XENA MEDIA REVIEW #26 (09/05/97) Borg 2 of 3 =========================== CUT HERE =========================== [416a] 08-02-96 PRESS ASSOCIATION NEWSFILE. Friday. 421 words. "Buckle Your Swash, Here Comes Xena." By Jackie Burdon. COMMENTARY: Press release for XWP in Britain's satellite channel, Sky Two. [KT] EXCERPT: Swashbuckling Xena, Warrior Princess will spearhead a clutch of programmes fresh to British TV to be launched on new entertainment channel Sky Two next month. Xena, played by feisty New Zealander Lucy Lawless, is a tough superheroine for the 1990s who tackles evil villains with unmatched martial arts skills, fearsome medieval weaponry and skimpy clothing. A big hit in the United States, it is the sister programme to Hercules, already showing on Sky One. "They are great fun, tongue-in-cheek adventure action series which I think the kid-dult audience will really enjoy," Sky TV head of programmes David Elstein said today. Mainstream channels would be falling over themselves to sign them up, as they had done with The X Files and Murder One, two other Sky hits, he said.... ...Mr. Elstein said Sky 2 was a bonus for families and women viewers, who were not all as enthusiastic about Sky's sports channels as men. "As we build on our appeal to the family and female audiences, it is important to us to strengthen our entertainment channels," he said. "We are very conscious of the fact that although sports are probably the most important part of what we are offering, entertainment is the most popular part. "As Sky broadens its audience base, it must also broaden its appeal and that means entertainment for both a female and male audience." He admitted Sky 2's programmes were almost all from America or Australia. "Sky 1 is now between 35% and 40% British-produced, and I fully expect Sky 2 to get there over the same time frame of three or four years."... [416b] 08-12-96 BROADCASTING & CABLE. Sec: No. 34, Vol. 126; Page 70. 136 words. "BSkyB bulks up; will launch 11 new channels on analog package. COMMENTARY: XWP is mentioned as as part of the line up of new channels being launched in Britain.[DS] REPRINT: News Corp.-backed UK pay-TV operator BSkyB will launch 11 new channels on its analog package on Aug. 16. The services include a second entertainment channel, Sky 2, beginning Sept. 1, which will feature shows such as MCA's Xena: Warrior Princess, Melrose Place and Late Night with David Letterman.... [417] 08-02-96 PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Friday. Sports. Page BB-2. 617 words. "City Firm Captions the Action" By Chuck Finder COMMENTARY: XWP made a rare Sports page appearance in Pittsburgh. In an article about VITAC, the company which did close-captioning for the Olympics, Mr. Finder mentioned that VITAC also captioned XWP. He also added tongue-in-cheek that "Believe me, Xena would rule Olympic fencing." [KT] EXCERPT: ...Nine Pittsburghers participate nightly in the Olympics. They keep pace with Michael Johnson. They go to the mat with Kurt Angle. And all from a basement bunker along the Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown. They are the close-captioning crew for VITAC, the 10-year-old company that brings NBC's every prime-time Olympic word to U.S. viewers.... ...Two other companies share the weekend and overnight broadcasts of the Summer Games. "I don't know if anyone could have done (the full 171 1/2 -hour Olympic coverage)," said Tracey Taylor Perles, VITAC's director of corporate development. "We could have tried, but it would have been tough. We have so much other work to do." Such as CNN Headline News, CBS's morning shows, four soap operas and 13 syndicated series - ranging from "Wheel of Fortune" to our favorite, "Xena: Warrior Princess." (Believe me, Xena would rule Olympic fencing.)... [418] 08-02-96 DAILY VARIETY. Friday. Page 1. 433 words. "CTTD's 'Walker' hits 80% clearance rate" By Jenny Hontz COMMENTARY: In an article about Columbia TriStar Television Distribution having sold off-net rights to Chuck Norris' action hour "Walker, Texas Ranger" to 175 stations, covering 80% of the country, Ms. Hontz noted that CTTD hadn't closed a deal in No. 1 market New York. Ms. Hontz then cited a NY station manager who "said the weekend hour drama and action field is very crowded right now with "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," newcomers "Sinbad" and "Tarzan, the Epic Adventures," and with off-net "NYPD Blue,""The X-Files" and "ER."" [KT] EXCERPT: ...Thurston said CTTD has gotten offers for "Walker" in New York, and that CTTD is ultimately getting better deals by resisting sales to large stationsgroups. One New York station general manager, however, said the weekend hour drama and action field is very crowded right now with "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess, " "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," newcomers "Sinbad" and "Tarzan, the Epic Adventures," and with off-net "NYPD Blue,""The X-Files" and "ER."... [419] 08-04-96 to 08-18-96 NOTE: Finally, Renee O'Connor gets some attention! In a heavily syndicated Q&A for newspaper TV magazines, a Texan (of course) asked for information about Ms. O'Connor. The two paragraph answer covered familiar ground: she was a native of Katy, Texas; studied acting in high school; her work in a Hercules movies led to her casting as Gabrielle; and she considered LA her home. The last paragraph gave quite a resume of Ms. O'Connor's past roles. The question was asked by on-line fandom's very own Archie Burruss (archieb@dadd.ti.com). Battle on, Archie! [KT] [419a] 08-04-96 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Sunday. TV Magazine. Page 3. 558 words. "Q: A: Your Questions" COMMENTARY: Q&A concerning Ms. O'Connor EXCERPT: ...Q. I believe Renee O'Connor of Xena: Warrior Princess is doing an outstanding job. I know she is from Texas. What else can you tell me about her? -- A.B., Dallas, Texas A. Ms. O'Connor is a native of Katy, Texas, who studied acting at Houston's Alley Theater and High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Her role as Gabrielle, Xena's faithful sidekick, on the syndicated action series, was preceded by her work in Hercules and the Last Kingdom, with Kevin Sorbo. The producers liked her work and cast her in Darkman II and then in the Xena series. Besides her action roles, she's done the Teen Angel series on Disney, a Rockford Files movie, Danielle Steel's Changes, an episode of NYPD Blue and co-starred with Elijah Wood in Walt Disney's The Adventures of Huck Finn. When not on location in New Zealand, the former Texan now calls L.A. home... [419b] 08-05-96 ST. PETERSBURG TIMES. Monday. Television. Page 7d. 166 words. COMMENTARY: Same content as XMR419a. [419c] 08-07-96 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Wednesday. Everyday Magazine. Page 6E. 78 words. "TV Q & A" By Norma Cavazos COMMENTARY: Same content as XMR419a. [419d] 08-11-96 THE RECORD. Sunday. Television. Page 017. 580 Words. "TV Q&A" By Norma Cavazos COMMENTARY: Same content as XMR419a. [419e] 08-18-96 TULSA WORLD. Sunday. TV World. Page TC2. 602 words. "Television Q&A" By Norma Cavazos COMMENTARY: Same content as XMR419a. [420] 08-05-96 HOOVES AND HARLOTS. Episode no. 10. Third release. Guest stars: Danielle Cormack, David Aston, Alison Bruce, and Mark Ferguson. Written by Steven L. Sears. Directed by Jace Alexander. COMMENTARY: See XMR083.5 for synopsis. [421] 08-06-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 511 words. "Aussie Court Orders Quota Benefit to Kiwis." By Blake Murdoch. COMMENTARY: XWP was mentioned in a report about an Australian court decision declaring that New Zealand television productions can be considered local in Australia. The article quoted Simon Lake, the executive director of the Australian Writers' Guild, commenting upon "the absurdity of foreign productions shot in New Zealand, such as 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' and 'Xena: Warrior Princess,' being able to qualify as Australian content." [KT] This article also provides some interesting information about relations between the two neighboring countries and the economics and politics of TV production. However, if you have no interest in those subjects, you should skip it.[DS] REPRINT: The New Zealand production industry won a long-running battle last week for its programming output to count toward Australia's local content quotas. The victory potentially unlocks higher license fees for New Zealand fare in Australia, and makes co-production and co-financing deals between the two countries more feasible. However, Australia's production industry is warning that the decision handed down Friday in federal court will increase competition among local producers for network financing and acquisitions. Through its industry promotions group, Project Blue Sky, New Zealand has been arguing that the Australian Broadcasting Authority should not be permitted to exclude New Zealand programming from being classified as local content in Australia. Project Blue Sky cites an existing trade accord under which both countries agree to treat service providers from the other "no less favorably" than their own. In its ruling, the federal court instructed the ABA to revise its Australian Content Standards. Further, it mandated both sides to work out a timetable for formulating a revised standard. The ABA has 21 days in which to appeal the decision. Assuming New Zealand programming is classified as local fare for Australian commercial networks, that means significantly higher license fees compared with what's paid for "imported" programming. "The New Zealand argument . . . is nothing but a backdoor method to access this price," complained Simon Lake, executive director of the Australian Writers' Guild, who described the ruling as a "disaster" for the Australian production industry. "It has nothing whatsoever to do with access to the wider Australian market." Lake added that the decision also undermined the "cultural objectives" of Australia's content quotas, and could even lead to "the absurdity of foreign productions shot in New Zealand, such as 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' and 'Xena: Warrior Princess,' being able to qualify as Australian content." The two action hour dramas are distributed by Hollywood's MCA TV International. Noting that Australia's production industry is about five times larger than New Zealand's, Project Blue Sky executive director Jo Tyndall countered that New Zealand doesn't pose a threat to Australia's production industry. "(This) decision simply allows New Zealand programs to compete on a level playing field," Tyndall said. "There is no expectation that Australian networks will be required to purchase our programs. We will have to prove to them that our series can rate with Australian audiences as well as (Australia's) rate in our country." Tyndall also said that the decision will encourage production houses in both countries "to work together in a very flexible way to develop, finance and produce programs which are tailored to a larger Australasian market (and) . . . to further exploit potential world sales." Phil Wakefield in New Zealand contributed to this report. [422] 08-08-96 through 08-12-96 NOTE: Ratings for Chariots of War (#02), third release, 07-15-96, 2nd action hour, 4.1 share. [1st release, 10/30/95, #16, tied for 3rd action hour, 5.4 share; 2nd release, #17, 3rd action hour, 5.6 share]. The Olympics took a bit out of most syndicated shows. ST:DS9 fell to 3.9, it's lowest ever rating. [422a] 08-08-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 215 words. "Ratings Tumble During Games. By Steve Brennan COMMENTARY: Chariots of War (#02), third release. EXCERPT: There was no gold for syndicators during the first week of the Atlanta Olympics. While it was fully anticipated that the Games would play havoc with the ratings, the stark reality of the numbers was still not an easy pill to swallow. Worst hit for the week of June 22-28 were the heavyweight access shows, according to Nielsen Media Research.... ...The weekly action hours also suffered. MCA TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" maintained its place for the fourth week as the leading action hour with a 4.4, but this was down 23% from the previous week's 5.7. Stablemate "Xena: Warrior Princess" was down 18% to a 4.1 from a 5.0.... [422b] 08-08-96 DAILY VARIETY. Thursday. Page 6. 248 words. "Syndies: Gold-medal Meltdown." By Jenny Hontz COMMENTARY: Chariots of War (#02), third release. EXCERPT: NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games dealt most syndicated series a severe blow the week ending July 28. Shows that were not preempted and did not appear on NBC affiliates were crushed by the competition... ...MCA TV's action hours beat Par's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," despite double-digit declines for the week. "Hercules" fell 23% to a 4.4, "Xena" dropped 18% to a 4.1, and "Star Trek" plummeted 24% to a 3.9, its lowest rating in memory. [422c] 08-12-96 VARIETY. Page 23. 248 words. "Gold-medal meltdown for syndie programs" By Jenny Hontz COMMENTARY: Chariots of War (#02), third release. EXCERPT: NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games dealt most syndicated series a severe blow the week ending July 28. Shows that were not preempted and did not appear on NBC affiliates were crushed by the competition... ...MCA TV's action hours beat Par's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," despite double-digit declines for the week. "Hercules" fell 23% to a 4.4, "Xena" dropped 18% to a 4.1, and "Star Trek" plummeted 24% to a 3.9, its lowest rating in memory. [423] 08-08-96 WAIKATO TIMES. Page 1. 318 words. "City actor stamped with immortality" By Calvin Tuteao COMMENTARY: Interview with Calvin Tuteao, who has acted on XWP. He played Dagon in GIANT KILLER. [KT] REPRINT: Calvin Tuteao shrugs his shoulders and smiles when asked how he feels having his face immortalized on a postage stamp. "It freaks me out. I get a bit of a hard time from my family and that." Mr. Tuteao, 30, Hamilton construction worker and actor, played gang leader Taka in the 1994 hit movie Once Were Warriors. A haunting image of his heavily tattooed face was chosen by New Zealand Post for one of four stamps released yesterday to mark the centenary of New Zealand cinema. Its $ 1.80 value means thousands of the stamps will travel airmail to Europe. Once Were Warriors was only Mr. Tuteao's second experience of acting outside school. As a Melville High School student in 1983, he was persuaded by friends to audition for the school's production of Tomorrow Will Be a Lovely Day because "they wanted more Maori actors". He got the part. In 1986 he played the part again at Riverlea Theatre. In 1993, the chance to audition for Once Were Warriors came up. "I think I've always wanted to do something like that -- be in the movies or on stage." Since Once Were Warriors, Mr. Tuteao has had a number of acting jobs in television and theatre, including parts in Hercules -- the Legendary Journeys and Xena -- Warrior Princess. "I enjoy it, it's been good fun. And all the sets I've been on, they've looked after me well." But his career as a construction worker has been his main income earner. "I've been trying to get out of construction for years but I keep having to go back -- it pays the bills." The other three stamps depict New Zealand's first feature film Hinemoa, released in 1914 (40c), 1952's Broken Barrier (80c) and Goodbye Pork Pie from 1981 ($ 1.50). The stamps are sold with an attached scratch-and-win panel. GRAPHIC: FOREVER A WARRIOR: Once Were Warriors actor Calvin Tuteao now has his face depicted on a stamp. [424] 08-09-96 ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. Sec: Television. Page 48. 987 words. "A guide to notable programs". By Bruce Fretts; Ken Tucker; Mark Harris, Kristen Baldwin. COMMENTARY: A lengthy article on new TV shows ignores XWP and Hercules, but does include photos of the two stars. [DS] EXCERPT: GRAPHIC: COLOR PHOTO, [Lucy Lawless and Kevin Sorbo as TV characters Hercules and Xena]. [425] 08-10-96 to 09-04-96 NOTE: Renee O'Connor particpated in a local promation for the show during her hiatus in Texas. [425a] 08-10-96 AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMAN. Saturday. Sports. Page --. 213 words. "Want to Meet Gabrielle, Star of Xena Warrior Princess?" Contributed by HJ Hewitt (HJJH@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu) COMMENTARY: A contest was sponsored by the Austin American- Statesman educational services department and the producers of XWP whereby 24 boys and girls would win an invitation to an ice cream party hosted by Renee O'Connor who would talk to the kids about the show. A follow-up article after the ice cream party appeared in the Austin-American on 09/05/96 (XMR---). The article gave details as to the contest, enticing the winning entrants with "you will not only get an ice cream treat, but Gabrielle (Renee) will personally autograph a photo for you. You'll also get to spend an hour hearing about how the show is made. She may even tell you some Xena stories you haven't seen on TV." [KT] REPRINT: We can arrange it if you are one of two dozen contest winners. The Austin American-Statesman educational services department and the popular television show are co-sponsoring an ice cream party for Renee O'Connor, who stars as Gabrielle on the XENA television show. Xena: Warrior Princess was the highest rated new syndicated show last season and has been picked up for at least two more years. Gabrielle is a spirited young woman who idolizes Xena and recklessly follows her search of a more exciting life. If you are one of 12 boys (age 16 and below) or 12 girls (age 16 and below) who win, you will not only get an ice cream treat, but Gabrielle (Renee) will personally autograph a photo for you. You'll also get to spend an hour hearing about how the show is made. She may even tell you some Xena stories you haven't seen on TV. If you want to win this great contest, you have to do two things. First, look in our newspaper's TV listing and find out all the times when Xena: Warrior Princess appears on local television, then write 100 words or less explaining "From Xena: Warrior Princess, I know women can be heroes because...". Deadline for you entry is August 21, 1996. [425b] 09-04-96 AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. Page --. --- words. "Scholar & Scribe. Student Contest Winners Meet Gabrielle" Contributed by hjjh@xmail.utexas.net (HJ Hewitt) COMMENTARY They really did have an apostrophe after Renee O'Connor's name instead of an accent over the first "e". The "flying disk" mentioned in the article was just a frisbee with "Xena" printed in the center. You'd think MCA could have at least had a design printed around the edge to suggest a chakram! Of the winners listed in the article, at least 2/3rds had obviously girls' names, and 60% were between 5 and 8 years old, so it was easy to wrestle a couple of the frisbees and a water bottle away from them. (Well, all right-- so I really just latched onto some left-overs after the kids had left.) Actually, the kids were *amazingly* well-behaved-- either Xena fans are just different, even from an early age, or their mommas were effectively reminding them "Xena says, 'Be nice!'". It was about time that RO did her first official autograph session! I had a blast with the other Chakramites I got to meet at the ice-cream party, but *who* the internetter from Houston was, is a mystery. There were no Houstonians among people who sent greetings for me to print out and pass on to Renee, and there are none in The TeXenite Registry. It seems odd indeed, but so far as I have any evidence, X:WP doesn't even HAVE any Internet fans in Houston! -- at the time of the ice-cream party, at least. [commentary by HJ Hewitt who was presented at the ice cream party] EXCERPT: Renee' O'Connor thrilled several dozen readers of Scholar & Scribe and their families recently when she hosted an ice cream sundae social for them. Renee', who plays Gabrielle on the very popular TV series "Xena: Warrior Princess," signed autographs for everyone who came. The contest winners also received their choice of a Xena flying disk or a Xena water bottle. The afternoon was not only special for the winners, it was a history-making occasion. It was the first time the 25-year-old actress has held a public autograph session. The event was so rare that adult fans of the Xena television series learned of the occasion through the Internet and drove in from Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. [426] 08-11-96 THE SAN RAMON VALLEY NEWS. TIME OUT Section. Page -- . 512 words. "The Big Picture". by Doug Kim. Contributed by Tyche@worldnet.att.net COMMENTARY: Doug Kim's tongue-in-cheek article succeeds in simultaneously skewering the movie "Chain Reaction" and promoting XWP as a goofy show. This is the Big-Dumb-Warrior view of Xena. [DS] EXCERPT: ....Of course, I also have another suggestion for rescuing "Chain Reaction": Instead of having him jump into a garbage truck [he had mentioned this earlier], make him do the Macarena. Then, after completely mystifying the police force...No, here's the actual suggestion: Cut out all the Keanu Reeves scenes and insert clips from "Xena: Warrior Princess." I've just seen this show for the first time, and it kicks the pants off any dorky Keanu Reeves thriller, boy. I don't know if you've seen it, but Xena is a wandering, totally buff warrior with a broadsword strapped to her back. She gleefully slices open bad guys, does some really implausible back-flips and generally makes all the men look like complete idiots. It also features priceless dialogue like, "You talk big for a centaur, don't you?" In fact, I'm so enamored of this show, I've decided to ask Xena to join us on the Big Picture today. BP: Welcome to the Big Picture, Xena. X: Who are you, anyway? Where's your buckskin? BP: Um, a fan. And I really prefer to wear cotton. So have you seen that new Keanu Reeves movie? X: Unfortunately. Not enough explosions. BP: My point exactly. Any other suggestions for fixing the film? X: Well, that woman who plays his physicist girlfriend is a complete wimp. She should strap a big broadsword to her back,and gleefully slice open a few bad guys. A few implausible flips would be good, too. BP: Did you see Kerri Strug do the Macarena? X: She looked confused. BP: What about those rhythmic gymnasts? Do you think that they'd make good warrior princesses? And do you think they could do the Macarena? X: They're a little too skinny for warrior princesses. Maybe after a couple of pig flanks, they'd be OK. But I'd say anybody who can stand up and spin with one foot next to her ear has warrior princess potential. I don't know about the Macarena. Warrior princesses prefer the Lambada. BP: What about John Tesh? Was he starting to get on your nerves, too? X: If I saw him, I'd slice him open like a grapefruit. BP: You seen to be in great shape. What's your training regimen look like? Is there any special equipment you use? X: I tried the Ab Flexer, but it's hard to do with a broadsword strapped to your back. Gleefully slicing open bad guys is actually a pretty good workout. BP: Did anyone ever tell you look like Linda Ronstadt on steroids? X: No, and if anybody did, I'd slice him open like a grapefruit. These questions are getting kind of irritating. Is there any reason I shouldn't slice YOU open... BP: Uh, thanks for joining us today, Xena! Call me sometime, we'll do lunch... GRAPHIC: GLEEFUL: Broadsword wielding Xena is more than a match for any rhythmic gymnast. [The picture is of Xena in Hooves and Harlots. She is about to fight Melosa and there is an Amazon in the background, cheering Melosa on.] [427] 08-12-96 THE ORLANDO SENTINEL. Monday. Page 3. 691 words. "3 Hotels Top Seniors Discount List" By Leslie Doolittle. COMMENTARY: In a section about Universal Studios preliminary plans to open another state-of-the-art attraction in 1998, Ms. Doolittle reported that Universal Studios will soon debut "Hercules and Xena characters who will impersonate actors on the Fox TV show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys." It was assumed that Universal was doing this to beat Disney to the punch in Disney's promotion of it's Hercules animated movie. [KT] EXCERPT: In addition, the park soon will beat Disney to the Hercules punch, debuting Hercules and Xena characters who will impersonate actors on the Fox TV show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Disney's major animated summer film release slated for next year is Hercules. [428] 08-11-96 THE NEW YORK TIMES. Sunday. Section 6. Page 19. 133 words. "A Question For: Lucy Lawless" COMMENTARY: Answering a question regarding Ms. Lawless' comments about feminism in the Ms Magazine article (XMR #24), Ms. Lawless was quoted as stating that the "Ms. thing riled me." She continued with comments about how women in New Zealand just do not put up with discrimination. [KT] Also see, XMR #24, for a detailed analysis of the Ms. article and Ms. Lawless' reaction to it. [DS] REPRINT: Lucy Lawless, a New Zealander, stars in "Xena: Warrior Princess," the top-rated new syndicated television show in the United States. Q: Xena is Hercules-tough, and she battles with men in the age of Greek mythological heroes. The new cover of Ms. says that American women have a serious case of "Xena-mania." Do you like being a feminist icon? A: That Ms. thing riled me. I was just so shocked to be asked if I consider myself a feminist. Where I come from, women are just bloody strong, you know? I've met many women from other cultures in the last year and I'm aghast at how unnecessarily repressed they seem. Here in New Zealand, women say, "I want this and I'm going to work and get it." Nobody refuses me anything because I'm a woman. Nobody gives me lip because I'm a woman. GRAPHIC: Lucy Lawless [429] 08-11-96 THE DENVER POST. Sunday. Page F-10. 298 words. "Shows can be found on Web" By Joanne Ostrow COMMENTARY: XWP was mentioned as having it's own website in an article highlighting the Ultimate TV List website (www.tvnet.com/UTVL/utvl.html). [KT] EXCERPT: The cult hits "Star Trek," "Dr. Who," "The X-Files" and "Mystery Science Theater 3000" have the biggest presence in cyberspace, but more obscure shows make noise there, too. Even "Xena: Warrior Princess" has her own Web site. Insomniacs can find raging commentary on soap operas and late-night shows, foreign productions, the fall '96 schedule and too much more, with contributions from around the world. For starters, a site called the Ultimate TV List (www.tvnet. com/UTVL/utvl.html) offers links to information on more than 890 shows. This week's "net site of the week" was Stooge TV, with capsule reviews of the various Web pages devoted to the Three Stooges. The "Ultimate List" is less comprehensive than it sounds. The search came up empty when I requested the TV series title "Our Miss Brooks." Among the most offbeat sites: "The Bureau of Federal Investigation X-Files Division" (http:// www.neosoft.com/sbanks/ xfiles/xfiles.html), which offers video clips of episodes and a chance for aspiring writers to contribute stories; and "The 'Melrose Place' Boff Guide" (http:www.athenstown.com. spelling/melrose/boff.html), which charts who's slept with whom on the Fox series. In terms of creativity, the Sci-Fi Channel's "Dominion" site (www.scifi.com) is impressive ("Spend every waking moment on the Dominion," a mesmerizing graphics display commands.) And Discovery's online offerings are educational besides being fun. But most often sites launched by individual fans outdo anything from official networks. Only rarely have legal tangles resulted, as when someone launched a site called "Spellingland." It was shut down and forced off the Web by Aaron Spelling's Spelling Entertainment Group, which claimed illegal use of its logos and trademarks. =========================== CUT HERE =========================== XENA MEDIA REVIEW #26 (09/05/97) Borg 2 of 3