THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS....
TWXN 70
02/15/97

Brought to you by Xena: Media Review (XMR):
http://xenafan.com/xmr

TWXN is the advance sheet for XMR. 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.


Notes from the editor:
   1. I am including e-mail addresses of the reporter's
when I notice them. Thus if you are so inclined, you
can write the reporter a fan e-mail or a flame e-mail.
Let's start exercising responsible fan-like behavior.





[    ] 01-17-97
   THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE (RIVERSIDE, CA.). Friday. Page
A01. 1179 words. "'A Little Boy' Takes His Own Life;
Family Members Can't Believe That 10-year-old Sammy
Rodriguez Meant to Die When He Hanged Himself in His
Closet. Suicides this Young Are Rare, Experts Say." By
Valeria Godine
   COMMENTARY: This is the most depressing article I
have ever come across that mentions the show XWP. A
ten-year-old boy committed suicide in Riverside,
California on 01/15/97. The article reported that "His
favorite television shows were 'Hercules' and 'Xena'". 


[    ] 01-17-97
   THE ORLANDO SENTINEL. Friday. Page X3. 602 words.
"Dnas Guide to TV Viewing" Dna Smith
   COMMENTARY: In an article about the new TV rating
system, Mr. Smith suggests his own "alternate TV
ratings system for us young, single, heterosexual men
who, after all, are the most prized demographic in
television."
   XWP is mentioned in his description for "TV-BF Babe
Factor." He writes that "Shows like Baywatch, Xena:
Warrior Princess, any of those Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Issue specials, any Women Behind Bars movies
on Cinemax, or all programming on the Spanish Channel
(except for soccer) would fall under this category, as
would certain episodes of Friends where Jennifer
Aniston seems to be walking in a perpetual breeze."
   Don't worry, I am not going to go off into my
Baywatch vs. XWP tirade. YOu will have to wait for XMR
#36 for that! Lucky you.


[   f] 01-17-97
   THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Friday. Page G05. 724 words.
"Selleck's role perfect in 'Last Stand'" By Steve Hall
shall@starnews.com
   COMMENTARY: More comparison's between THE NEW
ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD and XWP. "In this  Hercules
and Xena-influenced action hour, Robin  (Matthew
Porretta), in black T-shirt and  leather pants, and the
long blond-haired Little  John (Richard Ashton) look
like refugees from  an '80s metal band. The former Maid
Marion is  now "a warrior princess" (Anna Galvin) in a
red  miniskirt and bustier. "


[    ]  01-17-97
   ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. Page 68. 408 words. "The Week"
By Ken Tucker; Gary Eng Walk; Bob Strauss
   COMMENTARY: This is a review of the CD Rom
collection THE HEROIC LEGENDS OF HERCULES AND XENA. The
article did not mention the "hidden" bloopers to be
found on the CD-Rom by enterprising fans.
   EXCERPT:
   REFERENCE
   THE HEROIC LEGENDS OF HERCULES AND XENA (Software
Sculptors, CD-ROM for PC, $ 34.95) Syndicated
television's two favorite muscle masses--Hercules: The
Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess--get the
interactive treatment, with an extensive episode guide
(rather tiny print), scenes from choice programs, hypey
profiles ("Kevin Sorbo has quickly risen to stardom
with his winning portrayal of the heroic half-man,
half-god Hercules..."), and an area called "Hard
Bodies," where screen pinups depict the slinkier
quasi-mythological characters who have appeared on the
series. These include She-Demon, Epiphany, Myrra ("a
beautiful and bright young woman who loves a centaur"),
and the hunky Autolycus, described as "incredibly wily
and dash [sic]." Fun, but generally lacking in the camp
self-awareness that makes these shows such hoots. B
--Ken Tucker...
   ...GRAPHIC: MUSCLE-BOUND FOR GLORY: Heroic Legends
builds up Lucy Lawless' Xena and Sorbo's Hercules [Lucy
Lawless in TV show Xena: Warrior Princess; Kevin Sorbo
in TV show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys] 



[    ] 01-17-97
   DAILY VARIETY. Page 63. 326 words. "Disney Steps up
Sell-through Vid Plans" By Adam Sandler
   COMMENTARY: In an article about Disney's new plans
to release a video per month, Universal's plans were
mentioned: "Universal will bow the latest installments
in its 'Land Before Time' adventure franchise, as well
as animated versions of its popular 'Hercules' and
'Xena' syndicated TV shows." Universal is also planning
to release an enhanced version of DUNE (maybe they will
get it right this time!)


[    ] 01-19-97
   MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Sunday. Page 1. 1564
words. "Ye Gods! With Mythical Gods and Heroes Making a
Herculean Film Comeback, Plenty of Divine Roles Ought
to Open up for Hollywood's Living Legends" By Chris
Foran
   COMMENTARY: In a whimsical review of how he would
cast current movie stars as mythological characters in
the recent mythmania in popular entertainment, Mr.
Foran wrote, "The strongman of Greek mythology, already
the 'star' of a hit syndicated television series
('Hercules: The Legendary Journeys') and a successful
spinoff ('Xena: Warrior Princess'), hits the big screen
in a big way this year with 'Hercules,' the latest off
Disney's animation assembly line."

