fanvid sunday: all dollhouse all the time

I still don't think much of Dollhouse but I heard a rumor that, like, everyone else on earth thinks it is the knees of bees so I present to you a little from column A and a little from column B. First the misery:

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Yes, it's a Topher/Bennett vid and it's exactly as upbeat as you imagine. On the other hand there's this:

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which is just a hilarious video of the sexy Dollhouse menfolk doing their turn on the catwalk.

And that's all. Dollhouse is over (finally). Eliza turned in a good performance in the end. Then again, even a broken clock is right twice a day... oh, snap! Happy Sunday, all.

That Was a Damn Fine Hour of Television

I'm not going to review it, as some of my fellow Buffyfesters may have not seen it yet (well we know that one surely didn't)...but as far as series finales go, in my opinion it simply doesn't get too much better than that. I'd go so far as to say, even with the fear of hate mail, that "Epitaph Two" was a more satisfying ending than the one given to the *other* Joss Whedon female driven series we all know and love.

::ducks::

Goodnight, Dollhouse.

Minorly Spoilerish P.S. In a post-apocalyptic future, where TF did Echo get the seriously kick-ass wardrobe? Is that a Veda leather jacket?

Edited to add: Ratings are in...not that we have to worry about that anymore.

Dollhouse: a Buffyfest Retrospective

Tonight marks the series end of Dollhouse, Joss and Eliza's pet project dreamed up in the loo after consuming some Gouda Pizza at a Hollywood hot spot. Sure we made fun of it in the worst of times (singing, bad outfits, and let's not forget those embarrassing Dushku/Glau Fox intro ads), but the show turned out to be the typical Joss Whedon gem. A compelling, unique journey in a sea of blah on network television...and these things take time before maturing like a fine wine (see: Buffy, Angel, Firefly-to-Serenity, etc.) Before the series finale airs tonight at 9 pm on Fox, let's take a look back on Dollhouse:


The Dollhouse Death Watch: the "skeptics" and the "realists" took one to the jaw when Michelle's team prevailed in this game we played in season 1 (even though she ultimately was the one to drop the show altogether!) I'm glad Bitsy and I were proven wrong, though. For this we can be grateful that amidst poor ratings, the show defied all odds and got a season 2.




And Dollhouse provided us here at Buffyfest some great joy too, whether it was seeing Joss and Eliza at the Apple Store in Soho promoting the project, interviewing the lovely Miracle Laurie, and let's not forget waaaay back in February of 2009: our live coverage of the packed to capacity panel and screening event at New York Comic Con. Good times.



Shockingly, I only just watched the unaired pilot recently, and it made me full of regret. It really does set up the fantastic show we'd ultimely get after the network no longer cared to set parameters. If you haven't seen it, you should really check it out. In fact, instead of proclaiming Dollhouse the Fail it once was, I'd go so far as to say I'd recommend it to anyone. Sure I'd skip a few eps...so my suggested order of things would be as follows:

Season 1
Unaired Pilot
"Man on the Street"
"Echoes"
"Needs"
"Spy in the House of Love"
"Briar Rose"
"Omega"
Epitaph One

Season 2
"Vows"
"Belonging"
and everything after that....

Or you can just hunker down and get through the whole thing so you don't miss a single Topher moment! Now that certain reveals have happened, I'll surely be watching this fantastic series again from the beginning. I'll just check my email during Stage Fright.

Ah well. Another Whedon show bites the ass of Fox. Here's hoping the rumors are true and Whedon's next project is on cable. Next!

Michelle Trachtenberg in Complex Mag

Click here for the cover story and more pics of little Dawnie looking hot.

Awesome Rock Ballads About Whedonverse Chicks

WTF? I love these so much!



Wow, this guy really loves Smidgie!



"You're the best at what you do, the best I've ever seen"? Could you be more specific?

Angel Season 2 in 5 seconds

The Improv Workings of Felicia Day and Friends

I had the fine experience of seeing Felicia Day perform improv at the Knightsbridge Theater in L.A. on Thursday Night. Her theater group, Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, was not a disappointment. They were funny, creative and worked their butts off to entertain. Included in the group were a few people from The Guild, including Jeff Lewis who was fantastic! If you're in the L.A. area definitely try to catch one of their shows.

You can also watch it live via Ustream here.

Haiti Caring Hands: Joss Whedon Fans for Haiti

Will you lend a caring hand to shelter those who need it?

Please join us in supporting one of the many organizations providing relief to Haiti listed at this fantastic Whedonverse fandom organized website, HaitiCaringHands.com. We gave to Partners In Health and Mercy Corps through the site, but there are dozens of other reputable charities listed that are both on the ground now providing immediate disaster relief and longterm rebuiliding. Thank you to all of the people who worked all week long to get this amazing project together.

From Haiti Caring Hands:

On January 12th, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred just 10 miles outside of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. It caused massive devastation and killed over 200,000 people, with many more missing. The dead include thousands of children buried alive in schools when the earthquake hit. Millions have been left without shelter, food or water as their homes lie in ruins.


Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere - at least 80% of its population lives below the poverty line. These people already needed our help before the earthquake, and their need is exponentially greater now.


We, the Whedonverse fans, are known for wanting to save the world. We cannot help but care about others, after spending years admiring characters who risked their lives for humanity. Our ongoing fundraising effort, Can't Stop The Serenity, is an annual global event which raises money and awareness for Equality Now, and there are scores of other fan-related fundraising campaigns.


We would not stand idly by and witness massive suffering, and so we have turned our attention to the natural disaster in Haiti. This small website contains links to reputable organisations assisting Haiti both with emergency disaster relief and long-term rehabilitation projects.


We know that times are hard for everyone right now, but ask you to peruse our list, choose a charity, and give what you can. This week, please deprive yourself of one small luxury, so that a family in Haiti can have food, shelter and water.


Our heroes saved the world - a lot. It's time for us to lend a caring hand

Christina Hendricks, Whedonverse Bombshell, Supports 'Clothes Off Our Back'

"Our Mrs. Renyolds", a.k.a the gorgeous Christina Hendricks, is teaming up with Degree Women Ultra Clear's new Red Satin to wear red dress on the red carpet while supporting Clothes Off Our Back. Go vote for your favorite red gown she *might* wear to the 2010 SAG awards and support Degree’s donation of $50,000 toward the cause.

And while we're at it, let's take a trip down recent memory lane and check out some other red carpet looks Saffron has sported. Why you ask? Because it's fun.

Golden Globes 2009

Emmy Awards 2008

Premiere of "500 Days of Summer"

Emmy Awards 2009

2009 Television Critics Association Event

2009 Screen Actor's Guild Awards

And of course, last weekend's 2010 Golden Globes

Happy Birthday Buffy!

Here's to hoping you have a happier birthday year than all the rest. Of course, with the Twilight reveal earlier this month, it doesn't look like things are going to change for the better any time soon. Oh, poor Buffy.

Angel's House For Sale

I guess even Angel's feeling the economic hardship during this recession. The Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House is on the market and it's got a $15 Million price tag for anyone who's interested. Whoever did location scouting on Buffy really got this one right. Angel would totally live here.

Newsies: Twilight-gate Edition

In all the hullabaloo and shenanigans of last week, a lot of the fun Whedonverse related articles and events got lost. So here's a round-up of things we found interesting but didn't post about during Twilight-gate:

New Firefly short stories! New Firefly short stories! We should all be talking about this, but we've been too involved with Twilight-gate.

I got "JOSS!!-ed" a dozen times during the last few episodes of Dollhouse, which keeps getting better and better in my book. Bits still dislikes it and Michelle still refuses to watch it, but I find myself seriously wishing to start a bigger, better "Save Dollhouse" campaign. Check out I09's recap/assesment of last week's ep "Getting Closer" here and this past Friday's ep Hollow Men there. Note: The season finale of Dollhouse has been pushed to 1/29/10.

Speaking of, Dollhouse is closing up shop for real and selling all the goods in the store (too much metaphor?) Lucky for you, this is your chance to pick up some of the leftovers including a cool pair of used Prada loafers.


"The Tinkly Piano of ConCord sex" AOL discusses this awkward pairing in their "Worst TV Couples Ever" list.

These dudes are improving Whedon at The Gorilla Tango Theatre in Chicago! The Improvised Joss Whedon show is a big "what if" scenario in which characters from various Whedon programs (like Buffy and Dollhouse) meet each other. How cool?

We're willing to bet lots of money that there's a sufficient amount of Spike fans who've written James Marsters a love poem, or two. Well, now's your chance to make it official. And please, for the love of all things Buffy, send us a copy of your entry, so we can post it here on Buffyfest, too!

With all the divides in the fandom, and there are many, one character has always been able to bring us back together. Look out for the Angel Special: Lorne due to release in March. Until then, Chris Ryall previewed this page centered around Groo in the special issue. Check that out.


Have a great weekend!

Top 5 Reasons Why it's Awesome that 'You-Know-Who' is Twilight

(Beware: Twilight Spoilers) It's been a long, drama-filled week filled with the craziness of fandom mixing with the craziness of business. As the dust begins to (finally) settle on all of this madness, it's time to focus on the excitement of the story and from what we've found out this week, it sure is exciting. Some won't agree, of course, but for those of you who do, here are our Top Five reasons why having Angel as Twilight a.k.a Twangel (tm) is going to be amazing.

5. It's Angel. The man who's been chosen by the PTB to help the helpless/hopeless. There was even snow involved! He hasn't been doing so much of that as Twilight and we want to know why, dammit!



4. Two words: Buffy's reaction.







3. Every other character's reaction: Will Xander pull a "Revelations" ala Season 3? Will Faith return the favor and try to bring Angel to his senses? Will Dawn reach back into her fake memories to see how she should feel? Will Giles dust off his trusty cross bow? Will Oz stay silent and just nod? Does Willow have a leg to stand on when it comes to pointing fingers? We want to know!

2. The fan reaction: I've never seen so many people be so completely off the map that it might just be the best thing ever. Whether people were excited, angry, yelling, laughing, crying, doing a snoopy dance, declaring Joss a crackfic writer... it's been years since I've seen nerds get this up in a tizzy. Even if the comics weren't entertaining on their own, this insanity alone would be worth the price of admission. -Bitsy

And the number 1 reason why it's Awesome that it's Twangel: Joss, your Master (if you have the Tshirt, that is), has been working on this story...four years in the making. The big guy must have really wanted to tell it and now we really, really want to hear it.

Why IDW's Angel Comic Still Matters

Coming back from Midtown Comics today, wind whipping around the buildings of New York City and biting at my face, I was thoughtful of the books buried beneath my coat and wrapped in brown paper. It's seems very appropriate, considering all the hoopla surrounding the recent revelations, that we'd be getting new issues of both Buffy and Angel today. As excited as I was (and am) for both, it was Angel # 29 that was weighing heavy on my mind. Indeed, not just the issue itself, but the new series that had only just begun last month.

By now, most of you have seen the comments made by writers Bill Willingham and Bill Williams regarding the promise of creating a common thread between the IDW and Dark Horse universes. You've also, no doubt, seen Joss's responses to those, er, responses. It's a big 'verse out there, people talk, and the words they are saying sound an awful lot like "I'm not going to read that Angel comic anymore". While I'm tempted to, coyly, ask "Why?" I think we're a little beyond that. Instead, I want to talk to you about why I am still reading IDW's Angel and why you should be, too.

Let's begin with the elephant in the room. Bill Willingham's comments turned some people off. Looking over the responses that followed his addressing of the situation, it became clear that what he said hadn't won IDW many favors. In fact, some people who had previously been picking up the Angel comics were now saying they would no longer touch them. That, as a knee jerk reaction is, I think, understandable. Strongs words were used about some pretty well respected folks and I think a lot of fans were confused as to why Bill felt so heated about the entire affair. I think, first of all, that Bill's response in and of itself was a little bit knee-jerk. He'd just found out, by means of a website, that some people he doesn't work with were potentially deciding the ending of a comic he had just started writing. Put yourself in his shoes for a second and tell me that wouldn't make you uneasy at best. You could argue that his words were too hasty, too negative, too potentially ego driven but, in the end, his frustrations and his concerns were, and many ways still are, understandable and valid.

But this article isn't called "Why You Should Forgive Bill Willingham" and he's certainly not the only person who makes it so there's an Angel comic that appears in the stacks every month. One of the things I was most impressed by wasn't all the voices we did hear from during Twilight-gate, but those that we didn't, the people who had the professional restraint to focus on the work that mattered. It's not a secret that I hold IDW's editor, Mariah Huehner, in high regard but the grace with which she handled this debacle still impresses me. It's not like she has no ego to bruise nor that she doesn't have a right to share her feelings with all that's going on. She didn't, though. Instead she opted to keep working on ensuring we'd get good stories and, in the end, isn't that what matters the most? The spectacle of a bunch of comic book types falling over their own feet as they try to clean up this collosal mess can only entertain for so long.

Right before the new chapter in IDW's Angel story began, Mariah and I talked a lot about what the new story would be about but, more important than the story itself, was the risk that needed taking. We'd seen what Joss had in mind for the unrealized sixth season of Angel with After the Fall but what we hadn't seen was what was really going to come next. In the hands of a lesser team, we would be getting something derivative, just more of the same. Mariah and Bill dreamed of something bigger though for Angel & co. Immortality for Dummies is that story and it's already easily one of the most ambitious stories I've seen about any of these characters.

Making Angel a Hollywood icon, giving Connor a chance to play leader, questioning the nature of immortality, potentially throwing a match on an oil soaked Shanshu prophecy and watching it burn... these are just the things we've seen in the first two issues and we're just now skimming the surface. With the promise of seeing Connor's decisions lead to devastating consequences, big Illyria reckonings, and more floating, psychic fishes than you can shake a stick at (actually, there's just the one) the IDW books are taking Angel to places he's never gone before.

Canon? I could talk all day but, if you want to hear the sage words from the man himself, take a peak at what Chris Ryall had to say on Whedonesque. The point is, no matter what happens in a Dark Horse galaxy far, far away, right here, right now, IDW is putting out compelling stories that are worth reading. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to read Angel #29 again.

Father Knows Best

Thanks, Dad. Us kids were really in trouble there for a minute.

Part 2 of the interview here.

Still? The Twilight Controversy Continues (Spoilers)

(Beware: Twilight Spoiler) Unless you've been living under a rock...nope, not even then...unless you were born 5 minutes ago, you know about the craziness of the last few days. Let's see: We've got the unexpected Twilight cover reveal, the admission that the covers were actually real reveal, the subsequent release of more Twilight art/interviews reveal, and so much more in between. I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

Today seemed different, though, like it was the day of reconciliation. It started with the release of Scott Allie's statement on Dark Horse and then the Mtv article featuring Joss Whedon, himself, making a statement about the matter. We even got preview pages for Buffy Issue #32! If only I could somehow insert the sound of a record scratching right now I surely would because, man, the healing knife wound of the Buffyverse got ripped wide open a few hours ago with the release of this statement by Bill Willingham.

I'm not sure how this will be reconciled, but there definitely needs to be an end to the entire "He said/She said" of the thing. Let's hug it out people. Besides, we just found out that Twilight is friggin' Angel! I don't know about you, but I'd much rather be discussing the endless possibilities of that one.

Joss Whedon and Scott Allie Interviewed at MTV (SPOILERS)

As we'd reported previously, MTV conducted an interview with both Scott Allie And Joss Whedon today regarding the ongoing saga of Twilight-gate. Here's a run down of what was said:

From Joss:

Brad Meltzer is the master at taking what's before you and peeling it back to show what's beneath," Whedon told MTV News of the big reveal and the role it will play in Meltzer's run, which kicks off next month with the penultimate arc before Whedon himself takes the writing reins to close out "Season Eight."

In this case, that applies to characters, assumptions, motivations, mythos, masks, and most spectacularly, clothes," added Whedon. "Season Eight officially goes into high gear in Brad's extraordinary arc. Try to keep up.

Scott reiterated much of what had already been said before, including the fact that the Dark Horse books will synch up with IDW's. Scott said specifically:

"The 'Angel' series at IDW picks up at end of 'Angel' television series, but 'Buffy: Season Eight' started up a significant amount of time after the television series ended."

I'm not sure if this is the first mention of the timelines for the two stories or not but I find it both interesting and relieving that there will be room for both stories in the canon since so many people care about that.

In addition, Dark horse revealed an additional image to give fans a little insight into just how complicated things are going to get once the Twilight reveal is all said and done with. For now, we're simply linking to the MTV article here so those of you who are trying to prevent any additional spoilers can keep that hope alive.

Scott Allie Speaks About Twilight-gate (Spoilers)

It's been 24 hours since Twilight-gate broke and we had the opportunity to follow up with Scott Allie on the phone today.

- Scott reiterated what he said on Twitter yesterday. After the solicitations were linked on Whedonesque, Joss and Scott had a conversation and decided that it was best to come out with the truth rather than mislead the fans which is why we broke the story yesterday. Scott said "The reason Joss felt that we had to come out and jump on it and really get in front of it was because Whedonesque had already posted the pictures...When we saw the Whedonesque page, we felt we had to respond."

- (Spoilers for Issue #31) In anticipation of Buffy #31 which comes out Wednesday: "It's such a good issue...Buffy and Xander have a conversation about Xander and Dawn and it's such a great conversation. It's so true to Buffy." (End Spoilers)

- By now, we've probably all seen the image to the right. Thanks Brian Lynch! Scott told us he

had spoke to Chris Ryall about the image before it was released and, in fact, was the first to comment on Brian's blog with, "Never mind Spuffy or Bangel or Spangel ... I'm all about SPILIGHT!" Let the fanfic writing commence.

- On Monday, Scott will have his next interview with Mtv. They're going to unveil another exclusive Twilight cover, as well. If you don't want to be spoiled any further, Scott warns not to visit mtv.com on Monday. From the description of the picture he gave to us, we're really excited to see how this Twilight thing unravels. What is that? Do we know what the image looks like? We sure do, but we ain't tellin'.

**Update: The cover being posted to Mtv tomorrow was also done by Jo Chen, for those who are curious.

Confirmed: Twilight Reveal (Spoilers)

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BUFFY SEASON 8 COMIC IN THIS POST. ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE IDENTITY OF TWILIGHT, CLICK THE ABOVE HEADLINE:

Buffy Issue #34 Cover: What the Hell's Going On?

As most everyone has already heard, the covers for Buffy #34 came out today and it's a shocker. It's got people all over the internets in a tizzy. What's the deal? Is it for real or is this just a big psyche out?

Happy 2 Year Anniversary Buffyfest!

Two years of friendship.Two years of fun.Two years of all things Whedon! Buffyfest has been a huge part of our lives and we feel truly grateful to have had the opportunity to meet all of you amazing people and all of the creative minds involved in our beloved fandom. As we sip on our Prosecco, here's to another year of blogging.  

This Is What Super Scott Allie Does In His Free Time

drawing by Scott Allie

fanvid sunday: boys boys boys edition

I'm sorry what's that? Lady Gaga mixed with Buffy? Uh, yeah!



Done and done. Happy Sunday, everybody!