From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V4 #62 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, March 2 2004 Volume 04 : Number 062 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [chakram-refugees] Lord of the Rings [Lilli Sprintz ] Re: [chakram-refugees] LOTR wins 11 out of 11 - and all NZ gets thanked! [KTL ] Re: [chakram-refugees] More XWP Inventions (was Re: Lucy TV Appearances) [cr ] Re: [chakram-refugees] Re: CNN.com article on Dickson [cr ] Re: [chakram-refugees] Ngila!!! [cr ] Re: [chakram-refugees] LOTR wins 11 out of 11 - and all NZ gets thanked! [cr (by way of meredith ) Subject: [chakram-refugees] Lord of the Rings I suppose most of you know by now that Lord of the Rings cleaned up the oscars tonight in the States. Wow. I lost count. But they equaled the highest number of academy awards ever received by any other movie, which were Titanic, and Ben Hur (which I grew up with). Including best picture. And I was pleased as punch to see that Steven Spielberg got to hand out the final award for best picture to Peter Jackson. Was fun, finally seeing what Ngila Dickson looked like. I was watching the awards, and waiting expectantly to see if she won, when a friend I rarely talk with called, who happens to be a Xena fan, and she turned on her tv set and we got to watch Dickson win and get the award. Congratulations to all of you in New Zealand for the wonderful film industry, and the chance to see your country finally noticed! Also, it was fun and great to see Keisha Castle-Hughes there as one of the best actress nominees. If I had been there and won best actress, i would have dragged that young woman up onto the stage with me, to give her the attention she deserved for her acting in Whale Rider, which I just saw last week, finally, on video. I don't buy movies often, but that is one I am getting. So, according to Billy Crystal, nearly everyone in New Zealand has been thanked : ), and he (Billy Crystal) has received a personal invitiation from Peter Jackson to come there and make his own film. That was after Crystal started to make jokes about how many New Zealanders were winning and how many people there were being thanked ! Lilli ========================================================= 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, 29 Feb 2004 21:18:17 -0900 (AKST) From: KTL Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] LOTR wins 11 out of 11 - and all NZ gets thanked! On Mon, 1 Mar 2004, Sojourner wrote: > .. Except me, unbelievably! > That's what you get for moving away. 11 out of 11! Whoooooo! snip snip > > > Kiwis rock sometimes. Peter Jackson is such a scruff. Love that about him. I just caught a replay glimpse of him on the news. I was amazed he wore a tie. Did he wear his ubiquitious shorts or did he have long pants on? > 0517 in the AM - blowing off work tomorrow... > Ah, the infamous 24 hour post Oscar flu. (Aka, TITFHPOF) Go to bed, take two meetings, and call me in the morning. KT > Sojourner ========================================================= 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, 29 Feb 2004 21:17:54 -1000 (HST) From: "Jackie M. Young" Subject: [chakram-refugees] Waggling ;) [was: Lucy TV Appearances] On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 16:28:13 +1300, cr wrote: >so I waited until one of their owners showed up, >borrowed his key, unlocked the trunk with the 'waggle' technique, and I >was mobile again. ) > >"I have many skills" - cr desperately trying to pretend he's On Topic >;) - --*Awww*.....just admit it, Thel--you're a "waggler"!! ;=) You should write a book--"Confessions of a Car Waggler". ;=) LOL - --Jackie ****************************************************** * Proud to have the same birthday as Lucy Lawless! * * * * 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, 29 Feb 2004 13:59:43 +1300 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] CNN.com article on Dickson On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 12:47, IfeRae@aol.com wrote: > The U.S. press has been making quite a big deal about NZ's new status in > the film industry. They refer back to a couple of other movies shot there > (e.g., The Piano). They talk about how the landscape itself has become so > important in "fantasy" films, as opposed to CGI -created or enhanced > scenes. I keep waiting for them to mention Herc/Xena and the tremendous > influence those shows had in developing and exposing benefits to this > point. Very few media stories do more than give Herc/Xena passing mention > as being filmed in NZ, if they mention the shows at all. > > I've read comments from Lucy about how proud she is of Rob's contribution > to all that, how frustrating it is that he doesn't get more credit. I > wonder if it's snobbishness, ignorance or simply the assumption that that's > not "news." > > -- Ife Well, for a number of years, Pacific Renaissance virtually *was* the New Zealand film industry, I think. I think most people here know it, even if it isn't noticed overseas. People have short memories. 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: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 15:01:56 +1300 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] More XWP Inventions (was Re: Lucy TV Appearances) On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 12:47, IfeRae@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 2/27/2004 8:49:37 PM Pacific Standard Time, > > cr@orcon.net.nz writes: > > Another occasion I locked the keys of my wife's Ford Escort in the trunk, > > in > > a hospital car park. There were a few other Fords in the car park - > > Cortinas and Escorts - so I waited until one of their owners showed up, > > borrowed his key, unlocked the trunk with the 'waggle' technique, and I > > was mobile again. ) > > > > "I have many skills" - cr desperately trying to pretend he's On Topic > > ;) > > Awww, why bother? We're so far OT these days, the XWP discussions have > become OT. > > However, because it's fun trying make OT relevant, I must say your "waggle" > technique for picking locks does have precedence on XWP, though our girls > usually didn't have benefit of an actual key. I believe Gabs used the > technique (with a knife?) early on to free the girls in Ties. I seem to recall that, at the start of Return of Callisto, Callisto, after lifting the guard's dagger, used it to open the lock. Of course, those early locks were probably fairly primitive in their workings. > Xena, > course, usually preferred the less painstaking "smash or cut" method. I do > recall her using the "waggle" (with a skeleton finger bone?) Yeah. Skeleton key. Nice visual joke. > when she was > in the body of that little girl. I'm not counting Autolycus, since he was > a "professional." > > -- 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, 1 Mar 2004 20:40:20 +1300 From: cr Subject: [chakram-refugees] OT: LOTR and Oscars Just watching... this is getting almost monotonous. ;) 11/11 - does anyone know, is this a record? 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: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 20:52:50 +1300 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Re: CNN.com article on Dickson On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 14:38, Cheryl Ande wrote: > > ------------------------------ > > > > Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 18:47:08 EST > > From: IfeRae@aol.com > > Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] CNN.com article on Dickson > > > > The U.S. press has been making quite a big deal about NZ's new status in > > the > > > film industry. They refer back to a couple of other movies shot there > > (e.g., > > > The Piano). They talk about how the landscape itself has become so > > important > > > in "fantasy" films, as opposed to CGI -created or enhanced scenes. I > > keep waiting for them to mention Herc/Xena and the tremendous influence > > those > > shows > > > had in developing and exposing benefits to this point. Very few media > > stories > > > do more than give Herc/Xena passing mention as being filmed in NZ, if > > they > > > mention the shows at all. > > > > I've read comments from Lucy about how proud she is of Rob's contribution > > to > > > all that, how frustrating it is that he doesn't get more credit. I > > wonder > > if > > > it's snobbishness, ignorance or simply the assumption that that's not > > "news." > > > - -- Ife > > I think a some of it is due to snobbishness. Movie people usually have a > low opinion of TV people and then you add the fact that syndicated TV and > genre TV is really low on the totem pole it is no wonder Rob and > Renaissance Pictures get little recognition. When it is recognized Sam > Raimi is mentioned and not Rob. Last year Rob was given some kind of > award at the New Zealand film party so I assume they do recognize what he > has done for the industry. Also I think there are probably people in the > NZ film industry who would like to assume they did everything all by > themselves without help from a foreign company, that's only human nature. I can only surmise what 'industry' people may think, but I'd imagine it's similar to what the average Kiwi does. Which is, they all know it was an American-originated and funded production. They're modestly proud (if that's not an oxymoron!) of the very substantial New Zealand contribution, but I don't think any of them for a moment would deny that RenPics set the whole thing up. And as I said before, for a while Pacific Renaissance virtually *was* the New Zealand film industry. 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: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 23:01:20 +1300 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] The Seasons [was: Ratings] On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 17:11, Jackie M. Young wrote: > > > X beating up G?? Exploring issues of domestic abuse and anger > > > management and manipulative exploitation? No, I wouldn't characterize > > > that as "happy" or "charming". ;P > > > > Oh dear, now isn't that so late-20th-century. . 'domestic > > abuse, anger management and manipulative exploitation'. No no no no > > no, this is Xena Warrior Princess, a historical fantasy, not something to > > be buzzworded and pigeonholed into dreary banal ordinariness. Oh no. > > --_Well_, I hadda make it seem _PC_, now, didn't I?!? ;) And _current_. > ;P Oh well, if there's one thing I delight in, it's being iconoclastic. And anything remotely PC-sounding is automatically in my sights :) Heck, that even includes things I *agree* with ;) > I thought all the issues in Reckoning actually came full-circle to being > further explored in BS, Debts, Sin Trade, FIN, etc. Ares' role in XWP's > life, her anger, her guilt, whether she'd die to redeem herself, Gab's role > in her life, the fact that she could still hurt Gab even though they were > friends, how far she'd go to "save" Gab/a village, etc., etc., etc. All in > one little tight, neat package. ;) Love it. ;=) Well, yeah, OK. > > To quote the villain in Die Another Day (the latest James Bond movie), > > having just nearly killed some poor unfortunate functionary, "Get me a > > new Anger Management coach!" ;) > > --Oh, definitely agreed! In fact, I pointed this scene out as a "keeper" > earlier when I first posted about seeing it last year (?)/two years ago > (?). The guy who played Sarah's partner in Witchblade > (Will-what's-his-face), played the villian (in his original form, of > course). > > *Great* irony on "being PC". ;P Yep. Love it! > > > Reckoning was Dark. X got > > > beat up. Ares framed her. X beat up G. X was going to be > > > wrongfully executed unless someone did something. _That's_ Dark. > > > > Yes, but only a slightly dingy shade of grey. Destiny, now, *that* was > > dark. And season 3 was darker. :) > > --Actually, since XWP was new then, I'd say it was "appropriately dark". > ;) S3 was more "angsty", but not necessarily "more dark". I.e., there > were more feelings there, but I thought the depth of the feelings was > about the same as S1/S2. Well, we'll just have to disagree on that. > Also, from S3 on, it became more exploitative, IMO. Obviously, everything > had to expand to keep viewer interest, so TPTB made everything bigger and > more (melo)dramatic. But I felt the kernel of what was XWP remained the > same. 'Exploitative' is _definitely_ a matter of personal judgement, I think. I didn't feel it was more so later in the series. Some of the plot lines were more melodramatic, yes, that's something that's almost forced on the producers of a long-running series. But more exploitative? More so than Xena shacking up with Iolaus and the Herc in the trilogy, for example? > > > I'm a diehard S1 and S2 fan. From S3 on it got too > > > mishy-mashy-slathering in "feelings" for me, but that's just MO. > > > > Oh, I totally agree about the 'feelings' part of it. The less > > mishy-mashy the better. But, for the rest of it, ain't nothin' in S1 or > > S2 that can compare with the Rift eps or Sin Trade for _real_ Dark, IMO. > > --Well, what _didn't_ sell it for me during S3 on was the "feelings" part. > And it seemed they needed to over-compensate in the "feelings" category > for what they did in the "dark" category. > > Granted, a fight scene like in The Way (at the end) doesn't quite compare > in goriness with what we saw earlier. But something like the fight with > the harpies in Mortal Beloved is similar. And frankly, I can do without > the gore and just go for the action. ;P Doesn't it? I found the fight in The Way more shocking than any previous fight. Xena actually getting bits cut off, made me feel almost queasy. The fight with the harpies in Mortal Beloved isn't in the same class. > > > In S1 and S2, X was still the > > > stoic, impassive warrior trying to make amends. I liked that. It made > > > for a lot of focused comedy and drama, and not of the silly type that > > > we got in the later seasons. ;P > > > > Well, the comedies got sillier, but then I never judged XWP on its > > comedies anyway. There is absolutely nothing in any comedy that makes > > me laugh with delight like some of the delicious irony/black humour in > > The Debt, for example. > > --I think the earlier comedies had just the right touch. My faves then > were W...P, ADITL, Xena Scrolls. > > In fact, for some of them, I'd be hard-pressed whether to categorize them > as comedies or dramas. The TPTB infused a good balance of both in what > I'd say are "dramas": Beware Greeks, Path Not Taken, Chariots of War. Path not Taken and CoW are eps that I can quite happily miss. Not eps I dislike, as such, but fairly forgettable. > > > The plots were a lot tighter. Not only > > > that, a lot of X's techniques and sayings (like, "I have many skills" > > > and the pinch) were developed during this time. I missed that after > > > S3. > > > > But she used them in all eps. After all, if you have a new character > > (as Xena was in S1/S2), that leaves room for introducing all sorts of > > 'new' mannerisms. Later on, you can't do that because the character's > > established. > > --Yes, but in S1/S2, they "felt" new, and LL delivered them as "new". I > still get that *tingly* feeling when I watch a S1/S2 ep and LL blows fire > or says "I have many skills" or gives her X yell. It's like falling in > love all over again. > > I don't get that feeling from S3 on.....;( Maybe just because it wasn't new? In fact I noticed, that in later seasons (from S3 on), a lot of fans were far more hyper-critical and would rip into TPTB for things that they happily accepted in S1 / S2. Or to put it another way, in S1/S2 they would happily accept with enthusiasm, things which in S4/S5 they would tear to shreds. (NOT implying that you're one of that group! :) ADITL was a case in point - full of sarcastic comments, bickering and backstabbing. I can just imagine the reaction if that had aired for the first time in S4/S5. 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: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 23:07:00 +1300 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Ngila!!! On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 15:53, Sarah Anne Packard wrote: > On Sun, 29 Feb 2004, meredith wrote: > > Hi, > > > > I can't believe I'm the first one to post this ... Ngila Dickson just won > > the Oscar for costume design, for _Lord Of The Rings_!!! > > I know, I was so excited!!!! :) Woo-hoo Ngila! I figured she'd win, > especiallu since she was nominated for TWO films!! Tis wonderful to see > her finally getting her due...and with LOTR she really outdid herself. > > > -Sarah- Yeah, but with LOTR she had to share it. If it'd been for Last Samurai (was it??) she woulda had it all to herself. Gotta love the irony :) Never mind, I'm sure she's just as pleased. 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: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 23:14:37 +1300 From: cr Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] LOTR wins 11 out of 11 - and all NZ gets thanked! On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 18:18, Sojourner wrote: > .. Except me, unbelievably! Well, you weren't here! (Now I suppose I shall *have* to rent LOTR just to see what all the fuss was about ;) > And every category was earned, especially I thought Adapted Screen Play, > Best Director, Best Score and Best Song. > > So Fran Walsh has 3 Oscars!? Astounding.. > > Kiwis rock sometimes. Peter Jackson is such a scruff. Love that about him. > 0517 in the AM - blowing off work tomorrow... > > Sojourner Nice to see Annie Lennox share one, too. 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: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 19:27:03 EST From: KLOSSNER9@aol.com Subject: [chakram-refugees] Re: More XWP Inventions (was Re: Lucy TV Appearances) >I seem to recall that, at the start of Return of Callisto, Callisto, after >lifting the guard's dagger, used it to open the lock. Of course, those >early locks were probably fairly primitive in their workings. No, she used the dagger to cut the straps binding her wrists. Of course, after having her wrists strapped for weeks or months she should not have been able to use her hands, but those things don't bother people like Callisto and Xena. Boeotian ========================================================= 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, 1 Mar 2004 21:00:43 -0500 (EST) From: cjlnh@webtv.net (Cheryl LaScola) Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] LOTR wins 11 out of 11 - and all NZ gets thanked! I am an American and for once staying up to watch until early am was worth it. In general the event seemed subdued... but I was still on the edge of my seat because as the Oscars (one by one) landed in the hands of someone from LOTR, my fear was that this would be to rationalize why someone else would get the key prizes (director and picture). Thankfully (and IMHO rightfully so) I was wrong and LOTR swept and tied Titanic and Ben Hur!! Not to be greedy, but the one thing I didn't understand is why NONE of the cast were nominated in the acting categories. To me there were some impressive performances from Gandolf(can't remember his name) to Orlando, John R Davies, Viggor and of course Elijah and Sean!! Anyway I will be the 1500th in line to say THANK YOU New Zealanders for your creative talents, your incredibly beautiful country (I will get there someday) and a special thank you to the actors, BOTH American and Kiwi for making us fall in love with the characters .... you truly were the unsung heroes on Oscar night. And just think...if it were not for another great Kiwi-American collaboration (XWP & Herc), who knows if the movie would have been made in the grand style that it was. CJL ========================================================= 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, 2 Mar 2004 00:19:22 EST From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Re: CNN.com article on Dickson In a message dated 3/1/2004 3:23:56 AM Pacific Standard Time, cr@orcon.net.nz writes: > I can only surmise what 'industry' people may think, but I'd imagine it's > similar to what the average Kiwi does. Which is, they all know it was an > American-originated and funded production. They're modestly proud (if > that's not an oxymoron!) of the very substantial New Zealand contribution, > but I don't think any of them for a moment would deny that RenPics set the > whole thing up. > > And as I said before, for a while Pacific Renaissance virtually *was* the > New > Zealand film industry. > > You know, I hadn't looked at it quite that way, but a Kiwi reporter said something very similar. For me, so much of the "magic" was the Kiwi "can do" spirit, which Kiwi's may take for granted. As an American, I tend to take for granted the technical razzle dazzle and production savvy. The sense of humor and inventiveness about what 'Mericans might throw our hands up at was very refreshing. When I was in NZ on my Habitat trip, helping build houses, we Americans were always looking for outlets to plug in power saws, drills, etc. Meanwhile, the Kiwis (all women on this particular project) would have whatever it was half done by the time we got back. It wasn't just not having access to certain equipment, as they liked a more hands-on approach or figuring out how to solve the problem other ways. (Like a certain person who probably wouldn't use cruise control even if he had it and was on some long stretch of highway.) My own main contribution was suggesting assembly lines and templates for repetitive tasks, as opposed to being creative all the time. (Ah, American efficiency. < snort>) Yes, Renaissance provided the opportunity, but I wonder if Kiwis outside the industry have any idea how much their compatriots made it all work -- not just by creatively milking a modest budget, but in the offbeat "feel" of the show and the camaraderie. The talent they lent in so many ways (Lucy being a huge contributor) seems to get lost under the "foreign" leadership of Herc/Xena. Still, it's understandable there might be more of a sense of pride and ownership in productions that weren't so heavily dependent on one U.S. company. - -- 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, 2 Mar 2004 00:19:26 EST From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Ngila!!! In a message dated 2/29/2004 7:03:46 PM Pacific Standard Time, abbagirl@cyberspace.org writes: > I know, I was so excited!!!! :) Woo-hoo Ngila! I figured she'd win, > especiallu since she was nominated for TWO films!! Tis wonderful to see > her finally getting her due...and with LOTR she really outdid herself. > > A Kiwi friend wrote the following: << I was watching the after-winning interviews on oscar.com . Ngila was asked about her swift rise from Herc/XWP to LOTR. She said it wasn't such a swift rise and involved years of hard work. A journo also commented to Ngila on the similarity of looks of Herc/XWP & LOTR and referred to a "Pacific Look". Ngila seemed to agree with her. She also asked Ngila if she'd felt any pressure to wear something stunning to the Oscars, being a costuime designer and all. She said she hadn't felt any pressure. >> - -- Ife - - 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, 2 Mar 2004 00:19:23 EST From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] More XWP Inventions In a message dated 3/1/2004 12:44:10 AM Pacific Standard Time, cr@orcon.net.nz writes: > >Xena, > >course, usually preferred the less painstaking "smash or cut" method. I do > >recall her using the "waggle" (with a skeleton finger bone?) > > Yeah. Skeleton key. Nice visual joke. > LOL! I missed that! Duh. - -- 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, 2 Mar 2004 00:19:25 EST From: IfeRae@aol.com Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] The Seasons [was: Ratings] In a message dated 2/29/2004 9:00:56 PM Pacific Standard Time, jyoung@lava.net writes: > To me, it was more interesting to see her "hold back" than see her "gush > it all out" in the later seasons. Also, she invested more of herself in > the character later on, and she "wasn't X" (in her own words). I really > didn't want to see LL in the character, I wanted to see X. And I think > the more she played X, the more she became like LL, unfortunately. > The main problem I see is that there's only so much you can do with a Clint Eastwood hero for six years, unless the emphasis is always on the action, seldom on character development. Lucy would've gotten bored quick, if she'd had to keep tweaking the same stoic persona, never getting to explore other possible facets. She wanted to grow as an actress, which the wide ranging types of changes and challenges she got gave her. I believe she and the show would've run out out energy very quickly without that. In the S3 DVD interviews, Steve Sears talks about how intentional they were about getting over the typical drop in interest that often occurs after two seasons. Now, we'll probably disagree on this, but I think Lucy preserved Xena's core, apart from herself, very well. Now that Lucy looks so different and has had some distance from the show, it amazes me how separate she is from Xena. Yes, there are traits she drew on that made the character so believable -- e.g., willingness to take risks, to make "bold" choices, to get "down and dirty," to laugh at adversity and herself, to make lemonade out of lemons, to become good at and demonstrate "many skills. But when I look at later eps now, I see a person who is also different from Lucy in many ways, particularly in the one that made Xena so distinctive -- her sense of guilt for a past that couldn't be changed no matter what she did in the future. Lucy refuses to be trapped by what she did yesterday. While she didn't play Xena as paralyzed by the past, you always knew it was there, ready to pull her back in, to hurt her loved ones or other innocents at any moment. I think she carried that air about her to the end. Xena was not the free spirit that Lucy is. I think Lucy brought some of that to the character, which lightened Xena up a little and made her problems all the more poignant -- like she didn't "deserve" the bad things that happened to her, even though, given the blood on her hands, you could easily say she did. I would agree that the "dark" Xena was more interesting in many ways. I think Lucy preserved that darkness by gradually channeling it into Xena's "way of the warrior" -- her fight for the greater good, moreso than fighting the demons in herself. Could or should she have maintained that repressed inner turmoil for the run of the series? I don't know. I admit to looking with great fondness at early Xena, partly because I'm reminded of the freshness of what I was seeing. I just have huge doubts that I would've continued to be as fascinated by the show if I'd seen S1&2 Xena in S6. It would've been like being trapped in a past without hope for growth or a different future. Part of the draw for me was seeing how the character adapted to allowing herself to love and be loved, to trust and hope, despite the past or what she believed she deserved. That meant being able to express more emotions -- some perhaps viewed as "sappy." It meant the awkwardness and uncertainty that comes with trying something different. IOW, it meant being "unpredictable," "uncharacteristic." Lucy came back from a serious riding accident, literally got back up on the horse. She made herself do fight scenes that someone else might've resisted for health reasons. She decided she wanted a baby. Whatever my feelings about S5, I'm still immensely proud that I got to see my action hero doing her thing while pregnant. We can disagree about which aspects of herself she brought to the character that didn't work, but it's hard to distinguish them from all the aspects that did. - -- 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 #62 *************************************