      _____               ______                               ._
     `\`/>`\            /`/` /`__________,.'>___      _____   )~\
       /<`\ `\        /`/` /``\ \./------> /|\./\     |\./|  / | \
      /< `\`\ `\    /`/` /`   | | |----\ /  | |\ \    | | |././^\ \
 |\__{o}\--`\`\ `\/`/` /`-----| | |-----`------\`\`\--| | |----^ \ \----.
[\\\\\\\{*}==`>      <`=======| | ==============`\`\`\| | |=====\ \ \==-->
 |/~~{o}/-- /`/  /\ \ `\------| | |---------------`\`\\ | |------\ \ \--'
      \<  /`/` /`  `\`\ `\    | | |_____,.'>| | |   `\`\| | /'    \ \ \
       \< /` /`      `\`\ `\  ,/ /^\------> / |/^\|   \ | |/       \/^\\.
      /`/\>/`           `\`\ `\`~~~~~~~~~~~\ / ~~~~~   )^\,\,      '~~~~~
     `~~~~~`             '~~~~~`            `          ~~~~~~

==========================
XENA: THE MEDIA REVIEW #22
==========================
A Homicidal Insomniac Publication
http://xenafan.com/xmr
c/o RIF BBS, P.O. Box 81181, Bakersfield, CA 93308
RIF BBS (805) 588-9349  [24hrs, 14.4bps, free]

Xena Media Review (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. Copyright,
legal, and editorial notices are found at the end of
this newsletter.

Issue No. 22
Release date: July 14, 1997
Covering 06/01/96 - 06/15/96
Annotations 311 to 335


FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: 
   The Times They Are A- Changin '
FROM THE EDITOR: 
   Who Am I, and Why Am Taking Up Kym's Space?
   A Housekeeping Note
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT:
   Report on XWP Activities in Australia
   by Mary  Draganis  ( kira @ zip.com.au )
USING XWP TO WARD OFF BILL COLLECTORS
   by Dyann  Esparza  (geekgrrl@ ix.netcom.com )
 TIMELINE 

AMENDED ANNOTATIONS
[43.6] 09-16-95. TV GUIDE. Fall Preview Issue. 
[ 305b ] 06-09-96. TAMPA TRIBUNE. Wonder Woman comparison
[ 305c ] 06-05-96. THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT (Norfolk, VA). 

ANNOTATIONS
[311] *** 06-01-96. CRACKED MONSTER PARTY. Parody
[312] *** 06-01-96. SPECTRUM. Vol. 1 No. 6.  Epguide 
[313] *** 06-02-96. SATELLITE TV WEEK.  Tapert  interview
[314] *** 06-03-96. DEATH MASK aired. 
[315] 06-03-97. BROADCASTING & CABLE.  Barbarella 
[316] ** 06-04-96. FEMINIST SF, FANTASY & UTOPIA. 
[317] 06-05-96. THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. Passing mention
[318] 06-05-96 to 06-10-96.  Schwab  leaves MCA
[319] 06-06-96 to 06-27-96. Production charts
[320] * 06-06-96. THE EVENING POST. XWP on  NZ  TV
[321] *** 06-07-96. XENA MEDIA REVIEW. No. 10. US!!!
[322] * 06-07-96. THE TORONTO STAR. Interesting mention
[323] 06-07-96 to 06-10-96.  CALLISTO  ratings.
[324] 06-07-96 to 06-10-96. MCA's black Thursday. 
[325] 06-09-96. BUFFALO NEWS. Mention
[326] * 06-09-96. TAMPA TRIBUNE.  Dissing  the Princess!
[327] 06-10-96. VARIETY. MCA woes
[328] 06-10-96. THE PRODIGAL aired
[329] 06-12-96. INSIDE MEDIA.  Baywatch  Nights
[330] 06-14-96. XENA MEDIA REVIEW. No. 11. US!!!
[331] 06-14-96 to 06-17-96. FISTFUL OF DINARS ratings
[332] ** 06-14-96. MOGUL  website .  Promo  for XWP in  NZ 
[333] 06-14-96. THE OTTAWA CITIZEN. Global TV schedule
[334] * 06-14-96. ORLANDO SENTINEL.  Website  promotion
[335] *** 06-15-96. MCA Xena  Website . Joseph  LoDuca 

THE BACK PAGE
   Xena Media Review Staff
   Back Issues
   This Week in Xena News
   Reprint Policy
   Solicitations for Future Newsletters
   Disclaimer


========================
FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
========================

The Times They Are A- Changin '
----------------------------

XENA MEDIA REVIEW (XMR) #21 was released January 23,
1997. Almost six months later, lo and behold!, we have
XMR #22. What can I say, other than "Oops?" Or how
about, "My, my, time sure does fly!". Apparently the
Burbank Convention in January 1997 sucked more out of
me than I could have imagined at that time. But, like
any bad cold, I am back and with a vengeance. I have
given myself a promotion! I am now the editor-in-chief.
Hopefully that means a larger expense account and
longer vacations. I have taken on a staff of eager
 Xenaholics  who hopefully will do a better job at
punctuality than the previous staff (which were
affectionately known as me, myself, and I).   

To replace "me", I have secured the time of Diane
Silver and Maria Erb as co-editors. Diane will edit the
even numbered issues and Maria will wrangle with the
odd ones. To replace "myself", I have enlisted the help
of Barbara, known affectionately in  cyberspace  as
 Xenatwo . I would NEVER think of commenting upon
originality of aliases at a time like this, of course,
especially when  Xenatwo  has volunteered to be in charge
of the circulation department of XMR. To replace "I",
Lydia Woods has graciously consented to be my "personal
assistant." If Rob  Tapert  can have one, heck, WHY NOT
ME? 

While these ladies are running amuck and working on
their pre-ulcers every other Monday, I will be the
editor-in-chief, who will sit back and read whatever
magically appears in my mailbox. I think I am going to
love this job!

Kym Taborn
Editor-in-Chief
July 11, 1997
Bakersfield, CA


===============
FROM THE EDITOR
===============

Who Am I, and Why Am Taking Up Kym's Space?
-------------------------------------------

I'll admit it. When Kym asked me to co-edit XMR, I was
surprised. I could think of few things that qualified
me for the job. I am a rabid Xenite. (Them's the
dangerous kind. Don't let one bite you.) I have had a
life-long fascination with media and have, I admit,
even worked in the filthy profession as a reporter,
editor and PR flack. However, I don't have Kym's wit.
I'm not at all certain I'm as smart as she is, and I
certainly do not have her encyclopedic knowledge of XWP
and Xena media.

Despite all that, I realized one important fact: Kym
has created something quite wonderful in XMR. (You may 
blush now, Kym.) Something that wonderful has to
continue even if its founder is a bit worn out.  Not
only does this little e-mail  beastie  keep us informed
about Xena media, but perhaps more importantly, it
allows us to examine the spread of a world-wide
cultural phenomenon. Doubt that XWP is that important?
Yes, I know I'm biased about this, but think about it
for a moment.

In creating the characters of Xena, and Gabrielle,
Renaissance Pictures has given the world an archetype
that people were anxious to see. (We can postpone until
later debating whether this was  RP 's intention. Another
debate to put off is whether this is a new archetype or
the resurrection of a long-buried one.)

These strong and unapologetic characters have shattered
the stereotype of the weak, vulnerable female. Even in
the short time XMR has been following the story, XMR
has documented the incredible speed with which this new
archetype has permeated our culture. In a brief period,
the show went from being an unknown, under-promoted
syndicated show with an unknown star to being a part of
our daily language. This appears to be true even for
people who have never seen the show.

For example, XMR has found references to the
characters, particularly Xena, in the most unlikely
places -- babies being named "Xena," sports announcers
using the name "Xena" as shorthand to describe
invincibility and toughness. I suppose you could argue
that BIONIC WOMAN and WONDER WOMAN tread this path
before, but as many fans have noted, these two
characters never displayed the cockiness or the power
of Xena or Gabrielle. 

The show does more than smash stereotypes about women.
By focusing on Xena's quest for atonement and
Gabrielle's code, XWP remakes the archetype of the hero
in our culture.

Can you imagine Arnold  Schwarzenegger  or Sylvester
 Stallone  with tears running down their cheeks,
confessing to a past massacre as Xena did in  CALLISTO 
(#22)? Similarly, I cannot imagine either actor playing
characters who suffered guilty about killing someone,
particularly about killing the villain as Xena does in
INTIMATE STRANGER (#31). Among the many other episodes
that explore Xena's feelings of guilt are DESTINY (#36)
and REMEMBER NOTHING (#26). Certainly, the old hero
never displayed grief. For example,  Keanu  Reeves'
character never grieves his friend who is murdered at
the beginning of SPEED. To see raw grief in XWP, you
only have to look to THE GREATER GOOD (#21), IS THERE A
DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE? (#24) and THE QUEST (#37). 

XMR also has another important role to play. So far we
have not been able to cover this, but future issues
will explore another new Xena-related phenomenon -- the
online XWP community. We hope to run reviews of web
sites and other online arenas. My personal area of
interest is in examining life online.

In the next year, I hope to bring you articles and
editorials on a wide range of questions. How does being
active in online  Xenadom  change people's attitudes?
Does it change their attitudes? How has the involvement
of  XenaStaff  affected the online experience? Do
production staff have a place online, or do they
disrupt the flow of fan communication? Are there
recurring themes in the topics discussed and fan
reactions online? If so, what are they, and why might
they occur?

Kym and I are also preparing a history of online
 Xenadom . We have decided to move this to WHOOSH. With
any luck, the first installment will appear within
several months.

I never did tell you who I am, did I? I am a plump,
short, 45-year-old who lives in Kansas with my
11-year-old son. He thinks my Xena obsession is a sign
of insanity. We have a black  labrador /retriever mix
named Midnight, who thinks it's her job to snuggle
against whatever human body part is available. We have
two cats named Charlie and  Ernestine , who have far too
much attitude. I have been active in Xena fandom since
the end of the first season. I suppose my greatest
claims to fan fame are attending the first Xena
convention in Burbank and writing THE  FAQ  FOR  SUBTEXT 
FANS AND THE LOYAL OPPOSITION. Like Kym, Rob  Tapert  and
Sam  Raimi , I grew up in Michigan, and I do believe
there is a Michigan conspiracy to take over the world. 
I know I'm trying to do my part. 

A Housekeeping Note
-------------------

As you might have noticed, neither Kym, Maria Erb, nor
I are shy about our opinions. At times, we will all
comment on an article being reviewed. To tell who's
who, just look at the end of a paragraph for the [KT]
for Kym's comments, [ME] for Maria's, and the [DS] for
my comments. 

Diane Silver
Co-editor
Lawrence, Kansas
July 11, 1997 


=========================
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT
=========================
Report on XWP Activities in Australia
by Correspondent Mary  Draganis 
( kira @ zip.com.au )
 
Australia - Xena Fandom - The Power, The Passion, The
Ignored 
 
"The Power"
"The Passion"
"Able to Leap Tall Barbarians In a Single Bound"
 
You haven't heard those words at the start of a Xena
episode? No, you haven't missed anything. This is how
an announcer tells us about the upcoming episode of 
Xena. It sounds so stupid I cringe every time I hear 
it. This show isn't taken seriously at all in 
Australia. 
 
XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS commenced here in the middle of 
December 1996 which traditionally is reserved for shows
that don't rate. It's called our silly season. HERCULES
had been  on and getting average ratings and Xena
replaced the show. Publicity for XWP was nearly
non-existent. We had a cover shot on a TV magazine
called NOW. The cover shot was good and  inside the
writer gave the show a four-star (excellent) rating. He
described it as "a  ripsnorter " 

Nine episodes of the show were screened. Out of order
and edited. The reason I know they were edited is
because I have a copy of the episode THE RECKONING from
the US and a copy of the episode that screened here.
The Aussie version had 10 minutes cut from it. The
edited bits were Xena getting bashed by the farmer and
close ups of Xena and Gabrielle going into a commercial
break. There could be more but those were the ones I
noticed. This isn't unusual for Australian television.

In February 1997 the show was pulled off air. The
reasons that were given were varied. We still don't
know why the show was pulled. 
 
Lucy Lawless was to appear on a new show which started
on the  18th  January 1997 called HOLIDAY, an Australian
version of a show she filmed in New Zealand before she
did XWP. Apparently, Australian TV intended to use
footage of Ms. Lawless from the old NZ show. Notice I
used  the term "was". The Lawless segments were pulled
due to legal action by Ms. Lawless. The TV station was
trying to cash in on her popularity as Xena to bolster
their own show. That didn't work.

Almost immediately afterward, XWP was pulled from the
air in Australia. I'm not saying the dispute over the
travel show had anything to do with it, but can this
really be a coincidence? However, June 28, 1997 was a
red letter day for Aussie Xenites. The show came back!
All the letters, emails and calls to Channel 10 worked.
Now all we have to do is wait for the ratings to
arrive. There isn't any publicity, of note, but we are
all hopeful that the Aussie Xenite population will
grow.

Regarding the usual Xena memorabilia, the books are 
very hard to  find. The action figures are not
available in local toy stores unless you go to a
speciality SCI-FI shop that sells these at an inflated
prices. 
 
Fans here get the rough end of the pineapple in regard
to books, magazines and other stuff that is pretty
inexpensive in the US. The publicity is hard to find. I
think SEAQUEST DSV got more publicity that XENA:
WARRIOR PRINCESS, which is such a shame.
 
I think that this show will develop a cult following
because Australians like a show with spirit. Aussies
like stories about heroes with dark pasts and
struggling to defeat inner demons.
 
Given time and publicity more people will know about
it, but time will tell if XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS gets a
faithful following in Australia. But for this Xenite,
the lack of publicity doesn't matter.  What matters is
that the show stays on the air.

Battle on Xenites.


=====================================
USING XWP TO WARD OFF BILL COLLECTORS
=====================================
By Dyann Esparza (geekgrrl@ix.netcom.com

Creditors got you down? Try a few of these next time
they call your house.

"Your bill is late"

1. Xena used it to clean her sword.
2. Gabrielle used it for a scroll.
3. Xena used Gabrielle's scroll as...
4. Argo ate it.
5. It was sent via Joxer messenger service.
6. Callisto was supposed  to mail it (was not) were too
(was not) were too (was not) were too...I didn't do
anything, she did it (did not) did too (did not) did
too  ----ear piercing shriek here------
7. The gods are angry.
8. I lost it in the  dreamscape  when I was dead.
9. I'm waiting for the ambrosia to arrive because YOU
CAN'T COLLECT FROM A GOD!  Bwahahahahahaha 

I have found that any one of these will suffice to at
least ending the conversation. The Callisto scream, if
you can either imitate it really well or have a copy,
tends to result in there being a dial tone before you
finish. As with many other XWS inspired stuff -- this
is not in any way an endorsement for irresponsible bill
paying behavior.



========
TIMELINE
========

06/03/96  23   Death Mask
06/10/96  18R  The Prodigal



===================
AMENDED ANNOTATIONS
===================

[43.6]  09-16-95  
   TV GUIDE. Fall Preview Issue. 62 words. "Xena:
Warrior Princess" By TV Guide Staff.
   COMMENTARY: Here it is, the historic first mention
of XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS in the hallowed pages of the
TV GUIDE. Calling Xena "Her- cules ", the article
jokingly welcomes Xena to regular broadcast TV. The
article incorrectly refers to Xena as an Amazon. 
   REPRINT:
   XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS (debuted Sept. 4)
   "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" is a syndicated
success, so a spinoff series starring a *her*- cules 
must have seemed like a natural. Statuesque Lucy
Lawless portrays Xena, who was introduced in several
"Hercules" episodes last season. The  amazin ' Amazon
gets mixed up with monsters and mythology in this hour
adventure filmed in the actress's native New Zealand.


[ 305b ] 06-09-96
   THE TAMPA TRIBUNE. Television. Page 7. 1037 words.
"Some TV shows, movies don't deserve to be in reruns"
By Larry  Bonko 
   COMMENTARY: In a May sweeps month review, Mr.  Bonko 
gave his choices for "examples of the best, worst,
least and most of the past season". He mentioned XWP
with "Worst impression of Wonder Woman: Xena, the
Warrior Princess."
   EXCERPT:
   The May sweeps have come and gone, bringing with
them the end of the 1995-96 network prime time season. 
   Hello, reruns.
   We saw the  goofus  trio on "Melrose Place" - Amanda,
Peter and Michael - rescued from triple lobotomies
planned by Kimberly when she was her evil alter ego,
Betsy.
   We saw Carter on "ER" graduate from intern to
doctor, but he missed getting his diploma because he
was sitting with a sick kid. We saw Dan on " Roseanne "
survive a coronary.  
   There was much more.
   Summing up, here are some examples of the best,
worst, least and most of the past season....
   ...Worst impression of Wonder Woman: Xena, the
Warrior Princess...


[ 305c ] 06-05-96
   THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT (Norfolk, VA). Daily Break. Page
 E2 . 512 words. "'Homicide' Tops the List of TV Critics'
Favorites: By Larry Bonko.
   COMMENTARY: Reporting on the ELECTRONIC MEDIA's poll
of TV critics, Mr. Bonko stated that the critics voted
XWP as the 2nd highest show "that people watch
religiously but are shamed to admit it".
   A segment of the XWP audience is somewhat
embarrassed when they admit that they watch the show
religiously (a guilty pleasure, perhaps?). Why is this
so? (1)  Misperceptions  of the non-watching audience
(kids show, T&A show, etc); (2)  Misperceptions  of the
producers ("knuckled-headed show"); or (3)
 Misperceptions  of the audience (action, subtext, humor,
costume -- the diversity of the audience and its
inability to agree upon what they are watching). [KT]   
   Text same as  XMR305b .


===========
ANNOTATIONS
===========

[311] 06-01-96
   CRACKED MONSTER PARTY. Page 44. --- words. "Eczema:
Wearisome Princess" Written by Greg  Grabianski . Art by
Walter J Brogan.
   Commentary: Calling it puerile, scatological and
offensive would be too light an indictment for the very
first mainstream parody of XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS. 
   The primary joke was various characters attempting
to look up Eczema's (Xena's) skirt (7 separate jokes
alone!).  Blabriella  (Gabrielle) was drawn wearing
Xena's chakram as a hat, as Gabrielle did in THE BLACK
WOLF (#11). 
   Characterizing Eczema as solely motivated by the
opportunity to chop up and skewer men, the satire was
based primarily on the episode CRADLE OF HOPE (#04). 
It was revealed that Eczema's decision to become a
warlord was based in part on her experience at a little
boy's birthday party when she was 5 years old. "I ate
my slice of birthday cake really fast. I wanted more.
So I took away a little boy's piece. The wimp started
crying and his parents yelled at me for being so
greedy. I vowed never to be pushed around by anyone
again -- ever! So I slaughtered everyone at the party
and ate the whole cake myself!" 
   I was struck in afterthought by how similar in
sentiment this humorous flashback was to the later
revealed scene in DESTINY (#36) where it is disclosed
that Xena became the "Destroyer of Nations" over a
disappointing encounter with Julius Caesar.
   "Xena! Hot Warrior Babe!" on the cover with a drawn
likeness of Lucy Lawless as Xena. [KT]
   REPRINT:
[sent out for transcription]


[312] 06-01-96
   SPECTRUM. Vol. 1 No. 6. Page 22. "Xena: Warrior
Princess (Part 2)"
   Transcribed by Stacy Van  Stipdonk .
   COMMENTARY: This is a continuation of the episode
guide began in the previous issue ( XMR260 ), covering
episodes 11 through 22 (but does not include DEATH MASK
#23 and IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE #24; they are
reviewed in SPECTRUM #8, August 1996). Part two of two
parts (but in reality turned out to be three parts), it
discussed each episode separately and included
commentary about mythology and provided the disclaimers
when used. [--KT]
   The mythology and history sections are absolutely
superb. These sections provide the information needed
without snowing the reader under with detail and even
provide helpful footnotes. However, I felt like drawing
my sword when I read this comment: "Should viewers be
annoyed at the anachronisms and lack of a consistent
time frame for Xena? Of course not. If the show were
presenting itself as a serious, dramatic work of art,
some explanations should be in order." In the strictest
sense, I suppose these folks are right in that XWP does
not present itself as serious art, yet I feel that it
often transcends its genre and often gives us a hard
look at the inside of the human soul. Perhaps the
problem SPECTRUM is having is in realizing that a show
with swords, monsters and jokes can be more than it
seems on the surface. 
   Even though I disagreed with some of their
assessments of the episodes, I also found myself
standing up and cheering for other comments. In
discussing THE ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF PERFORMING BARDS
(#113), for example, the episode guide gives what is
probably the best description I've ever seen of XWP's
relationship to myth and history and it's impact on the
show. The guide notes that "anachronism runs amuck in
this goofy-yet highly entertaining episode." I also
can't argue with their praise of Lucy Lawless'
performance in WARRIOR...PRINCESS (#15). [DS]
   The article begins with a brief explanation that
this is the second part of a season guide. As mentioned
above, they did not realize that there were two more
shows in the season. The usual season was 22 episodes
but XWP stuck on two at the end of the season in the
summer of '96. These last two shows were reviewed in
the August issue of SPECTRUM.
   They then reminded the reader that their reviews
were calculated not to be extensive or exhaustive (not
like **some** journals or magazines) but "preliminary
sketches to give the interested student a direction for
further study". And did WE ever use it for further
study! The SPECTRUM articles still represent the most
extensive information available on XWP episodes to the
public outside of the  internet . 
   11. THE BLACK WOLF
   The synopsis picks up on the ninja influence of the
Black Wolf followers. 
   This was not a favorite of the reviewer, calling it
"a boring mystery". He was taken, though, with
Salmoneus (like, who isn't?). His favorite scene
contains the embroidery and "many skills" dialogue. 
   There were no mythological notes.
   12. BEWARE GREEKS BEARING GIFTS
   The mythology notes give a brief summary of the
Trojan War.
   The reviewer was delighted by the twists in the
mythological narrative in this episode (which is a XWP
technique used throughout the show's history) and was
mildly shocked by the violence. He also realized that
Perdicas had changed actors (very good!). 
   13. ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING BARDS
   The mythology notes combined with the history notes
to celebrate ATHEN's wacky approach to time. Almost
everyone at the Academy was of a different era, not to
mention Homer reciting a story of a slave revolt
possibly a thousand years into his future. 
   The reviewer also noted that different Hercules were
talked about (Steve Reeves, Kevin Sorbo) and that
Euripides was mercilessly skewered. Also, the reviewer
was quite taken by the character, Stallonas.
   The end credits acknowledging Stanley Kubrick, Kirk
Douglas, and Steve Reeves was reprinted at the end of
the annotation.
   14. A FISTFUL OF DINARS
   The reviewer called the Sumerian treasure the
"Cimmerian" treasure. Well, what do you think? Was it
the Sumerians or the Cimmerians who had the treasure?
Are we talking ancient history or Conan the Barbarian?
It could easily go either way! Looking at the script,
it is spelled the Sumerian Treasure. But then, Janice
Covington's name was spelled "Janis" in the script, but
is now officially "Janice". So, what is Truth?
   The mythology notes discussed Thersites.
   Making the Eastwood connection, the reviewer argued
that FISTFUL was more an homage to THE GOOD, THE BAD,
AND THE UGLY than A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. As a true
tangent, I found FISTFUL the first XWP episode to
capture the big budget adventure feel of an Indiana
Jones film, which, of course, would be given its own
direct homage in THE XENA SCROLLS (#34) and ROYAL
COUPLE OF THIEVES (#17).
   The reviewer made an interesting comment, "By the
fourth season, though, we wonder how many former
fiances and former lovers Xena is going to have
encountered?" This is a thought which no doubt will be
pondered by all viewers as long as the show is in
existence. 
   15. WARRIOR ... PRINCESS
   The synopsis was straightforward and the mythology
notes "noted" that "Although Diana, Philemon, and
Bromius are names from ancient myths, none of those
characters relate (as far as we could tell) to the
characters in this episode." Which should not be a
surprise. Remember, even in ATHENS CITY ACADEMY, Homer
suggested "Draco" as his new name. This implies that
XWP accepts that not everyone who shares a name with a
well-known mythological or historic name represents the
same.
   The commentary (excerpted in whole below, with all
the others as is customary in XMR) dwelt upon the
reviewer's esteem of Lucy Lawless as an actress,
comparing her to David Duchovny, of all people, calling
her performance "a joy to watch" [Actually, it is not
that surprising that the name Duchovny would rear its
head in SPECTRUM. SPECTRUM is very entrenched in
covering the X-FILES.] Then, the reviewer jumped on the
writers for such a "contrived scenario". And this is
news? The entire show IS a contrived scenario. We all
know by now that the History Channel or PBS will most
likely not be bidding on XWP syndication rights any
time soon. The main point of the reviewer's annoyance
is that Xena sends Diana OUT of the castle knowing that
Diana is helpless and that there are many young
gunslingers out there wanting to make their reputation
by being the one who takes down Xena. The reviewer is
so miffed by this plot device, that he even suggests an
alternative one!!! This shows how extended XWP watching
can even make innocent bystanders become obsessed with
making the show "better".
   16. MORTAL BELOVED
   After a perfunctory synopsis with some fun quotes,
the mythology notes dwell upon the concept of "The
Underworld" in ancient times.
   In the comments section, the reviewer discussed the
enjoyment of having several earlier episodes alluded to
in the episode, mainly Marcus from THE PATH NOT TAKEN
(#05) and Toxeus from DEATH IN CHAINS (#09). This will
become a hallmark of XWP, the way which the writers are
able to create a sense of a long continuous story arc
without surrendering the self-containment of each
episode. STAR TREK never was able to master it and
BABYLON 5 could not pull it off gracefully, but XWP
seems to have found the perfect balance between the
stand-alone episode and the sweeping character and plot
developments that are only possible over many episodes
and seasons. 
   17. THE ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES
   The mythology note concerned itself briefly with
Autolycus.
   The reviewer was completely taken by Bruce
Campbell's performance and character of Autolycus. He
also noted that it is a Gabrielle-lite episode.
   Commenting upon the obvious RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
homage, the reviewer gave a quick historical review of
the Ark of the Covenant.
   An interesting thing about this commentary, was that
the reviewer made a realization that he liked the music
better on XENA than HERCULES even though it was written
by the same composer, Joseph LoDuca. Again, the
reviewer is falling into the depths of Xenafan-itis
where slowly the fan starts seeing that XWP is superior
to HTLJ even though made by essentially the same
producers and crew, written by many of the same people,
and uses the same pool of actors and actresses.
   18. THE PRODIGAL
   The mythology notes discussed Meleager who was one
of the Argonauts. 
   The reviewer exalted in Renee O'Connor's range in
this episode, from her broad send-up of Claudette
Colbert in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT to Gabrielle's
reaction to Meleager's irresponsibility, yet bemoaned
the "unimaginative script" because of its lack of "an
inventive twist". He also was confused about the use of
the word prodigal in the title.
   19. ALTARED STATES
   The mythology note briefly identified Hestia as the
goddess of the hearth and symbol of the home.
   The reviewer raved about the content of this
episode. Writing a rather lengthy explication of why he
felt the show presented a credible debate on the topic
of "Is faith...essentially guided by rationalism? Or is
it essentially driven by ' arationalism '", the reviewer
found the time to compare the episode favorably with
X-FILES, which the reviewer obviously held in high
esteem.
   20. TIES THAT BIND
   The mythology notes mentioned Ares and Atreus
(although it is Atrius in the show).
   The reviewer called TIES a "major shaggy dog story".
Who am I to challenge that?
   21. THE GREATER GOOD
   No mythology notes.
   The reviewer called THE GREATER GOOD, Robert
Trebor's best episode and exclaimed that after this
episode, Gabrielle's sister would not be able to beat
her up! 
   22. CALLISTO
   The mythology note covered the oracle at Delphi and
the myth of Callisto. 
   The reviewer at the time of the review's writing
believed the season to be over with CALLISTO. He was
wrong, and the season was concluded with reviews of the
last two shows (DEATH MASK and IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE
HOUSE) in SPECTRUM #8 (August 1996).
   The reviewer was taken with the concept of the
episode but disappointed by the execution of it. Turns
out that he found the character Callisto to be too
crazy and too insane to be an effective villain, and
found the elaborate ladder trap to be too 1960's
Batman-esque. He also had difficulty in the casting of
Callisto. 
   Interesting enough the review only mentioned Joxer
in the cast listing.
   The text of the article ended with the words, "In
its first year, Xena has proved to be an immensely
entertaining series. Recent publicity should create an
even larger audience. (In January, Xena and Hercules
made the cover of TV Guide, and Lucy Lawless was David
Letterman's guest on the April 9 episode of the Late
Show.) We look forward to the second season."
   The article contained the following bibliography:
"Edith Hamilton, Mythology (Mentor, 1969); W.L. Reese,
Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion (Humanities
Press, 1980);  W.H.D.  Rouse, Gods, Heroes and Men of
Ancient Greece (Signet, 1957);  J.E.  Zimmerman,
Dictionary of Classical Mythology (Bantam, 1964)". [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...GRAPHIC: Full page picture of Xena carrying a
torch on Argo's back...
   ...11. THE BLACK WOLF...
   ...COMMENTS: "The Black Wolf" is not one of the
better episodes. It's completely predictable, except
maybe the identity of the Black Wolf-a boring mystery
in any event. (Why should it matter to the viewer which
prisoner it is?  We don't know any of them anyway.)
   However, there are fun moments scattered throughout,
most of them provided by Salmoneus.  His attempt to
sell Gabrielle a "wolfpack" (a Black Wolf bag) and
other "souvenirs," and her attempt to get arrested, is
amusing.  Her hiding Xena's chakram in her headgear is
a clever bit.  But probably our favorite scene has this
dialogue in the dungeon:
   Flora: "Xena taught me to swing a sword-and
embroider a linen for my wedding chest."
   Other prisoner(to Xena):  "You embroider?" 
   Xena:  "I have many skills."
   Once again we see Xena's hands of steel. At one
point she gets thrown into a pit and grabs hold of a
lunging sword by the blade in order to extricate
herself. Ouch!
   12. BEWARE GREEKS BEARING GIFTS...
   ...COMMENTS: It helps viewers to know the Trojan War
backstory -- which, one would think, most should, but
these days, that's probably not a safe assumption. 
Perhaps the most amusing mythology switch is having
Xena and Gabrielle hiding inside the giant horse as
it's pulled back out of the city!
   Deiphobus's end fight with Xena is fairly violent. 
She gets viciously kicked and hit -- and Lawless's
effective acting makes the punches seem even more
forceful.  Xena wins the battle, of course, but the
scene is still a little unsettling. 
   This Perdicas is different from one in the first
episode -- not just a different actor, but a different
identity and personality.  He hardly fits the "dull,
stupid" description Gabrielle offered in "Sins of the
Past.'...
   GRAPHIC: Picture of Xena with a staff in fighting
pose.
   13. ATHENS CITY ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING BARDS...
   ...COMMENTS: Apparently Lucy Lawless got a week off
-- outside of clips from other episodes, she's in only
a few minutes of this episode.  For this weird episode,
the various tales of the storytellers are presented as
film clips -- 1960s Hercules films, Spartacus, and of
course earlier episodes of Xena.  Here's a trivia
question for the future -- what do acclaimed director
Stanley Kubrick and Xena have in common?
   In-jokes can be found throughout this episode, such
as having both Stallonas and Gabrielle tell Hercules
stories -- but they are different Hercules!  (One is
from the films, while the other is from the current
television series.)  Another joke is in the name of
Stallonas, who throws himself about as he acts out his
adventure-filled tales.  He omits the character
analysis in his stories and has just action -- no doubt
a reference to Sylvester Stallone's movies.
   The best material, however, is reserved for
Euripides, whose oblique dialogue manages to obscure
all of his communication amidst too many words and too
ornate phrases.  For instance, when Gabrielle
criticizes a story by Stallonas for having no point or
moral, and saying that she always tries to have one for
her stories, Euripides responds, "Even if you twist the
Muse's melodious song of truth into a deceptive siren's
call?"  Gabrielle: "Do you always talk like that?"
   Should viewers be annoyed at the anachronisms and
lack of a consistent time frame for Xena?  Of course
not.  If the show were presenting itself as a serious,
dramatic work of art, some explanations should be in
order.  But Xena is a (more-or-less) light-hearted
action/adventure series.  Demanding a rationale for the
time manipulation is like questioning Superman's
ability to fly or, for that matter, Xena's own
"superpowers" of gravity-defying leaps and hands able
to grasp the blades of swords without injury....
   ...14. A FISTFUL OF DINARS...
   ...COMMENTS: "A Fistful of Dinars" is an enjoyable
episode.  Although the title refers to the Clint
Eastwood film Fistful of Dollars, the episode has more
in common with another "spaghetti western," The Good,
the Bad, and the Ugly.  Both stories have several
characters searching for treasure, each with only a
piece of the total clue.  And in this episode we have
the good (Xena, Gabrielle), the "bad" (Petracles), and
the ugly (Thersites).
   We also get more background information on Xena,
which is always good.  (By the fourth season, though,
we wonder how many former fiancees and former lovers
Xena is going to have encountered?)
   This story has an ironic twist.  Xena has changed
but can't believe that Petracles has (or perhaps is
even capable of it).  Gabrielle turns out to have a
better insight into character than Xena, although the
viewer isn't sure until the end....
   GRAPHIC: Picture of Gabrielle sitting and holding a
cup.
   15. WARRIOR ... PRINCESS...
   ...GRAPHIC: Picture of Diana from Warrior Princess
episode. Caption: Xena's "remarkably coincidental
identical twin Diana"...
   ...COMMENTS: This episode presents a perfect
showcase to establish just how good of an actress Lucy
Lawless is, presenting her with two dramatically
different characters and having her portray both.  What
sets Lawless's performance apart is the subtle
personality quirks she gives to separate Xena from
Xena-as-Diana.  Obviously the script provides a
foundation, but Lawless excels at the slightly raised
eyebrow, the barely noticeable smirk, the expressive
eyes -- all of which contribute to distinguishing the
two characters.  Lawless may have as expressive a face
as any actor at conveying mood and personality -- not
the annoying, cartoony expressions of Jim Carrey, but
the more subtle expressions (reminiscent of, say, David
Duchovny) that can project a depth of character much
more effectively.  When combined with overall body
language Lawless gives the two characters, the
performance is a joy to watch.
   To arrive at a place where such a performance was
permitted, however, the writers had to create a
completely contrived scenario.  The Xena/Diana
look-alike is forgivable, and having Xena stand in for
the princess makes a little sense.  But why send Diana
out of the castle?  Isn't there anywhere she could be
secured?  Even granting that Diana must be removed, why
have her go dressed as Xena, a woman well-known
throughout the land?  Moreover, Xena has numerous
enemies from her previous adventures all too willing to
take revenge.  Dressing Diana as Xena should be
expected to have dangerous consequences -- and almost
does.  Fortunately, Gabrielle's training by the Amazons
allows her to ward off the one attacker.  A wiser
choice would have been to have a disguised Diana check
into a local inn and wait out the two-day period.   
   We're not informed enough about England's Princess
Di to know whether there is supposed to be some sort of
in-joke about the name of the princess in this episode. 
But we wouldn't rule it out...
   ...16. MORTAL BELOVED...
   ...COMMENTS: "Mortal Beloved" draws not only from
numerous mythological elements, but from earlier
episodes of Xena, too.  Although this episode is
self-contained, it adds to the viewer's enjoyment to
have seen "The Path Not Taken," in which Marcus (Xena's
former lover) is introduced -- and later killed
shielding Princess Jana of  Boeotia  from an evil arms
dealer,  Mezentius .  And in "Death in Chains"
(ironically), Xena kills Toxeus but he later comes back
to life when King Sisyphus entraps Death.  Now in
"Mortal Beloved," Xena encounters him once again!
(Although here,  Atyminius  disposes of him.)
   All in all, this is a solid episode-enjoyable,
though not particularly outstanding.  One treat is a
couple of brief cameos by Michael  Hurst , who plays
Iolaus on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.  Here, he
plays the old ferryman Charon and has some amusing
banter with Xena.  At one point, as he's taking Xena
and Marcus across the river, he notes, "Keep your hands
inside the boat.  Now looking to the left, you will see
the Caves of Despair.  And just coming up ahead on the
right, you will see the Hanging Gardens of Disgusting
Diseases."...
   GRAPHIC: Picture of Michael Hurst as Charon.
Caption: Michael Hurst as Charon. 
   17. THE ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES...
   ...GRAPHIC: Picture of Xena and Autolycus. Caption:
Xena and Autolycus (Bruce Campbell) from "The Royal
Couple of Thieves"...
   ...COMMENTS: Bruce Campbell turns in a great
performance as the arrogant, whimsical thief Autolycus. 
The character previously appeared in the second-season
premiere of Hercules -- in fact, numerous references
are made to Hercules throughout the episode.  Campbell
has many great lines -- to list them here would be to
transcribe virtually the entire episode. 
Interestingly, Gabrielle -- who usually provides the
humor -- is mostly absent from this episode.  Perhaps
the producers didn't want the two humorous characters
competing for the audience's attention.
   By the time the real Sinteres arrives on the scene,
the jokes diminish, and the plot becomes rather
convoluted.  And the Xena/Sinteres fight scene is a
strange combination of humor and violence, as the two
characters attack each other using their deadly
"pressure points" technique.
   The finale is a rather obvious swipe from Raiders of
the Lost Ark.  There, like here, the Ark of the
Covenant is given bizarre mystical powers. (The Ark, of
course, was the golden chest containing the two Ten
Commandment tablets, some manna, and the rod of Aaron. 
There were times -- see 1 Sam. 4:3 -- during military
defeat that the Israelites would attempt to use the Ark
as a kind of magical force in and of itself, thereby
missing the whole point of the object.)
   Even taken within the context of the Xena episode,
the Ark is a muddled affair.  Apparently Malthus knew
what was in the chest, yet he didn't fear it -- he must
have believed he "faced" the truth.  If that were the
case, why didn't he return the stolen object to its
owners?  One might argue that Malthus did, indeed,
"turn away from truth" and received the penalty of
death.  Yet if that were the case, why did he feel safe
(whether he possessed the chest or not)?  We can only
guess that he disbelieved the warning and decided to
make some money off the item.  But this undercuts much
of the impact of the story.
   In fact, the plot has numerous kinks.  Better to
ignore them and enjoy this episode as a string of
amusing incidents punctuated by extremely clever
dialogue.
   One final note.  The music by Joseph LoDuca, always
good, stood out even more in this episode as being
extremely effective.  For instance, as Xena, Gabrielle,
and Autolycus approach the chest at the end, LoDuca
introduces a Gospel choir element that complements the
visuals perfectly.  Several other scenes work just as
well.  LoDuca's work impresses us weekly but we haven't
mentioned it until now.  (He also scores the Hercules
series, and although it's essentially the same type of
music, for some reason we enjoy his compositions for
Xena more.)...
   ...GRAPHIC: Three pictures of Xena and Autolycus
from "The Royal Couple of Thieves". Captions: #1&#2
Autolycus (disguised as Sinteres) and his "concubine"
(Xena); #3. Bruce Campbell as Autolycus.
   18. THE PRODIGAL...
   ...GRAPHIC: Picture of Gabrielle from "The
Prodigal". Caption: Gabrielle tries to attract
attention while hitchhiking...
   COMMENTS: "The Prodigal" is a showcase for Renee
O'Connor's abilities as an actress, able to portray
equally well both dramatic and comedic scenes.  Her
attempts to attract attention to passing drivers during
her hitchhiking home stands as one of her most
memorable scenes of the series.  Later, her disgust
with the drunken, irresponsible Meleager -- and her
upbraiding of him -- is moving and believable.
   It's too bad that such a performance is squandered
on an unimaginative script.  Her early doubts about her
courage doesn't ring true for a moment, and the
schmaltzy scenes with her sister are almost unwatchable
because of the writing.  Moreover, the whole plot is
completely generic.  Sure, Xena raids old stories every
week, but usually it adds an inventive twist that makes
them fun.  No such cleverness occurs this time.
   Still, O'Connor shines, as does Tim Thomerson as the
aging warrior.  Speaking of which -- Meleager does
present an amusing parody of the hard drinking,
grizzled mercenary who can still fight with the best. 
Meleager, of course, can't hold his liquor and is
constantly passing out drunk.
   The title of this episode, by the way, doesn't make
much sense.  Many people think that a "prodigal" means
a person who returns home after a period of time
(perhaps after some dramatic failure).  This is
incorrect.  It refers to reckless, wasteful
extravagance.  Remember that in "The Prodigal Son"
parable, the son took his inheritance and quickly spent
it on indulgent luxuries.  Gabrielle -- the presumed
title reference -- reveled in no such vices.  (The
title makes slightly more sense applied to Meleager,
but even there it's a stretch.)...
   ...19. ALTARED STATES...
   ...COMMENTS: Give the Xena producers credit -- they
have taken one of the most complex and profound events
of the Old Testament and turned it into a television
episode that retains much of the story's power. 
Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son Isaac (see Gen. 22)
-- a mere eighteen verses -- is well-known yet leads
into numerous areas of debate that are far too
complicated to address in the short space available
here.
   "Altared States" plays into that debate -- perhaps
even unknowingly.  One central issue: Is faith
(Abraham's faith specifically, though by extension
Judaism and Christianity, and perhaps even all faith)
essentially guided by rationalism?  Or is it
essentially driven by "arationalism"* informed by
supernatural (and at times paradoxical) revelation? 
Xena -- consistent with current dominant thought --
seems to side with the former, yet with ambiguity
worthy of the best X-Files, the episode concludes with
a hint of the latter.
   FOOTNOTE: * The term "arationalism" is the best we
can come up with to emphasize that this process may or
may not arrive at rational choices but is not required
to.  We've rejected other terms as inaccurate:
"irrationalism" would require the choices to be at odds
with reason; "idealism" is too exclusionary;
"empiricism" emphasizes the experience itself;
"subjectivism" and "existentialism" are close but lack
the objective moral obligation component; and
"revelation" is used here to refer to the content
instead of the process by which that content is
interpreted.
   Xena alters some of the original ingredients. 
Abraham's wife Sarah did not turn to paganism, and
Isaac's older half-brother Ishmael didn't get along but
had no part in the near-sacrifice.  Isaac did not know
Abraham was planning to sacrifice him.  Also, Abraham
believed that, even if Isaac died, God would bring him
back to life (Heb. 11:19).  Antaeus doesn't have that
confidence, making his struggle more excruciating, but
also leaving out a crucial element.
   For "Altared States," the different characters
present various aspects of the debate.  Antaeus is the
"arational" faithful believer.  Maell is the
non-believer using the faith for his own selfish goals. 
Xena and the wife are the rationalist heathens.  Icus
starts out as a rationalist believer, but then (for
unexplained reasons) changes to an "arationalist"
believer.
   In the end, for which viewpoint does "Altared
States" argue?  It's difficult to say, because it poses
more questions than it answers.  For instance, does the
father hear the initial command from God or from Maell
imitating God (and aided by Antaeus's drugged
condition)?  Xena initially assumes the former and is
horrified at the prospect, concluding that this must be
an evil god.  (Remember that a controversy over the
killing of children is what got her thrown out of her
own army.) A common anti-Christian argument is that God
is cruel for allowing and/or requiring His son to die
on the cross.  Xena essentially states this view
repeatedly (she's referring to Antaeus and Icus, yet --
as in the original Abraham/Isaac story the parallel to
God/Jesus is obvious).  Does the episode endorse her
initial judgment?  Probably not, because later Xena
thinks that Antaeus is mishearing God.  Then she
assumes that the drug causes the "voices."  Eventually
she admits that she finds the one-God theory
interesting and appears to have heard Him directly.
   The more profound question is whether God could even
have issued the command and, if so, what is the
appropriate response from a moral person.  The
rationalist and "arationalist" would answer
differently.  (For a fascinating analysis of the latter
position, see Soren Kierkegaard's riveting Fear and
Trembling.)  "Altared States" seems to argue for the
rationalist position, yet amidst that is a powerful
presentation of the opposite:
   Xena: "You're still the leader here.  You don't have
to do this."
   Antaeus: "You're asking me to deny my God."
   Xena: "I am asking you to spare your son!"
   Antaeus: "And teach him what?  That faith is just
for those times when it's convenient to believe?  That
when it gets hard, and it hurts to keep faith, you let
it go until it gets easy again?  What's the good in
sparing his life if I rob him of the very thing that
makes it worth living?"
   Often in television writing today, vagueness,
equivocation, and indecisiveness are a coward's way
out, a way of not taking a stand on a complex or
controversial issue.  Even worse are scripts offering
simplistic, politically correct solutions.  And then
(possibly because of the popularity of The X-Files)
there are shows that leave stories unfinished as some
kind of statement about something-or-other.  Who could
have guessed, then, that Xena would be the series to
take that form of storytelling and apply it to a
perfectly appropriate plot?  After all, the battle
between rationalist and "arationalist" faith goes on
because the issues cannot be resolved simply.
   On a less complex note, we have to mention
O'Connor's brief but (once again) wonderful performance
as the drugged Gabrielle.  She's great as she talks to
her "stalagmite choir" and leads them in their
rehearsal!...
   ...20. TIES THAT BIND...
   ...COMMENTS: "Ties That Bind" turns out to be a
major shaggy dog story, but the ride is a lot of fun
anyway.  Kevin Smith is wonderful in his portrayal of
the amusingly evil Ares.  He seems to know just how far
he can go without lapsing into overacting. (He was
equally enjoyable in "The Reckoning" earlier in the
season.)
   Tom Atkins contributes a fine Atreus, and the
writers have created enough circumstances early on to
keep Xena (and the viewer) wondering whether he's her
father or an impostor.  But -- so typical of
 televisionland  -- substantial story movement forward is
abandoned in favor of maintaining the status quo. 
Nevertheless, the viewer does get a few glimpses into
Xena's past and a suggestion as to why, early on, she
was so screwed up.  Her father, whom she apparently
loved, left the family when she was young.  This broken
trust continues to resonate -- obviously Xena has not
come to terms with the situation.  Ares recognizes this
and attempts to use it to get Xena back on his side. 
Unfortunately, the details of his plan don't make much
sense.  Even after he explains his plan to her at the
end, he seems to think she'll return to her warrior
days (though why is anyone's guess).  Beyond this, the
episode cheats quite a bit.  While Ares is pretending
to be Atreus, he's simultaneously appearing to  Kirilus 
elsewhere.
   The best scene in the episode is when Xena is ready
to destroy the village, and Gabrielle attempts to stop
her even if it means striking her down from behind! 
(Good thing Xena comes to her senses, or Gabrielle
would have been a goner.)...
   ...GRAPHIC: Three pictures from "Ties That Bind".
Captions: #1. Atreus (Tom Atkins) -- Xena's father?'
#2. Gabrielle gets Xena's attention; #3. Kevin Smith as
Ares.
   21. THE GREATER GOOD...
   ...COMMENTS: "The Greater Good" is a magnificent
episode, in part because of exceptional performances by
Robert Trebor and Renee O'Connor.  Trebor's Salmoneus
is a great comedic character, yet here, in perhaps
Trebor's best episode, he gets a chance to show a
dramatic flair following Xena's "death."  Of course the
audience knows she isn't really gone for good, yet the
scene still holds power because of Trebor's effective
and convincing work.  He is equally good later when
Gabrielle returns to the village and Salmoneus must
report the terrible news.  In one brief scene, he is in
the background consoling villagers.  With his facial
expression, his eyes, and his body language, Trebor
portrays a Salmoneus far from the  jokester  and scam
artist, yet one just as believable. 
   O'Connor is also fantastic, successfully merging
humorous and dramatic scenes seamlessly.  Her Xena
role-playing is immediately entertaining, yet like
Trebor she proves once again that she is a wonderful
dramatic actresses.  In the aforementioned scene with
Gabrielle and Salmoneus following Xena's "death,"
O'Connor matches Trebor's performance with her own
intensity.  Afterward, Gabrielle takes out her anger as
she pounds a tree with her staff.  Later, enraged, she
fights through half of  Talmadeus 's men to get to Xena's
body.  (Certainly by now her sister Lila couldn't beat
her up!)
   So how does Xena revive from "death"?  Uh, well, she
just does.  (In other words, the writers don't worry
much about that "minor" little detail, dismissing it
with a single line in which Xena explains she had to
"go under the influence of the poison to fight it." 
Whatever.)  It's also unclear why Xena sides with
Salmoneus in the first place, since he clearly cheated
Talmadeus and rightfully should be held accountable.
   The episode never reveals who shot Xena with the
dart -- but that story element is carried over into the
following episode, "Callisto."...
   ...GRAPHIC: Three pictures from "The Greater Good".
Captions: #1. Salmoneus (Robert Trebor) is distressed
at the "death" of Xena; #2. Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle
as Xena atop Argo, Xena's horse; #3. An enraged
Gabrielle tells Talmadeus she's taking Xena's body.
   22. CALLISTO...
   ...GRAPHIC: Picture of Callisto on her horse.
Caption: Callisto (Hudson Leick) prepares for battle
against Xena...
   ...GRAPHIC: Two pictures from "Callisto". Caption
(for both): In a haunting scene from the introduction
of "Callisto," two casualties -- one from the village,
the other from the attacking army -- face each other in
death.
   COMMENTS: The first season ends in fine form,
although this episode is a slight disappointment.  The
basic idea of the story is great, but somehow things
got lost in the translation from plot to script to
film.  Callisto's origin is a perfect set-up for
potentially interesting stories: a survivor of one of
Xena's past atrocities seeks revenge, putting Xena (and
the viewer) in a difficult moral dilemma.  But --
perhaps to take the safe way out -- the producers
smoothed those edges by making Callisto completely
crazy and irrational.  Even taking that into
consideration, the character seems only partially
formed, as if the episode started shooting before the
screenplay was completed.
   Callisto is bent on revenge toward Xena, yet all of
her attacks are indirect.  When she assembles her army
and goes on a rampage, she doesn't attack Xena's
hometown, but other villages that have no connection to
Xena.  She avoids Xena's home, of course, because Xena
wouldn't attack it, and Callisto seeks to re-establish
Xena's evil reputation.  Yet this is a lengthy,
round-about way to get back at Xena and, for that
matter, doesn't hurt Xena as much as just one attack on
Xena's own people.
   Moreover, Callisto captures Gabrielle and could
easily kill her.  Instead she constructs a ridiculous
trap (echoes of the sixties Batman television series). 
All of this lessens Callisto as a serious rival and
turns her into a shallow cartoon character.  Fans of
"serious television" are probably thinking, " C'mon ! 
What is Xena if not a live-action cartoon series?"  But
one of the strengths of the series is its ability to
create well-rounded characters who at least work within
the context of the show.  Callisto fails this
criterion.
   Part of the problem may also lie in Hudson Leick's
performance.  She seems unable to ground the character
with a convincing history.  She should come across as a
kind of "Dark Xena," reversing Xena's experiences by
starting out good and then becoming consumed with
hatred.  The gist of that path is there, it's just not
presented with a sure hand.  It's best seen in this
great exchange:
   Callisto: "What happened to you?  One day you just
decided to fight for justice?"
   Xena: "Something like that."
   Callisto: "And all the shattered people you left
behind were now supposed to cheer you -- is that it?"
   Xena: "No.  What happened to you was terrible.  It
was my fault, and I'm sorry."
   Callisto: "Oh!  Well!  That makes all the
difference!  And now we can be the best of friends. 
[Spits at Xena.]  That's what I think of your apology."
   Of course, Leick may not be primarily at fault for
the overall performance, because, as noted above, the
script does not give the character the depth it needs.
   That said, we're confident some of the problems can
be worked out, and we'd love to see Callisto back next
season.
   We should mention, however, one powerful, moving
scene near the beginning of the episode.  Callisto's
army is attacking the village, and a young boy is
killed.  As he lies on the ground, his eyes remain
open.  Soon afterward, one of the soldiers is killed
and falls to the ground a short distance in front of
the boy.  The soldier's eyes are also open, and the
camera cuts back and forth between the two victims from
opposing sides, "starring" at each other in death,
which has united them both in a grim bond.  Whether
this eerie scene was the creation of writer R.J.
Stewart or director T.J. Scott, the effect is one of
the most memorable of the series....
   ...GRAPHIC: Picture of Callisto at her "fort".
Caption: Callisto's plan fails, but she survives death
(Thanks to Xena) and promises to return...
   GRAPHIC: Full page posed picture of Xena.


[313] 06-02-96
   SATELLITE TV WEEK. Vol 15. No. 22. 1141 words.
"Hercules and Xena Take on the Universe" By Jeff Adams.
   COMMENTARY: This article offers some interesting
foreshadowing of XWP's second-season rating success
when it reports HERCULES trouncing STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE in the ratings. The piece also contains an
error when it reports that part of Xena's mission is
"to find her missing father." Apparently, this was a
part of an earlier conception of the character, but has
been downplayed in the series. [DS]
   This article's basis was the fact that HTLJ had
overtaken ST:DS9 in the ratings. Robert Tapert
(executive producer, XWP) is quoted as stating that
Renaissance Pictures' real goal was to take on
BAYWATCH.
   Although primarily concerned with HERCULES, the
article does probe the rationale behind Raimi and
Tapert's vision in re-creating the Hercules myth. It is
most interesting that Tapert says that they have kept
away from much of the mythology because of the
fundamental dark nature of myths and that it would not
go over well with modern audiences. This observation
takes on a deeper meaning when one considers the Great
Gabrielle Rape Rumor (G2R2) that swept fandom in the
early summer of '97. The G2R2 began when an LA paper
printed that Gabrielle would be raped by a god in the
third season. 
   The wonderful section on intent by Robert Tapert
captures his grateful surprise that HERCULES could beat
STAR TREK. We can only now imagine his surprise in
having XWP overtake HERCULES. [KT]
   Contributor: DukatsWman@aol.com
   REPRINT:
   Headlines were made earlier this yeas when a muscle
man soundly trounced the mighty Starfleet. Two weeks in
a row "Hercules:  The Legendary Journeys" beat "Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine" in the ratings. The news
surprised no one more than the "Hercules" producers.
   "Our goal was to beat 'Baywatch,'" says co-executive
producer Robert Tapert.  "'Star Trek' was too big a
franchise.  We didn't think we'd ever beat it." 
   That goal was met and then some.
   Hercules is known to many as the central character
of 10 theatrical movies made from 1959 to 1983 starring
the likes of Steve Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Lou Ferrigno.  This Hercules started as a series of
two-hour movies back in 1993 as part of the
MCA/Universal Action Pack.  Tapert and his partner Sam
Raimi, producers of CBS' "American Gothic" and movies
such as "Darkman" and "Army of Darkness," were careful
to create a Hercules for the '90s.
   "We watched all the old Hercules movies and realized
a few things early on," says Tapert.  "The problems
with those movies are the bad stilted dialogue, togas
and people running around in Greek ruins.  So, we came
up with our own universe of no togas, no ruins and we
wanted to get [a Hercules who] was more a quarterback
than a muscle man, somebody you'd like to invite into
your living room on a weekly basis."
   Tapert and Raimi's quarterback is Kevin Sorbo, a
Minnesota native, whose first TV role was two lines on
"Dallas" back in 1983.  For Sorbo, the role of Hercules
is like revisiting his childhood.  "I watched all the
Steve Reeves "Hercules" movies [when I was a kid]," he
says.  "I used to go out in the neighborhood with my
friends and we'd fight the imaginary monsters.  Later,
in junior high and high school, I read a lot of
mythology and was fascinated by it.  To make a living
by being a kid and reliving those dreams ... I'm a very
lucky man."
   Mythology is something with which the series plays
fast and loose.  Basically, the Hercules myth is left
intact.  Hercules is the son of Zeus, the head god of
the time, and Alcmene, a mortal.  Hera, Zeus' wife and
protectress of women, was unamused with Zeus'
extramarital affairs and wreaked havoc as much as
possible.  As a result, Hera resented Hercules and was
responsible for the death of his wife and children. 
Some of Hercules' brothers and sisters include Hermes,
god of trickery; Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, love and
fertility; and Dionysus, god of wine, song and drama. 
   Hercules' main mission remains unchanged, to protect
and defend mortals against, among other things, the
whims of the gods.
   Tapert say beyond that there are only little bits of
mythology in the show.  "A lot of mythology is dark --
fathers sleeping with their daughters, begetting this
and that -- those aren't tales you can tell in modern
days.  So, if we find a story, characters or situations
and build our own story around it."
   Tapert acknowledges the fans don't always like the
fact that the show plays with 1,500 to 2,000 years
worth of history.  "People have given up on timelines
and how we corrupt mythology."
   Sorbo says "Hercules" works because it doesn't take
itself too seriously, a style fans of the Tapert/Raimi
production "Army of Darkness" will recognize with sound
effects punctuating action sequences, wild camera work
and wry humor.  Sorbo is quick to point out that the
show is also chock-full of drama and usually packs a
moral message with minimal blood loss. 
   Sorbo, who decided he wanted to be an actor after
seeing a high school production of "Oklahoma" when he
was 11, hopes people get a good hour of entertainment
from his show.  
   "'Hercules' transports people to a different time
and place," he says.  "I think it's a good hour of
escape that hasn't been seen in a long, long time."
   Sorbo placed his own stamp on "Hercules" when he
directed "The Apple," an episode in which three of his
goddess sisters cause trouble at a mortal's wedding. 
He enjoyed the directing experience so much he's
directed two more episodes this season.  He's also
planning to submit some scripts to the producers.
   "Hercules" also has given birth to a spin-off.  In
March 1995, during a three-episode arc, Hercules met
Xena, a warrior determined to kill him in her quest for
power.  In the end, however, Xena became Hercules'
ally.  Fans reacted so positively to Xena that in the
fall of 1995 "Xena:  Warrior Princess" became a series.
   Xena is portrayed by Lucy Lawless, a native of
Auckland, New Zealand (where both shows are filmed). 
Lawless may be familiar to "Hercules" fans because she
played two other parts before becoming Xena -- Lyla,
the bride of Deric the Centaur; and Lysia, an Amazon
enforcer from the first Hercules movie. 
   "Xena" is a darker show compared to "Hercules," with
Xena often fighting first and talking later.  Lawless
says that's part of the fun in playing the Warrior
Princess.  She describes Xena as "a woman with the
devil on her shoulder."  Xena's mission in life is to
find her missing father and to make up for her past as
a power-hungry princess who is feared throughout the
land. 
   Lawless came to "Xena" after co-hosting "Air New
Zealand Holiday," a travel magazine show.  Prior to
that, she'd been traveling and working at an array of
jobs, such as gold miner and grape picker.  Her one
goal through it all was to become an actress.  "If you
come from a small place like New Zealand, you have to
get out and eat up the world," she says.  "It's been
very enriching doing risky things.  And now I do it at
work."
   Risky is the name of the game on the set of both
shows.  Sorbo and Lawless have become adept at sword
handling and other combat techniques.  Both have been
trained by martial arts master Douglas Wong (best known
for his work on "Dragon The Bruce Lee Story").  Each
admit they know just enough to get by on TV.  "I'd get
my butt whopped by anybody that knows what they're
doing," Sorbo says.
   "Hercules" can be seen on Sundays at 7:30 a.m. (E)
on T4/05 or at 10 p.m.(E) on Fox Net (S4/10); Mondays
at 10 a.m. (E) on T4/05; Fridays at 8 p.m. (E) on WGN
(G5/07); Saturdays at 9 p.m. (E) on KWGN (F1/23) or at
7 p.m. (E) and 11 p.m. (E) on KTLA (S3/15).
   "Xena" can be seen on Sundays at 8:44 a.m. (E) on
T4/05 or 11 p.m. (E) on Fox Net (S4/10); Mondays at
12:30 a.m. (E) on WGN (G5/07) or 11:14 a.m. (E) on
T4/05; Saturdays at 8 p.m. (E) on KWGN (F1/23) or at 6
p.m. (E) and 9 p.m. (E) on KTLA (S3/15).
   GRAPHIC: Cover: Large Picture of Herc; Smaller One
of Xena (Crossed Swords Pose).


[314] 06-03-96
   DEATH MASK. Episode No. 23 (123). 1st release. Guest
Stars: Joseph Kell (Toris), Michael Lawrence (Cortese).
Cast: William Davis (Malik), Doug McCaulay (Aescalus),
Elizabeth Skeen (Sera), Peter Needham (Village Elder).
Credits: Written by Peter Allan Fields, Directed by
Stewart Main.  
   TV GUIDE DESCRIPTION: After being reunited with her
estranged older brother, Toris (Joseph Kell), Xena
decides to join him in his plans to kill the raider who
destroyed their village years before. 
   AIRING AND RATING INFORMATION: 1st RELEASE:
06/03/96. An AA average of 4.7. Competition from
Syndicated Action Dramas: (1) HERCULES ranked 8th with
5.0; (2) XENA ranked 10th with 4.7; (3) STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE ranked 13th with 4.3. 2nd RELEASE: 08/26/96. 
   SYNOPSIS: 
   This synopsis is brought to you by guest synopser,
Bluesong (Bluesong@aol.com).
   The show opens with Xena and Gabrielle on a trail,
Xena astride Argo. They are talking about catching
arrows -- Gabrielle wants to know how Xena does it! 
Xena tells Gabrielle it's something your body learns;
she can't explain it.  An assassin sends an arrow after
them and Gabrielle stops it! -- to her amazement &
Xena's.  Then Xena goes after the assassin, who is
wearing a mask.  Then another masked man comes out and
Gabrielle fights him (some good moves from Gabrielle). 
Xena sees the mask and stands looking at it for a
moment before going to Gabrielle's aid, but Gabrielle
has the situation in hand.  
   "I guess you don't need my help," Xena comments.
Gabrielle says, "No, but stay close."  Xena does the
"X-touch" on this man, who tells her Cortese is the
leader and is burning a nearby village.  Gabrielle
wants to know what the mask means.  "The men who
attacked my village wore this mask," Xena says. Later
Gabrielle says of Cortese, "He's the one who made you
so ..... aggressive?" Xena replies "It was fighting him
that twisted me into what I became."
   Xena rides off to save the village; she slices down
a few guys.  Gabrielle finally runs up over the ridge
and saves a young girl from a marauder.  The masked men
retreat and seconds later the king's men come.  Too
late as always, the king's men say. One of Cortese's
men knows who Xena is; he tells Cortese's lieutenant,
who goes to Cortese.  Cortese brags that he "created"
Xena.  The man who knows Xena puts on his mask and goes
to Xena.  She puts a sword to him; he removes his mask. 
It is Xena's brother .... Toris.  Her older brother. 
   "You're just full of surprises, aren't you,"
Gabrielle comments.  Xena and Toris are not on good
terms; Toris fled with some of the villagers when
Cortese attacked Amphipolis.  Toris blames Xena for
leading the villagers in a stand against Cortese, where
their younger brother was killed.  He thinks Xena is
leading Gabrielle down the same wrong path.  Toris
wants to kill Cortese; Xena says that isn't the way. 
Xena wants to see the camp of Cortese's men; she tells
Gabrielle to go back to the village to stay.  Gabrielle
stands up to Xena, and tells her she's going with her. 
Sending me away, Gabrielle says, means you think you're
not safe to be around.  Did it ever occur to you that
you're never safe to be around?  I'm staying. (That's
paraphrased, not a quote).  
   Xena pretends to have been "captured" by Toris; he
leads her into the camp.  He gets thrown out of the
gang for speaking up to the lieutenant (Toris wants to
see Cortese).  Xena gets away and meets Gabrielle and
Toris.  They decide that the king has a spy in
Cortese's camp because they use messenger pigeons which
bear the royal seal on them.  Toris and Xena go to the
king; Gabrielle reluctantly goes back to the village. 
The king is Cortese!  He is the spy!  He tries to drop
Xena and Toris down a hole but it doesn't work; Xena
and Toris get away but now the "king's" men and Cortese
(as a bandit) are both after them.  
   Xena and Toris go to the village to get Gabrielle
and to tell the elders that the King and Cortese are
one and the same.  Xena and Toris go to talk.  How do
you stand that annoying girl? Toris asks after telling
Gabrielle that she knows nothing of justice.  Xena
stands up for Gabrielle; then Toris admits that he left
the village because he was afraid of dying.  Xena goes
to the elders and while they are talking Toris leaves. 
He goes to the bandit camp; he is caught and tied to a
tree.  Xena goes after him; it's a trap.  They end up
in the castle dungeon.   
   They escape.  The head of the king's guard lies to
Xena about where Cortese is; she knows it's a lie but
she sends Toris to that place anyway to get him out of
danger.  She gets Cortese; she ties him and the guard
up and leads them outside.  Earlier Xena sent pigeons
out with a message to the bandits telling them to
attack the castle; she finds Toris and Gabrielle
fighting the bandits.  She unties the guard and he goes
to get his men; she hangs the king up on a hook and
goes to help Toris and Gabrielle.  Then she tells
Cortese to tell the bandits to drop their weapons; he
eventually complies, proving to the king's guards that
he is really Cortese, the bandit.  Xena tells Toris to
kill Cortese (he thinks that will make him feel
better), but he doesn't.  They part, with Toris going
home to Mother. 
   COMMENTARY: 
   This commentary is brought to you by guest
commentator, Bluesong (Bluesong@aol.com).
   There are a few small flashbacks in this show where
Xena remembers the attack on her village, but they are
mostly to show the mask and its effect upon her. 
   The conversation in this show is what is most
important about it.  The talk between Gabrielle and
Xena is very revealing; Gabrielle's stand against Xena
is pointed, and while comical, her action says a lot
about their relationship, and about Gabrielle.   She
understands -- probably more than Xena -- how much "at
risk" Xena is.  Gabrielle stays by Xena not because
Xena is afraid of attack, but because Xena is afraid of
Xena.  She is facing her past again; this Cortese is
the man who "twisted" her, and there is a very real
fear that Xena might not stand by her convictions, that
is, she might just kill this guy herself, in spite of
what she says.  Gabrielle is determined not to let Xena
return to her evil ways.
   Xena and Toris also have intimate conversations. 
Toris may be Xena's older brother but he is not her
equal, not in intelligence or in fighting skill (or
looks).   When he admits he was a coward, he tells Xena
that he first thought she was misleading Gabrielle, but
now he sees that Gabrielle is with Xena because she's
brave; and that means the villagers who stayed with
Xena to fight were brave, and Lyceus was brave, but
Toris wasn't.  He says he spent so much time trying to
figure Xena out that he forget to figure himself out.  
   One of the most revealing conversations has to do
with "feeling".  Toris asks Xena what it felt like when
the village turned Cortese back.  Xena says she never
felt anything; she never took the time.  She knew
Lyceus, her younger brother, was dead; she knew
Cortese's men would return, so she and the villagers
she led took surrounding villages to build up an army
to take protect the village, but somewhere it all went
wrong and she went bad.  The implication here is that
withdrawing, or withholding emotion, wrecks havoc on
the psyche.   Therefore, Xena keeps trying to talk
Toris out of murdering Cortese; she tells him:  "The
pure evil of murder is that it is premeditated."  She
says maybe it's just her perception, but it's different
if you're killing in the heat of battle, or in
self-defense or to protect another.  This is something
she has learned.  Obviously she is also still learning
about feeling and feelings. 
   This show answers a lot of questions and raises a
few, but then it wouldn't be great Xena if it didn't. 
Personally, it's not as good a show as THE GREATER GOOD
or even CALLISTO (bad acting notwithstanding) but it
ranks in the top ten.
   THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
   When Xena and Toris are in the dungeon and the
guards come in, Xena changes shoes for a moment.
   In the big fight scene between Xena and Cortese,
Xena catches a dagger thrown at her head (in typical
Xena style), tosses it over her shoulder, and dismounts
Argo. But look at the ground behind Xena after she
lands (it only shows for a few seconds) and you will
see her chakram rolling away from her. It fell from her
hip when she hit the ground! Then, the next time you
see Xena full body, about 5 seconds later, the chakram
is on her hip again.
   DISCLAIMER:   
   No messenger doves were harmed during the production
of this motion picture. However, several are reportedly
missing in action and search-and-rescue efforts are
under way.
   WHOOSH! ARTICLES: 
   The following WHOOSH! articles discuss this episode:
   Carper, Virgina,       "How Effective was Xena as a
Commander?", WHOOSH #06 (03/97) Paragraphs 7, 14, 19.
    Dekker ,  Nusi , "Who Was Xena's Father? Theories on
the Warrior Princess' Origins", WHOOSH #06 (03/97)
Paragraph 19.
    Draganis , Mary, "Dark Warrior Pasts:  Kira  and
Xena'", WHOOSH #07 (04/97) Paragraph 5.
    Rentoul , Ian, "Xena and the Challenge of Destiny",
WHOOSH #08 (05/97) Paragraphs 5-7.
    Swenson . Gregory R., "Alexander the Great: Blueprint
for Xena", WHOOSH #04 (01/97) Paragraphs 3, 12.
    Swenson . Gregory R., "Puritanism, Capitalism, and
Transcendentalism in Xena: Warrior Princess'", WHOOSH
#08 (05/97) Paragraph 25.
   Taborn, Kym Masera, "The Annotated  Warrior
Princess", WHOOSH #02 (10/96) Paragraphs 113, 116.
    Wiatt , C.,       "Xena and Callisto: Why Are They The Way
They Are?", WHOOSH #01 (09/96) Paragraph 5.
   White, Debbie, "Xena's Family: Who Are They?",
WHOOSH #04 (01/97) Paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 7, and 9.
   White, Debbie, "Was Xena ever really evil?"</a>,
WHOOSH #02 (10/96) Paragraph 5.
   WHOOSH!, "Letter to the Editor", WHOOSH #05 (02/97)


[315] 06-03-97
   BROADCASTING & CABLE. Vol. 126. No. 24. Page 35. 352
words. " Nelvana  plans first-run ' Barbarella ' action
hour; also is producing new kids show based on Donkey
Kong." By David  Tobenkin 
   COMMENTARY: Promotion of the "action/adventure/
fantasy" television project based upon the movie and
comic strip  BARBARELLA . 
   EXCERPT:
   ...Immortalized by the campy 1968 Jane Fonda movie
version, the syndicated  Barbarella  will be based on the
French comic strip of the same name and is now being
shopped to syndicators, says Nelvana Senior Vice
President Toper Taylor.
   "Barbarella is a female protagonist known worldwide
that we think will combine the best elements of
successful shows like Hercules, Xena, Baywatch and Star
Trek with intonations of Moonlighting," says Taylor of
the show, in which an as-yet-uncast lead will star as
an intergalactic explorer from a peaceful galaxy who is
threatened by a violent alien race and who crash-lands
on earth.  
   A syndicator has yet to be chosen to distribute 26
hour-long episodes of the show for 1997-98. The budget
for the show will be roughly $ 1 million per episode,
Taylor says....


[316]  06-04-96
   FEMINIST SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY & UTOPIA: II. D.
NON-PRINT MULTIMEDIA FORMATS.
http://www.uic.edu/~lauramd/sf/. 
   COMMENTARY: XWP was mentioned on the web again in a
review of television shows of interest to feminists. 
The review took the stance that although XWP was not
their ideal of a feminist hero, she was at least
leading in the proper direction. [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...Television Programming...
   ..."Xena, Warrior Princess" 
   Ohhh ... I can hear the groans of pain already.
There is no doubt much that is wrong with Xena's
feminist consciousness, and the consciousness of those
who created her. But, this is Xena: a tall strong
ass-kicking peer of Hercules (the Hercules of the TV
show, that is), has a woman sidekick. Yes, she wears
skimpy clothes; so does Hercules. Yes, her sidekick is
a schmuck; so is Hercules'. Basically, what you have
here, is formulaic "Beastmaster" type fantasy--with a
woman as the lead. She's big and she's powerful, and
those two characteristics alone make her stand out from
a lot of SF TV....


[317] 06-05-96
   THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. Sports. Pg. D7. 781 words.
""Novice Says: 'this Jump's for You, Ma'" By Shalmali
Pal
   COMMENTARY: A passing reference to XWP in an article
about a reporter's first sky-dive. The reporter stated
that as they were about to jump, they "dwelled on how
strange I felt rigged up in the Xena Warrior
Princess-type harness" instead of pondering the fact
they were about to jump out of an airplane 10,500 feet
up in the air.
   In reviewing the experience, the reporter mentioned
that they felt something "worthy of an episode of
"Touched by an Angel." The reporter related two other
experiences with television references.
   It is interesting to note that XWP and TOUCHED BY AN
ANGEL would have a later connection when Hudson Leick
would appear in three episodes of TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL
in the 1996-97 TV season.  [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   When people asked why I was willing to jump out of a
perfectly good airplane, I suppose I gave them every
answer possible except the honest one: I went sky
diving because I knew it would freak out my mother....
   ...But as the 182-Cessna chugged to 10,500 feet, I
tried not to think about that. Instead, I dwelled on
how strange I felt rigged up in the Xena Warrior
Princess-type harness.
   I also ran a mental checklist. Co-workers informed.
Beneficiaries designated. Taxes paid. Underclothes
clean (after all, as mother pointed out, you never know
when you'll be in an accident ...
   ...As to what I pondered during those 54 seconds,
well, I'd like to say that I had nothing but profound
thoughts. That I had a sudden understanding of my own
mortality or something else worthy of an episode of
"Touched by an Angel."...


[318] 06-05-96 through 06-10-96
   NOTE: MCA's President, Shelly Schwab, resigned after
18 years, and MCA was not expected to replace him too
soon. The other presidents were expected to take up the
slack, although a new president for syndicated sales
would probably be appointed.
   HTLJ and XWP has become the Great White Hope of
Universal/MCA TV in that it is the most successful
syndicated show in their stable. [KT]


[318a] 06-05-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Pg. 1. "Schwab exits post at MCA TV"
By Jenny Hontz
   COMMENTARY: The article cited some highlights of
Schwab's career with MCA and listed HTLJ and XWP first. 
Before these two shows, "the company struggled to
develop successful firstrun syndie shows." Schwab was
credited for some of its success.
   Regarding his retirement, Schwab was quoted as
saying, "The company has treated me very fairly...and
it's a real good company for young people to work at.
For me, with new ownership and new corporate
management, it is the right time to leave. But I'll be
loyal to this company for the rest of my life." [KT]
   REPRINT:
   In a move anticipated since Seagram bought MCA Inc.,
MCA TV president Shelly Schwab resigned from his post
Tuesday after 18 years at the studio. 
   He will remain as a consultant to MCA for two years,
but will be available to work on other projects.   MCA
has not finished restructuring the syndication
division, but it is not likely to replace Schwab
outright. 
   Instead, Jim McNamara, named president of worldwide
TV distribution several months ago, will continue to
oversee both the domestic and international syndication
arms, and a new head of syndie sales will likely soon
be named. 
   MCA is also unlikely to replace Colin Davis, the
former president of MCA Television Intl. His second in
command, Peter Hughes, executive vice president of MCA
Television Intl., will likely report directly to
McNamara. 
   Named president of MCA TV in 1986, Schwab sold the
studio's two hit action hours "Hercules" and "Xena," as
well as offnet rights to "Coach", "Magnum" and
"Columbo."
   Before "Hercules" and "Xena," the company struggled
to develop successful firstrun syndie shows. The studio
pulled its last two first-run efforts before "Xena" and
"Hercules" launched.
   Schwab's departure has been expected since Greg
Meidel was named chairman of MCA TV Group last year.
   "The company has treated me very fairly," Schwab
said. "I'm a big fan of Meidel, and it's a real good
company for young people to work at. For me, with new
ownership and new corporate management, it is the right
time to leave. But I'll be loyal to this company for
the rest of my life."


[318b] 06-05-96
   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 602 words. "Schwab's journey
ends as head of MCA syndie" By Jonathan Davies 
   COMMENTARY: MCA president of worldwide television
distribution James McNamara was quoted as saying about
Mr. Schwab, "Under his leadership, MCA TV has made
numerous ground-breaking deals and launched some of
syndication's most ambitious and successful first-run
programming, such as 'Hercules' and 'Xena,'" [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   Longtime MCA TV president Shelly Schwab has exited
his post, clearing the way for a major restructuring of
Universal's syndication division. Schwab's retirement,
which was announced Tuesday by president of worldwide
television distribution James McNamara, had been widely
anticipated since Greg Meidel took over last year as
chairman of the MCA Inc. Television Group...
   ...During Schwab's 10 years as president of MCA TV,
he was instrumental in the launch of such first-run
successes as sophomore "Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys" and freshman "Xena: Warrior Princess."   The
two weeklies, developed by executive vp Ned Nalle, have
become fixtures at the top of the syndication ratings. 
"Under his leadership, MCA TV has made numerous
ground-breaking deals and launched some of
syndication's most ambitious and successful first-run
programming, such as 'Hercules' and 'Xena,'" McNamara
said.  During Schwab's 18-year tenure at the company,
where he was previously head of sales, he oversaw the
first-run launch of "Charles in Charge" after its
network run was canceled and the successful sales of
the company's movie packages and off-network shows
including "Coach," "Magnum, P.I." and "Columbo."
However, the company has also experienced some setbacks
in the face of an increasingly crowded syndication
marketplace. This season, the company scrapped plans
for a strip titled "Justice" from "LAPD" producer Dave
Bell and a talk project, "He Says, She Says."...


[318c] 06-05-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Pg. 1. 258 words. "Schwab exits post
at MCA TV" By Jenny Hontz.
   COMMENTARY: Same as XMR318a.


[318d] 06-10-96
   ELECTRONIC MEDIA. Page 30. 400 words. "Shelly Schwab
Retires, but the Phone Keeps Ringing"
   COMMENTARY: More on Schwab's retirement. 
   EXCERPT:
   Though Shelly Schwab has retired from his longtime
post as president of MCA TV, he is anything but
retired.
   Besides agreeing to serve as a consultant for MCA
over the next two years, Mr. Schwab said he is already
fielding phone calls from others looking to tap into
his expertise...
   ..."This is the start of a new phase of my life," he
said.     
   Mr. Schwab stepped down from his post, which he held
for more than 10 years, as part of MCA's sweeping
management changes following the  buyout  by Seagram Co.
last year. Those changes saw Greg Meidel named chairman
of the MCA Television Group and Jim McNamara named
president of worldwide television distribution.     
   No replacement for Mr. Schwab has been named, and
the company said it is evaluating the position.
   "Under (Mr. Schwab's) leadership, MCA TV has made
numerous  groundbreaking  deals and launched some of
syndication's most ambitious and successful first-run
programming, such as 'Hercules' and 'Xena,'" Mr.
McNamara said. "We are pleased that he will continue to
work with the new team as we expand our business."...


[ 318e ] 06-10-97
   BROADCASTING & CABLE. Vol. 126. No. 25. Page 24. 74
words. "Schwab exits. Shelly Schwab retires as
president of MCA Television" By Cynthia  Littleton . 
   COMMENTARY: Even more on Schwab's retirement.
   REPRINT:
   Shelly Schwab has retired from his post as president
of MCA Television after 18 years with the studio.
Schwab, who was named president in 1986, will remain a
consultant to the syndication arm of MCA Television
Group, which has undergone major staffing changes
during the past few months. Schwab most recently was
responsible for the launch of MCA's first-run
action-hour hits Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and
Xena: Warrior Princess.


[319]  06-06-96
   NOTE: Production charts for 06/96. These charts list
what TV shows are currently in production in LA.


[ 319a ] 06-06-96
   DAILY VARIETY. 6091 words. ""TV and Cable Production
Chart"
   COMMENTARY: Production chart for LA area: HTLJ and
XWP.
   EXCERPT:
   ...Chart includes only programs that cast actors in
the L.A. area...
   ...MCA TELEVISION
   (818) 777-1242
   HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS (synd) (in assn
w/Renaissance Pictures) EXP, Robert Tapert, Sam Raimi;
 COEXP , John  Schulian ;  SUPR  PROD, Robert  Bielak ; PROD,
Eric  Gruendemann ;  COPROD , David  Eick ; CASTING, Beth
 Hymson - Ayer . 
   XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS (synd) (in assn w/Renaissance
Pictures) EXP, Robert Tapert, Sam Raimi;  COEXP , R.J.
Stewart;  SUPR  PROD, Steven Sears; PROD, Eric
 Gruendemann ;  COPROD , Liz Friedman; CASTING, Beth
 Hymson - Ayer ...


[ 319b ] 06-13-96
   DAILY VARIETY. 6107 words. "TV and Cable Production
Chart"
   COMMENTARY: Same as  XMR319a .


[ 319c ] 06-18-96
   DAILY VARIETY. 5650 words. "TV and Cable Production
Chart"
   COMMENTARY: Same as  XMR319a .


[ 319d ] 06-20-96
   DAILY VARIETY. 6003 words. "TV and Cable Production
Chart"
   COMMENTARY: Same as  XMR319a .

   
[ 319e ] 06-27-96
   DAILY VARIETY. 6165 words. "TV and Cable Production
Chart"
   COMMENTARY: Same as  XMR319a .


[320] 06-06-96
   THE EVENING POST (Wellington). Page 10. 440 words.
"Wacky Atkinson in plodding copper role" By Phil
Wakefield
   COMMENTARY: Announcement of the airing of XWP in its
native NZ on  TV3  on Wednesdays. It is to be placed
(eagerly) between BEVERLY HILLS 90210 and STAR TREK:
VOYAGER (a scheduling dream or nightmare -- you
decide!). It referred to XWP as a "sort of mythological
BAYWATCH" (shudder -- if you would like to read more
about my irrational obsession with historical
BAYWATCH-XWP comparisons, please read my article "The
Curse of Baywatch" in WHOOSH #10 (July 1997), at
http:// www.thirdstory.com /whoosh/ issue10 / taborn4 . html ).
XWP began airing on NZ television on June 19, 1996.
[KT]
   EXCERPT:
    TV2  plans to put a stop to Police Stop!'s phenomenal
popularity with a new Rowan Atkinson comedy about the
 ol ' bill.   
   The Thin Blue Line - the BBC's biggest hit in years
- will premiere on June 18 in The Nanny slot. It will
be double-billed with another new British comedy,
Father Ted, which will take on the top-rating  3rd  Rock
From the Sun...
   ...Though  TVNZ  Television chief Mike  Lattin  has said
 TV1  will always be the domain of top British comedy, he
clearly sees The Thin Blue Line as  TV2 's only defense
against Police Stop.
   Meanwhile,  TV3  hopes to revitalize Wednesday nights
by sandwiching Xena: Warrior Princess in between
Beverly Hills 90210 and Star Trek: Voyager. 
   Xena is a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys that in the US has rivaled the popularity of
its stable-mate.
   Variety said it features the "same mix of action,
goofy dialogue, nifty special effects . . . and enough
scantily clad flesh to qualify as a sort of
mythological Baywatch". Xena springs into action from
June 19. 
   TVNZ and TV3 programmers have been in Los Angeles
this week and last previewing the new series that will
go to air from September on US TV....


[321] 06-07-96
   XENA MEDIA REVIEW. No. 10. 20 pages. 8338 words.
Annotations XMR007c,  XMR084 -099. Edited by and
annotations by Kym Masera Taborn.
   COMMENTARY: A world press review of coverage on XWP,
Renee O'Connor, or Lucy Lawless. Covered 11/23/95
through 12/13/95. Lucy Lawless interview; XWP's first
mention in mainstream British press; Captain Zoom;
Kevin Sorbo interview; licensing of products; November
sweeps results; and more. Editorial covers the
announcement of the IAXS (International Association of
Xena Studies) website and the Hercules movies with Lucy
Lawless and Renee O'Connor. [KT]


[322] 06-07-96
   THE TORONTO STAR. Life. Page D1. 599 words.
"Reforming ways to use The Star" By Linwood Barclay
   COMMENTARY: In a tongue-in-cheek commentary on a
political party's contest on the best uses for the
Toronto Star, the reporter offered as the second
choice: "Check the TV listings to make sure they
haven't changed the times for The Equalizer or Xena:
Warrior Princess."  Proof that even Canada was having
pre-emption problems with XWP. [KT]
   And, proof that at least one possible fan in Canada,
Lindwood Barclay, cares. [DS]
   EXCERPT:
   RATS! A really great contest comes along that I'm
just dying to enter, and it turns out I've already
missed the deadline. And by golly, I think I could have
won, too.
   The contest is being held by the Reform party's
constituency association for Scarborough-Rouge River,
and was announced in its spring newsletter. (Yet
another mailing list I'm not on.)  
   The newsletter starts off this way: "For years now,
The Toronto Star (possibly the most biased and
misleading publication in Canada), has been taking
cheap shots at everything we believe in and stand for.
Now it is our turn to strike back!"
   Then it explains the contest: All you have to do is
come up with three ideas for the best uses for the
Toronto Star. The best entry wins a dinner for two.
Being a perceptive kind of guy, I get the sense that
"subscribing to it, reading it, and embracing its point
of view" would not be a winning entry. 
   The dinner for two is to be awarded this week. The
newsletter wishes entrants a "Bon Apetite!" clearly in
a bid to win over a few more French-speaking voters in
the Metro area with the Reform party's newfound skills
with our country's other official language.
   Trouble is, the contest deadline was May 31. It
doesn't seem fair, since I have all kinds of great
ideas....
   ...Anyway, even though I missed the deadline, I'd
like the Scarborough-Rouge River Constituency
Association to give serious consideration to any three
of the following suggestions on how Reformers could
best use The Toronto Star:...
   ...* Check the TV listings to make sure they haven't
changed the times for The Equalizer or Xena: Warrior
Princess....


[323] 06-07-96 through 06-10-96
   NOTE: Ratings for CALLISTO (#22), 1st release
(05/13/97). Illustrating how much viewership lessens in
the summer, this weeks numbers show XWP ranking 10th
while taking the 3rd place, with 5.1 even though it is
a first run episode. STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE ranked
6th with a 6.0 share and took 1st place for action
hours. HTLJ ranked 8th with a 5.4 and took 2nd. XWP did
a three way tie for 10th with "Inside Edition" and "The
Simpsons".
   Looking into the future, CALLISTO was re-released on
09/09/97, where it ranked 14th with a 4.3 taking 3rd
place; and on 03/03/97, where it ranked 10th with a 5.8
taking 2nd place. [KT]


[323a]  06-07-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Page 16. 198 words. "For week ended
May 26, 1996"
   COMMENTARY: CALLISTO (#22), 1st release (05/13/97)
   REPRINT:
Rank   Program   (Stations/% coverage)    AA%      GAA% 
1  Wheel of Fortune          (226/99)    11.0        -- 
2  Jeopardy!                 (221/99)     8.8        -- 
3  Oprah Winfrey Show        (235/99)     8.0       8.0 
4  Home Improvement          (227/98)     7.1       7.6 
5  Seinfeld                  (222/97)     6.2        -- 
6  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine(236/99)     6.0       6.4 
7  Wheel of Fortune--Wknd.   (178/83)     5.5        -- 
8  Journeys of Hercules      (227/97)     5.4       5.7 
9  Entertainment Tonight     (178/94)     5.3       5.4 
10  Inside Edition           (166/93)     5.1       5.2 
10  Simpsons                 (193/97)     5.1       5.4 
10  Xena                     (206/96)     5.1       5.5 
13  WCW Wrestling            (182/93)     4.6       5.9 
13  World Wrestling Fed.     (159/90)     4.6       6.0 
15  Fresh Price of Bel-Air   (160/89)     4.5       4.9 
16  Montel Williams Show     (164/92)     4.3       4.4 
17  Roseanne                 (175/91)     4.2       4.5 
18  Hard Copy                (180/92)     4.1       4.1 
18  Jenny Jones              (215/96)     4.1       4.2 
18  Live With Regis & Kathie Lee (234/99) 4.1        -- 
   AA average refers to nonduplicated viewing for
multiple airings of the same show. GAA average
encompasses duplicated viewing. GAA average does not
apply when there is only one run of a show.


[323b] 06-10-96
   VARIETY. Page 33. 278 words. "Syndies see action
climb, laughs labor" By Jenny Hontz
   COMMENTARY: CALLISTO (#22), 1st release (05/13/97).
   EXCERPT:
   Top off-net sitcoms took a nose dive, but action
hours held steady the week ending May 26, which
included the last three days of May sweeps.
   Although some programs may have been hurt by NBA and
NHL playoff games May 25 and May 26, nine of the top 10
off-net sitcoms fell from the previous week, according
to Nielsen Syndication Service ratings...
   ...'Trek' on top
   Action hours fared better. Paramount Domestic
Television's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" grew 7% to
6.0, widening its lead among actioners, but still
falling 13% being last year's 6.9. MCA TV's "Hercules:
the Legendary Journeys," grew 15% from the previous
week to a 5.4 and recaptured second-place from MCA TV
sister, "Xena: Warrior Princess," flat at 5.1.
"Hercules" was still down 4% from last year...


[323c] 06-10-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Page 16. 377 words. "Off-Net Sitcoms
Slip; Nine of 10 laffers fall in syndie ratings for
week" By Jenny Hontz.
   COMMENTARY: Same as XMR323b.


[323d] 06-10-96
   VARIETY. Page 33. 186 words. "NIELSEN SYNDICATION
RATINGS"
   COMMENTARY: Same information as XMR323d.
   

[324] 06-07-96 to 06-10-96
   NOTE: MCA's black Thursday. Even with the popular
HTLJ and XWP, the MCA Television Group was still in
financial trouble.  They pink-slipped 90 staffers on
Thursday June 6th, 1996 by being "informed in the
morning to cancel their lunches for the day." "[T]hose
let go will be given 'comprehensive outplacement
support and generous severance packages.'" 


[324a] 06-07-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Page 1. 489 words. "For 90, It's
Black Day at MCA; TV unit cut across the board in L.A.,
N.Y., Chitown" By Anita M. Busch
   COMMENTARY: The article mentioned that while XWP and
HTLJ "have garnered good ratings, both carry large
production budgets and, despite success in the
international markets, [they] are still in the red."
[KT]
   REPRINT:
   The MCA Television Group has pink-slipped up to 90
staffers in its latest restructuring. The layoffs were
across the board throughout the TV group, including the
division's sales, business affairs, legal and marketing
units. 
   MCA president and chief operating officer Ron Meyer,
in a memo to the studio's department heads, said the
changes were necessary for the TV arm to reach its
"maximum potential." He added in the memo that "these
were painful decisions to make, but essential to the
company's long-term growth."  
   In a separate letter, recently installed MCA TV
Group chairman Greg Meidel told staffers that "in order
to achieve our goals, we are broadening our
restructuring efforts, which will result in some
layoffs within our group ... where production demands
and workload dictated we have eliminated or reduced
staff, bringing us more in line with the rest of the
television industry."  
   The downsizing in the TV department had been
expected since Seagram bought MCA last year and Meidel,
and more recently James McNamara, joined the firm, the
latter as head of worldwide distribution. MCA's TV
Group has not performed at the same level of other
studios but had the same overhead as its competitors,
sources said.
   The layoffs were not part of the re-engineering
program that MCA announced recently. Recommendations
from that program will be presented to MCA brass in the
next four to five months, which could result in further
layoffs. 
   At the same time, Meidel is looking to improve the
studio's TV performance through other means. Last
month, MCA closed on its roughly $ 80 million deal with
production and management firm Brillstein-Grey
Entertainment. The studio also has been looking to
bring on new talent to bolster its development arm. 
   The layoffs took place Thursday morning not only in
the Universal City headquarters but also the TV Group's
New York and Chicago offices, which house many of the
syndication arm's regional sales teams. 
   Those in the departments affected were informed in
the morning to cancel their lunches for the day and one
by one they were given notice. In his letter to
staffers, Meidel said those let go will be given
"comprehensive outplacement support and generous
severance packages." The layoffs went up to the senior
VP level on the sales side. However, the retirement of
MCA TV president Shelly Schwab early this week was said
to be unrelated to Thursday's cutbacks. 
   Currently, MCA has two firstrun syndication action
hours in "The Legendary Journeys of Hercules" and
"Xena: Warrior Princess." While the shows have garnered
good ratings, both carry large production budgets and,
despite success in the international markets, are still
in the red.
   The studio's last network shows to make it into
syndication were "Coach" and "Law and Order," both of
which did not make the huge dollars that other comedies
and dramas are now commanding in a more competitive
marketplace. 


[324b] 06-10-96
   VARIETY. Page 29. 314 words. "Schwab exits MCA; 90
laid off" By Jenny Hontz and Joe Flint
   COMMENTARY: More on Black Thursday
   REPRINT:
   In the first phase of a massive restructuring of the
MCA TV Group, MCA TV president Shelly Schwab resigned
from his post last week, and about 90 staffers in New
York, Los Angeles and Chicago were laid off.
   The June 6 layoffs, which went as high as the senior
VP level on the sales side, have been expected ever
since Seagram bought MCA Inc. All TV divisions were
touched, including sales, business affairs, legal
affairs and marketing, and the company plans to make
more changes in the next few weeks and months.  
   While Schwab's June 4 retirement was deemed
unrelated to the cutbacks, MCA will not likely replace
him outright.  
   "It's fair to say we're not going to have another
president of MCA TV," says Jim McNamara, president of
worldwide TV distribution, who will continue to oversee
both the domestic and international syndication arms.
Instead a new head of syndie sales is expected to be
named soon.
   MCA is also unlikely to replace Colin Davis, the
former president of MCA Television Intl. His second in
command, Peter Hughes, executive vice president of MCA
Television Intl., will likely report directly to
McNamara. 
   In a memo to department heads, MCA president and CEO
Ron Meyer said the changes were "painful," but
"essential to the company's long-term growth." 
   MCA's TV Group has not performed at the same level
of other studios but had the same overhead as
competitors, sources say. 
   Named president of MCA TV in 1986, Schwab oversaw
the studio's two hit action hours "Hercules" and
"Xena," but prior to that, the company struggled to
develop successful first-run syndie shows. The studio
pulled its last two first-run efforts before "Xena" and
"Hercules" launched.
   Schwab will remain as a consultant to MCA, but will
be available for other projects. "The company has
treated me very fairly," he said. "I'll be loyal to
this company for the rest of my life."


[325] 06-09-96
   THE BUFFALO NEWS. Page 19A. 111 words. "David
Duchovny Voted Twice"
   COMMENTARY: In a quick blurb about the People
On-Line poll for the most beautiful people (see
XMR276), the article noted that the different sites on
CompuServe and Pathfinder had different results. Lucy
Lawless is mentioned as 8th in the Pathfinder poll.
Kevin Sorbo is mentioned as 4th at the same site. They
did not make the CompuServe listed. Only David Duchovny
of "X-Files" made it on both lists. [KT]
   REPRINT:
   USERS OF different on-line services have very
different ideas of who's beautiful, according to People
magazine.   People polled users of its on-line sites on
CompuServe and Pathfinder, and asked them who they
would put on the magazine's list of the most beautiful
people.
   On CompuServe, the top 10 were, in order: Brad Pitt,
Sandra Bullock, Mel Gibson, Jennifer Aniston, Cindy
Crawford, Sharon Stone, David Duchovny, Antonio
Banderas, Mariah Carey and Pamela Anderson.
   On Pathfinder, the top 10 were: Gillian Anderson,
Teri Hatcher, Mitch Pileggi, Kevin Sorbo, Duchovny,
Claire Danes, Geraint Wyn Davies, Lucy Lawless, Alicia
Silverstone and Gary Cole.


[326] 06-09-96
   THE TAMPA TRIBUNE. METRO EDITION. Page 7. 1037
words. "Some TV shows, movies don't deserve to be in
re-runs." by Larry Bonko, of the Providence
Journal-Bulletin.
   COMMENTARY: Xena is deemed the worst impression of
Wonder Woman of the year. Obviously an attempt at
humor, the article implies that there are actual
competitors in the competition, which we all know there
is not! [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   The May sweeps have come and gone, bringing with
them the end of the 1995-96 network prime time
season...
   ...Summing up, here are some examples of the best,
worst, least and most of the past season...
   Worst impression of Wonder Woman: Xena, the Warrior
Princess...


[327] 06-10-96
   VARIETY. Page 6. 2818 words. "'Trainspotting' trio
offers H'w'd an expensive ticket" By Adam Dawtrey,
Martin Peers, Ted Johnson, Ray Richmond, Dennis
Wharton, Ted Johnson, Jenny Hontz, and Robert Quigley
   COMMENTARY: MCA was still having problems. HERCULES
and XENA were still the jewel in the crown, but the
company was still striking out on other projects. In
the aftermath of Black Thursday (see XMR---), MCA TV
now needed to "develop some successful syndie shows for
fall 1997." Which they did not do, by the way. [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...After the new crew at MCA TV finishes its hirings
and firings, the next step is to develop some
successful syndie shows for fall 1997.
   Aside from its two recent hit action hours,
"Hercules" and "Xena," none of the studio's first-run
projects has elicited much enthusiasm among buyers in
recent years.
   Jim McNamara, president of worldwide TV
distribution, has some interesting ideas. Among them:
resurrecting some of MCA's older off-net dramas and
reselling them into syndication. The market for off-net
dramas is very hot now, with most being sold as strips
to cable, but with a weekend syndication window left
open. See related story, page 29....


[328] 06-10-96
   THE PRODIGAL. Episode no. 18. Second release. Guest
stars: Tim Thomerson (Meleager) and Willa O'Neill
(Lila). Written by Chris Mannheim. Directed by John T.
Kretchmer.
   COMMENTARY: See XMR187.5 for synopsis and
commentary.


[329] 06-12-96
   INSIDE MEDIA. Vol. 8. No. 12. Page 5. 569 words.
"Baywatch frights. Production changes at television
program Baywatch Nights" by Ed Martin
   COMMENTARY: A postscript on the sad story of
BAYWATCH NIGHTS, which was a freshman with XWP, but
didn't make the grade. David Hasselhoff, the producer,
had enough power to keep it on and to demand retooling.
Not taking on XWP directly with a fantasy bent, the
show planned to become more X-FILES-ish and
KOLCHAK-ish. Very bizarre, if you ask me. [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   Now in production for its second season, All
American Television's "Baywatch Nights" is undergoing
major creative changes, described as a "radical" by AAT
executives. "It will be a completely different show,"
says one. "It won't look anything like 'Baywatch' or
'Baywatch Nights.'"...
   ...But as the series grappled with how to define
itself, it also straggled to find a substantial
audience. And it was eclipsed in most press coverage by
the instant success of MCA Television's "Xena: Warrior
Princess," a hugely popular spin-off to its "The
Legendary Journeys of Hercules," and the alia and
demographic strength of MGM Domestic Television
Distribution's "The Outer Limits." According to
season-to-date (through mid-May) numbers in the
Nielsen... 


[330] 06-14-96
   XENA MEDIA REVIEW. No. 11. Edited by and annotations
by Kym Masera Taborn.
   COMMENTARY: A world press review of coverage on XWP,
Renee O'Connor, or Lucy Lawless. Covered 12/14/95
through 12/24/95. XWP supercedes HTLJ in ratings; Kevin
Sorbo article; various year end reviews; and more. [KT]

[331] 06-14-96 through 06-17-96
   NOTE: Ratings for FISTFUL OF DINARS (#14),  2nd
release (05/20/96). Repeat of FISTFUL OF DINARS. The
first release of FISTFUL was 01/29/96, where it earned
a 5.7 share and 14th rating while placing 3rd in action
hours. This time around, XWP earned a 4.4 share and
18th rating, while placing 3rd again. STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE earned a 5.7, and HTLJ earned a 5.0.  A note
to the future: this episode was repeated a second time
on 01/06/97 and earned a 5.0 share and a 16th rating
while placing 3rd one more time. 


[331a] 06-14-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Page 22. 395 words. "Mags, Sitcoms up
in Syndie Ratings" By Jenny Hontz
   COMMENTARY: FISTFUL OF DINARS (#14), 2nd release
   EXCERPT:
   Entertainment magazines and off-net sitcoms perked
up the first full post-sweeps week ending June 2,
according to Nielsen. But syndie action hours and
tabmags swam in the gutter...
   ...Action sacked
   Action hours suffered, partly because of competition
and pre-emption's from French and U.S. Open tennis
coverage, as well as basketball playoffs. 
   The leading action hour, Par's "Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine," dropped 5% to 5.7, 20% off last year. All
American Television's "Baywatch" hit a new season low
for the second straight week, 3.3, off 3% from last
week and a dramatic 43% loss from last year.
   MCA TV's "Hercules" and "Xena," which were in
re-runs, respectively fell 7% to a 5 and 14% to a 4.4.
MCA's "Beastmaster" feature scored big with a 5.3,
though....


[331b] 06-17-96
   VARIETY. Page 27. 398 words. "Syndie Sitcoms Rate a
Smile; Action off" By Jenny Hontz.
   COMMENTARY: Substantially the same as XMR331a.


[331c] 06-17-96
   VARIETY. Page 27. 198 words. "NIELSEN SYNDICATION
RATINGS"
   COMMENTARY: Incorrectly identifies week. It is
really for the week ending 06/02/96. FISTFUL OF DINARS
(#14), 2nd release.
   REPRINT:
   For week ended May 26, 1996  
                                 Stations/
Rank  Program                  % coverage   AA%   GAA%
1 Wheel of Fortune                 224/98  10.6      --
2 Jeopardy!                        212/97   8.7      --
3 Century 16                       202/98   8.2     8.6
4 Home Improvement                 226/97   7.5     7.9
5 Natl. Geographic on Assignment   187/96   7.2     7.7
6 Oprah Winfrey Show               222/97   6.8     6.8
7 Seinfeld                         220/97   6.4      --
8 Entertainment Tonight            176/94   5.8     5.9
9 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine       234/98   5.7     5.8
10 WCW Wrestling                   172/93   5.5     9.1
11 Action Pack Feature             209/96   5.3     5.6
11 Simpsons                        192/96   5.3     5.5
13 Imagination III                 161/96   5.2     5.5
14 World Wrestling Fed.            150/90   5.1     6.1
15 Journeys of Hercules            229/97   5.0     5.2
15 Inside Edition                  158/91   5.0     5.1
17 Wheel of Fortune - Wknd.        178/75   4.9      --
18 Live w/Regis & Kathie Lee       234/99   4.4      --
18 Xena                            204/96   4.4     4.5
20 Home Improvement - Wknd.        217/94   4.3      --
20 Jenny Jones                     209/96   4.3     4.5
20 Roseanne                        170/91   4.3     4.6
   AA average refers to non-duplicated viewing for
multiple airings of the same show. GAA average
encompasses duplicated viewing. GAA average does not
apply when there is only one run of a show.


[332] 06-14-96
   MOGUL website (mogul@tols.co.nz). Telecom NZ Ltd.
"Xena: Warrior Princess" 
   COMMENTARY: Extended promo for the 06/19/96 New
Zealand premiere of XWP which was exhibited on the
Mogul website for Telecom NZ. Surprisingly enough, the
narrative was the most detailed media release to date
about Xena's past and expected future. The promoter
called Xena "a breath of fresh air when it comes to
super heroes." [KT]
   REPRINT:
   Premieres TV3, Wednesday, June 19 at 8.30pm
   Ancient Greece, Auckland, New Zealand, sometime
after the Trojan War. There are still many battles to
be fought in this savage land and Hercules needs all
the help he can get. Xena emerges as his female 
equivalent - tough, strong-willed, courageous and well
built. The perfect match. But it wasn't always so. 
   The Xena of today only came about through a complete
metamorphosis. Her early life was spent as a peasant
girl in a village where she lived happily until one
fateful event changed her life. Her village  was raided
and her brother was  killed. The ensuing trauma proved
to have a profound effect on Xena, one that would take
her to the extremes of good and evil. 
   Driven by an overwhelming desire for revenge and an
insatiable hunger for power, Xena became a ruthless
conqueror. But despite this dark side to her nature,
she gradually began to move towards good.  The final
step was taken upon meeting Hercules, that most
benevolent of heroes.  She tried to kill him first, of
course, due to the threat he presented, but once she
got to know him, her life was yet  again transformed.
Her need to destroy disappeared, her inner balance was
restored and she joined Hercules in his quest for truth
and justice.  
   Whether it's this kind of archetypal interplay that
has made  Xena a success, or simply that it's a
rollicking adventure series makes little difference. 
Xena has thrilled viewers in the US and is set to do
the same in New Zealand. Fiery, intelligent and a dab
hand with the chakram (the lethal disc-like weapon she
throws at her enemies), she's a breath of fresh air
when it comes to super heroes.
   Xena is played by Lucy Lawless, originally from Mt
Albert, Auckland. After appearing in three episodes of 
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Lawless received such
a strong viewer feedback that she was approached about
making a spin-off series. Almost six feet tall, Lawless
literally fits the role well. This outward impression
of strength is combined with a natural inclination
towards physical challenges. Although she had ridden
horses a great deal many aspects of the show, such as
martial arts  and swordplay, were new to Lawless.
   Xena: Warrior Princess is produced by the same team
as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Sam Raimi and Rob
Tapert (who were also responsible for the cult hit film 
The Evil Dead). Xena premieres on TV3 on Wednesday,
June 19 at 8.30pm.  


[333] 06-14-96
   THE OTTAWA CITIZEN. Friday. Page C7. 538 Words.
"Global Aims to Grab a Good Share of Early-evening
Viewers" By Tony Atherton
   COMMENTARY: In an article about Canada's Global TV,
it mentioned that they will run SINBAD with HTLJ and
XWP as a three hour Saturday block.SINBAD eventually
turned out to be the most successful of the action 
newcomers of the 1996-97 TV syndicated season. [--KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...Global also has Atlantis's new The Adventures of
Sinbad, a special-effects-laden swashbuckler in the
style of successful syndicated fantasies, The Legendary
Adventures of Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess.
Global will package Sinbad with Hercules and Xena in a
three-hour Saturday afternoon block...


[334] 06-14-96
   THE ORLANDO SENTINEL. Page X3. 718 words. "Put On
Your Bandanna, Gunther. We're Going Over To The Other
Side" by DNA Smith
   COMMENTARY: A quick mention in a website newspaper
column. Author calls XWP a "cool show", and highlights
wihch website? None other than the historic Logomancy
site.    
   EXCERPT:
   I have always loved that genre of TV known as
Fantastic Television anything that involves science
fiction, fantasy or horror.  
   When I was a kid, I remember sneaking downstairs to
the living room after everyone had gone to bed and
watching reruns of The Twilight Zone or The Invaders or
The Prisoner or Night Gallery until my eyes were
bloodshot.  
   Thankfully, plenty of cool shows are on today that
still venture into the realm of the fantastic and most
of them have Web sites.
   I purposely left out sites involving Star Trek and
The X-Files because there are A BILLION of them on the
Web (many of them breathtaking), and I figured that
Trekkers and X-Philes already know where to find their
faves.
   Instead, Ill focus on a few cool shows that aren't
as popular as Trek or XF, which might have gotten lost
in the bustle of the Information Superhighway....
   ...Xena: Warrior Princess
   http://plaza.interport.net/ logomanc/xena.html...
   ...GRAPHIC: PHOTO: Xena has a great fan page on the
Web....


[335] 06-15-96
   MCA Xena Website http://www.mca.com/xena. "Meet
Joseph LoDuca: Composer for Hercules and Xena"
   COMMENTARY: This interview has two firsts. It was
the first interview with composer Joseph LoDuca and it
was the first official confirmation that Lucy Lawless
wrote and sang the song "Burial" first heard in  THE
PATH NOT TAKEN. In the interview, LoDuca also  notes
that Tapert and Raimi are committed to making  XWP a
quality show. LoDuca said, "I am given the resources of
an entire symphony orchestra. That's uncommon for a
composer in any field." [DS]
   The vast majority (can you say 90% or better) of the
questions were questions sent to Mr. LoDuca via a
XenaStaff member from Heparin (Karen Allman) and
Gerilyn Bosse, but were never acknowledged as such on
the website. [KT]
   REPRINT:
   A Conversation with Joseph LoDuca
   Composer
   Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
   Xena: Warrior Princess
   Joseph LoDuca answers your questions from the
Hercules and Xena NetForums and provides you with some
inside information on how he creates the music for your
favorite shows.
   Q:  How long have you been working with Rob Tapert
and Sam Raimi?
   A:  I was introduced to Rob and Sam in 1980.  They
were editing their very first feature film, "Evil Dead"
and they were looking for someone who could make
frightening music.  I was fresh out of school as a 
composition student and as a performer on guitar.  I
put together a demo tape for them and they were
intrigued.   It was my very first film score.  It was
also the first time they had commissioned a composer,
so together we've learned how to make film music. 
Since then I've scored "Evil Dead II" and "Army of
Darkness," as well as the pilot to "Mantis" for them. 
Our collaboration is a very long and fruitful one. 
From what I understand, it's going to continue for the
next two seasons on "Hercules" and "Xena."
   Q:  Many of the NetForum users really enjoy your
work.  What do you feel are the most satisfying and
interesting things about your work?
   A:  The first is that I am given the resources of an
entire symphony orchestra.  That's uncommon for a
composer in any field. For me it's very gratifying; to
drive yourself nuts for three weeks with little sleep
and then hear the results. The whirring up your turbine
engines played back in your face is probably the most
exciting thing that a composer could want.  Also, I
think that our fans should be aware that it's an
indication of the value that Sam and Rob like to bring
to their shows.
   The second is to be able to work with people who'll
stand behind your wild  and crazy ideas. Rob and Sam
have been supportive of my unusual and  unconventional
ways of producing music.  They themselves are very
musical in an intuitive way, and come up with great
suggestions.
   Q: Some of our NetForum questions come from aspiring
film composers.  What advice would you give to them?
   A:  For those aspiring film composers out there, I
have to admit it was the furthest thing from my mind
when I started out.  Unwittingly, I had  developed a
number of skills and interests that enabled me to
become a good musical dramatist.  I was first a
literature student at the University of Michigan and
I've always been a musician.  A musician who loves all
kinds of music.  I played in a rock band throughout my
teens. I moved to New York City to play jazz for two or
three years. I was completely taken in by the classical
guitar for a number of years; then music from various
cultures from around the world. These divergent and
unprejudiced influences have given me a very broad
range of experiences to draw upon when I write music
for "Xena," "Hercules" and "American Gothic." 
   Q:  Could you describe the process for scoring a
television show--how long on average does it take for
you to score a show like "Xena"?
   A:  The simple answer is: you have as long as you
are given.  When we are in the throes of production,
there is a new show every week. I always hear about
special episodes coming down the pike that may require
source music for someone singing or dancing. Sometimes
we're preparing tracks well ahead of time, sometimes
not. Basically you have enough time to go with your
first impulse and stick to it. There is usually little
time for changes so you have to be well prepared. The
music is sometimes written for orchestras, sometimes
for synthesizers and sometimes for ethnic musicians. 
The logistics -- things like travel, working over
long-distance phone line all have to be worked out.  I
have a great assistant who lines up these sessions.
It's quite a mad dash to the finish for anyone who
works in television.  
   A "Xena" or "Hercules" episode lasts about 44
minutes in length and will usually have somewhere in
the neighborhood of 34 or 35 minutes of music that
we're responsible for every week.  I have to credit my
music editors and my support staff for helping me put
it all together.
   Q:  When you score shows like "Xena," what kind of
prep work do you usually do?
   A:  There is just enough time to get your first
inspiration and run with the ball.  I have had to score
long action sequences with computer-generated monsters
that I have never seen.  There was an episode this
season where Gabrielle was playing a flute.  I had to
put notes into her fingers and into her breath where
none existed. There have been scenes where we have had
to make dancers dance to music that we didn't have
access to. What hopefully happens is that I put a
unique stamp on each episode.   Xena's character is
full of possibilities.  I've been developing Gabby's
musical personality.  Since she's a bard from Greece
her music has a Greek flavor.
   Q:  Where did your inspiration come for the music
for "Xena"?
   A:  Xena, as many of the fans will remember, was
introduced as the Warrior Princess in a trilogy at the
end of the first season of "Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys."  I credit a lot of the initial suggestions
to our producer Rob Tapert.  He came up with the idea
of Bulgarian singing. I had written a powerful women's
chant in an eastern European style on "Hercules and the
Amazon Women" that he liked very much. This show was
originally temped with "Conan" music.  I thought  that
that  was just too masculine.  Hong Kong action fighting
scored with over-the-top singing was very appealing to
us.  In Xena's theme, I heard a way to marry primitive
drumming, eastern European rhythms, and a Bulgarian
women's chorus. When I dove deeper into the musical
culture of Bulgaria I found a shepherd's flute, called
a "kaval" that I use in love scenes.  Overblown the
"kaval" produces a very chilling effect for Xena's
chakram toss and her paralysis trick. I've used a
bagpipe called a "gaida," which has a war-like sound
combined with drumming and water castanets. We used
instruments from all over the world to create a piece
for Darfus, Xena's lieutenant in the Warrior Princess
trilogy.  We played conches, shofars, Chinese cymbals
and digeeridoos;  when combined with an orchestra the
result is scary and unique. I've tried to keep Xena's
music distinctly different from Hercules.  The tone of
Xena tends to be more exotic, tends to be darker
because of her past and her stone-faced posture. The
dramatic situations are more complicated, more adult.
There's a lot less major key writing in "Xena" than
there is in "Hercules."
   Q:  What aspects of Xena as a character are you
trying to underscore when you use the "gaida," the
"kaval," various choral themes, or is it a particular
mood you are trying to create?
   A:  Any and all of the above, I guess, would be the
answer to that question. Warlike, chilling sounds help
to create an atmosphere of ancient culture, even though
the dialogue is contemporary.  As we are in a fantasy
world, I try to enhance the drama with emotional
authenticity and immediacy.  And  while TV economics,
as they exist today, demand that quite a bit of the
music is synthesized, we always go out of our way for
the human cry.  It adds mystery and intrigue to Xena's
world.
   Q:  Stories are circulating on the NetForum about
whether Lucy Lawless actually sang the dirge for
Marcus' funeral in "The Path Not Taken", could you give
us the inside scoop?
   A:  That's an interesting story.  Lucy gave a
cassette of her singing a melody she made up to our
producer, Rob Tapert.  To the best of my knowledge, the
lyrics are Hassidic.  It was a song that worked well in
the episode "The Path Not Taken."  Xena sings over the
processional for Marcus, her lover.  It turned out that
the best performance that we had was on a
3rd-generation poor quality cassette.  Yet there was
something that was very moving about Lucy's
performance--she's a very talented singer as well as a
great actress.  I wrote the setting for the song.  It
will appear on a Xena Soundtrack CD to be released on
Varese Sarabande Recordings later this summer.
   Q:  Where did your inspiration for the music for
"Hercules" come from?
   A:  From the outset Rob and Sam were interested in
trying to do something different with Hercules. 
Originally we thought I would created an exotic and
Arabic score.  When the first film footage from New
Zealand came back, I felt that this was not going to be
the best approach.  I saw lush landscapes and colorful
costuming that almost looked medieval.  It was broader
and more fantastic than anything as specific as Arab
music could describe and there was nothing exotic about
the "new" Hercules in this show. He's a tall, blond
hero with a good heart.  Hercules' theme came to me in
about an hour as I was leaving for Los Angeles to
present some ideas. Our hero was good and true.  His
theme reflects these qualities.  We would instead
surround him with the hummus, as I call it, the ethnic
spicing appears around him as required; the score of
"Festival of Dionysus" for example.  It's a hybrid of
Brazilian escola de samba with an Arabic melody.
   There is another aspect of the music in Hercules
that distinguishes it from "Xena."  There is a lot of
cutting up in the script and on the set. There's a lot
of physical comedy.  Musically we haven't shied away
from that.  We have actually gone over the top and
commented on it.  We have a Typhon, the clumsy giant,
kissing Echidna, the mother of all monsters, so I write
the "Honeymooners" over a big, sappy, romantic screen
kiss.  Aphrodite is windsurfing so I write with surfin'
"oud" (Arabic lute) music along with some broad nods to
the beach comedies of the 60's.  The music is as
good-natured as the show.  We get in on the fun and I
hope it's fun for the listeners.
   Q:  In what ways are you using technology to produce
musical "Hercules" and "Xena"?
   A: The most current technology pervades every aspect
of music making.  I compose and synchronize to picture
using my PC.  I E-mail files to my copyists, print out
music using notation software.  Music is kept in the
digital domain most of the time; most cues are sent to
the dub stage via ISDN lines.  While the setting of the
shows is BC the music is made in ways that look to the
millennium.


=============
THE BACK PAGE
=============

XENA MEDIA REVIEW STAFF: Serving Xena fandom since
March 1996!
   Kym Masera Taborn (KT), editor-in-chief
       ktaborn@lightspeed.net
   Diane Silver (DS), editor (even issues)
       dswriter@idir.net
   Maria Erb (ME), editor (odd issues)
       maria@erb.mv.com
   Barb, circulation 
       xenatwo@aol.com
   Lydia M. Woods, assistant to the editor-in-chief
       woodsl@erol.com
   Thomas Simpson, mascot
       thomas@xenafan.com
       
BACK ISSUES: Back issues of XMR are available at the
XMR Archive on the XMR web page: http://xenafan.com/xmr

THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS: TWXN is the advance sheet for
XMR. Since XMR offers indepth analysis of media
coverage, the issues are distanced in order to gain
perspective and insight into how the media report
affected the future or was affected by its peers. TWXN
is a commentary-lite review of excerpts to be used in
future XMRs as they are processed for the XMR database.
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. 

REPRINT POLICY: Permission to use, copy and distribute
Xena Media Review (XMR), or parts thereof, by
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SOLICITATIONS FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS: Send cites,
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to ktaborn@lightspeed.net. XMR is a non-profit fan
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DISCLAIMER: XMR (Xena Media Review) is a free non-
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challenge, disregard or profit from any of the original
copyright holders of the material excerpted, reprinted,
or referred to (including but not limited to MCA,
Universal, Renaissance Pictures, and any other rightful
and legal copyright holder).  This newsletter is an
academic and educational pursuit to archive, annotate,
and study the media response to Xena: Warrior Princess
(a television production from MCA/Universal/
Renaissance) and the actresses Lucy Lawless and Renee
O'Connor, especially in the light of popular culture
and the influence of mass media.  XMR exercises its
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Homicidal Insomniacs Publication. Copyright 1997 by Kym
Masera Taborn.




