Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Terrible Two: March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney - The Worst of the Lot

Holy shazbot!  It's the end, but the moment has been well prepared for... by poll daddy.  Sidebar: poll daddy is a number one jam.

So this is it, the dirty dos.  In two days we'll know, through the extremely scientific mode that is fan polling, who the worst of the worst in the Whedonverse is.  Before we get there though, let's reveal two folks who got the call from the governor just before we could pull the switch.

Kathy Newman - You really went the distance, didn't you?  You're a testament to just how much people hate cohabitation with Celine Dion fans.  Lesson learned: French Canadians are the devil.
Parker - I will never have sex with you, Parker.  Your eyebrows filled me with rage.  Get out of here before me and Buffy bust out the caveman clubs.

Here we go.  It's the dude with no skin vs. the dude who has sex with his dad's cast-offs.  Who will get an honorary degree in horribleness.  Cast your vote and make it count!


It will end in 48 hrs this time - April 2nd at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE.
Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.

I can't stress this enough...DON'T CLICK ON YOUR FAVORITES, VOTE FOR THE OPPOSITE!









Monday, March 29, 2010

We Don't Always Post the Comic Preview Pages

...but these seem particularly intriguing. Spoilers below for the Buffy issue out next Wednesday, April 7th! Click below to enlarge:



See? Ooooh, with the drama and the funny and the worried and the confusion. Things are not going to go well, my people. Not well at all.

Courtesy of Newsarama.

Here's sneak peak into what we thought:

Michelle: So Willow is just guessing about what Giles know, right?
Tara: I'm not sure, but it seems as if she's just talking about feeling an energy in the air, right?
Bitsy: I assumed that Willow has known since the end of the last issue tanks to the power of ZOMG magic.

Michelle: Is the Rorchach inkblot supposed to represent Buffy and Angel kissing?
Tara: I thought the same thing!
Bitsy: I wonder if it's supposed to be a test for the fans. Some people see Buffy and Angel kissing while others see their worst nightmares come to life while I sit in a plush chair in front of a fireplace, sipping chianti and laughing maniacally.

Michelle: Why are Warren and Andrew still here? Their stupid fight gave me a flashback to the annoying-ness of their stupid fights in Season 6.
Tara: Agree! Actually, as soon as I saw Warren walk in with his stupid skinless self I was like WTF is he even doing in this whole season! UGH! Wish he wins the tourney!
Bitsy: I think that Warren and Andrew are comic book nerds and that this book is written and edited by comic book nerds so it's not surprising seeing them take up some of the stage. I found it pretty amusing myself and you know how I feel about those two.

Michelle: Love "Ben is Glory."
Tara: Love
Bitsy: Love Angel Music Baby - the solo album by Gwen Stefani.

Michelle: Xander's "Angel is a douche and I am inferior" complex is boiling up in this preview.
Tara: He is SUCH a douche! Although I did chuckle a little when he said "Willow do a spell!"
Bitsy: I guess I'm a citizen of douche city because I totally got where he was coming from. If I were Xander, I'd probably be on full offensive.

Michelle: Willow's line "With these two being apart as long as they have" reminds me of Cordelia's comment about them in "I Will Remember You"
Tara: This is the one thing that actually annoyed me, though. They haven't been apart that long (1.5 yrs plus how ever long S.8 has been) and they weren't all like this during "Forever" or "End of Days" so WTF?
Bitsy: I thought the Comics take place like two years after the tv finale? It's been a while, I think and, plus, some stuff has happened in season eight. Like lots and lots of stuff. Conclusion? Stuff.

Michelle: Is that drawing of Buffy and Angel from the past or now? They look young (and the drawing of Angel is horrible)
Tara: Agree that the Angel drawing is terrible...thought the same thing.
Bitsy: It does look really off. I think Georges is still struggling with drawing Angel.

Michelle: I love Buffy's voice over and how it coincides/juxtaposes with what's happening in the story. So creepy.
Tara: Totally, it's so dark and moody and she's so happy and the whole thing is whacked out in a great way!
Bitsy: It's the side of Buffy I've been hoping to see, the side of her that's just had enough and will embrace a chance at happiness even if it means pain for everyone later. Can't say I blame her.


The Failure Four - March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney: The Worst of the Lot

I was going to say "The Fearsome Four" but, at this point, it's best not to kid ourselves.  These final four contestants represent the absolute bottom of the class, like telemarketing knock-off Snuggies to the elderly kind of bad.  Before we can yell at them for calling us during dinner, though, we need to bid a fond adieu to the four who only barely escaped by the skin of their fictional teeth.

Senator Helen Bruckner -  I never thought she was so bad.  I mean... it's not like she's (insert Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton depending upon your party affiliation here) or something!  Am I right?
Gwendolyn Post - You knocked out Giles.  Congratulations on accomplishing something that happens like every third episode, lady.
Rack - Just a general note: telling a girl she tastes like strawberries makes you super gross master 5000.  Also?  Your name means "boobies".
Numero Cinco - I've got a soft spot for the Number Brothers, myself.  Why Numero Cinco got treated like a steaming pile of numero dos, I'll never understand.  Adios, mi amigo.


This poll will end in 48 hrs this time - March 30th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE.
Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.

I can't stress this enough...DON'T CLICK ON YOUR FAVORITES, VOTE FOR THE OPPOSITE!

Now onto the Fail Four. It's a Celine Dion fan, roommate from a super lame hell dimension vs. a robot-making, murdering, date rapist and a really bad one-night stand vs. a prophecized child from two vampires who has a bit of a lady's haircut.  Begin!










Saturday, March 27, 2010

B is for Buffy!

This is the most amazingly geeked out alphabet with some great art to boot. Check out Neil Cameron's "A-Z of Awesomeness" which is a damn near perfect gift, people. Our affinity to the letters "B" and "J" are obvious, of course.


If you'd like to purchase a poster of the full alphabet, click here. All profits are donated to SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn And their Parents), a charity which supports the Intensive Special Care Nurseries (Neonatal Unit) at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.

The Elite Eight - March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney: The Worst of the Lot

I'm not sure "elite" is the word we should be using here.  The Evil Eight?  The Hate Eight?  Yeah, I like that.  Hate Eight.  You picked 'em because they're probably not the sort of people you'd like to run into at speed dating.  But before we can get to that, let's see who managed to just barely skate by.

Balthazar - be fat shamed no more, buddy.   You're a free bowl full of evil, demonic jelly.
Der Kindestod - You look like a kiddie toucher to me but we're still letting you loose on the streets.  First, though, go door to door and introduce yourself.
Jesse - I heard you went on to be very good looking to girls who are into incredibly smarmy dudes.  Good on you, I guess.
Izzy the Devil - I think you being around this long was straight up racism.  Whedon fans hate red people.  I bet you they hate the Red Ranger from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, too.  WTH, man?
Justine Cooper - You hereby officially regain your bucket.  You feel free to do your business with slightly greater ease than letting loose on the floor.
The Anointed One - If you put a little mustache on this kid I swear he'd look like mini Hitler but, since he's a youngin', I guess he gets the pass
Veruca - I can't believe you're out.  You are the perfect mixture of vinegar and water.  Truly the Summer's Eve of the Buffyverse.  You're lucky, dude.  So lucky.
Uncle Enyos - So you think you are Uncle Calendar now?  I dunno, dude.  I got nothin'.  Beat it.

This poll will end in 48 hrs this time - March 28th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE.
Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.



Now onto the Hate Eight.  What could be worse than fat, child molesting, smarmy, red, buckety, fascist, uncle douche bags?

I can't stress this enough...DON'T CLICK ON YOUR FAVORITES, VOTE FOR THE OPPOSITE!


















Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Skanky Sixteen - March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney: The Worst of the Lot

Oh boy. Whedonverse characters, if you made it this far, you truly suck...you're the 16 skankiest of them all.

If you're just landing here now, you've arrived at the final week of our March Madness tournament. One week from today, we'll know who is the Worst of the Lot. We thought we'd switch things up and try to find the opposite of 2009's Tourney. So far we've weeded out the top 112 best and most loved characters of the entire Whedonverse, which leaves us with these guys. We've been giving out randomized pairings of characters from Joss Whedon shows: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible and will be for the rest of the month. So if the character sucks in your opinion, vote for them.

In the last half of Round 3, we found out that the following people have been saved from fandom hatred:

Sahjhan
Ted - This was a close one, but in the end, good cooking skills always wins out.
Electric Gwen
Linwood Murrow
Ubervamps - Who knew the son of 2 vamps is hated so much more than vamps that are uber?
Kennedy - This is a surprise! I guess skank beats out bitch.
Holland Manners
Dawn - Get out, get out, get out!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next up is the Skanky Sixteen and has 8 matches listed below. It will end in 48 hrs this time - March 26th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE.
Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.

I can't stress this enough...DON'T CLICK ON YOUR FAVORITES, VOTE FOR THE OPPOSITE!








































Sunday, March 21, 2010

Round 3 - March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney: The Worst of the Lot

Here lies the final part of round 3. After this next round, we'll have your Sweet Sixteen...or, what, Skanky Sixteen? If you're totally confused and just joining us, we're having a March Madness tournament and so far we've weeded out the top 104 best and most loved characters of the entire Whedonverse which leaves us with these guys, otherwise known as "The Worst of the Lot."

Basically, we thought we'd switch things up and try to find the opposite of 2009's Tourney. In other words, who is the suckiest character of the entire Whedonverse? We've been giving out randomized pairings of characters from Joss Whedon shows: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible and will be for the rest of the month. So if the character sucks in your opinion, vote for them.

In the first half of Round 3, we found out that the following people have been saved from fandom hatred:
Hank Summers - the deadbeat that he is was saved by a mere 3 votes!
Potential Rona - when Potentials are saved, you know the remaining characters suck.
Ben...is Glory...is Ben
Ugh, I hate to say it. EVE! Eve was saved as Der Kindestod, a legitimatly scary demon may I add, is apparently a more hated character.
Sunday - saved by Gwendolyn Post's suckage.
Whistler
Aprilbot - barely saved by Izzy the Devil (who I guess is REALLY hated since he's been against some real douche bags)
and Echo

Next up is the last part of Round 3 and has 8 matches listed below. It will end in 72 hrs - March 24th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE. Don't get confused...we're trying to find the worst of the lot here. If they suck, click 'em.

Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.

I can't stress this enough...DON'T CLICK ON YOUR FAVORITES, VOTE FOR THE OPPOSITE!

































Saturday, March 20, 2010

Buffyfest reviews the Dr. Horrible iPhone App

We have in our hot little hands an iPhone. But it's not just any iPhone. This iPhone holds a PHD in Horribleness. Actually, that's stupid because an iPhone can't go to school or learn or think. It's a sexy gadget, not an anti-hero who accidentally kills the girl of his dreams. Oops! Spoiler alert!


Ahem, so let me back up a bit. Dark Horse Comics was cool enough to let us take an early look at the Dr. Horrible iPhone Comic App which gets released to the public on March 24th, and it's so fantastic. If you follow this blog, chances are you know I'm a sucker for Doc Horrible...so of course I was super excited to get a sneak peek. Written by Zack Whedon, it's entertaining origin story that places one more piece of the complex puzzle known as "Billy Buddy". It's so filled with goodness and all the usual greats are in it, including what I'm pretty sure is a cameo by the David Fury and Marti Noxon news anchors. We also meet Moist's car, which Doc lamely nicknames the "Horrible Mobile", much to Moist's dismay. Some of this "issue" is set in the far past and some is just prior to the beloved web-series.

Just to be clear, this is an adaptation of the one-shot wonder that came out a couple of months ago...not a brand new story.


The Dr. Horrible Comic Book App reads surprisingly well, swiping each single page with your finger, and looks quite lovely on the vibrant iPhone screen. There is about 118 of these "pages" to the story. It'll be $.99 at the iTunes store, which of course is well worth it for a little more "Horrible" in our lives. You'll definitely want to pick this one up, even if you read it in paper form.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Round 3 - March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney: The Worst of the Lot

Well, we're officially past the half way point! So these remaining 32 Whedonverse characters are treading on shaky ground. In case you're just joining us, so far we've weeded out the top 96 best characters which leaves us with these guys, otherwise known as "The Worst of the Lot."

This year, we thought we'd switch things up and try to find the opposite of last year ...specifically, who is the most hated character of the entire Whedonverse. We've been giving out randomized pairings of characters from Joss Whedon shows: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible and will be for the rest of the month. So if the character sucks in your opinion, vote for them.

In the second half of Round 2, we found out that the following people have been saved from fandom hatred:

Adam - Amazing that Adam is saved for Rack is just barely the suckier character
Ballard
Jasmine - Another shocker! Facing Justine, she's just not that bad.
The First - The First Evil is better than John Ritter? Blashpemy!
Adelle Dewitt
Charles Gunn
Archeduke Sebassis - saved in this round by The Annoying One
Nina Fricking Ash
The Gorches!! - it came down to the wire against "The Ubervamps" Ha! I can just picture the Ubers and The Gorches facing off in a tag-team wrestling type situation
Marcus Hamilton - who is clearly more loved than Connor
Dominic - who's saving solidified the match betwixt Connor and Kennedy during The Sweet 16
The Master
Harmony
Holtz
Kaylee
The Gentlemen

Next up is the first part of Round 3 and has 8 matches (less than before) listed below. It will end in 72 hrs - March 21th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE.

Remember, don't get confused! We're trying to find the worst of the lot here...so if you DISLIKE them, click away.

Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.

I can't stress this enough...DON'T CLICK ON YOUR FAVORITES, VOTE FOR THE OPPOSITE!

































































Wednesday, March 17, 2010

What's Up with Buffy Season 9?

Talk about cliffhangers! This video from Emerald City Con, courtesy of Tfaw, cuts off at precisely the moment Scott Allie, editor of Dark Horse, is about to reveal some new info about Buffy Season 9. It seems from what Scott's saying that Season 9 won't exactly be called Season 9, but what then? Will it be a bunch of mini-arcs? Maybe a few one-shots telling us the fate of our beloved characters after the inevitable fallout of Season 8? Luckily, we'll be getting the answer once part 2 of this video hits the internets.



Nick Brendon, You So Crazy

Former Xander Harris and now resident Whedonverse train wreck, Nicholas Brendon, was tased...TASED...by the LA police. How rude! Cops having tasers? I'm just saying. But apparently, Nicky was a bit out of his gourd. From TMZ:

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Nicholas Brendon fell short in the slaying department a few hours ago, after he allegedly swung at a couple of cops, and then went on a misguided foot chase.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they received a call that a drunk man was causing a commotion in Venice, CA. When police responded, sources say Brendon took a swing at cops.

Brendon was tased twice, subdued and taken to a hospital.

He's currently being booked for felony vandalism -- for allegedly damaging some property during the fracas.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2010/03/17/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-tased-nicholas-brendon-venice-arrested-vandalism/#ixzz0iTMwDG2u

HAHA! A foot chase!

An even better story is when I saw Nicholas Brendon at Koi my first time in LA. He was sitting right next to me. In actuality, could've been his twin Kelly though. Needless to say, Whedonverse folks being the only celebrities I would even care about seeing in real life, I was freaking out. Much like Nick Brendon must be right about now. Good luck with that, buddy!



Exclusive Interview with Scott Allie on the Next Adventure in the Serenity Universe (Spoilers)

Like it wasn't awesome enough to have Buffy Season 8 to look forward to, Dark Horse recently announced new Serenity comics for two of our beloved characters, Wash and Book. Scott Allie was nice enough to give us a little more insight into the new stories about to be told in the 'verse.

Buffyfest:
Talk a little bit about your working relationship with Patton and Patric on the Wash one-shot. How is your input as an editor different on Serenity: Float Out as opposed to the Buffy Season Eight comics and the previous Firefly books?

Scott Allie: Well, like other projects, Joss came to me with the writer, and the first time I saw the script, Joss had already edited it. Normally, if Joss brings in a writer who hasn't done comics before, he gives them the full tutorial on writing comics. I gave Patton a little help getting his script ready to draw. Patton saw everything as the art was coming in, he asked for some very specific things as it was being laid out and drawn—there's a bit at the end, the big payoff, that he watched real closely, was very specific about. But I was more hands on with the art direction, even more so on this than on Buffy.

Buffyfest: Can you give a little more detail on your influence with the art direction on Float Out since you're more involved in this instance? Do you like working closely with the artist of the book your editing?

Scott Allie: Yeah, I love working closely with the artists and writers. That's the fun part of the job, certainly. And with this, with Patric, I just went over his layouts real closely, talked him through a lot of it. I forgot—he does this great thing. Most artists will turn in layouts sort of reluctantly, and I try to give as little feedback as I think we can get away with. With Patric, not only is he really open to input, but he tends to turn in TWO options for layouts for each page. That's really unusual. He'll work the whole page out twice, and then we pick, me or the writer or whomever, which version to go with. That certainly opens up the dialogue in a unique way.

Buffyfest: Tell us about Patric Reynolds and why you chose him to draw Serenity: Float Out?

Scott Allie: Duncan Fegredo, the artist who draws Hellboy for me now, sent me Patric's samples, and I hired him for a short Hellboy-related story. Then we did a couple other little things, and I loved his work, and loved working with him. So when suddenly I had Patton's script, and no on lined up to draw it, I weighed a bunch of options, and considered when I was planning on getting the Shepherd Book graphic novel out. I realized that if I jumped on it with Patric I could get it out fairly soon, could cut in half the time between that moment and getting the Book GN out. I'd asked Joss and Patton if they had ideas about how they wanted the book to look, and they left it up to me—whereas on Season 8 Joss was very specific about how he wanted it to look. With the style left up to me, and with script in hand, I went for Patric. The Wash one shot sort of marks the beginning of phase two of the Serenity comics. I'm really happy with what Joss and Brett and Will did, but we're at a different place with these books now, we're in a different phase of our collaborations with Joss. I understand better what he's really about, and how that translates to comics. I'm real proud, obviously, of Season 8—but I want Serenity to stand out as something different from all the other stuff we're doing, what we've done. Patric and Chris, the Shepherd's Tale artist, are amazing storytellers who transcend mainstream comics' styles. In Georges, we found someone who brought tons of personality and character to a conventional superhero art style. Which is what Season 8 needed. Needs. Not over just yet ... Patric and Chris bring more of an illustrator approach, but with solid, traditional comics storytelling.

Buffyfest: Patton talked about the potential of a “new adventure” growing out of Float Out in his MTV interview. How do you feel about the idea of telling new stories in the Firefly universe with new characters at Dark Horse? Do you think there are stories that should be told outside of the crew of Serenity?

Scott Allie: I dunno. What I'm most interested in are new stories with the established Serenity cast, but if Patton wants to do more with Trey and the guys, I'm game. I guess those might not be the new characters he's talking about, but we haven't gotten into that.

Buffyfest: We know Joss and Zack Whedon are penning the latest Book story. Can you elaborate on Joss's specific involvement in the story for Float Out?

Scott Allie: Patton was on Dollhouse, and told Joss he wanted to write a Firefly comic, that he wanted to give Joss some pitches. He approached it in a real professional, fairly formal way. He gave Joss a few things to choose from, and Joss picked Float Out. Joss gave Pat a few story points, at least one thing that's real important to the Firefly world. Then Patton scripted it, and Joss gave him notes, specific changes, some rewritten lines. And the script was done. At that point it was This is pretty much how Season 8 works, too, except that usually it's Joss going to the writer, outlining some major points he needs them to hit, and then they pitch ... but from there it largely follows the same process.

Buffyfest: We’re getting Wash’s story told in flashbacks. Any chance we’ll be seeing a return of his now infamous porn stache from “Out of Gas”?

Scott Allie: It's not too late to add that.

Buffyfest: Can you tell us a little bit about these new characters from Float Out. What was their relationship to Wash in the past? Friends, lovers, fellow pilots?

Scott Allie: These are guys that Wash worked with in the past. Fellow pilots or people he otherwise worked with in that capacity. He had a career before Zoe and Serenity, and we hit a few high points from that time, with these guys who have recently heard he'd died, and want to memorialize him.

Buffyfest: Switching gears to the Book story for a moment, committing to creating a hard bound graphic novel shows a major commitment from a financial standpoint. What do you think makes this particular story in the Firefly Universe so compelling that, even all these years later, you can know people will come out in droves to buy it? What was the thought process behind putting out Book's story in a graphic novel format as opposed to a series of single issues?

Scott Allie: There's a bunch of reasons for this, including the great sales on the Those Left Behind hardcover we did. But the main reason is that the story Joss has outlined has a unique kind of momentum to it that would be disrupted by having to do breaks between issues. You'll see what I mean in a few months.

Buffyfest: Finally, are there any new Whedonverse/Dark Horse tidbits you'd like to share? Maybe something in the Dollhouse variety?

Scott Allie: Here's my horrible tease: there is news brewing that we are not ready to announce.

Monday, March 15, 2010

End of Rd 2 - March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney: The Worst of the Lot, Round 2

We're coming up on the end of Round 2. In case you're just joining us, so far we've weeded out the top 64 best characters which leaves us with the 64 suckiest Whedonverse characters, otherwise known as "The Worst of the Lot!" Obviously not all of these guys suck, though, as we're still in the first half of this little game.

This year, we thought we'd flip the script this time and try to find the opposite of our usual...specifically, who is the most hated character of the entire Whedonverse. We've been giving out randomized pairings of characters from Joss Whedon shows: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible and will be for the rest of the month. So if the character sucks in your eyes, vote for them.

We all have our favorite most beloved characters, but who do we most despise? A character so lame, so annoying, we just wish never existed at all. We here at Buffyfest definitely have our predictions!

In the first half of Round 1, we found out that the following people have been saved from fandom hatred:

Maggie Walsh (who barely made it to safety, but lucky for her Balthazar sucks more, apparently)
Ford (Hanks Summers sucks...daddy issues!)
Groo
Boyd
Gavin Park
Riley Finn (SHOCKING! Saved by Ben)
Skip
Shepherd Book
Hallie
Cassie
Kendra the Vampire Slayer
Illyria
Moist
Amy Madison (Oooh, hate Amy! How was she saved?)
Penny
The Beast (who was neck and neck with Warren, almost saving him at one point!)

Next up is the final part of Round 2 and has 16 matches below. It will end in 72 hrs - March 18th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE.

Remember, don't get confused! We're trying to find the worst of the lot here...so if you HATE them, click away.

Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.

I can't stress this enough...DON'T CLICK ON YOUR FAVORITES!

















































































Sunday, March 14, 2010

Scott Allie on Spike and the Tweet Heard Round the World

Willow, tired and weary after too much Buffy S.8 speculation and Twitter frustration

As most of you already know, Scott Allie tweeted a picture the other night that had a really intriguing image pertaining to future issues of Buffy Season 8, but as quickly as the picture went up, it came down. We're not going to re-post it here, but being the internet and all, that didn't stop the image from making its way around the block a few times. Mostly, people have been speculating on the appearance of Spike in an upcoming issue. I caught up with Scott recently and he addressed the elusive tweet by saying:

"I saw a Tweet about it being the thirteenth anniversary of the Buffy TV show, and I was delirious from too many hours at work. I had all this Buffy and Serenity stuff—in addition to Hellboy—spread out on my desk, the same desk I've been at since 1997. And it just blew my mind that that show started so long ago, on a night when I may well have been sitting at the very same desk, too late at night. And now all these years later, the desk is covered with pages we never could have imagined back then, not to mention that cover for Serenity, another show that would come and go in those years. Did you listen to Patton's new record? It's the funniest thing in the world, man, amazing. I listened to it over and over driving down the coast on that Exurbia book tour when I saw you in LA. Pat does this thing about going back in time to talk to the 1999 Patton, and telling him about the future, blowing his mind that among other things there's a black president. Seriously imagine going back ten years and telling young Michelle that she'd be voting for a black guy, who'd actually win. Anyway, I've often had thoughts like that, about going back to high school and blowing my teenage mind with talk about working with Frank Miller and John Severin and having frequent conversations with Alan Moore. So that was the sort of thoughts going through my mind, thinking about being a young editor doing a licensed comic, back when no one respected licensed comics, before anyone was working with the creators of the original properties. That's what I was thinking, looking at that Serenity cover with Patton and Joss's names right on it. So I carefully moved things around, to cover just a couple little spoilery things—worse than that Spike cameo, which fans have correctly ID'ed as a kind of flashback—and snapped the picture and tweeted it. A little while later I hopped in the car and drove home, and on the way I got a text from my PR department, freaking out, saying it spoiled some exclusive preview stuff they were setting up. So I pulled it down, but you can't unring a bell, especially on the interwebs."

And there you have it!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Here We Go! March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney - The Worst of the Lot, Round 2

Oh yeah, March Madness is in full effect! In case you're just joining us, so far we've weeded out the top 64 best characters which leaves us with the bottom 64, otherwise known as "The Worst of the Lot!"

A little back story, one year ago we challenged the fandom to a lethal tourney. The goal? Find out the fan favorite character of the entire Whedonverse. With that behind us, we thought we'd flip the script this time and try to find the opposite...specifically, who is the most hated character of the entire Whedonverse. We've been giving out randomized pairings of characters from Joss Whedon shows: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible and will be for the rest of the month. So if the character sucks in your eyes, vote for them.

We all have our favorite most beloved characters, but who do we most despise? A character so lame, so annoying, we just wish never existed at all. We here at Buffyfest definitely have our predictions!

In part 4 of Round 1, we found out that the following people have been saved from fandom hatred:

Devon Macleish
Clem - Everyone loves Clem
November
Olaf the Troll(god) - Wow, Connor really is stil hated because 72% of the people chose him over Olaf!
Captain Hammer
Dalton the Sensitive Vamp
Phantom Dennis
The First Slayer - who barely made it against The Master, but alas The Master was more hated.
Darla
Spoike
Percy
Sid the Dummy
Faith - Barely beating Kaylee for better character status
The Cheeseman - Dawn reigns sucky there
Mayor Wilkins
and Forrest - who incidentally was "more hated" at the beginning of this round, but then turned it around and now Numero Cinco will make it to Rd 2!

Next up is Round 2, pt 1 and has 16 matches below. It will end in 72 hrs - March 15th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE.

Remember, don't get confused! We're trying to find the worst of the lot here...so if you HATE them, click away.

Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.

I can't stress this enough...DON'T CLICK ON YOUR FAVORITES!

































































































Wednesday, March 10, 2010

March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney Pt 4 - The Worst of the Lot

You're just in time to join the fun of March Madness - it's the final part of Round 1! We've changed things up this year and are trying to find find the opposite of our usual...specifically, who is the most hated character of the entire Whedonverse, i.e., The Worst of the Lot. We've been giving out randomized pairings of characters from Joss Whedon shows: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible and will be for the rest of the month. If the character sucks in your eyes, vote for them.

In part 3, we found out that the following people have been saved from fandom hatred:

Knox (I don't know how...people must REALLY hate Adam.)
Sierra
Cordy
Inara
The Oracles
Glory's Minions (love them)
Scott Hope (Ted's more evil!)
Doyle
Luke
Xander
Drusilla
D'Hoffryn (Poor Electric Gwen...why the hate?)
Angel
Sweet
Kate
Buffy

Next up is part 4 (the final part of round 1) and has 16 matches below. It will end in 72 hrs - March 12th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE.

Remember, don't get confused! We're trying to find the worst of the lot here...so if you HATE them, click away. Don't click on your faves.

Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, updated with the winners so far.






















































































Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Dr. Horrible Sing-Along at Steampunk Exhibition in San Francisco This Weekend!


If you're in the San Fran area, check out The Steampunk Con this weekend featuring a Dr. Horrible Sing-Along/Screening. Fun! They're asking attendees to come in costume, $10 at the door "with proceeds to fund the next Nova Albion; bar proceeds go to Variety Children's Charity."

Thanks to J Benn for the tip! via Boing Boing

Monday, March 8, 2010

Neil Patrick Harris Opens Oscars, Films Glee First Thing in the Morning


Our very own NPH opened tonight's Oscars with a surprise little ditty. He then, just moments ago, revealed to the E! aftershow at the Governor's Ball that he starts filming his episode of Glee tomorrow morning at 6 am! Presumably with Joss Whedon present too, as he is directing the ep, of course. He also pulled out some blue and yellow notecards and told the E! newsman that they are his lines. Dude has his Glee lines in the inside pocket of his tux at the Academy Awards. What a pro! Now don't knock down too many glasses of champagne, buddy.

 See below for the full song and dance number:



Sunday, March 7, 2010

Julie Benz Installs Home Stripper Pole

Not sure how I missed this random tidbit, but Kendra Wilkinson (that's former Hugh Hefner girlfriend/Girl Next Door) sent our Darla a stripper pole! WTF? Julie tells OK Mag:

“I wanted a stripper pole and I tweeted about it and then Kendra Wilkinson, who is coming out with her own line of poles, sent me one so I got lucky. She even signed it. It’s called a Sport Pole. I love it! It’s such a great workout.”

Julie is currently happily playing a stripper/lesbian on Desperate Housewives.

“When I found out that it was a lesbian role, I though that it was even better because I have never done that!”


Okey dokey...and there you have it!

Click here to follow Julie Benz on twitter, and here to follow Buffyfest.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney Pt 3 - The Worst of the Lot

If you're just discovering this now, you're just in time to join the fun of March Madness - Part 3 of Round 1. We've changed things up this year and are trying to find find the opposite of our usual...specifically, who is the most hated character of the entire Whedonverse, i.e., The Worst of the Lot. We've been giving out randomized pairings of characters from Joss Whedon shows: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible and will be for the rest of the month. If the character sucks in your eyes, vote for them.

In part 3, we found out that the following people have been saved from fandom hatred:

-Dr Horrible (of course, he's way more loved than Halfrek)
-Ethan Rayne
-Simon
-Willow (but shockingly she did get 21 votes against Cassie Newton!)
-Wes
-Doc barely made it, but he did. Apparently Jesse is more hated.
-River is loved only slightly more than Illyria. So River is safe but I think Illyria will only last another round...especially since she's against Whistler, who apparently everyone hates (see below).
-Caleb is also safe! I'm surprised people hate Whistler, a voice of the PTB, more than Caleb! Scandal!
-Principal Wood, in the closest match of the round, is more loved than Moist by just a few votes. Poor Moist.
-Mr. Trick
-Larry
-The Judge (of all people!)
-Victor beat Echo for the fan's love
-Anya is safe, Penny is more hated!!
-Quentin Travers
-and finally, Dracula...who prolly wouldn't have been saved if he wasn't against The Beast.

Next up is part 3 of round 1 and has 16 matches below. It will end in 72 hrs - March 9th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Check out the opponents below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE. Remember, we're trying to find the worst of the lot here...so if you hate them, click away.

Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket, now updated with the winners of Parts 1 and 2 of Round 1.

























































































































Friday, March 5, 2010

Newsies: March Madness Edition

So madness has really hit the 'verse this March so far! Let's do a Friday wrap up:

Spoilers below for Buffy S.8

Brad Meltzer talks to CBR about his Buffy Season 8 arc, Twangel and the whole of #33 (aka, the issue that made the entire fandom check in to the Crazypants Hotel.)






NPH's appearance on Glee will definitely be the Whedon directed ep, it's confirmed! Oh Billy Buddy, buckle up...you're in the Whedonverse for good now! More deets and spoilers over at EW.






James Marsters does Caprica tonight! BLONDIE BEAR!! SyFy, 9/8c pm, be there.







And just to solidify this week's crazypantsiness, we give you a repeat performance of the only Twangel vid in existence. Have a good weekend!:



Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Part 2 of March Madness Whedonverse Character Tourney - The Worst of the Lot

Welcome to part 2 of our Biannual Whedonverse Tourney. We thought we'd flip the script and try to find the opposite of our usual fare...specifically, who is the most hated character of the entire Whedonverse? Well we intend to find out as we give you March Madness: The Worst of the Lot.

With all the *other stuff* going on in the 'verse this week, the tourney might be a bit skewed. Let's try to put current issues aside and ask ourselves: who does this fandom despise most? A character so lame, so annoying, we just wish never existed at all? At the end of this ambitious month long journey, we'll know for sure. Over the next 4 weeks we will give out computer-generated randomized pairings of characters from Joss Whedon shows: Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible and Dollhouse.

In part 1, we found out that the following people have been saved from fandom hatred:

Chantarelle/Lily/Anne
Glory
Andrew
Joyce Summers
Virginia Bryce
Lindsey McDonald
Oz
Topher Brink
Principal Snyder
Principal Flutie
Winifred Burkle
Drogyn
Willy the Snitch
Jonathan
Jenny Calendar
Lilah Morgan

Guess you like those guys enough! Next up is part 2 of round 1 and has 16 matches below. It will end in 72 hrs - March 6th at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. See the pairings below and if you're playing, make sure to click the name you DISLIKE. Remember, we're trying to find the worst of the lot here...so if they annoy you, click away.

Click here to view the full Tournament Bracket.