From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V3 #177 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 Thursday, June 26 2003 Volume 03 : Number 177 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [chakram-refugees] Friend In Need Part 1 [cr ] [chakram-refugees] Con 03 Adrienne (Eve) [KTL ] [chakram-refugees] Renee on Renee's Birthplace [Xwpacolyte@aol.com] Re: [chakram-refugees] Con 03 Adrienne (Eve) [IfeRae@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 21:25:04 +1200 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Friend In Need Part 1 Random and gratuitous snips to save wear and tear on everyone's modems.... On Thursday 26 June 2003 11:04, Cheryl Ande wrote: > Friend In Need Part 1 > > Well this week I watched all the various Friend In Need videos - the two > parter, the DVD, the DVD with commentary, and the FIN documentary on the > DVD. Oooh, you really did indulge in an orgy of Xenawatching. Heroic, I call it. ;) > Last week I couldn't get started on FIN and this week all I did was > watch FIN. Anyway this commentary will be based on the DVD because it is > the better of the two versions because the narrative is expanded and the > experience is more cinematic. Agreed. I thought the extra scenes really did improve the episode. (Not, I might add, that there was anything wrong with it as screened. IMO). > Also I think we have fuller exploration of > character especially when it comes to Akemi and Gabrielle. The pat is that > I've been really business with real life so you get a two parter > > The story opens with Gabrielle stargazing as she talks about the wonders of > the universe, she is startled to discover that Xena is actually listening. Surely *that* must have been a sign of impending trouble... ;) > Xena is appears is tired of wondering around Greece getting into trouble > and is ready for a change. She wants to go to the land of the pharaohs - > she hears they need a girl with a chakram. By now alarms bells should be > going off - any time the hero says I'm ready to settle down or some such > sentiment you can bet your boots things are going to go sour. It certainly > does with the appearance of a mild mannered Japanese monk. He is obviously > not dangerous and Xena even had to help him find them. She is amused by > the young man until says he has been sent by Akemi. I loved Kenji's little sunshade. I've calculated that if he got up to 120mph he'd have enough lift to actually take off. The world's first para-glider. I've just remembered what else it reminded me of - 'The Prisoner' - amongst the many enigmatic things about that series was the penny-farthing bicycle with a little awning over it that appeared in the end titles. > When finally her master > dies she asks Xena to take her with her and teach her everything she knows. > Xena claims Akemi, as a victor's prize but there is the unsettling thought > that Akemi is the real victor here. Is that comment hindsight? ;) I loved the way Borias just casually stood back and let Xena take care of things. And his line to the dying Kao - "I would have taken the gold". Well, he did warn him. ;) > It is winter in Japa. Xena and Akemi are walking along a snow-covered > path. Akemi is struggling and Xena is annoyed - simply because Xena broke > the girl's rib is no reason to lag behind. Akemi catches up and Xena > begins to listen to the world around her. She hears a wagon up ahead and a > deer gazing in the woods. Akemi is impressed and says Xena must be at > peace when she listens to the Kammie, the force behind all living things. > No says Xena "I am at war". Akemi then gives Xena a verse she wrote and > although Xena seems a bit unsure what to with it, she keeps it. "It's ... really pretty". LL in hindsight thought Xena would really say "What is it?" But I think Xena was genuinely touched by the gesture and, even though she had no idea what it was, she was being kind/polite to Akemi. > Back on the boat Gabrielle says the Akemi must have loved Xena very much to > give such a beautiful poem. This statement shows Gabrielle's maturity. In > The Debt she was jealous of Lo Mao but here Gabrielle has sympathy for the > girl who seemed to love the wild younger Xena. Perhaps Gabrielle also sees > a bit of herself in Akemi - the bard who wants the warrior to teach her > everything she knows. Xena however surprises Gabrielle with her next > revelation - Akemi broke Xena's heart. This is what Lucy thought 'outed' Xena, IIRC. That Xena 'confessed' to Gabby about Akemi, and therefore Xena and Gabs must have had a steady relationship. (At least, I *think* this is what Lucy's saying in the commentary. LL: See we have for years been playing these characters as if they're.... LL: ... all of a sudden we're coming up and going 'Yup. I had a former girlfriend... LL: ... like it's just an accepted fact that our characters are gay, ) I don't see it that way at all, though, myself, I think LL's reading too much into it. > Akemi has led Xena to an abandoned farmhouse. Xena wants to know why they > are there. Akemi says she wants to visit her dead grandfather. Xena wants > her money and she is certain a dead grandfather won't have it. As Xena > rages, Akemi calmly kneels before the family shrine and bears her neck to > Xena's blade. The warrior is stopped dead in mid-tirade at Akemi's > submission to her. That was cool. Calling Xena's bluff. Akemi may have been sure of her ground but even so, that took a *lot* of nerve. She certainly didn't lack courage. It also, I think, added to Xena's respect for her. > As RT points out in his commentary - Akemi knows > Xena's weak point -her pride. No one is going to tell the Warrior Princess > she can't have anything she wants and she now wants the katana. A bit like Pompey, much later - "If Caesar wants that hill, *I* want that hill!" ;) > Xena reveals herself as just a girl looking for a real > good sword. She also reveals that she going to get it fighting in a pair > capris and a bra (it is really hot in that forge). Oh, and didn't she look absolutely gorgeous in that get-up? > Xena and the sensei cross swords and the katana shatters Xena's sword. > Xena now really wants that sword. Gotta admire Xena's positive attitude. Most people would be pissed that their regular sword had been so summarily chopped up. Xena just sees a much better sword in front of her. "Oooh, gimme!" :) > She fights the various assistants and gets her famous scare on > her chest (I always thought the scar was real but Lucy says that this was > the payoff for faithfully pasting it on for 6 years - so I don't know what > the status of the scar actually is). Of course, LL could be kidding us all. :) > On the board Gabrielle is flabbergasted. She taught Akemi the pinch after > knowing her only a few weeks but after 6 years Xena still hasn't taught her > the pinch. Gabrielle may be tolerant of all of Xena's various former > lovers and her many secrets but the pinch thing is just too much. That interruption was most disconcerting. "Shut up Gabs, this is Xena's story, don't interrupt!" And we had to wait another ten minutes for the next instalment in the Akemi saga.... > In the forest an unseen force moves through the woods. Akemi sits in the > teahouse composing her poems. The monstrous Lord of the Darklands bursts > into the room and confronts his daughter, Akemi. He tells her he knows she > has stolen his katana and has sent for Xena. Akemi is frightened and knows > that Mioky her fellow geisha has betrayed her. Her father however is not > angry instead he says his general will take the warrior's head and she will > join his whores in the teahouse. This was one of the 'extra scenes' on the DVD, and I thought it an excellent one. I didn't see her as frightened at all. I originally wrote: Again, Akemi was so cool as she calmly sat there without flinching while Yodoshi burst in on her. (So I'm an Akemifan. So bite me! :) I'm not the only one who saw it this way, though - from XT's transcript: Yodoshi's POV as he smashes into the tea house. Miyuki and Ayako jump out of the way and Yodoshi stops before Akemi who doesn't even finch as she puts the last touch on what she is writing. Yodoshi kneels before her and slams his fist down in front of her. She looks at him. YODOSHI The katana! You sent it to the foreign whore. Akemi shares a look with Miyuki who is bowing behind Yodoshi. .. and from the commentary: RT: This scene was never in the television version, I added it to this DVD version because I wanted to re-establish the bad guy, and also to show Akemi standing up against him. LL: Such a shame that things get cut down that are so beautiful and important. And just... you know - informative about characters. OK, re-watching it - Akemi is tense and nervous but controlling herself really well. Masterful acting by Michelle Ang, IMO. > Xena and Gabrielle look over the town they saved and Xena congratulates her > friend saying it's not the way she would do it but it sure worked. I'm afraid I just saw that as rather corny and a bit too circus-like, and also I had problems with one water tank being enough to extinguish a whole town. And besides, why did putting the fire out mean defeat for the attackers? Surely they didn't *need* the fire in order to win? > On the ground the people of Haguchi are cheering Xena and Gabrielle. > Gabrielle like a terrier with a bone wants to know about that pinch. Xena > tells the rest of the story. One of those lovely bits of dialogue - G: You taught Akemi the pinch. Did she ever use it? X: Yes, unfortunately she did > In the castle of Akemi's father the lord and > master is entertaining guests with kabuki dancers when suddenly the > entertainment is interrupted by a macabre figure. A female figure in a > grotesque mask suddenly appears and glides toward the lord of the manor. > As the guest and retainers flee the figure reveals herself to the lord. > The man is shocked and cries out Akemi's name. Xena now cuts through the > paper walls of the room and demands to know what is going one. There was a really odd bit of lighting there. The orange paper screen with a painted moon behind Akemi is cut through from behind by Xena, and as Xena emerges through the hole, it's as if lights go up outside and we can see right through the surrounding paper to the blue-lit courtyard buildings outside. Actually I'm sure that's what happened on-set - they brought up the blue lights 'outside' - but of course that shouldn't have happened 'in the story'. Maybe it's supposed to be the moon coming out from behind a cloud, but it looks very odd. > She is > shocked when Akemi calls the man father and puts the pinch on him. Masked > guards attack Xena. Xena is busy fighting guards as Akemi calmly watches > her father die. She calls upon the spirits of the dead - her brothers, her > sisters, her mother, and her grandparents - all murdered by her father. > She hopes he will suffer in death as his family has in life. TPTB certainly caught me by surprise there. And I didn't recognise 'father' as Yodoshi, btw, till later. > Xena dispatches all the guards and is appalled to find Akemi's father dead. > Dead men don't pay ransoms and she wants her MONEY. In the courtyard Akemi > claps her hands summons the spirits of her dead family. Xena is still > raging. She bets there's no inheritance either. Gotta love Xena, always practical. ;) > Her fuming is cut short > when Akemi asks her to restore her honor by cutting off her head. For once > the young Xena is struck dumb by the magnitude of the request. She won't > ... she can't but Akemi takes matters into her own hands when she plunges a > sword into her own stomach. Xena screaming, in grief and rage, takes the > katana and finishes what Akemi has started. That was a magnificent death scene. And Akemi could always surprise Xena. > Harukata now joins Xena. He is still wary of her but he is won over by > Xena's sincere grief over what happened so many years ago. Xena wonders > why he as the ghost killer hasn't been able to kill Yodoshi. Harukata says > he has that power but as a mortal he can't get to him. Only a ghost can > trap Yodoshi. Xena now understands what she has to do to make thinks right. Did Harukata realise the implications of what he was telling her? I think he did, actually. > It is dawn and Xena now dressed in minimal Japanese armor (actually a > samari bikini) is contemplating her own death. She believes this will be > her final battle. XENA Akemi...I know what I must do, but I'm afraid that this day, what's done may not be undone. ... and people complain that the ending came out of nowhere. ;) > In the fog-enshrouded forest, Xena sends Gabrielle and her troops off to > confront some archers she says are in another part of the forest. > Gabrielle goes off in one direction and Xena in another. ... and this was, actually, the end of Part One. Which led to the *very* unusual circumstance for an action series, that the hero didn't get killed cliffhanger style at the *end* of the ep, she got killed at the start of the next. However, I'm pleased you carried on with your account so I'll go with it.... > Xena now alone > buries her armor like she did years ago in a forest outside of Potedeia; > after this day she won 't need them. ... and people complain that the ending came out of nowhere. ;) Didn't that just scream "Full circle"? Actually, that was a most emotional moment for me. There was such an air of finality about it. (And of course it *was* the final ep, and I knew from spoiler leakage, notwithstanding my strongest efforts, that Xena got killed - - though not when, or how, or that it was permanent). Interesting, that she didn't bury the chacky. This is when the drumming started. Very effective, that drumming. > There is a massive explosion. > A great wind knock people down and a mushroom cloud covers the forest - > Xena has set off the first atomic bomb (more or less). Fuel-air explosion, actually. There's no way fissionable materials could have been involved. ;) > Xena now goes into action. From the treetops she shoots arrows into the > opposing troops. Interetingly, this time (for the first time in the series?) Xena shooting a bow looks convincing. Better editing, maybe, so we don't see how slow the arrow is or how slack the bowstring is. Oh, there was one other time they got it right - when Xena shot Callisto in Maternal Instincts. We saw the arrow hit, *then* we saw Xena holding the bow. > She leaps from the trees shooting and then takes on the > troops one on one. She disarms them and kicks their swords into the air; > one barely misses the general, Morimoto. He has had enough. ... the drummers are winding up into a good rhythm..... (A number of these scenes were extras on the DVD, IIRC) > He orders his > archers to fire at Xena. Thousands of arrows come at her and it is > impossible to deflect them all. She is wounded repeatedly. Arrows coming from all directions. It made me wince. Gave me a feeling of wanting to dive into a hole and shut the lid after me. > She manages to > get to a wagon and she is hit in the arm as she lies within it shelters. She hid behind the farm cart then arrows started coming from the other side. Ouch! > Xena is now really peeved. She takes out her sword and begins to fight the > oncoming soldiers. "All right. Now you asked for it". Always the optimist, Xena. ;) The drummers have wound up to full speed by now... > As she exhaustion and blood lost begin to affect her > she cries out to Gabrielle and with a vision of her as inspiration, she > moves through the troops like a lethal grim reaper. Finally Xena has come > to the end of her physical strength. Morimoto appears before her. She > looks at him seeing her death accepting it but still a bit surprised. > Morimoto takes Xena's head. That was a magnificent final battle, IMO. Even if it was one Xena expected to lose. > Well we are taking a break here. This is a good stopping point. The next > time we meet Xena she will be in the land of the dead. The story will > shift and Gabrielle will become a major player in the second part of the > story. Also now is a good time to say farewell to one the Xenaverse's most > interesting characters Young Xena. Hmm, good point, IIRC Young Xena didn't appear in Part 2 at all. All the backstory was completed in Part 1. > This character has always been a remarkable creation. With the story of > her relation with Akemi we see why the character did the things she did > after Chin. Xena meets Akemi after her encounter with La Mao. Xena is > still very much a barbarian - violent, crude and with an adolescent > egotism. I did *love* the egotism evidenced in her encounter with Kao. And at the forge. > Xena has begun to see herself as a just a tad better than Borias. > When she meets Akemi the girl's adoration and praise stokes Xena's > feelings of superiority. Xena however being so self-centered never wonders > why Akemi should admire her - se just takes it as her due. Akemi is > perhaps the first person that seems to admire Xena as a person - not as a > warrior, or as someone to mold, or even someone to sleep with. Akemi > apparently loves Xena for her stillness and her connection to the universe. > Akemi actually courts her with gifts (the katana) Well, *that* gift Xena had to take for herself :) > In the end she has a final failure > when she can't even bring the ashes to the shrine. Xena has found out a > terrible thing - love makes you vulnerable and can cause great pain. Nicely put. And one can see why it had such an impression on Xena. Up until then, Xena had, I think, only had one big failure, and that was Caesar. We don't know quite how she and Lao Ma parted company, probably acrimoniously after she tried to kill Ming junior, but I'm sure she could rationalise that as a difference of opinion with Lao Ma. But Akemi's death put Xena through the emotional wringer. Having to kill Akemi (because Akemi left her no option), then failing utterly to give her the decent burial that was Akemi's last wish - how *do* you make amends to someone who's dead? That would be why Xena was so ready to go to Japa at the mention of Akemi's name, in fact she'd jump at the chance. It also explains why Xena *never* mentioned Akemi to Gabrielle - there are some things too painful to tell anybody without a good reason. > It is > no wonder that the Xena that we meet afterwards in AITST, Past Imperfect, > and The Ring rejects love and uses it only to manipulate. Xena has learned > from Akemi that love should be feared but also that it is powerful weapon. > Xena now begins to reject love and see it as only fit for fools. I'd say that Xena *did* have feelings for Borias, for example. But she didn't trust herself enough to let those feelings express themselves. > Akemi is a strong character - even as a ghost she shows > strength of character. Remember she has served in that teahouse for 36 > years and has never called on Xena for help. She has accepted her > punishment for killing her father and it is only Yodoshi's growing power > that prompts her to call for help. Errrm - "me too". I'm sure she regretted having to deceive and disappoint Xena - even though Xena's motives were not altruistic, certainly not to begin with. And I thought Michelle Ang was perfectly cast in the role. > This episode also has three great set pieces. The first is Xena and > Gabrielle's rescue of Haguchi. The second is Xena's burning of Haguchi 36 > years ago. That scene is scary because of its surreal quality. Xena, > with her short hair, grotesque make-up and gangly appearance, is an > unsettling sight. I remember I actually gasped when I first saw her. Very, very weird. I was riveted to the screen for the entire episode, though. Couldn't wait to see what came next. > The > underscoring is eerie and vaguely romantic as Xena takes a horrific > vengeance on the people who attack her. Here we see the dark madness that > lurks in Xena's soul. Finally we have Xena's final battle. I don't think > we could ask for more - Xena uses all her weapons, chakram, arrows and > finally her sword. She is victorious - she destroys Morimoto's army. It > takes a thousands of arrows to kill Xena - when Xena's head is cut off she > is already dead - she isn't defeated by Morimoto. Her death is not a > defeat just a tactic to get her to the real enemy and the real final > battle. That was, indeed, *the* battle of the series - as it should be. That was the only possible way Xena could die - fighting against overwhelming odds, *and* by a deliberate choice on her part, not a miscalculation. She knew she was going to get killed, that's what she was there for, but being Xena, she wasn't about to just let it happen. This ep was also visually gorgeous. The lighting of the sets - particularly the teahouse - was beautiful. I won't go on about how good Xena looks in a bikini ;) And, Akemi - Michelle Ang - is just naturally photogenic IMO. Some people have that knack. Hudson does. > Well that's it for now. I'll let you digest this much for now. I now can > go watch FIN again - just call me obsessed. No, if you have the time - I'll call you 'lucky' :) cr ========================================================= 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, 26 Jun 2003 08:02:58 -0800 (AKDT) From: KTL Subject: [chakram-refugees] Con 03 Adrienne (Eve) Looking around the audience yesterday and today, I noticed that there was a whole block of folks behind me and to the left who were all wearing black Xena jackets. It was so odd to see so many people all dressed alike and all sitting together in a group. And since they were all in black, I suddenly felt like I was looking at a bunch of nuns. And had a short but scary flashback to being back in Saint Michael's grammar school again. (Why do nuns wear black and white? It's a habit.) Adrienne was filled with vim and vigor and just enough vinegar to make her an acidly delightful mix. She wore a pair of black culottes pants, a white peasant top, boots with thin heels and a bare midriff. I have lots of stuff written down and I believe that I got quite a bit of direct quotes. Where I THINK I know exactly what she said, I'll put it in quotes. If not exact, it should be pretty close to the wording Adrienne used. I did fill in some places where her tone of voice and her gestures helped complete her thoughts beyond what bare words on a page can convey. One of the first things she said was, "Lucy taught me so much." Then she added that Lucy was the center of the show-she influenced everything, how everybody got along. "She's remarkable." Adrienne talked about how Lucy was just so good at fighting. That they'd show her what they wanted her to do once and then she'd go do it. "She'd go off and breast feed and then she'd come back and do a flip". Adrienne said she was excited to be asked back for season six, but then they kept her in that rag thing. "Okay Mom, what'll we do now? Oh wait-let me whiiine a little bit." She explained that in the Eve story line, she was reliving Xena's past. And that Xena was going through it all over again as she watched Eve experience the same things. She talked about a scene where she had to take a punch from Lucy. "Inexplicably, Lucy and I both felt like doing sound effects during the punching scene. So we're both going, 'Pow!' 'Sock 'em!' 'Bop!" She said that "Lucy rocks. That everything is done with a full sense of humor and awareness". "You Are There" was the most fun, hands down that she ever had playing Eve. The script actually had written in it: Eve: What the (bleep) are you trying to say, you (bleeping) (bleep). Adrienne explained, "Just Bleep, bleep, bleep all over the page". So they were rehearsing it, "faking" it in the rehearsals, sticking to the bleeps. Then as they walked around to film it, Adrienne replaced the bleeps with real words. Everybody stopped short and just stared at her with great surprise. "We didn't think you were REALLY going to cuss!" Adrienne praised, "You could not have somebody better to work off than Michael Hurst." She said she turned down the chance to audition for XWP a number of times because she was just too busy. Then one time when she was available, PacRen had a call out to cast a girl who would become an empress and ultimately an arch-enemy of Xena. Adrienne explained, "I was convinced I wouldn't get the job because I looked too much like Lucy." They never mentioned during casting that the "girl" was actually Xena's daughter. Adrienne's first clue that she might be considered for the part was when she walked into the audition room and the person in charge took one look at her and breathed out, "Thank god!" (Note: Adrienne is truly lovely-she's more beautiful in person than she is on screen, I think.) And of course, it all fell into place when Adrienne finally found out that Livia was Xena's grown up daughter. She knew about the show but hadn't watched it. She said that once she started watching it, she really got into it. She said that in order to play the role, she would watch scenes of Lucy and Hudson and pick out pieces of each to use to give Eve characteristics of both of them. (I remember when Livia first aired, how much people talked about how like Callisto Adrienne was. In her stance, in her facial expressions, in her phrasing.) She was asked about future plans and said that she's not interested in directing at this time. She's more interested in eventually becoming a producer. She gets a real rush out of getting talented people together. But she's happy to be an actor for now. Someone asked her about Renee. And she answered, "Renee's awesome! Very cool. Stealthy-that's Renee. Lucy is right there, very creative. Renee is quiet, but working on it. Renee is the single most generous actor I've ever worked with". Adrienne described how during the Haunting of Amphipolis, when Gabrielle was possessed by the demon, Renee was there for every single take, that she was there 100%. Had the contacts in, got herself bound up again, just got fully into the scene to help Adrienne's get her close-ups and reaction shots. "Renee is ideal as a director. She's interested in the technical side and in learning and understanding everything. Three cheers for Renee!" A fan asked how Adrienne would have changed Eve to make her more interesting. "In a nutshell, I would have made her smarter. Livia was too smart to become Eve." She talked about how Eve CONSTANTLY got into trouble. How she was always interrupting Xena. "She's got stuff to do. She doesn't have time to take care of me! When Eve comes around, there's always loose ends to tie up. Xena doesn't have time for that." (This cracked me up-like what schedule was Xena tied to, what was so important that she couldn't drop it to go rescue her child? I don't think Xena's quest for redemption was exactly a nine to five job. She didn't punch no clocks when she woke up. Besides, even if she was a clock-puncher, going off to take care of Eve would surely be allowed under "Family Leave", wouldn't it?) Adrienne apparently wasn't the only one to feel like this, that Eve always meant "trouble". (Aw, just like her dad-"Here comes trouble!" She's just a little chippet off the old block.) She talked about Xena and Eve's farewell scene in whichever Amazon ep that was in season six. I get those season six Amazon eps mixed up-I just can't keep them straight-they were not very good eps to me. I'm talking about the one where Eve departs for somewhere else. Anyway, they shot the scene and were just about done. Then as Eve started to walk away, Lucy suddenly yelled to her, "And stay outta trouble, WILLYA!" They obviously cut Lucy's ad-lib out of the sound track, but they kept the reactions of the actors in. You can see Renee looking at Lucy and struggling against this weird smiley face, just trying her darndest not to burst out laughing while Lucy stands there holding her hand over her face, hiding whatever reaction she's having. I was glad that Adrienne told this story, because I've always wondered over what the heck was going on there. It looked to me like Xena was in pain as any mother would be when her child informs her she's going thousands of miles away and yet Gabrielle is obviously finding the whole situation hilarious. I figured it was just one more instance of Gabrielle being the evil stepmother, delighting in Xena's obnoxious kid FINALLY getting lost. But no, it was just Lucy being a smart aleck. Then Adrienne talked about another of those Amazon eps. It was written that Gabrielle had to break a staff to fight Varia. "If she wins, that's cool. If not, we're screwed." Well, Renee couldn't break the staff. And the camera keeps rolling. "So Renee starts cracking it against the ground. I try to help her by hopping on it", but no luck. I believe she said that finally the director yelled cut. (And presumably the staff was declared the winner in that little skirmish.) At one point Adrienne was talking about Lucy and Renee and just said, "Love them, love them, love them." Adrienne has talked in the past about how she really tried to get Rob to let Eve be just a little bit bad or at least impatient or something-not be just such a wingey goodie-two shoes all the time. But NOOOOOO--he wanted Eve to always be perfectly good. SOOOO boring... Adrienne said that in season six she really didn't do much more than whine and pray. "By the Haunting of Amphipolis, I'd show up in the morning for work. The Assistant Director would say, "Ahh okay... Uh...go pray." And she talked about the endless repetition of the line, "In the name of Eli and all the powers of heaven--I command this evil presence to be cast out!" Then she shook her head and said, "C'mon---after a week, if you haven't gotten the demon out by screaming at him, it's just not gonna happen." She said that she, Lucy and Renee all laughed so much over the constant "In the name of Eli..." wail that Rob actually asked them, "You do understand this isn't a joke. Right?" Adrienne also talked about how "Livia was like 20 pounds bigger than Eve". And Adrienne would be wondering "Is it salt?" (Going for the "water retention" defense, apparently.) Then she said in an irritated tone. "Scream-Pray. Scream-Pray. Scream-Pray." She told the Assistant Director she had a brainstorm---"I can scream my prayer!" A fan asked her to do the Eve yell. Her reply was, "I said I wouldn't do it anymore. Over 20 people came up and told me I did it wrong last time. Can THEY know it better than ME? Wouldn't you give me the benefit of the doubt in this?" (Fans--gotta love 'em) She said they'd tried to come up with a hybrid of Lucy's "yodel" and Hudson's screams. "So I did this kind of 'Yahhhhh-AHHH!' It was kind of a yodel and squeak." (Editorial note: "Yodel and Squeak"--Sounds like some kind of British breakfast dish, don't' ya think?) She DID do it, finally. Happily, most of us cheered her. Someone asked about why Eve wasn't in the ending. And Adrienne said that Eve always created unfinished business-and that wouldn't work in an ending ep. Adrienne talked about feeling hopeful about the presentation of women in the media. "There's some good TV shows coming out-female detectives, CSI type stuff." She talked about how "In the industry the feedback you get is always peripheral." How they don't exactly assess you but instead they assess things they can measure. They are looking at things like low ratings. Or that a show didn't sell. She said, "This (appearing at a con) is personal. This experience is what it's all about. Direct feedback. What you like, what you don't." "The crappiest show ever could have great ratings. And so they'll say, 'You're doing a great job'. Then you appear in an excellent show but it gets bad ratings." And so they think you're not doing a good job. "And no one has ever seen (the excellent show)." I believe that she did talk about that show she'd been in that didn't last very long. That she thought it was a very good show but it just didn't catch on. I THINK she talked about it being moved around in time slots? (Shades of XWP...) She talked about going to the conventions. "Everybody said, 'You've GOT to do one'. And it's cool, this kind of thing is great. It's tangible. On an ego level, it's so nice to know it worked. To know that the show wasn't totally cheesy. That you keep it and think it over-this is REALLY cool." "Direct feedback particularly is cool, because the show has ended. But WOW-people still care! There's so much on TV. TV is a manic thing. And you still focus on us. You're always grateful to us for showing up. We're AMAZED and grateful to YOU for showing up!" Then she added, "But I never want to wear that green rag again-C'mon now!" I believe that someone asked her about her plans for the future. She talked about being in a girl singing group, an urban pop group and really loving it. "But acting feeds me more." (Hmmmm. You know when she first said that I thought she meant it kind of idealistically-like acting is closer to her heart or a more emotional journey for her. Now I think maybe she meant it literally-that people pay her to act but not to sing. Hey-just like Jay! Grin.) She talked about becoming a producer again. "There are so many talented people. And there's so many...(laugh) untalented people. Untalented people are like jamming the roads out here." Then she smiled at us and said, "That was a really vague non-answer." (Adrienne has a really delightful giggle.) She talked about a girl friend of hers who writes great song lyrics. "Like, 'I won't pretend to be needy just because it turns you on.'" Then she sang a little bit for us and she also has a lovely singing voice. And once again I regret so much that they didn't have more singing on the show. What a great scene it could have been to have Lucy, Darian and Adrienne sing something together, these three generations of conflicted over their dark pasts mother/daughter/granddaughter murderers. Kind of like the three tenors, except they'd be "The three killers". I think that would have made an excellent scene. I really enjoyed Adrienne's appearance this time. She was much more mature, relaxed and self-confident on stage than I'd ever seen her be before. She appeared alone this time, the first time I've ever seen her not paired with someone else--usually Tim (Eli) or William Gregory Lee (Virgil). I liked how she was so honest and talked about the problems she had with the presentation of the character and her talking about the discussions she had with the directors and the executive producer to try to make her character more interesting and well-rounded. (Even though it didn't work-sadly.) I like how she's so open about the trials of trying to find work in "the industry". And I love how she's another one who loved working on the show and who appreciates how much we all love it. Still. When we went up for autographs later I told her that I really enjoyed her presentation and how much more mature, relaxed and self-confident she was on stage now. And she looked at me and said, "Oh yeah?" in a very teenaged, totally "yeah, whatever" tone and showed a real 'tude on her face. And I thought, "If she was MY daughter, I'd smack her in the back of the head." But I have to admit, THAT was a good representation of how Xena/Callisto's daughter would react to fans at a con. KT Next Costume competition, wrap up, fans then and now and the day after... ========================================================= 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, 26 Jun 2003 19:34:38 EDT From: Xwpacolyte@aol.com Subject: [chakram-refugees] Renee on Renee's Birthplace Apparently, Renee Zellweger doesn't think too much of ROC's birthplace. This from the June 8, 2003 issue of Parade Magazine: >>Q. Someone told me that Renee Zellweger once spelled her name Zellweiger. Why did she change it? -- Brian Forman, New York, N.Y. A. She didn't. The actress was born Renee Kathleen Zellweger on April 25, 1969, in Houston. At 8, she moved to Katy, Tex., with her Swiss-born father and Norwegian-born mother. Zellweger once described the region where she was reared as full of "pig dung, rice fields and cowboys. It wasn't hard to leave." So she skedaddled with her real name. << XWPacolyte Cupid and Psyche... Antony and Cleopatra... Xena and Gabrielle. ========================================================= 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, 26 Jun 2003 19:51:27 EDT From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Con 03 Adrienne (Eve) In a message dated 6/26/03 11:06:34 AM Central Daylight Time, fsktl@aurora.uaf.edu writes: Looking around the audience yesterday and today, I noticed that there was a whole block of folks behind me and to the left who were all wearing black Xena jackets. >> So *that's* where you are and haven't been able to KEEP UP? Okay. You're off the hook. This time. <> Groan. Actually, not being Catholic, I thought more of a wake -- you know, funeral. << She talked about how Eve CONSTANTLY got into trouble. How she was always interrupting Xena. "She's got stuff to do. She doesn't have time to take care of me! When Eve comes around, there's always loose ends to tie up. Xena doesn't have time for that." (This cracked me up-like what schedule was Xena tied to, what was so important that she couldn't drop it to go rescue her child? I don't think Xena's quest for redemption was exactly a nine to five job. She didn't punch no clocks when she woke up. Besides, even if she was a clock-puncher, going off to take care of Eve would surely be allowed under "Family Leave", wouldn't it?) >> Oh, I love this! I wasn't that fond of the Livia/Eve character, but now I do have some sympathy for her as the daughter of a driven overachiever. From her perspective, her own trials and tribulations must've seemed insignificant compared to Xena's. Adrienne certainly played Livia with a lot of resentment, so maybe that was part of it. << Anyway, they shot the scene and were just about done. Then as Eve started to walk away, Lucy suddenly yelled to her, "And stay outta trouble, WILLYA!" They obviously cut Lucy's ad-lib out of the sound track, but they kept the reactions of the actors in.>> Hmmm, I believe they kept that in. At least, I thought I remembered hearing it and wondering if it was an ad lib. << I was glad that Adrienne told this story, because I've always wondered over what the heck was going on there. It looked to me like Xena was in pain as any mother would be when her child informs her she's going thousands of miles away and yet Gabrielle is obviously finding the whole situation hilarious. I figured it was just one more instance of Gabrielle being the evil stepmother, delighting in Xena's obnoxious kid FINALLY getting lost. But no, it was just Lucy being a smart aleck. >> You would go there. I did think it was a spontaneous real-life reaction, but that Renee made it seem more like Gabrielle was affectionately amused by Xena's uncharacteristic emotion. I did think Lucy was covering up laughter, but made it seem like Xena was moved by possibly not seeing her daughter again. SOME of us try to see the best in these things, you know. << At one point Adrienne was talking about Lucy and Renee and just said, "Love them, love them, love them." >> Woman's got good taste, that's for sure. Maybe I'll rewatch a couple of her eps, see if I can drum up more concern for her this time. Heh. << Adrienne said that in season six she really didn't do much more than whine and pray. "By the Haunting of Amphipolis, I'd show up in the morning for work. The Assistant Director would say, "Ahh okay... Uh...go pray." >> I do feel sorry for Adrienne, if not for Livia/Eve. << She said that she, Lucy and Renee all laughed so much over the constant "In the name of Eli..." wail that Rob actually asked them, "You do understand this isn't a joke. Right?" >> Bwahahahahaha! It's clear who was more in touch with the fans on that one. << Adrienne also talked about how "Livia was like 20 pounds bigger than Eve". And Adrienne would be wondering "Is it salt?" (Going for the "water retention" defense, apparently.) >> She thought the armor made her look heavier, like it did Lucy? << A fan asked her to do the Eve yell. Her reply was, "I said I wouldn't do it anymore. Over 20 people came up and told me I did it wrong last time. Can THEY know it better than ME? Wouldn't you give me the benefit of the doubt in this?" (Fans--gotta love 'em) >> And we know who wasn't in touch with the fans on that one. << She said they'd tried to come up with a hybrid of Lucy's "yodel" and Hudson's screams. "So I did this kind of 'Yahhhhh-AHHH!' It was kind of a yodel and squeak." (Editorial note: "Yodel and Squeak"--Sounds like some kind of British breakfast dish, don't' ya think?) >> I believed it's served during Wimbledon. << She said, "This (appearing at a con) is personal. This experience is what it's all about. Direct feedback. What you like, what you don't." >> That's sad, actually, which is one reason so many actors prefer live theater. << Then she sang a little bit for us and she also has a lovely singing voice. And once again I regret so much that they didn't have more singing on the show. What a great scene it could have been to have Lucy, Darian and Adrienne sing something together, these three generations of conflicted over their dark pasts mother/daughter/granddaughter murderers.>> Yes, I would've liked that too. But it seems the more musical shows didn't go over well. It amazes me that "Lyre" got such low ratings, if only because it showcased the actors' other talents. But then I thought the story aspects were fun too, which apparently others did not. << I liked how she was so honest and talked about the problems she had with the presentation of the character and her talking about the discussions she had with the directors and the executive producer to try to make her character more interesting and well-rounded. (Even though it didn't work-sadly.) >> I also thought Livia/Eve was never used to the character's true dramatic potential, but it probably presented a more human drama than they wanted to do at the time, given the grand ideas and adventures planned. Still, accidental as it was, I'm glad we got that generational look at mothers and daughters, as well as finally showing the birthing process as "natural" even in Xena's extraordinary life. -- 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. ========================================================= ------------------------------ End of chakram-refugees-digest V3 #177 **************************************