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Chariot of War II Convention - London 2000

Photos © Slash
It was an electrical, magnificent and magical convention!!! I'm at a loss for superlatives The atmosphere was friendly, the organization flawless, the staff amiable, the place idyllic (a 4-star hotel!) and, above all, the guests -the guest STARS, should I say!- were incredibly kind and forthcoming!!!
Hudson and me.... sic !
Let us begin with Ted Raimi (Joxer), a terribly funny showman who knows so well how to poke fun at himself but can also show us the depth of his character. While he answered in the funniest possible way the questions people asked him on the first day, he put up a genuine show on the second one and, with a little help from the audience, introduced us to the tough job of producer. With nuts and bolts, he improvised within the space of ten minutes an explosive show: he played Matahari, a she-wolf and a musical comedy We had quite a fit of laughter, I can tell you Ted told us Joxer would come back during season 6 as a rather clumsy ghost

For her first convention, Paris Jefferson (better known as Athena) showed us, through her availability, what a great actress she was. And, to put icing on the cake, let us say that she's far cuter in the flesh than on TV ;o). We really look forward to seeing her again at other conventions!!! Paris told us she loved working on XWP and was sorry about her character's death, which she said was very complex from a psychological point of view

Adrianne Wilkinson (Livia/Eve, Xena's charming daughter) was, in spite of a flu, incredibly kind and gentle and her slightly hoarse voice definitely seduced us. The "new pup" (it was only her second convention), proved to be very popular among fans and was greeted with a deluge of applause during the ending ceremony. She told us she'd preferred, from an acting point of view, Livia's ruthlessness to Eve's overly sweet kindness. She also said that, in "Motherhood", she'd been pretty uncomfortable with a spider in her hand while its confident trainer stood by her side Ugh ! We sympathize!

Tim Omundson (Eli) gave us an astounding crooning performance when he impersonated Elvis (with whom, we have to say, he bears a distinct resemblance, especially with his wig on) on Saturday evening, after barrels of beer had seemingly been put to good use The 'Way of Love' propagandist who developed some interesting theological theories, seems to be rather keen on diabolical interpretations We can be sure this evil of a man will be back for next year's convention. He'd really love to be back on XWP as well, but as a much more evil Eli, whom we think he could play very well indeed!

And, last but not least, there was Hudson Leick, our beloved Callisto. . . In turn feline, tiger-like, sweet, sly, frightening and provocative, she played with the public with incomparable lightness. She played (to the fullest!) with her delicate and rounded figure ;o), which harmoniously fitted her outrageously tight dresses (a tiger-white one on the first day and a golden one the following day). She treated us with a wonderful smile, barely hidden upper thighs and a ravishing belly button which seduced more than its fair share of fans.

Taking her time, she let us get an eyeful of her acting talents. Playing either the Barbie doll, the bitch or the psychotic little girl with a caustic sense of humor, she enjoys intimidating people in spite of her apparent frailness (which she acknowledges) and cleverly toys with her sexual orientation with a disarming confidence. . . To put it in a nutshell, WE LOVE HER!!! We now know that she drinks only water with a slice of lemon, eats ONLY fish and has been practicing yoga for the past six years. She gave us an example of her skills and bent backwards on the stage. . . Waaaaa, cameras flashed!!!

We must stress how patient all these stars have been, especially when you consider that they agreed to four non-stop hours of signings (while originally, only two hours had been planned) and several unannounced photo sessions on Sunday morning.

Being so close to them, speaking to them and having them at the table next to ours on both evenings was a pure delight! An unforgettable experience, from which I still hasn't recovered. . . still thinking of Hudson's delicate perfume. . . Hummm!

In short, a dream weekend dedicated to our favorite heroine, whom we met on several instances. A lovely, tall, self-assured and dark-eyed brunette -a warrior princess lookalike- made us wonder if Lucy Lawless was really absent from this convention!!