos of Lucy Lawless (one does not look like it is from XWP). Robert Tapert is quoted as saying, "Xena is a long story, all about ratings and budget. What it boils down to is Vanishing Son, which is a very good show in its own right, was probably not the proper show to follow directly on the heels of Hercules. The studio made a decision that they wanted to move forward with something more compatible. We had done one of the episodes with Xena, so we said, 'Hey, maybe we can do something with this.'" Mr. Tapert's comment that the decision to go with Xena for a series was made after "Warrior Princess" had been filmed (not aired) jibes completely with the timelime XMR has reconstructed. The first media reference to XWP as a series was made in the Daily Variety on 03/05/95 (XMR008). This was after HTLJ "Warrior Princess" had been filmed (and the other two of the trilogy had been as well), but before the episode's release on March 13, 1995. The article, curiously enough, was not a promotional mention, but as an aside in an article about MCA hiring a new President. Apparently the role of Xena had been developed as part of a story arc to be played over a single episode which would introduce her and then be concluded two months later in a dramatic two-parter which would conclude with the Warrior Princess' fiery death. It was to be a "big event" for the season's last half. The role of Xena was offered to at least five other actresses who all showed great interest and intended to play the role except other events barred them last minute from starting. Finally, an actress was hired, and they began pre-production on the first of the trilogy "Warrior Princess". Three days before filming was to start, the actress was taken ill and could not appear for the filming (XMR117). The producers remembered Lucy Lawless, who had played an Amazon in the Hercules movies "Hercules and the Amazon Women" and played a part as a "centaur's moll" (tentative XMR271) in HTLJ's first season "As Darkness Falls." The producers were convinced that Ms. Lawless could rise to the occaison of taking on a role so quickly. They called her only to find out that she was camping in the wilderness over the New Year's weekend (tentative XMR128]. So, they hunted her down in the wilderness. (XMR117). She was found and immediately accepted the role. Ms. Lawless took to the part so well, that a decision was made to keep Xena alive at the end of the following two-parter. While filming the two-parter in January of 1995, Robert Tapert began discussions with Ms. Lawless about the possibility of a series for Xena with Ms. Lawless (XMR084a and XMR128). [50.3] 10-01-95 SCIENCE FICTION AGE PRESENTS SCI-FI TV FALL PREVIEW. Page 61. "The Best of the Rest" By Don E. Peterson. COMMENTARY: In a review of the new SF influenced TV shows for the '95-'96 season, XWP is discussed on pp. 65-66. Calling XWP, "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys meets Hong Kong's Bride with White Hair", this article used the same promo sheet as PR Newswire on 05-05-95 (XMR013). How do I know? The article described XWP's premise as Xena being pursued by "the evil warlord Khan the Great". Producer Robert Tapert is further quoted as saying, "We're promising this to be the wildest action anyone's put on American TV in a one-hour pilot. There have also been a bunch of movies coming out of Hong Kong for the past five years which have very strong women warrior characters, and I've always enjoyed them. There [are] all kinds of action things we've wanted to incorporate into Hercules but weren't appropriate for the John Wayne style hero, and Xena is going to allow us to do that. Xena battles in a more kinetic fashion, which is sort of a combination of marital arts, acrobatics, and weaponry; while Herc is just a giant ballroom brawler." The article mentioned the female superhero three season curse, but still predicted that XWP had a very good chance of staying around past the third season. [50.4] 10-01-95 CINESCAPE. Vol. 2 No. 1. Page 74. "Television. Tuned In" By Andy Mangels. COMMENTARY: Appearing in a column, under the sub-title "Syndicated & Cable", XWP received a paragraph shared with HTLJ. The blurb gave a one sentence synopsis of "Sins of the Past". [50.5] 10-01-95 CINESCAPE'S 1995 SCIENCE FICTION TELEVISION YEARBOOK. Page 78. "Fall Preview" COMMENTARY: On pages 79-80, XWP gets half a column of copy. The article began by commenting that the target audience for XWP is those who watch both HTLJ and Baywatch (ouch). Sam Raimi is quoted as calling Xena a "block-bustin' ball- buster who is long overdue for her own show." Raimi is also quoted as stating the main thrust of the show will be exploring Xena's "tough journey of redemption." Raimi is said to believe that Xena is a unique role model for both boys and girls. "I think she's a much richer character [than most TV heroes] because she's got a much larger journey than people like Hercules, who are born good, are good and always will be good." This interview was unique because usually Robert Tapert was the producer who was interviewed. ----------- ANNOTATIONS ----------- [115] 12-26-95 THE VILLAGE VOICE. Page 47. 1467 words. "Xenaphilia" By Stacey D'Erasmo. COMMENTARY: To date (as of June 1996), this Village Voice article represents the most savvy cultural analysis about what XWP could possibly be "about". Ms. D'Erasmo cannily picked up on all the major eccentricities of the show and related them to the psychology (and pathology?) of our times. This article is easily the most significant Xena article ever printed in the major media. REPRINT: We don't need another hero, except for Xena, Warrior Princess. Like something out of Russ Meyer combined with Betty Page and projected onto the walls of the Clit Club, Xena is full-tilt, strap-on, Greco-medieval realness, as much superfreak as superhero in her leather minidress and breastplates, her thigh-high lace-up leather boots, her coal black hair, her piercing blue eyes, her fetching way with a spear. Xena rules--literally. "In a time of ancient gods, warlords, and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero," intones the intro, over shots of Xena galloping around in her leathers and fighting some big computer-generated thing that looks like King Neptune as played by Casper the Friendly Ghost. Bagpipes play. Trumpets sound. Xena vanquishes everybody with her deadly kickboxing. What time exactly would this be? Spun off from a three-episode adventure of Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess takes place during an odd moment heretofore unknown to history where Greek myth meets feudalism meets haircuts of the '70s. A time when peasant women threshing the fields sing songs that sound distinctly like the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir. A time when bad guys growl, "Are you gonna smite us, little girl?" or when Hades, looking like a car salesman, surprises Xena and her sidekick, Gabrielle, on the road and reassures them with, "Hey, relax, I'm a big fan." Me, too. When a peasant, apropos of not very much, recites an entire Greek myth and is asked where he learned it, he says, "From books." What books? This is supposed to be medieval or mythological or something--peasants didn't have books. But who cares? In the sufficiently hazy mists of the ancient, much hanky-panky takes place, primarily around the construction of Xena herself, who seems to have sprung full-blown from the head of Susie Bright. Over six feet tall, dominant for days, played by an actress with the transcendent name Lucy Lawless, Xena lends herself even more to lesbian interpretation than Sigourney Weaver's Warrant Officer Ripley. One recent episode, in which Xena and Gabrielle are kidnapped by the Amazons--all of whom seem to be wearing leather bustiers, body paint, and feathered ear cuffs--and forced to dance in a circle with them, gave me the happy feeling of being transported back to a Lesbians at Barnard meeting. Gabrielle, a wholesome pink-cheeked blond, spends much of every show following Xena around, begging to be taken along on the next adventure. Xena is usually more interested in her horse; now and then she'll let Gabrielle ride on the back of her horse, or, more rarely, have the privilege of taking care of her horse, although she has also been heard to snap "Don't you ever touch my horse again." Closer to Batman and Robin in their dynamic than to Superman and Lois Lane, Gabrielle and Xena save each other's lives quite a bit, although Xena tends to get most of the credit. The only romance is the sublimated one between them. Sometimes Gabrielle gets a boyfriend for a second or two but then he is usually killed (boo hoo) by a disease or some other untimely accident. Xena is alternately charming, mean, and protective toward Gabrielle; she's also really arrogant. When Gabrielle took on a dysfunctional family of Titans, Xena sighed, "She must be trying to prove herself to me." Tenderness, for Xena, doesn't go much beyond sentiments like "For your information, I could never hate you." In the very first episode, Gabrielle met Xena by saving her warrior butt from a stoning. Later, she crept to Xena's campfire saying, "I don't belong there, Xena. I'm not the little girl my parents wanted me to be. You understand." Xena patronizingly replied, "It's not easy proving you're a different person. You can sleep over there." Gabrielle, methinks, could do with a little consciousness raising, although if Xena weren't so rejecting, there would be no narrative chaperone between them at all. As it is, if the NEA had to approve this program for a grant, they wouldn't, which is why it's good that it's made in New Zealand and plays in the no-man's talk-and-genre land of channel 11, thick with commercials for video games. Actually, Xena is a sort of video game primarily because she's so relentless. Like Pac-Man, she just goes and goes, crunching insane numbers of bad guys with her kicks, her spear, or her sword. There is something very computer about her arsenal--it's limited to the same few moves employed as if punched up on a keyboard. Xena flips through the air; she kicks; she utters her Amazonian war cry; she whooshes her staff around like a majorette on steroids, then kills people with it. Xena also has a sharp circular weapon called a chakram that she wears at her belt, and a Vulcan-like paralyzing touch. At the same time, she knows everything about healing, and is a crack diagnostician. When necessary, she performs surgery with her bare hands; on one episode she performed what looked like a pneumothorax on a wounded centaur slumped over a stile. Sticking her hand into his side, she wiggled her arm around, then pulled out her bloody hand and barked, "Bring me some leather twine!" Giants are a favorite special effect, as are bamboo cages placed over tiny mortals. The male gods all have a faded porn star look and are inclined to pout. Lady gods wear headbands. How innocent it all is. Unlike, say, MTV's Aeon Flux, who is positively Jamesian in her knowledge of sex and power, Xena inhabits a prelapsarian world in which it is possible for a woman in thigh-high boots to win every battle, all the time, always fighting fair. One of the most striking things about the plains of Xena: Warrior Princess is that they are entirely devoid of sexual violence. Despite the centurion-matresse getup, many heaving bosoms, and much hand-to-hand combat, there is rarely even the hint of the threat of rape, never any of the standard scenes of evildoers tying up the heroine and suggesting that worse violations are to come. Faced with Xena in her low-cut breastplates, the enemy warlord or god (always male) will inevitably just say something along the lines of, "Xena! You vanquished my entire army last time!" or "Xena! Come fight with me!" Villagers offer their shoulders to Xena to fight an airborne battle, saying, "C'mon, Xena, walk on me!" without even once looking up her leather dress. Like Marlene Dietrich as Catherine the Great in The Scarlet Empress, who ends the movie riding her horse up the steps of the Winter Palace in full unpunished victory, Xena has the truly superhuman power of utter sexual unselfconsciousness, a gift for dominance with no memory of submission. She's a stone hero. In this respect, Xena is like an ultratraumatized, six-foot-tall nine-year-old, hard and strong and fast and uncaring. She can still climb trees. She can ride around on her horse all the time and never go home. She can love her girlfriend, then dump her, then love her again. She can win and win with some tacky moves she got off TV. She can fly through the air. Mother-daughter conflict--unambiguously expressed by Xena's mother (no soft touch herself) drawing a sword on her--is resolved by Xena saving their entire village, then riding off into the sunset with Gabrielle. (I mean, who's writing this stuff?) Real life, of course, is harder. Spears break, girlfriends have their own superpowers, horses go lame. Saving the world will not convince your mother that you wouldn't be happier if you were a little less different. But it is very good for a girl to know that somewhere, not too far away, Xena, Warrior Princess, is galloping in her leather minidress across a landscape that never existed in nature or history, on her way to victoriously proving her difference, again and again and again. GRAPHIC: Don't ever touch her horse. [116] 12-26-95 NEWSDAY. Page B41. 1114 Words. "Glued to the Tube/looking Back at 1995, the Diverse Year That Was" By Diane Werts. COMMENTARY: In a year end review, XWP was cited along with the avalanche of other SF and fantasy programming introduced in 1995. EXCERPT: HAPPY OLD YEAR! It's time again to reflect on the tube that was, over the last 12 months, as we forge ahead into 1996. But let's forgo the standard list of momentous developments (which you'll get in this Sunday's FanFare section anyway) and instead offer a more personal peek back. These are some TV happenings that made impressions on me in 1995... ...Sci-fi snowball. Was it the success of "The X-Files"? The third "Star Trek" series? The growing cults for "Babylon 5" and "Hercules"? Whatever the reason, prime time found fantasy in a big way. From midseason's "Star Trek: Voyager," "Legend," "VR.5" and "Sliders" to this fall's "Space: Above & Beyond," "Deadly Games," "Xena," "Strange Luck," "Nowhere Man" and "American Gothic," everywhere you looked there were shows filled with futuristic elements, fantasy, paranoia and creep-show scares. They offered a fresh way to treat contemporary concerns like prejudice, privacy and evil - and also a broad, escapist way to have fun... [117] 12-29-95 GANNETT NEWS SERVICE. 559 words. "TV or Not TV". By Mike Hughes. COMMENTARY: Ms. Lawless' 4th major media interview. EXCERPT: On a gentle island, on the quiet side of our globe, Lucy Lawless' life was an open-air adventure. "I'm one of seven children," she says. "I used to be outside all the time ... I'd never wear shoes." This was New Zealand, with its unlimited horizon. There's no spot that doesn't have a mountain in view; there's no spot more than 80 miles from a beach. Life was casual; dreams were easy. "I'd hear my family going to the gym, but I would rather go and look at the waterfall." Even there, alas, people need jobs. "I went through a brief fling of thinking I'd be a pathologist," she says. Since pathologists work indoors, this was a shaky choice. A better ideas? She would become Xena, the warrior princess. It's perfect - except that it doesn't really end. "You don't know what it's like until you're in the thick of it," says Lawless. Now she heads to work at 5:30 a.m. and returns at 7:30 p.m. The result is half of a one-two success story, which some viewers catch on Fridays. There are: - "Hercules: The Legendary Journey." Kevin Sorbo, a muscular Minnesotan with an articulate charm, stars. - "Xena: Warrior Princess." Lawless stars. Together, those air at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST Fridays on cable giant WGN. That may be way more sinew than you need in one sitting. Separately, many stations air them sometime during the weekend. Ratings have been hardy, putting both near the top of the syndication market, near "Baywatch" and "Deep Space Nine." Quality, of course, is another thing. There are only so many stories one can tell with amazons or demigods in the woods. Still, viewers like the robust nature of the setting, the stories, Sorbo and now Lawless. Career ambition didn't burn hot, she grants. "I'd never been particularly interested in acting ... I've really just got serious about it." Still, she found plenty of work. "You do all the co-productions," Lawless says. "You kiss Rick Springfield, work in a 'Ray Bradbury Theatre' ... I usually play someone with prosthetics all over her face." Then came the word: A two-part "Hercules" was pairing Sorbo with an Amazon warrior. An American actress had dropped out, three days before filming. "We were trying to give my daughter the camping experience," Lawless says, "when they said they needed me right away." That was soon spun into a series. In September, as "Hercules" began its second full season, "Xena" premiered. The show has apparently satisfied both worlds. Like Lawless' childhood, "Xena" is sunny and breezy; unlike it, it has awesome, swordswomen and three-headed dragons... [118] 12-29-95 ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. Page 56. 737 words. "The Year That Was 1995" By Ty Burr. COMMENTARY: A picture of a drawing of Xena in a photo montage. EXCERPT: Graphic: ... COLOR ILLUSTRATION: GARY PANTER, XENA, [Drawing of Princess Xena character]... [119] 12-29-95 ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. Page 50. 172 words. "5 Kevin Sorbo & Lucy Lawless; Hercules and Xena, Tv's Most Pec-tacular Duo" By A.J. JACOBS COMMENTARY: Primarily concerned with Kevin Sorbo, this quasi- interview included a few comments from Lucy Lawless. REPRINTED: THANK ZEUS for those few TV shows free of latte bars and Manhattan apartments. In other words, thank Zeus for buff thespians Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless, who masterfully lord over Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, two syndicated hours of Bronze Age camp. This year, Sorbo's Fabio-length locks and deadpan delivery snagged him both colossal Hercules ratings and a seven-figure movie deal (he'll star in Kull the Conqueror). It's a breakthrough, says the veteran commercial actor, that seemed centuries in coming. "I've paid my dues," sighs Sorbo, 37. "It's not like I was an accountant and all of a sudden I said, 'Hey, I want a series.'" Much less one so popular that it yielded a spin-off starring Lawless, 27. The kung fu-chopping actress says she "turned green" with jitters after learning Xena would get her own series, but she soon got comfy in those dominatrix boots. "I guess it's the culmination of 35 years of feminism," she says. "Women can be as badass as any man ever was." GRAPHIC: Kevin Sorbo; Lucy Lawless [120] 12/29/95 ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. Page 88. 10 words. "Great Performances; from an Iowa Farm to Mission Control, Our Picks for 1995's Top Acts" COMMENTARY: The article consisted of photographs. In a caption for one, it compared Xena with Lisa Marie Presley. EXCERPT: ...Graphics:...Lisa Marie Presley. Xena, the Warrior Princess, may be TV's toughest chick, but the tube's best snarls this year came from another royal: Lisa Marie Presley... [121] 12-29-95 through 01-01-96 NOTE: Repeat of "Dreamworker" (episode 3). 4.7 rating. First run rating was 4.4 (XMR055). [121a] 12-29-95 DAILY VARIETY. Page 3. 402 words. "Mags sag; gabs lag; 'Home' hot" by Brian Lowry. COMMENTARY: Dreamworker. EXCERPT: The holiday doldrums took their toll on firstrun magazine shows in Nielsen syndication rankings for the week ended Dec. 17, with virtually all the tabloids down compared with their year-ago performances. ...Paramount's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" remained the top-rated weekly hour, followed by the MCA duo of "Hercules, the Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess," which both dipped from the prior week... [121b] 01-01-96 VARIETY. Page 63. 406 words. "Mags sag; gabs lag; 'Home' hot" by Brian Lowry. COMMENTARY: Same as XMR121a. [122] 12-31-95 NEWSDAY. Page 30. 926 words. "Jump to '96" by Diane Werts. COMMENTARY: Year end summary listed Hercules as an "unsung" TV happening of 1995. It also mentioned XWP in passing as being Hercules' "spawn". EXCERPT: SURE, THERE'VE been lots of "important" TV happenings this year - all that merger mania, the ratings collapse of CBS, Jay Leno's viewership triumph over David Letterman and, of course, the trial of that guy with the citrus juice initials. But what about the intriguing, offbeat and just plain weird tube events? Lest they be forgotten, here's a look at some of the unsung TV happenings of 1995... ...`Hercules' Well. What can we say? This one came out of nowhere to reach ratings heights with its gleeful beef and cheese-cake, daffy anachronisms, cartoon action and all-around zest. Its syndicated success (on WPIX/11 here) has already spawned the female counterpart "Xena," also produced in New Zealand by zany splat-master Sam Raimi. Is star Kevin Sorbo a hunk for the '90s, or what?... [123] 01-01-96. ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Everyday Magazine. Page 8E. 135 words. "TV Q & A Column" By Steven Cole Smith. COMMENTARY: Direct from a PR sheet, this article represented one of the many approaches the local "answer" columnists could take. REPRINT: Q: I like the show "Xena." Could you tell me about Lucy Lawless, who plays the title character? Is she a professional athlete? A: "Xena," a syndicated spinoff of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," is gaining quite a cult following, just as "Hercules" did. Lawless is athletic, but she has never been a professional athlete. A native of Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand, Lawless, just short of 6 feet tall, is the fifth of seven children. She worked as a gold miner in Australia, then married, then returned to New Zealand where daughter Daisy, now 7, was born. Landing the role of Xena on three episodes of "Hercules" was her big break. The physical "Xena" is filmed in and around Auckland. Lawless had little previous experience with stunt work, but has trained with a martial arts master. [124] 01-01-96 THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT (NORFOLK). Page E1. 705 words. "Resolutions for the New Year Start with Chung" By Larry Bonko. COMMENTARY: Mr. Bonko did a spirited 600 word defense in April 1996 on XWP (Tentative XMR239) but then by June 1996 called XWP the "Worst impression of Wonder Woman" (Tentative XMR279). So much for his resolution to defend XWP. EXCERPT: MY NEW YEAR'S resolutions:... ...I also resolve to defend ''Xena, Warrior Princess'' against those who say the series is nothing but trash that exploits bosomy women. It's art.... [125] 01-01-96 TEXAS MONTHLY. Page 22. 97 words. "Hot Ingenue." by Helen Thompson COMMENTARY: A concise Texan paean to Renee O'Connor. Thus far, only Texas has recogized Gabrielle as the real star of XWP. REPRINT: If one of the surprises of the fall TV season has been the success of the campy syndicated show Xena: Warrior Princess, another has been the star turn of Renee O'Connor (left), who plays Gabrielle, Xena's perky protegee. O'Conner, who is 24, attended Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and studied at the Alley Theatre, but a big break came when she appeared in a Visa commercial shot at the Austin restaurant Threadgill's, which happens to be owned by her stepfather, Eddie Wilson. Nice to know she can always wait tables if things don't work out. GRAPHIC: [no caption, of Ms. O'Connor]. [126] 01-01-96 MEDIAWEEK. Vol. 6. No. 1. Page 3. 671 words. "MCA's Meidel moves to shore up syndie. MCA-Universal Inc., Greg Meidel; syndication" By Michael Freeman. COMMENTARY: Passing mention how XWP and HTLJ were the jewels in MCA TV's crown. EXCERPT: Although Greg Meidel just this week takes over the television operations of MCA/universal as chairman of the MCA Television Group, he's been hard at work for months trying to lure former Columbia Tri-Star syndication veterans Ed Wilson and Bob Cook to set up shop under the MCA umbrella. However, the talks, according to executives in the syndication and rep communities who would not speak for attribution, have collapsed... ...MCA TV is suffering from a continuing lack of a presence in the highly lucrative strip syndication marketplace. Since the early 1980s, each of the five other major studios has placed a first-run strip in syndication. MCA TV has concentrated on the weekly action-adventure and sitcom genres. After numerous stabs at developing a hit weekly series, MCA TV finally hit paydirt two years ago with the launch of the Universal Action Pack block, which spawned the top-rated Adventures of Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess weeklies. However, Meidel, who was president of Twentieth Television before he joined MCA, stressed that "every effort and resource" is going to be expended to make MCA TV a "player" in the strip marketplace. The syndicator will take two strip concepts to NATPE this year: the talk show He Says, She Says and a reality-based series called Justice... [127] 01-01-96 FEMME FATALE. Vol 4. No. 5. Page 46. ""Lucy Lawless. Xena. Warrior Princess" By Frederick C. Szebin. COMMENTARY: Full color graphics and a unique spin on the interview made this fan-magazine coverage fun to read, if not illuminating. Information not found in the usualy mainstream press abounded (Ms. Lawless was quoted as saying "I've avoided advertising Tampax--oops! sorry, don't use a brand name!--I mean, feminine hygiene products." and "We had a sort of gay Mardi Gras recently. The American producer was down here and couldn't believe all the women's breasts around...There were families gathered and we had our seven-year-old daughter there. I had to leave when the S&M float came along--not that there's anything wrong with S&M, you understand!--I thought maybe my kid had seen enough then. But she never blinked. It was cool.") and Mr. Szebin was quite informative when he's not trying to be a writer for Vanity Fair. Ms. Lawless was also quoted as saying regarding the physical requirements of XWP: "It's very bruising. My husband was embarrassed to be seen with me for about a month after shooting, because I was so mottled! I don't own any discreet clothing, so he didn't want to look like a wife beater or something." [128] 01-01-96 STARLOG. No. 222. Page 50. "The Savage Sword of Xena" COMMENTARY: This first major fan magazine interview of Lucy Lawless is the most significant interview to date given by Ms. Lawless in a U.S. print medium. The excerpts below cover all of Ms. Lawless' direct quotes in the article. EXCERPTS: ...[regarding the physical nature of the role] "I've actually gotten much better about that. I just got five bruises today, and I don't even know how they happened. When the camera rolls, you don't even think about it, and your reflexes get sharper after you've been hit a few times!"... ..."I've never thought of myself as a very physical person. I was never a sports freak or anything like that. My nickname was 'Unco' or "Uncoordinated' at school, so it was a big shock to me to be doing this sort of thing. They've been giving me a lot of training, which has helped a lot. Unlike Kevin Sorbo, who is a sportsman from way back, I need to get my skills up and keep them up, because it doesn't come naturally to me."... ...[regarding her starring in a series so quickly] "I don't really feel the pressure, because I'm surrounded by so many people who are giving their all as well. Everybody--from the people who lay out the cups, to the generator operator, to the make-up people--everybody is working so hard that it's not really my show. There's a really good feeling. We saw the first episode the other day, and it just galvanized everyone."... ...[regarding who or what the character Xena is] "I'm still looking for it, and it doesn't matter what's on paper. After your first rehearsal for the first episode, you know what the history is, and that acts as fuel, but because Xena's always a character in transition and she's on this journey, you never quite know what she's about. I just have a feeling, and the rest of it happens organically and continues to grow, or at least I hope it does."... ...[regarding Xena's developing wry humor] "You haven't seen anything yet! I don't think Xena ever thinks she's funny. She isn't the knee-slapping, thigh-slapping, rib-tickling sort, but as you'll see, there's a wry humor to her. I'm also sorry to tell you this, but Gabrielle never entirely gets the better of her."... ...[regarding the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle as the key to the show] "It's getting better and better the more we get to know each other. I have huge respect for Renee as a person. She's easy to listen to in film acting terms, and that's the magic: if you're actually listening and taking in somebody's face. That's real acting."... ...[regarding Hercules and the Amazon Women] "You know, I don't even remember doing fight scenes when I was in that. Were there really fight scenes?" [regarding the physical nature of the role] "I have to say, I've surprised myself by the physicality of it all, because it's obviously some sort of natural aggression that shines through. It's something that I never recognized before, but I think growing up in a house with seven kids probably helped in that regard. I have five brothers, so it was pretty much the law of the jungle. It was a very loving home and everything, but it was still very rowdy. I could really relate to that running-the- gauntlet scene in the second Xena episode [HTLJ "The Gauntlet"]."... ...[regarding working with Anthony Quinn in "Amazon Women"] "He was great; I was really surprised. Some people were a little nervous about having him around, but because I had not, to my everlasting shame, ever seen an Anthony Quinn movie, it didn't bother me. I knew his name and that he was somebody, but you treat everybody the same until you find out they're an idiot. He seemed to like me because I didn't kowtow to him or whatever, but he was a superstar and I could see that. I felt really privileged to meet him, because there aren't many of them left. There are only a few of his caliber from that era, and I know he's working still, which only makes him greater. He was a real gentleman."... ...[regarding Kevin Sorbo] "Kevin really hasn't changed very much; he's a nice guy and good to work with. This has, in a funny way, become Kevin's home, and I think he's looking at buying a place because he has been down here for two years. He has a lot of friends here, and it's quite enriching, living in another country for a period of time. He seems to be handling it fine, and because he's here, he doesn't have people hounding him every two seconds. It's like a beach holiday."... ...[regarding why she got the Lyla part in "When Darkness Falls"] "I don't know, that's a producer's question, so you would have to ask Eric Grundemann that. Hey Eric! Eric would know, or Rob Tapert, but I couldn't tell you."... ...[regarding special FX] "I don't have any trouble with special FX. If you have an active imagination, you just use it and it's not difficult at all. I actually find it easier than working off actors. It never even occurred to me that this might be a difficulty; it was just normal acting."... ...[regarding Lawless being cast as Xena] "I had just been in the previous episode, so I think the execs were saying, 'Oh, no, we can't use her because we just used her. Here's a list of five other actresses you should try,' and every one of them pulled out for some reason. Pilot season was coming up, so they decided, 'Oh no, we don't want to go down to the bottom of the world in pilot season and do a three-week stint that will come to nothing, when we could stay here in LA and do a pilot that could possibly become a series,' so thanks girls, thank you very much!" [see tentative XMR212 for the story on the actress who turned down Gabrielle and is now destitute in LA because she did not want to go to New Zealand!]. ...[more on getting the Xena part] "I flew up there two days before and had my hair changed. They made the costume up for me and then I was shooting. I had been on a camping holiday just before that, so they had to move heaven and Earth to find me. It was a huge twist of fate or good luck, or whatever you want to call it, but here I am."... ...[regarding Michael Hurst, who played Iolaus, Xena's love interest in "Warrior Princess"] "We did develop a really good rapport early on. I don't think it had anything to do with the fact that he's an established New Zealand actor, because we were only barely acquainted before that, but we really hit it off. Most women love talking to Michael. I think he gets a lot of mail already, but he's a pretty good guy, and would never get uptight about it. He and his wife drafted out some replies, but at this stage, I think the load is already getting too heavy and they just won't be able to keep doing that. He's such a busy man, directing plays and all sorts of things."... ...[regarding The Gauntlet] "That first episode was directed by Bruce Seth Green, and then Jack Perez did the next one, which was a much darker show. It was written dark, and shot dark. Xena is a very different character now. Before, she had no honor, but this Xena is very different. It's part of her life-changing transition, and now she does have her own warped code of honor."... ...[regarding about how she first heard about XWP] "I was sitting in the second AD's bus, and I was trying to be all cool about it, saying, 'Yeah, yeah, we'll believe it when it happens, and I'll talk to you later, thank you, Mr. Tapert.' I went away and had lunch on my own, and tried to pretend I hadn't heard what I heard. Anyway, the upshot is four months from that day, it was happening. It seems like forever ago, but it was really only January, and now we're already up to our ninth episode."... ...[regarding her training for XWP] "It was like the old studio system; they took me to LA for training in dialogue, kung fu, personal training and film technique. It was just wonderful and really kick-started me again. After I left acting school four years ago I had kind of plateaued. It took me four years to understand everything I had been taught, and then to think, 'Holy guacamole, where do I go from here?'"... ...[regarding her family life] "It is difficult sometimes, but we're managing. My daughter comes down to the set after school some days, and I know she's well-looked-after because she's with her father, and she couldn't have a better father, so she's fine."..."[Daisy, her daughter] thinks it's pretty cool. She likes to have the posters and things, but she hasn't actually seen any of these new episodes yet."... ...[regarding whether XWP is appropriate for children] "I might have had a question mark over that one before, but now I think yes, I would [let Daisy watch the show], because all the sound FX and speed ramping make the fights cartoonish. I think she could see Xena; she has seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and we're a bit less inhibited about those things here. We just had a festival which is like Mardi Gras, and I was surprised at how shocked our American friends were at all the naked breasts walking around on the main street, but that's New Zealand."... ...[regarding watching XWP] "You get that once or twice a day. You might see the playback, and you see somebody slug you on the head with a foam thing. They came nowhere near you, but it looks fantastic because you dropped at precisely the right moment. I've got to say, although initially they were never my favorite thing to do, watching the fight scenes is really rewarding. In fact, seeing them once the sound FX have been put in, I get the biggest kick out of them."... ...[regarding the fight scenes] "They still use a double sometimes, because some of the things are not only difficult but dangerous, with the flips and so forth. I have wonderful acrobatic doubles and a stunt double and a horse riding double. These women do the most amazing things, and beautifully, too. That's what I mean when I talk about this not being just my show. They all help to enrich the character, so it's really a huge team effort and I'm grateful to all of them for their hard work."... ...[regarding the rivalry between XWP and HTLJ] "Not really, because we screen at different times, so there's no point in being in competition. We don't really compete, because the flavors of the two shows are so distinct from one another. There are things that happen on Hercules that will never happen on Xena, and vice versa. There's no point in competing. I also think we're working way too hard to be looking at each other's shows."... ...[regarding Prometheus, the XWP which guest starred Kevin Sorbo as Hercules] "We just shot it, and I think it turned out great. It was so nice to work with Kevin again. It's really like an ensemble cast, because everybody knows their characters and you're not mucking around trying to find something in a scene, so filming went much faster."... ...[regarding XWP going multiple seasons] "If you're going to play a character for a couple of years, then I can't think of a better character to play. She has such duality and complexity that I should consider myself a very lucky actor if I do." [129] 01-02-96 THE DETROIT NEWS. Accent. 612 words. "'Hercules' proves ratings strength; 'Baywatch' flounders at No. 20" By Jefferson Graham COMMENTARY: Robert Tapert in an interview stated his surprise at HTLJ taking on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He mentioned they originally viewed their competition as Baywatch, not Star Trek. XWP is mentioned in passing as joining HTLJ. EXCERPT: In the fantastic world of syndicated drama, Hercules has muscled its way past Baywatch's bathing beauties on the ratings chart. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys has moved up to No. 14 among all syndicated series, and Baywatch, a longtime top 10 fixture, has dropped to No. 20. (The highest-rated syndicated drama is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, No. 6 on the overall list. Hercules is the second-highest rated drama.) "When Universal asked us to do Hercules, we said we could never beat Star Trek, but we always had our eyes on doing better than Baywatch," says Robert Tapert, co-executive producer (with Sam Raimi) of Hercules. "We figured that if we just told good stories and kept the action up, we could get the viewers." The beefcake action series (8 p.m. Saturdays on Channel 20 in Detroit), about the heroic half-man, half-god of Greek and Roman mythology who battles monsters and demons to protect mankind, premiered in January 1995, spun off from a 1994 action series of made-for-TV movies syndicated by Universal Television. "We filled a void," says Tapert. "We wanted to do a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-style version of Hercules with monsters and special effects and contemporary dialogue, and it worked. "Instead of togas and Cyclops, we got a good-looking quarterback, the sort of guy you'd like to have in your living room every week. There was nothing like it on TV, and viewers found us right away." Hercules, produced in New Zealand, stars former University of Minnesota football player and TV commercial actor Kevin Sorbo. His reward for his Herculean efforts: the lead role in Universal Pictures' fall film Kull the Conqueror... ...Hercules, which has now been joined by Xena: Warrior Princess, airs in only four countries: the USA, Canada, Germany and France. The current Baywatch cast and crew are committed to the show through the end of the 1996-97 season, Back says, and he believes the show can continue for many more years. But All American has acknowledged the power of Hercules. The company recently announced plans for a new syndicated action hour based on the adventures of Sindbad, the Arabian Nights sailor... [130] 01-04-96 through 01-05-96 NOTE: In a celebration of what the author called "trash tv", XWP was mentioned as "Baywatch B.C." and the author opined that "It's amazing that women back then knew how to kill a rabbit, skin it and make a Wonderbra out of it." [130a] 01-04-96 THE VANCOUVER SUN. Page C3. 1017 words. "Trash essential part of well-balanced TV diet" by Alex Strachan EXCERPT: A colleague stopped me the other day and offered his opinion about what makes television tick. What amazes him about television, he said -- what keeps him glued to the set for hours on end, oohing and ahing at gooey, retro nineties buzz -- is the trash... ...After all, just think how boring it would be if every show on TV were a paean to the betterment of the human condition. What if every sitcom had the wit and sophistication of Frasier? What if every current-affairs program was as enlightening and informative as The National? The world as we know it would grind to a halt, that's what. Why would you ever leave the house and go to work? Why would you spend time with your loved ones, knowing that wasting time on the imperfect people in your life would take you way from your steady diet of excellence and human achievement? No, the reason we watch, the reason we love it so, is the trash. Not just the bad, but the BAD. Craig Nelson wrote a book about it. (That's Craig Nelson the writer, not to be confused with Craig T. Nelson, the brilliant practitioner of the thespian arts from such BAD classics as Coach and Call to Glory.) In his Bad TV (Delta Trade Paperbacks, 1995), writer Craig Nelson reveals the six golden rules of BAD TV: * The perfect pet is a cross between Superman and Jeeves. * When wealthy people move into a new neighborhood, it's a laugh riot. * There's nothing as much fun as watching people reveal some deep, horrible secret ... * ... unless it's watching people dress up as fruits and vegetables and become drunk with greed. * Well-to-do people compulsively spend their money on junk and schemes. * Well-to-do Hungarians compulsively spend their money on junk and schemes.... ..."When I lie in the sack and flick on the remote switch and look at the box, I see things like Let's Make a Deal -- a clinical study in avarice and greed where perspiring yo-yos go into convulsions trying to latch on to a warehouse full of free acquisitions while the studio audience screams and gurgles," Rod Serling said in 1973. "I see The Dating Game, where a vapid miniskirted beauty throws out well-rehearsed, thinly veiled sexual asides to a trio who are obviously lusting after her body. I see the dregs of television, Gilligan's Island and Hee Haw, and all the havoc and damage that man can wreak on his fellow man."... ...Aw, c'mon, Rod, don't be such a grouch. Where would the fun in life be without Xena: The Warrior Princess, more aptly referred to as Baywatch B.C.? (It's amazing that women back then knew how to kill a rabbit, skin it and make a Wonderbra out of it.) ... [130b] 01-05-96 CALGARY HERALD. Page D4. 642 words. "Why do we watch TV? It's the terrific trash" By Alex Strachan. COMMENTARY: edited down version of XMR130a. [131] 01-07-96 THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL-BULLETIN. Page 6T. 628 words. "Questions & Answers" COMMENTARY: Another example of the local answer column: a question regarding Lucy Lawless. EXCERPT: ...I have fallen in love with the show Xena: The Warrior Princess. Can you tell me about Lucy Lawless, who plays the title character? Is she a professional athlete? C.G. Xena, a syndicated spin-off of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, is gaining quite a cult following, just as Hercules did. Lawless is athletic, but she has never been a professional athlete. A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Lawless, just short of 6 feet tall, is the fifth of seven children. Her father is a politician in New Zealand. She attended Auckland University before heading for Europe, then moved to Australia where she worked as a gold miner. She married, then returned to New Zealand where daughter Daisy, now 7, was born. Lawless began working in local TV, performed in Canada for a while, then returned to New Zealand to host a travel show that was broadcast in New Zealand and Asia. Landing the role of Xena on three episodes of Hercules was her big break. Xena is filmed in and around Auckland. Lawless had little previous experience with stunt work, but has trained with a martial arts master... [132] 01-08-96 NOTE: Repeat of "Cradle of Hope." (episode no. 4). 4.9 rating. Down from first run rating of 5.5 (XMR060). [132a] 01-08-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 135 words. COMMENTARY: Cradle of Hope. Second showing. EXCERPT: ...Among the weeklies, MCA TVs Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was up from a 5.4 to a 6.2 while Paramounts Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was up from a 5.9 to a 6.1. MCA TVs Xena: Warrior Princess was up from a 4.7 to a 4.9... [132b] 01-08-96 DAILY VARIETY. NEWS; Pg. 6. 532 words. "Holiday gives hike to new chat" By JIM BENSON. COMMENTARY: Cradle of Hope. EXCERPT: The younger-skewing freshman and sophomore talkshows got a little Nielsen Christmas present during the week ended Dec. 24, when lots of freshmen and sophomores home from school for the holidays took over TV sets... ...Of the weeklies, which had to contend with NFL football competition on Saturday, MCA TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" topped the list for the first time this season (its last victory came during the week of Oct. 2, before the season premiere of Paramount's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"). "Hercules" soared a mythical 15% to 6.2, a notch ahead of "Deep Space," which added 3% to 6.1. In third place, MCA's "Xena: Warrior Princess" fought for a 4% increase to 4.9. MGM's "The Outer Limits," meanwhile, leaped 15% to 4.5, putting it ahead of All American's "Baywatch" (it dipped 2% to 4.4)... [132c] 01-18-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 135 words COMMENTARY: For some unfathomable reason, the Hollywood reporter reprinted the same article as XMR132a, which was originally printed 01-08-96, ten days before! The Daily Variety at this date had two days previosuly released the 12/25 to 12/31/ 95 numbers. [133] 01-10-96 THE TORONTO STAR. Page D4. 484 words. "Tonight in T.O." COMMENTARY: Minor mention in a minute promo listing. EXCERPT: ...TV Critic Jim Bawden... ...Xena: Warrior Princess is the New Zealand-made series that neatly combines humor and derring do with an athletic female state (9 on ch. 3)... [134] 01-15-96 VARIETY. Page N24. 498 words. "FIRSTRUN HOUR WEEKLIES; (currently available)" COMMENTARY: This issue was a special issue following NATPE '96. This article listed the programs for sale at NAPTE for the '96-97 season. This is the first notice that XWP had went from a 24 episode season to 26. EXCERPT: ... [Program] Xena: Warrior Princess [Distributor] MCA [Episodes] 26 [Runs] 2 [Terms] B (9/5) ... ... [Program] Xena: Warrior Princess [Comments] Repl. for Vanishing Son... [135] 01-15-96 VARIETY. Page N27. 20310 words. "What's for Sale at Market" COMMENTARY: This issue was a special issue following NATPE '96. This article discussed the episodes already in production. XWP is noted as having 22 episodes. The first season actually had 24 episodes. EXCERPT: Product listings for the NATPE market in Las Vegas, Jan. 22-25... ...MCA TV 100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA 91608 (818) 777-1000 Fax: (818) 733-1430 Booth: 8900 Attending: Greg Meidel, chairman, MCA Television Group; Shelly Schwab, president; Jim Kraus, exec VP, director of sales and marketing; Steve Rosenberg, senior VP, national sales manager; Bill Trotter, VP, Western region sales manager; Arthur Hasson, VP, Northeast region sales manager; Tony Fasola, VP, Southeast region sales manager; Mark Forgea, VP, Midwest region sales manager; Cameron Hutton, VP, Southwest region sales manager; Karen Zollman, senior VP, advertising sales; David Brenner, senior VP, advertising sales and marketing. Product highlights: "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," action series; 60 min. "Xena: Warrior Princess," action series; 60 min. "He Says, She Says," talkshow; 60 min. daily. "Justice," reality show; 30 min. strip... ...MCA TV Intl. 100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA 91608 (818) 777-4275 Fax: (818) 733-1554 Booth: 8900 Attending: Colin Davis, president; Peter Hughes, exec VP; Ron Suter, VP and general manager, Toronto; Wanderley Fucciolo, Edenir Amadio, VPs, Sao Paulo; Reha Salomon, VP, administration. Product highlights: "American Gothic," sheriff of South Carolina community is secretly a demonic force; 22 x 60 min. "Partners," engaged couple is tested by addition of his best friend; 22 x 30 min. "Savage Dragon," animated tales of super-powered "freaks" in Chicago; 13 x 30 min. "Xena: Warrior Princess," action-adventure saga of female crusader; 22 x 60 min... [136] 01-15-96 VARIETY. Page N16. 712 words. "Hercules Lifts Genre" By Rita Street COMMENTARY: This issue was a special issue following NATPE '96. This article gave some insight into how Shelly Schwab affected the marketing and pre-planning of HTLJ and XWP which have contributed greatly to their marketplace success. REPRINT: Until the 1994 release of "Hercules," action, camp and romance were considered stand-alone genres in television, seldom mixed together to create a salable pie. In fact, the "Hercules" recipe is so unusual that MCA TV president Shelly Schwab admits peers "snickered" when he gave the one-hour series a greenlight. But Schwab has definitely had the last guffaw as the witty show gears up for its third firstrun season with clearances rival distributors would die for: 216 stations or approximately 99% of the country. Schwab attributes the winning formula to solid casting and the talents of executive producers Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi of "Evil Dead" and "Darkman" fame. To pull off the lead character's charming blend of handsome-meets-muscle-meets-good-guy, the producers cast relative newcomer Kevin Sorbo. Best known as a commercials actor, Sorbo had just started to break into gueststar sitcom roles when Tapert and Raimi pegged him as their mythical hero. Says Tapert of the 6-foot-3-inch Sorbo:"We knew we couldn't go with a traditional muscle man. Our model for the character was always a Joe Montana type, a star quarterback who wasn't off-putting because of his size or good looks, just a decent good guy you'd want to sit at a bar with or invite into your living room. Kevin is just that type." Sorbo's character, the son of the god Zeus and mortal woman Alcmene, battles gods, monsters and bad guys with superhuman strength, resorting to violence and weapons only when there is no other out. Set in a beautiful but dangerous fantasy world before the rise of Greece and Rome, the series is dominated by the fickle finger of untrustworthy gods. The Raimi/Tapert signature style of wild camera work adds another dimension to the series, lending it a feature film look. This along with their zany take on the unnatural make the fantasy elements accessible to even the most sophisticated audiences. And with the success of "Hercules" still fresh in the ratings, the MCA team brought the spinoff hit "Xena: Warrior Princess" to firstrun last fall. In addition to Schwab's theory of solid casting and producer talent, part of the "Hercules" and "Xena" success phenomenon is due to pre-planning. In 1994, MCA TV came out with a program of features called "The Action Pack," geared specifically to capture the lost market of action-adventure. Says Schwab: "At one point the nets' schedule used to be 28% action-adventure programming; now they've all switched to drama. We realized there was a gap when we first went out with the commitment of 'The Action Pack.' There is definitely a niche opportunity in real action-adventure, not violence." Ned Nahl, executive vice president of Universal Television, a division of MCA Inc., explains that the decision to claim the action-adventure niche came after laborious one-on-one interviews with station managers. "We went around to station groups asking what they wanted to program. The common response was a complaint that the studios had shut off the supply of two-hour action movies. It had become the station managers' common remorse that movies were taken directly to cable, bypassing traditional outlets." Nahl's "Action Pack" offered continuing series of two-hour actioners for television directed by vet theatrical directors. The results were as expected:"The Action Pack" became a nursery for new series, birthing two spinoffs, "Hercules" and "Tech Wars." But, as Nahl admits, "Hercules" was the show contemporaries felt had the lesser chance of success. The "Hercules" multigenre formula is certainly far from the mainstream, but its current popularity is signaled not only by solid numbers in domestic firstrun, but acceptance internationally. "I've been listening to the international market for years. They've been saying the American cerebral shows don't play for our audiences. 'Hercules' does. It's language-proof and it's fun," says Nahl. And, if success is counted by imitation, "Hercules," is over-the-top with two new competitors coming on board for the fall 1996 lineup. "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures," will be launched by Keller Siegel Entertainment and "Sinbad" by All America Television Inc. Both follow the "Hercules" formula to a T -- action, camp and a dash of romance. [137] 01-15-96 ELECTRONIC MEDIA. Pg. 1. 494 words. "At Press Time;'F/X' Clears 65%; 'Trek' Leads Action Hours;'Day & Date' Gets Go; MGM Clearance Update; Bohbot Revamps Blocks;'boy Meets World' Sold; 'Kagan' on Hiatus" COMMENTARY: November sweeps averages announced. XWP got a 4.3/7. EXCERPT: ...LOS ANGELES-''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' scored an average 6.6 Nielsen Syndication Service household rating and an 8 share, leading all first-run weekly action-adventure hours through the November sweeps period. Following ''Star Trek'' in the action field was ''Baywatch,'' which averaged a 5.3/7. MCA Television's fantasy duo pulled strong numbers, with ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' grabbing a 4.8/7, and ''Xena: Warrior Princess'' getting a 4.3/7... [138] 01-15-96 BROADCASTING & CABLE. Vol. 126. No. 3. Page 58; 1595 words. "Action gets tough for old and new hours; action television ratings" By Steve Coe. COMMENTARY: MCA's Action Pack (which includes HTLJ and XWP) was deemed the season success story for syndicated action hours. EXCERPT: Ratings generally are down; among those turning in strong numbers are 'Deep Space Nine,' 'Baywatch,' 'Hercules' and 'Xena' Action hours, like most other syndicated shows, have had a tough new season, with most new and returning series ... ... strong last season that the syndicator launched a companion in Baywatch Nights this season, has seen some erosion. "Hercules, Xena and possibly Highlander have moved ahead of Baywatch," says Bjork. "Baywatch may have slipped due to dilution of the product, with its airing in the ... ... season-to-date numbers--behind Paramount's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and MCA's one-two punch of Hercules and Xena, which ranked second and third, respectively. The success story of the current season to which most observers point is MCA's Action Pack, which includes Hercules and Xena. Based on the success of those shows, MCA is signing two-year renewal deals for both. According to Shelly Schwab, ... ... convention we'll be clearing up the medium and smaller markets." Schwab says that the highest-rated new hour in syndication is Xena, and to illustrate the continued strength of Hercules, he says that its highest-rated episode was a threepeat (a repeat of an already repeated episode), which pulled in a 7.2 Nielsen rating: "Xena is the highest-rated new hour in syndication, and you have to remember we canceled a successful show in Vanishing Son to launch ... ... Entertainment, calls the show "our easiest renewal. It's very strong among women. We don't have as many double-runs as maybe Hercules or Xena, so basically we have only one play on stations and we're doing a 3.5 rating." ... [139] 01-16-96 DAILY VARIETY. Page 20w. 384 words. "'Xena's' paradox: No. 1 spot in poor syndie week" By Jim Benson. COMMENTARY: XWP was ranked for the first time, the 1st in hour long syndicated dramas. The episode was the repeat of "The Path Not Taken" rated at 5.3. The first run took a 4.8 (see XMR064). The highest to date rating was 5.9 for the repeat of "Sins of the Past", the season opener. At press time, "Path Not Taken" had been chosen to be one of the episodes to be given a third release (scheduled to be released it's third time: 06/24/96.). It is suspected that it will be followed by "Mortal Beloved". Both episodes concern themselves with Xena's relationship with Marcus. EXCERPT: MCA's "Xena: Warrior Princess" delivered a Christmas whipping to companion "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and Paramount's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" during the holiday week ended Dec. 31. Emerging victorious on the weekly list for the first time, "Xena" racked up an 8% gain in the Nielsen national barter rankings. "Hercules" ate "Xena's" dust for the second time this year after sliding 18% to a season low of 5.1. The routine winner, "Deep Space," uncharacteristically landed in the third spot. It crashed 26% to a season low mark of 4.5 and 24% from the previous year. Most other syndicators found a big lump of coal in their stockings. Although many omitted Christmas Day from their week-long totals, the year-to-year comparison picture wasn't pretty... ------------- THE BACK PAGE ------------- Issue #13 will begin with annotation #140, dated from 01/18/96. It is scheduled to be released June 28, 1996. 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, --). 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. Check out the 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/