HURRICANE KATRINA NEWS REPORTS
 

3 September

E! Building Hurricane Relief PSA Campaign

E! Networks is creating a public service announcement campaign in support of the American Red Cross's efforts to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The spots are set to begin airing Saturday; featured celebrities and performers include Eva Longoria, Pamela Anderson, Destiny's Child, Steve Carell, Nicole Richie, John Larroquette, Julie Andrews, Brooke Burns, George Lopez, Lucy Lawless, Mariah Carey, Carlos Santana and Paula Abdul. The PSAs also will be seen on Style Network in the U.S., in more than 75 countries on the E! International Network, and online.

E! will air a one-hour edition of "E! News" on Sept. 9 leading up to the multinetwork telethon to raise money for hurricane relief.

Many thanks to Barbara Davies for the news

For Aussies E! is broadcast on the Foxtel Cable Service and accessed through channel 22 for those on Foxtel DIGITAL


 

Help the victims of Hurricane Katrina this Friday from 5am until 3pm!

(Los Angeles, CA) -On Friday, September 2, 2005, 100.3 THE BEAT will encourage listeners to stop by any Southern California Krispy Kreme Doughnuts location between 5am and 3pm to make a donation to the American Red Cross to support disaster assistance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  When listeners make a minimum $10 donation to the American Red Cross, they will receive a dozen original glazed donuts as a way of saying “thank you” from Krispy Kreme and 100.3 THE BEAT

2 September

Renee Helps out at the Red Cross

Renee was interviewed on Los Angeles NBC Channel 4 at Red Cross donation area. She said that she was from Texas and has gone through hurricanes and how awful they are. She hasn't been through one as large as Katrina.

Download the video from the Official Xena Fan Club Page

 

 


GCLS Relief Fund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Lesbian Fiction Community Bands Together Under GCLS Banner to Help Its Own

In light of the truly devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, the board of the Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) has established a special GCLS Relief Fund ( http://www.goldencrown.org/  ). This fund, to be administered by the GCLS Advisory Board, will take donations from the public on behalf of all those authors, publishers, and
supporters in our community who have been affected by the storm.

Here is your opportunity to help people you know and love in recovering from this disaster. Some women have lost possessions, others are now homeless; all of these folks need our assistance and generosity.

Funds will be disbursed based on applications filed with the GCLS. The amounts disbursed will be dependent on donations received and the extent of the need.

Please, give what you can. In addition, a percentage of the profits from purchases made at StarCrossed Productions (www.scp-inc.biz) during the month of September will be channeled into this fund, so you may also wish to contribute in that way as well. We hope many of you will join us in this effort.

The GCLS Advisory Board

To donate, just go to www.scp-inc.biz  and click on the disaster relief fund banner.

Lucy Update

The following is from the Official Xena Fan Club Page:

  • I spoke to Lucy again this afternoon. She's back home, safe but sleepy,
    and her thoughts are for the people still in harm's way. They will
    finish filming the movie in another city. Sharon Delaney.

Articles

Battlestar Galactica

 

1 September

Lucy Videos

Entertainment Tonight 31 August 2005
Lucy Lawless talks to ET at the Houston Airport on her way home.
320 x 240 -   4.4 mb wmv format
640 x 480 - 14.6 mb wmv format

 

Reminder - Lucy TV Alerts

  • Lucy will be on Entertainment Tonight - 31 August 2005
    Lawless tells ET she and the crew thought about sticking it out. "We
    thought we were just going to tough this one out and stay in the hotel
    with the locals," she says. "We're so glad we got out -- we're so
    grateful that the news service made us ... we had a car and we managed
    to get gas before it all ran out."
     

  • Update: Lucy will NOT be interviewed on Larry King Live on CNN
    Aussies - this is shown on Foxtel at 6 pm on CNN
    The following information is from Josh Becker's site
    I just spoke with Rob's office, as well as their nanny, and Lucy got back to L.A. last night and she's fine. I just spoke with Rob and he says that Lucy will be on Larry King's show tonight discussing the hurricane in New Orleans.
    **UPDATE -- Rob just emailed and said that Lucy was cancelled on Larry King.**
    Many thanks to Doug for the updated news

Help people and the animals affected by this hurricane by making a donation today.

Hurricane Katrina has blazed a trail of devastation throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Across the Gulf Coast, Katrina engulfed thousands of homes and decimated the landscape in what could become the most destructive storm in U.S. history. Victims are stranded and in need of immediate medical care, food and water, and tens of thousands of people will need temporary housing for months.
go to Network for Good
(there are many charities you can choose from)

Xena/Lucy Fans Reach Out

I want to thank the fans who organised the charter plane and pilot to take Lucy out of New Orleans. Now that is what I called the Xenaverse in action. Good on ya guys whoever you are. Unfortunately Lucy's couldn't make the connection but the effort fans put into trying to get her out is what counts. Makes me proud to be part of this fandom.

The National Ledger reports: The former "Xena: Warrior Princess" star actually had several offers for private homes in which to stay, some set up by a network of loyal "Xena" fans. In fact, some of the fans had managed to charter a plane and pilot for Lucy to leave the area, "but we couldn't make it out to where the plane was," she says, clearly moved by the efforts. She's grateful, also, that husband Robert Tapert and their two young sons, who had been staying at the house, happened to have left New Orleans a week ago. Click here to read the full article

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT

The following videos were contributed by Jenn from XWPOnline

Lucy told Showbiz Tonight: There was children on the side of the road...that was terrible...and the strain on the policemen's faces because you knew they were staying out a sense of duty, to us...and people yelling at them. [Lucy is clearly moved] because we are all so self interested in getting out of the disaster and we forget about those people that have to stay out of a sense of duty.

They are great heroes.

We want the people of New Orleans to know that we will be back. We want to help grow the industry. We love being there and we love them. They have been so kind to us and we will be back.

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT 30 AUGUST 2005

Articles

Update from CBS On Vampire Bats Filming

I followed up the note from the CBS Media Relations to ask if the movie would be pushed back due to Hurricane Katrina. Jennifer Gunderson, from CBS Media Relations sent me the following message:

  • The airdate of "Vampire Bats," nothing has changed - it will still be broadcast on CBS on Sunday, Oct. 30. As for completion of the movie, production will not be going back to New Orleans to finish filming, however they are currently working out their plans to finish the movie and should have that worked out shortly.

Lucy on CNN Showbiz Tonight and Entertainment Tonight

  • Cheryl sent me the following news:
    Saw a short interview with Lucy on Showbiz Tonight on CNN Headline News. Looks like they caught her at the airport. She looked fine if a bit frazzled and surprisingly she was alone just draging her poor lone little suitcase behind her. Can't remember everything she said but she promised to come back to New Orleans. I guess the plan was to return when it seemed that the city was safe but now that the levees have been breached that isn't possible and on Entertainment Tonight there was a report that the producers are looking for a new location for the film.

31 August

Got this note from the Media Relations Coordinator at CBS...

The New Orleans production of the CBS television movie "Vampire Bats" was interrupted earlier this week when Hurricane Katrina swept into the town. The crew and cast, including star Lucy Lawless, began evacuating on Sunday to places including Houston, Dallas, and, in Lawless' case, Baton Rouge, and were safely out of harms way when the Hurricane struck. The producers of the movie hope to resume production soon.

More News Articles...

Help Noah's Wish....

With this latest tragedy we have seen many people lose their homes and some have lost their lives. We also need to remember the animals that are sufferring. I read a news report that made me heart sick yesterday. I won't repeat it because it's just too tragic. Carol Stephens sent me a note that I think is worth passing on - there is an organisation called Noah's Wish and they help animals in disaster areas. They are sending a team to the devestated areas to help care for the animals. Who are they? The following is from their web site:

Noah's Wish is a not-for-profit, animal welfare organization, with a straightforward mission. We exist to keep animals alive during disasters. That's it.

We are not involved in any other animal welfare issues. It's not that we are not concerned about all the ways animals are abused and exploited. Noah's Wish would like nothing more than to see all suffering stop. Fortunately, there are a multitude of national and local animal welfare organizations who are tackling the issues that adversely affect animals. No other organization has made the commitment though to just focus on disaster relief work for animals. That's the void we are filling.
Read more on their web site

The Red Cross and all the other US organisations that are geared for this sort of support is looking after the people and Noah's Wish is looking after the animals - please help them in their quest. To donate go to: http://www.noahswish.org/Donations.htm

 

Lucy Videos

Lucy Lawless on the set of Vampire Bats

Entertainment Tonight 29 August 2005
Lucy Lawless talks to ET by phone from Baton Rouge where she escaped to after orders to evacuate New Orleans halted production of Vampire Bats. Also contains footage of Lucy on the set of Vampire Bats
320 x 240 - 1.95 mb wmv format
640 x 480 - 12.1 mb wmv format
 

Videos contributed by Roger

Lucy Pictures

Lucy Lawless at Baton Rouge after driving 9 hours to get out of New Orleans

 

Sharon has posted a phone pic that Lucy sent in to reassure fans that she's okay.  Check out the full size pic on The Official Xena Fan Club Page

 

 

Articles

  • Hollywood Reporter 30 August 2005 - Frank von Zerneck, who is producing "Vampire," said it would be at least a week before his production could resume what would have been its last week of shooting. "Everyone is safe," von Zerneck said, "but now I'm dealing with things like, are the trucks flooded? Where is the equipment? Everything was boxed up and stored, but now the city is pretty much closed down."

     

30 August

News about Katrina and Lucy safety


Judi got the live feed from ET - Click here to view captures

The images of Lucy are from an interview Lucy did with ET about Vampire Bats. Lucy spoke to ET via phone from Baton Rouge


Lucy told ET "I turned on the television and saw Category 5," Lawless tells ET.

The actress was one of the mass swarm of people who have fled the devastating storm. She had been shooting the CBS movie "Vampire Bats" in the Big Easy when the frantic call to evacuate the city came.

"The traffic was going one-mile-per hour sometimes," Lawless says of trying to leave the city. "Then it was two-miles-per hour, then five. It took nine hours for what should have taken 50-55 minutes."

Lucy had no electrical power and was only able to communicate via telephone. With her family back home and out of harms way, she left the city with three production members and is staying in Baton Rouge, LA. But the popular star is concerned for the people who weren't as lucky as her.

"I just realized all those people in incredibly low-lying areas are in such threat," she says. "I just worry about them."

Just last week Lucy told ET how fond of the city she was. "I love this town, I love the heat" the New Zealander said. "I was afraid of coming, working in sweltering heat and swamps, but it's just been pure joy. I would move here if I could work here all of the time."

 


Lucy on ET tonight, Aug. 29 to thank the fans that made offers of shelter and a charter plane.

Lucy is in Baton Rouge (according to ET) and is safe. You can see a video clip of her brief chat with ET on ET Online Many thanks to LB for the ET Link


(via Sharon Delaney / Official Xena Fan Club Page)

Talked with her again this morning. Said she woke up in the wee hours to the sound of three explosions which was probably trees hitting power lines. Still lots of wind and rain but a safe place to be and they hope to go back to finish the movie.

Sharon
outback@creationent.com
Official Xena Fan Club

This message was posted earlier from Sharon about Lucy's progress:

Talked to Lucy yesterday afternoon and she wanted everyone to know all the cast and crew of the movie are safely out of New Orleans. They're staying with friends of the production company. It was a long, slow ride out of town, but they made it. Their thoughts are with those still in the city and the surrounding area and everyone is praying that the storm weakens. She's grateful for the offers of help that were received as they were readying the troupe to move out.

Articles

The Washington Times reports

  • Stars flee Big Easy film sets
    Aug. 29, 2005 at 3:08PM
    Hurricane Katrina has shut down production on at least two Hollywood projects filming in the New Orleans area. Former "Xena: Warrior Princess" Lucy Lawless was in the Big Easy shooting "Vampire Bats" for CBS when the evacuation call came in, "Entertainment Tonight" reported Monday. "The traffic was going 1 mile per hour sometimes," she told "ET" about her ride out of town. Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank was also evacuated from her Louisiana set. She was shooting the supernatural thriller "The Reaping" in St. Francisville, "ET" said.
     

28 August

To those in the path of Hurricane Katrina (and who won't be reading this but getting the heck of town) - Get out of town and out of the path of Katrina!

Lucy has been filming Vampire Bats in New Orleans - let's hope she makes it out of town quickly.

 

The following is from Bloomberg News

New Orleans Evacuates as Hurricane Katrina Approaches (Update3)

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- New Orleans residents were ordered to evacuate the city today as Hurricane Katrina, one of the most powerful and potentially deadly storms ever to threaten the U.S. Gulf Coast, approached land with its 175 mph winds.

Mayor Ray Nagin said only essential personnel and people unable to travel may remain in the city. Thousands already have fled southern Louisiana as the storm, which hit Florida two days ago, gained strength in the Gulf. Forecasters said the storm's eye will come ashore about 7 a.m. local time tomorrow.

Katrina was upgraded to Category 5, the most severe on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane strength, this morning. Only three Category 5 storms have hit the U.S., and a direct hit would devastate New Orleans, much of which lies below sea level just 100 miles upriver from the Gulf.