General Rumors about XWP Archive
JANUARY 1998

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These babies cover January 1998...that's why we call it an ARCHIVE!
Last update: 04-01-98

01-31-98.

STUFF HEARD AT BURBANK II CON (01/17-18/98)

There is lots of stuff, so let this sucker download while you get a drink and snack (I'll think I'll get one myself, thank you! Can you say doughnut?), come on back and hunker down for some fun reading!

Brad Carpenter, the outgoing Director of Marketing at Renaissance Pictures, gave a talk both Saturday and Sunday with slides. On Saturday he mentioned:

(1) that Michael Hurst was directing a new Hercules episode;

(2) that there will be a sequel to "A Day in the Life" in the works [Editor: At this time we at WHOOSH central have not discerned a name for it or whether it will appear in the 4th season -- we are getting pretty close to the end of the season production-wise, so if they are going to air it in the 4th season, then it will probably NOT be called A DAY IN THE LIFE II];

(3) that Varese Sarabande is supposed to release the music from THE BITTER SUITE, about 30 minutes worth and they may also put out a Hercules/Xena dance mix CD;

(4) that YOUNG HERCULES will be available as video rental 17 February and that the Fox Kids Network will be showing YOUNG HERCULES Monday through Friday starting this fall; and

(5) that it is possible that Velasca will return in a future episode, but the actress who played Velasca (Melinda Clarke) is now entangled in some committments in Australia.

On Sunday Brad mentioned that there were no plans for Marcus to come back. Unfortunately, no one asked about Perdicus

Brad Carpenter is leaving Renaissance Pictures to go to NY to help start up a new cable network, Gay Entertainment Television. GET is set to launch the summer of 1998 to the top 20 markets. His replacement at Reniassance Pictures is George Strayton.

Robert Tapert, the co-creator and executive producer of XWP mentioned that there was a possibility of Patricia Tallman (who plays Lyta Alexander, the telepath on BABLYON 5, and who also attended the convention on Saturday) appearing in an episode if they could co-ordinate a script and a shooting schedule which would accomodate her other job.

Elliot Lederman from Universal Products Division spoke on a deal made between Patti Moise, a Winston Cup race car driver and Universal. Apparently, there will be both Xena and Hercules race cars inolved in this promotion. In 31 races Universal will be an associate sponsor for Moise and in 5-10 races, they will be a co-sponsor. Lederman showed the finished designs of the Xena car, but the Hercules car designs were not finished, and a driver has not been signed yet for Herk. The cars should be unveiled March 7, 1998 in Atlanta, at the first shedeuled race.

Gary Gerani from Topps talked about the Xena magazine. The Xena magazine was originally designed to be a one-shot project, but with the demand, they have decided to make it quarterly. Issue #2 should be out mid-January 1998. Callisto will be the featured character and it will include an interview with Hudson Leick. There will also be an interview with Paul Coyle about the making of Armageddon I and II [Editor: Which of course is not a XENA show, but heck, it uses everyone from XENA so it might as well be show cased in a XENA periodical]. In the trading card department, the Season I Xena cards will include rare photos behind the scenes. He did not know if it was a 72 or a 90 card set. There will be Hercules and other characters included in the cards. Topps is also working on a Hercules/Xena yearbook. There is also a Hercules magazine in the planning stages.

Danielle Cormack, an actress who has played Ephiny in XENA and the Chartreuse Fox in HERCULES, stated that she is working on a new film with Kevin Smith (Channeling Baby), and has already finished a film with Karl Urban.

Liz Friedman and R. J. Stewart, respectively a producer and executive producer of XWP, stated that there is a possiblity that Anson Williams will come back to direct another episode. Friedman also answered a question about whether Gabrielle was raped or not at the end of THE DELIVERER. Her answered is discussed in the episode guide for THE DELIVERER. Also, several people asked about seeing more gods and goddesses and one person in particular asked if we'd see the gods undressed, especially Ares. The answer? "You'll see quite a bit of Ares" [in February]. Also, "Will Renee have a double?" "Yes." "Will we see Janice and Mel again?" " Yes." Then R.J. Stewart was asked how he saw Gabrielle's character as a writer. HE said, "...short on worldly experience." [YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!]. They also mentioned that they do not target a specific audience for the shows because they want as broad an audience as possible [Editor: Perhaps that explains the sudden lapse in humor IQ of late?]. When asked if there would be a sidekick episode, they stated that there was one with Gabrielle, Joxer, Salmoneus, and Autolycus in progress. Also, more use of Meleager had been discussed.

01-30-98. BRUCE CAMPBELL is reportedly filming two more XENA episodes in February. According to our rough rough calculations, there are five shows left to be shot for the 3rd season, which will be finished this week and go through the first week of March 1998. (FISH SCHTICKS is currently being filmed, so it might be the clip show which will be LL lite to cover for LL's Burbank and NAPTE appearances. We shall see....) Two out of the last five are the two parter season-ender. There were rumors that the season would end on a cliff-hanger, but now it looks like it will only be a week-hanger. Will Campbell be in that season-end blaster or in one of the three remaining? He seems not to be in FISH SCHTICKS (we don't think he's down in NZ now...or is he???). And he'll be down there anyways to film those two HERCULES shows PORCULES and ONE FOWL DAY (if they have not been filmed yet). And what about ROBERT TREBOR? Let's hope he gets involved in this stuff as well.

01-30-98. At the Burbank 98 convention (01/17/98)., Robert Tapert was asked how Gabrielle knew how to get to Ming T'ien's house before Xena. Tapert stated, "You think you've got me don't you? Well, I'm not gonna answer, but the answer is coming." Perhaps this is discussed in THE BITTER SUITE? Or maybe in one of the future myriad comedies, we will see Xena ask Gabrielle, "Hey! How **did** you get there so fast?"

01-25-98. From a TV Guide close-up on BITTER SUITE, it is told that the ladies "phantasmagorical journeys dominate the storyline, which won't die completely as long as Hope is alive." Since Hope is killed by Gabrielle in MATERNAL INSTINCTS this implies that Hope returns in BITTER SUITE and they also state "(She'll turn up soon on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.)", meaning Hope will appear in HERCULES as well. Sheesh. Talk about beating a dead horse!!! Hee hee.

01-22-98. Bruce Campbell will guest star in two new and exctiing HERK episodes called PORKULES and ONE FOWL DAY. In PORKULES (and I have to state that I wish I were making this up), the Herkster is turned into a pig and Autolycus and Iolaus have to turn him back (no comment hee hee). Anyways, I hope that this is a pratical joke by Bruce Campbell. But it if ain't, well then, let's conjecture it is a film homage to either BABE or GREEN ACRES. They have been hitting the homage bottle quite a bit of late, so should any of this really be a surprise? And the next episode ONE FOWL DAY, could it be...an homage the movie ONE FINE DAY? In this one Herk is not turned into a turkey (at least I hope not!), but Campbell appears in a non-Autolycus role. He will introduce a new chaarcter called Thespius. Thespius will be an obnoxious actor who tags along with Herk because he has a role where he will play a hero. Research, they call it. Anyways, it now sounds like an homage to that Michael Fox /James Wood movie a while back which name escapes me (you know, the one where Fox plays an actor hanging out with a police detective because he was researching for a part).

01-22-98. I was going to do some Burbank stuff but I think I will drag it out for as long as humanly possible. Things I have learned from Creation and RP!!!

01-22-98. Joxer watch update! Joxer is definitely appearing or has appeared in these episodes: (01) BEEN THERE; (02) ASSASSINS; (03) PRIESTESS; (04) QUILL; (05) BITTER; (06) KING CON; and (07) FORGET ME NOT. That leaves 4 more episodes. It looks like Joxer will appear in VALLEY OF NO RETURN, FISH SCHTICKS, and two as yet names unknown episodes. That means 4 out of the last 5 new episodes of the third season. Also, it looks like they are using Joxer in only the broad comedies, so it appears that the season will end on some more broad comedies and a big fat dark one without Joxer. Weird but true. Let's hope these predictions do not pan out, folks!

01-10-98. More on Aphrodite! We have identified the first Aphrodite episode of the third season...it's THE QUILL IS MIGHTIER. That makes us think that Michael Hurst is not in it afterall. The original basis of believing Hurst to be in QUILL is recounted in the episode guide page for QUILL. This discovery gives us one less known future episode to place Joxer in since we had already counted QUILL in the "ID the Joxer Episodes" List...so, there is an UNKNOWN JOXER EPISODE out there.

01-10-98. Rumors and more rumors that the subtext meter will hit an 11 in THE BITTER SUITE. BTW, that means it will go off he scale. Will it really or just more pre-show hype? Stay tuned!!! (Like you need me to tell you to do that!).

01-09-98. More on Mr. Sorbo's wedding!!! Turns out that while not appearing as a golden hind in HERK shows, the new Mrs. Sorbo, Sam Jenkins, plays a recurring role as a resident doctor on TV's "Chicago Hope". The couple had a small, private family-only wedding on September 5, 1998 in Pacific Palisades, a suburb (hee hee) of Los Angeles. The couple had been engaged for a year. They will have a short honeymoon since the groom has to return to NZ sans bride on January 12, 1998. However, the words, that are heard but have no speaker, say that they will resume their honeymoon during the spring hiatus from filming. I reckon that is that time in April where they stop filming the previous season, take al ittle break, and then start the next one. Also, since they are calling it haitus it looks like we have another season of HERCULES to look forward to. That means that Sorbo must have adequately recovered from his previous medical problems. Which brings me to another tanget (that's me -- lost on a tangent!), Robert Tapert recently stated in an interview that he ideally wants 6 seasons for XENA and HERK. Since it is commonly believed that Lucy Lawless' contract ends after the 5th season, this is news indeed. Stay tuned!!!! Will Mr. Tapert be able to convince Mrs. Tapert (well, she will be by THEN) to sign on for yet another action-packed year of XENA????

01-08-98. Callisto visits the Herkmeister for not one, not two, but THREE shows this season, and her alter ego, Hudson Leick, appears on yet another one playing a character who is an homage to HERK/XENA producer, Liz Friedman. The Callisto episodes are a two parter called, Armageddon and another one of an unknown name. Apparently Armageddon is Callisto's DESTINY/DEBT, for it goes back to the time Xena raided Cirra and visits Her Evilness in the making. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Hudson Leick has taped two XENA episodes and three HERCULES episodes so far for this season. The two for Xena are MATERNAL INSTINCTS and BITTER SUITE. As to the HERK shows, two are ARMAGEDDON, and the other is YES VIRGINIA, where she plays Liz, not Callisto. Leick will be flying back to NZ in late February 1998 to tape ONE LAST XENA episode where, sad as it seems, Callisto alledgedly finally bites the bullet, perhaps taking down some others with her! She will also be taping a HERK episode too. Busy gal!

01-08-98. Actress Alexandra Tydings has already filmed one Xena episode and is flying back to NZ soon to film another. Tydings plays Aphrodite in both of the shows, one of which Aphrodite loses her powers. If they are comedies (duh!), they will probably feature Joxer. Which brings the JOXER ALERT to 8 identified episodes of his 11 contractural appearances. The shows Joxer has appeared in the third season thus far are: BEEN THERE and KING OF ASSASSINS. He is scheduled to appear in the following scheduled episodes: WARRIOR...PRIESTESS...TRAMP, QUILL IS MIGHTIER, and BITTER SUITE. KING CON remains unscheduled (even though, interestingly enough, it was originally slated for the released date that now has been set for FORGIVEN). That makes 6 episodes we are quite certain Joxer is in. That leaves 5 more episodes, two of which may feature Aphrodite, making only three remaining mystery Joxer episodes. Who knows? Maybe he will be in ONE AGAINST AN ARMY, FORGIVEN, and the crash and burn final Callisto episode, and finally get it over with!!!

01-08-98. Looks like either fans misunderstood Ted Raimi at the Detroit Con on 08/17/97, or a joke misfired (we won't even mention that word misled'!). Apparently Raimi intimated that Joxer would have a hand in freeing Callisto from the lava pit in the episode MATERNAL INSTINCT. Word on the street says that Joxer does not even appear in MATERNAL INSTINCT at all!

01-08-98. Kevin Sorbo married actress Sam Jenkins (who played the Golden Hind) on January 5, 1998.

01-02-97. Kevin Sorbo won't be at Burbank or NAPTE. And the entire first season of XENA will be released on 12 tapes (2 episodes per tape), after the release of the HERCULES' XENA trilogy in February 1998 (which will release each episode separately). They are advertising new footage in all of the trilogy ones, but I watched a screener of the "Warrior Princess", and I could see no new material, and I have seen that episode over a couple hundred times (DON'T ASK WHY, JUST READ MY ANNOTATED GUIDE TO THE EPISODE in WHOOSH #02 (October 1996) AND ALL WILL BE MADE CLEAR). I suspect that they are really just adding more yucky scenes to THE GAUNTLET and maybe if we are lucky, more perspective shots of that frizzy and feathered 'do of Xena's in UNCHAINED HEART (be still my heart).

01-02-97. Robert Tapert in Starlog Magazine #245 (December 1997) stated: "This season on XENA, we're doing some tricky and questionable things, and to some extent, we're deconstructing our hero....We're going to orchestrate our characters into making decisions that ultimately prove 'very' wrong. I don't think we'll be doing it to the same degree on HERCULES, but Xena will make a few wrong decisions, and she and Gabrielle will pay for them over the entire season." Some internet commentary disagrees that what is happening is not a deconstruction of Xena, but infact a trashing of Gabrielle. Let's hope that RP hasn't made a wrong decision as well, and will not have to pay for it an entire season either.

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General Rumors about XWP Archive JANUARY 1998

General Rumors about XWP Archive
JANUARY 1998