From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V2 #117 Reply-To: chakram-refugees@smoe.org Sender: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk chakram-refugees-digest Friday, May 3 2002 Volume 02 : Number 117 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [chakram-refugees] Twilight of the gods [cr ] Re: [chakram-refugees] Re: Xena and her sidekick [cr ] [chakram-refugees] Fwd: 7th-Ever Hawai'i Xenafest! ;) (fwd) [cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Twilight of the gods On Thursday 02 May 2002 05:59, IfeRae@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 5/1/2002 5:35:14 AM Central Daylight Time, > cr@orcon.net.nz writes: > @ > @ > @ > @ > @ > @ > @ > > > The intersting thing is, every single one except Poseidon was killed, > > either > > > by their own weapon or missile, or by the same type of weapon they were > > weilding. > > > > I rather think this was intentional. Remember Ares' warnings to the > > gods that they would only bring about their own destruction if they went > > after Eve? This seems to tie into that very neatly. > > Yes, and as you point out, even Poseidon was killed because Xena > re-directed Hades' fireball, which wouldn't have happened if they hadn't > attacked her. It does make you wonder what power she actually had to kill > them, if she'd gone after them without any real cause. Well, she was only given the power after the gods had decided to get Eve. Maybe Michael's boss had Olympus bugged and knew what they were planning, and if they hadn't strarted it Xena may well never have been given the power. > Perhaps it was > assumed she'd only use the power defensively? Maybe that's why it was > taken away when she tried to drown Michael even after she'd stopped his > immediate threat? > > -- Ife I just assumed Michael had enough pull in high places that he was being looked after. Certainly when Xena was given the power, it was (presumably) not expected that she'd try to use it on Archangels ;-) Thelonius ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 00:36:27 +1200 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Re: Xena and her sidekick On Thursday 02 May 2002 05:59, IfeRae@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 5/1/2002 3:21:07 AM Central Daylight Time, > cr@orcon.net.nz > > writes: > > There are other background factors that crop up all the time - Xena's > > relationship with Ares, for example, or Gabs' authorship of the scrolls. > > > > They too may be essential to understanding the story. Doesn't mean > > everybody who watches necessarily has to like those aspects, and in > > episodes > > > where they don't take centre stage they can be conveniently relegated to > > 'background'. > > > > The other eps you mentioned - I like 'em all, but for good reasons other > > than > > subtext. I won't bore everyone with details but there's plenty else to > > see > > > in them. > > > > Depends on your point of view. > > I agree that it was amazing how many points of view seemed extremely > satisfied by XWP. It does seem that many people completed filtered out > some aspect of the show (both in general and periodically) that was the > focus for other people, whether it was the violence, the subtext, the > mythological/religious stuff, a particular character, etc. I personally > found myself having to watch on multiple levels, which is why I re-watched > eps so much. Often I'd read a bunch of posts and then look at an ep > through somebody else's eyes. I almost always saw reasons for why they > responded as they did. That is, I think, why it's possible to watch some of the better eps repeatedly. There's just so much 'information' in the episodes. (I'm using 'information' in its technical sense now). Not just the dialogue, but the action, the scenery, the props, it all adds to the interest and the impression of realism on first viewing, and it's there to furnish those little details that you notice on a third or fourth viewing that help keep the episode 'fresh'. For me at least. > As I've said before, that's actually what made the show so rich for me -- > all the aspects I tended not to see on my own. Whether something was > "intended," suggested, accidental, subliminal, or an interpretation based > on > projection/perception of the viewer, didn't make it more or less "real" or > possible. Maybe not "logical" or supported by the "evidence" to *me,* but > that's another issue. > > -- Ife Well, I tend to take the view that 'canon' is what's explicitly shown on screen, all else is the viewer's imagination. Having said which, TPTB did like to leave some things to the viewer's imagination, they didn't feel obliged to provide neat easy answers for every circumstance. Thelonius ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 00:56:13 +1200 From: cr Subject: [chakram-refugees] Fwd: 7th-Ever Hawai'i Xenafest! ;) (fwd) Forwarded by request - cr - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 21:16:51 -1000 (HST) From: Jackie M. Young Subject: 7th-Ever Hawai'i Xenafest! ;) Thanks to Jim, our Web page volunteer, we now have updated info about our upcoming Xenafest on our Web page (URL's in my sig block below)! Thanks, Jim! ;) Our *special guest star* will be Robert Trebor (Salmoneus of HTLJ and XWP fame)!! ;=) Bob will be signing autographs and selling copies of his book, Dear Salmoneus, a comic look at what the world would be like if Salmoneus were advising us on life.....;) Bob has also agreed to perform the XWP theme that he improvised on The Gauntlet, if we provide nuts (macadamia or otherwise). ;) So, mark your calendars and pass it onto your friends: Sun., June 9, 11 am - 3 pm, UH-Manoa, Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics 110, (advance tickets $5, at the door $6) XENAFEST!!! (Volunteers and donations gratefully accepted. ;) ) - --Jackie ****************************************************** * Proud to have the same birthday as Lucy Lawless! * * * * "I think New Zealand geographically comes from * * ... Hawai'i." --Lucy Lawless, Late Show, 4/9/96 * * * * JACKIE YOUNG, JYOUNG@LAVA.NET * * * ****************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 May 2002 13:05:39 -0500 From: Lilli Sprintz Subject: [chakram-refugees] Con 2002 Day 3 Part 4, etc Mirrordrum wrote: [ discussing the Kit #5 behind the scenes with fin video tape] > i remember watching that [arrow scene in FIN] scene and the thought > "cgi-ed" crossed my mind but some of them were "real." [arrows] yes, and the amazing thing about seeing "behind the scenes" was noticing her holding two VERY LONG ARROWS, that these were the "catch" arrows, the one she catches in mid-air. I would love to see them actually shooting that scene to see how they do it. > [about lucy taking pictures of Renee] i mean, how many shows do you > reckon you'd find in the states--or anywhere--where the star comes to > take snapshots of the co-star. That what also what made this show so wonderful. There was not only (at least at the beginning) a wonderful accessability and humanness to the stars, but they really were quite friendly with each other, cared about each other, let us know they did and how much, and were just [and are] very down to earth people. Is it a New Zealand thing? People just not hyped up as much about their stardom? > [watching lucy pump herself up before fin scene] > now that was a stunner. she's *so* into it and they keep having to > reshoot it. watching lucy start breathing into the scene before they > shouted "action" was. . .well, i've never seen anything quite like it. > she's in the zone. ...she never breaks out of that space. even when > she's unscrewing a broken arrow and screwing in another, you can see > her pushing through it. it was actually rather painful. i keep > thinking about real people in real pain. Perhaps one of my favorite things watching the behind the scene stuff was what consumate professionals they are, and yes, how hard they work, but what it's really like to be an actor where you start a scene, stop it, start it again, all in seconds, go in and out of character roles. And Xena (I meant to say Lucy) being in the heat of the filming moment and the director or camera people have stopped it for a moment and L is motioning them to "come-on, come-on, let's keep this thing going". And another favorite scene, was the fire-breathing thing in FIN. (like, i am so excited talking about this, can't type as fast as i want to)...they showed LL practicing with the torch with the wind mill in front of her blowing at her and the torch, and she was judging whether, waving it back and forth in front of her, if the fire would blow back at her. Looked fine. That's courage! >> [the] "pump up" kind of jumping up in the air, getting ready for the >> scene. > >> It's the kind of things I think of men doing. > > sister, you have not been paying attention. Actually, sweet one, I have for many years. Former athlete waiting for years to see this kind of super hero on TV. But you know, they condition us so much with TV and radio and things in the newspaper, if I don't look hard for them (no insult men - this is the way things have been too long) or don't get a chance to watch Oxygen cable, I don't see the women doing them : ) L ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 21:18:12 EDT From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Re: Xena and her sidekick In a message dated 05/02/2002 6:48:29 AM Central Daylight Time, cr@orcon.net.nz writes: << Well, I tend to take the view that 'canon' is what's explicitly shown on screen, all else is the viewer's imagination. Having said which, TPTB did like to leave some things to the viewer's imagination, they didn't feel obliged to provide neat easy answers for every circumstance. >> Hmmm. I'm not sure "canon" is what's "explicity" shown, or how much it begins or ends with the viewer's imagination, or that that's what holds the most "meaning" for the viewer. Let's say "canon" is that Xena fights, sometimes killing, sometimes not. We see this; it underscores what we've been told -- that she's a warrior. Some take from that "fact" that Xena is a killer, or a person who only kills when necessary, or someone who killed routinely until her "reformation" (due to Hercules, Gabrielle, or her own self-revelation), or that she kills when the mood strikes, or some other meaning. Is "canon" simply that she's a warrior? Or is it our interpretation of what we've seen, which suggests what kind of warrior she is and why? Would we care so much if she was simply a warrior like any other? If there was nothing that we thought distinguished her in the way she fought or killed? I agree that TPTB left a lot to our imaginations -- even fundamental questions about whether Xena's past (and even some later inclinations) determines what kind of warrior she is or deserves to be considered. For some, the resulting "canon" deals solely with Xena. For others, that "canon" is tied directly to people who influenced her life for good or bad. For others, "canon" covers both views. Which is "right"? - -- Ife ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 22:39:17 -0400 From: "Cheryl Ande" Subject: [chakram-refugees] Re: Twilight Of the gods cr wrote: "The intersting thing is, every single one except Poseidon was killed, either by their own weapon or missile, or by the same type of weapon they were weilding. I rather think this was intentional. Remember Ares' warnings to the gods that they would only bring about their own destruction if they went after Eve? This seems to tie into that very neatly. " Yes it does seem intentional. Ares was right each god brought on his or her own destruction. Remember Xena warns the gods to leave Eve alone and if they did she wouldn't bother them. She certainly wasn't sent to kill them - her power was to be used to protect Eve. That may be why she lost the power to kill gods and angels. When she nearly drowned Michael she was protecting Aphrodite and Gabrielle (although Michael said he wasn't going to hurt Gabrielle) not Eve. She had turned Eli's god's gift against his own so she lost it. Which makes me wonder what exactly Eli's position in heaven was. It seems the pascifist would be certainly out of place amoung all those warrior angels who not only make war but are manipulative. Certainly Eli's god seems to be as ruthless as the Olympians since he saw no problem in using Xena to first kill the Olympians who got in his way and then when she turned out to have a mind of her own (gasp!) abandon her in the midst of her enemies leaving his own messenger in mortal danger. I wish Eli could have been around to explain this turn of events. CherylA ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 May 2002 23:01:50 -0400 From: meredith Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Xena Live! Xena Lives! The Musical - A Review And Other Odd Bits Hi, Round-trip flight from Hartford to Chicago ... $180. Hotel in Lincoln Park ... $80. Sitting in the front row at the About Face Theater watching _Xena Live 2_ ... priceless. :) It took me all week, but I'm finally getting around to posting about my own experience with _Xena Live 2_. I'll use bookdaft's wonderful review as a starting point. Last Saturday morning I caught a flight from Hartford to O'Hare, leaving behind a stunningly gorgeous day for a world where it was raining small domesticated animals and the Windy City was living up to its name. Ah, well. I'd come prepared with an expendable umbrella and a plan to have a good time, no matter what, so that's just what I did. After swinging by the Field Museum to see Sue the dinosaur (the most complete T.Rex skeleton ever found, absolutely stunning) and meeting fellow Refugee Lynn Ribaud at the hotel, I got to the About Face Theater to discover that my friend and fellow Xena Night denizen Deb had gotten us seats in the front row. 8) I'll shamelessly quote bookdaft from here ... but for those who don't want spoilers, here's the capsule review: Brilliantly done, absolutely hilarious, immensely entertaining, and definitely worth the trip to Chicago to see it. I would exhort anyone and everyone who has even a prayer of getting there before it closes on the 19th to do it. You won't regret it. (mind the spoilers!) >The plot is a deceptively simple one. Alti, as ever wanting Xenas power, >brings her back to life. Gabrielle, meanwhile, gains her own sidekick and >embarks on a mission to find out whether a new religion is about to become a >danger to the world. I found Synonymous/Ambiguous to be very cute. He kinda reminded me of Steve, the rugby shirt-clad guy on Blue's Clues (yeah, so I've got little nieces and nephews in the family, shoot me). He was exactly the type of sidekick I'd expect Gabrielle to attract. >The similarity >becomes even more apparent when we discover the woman orchestrating Xenas >resurrection is Alti. Someone has been paying attention to her Xena >episodes. There were lots of little references to episodes dropped all over the play, which of course was a good portion of the fun. This is definitely a show by and for fans, but it works on a level where even a non-Xenite could still be entertained by it. > Slipping into a cloak while stroboscopic lights play, scenes >appear on the scrim at the back of the theater and we see scenes from Them >Bones, Them Bones, mostly the ones of clouds and blood vessels and >earthquakes. This is where Di Baudens efforts first appear. Afterwards we were wondering whether that was 100% Di Bauden's work, or if she had spliced in actual shots from the episode. Anybody know for sure? >We also see a >scene of Xenas head rising up out of the water, as if she was sitting up. It should probably be clarified here that the shot is of Elizabeth Laidlaw as Xena. I'd almost forgotten just how perfect that piece of casting is. That was apparent in Episode 1 too, but it really shone through this time around. Not only does Laidlaw look frighteningly like Xena and have the character *down*, but she also has a great singing voice! >But Alti is back with a vengeance. The actress who plays >her doesnt try to use the harsh, husky voice like Claire Stansfield >developed, but rather aims for an impression of Alti, and succeeds very >well. This is a character played over the top. Her song defines her as, >well, Evil. Her song was a riff on Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know". I thought she was kind of flat during the choruses, but other than that she did a pretty good Alanis impersonation. >This production takes the ending of the finale and makes several logical >projections about the characters. The next scene is of a mourning Gabrielle >singing The Burial Song, that Xena had always sung for others, while >pouring Xenas ashes out onto the ground, perhaps somewhere in Greece. In a show that was so thoroughly played for laughs, this was an incredibly moving scene. Amy Matheny has a wonderful voice (she's got that all over ROC, I gotta say :), and I could so picture Gabrielle giving that exact tribute to Xena. It was a stunning introduction to Gabrielle's character. >Then we are off to the rest of the show. Xena awakens, finding she has a >guardian angel, Gaybriel. Played by Jason Vizza with some swish, Gaybriel >is decidedly not happy with Heaven. Oh gods, Gaybriel had me on the *floor*. He was *perfect*!! Cute, too. I was wishing I could get a photo of him to bring back to one of my gay-boy friends back home. >She also meets up with Ares. When >I saw Ares the first time, I had a twinge of sad because I was immediately >reminded of Kevin Smith and his defining portrayal of the character. But >Gregory Thomas Isaac is a different actor and really does make Ares his own. Agreed. His portrayal of Ares was a lot like how Kevin Smith played Ares when he got awakened in _The Xena Scrolls_ -- just *this* short of too over the top. It worked well for the play, though. >Around this time we are introduced to those pesky religious people and >entertaining they are. They are led by Androgyny who somehow manages to >remind me of Priestess Leah. Perhaps it is because Androgyny keeps saying, >Praise me. "Praise me! Praise you! Praise myself!!" Oh, yes! I realized when I bought my t-shirt afterwards that they should have just gone all the way and had her say "pwaise". Then the t-shirts could say "pwaise myself!" on the front. I don't know, I just think it'd be even funnier that way. I was kind of lost by the selection of farm animals as Androgyny's followers, though. It didn't really matter because they were still hilarious, but I guess that beyond the sheep, the symbolism was lost on me. >That is one of the pleasures of this production. Nearly all the songs are >well known to most people. From Beast Of Burden to Satisfaction to You >Are My Sunshine, almost all of the songs are still being played on radio >stations across the country. ... and the parody lyrics were great. In a production such as this, it helps to have the music be familiar. I think it helps bring those who may not be familiar with the Xenaverse into the whole experience. The original music in the production was wonderful too, though. Very well done. >Aphrodite is in this production and is in a pivotal role. If she doesnt >steal the show, she comes very close to it. Lisa Velten bears a striking >resemblance to Alex Tydings and is an excellent comedienne as well. "I'm so pretty!" >I found the fight scenes interesting because it >appears they use real swords, not rubber ones, as often were used in the >television show. This is usual for a stage production. In television and film, the foley artists can add the clangs of clashing swords later ... but in the theater, that's not gonna work. *Everyone* will know straight away that that's a rubber sword. :) >As in the first episode, Episode 2 also has commercials. This enhances the >image of the production as a television show. Claudia Allen, the playwright of both episodes has a long and distinguished history in the Chicago theater. (Really, it's simply mind-boggling that they were able to get someone like her to write these plays.) One of the things she's well known for is a series of episodic stage plays that added up to a gay soap opera. A new episode would premiere every month. One of the things the soap opera was known for was its commercials, which would take up the space in between acts just like in _Xena Live_. I'm sure that's where she got the idea. >It is very subtext friendly production and which I think underscores the >message. I was surprised to find that there was more maintext involving Ares and Gaybriel than Xena and Gabrielle ... but it was all hilarious. (Gaybriel: "He's just spent the past hour having his way with me, but HE'S NOT QUEER!!" ) >Elizabeth Laidlaw and Amy Matheny as >Xena and Gabrielle are simply excellent. As actors they portray the >characters slightly differently, but that is no criticism. There are many >fans who believe that no one but Lucy Lawless and Renee` OConnor can play >Xena and Gabrielle, but I say if there was to be a Xena movie, I believe >Elizabeth and Amy could easily fill in for them anytime. I agree with this 100%. (Or alternatively, has Missy Good seen either play? I could *so* see the two of them as Dar and Kerry... ) As I said before, Laidlaw *is* Xena, and Amy Matheny makes a very convincing Gabrielle, abs and all. (She's pretty good with a staff and sais, too!) So yeah, it was a good time. :) Highly recommended to all Xenites. ======================================= Meredith Tarr New Haven, CT USA mailto:meth@smoe.org http://www.smoe.org/meth ======================================= Live At The House O'Muzak House Concert Series http://www.smoe.org/meth/muzak.html =====Next Up: Molly Zenobia 5/5/02===== ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ End of chakram-refugees-digest V2 #117 **************************************