THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS....


TWXN 41


10/31/96





Brought to you by Xena: Media Review (XMR):


http://www.teleport.com/~gater/IAXS/IAXS.html





XMR is a periodic annotated world press review of


reports regarding the internationally syndicated


television show XENA: Warrior Princess (1995 - ) and


the castmembers, Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor.  For


a free e-mail subscription send "subscribe XMR" to


ktaborn@lightspeed.net. Excerpts from the following


cites will appear in future issues of XMR.








[   b] 10-27-96


   NEWSDAY. Sunday. Page E02. 1423 words. "Vital Signs


/ Taking the Pulse of Life on Long Island" By Jim


Bernstein and Anne Bratskeir 


   COMMENTARY: In an article about Halloween costumes


on Long Island, NY, Mr. Bernstein and Ms. Bratskeir


noted, "Other Halloween hits include Skull Warriors (a


skeleton with chest plate and weapons), Hercules and


Zena from television's "Xena: Warrior Princess" series,


pretty witches and storybook ballerinas."


   This mention was notable also for the misspelling of


Xena ("Zena") but proper spelling of XENA: WARRIOR


PRINCESS.








[   C] 10-27-96


   DAILY NEWS (New York). Sunday. Page 5. 306 words.


"What's Hot and What's Not this Halloween"


   COMMENTARY: In a survey of the top costumers in New


York City, it was discovered that "old favorites such


as Freddy Krueger, Darth Vader and Cleopatra are still


hot this year as well as newcomers Goosebumps and Xena,


Warrior Princess." the Creative Costume Co. reported,


"Princess Xena All the rage." Frank B. Costume Center,


reported, "The Grim reaper Loved by all loyal


traditionalists." [And what does this have to do with


XWP? Nothing, really, except that Ms. Lawless' daughter


went as the Grim reaper for her first U.S. Halloween


evening]. 








[   ] 10-27-96


   SUNDAY TIMES. Sunday. "1143 words. "Life Really Does


Begin at 40-plus"


   COMMENTARY: In a guide to more than 40 Sky channels,


the Sunday Times (London) wrote: "Sky 2 broadcasts from


7pm to 6am, and its prime-time schedule includes new


series such as Xena: Warrior Princess..."











[   ] 10-27-96


   SUNDAY TIMES. Sunday. 806 words. "From soaps to the


supernatural" By Martin James


   COMMENTARY: In his introduction to the new series


being shown on Sky 2, Mr. James described Xena a


warrior princess "who cuts a fine figure in armoured


minidress and knee-high bother boots journeying across


a mythical land combatting tyranny and injustice." He


concluded with the observation, "If she were around


today, Xena would walk Miss World 1996, coming to you


via satellite from India, although her leisure pursuits


might shock the judges."








[  bn] 10-28-96


   PEOPLE. Page 97. 480 words. "Passages"


   COMMENTARY: Look! Cutting edge news from PEOPLE


Magazine.


   EXCERPT:


   ...Actress Lucy Lawless, 28, the New Zealander who


stars in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess,


was in stable condition after fracturing her pelvis on


Oct. 8 while taping a skit for NBC's Tonight Show.


Working in the parking lot of the show's Burbank


studio, Lawless tumbled to the pavement when the horse


she was sitting on lost its footing and fell....








[    ] 10-29-96


   THE TORONTO STAR. Tuesday. Page D4. 686 words.


"Roseanne undermined by insane lottery plot" by Henry


Mietkiewicz


   COMMENTARY: In a scathing review of the opening


shows of the 1996-97 season ROSEANNE, Mr. Mietkiewicz


stated, "Now the show is so disconnected from reality


that it borders on amateurishness. Especially annoying


is the way it wallows in embarrassing dream-sequence


parodies, such as Roseanne's transformation into Xena


the Warrior Princess to exact revenge on overzealous


masseuses at a luxury spa."








[   b] 10-29-96


   ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. Tuesday. Page 2D. 827 words.


"'Roseanne' still funny after all these years" By


Joanne Weintraub


   COMMENTARY: In a pro-ROSEANNE review, Ms. Weintraub,


wrote, "The highlight was a revenge fantasy wherein the


star, dressed as Xena, Warrior Princess, did battle


with one of the evil sprites and decked her. I laughed;


I cheered. Breathes there a woman who's never


daydreamed about putting on that breastplate, those


boots and that attitude? In fact, Roseanne celebrates a


character who, despite her imperfect body and untidy


life, is something of a warrior princess herself, a


close relation to the ''domestic goddess'' Barr dreamed


up in her days as a stand-up comic."


   Ms. Weintraub has a long history with reporting on


XWP. She has written: 


   XMR070a. 10-31-95. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.


"Hercules, Xena give legends a loony charm'". She


characterized both HTLJ and XWP as "the Southern


Hemisphere's gifts to trash TV" but then apologized


immediately. She allowed us to participate in the


debate going on in her head: she wanted to call it


trash, but couldn't.


   XMR230. 04-11-96. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. "Man


with a Forgotten past Is Unmemorable". In an article


about "The Lazarus Man", a syndicated action hour from


the 1995-96 season, Ms. Weintraub lamented that the


show did not have the "anything-goes panache" of XWP.


   XMR---a. 05-25-96. THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL (Memphis).


"'Nick News' teaches body acceptance" Passing mention


of Xena in context to how it contributed to the message


that the only good people are sleek, well-toned, hard-


bodied people.








[   a] 10-30-96


   USA TODAY. Wednesday. Page 3D. 399 words.


"Cancellation jitters keep Travis from 'Perfect' bliss"


By Peter Johnson and Alan Bash


   COMMENTARY: Announcement of Lucy Lawless' appearance


on that evening's Tonight Show with Jay Leno. "Lucy


Lawless, star of the syndicated Xena: Warrior Princess,


must not harbor ill feelings for NBC's Tonight Show,


even though it was during the taping of a comedy bit


there that Lawless broke her pelvis Oct. 8. She makes


her first appearance since the accident on tonight's


show."








[   b] 10-30-96


   LOS ANGELES TIMES. Wednesday. Page F2. 745 words.


"MORNING REPORT" By SHAUNA SNOW 


   COMMENTARY: Another promo for The Tonight Show:


"Lucy Lawless, the star of "Xena: Warrior Princess" who


broke her pelvis Oct. 8 while taping NBC's "Tonight


Show With Jay Leno," makes her first public appearance


since the horse-riding accident on--where


else?--today's "Tonight Show."








[   c] 10-30-96


   DAILY NEWS (New York). Wednesday. Page 72. 789


words. 'Italian-American Group Says 'EZ' Slurs Aren't


OK"


   COMMENTARY:


   EXCERPT:


   ...Back in the saddle


   Just like her character, Lucy Lawless is not to be


denied. 


   The star of the hit syndicated series "Xena: The


Warrior Princess" was to have appeared on the Oct. 8


edition of NBC's "Tonight" show, but while practicing


for a bit for the show she fell off a horse and broke


her pelvis. 


   The injury, of course, kept her from the program.


   Well, now she's healed and ready to try again.


Tonight. 


   This time, though, there won't be any horse play.


   "She's just going to come on and talk," said a show


spokeswoman. "No stunts." R.H.





 





[   ] 10-31-96


   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 184 words. 


   COMMENTARY: Creation Entertainment, which puts on


the infamous Creation Con Conventions for Star Trek, X-


Files, and various other media darlings, has signed a


two year licensing agreement with Universal Studios for


HTLJ and XWP. "The deal, which also covers Universal


TV's network series 'Sliders,' grants Creation the


domestic rights to official fan clubs, conventions and


merchandise."


   You know something must be getting popular if


Creation thinks they can make money off of it!








[   ]


   NOTE: GIANT KILLER (#27), 1st release, 10/14/96.


Ranked as the 2nd action hour with a 5.4 rating. The


standings for action-hours were as follows:


   1. ST:DS9  6.0


   2. XWP  5.4


   3. HTLJ  5.3


   4. Sinbad  2.9


   5. Two  2.7


   5. Viper  2.7


   6. FX 2.6


   7. The Cape 2.0