In a time of ancient gods, Warlords, And kings, A land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power... The passion... The danger... Her courage will change the world.
Xena is a (unfortunately) fictional character, the protagonist of the television show Xena: Warrior Princess, starring New Zealand native Lucy Lawless. Along with her sidekick Gabrielle, she fights for the rights of the people. The show is televised at 5:00 PM Saturday afternoons, on the Channel 13 Action Pack. This Action Pack is registered to Universal Studios along with the show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, starring Kevin Sorbo which is also good but not nEaRLy as good as Xena:WP.
Facts on Xena:WP
~ started in 1995 as a spinoff of the earlier television show Hercules:TLJ (1994-).
~ filmed in Auckland, New Zealand. ~ Part fantasy, part action-adventure, and all Lucy. The setting of the show is an often-hostile world in the time of ancient and largely mythical Greece. Xena uses swords, her chakram (that metal circular frisbee/discus-like thing that Xena uses to severely wound: see above), martial arts, and her cheerleader yell (Ai yai yai yai yai!!) while Gabrielle uses her walking staff (which, surprisingly, has never broken, even after all the battles it's gone through) against villains both human and supernatural, like her nemesis, the God of War - Ares.
After less than fifty episodes and only two years on American TV, the show is fast overtaking another popular syndicated series, Bay(a.k.a. Babe)watch, in terms of stations carrying it to millions of viewers in over 50 countries.
Facts about Lucy Lawless:
~ born Lucy Ryan on March 29, 1968, in Mount Albert, New Zealand. ~ married Garth Lawless in 1988 (now divorced and married to the producer of Xena:WP, Rob Tapert) ~ has one daughter, Daisy, who is 8 years old.
Looks:
Lucy is naturally fair-haired but she dyes it black for the show. "It's really brutal on my hair," she said. Most clips in the media refer to her as being nearly 6 feet tall, but in actuality it's about 5'10 to 5'11. She weighs about 140, but sometimes puts on 5 or 10 pounds. The look of Xena was modeled on tennis star Gabriela Sabatini, because, as Lucy so eloquently puts it, "She's how a warrior princess ought to look."
Miscellaneous:
Even though Lucy starred from September 2nd, 1997 to October 19, 1997 as Rizzo in the Broadway production of Grease (another of m¥ favorites!), Xena remains her signature character. "People are attracted to her masculine bent," says the multitalented, opera-trained actress. "Finally, a woman you can have a beer with."
me at xenangel@death-star.com
