Angel-related stories
Posted Oct 19th 2009 9:02PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV Royalty, OpEd, The Office, Celebrities, Reality-Free, Dollhouse, Glee, Joss Whedon

It's one of those things that you think would be cool if it happened, and then it actually happens. Joss Whedon is reporting that he'll be
directing an upcoming episode of Glee.
We know he has on occasion stepped outside his usual genre of sci-fi and fantasy based on his directorial work on
The Office. We know he's into musical theater based on his creation of the musical episode of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Doctor Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. Now, he's merging all that he's done before. Or at least he would be if the episode of
Glee ends up involving evil scientists and vampires.
Despite my own history in musical theater, I haven't been watching
Glee. Whedon's involvement in an episode would certainly pique my interest enough to catch it. Perhaps he could get together with his brother Jed and write the music for the episode, as well, turning it into a 42-minute operetta. They've done it before.
Posted Sep 14th 2009 11:02AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Desperate Housewives, Stargate, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chuck, Reality-Free, Dollhouse, Gone Too Soon, Joss Whedon, V

When I first started exploring this project, there were a few shows that I knew were going to be important to hit. This is the first of those.
Firefly was
Joss Whedon's sci-fi western series. The show mustered disappointing ratings in its short eleven-episode run on FOX.
Since then it's gone on to near mythic cult status. There was such an outcry of support from its loyalists, the Browncoats, over its cancellation that the producers made a feature film sequel. That movie,
Serenity, answered a lot of questions about the future fate of the cast. Unfortunately, like the television series, it couldn't find quite enough people to show up and tune in to warrant a sequel. Nevertheless, the few morsels of
Firefly we did get are enough to prove that this is one of the most innovative and enjoyable series ever to hit the airwaves.
Continue reading Gone Too Soon: Firefly
Posted Aug 31st 2009 11:05AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, TV Squad Ten, Dollhouse

Before pondering the meaning of identity on
Dollhouse, Joss Whedon gave us some great shows featuring iconic heroes and some really nasty but unforgettable villains.
Unlike
Dollhouse, most of Whedon's earlier shows featured a "big bad," a major villain who caused trouble throughout an entire season, or series, for the heroes and their friends. Luckily, Whedon's heroes always managed to outwit these evildoers, but they couldn't stop them from stealing scenes and making the Whedonverse a very, very dangerous place to live.
Let's take a look back at some of Whedon's best "big bads" that made life a living hell for Buffy, Angel and Captain Mal.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Joss Whedon's big bads
Posted Aug 27th 2009 7:02PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Celebrities, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Casting, Dollhouse

Earlier today, we told you about
Summer Glau landing a recurring role on Joss Whedon's
Dollhouse. Glau, of course, has worked with Mr. Whedon before on the much loved but short-lived
Firefly and its film spinoff,
Serenity.
This isn't the first time Whedon has cast actors he's worked with before in a new project; he does it all the time. But like Squad commenter "davem" pointed out, actors who return to the Whedonverese for a second go-round usually end up playing villains.
So does this mean Glau is destined to be the new big bad on
Dollhouse?
Continue reading Will Summer Glau play a villain on Dollhouse?
Posted Aug 5th 2009 6:00PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reality-Free, Dollhouse

Hundreds of Joss Whedon fans are expected to take over the small town of LaVergne, TN this weekend for
WhedonFest 2009, a celebration of all things Joss Whedon. A fan group called Whedonites United is holding the three-day event in the Tennessee Valley woods. Yes, it's a camping trip (and no,
the irony is not lost on us).
The first-ever Whedonfest will offer a number of nerdy activities for Whedon devotees, including role-playing hours, an improv show, and a number of panel discussions, like "The Nature of Identity in
Dollhouse," inspired by Whedon's work.
Continue reading Browncoats, Slayers and Dolls unite: WhedonFest '09 kicks off Friday
Posted Jul 29th 2009 2:31PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, TV Squad Polls, Reality-Free

I haven't jumped on the vampire bandwagon. I don't have any real interest in
Twilight or
True Blood or any other vampire show/movie that starts with a T (
The Vampire Diaries starts this fall on The CW). But I've liked them for a long time, from the Christopher Lee films to Kolchak to
Forever Knight.
Grady Hendrix at Slate says that vampire stories suck (ha ha) now, because it's more about feelings and psychology and vampires having normal lives and very little about the biting of people.
Posted Jun 3rd 2009 6:03PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reality-Free

Anthony Stewart Head, who played the character of Rupert Giles on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer a long, long time ago, has hinted that the British spin-off
Ripper (which would star the character of Giles) is
not outside the realm of possibility.
Granted, there are a few pitfalls in the way. Creator Joss Whedon is busy with his series
Dollhouse and his upcoming movie
Cabin in the Woods. Plus there may be some confusion regarding the character if they get that
Whedon-less Buffy movie made.
There is definitely still life left in the
Buffy franchise (look at all the successful series and movies out there involving vampires with a female protagonist). I'm sorry Joss didn't use that Eliza Dushku contract to make a series about the character of Faith rather than
Dollhouse, although I understand his creative need to spread his wings. In my mind, there is only a matter of time before they make a feature film that is a direct spin-off from the television series that involves Joss Whedon and doesn't suck. Fingers crossed.
Posted May 17th 2009 2:27PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, Jane After Dark

Well,
you guys were absolutely right. Season five of
Angel is awesome, and I'm so glad I slugged through some of the earlier seasons that didn't exactly float my vampire boat.
The writing in season five is excellent, the characters are both fun and multidimensional (especially Wesley, whose story only gets more and more tragic), and it's just a great all-around season. Here are five reasons why I loved this season as much as any TV show (including
Buffy).
Continue reading Jane After Dark: Five reasons why Angel season five is awesome
Posted May 14th 2009 5:02PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, TV on DVD, OpEd, The Shield, TV Squad Polls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter, Reality-Free, Jane After Dark

If you've been following my
Jane After Dark adventures, you know it's all about the DVDs I watch into the wee hours while I'm covering the
TV Squad queue and everyone else (at least in my house) is sleeping.
I've finished
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I'm nearly done with
Angel. I'll post this weekend about season five of
Angel. You guys are
absolutely right. It's awesome TV.
After that, I need you to help me choose my next Jane After Dark series. There are so many great TV shows on DVD, and frankly, I'm stumped at what to watch next. So please vote in my poll below, and tell me what to do! And if you don't see your series listed, tell me in the comments, and I'll add it to the list next time.
Posted May 10th 2009 11:45AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reality-Free, Jane After Dark

Well, I've covered
Buffy the Vampire Slayer here on
Jane After Dark, and my nephew, who loaned me his
Buffy DVDs, also got me into
Angel. Nearly everyone I talked to about
Angel said they just couldn't get into it. After
Buffy, maybe everything else pales in comparison.
I have to say, I really only started watching
Angel out of respect for
Buffy and Joss Whedon, and because I really loved the character of Angel (and David Boreanaz is not hard to look at). I was alternately watching
Buffy and
Angel at the same time (one disc of
Buffy, one of
Angel, and so on); it was a good way to do it, because there were a few crossover episodes that made a lot more sense watching them that way.
Continue reading Jane After Dark: Is Angel as good as Buffy?
Posted May 2nd 2009 10:10AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, TV on DVD, OpEd, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, Jane After Dark

Last week, I devoted my first
Jane After Dark column to my
top five Buffy moments. I was thrilled to read all the responses, both here on
TV Squad and at
Whedonesque, where the post was picked up. Fans of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer are a passionate bunch!
This week, I thought it would be fun to delve into my favorite Buffy hookups. One that didn't make the list but holds a special place in my heart is Giles and Joyce. It was a fleeting moment, but one that was fun and would have made for great storytelling had it continued.
But who to pair Buffy up with -- Spike, Angel or Riley? What about Spike and Drusilla? And while Willow and Tara had a special love affair, there's a lot to be said for Willow and Oz. And what of Xander? Sure, he and Anya had a fun romance, but his hookups with Cordelia and even Faith were intense in their own way.
Oh the choices! Read on for my thoughts, and please add your own in the comments below.
Continue reading Jane After Dark: Top five Buffy hookups
Posted Apr 25th 2009 11:02AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: TV Royalty, TV on DVD, OpEd, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, Jane After Dark

I'm starting a new column here on
TV Squad called "Jane After Dark." Some of you know I work the "night shift" here at the Squad, editing and scheduling posts into the wee hours. I'm a big multi-tasker, so I also use those hours to get caught up on all the great shows I've missed along the way.
Over the past year, I've watched some really cool shows, including
Six Feet Under,
The Sopranos,
Moonlight,
Weeds,
Entourage,
Gossip Girl, and many others. So I thought it would be fun to write about my After Dark musings, and I hope you'll chime in with your own thoughts about whatever I'm watching.
I just finished
Joss Whedon's magnificent
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I loved so many things about the show. No one could look as stylish as Buffy as she slayed those vampires. Angel and Spike were both hot in their own way. The love between Willow and Tara was sweet and gentle, but also powerful. And the characters continued to grow and evolve throughout the series. By the last episode, you really felt like you knew these characters and had grown right along with them.
Continue reading Jane After Dark: Top five Buffy moments
Posted Mar 31st 2009 1:06PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Video, How I Met Your Mother, Celebrities, Reality-Free

Who says TV can't change people's lives?
How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan and husband Alexis Denisof, who met on the set of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, welcomed a
baby girl into the world last week.
Satyana Denisof was born March 24, which also happens to be Hannigan's b-day (weird how that happens, huh?).
Here's some more weirdness. During her pregnancy, Hannigan appeared on Ellen DeGeneres' show and talked about having "pregnancy brain," aka short-term memory loss associated with pregnancy. Here's how she described it:
Continue reading Alyson Hannigan gives birth to daughter, loses 'pregnancy brain' - VIDEO
Posted Mar 31st 2009 11:33AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Video, Celebrities, Obituaries, Reality-Free

Fans of Joss Whedon's
Angel were hit with
some sad news this week. Andy Hallett, who played Lorne on the WB show, died of heart failure Sunday night. Hallet passed away at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with heart disease.
Hallet played
Angel's friendly horned and green skinned demon from 2000-2004. I always wanted to see Hallett show up in primetime without the horns or green makeup. He was a fine actor with a great singing voice, which he put to use several times during his four year run on
Angel.
Continue reading Saying goodbye to Angel's Lorne, Andy Hallett - VIDEO
Posted Mar 30th 2009 12:25PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Reality-Free

Everyone loves lists, and everyone has an opinion, so it's not always nice or productive to point out that another person's list might be lacking in some way. Having said that, let's talk about how this list is lacking in some way.
It's a list of the
10 best series finales of all-time. I'll get right to the point:
Newhart should be on this list.
Continue reading What's missing from this list of the best series finales?
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