From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V4 #37 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 Tuesday, February 10 2004 Volume 04 : Number 037 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [chakram-refugees] [hudsonleick] Hudson and Yoga Retreat (fwd) [Sarah Ann] Re: [chakram-refugees] re:potential Xena movie [Junejanu@aol.com] [chakram-refugees] 2004 Convention New Piccies ["Creation (Sharon Delaney] RE: [chakram-refugees] re:potential Xena movie ["bookdaft" Subject: [chakram-refugees] [hudsonleick] Hudson and Yoga Retreat (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 16:54:33 -0500 (EST) From: malaurie@twinight.org Reply-To: hudsonleick@yahoogroups.com To: hudsonleick@yahoogroups.com Subject: [hudsonleick] Hudson and Yoga Retreat Hi Everyone, Due to the overwhelming demand for information on Hudson's yoga retreats and web site at last weekend convention, she requested that I pass on some information. The Healing Heart Yoga, Inc (run by Hudson and staff) will have a retreat in Colorado Spring from Thursday August 12 through Sunday August 15, 2004, and another one in Germantown, Maryland/WellSpring from Wednesday January 5 through Sunday January 9, 2005. The web site shoud be updated with registration and prices information by the end of next week. Please feel free to pass this email on to anyone who might be interested. Thanks. Namaste, Malaurie www.healingheartyoga.com Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hudsonleick/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: hudsonleick-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ========================================================= 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: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 12:45:22 EST From: Junejanu@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] re:potential Xena movie What I don't understand is why TPTB want to do a movie, looking at it from a _strictly_ economic point of view. While there is a core of HCNB's, it is relatively small. And even at its highest, the ratings for the show were in the 6-7 range (which I believe translates to 6 mil - 7 mil viewers). IMO, I cannot imagine a Xena movie putting enough fannies into the theater seats to recover the investors' funds, let alone make a profit. Especially when a production budget of $60 mil was mentioned in the past. Just my opinion, of course. June In a message dated 2/9/2004 12:16:52 AM Eastern Standard Time, IfeRae@aol.com writes: In a message dated 2/8/2004 12:03:56 AM Pacific Standard Time, Wizdym4@aol.com writes: > Also, the 25 year leap into season 6 also hamstrings the potentials > plots, UNLESS, thru the magic of Xenaverse, she is transcended back in time, > which > has, however, mind-boggling implications...lol, what else is new? > In one of the fan newsletters (#25), Paul Robert Coyle talks about everything they had to leave out of "Send in the Clones." He had some interesting ideas for X&G bumping around in the modern world. Heh, such movie could be both a clip show of old eps and avoid 'splaining what happened after the finale. I wasn't holding my breath about a movie, but Fugate's remarks do suggest the idea isn't as dead in the water as I thought. Plus, now that a little time has passed (and Lucy and ROC have gotten to do a few other things), I'm finding myself more open to a movie. - -- 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: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 16:49:47 -0800 From: "Creation (Sharon Delaney)" Subject: [chakram-refugees] 2004 Convention New Piccies For those who have been asking, I threw together a couple pages showing all the new Xena/Gabrielle/guest photos we had at the convention. You can link to them from the fan club page at www.creationent.com/outback/fanclubs Also Renee's "orange bush" candid shots and her new agency photo. And the photos we did of Lucia's artwork. I'll put the new t-shirts up tomorrow. Happy viewing Sharon ========================================================= 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: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 20:51:27 -0500 From: "bookdaft" Subject: RE: [chakram-refugees] re:potential Xena movie I can't answer for Rob Tapert or Universal with any authority except what has been stated at the last two annual Xena conventions. In 2003 at Pasadena, Lucy, Renee and Rob all stood on stage and said they wanted to do a movie and were working toward that goal. Universal apparently wants to do the film enough that it is willing to commit $60 mil or so on the project. I think they are well aware of the pitfalls. They know they have to broaden the interest in a movie so that it appeals to the fan and nonfan. Certainly Katherine Fugate made statements to that effect. And as I have posted here or elsewhere, sometimes studios will commit to a somewhat project that will be financially shaky in theaters to reap better gains in the DVD market. All of these things may be coming into play. I certainly don't dispute that the show's fanbase has shrunk, if Burbank is any indication. I would estimate there were between 500 and 1000 people attending (that is a VERY rough estimate). Whether that is a sign of loss of the fanbase or poor economic times, I don't know. Nevertheless, attendance for these shindigs is way down. bd - -----Original Message----- From: owner-chakram-refugees@smoe.org [mailto:owner-chakram-refugees@smoe.org]On Behalf Of Junejanu@aol.com Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 12:45 PM To: chakram-refugees@smoe.org Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] re:potential Xena movie What I don't understand is why TPTB want to do a movie, looking at it from a _strictly_ economic point of view. While there is a core of HCNB's, it is relatively small. And even at its highest, the ratings for the show were in the 6-7 range (which I believe translates to 6 mil - 7 mil viewers). IMO, I cannot imagine a Xena movie putting enough fannies into the theater seats to recover the investors' funds, let alone make a profit. Especially when a production budget of $60 mil was mentioned in the past. Just my opinion, of course. June In a message dated 2/9/2004 12:16:52 AM Eastern Standard Time, IfeRae@aol.com writes: In a message dated 2/8/2004 12:03:56 AM Pacific Standard Time, Wizdym4@aol.com writes: > Also, the 25 year leap into season 6 also hamstrings the potentials > plots, UNLESS, thru the magic of Xenaverse, she is transcended back in time, > which > has, however, mind-boggling implications...lol, what else is new? > In one of the fan newsletters (#25), Paul Robert Coyle talks about everything they had to leave out of "Send in the Clones." He had some interesting ideas for X&G bumping around in the modern world. Heh, such movie could be both a clip show of old eps and avoid 'splaining what happened after the finale. I wasn't holding my breath about a movie, but Fugate's remarks do suggest the idea isn't as dead in the water as I thought. Plus, now that a little time has passed (and Lucy and ROC have gotten to do a few other things), I'm finding myself more open to a movie. - -- 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. ========================================================= _____________________________________________________ This message scanned for viruses by CoreComm ========================================================= 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: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 20:56:47 -0600 From: "Laconia" Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Adventures in the Sin Trade This is all enormously interesting. I wish I'd known it when I first saw Sin Trade. I look forward to watching that ep again with all of this knowledge under my belt. Thanks for the education! ****** - ----- Original Message ----- From: "KTL" To: Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 2:28 AM Subject: [chakram-refugees] Adventures in the Sin Trade > I decided since we were talking so much about Sin Trade that I'd send over > my review of it. > > I think this was the first full review of an ep I ever did. At that time, > believe it or not, I thought it would be terribly arrogant and egotistical > of me to think that people might want to read my reviews of eps. It > probably is, I was probably right, but here it is anyway. > > Oh, I wrote this one specifically because when it first aired a LOT of > people were making fun of it for being so over the top. They laughed over > Xena offing the horse, they made fun of the costumes, they joked about the > spirit trances and the flying through the trees. And all of it was valid. > (I suspect Rob had done some researching when he and Lucy went on that > trip to Turkey in 1998 or so.) > > I was an Arctic archeologist for 12 years and have been to Siberia, seen > many shaman displays in museums over there and have met shamans in > Yakutsk. > > One was the Recreational Director on a cruise we took on the Lena River, > organizing the fun events at night. BUT when we climbed to the top of the > Lena Cliffs, she was the one who made a fire and fed it with vodka, meat > and bread and chanted prayers about how the grass was so glad to see us, > how the trees were bending over to welcome us and how blessed the rocks > felt that we had come to visit them. > > Anyway: > > > I found Adventures in the Sin Trade to be extraordinary television. The > story was fabulous in all senses of the word. The journey of the spiritual > quest of many indigenous religions was well represented. The lack of > dialogue and reliance on images to tell the story is film-making in its > purest form. The actors were good, to very good, to exceptional, which is > not always true [grin] of XWP, as we all know. I thought Lucy Lawless was > amazing. > > The research undertaken by the writing staff was scholarly and valid. They > did a great job of recreating on American TV, within the confines of > commercial network requirements and restraints, the world of Northern > shamans and shamanesses. (I learned something new here: I had never heard > the term shamaness, but when I did very minimal looking around on the > Internet, I found the term Shamanka, which is how the Russian language > feminizes "Shaman". Whoo-hoo!) > > Xena is looking for Gabrielle's soul and is essentially on a form of > "vision quest". To achieve the vision, one must leave the body and commune > with the spirits. One way to activate this inwardly directed communication > is to be both physically and emotionally exhausted. Xena undertakes a > far-ranging physical journey and on the way begins to withdraw within > herself, divesting herself of the trappings of the modern world, putting > on the skins of animals, chanting, and making rhythmic, ritualistic > gestures to entice the attention of the spirits. > > Xena retaining her sword during this process was, therefore, extremely > jarring to me, as it did not fit with her attempt to be one with the > natural world. (Perhaps this is why she did not draw it immediately while > fighting the berserker?) > > The camera work at the beginning when Xena is riding around the > countryside, confronting Hades, and then starting her vision quest, > consists of short, zoomed in, detailed pictures, scattered, and isolated > shots focused on particular bits of faces, clothing, and body parts. This > generates a gut feeling for portraying the disintegration of the person, > Xena the Warrior, and her reintegration into Xena the Shaman. We see > double visions of her as she spins inward: "My mind has lost its center... > turning, turning... it can't hold". > > The rituals performed and the powers of the shamaness were correctly > portrayed, at least as presented in the writings of the white European > males (mostly) who documented the role and duties of the shamans. Alti's > costume was absolutely traditional. Like shaman's costumes exhibited in > museums, Alti's was dark and somber of tone. It also had leather thongs > swinging hoofs, teeth, claws, and shells, which are things that would > rattle and clank and bang as the shamaness passed. This would both > announce her presence and warn people to behave appropriately around this > formidable sacred person. > > As Xena searches inwardly to become a shaman, we see that her hair becomes > matted, and her standards of personal hygiene drop a few levels. This > "wild person" look, a "heaviness" and "otherness" of appearance, is > another noteworthy hallmark of the shaman persona. Some texts mention the > wild, piercing look of the eyes too. Perhaps this was what they were after > with that rather enthusiastically applied mascara. (Either that or Lawless > helped Stansfield put hers on.) > > Some shamans were good, some were bad. Shamans were sort of the priests > and priestesses of animism but without the stratified hierarchy and > institutionalized structure of industrialized societies' priesthoods. > Shamans communicated with the spirits of all things. They interceded in > the great struggles over and between souls - all souls, including the > souls of animals, people, blades of grass, rocks, water. Everything is > alive and has a soul in most Shamanistic religions. And of course, the > reason Xena wanted to become a shaman was so that she might commune with > Gabrielle's soul. > > Shamans got their strength from their alliances with souls. All shamans > had their animal "familiars", and these souls helped them in their work. > Much of their work was as a sort of "soul warrior", fighting to restore or > destroy balance to souls. Xena has always been a warrior, and, therefore > this duty was not foreign to her. > > When souls were out of balance, people got ill and would hire a shaman to > try to battle the spirit (or possibly the other shaman) who had caused the > imbalance. This was reflected in the scene where Alti was teasing the > spirits out of the fire and sending them to make war on Xena and her band > of lost girls. > > People also relied upon shamans to try to tease out everyday information. > Such as for example, why hunting was bad. The shaman would travel to talk > to the spirits of the animals and ask what the problem was. When hunting > rituals were performed correctly, when everyone in the group acted > appropriately and respectfully, the animals would give up their souls to > people and allow people to capture and devour them. In so doing, the > animal would provide a way for the people to continue to live, and the > soul of the animal was then free to be reborn. > > This shamanistic tie-in with animals was also vividly portrayed in this > episode. Xena was dressed in animal skins. She drank animal blood to enter > the land of the dead. Later, when Xena had the Amazons erect protections > against the influence of Alti, she had them hang animal parts in the > trees. She anointed the young women with animal blood and fed the skulls > blood also. She was concentrating the power of the souls of the animals to > help her overcome the power of Alti. > > Shamans also used rattles, chants, dances, and gestures to perform their > rituals. Lucy's stylized gestures were appropriately evocative of this > tradition. Physical exhaustion to induce a trance was shown again when > Xena and the Amazons performed their religious dancing until they > collapsed. > > One of the defining powers of northern shamans is their ability to fly. > They regularly go into trances and physically fly to the moon. In Alaska, > when the USA landed on the moon, some of the Native elders thought the > excitement was extreme. They knew people had been going to the moon since > time began. The aerial battle at the end of Sin Trade is, therefore, > absolutely appropriate and genuine. In fact, the ability of the shaman to > fly is expected and customary in this culture. It is appropriate to use > this skill as a way to settle the question of who is the most powerful > shamaness. > > One of the neatest touches, I felt, was having the new shamaness be named > "Yakut". Yakutia is one of the Independent Republics of the Federation of > Russian States. It is located in the heart of Siberia and is a place where > shamanism is still practiced. (Could be a wild coincidence, but wouldn't > that be just too odd?) > > In Yakutia, horses are sacred but selected ones are sacrificed during > important solstice rituals. The camp site where Xena builds the sweat hut > has totems shaped just like the ones used in Siberia to tie the horses to > during these festivals. > > Information on shamans is neither conclusive nor extensive, (compared to > the information available on Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, for > example), due to post-contact religious suppression by Caucasian invaders. > Still, I think the research/writing staff did a great job with recreating > extant knowledge and presenting it on commercial TV. > > In Season Four, Xena will be observing and participating in several > "alternative religions". How appropriate that the first Season Four > episode examined tribal religions, the most ancient of them all. > I loved that this was sooooo different than what we are used to seeing. > There was nothing to remind us of Xena and her world: no Ares, no Argo, no > half-naked, familiar Mediterranean Amazons (outside of the sweat lodge), > and no Gabrielle. This was like a whole new series, and I enjoyed that > tremendously. (Although by Sin Trade 2, it was kind of nice to see Xena as > Xena again in those flash-forwards.) > > Someone complained that the blood showing on Xena's palms was incorrect, > since when people are crucified, the nails are placed through the wrists. > This is technically correct, however, the Stigmata of the Catholic saints > always appeared on the palms. (Who knew?) > > People are also saying that this episode proves that Xena lied when she > said that she did not kill women. I think other warriors are not included > in that protected category. Besides, commanders can always make rules, but > soldiers do not always follow them. Having that rule protecting civilians > in a time like that, proposed by a ruthless warlord such as Xena, is an > amazing concession. > > On the loose ends, the "dropping" of the characters of Cyan and the little > lost girls, I feel sure we shall be seeing them again. Perhaps Xena is > recruiting souls for the XWP "Armageddon", the climatic battle between > good and evil and the twilight of the Greek gods. > > > KT > ========================================================= > 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. > ========================================================= ========================================================= 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: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 00:15:45 EST From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Xena 3rd season DVD reviews In a message dated 2/8/2004 11:35:57 PM Pacific Standard Time, fsktl@aurora.uaf.edu writes: > I'd like to hear ROC and LL talk about "Devi" because it's > >such a good example of the role reversals (i.e., Lucy/Xena reacting to > >ROC/Gabs) indicative of S4, > > > You know, you've said this before. I don't see that very much. Xena was > never going anywhere specific anyway. And Gabrielle didn't take them to > India on a spiritual quest. In India they found Eli and Xena found Krishna > but that was after they got there. > What I meant by that was more the interpersonal aspect Usually, Gabs looks at Xena, especially about decisions, while Xena looks outward as she's thinking. In Paradise, Crusader, Devi, etc., Xena looked at Gabs a lot or let her take the lead, because of the WP's mid-life crisis, concern about the vision and Gabs' greater maturity. In the past, I'd see Xena looking at Gabs more as a parent or older sister. In the eps I mentioned, she's studying Gabs more as an equal, as someone with an inner life, not sure whether to step in, back off or leave for good. I felt Lucy reacted more to ROC because of all that, which is the "role reversal" I meant. - -- 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: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 00:15:43 EST From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Xena 3rd season DVD reviews In a message dated 2/9/2004 12:53:07 AM Pacific Standard Time, cr@orcon.net.nz writes: > think > >she'd have great questions for both TJ and Lucy. Her interviewing them > >would certainly be a fresher approach than the either the talking head or > >giggle fest versions, though I ain't complaining about any chances to hear > >backstory from Xenastaff. > > -- Ife > > Yeah, me too. > > When you say 'interviewing' d'you mean a formal interview or d'you mean as a > > commentary track? (which is the version I favour). > Could be a combination, in that whoever's involved can react as they wish on a commentary track, but with the understanding that ROC may pose some questions to them. - -- 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: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 00:15:44 EST From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Quest [was: Punchlines] In a message dated 2/9/2004 12:01:58 AM Pacific Standard Time, fsktl@aurora.uaf.edu writes: > CR said > > >> > >>I think it goes to show that a large part of my attraction to the show is > >>not only because of LL's acting skills, but because of the iconic nature > >>of the character. I *loved* BC being X and ROC being X almost as much as > >>I enjoyed LL being X. >> > Ife responded: > >Yes, I like that as well, now especially. In fact, I said to KT that I'm > >seeing Xena in new ways by doing it more through the eyes of other > characters. > >KT didn't seem to be buying. > > > > > Show's called Xena. And Lucy plays her. >> LOL! See what I mean? > > But the best thing of all about it? Lucy was back in her Xena togs for > the first time all season. YES! >> Yep, that, too. Lucy really gave it an, "I'm ba-ack" umph, when she hurtled into view in her old outfit. - -- 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: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 00:15:46 EST From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Xena 3rd season DVD reviews In a message dated 2/8/2004 11:10:38 PM Pacific Standard Time, cr@orcon.net.nz writes: > Some background would help fill in the picture for us of what the cast & > crew went through. I think some of that could be very illuminating. Like, > > in the 'deer river' shot, was it raining all day so they *had* to film in > the > rain, or did T J decide the rain added some 'atmosphere'? And how did they > > get the camera to do a full circle round 'Xena' as she was dancing in the > rain without the crew getting in shot? (I *think* it's because the camera > pans down at one critical moment, but I'm not sure. Maybe the crew was > hiding behind the bushes ;). Come to that, how did they all get there? - > there's no road, at least not any more, did they all wade through the icy > cold stream and walk half a mile or did a chopper drop them all there and > come back for them later? > Okay, I wouldn't mind that on a commentary devoted to production issues. They had a little of that on the director's DVD in Best Buy's season 1. It was indeed illuminating. There are just so many acting and story issues to deal with, that I'd hate to see most of the air time taken up with what you mention. If it could be integrated into discussion about how it influenced the performance, I'd be okay with that. - -- 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 V4 #37 *************************************