Friday, April 29, 2011

1000 Posts

I know, people prolly think, "What's 1000 posts to these people? It's nothing, it's 1000. Big whoop, 1000 is a blink. Whatever, no big deal."

Meanwhile, what we're feeling is, 100 posts: "Man, we really love the Buffyverse, imagine we could...?" 200 posts: "What if others could connect with...?" 300 posts:  "Dr. Horrible-what? Joss is silly." 400 posts: "Do you think the creators would agree to an interview?" 500 posts: "When Buffy was still on the air, Did Joss finish it the way he wanted to?"

600 posts: "Should we go to Comic Con this year?"

700 posts: "Is Brian Lynch going to keep writing for Spike?"

800 posts: : "Why do we care about this? Oh yeah, because Scott Allie announced something amazing today."

900 posts, "Wow, this blog has become a part of our family. It's the family dog."

1000 posts....

1000 posts. Yes, that's where we are today. We started this blog because we needed a homebase. We already had a community...we already had the party. But how can you keep the party going without a venue? We just needed a place to break bread, it's as simple as that. It could've been a Livejournal page, if I knew what that was at the time. Or a locked private forum. But what it ended up being was a weblog. A blog chronicling a few crazy days in the lives of a few crazy people.

This is what it is....and we call it Buffyfest. Thanks so much for stopping by. Why not hang out for a spell? :)

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Cabin in the Woods Has Finally Found a Home!

Thank goodness! We just might get to see this movie yet with news that Lionsgate has reached a distribution deal with MGM for Cabin in the Woods. Let's be cautiously optimistic at this point because you never know, but this article hints that the release could be as soon as October! *Fingers crossed*






Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Spoiler Alert! Supernatural/Whedonverse Connection!

And that spoiler tag is for you too, fellow 'festers.



That's right, Amber Benson will be returning this week on "The Hotness" (aka Supernatch). Let's get those ratings us, Nielsen people.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Where on Earth is Joss Whedon?

Trying to get that elusive Whedon-spotting but almost feel one step behind the man? Let's do a roundup of his recent whereabouts!
1. Joss was spotted walking down the street in midtown NYC eating a hot dog. But that was March 19th and a lot can happen in a month so let's skip to....

2. Yesterday when Joss made one of his purple posts over at Whedonesque, proclaiming the official start day of filming on The Avengers today. Will it be in LA where there are some Avengers casting assignments underway? Or maybe in NYC? Code named "Group Hug" we knew some filming, possibly second unit, was done in the NYC area as of April 8th. Since we're so unsure of the details, we've had Bitsy combing the streets since then, zig zagging in an east-west direction starting at Wall Street toward uptown. Last I heard he pooped out in Alphabet City, needing to lie down on a discarded mattress on Ave. C at 3rd street. If you see him there, please give him water.

3. Or is Joss filming in Albuquerque, NM today? Well, we know for a fact he was in that area over the weekend as he attended Albuquerque's Alternative Newsweekly, Alibi.com's Spring Social. There's a photo booth photo to prove it. So since it was pretty much totally confirmed that much of The Avengers filming would be done in New Mexico, my money's on Albuquerque...but Bitsy's still on street team duty until further notice.

And that's all we got for today! So Albuquerquians be on the lookout and if anyone else has had a recent Joss Whedon sighting let us know and we'll add it to the map.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Perez Hilton Chats With Friend Michelle Trachtenberg

The gossip blogger and Dawnie chat about how she was "obsessed" with Buffy (the series) before being cast, "Once More, With Feeling" jazz hands, having "flat chested" action figures, and more! Check it out:

Note: There are some minor spoilers for Gossip Girl too, for the major zmiggies out there.


Friday, April 15, 2011

'High Stakes' Buffyfest 2010 Recap

With this year's Buffyfest not too far away, it occurred to me that we never recapped last year's festivities!

Our 5th annual Buffyfest was held over 4th of July weekend last year. Aptly named "High Stakes Buffyfest 2010", we were very happy to be reunited with our West Coast people for this special Kitten Poker themed event. We had been planning for months, figuring out the themed foods and all the usual tasks. A few weeks prior to the event, we put the following categories to a vote:

"Best Season Premier Episode" - Winner: Buffy S.3 episode "Anne"
"Best Spell Gone Wrong" episode - Winner: "Doppelgangland"
"Best Giles Episode" - Winner: "A New Man"

So after everyone arrived, we ate, drank Fangtastic Frozen Dacquiris (garnished with fang ice cubes!) and mingled. We then passed out the gifts. This year's Swag Bag was actually a collectible Casino Coin Cup filled with: a deck of now-vintage Buffy Series 1, 2, or Angel licensed playing cards, a personalized visor in "Buffy" font and of course, enough kittens for the poker playing.

After gift disbursement, we watched the episodes, but decided to eliminate "Doppelgangland" for a multitude of reasons. We then moved on to a Kitten Poker tournament which lasted at least 5 hours, due to the sheer amount of players. Strangely, but fittingly, the 3 of us who run this site ended up facing off as the final 3 players. Bitsy ended up cheating winning the entire tourney and a Barnes & Noble gift card for his victory!

Click the collage below for all of the photos from this event:


'Twas a great Buffyfest and no one got too drunk or ate any real kittens! Clem would've been proud. Next up, The Buffyfest Brunch...

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Tooncast” Contest

Make a fun Buffy animation and win a S.8 Blu-Ray/DVD or even an iPad!

Here's the skinny: NetToons created the motion comics app that is featured on the Buffy Season 8 DVD called Tooncast Studio. It lets Buffy fans make and share motion comics. A free version of Tooncast Studio is available here - It’s a slimmed down version of that S.8 DVD app.

To enter, fans create and enter animations use either the DVD app or the free version. You have three ways to win each week:

· Get Popular - the two Tooncasts viewed by the most people during the week
· Get Recognized - two Tooncasts selected from those the NetToons team considers “favorites”
· Get Lucky - two Tooncasts randomly selected from all entries shared with friends

Now I was a little afraid of messing with a fandom attached Adobe Air product. As it is, I still have Eliza Dushku slithering all over my screen in a gown or blowing it up in a leather coat every single damn morning because I don't have the heart to delete the "Virtual Echo Dollhouse App". But this was actually pretty fun! Check out my quick and clunky attempt at explaining Buffy's Eight Season using the Tooncast Studio app below:

The Grand Prize winner will be selected at random from all entries received. This contest is ending in two weeks on April 24th, so better get cracking on those Season 8 shorts!

Visit Tooncasts.com for the full deets or NetToons Facebook page for additional info.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

May this year be abundant in fun, health, money, friendship and joy! Everyone, join us in celebrating Michelle's birthday with this little ditty below!



Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Angel and Faith #2 Cover Art

You want some Rebekah Isaacs artwork?  You got it.  Speculation, ahoy!



Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Separated at Birth: Dark Horse Edition

Left: Newly announced Angel artist Rebekah Issacs   Right: Dark Horse Editor Sierra Hahn
Coincidence? Well, since we've met Sierra Hahn in person and have interviewed her in the past, we know that she is definitely real...but perhaps some sort of evil mastermind? Although, they did both sit on a panel at WonderCon together so no shenanigans there. Well, there may just be a Parent Trap type situation going on here. Now that they've met at Summer Camp, will they reunite their parents? Not sure yet, verdict still out.

TV Pilot Season Round-up: Whedonverse Stars in Upcoming Series

There has been a lot of chatter the past few weeks about upcoming casting amongst our Whedonverse favorites. So we felt a recap was in order.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: Starting off with what is perhaps most anticipated, is Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to television in her upcoming CBS series Ringer, filming in NYC. After the death of her successful twin sister, a woman is on the run and assumes her identity. SMG is playing both sisters.




Eliza Dushku: confirms her casting in a sports radio comedy saying on her Facebook page: "It is with insanest excitement  awesomeness I get to finally fill you guys in: I've JUST landed a new CBS comedy pilot w/ my comic idol Mr. Damon Wayans! Stay tuned, there is a serious happy dance occurring at the moment ;) xx!" More info here.



Michelle Trachtenberg: has been cast as the female lead in CBS' untitled Peter Knight comedy pilot, a workplace ensemble from Sony and Happy Madison revolving around the young-adult employees at a venture capital firm. It centers on Danny, who is shocked when his crush, competitor and fellow trainee Gracie (Trachtenberg) is promoted.



Julie Benz has joined CBS’ untitled supernatural medical drama along with her No Ordinary Family co-star Michael Chiklis.





Amy Acker has been cast in a pilot, USA's Common Law. The cop dramedy also  stars Michael Ealy and Warren Kole as partners who can’t stop bickering, so their captain sends them to couples therapy. Acker will play their therapist.



James Marsters has filmed a pilot for SyFy's Three Inches, still in limbo at the network. The series is about an underachiever who is struck by lightning and develops the ability to move objects with his mind, but only by three inches.





Firefly hottie Sean Maher has been cast as a recurring character in NBC's drama pilot Playboy set in the 1960's.








Dollhouse fan favorite Enver Gjokaj has been cast in a USA pilot Eden as the lead. The show centers on a young hotel worker who, with the help of his escaped con artist cousin Eddie (Gjokaj), gets a job as the concierge at an elite NYC hotel. Together they manage to provide the hotel guests with whatever they desire, at whatever the cost. 


Buffy and Angel writers David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf have created Grimm, a cop drama about a world in which characters inspired by Grimm’s Fairy Tales exist. The series was greenlit by NBC.

Friday, April 1, 2011

(Spoilers) Exclusive Interview with Buffy S.9 Writer Andrew Chambliss

Cover by Jo Chen
Click to Enlarge
If you've been chomping at the bit for some more Buffy comic news, today's been a good day. Wonder Con's Dark Horse Panel just introduced Andrew Chambliss as writer for Buffy Season 9. We've got a great interview below, where the man himself spills the beans on the direction of Season 9, and more. Check out how his "Geek Street Cred" really shines through this interview!

Buffyfest: Although you've been part of the Whedonverse since Dollhouse was on the air, we want to welcome you to the Buffyverse, Mr. Chambliss! Thanks so much for talking with us. Set the stage for us: How were you approached about writing Buffy Season 9?

Andrew Chambliss: I'd been working with Jed and Mo on the Dollhouse miniseries when I got an e-mail from Joss saying he'd heard good things from them about my “Dollhousery”. He then asked if I'd be at all interested in working on Buffy Season 9 with him. It didn't seem like much of a question to me. The chance to work with Joss? In comics? About Buffy? Umm, yes please. And here I am. Okay, there might have been a few intermediate steps, but that's how it all started.

Buffyfest: Great story! In terms of your intro in the Buffyverse, how did you prepare for Season 9 once you got the news you were writing it?

AC: I'd already read the first three or four trade paperbacks of Season 8 over the past year or so, but I'd fallen behind as my life started to get busier and busier. After Joss emailed me about working with him, I quickly ran out and bought the rest. I read the entire season cover to cover two or three times. I also pulled my Buffy DVD set off the shelf and started watching my favorite episodes -- both to remind myself of the world and to start planting the characters' voices in my heads. Joss also held a Buffy summit at his house with Season 8 writers to brainstorm ideas for Season 9 and the Angel and Faith series. Getting to spend an afternoon with people like Joss, Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg. Geek heaven.

Buffyfest: Oh, to be a fly on that wall! Now that you're at the helm, which character are you most excited to write and why?

AC: It may seem the obvious choice, but I'm going to have to say Buffy. Going into season 9, she's in a really interesting place – she always thought she was going to die saving the world, but now that she actually survived, she has to face her real life (don't worry, they'll still be lots of slaying). And at the same time, she's watching her friends move on with their lives, and has to deal with the fact that the Scooby Gang might not be there to help her like they used to be.

I'm also excited to write Andrew because I can unabashedly let my inner geek shine through him. And I think this is the first time I will have written a character that shares my name.

Buffyfest: What about a character that you're disappointed you won't get to write with Giles dead, Spike off in his Bug ship and Angel and Faith moving over to the Angel title?

AC: Of course, I'm disappointed that I won't get to write Giles. If I learned anything from writing Adelle on Dollhouse, it's that British characters are fun to write. Maybe it's because you can add completely unnecessary letters to their dialogue, in words like “colour” or “aluminium”. Speaking of British accents, I can safely say that Spike won't be on his bug ship for very long. He'll definitely be a part of Buffy's Season 9 life.

Buffyfest: Let’s go back to Season 8 for a minute. Fans have had a lot to say about Buffy's move to comics. How about you? How did you feel about Buffy Season 8?

AC: I'm a big fan of Season 8. I think comics was the perfect medium to tell a story with the scope that Season 8 needed -- how else would you tell the story of Buffy struggling to lead an army of hundreds of slayers, except in comics? Even though the scope was often bigger than anything that could ever be produced on television, Season 8 still felt like it was the show – the voices were spot on, the writing was clever, and at the end of the day, it always came down to character.

Buffyfest: Okay, let’s talk art. Who’s the Season 9 artist and how has working with him/her been?

AC: Georges is returning for season 9, which makes me all kinds of happy. I loved his work on season 8, and have been impressed with what I've seen for Season 9 so far. The thing that constantly blows me away is how much thought he puts into everything he does. Recently, he sent us rough concept art for one of the covers – not only did he have 8 really cool cover ideas for a single issue, but he also had detailed explanations for each one. Right now, we're just getting started working together, but I know I'm going to love the experience.

Buffyfest: You've written comics for Heroes in the past, talk a little bit about your writing process for comics and the difference between comic writing and television writing.

AC: For me, television writing generally starts with the dialogue and builds from there. It's often an auditory medium before it's a visual medium. How many times do people listen to the TV while doing something else in another room? Comics are always a visual medium first, so I often have to remind myself to think visually just as much as I think about the dialogue. There's as much – if not more – that you can tell the reader through the art than captions or dialogue. Which reminds me of the best part about comic book writing – I never have to worry if anything I write is too expensive to draw. In television, you always end up having to scale back to meet the budget of the episode. But in comics, if you can write it, the artist can draw it. It's really freeing, especially when you're writing about things like demon armies or the post-apocalyptic Los Angeles cityscape.

I'm still fairly new to writing comics, so there's a lot I'm learning along the way. But, luckily, I'm writing under the watchful eye of Scott and Sierra who have been great in helping me figure out what works in comics and what doesn't.

Buffyfest: What about the big man himself? How will the co-writing work with Joss? Will you write all the issues or split the work load with him?

AC: Joss and I have been doing most of the story breaking over e-mail and the phone (I think he's busy with a movie or something). We're splitting the script writing duties at the moment and hope to continue to work that way as we continue to write the season.

Buffyfest: Any spoilers you'd like to share for the Season 9? Please?!

AC: They'll be some new characters introduced early on in the season. I won't give away too much, but one of them includes a hunky demon who served time in a mystical prison.

Buffyfest: That’ll definitely have people talking! With the announcement that there will be two main titles under the banner of Season 9, are you working with the Angel series writer to crossover the two stories?

AC: At the moment, we don't have any large crossovers planned, but we'll most likely send certain characters off to one another between both series.

Buffyfest: Switching to Dollhouse, what's the inside story on how you got the writing job for the show?

AC: I'd met at both Fox and 20th shortly after the WGA strike ended, and the executives there told me that they were sending my material over to Joss to read for Dollhouse. Cue the excitement, nerves, and whatever other neurotic behavior you can imagine. And then nothing. A month later, when I had finally forgotten that Joss might be reading my script, I got a call from my agent telling me that I was meeting with Joss the next afternoon (turns out it took him a while to read my script because he had been busy shooting something called Dr. Horrible). Cue the excitement, nerves all over again. The Dollhouse pilot script was delivered to my house that evening, I read it, and stayed up half the night working on pitches.

I met with Joss, Liz Craft and Sarah Fain the next afternoon. I pitched a bunch of ideas that Joss must have liked (which included Victor/Topher – some thing I was super happy to see land in season two) because I got a phone call from my agent saying they were offering me the job as I was driving home from the Fox lot. Twenty-four hours later, I was working on the show. I can still remember how surreal it felt at the time.

Buffyfest: Wow, that’s an amazing story, but there was obviously not a happy ending. From a writer's perspective, was it frustrating working with the network amidst all the problems at the time?

AC: It's always frustrating to have to change course when you really believe in something. The original Dollhouse pilot (it's on the first season DVD – watch it!) was really cool and set the stage for where Joss ended up taking us with “Man on the Street”, but the network was worried that the pilot came at the premise sideways and wanted something that felt a little more stand-alone.

Buffyfest: What are you most proud of when it comes to your storytelling on Dollhouse?

AC: There are things that I love about every episode of Dollhouse I worked on, but overall I think I'm most proud of the first episode I wrote for the show – “A Spy in the House of Love”. It was such a fun ep to write because each act really was its own self-contained story, and I really got to build to some huge character moments for everyone – Paul's realization that Mellie was a sleeper doll, Adelle opening up for the first time to someone who doesn't even exist, and Echo starting to own her burgeoning individuality. I think the fact that “Spy” was also my first episode of produced television adds to my fondness for it.

I'm also really proud of “Epitaph 2”. I was over the moon when Joss asked me to co-write the script with Jed and Mo. First off, because Jed and Mo are awesome to work with. Secondly, because I was going to have the opportunity to say goodbye to all these characters I had grown to love. And finally, it was post-apocalyptic – and who doesn't want to write a post-apocalyptic script? Everybody does. Especially when you throw in a Mad Max-style semi driven by people called “Freakshows”.

Buffyfest: And what story do you wish you could have told before the show ended?

AC: I would have loved to have been able to tell the story of how Topher ended up working at the Dollhouse. His arc from amoral, arrogant scientist to someone who was willing to give up his life to undue the damage his creations had caused was really interesting to me. I would have loved to have shown where Topher began that journey. I had outlined an episode where Topher had to "brain-nap" his former college mentor, and though we scrapped the episode for some very good reasons, I would have loved to have been able to tell that story in a later season.

Also, a post-robocall season 3 would have been a blast to write for TV. But that's why we have comics!

Buffyfest: You've moved from Dollhouse to the very popular Vampire Diaries. It's no secret that vampires are popular right now, so how do you approach the idea of a "good" vampire?

AC: For me, writing "good" vampires is actually a lot more interesting than writing bad vampires. They're in constant conflict between who they are – someone who wants to be good – and what they are – creatures whose instincts are too kill.

Buffyfest: A lot of people have compared Damon and Stefan to Spike and Angel. Do you see the comparison?

AC: I can see why people make the comparison. Stefan and Angel are both characters who strive to be good despite their dark pasts, and Spike and Damon often want to be bad in spite of the good that can't help but come to the surface.

Buffyfest: Any spoilers or scoops you can give to our Vampire Diaries fans out there?

AC: I'm going to stay tight-lipped, but the end of the season will be epic.

Buffyfest: Okay, we’ll just have to wait and see! So, let's finish with some fun fan questions. How did you get into Buffy?

AC: I remember watching the early seasons of Buffy when I was in high school, and never did the thought cross my mind that I might be writing in that universe at some point in my future. When I started to get interested in television writing a few years later, I began to watch the show much more carefully, and that's when I realized just how incredible it was. At that point, I was hooked.

Buffyfest: Was there a particular moment that made you think, "This is more than just an ordinary TV show”?

AC: There are so many moments, but if I have to pinpoint one, I think I'd say Angel losing his soul in season two.

Buffyfest: What about favorite season of the show?

AC: This is tough, but I think I'm going to say season 6. Spike and Buffy. The Trio. Dark Willow. In fact, I think I'm going to go watch some Season 6 right now.

Buffyfest: Us too! Before you go, though, anything you'd like to say to Buffy fans before Season 9 starts?

AC: Just thank you for welcoming me to all things Buffy!

Buffyfest: Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us. We're looking forward to the story you're going to tell in Season 9!