Dragon*Con Report:

By popular request: my experience at Dragon*Con! I only went for one day, I think I was able to cover the ground I wanted to. From a site perspective, I was able to pick up 15 brand new photos for scanning! I was pretty happy about the selection, so that's yet another boon to the gallery. Of course, nobody cares about those things right now--what about Kevin Sorbo?

Obviously there were hundreds of people there, but I still managed to be second in line. I brought my own item with me, the poster pictured above and below. Unfortunately, since it was a poster, it's much too big for me to scan and my digital camera is really poor, but I still took the best pictures I could manage.

Kevin immediately recognized the poster, he told me that it's a rare poster--the only one he has hanging in his house! I was pretty happy about that! He didn't send me right off though, instead he actually talked to me for a couple minutes, looked me in the eye and acknowledged me.

He commented on Roma Downey playing an Amazon just shortly before she got the part in Touched by an Angel, talked about Anthony Quinn, the original Hercules costume, and then he signed it. The signature reads:

"To Sting!
Be strong in a world that's weak!
- Kevin Sorbo"

My name is Sting, which, upon hearing it, he told me that he had a great Sting story but that it was too long to tell in the environment. I'm going to get in touch with him and find out about that one though! Pictures are below:

(Click for full size image)


(Click for full size image)

It was really fantastic meeting Kevin, I really look forward to seeing him again someday in the future. Awesome!

Site Construction!!

Site development is moving into a new stage! As a result, the blog could disappear a bit in the next few days! Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Remember, no matter what happens, you can always access the blog through legendaryfansite.blogspot.com.

Regular updates will continue tomorrow (updates from Dragon*Con)! (Sunday)

Weekly Update: Issue #04

What a great week! I can safely say that more was accomplished this week than any other week since I've started this project. I'll give a quick overview of what was accomplished, and then a look at where this stands as a whole.

I was lucky to get my hands on a stack of the Official Xena magazines recently, which, as you may recall, also covered Hercules (although much less so as the magazine went on...). From those, I was able to pull a nice selection of images for the gallery, and perhaps more importantly, also snagged a nice chunk of behind the scenes images for that collection. I love behind the scenes pictures!

I also put the needed work into the site layout this week, which I can now safely say is finished! Of course, that led me into coding the final design. Tricky, because I have to make sure it works for the plethora of content I have planned. Now, let me be the first to admit it: I'm not good with HTML. I wish I was, but I only know a thing here or there, and some of the things I had planned were well beyond my capabilities. Still, I plugged valiantly along. Finished it, tested it...

And failed miserably. Unfortunately, I was in a rut when attempting that, but I have a good friend who is something of an HTML whiz, and I got him to help me out. He surprised me by offering to join the team to get this thing to be everything I want it to be! I'll post more about him later, but for now just know that I have an experienced web coder on the staff now, which really increases the momentum!

Alright, so where does that place the site in the grand scheme of things? Well, concerning the gallery, I can say with absolute confidence that it's the largest one on the web. In addition to the countless amounts of images you may have seen around the web, there are numerous photos and pictures that are making their first ever appearance on the internet (or at the very least, a reappearance, as I have no idea what was on the Herc sites of yore)! I should also note that most of my images are of an acceptable resolution and clarity--you won't find tiny thumbnails from me!

The addition of a coder to the staff frees me creatively, allows me to focus solely on content and, ultimately, ensures that the site will be everything that it can be. For once, I can say that the site is on schedule, and even better than ever!

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On a unrelated note, I'll be at Dragon*Con Atlanta tomorrow, I get to meet Kevin Sorbo! I've met a couple of the stars before, but never Kevin, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'm going to get him to sign one of my Hercules posters. It'll be framed an acting as the centerpiece to my room soon after!

I considered telling him about the site, or giving him my site business card (haven't told you about those yet, have I?), but I'm going to refrain for now. He's a busy guy, and a simple blog is not what I want his first impression of this site to be. Actually, he may already be aware of this project, but that's a story for another time! Have a great Labor Day weekend! (and if you're overseas, just have a great weekend!)

Feature Report: The Virtual Journeys

I was hesitant to post this one, as I wanted it to be farther along before I mentioned it. I'm really excited about this one! Many of you are probably familiar with projects around the web to extend the life of Xena through fan written stories extending into full seasons. It's time Hercules was able to continue beyond the original journeys so many years ago!

The Virtual Journeys (working title) are intended to be a massive, proper treatment of the series. Much more than a simple collection of fan fiction! These episodes will be given their own subsite under The Legendary Fansite. From there, regular episodes will air, and it will be treated as a fully functional website for extending the life of this series.

How will it be handled though? I want to move beyond the typical fan fiction formats, and instead run TVJ (The Virtual Journeys) like an actual television show. This means producers, directors, and writers. I want staff writing jobs, I want freelance writers from around the 'net, and, like everything else, I want it big. By spreading out responsibility and power, by 'processing' every script that's done through these lines, I believe we can achieve a season worthy of its predecessors.

Originally, this was intended to start production in 2009, which would put the first episodes out rather late that year. With this posting, I am accelerating my time tables. I'm now seeking applicants for a variety of positions for TVJ. Anyone can apply, as the roles are varied. An outline of current positions are below:

Producers - Very familiar with the original continuity and characters. They work with the writer and director to get the show the "Hercules feel." they will also be responsible not only for ensuring continuity with previous seasons, but within the virtual episodes as well.

Writers - Writers can either join as a staff writer or a freelance writer. A freelance writer may only write one story, and then be on their way. A staff writer will contribute a more steady supply of stories, between 3 and 6 per season. They dream up the idea (with or without the help of other staff members) and craft the story.

Directors - Directors work with the writer to guide the writing process. While not actually writing the story, the director works alongside the writer, as a proofreader to fix any spelling/grammatical errors, offering suggestions, and creating story ideas.

As the project is still far out, there are many issues to be dealt with, but they will be dealt with alongside staff members. Questions that need to be answered include: Should the post-Hercules Xena continuity be followed? In what format should the episodes be written (like a novel, a script, a play)? Should length requirements be instituted? Most of all, where should the series go? Time will tell!

If you're interested in a staff position, would like to know more, or just wish to leave your thoughts, then leave a comment below! See you around!

Feature Report: Commentary

*Note: This article discusses a feature that won't be available when the site opens.

Ah, it's good to be back! I've gotten some good work done, but that can wait for Friday... Let's talk about another feature on the site! Episode commentaries!

It struck me one day that this would be a good idea. I have available to me all the necessary equipment to record commentaries. I'm a broadcaster on the local radio station, which provides both the equipment and a "radio voice." Now, obviously, I wasn't involved in the production of the show, but I intend to approach it from a different angle. I can discuss general trivia pulled from other sources, the historical aspects of the show, where actors are today, importance of continuity... the list goes on. I firmly believe I can record an engaging commentary for various episodes, and I'd like to believe that people would like to listen to them as well.

I can't have these prepared for the site launch, as this requires quite a bit of planning and practice to make it stand out, but it'll be incorporated into the site fairly quickly. I think it will offer a nice excuse to revisit old episodes for fans, and I hope it will become a popular feature. Bad idea, good idea? Let me know!

Extra tidbit: (In case you haven't realized, "Love on the Rocks" is one of my favorite episodes.)

Weekly Update: Issue #03

I'm sorry everyone, but I had to take a week off. It wasn't totally a 'holiday,' so to speak. I'm a full time college student with a part time job, and sometimes those really things really add up and I just didn't have the free time I wanted this week.

Still, I'm starting back my work on this thing today! I've been just too overwhelmed to work, but funny enough, I'm more inspired than ever to make some progress. I'm also putting together a few nice feature posts and maybe even a preview of the final site this week to make up for it.

Thanks for reading, thanks for understanding, hope to see you next week!

Movie Spotlight: Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior

I've been so busy this week, I haven't touch anything on the site since last Friday. Shame me! I promise to get back to work very soon though, but I needed a bit of a break. I wanted, however, to do something a little different today. Being a fan of the original, I went out and bought the straight-to-DVD (and Blu Ray) sequel to The Scorpion King. I was actually quite pleased with the movie.

If you've seen the original movie, you may have noticed it's similar feel to Hercules, which is one of the reasons I like it. Ancient warriors, modern sensibilities, a touch of humor mixed in to lighten the mood, it really is reminiscent. These traits remain in the sequel, with a few extra similarities. This time, we get a Greek as an important character, and a trip to Greece that even involves a battle with a Minotaur and a trip to the Underworld!

Keep in mind, of course, that we're talking about low budget action adventure, but isn't that what Hercules is anyways? It's all about entertaining the audience with the resources you have available! Despite the flaws of this movie, I still feel that fellow Herc fans will enjoy the movie, and it gets a solid rental recommendation from me*.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming... I'll be doing some more work before the next Friday update, but I'm having a hectic week, so it'll probably involve a few new graphics and maybe a post on what I plan to work on in the near future. I'll make it up to you with another feature post, and maybe a new wallpaper soon!

(* if you didn't like the original Scorpion King, you need not apply for the sequel)

Weekly Update: Issue #02

Good week! The main project, and you may laugh, was to write the teaser for each episode. At first I figured it would be pretty simple, but I found it difficult to summarize a plotline without spoiling anything in a single sentence! Of course, I could have just copied the descriptions from TVguide.com or something similar, but if I were to do that, then why would you visit my site? Content should be original, even simple sentences.

I also received a new set of images in the mail a couple days ago, so I've scanned in six new images. Of those, I've cleaned up and restored two of them. As a bonus, I included one of those below! I understand we have some Iolaus fans in the audience, so enjoy:

(Click for full resolution image)

That pretty much covers the week! I'm not really sure what this next week holds for me, but my schedule is going to afford me less time to work unfortunately. Still, the site is beginning to have something of a structure! See you next Friday!

...perhaps you've heard of me?

Alright, so it's time to clear some things up...

I was talking with someone about this site, someone who quickly pointed out to me that it was rather presumptuous to have a "production blog" of a website that may very well be unpopular. Not to mention that it's simply a fansite, so it's not exactly like I'm chronicling the events leading up to the release of a new Hercules movie (though that'd be nice, huh?).

So why have this blog if not to advertise for some big attraction? Simple! It keeps me motivated. A couple days ago, I was feeling as though I hadn't accomplished much, but I took a look at this blog and was able to see a path of progress from quite a while ago until now, so from a personal standpoint, it really helps out.

By using this "chronicle", I can also be introduced to new friends, gather opinions on where I should take the site (three sections of the final product were additions made at someone's request!), and even gather additional resources from contributers. To be clear, I don't presume that I'm creating some revolutionary website, nor do I intend to challenge any other website out there. I'm just here, I'm giving it my all, and I'll let the visitors decide the value of the final product!

Weekly Update: Issue #01

While I did say that updates would be Friday night, this one comes in Friday afternoon as I'll be at my job all night. This was a short week since I only finished my interview/commentary notes a few days ago. Still, the project of scanning and restoring images is something I've been hard at work with. Currently, 22 images have been prepared, and I have more in my collection to scan and 5 more in the mail. Should be quite the gallery!

Other than that, I've been going through my books and magazines collecting whatever is left of information for the 6 seasons, at the moment, only the first two episodes have really been worked on though.

In short, a big image gallery has been prepared! Will update you all again next Friday!

What is Hercules without Xena?

It's an odd question, considering the actual history of the shows and their characters. However, I've had something of a downer day today as I contemplated the future of this site. Despite the fact that Xena is a character that spun out of the Hercules universe (and a show that's nearly joined at the hip with The Legendary Journeys for its first three seasons) it has come to pass that she has completely eclipsed our hero.


Of course, this site is as much a tribute to the lasting fans as it is a way to rejuvenate the old ones and perhaps even bring a few new fans into the fold. Even so, as I look around the web, I can't help but wonder if trying to built a Hercules-centric community is a wasted effort? Are there a reasonable sum of people looking for such a community? I can't help but feel that regardless of what I do, the work I put into this thing will just fall through the cracks unless I anchor it to Xena somehow (which I really don't want to do...).


So I pose this question: Aside from anyone who happens to read this, do you personally think that a Hercules site could have a future without The Warrior Princess? Should I reduce the scope of my site to better reflect the overall appeal of the show, or forge ahead and make my own destiny (that's probably what Herc would have me do!)?

How about Xena fans? Do you still appreciate Hercules, and would you appreciate a website like I'm trying to build? While initially Hercules may have been responsible for Xena's turn to the light, I think even the writers eventually phased that out. Instead, they placed a stronger emphasis on Xena's past before Hercules and her relationship with Gabrielle as the driving factors behind her redemption. It's all very interesting actually, but I wonder if, like the writers, the Xenites have phased out Hercules. Discuss!

Extra tidbit: At the moment, my plans haven't changed at all. I doubt they ever will. Even if one person appreciates the work I've done, if I can make one new friend out of this, then it'll all be worth it. Consider this a point of friendly discussion.

Feature Report: Scans

If you've ever sat down and needed an image from Hercules, you may have found that they're pretty hard to come by. In fact, if you need something other than a screencap, you are pretty much out of luck! That's been my experience, so I knew something had to be done about that for my site. Scanning images from my personal collection seemed the obvious choice.

Now, allow me to digress for a moment. Scanning images isn't quite the perfect solution as, at least with my scanner, the results aren't exactly optimal. I wasn't really sure about where to take my predicament until I took a long look at what Anders has done over at Pixena. I owe Anders a lot for the proper inspiration of getting this right.

I will regularly be posting images scanned from Official Photos on the site, they will all be cleaned and adjusted properly from the original scan to best bring out the image as it was meant to be seen. I've been following in Anders example, so send him a nice letter of thanks on my behalf alright? I've posted one such image I've done below, and there are dozens more to come as the site begins to grow! (And dozens more after that, as I'm always adding new images to my collection!)

(Click the image for the full resolution version)

I feel that the key to the success of any website is not the volume of the content, but the value. With the gallery I'm putting together, I can personally guarantee that there will be images available there that cannot be found anywhere else on the web, and I think that deserves a visit!

Season 6~Complete!

Alright, I love the commentaries, but I'm glad to have that out of the way. From this point on, I'll be working on various content and piecing the site together to get it prepared for release. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I'll be able to work in a different pace since the majority of it will be self guided.

The updates will now run weekly, I will post an update every Friday night to make known my progress on a week to week basis. That means if you see an update on any other day, it's a little something extra that I decided to write about. I'll have one such article up later in the day to discuss another feature I'll be introducing.

I may be introducing a few new regular features, and some style changes may be in order, but I'll go over those things later on, as I'll be sleeping on the possibilities for now. I'm really excited about this, and I think you'll find that my excitement is going to pay off!

Extra tidbit: From now on, I promise to spend a bit more effort on these logo images too.

Progress Report: Season 5

I'll keep this one short and sweet. I'm on the home stretch on finishing these commentary and interview notes, as Season 6 is very short. Once completed, I'll be posting a nice article talking about where I'm really going from here on the site, as I'll no longer need the DVDs. Certainly, things on this blog as well as the actual site structure will change, but I'll get into that as soon as Season 6 finishes. Keep an eye out~!

(However, to keep tradition, I give the best overall feature away to Paul Robert Coyle's commentary on "Stranger and Stranger," as it was absolutely filled with interesting information and stories of what could have been. Highly recommended!)

Progress Report: Season 4

Went through the last few interviews on Season 4 today, nearing the end of these! Now, I've listened to all these commentaries and interviews in the past, but it was done back when these DVD's first came out, in a casual manner. Having listened to so many of these in close proximity has made something quite obvious - the quality of the commentaries improved dramatically this season!

Many are worth repeat viewings just because of how fun the actors are to listen to. Michael Hurst was clearly the star this time, as he provided both valuable insight and entertainment very consistently. The best of the bunch, if you choose to listen to only one, was the commentary on "...And Fancy Free" with Kevin and Michael.

Once again I'm kind of let down by the overall lack of content, but there are many TV shows out there that don't get any special treatment, so I guess I should be thankful I get anything at all. Where is the commentary on Armageddon Now? Why the lack of info about Kevin's illness during the season (which most of us now know was an aneurysm in his shoulder)? I'm sure most of us would appreciate a full hour or more of info on Stranger in a Strange World too!

Again though, minor nitpicks in the grand scheme of things.

As I'm approaching the end of the information available on the DVDs, the progress reports will change. It's an obvious choice to just post an update with each season that I finish, but after that, the dividing lines will be less obvious. So after these DVDs are finished, the progress report will become a weekly update, where I just outline what I've accomplished during the week. Don't worry though, I'll be working out a schedule so that there are various updates in between the progress reports too!

See you all with Season 5!