XMR #20 Part 3 of 4 ============= CUT HERE ====================== [270] 05-04-96 THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Page F04. 1461 words. "We're Outta Here; Commentary: '70s-style sketch comedy a la 'Saturday Night Live'? That's old news to jaded viewers, who long for a real weekend update." By Kinney Littlefield COMMENTARY: After savagely dismissing Saturday Night Live, the author stated that XWP was one of the only shows worth watching Saturday night. EXCERPT: Live from your living room, it's Why Can't Hollywood Get Saturday Late Night TV Right? Try: because Saturday late-night TV has gone all wrong. With NBC's 20-year-old sketch show "Saturday Night Live" getting frailer and unfunnier by the minute, you'd think no one else would try a similarly outmoded Saturday-night sortie.... ...So for now anyway, Saturday-night sketch comedy seems passe. And live from the home of this SoCal TV critic, you won't find me watching Saturday-night TV except, that is, for the tongue-in-cheek vampire-cop show "Forever Knight" or the sly action hits "Hercules" and "Xena."... [271] 05-05-96 NOTE: Bruce Campbell appeared in the Fox TV Movie "Tornado". Bruce Campbell was a co-founder of Renaissance Pictures and a co-hort of Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert who seems to just pop up in many of their projects including playing Autolycus in HTLJ and XWP. [271a] 05-05-96 PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Page F-8. 940 words. "'Tornado' Bowls over 'Brisco's' Campbell" By Robert Bianco COMMENTARY: Brief mention of XWP. EXTRACT: When Bruce Campbell says he's an actor, he's saying what he's not as much as what he is. He's not a star, though many people (myself included) thought Fox's "Brisco County Jr." would make him one. He's not some horror-obsessed auteur, though he can see how his "Evil Dead" trilogy might give you that impression. He's not any of his characters, and he's not happy when people think he is. "It just gets frustrating, because you want to slap these people and say 'Look, it's called make believe.' I'm not like that. I'm not like any of these characters I play, not in real life. What kills me is that producers and directors get fooled too, and they are the people who make this stuff. You think they'd realize it's all baloney." Whatever his frustrations, an actor can't go around slapping producers and directors - and Campbell doesn't really strike you as the type who would. He may not be Brisco County Jr., but the actor and the character do seem to share a certain down-to-earth affability that mellows their equally shared disdain for pretense. So the only thing left to do is take a wide variety of roles, and hope producers and directors catch on. "That's what I've always wanted, not to be pigeonholed. I'm an actor, that's it, period. Not a cowboy actor, not a comedy actor, not a horror actor, just an actor. So I think doing something like 'Tornado' is good, because they say, 'OK, it's pretty straightforward. You say your lines, you do your thing, and you get hit by a tornado.' " What could be more straightforward than that? Airing Tuesday at 8 on Fox, "Tornado" casts Campbell as Jake Thorne, a cowboy turned tornado chaser. Though the movie sounds suspiciously similar to this week's big-screen blockbuster "Twister" ("Gee, can you imagine?," Campbell says, laughing. "I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure that one out."), Campbell does think the TV version can stand on its own... ...Being promoted as the "next big TV star" was a surreal experience, Campbell says, and he's happy it's behind him. "Frankly, there's a lot of elements that I don't find that attractive to being the quote-unquote star. I can go to the grocery store, I can go to the library. I can take my kids to the movies. I can do whatever the hell I want, and occasionally, I'll see a busboy give me a weird look, and that's as bad as it gets." Unless he goes to a horror convention, that is. There, he's a star, thanks to "Evil Dead," the gruesomely witty horror trilogy he starred in and co-produced with Detroit friends Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. "Dead" fans are everywhere, and they all want more. An Internet junkie who logs on every day, Campbell says the question he's most asked on the net is whether there'll be an "Evil Dead 4." "None of us have said no," Campbell answers, "but no one's put the money on the table." Even without a movie, Campbell has reunited with his "Evil" friends. He's been a guest star on Raimi's syndicated hits, "Hercules" and "Xena," and just got his directing start on "Hercules." Though he enjoyed directing, he'll keep acting as long as people keep hiring him. This month, he's headed to Mexico to film "McHale's Navy," a big-screen transfer starring Tom Arnold. (For those who remember the series, Campbell plays the nurse-magnet, Virgil.) And he now has a series development deal with Disney - though as he points out, that doesn't mean he'll have a series. "It's all baloney at this stage. We're just talking."... [271b] 05-05-96 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Page 11C. 708 words. "Tornado!' star breezes along; Campbell tries to counter prevailing winds in acting career" By Robert Bianco COMMENTARY: Edited down version of XMR271a. [271c] 05-05-96 CHICAGO TRIBUNE. TV Week. Page 5. 1019 words. "Actor Takes Tornado-tracker Film by Storm" By Kate O'Hare COMMENTARY: Brief mention of XWP. EXCERPT: ...Campbell has made several TV guest appearances since the one-season run of "Brisco County," including a dramatic turn in a two-part "Homicide: Life on the Street." For old Detroit pal Sam Raimi-with whom he did the "Evil Dead" horror-film trilogy-he's appeared on "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (he has also directed episodes), "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "American Gothic." And he may appear in a new series of his own, having signed a development deal with Disney.... ...A dedicated cyber-surfer, Campbell also uses computers as a way to keep his fans abreast of what he's doing. "It's weird. I log on every day on the Internet, and when people don't see what you've done, they think you're not working. "So I had a post where someone was very concerned that by now I'd be working the drive-through window at Taco Bell. I sent them a message back and said, 'It's not true at all. I got fired from the night window at Taco Bell, and now I do the night window at Burger King.' "It's important to torment those people; torment them in their ignorance."... [272] 05-05-96 THE ORLANDO SENTINEL. TV Time. Page 3. 454 Words. "Grapes and Gold Occupied Lawless" COMMENTARY: Local Q&A asked about Lucy Lawless' previous jobs. The author may have used Ken Beck's "Ask Showcase" from around 03/10/96 as reference for writing this (XMR191), which was an uncharacteristically lengthy Q&A for THE TENNESSEAN. Furthermore, this article gave the wrong address for the Lucy Lawless Fan Club. It should be Lucy Lawless Fan Club, P.O. Box 279, Pendleton, IN 46064. EXCERPT: QUESTION: You did an item on Hercules, how about equal time for the ladies? I never miss Xena: Warrior Princess (9 p.m. Fridays on WKCF-Channel 18) and want to know more about Lucy Lawless (Xena). Did she really once work on a sheep farm? And what's her fan club address? L.P., Orlando. ANSWER: You got some baaaad information - no sheep farm for our plucky heroine, although she did work as a grape picker in Europe and a gold miner in Australia after graduating from Catholic convent schools in her native New Zealand. The fifth of seven children whose father is a politician, Lawless appeared in commercials and several TV shows in New Zealand before moving to Canada to study acting. She was cast as Xena after playing her in one of the Hercules TV movies. She loves jazz, has studied opera, speaks English, German, French and some Italian, and has a 7-year-old daughter named Daisy. Write to Lucy Lawless Fan Club, P.O. Box 49859, Brentwood, Calif. 90049.... [273] 05-06-96 NOTE: Nielsen syndicated ratings for BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS (#12), 2nd release, 04/08/96. Ranked 3rd action hour with 4.5 rating. Comparison with other action hours: (1) ST: DEEP SPACE 9 ranked 6th with 5.8; (2) HTLJ ranked 9th with 5.2; (3) XWP ranked 14th with 4.5; (4) BAYWATCH ranked 16th with 4.4. FIRST RUN STATS: 1st release, 01/22/96. Ranked 2nd action hour with 6.1 ranking. Highest rating point until the 2nd season's INTIMATE STRANGER (#31) and TEN LITTLE WARLORDS (#32), which both earned 6.3 two weeks in a row! HTLJ also hit it's highest rating to date the same week. Both HTLJ and XWP were directed by T. J. Scott. Comparison with other action hours: (1) HTLJ ranked 5th with 7.5 (HTLJ's still current personal best); (2) XWP ranked 12th with 6.1; (3) ST:DS9 ranked 16th with 5.2; (4) BAYWATCH ranked 19th with 4.8. BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS is scheduled for a third release on 12/23/96. [273a] 05-06-96 VARIETY. Page 223. 183 words. "Nielsen Syndication Ratings" COMMENTARY: Ratings table for BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GIFTS, 2nd release. REPRINT: For week ended April 21, 1996 Stations/ Rank Program % coverage AA% GAA % 1 Wheel of Fortune 226/99 11.6 -- 2 Jeopardy! 219/99 9.8 -- 3 Home Improvement 224/98 8.0 8.6 4 Oprah Winprey Show 235/99 7.1 7.2 5 Seinfeld 221/97 7.0 -- 6 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 236/99 5.8 6.2 6 Entertainment Tonight 178/94 5.8 5.9 8 WCW Wrestling 180/92 5.3 7.7 9 Journey of Hercules 230/98 5.2 5.4 9 Simpsons 191/96 5.2 5.3 11 Inside Edition 164/89 5.0 5.1 11 Wheel of Fortune-Wknd. 179/81 5.0 -- 13 Hard Copy 176/91 4.7 4.8 14 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 161/89 4.5 5.0 14 Xena 204/97 4.5 4.7 16 Baywatch 222/97 4.4 4.5 16 Home Improvement-Wknd. 211/95 4.4 -- 16 World Wrestling Fed. PR 155/90 4.4 5.4 19 Roseanne 171/90 4.3 4.6 20 Live w/Regis & Kathie Lee 233/99 4.2 -- 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. [274] 05-06-96 THE GREATER GOOD. Episode no. 21. First release. GUEST STARS: Robert Trebor (Salmoneus) and Peter McCauley (Talmadeus). CAST: Jonathon Hendry (Ness), Natalya Humphrey (Photis), James Adam Timothy (Kalus), David Mitchell (Gorney), Kenneth Prebble (Old Man). CREDITS: Written by Steven L. Sears; Directed by Gary Jones. AIRING AND RATING INFORMATION: 1st release (05/06/96): (1) ST: DS9 with 6.5; (2) XWP with 5.0; (3) HTLJ with 4.9. 2nd release (09/02/96): Information pending. TV GUIDE DESCRIPTION: When Xena is incapacitated and left near death after being struck by a poisoned dart, Gabrielle is forced to impersonate the Warrior Princess in order to protect a group of innocent villagers. Salmoneus: Robert Trebor. SYNOPSIS: This synopsis is brought to you by guest synopser, Anita Firebaugh. Xena and Gabrielle are approached by a young woman, pleading for help for Lord Seltzer. Xena goes and saves Lord Seltzer (aka Salmoneus), but during the fight she's shot mysteriously by a poison dart. Xena continues to fight and acts as if nothing's wrong. She doesn't tell Gabrielle she has been hurt, and during a fight with the warlord who is after Lord Seltzer, Xena is almost killed. Fortunately, Gabrielle comes to the rescue, and the bard and Argo haul the wounded Warrior Princess off to the village. Xena hatches a plan to convince the warlord that she is really not sick, and in order for this plan to happen, Gabrielle dresses up as Xena. She rides Argo and attacks the warlord's camp. But the warlord still intends to attack, and follows Gabrielle back to the village. Gabrielle has a fake chakram; Xena convinces them that Gabrielle is the "real" Xena by throwing the real chakram from where she lays ill. Gabrielle then goes back for another attack on the warlord, where she is captured. Argo saves Gabrielle. Meanwhile, though, two men come in and attack Xena. She fights them off. But Salmoneus finds Xena prone on the ground ... dead. When Gabrielle returns, she finds her friend covered up. Gabrielle convinces Salmoneus that they must stay and fight, for that is what Xena would have wanted. Gabrielle vents her frustration on a tree, and Salmoneus goes to the warlord to make a trade. But the warlord is not an honorable man. He rounds up the villagers, and intends to sell them off, not simply take Salmoneus and Xena's body, as he said he would. He tries to have Xena's "carcass" torn in two, but Argo will not move. When a soldier goes to beat the horse, Xena rises from the dead. She then proceeds to win the battle, having recovered from the toxin in the dart. COMMENTARY: 1. SALMONEUS. Easily the most beloved guest character in XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, Salmoneus appeared for his second time in THE GREATER GOOD. Salmoneus had the honor of appearing in the last two parts of the infamous HTLJ Xena trilogy where the despicable character of Xena was introduced and then reformed before our eyes. Salmoneus was pivotal in Xena's turnabout. The fact that Salmoneus made Xena laugh saved not only his life, but created a very lucrative future for the warrior princess. It was Salmoneus who first saw what Gabrielle would later magnify in the subsequent series: the potential of Xena to locate the proper path, take a walk on it, and to find it again after slight deviations here and there. True, Salmoneus was a grand trickster and always out for a buck, but his pure heart and fundamental respect for all people, especially hardened warrior princesses, allowed him to see things that would otherwise go unnoticed or unappreciated. Again, it was Salmoneus who defended Xena against Hercules; who determined that Hercules and Xena should work together; and finally that Hercules and Xena would make a "cute" couple. Salmoneus also had his own inner battles and faults. In UNCHAINED HEART (HTLJ #13) he felt emasculated in the cave. In THE BLACK WOLF (#11), he was reminded of his powerlessness when thrown into the pit. Finally, in THE GREATER GOOD, he was enervated by Xena's death. Yet, despite his faults, Salmoneus always came through in the end. In THE GAUNTLET (HTLJ #12), he helped the unappreciative Xena take care of the baby; in THE BLACK WOLF, he helped Xena organize the prisoners; and in THE GREATER GOOD he tried to save the villagers by cutting a deal with Talmadeus. As it was Salmoneus who first saw the beginnings of Xena's redemption, it was also Salmoneus who saw her first in her death. "Proud warrioress, I will miss you." 2. ROBERT TREBOR. Robert Trebor is the wonderful actor who brought Salmoneus to life. Salmoneus appeared in XWP two times. Even counting the two Xena episodes in HTLJ, the total comes to only four episodes. Very few episodes for such a strong impression. His character has been aided by his many more appearances in HTLJ, but his influence on the Xenaverse has been unprecedented. Robert Trebor first appeared in the HERCULES telemovie HERCULES AND THE LOST KINGDOM, which surprisingly enough also co-starred Renee O'Connor. Although Trebor and O'Connor played characters who were not direct antecedents to their future XWP roles, an astute eye can see some of the characters' quirks in early form. In the first season, Salmoneus only appeared in the episodes THE BLACK WOLF and THE GREATER GOOD. During the early part of 1996, it was released from members of the Xenastaff that Robert Trebor, the actor who played Salmoneus, was finding it too exhausting to play a recurring character in both HTLJ and XWP. Therefore they were going to create a new character called Joxer to fill the Salmoneus void. This announcement was made before Ms. Lawless' accident on October 8, 1996. At the post-taping party that same night, Robert Tapert did mention that the producers would look into whether Robert Trebor would be available to help fill the Xena- void which everyone was anticipating at that time. We must remember, however, that these comments were made off the cuff and in the moment of great confusion and emotional turmoil. Since then I have heard no rumors of a Salmoneus episode forthcoming. One would be greatly appreciated, but it looks like the people who valiantly arose to combat the Xena-void were Hudson Leick (Callisto, Xena), Ted Raimi (Joxer), Bruce Campbell (Autolycus), and Kevin Smith (Ares). LATE BREAKING NEWS: Fresh from the Texas con where Robert Trebor was a speaker, Mr. Palindrome himself told fans to expect Salmoneus to appear in the 2nd season of XWP. Can things get any better???? Not much! 3. WRITER. THE GREATER GOOD was written by Steven L. Sears. Mr. Sears is also the Supervising Producer of the show. He has received 9 writing credits thus far for XWP. Known for his strong writing regarding the subtheme of the friendship between Xena and Gabrielle, THE GREATER GOOD is perhaps one of the most critical friendship episodes. Of the two "death of major character" storylines (the other one being IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE (#24), which was written by Patricia Manney -- eek, a woman! -- and directed by T.J. Scott -- eek, a man!), I find this one the most satisfying, especially in terms of setting and execution. 4. DIRECTOR. THE GREATER GOOD was directed by Gary Jones. Mr. Jones worked most of the first season of XWP as the 2nd Unit Director. The 2nd Unit is the team which does the stunt shooting, mainly with stunt doubles and have to be especially mindful of the special effects to be added in later by the lab people. The only first season shows Mr. Jones did not do the 2nd Unit direction were THE GREATER GOOD (because he was THE director), ALTARED STATES (#19), and IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE (in these three the 2nd Unit Director was David Pollison). Thus far in the history of XWP, Mr. Jones has directed three episodes: THE GREATER GOOD, GIANT KILLER (#27), and INTIMATE STRANGER (#31). These three episodes are very different from each other and knowing about the tendency of the producers divvying up direction assignments according to themes, Mr. Jones' oeuvre is very puzzling. GIANT KILLER is understandable because of its strong use of special effects; which is very common in HTLJ, but somewhat rare in XWP other than in the fight scenes and chakram tosses. Mr. Jones' expertise greatly aided the episode. THE GREATER GOOD, however, was an example of the "comedy-drama" type of episode which XWP excels at, while INTIMATE STRANGER was much more dark and driven than any of the other two episodes. However, both episodes did pivot around how Gabrielle perceived the friendship between her and Xena. In THE GREATER GOOD, Gabrielle dealt with Xena's death and moved on; in INTIMATE STRANGER, Gabrielle dealt with Xena's body change and moved on. GIANT KILLER also dealt with friendship, but between Xena and Goliath. However, there was a nice scene in GIANT KILLER between Xena and Gabrielle sharing a private moment. 5. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY. Allen Guilford directed the Photography for only two episodes in the first season, THE GREATER GOOD and DEATH MASK (#23). I found neither of them outstanding. THE GREATER GOOD focused mainly on interiors, Lord Selzer's (Salmoneus) village, and Talmadeus' camp. DEATH MASK, again, centered on a camp and interiors with some woodland scenes thrown in (the "drumstick" scene comes to mind). 6. EDITOR. Robert Field edited THE GREATER GOOD. The comic chakram fight of the 2nd act was not as clever as some comic fights found in other Field's work (the best and the first was the infamous baby toss scene from CRADLE OF HOPE, #04). Robert Field usually gets mixed results when he edits slapstick and overt humor (e.g. THE PRODIGAL #18, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN #28, and A SOLSTICE CAROL #33) but he more than makes up for it with his uncanny grasp of drama and the poignant moments. Who can forget the chariot chases in CHARIOTS OF WAR (#2) and RETURN OF CALLISTO (#29)? Or the last scene of MORTAL BELOVED (#16) where Xena returns from Tartarus to Gabrielle? Or, also, the campfire scene in CALLISTO (#22) where the depth of Xena and Gabrielle's friendship is expressed where words could not. In THE GREATER GOOD, the standout emotional scene is Gabrielle whacking a tree with her staff after leaving the dead Xena. The pacing, the placement, and the rhythm captures the intensity of the first signs of the berserker Gabrielle which we would meet later in THE GREATER GOOD when she single-handedly attacks Talmadeus' camp in the 4th act, and in another Robert Field's edited episode, RETURN OF CALLISTO (#29). 7. HAVEN'T I SEEN YOU BEFORE? David Mitchell played the part of Gorney (he drops the barrel of seltzer water in Act 1 and causes the cork to hit Salmoneus in the head; he is also told to do the cork inventory later on in the episode) in THE GREATER GOOD and the Innkeeper in PROMETHEUS (#08). 8. TALMADEUS. Finally, a worthy opponent for Xena! He's not wimpy like Cortese and not obsessed with her like Draco. He had enough ego to actually believe he was the cause of Xena's demise. As found out the next week, the real cause was Callisto, Xena's worst nightmare. 9. GABRIELLE. The set up for Gabrielle's reaction to Xena's death was subtly began in the teaser and developed in Act 1 where Gabrielle eavesdropped on Xena taking on Talmadeus. Gabrielle watched with glee until she started to notice that Xena was not up to par. Gabrielle eventually had to intervene by throwing her staff at Talmadeus while he was about to puncture Xena. Gabrielle also helped orchestrate the getaway. In the subsequent scene Gabrielle commenced her heavy denial that Xena was mortal. By the 2nd act, the writer was laying it on pretty thick with the story of Gabrielle's pony Tympany. The climax was reached in the third act when Gabrielle, fresh from Argo's rescue of her, returned to tell Xena about her run-in with Talmadeus. Gabrielle could tell by Salmoneus' reaction that something was amiss. The next three minutes were played out in silence. Gabrielle was allowed a moment with Xena. Later, when alone, Gabrielle expressed her grief by beating a tree with her staff. She then gave herself up into an emotional heap, whispering to herself, "Xena said to focus". 10. GABRIELLE, WARRIOR PRINCESS. The dress-up scene of the new warrior princess mimicked the opening titles even down to the theme music. 11. FAKE CHAKRAM. This episode marked the first appearance of a fake chakram. The next time a fake chakram appeared was in WARRIOR...PRINCESS...TRAMP. When Gabrielle was forced to use the fake chakram, Xena crawled over to use the real chakram which caused havoc among the soldiers chasing the Xenized Gabrielle. The scene used the goofy music theme first used during the baby toss scene in CRADLE OF HOPE. 12. TITLE. In the middle of the second act a dying Xena lectured Gabrielle about "the greater good". Xena explained to Gabrielle that whatever happens to Xena is meaningless; what is important were the well-being and safety of the villagers, for they represented the greater good that Xena was atoning towards. In the 3rd act, after Gabrielle found out about Xena's death, Gabrielle lectured to Salmoneus that they were staying and fighting for "the greater good". 13. XENA: TOUGH CHICK. Even when near death, Xena can still beat the stuffing out of a couple of guys. Interestingly enough, the music used as she beats them up while slowly passing out is the same music used in THE GAUNTLET during Xena's walk though the gauntlet. By the middle of the third act Xena is dead, but by the end of the third act, Xena's twitching again! Salmoneus delivers the dead body of Xena to Talmadeus; and, Gabrielle, in an early berserker mode, gangbusts into the camp seeking the body of Xena so that she may take Xena back to Xena's mother for a proper funeral. And even Argo is there in order to tear apart Xena's body. Everyone is on their block for Xena's resurrection and the big ending fight scene which shows that things are back to normal with Xena and Gabrielle fighting side by side like GOD INTENDED THEM TO BE!!! 14. ARGO. Argo tolerates Gabrielle just barely (mainly because Xena told her to "Be nice."). But when push comes to shove, Argo delivers. This is truly Gabrielle and Argo's episode. Their relationship is fleshed out and explored. Argo even gets to rough up Talmadeus during Argo's rescue of Gabrielle. Argo, of course, saves the day when she convinces the other horse not to pull the body of Xena apart. When Talmadeus finally orders Argo to be killed, which was apparently the last straw, Xena is resurrected (reminiscent of the resurrection scene in THE GAUNTLET when Xena arises after being left for dead after walking the gauntlet). 15. WHOOSH. The most memorable whoosh of the episode is in the 4th act where Gabrielle is holding Talmadeus at sword point and he tells her she doesn't even know how to hold a sword. Gabrielle glances down to her sword grip and it is accompanied by a sound effect whoosh. 16. GREAT DART SHOT. The path that Callisto's dart takes to get to its target is quite an extended shot. 17. TEASER. The teaser is rather complex. It brings in the Lord Selzer storyline, introduces Callisto to the unsuspecting audience, shows Xena's recognition of the poison, and sets up Argo and Gabrielle's later roles in the story. It is truly a dense teaser. HIGHLIGHTS: Every scene with Argo. Argo showed her range in this one! DISCLAIMER: Excessive belching can cause brain damage and social ostracism. Kids, please don't give in to peer pressure. Play it Safe. ================ CUT HERE -===================== Continued in part 4