From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V2 #170 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 Monday, June 24 2002 Volume 02 : Number 170 Today's Subjects: ----------------- RE: [chakram-refugees] FIN-DC DVD ["Jackie M. Young" ] Re: [chakram-refugees] FIN-DC DVD [Cousin Liz ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2002 16:36:41 -1000 (HST) From: "Jackie M. Young" Subject: RE: [chakram-refugees] FIN-DC DVD On Fri, 21 Jun 2002, Lee Daley wrote: > Well to some extent it would be known to the general public, a lot of people > learned about hitting their mark in high school plays. Most of the under 25 > generation know what CGI is. Some of it would be inaccessible but most could > be gleaned from context. - --But I only learned what "ADR" meant when I took a film acting class, and how many of the general public would do that? Don't get me wrong--it was very *touching* in a sense (and par for the course for this show, too) that RTapert, LL, and ROC would be so *approachable* in their comments (especially with the "finger-sucking" comment about Miles, and especially about Rob ;P ) to the fans, but would people who _weren't_ in the industry (or followed the industry) understand them? Even amongst the fans, I would think the percentage would be small that would *totally* understand each comment, IMO. I did mostly because I'm an aspiring actor, but I don't think most fans necessarily fall into that category. Then Thel wrote: >Xena is an 'effects show' and it isn't going to be easy to talk about the >'behind the scenes' without going into some technicalities. IMO. - --True, but again, the talk was totally amongst a bunch of professionals talking to each other, and not to the fans. >Besides, if I hear a technical term I don't understand, it's a prompt for >me to look it up and learn something. - --*Hehe!* Not everyone is so *self-motivated*.....;P Back to LeeD: > but I > > still couldn't figure out why they didn't fix it by flying in actors from > > LA or from here in Hawai'i to play those roles which were so crucial to > > the story, especially since it was set in Japan. > > because Rob's frugal, well actually CHEAP! And has to be to produce a show > like this. - --Sounds about right to me. ;P They flew Hudson down, and Bob Trebor, and TRaimi, and Jackie Kim, but not any principals for their *big finale*.....go figgah. ;P Then Thel wrote: >IIRC she said there weren't many Asian actors to choose from. But they >did OK - Michelle Ang (Akemi) was excellent, Kao the warlord, >Ghost-killer, Yodoshi, the monk, the sword-maker, and Yodoshi's stooge in >the tea-house were all OK, IMO. It was only the general with the amazing >Aussie accent who was mis-cast. - --I respectfully disagree. ;P I didn't like Michelle Ang, mostly because she was far too young and lacked the chemistry to do the sort of manipulating called for in the storyline (she also didn't enunciate enough); but more importantly, she wasn't Japanese. For such an important role set in _Japan_, I would think that would be a key consideration. As I mentioned in an earlier post when FIN first aired, the only authentic Japanese in the cast was the guy who played the ghost-killer. The rest were either Chinese (the monk, the warlord, and Akemi), or Caucasian or had a bad accent. The geisha with the bells, like LL said, was quite good, but she didn't have any lines (and LL couldn't even remember her name!). Adrian Brown (Yodoshi) was clearly not Japanese, and neither was the guy in the sword factory (Nathaniel Lees?? who played a monster on HTLJ??). I would say the role of Yodoshi was rather important to be Japanese. I'm not talking about extras, I'm talking about principal speaking roles. In the commentary, LL confirmed what RTapert had told me at the 2nd Burbank Con, and that there was only a small pool of Asian actors in NZ (another reason either to fly them in or shoot elsewhere where there's a bigger pool). He said to my criticism that Grant McFarland (Ming Tzu) was half-Malaysian or something, but to me that still doesn't mean he's Chinese, which is what the role called for. Same as for Adrian Brown's being half-Caucasian doesn't mean he's Japanese. As I said in an earlier post on this subject of Asian actors in XWP, Dean Cain is half-Japanese, but he doesn't usually play ethnically-Japanese roles; Keanu Reeves is part-Hawaiian, but he isn't cast for Hawaiian-looking roles. Since Asian roles are such a minority, every effort should be made to cast someone _looking_ like that part, IMO, since it's otherwise so easy to find Caucasian-looking actors. Back to LeeD: > I think it's in both of their career interests to not play up to the subtext > too much. They don't want to be type cast in studios' alleged little minds. > After all, they *are* currently unemployed after a 6-7 year gig. - --Perhaps, but LL actually said she didn't _see_ the subtext until FIN aired and thought that RobT had "outed" her character! I'd call that a bit of "wearing blinders", IMO. ;P I'm still confused by what LL was doing all these years, since she claims she and ROC only played the characters as good friends and would sometimes just "spice it up" for the fans, but no more. But to _not_ actually see what the fans were seeing, and then to *suddenly* see it, I dunno.....;P But like Sharon said, LL's "loopy". ;P At least ROC is consistent by saying she played it straight, no more, no less. And if LL were trying to keep it "straight-laced" for the studios and casting directors, she wouldn't've put in a comment about "being gay" or "he outed my character!" on a DVD for all posterity....or on The Tonight Show....;P But that's what made the DVD so interesting--that the stars could be playing one motivation that neither one knew what the other was thinking, but it still came off on-screen as plausible. And we, the audience, don't know what they're *really* thinking, and we all see what we want. ;) I guess my acting teacher was right, when he said "no one has to know what you're thinking, but it has to be convincing". ;=) Just MO, ;) - --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 * * * * "Feel the fear and do it anyway." --Lucy Lawless, * * Evening Post, 7/4/98 * * * * 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: Sun, 23 Jun 2002 23:12:19 -0400 From: Cousin Liz Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] FIN-DC DVD "Jackie M. Young" wrote: > --Perhaps, but LL actually said she didn't _see_ the subtext until > FIN aired and thought that RobT had "outed" her character! I'd > call that a bit of "wearing blinders", IMO. ;P > I'm still confused by what LL was doing all these years, since she > claims she and ROC only played the characters as good friends and > would sometimes just "spice it up" for the fans, but no more. But > to _not_ actually see what the fans were seeing, and then to > *suddenly* see it, I dunno.....;P I thought I read somewhere a while ago that Lucy was not one to watch a finished episode. Whether she never saw any of them, or only some, I've no idea. And considering her love for comedy, maybe she only sat and watched some comedies, which aren't high on the subtext meter. She did, on the other hand, go to the screening of FIN. And in a setting like that, maybe some light actually was shed for her on X&G's relationship. - -- Cousin Liz eas01@fast.net Soulmates: http://cousinliz.com Xena Dinosaur Bards http://cousinliz.com/fanfic/fanfic.html ========================================================= 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 #170 **************************************