Best Gift of 2015 - The Stake Mic!

We received the most amazing gift from my brother! He MADE it: A professional microphone for us to conduct interviews that resembles a stake for the handle!!! Yeah! Dusting Vamps at Mother Effin Comic Con, yo! 

It's made out of real wood...so Buffy could certainly borrow our mic, if need be.

Happy Yule and Merry Christmas everyone! Hope your sibling is as kick-ass as mine and Santa gives you a gift as awesome as STAKE MIC is!

Reminder: 2015 Whedonverse Ornament Swap Deadline is Today!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Today is the last day to join the crafty Holiday fun! If you'd like to sign up for one of our favorite traditions - our beloved Whedonverse themed ornament swap - follow the instructions below before midnight tonight! We'll be sorting the groups immediately and you'll receive your list of recipients tomorrow.

Please make sure to read full details here and if you're down, send an email with the subject "MERRY WHEDON" with the following information to buffyfest@aim.com:

- name
- mailing address
- whether your are willing to ship internationally (note: All of North America will be combined this year).

The 8th Annual Whedonverse Ornament Swap!

Ho ho ho! The Holidays are finally here and we're proud to once again announce our 8th annual Whedonverse Holiday Ornament Swap. Eight years, can you even believe it!!

We looove this event and every year we are reminded of the wonderful creativity of this fandom. Check out the several hundred photos of coolness from years past: http://www.flickr.com/groups/buffyfestholidayswap/

If you've never heard of this swap then let us do a little explainy: The purpose of the swap is to give and receive a little festive Whedonverse joy. Basically, you will create ornaments with a Whedonverse theme (Buffy, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, Avengers, etc.) and send them to 4-6 different recipients. In return you will receive 4-6 completely different handmade ornaments from around the world. As you can see from the photos, you really can make them out of anything: Wood, knit, sew, paint, draw, sculpt, paper craft, recycle old ornaments (earth friendly!) Have fun with it! There are not rules. (Actually there are some rules, see below.)

If you'd like to join us, sign-ups begin right now and will end next Monday, November 16th at 11:59 PM U.S. EST. And pretty please make super sure you're willing to go through with this entire process before signing up! Deadbeats ruin the holiday fun for everyone. Here are the guidelines in 6 easy steps:

1. Sign up by sending an email with the subject "MERRY WHEDON" and the following information to buffyfest@aim.com by Monday, November 16th.
- name
- address
- whether your are willing to ship overseas* (US and Canada will be mixed together)

2. On November 17th you'll receive an email from us containing the addresses and email addresses of 4-6 swap participants for you to send your ornaments to. Since you'll have each other's personal info, please contact each other with any questions, disputes or praise.

3. Create the multiple Whedon themed ornaments! You'll have 3 weeks to make them.

4. Package your ornaments well (especially if you create something fragile) and send one ornament to each person on the list of swap participants in your group by Tuesday, December 8th.

5. Sit back and relax as you wait to receive 4-6 lovely Whedonverse ornaments in the mail!

6. Then don't forget to share photos of the ornaments you make and receive by uploading to the swap flickr group here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/buffyfestholidayswap. You will need a flickr account to upload photos, which is easy to set up.

*A note on international shipping: Please only select international shipping if you are willing to ship at least 2-3 of your ornaments overseas. Take timing and the cost of shipping into account when you design your ornament. Lighter and more compact ornaments are cheaper to ship.

Any questions? Email us at buffyfest@aim.com

'Buffy' on the Big Screen Tonight in NYC

If youre in the NYC area tonight, check out Monday Night Movies at Huckleberry Bar in Brooklyn where their choice for tonight is BtVS! Not sure if it's the original Buffy movie from '92 (you KNOW I love me some O.G. Buffy) or if it's an episode of our belooved show...but either way who cares? Just run, dont walk because it starts at 9 pm.

Huckleberry Bar

588 Grand St Williamsburg

Brooklyn, NY, 11211

How Long Will it Take to Watch to Watch the Whedonverse?

So the stats-addicted people over at Nielsen decided to do some very important number-crunching and made a handy-dandy guide to TV Marathons of different shows. According to them watching the full season of Firefly would take 10 hours and the full series of Buffy would take 4 days, 9 hours.

We have to disagree.

First of all, you simply cannot binge-watch the entire season/series of Firefly and not cap it off with the show-stopping, stunningly dramatic, cinematic conclusion that is Serenity. For shame, Nielsen. So for that we'll have to put the actual binge-watching time as: 12 hours

As far as Buffy goes, at this point in the game. why would you bother doing a marathon in this particular era and not cross over with Angel? Come on! Do the thing right. And feel free to use our tried, tested and true Buffy/Angel crossover guide to do the deed. Total hard-core watching time: 7 days, 14 hours

And they left off the under-appreciated, red-headed stepchild that is Dollhouse. If anyone is ever going to binge-watch that sucker (including the unaired-but-originally-intended-pilot and Epitaph One, the proper season 1 finale) the total time would be: 19 hours

Check out Nielsen's full Binge-watching post which includes many other types of shows (including Supernatural) here.

Buffyfest Back In Effect…Site Re-Launch!

It's been almost 8 years to the day since we started the concept of Buffyfest with our annual parties. The blog was launched a couple of years later in 2008 and we can admit now we had no clue what we were doing. Blogs were fairly new and we never intended to have any readership other than the three of us, so it's popularity and accolades surprised us. Buffyfest has had some major ups. Some highlights include: Meeting Joss Whedon and a whole host of actors and creators from the Whedonverse, our very first interview, all the fabulous parties and events, being able to contribute to wonderful causes like Can't Stop the Serenity, the many fun conventions we're covered, and of course, the inside info we get from the wonderful people over at Dark Horse and it's master: Super Scott Allie.

Fast forward to today and after a few months of hiatus, we're happy to announce a re-launch of Buffyfest that will roll out over the next month or so. You can expect some exciting announcements and we are so excited to be gearing up for San Diego Comic Con 2014, which we'll be attending at the end of July.

Check back weekly for updates, interviews and reviews of Buffy Season 10. Thank you so, so much for celebrating the Whedonverse with us throughout the years. :)

And for long-time readers, you'll also notice that we're back in black. It just felt right to take it back to our roots.

Buffyfest through the years:

We'll leave you with this: Buffyfest's official Theme Song. An oldie, but goodie.

Miss you guys…

Don't Miss "Across the Whedonverse: A night celebrating Joss Whedon" in LA!

We have known about this awesome production for a long time, and it's finally almost here! Long time Buffyfest reader/Burlesque Star Spy Kitten and her Lusty Kitten Productions has announced Across the Whedonverse, a Joss Whedon themed extravaganza on February 7th, 2014 at Fais Do Do in Los Angeles, CA. If you're in the LA area, this is not to be missed!

This fan driven event is being described as "a unique blend of small scale fan conventions, burlesque show and a multi-media experience." Tickets are available now here and they're cheap too! At just $12 you get a night full of the following:

• A Celebration of all things Whedon. 
• Burlesque performances and variety act(s) 
• Fan art 
• Fan related games, contests and prizes 
• Vendors 
• Fan fiction 
• Charity element 
• Goodies (limited to the first 50 people to purchase tickets online.) 
• Screening of fan made videos

They are also seeking art submissions for the soiree. Anything from burlesque, art, fiction, costumes, crafty vending, etc. If you love Joss, they want your stuff. Send digital images/files of fan art, fan fiction, fan videos, fan films, fan cupcakes or fan toilet paper to info@lustykitten.com by January 31st. Go here for more details about that.

It's going to be an amazing night! Check out the below for some images of the creators doing their burlesque best. And yes, that first one is of Spy Kitten with Buffy's Adam Busch!

Are You Kidding Me With These??

Check out Stacey McCool's insanely amazing Buffy themed manicure! Complete with Angel from Spike's Punching bag, Mark of Eyeghon and the fricking Grr Argh monster! WTF?

via Stacey McCool on Flickr

Need a Gift for that Whedonite on Your List?

It's the Holiday season and besides creating wonderful Whedoney ornaments for your tree, you might also be shopping for that fellow fan on your list. Well Once Upon a Tee is featuring all things Joss Whedon again on their site. They have the now-classic "Guns don't kill people, Joss kills people" tshirt and hoodies again as well as some fabulous new ones featuring the Firefly gang, Doc Horrible, Buffy's "The Gentlemen" and more. Best thing, only $12 each! These items are only being sold until the end of the weekend so hurry up and get on it.

New York Comic Con Day 2!

"Angel & Faith....& Tara!" Come snap a pic with the Whedonverse comic cast at 

New York Comic Con.

 

Guns Don't Kill People...Joss Kills People.

I love this! So we were recently introduced to Once Upon a Tee, which is a website that offers weekly collections of limited tees for $12 based on theme. They've done a Star Wars collection, then Game of Thrones and now Joss Whedon, natch.

Their Whedon collection consists of eight super-cute designs from artists all over the world. Each unique and captures a different element of Joss and his work. I'm LOVING the "Guns don't kill people..." what with the Suessical font and Grr Argh Joss. Ha! But they really are all pretty fab. And 12 bucks! Can't beat that with a bat. The collection expires on Sept 16th, so if you're thinking of buying one get on that.

Check it and linkage:

Animal Crossing Town Tune: Redux!

We just found out that today is our 5 year anniversary on Twitter. Good times! I remember back then, I knew no one IRL that was on Twitter...they were the new kid social media on the block. But Michelle had just secured our very first interview (Kelly Armstrong - writer of the IDW Angel comics at the time) and so we decided to try some new ones out to spread the word. Twitter soon became our fave site for reaching out to the Buffyverse fandom and remains so to this day. Thanks for being born Twitter!

Another thing that was happening around that time was Bitsy and my addiction to Animal Crossing. We would sit there for hours giving the animals explicit catch phrases and we eventually put our heads together to create the custom town tune. We ended up with you guessed it...the Buffy theme song.

Recently, however, I received an email from someone playing the new Animal Crossing game "New Leaf". He was happy he found our recipe for the "Buffy" town tune but chided me for it as he found it "lacking." Haha! Oh internets. Anyway, it turns out he used our framework to make a better one and although that burns my ass...I kinda agree.

So without further ado, the new and improved Buffy Town Tune for Animal Crossing: New Leaf - created by Drguyks:

Joss WhedonWorld

While watching a commercial for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park a few months back, we wondered what our own fandom theme park would be like? What if there was a magical Orlandoian place named Joss WhedonWorld? Could you ride a coaster straight down the mouth of Hell there? Could you dance the night away at The Bronze? We asked our twitter followers for suggestions as to what other attractions could exist there and we received an immediate influx of ideas from across the twitterverse. Now that the Harry Potter Theme Park finally opened to much fanfare over the weekend, we felt it was time to unleash our map to the Joss WhedonWorld park on to the world. After all, why should those Potterheads get all the fun?

So without further ado, Buffyfest's and the people's proposal for Joss WhedonWorld:

Click to enlarge:

If you were involved in that Twitter conversation, look for your name next to your suggested attraction and thanks for participating! Now, if we only had a bajillion dollars to make it happen...

And You Thought You Were A Fan...

Check out reader Whitney's brand-spankin' new and hard core Whedonverse tattoo depicting Angelus' narration from the episode "Passion" done in the Buffy font! It took five straight hours and runs from underarm to hip. Kind of reminds us of Dark Willow's skin when she's sucking the books for magic in "Villains", no? Anyway, how fabulous!

note: Whitney also has tats of the Buffy Season 8 Twilight symbol and Mutant Enemy monster. Like we've said before: Obsessed!

Thanks for sharing, Whitney!

Feeling Down? Just Sing 'What Would Buffy Do?"

This brand new, original anthem is for any fan who needs a little self-esteem boost. A little pep in your step. Sing it loud: "You got what it taaakes....to beat the uber-suck!"

The vid's got some great special effects, vamp makeup and even a fake Willow and Xander. Go on, click play. You know you want to!

If You Threw The Whole Buffyverse on One Shirt...

...this is what you'd get! A fantastic t-shirt of 25 Buffy quotes, by Tom Trager. Buy it on Red Bubble.

Reavers Don't Make Good Friends!

I have no idea how we missed this, but thanks to tweep @mbatz that's changed! Basically, Reavers are wretched, this we know, and now that fact has been put to song in the most hilariously epic manner possible. Try to hear this song and not lol and laugh all over, just try...I dare you:

Mbatz says the creators are pretty awesome dudes in person, they play comic cons and the like. Check out their other tunes honoring Star Trek, Avatar, Inigo Montoya, and more!

'Superglue is the Best!' A Whedon Fan's Completed Lego Serenity Ship.

Big Kudos to reader Rayna Forbes a.k.a tweep @ODonWhedon, who successfully built a full-on, light-up Firefly Serenity ship using over 2,200 Lego pieces declaring, "it was the most awesome pain in the ass ever! (I cried once)" but adding that it was "totally worth it!" If you want to take a crack at it, Rayna used the instructions on this website. The full unofficial Lego kit is nearly $400, but is on backorder anyway...so she simply purchased the instructions to make her masterpiece. Wonderful job Rayna! Seriously Jealous.

See below for some work-in-progress photos and the kick-ass final piece.

Serenity's Dining Hall

All lit up!

Work-in-progress: The pre-fully assembled parts.

Loading Ramp

Wo de ma he ta de feng kuang de wai sheng dou!

Nominate The One True b!X for a Shorty Award!

You know, someone should be doing official social media for Mutant Enemy because their presence is nil and who better for that job than The One True b!X? Ask yourself that, dear reader. I mean, he has done our fandom a service for years by chronicling, documenting, photographing, and supporting pretty much every facet of the thing. Hell, he FOUNDED CSTS for crying out loud! He even helped poor Nathan Fillion buy fried chicken when he needed it most. If the Whedonverse was hiring, The b!X would nail the interview.

So do your part and help nominate The One True b!X for a Shorty Award. It's the least you could do. Besides, you're all false b!xes and you know it. I even have the pin to prove it.

Nominate The One True b!X for a social media award in the Shorty Awards

Buffyfest Interviews Slay-a-thon's Kelly Creamer!

Slay-a-thon is an annual Whedonverse charity event running since 2003 in Chicago. The event raises money for the Make-A-Wish foundation by viewing a 12-hour marathon of Joss Whedon's work. Can't think of a better way to do it! This year's event will be this coming Saturday, June 25th. If you're in the Chicago area, definitely stop by. It's free and if you get a someone to sponsor your Buffy viewing, you'll be helping an amazing cause.

We had the great opportunity to chat with organizer Kelly Creamer about the event, the Whedonverse and other things. Check it out:

Buffyfest: You've helped raise over $110,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation and granted 18 wishes to children with health problems. What made you choose this cause?

Kelly Creamer: I chose the MAW Foundation because the instant reward coming from it. We generally know exactly which kids will be getting there wishes prior to the event. Sometimes we even get to pick the children. It is one of the great rewards to see the kids get the wishes and usually we have a family come speak about their experience which makes most of us cry!

Buffyfest: Why Buffy?

KC: The world of Buffy & Angel along with Dr. Horrible has such a huge devotion that since I already had the devotion myself why not use it for the good of the world.

Buffyfest: How has your experience been with the many Whedonverse stars who have donated items for auction?

KC: Every one on all the shows including Firefly has been nothing but a dream to work with and some I have developed friendships with as a result. You could not ask for better people! Joss has been especially supportive and donates amazing things for our auctions.

Buffyfest: Now, since the Slay-a-thon event is based mostly on the pure joy of watching Buffy episodes, it sounds a lot like our own Buffyfest parties, but for a great cause. We're wondering if like our Buffyfest, no one actually watches the episodes but instead loudly and annoyingly discuss Willow's sweaters or argue about the minutia of how Angel/Spike's soul works over the entirety of the thing, thus missing the whole episode?

KC: Actually everyone who attends are fans and very respectful of the new fans attending. The only time people really sound out is during the musicals which they sing like crazy.

Buffyfest: Oh, it's just us then? Well, how do you decide which episodes to watch?

KC: We actually post on our website slayathon.org a voting section to let the attendees decide but we have some that just are in no matter what!

Buffyfest: Cool. Finally, who is your favorite Whedonverse character and why?

KC: Buffy is truly my fave as she stands for so much to me. I think she is equal to being a human struggling in a world that is not always what you would hope it to be. She gives me hope and strength to get through the bad times! I tattooed her on my shoulder along with the logo, our logo and the hardest thing in this world is to live in it! I miss her everyday and can't wait for more comics and goodies to come out!

The deets:
This year's 9th Annual Slay-A-Thon and Make-A-Wish Foundation Benefit
Saturday, June 25, 2011
11:30 AM - Midnight

Dave & Buster's Gold Coast - Showroom
1030 N. Clark Street (Clark at Oak)
Chicago, Illinois