THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS....
TWXN 48
11/26/96

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.


[512] 11-20-96
   THE DENVER POST. Wednesday. Page G-01. 1011 words.
"It's no wonder this woman has become Xena: Worldwide
Cult Queen" By Joanne Ostrow
   COMMENTARY: This article not only contains
information not ever released before but is Ms.
Lawless' first substantive interview after her injury
while taping the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (10/08/96).
   Ms. Ostrow is obviously very familiar with her
topic. Her demeanor exhibits respect for the subject,
admiration of the interviewee, and a sincere interest
in the edification of her readers.
   Ms. Ostrow began the article by introducing Ms.
Lawless as "TV's reigning female powerhouse, savior of
the oppressed, crusader against barbarians and
fascination of fan clubs around the world." She also
added that Xena was "a great role model for little
girls who feel less than empowered by Barbie."
   In two sentences Ms. Ostrow captured the essence of
the phenomenon of XWP. First, the Xena character is the
toughest female probably ever to grace the tube
(barring a nun or two). Xena is independent to a fault
and she is the person who does the rescuing if any
rescuing is to be done. Strong enough to lift grown men
and fling them across a room and to catch people flying
past her with one arm, "powerhouse" is perhaps too weak
a word to use to describe Xena. I won't even get into
the metaphorical uses of the word.
   Second, the moral battle which rages inside Xena
propels the series into darker and more greyer areas
that its sibling show HERCULES ever could. Xena's path
to redemption allows her to explore the moral
ambiguities of life while also becoming the Lone Ranger
of pre-Myceanean Greece. 
   Third, the show has reached official cult status
with die-hard fans flying across country merely for a
chance at a peak at Ms. Lawless, and others devoting
massive amounts of their free time to maintaining web
pages, writing articles, planning gatherings, hanging
out in IRC, the NetForum, or newsgroups. Almost every
aspect of the show from hair color and use of leather
through story arcs and director's quirks have been
discussed ad nauseum on-line and off. Heck, even news
articles written by members of the press get analyzed
and reviewed on-line.
   Fourth. This all comes at a time in US history when
the consciousness of both men and women are in the
painful and awkward process of being raised. What does
it mean to be a woman? What kinds of role-models and
examples do women, men, and children have in real-life
and in fantasy and fiction? Now, at least in the
fantasy realm, we have Xena, Warrior Princess. No doubt
about it, Xena is more empowering than Barbie.
   After strongly identifying the character Xena with
Wonder Woman, Ms. Ostrow continued by describing the
show as "part camp, part live action, part animation
and all courageous. Double entendre and mythic
escapades elevate what could have been silly
action-adventure series set in ancient times into
something grander."
   This sense of grandness and uniqueness that Ms.
Ostrow referred to has inspired fans to exhibit what
looks like to many outside the circle as a religious
devotion to the series. I am sure it shocks and amazes
many of the production people of XWP, just as it
frightens or bemuses the members of the stricken one's
family. Nevertheless, this is happening. And it is
growing. 
   The word "camp" is brought up many times in context
with XWP (not just by Ms. Ostrow), but as Liz Friedman
(a producer of XWP) in a Boston radio interview taped
in October 1996 observed, the show's characters take
themselves and their situations completely seriously.
The 'camp' aspect is therefore what the audience brings
to the show, not what the show gives to the audience. 
   Nonetheless, the show abounds with double-entendre,
in-jokes, sly Kiwi tom-foolery, and some of the most
clever writing to be seen on television in years.  As
icing on the cake, the series is presented on the
spacious background of the myths of ancient Greece and
of the ancient world. Nothing is sacred and everything
is anachronistic.
   On reviewing XWP's presence on the internet, Ms.
Ostrow wrote, "Online, a web search elicits 7,271
entries for 'Xena: Warrior Princess.' Among them is
'Whoosh!, the Journal of the International Association
for Xena Studies,' a rather cerebral collection of
sometimes academic articles about 'XWP,' like a recent
analysis of 'visual metaphor' in the series. No joke."
   The visual metaphor article referred to can be found
in On-Line WHOOSH #3
(http://www.users.interport.net/~bsquared/whoosh),
still current, as "Visual Metaphor in XENA: WARRIOR
PRINCESS" by Carmen Carter (ccarter@shentel.net). When
I am not editing XMR, I am usually editing WHOOSH. This
report is WHOOSH's first mention in the LEGITIMATE
press. I could now, of course, go on a mini-essay on
why WHOOSH exists (no joke!), but I will save that for
WHOOSH.
   Ms. Ostrow then briefly mentioned the large viewing
audience (very large for a syndicated market), where
the series was shot (New Zealand), and informed us that
"Each hour boasts live action aided by animation,
computer graphics and plenty of prosthetics and
makeup."
   Then, after describing the accident of 10/08/96, Ms.
Ostrow began her interview with Ms. Lawless which was
conducted by phone.
   Ms. Lawless spoke on many topics.
   On her current physical state: "I can walk without
crutches, but the specialist doesn't want me to go
without them completely yet. It's a box of birds, as we
say down here."  Ms. Ostrow offered the following
translation: "a day at the beach. Delivered with heavy
sarcasm."
   On her mobility and therapy: "I can take the car to
shop and muck around a bit, but I can't walk even half
a kilometer. We want to know that I am healing in the
optimum amount of time. The bones are the least of the
worry, it's the soft tissue. But I'm taking all care
and swimming every day."
   On what she planned for her first week back at work:
"light duty: I play dead." 
   On her recovery Ms. Lawless stated, ""I've really
learned about the indomitable human spirit. Happiness
is a choice. You grieve, you stomp your feet, you pick
yourself up and choose to be happy."
   On the appeal of Xena: "She's a different kind of
hero. I think it's becoming a phenomenon for the '90s.
We strongly oppose violence against women, we never
play sexual violence, it's degrading. The
fastest-growing audience who are now taking control of
the remote are women. This show has caught a wave." 
   On Xena's relationship with Gabrielle: "We talk
about it on set. We're all aware of how different
sectors of our audience perceive the show. If you're
talking about the lesbian element, we are aware and
we're not afraid of it. This is a love story between
two people. What they do in their own time is none of
our business."
   On upcoming episodes: Ms. Lawless offered that the
audience may see "what happens between the fights. I'm
looking forward to it."
   On fan interaction and on-line discussions: "All
audience members and speculation are welcome, as long
as people aren't nutters, as long as they aren't
stalkers, you know." 
   On her fame: "When I'm here I'm just a working girl.
I don't go out to openings, I don't want to be what I
call a schlebrity. You know, it's celebrity as opposed
to fame. One is hollow; one is earned."
   On her therapy: "I want to be a happy, agile old
lady."
   Ostrow also reported that
   1. Some episodes of XWP are being rewritten to work
around Ms. Lawless' injury, "so that Xena's voice or
spirit will be a presence in every hour although she
may not be on camera."
   2. XWP's premiere in France was seen by half of the
television audience.  
   3. Ms. Lawless was disappointed by the lack of Xena
costumes during Halloween.
   4. Ms. Lawless is currently "Resting at home,
reading 'The Liar's Club' by Mary Carr and listening to
Nina Simone."
   5. Ms. Lawless's daughter visits the set on Fridays,
handing out "biscuits" to the crew.

