Per il ciclo di interviste:
"Gli amici di Xena"

Darkamy intervista Kym (webmistress di whoosh!)

si ringrazia Scanto per le traduzioni.

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1. Tell us something about you, how you got to know Xena and how Whoosh! began.
I started watching XWP when I accidentally came across CRADLE OF HOPE while channel surfing. I found it funny in a sly way so I watched it again next week. After a couple of episodes I was hooked.

I then jumped on-line to find out what was going on. I became interested in how the media was reacting and promoting the show, so I started up the Xena Media Review. It was weekly analysis on the media and XWP. I did that for about three months and the inspiration for Whoosh happened. I explained what I wanted to do in XMR and asked for volunteers. I got them (most importantly Trish Murphy and Betsy Book) and within four months or so, Whoosh.org was up and running. In May we put up a site for the International Association of Xena Studies as a place marker for Whoosh. It was going to be reviewed in Web Magazine so we set as a deadline to get Whoosh.org up and running on the day that the magazine would be released: September 17, 1995.

2. Tell us how Whoosh! is organized and how many people work there.
At it's height we had over 40 volunteers. At this very moment there is only me. We should have maybe about 10 or more in the next few months, after I reorganize the site.

The site has a mainpage which lists some of the articles of the past two years and serves as an access point to the episode guide, journal, movie area, cartoon page, Godzilla area,

etc. The journal was monthly but will go quarterly. I was planning to go quarterly before my partner of 18 years passed away unexpectedly, but I plan to continue with that plan starting between October-December of this year.

3. Favorite season, episode and character.
Favorite season: 1st. It was laid back, understated, and went where no action adventure show had gone before!

Favorite episode: Dreamworker. Dreamworker is cream of XWP condensed soup. It captured all the major themes of the series and foreshadowed almost all the important storylines to come. Simply amazing.

Favorite Act: Act 3 of One Against An Army. It is 11 minutes of subtext becoming maintext before your eyes.

Favorite Character: Velasca. She was really really mad at Gabrielle.

4. Do you think that we will ever see a Xena movie?
I have no idea.

5. In your opinion what are the reasons why Xena: Warrior Princess ended? Lack of audience or authors’ lack of ideas?
It ended because of pressures from Tribune Broadcasting (pushing it out of good viewing times in their stations), production fatigue, and the usual other reasons why a show gets cancelled.

6. Xena and Gabrielle were a couple since the first episodes or do you identify a moment where you sense the beginning of their relationship?
It obviously begins in SINS OF THE PAST. But it's all one way from Gabrielle. By DREAMWORKER you are having Xena willing to go to hell and back to get Gabrielle no matter the personal cost. That's the third aired episode. It climaxes in ONE AGAINST AN ARMY where they face each other's mortality and Xena refuses to accept it even over her quest for redemption. BETWEEN THE LINES is where they are openly deemed soulmates.

7. Ares is to Xena: a friend, an enemy or a lover?
Ares was like Gabrielle, someone totally fascinated by and totally fixated on the warrior princess. But Xena clearly liked Gabrielle more. Another one totally fixated on Xena in the Ares and Gabrielle league was Callisto. It took a couple of seasons for Ares to figure out that Gabrielle was key to manipulating Xena, whereas Callisto took about 5 minutes! Ares dealt with the realization by chasing after Gabrielle for a while, trying to turn her to the dark side. Callisto just used the information to play mind games with Gabrielle.

8. How many times did you meet Lucy and Renee? Do you want to share your experience with us?
To be honest, I have not kept track. It's been ten years of deep interaction with the show; that's a lot of interaction.

9. Is there anything that strikes you when you meet Lucy and Renee?
They are nice people trying to do as good a job as they can. They were both confused about their impact but since have graciously accepted the responsibility.

10. Can you give us some anticipation for the future on Whoosh.org?
I am still in my mourning period for the unexpected loss of my partner of 18 years. Since April 2005 I have not worked on the site. Between October and December 2005 I hope to move to a new server which will give me more space so I can get all the graphics back on the site. I have plans on expanding the movie area and TV area. The journal will resume. I have about 8 papers currently in editing. The journal will be organized in quarters not months.

11. Thank you for joining us. Greetings from all Italian fans.
Thank you for your interest.