THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS... TWXN 93 07/30/97 Wednesday The advance sheet of XENA MEDIA REVIEW (XMR): http://xenafan.com/xmr Excerpts from the following cites will appear in future issues of XMR. From the editor: 1. XMR #23 is available at http://xenafan.com/xmr and is waiting for you. Features include Xenites in Spain and the UK XenaNet. The world press review includes articles on XWP costumers Ngila Dickson and Liz McGregor, stunt coordinator Peter Bell, actor Jay Laga'aiaa (Draco), actor William Davis (cigarette- smoking man from X-FILES), and Gary Morley (an extra on GIANT KILLER); review of SINS OF THE PAST; XENA toy scalping; MCA woes; Xena as a symbol of empowerment; and news of YOUNG HERCULES. 2. Yeah, I know TWXN is only to the middle of March and here it is in REAL LIFE already close to the beginning of August. Yup, 4.5 months. Can you see my embarrassment? Okay, a lot of the red is from the viscious sun burn I got at Universal Studios the day after SoCal XenaFest III. But I am feeling bad about the lapse. But then again, let's blame XWP for being so popular. If it did not insist upon so many press references I'd be out mowing my lawn or something. 3. In today's TWXN, we cover the real difference between Xena and Wonder Woman (and you thought it was just the costume!); why men go crazy for Xena (do we even need to ask?); evidence of Xena as a cultural icon (she may not have been an ancient myth, but she sure is a modern one!); Xena's socio-economic level (how does she do it?); a Logomancy plug (power-up that browser); and those who share Lucy Lawless' birthday (now that is really something to look forward to!). 4. Friday's TWXN will reproduce an article about the "Greek Revival" which our popular culture is currently going through. The article hits on "Black Athena", "Star Wars", and Joseph Campbell. Can you say eclectic? Perfect weekend reading. And now for the dated news: [ ] 03-16-97 CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Sunday. Page 6. 224 words. "Smart Talk. Shortcuts." Compiled by Leigh Behrens COMMENTARY: This was taken from a magazine article which escapes me now. Ms. Friedman succinctly illustrates a key difference between Xena and Xena's forbears. EXCERPT: ..."Wonder Woman's nails were always perfect, and she really looked like she cared about it. If Xena were in the middle of a fight, and a guy accidently yanked off her top, she wouldn't go 'Aah!' and cover her chest. She'd punch him." --Liz Friedman, producer of "Xena: Warrior Princess," on the show's appeal... [ ] 03-16-97 THE BOSTON HERALD. Sunday. Page 006. 1306 words. "Following a 'Hunch'; TNT adds some modernist twists to Victor Hugo's classic tale of love and intolerancetakes liberties with its new version of Victor Hugo's 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'" By Stephen Schaefer COMMENTARY: A quote from A DAY IN THE LIFE finds itself in a review of TNT's Hunchback of Notre Dame. EXCERPT: ...Back on TV, heroes of Greek mythology -- real and imagined -- rank among the most popular characters on syndicated shows. Ever week, "Hercules" and "Xena, Warrior Princess" retell ancient legends, but with a blithe disregard for their sources. "Why," Xena wonders in a typical episode, "do men always go crazy for me?" "It must be your blue eyes and the leather you wear," she's advised by her friend. "Men love leather."... [ ] 03-17-97 CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Monday. Page 2. 626 words. "Onset of Hdtv, WebTV Might Eventually Make Regular TVs Obsolete" By Frazier Moore (Associated Press) COMMENTARY: In a promotion for WebTV, XWP pops up as an example of what you can see. This is an indication that XWP has become a cultural icon. EXCERPT: ...Thanks to WebTV, you not only can watch TV, you can go on-line with your TV set. From broadcasting, you can watch "Xena: Warrior Princess," where unfold the adventures of a strapping female hero in an unforgiving world. From on-line, starting this summer, you can see "WhirlGirl," where unfold the adventures of a strapping female hero in an unforgiving world. Both series want to be TV, yet seem to claim a more direct lineage from comic books. Or Greek mythology. In short, very cutting-edge.... [ c] 03-17-97 CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Monday. Page 8. 423 words. "TV'S New Robin Hood Feels at Home" By Doug Nye (Knight-Ridder Newspapers) COMMENTARY: XWP as "new wave" in an article about TNT's ROBIN HOOD. EXCERPT: Matthew Porretta says he's "having a blast" these days. And why not? He's making a living doing what he did as a kid in Connecticut, playing Robin Hood. Porretta is the star of "The New Adventures of Robin Hood," a one-hour series currently airing each week in the United States on cable's TNT Mondays at 9 p.m.... ...Porretta says "Robin Hood" is part of the new wave of adventure series such as "Hercules," "Xena" and "Sinbad" that have shown up on television in recent years.... [ ] 03-18-97 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN. Tuesday. Page B1. 1735 words. "A school for all cultures: The most ethnically diverse school in the region sets example of diversity and harmony" By Jacquie Miller (the Ottawa Citizen) COMMENTARY: A discussion on what people can tell about Xena's socio-economic level from just looking. EXCERPT: ...Mrs. Scott asks the class to identify how people are portrayed in their favourite television shows. Words such as diversity, equity, and gender bias fly around the room. There is a surreal discussion about what socio-economic level the television character Xena the Warrior Princess represents (wealthy, they conclude, because she has lots of power, weapons and knives, and is the daughter of a Greek God). But by the end of an hour, the students have an understanding of how television perpetuates stereotypes.... [ ] 03-18-97 DAILY NEWS (New York). Tuesday. Page 70. 508 words. "Beating 'Ellen' to the 'Coming Out' Party" By David Bianculli COMMENTARY: An article which advises that XWP could have beat ELLEN to the punch! REPRINT: SIX WEEKS from tomorrow, ABC and Disney will unveil their allegedly groundbreaking episode of "Ellen," the one in which the character played by Ellen DeGeneres is supposed to make TV history by coming out as a lesbian. This is fair warning, then, for all you other TV shows out there: If you act fast enough, you may still be able to beat "Ellen" to the punch. No joke. I mean, let's face it. The primary reason "Ellen" is tiptoeing down this particular road is to attract attention to a show desperately in need of some. So if having the first leading character to announce her lesbianism is such a big deal, why can't some other series sneak in under the wire and steal her thunder?... ...these are the shows that reasonably could beat "Ellen" to the lesbian finish line:... "Xena: Warrior Princess." This isn't much of a stretch at all, since Xena and her sidekick Gabrielle are constant companions anyway... GRAPHIC: ...Clockwise, from top, "Xena: Warrior Princess,"...still have the time to undercut "Ellen." [ ] 03-19-97 THE VANCOUVER SUN. Wednesday. Page D13. 246 words. "Hot Sites" By Vancouver Sun COMMENTARY: Logomancy gets a plug in Vancouver! Way to go Logomancy!!! EXCERPT: ...XENA FANDOM http://plaza.interport.net/logomanc/XENA/index.html Another X-based phenomenon. True, the X-Files sites still dominate the Net but Xena Warrior Princess is catching up quickly. Here's a good place to start to follow those links for endless Xena lore.... GRAPHIC: ...Xena... [ ] 03-19-97 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Wednesday. 718 words. "Celebrity Spotlight & Birthdays" By The Associated Press COMMENTARY: Guess who's birthday was March 29th. Guess who else she shares it with. EXCERPT: ...Other celebrity birthdays:... ...March 29: Actress Eileen Heckart ("Murder One"), 78; comedian Eric Idle, 54; rock singer Bobby Kimball of Toto, 50; actor Christopher Lambert, 40; rock singer Perry Farrell of Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction, 38; model Elle MacPherson, 33; Singer-musician John Popper of Blues Traveler, 30; actress Lucy Lawless ("Xena: Warrior Princess"), 29.... Notices: All back issues of XMR and TWXN are available at (http://xenafan.com/xmr). We herein give praise and thanks to Tom Simpson for the space he has graciously donated from his spectacular, TOM'S XENA PAGE (http://xenafan.com). If you have never been there, you are **not** a xenafan! TWXN is the advance sheet for XMR, an annotated world press review of reports regarding the internationally syndicated television show XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS (1995 - 2000+?) and the castmembers, Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor. TWXN is not available for subscription, however it is posted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the XenaVerse, Hercules-Xena, and Chakram Mailing Lists (thank you Lucia! I am greatly indebt to you), the MCA NetForum, the Xenite Message Center, and alt.tv.xena. I also would like to thank sirvin@law.wfu.edu for assitance in collecting the newstories. For a free e-mail subscription to XMR subscribe by e-mail to ktaborn@lightspeed.net by stating somewhere in the subject or text "sub xmr".