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Comic-Con Countdown: Sunday, July 27th

The last day, but plenty of television-related events to attendWhew! After several days of sore feet (and sore booties from sitting on the hard floor waiting for the next panel), dwindling funds, and tons of TV-related panels, San Diego Comic-Con comes to an end. That doesn't mean that all of the television folks have packed up an left in order to catch the Silver Bullet train to Los Angeles (does a train even run between San Diego and Los Angeles?) or an aeroplane to Vancouver. There are still some panels waiting for your utmost attention.

It's Kids' Day at the convention, so there are panels on a Mr. SquarePants, Phineas and Ferb, The Backyardigans, and those wacky Muppets from Fraggle Rock. For the more adult crowd there are Q&As for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Supernatural, Smallville, and another panel on cartoon voices. The final TV-related event is a rousing sing-a-long with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Once More With Feeling." After that, you can climb into your hotel bed, train berth, car seat, or nearby street corner resplendent with the fact that you had taken in everything television at the Comic-Con.

So, if you are staying just one more day, here are the television-related events for Sunday, July 27th. For a full schedule of events you can check out the official schedule on the Comic-Con website. And, for old times sake, remember that times, panelists and events can change at a moment's notice. That, and the panels are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Continue reading Comic-Con Countdown: Sunday, July 27th

Is Buffy a better superhero than Batman?

BuffyI would even hesitate to call Buffy The Vampire Slayer a superhero. Yeah, she has incredible fighting powers and goes up against various monsters and evildoers, but it's really odd to see her name next to superheroes such as Batman, The Flash, Superman, and Captain America.

But according to readers of Redeye, she's a better superhero than The Dark Knight. (Yup, it's another character showdown over at Redeye.)

Continue reading Is Buffy a better superhero than Batman?

Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, together again

Joss Whedon - The Cabin In The WoodsOK, technically this first bit is more movie news than TV news, but it does involve two pretty big TV names, so go with me here. Joss Whedon is reuniting with Drew Goddard for a new movie called Cabin In The Woods. Buffy fans will recognize Goddard as one of the writers from Buffy and Angel. He followed that up with stints on Alias and Lost. The pair wrote the new script together and it will mark the directorial debut of Goddard. Whedon is set to produce.

As is so often the case, there are not a lot of details about the script. When asked, Goddard said, "It's got a harder and darker edge, but it's also got classic Whedon qualities." He went on to add, "There's a reason the title is so straightforward. It's its own sub-genre, the cabin in the woods, and this is sort of our take on it." The cabin in the woods is its own sub genre and, for me, calls to mind Eliza Dushku in Wrong Turn. A handy recollection, because they also talked a little TV. More on that, after the jump.

Continue reading Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, together again

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Hush

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Hush
Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

(S04E10) Well, it was a close call, with the top three candidates separated by two votes or less. So while I almost got to experience the Buffy musical experience with "Once More With Feeling," or the fifth season episode "The Body," it was instead the silent episode "Hush" that came out on top. Now, understand that this is by no means an intention to say that the entire series can be fully appreciated by one episode. In fact, I have every intention of watching the whole thing. Maybe I'll even give you guys season-by-season updates as I go along.

What I did learn from this is even several years after it's end, Buffy and Angel fans are as passionate today as they are about their favorite shows when they were on the air. And it makes me even more depressed at the poor treatment Whedon's other television masterpiece Firefly got at the hands of FOX. Maybe if it had been on UPN or The WB, it would have had a chance to develop as Whedon envisioned. But to the matter at hand. How does someone who's never seen a single episode of Buffy or Angel take an experience like "Hush?"

Continue reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Hush

Is Dr Horrible the One? - VIDEO

Dr. Horrible
Technically it is Buffy/Angel week, but all things Whedon have a way of just melding together into one big stew. So it's a fortuitous bit of timing that a trailer for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was released this week. For those still unaware of just what Dr. Horrible is, I think it was summed up best by Nathan Fillion in a recent interview. It's about a super-villain (Neil Patrick Harris) who falls in love with a girl (Felicia Day), and the super-hero (Nathan Fillion) who blows it for him. The super-hero is kind of a dick. And... it's a musical. I think it could be very much more than that. More on that, and the new trailer, after the jump.

Continue reading Is Dr Horrible the One? - VIDEO

Subtle Subtitles

Welcome to Subtle Subtitles. For those of you who are uninitiated to the purpose of this feature, we're asking you to come up with your funniest quote or description for what's going on in the screen grab we choose for the week. Winners are announced in the following Friday's contest.

superman mirrorLast contest's winner: Butters

...and going on Celebrity Fit Club was the best thing Superman ever did.

This week, in honor of Buffy/Angel Retro Squad week ...

Oz: Sometimes furry, always quotable

Seth Green as Oz in Buffy the Vampire SlayerThe greatness of the Scooby Gang on Buffy the Vampire Slayer was enhanced by the addition of Oz (Daniel Osbourne) in seasons two, three, and four. Sometimes a werewolf, mostly Willow's boyfriend, he added a new level of comedic relief to Buffy.

It wasn't the situations he was in, nor did he take the pratfall route. Oz was dry -- dry like a desert, dry like overcooked Thanksgiving turkey, dry like a leather shoe left out in the sun for several thousand years. Master of the understatement, man of few words, sarcasm blended with wit.

Arguably, Oz was the most quotable character on Buffy. For instance, when he found out vampires were real, he simply stated, "That explains a lot!" Another of my favorite Oz quotes was from season four, when Buffy was complaining about her college roommate and punching the air. Oz posits, "No one deserves mime, Buffy."

Revisit some of Oz's best quotable moments from each season he appears in and enjoy a giggle or two remembering the werewolf with a sense of humor.

Buffy online trivia quizzes rated by me

ffy gang, cast photoYou know you love Buffy, but could you beat me in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer trivia contest? Nope, this is not a challenge, but I did challenge myself by taking some of the online trivia quizzes.

There are scads of Buffy and Angel trivia quizzes online, some totally lame, others a fun romp down Nostalgia Lane, still others so bizarre and obscure that you wonder about the mental health of the creators. I took 'em, I rated 'em, and now I'm sharing my thoughts with you.

Ultimate Buffy Trivia on Cool Quiz (1/5)
My apologies to Josh Spears, but this quiz was not very challenging. I got all of the questions right, as would just about any fair-weather fan (of which I am not!). It is a fun quiz to take if you love Oz, because many of the questions are about him, but it runs extremely slow and is relatively painful overall.

Continue reading Buffy online trivia quizzes rated by me

Iconic ads ... and Giles - VIDEO

Maytag RepairmanOur pals over at AOL have a fun new list up featuring their picks for the Top 25 ad icons of all time. As with any list, you can debate the results. I'll not spoil the list for you, but my pick was bumped all the way down to number nine. I bring it up here for two reasons. First, it's a fun trip down memory lane watching all of the old commercials. Seeing a young David Naughton singing and dancing about Dr. Pepper, or David Leisure pitching for Isuzu, is certainly a better use of your time than anything your boss had planned for today.

More importantly, given that this is Buffy week, a familiar face pops up on the list -- it's the one and only Anthony Stewart Head. If you're not of the Hanna Montana generation, you probably recall the series of spots for Nescafe from years gone by. They featured an ongoing story about a couple, Head and Sharon Maughan, tracing their relationship. It had all the classic bits. There was another woman, jobs getting in the way of their courtship, and even a Three's Company-style misunderstanding that gave him all the wrong ideas. In the end ... well, you can watch it all unfold, after the jump.

Continue reading Iconic ads ... and Giles - VIDEO

Ethan Rayne: A tribute - VIDEO

ethan rayne
Every fan of Buffy has his or her own favorite main character (or characters). But what of the merely recurring characters? You've got Halfrek, the Vengeance Demon (sorry ... "Justice Demon"), Amy the witch/rat and Mr. Trick, to name a few. But there's one character who's always fascinated me, a character with a long, dark and mysterious past filled with magic, mayhem and chaos. I speak, of course, about Rupert "Ripper" Giles' mate from the old days, Ethan Rayne.

Continue reading Ethan Rayne: A tribute - VIDEO

Wanted: Buffy/Angel episode(s) to watch

Buffy and AngelOkay, I'm a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but not a normal one. I've read all the comic books for both properties and seen the original movie that launched the phenomenon about three times over the years. And yet, for some reason I've never seen a full episode of either show.

When Buffy first came out, I lived in a city that didn't have The WB. And by the time it was available to me I was already several years behind, and I hate coming into the middle of something. Then, for whatever reason, it has remained on my "to do" list over the years.

So where does that leave me for the Retro Squad Buffy/Angel week? I want to participate, but in a way I'm a newbie to the show. So how about you guys tell me a good episode to immerse myself into the world of the Buffy-verse? In fact, maybe one from each show? I'm hearing from the Squad that 'Hush' is a good candidate.

Continue reading Wanted: Buffy/Angel episode(s) to watch

Buffy's not-so-happy birthdays (part two)

Ben changing into Glory

Yesterday, we delved into seasons one through four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's birthday episodes. Let's just say you really, really don't want to celebrate Buffy's birthday with her, as catastrophe, drama, and heartache are always center stage.

Season Five, episode 13, "Blood Ties"

Buffy's 20th birthday goes no better than the previous ones. "Blood Ties" is all about how Buffy and Dawn share the same blood, "Summers blood," even though Dawn was created by monks to be The Key. Yes, it was a somewhat syrupy solution to Dawn's incessant whining in this episode, but it is so important for the resolution to the season, and the defeat of Glory, the Big Bad (Buffy can die instead of Dawn to save the world. Again.).

Gallery: Buffy Birthdays, part 2

Dawn and Spikeben glory_061908demon sword_061908dawn_061908halfrek_061908

Continue reading Buffy's not-so-happy birthdays (part two)

Six Degrees of the Hellmouth - VIDEO

Wentworth Miller
We're far enough removed from Buffy's original run now that there really aren't any surprises left for most of us. By this point we've seen the episodes so many times through DVD, streaming, and syndication that the story has been told. There's still something to be gained from watching again, though.

A little water under the bridge has given all of those bit-part actors that were once feeling lucky to book a Buffy gig a chance to move on to bigger and better things. I'm still occasionally surprised when I catch an old Buffy and realize just who that is standing in the background. After the jump, nine of my favorite small part players from Buffy that went on to bigger successes.

Continue reading Six Degrees of the Hellmouth - VIDEO

Buffy's not-so-happy birthdays (part one) - VIDEO

NIgel gives Buffy a book for her birthday
Poor Buffy. You'd think that with a life-threatening job like Vampire Slayer, she'd at least get a break once a year, on her birthday. No such luck for Buffy, but great luck for the viewers; we get really meaningful episodes, with significance to both the story arc and insight to the characters' motivations. Buffy's birthday episodes have been some of the strongest of the series.

Season One
These is no birthday episode in season one, since the series began as a mid-season replacement.

Season Two, episode 13, "Surprise"
In this episode, the Scooby Gang throws a surprise party for Buffy, but that is only one minor surprise in an episode filled with significant surprises. We learn that Jenny Calendar is actually "Janna of the Kalderash Gypsies" and that her people were the ones who cursed Angel's soul. Oz gets his surprise when he finds out that vampires are real and that Buffy is the Slayer.

Gallery: Buffy Birthdays

angel buffy_061908giles buffy_061908buffy defeats_061908buffys party_061908giles demon_061908

Continue reading Buffy's not-so-happy birthdays (part one) - VIDEO

TV in comics: Buffy, Angel and Firefly

buffy season 8In honor of our Buffy/Angel week of Retro Squad, it's only fitting that I finally give some updates on what's going on with each series with respect to their continuation in comic-book form. I'll throw in a little 'Serenity: Better Days' for good measure.

Let me warn you right now that I'll be revealing quite a bit about each series below. So, if you haven't read them yet or want to wait to read the books for any plot points, stop reading now. I'll be writing about the entire series of each, not just the most recent.

First up, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season Eight.

Continue reading TV in comics: Buffy, Angel and Firefly

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