New Xena Fan Video

Slideshow

A Bit More Progress on the Xena Painting

Well, I've really started in on the metal work on the painting now. This should be interesting.

Xena Painting...Finally, Two Eyes!

Whew, man, there was some serious anxiety about getting that second eye done. I was sure I was going to screw up the whole painting. Nope, in fact, the second eye looks better than the first! Now, back to work! She's getting there!

Xena Painting Update: Hello November!

Started in on the shoulder guards & some of the metal. Finished up the background. Not sure I want to keep it. I almost want something more abstract & geometric. We'll see.

Wonder Woman & the New 52 from DC

DC Comics recently decided to revamp their entire comic line. All your beloved favorites get re-hauled, re-tooled, etc. The one I was most looking forward to was Wonder Woman. For years, DC has shied away from who the Amazon Princess really is & where she came from. They've been uncomfortable with what it is to be an Amazon. They have hesitated to play with the mythologies laid out in front of them. Unlike Marvel's Thor, who has always been in touch with his Gods, DC always tries to stick Wonder Woman in our time & strip her of any link to her past & her culture. I was happy to find that Writer Brian Azzarello, so far has NOT decided to follow in those past footsteps.

There is a costume change. Honestly, I like the change. Not too dramatic, pays homage to the old, and doesn't try to apologize by adding pants. Thank you for that.



Now, there are a few problems I have with the New 52 Wonder Woman, but not many. Of course, we are only 2 issues in. Okay, you MUST get your mythology right. Sure, you can play around with it, but make sure you have a damn good reason for changing it & don't just change it to change it. For example, in the picture above, you can bear witness to a female Centaur. *sigh* Alright, alright, there were very scarce references to female centaurs, but generally speaking Centaurs are thought of as an all male species. I'll let that one slide, since, technically there are both males & females. They did get the female one right on, though. She was considered to be a white Centaur. So that one is just nit-picky of me really. Let's not screw too many myths up though, okay?

The next thing though really chaps my ass. Hippolyta has, was & should ever be dark haired, raven tressed, possessing of locks as dark as the night. NOT BLOND. OMG, WTF. Wonder Woman's mom is now blond. Seriously? I'm blond myself, but the Queen of the Amazons is not. First of all, how many blonde Greeks do you know? I don't like it. It cheapens Hippolyta. CHANGE IT BACK.



I also dislike it when characters take control of humans to do their bidding & then without any reason kill them, when it's obvious that they might need them again for the same purpose. I call it Gratuitous Death. We already have this in issue 1. Really? Look, have the god take them prisoner in his giant mansion of a penthouse, or keep a godly spell on them, but to just have him lure them up, use them & kill them without any sort of care in the world, well, honestly that OMG impact you wanted in the story you were writing...yeah, didn't happen. I didn't get to know them enough to give a crap. So really, the whole scene ends up completely pointless emotionally. Yeah, I got the info, but man, was that a completely overdramatic way to deliver it or what?



The writing is not bad. It could be a little tighter. There are a few pages where I had to read twice because the dialogue seemed really choppy. The panels didn't seem to pull off exactly what was being told either. The art is average. Nothing to be awed by, but not just puked out either.

Things I love? Diana's attitude. Diana NOT shying away from WHO she is. The naughty Amazon jokes. The feeling that this time, DC is going to embrace their Amazon Princess & let her be who she should have always been. Push the boundaries a little.
Make her mythology part of her story. Take us into her world rather than plucking her out & putting her in ours and making her forget where she came from.




So, if you have ever wanted to read Wonder Woman & didn't really know where to start, please go grab issue 1 & 2 of the New 52 Wonder Woman at your local comics shop. Go on! It's 15 to 20 minutes of fun each month for $2.99 a comic. I think this could possibly end up being the best Wonder Woman run ever. You wouldn't want to miss it would you?


(All images in this post copyright by DC Comics)

3:30AM-ish and I'm still at it. Xena Painting.

More progress made. Got one of those baby blues done. I have to admit, the eyes on this painting have got to be right on or it isn't going to look like Lucy. Xena/Lucy has very well known eyes. You can't achieve the Xena look without them. So, lots of anxiety trying to get these eyes right.

Xena Warrior Princess Painting Update

Work done as of 10.29.11 16 x 20 Acrylic

New Xena Fan Video

Yep, I made another one.

The Warrior Princess Painting

It was inevitable. I have started a Xena painting. Small 16 x 20 Acrylic on canvas. It's in the same style as my Wonder Woman painting. I'm trying to get it done for the Xena 2011 Movie Campaign's Art Contest. The deadline is the 17th. I am bound & determined to make it.

Xena Sword & Scabbard

I know, I know, ANOTHER Xena post?! Yep, sorry, but I'm excited. I finally got my prop replica Xena sword & scabbard. So I have to share! Licensed by Universal in 2004. Limited to 3000. Numbered. The weight is good & it feels nice in my hands. The scabbard is well made & looks exact. Sword is cast aluminum & one solid piece. Not sharpened. Wouldn't be hard to sharpen it right up though, but aluminum doesn't hold up to any sort of actual swordplay. You need tempered steel for that. It's a really nice piece to have & I'm excited to include it in my collection!





Now all I need is an ICON Chakram & Gabrielle's sais & staff.

Reworked Youtube Xena Fan Video

Okay, so I used Windows Movie Maker Live to make my first ever Youtube Fan Video of Xena & Gabrielle. The first time I forgot to turn the sound off of some of the clips. I went back in & turned the sound off except for a couple where I really liked the sound, deleted one clip & replaced it with one I liked better & shortened the end. I still haven't figured out the whole title thing at the beginning & credits at the end, but still, I'm having fun with it. I know they make all kinds of add-on effects & animations that I would love to eventually learn how to use, but for now, here is the edited & updated version of the first Video. Thanks for watching. Feel free to critique & comment here or on Youtube. Also, if you wouldn't mind, and you like it, give me a thumbs up on Youtube & a +1 google here on the blog. Thanks!

My Top 15 Favorite Xena Episodes

Yes. Top 15, because it's impossible to pick 10. Mostly due to trilogy episode arcs. Besides, 15 is my favorite number.

So, coming in at #1 - "Sins of the Past" The first episode EVER! Why? Lots of reasons. Xena meets Gabrielle being the best reason. Now to be honest, I could not stand Gabrielle until the end of the first season. I thought Xena was tough enough to not need a side kick or anyone for that matter. I also thought I was the same way. I was wrong on both counts.



#2 - "When the Fates Collide" Season 6 - episode 18. Holy crap what an amazing beautiful script Katherine Fugate wrote. She only wrote this one episode for the entire series, but it was absolutely breathtaking. It is also mirrors how I feel about T. It wouldn't matter where we were or how we got there, we still would have found each other. We're soul mates.



#3 - "The Rheingold" part 1 of "The Ring" trilogy. Season 6 episode 7. OMG! Xena goes Norse & does a retelling of Beowulf & Sleeping Beauty. Two of my favorite stories of all time intertwined with the best show ever! How could I not love this? And Xena as a Valkyrie? C'mon...AWESOME!



#4 - "The Ring" part 2 of "The Ring" trilogy. Season 6 episode 8. OMG! More! No, wait! Xena don't put that ring on! OMG!



#5 - "Return of the Valkyrie" part 3 of "The Ring" trilogy. Season 6 episode 9. What!? What the What!? One year later!? OMG! What's happened to Gabrielle!? More importantly, what's happened to XENA!? Holy crap Xena's going to full on kiss Gabrielle! OMG!




#6 - "One Against an Army" Season 3 episode 13. Best Xena fight scene EVER! One of the absolutely most touching heartfelt Gabrielle/Xena moments of the entire series.




#7 - "A Day In the Life" Season 2 Episode 15. Absolutely HI-larious. So many great one liners. Directed by Michael Hurst (the guy that played Hercules' sidekick Iolaus.



#8 - "Remember Nothing" Season 2 Episode 2. We get to meet Xena's brother Lyceus. It makes me miss my brother. He's the awesomest! Also, we get to see that Xena isn't really to blame for what happened 10 years into her past.



#9 - "The Bitter Suite" Season 3 Episode 12. How better to fix a rift between our two characters than with a good old fashioned Musical? Lucy Lawless sings & so does Kevin Smith, but everyone else is dubbed over by pros. Joss Whedon loved it so much he copied it in Buffy.



#10 - "Adventures in the Sin Trade I" - Season 4 Episode 1. Northern Amazons. Cyane. Alti. Xena's dark past. Borias. Yummy Borias. My Favorite Xena outfit.



#11 - "Adventures in the Sin Trade II" - The vision Xena has that will tease us for the rest of Season 4. Or haunt. It still gives me the chills every time the music starts & we see that little vision.



#12 - "Devi" Season 4 Episode 14 - Xena & Gab in India. India has their own set of unique & awesome gods! We run into an important new character named Eli.




#13 - "Between the Lines" Season 4 Episode 15 - More Xena & Gab in India. The Mehndi. Souls intertwined. The return of Alti. Future lives. That damned vision again. This episode really should probably be in my top 5. It's so hard to decide!



#14 - "You Are There" Season 6 Episode 13 - Michael Hurst directs again. Remember "Day in the Life"? Yeah, this one is just as good. The ending is priceless.



#15 - "Many Happy Returns" Season 6 Episode 19 - The last fun & carefree episode before the end. It really has a season 2 or three feel to it but with the quality of season 6. It was originally going to be another musical episode, but they didn't quite have the funds to pull it off. The gift Xena gives Gabrielle & the way the two actors play their parts right here makes me cry every time. It's so incredibly sweet & romantic.



Crap...I'm already to 15!?

I didn't even get to "The Ides of March" or "Fallen Angel" or "Destiny" or "The Quest". All such good episodes.

And what about "The Crusader" or "A Good Day" or "In Sickness & In Hell" or "Paradise Found" or "The Way".

Not to mention, the absolute great Raimi-esque episode "The Haunting of Amphipolis" or the painful "Who's Gurkhan"?

The touching moment in "The Abyss" when Gabrielle thinks she's dying is worth a mention.

The awesome 1940's episode "The Xena Scrolls" is so much fun.

The scene in "Blind Faith" where Gabrielle puts Egyptian Senna in Xena's eyes is so precious.

"The Lost Mariner" guest starring Tony Todd is fun!

"The Greater Good" & "Is There a Doctor" make me cry.

The ones that made me laugh so much, like "The Quill is Mightier", "Femmes, Fems, & Gems", "Warrior... Priestess... Tramp", & "A Tale of Two Muses"!

What about the attempt by Gabrielle to domesticate Xena in "Kindred Spirits" or the fun of "Old Ares Had a Farm", where Xena seems pretty comfortable & shares little special moments & memories with Gabby?

The introduction to Xena's grown-up daughter in "Livia" then "Eve" and "Motherhood"?

There's a reason this is my favorite TV series EVER. There are so many great episodes.

Even "Friend In Need I & II" are beautifully done. I never thought I would say that. When Xena is hacking & slashing her way through men with arrows sticking out of her & screaming Gabrielle's name...wow, it gets me.

So, there you have it. My top 15. Maybe my next post should be my top 10 worst Xena episodes. I'm not sure there were 10. Well, Season 5. That entire Season was pretty damn bad until the last 5 or 6 episodes.

New Gauntlets & Fighting Through

Writing is tough. Writing is hard. Writing takes a whole mess of energy. Writing is scary. Writing is exciting. Writing is jumping into the vastness of the universe & going with it. Writing is letting go of control & letting creativity control you. Writing is something I can do & T can do better.
It's something that ANYONE can do, but the above mentioned things are reasons people don't.

The Xena finale really made it hard to keep going. There was the realization that what we had come up with wasn't working now. We panicked. We felt lost. We almost gave up. Then we got over it. Mostly because we had to. T made a commitment for class. So we watched the first episode again.



We kept thinking about the show. Talking about it. What we loved & what it meant to us. Then we realized that it meant many of the same things to everyone else. The campy fun of it, the deep serious moments, the incredible things that that team were able to put on the small screen that had never been done before & honestly, haven't been done since. The love. Oh, yeah, the love! That's why we wanted to do it! It made us laugh & cry & touched us to the very core of our being.

Then our 2nd official Xena Prop came in the mail. A pair of screen used gauntlets from the episode "Remember Nothing". Perfect timing.



See this pic below? See the baddies gauntlets? Yep, that's them. Cool.



See that dude (Maphias) helping Xena in the pic below? See his gauntlets? Yep, same ones! So cool.



It hit us like a bolt of lightning from Zeus himself. Our story DID still work! We just needed to move some things around & change a couple of perspectives, but the whole of the plot was really good & could still stay intact. What we were missing, really, was all the campy fun. The last two episodes were so serious that we let that bleed into our story. But really, is anyone that loved Xena going to want to see that? Or, do they want to see what made them love her in the first place? And for that matter, isn't that what WE want to see? Well, of course it is! Duh!



So, we're off again with a happier disposition & the passion we had before. Battle on Xena! We will bring you back.

Have Dinner with the One and Only Lucy Lawless

charitybuzz | #262825 - Have Dinner with the One and Only Lucy Lawless in LA or New Zealand

Writing Xena

Well, T & I have been hard at work on this Xena script. We realized we hadn't watched Xena seasons 4, 5 & 6 much at all after the series ended. We knew 1, 2 & 3 like the backs of our hands, but beyond that things got hazy. So, we are re-watching the entire series & just made it to the end of season 4. Oh! Season 4. I remember it like it was yesterday. They teased the fans the entire season with a premonition Xena had of her & Gabrielle being crucified. Watching it again still made me nervous, even though I knew what was coming.

That's where we left off last night. Xena & Gabby hanging on crosses. Xena's spirit comes out of her body & lifts Gabrielle's spirit from hers, a bright flash of light & credits!


Two seasons to go.

You know, this was an amazingly written show. It was nominated for & won many awards, from ASCAP awards to GLAAD awards. It even took home an Emmy. If you are into editing, Xena is probably one of the best television show ever to study. Their editing was pretty flawless. You never notice when we change from Lucy lawless to Zoe Bell & back. Did you know the head costume designer for Xena, Ngila Dickson, went on from Xena to win an Oscar for the Lord of the Rings Costume Design? There were so many talented people connected to this campy, yet deep little fantasy show. If you didn't take the 6 year journey with these characters, you should. Episode by episode. Sure, there are a few turkeys, but it is well worth it. It will change you.



The episodes have really held up. It's not like Wonder Woman or Buck Rogers or even the A-Team. I love those shows, but man, they are really cheesy & dated. Xena however isn't. It helps that it was set in an ancient time. The things Xena & Gabrielle deal with are issues everyone deals with, so that is what helps it hold up so well. Xena & Gabrielle deal with things like trying to figure out what path in life to take & how to know if you are on the right path. It deals with faith & how we shouldn't depend on any deity as opposed to relying on ourselves & our friends. It shows us that no one is perfect, but we all have the ability to be the best person we can be, no matter who we have been. It also deals with that deep connection to another soul that we are all either searching for or have found. These things never change, despite the times.



It's hard, but so much fun, picking these characters apart. What motivates them, moves them, stirs them. Because we are looking at them so hard, T & I are seeing things we never did before. Not to mention seeing how far we have come from where we were when we watched these the first time around. It's an amazing process. Trying to take characters you love & stop being just a fan & start being a writer. To write what the character would do & not what you want the character to do. We have a great plot so far. The hardest part, in my opinion, is going to be summing up the series in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the film script & then having a real convincing reason for Xena to return to the land of the living. Or for Gabrielle to die. We are determined to do this. We are doing this.



If you haven't yet, please go "LIKE" the Facebook Page Xena 2011 Movie Campaign.

Oh, and one more thing. Guess who has a 2012 calendar coming out? Xena. Yep. Makes you wonder what's up. There hasn't been an officially licensed calendar since 2002. Could this be a fresh new marketing push? Let's hope so.

I Wrote This!

So, yep, I'm now published! Woo-Hoo! Go check out my Xena article online over at Lesbilicious!

http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/tv-film/bringing-back-the-warrior-princess-the-xena-2011-movie-campaign/

Seriously!? THIS rocks.

So, I am getting more magazine requests & many that promise to do an article themselves on the Warrior Princess. T's is amazed. We have to laugh a little because she is the Professional Writer & I am the Professional Artist. She has had great success with selling her art & now I'm getting paid to write.

The Xena 2011 Movie Campaign FB Page administrators wrote me a really nice e-mail thanking me for my efforts. I feel I've made some friends. It's really amazing. I'm working hard, having fun, & doing something I believe in. Pretty freakin' sweet.



You know, THIS is really going to happen.

Obsession + Passion = Bravery

Huh, who knew that if you got really passionate about something & wrote to every magazine you could think of about the Xena 2011 Movie campaign that some of them would write you back & ask you to write them an article? An article they are willing to pay you for! That's exactly what has happened. By trying to get the word out, I inadvertently created work for myself that people are willing to pay me for.

So, my first article will be with the online magazine Lesbilicious It's a UK magazine, but the good ol' internet makes online relevant worldwide.

Now I have to find people to interview. I have already sent my questions out to the administrators of the Facebook page "Xena 2011 Movie Campaign" and to the writer/producer of several Xena episodes throughout the series Steven L. Sears.



I wonder who else I can ask?

My deadline is Aug. 7. I better get on it. Wish me luck!

Okay, I admit it, I'm re-obsessed.

Alright, you are all going to have to bear with me a while. I have become completely obsessed with Xena all over again, so everything is going to relate to Xena. Everything I see, hear & do will be in some form or another tied in with Xena. It's an Aspie thing. Okay and a fanatic thing. I will still mention Star Wars, Action Figures, art & stuff, but Xena is going to take the reins for a while.



Now, speaking of Xena, LOL, I mentioned the FaceBook page for the Xena movie in my last post. I have to admit at first I was a little pessimistic. I've changed my tune. Social Media has changed the world. Betty White got a spot on Saturday Night Live because enough people clicked like on a FaceBook page. There is no reason that a Xena movie can't happen if enough people LIKE a Facebook page. Crazy as it sounds, it's true. Execs like numbers. It's how they work. Each click represents a possible $10 to $20 movie ticket sale or a $14.95 DVD purchase. If you have enough clicks or LIKES or adds to show them a profit, they don't care what it is, they will greenlight it & it will be made.



Another important thing to have is a script. T has tackled this with me. She is getting her Masters in Screenwriting. It's finished as of now & is even up for a BEA award. How awesome is that? Lucy has said repeatedly all that is needed is a script & a budget. Well, the script is done. Now, for a budget.



Let's talk about what you & I can do to make this happen. If a Xena Movie is something that even slightly interests you, the first thing you need to do is log-in to Facebook and go LIKE the Xena 2011 Movie Campaign. Go on, do it now. I'll wait.



Also, it wouldn't hurt to embed this video. Go to any page that might remotely have anyone interested in Xena & leave a link to the Xena 2011 Movie Campaign. Conan the Barbarian blogs, sites, videos, forums, BSG blogs, sites, videos, forums, Spartacus, blogs...etc. etc. You get my point.

Now, there are a handful of pessimists that keep bringing up our two main actors ages. Look, no one cares how old they are really. That's what Photoshop & make-up are for. They are not too old...yet. That's why we have to get ON this. Lucy Lawless said just last year that she wants to play the character again. That's huge.



She told Out.com, "I love that character. I would do it if it was a movie. I doubt I would do it as a TV series. I can't see how you would make it fresh.
"By the time somebody does come up with that I'm just going to be too old. And I'm really sad about that. I feel like it's a completely wasted franchise."

She also said "I would have them sailing off into the sunset together. That way, people could dream about what adventures they would embark on next, as opposed to separating them forever. That was the most hurtful thing about 'Xena.' It’s a cool story if you think about it. In 'Spartacus' people are killed in the worst way all the time. It’s part of the show. However, it wasn’t right for 'Xena.' It’s such a shame to look back because it really hurt fans. People related to those characters in a unique way, creating a different kind of fandom. The 'Xena' fans are an incredible bunch."



So c'mon, let's live up to our title & get the numbers up & connect to everything everywhere. If you had any anger or resentment or hurt about the way it ended, let it go. We are going to fix it. Right here, right now. Let's do something no other fan base has ever done. Bring a lead character back from the dead & have the original Actors portray them on the big screen to have it end the way it should have in the first place.



Battle on!