XENA MEDIA REVIEW #27 (09/23/97) Borg 3 of 3 =========================== CUT HERE ======== [449] 08-26-96 to 09-14-96 NOTE: The Cape, a new syndicated drama. [449a] 08-26-96 USA TODAY. Monday. Page 3D. 428 words. "'The Cape' brings astronauts and rocket science to syndication" By Jefferson Graham COMMENTARY: In an article about "The Cape", Mr. Graham asked, "But will a series that tries to take the high road with inspiring, patriotic stories survive in syndication, where many of the popular dramas deal with sexier fare? (Think Xena: Warrior Princess; Hercules -- The Legendary Journeys and Baywatch.)" EXCERPT: Once MTM decided to produce an ambitious drama about the personal and professional lives of astronauts and astronaut candidates, Sharon Hall and other executives made a very important trip. They flew to Washington, D.C., to meet with NASA, where they explained that while "we weren't out to destroy the institution, we also didn't want to do a puff piece." NASA officials liked their script -- and the fact that veteran astronauts such as Buzz Aldrin and Bruce Melnick had signed on as technical consultants -- and gave their blessing to the project. And thus was born The Cape, which premieres in syndication next week... ...But will a series that tries to take the high road with inspiring, patriotic stories survive in syndication, where many of the popular dramas deal with sexier fare? (Think Xena: Warrior Princess; Hercules -- The Legendary Journeys and Baywatch.) And the most successful first-run syndicated space show is the more fantastic Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.... [449b] 09-11-96 THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS. WEDNESDAY. Page 11B. 392 words. "PRIME TIME: SYNDICATED DRAMA BLASTS OFF TONIGHT ON MVC" By R.D. Heldenfels COMMENTARY: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....this piece is too short to say much about except that the author says that "serious attention" has been paid to XWP and then retracts his statement in the next graph. Hey, pal, that attention is pretty D*MN serious, believe it! EXCERPT: * 'The Cape,' a modern-day space series, debuts with a two-hour episode. Syndication has proven a rich field for television drama in recent years, with serious attention paid to shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Baywatch and Xena: Warrior Princess. Well, maybe not serious attention. But audiences and news organizations have certainly taken note of those shows, and new series The Cape hopes to ratchet things up even more. The Cape, which premieres with a two-hour episode (9:30 p.m. tonight on MVC), clearly wants network-level respectability.... [449c] 09-14-96 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Saturday. Page 15C. 1010 words. "The Cape' has earthbound moments, but it often soars" By Ed Bark. COMMENTARY: In another review of "The Cape", Mr. Bark mentioned XWP. He wrote: "Whatever the verdict, The Cape clearly is classier than most of syndication's competing action hours. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess strive to be nothing more than "knucklehead TV" in the words of producer Sam Raimi. Highlander, High Tide, Baywatch and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues are merely more junk-on-a-bunk." We should be grateful Mr. Bark did not include XWP in "junk- on-a-bunk". While Mr. Bark was alluding to his own interview with Mr. Raimi (The Dallas Morning News, 03/25/96, "Knuckleheads, Raimi's your guy"), he took liberty with Sam Raimi's 'knucklehead TV' quote. Raimi's original quote was embedded in Mr. Bark's sentence, "Xena, an evil warrior introduced in a recent Hercules episode, is likely to get her own 'knucklehead, fun adventure'". From this Mr. Bark deduced 'knucklehead TV.' [KT] EXCERPT: Syndicated TV drama is best when it's out to launch. Three successors to the sainted Star Trek have boarded the Good Ship Critical Acclaim, and even Babylon 5 is starting to earn its space. They're all blasts from the future. The Cape, lifting off Saturday, is a here-and-now, NASA-approved saga of Earth-dwelling astronauts hoping to get high.... MTM Entertainment says the series marks a return to a "hallmark of quality" it established with gems such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hill Street Blues. Whatever the verdict, The Cape clearly is classier than most of syndication's competing action hours. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess strive to be nothing more than "knucklehead TV" in the words of producer Sam Raimi. Highlander, High Tide, Baywatch and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues are merely more junk-on-a-bunk.... [450] 08-26-96 NOTE: In an article about Fox buying Universal's show "Roar" ("a 'mythic action-adventure series based on the last warrior tribes of Ireland.'"), Mr. Flint conjectured that because "Roar" was a period piece it may not do too well, even though Universal was the home of the wildly successful XWP and HTLJ. [KT] [450a] 08-26-96 DAILY VARIETY. Monday. 392 words. "Fox, U plot Irish series Fox, U plot Irish period strip" By Joe Flint COMMENTARY: ROAR. EXCERPT: Fox Broadcasting Co. is near a deal with Universal Television for a new period-piece drama series from writer-producers Shaun Cassidy and Ron Koslow for next fall or possibly earlier, the studio confirmed. Although the 1996-97 season has hardly started (Fox premiered two shows last week and the WB launched Sunday), the web is already thinking about next year and is expected to give Universal a firm 13-episode commitment for "Roar," which execs at MCA's Universal describe as a "mythic action-adventure series based on the last warrior tribes of Ireland."... ...Period pieces are not exactly tickets to success on TV. The last effort was ABC's "Covington Cross" in 1992, which ran about two months before being yanked. But Universal has had great success in first-run syndication with its action hours "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." Both have become hits and profitable for the studio.... [450b] 08-26-96 VARIETY. 391 words. "Fox, U plot Irish period strip" By Joe Flint. COMMENTARY: Same as XMR---a. [451] 08-26-96 CAVE OF ECHOES. HTLJ episode no. 37. Second release. COMMENTARY: See XMR349 for synopsis. [452] 08-26-96 DEATH MASK. Episode No. 23 (123). 2nd release. Guest Stars: Joseph Kell (Toris), Michael Lawrence (Cortese). Cast: William Davis (Malik), Doug McCaulay (Aescalus), Elizabeth Skeen (Sera), Peter Needham (Village Elder). Credits: Written by Peter Allan Fields, Directed by Stewart Main. COMMENTARY: See XMR314 for synopsis and commentary. [453] 08-27-96 THE EVENING POST (Wellington). Page 10. 449 words. "Self-indulgent doco dull and unsympathetic" By Phil Wakefield COMMENTARY: Hmmmm, wonder what happened to the rest of this 449 word article....it sounds mighty interesting though. I'd love to read about the "dull and unsympathetic" documentary about the World's Most Dangerous Animals that knocked Herc off his big block so that XWP could oust him in the New Zealand ratings for the first time. [MBE] EXCERPT: ...RATING A mention: Xena: Warrior Princess outrated Hercules for the first time on Friday because the latter was savaged by the TV2 doco, The World's Most Dangerous Animals... [454] 08-27-96 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Tuesday. Page 6D. 746 words. 'Channel 11 Prime Time Looks Different this Fall." By Gail Pennington. COMMENTARY: Ms. Pennington defined "habitude" and etched out local channel 11's plans to make Tuesday nights Hercules and Xena night for St. Louis. EXCERPT: EVENINGS on Channel 11 will look dramatically different this fall as the station substitutes series for movies in what general manager Max Lummis calls "a network-like approach to prime time." As an affiliate of the 2-year-old WB network, which expands to three nights a week this fall, Channel 11 was already set to run WB shows on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. But the station decided to take things a step further by scheduling first-run syndicated series - including the popular "Hercules" and "Xena" and cult favorite "Babylon 5" - between 7 and 9 p.m. on the other nights. The change was partly inspired by the loss of Blues hockey games to Prime cable. "Not having the Blues gave us a lot more freedom in scheduling," Lummis says. At the same time, "the pool of available movies was drying up." (Lummis notes, however, that movie triple features will still run on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at noon, and that a "big movie" will air at 8 p.m. Saturday.) A third motive for the change was to boost the station's 9 p.m. newscast. Movies frequently run longer than two hours, shifting the starting time of the news. Combined with pre-emptions for hockey (and baseball, which Channel 11 still airs), that meant viewers couldn't count on seeing the 9 p.m. news at 9 p.m. Channel 11's code word for the new schedule is "Habitude," which you may have seen - unexplained - on buses, billboards and advertisements. If you wondered what it meant, well, you were supposed to. "Habitude" means getting accustomed to watching series on Channel 11 every night, the station explains. Phase II of a promotional campaign will expand on the premise. In addition to "Hercules" and "Xena," the tongue-in-cheek adventure series that premiere Oct. 1, Channel 11 will have new, live-action versions of "Tarzan" and "Sinbad" beginning Sept. 27.... ...Here's Channel 11's fall prime-time lineup, night by night:... ...Tuesday: "Hercules," "Xena"... [455] 08-28-96 to 09-02-96 NOTE: There were actually six questions, but only five that were substantive in Ms. Glanton's "Five Questions". [KT] [455a] 08-28-96 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (sole copyright holder). Wednesday. Entertainment News. 561 words. "Five Questions with Lucy Lawless: Xena Warrior And Empowerer" By Eileen Glanton COMMENTARY: Brief interview with Ms. Lawless. REPRINT: If Isis built up her biceps, if Wonder Woman traded her lariat for a razor-sharp discus, and if they both brushed up on their martial arts, they might - just might - be as tough as their superheroine sister, Xena, played with brawn and bravura by New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless. Debuting as a power-hungry princess in a 1995 episode of "Hercules: The Legendary Journey," Xena won raves from fans of the mythic action show. Though she first tried to kill Hercules, they ultimately became allies and lovers - a scenario mere mortals can probably identify with. Last fall, in a feminist masterstroke, Xena spun off into her own series. Lawless relishes her role in "Xena: Warrior Princess," but she's slightly bemused by the cult following she's attracted. Preteen girls seek her advice; Internet junkies dissect the show's plot lines. "Mostly, they can differentiate between Xena in television land and Lucy the individual," she says. "Thank God, eh?" 1. The show is doing extremely well and last month Ms. magazine hailed your character as a feminist icon for the '90s. What's driving all this success? Lawless: The show seems to have hit the world at the right time, when people are ready for a woman hero who is smarter and stronger than she is good-looking. She's not some silicone-injected stick figure. 2. Xena seems to attract a lot of young women, older men and Internet junkies. What is your fan mail like? Lawless: It's mostly from women - younger and older - who somehow find the show really empowering. For a long time, I was very afraid of all this role model stuff. But only recently, I'm realizing that it's a true honor to be a part of something people find uplifting or motivating. And it's not that they're trying to be like me, or be like Xena. They're motivated to go and do things they've always wanted to, which is incredible. You know, one woman wrote and told me she was about to go and buy a Harley-Davidson, just because she'd always wanted one. I sure as hell hope she doesn't go and can off. 3. As the mother of an 8-year-old girl, who would you like your daughter's role models to be? Lawless: I would hope that Daisy's best role model would be, as my mum was to me, her mother. I would like to be a good example to her, day to day. I hope it's real people. But I know there are so many kids out there whose lives are not (full of) role models. So if you must have one on television, I guess Xena's not a bad one to have. 4. Xena and Hercules had a rather complicated relationship. Where do you think things are headed? Lawless: Well, everyone wants Xena and Herc to be back together, and I think there will probably be some ... uhh ... crossover this season. But I don't think they're a match made in heaven. It's like, can't live with him, can't kill him - 'cause he's a demigod. 5. May I ask how tall are you and how much you weigh? Lawless: I'm somewhere between 5'10" and 5'11". I have no idea how much I weigh. I actively stay off the scales because I think it's a very bad thing for women to do. Throw those bloody things out! 6 . You're actually much more petite than I think your viewers would imagine. Lawless: You know, people always say that. They think I'm bound to be 6-foot-something and larger than life. People expect me to be intimidating at all times. [455b] 08-30-96 CHATTANOOGA FREE PRESS. "Five Questions With Lucy Lawless: Xena Warrior And Empowerer." 562 words. By The Associated Press. COMMENTARY: Same as XMR---a [455c] 08-31-96 AP WORLDSTREAM. Saturday. International news. 814 words. "AP Photo NY456" By Eileen Glanton. COMMENTARY: Same as XMR---a [455d] 09-02-96 THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Monday. Page 2. 667 words. "Snippets" COMMENTARY: This article took parts of "Five Questions with Lucy Lawless: Xena Warrior And Empowerer" By Eileen Glanton. Added new part of "New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless relishes her role in Xena: Warrior Princess, but she's slightly bemused by the cult following she's attracted. Preteen girls seek her advice; Internet junkies dissect the show's plot lines." It's such a bizarre mix of Ms. Glanton's work with short interjections added, that it is reproduced in full in XMR. [KT] EXCERPT: Viewers Look up to 'Xena' New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless relishes her role in "Xena: Warrior Princess,"" but she's slightly bemused by the cult following she's attracted. Preteen girls seek her advice; Internet junkies dissect the show's plot lines. ""Mostly, they can differentiate between Xena in television land and Lucy the individual," she says. ""Thank God, eh? " Her fan mail is mostly from women -younger and older - ""who somehow find the show really empowering," she says. ""For a long time, I was very afraid of all this role model stuff. But only recently, I'm realizing that it's a true honor to be a part of something people find uplifting or motivating. And it's not that they're trying to be like me, or be like Xena. They're motivated to go and do things they've always wanted to, which is incredible. "You know, one woman wrote and told me she was about to go and buy a Harley-Davidson, just because she'd always wanted one. " Lawless is the mother of an 8-year-old girl. Asked who she would like her daughter's role models to be, she said, ""I would hope that Daisy's best role model would be, as my mum was to me, her mother. I would like to be a good example to her, day to day. I hope it's real people. But I know there are so many kids out there whose lives are not (full of) role models. So if you must have one on television, I guess Xena's not a bad one to have. " Lawless also has a bit of advice for women. Questioned about her height and weight (most fans expect her to be taller than 6 feet), she answered, "I'm somewhere between 5 feet 10 inches and 5 feet 11 inches. I have no idea how much I weigh. I actively stay off the scales because I think it's a very bad thing for women to do. Throw those bloody things out!" [456] 08-28-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 775 words. "Warp speed for Tribune's new enterprise" By Steve Brennan COMMENTARY: Tribune Entertainment has committed itself to producing and distributing "Battleground Earth", which was based a script written by the late Gene Roddenberry (obviously written when he was alive). When asked why, Tribune Entertainment president Dick Askin said, "The Tribune station group has been a successful launch base for 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' and 'Xena: Warrior Princess'. Now they have signed up for 'Sinbad' (from All American) for the fall. There is an obvious appetite on the part of stations for this genre. It is a genre that Tribune was not in but wanted to be in." from MCA TV." Yet another venture taken on because of the success of XWP. [KT] EXCERPT: Charting a course into the one-hour action business, Tribune Entertainment has committed to producing and distributing a major new sci-fi series created by "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry. Tribune Entertainment president Dick Askin confirmed Tuesday that it has inked a contract for the production and worldwide distribution rights to "Battleground Earth." The big-budget series is geared for a fall 1997 launch.... ...Explaining Tribune Entertainment's move into the action-hour genre, Askin said, "The Tribune station group has been a successful launch base for 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' and 'Xena: Warrior Princess' from MCA TV. Now they have signed up for 'Sinbad' (from All American) for the fall. There is an obvious appetite on the part of stations for this genre. It is a genre that Tribune was not in but wanted to be in."... [457] 08-28-96 to 09-02-96 NOTE: Ratings for HOOVES AND HARLOTS (#10), 3rd release, 08/05/96. Ranked as the 1st action hour with a 5.3 rating. [HTLJ took 2nd with a 5.1 and ST:DS9 took 3rd with a 4.3]. This was XWP's first time as the number one action hour for 1996, and was the second time in it's history. Perhaps Renaissance Pictures should encourage the Republicans to have more conventions. [KT] [457a] 08-29-96 DAILY VARIETY. Thursday. 435 words. "Action hours on the rebound" By Jenny Hontz COMMENTARY: Ratings for HOOVES AND HARLOTS (#10), 3rd release, EXCERPT: Most access shows were disrupted by coverage of the Republican convention the week ending Aug. 18, but action hours, led by MCA TV's "Xena," recovered from a month of low ratings. MCA's "Xena" beat out that company's "Hercules," the show that spawned it, to take the top spot among action hours for the first time this year and the second time ever. 'Trek' topped "Xena's" 5.3 was a 36% increase for the week, and "Hercules" also gained 11% for the week to a 5.1. Both shows beat Paramount Domestic Television's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," 4.3, for the fourth straight week, despite "Star Trek's" 16% increase for the week. Nearly all the other big weekly action hours went up for the week, but access shows, which were delayed, preempted or joined-in-progress after Republican convention coverage, had no such luck.... [457b] 08-29-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 295 words. "Xena' leaps to top of hour action heap" By Steve Brennan COMMENTARY: Ratings for HOOVES AND HARLOTS (#10), 3rd release EXCERPT: MCA TV'S muscle-bound action hours "Xena: Princes Warrior" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" flexed some beefy ratings numbers for the week of July 12-18 with "Xena" taking the top slot among the hour weeklies for only the second time since the show's debut. "Xena" posted a 5.1 to record a whopping 36% increase from the week before while "Hercules" made an 11% gain from a 4.6 to a 5.1 to rank as the second action show in the syndication rankings, according to Nielsen Media Research. The increases for the two hour shows were mirrored in other hour shows across the board during a week when most other syndicated programming was impacted by preemptions and start delays due to coverage of the GOP Convention in San Diego. Paramount's "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" was in third place among hours and at No. 16 in the overall syndication rankings with a 4.3 rating, up 16% from the prior week. All American's "Baywatch" was up 19% to a 3.8 while New World/Genesis' "Renegade" was up 20% to a 3.0. Buena Vista Television's "Land's End" was up 12% to a 2.9 while All American's "Baywatch Nights" was up 17% to a 2.8. [467c] 08-30-96 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. 295 words. "Xena' leaps to top of hour action heap" By Steve Brennan COMMENTARY: same as XMR---b. [457d] 09-02-96 VARIETY. 435 words. "Action hours on the rebound" By Jenny Hontz COMMENTARY: Same information as XMR---a. [458] 08-30-96 AMERICAN JOURNAL. TV Show. Syndicated. COMMENTARY: Repeat airing of 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. Complete transcription in XMR169. [459] 08-30-96 to 09-01-96 NOTE: Xena made it to the sports pages again! In a syndicated story promoting the amazing physical attributes and abilities of the 49ers Derek Loville, Mr. Ratto stated, "Hey, if 'Xena, Warrior Princess' can become a cult hit, why not this?" [KT] [459a] 08-30-96 THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER. Friday. Sports. Page D-1. 960 words. "Loville is armed and dangerous" By Ray Ratto. COMMENTARY: Cultural reference. EXCERPT: Of all the things the 49ers did over the winter in an attempt to make their panic fit the tenor of the day, their most triumphant miscalculation was to sign Johnny Johnson to play for them in 1996. Not so much because of the money. Eddie DeBartolo would tie $ 500,000 around a brick and throw it through the windshield of Jerry Jones' limo, just for hoots and giggles. It's because they've been trying to solve a problem that would seem to have been solved already, at least solved to enough satisfaction that they wouldn't have needed to fill the round hole with the square peg that was Johnny Johnson, let alone the more recent introduction of Terry Kirby. It's because they have in Derek Loville a man of unfathomed powers, a man who can fell competition for the job he figures he has fairly earned and excelled at with just the karma coming from his articulate and thigh-like arms. "Oh, I don't know about that," he said with all the warmth and jocularity of Warren Christopher. "I can't control what happens anywhere except what I do and how I do it." Well, fine, then. He's got his theory, and we've got ours. And our theory is that his arms, which bear the Japanese legends for "courage," "strength" and "unsung," drop all those who challenge him. Hey, if "Xena, Warrior Princess" can become a cult hit, why not this?... [459b] 09-01-96 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Sunday. Page 5B. 770 words. "Despite playing well last season, 49ers' Loville still proving himself" By Ray Ratto, San Francisco Examiner. COMMENTARY: Edited down version of XMR---a. [460] 08-31-96 COMIC SHOP NEWS. "Overlooked Sizzler of the Month. HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS. Tops Comics" Transcribed by Sandi (teddi@xroads.com) COMMENTARY: Short blurb about how Herc and Xena comics are expected to be big sellers on the stands. [MBE] EXCERPT: ...Okay, we'll admit it: none of us ever imagined that the low-budget Hercules syndicated television series would survive a single season, much less generate a successful spin-off. And since we weren't sure if the show's offbeat charms could translate to comic books, we wondered if it would be possible to produce a comic book that could appeal to the television fans. Well, Tops has done it--but maybe that shouldn't be a surprise, since they have proven themselves the modern masters of licensed comics with the hit X-Files series. The first couple of issues of this series were severely underdressed, leaving fans and civilians competing for the few copies on the stands. And now that Xena, Warrior Princess is part of the shoreline, these books are going to disappear faster than the television series' modest special effects budget! If you've ever enjoyed either Hercules or Xena, give the comic a try; Roy Thomas and Steven Butler know what makes the series click, and they're putting that knowledge to good use in each issue of the comic... ============= THE BACK PAGE ============= COMING ATTRACTIONS: XMR #28 features shall include "Attack Of The 50-Foot Lesbians", "The Third Season Dawns", and "From New Homes to New Loves: What Life Online Does To Xenites". The annotations will cover the first part of September 1996. Highlights include: a Robert Tapert interview; the Hong Kong influence on XWP; MAD Magazine's first parody of XWP; Kevin Smith interview; Stephen Papps, actor (ORPHAN OF WAR); Lucy Lawless interview; Meow Mix; Rene O'Connor interview; Sinbad; Kiwi movie production; Anson Williams, director; artist inspired by XWP; Tarzan; etc. XENA MEDIA REVIEW STAFF: Living to serve Xena fandom since March 1996! Kym Masera Taborn (KT), editor-in-chief ktaborn@lightspeed.net Diane Silver (DS), editor (even issues) dswriter@idir.net Maria Erb (MBE), editor (odd issues) maria@erb.mv.com Barbara Johnson, circulation xenatwo@aol.com Lydia M. Woods (LM), assist. to the editor-in-chief woodsl@erol.com Thomas Simpson, mascot thomas@xenafan.com BACK ISSUES: Back issues of XMR are available at the XMR Archive on the XMR web page: http://xenafan.com/xmr THIS WEEK IN XENA NEWS: TWXN is the advance sheet for XMR. Since XMR offers indepth analysis of media coverage, the issues are distanced in order to gain perspective and insight into how the media report affected the future or was affected by its peers. TWXN is a commentary-lite review of excerpts to be used in future XMRs as they are processed for the XMR database. TWXN is not available for subscription, however it is posted regularly on the XenaVerse, Hercules-Xena, and Chakram Mailing Lists (thank you Lucia!), the MCA NetForum (when they are accepting posts!), the Xenite Message Center (whenever I can find them!), and alt.tv.xena. 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 below 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 below non-profit use clause. SOLICITATIONS FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS: Send cites, references, articles, annotations, and/or submissions to ktaborn@lightspeed.net and I will love you for it. 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. 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 other rightful and legal copyright holder). 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 via electronic media. Banner graphic by Colleen Stephan. This is A Labor of Love Publication. Copyright 1996, 1997 by Kym Masera Taborn. =========================== CUT HERE ======== XENA MEDIA REVIEW #27 (09/23/97) Borg 3 of 3 FINIS!