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      /< `\`\ `\    /`/` /`   | | |----\ /  | |\ \    | | |././^\ \
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[\\\\\\\{*}==`>      <`=======| | ==============`\`\`\| | |=====\ \ \==-->
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      /`/\>/`           `\`\ `\`~~~~~~~~~~~\ / ~~~~~   )^\,\,      '~~~~~
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==========================
XENA: THE MEDIA REVIEW #14
==========================
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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. 14
Release date: July 5, 1996
Covering 02/09/95 - 02/24/95
Annotations #160 to #177

-------------
Introduction:
-------------
A plea
------
   I need some volunteers to help me with my transcription
project for the Xena Review Media Database. The transcriptions
include transcribing into ASCII portions of: video interviews;
magazine articles; and television episodes. If you'd like to
help, just e-mail me (ktaborn@lightspeed.net). Copies of what you
are transcribing will be furnished and you will received a
transcription credit. 

Hair color
----------
So, what is Ms. Lawless' natural hair color?  
   Editing a weekly newsletter on Xena: Warrior Princess allows
much opportunity to delve into the more arcane topics which would
primarily appeal to the fringe of Xena Fandom. One such pressing
concern is what is Lucy Lawless' natural hair color, anyways???
   Ms. Lawless has appeared in 6 different Hercules productions,
and did a variety of other projects before and simultaneous to
her Hercules work. It is common knowledge that her hair color had
been dyed, however for what specific role and from what color the
media record is in conflict.
   On October 1, 1995, The LOS ANGELES TIMES [XMR051a], in "With
an Eye on...: Lucy Lawless Didn't Have to Pray to the Goddess of
Spinoffs, but Knowing Hercules Didn't Hurt Either", N.F. Mendoza
reported, quoting Robert Tapert in part:

     "'Since she [Lucy Lawless] already played two different
       parts in Hercules [Lysia and Lyla], the studio wanted
       another actress,' explains Tapert, from his car phone on
       his way to LAX to leave for New Zealand, where he'll
       direct a Hercules episode. So Tapert and crew changed her
       look: They dyed the naturally blond Lawless brunette."

   The reporter stated that Ms. Lawless was naturally blond. 
Blond, of course, comes in all shades and is a term used
liberally. Technically, though, blond means flaxen or golden hair
color. Flaxen is a pale yellow or grayish-yellow. These are the
colors which most people immediately associate with the term
blond. To be sure there are many variations, such as strawberry
blond, where reddish tints are mixed with fairer hair; ash-blond,
which is usually a very fair brown or grey with some elements of
yellow; platinum blond, which is a pronounced almost white color;
etc. 
  Mendoza's article could have been the start of the blond pre-
Xena Lucy Lawless belief within fandom. In some cases an ash-
blond or "dirty" blond is difficult to distinguish from some
light brunettes.  Usually, though, those hair colors are referred
to mainly as "fair", and not blond. The blond hair apparently
envisioned by many fans was a strong and definite blond. One that
would perhaps make a striking difference in appearance in Ms.
Lawless.
   Note that Mr. Tapert was not directly quoted as saying that
Ms. Lawless was blond. True, he could have said it, but the
reporter chose not to indicate that. As stated above, many people
use the term blond liberally.
   On November 24, 1995, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY [XMR086], in "Toys
in Babeland; Lucy Lawless of 'Xena'", A.J. Jacobs reported,
quoting Lucy Lawless in part:

     "She [Lucy Lawless] waxes tough on subjects ranging from her
      hair dye ('I love being a brunet. People are kind of
      intimidated') to the show's kung fu-style fight scenes
      ('I've hit plenty of people on the set, and it's great
      because stuntmen don't cry')."

   Ms. Lawless confirmed that she viewed Xena's hair as brunette,
just as the reporter in the LOS ANGELES TIMES recited.  Brunette
is a term used to describe "dark" as opposed to "light" or "fair"
hair. It can refer to both black or brown (inferred dark) hair.  
   Thus far the record stated that Ms. Lawless started out blond
and then had her hair dyed darker for the role of Xena (the LA
Times strongly inferred the hair change was for Xena).
   Later articles from the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER and the
VIRGINIAN- PILOT did not contradict this position.
   On January 30 1996, the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER [XMR152a], in
"She's a Kick in More Ways than One. Xena, Warrior Princess, Is
TV's Toughest Sister. Foes - and Fans - Know She Can't Be Beat,"
Jennifer Weiner reported:
   
     "She dyed her hair black and got ready fast. Two days later,
      filming started. The episodes were a success - and Xena
      became a series."

   Ms. Weiner's article confirmed that Ms. Lawless changed her
hair color to black for the Xena role. Anyone watching the show
can see that Xena's hair is black. This was not a major
revelation.
   On April 198, 1996 in the VIRGINIAN-PILOT (Norfolk) [Tentative
XMR239], in "Xena: One of TV'S Guilty Pleasures", Larry Bonko
reported:

   "Her bangs are dyed black."

  This last articled implied that other parts of Xena's hair was
not dyed black, but that's neither here nor there. It merely
supports a corollary position that news reporters often get just
as confused as anyone else.
   On or about February 13, 1996, on the MIKE & MATY SHOW, a
light interview television show [XMR166], there was an
interesting interchange between the hosts and Ms. Lawless'
regarding hair coloring:

     "Mike: I know they dyed your hair, didn't they?
     "Lucy: Yeah.  I used to have fair hair, kinda like yours
      (pointing at Maty).
     "Maty: Well, mine's dyed.  (Audience laughs)
     "Lucy: Is it?
     "Maty: Was yours naturally fair?
     "Lucy: (in a British accent) Dark's the look now lovie,
      dark.
     "Maty: Dark's the hair . . . dark's the look now.  OK, well
      I'll think about that."

   Ms. Lawless does not say she had blond hair, but "fair hair".
On the tape, Maty's hair was not brown, but neither was it a what
one would call a traditional blond. It was clearly fair, however,
as it appeared to be streaked with a grey or ashen color.
   On February 15, 1996, in USA Today [XMR167], "TV's mythical
heroes // 'Xena' makes Lawless an accidental action star",
Jefferson Graham reported, quoting Lucy Lawless in part:

     "'Two days later I [Lucy Lawless] was at the set, they dyed
      my hair and the rest is history.' 
     "Lawless has 'honey brown' hair, 'but they dyed it black,
      rather than making me a blond chickie whose hair would one
      day fall out.'"

   Ms. Lawless is once again quoted not referring to her hair
color as blond. In fact, she contrasted it by using the term
'blond chickie'. Why would she imply that the hair stylists had
an option of dying her hair blond if she already were a blond?
(There is an explanation for that from the Blond contingent: Ms.
Lawless' hair was originally died for her role in Hercules and
the Amazon Women and not for XWP. But this theory is not strongly
supported by the evidence nor the urban legends which have
cropped up about XWP and Ms. Lawless). It was not clear, but the
use of quotations around "honey brown" strongly implied that Ms.
Lawless referred to herself as having naturally a "honey brown"
hair coloring. 
   This is perhaps the best description of her pre-Xena hair. Not
only is this supported by a visual check of her hair color in
Hercules and the Amazon Women, but by the other circumstantial
evidence.
   On April 8, 1996, PEOPLE MAGAZINE [Tentative XMR222], in 
"Xena-phile New Zealander Lucy Lawless Conquers; Dastardly
Foes--and American Audiences--as Xena: Warrior Princess," Karen
S. Schneider and Kirsten Warner reported:

     "Within a week, Lawless's ash-blonde hair had been dyed
      black and cameras were rolling."

   Here the blond had been tempered by the prefix "ash". This was
in agreement with Ms. Lawless' comparison of her original color
("fair") to Maty's color during the "Mike and Maty" interview.
   On May 19, 1996, the NEW YORK TIMES [Tentative XMR271], in "A
Woman Wielding Many Weapons, Among Them a Sneer and a Stare",
William Grimes reported, quoting Lucy Lawless in part:

     "'I was sort of a Bolshie lieutenant to the Amazons,' said
      Ms. Lawless, who dyed her blonde hair black for the role
      and waved goodbye to her job as the host of a travel show."

   The show being referred to in this paragraph was Hercules and
the Amazon Women! However, Ms. Lawless' hair was not black in
that role, it was more of a "honey brown". I have to admit I
haven't seen the first Lyla HTLJ episode, but by the 2nd Lyla
episode (The Outcast), Ms. Lawless' hair color was black. 
   If anyone knows what a "Bolshie" is, I'd appreciate being
told.
   Ms. Lawless' natural hair color has been described as blond,
fair, honey brown, and ash-blonde.  The fair designation is
perhaps the fairest one, since fair is the counterpart of
brunette. The safest statement would no doubt be: Ms. Lawless
became a brunette after being fair-haired. But who wants to be
safe?
   A visual reconnoiter of Hercules and the Amazon Women showed
Lucy Lawless not what one would call a traditional blond. In my
humble opinion the color is more a light honey brown than ash-
blond. *IF* that was Lucy Lawless' original hair color, then that
settles the matter once and for all. However, there is a
possibility that her hair was dyed for that as well. 
   To my knowledge, and it is limited, there is no footage
available of Lucy Lawless as a "blond chickie". Therefore, my
position, until I can be proven otherwise, is that her natural
color was a light honey brown which could be mistaken for an ash-
blond (so, I like to hedge my bets).
   Just in case you thought the issue was closed, please read
further.
   Finally, on May 25, 1996, the TAMPA TRIBUNE [Tentative
XMR276], in "Reformed villain' cuts men to size", Walt Belcher
reported:

     "She [Lucy Lawless] also dyed her red hair black for the
      role [Xena]."

   Red hair???? No further comment.
   

----------
TIMELINE
----------
Release   Episode
date      No.        Episode Title

01/29/96  14   A Fistful of Dinars  1st release
   A temporary partnership is made to get the Titans treasury
02/05/96  15   Warrior...Princess   1st release
   Xena masquerades as Princess Diana 
 2/12/96  16   Mortal Beloved       1st release 
   Xena is called to Hades by her deceased beloved Marcus
 2/19/96  17   The Royal Couple of Thieves 1st release
   Xena and the Prince of Thieves recover a powerful weapon


-------------------
AMENDED ANNOTATIONS
-------------------

[149.5] 01/26/96
   KTLA. Morning Show. 
   COMMENTARY: Interview with Lucy Lawless on local independent
Los Angeles channel 5.
   Ms. Lawless conducted the interview holding a small cut-out of
Bobby Darin. The show consisted of mainly the male hosts trying
to get a fight between the female host and Ms. Lawless. Ms.
Lawless even had to remind them that she was not Xena.
   Ms. Lawless referred to "Warrior...Princess" where she was
allowed to show her comedic skills.
   The interview was very informal and all the parties looked
like they were having a very good time. 


[155.5] 02-01-96
   LOCUS. Vol 38. No. 2. 
   Contributor: HJ Hewitt
   COMMENTARY: Exact date of publication unknown. XWP is listed
in a list of prime time science fiction and fantasy programs for
1995.



[158.5] 02-08-96
   ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT. 
   COMMENTARY: Promo spot for a feature on Lucy Lawless and Kevin
Sorbo at the NATPE convention in Las Vegas.
   Short title/credit promos.




-----------
ANNOTATIONS
-----------

[160] 02-09-96
   ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT. TV Show.
   COMMENTARY: Short feature on Lucy Lawless and Kevin Sorbo at
the NATPE convention in Las Vegas.
   Feature consisted of Mr. Sorbo and Ms. Lawless frolicking
around. 
   
    
[161] 02-12-96
   ADWEEK. Critique. 559 words. "The Big Game's Big 3; Pepsi
Scores With Crowd Pleasers, Hides Techno Sex" By Barbara Lippert
   COMMENTARY:  Reference to Xena in a review of the Pepsi
commercials aired during the Superbowl.  Described a Cindy
Crawford commercial as "think David Mamet and David Lynch animate
Xena."
   EXCERPT:
   I'LL ADMIT IT: Weeks ago, in cranking out my Superbowl ad
review, I got sidetracked by the idea of the Oscar Mayer
Wienermobile. I was so taken by the inexplicable charm of a
wiener-on-wheels-themed review that I neglected to mention the
top three spots of the game, according to the USA Today Ad Meter.
And they all belonged to Pepsi (BBDO, New York)....
   ...Deion Sanders and Wile E. Coyote, an impeccably produced
collaboration of Pepsi and Warner Bros., ranked third. But for
new animation and entertainment value, nothing else is a Pepsi
spot starring Cindy Crawford. I guess it was deemed too weird to
run on Ze Bowl. Instead, it will be seen on MTV and other
non-mainstream outlets. It's based on Aeon Flux, a
Japanesey-feeling MTV animated show featuring a semi-nude female
secret agent in a techno-anarchic world (created by Peter Chung,
who through Colossal Pictures also worked on the spot). A parody
of a superhero, she's an amoral babe in a bullet bra, leather
codpiece and over-the-knee boots. She speaks in edgy,
psychosexual aphorisms. Think David Mamet and David Lynch animate
Xena.
   For a Pepsi commercial, this is a lot to swallow. It opens
with a live-action Cindy in a cold, futuristic, laboratory-like
setting with onetime Clockwork Orange star Malcolm McDowell. She
refuses a Diet Coke, angry at the mere suggestion ("I'll help
myself"), and then turns into a Flux-ish yet still recognizably
Cindy-esque cartoon character. The animation gets fast and
apocalyptic as she dives out of a building, chased by an army of
mechanical men, jumps off a ledge and winds up in an icy
landscape, where she gets a Diet Pepsi can and drinks. In the
end, she's back chez Malcolm, telling him in a dominatrix-like
way to clean up the dump. Talk about a new way to convey
freshness dating...


[162] 02-13-96 through 02-16-96
   NOTES: During the 36th annual Montecarlo Television Festival
and Market, MCA negotiated with broadcast companies in the United
Kingdom, France, and Germany for XWP distribution.


[162a] 02-13-96
   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 131 words. "SkyB chains MCAs Hercules"
By Louise Bateman 
   COMMENTARY: XWP sold to UK's British Sky Broadcasting
satellite system, with option to also broadcast over ITV network;
and also to France and Germany. Apparently, Italy only purchased
HTLJ.
   REPRINT:
   MCA TVs Hercules: The Legendary Journeys has been sold to
British Sky Broadcasting with negotiations now under way for a
free TV window via the ITV national commercial network, MCA TV
International president Colin Davis said. Davis confirmed Monday
that 21-channel BSkyB also bought MCA TVs other action show,
Xena: Warrior Princess. Like Hercules, the one-hour first-run
syndication series has been scaling up the Nielsen ratings ladder
in syndication. Hercules and Xena are also selling well in
Europe, according to Davis.  In Germany, where Hercules is
already on air, it was picked up by RTL Plus. Frances top-rated
commercial network TF1 has bought both shows, while IMS has
acquired Italian rights to Hercules.


[162b] 02-16-96
   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 825 words. "Americans upbeat as Monte
Carlo fest wraps" By Louise Bateman 
   COMMENTARY: More on what happened at the 36th Montecarlo
Festival.
   EXCERPT:
   Few spoke of done deals, but the overall mood at the 36th
edition of the Monte Carlo Television Festival and Market that
closed Thursday was positive.  Americans seemed the most upbeat
about the European event, although there were detractors...
   ...MCA TV was finalizing TV licensing deals in Spain and
Austria for Steven Spielbergs Amblin Entertainment product,
including blockbusters Jurassic Park and Schindlers List. MCA TVs
Davis was bullish on the co-production front as well. He said Ned
Nalle, executive vp of MCAs Universal Television, had flown in to
Monte Carlo to hold talks with European broadcasters over the
co-production of two potential new series in the Action Pack,
which already contains top syndicated shows: Hercules: The
Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. At Monte Carlo,
MCA licensed the two syndicated adventure series to British Sky
Broadcasting (HR 2/13)....
   ...Elsewhere in the market, some distributors spoke of
unscheduled drop-ins by buyers, particularly from Russia and
Eastern Europe. And many exhibitors expressed an intent to return
next year. By Wednesday, Monte Carlo organizers were reporting
2,215 registrations a significant increase from last years 1,825.
The increase was mainly due to more buyers and these were mostly
invited guests of the market.  But exhibitors were decidedly on
the wane this year and many people observed that the corridors of
the Loews Hotel venue lacked activity. Monte Carlo has seen
attendance dwindle over the years and its future existence has
become a perennial talking point of international TV program
buyers and sellers around the globe. Theres so few people. Theres
no buzz anymore, commented one European buyer....


[163] 02-13-96
   NEWSDAY. Page B45. 1039 words. "Glued to the Tube/Like
Chocolate, a Dose Of TV Schlock Hits the Spot" By Diane Werts
   COMMENTARY: In a praise of schlock, a reviewer mentioned that
XWP is on the mind of another reporter.
   EXCERPT:
   AH, YES - there's a bit of the sleaze maven in all of us.
   Why, just the other day I was chatting with one of my most
erudite Newsday colleagues about the finer points of Jonathan
Swift's 270-year-old satirical novel "Gulliver's Travels," as
they were seen or not seen on TV last week. But enough about
that, my learned colleague suddenly indicated, switching to his
true heart's desire: Had I seen "Silk Stalkings" or "Xena"
lately? 
   Actually, no, I had to admit; I'd been too busy watching
"Savannah" and "Highlander."
   You know it's true, all you quality TV people, all you
I-only-watch-PBS types. And the rest of us are outright willing
to admit it. There's a little voice inside each of us that
absolutely forces us to indulge in a certain amount of televisual
schlock - sort of the irresistible chocolate fix after that
low-cholesterol meal...


[164] 02-13-96
   NEWS TRIBUNE. Page A8. 400 words. "People: France Makes Dream
Come True for Tina Turner"
   COMMENTARY: In a mention of a book titled "The 100 Most
Influential Women of All Time," the author listed the top ten
women, then mused "What, no Xena?"
   EXCERPT:
   ...Deborah Felder's new book, "The 100 Most Influential Women
of All Time" (Citadel Press; $ 24.95) names Eleanor Roosevelt No.
1 and Lucille Ball No. 100. The author says this ranking, which
pays homage to Roosevelt's humanitarian and political skills but
ignores Ball's talent for singing, dancing and all-round
heck-raising, is based on questionnaires sent to heads of women
studies' departments at colleges throughout the country and the
author's own views. 
   The top 10, in order: Roosevelt, Marie Curie, Margaret Sanger,
Margaret Mead, Jane Addams, Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, the Virgin Mary.
   What, no Xena?...


[165] 02-13-96
   INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY.  Page A6. 749 words. "Marvelous" By
Claire Mencke
   COMMENTARY: Article on ToyBiz, maker of Xena action-figure in
the Hercules series.
   EXCERPT:
   In just a year, the newly public toy firm Toy Biz Inc. has
made a powerful debut in the vital boys' action-figure category.
And it has had a strong showing in dolls, the domain of giant
Mattel Inc. Toy Biz also has a beachhead in activity toys from
its acquisitions of Spectra Star and Quest Aerospace Education.
With its Marvel Comics-based CD-ROMs and learning aids, it's
showing itself to be no technological slouch...
   ...Other products are coming up fast for Toy Biz, too. It's
moving beyond Marvel with other licensed boys' toys.  From MCA,
it has developed Hercules and Xena, and from Paramount, the
Incredible Hulk....


[166] 02/13/96
   MIKE & MATY. Syndicated TV Show. 10:00 am PST. 1951 words.
Transcript of the Lucy Lawless interview.  
   COMMENTARY: As sad as it is, this interview represents to date
the best U.S. television interview with Ms. Lawless. It ranks as
her 8th major interview.
   Contributor: Robin Grinnell (rgrinnel@oboe.aix.calpoly.edu)
   Speakers: Mike(Michael Burger): a stand-up comic wannabe;
Maty(Maty Monfort): a short perky blond; and Lucy(Lucy Lawless):
our heroine.
   EXCERPT:
(End commercial break.  Title card overlay dissolves and we fade
from the audience to our hosts -- Mike and Maty.)
   Maty: Welcome back everybody.
   Mike: Yeah.
   Maty: You know, whenever you come across a superhero wearing a
leather mini-dress, metal breast plates, and thigh-high lace-up
boots -- you're going take notice.
   Mike: Or you're going to be at my house.
(Laughter)
   Maty: And so have the audiences making "Xena: Warrior
Princess" one of the newest hits on television.  Here you're
going to see Xena bringing new meaning to the concept of juggling
motherhood and a career.  Watch . . . watch.
   (We cut to the overly used clip of Xena fighting soldiers
while carrying a baby.  She beats them up using only one arm, and
then tosses the baby high into the air when she is rushed by two
charging guards.  She dispatches them handily, and has time to
catch the baby.  Very irritating, however, is the manic music
added to the scene to make it more comic.  I don't remember it in
the original episode.)
   Mike: I like her.
   Maty: Please welcome all the way from Aukland, New Zealand
Xena herself -- Lucy Lawless.
   Mike: Hey.
(We cut to the guest entrance, as the audience cheers, and Lucy
walks out.  She's breathtakingly beautiful in an antique gold,
satin or silk shirt, black jeans (could be corduroy, I can't tell
from my tape), and open-lace, high-heeled shoes.  Her hair is
wavy rather than straight, but her trademark bangs are still
there.  She seems a bit embarrassed but grateful at the
audience's reaction to her entrance.  She mouths a hello to the
audience.  She then goes over to the hosts.  She towers over Maty
and seems to be about the same height as Mike.)
   Lucy: Hello. (She has a beautiful Kiwi accent.)
   Maty: How are you doing and welcome.
   Lucy: Good morning (to Maty and shakes her hand).
   Mike: Hi.
   Lucy: Good morning to you (to Mike and shakes his hand).
   Mike: Good mo -- well, yeah good morning to you, yeah, there
you go.  {Editorial aside: This is as close as I can get from all
the gibberish he was spouting.}
   Maty: You just flew in from New Zealand is that right?
   Lucy: Yes, I did, and I've hit a wall and I'm very tired.  And
. . . but I'm feeling fabulous.
   Mike: Th-the time change though, from New Zealand to Los
Angeles, is a -- three hours?  In a day?
   Lucy: It's three hours.  We're three hours behind tomorrow. 
So, a it's -- what day is it here?
   Maty: Who knows?  Who knows?
   Mike: I don't know, there's math involved (talking over Maty).
Hold on . . . there's three hours behind tomorrow, what does that
mean?
   Lucy: With the . . . twenty-one hours ahead.
   Mike: OK . . . tomorrow.
   Maty: So, so the flight is how long?
   Lucy: It's a twelve hour flight.
   Maty: Wow.
   Lucy: It's, it's just a long commute really.
   Maty: I'd say so.
   Lucy: You get a good sleep . . . and a good meal.
   Maty: I would say so.
   Mike: What a quick rise to fame for, at least to us.  I know
you're famous back home, but . . . you know I have, you know what
I have in my pocket . . . of yours?
   Lucy: What's that?
   Mike: Aw, action figure.  All ready, look at this . . . I
almost sat on it by the way.
(He takes a Xena action figure out of his jacket pocket and then
the sword.  He spends several seconds trying to put the sword in
the figure's hand.  Eventually, he sticks the blade in the
figure's hand and leaves it like that.)
   Lucy: Beautiful.
   Mike: Look at that.  We have a little Xena action --.
   Lucy: Did you know if you hadn't taken it out of the packet,
it would have been worth fifty dollars out of the back of a car.
   Mike: Really?
   Lucy: Yeah, but not with -- well, it has sentimental value,
I'm sure.
   Maty: Yeah.
   Mike: So they only made a limited run?
   Lucy: They did make a limited run . . . um, and it sold out
really quickly, so --
   Mike: -- So these are collectibles.
   Lucy: Pretty much.
   Mike: Are you happy with it?  Is it proportionally correct? 
   Lucy: Anatomically, is it anatomically correct? (she laughs) 
   Maty: Looks like you have like really --
   Mike: -- muscular --
   Maty: -- muscular thighs, huh.  Which you don't.  Look at you,
you're very thin and . . . .
   Lucy: It's not mine.
   Maty: It's not this big.  (Pointing to the figure)  But I
guess you have to look like that to be -- Xena.
   Lucy: No, it's, it's not an exact likeness, but it's good fun. 
   Mike: I know they dyed your hair, didn't they?
   Lucy: Yeah.  I used to have fair hair, kinda like yours
(pointing at Maty).
   Maty: Well, mine's dyed.  (Audience laughs)
   Lucy: Is it?
   Maty: Was yours naturally fair?
   Lucy: (in an English accent) Dark's the look now lovie, dark.
   Maty: Dark's the hair . . . dark's the look now.  OK, well
I'll think about that.
   Mike: Are you that active, and do, do they have stunt doubles
for you?  Or do you really do stuff like that.
   Lucy: I do have uhmm a stunt double, acrobatic doubles, people
to stand around when things are too boring.  And umm they're all
wonderful women that do a great job.
   Maty: But are you one of those people that is, is really
physically fit?
   Lucy: I have become --
   Maty: -- Yeah --
   Lucy: -- physically fit.
   Maty: Of course you have to, right?
   Lucy: Yes, yeah, I had to adopt a whole new way of -- a whole
new discipline for life, because just to do everything that you
need to be prepared for the show umm takes sixteen hours a day.
   Mike: Right down to your accent.  From what I understand, a
New Zealand accent is different than an Australian accent which,
of course is different than --
   Lucy: -- I use to have an Australian accent.
   Mike: Really.  Well, give me the difference between New
Zealand and Australian.
   Lucy: (switching to an Australian accent) Well, an Australian
. . . and I hope there are none watching.  But I used to have
one.  They all talk like . . . they'll talk like this largely and
they'll . . . an ignitioner is something that keeps your room
cool.
   Mike: A what?
   Lucy: An ignitioner.
   Mike: Ignitioner.  (echoed by Maty)
   Lucy: Ignitioner system.
   Maty: Really.
   Mike: And then . . .
   Lucy: Air conditioner, and um --
   Maty: -- and the other way is just?
   Lucy: We just have different words.
   Maty: And the Kiwi's say what?
   Lucy: Air conditioner.
   Maty: Air conditioner.
   Mike: And in the show you speak without an accent at all or
you speak with our accent.
   Lucy: An American accent, yeah.
   Mike: And slip right into that.
   Lucy: (in perfect American ) What do you want me to say?
   Mike: Wow, that easy.
   Lucy: We can do the rest --
   Maty: -- Do, do you have a coach though that that teaches you? 
   Lucy: No, they did bring me over here, when I first got the
job, they brought me over and tried to polish up a very rough
diamond.  And in a lot of respects, I had the best dialogue      
coaching, and the best Kung-Fu training available to me and      
umm I hope it's paid off.
   Maty: And now guys stay away from you. (everyone laughs)
   Lucy: Well they do.  People, people . . . A very good friend
of mine noticed a great change in people's attitude to me when I
got my hair darkened.  And umm I walk quite fast, you know, I
stalk along through an airport and and don't look to the left or
to the right much, but when I start talking, I got this big goofy
grin you know, and I like say silly things at the drop of a hat
and umm and then they'll sort of loosen up, but people are a bit
standoffish with me. 
   Mike: Do, do, do men come up and challenge you because of they
see all the strength?
   Lucy: No, I'm, I'm . . . I have to say that umm, it is
Gabrielle who gets all the male prison mail.
   Mike & Maty: Uh-huh.
   Lucy: And umm and I've, you know (turning to the camera, she
speaks directly to the lens) . . . and I'm sure she enjoys your
letters, thank you chaps.  Thank you, but umm I'm not, I don't
miss that, the attention.  And I don't get any unwarranted
attention at all.
   Maty: But you do get --
   Lucy: In fact, nobody ever recognizes me.
   Mike: Oh, that's going to change now.  Oh, you're on "Mike &
Maty."
   Maty: (stomping over the last few words of Mike's lines) Well,
you're on, you're on TV Guide, the cover of TV Guide with Kevin
Sorbo a couple of weeks ago.
   Lucy: Yeah, yeah wasn't that great.
   Maty: That is neat.  I mean that's really, that's the most umm
what do you call it?  Uhh.
   Mike: The most successful show in syndication?
   Maty: No, no the TV Guide seen by the most, so many people. 
   Mike: That's Baywatch.  Oh TV Guide.
   Maty: TV Guide.
   Lucy: Yeah, it sells in huge numbers.
   Mike: Trying to be there, right with you.
   Lucy: So . . .
   Mike: Now Kevin, is Kevin Sorbo, who plays Hercules, who is
your partner in crime, who you're, who is another superhero --    
   Lucy: -- Who fixed your bike.
   Mike: Who fixed my bike.  Both of you are, by the way, are on
the side of the bus here in LA.  Which I think is you've arrived
if you can do that.
   Lucy: Good God.  Really I'd be --
   Maty: -- You're on the advertisements on the sides of buses
here. 
   Mike: But Kevin, an endearing young man, a successful young
actor -- is he dealing well with his popularity?  Does he love
all the attention?
   Lucy: He, he handles it really well.  He gets mobbed in umm in
New York.  Where the show's are really ahh they are phenomenally
popular -- out of proportion to the rest of the country, just
incredible.  And he gets mobbed, he looks quite a lot like
Hercules.  You know, he talks like him.    
   Mike: Right.
   Maty: And a really nice guy.  He's from Minnesota, you know. 
   Lucy: He is a really good guy.
   Maty: And you both tape the show in New Zealand.
   Lucy: Yup.
   Maty: Right.  Why is that?
   Lucy: Because, the producers wanted a primordial landscape and
our forests are . . . and, you know, here in your forests you
have nice conical shaped trees and everything's really pretty and
deciduous.  Well, in New Zealand everything is sub-tropical, and
the the forest is really quite scary.  If . . . you know when I
was a child, I remember being very scared.
   Mike: You know we have things like that out here -- Venice
Beach. (audience laughs)  Ah, if you walk down by the boardwalk,
you'll see a lot of the primordial stuff you speak of. 
   Lucy: And all your trees are imported.
   Mike: All our trees are not.  All our trees are fake.
   Lucy: The algae is real.
   Mike: You had the . . . you said when you attack or with your
moment of combat you let out some sound.  Which, if we can go to
commercial, and we thank you.
   Lucy: You want to go out on it.
   Mike: Oh, I'd love that, but let me thank you in advance, and
say hi to all the good folks.
   Lucy: Yes I will.
   Mike: Back home, and this is the sound she makes when she
attacks.
   Lucy: OK, you ready for this sound guys?
   Mike: Lucy Lawless -- go!
   Lucy: Ayayayayaya!
(Audience claps)
   Mike: I enjoyed that, all right.
   Maty: Thank you Lucy.  (shakes her hand)
   Lucy: My pleasure, thank you.
   Mike: We'll be right back.
(Interview closes with Mike "walking" the Xena action figure
toward the camera.)


[167] 02-15-96
   USA TODAY. Page 3D. 622 words. "TV's mythical heroes // 'Xena'
makes Lawless an accidental action star" By Jefferson Graham
   COMMENTARY: Ms. Lawless' 9th major interview (6th in print
medium). Ms. Lawless dwelled upon her new career as an action
hero, her past careers, and admitted that her hair was "honey
brown" before dying it black for Xena (see the Introduction to
XMR #14 for the full hair color expose).
   When asked about the popularity of XWP, Ms. Lawless said,
"Astrologically, it's the year of the Warrior Queen. Viewers
picked up on that."
   REPRINT:  
   "Now's the right time for a woman hero," said Lucy Lawless.
And there are few women as physically heroic as the protagonist
she plays in Xena: Warrior Princess, this season's highest rated
new syndicated show. 
   Lawless was surprised at the turn of events in her life.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I'd one day be
a female action hero. I thought I'd be doing Shakespeare."     
This unlikely outcome included interviews with reporters and
introductions to station managers at the National Association of
Television Program Executives last month in Las Vegas, a place
that clearly dazzled the New Zealander. Before this interview,
she played blackjack (and lost) downstairs at Bally's. Afterward,
she had a date with the craps table.
   "Vegas is kind of excessive," she said. "But I don't mind a
little excess every now and then."
   Lawless, 27, grew up in Auckland, the largest city in New
Zealand, went to Catholic school and "lived a charmed existence.
I have five brothers and one sister, and my mom said I didn't
know I was a girl until I was 8." 
   Lawless thought of a career as a marine biologist or a
pathologist, then decided to be an opera singer. She studied for
three years, "and then woke up one day realizing I didn't have
the passion for it," she said. "To be really excellent at it, you
have to have the passion. So instead I decided to try acting. I
had the passion for that."
   Lawless, her husband (now her ex) and daughter (now 8 years
old) moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, so she could attend
drama school. She returned to New Zealand two years ago and
worked in about 20 "two-bit co-pros (international
co-productions)" before being cast twice on the syndicated series
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
   She played a "really bad bully girl" as well as the Amazon
queen Lissia, who gave birth to a baby centaur.
   At the end of 1994, Universal, Hercules' production company,
cooked up a sweeps ratings stunt in which the strongest man in
the universe would meet his greatest foe: Xena, a nasty warrior
princess. The studio had five "name" actresses in mind for the
part, "but they all pulled out because the job was at the bottom
of the world, and it only lasted for three eps (episodes),"
Lawless said. "I was already there. I was happy for the work.
   "Two days later I was at the set, they dyed my hair and the
rest is history." 
   Lawless has "honey brown" hair, "but they dyed it black,
rather than making me a blond chickie whose hair would one day
fall out."
   Her natural height - nearly 6 feet - was imposing enough.    
"I was the most reprehensible character there ever was," she
said. Viewers liked her, however, and Universal created her own
show. But now she's considerably less nasty.
   "One brush with Hercules made her a better person," Lawless
said with a sly smile.
   She trained for the part by working with a kung fu instructor
and personal trainer in Los Angeles. "You learn by taking
knocks," she said. "I used to be a lot more bruised than I am
now."
   She works 16-hour days and has learned to live "the lame
life." Wake up, go to the gym, do her scenes, come home and
crash. Weekends are devoted to daughter Daisy, and they sometimes
watch tapes of Xena, which hasn't premiered in New Zealand. Daisy
prefers Hercules because of its monsters.
   "Our show is a little more adult in appeal," Lawless said.
"We're a bit grimmer and nastier. The character has a little more
duality to her. After all, she's not the son of a god, like
Hercules."
   And why has Xena caught on with viewers? "Astrologically, it's
the year of the Warrior Queen. Viewers picked up on that,"
Lawless said. 
   And on that note, she departed for the casino.
   Extending her hand, she said, "Come on seven!"
   GRAPHIC: b/w, Lawless.


[168] 02-15-96
   ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE. Page 3E. 882 words. By Michael
Storey.
   COMMENTARY: Minor mention in blurb about American Gothic.
   EXCERPT:
   ...Attention fans of "American Gothic": Your off-again,
on-again show is off, again. The mondo bizarro series about an
evil Southern sheriff (Gary Cole) and his machinations has once
again been yanked from the CBS schedule. 
   The oddly twisted drama with surprising moments of humor was
created by Shaun Cassidy and produced by Sam Rami ("Xena: Warrior
Princess," "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys") and debuted on
Friday nights when precious few were watching.
   CBS, in its wisdom, pulled it for "retooling."...


[169] 02-15-96
   AMERICAN JOURNAL. TV Show. Syndicated.
   COMMENTARY: Short feature on Lucy Lawless in a slightly toned
down sensational tabloid form.  The feature included
the infamous shot of Garth Lawless (LL's ex-husband) being
stalked while he was picking up their daughter, Daisy (included
perhaps to remind us we were watching tabloid tv). Heavily
dependent upon promos shot at the NATPE convention, the feature
mostly consisted of talking heads discussing why XWP was popular
and some narrative on Ms. Lawless' past.


[170] 02-16-96 through 
   NOTE: Firstrun "Fistful of Dinars" hit 5.5, ranked 4th.  On
it's encore performance three months later, the show would hit
only 5.1, but be ranked 3rd.


[170a] 02-16-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Page 12. 681 words. "Chill Warms Syndie
Talkers; 'Oprah' leads chatshow rally in Nielsens as sweeps roll"
by Jim Benson.
   COMMENTARY: Fistful of Dinars, 1st release.
   EXCERPT:
   ...Nielsen national barter rankings for the week ended Feb.
4...
   ...lots of action as most firstrun weekly hour series climbed.
   MCA TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" took a little
breather after its 25% gain last week. "Hercules" slipped 7% to
7.0, but easily held on to its No. 1 position for the second
week, climbing 11% year-to-year. 
   All American's "Baywatch" was hot, soaring 27% to a season
high of 6.1, which is still 15% behind last year's torrid pace.   
 Par's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" remained in third with a 5.7,
a 9% boost from the previous week but 23% off its year-ago
average.
   MCA's "Xena: Warrior Princess" got knocked out of second,
losing 10% to 5.5 after setting a season high last week...


[170b] 02-19-96
   VARIETY. 672 words. "Syndicated talkers improve by degrees" By
Jim Benson
   COMMENTARY:  Same as XMR170a.


[170c] 02-19-96
   VARIETY. Page 39. 189 words. "Nielsen Syndication Ratings"
   COMMENTARY: Fistful of Dinars, 1st release.
   REPRINT:
For Week ended Feb. 4, 1996  
                                  Stations/
Rank  Program                    % coverage    AA%   GAA%     
1 Wheel of Fortune                  226/99     14.2
2 Jeopardy!                         220/99     11.7
3 Home Improvement                  220/97     10.7   11.3     
4 Oprah Winfrey Show                234/99      9.1    9.1     
5 Natl. Geographic on Assignment    181/96      8.7    9.1     
6 Seinfeld                          217/98      7.9     --     
7 Entertainment Tonight             174/95      7.8    7.9     
7 Wheel of Fortune-Wknd.            181/78      7.8     --     
9 WCW Wrestling                     177/93      7.4   12.3    
10 Journeys of Hercules              225/98      7.0    7.3    
10 Inside Edition                    165/93      7.0    7.1    
12 Home Improvement - Wknd.          201/92      6.6     --    
13 Simpsons                          185/95      6.5    6.6    
14 Baywatch                          223/97      6.1    6.2    
15 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine        231/98      5.7    5.8    
16 Hard Copy                         176/91      5.5    5.6    
16 Xena                              201/96      5.5    5.8    
18 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air           163/86      5.4    5.8    
18 Roseanne                          176/93      5.4    5.7    
20 Live-Regis & Kathie Lee           234/99      5.2     -- 
   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. 


[171] 02-16-96
   ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE. Page 2W. 687 words. By Ellis Widner
   COMMENTARY:  An article about the secret thrills of tabloids
mentioned XWP in passing.
   EXCERPT:
   ...Finally, there are several good reasons to veg out on the
sofa on Saturday: Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys, Duckman and now -- Weekly World News.  Who could ask
for more?..


[172] 02-17-96
   LOS ANGELES TIMES. Page F1. 1131 words. "Forget 'Baywatch':
the Action's with 'Hercules,' 'Xena'; Television: the Series Put
the Accent on Heroic Fights, Legendary Characters, Some Eye Candy
and a Dose of Humor. Bad Guys Rarely Die, and One of the Good
Guys Is a Woman." By Steve Weinstein
   COMMENTARY:  Kevin gets the graphic again!
   Ms. Lawless offered a few quotes, but this is primarily a
Kevin Sorbo article, with Robert Tapert joining in periodically.
For keynote reasons this will be called the 10th interview.
   The show was deemed popular because of its "campy sense of
humor, the wacky Hong Kong-style action and the appealing heroes
fighting off evil gods and warlords in the lushly primitive time
before Christ".
   More insight into the purpose of the show can be gleaned from
Robert Tapert's observation that "When we first started
'Hercules' way back when (1993), Sam and I remarked that our
favorite shows were the old Captain Kirk 'Star Trek' episodes.
They were fun and a little sexy and had Kirk in these weird
fights, and we tried to deliver that same kind of entertainment
value. It is dumb action, maybe, but it is different than
anything else on television. More like small feature films each
week."
   Mr. Tapert also explained that the original mythological
Hercules was not used as a model because "he killed a lot of
people..."
   Xena was described as "one hell of a fighting machine with her
flipping, flailing legs and sliver breastplate."
   Lucy Lawless was quoted as saying, "I love playing Xena
because she is not little Miss Perfect, not solely good. In fact,
Xena's life prior to where we are in the series had been quite
malevolent, and she's looking not exactly to redeem herself, but
for a more worthy path. She's far from a moral character, but
she's an individual who unwittingly finds herself a hero. And as
this unapologetic, unself-conscious woman, she appeals to young
women in a big way. And of course there are a lot of 50-year-old
men who are in love with her." Not to mention the ones that want
to get spanked [see tentative XMR271].
   As to the BabeWatch B.C. criticisms made against the show, Mr.
Tapert observed that "Sex sells, and there's no denying both of
these shows have a certain eye-candy appeal. But we never focus
on boobs or butts like some of the other shows, and if a sexual
situation arises, it comes from love as opposed to violence or
one-night stands. We maintain a certain morality about that, and
I think the visual appeal really comes from the exotic wardrobes
and settings of these mythical worlds."
   The article ended with Mr. Tapert's belief that they will not
allow another spin-off from the HTLJ or XWP series.
   REPRINT:
   The ancient myths we all learned in junior high -- stories of
Cyclops, sirens, satyrs, ambrosia and cruel, mischievous gods
named Hera and the Gorgones -- have become more popular than all
the cleavage and beach rescues David Hasselhoff has to offer.    
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and its spinoff, "Xena:
Warrior Princess," have become two of the most popular hourlong
dramas in the world of television syndication, out-rating
"Baywatch" by a wide margin this season and quite often beating
even the "Star Trek" incarnation, "Deep Space Nine." 
   "There is nothing like it on TV in terms of action and special
effects. We pack more into every episode than any other show,"
said Kevin Sorbo, who stars as Hercules, explaining the appeal of
the two series. "We're not 'ER.' We don't try to be based in
reality. But we're two hours of 'make the popcorn and escape from
life's bumps and worries for a while.' " 
   The shows were created and are produced by Robert Tapert and
Sam Raimi, who have collaborated on such feature films as "Evil
Dead" and "Darkman" and created the now-defunct Fox series
"Mantis." They say it is the campy sense of humor, the wacky Hong
Kong-style action and the appealing heroes fighting off evil gods
and warlords in the lushly primitive time before Christ that have
given them their first television hits.
   "When we first started 'Hercules' way back when (1993), Sam
and I remarked that our favorite shows were the old Captain Kirk
'Star Trek' episodes," Tapert explained. "They were fun and a
little sexy and had Kirk in these weird fights, and we tried to
deliver that same kind of entertainment value. It is dumb action,
maybe, but it is different than anything else on television. More
like small feature films each week."
   But they were careful not to replicate the old black-and-white
"Hercules" movies that featured a grim and tortured hero embarked
on his humorless labors of superhuman strength. Instead, they
opted for a more modern, winking, good-guy Hercules, dressed more
like Robin Hood, who always saves the day with as little malice
as possible.
   "The old Hercules myths would have made for bad television
because he killed a lot of people," Tapert said.
   "So we decided the best way to go was to find a Joe Montana
type, with no togas and no Parthenons and all that, someone not
so huge and stilted as that old movie guy, someone you would
always like to have over to your house. He couldn't be malicious
or vindictive, because then he isn't your hero. That makes it
easier for people to tune in, and we get a lot of fan mail from
parents saying, 'It's great to have a hero that my kids can root
for who is not an athlete, but someone who actually does good in
the world.' " 
   So Hercules fights monsters and gods, helps Jason and the
Argonauts recapture the stolen golden fleece, all in the
good-looking and athletic but far from Herculean body of the
long-haired Sorbo, who throughout jokes and laughs and pokes fun
at himself.
   "In 34 episodes or so, I think I've only killed three people,
and that was by accident," Sorbo said. "The fight scenes are wild
and well-choreographed, but they're always done with a wink in
Herc's eye. And I think that's worked. 
   "Initially we expected the audience to be boys 12 to 17, but
it's turned out to be much broader than that. The ads are
everything from McDonald's to BMWs." 
   Women seem to enjoy the spinoff, "Xena," even more. The title
character is troubled, flawed, even melancholic; her foes are
all-too-human assassins, thieves and tyrants. Still, as played by
the statuesque Lucy Lawless, she is one hell of a fighting
machine with her flipping, flailing legs and sliver breastplate.
She kills her foes far more often than Hercules does. 
   "No one had done a female superhero since 'Wonder Woman,' and
a lot of stations were really wary at first because they just
didn't think women action heroes were big sellers," Tapert said.
"But what we have found is that there is a certain element of
society that really likes to see women in that role. Even
'American Gladiators,' with those muscle-bound women, is still on
the air." 
   "I love playing Xena because she is not little Miss Perfect,
not solely good," said Lawless, a New Zealander and mother of a
7-year-old daughter. 
   "In fact, Xena's life prior to where we are in the series had
been quite malevolent, and she's looking not exactly to redeem
herself, but for a more worthy path. She's far from a moral
character, but she's an individual who unwittingly finds herself
a hero. And as this unapologetic, unself-conscious woman, she
appeals to young women in a big way. And of course there are a
lot of 50-year-old men who are in love with her."
   Oh yeah, that. Neither of these shows will ever match the
bathing suits and bare chests of "Baywatch," but Lawless'
breasts, blue eyes and bared arms and legs aren't exactly easy to
miss. And Sorbo admitted that his friends often tease him that
he's playing Hercules, not in the land of myth but "in the land
of cleavage."
   "Sex sells," Tapert conceded. "And there's no denying both of
these shows have a certain eye-candy appeal. But we never focus
on boobs or butts like some of the other shows, and if a sexual
situation arises, it comes from love as opposed to violence or
one-night stands. We maintain a certain morality about that, and
I think the visual appeal really comes from the exotic wardrobes
and settings (both shows are filmed in New Zealand to keep costs
down) of these mythical worlds."
   Raimi and Tapert's own world has been mostly in movies -- with
Raimi as director-producer and Tapert as producer -- ever since
they met 18 years ago as students at Michigan State University.
And even though they recently signed a lucrative multiyear TV
deal with Universal, the joy of seeing the name of a film they
produced or directed up on the marquee and the ability to sit
with an audience and feel and hear them react to it is something
TV just can't provide. 
   So, along with several television projects they have in
development, including a male-female buddy action drama for ABC,
they also have movies pending at studios all over town. Raimi
will most likely direct "Frosty the Snowman" for Warner Bros.
later this year.
   The one thing they probably won't do any time soon, no matter
the boom "Hercules" and "Xena" are enjoying, is another spinoff,
Tapert said. 
   "I just don't know if we need another mythological superhero,"
he explained. "The world has Sinbad and Tarzan coming soon. The
'Baywatch' people are doing Sinbad, and of course there are a
bunch of other rip-offs on the way. I mean, what are we going to
do: 'Young Moses, Freedom Fighter'?"
   * "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior
Princess" air Saturdays at 8 and 9 p.m. on KTLA-TV Channel 5. 
   GRAPHIC: Kevin Sorbo as Hercules: "A Joe Montana type." 


[173] 02-20-96
   THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. Page B3. 338 words. "Twisted TV
Duck Nesting Online Duckman has his own home page on the Web" By
Jeff Pelline
   COMMENTARY: In a review of web pages, the MCA Xena Home page
was mentioned in passing (no url/address, just a mention).
   EXCERPT:
   ...The content increasingly is original, too. On the Duckman
page, you get a listing of his day calendar (Monday: stalk) and
fresh dialog. Animation also is becoming more common (on the Xena
Princess Warrior home page, the heroine swings her weapon.)...


[174] 02-23-96 through 03-02-96
   NOTES: In her 11th interview thus far (arbitrarily numbered
for XMR purposes alone) and in another telephone interview, Ms.
Lawless related her separation from the show's popularity because
the production was shot in New Zealand but not aired there; the
obligatory listing of her various prior careers; and that there
may be another cross-over episode with Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) in
the future for Xena.
   This article eventually appeared in Mr. Spelling's regular
"Inside Trek" syndicated column.


[174a] 02-23-96
   THE DENVER POST. Page F07. 511 words. "'Xena' blacked out in
home country." By Ian Spelling
   COMMENTARY:  "Inside Trek" article about XWP and Lucy Lawless.
   REPRINT:
   Nobody, it seems, is "Xena"-phobic.
   "Xena: Warrior Princess," the syndicated series that stars
Lucy Lawless as the rough-and-tumble, sword-swinging battler of
all things evil, tyrannical or unjust, ranks high in the ratings.
It has whisked men and women, boys and girls, into its wildly
entertaining world of mythos, action and offbeat humor.      
   "Everyone tells me the show is a huge hit in America, which is
great, but we're shooting in New Zealand, and it's not even on
here," said the friendly but groggy Lawless, 27, calling from her
home in Auckland, New Zealand, at the break of dawn her time.    
Cautiously excited
   "We're excited, but we don't really feel it here. We're all
reluctant to get carried away," she said.
   "There's no guarantee it will last, but we're thrilled it's a
hit. We're quite proud of the show, and it's a bonus that it's
doing so well." 
   Lawless, whose parents live within a mile of where "Xena"
shoots, and whose 7-year-old daughter Daisy is a frequent visitor
to the set, credits the series' prosperity to good luck, timing
and the fact that "Xena" features a TV rarity: a female action
hero who has brainpower and a complex personality. 
   "There's definitely an appeal to that," she said in her
gravelly accent. "The last female action hero was probably
Lindsay Wagner (from "The Bionic Woman"), and that was back in
the 1970s.
   "I think people were ready for a show like ours. It's fun,
campy and it's got cool special effects," Lawless says.
   "What's not to like?"
   Tried other careers
   The 6-foot-tall actress was born in Mount Albert, New Zealand,
and raised there with her four brothers. While she acted in a few
school plays as a teenager, Lawless was soon working as
everything from a grape picker to a gold miner before once again
trying her hand at acting.
   By age 20, Lawless was performing in commercials and soon
after in guest spots on New Zealand TV shows. Then she landed a
job as co-host of a travel program.
   Finally, in late 1994, Lawless was cast as Xena in the
syndicated series "Hercules," starring Kevin Sorbo.
   Initially, Xena intended to kill Hercules, but by Lawless'
third episode Xena realized the error of her ways and turned a
new leaf. Thus was born the unstoppable spinoff, "Xena: Warrior
Princess."
   Lawless won't reveal any upcoming "Xena" plot threads. "You'll
have to tune in to see them," she said.
   Reunion episode
   A Hercules-Xena reunion thrilled fans in November, and Lawless
said another crossover episode may be produced way down the pike. 
   "Kevin is busy enough with his show," she said. "But we'd love
to have him back on 'Xena' any time he's available."
   While savoring her "Xena" success, Lawless is also thinking
ahead. 
   "I love this show," she said. "I'm surrounded by a wonderful,
creative cast and crew, and we're all having a great time.    
I'd eventually love to work in America, but I'll have to cross
that bridge when I come to it. Right now, though, 'Xena' is so
all-encompassing, I can't even think about anything else. I need
to, want to, devote all my energy to 'Xena."'
   GRAPHIC: LUCY LAWLESS: New Zealand native 'having a great
time.' 


[174b] 03-01-96
   CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Page 66. 572 words. "Laying down the Law with
'Xena's' Lucy Lawless" By Ian Spelling.
   COMMENTARY:  Same as XMR174a.  Same graphic, different
caption.
   EXCERPT:
   ...GRAPHIC: Lucy Lawless, 27, as Xena, a female action hero,
in the syndicated TV show "Xena: Warrior Princess."


[174c] 03-02-96
   THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Page 2. 707 words. "Inside Trek" by Ian
Spelling
   COMMENTARY:  Same as XMR174a.  Same graphic used.


[175] 02-23-96 through 02-26-96
   NOTE: Firstrun "Warrior...Princess", 5.7 rank, 3rd place. 
Three months later the episode was re-released and earned a 4.7
share, but took 2nd place in the action hours.

        
[175a] 02-23-96
   DAILY VARIETY. Page 76. 664 Words. "Titillaters Tumble;
Sex doesn't sell syndie mags; yakkers mixed" By Jim Benson
   COMMENTARY: 1st release, Warrior...Princess
   EXCERPT:
   ...According to the Nielsen national barter rankings for the
week ended Feb. 11,...
   ...Starry recovery
   Of the weeklies, Par's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" was the
big winner among action hours. After spending the past two frames
in third place, the show topped the charts with a 7.0, a 23%
increase from the previous week but down 15% year-to-year.    
MCA TV's "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" slipped off its
first-place perch with a 7% decline to 6.5. Still, the son of
Zeus was 23% ahead of his year-ago average.
   MCA's "Xena: Warrior Princess," fourth last week, climbed into
third with a 4% increase to 5.7.
   All American's "Baywatch" (5.2) fell 15% from the previous
week and got soaked for a 34% year-to-year loss.
   MGM's "The Outer Limits" was up 9% to 4.7, All American's
"Baywatch Nights" gained 6% to 3.7 and Tribune's "Flipper" sank
19% to 2.1...


[175b] 02-26-96
   VARIETY. Page 193. 479 words. "Syndie mags fail to titillate"
By Jim Benson.
   COMMENTARY:  Same as XMR175a.


[175c] 02-26-96
   VARIETY. Page 193. 188 words. Nielsen Syndication Ratings.
   COMMENTARY: 1st release, Warrior...Princess.
   REPRINT:
For week ended February 11, 1995  
                                     Stations/
Rank             Program           % coverage   AA%   GAA%  
1    Wheel of Fortune                226/98     13.5     --  
2    Jeopardy!                       220/99     11.0     --  
3    Home Improvement                222/97     10.1   10.6  
4    Oprah Winfrey Show              234/99      8.9    8.9  
5    Seinfeld                        219/98      7.9     --  
6    Entertainment Tonight           173/95      7.2    7.2  
7    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine      234/98      7.0    7.6  
8    Wheel of Fortune-Weekend        184/81      6.6     --  
9    Journeys of Hercules            224/98      6.5    7.1 
10    Simpsons                        187/96      6.4    6.5 
11    WCW Wrestling                   177/92      6.3   10.3 
12    Inside Edition                  165/92      6.2    6.3 
13    Home Improvement-Weekend        210/95      5.8     -- 
14    Xena                            202/96      5.7    6.2 
15    Fresh Prince of Bel-Air         162/90      5.3    5.6 
16    Baywatch                        223/96      5.2    5.4 
16    Hard Copy                       177/92      5.2    5.2 
16    Roseanne                        177/93      5.2    5.3 
19    Live With Regis & Kathie Lee    234/99      5.0     -- 
20    Montel Williams Show            161/91      4.9    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. 


[176] 02-03-96 through 02-25-96
   NOTE: In a fanciful article which after reviewing all the then
current presidential candidates, writer R.D. Heldenfels came to
the conclusion that "there's only one solution for voters: Let's
elect a TV character president."
   In the list of possible characters, Xena was listed with this
commentary: "Congressional leaders think they're tough. But would
Newt Gingrich argue with Xena (Lucy Lawless), a 6-foot woman
carrying a sword?"
   The story was carried in both the Arizona Republic and the   
Austin American-Statesman. 


[176a] 02-23-96
   THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Page D15. 660 words. "Why Xena, Warrior
Princess, Would Make a Good President" By R.D. Heldenfels
   EXCERPT:
   Tuesday's New Hampshire primary climaxed weeks of
consideration of the Republican candidates, the Democratic
alternative and a central question: Would you really want ANY of
these people as president?
   Presidential campaigns seem designed for mockery. No wonder
there's a long history of humorous candidates, from Will Rogers
to Gracie Allen to Pogo, Pat Paulsen and, this year, baseball's
Ken Griffey Jr.  
   Anyone watching C-SPAN on Monday saw the real candidates in
Bisquick aprons, competing to make and flip the best pancake.
From such tests do we select the person whose finger will be on
the nuclear button.
   Campaigns are a big show, with candidates carefully reciting
their lines. Even a small state like New Hampshire has seen its
primary - through advertising and armies of cameramen - turn into
a televised battle. So there's only one solution for voters:    
Let's elect a TV character president.
   It's not as far-fetched as you might think. In 1992, a
fictional TV character - Murphy Brown - was part of presidential
politics thanks to remarks made by then-Vice President Dan Quayle
about single moms. And we as viewers develop closer relationships
with people we see on TV than with those we see in Washington.    
When you look around for someone who's likable, trustworthy and
skillful in his chosen field, you have to search pretty hard
among politicians. 
   But fictional characters have advantages that live people
don't. If the public doesn't like what the character stands for,
just rewrite the script. (I know, President Clinton does that,
too. But his writers aren't as good as Hollywood's.) If there's
something wrong about the character's look, cast another actor.   
 Besides, you can't do much worse than the current field. And
just to prove that, here's a list of 10 TV characters who would
make better presidents than the current candidates.
   --> Dick Solomon, 3rd Rock From the Sun...
   --> Lucas Buck, American Gothic...
   --> Xena, Xena, Warrior Princess. Congressional leaders think
they're tough. But would Newt Gingrich argue with Xena (Lucy
Lawless), a 6-foot woman carrying a sword?
   --> Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, The X-Files...
   --> Jimmy James, NewsRadio...
   --> Lt. Al Giardello, Homicide: Life on the Street....
   --> Clark Kent/Superman, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of
Superman. Whatever you may think of Dean Cain's Kent, imagine
Teri Hatcher's Lois Lane as first lady. But I am worried that
Clark didn't spot the clone Lois sooner - even my sons wondered
why he didn't smell frog on her breath.
   --> Artie (Rip Torn), The Larry Sanders Show Starring Garry
Shandling....


[176b] 02-25-96
   AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. Page 12. 616 words. "Vote for TV
characters for president" By R.D. Heldenfels.
   COMMENTARY:  Reworking of XMR176a.  It subtracted some
material and added a candidate between Lucas Buck and Xena.  Also
added a Graphic of Ms. Lawless as Xena.
   EXCERPT:
   ...* Drew Carey, ''The Drew Carey Show.''...
   ...GRAPHIC: Hail to the Chief!  Would Congressional leaders
think they're tough enough to face 'Xena, Warrior Princess' (Lucy
Lawless)?


[177] 02-24-96 through 02-26-96
   NOTE: John Schulian, writer of "Warrior Princess", the first
Xena episode of the now legendary Xena Trilogy on HTLJ, and
producer of HTLJ, wrote to the LA Times to protest the Times'
lack of proper attribution to his contributions to the show
(XMR172). He noted that Raimi and Tapert did not create XWP, but
him and Robert Tapert.


[177a] 02-24-96
   LOS ANGELES TIMES. Page F16. 92 words. "Credit Where Credit's
Due"
   COMMENTARY: Protesting the LA Times article which attributed
the creation of XWP to Raimi and Tapert, Schulian set the record
straight.
   REPRINT:
   With all due respect to the talent and energy of Sam Raimi and
Rob Tapert, I believe that Steve Weinstein gave them a bit too
much credit in his story on their success in television ("Forget
'Baywatch': The Action's With 'Hercules,' 'Xena,' " Feb. 17). For
one thing, Raimi and Tapert did not create "Hercules," Christian
Williams did. As for "Xena: Warrior Princess," it evolved out of
a script I wrote for "Hercules," and the credits now say that I
created the show with Tapert.
   JOHN SCHULIAN
   Co-Executive Producer,
   "Hercules"
   Universal City


[177b] 02-26-96
   LOS ANGELES TIMES. Orange County Edition. Page F7. 92 words.
"Credit Where Credit's Due"
   COMMENTARY:  Same as XMR177a.


-------------
THE BACK PAGE
-------------

Issue #15 will begin with annotations #178, dated 02/25/96.  It
is scheduled to be released July 12, 1996.

PREFERRED CITATION:  When citing an annotated review, use the
format: XMR:007.  This example means Xena Media Review [issue
#01], annotation #007.

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 of
the other original copyright holders cited in this journal). 
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. Only national/international major media released in
electronic form are considered for inclusion. Banner graphic by
Colleen Stephan. Copyright 1996 by Kym Masera Taborn.

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
above 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 above non-profit-use clause.
   
SOLICITATIONS FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS
   Send cites, references, articles, annotations, and/or
submissions to ktaborn@lightspeed.net. 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.


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