LOS ANGELES 2010 - Con 5-7 FEB 2010

MARRIOTT HOTEL LOS ANGELES

Lucy Lawless and Renée O'Connor

Friday 5th February 2010
There was some disturbance behind the curtains at the end of Lucy's performance. Renée came out on stage. Lucy told us in her always funny way "She doesn't like to wait". Lucy welcomed her with a big hug. And fans overcourse welcomed her with a big applause and standing ovation. It took a very long time. It is amazing, to me it is as each year we love them more and more and we want to keep on applauding and keep on welcoming them. Ah what a great feeling. It is hard to discribe when you are not a Xena/Lucy/Renée fan but it is a thrill and something very warm inside your heart.
A young fan, standing behind the micro since Lucy was on stage, and was overwelmed seeing her was now even more overwelmed and the question did came out with a lot of hard work. Well that is what you get when you are soooo young and are all of a sudden amongs the first generation xena fans. Hey, everybody reacts different. I was not a teenager when I met Lucy, Renée and the whole gang for the first time. Being in my late 30ties makes a difference.

Renée was hoelalala nicely dressed in black leather pants and high heeled black boots. It was woaw! She almost was as tall a Lucy now, well almost. But it made her taller. I can tell cause I noticed it at the photo ops.

There was a question about which country they would like to visit again. Renée told us she would like to return to Egypt. For Lucy :"India, The Maldives. The climate change, scramble should be happening, but it is not."
The next question was about actors they admire. Lucy said Julianne More, Judi Densch, woman who are great actors and haven't had plastic surgery. "I love seeing these women who look real and beautiful at any age." Then they talked about actors who had plastic surgery, botox, etc.... And they said : A face pulled in. Some wacky monster mask."

Then they talked about people they look up to or the one they praises for their support; Renée praised Rob for being a great supporter of her carreer. "Rob has been a great mentor for me." The said Rob being her mentor because of the fact that you always are aware that there is knowlegde that you can access. "Know who to ask, what to ask. These guys are standing there, just look to them." Renée said she looks up to someone she works with, but expecting someone to be your mentor is somewhat overwhelming. "I always look all around me to see who's right there, these gems are all around, you just have to look around you." Well, at this very moment we are looking at two gems on the stage.
Then Lucy said some marvelous words; "If you"re lucky enough to have a great mother, that can be a great source of inspiration, so, my mum." "For those of you with bad moms, learn what not to do."
These were such wise words. I instantly remembered my mother and grand-mother. They are always with me in a special place in my heart. My mother never thought I would see New Zealand when you have a family to care for. My grand-mother was the most energetic and full of life woman I ever had seen. I hope I have her strong genes in me.My grandmother gave me always the feeling that there was more in me that I knew. I think she deep inside of her, must have known that I would succeed in finding happyness and go there where I wanted to go. For her I still walk with a kind of bad feeling the way we said goodbye when she passed away. I wasn't there cause weeks before I left in the heat of discussion her sickbed. I returned to late to make everything good again. She was MY GREAT BELOVED grandmother. I miss her still everyday just as I do miss my mother. The circle of 3 was broken. The charmed ones? No, but we had that special bond the thee of us. That said, they are to me my inspiration for life, to enjoy the miracle of life and nature, cause the world is a marvelous thing to be part of. Thanks Mom and Grand-Mom, my first novel that I will write will be dedicated to you both. You need to stay inmortal.

Time for the play. Lucy told again that she went to Barnes and Nobles and pulled everything out they had for women. When she said it was a 'two hander' this gave some reaction of some fans. Therefore Lucy shook her head and gave us a little glare while telling us that it referred to the number of actors in the play. The fans defied her and kept on giggling.
They introduced the play and Renée said : "We considered doing Love Letters from Xena to Gabrielle' on which Lucy replied : And why didn't we do that, exactly?"
So they started what they called a cold reading of a play about two friends, one of them (Lucy) has fixed the other (Renée) a blind date. The guy dies while they're in bed together. During the play we find out that this is because Renée's character erotically asphyxiated him with a pillow. But it seems it is not the first time she has such dramatic erotic experience, killing your date by mistake that is. Shortly recapitulated cause unfortunately I couldn't hear the title of the play when Lucy threw her book behind the curtains at the end. So the blind date set up is full of hot sex, sucking various bodie parts and a touch of kink. The guy died because he was tied up and the pillow as left just a little to long on him. Rénee played Janice. So according Jannice a lack of oxygen gives a good orgasm. But that she just left the pillow to long on his face. Lucy played Wilma. Wilma was shocked that the guy was dead. For Janice this death was very inconvenient, she was particularly worried because she had been in jail before and this would then be her third one. I loved the chemistry between the two of them especially when some good one-liners came along such as : Janice : Yes Wilma I was top, We have to vote now, you know;" Janice : He sucked the paint right of my toenails. In the end they decide to call the cops. Wilma says to Janice : You know Janice, I'd like to hear more about your lesbian experiences one day......" which refers to the fact that Janice has been in prison and had a lesbian cell mate. Janice replies : Let me get my pillow.
I loved seeing them both doing this, although it was a cold reading you can immediately see the chemistry between both of them. Although Renée stayed mostly on one spot while Lucy moved around the stage with a lot of gestures. At the end of the play they gave us big grins but also looked at eachother and started laughing and grinning. You know how they can do that between the two of them. It is speaking without words. Let me also explain what a cold reading is. Cold reading is like an audition, when you get the text or the lines and have to read them for the first time. After the play I had the impression that they were happier then before. It was like doing this play was something they love to do and together. It was as if they were freeed and really jazzed them up.

Then there was some fan who told they played a softball game playing for Lucy's Starship and Renée's charity. Starship team won. Lucy talk a tiny little bit about Spartacus how difficult it is not to make anything comedic.

Then they were asked what would define their life as a song. Renée was fast with replying : Wind beneath my wings. Lucy interjected "Did you ever think that the show might possibily be about the emergence of a hero? The ...... Gabrielle? Although we got positive and excited reaction out of the crowd, Renée said no. She mentioned "The story was about the hero's redemption"
Then Lucy answered the song question : Always look on the bright side of life. It reminds me a blooper of the cruxifiction scene on the beach.

On the question if they had any advice Lucy said : Be good to your children. And Renée said : Realize how beautiful you are inside.

There was a question about their hardest experience in Xena. It was hard to follow as one moment they are talking to eachother, there was also the fact that some fans started talking to eachother. I remember Lucy said that for Renée it was the shorter skirt and that they took her shoes away. You know the Indian episodes. But Renée said no, for her it was when they coated her with mud in The Abyss. "You even couldn't talk" Lucy remembered. But what about the mud in Sickness and in Hell? But about The Abyss Renée talked how this was horrific experience for her. She felt so inhuman. (I had that feeling when I saw the episode). She was bound, slathered in mud and then they put that big plug in her mouth. Renée told us that at that time she had just to lock herself inside, or she would have gotten truly hysterical. She felt she couldn't generate any reaction, because she knew she would loose it. When I recall that scene I posed myself the questions how it would have been performing this. And I must admit, now that we know the info of Renée, it must have been a huge self discipline to keep yourself and your character.
Lucy said that Renée as shaking and that she replied I'm fine now, everything is okay.
But when they recall and share such moments with us, you clearly can see how much they cared for eachother, cause even a the moment when Renée tells about this experience, you she the carrying eyes of Lucy looking over her mate. Brilliant!
Then they both took a backflash on Renée's character Gabrielle. Renée said, looking back, "I can see how I was meant to play Gabrielle". She mentioned she just realised that. Lucy asked why it was meant to be and Renée answered "What is life about? Gabrielle is a gift of good.Do your job at the right time. Then Lucy replied how precious that kind of thing is. She talked again about working on Spartacus. She told us that things can become lightening in a bottle. And you need to have gratitude for such a thing.

There were some other questions which I didn't found interesting to make a remark for. At a certain point all of a sudden the audience gets quiet, has no further questions and it all dies out. And then it is sooo good to see how Lucy and Renée pick it up again. Although I cannot attend every years convention there are still a few things that I love so much about them. When they are both on stage the chemistry is like a huge fire. They both sparkle. It is as they need to see eachother on stage and on stage tease eachother and us ofcourse too. Typical for Renée is how she defends Lucy when some fans go to far in questioning. She takes memories about each other that lead to the answers or just tell little stories about each other (out of their real lives or their show lives). Funny is how they answer for eachother will the one of them to whom the question was for, is still thinking. You get then the little arguments between the two of them about the given answer.

Chemistry, yes but a chemistry with a certain flair about it. I always touched my heart when I see them standing relaxed next to eachother. And then when are holding hands and Lucy takes (allmost draggs) Renée with her to the other side of the stage to reply to a question. When they are standing close to eachother Lucy often drapes her arm across Renée's shoulder. I find this so cute and lovable. And when Renée then slips her arm around Lucy's waist, well my heart melts down. It is so nice to see. This is a true and deep friendship. They have a special bond, very difficult to explain.I'm happy for them and happy that the two of them met eachother for the show. Life can run strangely to make you happy.

Two being one! Oh yes. Due to the fact I got a close encounter with Renée this year, which touched me so deeply (see the page about Renées appearance) it got me into a deep discussion with my wife about how we two are the perfect match in thinking, speaking, handling, reactions, etc.. And I came back to Lucy and Renée how they not only performed a perfect couple on the show but how the match on stage aswell. Two clever women with a lot of brains. Cause whenever whatever we ask them they know exactly what we mean. Remembering names of episodes is nothing for Lucy but on the contrary she still knows what was going on the day they filmed it. She knows what weather it was and temperature. Even the place they were filming and who was on the set. Renée then again, maybe remembers that all too, but when she talks about the series, she talkes more about her character and not that much about herself. Lucy can point out for us how she saw Xena in a particular scene or episode and also can tell us what she personally felt about it, or how she saw it. I think the difference is that Lucy is really focussed as an actress and Renée is more of a director person.
This difference creates sometimes a pause after a question is posed, cause then they both look at eachother or even stare at the questionere for little moment. Looking at eachother hoping the other has the answer. But all of a sudden one of them figures out the situation out of an episode, the story, etc..... and then the other one starts with 'Oh, you are talking about ............." which gives a little more time to the get the answer together and then one or both of them start with the answer. And as it also happens to us when we are talking about things, some subjects do bring you onto another subject. And then I love how the start telling about something brand new without that some of us asked for it. It feels like they really like to share some things with us. And ofcourse we love them very much. Hey we are amongs family? What else did you expect? I feel I get emotional so I wrap up this page. Hope you enjoyed it.