XENA MEDIA REVIEW #29 (11/03/97) Borg 4 of 5 ============== CUT HERE ===================== [515] 09-23-96 CHATTANOOGA FREE PRESS. News. Page A2. 41 words. "Someday My Princess Will Come." by Victor Miller COMMENTARY: A Quick Q&A blurb. EXCERPT: Q. What is the mailing address for Lucy Lawless, star of the "Xena: Warrior Princess" television show? BILL LEMONS A. The actress can be written in care of Universal Television, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, Calif. 91608. [516] 09-23-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 296 words. "Mahern, Khouri top WGAW vote" By David Robb COMMENTARY: Brenda Lilly, staff writer on XWP, and credited writer of the episode "Warrior...Princess", was elected to a two year term on the Writers Guild of America West's board of directors. [KT] EXCERPT: Michael Mahern, who co-wrote Universal's 1991 gangster saga ''Mobsters,'' was the top vote-getter in the race for eight seats on the Writers Guild of America West's board of directors.... ...Amy Holden Jones, who wrote ''The Rich Man's Wife,'' ''Indecent Proposal,'' ''Mystic Pizza'' and ''Beethoven,'' won a seat on the board, as did Brenda Lilly, who's a staff writer on ''Second Noah'' and ''Xena: Warrior Princess.'' Jones and Lilly both got 485 votes. Each board seat is for two years.... [517] 09-23-96 ELECTRONIC MEDIA. Page 32. 707 words. "Askin Taking Tribune Shows Right to Action" By Greg Spring COMMENTARY: Tribune Entertainment announced development of two more action hours to join their previously announced project of Battleground Earth. Both will be based upon comic book franchises: "Terry and the Pirates" and "The Nightman". Tribune Entertainment President Dick Askin was reported as saying he was hoping that those shows will do for the Tribune Group what MCA's "Hercules" and "Xena" has done for them. [KT] EXCERPT: Looking to capitalize on its powerful station base, Tribune Entertainment is developing two more action hours as potential syndicated series for fall 1997. "Terry and the Pirates" and "The Nightman," both based on comic book franchises, could join the previously announced "Battleground Earth," giving the company three action hours to showcase at the upcoming National Association of Television Program Executives conference. In addition, the company announced it will syndicate ''What About You?," a talk show hosted by ''Hangin' With Mr. Cooper's'' Holly Robinson Peete for 1997. And on the game show front, Tribune and All American Television are developing ''Match Game 2'' and ''Card Sharks'' as midseason replacements for the 1996 season as part of their previously announced game show alliance. The moves bolster Tribune's portfolio in all genres, said Tribune Entertainment President Dick Askin. But they also focus on a segment of the marketplace in which Tribune has traditionally been lax: the action hour. And while a ''put'' on the Tribune station group is not a sure thing, Mr. Askin said he is hoping those stations can do for the new Tribune projects what they have done for MCA's ''Hercules'' and ''Xena.''... [518] 09-23-96 SINS OF THE PAST. Episode no. 1. Third release. Guest stars: Jay Laga'aia (Draco); Darien Takle (Cyrene). Story by Robert Tapert. Teleplay by R.J. Stewart. Directed by Doug Lefler. COMMENTARY: See XMR035.5 for synopsis. [519] 09-24-96 SOMETHING SO RIGHT. NBC Television show. Contributed by: Larissa J. Frozina (frozina@qnet.com) COMMENTARY: Walking in and out of the room I caught part of 'Something So Right' on NBC. Stephanie, the ex-wife, returns from LA for her daughter's birthday. (Sorry I don't know the names of the characters.) She brings presents for the other two children. The boy gets a Thena action figure, "the breastplates come off". The younger girl opens her present and describes it as "an outfit for a young hooker". Stephanie responds that it's the costume she wears to play THENA: WARRIOR GODDESS. Later, as Stephanie gets it on with her soon to be ex-boyfriend, the husband and wife are stuck in the living room. She's eating cake and he's playing with the action figure until his wife tells him to "put the breastplates back on." (Scary! sounds like my house! Poor Xena never seems to be able to stay discretely clad!). They actually had a blonde 10" action figure for him to play with. Stephanie decides to stay in NY so she may be on next week's ep. So look for the further adventures of "Thena: Warrior Goddess." [520] 09-24-96 BRUCE CAMPBELL PRODIGY SPOTLIGHT ONLINE CHAT. From http://www.b-movie.com/bccentral.html COMMENTARY: Brief mention in Bruce Campbell on-line chat. EXCERPT: ...SimiVllyGirl (PRODIGY Member): I thought you were really great on Hercules and Xena. Will you be playing Autolycus again anytime soon? Bruce Campbell (Speaker: We're trying, but it's a scheduling thing... [521] 09-24-96 SILK STALKINGS. Syndicated TV show. Contributor: novak@wolfram.com COMMENTARY: A character in the show made a reference to XWP. In the scene a coroner talked to a detective. The suspect was a woman. The coroner said something to the effect of unless she was Xena, Warrior Princess, she couldn't have done it' (the victim had been strangled so violently that vertebrae were dislocated). [novak@wolfram.com] [522] 09-25-96 PUBLIC OPINION ONLINE. Question No. 014. 271 words. COMMENTARY: Notice of a Newsweek Poll. REPRINT: ...QUESTION: (Every year Newsweek's special end-of-year issue profiles the newsmakers of the past year. This year we'd like to ask you to help by casting your vote for the 'newsmaker of the year' in a number of different categories. As I read each list of names tell me who you think is the biggest newsmaker. Please try to answer each question, but if you are not familiar with any category, just say so and we'll go on to the next.) The next category is television and the names are...Jenny McCarthy, Rosie O'Donnell, Brooke Shields, Hercules and Xena, Brandy the teenage star, Kathie Lee Gifford, Michael J. Fox, the stars of 'Friends', Ellen DeGeneres, or David Duchovny. Which do you think is the newsmaker of the year? Jenny McCarthy - 56% Rosie O'Donnell - 16 Brooke Shields - 6 Hercules and Xena - 2 Brandy - 4 Kathy Lee Gifford - 11 Michael J. Fox - 15 Stars of 'Friends' - 14 Ellen DeGeneres - 8 David Duchovny - 3 Other (vol.) - 2 Not Familiar with this category - 7 Don't know/Refused - 8 ORGANIZATION CONDUCTING SURVEY: PRINCETON SURVEY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES. POPULATION: National adult. NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 601. INTERVIEW METHOD: Telephone. SURVEY SPONSOR: Newsweek. QUESTION NOTES: Adds to more than 100% due to multiple responses. BEGINNING DATE: September 25, 1996. ENDING DATE: September 29, 1996. SOURCE DOCUMENT: PRINCETON SURVEY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, NEWSWEEK POLL. DATE OF RELEASE OF SOURCE DOCUMENT: September 1996 [523] 09-25-96 ALMOST PERFECT. Television show. Contributed by: Lori Vollnogle (levollno@ix.netcom.com) COMMENTARY: A character in the show says that over the summer he remodeled his house and ran out of money. He was forced to write for XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS. When star Nancy Travis and her boyfriend walk into the house they say: "Welcome to the house that XENA built." [levollno@ix.netcom.com] [524] 09-26-96 U.P.I. Thursday. Domestic News. 171 words. "Klingons top Halloween costume survey" COMMENTARY: Paul Blum, owner of Abracadabra, a Greenwich Village masquerade shop, gave the results of an informal survey of 150 customers about their early top 10 list of disguises. The winners were: (1) Klingons; (2) Darth Vader; (3) Xena; (4) Wonder Woman; (5) Catwoman; (6) Princess Diana; (7) Ru Paul; (8) Howard Stern; (9) vampires; and a tie for (10) President Clinton and Bob Dole. Mr. Blum stated that the recent interest in space creatures generated by the discovery of possible life on Mars and movies like 'Independence Day' may have boosted science fiction figures like Klingons and Darth Vader to the top of the list. [KT] REPRINT: Step aside, Catwoman, and get ready for an alien invasion. A Greenwich Village masquerade shop says the vinyl-clad vixen from the ''Batman'' movies is being replaced by Klingons from the ''Star Trek'' series as the top costume for Halloween 1996. Paul Blum, owner of Abracadabra, said Thursday that an informal survey of 150 customers has given him an early top 10 list of disguises. Klingons were followed by ''Star Wars'' villain Darth Vader; female superheroes Xena the Warrior Princess, Wonder Woman and Catwoman; real life fashion plates Princess Diana and cross-dresser RuPaul; early- morning shock jock Howard Stern; and late-night vampires. There was a tie for the last spot on the top 10 list -- a dead heat between President Clinton and Bob Dole. Blum said the recent interest in space creatures generated by the discovery of possible life on Mars and movies like ''Independence Day'' may have boosted science fiction figures like Klingons and Darth Vader to the top of the list. [525] 09-26-96 to 09-30-96 NOTE: THE GREATER GOOD (#21), 2nd release, 09/02/96. Ranked as the 3rd action hour with a 4.5 rating. [HTLJ and ST:DS9 tied on 1st with a 4.8; and Baywatch placed 4th with 3.4]. [Callisto's 1st release (05/13/96) ratings: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine tied for 7th in rank with 5.6, and placed first in the action hours. XWP ranked 13th with 5.1, and placed 2nd. HTLJ tied for 14th with 4.7, and placed 3rd. No other action hours made it to the top twenty.] [525a] 09-26-96 DAILY VARIETY. 984 words. "Preem Week Presents No Hits in New Shows Syndie Freshman Start Slowly: Syndies Struggle" By Jenny Hontz COMMENTARY: THE GREATER GOOD, 2nd release. EXCERPT: The premiere week for most new syndie series produced no winners. The first national ratings for all freshmen first-run strips fell from their already weak metered-market averages the week ending Sept. 15, according to Nielsen... ...New Worlds new weekly drama Two debuted at a respectable 2.6 on 184 stations reaching 91% of the country. MTM aired a two-hour movie special to open its new drama The Cape, which rated a fairly impressive 3.1 on 203 *stations covering 93% of the country. The newcomers did not challenge the big veterans, however. MCA TVs Hercules tied with Pars Star Trek: Deep Space Nine atop the weekly action chart at 4.8. MCAs Xena was third at 4.5, and All American TVs Baywatch was fourth at 3.4. [525b] 09-30-96 VARIETY. Page 66. 1028 words. "Syndies Preem Week Suffers No-hitter. Preem week presents no hits in new shows Syndie freshman start slowly Syndies Struggle" By Jenny Hontz COMMENTARY: THE GREATER GOOD, 2nd release. Same as XMR525a. [525c] 09-30-96 VARIETY. Page 66. 155 words. "Nielsen Syndication Ratings" COMMENTARY: THE GREATER GOOD, 2nd release. REPRINT: For week ended Sept. 15, 1996 Stations/ Rank Program % coverage AA% GAA% 1 Wheel of Fortune 227/99 0.0 -- 2 Jeopardy! 223/99 8.5 -- 3 Oprah Winfrey Show 239/99 8.4 8.5 4 Home Improvement 230/97 8.3 9.4 5 Seinfeld 219/96 6.6 -- 6 WCW Wrestling 154/92 6.3 10.6 7 Entertainment Tonight 183/94 5.7 5.7 8 Simpsons 195/94 5.3 5.8 9 Journeys of Hercules 206/96 4.8 5.1 9 Star Trek: DSN 231/98 4.8 5.0 11 Wheel of Fortune Wk 170/73 4.6 -- 12 Xena 192/95 4.5 4.8 13 Inside Edition 150/87 4.4 4.4 14 Montel Williams 164/91 4.1 4.1 15 Hard Copy 176/92 4.0 4.0 15 Live w/Regis & KL 237/99 4.0 -- 17 Home Improvement Wk 197/90 3.9 -- 18 Jenny Jones 179/92 3.8 3.9 19 Rosie O'Donnell Show 217/98 3.7 3.7 20 Roseanne 169/88 3.6 3.9 20 Sally Jessy Raphael 164/90 3.6 -- [526] 09-27-96 KTLA. Morning News. Transcription by: Larissa Frozina (frozina@qnet.com) COMMENTARY: Interview with Sam Rubin. Transcript of Lucy Lwaless on a morning talk show in LA. As usual, she comes up with some very clever, unique responses, the kind of thing that just endears her even more to her fans. [MBE] TRANSCRIPTION: Transcript of Lucy Lawless' KTLA Morning News interview with Sam Rubin on Sept. 27, 1996 at approx. 8:41 a.m. SAM RUBIN: Well now we've been talking about this, we have a new 5 a.m. newscast starting Monday morning. As you've heard, not many people are clammoring for the gig. We are always open to auditions. So here now, if we could've-kinda quiet on the set. Is camera one there? Here's her big audition. Lucy Lawless LUCY LAWLESS: Good morning. My name is Lucy Lawless And I know that some people that sounds like the name of a porn star. But I never did nothing bad well, well not real bad . Well anyway, this is the KTLA first edition. Among the stories we're covering... It's real daa-dark outside. I can't imagine anyone would be watching at this hour But uh Really there's no traffic to speak of. You just tack an extra couple of hours on the beginning and the end of your day. Any of you want to know what the weather's like, just look out the window. Well we'll git to our headline stories presently, but here now is Jennifer York in Skycam 5. [Applause] CARLOS: Beautiful. Barbara BARBARA. The ratings are off the scale for the 5 o'clock... RUBIN: That was great! So, would you be seriously interested? Because the Tribune executives would sign you up right now. You were very good. LAWLESS: Ah... need a day job. RUBIN: We do have some entertainment news. Ah, how do you follow that. Ah, we'll speak to Lucy in just a moment...Lots of people I suppose would enjoy a similar assignment with Lucy Lawless TV's Xena. Stateside once again. We're glad she's here. Good morning. LAWLESS: Good morning. RUBIN: You brought us presents too. LAWLESS: I did. I brought you food RUBIN: Thank you. LAWLESS: I didn't know there would be that enormous crafts services table over there . RUBIN: This is very nice. BARBARA: Well that's all right. That's fine. RUBIN: The more food the better! BARBARA: Save this. RUBIN: Ah... Yeah save this for Monday. LAWLESS: It has Xena cups. RUBIN: It has Xena cups? LAWLESS: Memorabilia RUBIN: You must be... cause there are in fact people out/outside and things. Is it just.. every time you come here it gets bigger and bigger and bigger Is it gratifying to you? LAWLESS: Yeah. It is because it means people are watching the show. Yeah, I am pleased about that. i don't get recognized that much though. RUBIN: Really? LAWLESS: No. I think that if I don't talk or quite look or dress like Xena.. I do today cause I just kinda had my hair done But, umm but generally I just slop about in shorts and I don't get picked up much RUBIN: Oh well, whatever. We have a Lucy Lawless as Xena clip and then some scary stuff.. LAWLESS: (off camera makes a vampire Blah sound). RUBIN: So take a look here at the latest from Xena channel 5. [New Xena clip of ruffians in tavern. From WARRIOR...PRINCESS...TRAMP] RUBIN: Whoa! Do you... maybe you don't get picked up a lot because people are afraid of you. LAWLESS: Yeah. You missed the fire blowing from that. But that uh...that's a little trick I picked up on the show. RUBIN: Now with the success of your show, the success of Hercules, has spawned scores of imitators. We had on the Morning News, tell me if this bothers you, look at this tape. We had somebody come on from one of these new shows, from Sinbad ...there it is. That's me. LAWLESS: I would love to see it. [clip of SINBAD] RUBIN: Now, what do you think? LAWLESS: What do you mean 'What do I think?' You want me to dis somebody? RUBIN: No. LAWLESS: Like you would. RUBIN: No, I would never do that. She's above that. She's bigger than that. Be a good... Lucy, they're running us along because you're going to go on vacation for a while, right? LAWLESS: Yes I am. Actually I've been on vacation for the last couple of months actually. I went to Turkey. And I had this nightmare of a travel schedule. Back through Turkey and Amsterdam and I just thought "Oh gawd! I'm going to get pulled apart at customs." But it didn't eventuate. Had an amazing holiday though. CARLOS: Well if you carry a sword around? C'mon! RUBIN: Yeah! Imagine being the customs agent who tries to bust Xena! LAWLESS: Yeah. BARBARA: Thank you very much! RUBIN: And I'm sure we'll see you Monday at 5 a.m. CARLOS: Great seeing you! [527] 09-28-96 THE WASHINGTON POST. Saturday. Page D01. 1327 words. "'Early Edition': Stop the Presses!; Series Is Not Good News" By Tom Shales COMMENTARY: Two passing mentions of XWP in a review about "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures". Mr. Shales described the show Tarzan as "slow and serious rather than crazy and campy, the way the Herc and Xena shows are". Mr. Shales implied that crazy and campy was good. [KT] EXCERPT: ...'Tarzan' Me Tarzan. Me legendary jungle hero. Me also copyrighted property of estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs. So TV producer-man be warned: You no fool around with character. Me no longer talk like this in "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures," a new syndicated series that hopes to follow in the wildly lucrative footsteps of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena, Warrior Princess." But the episode airing this morning at 10 on Channel 20 suggests that nobody should put a down payment on a Tarzan lunch box just yet. Burroughs might approve, but sophisticated young thrill-seekers probably won't. It's slow and serious rather than crazy and campy, the way the Herc and Xena shows are. Joe Lara, a lithe and personable chap who previously played Tarzan in a CBS TV movie, has no trouble with the role, but you do wish he'd make Tarzan a little more fun-loving, a little wilder in the head. Instead he's kind of a killjoy who stomps around the jungle handing out moral lessons with every last-minute rescue. At least the series seems more ethnically sensitive than some of the old movies. There's even a scene this morning in which a tribe of Africans rushes to the rescue of Tarzan, rather than the other way around. It seems Jungle Guy has been captured by the Leopard People, who are under the spell of the Leopard Queen, who in turn is under the spell of some demon or other. When the demon sleeps, the nice girl whose body she inhabits gets to be herself. Then when the demon wakes up, she's kicking everybody around and snapping things like: "You fool! You will submit to me!" Our new-agey Tarzan tries an intervention: "Fight the demons," he tells the LQ. "Free yourself!" Lara has the abs and the pecs for the role, and we all know how important abs and pecs are these days, and nice long black hair. But his loincloth looks more like a leather kilt, and the sissy even wears boots. Alas, there is no Jane. Some of the special effects, including a woman-to-leopard morph and a trick shot of the queen's temple, are fine, but not enough happens and when it does, it happens with insufficient panache. Get some panache injections, Tarzan, and maybe you can play with the big guys. [528] 09-29-96 THE WASHINGTON POST. Sunday. Page Y03. 425 words. "The Political Race And 'The Lottery'" COMMENTARY: XWP was mentioned as a season return for Washington D.C., Tuesdays at 9pm on WBDC and Thursday at 9pm on WNUV. [KT] EXCERPT: ...SERIES DEBUTS AND SEASON RETURNS: "Dangerous Minds" (Monday at 8 on ABC; this week, WMAR only); "Nova" (Tuesday at 8 on PBS); "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (Tuesday at 8 on WBDC, Thursday at 8 on WNUV); "Xena: Warrior Princess" (Tuesday at 9 on WBDC, Thursday at 9 on WNUV); "Mystery!" (Thursday at 9 on PBS); "The X-Files" (Friday at 9 on Fox); "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (Friday at 9 on WDCA and WNUV). [529] 09-29-96 THE SEATTLE TIMES. Sunday. Page M2. 484 words. "For Warn, 'Insomnia' Brings Creative Energy" By Anthony Flinn COMMENTARY: In a review of an new book of poetry by Seattle poet, Emily Warn, called "The Novice Insomniac", Mr. Flinn started out his review by stating, "Emily Warn is one tough Seattle poet, tougher than John Wayne and Xena the Warrior Princess combined." [KT] EXCERPT: "The Novice Insomniac" by Emily Warn Copper Canyon Press, $ 12 Emily Warn is one tough Seattle poet, tougher than John Wayne and Xena the Warrior Princess combined. In "The Novice Insomniac," she not only takes on God but also juggles the hot coals of memory and wrestles her way to an honest spiritual life. This meticulously crafted book, each poem carefully building upon the previous ones, describes a gritty spiritual progress, a search for hard, real solutions to despair.... [530] 09-29-96 SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE. Sunday. Page 1G. 747 words. "Pride Lights up Screen at Tampa Film Festival. Tampa's 7th Annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Runs Thursday Through Oct. 13." By Jay Handelman COMMENTARY: In a listing of the films to be shown in a Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the film "Wing Chun" was described as "a 1994 comedy-adventure film from Hong Kong, star[starring] martial arts expert Michelle Khan, who plays a woman described as 'a cross between Hong Kong's answer to Sandra Bullock and an Asian Xena: Warrior.'" [KT] EXCERPT: When you have filmmaker John Waters as a featured guest, you can expect something unusual during the Seventh Annual Pride Film Festival, Tampa's 10- day celebration of gay and lesbian movies. The festival, which begins Thursday with a sneak preview of the feature film "Bound," runs through Oct. 13 and will include nearly two dozen screenings of feature films, shorts and documentaries at the historic Tampa Theatre.... ...Other films scheduled include... ..."Wing Chun," a 1994 comedy-adventure film from Hong Kong, stars martial arts expert Michelle Khan, who plays a woman described as "a cross between Hong Kong's answer to Sandra Bullock and an Asian Xena: Warrior.... ============== CUT HERE ===================== XENA MEDIA REVIEW #29 (11/03/97) Borg 4 of 5