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General Rumors about XWP Archive
MARCH 2000
Here is the archive!!!
CONSIDER THIS A WARNING!
These babies cover March 2000...that's why we call it an ARCHIVE!Last update: 04-06-00
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Here is the archive!!!
CONSIDER THIS A WARNING!
These babies cover March 2000...that's why we call it an ARCHIVE!Last update: 04-06-00
03-24-00. Josh Becker (sometime director) alledgedly reported that they are no longer going to hire U.S. directors on XENA. This has been confirmed by WHOOSH to be true for JACK OF ALL TRADES, but we doubt that is true for CLEOPATRA 2525 and we have not had it confimred for XENA yet.
03-24-00. Rumor of Robert Tapert saying on a yet unconfirmed video interview that after the first 10 to 12 episodes are filmed of the 6th season, there would be a round table discussion with Lawless, O'Connor,and key people in the production staff to decide about the 7th season. This would be somewhat disregardable except it is well known that Robert Tapert has always wanted the show to run 7 seasons. However, Lawless has stated that she'd like to end after 5 seasons. The fact that they are indeed going, at least in part, with a 6th season looks like Tapert is in the lead. However, the 6th season contract includes a clause which allows Lawless to do only a partial season. All we can do at this point it literally stay tuned.
03-18-00. The March 2000 issue of the "NZ TV, Film and Video Industry Journal" has this little item:
"XENA'S BACK"The spread May to April is rather expansive. Historically RenPac is filming the episodes for the NEXT season by mid-March and April. I suspect the date given is to cover a year and not to indicate any real shooting schedule. The 22 episodes means that they plan to produce 22 hour episodes. In the current contract there still exists a clause which allows RenPic to replace the series mid-season with another, just as they ceased HERCULES produciton after 8 episodes into its 6th season and then replaced it by the BACK2BACK action pairing of CLEOPATRA 2525 and JACK OF ALL TRADES. This news really is not concrete indication that there will be a full 22 episode season of XENA. However, the money is on IF they go past the first 8 episodes that the show will probably continue the entire season. This is because of the expense of having everyone come back after the first trimester hiatus (you might as well make as many episodes when you have everyone there!) and the difficulty in selling a new show with a first season less than 14 shows (but then remember, when HERCULES shifted from movies to weekly hour, its first season consisted of only 13 episodes).
Pacific Renaissance Pictures has given the industry news it wanted to hear: Series 6 of "Xena: Warrior Princess" - 22x1 hour episodes - will be shot in New Zealand between early May this year and April next year. The series screens in 115 countries, and remains the highest-rated original action hour in syndication in the US, where it shows on more than 200 stations. In NZ, TV3 has bought - but not yet scheduled - Series 4.
03-07-00. (Press release) About Face Theatre and greasy joan and company announce that XENA LIVE! the smash hit stage production based on the #1 syndicated TV series XENA: Warrior Princess only has 2 more weeks! The show MUST CLOSE March 19th. Written by award winning playwright Claudia Allen, XENA LIVE was named the sexiest show of 1999 by The Chicago Tribune and Gay Chicago Magazine. It was also named on the Dean's
List by WGN theatre reviewer Dean Richard's as a "must see!"
The episode features a case of mistaken identities when a wicked Sorceress casts a spell on Xena, splitting our heroine into two personalities....Xena the Lover and Xena the Warrior. With amazing fight choreography, comedic flair and camp humor that fans of the TV show have come to love, XENA LIVE is a "must see" for Xenites and Xena novices alike. You cannot escape the thrill of the show when it is happening just inches from you.
XENA LIVE! runs Fridays and Saturdays at 11pm and Sundays at 4pm thru March 19th. The show must close at that time. You may purchase tickets and gather more information on the website at http://www.XenaLive.com or call 773-549-7943.
XENA LIVE! performs at About Face Theatre 3212 N. Broadway in Chicago IL.
[I will be in Chicago for a week in July and I was hoping to catch this play, but it looks like I will LIVE TO MISS IT AGAIN. If you are in the locality, I would suggest you see it. Everyone that I know who has seen it has enjoyed it immensely. Also, WHOOSH interviewed the producer/actor Amy Matheny who appears in the play. Check it out by clicking here. There were rumors back in mid-December of them writing another "episode" of the play, but I have not heard any more of that. My wishful thinking hopes if they are going to do it, they do it by July so I can see it!]
03-07-00. At the 1999 Chicago Con, Danielle Cormack mentioned an upcoming XENA episode which was to feature a 300-year-old woman. Cormack stated that she hoped that she would play the part, but suspected that Lucy Lawless may want to play it herself. This character has not been encountered yet this season, so perhaps she remains to be seen.
03-07-00. In the pilot for CLEOPATRA 2525, Lucy Lawless did the voice for The Voice. Because of scheduling conflicts, The Voice was voiced by Elizabeth Hawthorne (Herk's mama), in the actual series. The pilot was re-dubbed with Ms. Hawthorne's voice and aired as the episode HOME.
03-07-00. All systems are go for the 6th season of XENA. Everyone has signed and the ink has dried. HOWEVER, there is an option to terminate the sixth season early, similar to what was done with HERC. We may or may not get a full 22 episode sixth season. It'll be awhile before we find out if we get a full sixth season or not. One interesting fact is that in the past the production team has always made sure at least two episodes were in the can for the next season before going into the NZ winter (US summer) shooting hiatus. This time they are going to finish shooting TWILIGHT OF THE GODS (directed by Rick Jacobson, who just flew down there this week to start his prep) and then call it a season. No two 6th season episodes for the can. They also normally have at least 10 episodes in the can for the mini-hiatus they have after shooting the episodes for airing in October-December. But, perhaps they only need 8 this year, so they are cutting out early for this last long hiatus? Only time will tell. AND if they do cut out after 8 episodes...what will finish out the contract? Rumors say they might go with their Camelot in the 21st Century action hour. They probably will not expand CLEO to an hour because CLEO & JACK have already been renewed as am hour block. I guess they could expand CLEO and then they would have to develop another half hour to fulfill the contract to the leasing stations. Then RenPic would at last have its dream of running three hourlies simultaneously. But somehow I feel the world isn't quite ready for that!
03-07-00. And if they do go for longer than 8 shows in the 6th season, looks like Renee O'Connor will direct her second episode with RenPics. The script has not even been written yet (in fact there are rumors that NOTHING has been written yet beyond the 5th season -- everyone wants to make a clean and symbolic break from the fifth season to approach the 6th season new and refreshed and tanned). But either O'Connor is lobbying or has been requested. It is assumed that she has accepted or will accept.
03-07-00. And what about the guy who does virtually nothing with the TV side of things but gets all the credit because he's the first named partner? Yes!!! What's Sam Raimi up to these days? Sam Raimi is currently directing THE GIFT with it boy Keanu Reeves and oscar nominees Kate Blanchett and Hilary Swank (it girls?). After that, he will jump into SPIDERMAN, which was a film project abandoned by James Cameron earlier last year.
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