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

==========================
XENA: THE MEDIA REVIEW #25
==========================
An Obessive But Benign Publication
http://xenafan.com/xmr
P.O. Box 81181, Bakersfield, CA 93308

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. 25
Release date: 08/18/97
Covering 07/16/96 - 07/31/96
Annotations 390 to 410


FROM THE EDITOR: The Courage to Cut My Hair
FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Yeah, Cut Mine Too
"Why XWP Didn't take a Summer Vacation"
"Bruce Campbell at Origins Con 07/97" 
LETTERS TO XMR
ANNOTATIONS
  [390] 07-17-96. THE EVENING POST. XWP moved in NZ
  [391] 07-17-96. BOSTON PHOENIX. Clueless in Boston
  [392] 07-19-96 to 07-23-96. Peach!
  [393] 07-19-96 to 07-22-96. Rat g PATH NOT TAKEN, 3rd
  [394] 07-20-96. XENA MEDIA REVIEW. No. 16. 
  [395] 07-21-96. INDIANAPOLIS STAR. mention
  [396] 07-22-96. ELECTRONIC MEDIA. cult TV websites
  [397] 07-22-96. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Books release
  [398] 07-22-96. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. More on books
  [399] 07-22-96. DRUG TOPICS. cultural reference
  [400] 07-22-97. Airing. THE TITANS (#07), 3rd rel.
  [401] 07-23-96 to 08-11-96. USA to strip XWP 
  [402] 07-25-96. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. passing mention
  [403] 07-26-96. MS. Magazine promos.
  [404] 07-26-96. STAR TRIBUNE. Inside Nielsen ratings
  [405] 07-29-96. VARIETY. Ratings MORTAL BELOVED, 2nd
  [406] 07-29-96. ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. media ref.
  [407] 07-29-96. SALON MAGAZINE. Creepy stuff!
  [408] 07-29-96. Airing IS THERE A DOCTOR (#24), 1st 
  [409] 07-31-96 to 08/27/96. German RTL/MCA deal.
  [410] 07-31-96. CAPITAL TIMES. Kids shows!
THE BACK PAGE
  Errata
  Xena Media Review Staff
  Back Issues
  This Week in Xena News
  Reprint Policy
  Solicitations for Future Newsletters
  Disclaimer


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

The Courage to Cut My Hair
--------------------------

In XMR#23 I rattled on about my Xena-inspired wardrobe
changes and sudden affinity for leather, but the
Warrior Princess' influence has penetrated much deeper
into my life than mere surface affects would indicate.
Xena has bored her way to the very core of my
femininity. 

Yep, she's given me the courage to cut my hair. Not to
brag (ok, not to brag a whole lot), but my hair was
really nice. Thick, dark, kind of wavy, I'd worn it
long ever since I'd left home for college. It was a
badge of womanhood to me, as good as a driver's
license, ID card or anything that said "REAL WOMAN,
RIGHT HERE. BELIEVE IT". Not only that, but men seemed
to like it an awful lot.

Not *just* men, but me, too. I liked the way it felt on
my naked shoulder in the morning, I even liked brushing
it and flinging it back when I finished like every girl
from Marcia Brady to that chick in Clueless does at
least once an episode. It was something that positively
identified me as female, as feminine, and as very
status quo.
 
But all those multiple viewings of XENA: WARRIOR
PRINCESS episodes do take a toll sooner or later and I
found myself (for the first time!!!) complaining in the
hot, humid weather that only the northeast can produce
about the weight on my neck. I imagined myself in exile
from tangles. But mostly, I wondered if I had the guts
to part with this emblem of establishment and risk
throwing myself onto shaky terrain. My hair packed a
lot of info into its malleable fibers and made it easy
to set the terms of interaction with others. Men could
tell that I was married (well, the diamond ring on my
finger kind of gives it away), women that I was
straight, and anyone else who might be paying attention
could probably discern that I *really* liked Martha
Stewart a lot.

I just wasn't sure I wanted to put any effort into
having to explain all that stuff.

I waffled on the idea, even sitting in the chair at the
hairdresser's, thumbing frantically through *Spin* and
*Rolling Stone* in search of something that caught my
eye. Finally I said, "You have some clippers, don't
you?" And that was it, the floor filled with that silky
dark stuff of which I had been so fond and I felt
something like blood running out of my veins.  

Admittedly, my new haircut hasn't been the
 transformational  catalyst I thought it would be. I
don't really feel any different. I kind of miss having
something to put in my rather extensive collection of
 scrunchies . Add to it the fact that not many people
even noticed that I got my hair cut and I've got to
wonder if I should've pierced my eyebrow instead.
 Hmmmmmm ......maybe a tattoo.

This month's XMR feature is brought to you by Beth
Gaynor of RATE-A-XENA fame
(http://arcane.eng.ohio- state.edu / bgaynor / xenarate.htm )
.
Beth and I have been online pals for several months
now, sharing tales of  bizarro   email  (I had a long
streak of "Dear Xena, I'm your biggest fan......" notes
while Beth was getting compliments for her work on the
XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS script writing team. We both
wondered how we had time for our more pedestrian
pursuits like going to our jobs and working on our Web
sites while holding down such illustrious positions.) 
Since then, we're broadened our topics of discussion to
include Dungeons and Dragons, bad haircuts, religion, 
and Sarah  McLachlan . I just found out Beth is a closet
 dramat  (a triple threat: singing, dancing, *and*
acting) who is also heavily into Gaming and joined
Bruce Campbell at a recent Game-fest in MN. 

Maria E. Erb

Co-editor
 maria @ erb.mv.com 
http:// www.mv.com / ipusers / erb / xena /
New Hampshire
08/05/97


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

Yeah, Cut Mine Too
------------------

It must have been in the air. I got about 18-20 inches
lopped off in one sitting on July 20, 1997. I can't say
I blame Xena. Okay, maybe Gabrielle. No, just kidding.
I refuse to let my life choices be dictated by a
television show. And if you believe that, I have some
prime Mississippi River property I want to sell to YOU! 

Hair and Xena do go together, though. I am going to die
known as that woman who wrote that hair color article
about Lucy Lawless. It is by far one of the most
popular articles on WHOOSH. Although it appeared in
issue number one, hidden way behind many other
articles, it still receives enough hits to make it into
the top twenty articles every month. Do you have any
idea how embarrassing that is? It was the first issue.
We were scrambling for articles. I was BEGGING people
for submissions. We desperately needed material. So I
dusted off my old XMR essay, re-tooled it, and
blissfully thought that would be the last I would ever
hear of it. Ha! 

So what is the nature of this hair - Xena connection?
My first thoughts about Xena's hair came in UNCHAINED
HEART (# H13 ). Wow. I wonder if Hercules has that affect
on all warrior princesses? I hope not. Since then she
has done nothing really as spectacular with it. It was
the frizz to end all frizzes after all. Maybe after
they have explored Gabrielle's Year of Hell ( tm ), the
fourth season will challenge viewers with a change in
Xena's braid!

Maria and I would like to take this opportunity to
invite all readers to send us their personal stories on
how Xena has affected their hair or the hair of someone
close to them. We will collect them and then reprint
the best of the hair stories in XMR #27. Now, be honest
and don't old back!


Kym Taborn

Editor-on-chief
 ktaborn @ lightspeed.net 
California
08/10/97


=====================================
WHY XWP DIDN'T TAKE A SUMMER VACATION
=====================================
By Beth Gaynor
(bgaynor@compuserve.com)
http://arcane.eng.ohio-state.edu/bgaynor/xenarate.htm

Imagine you're a studio executive for a moment. To your
great surprise, you have some medieval, warrior woman, 
b* tt -kicking show that's sizzling through the ratings. 
Problem is, those darned actors and producers and
writers need a break every once in a while, and just as
the ratings are really starting to make you see
mega-dollar signs, it's time for summer reruns. What
can you do to keep the ball rolling until the new
season begins?

If you're smart, you have already planned to keep your
shows in front of the media during the summer doldrums.
And MCA/Universal has smart studio  execs . They've
plotted for a very long time to keep Xena (and
Hercules) in the public eye even while there's nothing
new going on in the show, and Xena's hang-ten on the
syndicated ratings has just made their job that much
easier.

For their summer vacation, Xena and Hercules are
releasing the Hercules TV movies in June (and sneaking
a little limelight from some Disney flick with a
familiar name and delusions of grandeur), opening a
huge attraction in their name at Universal Studios in
July, and releasing an animated movie in August. 

There's no coincidence anywhere in that timing. Once a
month, a major media event is going on to attract the
attention of the press, hopefully put stories about
Xena and its stars on the airwaves and in the papers, 
and keep Xena firmly in the public awareness. Their job
is to make it impossible to forget that the show
exists, and with any luck, Xena will even manage to
pick up a few more viewers in time for the season
premieres. Smart, smart studios. And the public
relations folks are probably waiting in line to kiss
the feet of that nutty lead actress who up and decided
to go on Broadway for the summer - a bonus event to add
to their schedule!

Every show tries to do this - MCA/Universal isn't on to
any great secret. But they've hit some incredible luck, 
especially with the Warrior Princess who is suddenly a 
household name. Public relations feeds on itself; if no
one is interested in a TV show, no stories are going to
run on Entertainment Tonight/E! TV/People Magazine
about it, and therefore no one is interested. On the
other hand, as most of us Xena fans have witnessed,
this cycle can also work in favor of a show, to
frenzied proportions. Xena is popular, eye-catching,
and has snatched people's attention. Therefore,
entertainment and news reporters are more than happy to
run stories about the show. Therefore, more people hear
about it, and Xena becomes more popular, more
eye-catching, and has more people's attention.

Runaway trains have their dangers; the temptation to
take advantage of the hype to put the show's name
*everywhere* gets tough to fight, but in that way lies
madness - or at least, early flameout. It should be
interesting to see where things go from here; will MCA
and Universal manage to keep a tight enough rein on
their medieval  megahits  to enjoy a good, long ride? So
far, they seem to be playing things pretty cool - for
those of us hoping for a long ride, maybe the Powers
That Be can bank the coals and keep the fire burning
for a nice long time.

So the next time you see Xena on the news or in a
magazine, play the studio executive game and think
about the planning that went on behind the event.
Nothing in those appearances is left to fate, least of
all their timing. Did you see, when  CNN  Showbiz
reported at Universal Studios, the reporters in the
background who were running like frenzied Beanie Baby
shoppers to catch photos of Lucy and Kevin? Sights like
that are gold to studios. And to those executives; if
you really were that executive you pretended to be at
the beginning of this story, you'd probably be enjoying
a bonus right now that's bigger than most of our 
annual paychecks. Tough life those guys have.


===================================
BRUCE CAMPBELL AT ORIGINS CON 07/97 
===================================
by Beth Gaynor 
(bgaynor@compuserve.com)
http://arcane.eng.ohio-state.edu/bgaynor/xenarate.htm

Bruce Campbell spent the weekend of July  19th  at
Origins, an international game convention that, by
happy coincidence, was held in my hometown of Columbus,
Ohio. He appeared for three Q&A sessions, introduced
and answered questions about a showing of ARMY OF
DARKNESS, and sat through a couple of autograph
sessions. He talked about a lot of his projects past,
present, and future, but I'll just pass along the
important stuff he talked about -- the stuff about
XENA. Bruce Campbell is a very funny, very sarcastic
guy. He's great fun to listen to and seems to really
enjoy talking with the fans, but you better be prepared
to dodge his wit if you want to ask a question. (I got
nailed by him on mine, although I made him laugh.) 

Person-to-person, in the autograph line, he's nice as
can be. The line crawled slowly because so many people
had so many (and such weird!) things for him to
autograph, pictures to take, and words to say, but he
took time for all of them, and none of us in the line
(well, none that I know of) begrudged a moment of it.

I'm going to take liberties and call the man Bruce in
this report, per his own request. When one shy fan
stood to ask her question, she had some problems
getting through the beginning of it:

  "M-Mister Campbell, when-"
  "Call me Bruce."
  "OK, well, when you and Mister  Raimi -"
  "Call him Sam."


THE CREATION AND FUTURE OF  AUTOLYCUS 

The character of  Autolycus  was created by Doug  Leffel ,
the writer of  the HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEY's
episode PRINCE OF THIEVES, without Bruce in mind. But
Robert Tapert [executive producer of HTLJ] called him
up for the part, saying he thought it was a good match. 
A couple of people asked whether Autolycus might ever
get a spinoff series of his own. One of the comments
Bruce dropped sounded to me as if it has been
considered, but Bruce said he doesn't have any interest
in making Autolycus into a series hero. The character
would have to become too boring, he says, and made into
a Robin Hood-ish guy with noble intentions who only
steals from the rich. He said Autolycus is much more
interesting as just a recurring character who,
according to him, lives for tormenting Hercules and
"trying to get into Xena's pants."


WORKING IN NEW ZEALAND

One of the audience members made the mistake of
expressing little sympathy for Bruce when he talked
about spending the past few weeks in New Zealand. In
response, Bruce offered to review some geography with
us: "Let's see ... northern hemisphere, summer,
southern hemisphere ... winter! Oh, yeah!" He said it
rained every single day he was down there. I still
don't think he earned much sympathy, though. 

Relations between the Yanks and the Kiwis are very good
on the set of XENA, although there are definite
cultural differences. Every afternoon includes a 20
minute break for tea time, which apparently involves
kicking a hackeysack around.

Americans aren't quite allowed to forget that they're a
guest in another country, though. Bruce compared
overtime on the set between The United States and New
Zealand. In the States, if overtime is required, the
director just tells everyone that they're going to pull
some more hours that day, gives them their overtime
pay, and there's no debate.

On the XENA and HERCULES sets, though, directors (or at
least Bruce, when he directs) must request overtime
from the crew managers, who then discuss it together
and decide how much more time they'll give him. When
they come back and tell Bruce that they'll give him an
extra half an hour, Bruce has to do make quick
decisions about which shots he can fit into that time
and which he'll have to drop. ("I didn't really need
that close-up of Lucy..." he muttered.)


WHAT ABOUT LUCY?

Someone asked whether getting kissed by Lucy Lawless
was as good as it looks. Bruce immediately replied that
it was better, and REALLY hammed up his fake sorrow at
having to do take after take after take -- "Oh! Messed
up again! Darn!"

Bruce said that directing Lucy Lawless was a strange
and sometimes frightening experience; she could have a
line as simple as "Hi, how are you," and he gave his
imitation of two takes she'd do of it -- one perfectly
nice and normal, the next as if she's going to rip your 
throat out. He said he never knew what she was going to
do next. Lucy is, of course, planning to do GREASE on
Broadway this fall, and Bruce suggested that everyone
"run out to New York and support Lucy." 

One person jokingly asked Bruce for Lucy's phone
number. Bruce's equally joking response:
"484-DROP-DEAD."


BRUCE'S LATEST PROJECT (AND THE XENA CONNECTION)

Bruce's latest movie, titled RUNNING TIME, is currently
seeking distribution. It's a black-and-white
16-millimeter film that covers 70 minutes in the life
of a convict who just got out of prison and immediately
tries to pull off a new heist. Campbell is the ex-con,
the movie is written and directed by Josh Becker, who
has directed A FISTFUL OF DINARS,
WARRIOR...PRINCESS...TRAMP, FOR HIM THE BELL TOLLS, and
BLIND FAITH. Jeremy Roberts, who played the assassin
 Thersites  in FISTFUL OF DINARS,  costars .

Bruce loves doing a mixed bag of acting, directing, and
producing, and plans to continue all three.


THE GENESIS OF THE WARCRY

I got to ask the question that's been bothering me for
months: In the midst of the climactic battle in ARMY OF
DARKNESS, Bruce's Evil Ash character lets out with a
warcry that sounds very familiar to us nowadays, an
observation that made Bruce laugh. I asked him whose
idea the battle cry originally was, and added the
question of whether Evil Ash would be peeved that his
warcry was stolen by a Warrior Princess. He had a good
time poking fun at that, but said that the
middle-eastern whoop is one of Sam Raimi's pet ideas,
that he was the one who suggested it both to Bruce and
to Lucy. And yes, Bruce figures that Evil Ash is very,
very upset.


COMING UP ON HERCULES

Bruce's next HERCULES episode is called BEANSTALKS AND
BAD EGGS, a Jack and the Beanstalk-style episode where
Autolycus steals a magical bean that ends up leading to
a giant's castle.

And coming soon: an episode called STRICTLY HERCULES,
which will include a long dance number. Kevin Sorbo is
practicing his dance moves every Saturday.


COMING UP ON XENA  (SPOILERS)

Bruce's next XENA episode, titled THE KING OF
ASSASSINS, was also his directing debut on XENA:
WARRIOR PRINCESS. KING OF ASSASSINS is a "Lucy-lite"
episode -- Lucy Lawless only had to shoot three days. 
The episode features Joxer and Joxer's evil twin
brother Jed (the King of Assassins?). According to
Bruce, "You ain't lived until you've seen Ted in black
leather."

Autolycus gets a little action with Cleopatra in the
episode (which Bruce was quite proud of). Cleopatra
also apparently invites Xena to come visit her in Egypt
sometime. Bruce made a crack about shooting a line a la
SPARTACUS, where Xena and Cleopatra discuss whether
snails or oysters will be served. I'm 95% sure he
wasn't serious. 

A third Joxer brother,  Jace  ( Jayce ? Short for Jason?),
is hinted at in the episode, but not seen.

Also coming soon: an all-musical Xena episode [BITTER
SUITE]. Bruce promised it would be good for many, many
laughs.


==============
LETTERS TO XMR
==============

Subject: XMR #24
Date: Monday, August 11, 1997

About the article [383] by Anne Scott in the Boston
Phoenix: Why, oh why, do some writers insist on
referring to Lucy Lawless as  busty ? Maybe this is just
a little peculiarity of mine, but it annoys me when
people distort the obvious facts. Yes, Xena looks
 busty , because they put her in one of those push-up
things, but LL is just about average. I guess
considering the way the media distorts things, LL's
done very well in all of her interviews. I haven't seen
her saying anything stupid yet, unlike someone else we
know. I know this is a minor point, but it really bugs
me. I appreciate all the work you do -- I learn
something new every time I read XMR! Thanks!

 Laine  R Lawless 
 rlawless @ sj.bigger.net 

                            +++++++++


Subject: Your editorial - another perspective
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 

Kym

>So far 12 first season shows -- THAT IS HALF OF THE
>SEASON, PLATO -- have been aired only twice 
...
>The ETERNAL QUESTION is why air an episode for the
>fourth time when you have such a tremendous backlog of
>excellent first season episodes that haven't appeared
>even for the third time?  DUH ????????

(Hopefully) Simple!  To make sure that people out there
are ready and willing to buy them when they come out on
video!

You show some to remind people how much they liked them 
even back then, but you keep some back so that when
they come out on video they have a well-known/unknown
pairing which is most likely to be bought. Curiosity
about the one the customer doesn't remember, coupled
with pleasant memories of one they do is usually enough
to guarantee a sale.

As far as I'm concerned the only issues are:

a) how much longer will we have to wait - I desperately
   hope we'll see the first Xena videos this autumn, or
   fall as you people say.

b) praying that they'll release them on  LaserDisc  
   as well as  VHS .

After what broadcasters here did to Xena, watching each
new episode from the US is like watching a new extended
special edition of an old favourite.

Regards,

Bevis R W King
B.King@ee.surrey.ac.uk

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:

Commercial videos of XWP are planned for next year.
They will be packaged in special sets (e.g. The
HERCULES trilogy, Callisto, etc.) in order to buffer
any competition with USA Channel's re-broadcast of the
show starting in September 1998.


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


[390] 07-17-96
   THE EVENING POST (Wellington). Page 10. 415 words.
"Xena moves to keep Hercules company" By Phil Wakefield
   COMMENTARY: The kiwis try to figure out if XWP
should air after Hercules, kind of like a one-two punch
to really knock the audience out.  They reason that
since Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place were such a
killer combo, the Herc and  Xee  linkup should be mighty
fine.  Hey, I want to see  Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
and Xena: Warrior Princess back to back  (or,  um , front
to front....).  
   As long as a show has got a kick-b* tt  femme in the
lead and a colon in  the title, I'm there. [ MBE ]
   EXCERPT:
   XENA: Warrior Princess has been ordered out of prime
time. The Hercules spin-off screens 8.30pm Wednesday
for the last time tonight; from next week, it will air
after Hercules at 9.30pm on Fridays.    
   Also being pulled is Star Trek: Voyager. It goes
into a scheduling black hole after tonight but may be
revived for a prime-time summer run (another series is
being bought).
   Both Xena and Voyager are being replaced by movies
but only for the short term - watch for new series
programming to be launched on the back of Beverly Hills
90210.
   The changes mark TV3's third Wednesday night
overhaul this year. But TV3 programming chief Gary
Brown rejects suggestions the shake-up reflects the
kind of knee-jerk scheduling that has  characterised 
 TV2 .
   "We did keep Xena on for more than a week," he says,
in reference to  TV2  this month pulling Human Nature
after only one episode.
   He believes Xena is better suited to Fridays and
will perform to its potential with Hercules as the
lead-in.
   The two play back-to-back in the United States, and
Brown says those who think it's an overkill should
remember how well Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place
rated when they were a double-act on TV3....


[391] 07-17-96
   BOSTON PHOENIX. "Sister Sledgehammer - Everything
You Always Wanted to Know About Xena" By Anne Scott
 Cardwell .   
   COMMENTARY: Boston's version of The Village Voice is
usually right on the money when dealing with things on
the edge (or at least they were when I  lived in Boston
and actually read the thing) but this time, YIKES!!
It's like they never had that pro-gay, somewhat hip,
artsy sensibility that made them the guide to consult
for seeing movies or scouting out a new band.  Stuff
like this "...There is the matter of that horrible
sidekick Gabrielle, who peaks at 8 out of 10 on the
Wesley Crusher scale of annoying..." could come from
the keyboard of any clueless publication in Beantown.   
   And "for Xena, there will be no embarrassing
sentimentality...." has me really wondering if there is
even a small fiber of factoid left in this statement.
You don't know how much I really hope......it never
happens. [MBE]
   Contributed by:  Xenaadict @ aol.com 
   EXCERPTS:
   ...Xena is a righteous bitch.  She's beautiful,
fierce, independent and undefeated -- she kicks
barbaric butt.  Even hunky half-god Hercules can do no
better than stalemate the mortal warrior princess while
the rest of us lie there among our Baked Lays cheering
for the good gal....
   ...Xena actually rises to levels of, for lack of a
better term, feminism.  The main reason is the
performance of Lucy Lawless, who plays the warrior
princess with a straight-up strength not devoid of
sexuality.  The other is that the character created by
Raimi and Tapert rules her own world (lives her own
life) without compromise....
   ...Give Raimi and Tapert lots of points for casting
the big woman.  Sure, she's no chunk queen, and she'll
never be a poster child for cellulite, and those big
breasts didn't hurt her chances at all, but she ain't
petite.  Xena eats waifs for breakfast (she's not
worried about her warrior waistline)...
   ...Xena's trip into the heart of darkness gives
credibility to her fight against injustice that makes
Hercules's self-righteousness appear, well,
self-righteous.  She shellacs a legion of savages and
sneers a symbolic high-five with the forces of good;
for Xena, there will be no embarrassing
sentimentality....
   ...Her strength and cunning afford her the
independence that all women should have: the freedom
from fear, the freedom from physical dependence, Xena
doesn't need cabs or pepper mace....
   ...There is the matter of that horrible sidekick
Gabrielle, who peaks at 8 out of 10 on the Wesley
Crusher scale of annoying...

 
[392] 07-19-96 to 07-23-97
   NOTE: July 19, 1996, in New York's Cinema Village,
the series "Girlfriends: Lesbian Short Films From
Around the World" opened. Included in this series was
Christine Parker's "Peach", which included Lucy Lawless
in it's supporting cast as the "mysterious tow-truck
driver". The New York Times and Village Voice ran
articles about this series. [KT]


[ 392a ] 07-19-96
   THE NEW YORK TIMES. Friday. Page  C8 . 591 words.
"Film Review; A Lesbian Perspective" By Stephen Holden 
   COMMENTARY: Mr. Holden deemed Peach one of the two
strongest movies of the eight shorts in the
"Girlfriends" series. [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...Sometimes a cigar is not just a cigar, and a
Venetian fritter is not just a Venetian fritter. In
"Just Desserts" and "Peach," two of the strongest
movies in "Girlfriends," a program of eight short
lesbian films, food is a tantalizing metaphor (and in
"Just Desserts" an uproariously explicit one) for
awakening sexuality....
   ...Christine Parker's 16-minute film, "Peach," which
comes from New Zealand, is a tiny but telling vignette
about a young working-class Maori woman (Tania Simon)
whose gift of a perfectly ripe peach from a friendly
grocer coincides with her first  stirrings  of lesbian
sexuality. Into her tough dead-end world appears a
beautiful, smiling tow-truck driver (Lucy Lawless) who
suggests an angelic alternative to her surly boyfriend.
   ...GIRLFRIENDS
   Lesbian Short Films
   From Around the World
   Short films directed by Barbara  Heller , Jane
Schneider,  Ela   Troyano , Cheryl  Dunye , Christina
 Andreef , Barbara Rose  Michels , Monica  Pellizzari  and
Christine Parker. Anthology released by First Run
Features. At the Cinema Village, 22 East  12th  Street,
Greenwich Village. Total running time: 100 minutes.
These films are not rated.


[ 392b ] 07-23-96
   THE VILLAGE VOICE. Page 66. 387 words. "Girlfriends:
Lesbian Short Films from Around the World" By Elisabeth
 Vincentelli  
   COMMENTARY: In a review about a Lesbian short film
festival at a local New York cinema, Ms.  Vincentelli 
attempted to determine what made a film a lesbian short
film.  In developing her thesis, Ms. Vincentelli made
the observation that a lesbian nomiker is not solely
based upon content. She stated, "I would also argue
that Lucy Lawless is far more  lesbionic  in Xena,
Warrior Princess than in Christine Parker's 'Peach,'
though in that film she plays a mysterious tow-truck
driver who seduces a young mom. (She does look pretty
swell in 20th-century clothing, though, so now I'm
praying for a team-up with Gina Gershon.)"
   I have never come across the term 'lesbionic'
before, however that may not necessarily mean it is not
in wide use by some (I know it will enter my
vocabulary!). However, for my purposes, it appears to
be a first coinage. It was a very clever pun especially
in a Xena context, since it conjured up both the bionic
woman ethos and the alleged lesbian subcontext(s) which
flow from the presentation of a strong woman who is not
afraid to travel around with only another woman as her
companion.  I will not go into this further, in part
because it is a topic which is so rooted in the very
fabric of our society that I could never do it justice
as an annotation; and also in part because I anticipate
this topic will be discussed thoroughly in several
articles which will be published in Whoosh (The Journal
of the International Association for Xena Studies). 
   The sentence "seduces a young mom" is true but in a
symbolic sense. In the film the peach represented a
character's approach to life: Sal admired the peach
from afar, and when it was given to her as a gift, she
then put it on a pedestal and admired it further, and
kept people, including herself, from eating it.  In
came the "mysterious tow-truck driver" who advised Sal
(in a somewhat intense and unique way) to eat the
peach. Sal ate the peach. Thus, the Lucy Lawless
character did "seduce" Sal to experience more from her
life, but not in the sense of a completed physical
seduction (even though, then, it was a complete
seduction in that Sal did eat that darn peach). Peach
was an art film, so many more things were happening in
it than just an interrupted kiss between two women.  [I
do not want the reader to think Peach was a one
message, exploitative, or polemic film. It was not. It
had many levels and dealt with many aspects of life. I
regret I am not doing the 16 minute short justice in
this annotation. However, this is not an essay on
Peach.] Also, in the film it was strongly implied that
had not the baby cried, a non-ambiguous
non-metaphorical seduction could have happened. 
   Later in the article, in a circumstantial reference
to Xena, Ms. Vincentelli expressed her disappointment
that in a lesbian film short festival she did not see
more action roles for women. She wrote, "I personally
would have loved seeing women fight aliens, make giant
aquariums explode, or at the very least wave enormous
swords and kick Hercules's b*tt. Expensive? Look at
what Monty Python could do with a broom handle and
 papier - mache !" [KT]
   REPRINT:
   Girlfriends: Lesbian Short Films From Around the
World
   At Cinema Village
   Opens July 19
   What makes a short film a lesbian short film? It
can't be based solely on content, since there's zero
lesbian text (or even subtext) in Christina Andreef's
"Excursion to the Bridge of Friendship," a
12-minute-long marvel that's easily the best thing in
this wildly uneven anthology. I would also argue that
Lucy Lawless is far more lesbionic in Xena, Warrior
Princess than in Christine Parker's "Peach," though in
that film she plays a mysterious tow-truck driver who
seduces a young mom.   (She does look pretty swell in
20th-century clothing, though, so now I'm praying for a
team-up with Gina Gershon.)
   No, the real link between most of these films is
that, as in many staples of lesbian lit (think Virginia
Woolf or Jeanette Winterson), nearly all of them
include fantasy sequences: girl pictures dad as a huge
puppet (in Barbara Heller's "Little Women in Transit");
Lower East Side performance artist conjures up
black-and-white Mexican melodrama (in Ela Troyano's
"Carmelita Tropicana: Your Kunst Is Your Waffen"); girl
imagines entire relationship as she waits by a
supermarket's checkout counter (in Barbara Rose
Michel's "Watching Her Sleep"), to name a few. But
except for the one thought up by "Carmelita Tropicana,"
all of these flights of fancy are desperately mundane.
You keep wishing the directors would let their
imaginations loose and start thinking big, or at least
delirious. I personally would have loved seeing women
fight aliens, make giant aquariums explode, or at the
very least wave enormous swords and kick Hercules's
b*tt.  Expensive? Look at what Monty Python could do
with a broom handle and papier-mache! In the meantime,
I'll count the days until Christina Andreef finally
makes her feature debut.


[393] 07-19-96 to 07-22-96
   NOTE: Ratings for THE PATH NOT TAKEN (#05), 3rd
release (06/24/96). XWP took 3rd place in action hours
(1st for HTLJ, and 2nd for ST:DS9), with a 4.9 share
(up 11% from last week). [KT] 


[393a] 07-19-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Friday. Page 8W. 382 words.
"Syndicated
programs suffer holiday blues" By Jenny Hontz
   COMMENTARY: Ratings for THE PATH NOT TAKEN (#05),
3rd release (06/24/96).
   EXCERPT:
   As thousands lined up during the July Fourth holiday
weekend to see "Independence Day," it appears few
viewers stayed home to watch syndicated TV. 
   Nielsen ratings for most syndie shows during the
holiday week ending July 7 dropped like hot dogs into
the fire. Every show with significant access clearances
hit new season lows. Even Macy's July Fourth fireworks
special fell 21% year-to-year.... 
   ...MCA TV's action weeklies were also spared.
"Hercules" increased 10% to 5.3, up 2% from last year.
It also took the top spot away from Par's "Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine," 5.1. "Xena" was up 11% for the week
to 4.9...


[393b] 07-22-96
   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 374 words. "Syndie ratings
grounded during July Fourth week" By Steve Brennan 
   COMMENTARY: Ratings for THE PATH NOT TAKEN (#05),
3rd release (06/24/96). Rating: 4.9 (up from last weeks
4.4 for ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES #17).
   EXCERPT:
   Syndicated programs got zapped by Independence Day.
There was no alien mother ship involved  only massive
migration outdoors by viewers during what is
traditionally one of  the lowest TV viewing weeks of
the year.  Most of the leading shows that compete in 
access slots were down for the week of July 1-7, many
posting their lowest numbers of the season.... 
   ...The weekly hour shows did better as MCA TV's
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" was the top-rated
action-adventure hour with a 5.3 rating, up from the
previous week's 4.8. "Xena," its stable companion, was
up from a 4.4 to a 4.9 while Paramount's "Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine" was at a 5.1, down from a 6.2.


[393c] 07-22-96
   VARIETY. Page 26. 196 words. "Nielsen Syndication
Ratings"
   COMMENTARY:  The Path Not Taken, 06/24/96; third
release [original release 10/02/95, 4.8 rating; 2nd
release 12/25/95, ratings unknown]; HTLJ was ranked 1st
action hour, overall 7th with 5.3; ST:DS9 ranked 2nd,
overall 9th with 5.1; and XWP ranked 3rd, overall tied
10th with Entertainment Tonight with 4.9. No other
action hours ranked in the top twenty.
   REPRINT:
   For week ended July 7, 1996  
                             Stations/
Rank  Program                            % coverage   
AA%   GAA%
  1   Wheel of Fortune     226/99    9.2       --
  2   Jeopardy!            217/98     7.9      --
  3   WCW Wrestling        175/92     7.2      12.8
  4   Home Improvement     228/98    6.5       6.9
  5   Oprah Winfrey Show   223/97    6.2       6.3
  6   Seinfeld             221/97    5.8       --
  7   Journeys of Hercules 232/97    5.3       5.4
  7   Wheel of Fortune-Wknd183/84    5.3       --
  9   Star Trek:DSN        235/98    5.1       5.2
 10   Entertainment Tonight178/95    4.9       4.9
 10   Xena                 204/96    4.9       5.0
 12   Inside Edition       162/91    4.4       4.5
 12   World Wrestling Fed. 153/90    4.4       5.1
 14   Simpsons             193/96    4.3       4.4
 15   Montel Williams      167/92    4.0       4.0
 16   Home Improvement Wknd220/95    3.9       --
 16   Fresh PrinceofBel-Air221/97    3.9       --
 18   Live w/Regis&KL      156/86    3.8       4.0
 18   Jenny Jones Show     199/94    3.8       4.0
 20   Married W/Children   176/90    3.6       4.0
 20   Ricki Lake           202/94    3.6       3.7
 20   Roseanne             172/92    3.6       3.8
   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. 


[394] 07-20-96
   XENA MEDIA REVIEW. No. 16. Edited by and annotations
by Kym Masera Taborn.
   COMMENTARY: A world press review of coverage on XWP,
Renee O'Connor, or Lucy Lawless. Covered 03/16/96 -
04/02/96. Lawless interview; dialect coach for XWP
interview; Bruce Campbell; XWP as "cheap American
Junk"; shift of realism to fantasy in TV programming;
near strike by production crews; what to eat while
watching Xena; Prodigal ratings; XWP replaces sports
show; collecting toys; Justice; Negrita Jayde; Sunny
Knox; February sweep results; Curve & Globe articles;
and more! [KT]

 
[395] 07-21-96
   THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Sunday. TV section. 716 words
   COMMENTARY: I have no idea what this is, other than
just a program listing. [KT] 
   EXCERPT:
   ...WEDNESDAY OVERNIGHT...
   ...Xena: Warrior Princess 918729 (CC)Paid Program


[396] 07-22-96
   ELECTRONIC MEDIA. Page 12. 934 words. "New Media;
fans Pay Homage on the Web" By Patricia Riedman.
   COMMENTARY: Passing mention of XWP in an article
devoted to the phenomenon of cult TV fan websites. XWP
is placed at ninth out of ten for most amount of web
pages devoted to it found on Yahoo. The ranking is as
follows: Star Trek; Dr. Who; X-Files; Mystery Science
Theater 3000; Monty Python's Flying Circus; Seinfeld;
The Simpsons; Forever Knight; Xena: Warrior Princess;
and My So-Called Life. [KT] 
   REPRINT:
   Cult TV shows spawn Web sites at a mind-numbing
rate.
   And while it's impossible to get a precise count on
the number of fan sites out there, informal surveys
through Yahoo! and TVnet.com search engines showed
"Star Trek" just ahead of "Dr. Who" with well over 200
sites each-featuring details  of obscure trivia to the
absurd "The Capt. James T.  Kirk Sing-a-long Page"
(http://www.ama.caltech.edu/users.mrm/kirk.html/). 
   "The X-Files" is a close third, followed by other
high scorers: "Mystery Science Theater 3000," "Monty
Python's Flying Circus," "Seinfeld," "The Simpsons,"
"Forever Knight," "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "My
So-Called Life."
   And while the networks are realizing the potential
of the Web, many of their sites still have a ways to go
to outnumber and outshine some of the irreverent
content coming from fan pages.  
   For instance, the official "Seinfeld" page by NBC
(http://www.nbc.com/entertainment/shows/seinfeld/) is
heavy on the promotional side and reads like a press
release, with posed cast photos and text that hypes the
show's awards and ratings.
   Check into the "The unofficial Cosmo Kramer Web
Page" (http://law.wuacc.edu/sanders/kramer.html)  and
download WAV sound files of everything from jokes to
Kramer crooning "I'm so keeno on beefo-reeno." 
   "Elliot Tobin's Seinfeld" page at
http://www.earthlink.net/;seinfeld/ spins the show's
content into catchy word games: fill-in-the blank
jokes, Rules of Life according to Seinfeld and a quote
machine.
   Show producers might even be feeling threatened by
the popularity of fans' sites.
   "Spellingland," a site that reportedly received
about 4,000 hits a week, was recently forced off the
Web.
   Tom Zoerner, who had maintained  an extensive
archive of "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Melrose Place"
material, says he received a letter from Spelling
Entertainment Group  claiming that his use of their
logos and trademarks was illegal. Mr. Zoerner closed
the site and distributed  his content to other
underground Spelling show Web pages.
   Some of the network-sponsored sites are gaining a
following. 
   "The Dominion," the official Sci-Fi Channel site,
uses the network's programs as a springboard for
developing original content and recently incorporated
sites started by fans for  "The Night Stalker" and "Six
Million Dollar Man."
   Fox (http://www.foxworld.com)  wants its show sites
to be "campy and fun," says Cindy Hauser, Fox's senior
vice president who oversees online entertainment.
   In a recent online poll, fans could vote on whether
to change the hair color of "Melrose Place's" Amanda.   
NBC, which plans Internet components for all of its
shows, is increasing original content with emphasis on
soap operas, comedies and late-night talk shows, says
Shawn Hardin, creative director of NBC Interactive
Media. 
   But the fan-created sites still have a certain
charm-and can  be impressive lobbying forces.    
   When Comedy Central announced it was dropping
"Mystery Science Theater 3000," the show's creators,
Best Brains, leaked the news that it was in
negotiations with The Sci-Fi Channel.
   Barry Schulman, vice president of programming for
the Sci-Fi Channel, says e-mail and  "snail mail"
letters in support of the show "came by the thousands
and were incredibly literate and passionate."
   "If you could transfer this to an analogous rating,
it would be spectacular," he says.
   Fans can also vent their opinions about plot
developments in one of the countless online bulletin
boards.
   Do scriptwriters really ever see these suggestions?
   Jeff Jungblut , who maintains a "General Hospital"
site (http://www.portcharles.com), thinks so.
   He claims that the recent death of a major
character, who was killed by a car bomb, was
foreshadowed when someone mentioned it in a chat room
in February. 
   "Either that was a wildly lucky guess or someone
from GH planted it," Mr. Jungblut says.
   Fan involvement will take another leap when NBC
employs Intercast technology this fall on "Homicide."
   The audience can watch the show in real-time on
their computers while accessing the show's Web site.
   GRAPHIC: This fan-created site on the Web gets you
William Shatner crooning.; "The X-Files," starring
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, has spawned
numerous fan Web sites, including "The Bureau of
Federal Investigation X-Files Division" (right).


[397] 07-22-96
   PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Vol. 243. No. 30. Page 206. 6605
words. "Sneak previews: Spring 1997 children's books.
Bibliography" By Alison Stone.
   COMMENTARY: In a listening of children's books
scheduled for Spring 1997 release, Ru Emerson's "Xena:
Warrior Princess, with The Huntress and the Sphinx" is
mentioned under the Berkley/ Boulevard publishers
listing. [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...BERKLEY/BOULEVARD
   Several series forge ahead, including Hercules: The
Legendary Journeys, with The Eye of the Ram by Timothy
Boggs; Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights, with Shards of
Alderaan by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta; Star
Wars: Junior Jedi Knights, with Anakin's Quest by
Rebecca Moesta; Elvira, with Camp Vamp, by Elvira with
John Paragon; and Xena: Warrior Princess, with The
Huntress and the Sphinx by Ru Emerson....


[398] 07-22-96
   PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Vol. 243. No. 30. Page 158. 50238
words. "Children's books for fall. Includes profiles of
selected books; Cover Story Bibliography" By Sally
Lodge and Shannon Maughan.
   COMMENTARY: In a listening of children's books
scheduled for Fall 1996 release, Ru Emerson's "The
Empty Throne" is mentioned under the Berkley/ Boulevard
publishers listing and priced at $5.99 and geared for
ages 13 and up. [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...BERKLEY/BOULEVARD
   Paperback Series: Beethoven's Puppies adds Family
Vacation by Robert Tine ($ 4.50, 7-15). Jedi Under
Siege by Kevin Anderson and Rebecca Moesta is new to
Star Wars Young Jedi Knights ($ 5.99, 7-up). Elvira:
Transylvania 90210 by Elvira with John Paragon launches
the new Elvira series ($ 4.99, 13-up). Hercules: The
Legendary Journeys debuts with By the Sword and
Serpent's Shadow by Timothy Boggs ($ 5.99 each, 13-up).
And Xena: Warrior Princess starts up with The Empty
Throne by Ru Emerson ($ 5.99, 13-up)....
   ...RANDOM HOUSE...
   ...Paperback Series...
   ...Xena, Warrior Princess Picturebacks adds Queen of
the Amazons and Princess in Peril, adapted by Kerry
Milliron ($ 3.25 each, 4-6)...


[399] 07-22-96
   DRUG TOPICS. Vol. 140. No. 14. Page 30. 543 words.
"What's a professional duty? Pharmacists'
nonprofessional tasks" By Jim Plagakis
   COMMENTARY: In an exposee about the abuse of
pharmacists, the author referred to a woman who was
considered quite brave in insisting upon taking two
nine-minute breaks a day. The author wrote: "She has
set her feet with courage. I want to call her Xena the
Warrior Princess, but I think she is settling for
scraps." [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   I caught a pharmacist mopping the floor one day.
Cross my heart! She's a pharmacy manager, and she was
singing the song, "I don't know why I do the things I
do ... after all the changes pharmacy has put me
through." 
   Professional duty? 
   She mops floors even when she doesn't want to.
Pharmacists do menial jobs just because they have to be
done. But give me a break. Is this professional? 
    "Do you think that mopping the floor is what a
professional does?" I asked her.
    "Hell no!" she said. "I have no help, so I gotta do
it."      
    Her next words came from deep inside. "Jim, mopping
is as far away from professional as stocking shelves in
an AM-PM Minimart." Then came a resigned smile. "It's
pharmacy, and it's been this way for as long as I've
worked in big drugstores."...
    Professional?
    Check out Random House on that: Engaged in an
occupation requiring extensive education in a branch of
science or the liberal arts. Pharmacy fits tightly into
that slot, but I don't remember any class called
Mopping the Floor 101. 
    Extensive education? You can bet your firstborn on
that! Professional hoity-toity? Not a chance. Most of
us do jobs over which an attorney would have a
convulsion just at the thought. But it's pharmacy, and
I still love it.
    We've got a Jekyll and Hyde gig going here, gang,
and I don't think that mopping the floor is
professional. But, for some of us, it is just part of
the job, a chunk of coal that many of us try to ignore
with glazed-over eyes. 
    Do you get the feeling that I'm setting you up?
Yup, I am! I want to grease your attention chute for
what's coming next. 
    Included in the "Letters" section of Drug Topics
recently were a number of discussions about long days,
lack of breaks, no lunch periods. 
    Professional?
    A woman wrote that she took two nine- (at least, I
think it was nine) minute breaks a day, no matter what.
I want to commend her. She has set her feet with
courage. want to call her Xena the Warrior Princess,
but I think she is settling for scraps.
    When nine minutes to sit down in a 12-hour day is a
luxury, it makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with
us! We are the profit center of most drugstores, and we
sure as hell don't have to flush our dignity and put up
with being any drugstore company's cattle!
    I know a few guys who have recently quit their jobs
because they were sick and tired of long days, no
breaks, no lunch, and no help. They gave up vacations,
vested interests, seniority. They refused to be
micromanaged by nonpharmacists and are working with
sweet music now being pharmacists. 
    There is a monstrous amount of turnover these days.
Pharmacists are banging between jobs like pinballs. The
young ones are the professionals who are going to
transform pharmacy. Watch and see! Us older guys are
institutionalized and live in some place called
Shawshank.
    Oh! This is the yearly Pharmacy Belongs to
Pharmacists column! I whine only once a year ...
Promise! I still want to know if you think we'll ever
get our profession back? I do. The time has never been
better for pharmacists. There are those here among us
who think that pharmacy is ours.
    Not magic this time ...just guts!


[400] 07-22-97
   THE TITANS. Episode no. 7. Third release. Guest
stars: Mark Raffety, Amanda Tollemacha, Edward
Campbell, Andy Anderson, and Paolo Rotondo. Written by
R.J. Stewart. Directed by Eric Brevig.
   COMMENTARY: See XMR068.5 for synopsis.

 
[401]  07-23-96 to 08-11-96
   NOTE: The USA Network purchased the off-syndication
rights to HTLJ and XWP for approximately $300,000 per
episode. The USA Network anticipated stripping the 85
HTLJ and 72 XWP shows as a companion block in September
1998. The deal DOES NOT include the Hercules Action
Pack movies which precipitated the HTLJ hourly series.
Since then, this deal has turned into one of the most
lucrative deals USA has probably every done. It
basically purchased a program that is now earning
ratings in the 6's and 7's at the price one would buy
for a program earning 4's and 5's. [KT]


[401a] 07-23-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Tuesday. Page 1. 389 words. "USA
lifts 'Hercules,' 'Xena' rights" By Ray Richmond
   COMMENTARY: Hercules was described as blending
"myth, mirth and manliness in an adventurous stew"; and
Xena as a "fierce, provocatively clad,  bodaciously  buff
martial artist". 
   The article also stated that both shows along with
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE rank "as the highest-rated
hours in national syndication. They are regularly among
the syndie top 10."
   The article closed with the observation that
"Hercules and Xena are still expected to be in  firstrun 
syndication when they debut on USA." [KT]
   REPRINT:
   The USA Network snagged the exclusive
off-syndication rights to yet another pair of action
hours, the cheesy but popular "Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys" and its spinoff "Xena: Warrior Princess," in
a deal between MCA entities that sources believe
carries a  pricetag  of about $ 300,000 per episode. 
   Acquisition gives USA sole rights to the 85
"Hercules" episodes and 72 "Xena" installments that
will be available when USA begins stripping the shows
Monday-Friday as a companion block beginning in
September 1998. 
   In the past year, USA has acquired the off-syndie
rerun rights to a stable of adventure hours, including
" Baywatch ," "Renegade," "Highlander," "Acapulco Heat"
and "Sirens." In June, USA also won the nonexclusive
rights to 105 episodes of the CBS drama "Walker, Texas
Ranger" beginning in fall 1997.       
   The "Walker" deal caused a stir because USA paid
nearly $ 750,000 per episode, second in price only to
the estimated $ 1.2 million fetched from Turner for the
cable strip and weekend broadcast rights to NBC's
top-rated "ER." News Corp's FX paid $ 600,000 for the
off-net rights to "The X-Files."  
   USA's deal for "Hercules" and "Xena" does not
include the four two-hour "Hercules" films that aired
as part of Universal's "Action Pack" in 1994, which led
to a weekly series beginning in January 1995. "Xena"
spun out of "Hercules" in September 1995. 
    Execs  for USA (co-owned by  Viacom  and MCA) and MCA
were especially tight-lipped about the price, which
sources attributed to fear that disclosure would open
the players to ridicule, given their joint ownership
ties. 
   TX: But one USA source dismissed the idea of any
sweetheart deal, maintaining, "These are separate
divisions who have their own bottom lines to meet, and
besides, any suspiciously low figures could open up a
lot of people to legal hassles."
   "Hercules" (which stars Kevin Sorbo and blends myth,
mirth and manliness in an adventurous stew) and "Xena"
(starring Lucy Lawless as a fierce, provocatively clad,
 bodaciously  buff martial artist) rank with "Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine" as the highest-rated hours in national
syndication. They are regularly among the syndie top
10.
   "Hercules" and "Xena" are still expected to be in
 firstrun  syndication when they debut on USA. They are
produced by Renaissance Pictures for MCA TV, which
distributes.


[ 401b ] 07-23-96
   DAILY NEWS (New York). Tuesday. Page 76. 809 words.
"NBC Dashes off to Fast Start in Olympics Ratings
Quest".
   COMMENTARY: Substantially the same basic information
as in  XMR337a .
   EXCERPT:
   ...Strong stuff
   Cable's USA Network has bought some rerun muscle.
   The  cabler  announced yesterday it has acquired
repeats of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and its
spin-off, "Xena: Warrior Princess," and will start
airing them weekdays in September 1998.
   The one-hour  actioners , which star Kevin Sorbo and
Lucy Lawless, respectively, regularly claim the top
spots in the syndicated ratings race, often beating top
competitor, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." (By Christy
 Slewinski )


[ 401c ] 07-23-96
   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 286 words. "Action:
'Hercules,' 'Xena'" By Scott  Hettrick 
   COMMENTARY: More on the USA purchase of the
off-syndication rights to HTLJ and XWP. This article
mentions that USA Networks is co-owned by MCA Inc! A
little incest, it looks like! Or at least cutting
itself a pretty hefty deal! [KT]
   REPRINT:
   Network has acquired the exclusive off-syndication
rights to the one-hour episodes of "Hercules: The
Legendary Journeys" and its spinoff series, "Xena:
Warrior Princess." Both action series, which have
consistently ranked among the top first-run syndicated
action-adventure hours, are distributed by MCA TV.  
USA Networks is co-owned by MCA Inc.  USA will get
exclusive rights to the 85 one-hour episodes of
"Hercules," which premiered in January 1995, as a
one-hour series after four two-hour movies were
initially produced under the "Universal Action Pack"
banner. The two-hour movies are not a part of the deal. 
"Hercules" will make its premiere as a Monday-Friday
strip on USA in September 1998, along with 72 episodes
of companion show "Xena," which premiered in September. 
"USA is the ideal home for 'Hercules' and 'Xena,' "
said Jim  McNamara , president of MCA Worldwide
Television Distribution.  "Both shows draw a strong
family audience as well as balanced demographics,"
added USA  vp  programming Neil  Hoffman .  "Hercules" and
"Xena" have been rated behind only "Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine" in first-run syndicated action adventure
hours, beating the Paramount series on certain weeks.
"Xena" is the highest-rated new syndicated first-run
action-adventure series.  Both shows are filmed in and
around Auckland, New Zealand, and are executive
produced by Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi's Renaissance
Pictures for MCA TV.  Kevin Sorbo stars as "Hercules,"
a fantasy show that blends mythic  storylines  with humor
and contemporary references.


[ 401d ] 07-24-96
   THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER. Wednesday. Page  B7 . 734
words. "Bill Cosby blasts language in a show on his
network" From The Pittsburgh Post-gazette.
   COMMENTARY: San Francisco reprints the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette blurb about the USA Network acquisition of
the off-syndication rights of XWP.
   EXCERPT:
   ...In other TV news, Cable's USA Network has bought
some rerun muscle. 
    The  cabler  has announced that it has acquired
repeats of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and its
spinoff, "Xena: Warrior Princess," and will start
airing them weekdays in September 1998...


[ 401e ] 07-25-96
   ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Thursday. Page 38. 365
words. "Tube Talk" From wire services.
   COMMENTARY: More on USA Network deal. Reminded the
reader that XWP and HTLJ often beat STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE in the ratings.
   EXCERPT:
   ...Hero and She-ro: Cable's USA Network has bought
some rerun muscle.     The network announced Monday it
has acquired repeats of "Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys" and its spin-off, "Xena: Warrior Princess,"
and will start airing them weekdays in September 1998.
   The one-hour  actioners , which star Kevin Sorbo and
Lucy Lawless, respectively, regularly claim the top
spots in the syndicated ratings race, often beating top
competitor, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."...


[ 401f ]  07-26-96
   THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Friday. TV Notes. Page 4. 601
words. "Astrodome lauded as GOP's '92 site" By Ann
 Hodges  and Mike  McDANIEL 
   COMMENTARY: Blurb on the USA Network deal which
allows USA to start showing XWP on weekdays starting
September 1998.
   EXCERPT:
   ...People and programs
   USA Cable Channel has won the rerun rights to
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its sister show
Xena: Warrior Princess. "" They'll start showing up in
September 1998....


[ 401g ] 07-29-96
   ELECTRONIC MEDIA. Page 6. 320 words. " Usa  Gets
Rights  To Four Series"
   COMMENTARY: Article about USA Networks acquired
rights to HTLJ, XWP, TOP COPS, and AMERICA'S MOST
WANTED: FINAL JUSTICE.
   Reported that HTLJ and XWP sold for $300,000 per
episode for 85 and 72 hours of HTLJ and XWP,
respectively. Also announced that USA will begin airing
the shows in September 1998.
   It was further stated that, "MCA opted to sell the
shows to cable because of the difficulties in selling
one-hour strips in syndication. They will continue in
first-run syndication as weekly shows. 'Right now the
market is just glutted...It is hard to find shelf
hours,' said a spokesperson for MCA Worldwide
Television Distribution, adding that it was a 'strong
deal, as far as money is concerned.'"
   REPRINT:
   USA Network, in a flurry of activity last week,
acquired rights to four series: "Hercules: The
Legendary Journeys," "Xena: Warrior Princess," "Top
Cops" and "America's Most Wanted: Final Justice." 
   The off-syndication episodes of "Hercules" and
"Xena" will premiere on the cable network starting
September 1998 and will be packaged as a  counterprogram 
action block stripped in early fringe and prime access. 
    USA, in a deal with MCA Worldwide Television
Distribution, paid an estimated $300,000 per episode
for 85 hours of "Hercules" and 72 hours of "Xena," two
of the top-rated hours in first-run syndication. 
   MCA opted to sell the shows to cable because of the
difficulties in selling one-hour strips in syndication.
They will continue in first-run syndication as weekly
shows.
   "Right now the market is just glutted...It is hard
to find shelf hours," said a spokesperson for MCA
Worldwide Television Distribution, adding that it was a
"strong deal, as far as money is concerned."
   USA also acquired 172 half-hours of "Top Cops" from
New World and 130 half-hours of "America's Most Wanted:
Final Justice" from Twentieth Domestic Television to
add to the network's daytime schedule this fall. 
   "The idea is to create a reality block as part of
the daytime lineup," said Neil  Hoffman , vice president
of programming, USA Network.
   The two shows, starting Sept. 9, will run
back-to-back at noon and again at 4 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
   MCA and Paramount own USA.


[ 401h ] 07-31-96
   THE DES MOINES REGISTER. Wednesday. Page 4. 387
words. "TV Prime Time. Here's the scoop on ice cream"
By Jan  Currie .
   COMMENTARY: Yet another blurb about the USA Network
acquisition which included a barb towards ST: DEEP
SPACE NINE's falling ratings.
   EXCERPT:
   ...Scribbles & Scraps
   7 Cable's USA Network has bought rerun rights to
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and its spinoff,
"Xena: Warrior Princess." They'll begin airing in
September 1998.
   Both series regularly win the syndicated ratings
race, often beating "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."


[ 401i ] 08-02-96
   STAR TRIBUNE. Page  18E . 547 words. "Beam him up:
 Doohan  treks to new  UPN  show"
   COMMENTARY:  Two sentence blurb on the USA Network's
acquisition of XWP reruns.
   EXCERPT:
   ...USA Network has acquired the rights to reruns of
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior
Princess." The shows will be aired back-to-back Monday
through Friday beginning in September 1998.


[ 401j ] 08-02-96
   CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL. Friday. Page  P6D . 269 words.
"USA Adding Action Shows to its Lineup."
   COMMENTARY: Notice that USA Network acquired the
rights to "The big Easy", "Top Cops", "America's Most
Wanted: Final Justice", XWP and HTLJ.
   EXCERPT:
   ... The network also has grabbed "Hercules: The
Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess," two
of the top-rated syndicated action shows.
   USA Network plans to unveil the two shows in the
fall of 1998 to counter the early evening programming
of many stations that centers on game shows and comedy
series reruns.
   The deal brings 85 hour-long episodes of "Hercules,"
starring Kevin Sorbo, and 72 hours of "Xena" to USA
Network...


[ 401k ] 08-08-96
   THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Thursday. Page  4C . 209
words.
"Hercules flexing his rerun muscle" 
   COMMENTARY: More on the USA acquisition.
   EXCERPT:
   The USA Network has bought some rerun muscle.  The
cable network has announced that it has acquired
repeats of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its
spinoff, Xena:: Warrior Princess for $ 300,000 an
episode.   The reruns will begin airing weekdays in
September 1998.  The one-hour action series, which star
Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless, respectively, regularly
claim the top spots in the syndicated ratings race,
often beating top competitor Star Trek: Deep Space
Nine....


[ 401l ] 08-09-96
   ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. 50 words. "Winners of the
Week"
   COMMENTARY: Herc and Xena get to be winners of the
week because of the USA Network paying $300,000 per
episode for the rerun rights. Graphic of both Xena and
Hercules.
   REPRINT:
   HERCULES AND XENA
   Kevin Sorbo's and Lucy Lawless' series muscled $
300,000 per episode from the USA Network for their
reruns.
   LOSERS OF THE WEEK
    MALIK   YOBA  AND MICHAEL  DELORENZO 
   The New York Undercover cops caved after demanding $
75,000 per episode. Who did they think they
were--Friends?


[ 401m ] 08-11-96
   LOS ANGELES TIMES. Sunday. TV Times. Page 5. 969
words. "Cover Story; The Changing Face of USA" By Susan
King.
   COMMENTARY: More on the USA acquisition.
   EXCERPT:
   ...USA also has been aggressive in snapping up
exclusive rerun rights to the popular syndicated series
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior
Princess," as well as to " Baywatch ," "Acapulco Heat,"
"Sirens," "America's Most Wanted: Final Justice" and
"Top Cops." The network also purchased the nonexclusive
rights to the popular CBS series "Walker, Texas
Ranger." ...


[402] 07-25-96
   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 670 words. "Market sky-high
with  sci - fi . New wave of shows seen as alternative to
reality programs" By Steve Brennan 
   COMMENTARY: XWP mentioned in passing when announced
that All American Productions are planning on releasing
a HTLJ/XWP clone called " Sinbad ". [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...All American is also bringing out " Sinbad " in the
wake of the runaway success of MCA TV's "Hercules" and
"Xena" fantasy hours...


[403] 07-26-96
   NOTE: Ms. Magazine promos.

 
[ 403a ] 07-26-96
   THE TAMPA TRIBUNE. Friday.  Baylife . Page 2. 405
words. "Someone strong" By Mike O'Neill.
   COMMENTARY: Extended mention of the XWP appearance
on Ms. Magazine's cover and magazine ( XMR349 ).
Mentioned highlights of magazine article: most faithful
viewers 18 to 34; lots of young girl fans; Lawless does
not consider self a feminist even though feminists
identify with her character. Graphic is of Lucy
Lawless. [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ..."Xena: Warrior Princess" dominates this month's
cover of Ms. magazine. Executive producer Rob Tapert
says the syndicated show's most faithful viewers are
aged 18 to 34. But star Lucy Lawless still receives
hundreds of letters from young girls.   
   "They write about how encouraging it is to see
someone who's so strong," says Lawless. "I have all
these photos of little girls with Xena costumes on." 
   Although Lawless does not consider herself a
feminist, she says, "Feminists might identify with me
because I'm unapologetic in what they think is a
male-dominated world ... no, I guess, what is a
male-dominated world."  Source: Ms. 
   GRAPHIC: Lucy Lawless.


[ 403b ] 07-26-96
   ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS. Friday. Page  21H . 334 words.
"Kneel Down, Bookworm; Browser" By Bruce  Barcott .
   COMMENTARY: Extended summary of the article about
XWP found in the August/September Ms. Magazine
( XMR349 ).  [KT]
   REPRINT:
   It's late July and the newsstand, as it usually does
this time of year, has become a quilt of boring covers.
Olympic hopefuls, plane crashes, movie stars. Except --
wait a minute. "XENA-MANIA!" Yes! The warrior princess!
On the cover of MS. magazine! Throw us our skates,
sister, the rink just opened to Hell! "Why is TV's
warrior princess a hit with women?" the editors ask.
Writer Donna  Minkowitz  finds a whole slew of reasons.
Start with the fact that Xena kicks everybody's butt
all over the ancient land and sea. Add her defeat of
the war god Ares, her rescue of Prometheus and her
defense of women against roving bands of rapists. "Many
feminists have been dreaming of mass-culture moments
like this since feminism first came into being,"
 Minkowitz  writes. Xena fights men, refuses to smile,
doesn't have a boyfriend and has a number of lovers who
aren't     necessarily limited to one gender. And she's
not afraid to process a relationship. "Xena continually
confronts the parts of herself that are least likable,"
 Minkowitz  writes. "She keeps meeting people who are
terrified of her because of the atrocities they've seen
her commit." (Xena's sword gathers no rust.) "And
though she's reformed, Xena is one hero whose ethical
struggles are never over." Because this is Ms.,
however, we can't watch our televised camp guilt-free;
we have to worry about the sexual  objectification  of
the warrior princess. "A friend of mine took one look
at Xena's long legs and tight leather breastplate and
decided that [she] was just another R. Crumb drawing in
the guise of a feminist hero." It's worth noting (and
 Minkowitz  does) that the star of Xena's sibling show,
"Hercules," shows at least as much skin as the warrior
princess. In the end, Ms. gives "Xena" its qualified
nod of approval. As the show's producer says, "[Xena]
doesn't quite fall into this svelte, silicone image.
She's a big woman with big shoulders, big hipbones and
big thighs." And even bigger ratings.


[404] 07-26-96
   STAR TRIBUNE. Page  19A . 734 words. "Obviously, being
a Nielsen household is an incredible responsibility;
It's too important for us to record the shows we really
watch" By Mark  DePaolis 
   COMMENTARY: A "Nielsen household" viewer ' fessed  up
about his phobia of being a XWP watcher. Mr.  DePaolis 
stated, "Obviously, being a Nielsen household is an
incredible responsibility, much too important for us to
record the shows we really watch. I don't want the TV
people to know that we watch "Xena, Warrior Princess"
every time it comes on, which, thanks to cable, is 17
times a week."
   His next explicit mention was, "Actually, except for
'Xena,' we didn't watch much TV this week, especially
since we never watch the Olympics (I would, however,
have watched every minute of 'Xena at the Olympics')."
[KT]
   REPRINT:
   I've been under a lot of stress this week, making
hundreds of critical, split-second decisions that could
mean the difference between life and death - for TV
shows. It's our job. For this week, at least, we are .
. . a Nielsen family.
   We started getting postcards from Nielsen Television
Research a few weeks ago, letting us know we had been
selected as a Nielsen TV Household. This meant we had a
chance to give feedback to "the people who plan TV
programs." This is surprising to anyone who thought
most TV programs came to life by random chance, like
lightning striking primordial ooze.  
    Naturally, I had heard of the Nielsen ratings. I
always assumed the Nielsen people came out to your home
and attached some high-tech black box to your TV that
monitored your viewing habits. This would send a signal
to Nielsen Central Command whenever you switched from
Dave to Jay because the latest  grunge  band was about to
play.
    Instead, what we got was a diary. It is a little
booklet full of detailed charts and spaces that break
down an entire week into 15-minute increments. Filling
out the diary is much more work than actually watching
TV, even with cable.
    There are columns to record the name of the
programs, the channel number and station name, and
whether the TV was on or off during this period.
(Research shows watching with the set off is much less
harmful.) There is even a place to mark if your TV was
on but no one was watching, although in that case I
think you only get partial credit.
    In this way you are supposed to write down every TV
show watched by anyone in your house for a full week.
There was a crisp one-dollar bill in the packet, as "a
token of appreciation" for doing this.
    This explains a lot. The only people providing
feedback are the ones who think doing this much work
for a dollar is a good deal, like 5-year- olds . No
wonder some programs are popular, like those "Home
Video" shows that are basically 60 minutes of people
falling down. The top-rated show in the country could
soon be "Wishbone," which features a dog dressing up as
various figures from classic literature. 
    Evidently, the entire content of television, which
sadly has more influence on some people than
government, school or family, is determined by a
handful of people across the country who have way too
much spare time on their hands. 
    Obviously, being a Nielsen household is an
incredible responsibility, much too important for us to
record the shows we really watch. I don't want the TV
people to know that we watch "Xena, Warrior Princess"
every time it comes on, which, thanks to cable, is 17
times a week.
    We don't always go looking for it; sometimes we
come across it while browsing. We use TV as the video
equivalent of a police band scanner. And the fact that
we watch a show is no guarantee of quality. Sometimes
we find awful, horrible programs, which we watch in
their entirety in order to make fun of them.
    There is no place in the diary to record this, just
as there is no place to list the shows you actively
avoid watching. This is like voting against the
candidate you hate. For a long time I watched whatever
was on opposite  "Roseanne," just hoping someone would
finally get the message.
    Actually, except for "Xena," we didn't watch much
TV this week, especially since we never watch the
Olympics (I would, however, have watched every minute
of "Xena at the Olympics").     Most of the time our
VCR watches TV for us. It's a tremendous time saver. We
set it to record the shows we like, then we stack the
tapes on a shelf and never watch them. Eventually we
forget which tapes have TV shows and which have our
wedding video or exclusive footage of our infant son
taking a bath in the sink. Then we go buy more tapes.
    I couldn't let the Nielsen people know this.
Instead, I kept a list of the shows we would have
watched if we weren't so busy, shows like "Masterpiece
 Theatre " and "The  MacNeil / Lehrer  News Hour," although I
think they changed the name when one of the main guys,
I forget which one, quit.
    Whichever, he's retired now, with plenty of time on
his hands, which means he should be the one keeping a
Nielsen diary, not me. I'll stick with medicine.
Frankly, I can't handle the pressure.
    - Mark  DePaolis  is a writer and physician with a
practice in Brooklyn Center.


[405] 07-29-96
   VARIETY. Page 28. 185 words. "Nielsen Syndication
Ratings"
   COMMENTARY: MORTAL BELOVED (#16), 2nd release. (1st
release: 02/12/96, #14 at 5.7, 3rd place in action
hours). 07/01/96, tied at #12 at 4.9, 2nd place. HTLJ,
#8 at 5.6, 1st; ST:DS9, tied at #14 at 4.5, 3rd place.
No other action hours made it onto the top twenty. [KT]
   REPRINT:
   For week ended July 14, 1996  
                                     Stations/
Rank Program                % coverage     AA %  GAA
%   
1   Wheel of Fortune     225/98         9.8      --   
2    Jeopardyl             219/98         8.7      --   
3   Home Improvement     227/98         7.2      7.7   
4   Oprah Winfrey Show   234/99         6.8      6.9   
4   WCW Wrestling        184/93         6.8      12.0   
6   Seinfeld             222/96         6.2      --   
7   Wheel of Fortune- Wknd184 /84         5.7      --   
8   Journeys of Hercules 224/97         5.6      6.2   
9   Inside Edition       164/90         5.3      5.3  
10    EntertainmentTonight179 /95         5.2      5.3  
11   Home Improvement- Wnd222 /96         5.0       --  
12   Simpsons            193/96         4.9      5.1  
12   Xena                205/96         4.9      5.3  
14   Jenny Jones Show    214/97         4.5      4.7  
14   Star Trek:  DSN       233/99         4.5      4.8  
16   Ricki Lake          220/98         4.3      4.4  
17    FreshPrinceofBelAir  161/89         4.2      4.5  
17   Roseanne            177/93         4.2      4.5  
19   Live w/Regis& KathieL234 /99         4.1      --  
19   World Wrestling Fed.155/90         4.1      5.0 
   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. 


[406]  07-29-96
   ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Monday. Page 4. 338 words.
"Two Administrators Appointed"
   COMMENTARY: In a photo- promo  for the 1992 movie,
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer", the caption read in part,
"a not-serious 1992 movie about a high school
cheerleader who becomes sort of a Xena-level warrior in
the never-ending war on vampires." 
   It is interesting to note when a year later BUFFY
became a popular WB TV series, the comparisons to XWP
continued in full force. [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   ...GRAPHIC: Photo - (Luke) Perry and ( Kristy )
 Swanson  - HIGHLIGHTS MOVIES -  Kristy   Swanson  and Luke
Perry star in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," a not-serious
1992 movie about a high school cheerleader who becomes
sort of a Xena-level warrior in the never-ending war on
vampires. 7 p.m.    Channel 2.


[407] 07-29-96
   SALON MAGAZINE. "YES, "XENA" DOES RULE And other
answers to TV's  FAQs " by Joyce  Millman 
http:// www.salonmagazine.com /weekly/ tvshows960729 . html 
    COMMENTARY:This  Salon article still gives me the
creeps! Just the mention of Xena and Gabrielle's
relationship being characterized as having  "single
mother/teenage daughter" overtones made me bang out an
article to counter that impression RIGHT QUICK.... ahh ,
one more headstone in my  XWP  Press Burial Ground 
(check it out at
http:// www.mv.com / ipusers / erb / xena / press2 . htm ). I got a
nice rejection note from editor Scott  Rosenburg  who
said Salon couldn't run my story since they'd already
run this one by Joyce  Millman . I wanted to say, "Hey
Scott, that's the problem!" but I didn't, 'cause he
called my article a "fun piece" and my battered
freelance writer ego really needed anything resembling
a compliment at that time.
   All in all, though, this is a well-written piece, 
lots of fun and interesting references from one of my
favorite Web ' zines . [MBE]
   EXCERPT:
   It's summertime, and there's nothing to watch except
reruns and the Games of the  Nike /Coca-Cola/AT&T
Olympiad. At last, we have the time to answer some of
the TV questions that have been piling up in the Salon
mailbag.
     1. Does "Xena" rule, or what?
     -- C.  Paglia , Philadelphia 
  Most definitely. This syndicated spin-off from Sam
Raimi's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" is the
perfect antidote to "Dr.  Quinn , Medicine Woman's"
Martha-Stewart-on-the-frontier sanctimony. "Xena:
Warrior Princess" is just as anachronistic as "Dr.
 Quinn " in its portrayal of a strong woman beset by
strangely modern dilemmas, but it's infinitely hipper
and funnier. "Xena" is the coolest cult  fave  around, as
well as one of the highest-rated shows in first-run
syndication. 
  Like "Hercules," "Xena" takes the comic book tour of
ancient Greece. It's a colorful  hodge - podge  of kung fu,
pro-social messages, off-the-wall modern colloquial
language and, of course, Ray  Harryhausen - esque  titans,
multi-headed snake-beasts and  Cyclopses . But, let's be
honest here -- nobody's watching "Xena" to brush up on
their Greek mythology. 
  Star Lucy Lawless (honest!) is a strapping, buff,
black-haired Amazon poured into a leather  bustier  and
skimpy skirt. Stalking her prey with supreme
confidence, scowling under her bangs, Xena looks like
one of the big-boned  Petersen  sisters from the Bangles.
Unlike Lynda Carter, TV's "Wonder Woman," Lawless is no
prissily made-up beauty queen (also, unlike Carter, her
breasts and costume move in the same direction when she
runs). 
   Xena is terrifically surly, and you can't blame her.
Her whole village was destroyed by marauders, her
brother was killed, she doesn't know who her father is
and her barmaid mother doesn't approve of Xena's career
path. Xena is as misunderstood a bad girl as  Catwoman 
or Madonna (who must look at Xena's breastplate costume
and biceps and drool). Xena used to fight and kill out
of anger over her brother's death, but ever since her
tryst with that happy-go-lucky dude Herc, she's been
trying to use her fighting skills for the good of
mankind. 
  And, man, can she fight! Xena has more martial arts
moves in her arsenal than Jackie  Chan , and when those
don't work she's got her trusty spear, whip and "round
killing thing," a razor-sharp discus-like object. Never
has a  superheroine  been allowed to display such
enjoyment of the fight -- when she somersaults and
kicks her way into battle, Xena ululates like a Middle
Eastern woman and she's got a hang time of, like,
hours. 
  Along for the ride is Xena's sidekick, Gabrielle
(Renee O'Connor), a young virginal bard seeking
excitement. The two have a prickly relationship with
single mother/teenage daughter overtones. But let's not
put too fine a point on the subtext. The glory of
"Xena" is that she can kick the crap out of anybody --
guy, god, goddess, snake-headed monster, whatever. So,
yes, "Xena" does rule. 
  2. Speaking of big-boned women with attitude, what's
the deal with  CNN 's Lynne Russell?
     --Rosie O., New York 
  Russell, an anchor on  CNN 's "Headline News," has an
utterly unique look and presence for a TV newswoman. In
a field of all-American Debbie  Reynolds -types, Russell
is Joan  Crawford . She fills the screen with her
shoulder-padded presence. She uses makeup as artfully
as a Hollywood movie star of yore -- or a Kabuki
performer. Her hairstyles are big and fussy and change
capriciously every couple of months. She elevates false
eyelashes into an art form (for a while last year she
sported a pair of spidery lower lashes to rival Alice
Cooper's). Her dark, manicured eyebrows are mobile
arches of silent editorial commentary. She has a habit
of pursing her lips like she's  smooshing  lipstick, then
smiling radiantly into the camera when she's going to a
commercial break. She seems perpetually capable of
breaking into a scene from "Sunset Boulevard."  What
makes Russell behave this way? If I had to guess, I'd
say boredom. Her  CNN  bio claims she's a first-degree
black belt in  Choi   Kwang -Do and a licensed private
detective. This is clearly a woman who wants to be
noticed. Maybe there's a role for her on "Xena." ....


[408] 07-29-96
   IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE. Episode no. 24.
First release. Season 1, episode 24 (124).
   GUEST STARS: Danielle  Cormack  (Ephiny), Ray Woolf
( Marmax . CAST: Tony Billy ( Mitoan  Warrior), Andrew
 Binns  (Hippocrates), Harriet  Crampton  (Hysterical
Woman), Simon Farthing ( Democritus ), Geoff  Houtman 
(Gangrene Man), Paul  McLaren  (POW Leader), Adam
 Middleton  (Blind Soldier), Charles  Pierard  ( Thessalian 
Guard), Ron Smith (Galen),  Deane   Vipond  (Head Wound
Man). CREDITS: Written by Patricia  Manney , Directed by
 T.J.  Scott.
   TV GUIDE DESCRIPTION. Caught in the middle of a
fierce war, Xena and Gabrielle aid the wounded
inhabitants of a healing temple, then try to mediate
talks between the warring factions. Hippocrates: Arthur
 Binns . Ephiny: Danielle  Cormack .
   AIRING AND RATING INFORMATION. 1st RELEASE:
07-29-96. An AA average of 4.0. Competition from
Syndicated Action Dramas: (1) HERCULES with 4.5; (2)
XENA with 4.0; (3) STAR TREK:  DS9  with 3.9. 2nd
RELEASE: 09-16-96. An AA average of 4.3. Competition
from Syndicated Action Dramas: (1)  STDS9  ranked  12th 
with 4.5; (2) XENA, HERCULES, and  BAYWATCH  tied at  13th 
with 4.3.
   SYNOPSIS:
   This synopsis is brought to you by guest  synopser ,
 Bluesong @ aol.com .
   Xena and Gabrielle walk through a forest where a
civil war is taking place.  Gabrielle suggests they
take the southern route, which is safer, because not
even Xena can stop a war (oops!  Gabrielle says she
needs to learn when to shut up!) However, X&G come
across Ephiny (from the Amazon tribe in HOOVES AND
HARLOTS, episode #10), who is with child from  Phantes ,
the centaur, also from HOOVES!).   Phantes  has been
killed.
   Xena goes ahead to find a safe place for Ephiny to
have her baby; she sees a soldier on a horse go after a
foot soldier, pulls out her chakram, and saves the foot
soldier.  The guy on the horse goes down; Xena takes
him and Ephiny to a "healing temple" where Hippocrates
is learning to heal from an old man named Galen.  Xena
turns the temple into a triage unit; Gabrielle plays
nurse.  At one point Galen tries to have Xena taken
away because she's desecrating his temple.  Xena saves
several people using her healing skills; two men come
in at once, and she loses one of them.
   A soldier comes in, sees Gabrielle and says his
little boy is still outside the temple.  Gabrielle goes
out of the temple to get him; then we see Gabrielle and
a soldier brought in.  Gabrielle has wounded the
soldier who hurt her, but not mortally; Gabrielle,
however, is wounded badly and is having a lot of
trouble breathing.   
   To complicate matters, the fighting descends upon
the temple, and the walking-wounded are evacuated.  
Ephiny finally gives birth -- a breech, and Xena
delivers a little centaur (strange looking creature!). 
At the same time, Gabrielle starts having convulsions,
and then she stops breathing.  Xena says no!  No!  NO!
and says she can't die, and then she says maybe
Gabrielle needs some air.  Hippocrates tries to tell
Xena to let Gabrielle go, and Xena says she won't, and
she starts beating on Gabrielle's chest, screaming
"Don't you leave me!" and she's sobbing (yes,
sobbing!), and then Gabrielle gasps and she's back, and
Xena pulls her into her arms and kisses her on the
forehead.
   The show ends with Xena and Gabrielle walking away,
Gabrielle looking rather unsteady.
   COMMENTARY:
   A show held back because of its violence! A show by
a purveyor of cartoon violence which attempted to make
a statement that was "Yes, war is indeed hell"! A show
filled with great aspirations and many failures! Yes! A
normal XWP episode. 
   XWP is nothing if it doesn't take the moral high
ground and when it does let itself go, you get some of
the best preachy  hokiness  this side of the television
screen. From its grainy cinema verite techniques (later
used to even more jarring affect by director  TJ  Scott
in the next season's GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN) to its
high melodrama at the contrived death and revival of
Gabrielle, DOCTOR is a trip not to be taken lightly. 
   The show was until the airing of A DAY IN THE LIFE
(#39) the most popular fan episode. Although only
released twice, it was being constantly shown at 
XenaFests  and  XenaGatherings  across the world. The
show had some  mythos  attached to it as well. Lucy
Lawless referred to the filming of this episode in her
legendary first e-mail to her  internet  fans. It was
written on her birthday on March 29. 1996 and it is
reproduced below in its entirety:

"Thanks very much you guys for your letters and best
wishes, especially all you hard core  nutballs  who've
been around since the dawn of time. I'm afraid I can't
write back personally to anyone, but I do get your
notes eventually and I am personally going to demand my
own  furking  Pez   dispenser when I'm a star and my own 
 Winebago [sic]  (which is kind of a joke where I come
from - like "I'm ready for my close-up Mr.  Demille ").
I am especially fond of our  internet  troll who,
despite being an egomaniacal misogynist, serves to keep
my feet firmly on the ground. So don't get your
knickers in a twist over negative comments, okay?   

"I've just finished the single most intensive and
fulfilling week's filming of my career. The episode is
"Is there a Doctor?" and I dedicate my efforts in it to
all you regular  Xenites  - with special thanks to
Renee   O'Conner [sic],  my brilliant acting mate and a
truly amazing woman, as well as  TJ  Scott  our marvelous
director whose star is going to go supernova in feature
films before too long. 

"Lucy 

"P.S. - I am having a terrific birthday, thank you all,
and I can honestly say I have never been happier in my
life."

   Another stand out moment of this episode revolves
around the scene where Xena invents CPR in her
desperation to revive the dead Gabrielle. On January
30, 1996, in the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, Robert Tapert
leaked this about the infamous scene when he was asked
about exactly what was going on between Xena and
Gabrielle. The pertinent part of the article is quoted
below:

"'All I can say about that,' says Tapert, 'is that
Gabrielle satisfies her every whim.' And this bombshell
is sure to have Xena- philes  glued to their sets: In a
coming episode, Xena gives Gabrielle mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation. 'We haven't even told the studio yet,'
he said."

[The whim part was an allusion to the
WARRIOR...PRINCESS (#15) ending when Gabrielle asks
Xena, "You had people waiting on you hand and foot,
fulfilling your every whim" and Xena continues, "Hey,
that's what you're here for."]

This leak inspired debates and heated conversations on
the internet and other electronic chat areas once it
was published. 
   RETURN OF EPHINY. We find out that Ephiny did more
than just help save  Phantes  life, but married him and
bore his child as well. Tough luck that  Phantes  was
brutally murdered on the way to find a more tolerant
city to raise his family. Since the Centaur and Amazons
story line have been used as a parable on race
relations, it looks like the writers took the logical
step and stepped up the social tension by making it out
in the open that there is  interspecial  sex being
pursued in the Xenaverse and that babies can be made
from it. This mimics casually and accelerates the
social process that inter-racial and inter-ethnic
assimilation takes in some neighborhoods. First the
"outsiders" move in. If they are lucky, they are
eventually accepted -- just as long as they are not
having any sex with the "insiders". Then, inter-dating
starts to happen. Slowly it is accepted as well, just
as long as they don't start having children (most of us
have heard the great advice "Don't have kids, it would
be cruel to them to live in this society"). Finally,
the last process is where the insider/outsider union
has produced a family and it becomes apparent to the
neighborhood   that that   family is not that much
different from any other family in the area. It is then
that assimilation enters its last stage. The Amazons
and Centaurs are at the beginning of this stage when 
Velasca  represents the last wave of rejection to the
inevitable assimilation of Centaurs into the Amazon
culture. Ephiny represents the pro-assimilation forces
looking to the future, while  Velasca  represents the
conservative, separatist force attempting to return to
the past. 
   HIPPOCRATES AND GALEN. This week we get two young
male  thangs  to liven up the show.  Democriticus  gets
to be the token male who is attracted to Gabrielle and
then gets it and Hippocrates gets to have an
"intellectual" relationship with Xena. Galen, a
respected medical scholar, gets shafted big time by
being represented as the "old fogey" 
   DIRECTOR  TJ  SCOTT.  TJ ,  TJ , oh  TJ . What a
guy.  TJ  Scott has only directed four episodes for
XWP, yet his corpus of work has made an indelible mark
on the Xenaverse. 
   Scott's first direction for XWP was BEWARE GREEKS
BEARING GIFTS (#12). Extremely conservative compared to
his later episodes, GREEKS did introduce the new and
improved Martin Guerre, oops, I mean Perdicus. GREEKS
had the distinction of being the highest rated XWP
episode until toppled by INTIMATE STRANGER (#31) some
nine months later. 
   DOCTOR was Scott's sophomore effort. He began to
demonstrate his playful nature with cinematography and
camera movement. Grainier than usual and using cinema
verite techniques, Scott achieved a very focused and
yet surreal picture of a pre- Mycenaean  M*A*S*H unit.
Joining and leaving his scenes mid-action and having
the camera follow the characters around gave the feel
of the audience watching something off the evening
news. 
   GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN (#28) was Scott's crowning
achievement. He went overboard with the camera
technique but it was a silly episode about a silly
subject, so we can over look his failures and
concentrate on that fact that although the episode was
heavy-handed and too much like the final project for a
film-school  class on blurring and arty editing, it at
least tried to do something different. Only really
three shows stand out from a  cinematographical
/editing viewpoint in XWP:  ALTARED  STATES (#19),
DOCTOR, and GIRLS; the latter two of which are pure 
T.J.  Scott directions. 
   RETURN OF CALLISTO (#29) saw the return of Scott to
a less annoying and less intrusive camera technique.
This was clearly following his more sedate and
controlled GREEKS style of direction. And is it any
wonder? It is the  swansong  of Martin Guerre, oops, I
mean Perdicus. 
   VIOLENCE AND MORE VIOLENCE. DOCTOR was held back
because it was considered too violent. It was cut for
violence and then was not released until July 29, 1997,
way into the doldrums of summer re-run season. This
easily was the reason for the poor showing that the
episode made in the ratings. The first season of XWP
had two extra episodes. The holding back of DOCTOR may
have attributed to the airing of two episodes which may
have been originally planned for the  2nd  season. This
is  karmically  balanced by the fact that two episodes
filmed in anticipation of being shown in the  2nd 
season have been held back to air in the third season
(THE FURIES and BEEN THERE, DONE THAT). 
   HIGHLIGHTS:
   Xena's methodical discovery of modern CPR
techniques.
   Xena's skill at caesarian deliveries of centaur
babies!
   Lots of blood!

   THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
   At the end of the episode when Gabrielle has
recovered somewhat, she sits up to look at Ephiny's
spanking new centaur son. When she sits up, her hair
spills along her back. Then there is a shot that shows
the baby centaur in the distance testing his legs and
shows part of Gabrielle's body - her hair is now lying
down her chest. When they show a full body shot of
Gabrielle again that hair is once again spilling down
her back. She sure flips that hair often!! 
   Spot the thin gold chain around Xena's wrist that
slips from under her gauntlet during the revival scene
with Gabrielle!
   DISCLAIMER:
   Being that war is hell, lots of people were harmed
during the production of this motion picture (but since
television is a dramatic medium of make believe, all
casualties removed their prosthetic make-up and went
home unscathed). 


[409]  07-31-96 to 08/27/96
   NOTE: The German RTL/MCA deal.


[409a] 07-31-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Page 1. 756 words. "Titanic Teutonic
TV; Dual Deals with Kirch, RTL worth $ 2.5 bil to MCA"
By Elizabeth Guider and Erik Kirschbaum
   COMMENTARY: Brief mention of XWP in article
regarding the latest deal between MCA and two German TV
distributors which were worth $2.5 billion dollars. 
XWP broadcast rights were included in a free TV output
arrangement called RTL which broadcasts in all
German-speaking areas. [KT]
   REPRINT:
   MCA Inc. has inked separate TV deals in Germany that
together are worth a staggering $ 2.5 billion, the
latest in a series of megabuck accords struck by
Hollywood majors in Europe's hottest media market.
   The two deals -- a free TV output arrangement with
top-rated commercial station RTL and a newfangled
digital alliance with that station's bitter rival, the
Kirch Group -- are the most eloquent testimony yet that
the international TV business is opening a new round of
expansion and competition. 
   The two accords also call for a more complex
commitment between the partners: MCA and RTL will be
co-funding up to 25 U.S. series over the next decade;
MCA will hoist two program channels onto Kirch's
fledgling digital platform. 
   Analysts suggested Tuesday that the $ 3 billion the
Hollywood majors raked in from international TV in 1995
will spurt to almost $ 4 billion by the end of 1997 if,
as expected, other Euro territories follow Germany's
lead with digital platforms of their own.   
   Daily Variety estimates that the seven Hollywood
majors will pocket upwards of $ 7.5 billion over the
next decade from the free and pay TV deals that they
have recently signed or are about to sign in Germany
alone. 
   The two MCA deals in Germany are the single largest
revenue-generating agreement reached by MCA since the
installment of a new management team under the
14-month-old Seagram ownership. Hence, high-ranking MCA
execs -- from chairman/CEO Frank Biondi Jr. and
president/COO Ron Meyer to the heads of the free and
pay TV divisions, James McNamara and Blair Westlake,
respectively -- were trotted out to the press to
outline the details of the deal. 
   "There is no doubt that foreign growth in TV is a
top priority for us," Biondi told Daily Variety. Heand
Meyer stressed that the deals were "a testimony to the
depth and skill" of the new management teams in place
on the free and pay TV sides of the company.
   "I did not have to fly to Europe" to close these
deals, Biondi cracked, referring to a jaunt made by his
former boss at Viacom, Sumner Redstone. The latter
jetted to Europe several months ago to meet directly
with Kirch Group founder Leo Kirch to further that
company's 10-year, $ 2 billion deal with the German
media kingpin.
   Meyer suggested that MCA's deals in Germany were
remarkable because the company managed to close
agreements with two bitter rivals -- and keep them both
as "valued clients."
   On the free TV side, the $ 1.5 billion, 10-year deal
covers all new and existing product distributed by MCA
TV Intl. to RTL in all German-speaking territories.
Everything from "Miami Vice" and "Murder, She Wrote" to
"Hercules" and "Xena" is included.     McNamara,
president of worldwide distribution for the MCA TV
Group, estimated that free TV rights to TV series in
Germany are worth "three to five times" what they were
in 1990.
   "Germany is the laboratory, a sort of blueprint for
the rest of Europe. While the dynamics of each market
are different, we expect there to be similar,
proportionate growth in other territories," McNamara
added. 
   On the co-financing front, the MCA execs opined that
the injection of cash from RTL into 25 series over 10
years will essentially mean that MCA will be at
break-even on those shows in their first year of
production. 
   The $ 1 billion, 10-year pay TV deal with Kirch
consists of a long-term output arrangement and an
agreement to carry two MCA-programmed entertainment
channels on the digital platform.     Westlake told
Daily Variety that one channel would be action-oriented
and the other a classic movie channel. Minority
partners may be sought. MCA may also take a stake in
the Kirch digital platform.
   In Germany the two bitter rivals were putting their
own optimistic spins on the news.    RTL said it had
gotten the better deal, but the Kirch Group was saying
the MCA content would give its fledgling digital TV
network DF1 an enormous boost.  
   "We now have deals with just about every Hollywood
major and clearly have our nose ahead in the race," RTL
spokesman Richard Mahkorn said. Aside from MCA, he said
RTL has various output deals with Disney, Warner and
Columbia. 
   He said an extension for Warner was now being
negotiated and should be completed in August. That
could fetch well over $ 1 billion as well, industry
sources say.
   When asked if the company was disappointed about not
obtaining the free TV rights, Kirch Group spokeswoman
Michaela Niemeyer said, "We are delighted to obtain the
pay TV rights. They are a very important enrichment for
digital TV." 


[409b] 08-05-96
   VARIETY. Page 25. 976 words. "MCA seals $ 2.5 bil
pact with Kirch, RTL" By Elizabeth Guider and Eric
Kirschbaum.
   COMMENTARY: Basic re-hash of XMR409a with more
detail. 


[409c] 08-12-96
   BROADCASTING & CABLE. Vol. 126; No. 34; Page 48.
"RTL deal shapes MCA's future; television program
development and distribution contract between German
broadcast network RTL and MCA Inc. by Stephen
McClellan. 
     COMMENTARY: More RTL news.
     REPRINT:
    Investment in dramas will allow company to 'take
risks' on comedies 
    MCA's $ 1.5 billion deal of two weeks ago that
gives German broadcaster RTL exclusive rights to much
of the studio's library and future programs underscores
the appeal of U.S. programming abroad. But executives
at the studio say the deal also will help shape MCA's
television program production strategy for the next
decade or so. 
   As part of the deal, during the next 10 years RTL
will pony up roughly 50% of the cost of producing 25
drama series targeted initially to U.S. networks and
first-run syndication. In exchange, RTL gets exclusive
exhibition rights to the programs in its home market
and a percentage (significantly less than its 50%
contribution to the production budget, MCA officials
say) of the overall profit from the programs. The deal
is said to be the most extensive series co-financing
agreement between a studio and an international
partner.  
   And with RTL pumping hundreds of millions into MCA's
production budget for drama series, the studio will be
able to focus more on its comedy business, which has
always been underdeveloped compared with its output of
hit dramas.
   "The deal helps us increase our production by
substantial amounts on both the hour and half-hour
sides," says Greg Meidel, chairman, MCA Television
Group. "It relieves an enormous amount of pressure on
the hour side that lets us spend more aggressively on
the half-hour side."
   Adult comedy will be the focus of the studio's
future television program development: "We need to
balance our portfolio," Meidel says. With the start of
the new season, MCA will have five hour dramas on the
networks (Law & Order, NBC; New York Undercover,
Sliders, Fox; The Burning Zone, UPN, and EZ Streets,
CBS), two action hours in syndication (Hercules, Xena)
and four network sitcoms (Mr. Rhodes, Something So
Right, NBC; Coach, ABC, and Weird Science, USA). In
addition, MCA is doing several two-hour Murder, She
Wrote and Rockford Files movies for CBS and has
midseason orders for dramas Feds and One L.
    The goal is to have on the air at least as many
sitcoms--"the backbone of our domestic business,"
Meidel says-- as dramas.
    As a rule, comedies generate the highest profits in
syndication of any program form. The RTL investment
will enable MCA to go after more top talents in the
adult sitcom business, like its recent alliance with
Brillstein-Grey. "We will take risks in the comedy area
we haven't taken in years," Meidel says.
   But overseas, and in Germany in particular, U.S.
action dramas are "solid gold," says Jim McNamara,
president, worldwide Television Distribution, MCA TV
Group, who was instrumental in putting together the RTL
deal. 
     RTL is investing in action dramas that will be
developed and produced by MCA programmers first and
foremost for the American audience. But unlike
comedies, which do not translate well in foreign
markets, U.S. dramas are some of the highest-rated
shows in Europe. Miami Vice and Simon & Simon, for it
is in production.
    While comedies continue to provide better overall
profit returns for producers, "the drama business has
improved dramatically," Meidel says. Just a few years
ago, if a drama brought in $ 250,000 per episode "it
was a home run," he says. But with increasing demand in
the U.S. in both first-run and cable, coupled with
continued demand in international markets, hours are
starting to generate returns of $ 700,000 to $ 1
million per episode-- results not seen since the early
1980s, when shows like MCA's Magnum PI were generating
huge profits.
    MCA has valued the RTL deal at $ 1.5 billion, but
Meidel says it could be worth much more if several of
the series and theatrical films emerge as hits. Program
budgets for the co-financed dramas are expected to be $
1.3 million-$ 1.5 million per episode. 
    McNamara is working on similar deals in other
international markets. Although he expects they will be
lucrative, they probably won't reach the dollar amounts
of the German deal given the dramatic growth and fierce
competition in that market, he says.
    GRAPHIC: Photograph


[409d] 08-27-96
   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 679 words. "Pours on German
accent" By Eric Hansen 
   COMMENTARY: A mention that Germany's RTL Television
had acquired XWP, and that it may or may not be
broadcast during the primetime.
   EXCERPT:
   Although RTL Television aims to extend its German TV
output deal with the Walt Disney Co. through new
co-productions, it is also planning on needing fewer
U.S. TV series for primetime, according to the chief of
Europe's biggest network....
   ...Other series acquired from U.S. distributors 
though not all will be aired in primetime  include
"Thunder in Paradise," "Xena: Warrior Princess," "The
Burning Zone," "Sliders," "Nowhere Man" and "Fortune
Hunter." Past hits like "SeaQuest DSV" and "Hercules:
The Legendary Journeys" will be continued.  "Not too
much has changed in the new season," said Thoma. "But
what is there to change? We're already No. 1."


[410] 07-31-96
   CAPITAL TIMES. Wednesday. Page 1C. 768 words.
"Getting Tots to Tune in to 'Good' TV the Problem
(First Edition) TV; Execs Don't like Mandates from D.C.
(Second Edition)" By Mike Ivey
   COMMENTARY: In a critique on the lack of proper
programming for children, Mr. Ivey quoted Jill Sommers,
the program director at WISC-TV/Channel 3, who used XWP
as an example of what kids were watching instead of
educational shows.
   "'There are plenty of educational shows out there
but kids aren't watching them,' says Sommers. To make a
point, she ticked off the four most popular shows among
young viewers -- 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,' 'Home
Improvement,' 'Xena: Warrior Princess' and 'Hercules:
The Legendary Journeys."" [KT]
   EXCERPT:
   New federal rules requiring television stations to
air three hours of "educational" children's programming
weekly is fine and good, say local TV executives.
   All four of Madison's commercial stations, in fact,
contend they are already meeting the requirements. 
   As might be expected, however, nobody in the local
television business has much patience for mandates
coming down from Washington.
   "I've got a real problem with government getting
involved with editorial control, especially when it's
such hard and fast rules," said David Traubert, general
manager at WMTV/Channel 15 in Madison.  
   "My question is how does somebody in Washington know
what is going to work in this market?" says Jill
Sommers, program director at WISC-TV/Channel 3. 
   But a bigger challenge may be getting kids to
actually tune in to the good stuff, for when it comes
to television viewing, children are no different from
adults: they'd rather be entertained than educated.
   "There are plenty of educational shows out there but
kids aren't watching them," says Sommers.
   To make a point, she ticked off the four most
popular shows among young viewers -- "Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air," "Home Improvement," "Xena: Warrior Princess"
and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys."...


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

ERRATA: Clarification for XMR #24 (387) 7-13-96, MCA
XENA NETFORUM. Post from Lucy Lawless.

Lucy Lawless made reference to "Lillian" for collating
her letters. Lillian is also known on-line as "Brette".
She put together two Anthologies for Ms. Lawless and
Ms. O'Connor last year, which consisted of letters from
her fans. Jetthead sent them to Ms. Lawless. Lillian is
not Jetthead. Brenda Cox (Jetthead) is President of the
International Xenite Club and Newsletter, and Lillian
M. Varrassi (Brette) is Vice President and Editor.
  

XENA MEDIA REVIEW STAFF: 
Living to serve 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 (MBE), editor (odd issues)
       maria@erb.mv.com
   Barbara Johnson, circulation 
       xenatwo@aol.com
   Lydia M. Woods (LM), assist. 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 (when they are accepting
posts!), the Xenite Message Center (whenever I can find
them!), and alt.tv.xena. 

REPRINT POLICY: Permission to use, copy and distribute
Xena Media Review (XMR), or parts thereof, by
electronic means for any non-profit purpose is hereby
granted, provided that both the below copyright notice
and this permission notice appear in all copies of the
newsletter itself, and that proper credit is given for
any excerpts. Any other format or purpose for
distribution requires permission of the author.
Reproducing XMR or parts thereof by any means implies
full agreement to the below non-profit use clause.
   
SOLICITATIONS FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS: Send cites,
references, articles, annotations, and/or submissions
to ktaborn@lightspeed.net, I will love you for it. XMR
is a non-profit fan publication. The editors retain
editorial control and reprint privileges over the
submitted materials and reserve the right to use the
material in whatever way they deem appropriate.
Submitted materials will not be returned to the sender.

DISCLAIMER: XMR (Xena Media Review) is a free non-
profit informational release. XMR in no way intends to
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
right to quote, excerpt or reprint as allowed under the
law in order to review and discuss the media reports
cited and annotated herein. XMR is distributed free of
charge via electronic media. Banner graphic by Colleen
Stephan. This is an Obsessive But Benign Publication.
Copyright 1996, 1997 by Kym Masera Taborn.
