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    AUSXIP Lucy Lawless News and Multimedia: May 2019 Archives

May 2019 Archives

31 May 2019

TV's Best Spinoffs Ever: Xena!

Xena: Warrior Princess, the spin off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, was the best spin-off in our opinion! TV Line looks at the best spinoffs!

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XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS
Outlast its parent show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys? Make a household name of Lucy Lawless? Rock a leather-studded skirt? Dance the line between affecting drama and good ol’ fantasy fun? Continue to have fan conventions more than a decade after the last episode aired? Your fave could never.

See the rest of the list here


 

 

28 May 2019

Xena: Warrior Princess Lesbian Icon For The Ages - Huffpost 27 May 2019

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New Documentary Examines 'Xena: Warrior Princess' As Lesbian Icon For The Ages

"Queering the Script" takes an up-close (and critical) look at how LGBTQ representation on TV can have a generation-defining impact.

Given its portrayal of a strong female protagonist who enjoys intimate friendships with other women, “Xena: Warrior Princess” courted a massive LGBTQ following during its six-season run. Though 18 years have passed since the show went off the air, many continue to hail the titular character as a lesbian icon, though her sexuality was never formally clarified.

As a new documentary, “Queering the Script,” reveals, there was one person initially oblivious to the queer appeal of the fantasy series-turned-pop culture phenomenon: Xena herself ? or, rather, Lucy Lawless, who played the role.

When Lawless and co-star Renee O’Connor learned of their LGBTQ fans, “we just thought it was really kind of amusing,” she said, as seen in the above clip. “A huge part of this fandom, which had never been seen in the history of the world before, was that it was born at the same time as the internet.”

The “Xena” cult is one of many examined in “Queering the Script,” which debuted this weekend at the 2019 Inside Out Film Festival in Toronto and will continue to play additional festivals over the course of the year. Canadian filmmaker Gabrielle Zilkha told HuffPost she wanted to examine how queer audiences have embraced “Xena: Warrior Princess” and many other TV shows ? including “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and, more recently, “One Day at a Time” ? and, by doing so, “straddle an interesting line” between fans and activists.

“When they haven’t seen themselves represented on TV, they wrote themselves back into the narrative with fan fiction and other transformative works,” Zilkha said. “Today, with LGBTQ representation becoming more popular, this fanbase is the first to champion representation done right, but also the first to critique, pick apart and demand something better.”

Video (Only for US viewers)

 

 

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26 May 2019

Tickets Available to Watch Queering The Script Featuring Lucy

ImageYou can now get tickets to see the documentary "Queering the Script" featuring Lucy.

https://www.insideout.ca/toronto-films/queering-the-script/

Sun May 26, 12:15 pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
350 King Street West
Toronto, ON

 

 

Queering the Script
May 26, 12:15 p.m. TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

“I learned about myself through this show. I saw myself in this character,” explains an enthusiastic fan in Queering the Script, a sparkling celebration of queer fangirls and the shows they love. Queerness on television has moved from subtext, in series such as Xena: Warrior Princess, to all-out multiseason relationships between women, as seen on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost Girl, and Carmilla. But things still aren’t perfect. In 2016, a record number of queer women died on fictional shows, which broke the hearts of queer fans and launched a successful fight for better, more diverse LGTBQ2S+ representation. Stars such as Ilene Chaiken, Stephanie Beatriz, Lucy Lawless and Angelica Ross join with the voices of numerous kickass fangirls in this fast-paced history of queer women’s representation of contemporary television. Queering the Script not only charts the evolution of queerness, but also demonstrates the extraordinary impact of activism on its many diverse fans, ensuring that they see themselves accurately portrayed on-screen. Directed by Gabrielle Zilkha (Canada) - World Premiere.


 

 

23 May 2019

Press: Lucy On Masterchef Australia - Herald Sun 23 May 2019

Lucy appeared on Channel 10's Masterchef TV Show as a guest.. Channel 10 is the station that will air My Life Is Murder .

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LUCY Lawless is more of an observer than a warrior in the kitchen. But the actor has embraced a show about food and is a huge fan of MasterChef.

“My husband is a mad cook and I just follow him around doing the dishes,’’ said Lawless, known for her role in Xena: Warrior Princess. “It was very exciting for me.” Lawless has been in Melbourne for the past four months filming new Channel 10 series My Life is Murder.

Judge Matt Preston was chuffed to have Lawless on set.

“It’s just amazing when you meet someone like that who is just as obsessed by food as we are and who loves and knows the show,’’ he said.

You find out more about Lucy's role on My Life is Murder by going to the AUSXIP Lucy Lawless My Life is Murder Subsite


 

 

10 May 2019

Xena Comics: The Return of Xena Gives Us The Hero We've Been Crying Out For..

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TheMarySue has an interesting article about the new Xena Comic!

The Return of Xena: Warrior Princess Gives Us the Hero We’ve Been Crying Out For

For many young women and queer kids around the globe, Xena was one of their awakening moments. Whether it was the relationship between Xena/Gabrielle or the sight of Lucy Lawless in all that leather, despite being off the air for almost twenty years, the fanbase it built is still as strong as ever, which is why seeing it continued once more in comic form is such an immense pleasure.

Dynamite Comics has brought back Xena: Warrior Princess, written by Vita Ayala (Chandra, Livewire), with art by Olympia Sweetman, colors by Rebecca Nalty, and letters by Ariana Maher, so it’s a ladies and non-binary team bringing this first issue together. In the issue, Xena and Gabrielle have been called to the village of Sideros because the goddess Discord (guess what she does) has threatened to pull a pied piper and steal the children of the village.

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9 May 2019

Xena: Their Courage Changed Our World Book Details Released

xenaguide

At the recent Xenite Retreat, Xenites got their first look at the upcoming Xena: Their Courage Changed Our World book set - a three volume set - which will be released on September 04, 2020 - Xena's 25th Anniversary.

I'm pleased to announce that the official site for the book has now been updated with information from the guide. If you were at the Sunday panel I conducted at the Retreat, you will have received a full colour 16 page booklet, including artwork created by Arkie Ring and Linda "Calli" Callahan which were exclusive to the booklet. I will be posting the artwork to the site in addition to all the other images.

The official site can be found on http://xena25years.ausxip.com

Pages Updated

New Pages Added


 

 

6 May 2019

Game: Series Your Story Universe - Embark On An Epic Xena Adventure

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SERIES LETS YOU BE THE STAR IN YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES AND SHOWS!

Your choices determine the outcome of your favorite stories like Saved By the Bell, Vanderpump Rules, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Xena Warrior Princess and more! Enjoy the official storytelling game from NBCUniversal and get hooked on the exciting episodic adventure alongside your favorite characters and reality TV celebrities!

Become a hero and embark on an epic adventure in Xena: Warrior Princess.

In Xena: Warrior Princess, you take on the role of an innkeeper’s child whose peaceful life is shattered when the warlord Korax storms your village in search of the Forge of Hephaestus buried somewhere nearby. Korax plans to wield the power of the Forge to grant himself near-invincibility. When all hope seems lost, the spirit of Xena, the Warrior Princess, appears to you.

To win the day, Xena asks the impossible – gather her old allies and journey into the Underworld to find the Chaos Chakram, the only weapon capable of defeating Korax. Only you can defend your homeland against this relentless evil. Whether you rely on a strong sense of justice, a win-at-all-costs ferocity, or a quick wit and silver tongue, it will take everything you have to find Xena’s companions and vanquish the many fiends of Hades in time to prevent Korax from gaining enough power to challenge the gods.

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Available on


 

 

6 May 2019

Press Release: Lucy To Appear in Documentary "Queering The Script" At Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival

ImageQueering the Script
DOCUMENTARY
English

REGION: Ontario and Nunavut

YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 2019

DURATION: 1 x 90 mins

Over the past two decades, the self-identified queer “fangirls/fanpeople” have gained more and more influence in changing the way LGBTQ peoples are represented on screen. Queering the Script is a timely feature documentary that tells the story of how what started as an obscure fan-fiction community desperately teasing out queer subtext in Xena: Warrior Princess developed into an organized audience lobbying content creators for better and more authentic, positive representation.

From queer and trans female characters on popular studio shows like Supergirl and Orange is the New Black to series that center around the LGBTQ experience such as Transparent and One Mississippi, to independent queer-driven web series like Carmilla and Take My Wife, not only are we seeing more LGBTQ characters, we’re seeing them represented in new and more complex ways on all platforms, with varying degrees of success and authenticity. The stories once thought too niche to get made are now some of the most celebrated series with impassioned audiences.

This isn’t solely about the snarky lesbian vampire of Carmilla or the gun-slinging western heroines of Wynonna Earp, it’s a fight for positive on-screen LGBTQ+ representation and the desire to be seen, to be heard, and to be valued. Now they’ve raised their profile. What’s next?

Fuelling this activism is a fired-up fanbase of young, female, queer and trans viewers armed with critical eyes, social media accounts and a diehard passion to see themselves represented fairly on screen. If a show “buries their gays” without thinking…they’ll make their voices heard, and bring the change we want to see.

Queering the Script tells the story of one slice of this fan base: the queer female superfan, and their relationship to the creators that make their favourite TV idols. The documentary showcases talent, showrunners and producers from Brooklyn99, The 100, Xena, One Day at a Time, Transparent, Lost Girl, The L World, VIDA, Wynnona Earp as well as the diehard fans who power these shows to renewal – and find a community in.

Through the journey of queer fandom we also explore some of the surrounding factors that enabled better representation on screen: politics & culture, the shift from broadcast to streaming and the decline in advertiser-driven programming. With social media savvy, a knack for organizing, and a push to see fully realized queer characters and love portrayed on screen with depth, queer female fandom is a testament to the shift in power from advertisers to audience.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Shaftesbury Carmilla Doc Inc.

CAST/PARTICIPANTS: Lucy Lawless, Angelica Ross, Stephanie Beatriz, Ilene Chaiken, Tanya Saracho

Source


 

 

2 May 2019

Lucy Lawless's Fangirl Encounter With Aussie Star Magda Szubanski

Image636924220940623449One of Australia's funniest women had a mutual fangirl moment with one of New Zealand's leading actresses last week.

Magda Szubanski, 58, of Kath and Kim fame, joined Lucy Lawless, 51, to film on Lawless' new Aussie crime series My Life is Murder.

"Me and Magda at breakfast. God, what a Treasure she is! Thanks for coming to play my old skool pal/ frenemy. You make my life so much better. I adore you!" Lawless posted to Instagram.

Szubranski wasted no time in reposting Lawless and giving the fangirl love right back.
"Adore ya right back darlin! On set with @reallylucylawless who is every bit as fun, smart, kind and down to earth as everyone says. I was a HUGE Xena fan in the 90s (luckily the stalker phase has passed or that would be awkward!! But that glimmer of lady love in the show was enough to keep many of us going thru the decades of lesbian respresentational drought!! Loving working with ya, embellishing our scenes together and hearing your wild cackle!" posted Szubanski.

The Ash vs Evil Dead star has been filming My Life is Murder in Melbourne since the beginning of this year, headlining a trio cast of Bernard Curry, 45 (who has starred in Home and Away and Wentworth) and newcomer Ebony Vagulans.

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Lawless plays homicide investigator Alexa Crowe, described as compelling, complex and contrary, who can't help fighting the good fight. In the 10-episode series. Crowe solves murders and combats the small frustrations of everyday life. Much like Lawless' character Xena, Crowe is fearless and unapologetic as she solves crimes while looking into the darker quirks of human nature.

Crowe's unique skills and insights allow her to provoke and push the right buttons as she unravels the truth behind the most baffling of crimes.

The drama has been commissioned by Network Ten.

"The show will be one of the freshest new dramas. A star turn for a great actress in Lucy Lawless, brilliant scripts from some of our best writers, and a cracking yarn each week," says Network Ten head of drama, Rick Maier.

"Crimes that confound your average detective are more than an irritant for Alexa Crowe. She is not your average cop. Brilliant, insightful and completely without filter, Alexa is that rare breed of television hero: she doesn't give a damn how she solves the crime or who she offends in the process, as long as she gets it done," says Maier.

Some of Australia's best acting talent will guest star in each episode and the series will screen on TVNZ 1 this winter.

Magda Szubanski is the QUEEN of comedy in Australia. She's a LEGEND- there is no one better at that than Magda. She's appearing on My Life Is Murder with Lucy and I can't wait to see her!

Have a look at the video Lucy posted - Lucy's Aussie accent is not bad (for a kiwi)!

 

Source: NZ Herald

 

More Images from Lucy’s instagram account

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For more information about this show go to the AUSXIP Lucy Lawless My Life is Murder subsite


 

 

2 May 2019

Video: Lucy and Magda Being Hysterical on My Life Is Murder

Magda Szubanski is the QUEEN of comedy in Australia. She's a LEGEND- there is no one better at that than Magda. She's appearing on My Life Is Murder with Lucy and I can't wait to see her!

Have a look at the video Lucy posted - Lucy's Aussie accent is not bad (for a kiwi)!

 

View this post on Instagram

Me and @magda_szubanski practising our lines for #MLIM in fab #melbourne #kiwiAccent vs. AussieAccent #MYLIFEISMURDER @channel10au

A post shared by Lucy lawless (@reallucylawless) on May 1, 2019 at 9:41pm PDT

For more information about this show go to the AUSXIP Lucy Lawless My Life is Murder subsite