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.
Caprica producer and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer scribe Jane Espenson is one of the minds behind the latest arc on Joss Whedon's Buffy comic that sees vampires coming out of the coffin. After the very True Blood-esque outing, vacuous vamp Harmony goes on The Colbert Report to, of course, promote her new reality TV show in the latest issue of Dark Horse Presents.
The Buffy comic is a direct continuation of Joss Whedon's TV series, and the medium has allowed the Buffy story to go to places it never could have gone on TV. Fans itching for a Buffy fix should pick up an issue or head over to MySpace to follow Harmony's adventures with Clem, the hilarious "loose-skinned demon" who first befriended Buffy and crew on the TV series.
Colbert is becoming a regular in the comic book world, with appearances in Spider-Man and his own comic book series, Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen. Maybe Buffy should show up on The Daily Show to give Jon Stewart some comic book love in next month's issue.
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.
Casting Captain Hammer as Hal Jordan? This might be the only way Hollywood could make up for giving us a Whedon-less Buffy movie.
This nerdtastic fan-created Green Lantern movie trailer made my morning. The idea of Nathan Fillion filling out the green tights is inspired, but the fun doesn't stop there. DC Comics fans will notice this thing features cameos from some of their favorite Green Lantern Corps members. (I think I saw Kilowog in there). Plus it's fun trying to name the movies/TV shows the videomaker pulled from to create his vision. It features a good chunk from the Star Trek trailer, as well as some scenes from Firefly and probably every Nathan Fillion movie ever made.
The N just picked up Gigantic, a half-hour series from former Buffy the Vampire Slayer exec. producer Marti Noxon and Dawn Prouse (Tru Calling, Prison Break). Gigantic is a "dramedy" that skewers the lives of Hollywood kids whose parents are A-list celebs.
Normally, I'd say this premise makes Gigantic sound like another brain dead tween show. You know, the kind that might end up launching the next big bubblegum pop star like Miley Cyrus. But I expect more from Noxon, Prouse and The N.
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.
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.
It's that time of year again -- time to shop 'til you drop, bake until you sweat, eat until you bloat, and take stock in what you are thankful for, in your life and of course, on television.
You might think that in this season of less-than-stellar television, it would be hard to find TV-related things to be thankful for; after all, with lackluster new shows and all of your favorites getting canceled left and right, things do seem bleak.
But my glass is half full, and I still garner joy from my nightly boob tube sessions, my TV on DVD collection, and the time I haven't spent watching TV. I am thankful ...
Did you hear the news? Lily from How I Met Your Mother is pregnant! What? Oh, you mean ... never mind. I misspoke, lost in my fictional friends' lives for a moment.
Let me try this again: Alyson Hannigan, the actress who plays Lily on HIMYM, is pregnant in real life. And do you know who the father is? I think we won't find out until the series finale; they've really been stringing us along with all of the potential love interests. What's that? Oh, man....
Sorry to confuse you: we do know who the father is. Wesley Wyndham Price from Buffy and Angel. I know, I know, I was confused, too. I thought he was in love with Lilah. When she died he was so sad, and he ended up sleeping with that heiress, what's-her-name? Huh? Nah, that can't be. Really?
Sure Lost is a bona fide hit, but who remembers Invasion? In fact, none of the sci fi series premiering that year (Surface and Threshold) made it beyond a single season. And yet, as Brad reported, ABC is developing The Return, a series focusing on how the world handles an "alien landing." You know, like the classic V mini-series of the '80s. In fact, the last episode of V: The Series was called "The Return." Maybe this is a secret code name for the long teased V return!
But that announcement got me thinking about all those sci fi and fantasy shows that never finish on television. It's a phenomenon us long-time science fiction/fantasy fans have learned to live with. We jump on any new genre show on television hoping against hope that the ratings will be strong enough that we'll get the whole story. Alas, we know that more often than not the plug will be pulled mid-stream and we'll be left wanting. And for every Joss Whedon who continues Buffy and Angel in comics, there are tons more who don't.
We're used to reading all of the lists that rank the best and worst TV shows of all-time, now ABC is getting even more specific than that. What are the top moments in television history?
You can vote for them at the ABC site and your answers will be revealed on the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, which will be broadcast on Sunday, September 21. There are two categories, comedy and drama (sorry fans of game shows and reality shows). No, you can't write in your own vote, you have to pick from the finalists that they've already chosen for you, so right off the bat you know there's going to be a lot of "but what about..." and "why did they include..." talk.
I 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.)
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.
All-in-all, Angel was a good series, even though it kept reinventing itself each season. The set changes (Angel's original digs, the hotel, Wolfram and Hart), the cast changes, and the character changes (Fred to Ilyria) threw off my equilibrium, sometimes leaving me longing for the security of the previous season.
One of the hardest changes for me to take was the death of Doyle, who added so much heart and humor to season one. Even sadder was that the actor who played Doyle, Glenn Quinn, went on to die a tragic death in 2002.
The 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.
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.
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.
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Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
