Here is the archive!!!
CONSIDER THIS A WARNING!
These babies cover September 2000...that's why we call it an ARCHIVE!Last update: 11-06-00
09-28-00. I just cannot figure out what is going on over at RenPic. A New Zealand paper last week stated that the business press in NZ are all expecting PacRen (RenPic's NZ arm) to leave NZ in March 2001 after XWP filming stops. This makes sense because the NZ government has voted out the previous tax write-offs that RenPic was taking advantage of there. But if they leave NZ, where the heck are they going? This outfit is not known for paying out lots of money. Where else can they go where the capital outlay will not bust their budget? And another thing, what are they going to replace the Back2Back hour with? In January, their surplus CLEOPATRA 2525 and JACK OF ALL TRADES episodes will be exhausted, and they still have 16 new hours to produce to fulfill their contract. Are they working out some type of deal where they will fill it with something externally made? Are they going to bring back CLEOPATRA 2525 even though everyone and their brother has been laid off and have already done their funeral rites regarding the show? Or are they going to release either LEGION or SOUTH CAMELOT in its stead? SOUTH CAMELOT, the modern day re-telling of the Arthurian myths, was originally being developed as a pilot for TNT's sudden interest in original programming. LEGION is a GLADIATOR-like historical drama. I have to admit I am wary of SOUTH CAMELOT, however I am intrigued by LEGION. But I hope if they do go LEGION they do not add magic to it like ROAR, or the anachronistic humor of HERCULES/XENA. If they played it as a straight historical drama, that would make it stand out, not only currently but historically on TV as well. Anyways, I have been losing enough sleep over this. I need a new hobby.
09-28-00. Creation Entertainment either has already been sold to the up-and-coming media "giant" Fandom.com or is about to. I have heard rumors that the old management will stay in place after the turnover, but at least the fans will have places over the current management to complain to. I am optimistic. I really cannot imagine any company doing worse than Creation with customer relations, but then, Fandom.com's acquisition means a larger monopoly running things. Competition actually helps most times. I truly hope it means a better product for all concerned.
09-22-00. Claire Stansfield flew down to New Zealand earlier this month to film two episodes. First, SEND IN THE CLONES, which is a modern day romp with Stansfield playing a new character in the Xenaverse, "Modem". Conjecture is that she will represent the wired part of XENA fandom. There is some thought that this episode might be a re-write of EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW, but I have not found anything that supports that. CLONES is a clip episode which has some clever XENA FANS cloning Xena and Gabrielle. Let's hope the clips go back to a season before the 5th season!!!
09-22-00. An Australian magazine recently mentioned that an animated XENA series was in development. Nothing has been heard about this so I am now thinking that they were referring to the multipath XENA webisodes from Brilliant Digital which have been out for over a year.
09-22-00. Heard during the Panathenaea Convention, September 1-3, 2000, London, England, UK with Kevin "Ares" Smith, Willa "Lila" O`Neill and Dean "Orion/Young Iolaus" O`Gorman (Karl Urban was originally slated to appear but he got a gig at LORD OF THE RINGS.
- O'Gorman mentioned that he was used to filming soap operas before he did his XENA/HERCULES gigs. The pace is faster with the cast filming 20-25 minutes per day. At the XENA set they filmed 3-6 minutes per day. He also mentioned that he is in one of the episodes of Kevin Smith's cop show, LAWLESS.
- O'Neill said that she would like to be cast as an Amazon, since it seems like a fun role to have. She also bonded with the fans by relating a story about how she as a fan running after a band got a drumstick off a member which she cherished for a long.
- Smith has no idea whether Ares will get his powers back, but he does know that Ares will be trying everything he can to get them back. He also shared with the fans his fondness for irking Renee O'Connor on the set. He also mentioned that he found it less stressful kissing Lucy Lawless in front of Rob Tapert than kissing her in front of her baby. He also related a story about how he was injured during filming one. He was doing a spinning kick in a HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS episode, and a medallion he was wearing struck him in his eye. Since then, the medallions and heavy jewelry are made of plastic or rubber. He also stated that he thought that Ares was NOT Xena's father, but he said it because he felt uncomfortable about the events in season five if Ares WERE her father.
- Smith also discussed his show LAWLESS. For a while they were trying to sell it in the US and they told him to tone down his accent and to stop saying "mate" so much. He also told the fans that he had to have his chest waxed for the show.
09-22-00. Looks like Xena will get amnesia and marry some dude after riding to the ceremony on a cow in the middle of the Nordic trilogy. The high concept seems to be The Ring of the Nebulungen meets Beowolf and Sleeping Beauty. How it is all going to work out, I dunno. That alone hopefully will be amusing.
09-22-00. Okay, okay, Angela Dotchin is not in Star Wars OR The Lord of the Ring. My source made a boo-boo. But I remember that she got a gig in some local show, but it escapes me what the name is.
09-02-00. Shocking but true...after over three months of the airing of MOTHERHOOD, I finally get around to updating the episode guide for that episode!!! Bad editor!! BAD!!! No ice cream for me! I am as bad as Sean is with his method in how to vote people off an island. I go alphabetically when I don't want to think, and it's been summer so who wants to think during summer? And yes, I am at last through the M's.
09-02-00. Bruce "Autolycus" Campbell's name was heard on the tube as an upcoming guest host for E!'s TalkSoup. Check the schedule at http://www.eonline.com/On/Tsoup/. I checked it today and it only went up to Sept. 8th and no mention of the Brucester, BUT FEAR NOT, September has 22 more days...so be patient. I am sure his name will be up there ANON!
09-02-00. Adrienne "Eve" Wilkinson at the Cherry Hill NJ con (August 26-27 2000) stated that COMING HOME was indeed the season opener. She also stated that she had just returned from NZ filming it the week before. She also confirmed that writer Missy Good was there during the filming and doing some on the fly re-writes.
09-02-00. It looks like COMING HOME was retained as the season opener (even though the season was pushed back a week to avoid competition from the Olympics, and hence HEART OF DARKNESS could then open the season) so they could jam-packed the episode with an amazing amount of damage control. Season Five, and especially the editing problems with MOTHERHOOD (apparently key scenes were left on the cutting room floor that made Xena's motivations more clear, among other things), left the show with some gnawing problems, and as HEART OF DARKNESS is supposed to resolve the Christianity arc, COMING HOME will resolve at best, or acknowledge at least, Xena's chak attack against Gabrielle, Xena and Ares' weird and freaky relationship, and some other annoying bits that have arisen over the last season. In fact it looks like there will be three key episodes in the 6th season's attempt to undo the damage left by the 5th season: COMING HOME, HEART OF DARKNESS, and THE ABYSS. Can they turn around a wary fanbase with three strategic shows? I think so, IF, and this is a big if too, they can support it with other interesting episodes. The Gabrielle trilogy of WHO'S GURKHAN, LEGACY, and THE ABYSS appears to be strong. However, there is buzz that the Norse trilogy might not hit the mark. If that is true, that puts more pressure on HEART OF DARKNESS and HAUNTING OF AMPHIPOLIS to perform. Unfortunately, these episodes deal with resolving the very tired Christianity arc. There is good word on the last Norse episode that there is a scene there that may save the whole trilogy because it will give many fans what they wanted all 5th season. Reports have the North Africa episodes (GURKHAN and LEGACY) being visually arresting, and the nude bathing scene (LEGACY) if kept in will keep many fan blazes going throughout whatever the Norse trilogy has to offer us.
09-02-00. Quick episode round-up. VENGEANCE AND MERCY has had a name change, it is now DANGEROUS PREY and it started filming earlier this past week. UNDER THE SWELTERING SKY was an old name for WHO'S GURKHAN. SEND IN THE CLONES is allegedly NOT a comedy. R.J. Stewart has recently completed a script about Ares which is scheduled to lens in mid to late September, some say its a comedy, some say its not. Stayed tuned! When they finish with DANGEROUS PREY this week, they will have ten episodes in the can. CLONES and the Stewart Ares episode are next in line for filming. After that they have four scripts in various stages of late development. That leaves 6 episodes which are still in the conceptual stage. Is this because they are not sure whether there will be a seventh season? I first thought the rumors were crazy, now I am not so sure. Maybe they will do what Babylon 5 did, film the last episode at the end of the 4th season since they were not sure whether it was their last show or not. Not wanting to short change their loyal fans, they planned to air the last episode at the end of the 4th season if they did not get a renewal. They did get the renewal, so they held the episode for a year until airing it at the end of the fifth season.
09-02-00. Ted "Joxer" Raimi at the Cherry Hill NJ con (August 26-27 2000) stated that apparently he was kidding at Phoenix about him being in SPIDERMAN. This is confusing to say the least. He has appeared in all if not most of his brother's film. I guess him not appearing is just as big news as him appearing. I got suspicious when I found out that Liev Schreiber got the role that Raimi was alleged to have been playing. However, I am still suspicious. I will not believe that he is NOT in the film until I see it (or more appropriately NOT see it) myself. Geez. Ted. Get a better agent. The big bro' is directing one of the biggest genre films of the decade and you have always had a part in his movies even if just a walk on (or a sudden death), and now Sam says no???? Send your brother a gift or something...NOW! But then...maybe Ted Raimi is thinking of cutting down on the acting. He has written a script which he will be producing, but not acting in.
09-02-00. Hudson "Callisto" Leick was at the SFX Con August 27, 2000, and mentioned that although she would not be appearing on XENA next season, she might be on CLEOPATRA 2525. She also stated that just finished filming a movie called AMERICAN LOVER with Nastassia Kinski. It is not on the Internet Movie Database yet, so it will probably be released in 2001.
09-02-00. Fans who just don't want it to end have set up a Xenites for a 7th Season petition. Go to http://www.PetitionOnline.com/XWP4aS7/ to find out more about it and participate.