Xena: Warrior Princess

[Cicca]

Yes, please oh please give Ngila Dickson an Oscar! And for LotR, not The Last Samurai!



Another one who jumped out at me is Gaffer Gamgee. As far as I can tell, he's the doddy old man in Been There Done That who gets all bent out of shape about being pushed out of the way of a cart. Xena keeps knocking his lame hat off with her chakram.



Ummmmmmmmmm. I'm pretty sure Laurence Makoare was the big freaky bad guy in TQIM. Well. I think so anyway.

Lots of Xena folks in the movies. I liked Craig Parker much better in Xena. Haldir irritated the hell out of me!

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[sam7777.]

Ngila Dickson rocks on the LOTR: FR commentary track. I hope she picks up an Oscar. Wow! Talk about going on to better things. Her resume is quite impressive:

Without a Paddle (2004) (post-production)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003)
Last Samurai, The (2003)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
"Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995-2001) TV Series

Not so Rob Tapert who apparently fell in the hole for 3 years after FIN:

Rob Tapert

30 Days of Night (2004) (announced) (producer)<
After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.
Grudge, The (2005) (pre-production) (producer)
with Sarah Michelle Gellar
Boogeyman (2004) (post-production) (producer)
"Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995-2001)
Both with Lucy Lawless

None of Rob's stuff looks too compelling to me. He's picked up SMG for The Grudge and then is doing a vampire flick 30 Days of Night. I'm sure Ngila Dickson's next project will be something that I want to watch. You go girl!!

[nika]

Gosh, this thread brings back memories. I looooved Xena.

That Lucy Lawless is a mayor babe! Lord the dreams she elicited and of course Roc wasn't hard on the eyes either. They were such a cute couple. I just wish they would've made that subtext into the real thing some time before killing the show. I'm with the I hated the FIN ending gang, but I can't bring myself to hate the whole show for it. They had some fun moments. They had some pretty rotten moments too though, I mean they were masters at taking semi-crappy movie plots and ripping them off to make them into semi-crappy episodes *woW* I always wondered if they did it thinking no one would notice or if they did on purpose as some sort of bad parody. Anyhow...I gotta admit I just watched it mostly to ogle the girls doing high kicks in tiny skirts.

[Gatito Grande]

Oh, I think that "TPTB" were always very open and intentional about their send-ups, parodies and rip-offs (the quality of such eps always being open to debate).



The thing about a cult show, was the interaction between cast/crew and the fans: at a preceeding convention ("con"), you'd often have Lucy or someone saying "We're doing a 'Groundhog Day'" (actually my favorite comedy, Been There, Done That) or "We're doing 'Saving Private Ryan'" (To Helicon and Back).



To some people, such "rip-offs" might reflect laziness, but I never saw it that way. If, as Aristotle (?) said, there are only 29 (?) plots in all of drama, then regurgitating prior work is inevitable. I think that by acknowledging it, they get that extra layer of "in the know"-ness .



Some of the send-ups I wouldn't have done (the WWF-thang in Kindred Spirits for example). But relating the "Xena-version" to the original(s), of whatever they were (and a number of eps were re-doing/parodying several completely different sources in the same ep), including history and mythology, just gave the show another level of both fun and depth.



GG I can't count the times I'll be watching something on the History Channel or PBS, and say "No, that's not how it was: it wasn't __some historical figure__, it was Xena!" Out

[Cicca]

Oh GG, me tooooooooooo!



Did you know that she invented kite-flying? And CPR?

Well she did!

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[emma peel]

Ah, Cicca, thank you for reminding me about her "inventing" CPR. That ep, "Is There A Doctor in the House?" made me realize what a truly amazing actress Lucy Lawless is. I cry every time I see that scene.

[Cicca]

Yeah, that was really a wonderful moment in the series. That hard-assed warrior had come so far in letting someone matter that much to her. Lovely

Xena and Gab....



Hmm, let's see.

Favourite mushy moments:



The end of ADITL when Gab bonks Xena on the nose and then kisses her on the cheek.



The girls frolicking in seaweed at the end of The Bitter Suite.



The hugfest in BTDT. And Xena comforting Gab when Joxer dies.





That handclasp in OAAA. Oooooooooooooooh.



When they're finally reunited in A Family Affair. And not that fake-out one earlier, the one in the forest.





The Sappho poem. Always makes me cry.





That's just a few. Oh, I do love those girls!

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[Hemiola]

Of course, since my mind is invariably to be found somewhere below my belt , my favorite scene is still the "rub-a-dub-dub-two-babes-in-a-tub" scene in "A Day In The Life" (the one with the Greek titles). I still insist that RO'C is actually topless and not wearing a "wrap"



Speaking of Xena's "inventions", I was always amused by the hilariously looney timeline of the show: in one episode, she is interacting with David and Goliath; in another, she is dealing with Julius Caesar and Brutus--historical figures that lived thousands of years apart from each other in time!



Speaking of the "invention" of the kite, does anyone else recall the amusing fact that Xena whistles the theme of the show while she is using the kite to fish?

[J uk]

Sorry, couldn't find this news on a different site:



www.moviepoopshoot.com/ne...04/21.html

Quote:

---

EVEN MORE HOMOEROTIC MEDIEVAL ACTION!



Rounding out today's news is the latest from Anchor Bay Entertainment. The warrior princess returns for her third go-round in XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS: SEASON THREE on February 10th. This box set includes 4:3 full screen transfers, video and audio commentaries from Elizabeth Friedman, Lucy Lawless, Hudson Leick, Renee O’Connor, Ted Raimi, Steven L. Sears, R.J. Stewart, and Robert Tapert, plus new interviews with even more cast and crew, the new 30-minute documentary "Sacrifice," never-before-seen and many newly-rediscovered deleted and alternate scene, a blooper reel, still gallery and bonus CD-ROM with biographies, trivia, original production artwork, director's notes, storyboards and the "Xena Chronicles." Retail is $69.95. (As reported by DVDFile.com)

---

Edited by: J uk at: 1/9/04 4:11 pm

[BytrSuite]

Oooh, thanks J uk. I might just have to break down and buy these.

________
"...the sharks got smarter."

[emma peel]

" video and audio commentaries from Elizabeth Friedman"



I have never, ever, ever heard of Liz Friedman referred to as "Elizabeth." She's an out lesbian, for those who might not know, who was, I think a writer, then executive producer for Xena.

"Elizabeth" Friedman.. Hehe. That just really strikes my funnybone.

Funny how I've forgiven Tapert, even though I don't think of anything post season 5.

Janice

[Gatito Grande]

You "don't think of anything post season 5"? That seems strange to me, since S6 is sooooooo much better than S5 (IMO, and that's XWP not some other show! ).



Apart from FIN, S6 has few duds (and even those that are, like Haunting of Amphipolis and present-day Send in the Clones and Soul Possession, aren't subtext-damaging) and many faves: the two three-parters (the Gabby & Violence Arc:Who's Gurkhan?, Legacy, and The Abyss; The Norse Trilogy: The Rheingold, The Ring and Return of the Valkyrie), all the Amazon eps (FWIW, in the fanfic I've never written, Eve and Varia go on to become lovers ), every ep w/ 'Dite (sweet, yummy Alex Tidings), the peerless When Fates Collide).



GG Yup, S6 kicked *ss. Out

[bla bla bla]

hell, i even liked haunting of amphipolis. probably just because of the shower scene though, do NOT ask me why people washing blood away in showers turns me on, for i do not know. and then there was the whole rolling around with no clothes on thing - couldn't complain about that. the only downside to s6, imo, is eve. but at least she's annoying as a grown up, rather than annoying as an infant, because that would have really sucked.



edited to add: OH, oh oh! and path of vengeance! that fight scene.. mm..

"I'M DEATH" said Death.

Edited by: bla bla bla at: 1/10/04 11:31 am

[Cicca]

"Elizabeth Friedman"

Yep, that tickles my funnybone too.



I agree that season 6 is infinitely better than season 5.

Tsianina Joelson. Yummy!



That whole fairy tale Sleeping Beauty thing when Xena wakes Gab in a ring of fire. That was just amazing.



Send in the Clones wasn't even a dud as far as I'm concerned. Yes, it was very silly, but I still liked it. The whole idea of Xena and Gab running around in a cab with champagne just makes me happy! Yay!

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[Cicca]

Ehhhhhhhhh, I'd have preferred the baby to the adult. Grown-up Eve was boring and annoying. Her only redeeming moment was when she went off swearing a blue-streak at Michael Hurst as the reporter in You Are There. heehee That rocked.

Ooh and when she asked for flagellation as atonement.

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[Gatito Grande]

[Dammit EZboard is f*cking w/ me! Here's this post for the *second* time, from memory]



When last we see her at the end of Path of Vengeance, Eve is displaying every icky aspect of Convert Syndrome: she's found her True Path, and everything is Peachy Keen about it (whereas every other path---and especially her former life as Livia---is deficient).



Relax: she'll outgrow it. Eventually, she'll see the warts of Elisianism (is that how you spell it?), the truth of other paths and, most importantly, be able to re-integrate Livia into her personality (a lesson her mom learned all the way back in Dreamworker!). That's the point at which she'll become interesting . . .



Meanwhile, Varia is in need of some serious re-integrating of her own: just how disappointed would her Beloved Marga be in "the Future of the Amazons" when last we see her in To Helicon?



Despite their *instant* mutual attraction in Coming Home---and don't tell me that was just Varia sussing Eve out as "the Bitch of Rome"!---Eve and Varia obviously can't just fall into bed together: Eve/Livia *did* brutally kill Varia's sister after all. But after Varia's fall from grace, and with Eve's wised-up view of her chosen path, maybe Eve and Varia can help each other work things through? And then? [Note to self: must write fanfic, sooner rather than later!]



GG Eve already has at least one ASSet! (i.e. Adrienne from the rear = ) And Tsianina from any angle? Out

[Cicca]

Oooooooooooh GG, what do we have to do to get you writing Eve/Varia fanfic? You make a great case for them! Ok so that first scene comparing scars was total flirtation.

Flashing a little thigh...

And some shoulder...

How about the lower back?



Flirty flirty flirty!

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[Gatito Grande]

The thing is, Cicca, I wasn't even specifically thinking of the actual *skin* they show each other (in CH), more the way they talk to each other.



XWP is the show of a thousand subtexts---no, not the obvious one: that was Maintext no later than S3. But everywhere else, you take almost any two characters, you can see subtextual tension around it (So many gorgeous Kiwis---and the fur'ners they brought in weren't hard on the eyes either! Hudson! Need I continue?>---that they just can't help themselves).*



Back to Eve/Varia in CH: the text was, they were talking about the appeal of war. The subtext was, they were talking about the sex appeal of (each other as) warriors. I mean, when Eve says "No, I don't miss it [war] at all" doesn't it sound like classic "I'm playing hard to get, You Hot Amazon You! Catch me, catch me!"



GG Thanks for the vote of fanfic confidence (In the last 5 years or so, I've written a half-dozen outlines for fanfic stories, but never actually indulged). What can you do to spur my "pen" into action? Well, money wouldn't hurt! Out







*I actually thought XWP also had some of the best-looking boys on the planet, but I won't go into that here ( w/ the tragic death of Kevin Smith, I think I must be officially lesbian now.)

[Cicca]

Oh you're very right about the the way the talked. But I can't get screencaps of that, so I went with skin. Cause the skin was sure flirty!



I agree, they had some great people in the cast.

Mmmmmmmmmm Hudson!





Kevin Smith was wonderful. Very sad loss.

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[emma peel]

Ok, I admit it. I lost track of seasons on Xena, didn't watch the end 'cause I read about it and was majorly pissed off at the time.I never did like the Hope storyline, much less Eve.

I gotta admit that I really loved "Old Ares Had A Farm" from season 6. Kevin Smith was just so wonderful throughout the run of the show, but I really loved him in this.

So very sad.

Janice

[the kat whisperer]

I recently completed my entire Xena episode collection which I was thrilled about as the last ep I saw on TV a couple of years ago was If the Shoe Fits... from way back in season 4. Stupid TV channels cancelling my fav shows.



Anyway, I couldn't resist watching all of what I'd missed in one go.



The second half of season 4 was just epic viewing, IMHO. From the India arc to the last few eps was amazing.



I was totally depressed to see the death of Ephiny, as after Xena and Gabby she's my fav character and I always love the eps she's in, but at least she got a good send off at the end (and nice to see her again in S6).



The most shocking scene of S4 being Gabby picking up the sword to defend a crippled Xena and killing all those guards. After all the morals she'd set for herself to see her do that was a very powerful moment.



As an aside, I've always thought that Xena: Warrior Princess was never about Xena so much as about Gabby's journey, physically, mentally and emotionally.



I liked season 5, particularly Gabby's transformation into the Battling Bard of Potedia. The girl can really kick ass. I mean I know the show's all about Xena fighting the bad guys but is it wrong for me to get more of a thrill every time Gabby uses her sais. (Actually I'm just in awe of ROC's natural abilities, I sooooo love slow-motion). Apart from a couple of crap eps (Married With Fishsticks and Lifeblood) the season as a whole was solid and a nice progression for the characters.



I have to say that, apart from the fact that I wasn't keen at all on the jumping 25 years into the future idea, season 6 is probably one of my fav seasons. Mostly 'cause in it Gabby was the coolest she's ever been IMHO. I don't think there was a bad ep in the entire season, although I won't be hurrying to watch Send in the Clones or Soul Possession (which had a totally clumsy, patronizing and manufactured ending, IMO) again.



My absolute fav ep was Many Happy Returns, so funny (the absolutely endearing bickering between Xena and Gabby) and so romantic (Xena's Sappho poem), plus Aphrodite thrown in for good measure. The actual story was a bit out of place reminding me more of season 1 but that really didn't matter, it summed up their relationship for me.



My most annoying moment in the entire series (although I loved the ep) was the ending of You Are There. Just a bit too much teasing from the producers, I think they went too far, IMHO, and actually had me yelling "you bastards!" at the screen... and not in a nice way.



I've decided never to watch Friend in Need. My first reasoning was that no matter what happened I'd always have an ep of Xena to watch (there's nothing like the buzz of watching a new ep IMO). But now I'm pretty sure I don't want to see Xena die, as I can't stand the thought of imagining Gabby wandering alone and distraught for the rest of her life.



I personally like to think of the very last scene in Many Happy Returns as the end of the series. It was for me.



kw

And I went on waaaay longer than I meant too...

Gabrielle: "For once, Xena, I'd like to be the Roman noble and you be the slave."

[bla bla bla]

you know.. there is a very good virtual series 7, 8, and some of 9 aswell, here that i think any fan of xena should check out. they bring her back, too..

"I'M DEATH" said Death.

[Gatito Grande]

kat, I've given my defense of FIN, so I won't say anymore about it here. But if you've decided never to watch it (and even if you have), it's a perfectly fine thing to believe that the show concludes in Many Happy Returns. That ending was just about damn perfect.



GG Though actually, I like to imagine it just a little (or a *lot*) past the Helmet o' Hermes flight. As everyone (well everyone w/ a shred of a clue) noted at the time, can there be any question that Our Xena is about to get phenomenally lucky? Out



ETA: I mean, just look at that face! www.mikes-images.com/html...ns_35.html Combine those Puppy Eyes w/ G's best birthday present ever (to say nothing of the 6 . . . um, 32 years of Sturm und Drang which have brought Our Grrlz to this happy ending), and Gabby's gonna be all over her Xena like white on rice. ("Big Dumb Warrior" has finally mastered the Art of Romance . . . and will reap the rewards! )

Edited by: Gatito Grande at: 1/24/04 7:36 pm

[Cicca]

I agree that the show was very much about Gab's journey. Look at how much she changes from the first ep to the last. Xena's changes were a lot more subtle. Still interesting, but subtle.



As for ROC and her sais, I'd love to see her and Jennifer Garner duke it out with them. Wowie!

Jennifer Garner

vs.

Renee O'Connor



Film clip of Jennifer Garner kicking Ben Affleck's ass.



Or for an even longer and better clip, go here and watch. This one's realplayer, the other is quicktime. Um, right, Xena thread. Yes... I got carried away by the sais! Uh... Yeah, so go click on "clip 1".



And I don't know where to find any clips of ROC in action with sais. Durnitall! She's quite amazing.



Ok, enough with my crushing on these women and their stunt abilities! They both rock.





As for Xena getting lucky after that Sappho poem...? Hell yeah! And that's also the image I like to think of as the end of the series.

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

Edited by: Cicca  at: 1/24/04 3:08 pm

[sam7777]

Cicca: Agreed on Gab's journey. it's very rare that we see a character change so juch and yet so within the character. That was good writing. Unlike other shows that had the characters all become @ssholes one season with no rhyme or reason.



One of the most striking things for me was when Gabrielle abandoned the path of peace and killed alot of rRomans to try and save Xena. I like that she accepted her new path with spending alot of time in useless guilt (they were going to crucify her and Xena after all) nor refuse to use her fighting skills. The choice was to become a warrior and stay with Xena or follow the path pf peace without her. Gabrielle chose the latter. It was powerful and very consistent with how she feels about Xena. Xena ennded up doing more recriminations than Gabrielle. I wish the Willow thing had been handled 1/10th as well.



I hope they get around to doing a movie where they bring Xena back and we can all forget about FIN once and for all.

_____________________

I see dead lesbian cliches

[Cicca]

Yeah, that's one of the most vivid moments for me from the entire series. It was so hard to watch. Lucy and Renee both did an excellent job with that scene. Actually another vivid visual came a little bit later. Xena and Gab being dragged off to be crucified, but there's an angelic looking Callisto catching snowflakes on her tongue. Wow.



As for the movie... Go here and scroll down to February 3 and read. Then go a bit further up for February 7. And while you're at it, read the newest update even though it has nothing to do with a movie. It's just a great story.

You'll know you're at February 3 when you see a picture of Renee O'Connor with lots of tattoos.

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[sam7777]

Thanks Cicca! I loved that picture of Renee and her tattoos. I really hope that they can do the film. I know that I would go to see it. Tapert at least is learning from his mistake.

_____________________

I see dead lesbian cliches

[KiwiAlcyone]

I sooooo am hoping that Rob Tapert can get back the rights to Xena. There's just so much scope for a great movie to center around the characters of Xena and Gabrielle. I think the real problem will be hooking in a new audience to make the film a good investment because the show did end a while ago now. But Xena is a pop culture icon so I'm sure that a Xena movie, while it probably won't be a huge success, will at least draw a large enough audience to make it worthwhile.

And the Kiwi film industry is moving ahead in leaps and bounds at the moment, so it's a perfect time to make epic fantasy films in NZ.

I can't wait!



-Alcy

“It’s just my imagination. Some people have flat feet. Some people have dandruff. I have this appalling imagination…”

The Seven Year Itch.

[Cicca]

I suspect that it could happen And hooray if it does!



I hope that it'll be a movie that will work for long-time fans AND for new people. Just so that it makes enough money to consider a sequel perhaps? But I'd really rather that they make it for us instead of for new folks. Yup.

Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?

[Gatito Grande]

Call me naive: while I understand "artistic vision," and appealing to focus-grouped demographics, I really believe that nothing sells a movie (or TV show) better than getting a core-group hyper-enthusiatic. What could sell this movie better than our (longtime fans) ecstatic word-of-mouth?



I don't think that means dumbing everything down to the lowest common denominator---it means playing to your strengths. A little fighting, a little skin, a little humor (and, after FIN, even less drama), a tweaked myth here or there, some pretty Kiwiland scenery . . . and tons of X & G, alive and happy . . . and together! (Y'know, as in together-together? )



What more do you need---for a flick that's successful just about any way you want to look at it? (Box office, foreign distribution, product tie-ins, CDs, DVDs, and an audience clamoring for more? )



GG The only ugly "must appeal to masses" reality are the Time Constraints: I, and most hardcore nutballs, have No Doubt that Lucy and Renee will still be gorgeous at 50 or more , but in terms of H'wood's furkin' *double-standard* , this movie has to be made before LL hits 40 (in 4 years---though many thanks to Demi Moore for pushing the limit that high!). Fie on *any* "XWP" project that could be contemplated without LL and ROC! Out