THIS WEEK IN XENA  NEWS...  
TWXN 86
07/14/97
Monday


Brought to you by XENA: MEDIA REVIEW (XMR):
http://xenafan.com/xmr

All back issues of XMR and TWXN are available at the
above site. 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).

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!), the MCA NetForum, the Xenite
Message Center, and alt.tv.xena. 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".

Excerpts from the following cites will appear in future
issues of XMR.

From the editor:

1. XMR #22 is officially out. Check out
http://xenafan.com/xmr to download it. Our handy dandy
auto-server is still in its beta stage so I had to use
the mailing list from before 01/01/97 to send out the
first wave. If I have time, I may try to do waves of
mail-outs from the sub requests I have from the last
six months. I regret all the inconvenience this is
causing, but I did not want to hold up XMR while we are
working out the mailer bugs. 

2. Today's TWXN covers Ted Raimi; America's babysitter;
Canadian hi-jinks of serious and not-so-serious
natures; and Xena as a role model to young children.

3. The next issue of TWXN will cover that thing at
Universal Studios in Florida; reveal who is the Xena of
network programmers; inform you of the Golden Reel
Awards; and show you how NZ is now comparing
politicians to Xena too. 


And here is the stuff:


[    ] 03-03-97
   THE DETROIT NEWS. Monday. Page D5. 424 words. "In
Oakland County: TV's Raimi never too busy for family,
friends in Michigan" By Suzanne Chessler. 
   COMMENTARY: Ted Raimi as only Michiganders could see
him. 
   REPRINT:
   Actor Ted Raimi's work has taken him to exotic
locations, including New Zealand where he travels about
six times a year to tape the television shows Hercules:
The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.
   "I like to surf, and it's great surfing in New
Zealand," Raimi said.
   But the Birmingham Groves High School graduate, who
grew up in Franklin Village, always finds time to
return to his roots in Michigan, particularly when
there's a chance to visit with relatives such as his
8-year-old cousin, Sander Rubin of Farmington Hills .  
   "I also enjoy getting back to Michigan to visit
family, friends and former instructors. I have a dream
about making a film in Detroit," he said.
   Raimi's Detroit movie idea is set down in a script
about two hit men being chased by their own mob.
   If the film is ever made, it would be a departure
from his current roles.
   Raimi is noted for his portrayal of a communications
officer in seaQuest DSV, an NBC futuristic series that
ran for three years.
   His interest in acting comes from his director
brother, Sam, who spent a good deal of his childhood
writing and filming movies with family and neighborhood
kids.
   Ted Raimi studied performing arts at Oakland
Community College, Michigan State University, New York
University and the University of Detroit Mercy.
   Television fans will remember Raimi from his roles
in Twin Peaks, American Gothic and the recent
made-for-TV movie Apollo 11, which cast him in the role
of Steve Bales, who was in charge of spacecraft
guidance systems.
   Raimi, 31, is hardly recognizable to fans in his
current role as Joxer the Magnificent in the
overlapping shows Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and
Xena: Warrior Princess, mythical fantasy adventures
syndicated across the country.
   "When I met seaQuest fans, they used to recognize
me," Raimi said, laughing. "Because I now work with so
many props and don't wear glasses, the fans don't quite
believe I'm Joxer.
   "I'm the funny guy, so I've got to fall a lot. It's
all very physical, which is great for me because I love
physical humor. I love doing comedy because most of the
parts I've played have been incredibly serious."
   This summer, Raimi tries his hand at another comedy
role onthe big screen with the release of a
just-finished movie, Between the Sheets.
   "I usually play very cerebral computer or government
guys, and they never crack a smile and are always
pensive," said Raimi. "I play 90 percent of my parts
with my eyebrows together since I'm supposed to be lost
in thought."
   GRAPHIC: TV actor Ted Raimi of "seaQuest" fame, and
cousin Sander Rubin, 8, of Farmington Hills.


[    ] 03-03-97
   BRANDWEEK [formerly Adweek Marketing Week]. 1643
words. "Entertinment Marketing: The Pictures Got
Smaller, The Opportunities Bigger"
   COMMENTARY: Spookiest moment of this excerpt is
"video is America's babysitter". Eek!!!
   EXCERPT:
   As rentals and sales of film videos increase both
their ubiquity at retail and their overall dollar
volume, they are beginning to get the kind of
orchestrated marketing launches once reserved for
theatrical releases. The trend is creating
opportunities for consumer-products manufacturers who
see both another vehicle with which to reach moms and
families where they shop every day, and also a chance
to avoid the burgeoning risks of tying in with the
original theatrical releases.
   That's a striking development, because just a few
years ago videos were considered the downmarket
stepchild of theatrical releases. But for a number of
years now, video rentals and sales have eclipsed box
office revenues. Last year's box office take of about $
5.9 billion was dwarfed by the video figures, estimated
at roughly $ 16 billion....
   ..."Video is America's babysitter," said Andrew
Kairey, executive vice president of Universal Studios
Home Video....
   ...Kairey adds that his department is "totally in
control" of release dates, which are somewhat flexible
should a big promotional partner request a different
window....
   ...Kairey said other sequels in the works include
further episodes in the Steve Spielberg-produced
American Tail series, as well as new direct-to-video
animated versions of Universal TV's hit live-action
syndicated shows, Hercules and Xena. He added that
Universal is "evaluating and developing" possible
live-action direct-to-video, but has not yet gone into
production....


[    ] 03-04-97
   THE TORONTO SUN. Tuesday. Page 1. 640 words.
"Letters to the Editor Column"
   COMMENTARY: Canadian politician compared to Xena!
   EXCERPT:
   ...(How many times do the people have to say No to
this idea before it sinks in?) 
   XENA COPPS, Warrior Princess of the Liberals, model
of integrity, has accused the Ontario provincial
government of "spreading mistruths" ("Top Grits get
tough with Harris," Feb. 23). Sheila contends Liberal
cutbacks of $ 4 billion so far and $ 3 billion still to
come to the provinces have not and will  not affect
health care, education and social programs. By
attacking the provincial government Sheila is asking
voters to accept her word rather than that of Mike
Harris, a man whose greatest sin in the eyes of his
opponents is that he honors his campaign promises and
is reorganizing the delivery of services to make them
more efficient. Surely Liberal strategists have erred
in choosing Copps to spearhead this attack to deflect
criticism of them cutting transfers to the provinces as
a main means of reducing the federal deficit.
   Joe Hueglin
   Niagara Falls...


[   a] 03-05-97
  THE TORONTO SUN. Wednesday. Page 1. "Harris: Megacity
a Go - with Fixes. Welfare Downloadingplan Will Likely
Be Dropped, Tories Say"
   COMMENTARY: Even Canadian TV comedy shows are
referencing the warrior princess!!!
   EXCERPT:
   ...GRAPHIC: MARG ATTACK ... TV wild woman Mary
Walsh, in character as a Xena-clad Marg Delahuntey,
gets a laugh out of Premier Mike Harris as she wreaks
havoc at a Queen's Park media scrum yesterday while
filming a bit for the CBC show This Hour Has 22
Minutes...


[   b] 05-03-97
   THE OTTAWA CITIZEN. Wednesday. Page A5. 832 words.
"Harris to snub mega-city voters: Ontario government
refuses to back down on merger plan"
   COMMENTARY: More on the same from above. 
   EXCERPT:
   ...GRAPHIC: Ontario Premier Mike Harris winces as
Mary Walsh of This Hour Has 22 Minutes -- in costume as
Xena the Warrior Princess -- waded into the emotional
debate yesterday in Toronto over the merger of the
city's six municipalities into a single mega-city...


[    ] 03-05-97
   THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE (RIVERSIDE, CA.). Wednesday.
Page B03. 693 words. "Women in spotlight at HERstory
event; Speakers, pupils salute heroes" by Kris Lovekin
(The Press-Enterprise)
   COMMENTARY: As role models go, I guess they could
have done worse. What an honor! Xena is up there with
Sojourner Truth and Hilary Clinton. But what does Xena
NOT SHARE with these fine role models? She ain't real.
Gives you food for thought, no?
   EXCERPT:
   ...Mildred Tyler, a tall woman who is also the
mother of five, brought Sojourner Truth to life Tuesday
for students at Mira Loma Middle School.  Tyler, the
assistant director of UCR's Women's Resource Center,
was among 20 speakers at HERstory, an event organized
to honor the contributions of women, including college
professors, a sheriff's deputy, executives from private
industry, artists and others.
   Like Sojourner Truth, these modern women told the
seventh- and eighth-graders tales about times when they
broke gender stereotypes, or overcame obstacles....
   ...Mack asked this group about their "sheroes," and
they came up with Hillary Clinton and Xena, the warrior
princess...

  
