Check out this fantastic Wiki page with tables comparing vampire traits. It covers everything from Attractiveness, Weaknesses, Reproduction and more! There are some hilarious hidden gems in there, I won't spoil.
Most hilarious/annoying thing, however, is the shaftiness our vamps get on the hotness scale. The Vampire Diaries vamps are rated "alluring" but the Buffy vamps are only considered "ordinary but often above average." Which Judgy McJudge decided that? Ha!
I'm stepping away from Buffyfest (for the first time ever!) to take a Thanksgiving trip to the magical place that is the World of Disney. In my stead, we're happy to announce that blogger Lucia a.k.a Heroine_TV will be over to fill in! She runs a kick-ass blog: HeroineTV.com. If you haven't visited it before, you've missed a self-proclaimed TV addict dish about all of the female driven shows and characters. Go check that fabulosity out! You can also follow her on twitter @heroine_tv.
We're very excited to have her over for a visit and would like to extend a cozy holiday Buffyfest welcome!
Seriously, they are peddling Twilight brand heroin on the streets of our city via this crafty villain in Long Island. The dime bags are "branded" with Edward Cullen's face on them. So wrong! First with the sparkling, cold-like-a-dead-man's-penis sex toy, now this. Joking aside, it's really not anything like throwing an appendage in a freezer. I'd feel terrible if it was a Buffy logo or Blue Sun type situation. Capitalizing on someone's fandom addiction is one thing, but substance addiction is another. I can just hear someone OMGing "Look how cool my Twi-hard dope baggie is!" This really is too far.
And don't forget...then Buffy slayed Edward, the end.
P.S. the guy on the bag actually kind of looks like Spike, no?
Buffy Between the Lines - The fan audio drama that explains what happened when the cameras stopped - is a finalist at the Podcast Awards! Apparently, Harry Potter wins in the entertainment category every year. Let's show those Potterheads what's up!
For an added bonus if BBtL wins, they will be producing a post-Chosen episode that fans have been clamouring for....bridging Seasons 7 and 8. So go vote! You can vote once a day, every day from now until November 30th at http://podcastawards.com/. Buffy Between the Lines is in the Entertainment category. FYI, you must enter a valid email to validate your vote.
Michael Ausiello gets the Whedon-ey scoop once again. This time the juicy exclusive is that Joss Whedon will direct one of the back nine episodes of the much loved show Glee (FOX). NOBODY PANIC! This does NOT mean that Dollhouse has been passed over for it's own back nine. We REALLY wouldn't want that to happen. Especially us here at Buffyfest. We are very supportive of Dollhouse...Michelle in particular.
Ahem.
Joss himself commented about the news on Whedonesque a short time ago saying:
"Whom will I kill? When will that go away? Is death really the only thing I'm known for? I'd hope not. You know how many people in the world actually die? ALL OF THEM. You know how many I've killed? Statistically, somewhat fewer. Can't we focus on another element of my work? Having said that, probably Principal Figgins. (No! I kid! God.)"
...amongst other things. Oh Joss Whedon, you murdering prankster you. Go to Whedonesque for his full statement. Fun stuff.
It's a frickin' Twilight sex toy. There, I said it. There IS no delicate way of putting it. IT SPARKLES!! I soiled our lovely blog and probably made half of our readers scream in terror and the other half reach for their credit cards. I made our home into an abomination so that we could pass through Reaver space. I'm sorry fellow Buffyfest bloggers, but I feel I had no choice. What in the hellmouth is becoming of this Twilight fandom?????
Look, it fucking sparkles, people. It sparkles, it has a "deathly pale flesh tone reminiscent of the new moon's glow" and you can put it in the fridge for that "authentic" (i.e., dead vampire penis, for those that are still in shock) experience.
What would Twilight creator/Mormon Stephenie Meyer have to say about this?
via @Sunfire via Twitter who was wondering is this what she's missing by not reading vampire fanfic? Are there lots of references to this? Is it a thing? Please comment because inquiring (and disgusted) minds kinda want to know!
Look, I like the show. I just really don't know what it's about. I must enjoy it to a certain extent because when it's on the DVR I think "Yay! True Blood! it's entertaining! Let's watch True Blood!" Yet every time I have the same basic questions I had from the beginning:
"Why does Sookie love Bill and vice versa?"
"Why are there vampires? Are they hell spawn?"
"Do they have a conscience, guilt and/or a care of consequences?"
These are the things that should've been covered in the first episode. I'm still wondering why I'm rooting for these damn vampires at all. They are straight up killers. Bill is a killer. Why has the world embraced them instead of banding together to rid the world of them? No explanation. We just get the constant parody of Jesus freaks, hicks and political bullshit. Sure, it's cute, it's funny, but it's getting a little empty. Maybe the accusations are true. That I'm tainting by the goodness of Whedon's vamp stories and can't see past them. Excuse me if I like substance.
Bottom line is this. These vamps are flippin' evil. In Buffy's world she'd have little choice but to band together with Pastor Steve and Sarah Newlin of the Friendship of the Sun church and combine her slayer army with the little vamp-killing army they're building. Sometimes I even find myself slightly rooting for them! Now that can't be right. Wonder if the Buffster would like FOS's wooden bullets, thoguh? Seems more like Faith's type of thing. zing!
Bitsy's take:
True Blood and Buffy Season 8 are very similar in that, in both cases, vampires have recently "outed" themselves. The difference, of course, lies in the perspective from which we see the story unfold. In the case of Buffy, it's primarily from the Slayers' perspective while in True Blood it's from the vampires'. What's so confusing is that yes, even though we are meant to see the True Blood vampires as being good guys, they never quite seem so innocent. In fact, it remains completely in their nature to use humans for their own amusement at best and as dinner at worst. Even Bill Compton who is meant to be reformed (Tara's note - for some unknown reason) has a tendency towards some rather violent and murderous behavior.
What's meant to be painted as a cultural difference still seems an awful lot like watching hunters and prey do their wild, one eats the other, sort of dance to me. Obviously the mythos of Buffy extends much further given far less wiggle room on the nature of vampires. They're evil and soulless monsters (except those two hot guys). I wonder what the Buffy story would look like if they spent an arc doing all the telling from the perspective of the vampires. I bet it'd look an awful lot like True Blood. That's my two cents on it anyway.
Buffyfest would like to send an enormous thanks out to our amazing guest blogger, JayUnderscoreZero. Your posts were fun, insightful and you helped us out a whole bunch! Just like the relationship of Buffy and Angel, we know you have to go, but there will always be a place for you in our Buffyfest hearts. Cheesy, but true.
Also, I wanted to give an extra special thanks from me for taking on the work during my absence. You were really terrific! Love, Michelle
The bad news is that the series I was reviewing prior, Demons, was so completely rubbish that I couldn't bare to watch another second of it. I thought about devoting an entire post about that very fact but concluded, ultimately that by saying every character was totally insipid, the writing completely cliche, and that the show itself was best summed up by the constant appearance of the lead character's cheesy, emo hoodies I would have really said all that needed saying.
The good news is that, whilst running screaming into the night from the horror that was ITV, I stumbled upon an absolutely brilliant show called Being Human. It's just finished it's six episode run and, having watched it all, I can safely say that it is without question one of the best series I have seen in lo these many years and that, without question, it would be enjoyable to any fan of Buffy or Angel.
When I first heard the pitch for Being Human (A ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf live in a flat together) I assumed it was comedy, intentional or not. Still, with a belly full of courage and many grains of salt at the ready, I hunkered down to watch the premiere episode. BBC Three's new drama (and it is a drama) is the latest in a trend of shows and films that involve elements of the supernatural. It almost never made it to series but, thanks to some journalistic handy work and three thousand signatures, it's now done with series one and already greenlit for a series two.
Much like Buffy we see the juxtaposition between the Human world and the realm of all things not. The philosophical question of whom the real monsters are is spread out nicely throughout the series. The three protagonists struggle to find their place is subtle when it need be and yet knows exactly when to take the chance at being big and dramatic.
As much as I want to detail and analyze every angle of this show, I honestly think it's best to say that it's very much worth your time and to not spoil a blessed thing. If you live anywhere in the UK you can watch it in it's entirety on BBC iPlayer. If not then you'll have to get it by less conventional means. Either way, it's a must watch for anyone feeling lost in a Buffyless world. Also have a go a the website where there's a blog and lots of behind the scenes video. Hopefully someone will be smart enough to bring this series stateside as is and not as yet another failed remake. I'm looking at you, just canceled Life on Mars.
Michelle Trachtenberg has made the Presidential Pledge along side some big name celebrities. The idea was spawned by Ashton Kutcher (and directed by Demi Moore) in order to inspire people to get active in America. The pledges range from shutting off the lights when leaving the room to bringing an end to human trafficking around the world. Ms. Trachtenberg's Pledge - "To be more green."
Hopefully you heeded my advice to stick with our little Buffy knockoff because, hey, it actually got better and it managed to do so in one episode. Better pacing, a new character, creepy kids, and general improvements overall all tied up in a little bow. Here's ITV's synopsis.
"In the second episode, six-year-old Madge might think her sister has been ‘taken up to heaven by an angel’ but Galvin suspects otherwise. Everything points to half-life involvement and he thinks it’s the perfect project for Luke.
A visit to zombie priest, Father Simeon (guest star Richard Wilson) confirms Galvin’s suspicions. Gilgamel is no angel – he’s a demon, a travesty demon, a Type 9 entity attracted by the odour of sanctity. Can Luke rise to the challenge?"
Click through for the trailer, review, and promo for episode 3.
If the previous episode played out like an episode of Buffy Season One, then this one takes it's cue from the first season of Angel. The Whole Enchilada, while possessed of the simplest of mysteries, tells its story well. The children are equal parts cute and creepy, the monster of the week is actually pretty scary looking, there's even a twist and a turn in there just in case you like to be surprised.
Mina and Ruby show marked improvement. We get a little more insight into Mina's supernatural extra sensory perception and some much needed snark. Ruby is actually useful and, dare I say it, full of cuteness and even a little moxy. The sole holdout remains in Rupert whose American accent is so bothersome and wrong that it makes anything coming out of his mouth sound completely disingenuous and false. That's a travesty considering what a fine actor Philip Glenister is.
Easily making up for that is the first appearance of Father Simeon, a zombie priest as portrayed by the great Richard Wilson who recently had a turn on BBC One's Merlin. His macabre turn in this role brings some much needed depth and drama to the episode in the form of some cryptic commentary regarding Luke's father's death and Rupert's part in it. Wilson does a fine job of giving Glenister someone to work off of, a foil that finally gives just enough meat to Galvin that the accent finally starts to bug a little less.
At the heart of the episode though is Luke having to learn the all important lesson: heroes don't have personal lives. No matter how fast he might run, his destiny will always catch up to him. There's just enough resistance on Luke's part to make his reluctant acceptance come episode's end feel earned.
All in all a big step up from last episode and more than reason enough to keep watching. And because you're appetite needs whetting, here's a promo for episode three. Enjoy!
Just a friendly reminder that Neil Patrick Harris will be on Saturday Night Live tonight. The important question here is, does SNL know that Dr. Horrible fans will be watching and hoping for a reprise? Hope so!
So our beloved Michelle will be out of the country for a week and we're thrilled to have Phil a.k.a CowboyGuy and Emmie from SlayAlive over to fill in. SlayAlive is an affiliate of ours and a great community fan-forum where you can discuss all things Buffy & friends. We're very excited to see what the SlayAlive team has in store for Buffyfest and would like to extend a warm welcome!
Whedon Fan, Crafter and Blogger TILT gave us this fancy ass award. Thanks again! Go to http://www.tiltcreations.blogspot.com/ to check out her blog and lovely hand made items on Etsy!
We've teamed up with SlayAlive.com as our new affiliate. Go check out what is probably the most extensive Whedonverse Forum out there and a truly huge community of fabulous fans. You can also find a link on our right sidebar. Add it to your bookmarks and enjoy daily!
Whedon fan and crafter TiLT from: http://tiltcreations.blogspot.com/ gave us this lovely "Kreativ Blogger" award. Go and check out her site which features some great handmade Firefly crafts by TiLT herself. Thanks again!
Also, don't forget to sign up for the Whedonverse Holiday Ornament swap if you're interested. Less than 2 weeks to go before signups end and recipient lists are distributed!
Buffyfest would like to send an enormous thanks out to our amazing guest blogger, JayUnderscoreZero. Your posts were fun, insightful and you helped us out a whole bunch! Just like the relationship of Buffy and Angel, we know you have to go, but there will always be a place for you in our Buffyfest hearts. Cheesy, but true.
Easily making up for that is the first appearance of Father Simeon, a zombie priest as portrayed by the great Richard Wilson who recently had a turn on BBC One's Merlin. His macabre turn in this role brings some much needed depth and drama to the episode in the form of some cryptic commentary regarding Luke's father's death and Rupert's part in it. Wilson does a fine job of giving Glenister someone to work off of, a foil that finally gives just enough meat to Galvin that the accent finally starts to bug a little less.
Just a friendly reminder that Neil Patrick Harris will be on Saturday Night Live tonight. The important question here is, does SNL know that Dr. Horrible fans will be watching and hoping for a reprise? Hope so!
So our beloved Michelle will be out of the country for a week and we're thrilled to have Phil a.k.a CowboyGuy and Emmie from SlayAlive over to fill in. SlayAlive is an affiliate of ours and a great community fan-forum where you can discuss all things Buffy & friends. We're very excited to see what the SlayAlive team has in store for Buffyfest and would like to extend a warm welcome!
We've teamed up with SlayAlive.com as our new affiliate. Go check out what is probably the most extensive Whedonverse Forum out there and a truly huge community of fabulous fans. You can also find a link on our right sidebar. Add it to your bookmarks and enjoy daily!
Whedon fan and crafter TiLT from: http://tiltcreations.blogspot.com/ gave us this lovely "Kreativ Blogger" award. Go and check out her site which features some great handmade Firefly crafts by TiLT herself. Thanks again!
