Whoosh! Issue 51 - December 2000

NOT YOUR TYPICAL FAN
By Nina Knapp
Photography and Art provided by Deborah Abbott
Content copyright (c) 2000 held by author
WHOOSH! Edition copyright (c) 2000 held by WHOOSH!
969 words


XENITE (01-06)
ANIMATOR (07-14)
ACTRESS (15-16)
ARTIST (17-18)
BIOGRAPHY


Not Your Typical Fan



Xenite

[1] Deborah Abbott is more than a pretty face in a costume. She is a fan of XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS and enjoys creating costumes representative of the show.

'Those hands better not be going ANYWHERE near my tomatoes!'
Yeah, baby! Abbott backstage
on the Jenny Jones Show
with an Austin Powers lookalike.

[2] She has made friends with other fans from around the world, and she has her own fan following on the Internet via WorldWideDeb@egroups.com and her own website.

'Oh Gabrielle, you're just sooo butch this season..and dark hair suits you'
Don't mess with this girl!
Abbott with fellow Xena lookalike, Carrie,
at the Pasadena 2000 XENA Convention.

[3] Abbott loves interacting with other fans, and she will always stop for a picture when requested.

'Any comments about the prototype breast plate and you two are dead meat...'
Taking it two at a time.
Abbott with fans Virginia and Lourdes.
(photograph courtesy of V & L)

[4] Abbott is also a fan of other Xenites, such as the newest screenwriter for XENA, Melissa Good, and other fan fiction writers.

'Oh my God, I sat next to Missy! I'll never wash again!'   Never grope a woman with a really big sword
Abbott joining Missy Good
at a "Pup" gathering in Texas.		   Abbott and fan fiction writer
Zeta in Pasadena.

[5] But, like Xena, Abbott has many skills that go beyond creating and wearing great costumes.

Animator

[6] "Animation has been a very good career for me," Abbott commented. "I have been an artist before I could speak. I still have my drawings from when I was a child. My personal favorite is drawing portraits".

Wanna come up and see my etchings?
Even in the 6th grade, Abbott had
a sense of her visual preferences.
Do the women in this picture
remind you of anyone?

[7] In college, Abbott majored in graphic design with a minor in theatre. After receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts, she discovered she did not care for graphic design.

[8] "I took a vacation and went to Disney. I went on the animation tour through MGM and knew instantly this was what I wanted to do. So after the tour, I asked one of the animators how to get involved in this field. He gave me a list of nine schools that Disney recruited from, I applied to two and was accepted by both. I chose Sheridan in Oakville, Ontario, Canada."

[9] Abbott finished her animation training. She also earned a teaching certificate for art, and taught for a short time in a high school. One day, she received a call from an animation studio in Texas, and she has been living there since.

[10] Abbott has worked on such feature films as SPACE JAM (Joe Pytka, 1996), THE PRINCE OF EGYPT (Brenda Chapman et al, 1998), and more.

[11] How did the comic CODE TANGO come about? "Manuel Carrasco came up with the concept of CODE TANGO, and I came up with the name [after her 29-year-old cat, Tango, now deceased]. I was dressing as 'Angela' from SPAWN [Todd McFarlane, creator] at the time, and was even on a trading card as Angela. Manuel got the idea that we should do a comic together, and he would create a character that looked like me so I could dress up as her at the comic and sci-fi conventions. Mark Schultz, one of the writers for SUPERMAN, and Manuel are writing CODE TANGO."

There is another leg under here..honest
Abbott as Hannah for Mark Schultz's
CADILLAC'S AND DINOSAURS.

[12] "I am promoting CODE TANGO, before its release, at comic and sci-fi conventions in appearances at these events. I co-host a TV show in Florida called GEEK UNIQUE, and have dressed as Code Tango on two occasions."

[13] Abbott attends conventions such as Dragon Con as co-host for GEEK UNIQUE.

Spot the Geek one and the Unique one...
Abbott and Calvin, her co-host
of GEEK UNIQUE out of Florida.

Actress

[14] She Can Play It Tough

Leather: it's practical, hard wearing and very comfy   Charlies Angels really started something...
Ready to rumble...
where's my Harley?		   Abbott will appear in
JETBLAST 2050,
a fully digital, independent film.

[15] She Can Play It Fluff

I do volunteer work with my local Hestian Virgins   Hey girl, your hat's too spikey and boy, is your *ss big!
Abbott played
"Miss District of Columbia." in
MISS CONGENIALITY,
starring Sandra Bullock.		   Abbott on the main stage of
MISS CONGENIALITY
for the beauty pageant.

Artist

[16] Abbott never stops her creative pursuits. If she is not working on an animation project, acting, or attending a convention, she makes time for her painting.

I'm really the quiet, shy and retiring type.
Sending a kiss
to all her friends in the Xenaverse.

[17] But Wait!

Do ya think I'm sexy?
Who is this? Not sure?
It's Abbott, seeing if she could
pull off looking like a man
for Halloween.
I think she succeeded.


Biography

knapp Nina Knapp

I have lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico for 21 years. I have published in small lesbian and political publications over the years, but I'm currently working on a novel and a sci-fi screenplay. I am the list owner for Alt-screenwriters@egroups.com, which is a discussion and critique group for writers whose goal is to become published (novelists) or produced (screenwriters).

Favorite episode: I loved the two-part ADVENTURES IN THE SIN TRADE (69/401-70/402) as a dramatic episode, and FINS, FEMMES, AND GEMS (64/318) as a comedy.
Favorite line: Xena: "Come on, Gabrielle. Let's get wet!" FINS, FEMMES, AND GEMS (64/318)
First episode seen: I have been watching the show since its beginning, and I saw Lucy as Xena and other characters on HTLJ. So, I guess I have watched XWP since THE WARRIOR PRINCESS on HTLJ.
Least favorite episode: MARRIED WITH FISHSTICKS (105/515). Need I say more?

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