4 "WILD THINGS": FEMMES OR FAMINE? Neve Campbell [5:9] checked-out of her PARTY OF FIVE to vamp in last spring's
"scandalous, twisted tale of sex & murder." So did the film sizzle?
Or sputter? And how did delectable Denise Richards fare as a femme fatale? Review
by Thomas Doherty
8 BANNED IN BOSTON: Bernard of Hollywood
A behind-the-scenes chronicle of Hollywood's legendary (& sometimes provocative)
photographer. His torrid cheesecake fried the '50s: his femmes included Rita Hayworth,
Jayne Mansfield, Lili St. Cyr, Julie Newmar, Monroe & Bardot. Article by Dan
Scapperotti
32 THE "KILLERS" CONTROVERSY
She launched her career with SORORITY HOUSE PARTY ("A Disney version of a
T&A film."). But it was a low-budget shocker that catapulted Kim Little
into prime time. Article by Craig Reid
40 Tea Leoni & THE BIG BANG
Insisting her end-of-the-world epic is more than a blast, she takes aim at a competitive
ARMAGEDDON. The sitcom star also discusses her husband's X-FILES MOVIE. Article
by Douglas Eby
44 ROBBI CHONG: "POLTERGEIST"
A former fashion model, she graduated from minor roles to prime time's gorgeous
ghostbuster (in the series' third season opener, Chong switched from virtuous
to vamp). She shares her insight on horror movies, "sex & violence,"
etc. Article by Frank Garcia
48 "XENA": ALTERNATE LIFESTYLE?
The writer, in her odyssey for the sexually ambiguous heroine, queries, 'Why is
the Warrior Princess embraced by gay women?" (& where's a lesbian when
I need one?) Article by Laura Schiff
52 "XENA": RENEE O'CONNOR
Cast as you-know-who's best bud, O'Connor reflects on "the demand for female
heroes," "the changing times," "the babe factor," the
Internet, cats and cooking. Article by Desire Gonzales
56 THE FEMMES OF "F/X: THE SERIES"
The show's been cancelled—and look what you've been missing! The series'
female duo reveal the wrap-up, which reanimates sci-fi kitsch & kink, '50s-style.
Article by Frederick C. Szebin
6 FATALE ATTRACTIONS
62 LETTERS EDITORIAL
When Femme Fatales made its newsstand debut, our list of grievances was topped
by the victimization of women. After all, the Horror Cinema had just profited
from unrestrained misogyny: the slasher era—which rendered sexually impassive
women into body bags—had drawn to a close, not because Hollywood had a conscience
but because boxoffice receipts had finally dwindled. But the embodiment of "the
anti-female"—i.e. an unbridled hatred of women, camouflaged behind
a smoke screen of boys-will-beboys roguishness—is back and has relocated
to Washington, D.C. Little wonder that children are plotting murder and raping
is rampant: the nation has no conscience. Our ethics have sunk somewhere in the
cracks of Wall Street. It's the president, stupid. All the prez's men have turned
their "fearless" (executive privileged), photo-opportune leader into
a martyr and his alleged female victims into abusers. Even women are abetting
the anti-female tract (ex-congresswoman Pat Schroeder is among the Clinton kiss-ups
—"Sometimes, I feel sorry for the guy," she chortled in her Jabba
the Hutt octave: presUmma-porn-star">Umably, Patty has no sympathy for the female accusers). Life
imitates art: we're living in the Slasher Era.
Since there is a deficit of heroes in Washington, D.C., we turned to heroines—and
the actresses who portray them—for moral compass. Xena is a role model not
only for female adolescents but for the lesbian community. Laura Schiff grilled
gay women for some enlightenment. By the way, I've heard that some XENA executives
were unnerved that Lucy Lawless candidly discussed "alternate lifestyles"
with FF. What did they expect? Generic chats about dental hygiene and "How
hot are you for Leonardo DiCaprio?"
My personal fave is the equally outspoken Diana Rigg, whose interview is in the
next FF issue. Pretty and unrestrained, Rigg pioneered the "renascent woman"
as Emma Peel in the AVENGERS TV series. And, even more "provocative"
than Ms. Lawless, she was a publicist's worst nightmare.
Bill George
