Buffyfest's Top Ten Moments of 2011!

Major Buffyverse spoilers for Season 8 & 9 if you're not completely caught up...

Another year is gone. And listen, we were definitely confused about compiling this year's Top Ten list. Did Giles get killed this year or end of last? Did Buffy and Angel conceive a baby universe this year? When did she even have random lesbian sex? Well the answer to all of that is: Not in 2011! Oh no, 2011 was all about restructure and transition in the Whedonverse. The Buffy and Angel stories are all back under one roof, living at Dark Horse, and Joss Whedon was off creating new and wonderful projects for us to feast our eyes on in 2012. Helping us with what will be the Top Ten moments of 2012, assuming the world doesn't end before that.

So now that we have that all figured out, here's a look back at our Top Ten Whedonverse Moments of this year. And a very Happy New Year, readers and friends!

#1 - Photobombed!
This was one of the most embarrassingly huge things that ever happened to us as Buffyfest, so it was definitely landing the top spot this year. Joss Whedon officially became our White Whale. While doing an interview at SDCC, Andrew Chambliss is actually saying the words "Joss is busy with The Avengers" and dude, Michelle, Joss is right behind you. Doesn't get sillier than this!

#2 - The End of All Magic
2011 marked the fallout of Angel and Buffy's universe-creating space sex, which ultimately ended in Giles' death and Buffy needing to break the seed, thus ending the flow of magic on earth. What a long, strange trip it's been.

#3 - Buffyfest 2011
This year we had a fancy brunch featuring Funny Shaped Pancakes, Mr. Gordo Bacon, Oh Hey! Juice!, and coffee from the Espresso Pump, along with all the morning fare one could dream up for a Buffy Breakfast event. Michelle even made a fanvid using the Wham! classic "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go." Good times.

#4 - Dark Horse Goes Digital
With Dark Horse taking over the Angel license, 2011 not only marked the year that Buffy and Angel were back under one roof, but the company finally digitized their full range of Whedonverse titles old and new. Which brings us to....

#5 - Angel & Faith
We're not sure if anyone was prepared for the fabulosity that the Angel & Faith series has become. Angel is arguably one of the most hated characters in the entire Whedonverse at this point (after basically killing Buffy's dad), but man smashing these 2 anti-heroes together has created a seriously compelling story to watch unfold.

#6 - Much Ado About Nothing
Joss writes, directs and produces a whole movie entirely in secret. He may have an evil clone.

#7 - Buffyfest at Comic Cons
Buffyfest once again made the pilgrimage to Geek Mecca SDCC 2011 and it's little cousin NYCC 2011.

#8 - Buffy's Birthday Bash
Buffy had a big birthday on Januray 19th this year, coinciding with Season 8's grand finale...and there were bashes all over the country to celebrate! Our spot? Forbidden Planet in NYC.

#9 - Joss Whedon's Favorite Shirt
Joss wore that two-toned henley to death, from Comic Cons (it's in the photobomb!) to parties to film sets. 'Twas funny.

#10 - Buffy Movie Reboot: DOA
Funny thing is, last year's #10 spot of this here list had the news of the Whedonless Reboot along with the line "It's possible that by this time next year, the reboot release will be a rumor of the past". And now it looks like it is. Life's cute like that sometimes.

The Time Joss Whedon Photo Bombed Our Interview.

This little story I'm about to tell, is perhaps the craziest and most ridiculous thing that has ever happened to us in our time as Buffyfest.

Last month we interviewed Buffy Season 9 Writer Andrew Chambliss and Artist Georges Jeanty at SDCC. After we published the post, a commenter on the YouTube pointed out that at the 3:58 mark of the video Joss Whedon actually walks behind us (video on right). At first this seemed totally implausible, how could 6 people all involved with this man not notice such a ridiculous thing? But after viewing the video on our phones at that very moment on the Hall H line, we realized how true and silly it all was. Joss totally passed through the Dark Horse booth at the time of our recording and probably didn't even notice that his worshipers and employees were right there talking about him.

But there is so much more to this story. We recently realized we still have footage of the other angle from our 2nd camera! What would it reveal? Did Joss actually know we were there or just passing through? Upon further inspection and analysis, we found the unimaginable. Not only did Joss Whedon pass through the booth, but he stopped, stared at us, pointed at us, adjusted his hat, spoke to the person he was with about Andrew, Georges, Scott Allie and what was going on at that moment (i.e. OUR INTERVIEW) for over a full minute...all while about 2 feet behind Michelle's shoulder. And again, not one of the 6 of us behind or in front of the camera has the slightest clue. Andrew Chambliss is actually using the words "Joss is kind of busy right now with The Avengers." HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU GUYS!

Oh  man, you have to see it to believe it. We are the biggest idiots ever. See for yourself below (complete with UFO spotlight) and please laugh at our expense. I'm fairly sure this wouldn't have happened if Bitsy was there.

Sheesh and Fail. Joss Whedon is so our White Whale. Maybe we'll get him next time!

San Diego Comic Con Edition Finale!

Since it's a month to the day that we arrived in San Diego, it seems like a good time to wrap up the wrap-up! So we're back in our usual black Buffyfest outfit. We want to hugely thank Ivan, as always, for lending his time, fantastic camera skills and editing. And thanks to Ryan too for helping out when we lost Bits this year. We appreciate you guys!

To end the fun, here are some photos from this year's festivities!

Exclusive Interview with Brian Lynch & Scott Tipton

Yes! We're still rolling out San Diego Comic Con coverage and one of the highlights was definitely this interview with writers Brian Lynch and Scott Tipton. Set in front of the lovely harbor in San Diego, we talk and hysterically laugh about everything from IDW's Angel run to Muppets to Cosplay Mashups and more! Check it out:

Felicia Day's Dragon Age Panel at SDCC 2011

Felicia Day packs the house with her Dragon Age Panel on the 1st day of Comic Con.

Free Spike Comic: Find out How!

In case you missed Scott Allie's announcement during the Joss Whedon panel at SDCC, Dark Horse has created an exclusive Buffy digital comic featuring Spike, written by Jane Espenson and drawn by Georges Jeanty. The amazing part about this is it's being given away for free through local comic book stores, with codes being distributed through stores this Friday! And it isn't just in the US either!

All you have to do is go to your local comic book store that uses Diamond Comics Distributors and get the code. If for any reason they don't have the code, tell them it's free and you want your digital Spike comic!

For a list of retailers in your neck of the woods, go here.

Joss Whedon Panel at San Diego Comic Con 2011

Here's the story about this Joss Whedon panel: For the entire time we were on the line, I was super conflicted about the fact that Anthony Stewart Head was moderating the Grimm Panel with David Greenwalt 30 minutes after Joss ended. I reeeeally wanted to see that epicness. So once we get in, Ivan sets up the camera, we get fantastic seats and I for some inane reason decide to bolt. This isn't my first time at the Rodeo, so I know what these lines are like and that 30 minutes isn't nearly enough...but I do it anyway like dumb ass.

After power walking I swear an effing mile, I see the 1500 people on line for Grimm and realize the error of my ways. It's okay as the guys were back there recording the entire panel, but really? So I walk back to panel in hopes of catching a glimpse of the end and realize for the entirety of my walk I'm walking beside Alan Tudyk!! I knew I recognized that voice!

The good thing is I did luckily make it back to catch the last 15 minutes of Joss. Below is the panel and yes, I'm watching it now in full for the first time! Enjoy!

Buffyfest Interviews Scott Allie (In Bizarro World)

At SDCC, we met up with the very busy Scott Allie, editor of the Dark Horse Comics. Scott talks about new titles for the year, adding gay characters to the cast of Buffy, and a hint at what to expect from this season. Would Angel look good in purple? But, that's not all. As you'll see below, putting yourself in someone else's shoes, is harder than it looks.  

Tara directing on her tippy toes.

Michelle handling the audio job like a pro!

Buffy LGBT Panel from SDCC 2011

OK, the internet connection in San Diego suhuuucked, but we're finally home and managing to get it together. Here's a fantastic panel from Thursday night entitled: Buffy The Vampire Slayer and LGBT Comics Fandom with Scott Allie, Jane Espenson, and Tom Lenk. Enjoy!










credits:  
Camera- Ryan Ocello 
2nd Camera- Ivan Donadic
Editing- Ivan Donadic

Exclusive Interview with Buffy S.9's Andrew Chambliss and Georges Jeanty

We're here at day 4 of San Diego Comic Con and have so many panels and interviews to share, but we felt we must get this interview up as quickly as possible. This morning we interviewed Buffy Season 9's writer Andrew Chambliss along with artist Georges Jeanty at the same time, which was also the first time they met in person! Wish we had Scott Allie introducing them to each other, it was definitely a Whedonverse moment. Talking to us, they were adorable and even leaked us a few tidbits. We talk timelines, new characters & yes, Spike. So without further ado, here is the creative duo of Buffy Season 9!:

SDCC 2011 'Ringer' Panel: Smidge Returns!

It was a glorious moment at Comic Con when Tara turned to me and said, " Oh my god, it's Buffy." See our shining hour of ultimate triumph below when Sarah Michelle Gellar took the stage at Comic Con!









The rest of the videos will be up shortly!

We Have Arrived!

We made it to SDCC! Unlike last year when we were miles out on Shelter Island, we are happily housed right next to the convention center! Check out the panoramic view from our room. That's Hall H in the lower right hand corner!

Look Out for Sarah Michelle Gellar at SDCC Wearing a Buffy Mask!

San Diego, Here We Come!

Hide the elderly and your wallets 'cause we're finally gearing up for our team trip to San Diego Comic Con. Sadly, we're sans one Bitsy this year, but that might actually mean your wallets are that much safer, so there's that. Still, we'll miss him so. You may have also noticed that we dressed the site up in a brand new pretty outfit for the occasion.

We have been painstakenly coordinating our schedule and we finally have it in a good spot. Sure we had to make some tough decisions but we have some great interviews and other fun things scheduled, so keep on the lookout for all that. Bookmark this link for our continuing coverage of SDCC.

Below is a schedule of just some of the Whedony things at this year's SDCC. It's not everything. If you want to see a complete Whedony schedule, check over here. And over at the official Comic Con site, you can download a grid of absolutely every single thing going on at this festival of madness.

Click to enlarge:

Updated: San Diego Comic Con 2011 - Preliminary Whedonverse Schedule

The scent is in the air! The full and official schedule for this year's SDCC hasn't been released yet, but TVLine compiled all the hearsay from different outlets and we took the liberty of sussing out the Whedonverse ones. So where are we going to be from July 20th on, you ask? Read on, dear Whedonite:

THURSDAY, JULY 21
1:45 pm Ringer | Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (in only her second Comic-Con appearance ever), Nestor Carbonell, Ioan Gruffudd, Kristoffer Polaha; Producers: Pam Veasey, Nicole Snyder, Eric Charmelo (Ballroom 20)

FRIDAY, JULY 22
10 am Torchwood: Miracle Day | Cast: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Bill Pullman, Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havins, Lauren Ambrose; Producers: Jane Espenson

5:45 pm Spartacus: Vengeance | Cast: Liam McIntyre, Lucy Lawless, Dustin Clare, Manu Bennett, Katrina Lawand; Producers: Steven S. DeKnight


Bones | Cast: David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, plus cast members of The Finder; Producers: Hart Hanson, Stephen Nathan

SATURDAY, JULY 23
10 am Chuck | Cast: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky, Sarah Lancaster, Adam Baldwin; Producers: Chris Fedak (Ballroom 20)

Terra Nova | Cast: Stephen Lang; Producers: Rene Echevarria, Brannon Braga, Jose Molina


Grimm | Cast: David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell, Reggie Lee, Sasha Roiz; Executive producers David Greenwalt (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Jim Kouf (Angel)

SUNDAY, JULY 24
11:45 am Castle - Nathan Fillion.

End of day - And of course the whole event is once again closing with the "Once More, With Feeling" sing-a-long, this time in Hall H! Hosted by Whedonopolis.


And even though they're not Whedonverse related, I'm sure we'll be at Fringe, Walking Dead, The Hobbit, True Blood and/or The Vampire Diaries panels as well. Come on Joss Whedon....you know you can't resist! Schedule that Ballroom 20 gig!