Tale of Two Fandoms

Recently, Lucy Lawless tweeted that the Xena movie isn't going to happen. While the chances of a Xena movie with the original cast is not going to happen, there's always a chance that Universal will reboot the franchise with an all new cast. Fans are not going to like that, in fact many are pretty much against the idea and will not see it.

Let's talk about a little old soap opera that aired on ABC from 1966-1971. Dark Shadows was the first gothic soap opera and made vampires hip. Before Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries, the ABC soap opera series had cult following that is almost as large as Star Trek. The DS fans hold annual conventions routinely attended by the cast members--both original and the revival series. Several of the cast members have written books about their time on the series.

It was also the start of the careers of David Selby, John Karlen, and Kate Jackson. It made a household name out of Jonathan Frid, probably the first soap superstar.

So when it was announced a few years ago that the series would be going to the big screen, fans were skeptical. In a few weeks, the Tim Burton directed film starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins opens in theaters. Burton and Depp extended invitations to Frid and series actresses Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker for cameo appearances. They were humble by the invitation and they accepted.

And the fans couldn't be happier.

See, this is where a fandom which is as old as Star Trek has also embraced the reboot of their beloved series. Dark Shadows fans have, by and large, accepted Burton's direction with the movie and Depp's portrayal of the original vampire heartthrob. They are excited about the movie and all of the active Dark Shadows websites have given credit to the reboot. They've embraced it. They welcome it. They're ready to line up at the theater to go see it.

Why can't Xena fans seemingly accept the same fate for their beloved characters?

Part of it, I believe, has to do with the possessiveness of the fans today. If it doesn't have Lucy Lawless as Xena, they're not interested. Instead of giving another actress a shot, they'd rather throw the whole idea under the bus.

They cannot wrap their head around another actor playing the lead character.

As a Dark Shadows fan, I was skeptical about the reboot but after hearing what Burton and Depp had in mind, I came around.

The moral of the story is, don't judge a book (or in this case, idea) by its cover. Let the pieces fall where they may. You never know what may come out on the backside of all of this. After all, the original Dark Shadows series is seeing rebirth as a result of the movie. And that, my friends, is an awesome thing.

Update on the Get "X" on campaign

I'm making the final preparations this weekend on the website. I took on a freelance assignment this week that's eating up a lot of my time.* I can tell you that the network we are targeting is ION Television. It is available on DirecTV and in many regions throughout the United States on independent stations. I realize that some folks may not get this channel. This is an  unavoidable circumstance because we need to think outside of the box when it comes to target networks.

Our artwork is being finalized this weekend to go with the website launch (http://www.xenaonline.net).

Now, ION does have a web contact form. While I ask that people use the snail mail method (trust me, if they hold something it'll seem a lot more tangible to them), people may also send an email to the company.

Keep in mind that no network wants to  hear an obsessed fan going "if you air it, people will watch it." In stead simply say: I feel that Xena: Warrior Princess will be a great addition to your network's programming.

It truly is that simple!

About ION Television

ION Media Networks, Inc. is a privately-owned, independent network television broadcasting company that owns and operates the largest broadcast television station group in the U.S., reaching over 99 million homes in the U.S. via broadcast, cable, and satellite distribution systems. The company owns and operates 60 full-power broadcast television stations, including stations in each of the top 20 U.S. markets and 37 of the top 50 markets. The company’s flagship general entertainment network, ION Television, features a broad mix of popular television series, theatrical and made-for-television movies, specials and sports. Recent DTV digital broadcast facility upgrades provide a broadband platform using enhanced digital terrestrial spectrum capacity. As a Digital leader in the U.S., ION has pioneered the development of portable, mobile and out-of-home transmission technology using this over-the-air digital television spectrum.
Source: ION Media Networks


* This freelance project is requiring me to do massive amounts of research on a topic that has been in the news recently. I'll put it this way, already my head is about to explode at the research I've uncovered.

Wanted: Xena fans who are just into the show and nothing else

Wanted: A lonely fan in search of fellow Xena: Warrior Princess fans that aren't into all the sideshow stuff. You must be willing to sit down and have honest chats about the series and characters. Remember kids, labels are for soup cans. This fan could care less about who is sleeping with who and who is in love with who. Just watch the show for its action, its comedy, its historical inaccuracy, its writing and directing...

Creation's survey results

Creation posted an update to the survey results a two weeks ago that showed that the majority of those who voted supported keeping the conventions going.

Correction, it was a resounding "yes" to keeping the conventions going.

The results should not come as a surprise to anyone who's a fan, but I think people might be reading more into this than is really necessary.

Some have called Creation's behavior on this matter "unprofessional." I disagree.

Unprofessional means a lot things but putting a poll up on your website asking fans (when they know damn well what the answer will be) means that they lack business sense.

For example, Creation failed to take into account several factors leading to a smaller attendance at the conventions. The first being the economy. Since 2009, the U.S. and world economy has been on a steady downturn. With a nearly 9% unemployment during that time and rising fuel costs, this has pushed people's budgets to the max and many have cut out vacations.

Creation's lack of realization is not unprofessional. It's just not paying attention to Econ 101 when people's pocketbooks are smaller, they don't go out and spend money.

Secondly, we are talking about a soon to be 17 year-old show in which the fandom has slowly started to turn to other things. Even people I know that were loyal fans are not as loyal as the once were, even just two or three years ago. Why? On one level, there's an easy answer: people get disinterested. The other answer revolves around personal choice as a result of the growing division within the fandom itself. The same old fights break out and this drives the older fans batty. (Myself included.) Another part of that is the hatred of the finale reached a point over the summer where some people are just growing tired of people complaining about the same thing over and over again. At some point, people are going to have to give it a rest and move on with their lives.

Thirdly, the Xena fandom was never a united fandom to begin with because too many fans identified as one of the many subgroups and not recognizing that they were fans of the show. The emphasis to label one's own fandom complicates the unity because of the attachment one gets as a result.

This is not to say the fandom is dying. In fact, it continues to grow in part because of SPARTACUS. People are finding the show and then learning about Rob and Lucy as a result. They are checking out their other products. Universal's decision to re-release the series onto DVD annually has made it even more possible to capture new fans. The Xena Movie Campaign is even helping with growing the fandom by getting the campaign into the news in some markets. These are all good things.

Do I hope there are more conventions? Yes. Because I want to go back!

Website revamp update

I've not touched it for over two months. I probably won't touch it for a while. I have no desire to work on it anymore because of various fandom related things... oh well... I guess maybe in three years it'll still be around whenever I feel like working on it again.

And I had such hopes that I moved beyond the bickering over the finale and the fan reaction. I was wrong. Horribly wrong.

Other abbreviations in the fandom

Episode acronyms aren't the only things that we Xenites like to shorten up...

There's also:

BGSB = Bilious Green Sports Bra
HCNB = Hardcore Nutball (the I'm right and you're wrong group of fans)
NC = New Chakram (sometimes SC for Super Chakram)
OC = Old Chakram
TPTB = The Powers That Be (the creative types association with the show)
XNL = Xena's New Leathers (generally referring to the season pregnancy outfit)
XOL = Xena's Original Leathers (traditional clothes)

Episode Acronyms

Ever been on a Xena forum, in a chat room or on a mailing list and found yourself confused by the shortened versions of episode titles? I mean after all, if you're talking about "Is There a Doctor in the House?" can get really tiring if you're having to type out the title all the time.

Long before I ever got into the fandom some wise Xenite came up with ITADITH to make our lives a little bit easier when discussing the series.

This is list is from my board, The Xena Online Community:


AA: Animal Attraction
A & C: Antony & Cleopatra
ACAOPTB: Athens City Academy of Performing Bards
ACOE: A Comedy of Eros
ADITL: A Day in the Life
AFA: A Family Affair
AFOD: A Fistful of Dinars
AFIN: A Friend in Need
AGD: A Good Day
AITST: Adventures in the Sin Trade
ANE: A Necessary Evil
ARCOT: A Royal Couple of Thieves (sometimes incorrectly used instead of The Royal Couple of Thieves)
ASC: A Solstice Carol
ATOTM: A Tale of Two Muses
AUS: Amphipolis Under Siege
BGBG: Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts
BF: Blind Faith
BITB: Back in the Bottle
BTDT: Been There Done That
BTL: Between the Lines
CH: Coming Home
COH: Cradle of Hope
COW: Chariots of War
DIC: Death in Chains
DM: Death Mask
DOP: Daughter of Pomira
DP: Dangerous Prey
DVAOA: Deja Vu All Over Again
EB: Eternal Bonds
FA: Fallen Angel
FF & G: Fins, Femmes & Gems
FHTBT: For Him the Bell Tolls
FIN: Friend in Need
FMN: Forget Me Not
GFC: God Fearing Child
GH: Gabrielle's Hope
GJWHF: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
GK: Giant Killer
H & H or HAH: Hooves & Harlots
HOA: Haunting of Amphipolis, The
HOD: Heart of Darkness
HSCMA: Here She Comes ... Miss Amphipolis
IDAITH: Is There a Doctor in the House
IOM: Ides of March
IS: Intimate Stranger
ISAIH: In Sickness and in Hell
ITSF: If the Shoe Fits
KC: King Con
KOA: King of Assassins
KTKK: Key to the Kingdom
LB: Lifeblood
LDITE: Looking Death in the Eye
LLHOF: Lyre Lyre Hearts on Fire
LM: Lost Mariner, The
LOTC: Last of the Centaurs, The
LP: Little Problems
LUATD: Locked Up & Tied Down
MB: Mortal Beloved
MH: Motherhood
MHR: Many Happy Returns
MI: Maternal Instincts
MWF: Married .... with Fishsticks
OAAA: One Against an Army
OAHAF: Old Ares Had a Farm
OOW: Orphan of War
PF: Paradise Found
PI: Past Imperfect
PL: Punchlines
POV: Path of Vengeance
RCOT: Royal Couple of Thieves (The)
RN: Remember Nothing
ROC: Return of Callisto
ROTV: Return of the Valkyrie
SITC: Send in the Clones
SOF: Seeds of Faith
SOTP: Sins of the Past
SP: Soul Possession
TA: The Abyss
TBTB: Them Bones Them Bones
TBS: The Bitter Suite
TD: The Deliverer
TDHD: The Dirty Half Dozen
TF: The Furies
TGG: The Greater Good
TGYK: The God You Know
THAB: To Helicon and Back
THOA: The Haunting of Amphipolis
TLOTC: The Last of the Centaurs (LOTC is the more common acronym)
TLW: Ten Little Warlords
TOTM: A Tale of Two Muses
TOTKO: Takes One to Know One
TPNT: The Path Not Taken
TPTT: The Play's the Thing
TQIM: The Quill Is Mightier
TR: The Reckoning
TRCOT: The Royal Couple of Thieves
TTB: Ties That Bind
[TUE: some fans' nickname for Soul Possession -- "The Unmentionable Episode"]
TXS: The Xena Scrolls
VA: Vanishing Act
WFC: When Fates Collide
WG: Who's Gurkhan?
WIR: When in Rome...
WP: Warrior ... Princess
WPT: Warrior ... Princess ... Tramp/Warrior ... Priestess ... Tramp
YAT: You Are There

Questions from the fandom July 2011 Edition

I originally was going to post the questions from the fandom, but I opted for the Convention Questions instead. My reasons for removing the fandom questions part boils down to I want to carefully word my responses because I don't want to anger people because most of what I say is based on my personal experience after 12 years in the fandom. I've seen a lot of vileness and it really doesn't need me adding to it at this point.

So without further delay... these questions are about the conventions...

Questions July Edition

With Creation’s announcement that 2012 will be the final Xena convention, does that mean no more Xena conventions?

The short answer is yes; however, over the long term, possibly not. Since the real reason for Creation not continuing the conventions (and presumably the merchandise) after 2012 is unknown, anything that I say is pure speculation based on what I know about product licensing. If we use the reasoning that Creation’s licensing ends at the end of 2012 another company may license Xena conventions and host them. Is that likely? I’m hesitant to say yes because attendance wise, it’d be foolish for another company to put on Xena convention as the sole offering. I suspect that any future Xena convention (if it happens) would involve it being packaged with something else to draw in a bigger audience. It would be a collective convention, similar to some of the other convention promoters do around the country where stars from various TV shows and movies gather together for a weekend. Just recently Bruce Campbell was at a Wizards convention on the East Coast.

Another possibility is that Creation may end the Xena weekend convention package and instead package it with some other convention. For example, Xena-Stargate-Farscape—One day would be Xena, one day would be Farscape, one day would be Stargate. Anyone who’s been to a Xena convention over the past few years knows that unless it’s Lucy, Renee, or Hudson—the convention theatre is about half or three-quarters full. But this option remains to be seen as Creation is also ending it's Farscape and Stargate conventions as well. Most recently they canceled the Whedon convention that was to be held later this in Los Angeles. They've also added some new shows to their convention line-up including The Vampire Diaries, Eureka and Warehouse 13.

What about merchandising?

From the email that was sent out and the note (one in the same) posted to the X-Con website, it almost sounds like the licensing agreement is ending in 2012 and that Creation no longer can manufacture Xena merchandise and in which case another company can license to make T-Shirts and products based on the series and its characters. NBC Universal has already licensed out a calendar to a publisher based out of New York. It’s the first non-Creation calendar since Portal ceased producing them about four or five years ago.

And the fandom?

The only way the fandom will die is if we the fans let it die. That said, the Xena fandom will live on. The conventions may have ended, it doesn’t stop fans from gathering independently or hosting their own things on their websites, forums, etc. This blog and its companion websites, including The XOC will continue forward. I’m pretty sure MaryD isn’t giving up AUSXIP or TX either.

Is there anything fans can do to keep the conventions going?

If the reason for ending of the conventions is not based on licensing, but financial, there’s always a possibility that fans could persuade Creation to keep the conventions going. A few years back they proclaimed Farscape’s convention demise, yet it has continued on. In that same respect, Stargate is also ending its run on the convention circuit. Fans can write and tell Creation how much they enjoyed the conventions. It’s evident that Creation is having to make some hard decisions about its business. And with the United States economy heading toward another recession, Creation wants solidify itself so it’ll be open for business on the backend once the economy improves.

July Questions

I'm working on the July questions right now. I'll hopefully get them up later today. This is not going be a nice one toward the end because it deals with the fandom and some of you already know that the Xena fandom, something very near and dear to me, is something of a controversial topic for me because of my experiences with certain groups within the fandom.

In short, I'm tired of being mocked and looked at funny when I don't "conform" to you silly little labels you like putting on everything.

Questions from the Fandom June 2011 Edition

Is Xena shown anyone on TV in the United States?

To the best of my knowledge, no. It recently started airing again in Australia on premium cable, but as for the United States--no. The best way to catch Xena nowadays is either buy the DVDs, stream them through Netflix (though, Lyre, Lyre Hearts on Fire and Antony and Cleopatra are not available because of music rights), purchase seasons from Amazon or iTunes streaming service. Xena was recently added to Hulu +. Hulu does have the aforementioned episodes available for streaming, and in some cases--they have the episode promos that lead episodes off.

Do you know where I can buy Xena merchandise?

Your best bet is try eBay. A word of caution, some sellers tend to "inflate" their prices because they're not serious about selling their collections. Shop around on eBay.

How to do I write to the actors?

I'm a bad Xenite in that I don't keep up on that. Try searching for individual actors on Google. Many of them have their own websites with ways to contact them (or at least someone working with them).

Are there plans to bring Spartacus onto regular TV?

I've not heard anything about syndication rights. They'd have to seriously clean up episodes and remove the sex and blood scenes. Netflix does stream the episodes and the first season is available on DVD.

What is your opinion on Spartacus?

Couldn't get into it. I tried, diligently to find something worthwhile and interesting in the series and it never happened. Some of it is that I'm not a person who gets a kick out of watching blood and sex. While it may accurately portray, in some respects, life in a Roman gladiator school--historically, there are problems with the content.

Why hasn't Renee worked more?

Some of it is personal choice, I believe. The rest of it is all on Hollywood's political structure (not political like Democrats and Republicans) of the casting world. It's who you know and your ability to sell yourself. Renee seems perfectly content working in the Indie scene.

Will there ever be a Xena movie?

Sure. Just not the one you may want. I suspect that within the next decade or decade and a half, Xena will come to the big screen. It'll be re-imagined with all new actors in the main roles. Which is sadly, as it should be. I realize that stings to hear. But I do believe that principle actors have moved on from their days on Xena.

How come Xena [I assume the person meant Lucy] doesn't do more action roles?

The person meant Lucy, I believe. At any rate, I think the question answers itself. If you still see Lucy as Xena, that's the reason WHY she hasn't taken on another Xena-esque role in the decade since Xena ended. Lucy, while she fondly looks back upon XWP, really doesn't want to go through her post XWP career playing like-minded roles. It's bad enough when Hollywood typecasts actors into the roles that put them on the map, it's worse with the fans do it as well. This is something casting people pick up on in Hollywood. Let Lucy be the judge of what roles she wants to play. And believe me, she's turned a lot of Xena-esque roles because she doesn't want to rehash Xena in some new setting.

What would you like to see in a movie?

New actors. Story---new story too. I'd rather keep the two properties separate.

Do you still write fan fiction? Tales of the Warrior was great!

This question finally prompted me to find my PDFs of the virtual series I did a few years ago. To answer the question, no. I no longer write fan fiction. I've been writing non-fiction stuff most recently. I'm currently researching for a historical fiction novel set in World War II that's loosely based on my family's involvement. Though, I wouldn't discount me not writing fan fiction altogether. I might end Tales of the Warrior with a movie. We'll see.

Do you read fan fiction?

No. I can't. I'd rather read something I created because it's based on my vision and not what another fan's vision is because the two points often don't see eye to eye. It's a polite way of saying, I can't stomach the majority of fan fiction without my intelligence or morals being insulted one way or the other. I'm sure people feel the same way about my writing as well. So it's all good. And most of the fan fiction is "smut" anyways. I like stories that don't contain sex.

Are you ever going to update your website?

The funny thing about being a history major is all the writing you have to do. I've had to write about 300 pages worth of papers over the last year-and-a-half. I finally have time and I'm making great work on getting the 'information' sections up and running. The site will be located here http://www.xenaonline.net.

Have you met any of the people from Xena?

Only at conventions. I've had some wonderful conversations with them in the past during the charity breakfast, the disco parties, and just in passing. They're just like fans. Only difference is, they have been on TV. They're all human. They require the same basic necessities to live, just like the rest of us.

Is there anyone Xena who you hate?

Um. Thinking... I can't think of a person I absolutely hate quite honestly. Since I don't know them personally, it's really hard for me to say: "I hate you" without sounding like an idiot. Unless of course you mean characters... and in that case... ALTI!

This ends this part of the questions. I'll sift through the emails, etc. to find more questions.

The Convention Photos

Because people see fit to steal my photos for their stupid, cheezy music videos and profiles I'm going to devise a different method for distribution. As much as it PAINS me to do this, I'm going to have to watermark over their faces with my copyright.

And people wonder why I have issues with the fandom! This is why! You damn thiefs. ASK or at least CREDIT. I spent over $1500 going to the convention, stood on my feet for eight hours and to bring you great photos you f-ing morons have to steal, steal, steal and not give credit.

If you were in the U.S., I'd sue your ass for violating my copyright!

Xena Online Community

According to Google search on my end (it varies), the Xena Online Community is the number one Xena forum. They even list the othe forums on the board! Three cheers for the XOC!

Redux of things that piss me off

People who post complete episodes of TV shows and movies to the Internet. It's against the law and if you're caught downloading them, you could end up paying a hefty fine.

Jenn's advice: Don't advocate websites who post such things.

Enough said on that.

Things that really piss me off

This is rant.

I did people a favor by posting images. Now, when I go to launch the official gallery, they're going to have a HUGE WATERMARK across the center of the images because some jackass fan decided it'd be okay to take my images.

All you had to freaking do was ask the following: Hey, can I use your photos to make a video?

I would have answered yes as long as you credit me at the beginning of the video.

No harm. No foul.

But now, this fan had to take the images thinking on one would care.

I BUSTED MY ASS STANDING FOR TWO FREAKING DAYS!

What the fuck ever.

People wonder why I have such an antagonistic attitude toward the fandom??? THIS IS FUCKING WHY! Damn thiefs!

Lucy concert news causes brief moment of hysteria in fandom

Last week, an announcement came out that Lucy Lawless was going to have a concert at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. The announcement didn’t come from Lawless herself, but rather a posting on a website (http://www.therrazzroom.com/). While the questioning of the concert was within reason, some fans felt it necessary to get mad about it not coming from Creation Entertainment (rather, Sharon who works for Creation but manages Lucy’s Official Fan Club website and mailing list).

Color me confused, but what exactly is the problem here? So the announcement didn’t come from Lawless or Sharon or Creation Entertainment and automatically its assumed that there’s a problem between Lucy and Sharon? What? Where did that come from?

First of all, there is no reason to get pissy over something as minor as this.

Secondly, to start hurling accusations and conspiracy theories about someone being on the outs with someone is just plain asinine—not to mention horribly immature and presumptuous.

There was no need to concern. And if there was a problem, it isn’t any of our damn business anyways. And more importantly, there was no need to get obnoxious and rude about it when someone tells you to knock it off and chill out.

The fact is, it boils down to Lucy Lawless doing a concert that isn’t attached to a Creation Entertainment convention and someone released it before Lucy Lawless had a chance to release it on her website. (NOTICE: The announcement is now on her website: http://www.lucylawlessfanclub.com.)

There was really no need for concern. And the only thing that seemed odd about it was that it took a week to get it up on her website.

However, there is a bright side in all this mess. The concert is an actual concert venue at a theater that has tiered seating—a heavy emphasis on the seating. With tickets ranging from $45 for the nosebleed and back of the theater seats to the $100 seats that get you closer to the stage, it makes the concert a tad bit more palatable on the pocketbook to most fans. And more importantly, it gets her chops wet on an actual concert venue rather than a night club venue. I think it would be safe to assume that this concert will be of a different sorts.

It’ll be interesting to see come September 28, the day after the concert, how it was.

XOC celebrates nine years in the Xenaverse

At exactly 12:00 am (midnight), the XOC will celebrate it's 9th Anniversary as a Xena message board.

Well, it wasn't born at 12am exactly, but it was born on July 30, 1999.

Stop on by the XOC at around midnight to see my very special surprise. We're going....

Oh wait, that'll spoil the surprise.... SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bitch Slap!

Someone asked me my thoughts on this film. I'll be blunt: it looks crappy and stupid.

Before anyone goes: But, but you shouldn't judge it... know this: You don't know what I like to watch and vice versa!

Now, granted, I haven't see the film (nor care too) so it might be kind of judgmental of me to make that assumption that it is crappy and stupid. (Given the trailer, the producers haven't given me a reason to like it.)

However, having worked fourteen years in a video store and seeing thousands of movie trailers, I've gotten to be a good judge about movies. I can safely say, I've been more right than wrong about the "enjoyable" factor of a movie.

I know what my tastes are and what I like to watch. Bitch Slap isn't a movie I'd sit back on the recliner and watch much less go to a movie theater. (FYI: The same thing will go for Bedtime Stories at the end of the year.)

Now, obviously this movie gets some of the Xena and Hercules gang back together again for a brief moment in time. That's good from the outside looking in. But does that mean I have to subject myself to something I wouldn't normally watch if they weren't involved? No. It doesn't.

Will it help the movie? Probably not. Plenty of movies have star power only to fizzle in the box office. It's comes across as a more of a 'reunion' segment, sans the references to Xena and Hercules.

Should people be forced to watch it? No. Should they be allowed to bash the movie for being sleezy and slutty? Yeah. Should they be judged on that? NO!

It's an opinion. We're entitled to our opinions. And if we don't like someone's opinion, we deal with it in a respectable manner.

There is this expression:

What one man deems as art another deems as trash.

This applies to films. What one person may think is cool and funny, another thinks is trashy.

Titanic with Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio. I thought this was a good film. But I can name at least a dozen people who thought it was stupid from the trailer or after having watched it. Are they wrong because they haven't seen it? No. They know what they like to watch and the subject matter of the film simply doesn't appeal to them.

But just because we watch a trailer of a movie and get an opinin off of that, doesn't mean that we're being judgmental about the film itself. It means that we simply don't find the movie interesting or something we care to watch.

Internet Thievery!

Someone has saw fit to create a flickr account to post photos taken from the 2008 Burbank Convention. Not only did they use Steve's photos, they also used KT's photos that were published on the AfterEllen website.

This is just wrong!

I don't know what possesses some fans to do this. I don't. And I don't think I want to know really. It's just sickening.

That's why I watermark my photos to prohibit some lowlife fan from taking my photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevenlsears/
This is not STEVEN L. SEARS and I suggest emailing flickr to get the account removed.

You shouldn't steal from other websites

I came across your website Xena Online Website and noticed you directly lifted from the Xena Online blog. You shouldn't life text from other websites without giving the link to the source.

After the initial shock of being accused of stealing from myself, I couldn't HELP but laugh at this. (Apparently, this person hadn't read the blog for very long and didn't pay attention to the links on the right of this blog.) But no harm, no foul.

This was my reply:

Thank you for your concern. However, I run both the Xena Online blog and the website. The blog is considered my personal musings with some news postings (double the coverage) space. The website is the more official end which serves to keep fans updated on the cast and crew from both "Xena" and "Hercules."

Thanks for having an eagle eye. I wish more people would be as concered as you are.

Some new features on the blog

I've added some new features to the blog. First, on the right I've RSS'd the Xena Online Community so that the five "newest" (not replied/updated) posts show up. I've also RSS'd the website so that the latest news show up.

Another feature is at the bottom of the page. I've added in a little widge that features some Lucy Lawless products. I'll change it up every month or every couple of weeks with new Xena/Hercules/Lucy/BSG related products.