BUFFY
GRAPEVINE
(News, Spoilers and Gossip)

***WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
(Articles containing spoilers are clearly marked)

Please note that some of the information contained below are "rumors"  I don't claim that all the information is correct!

14th March CHARISMA POSES FOR PLAYBOY
Former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" star Charisma Carpenter has picked a public way to celebrate her newly svelte figure after giving birth -- by posing nude in men's magazine Playboy.   The stunning actress, 33, and her husband of two years, Damian Hardy, welcomed their first child Donovan Charles into the world on March 24 of last year, and Carpenter is now preparing to show off her slimmed-down body.

A pal says, "She just had a baby and she's proud of how she looks. She went on a diet for the shoot."   And an insider tells Us Weekly that Carpenter still found time to come to the rescue of others -- even as she posed topless.  The source says, "A photo assistant fell and Charisma got up mid-pose -- completely topless -- to help her up."  source sfgate.com

Gellar Carries A Grudge
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who stars in the upcoming supernatural horror film The Grudge, told SCI FI Wire that it's been a challenge working with the all-Japanese crew and director on the film's set in Tokyo. "To be part of the first Japanese movie that comes to America by the original Japanese artist, to be able to bring all those ideas to the United States, and then for me to get to come for three months and live in Tokyo and work on a set where nobody spoke English, those are the kinds of opportunities that you don't get," Gellar said in an interview during a break in filming. "Those are the ones that come around very rarely."

The Grudge is based on the hit Japanese film Ju-On and its sequels, which were written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. When producer Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures and Senator International picked up the rights for Sony, they decided to remake the film for U.S. audiences, but using the same director and crew and many of the same cast and to shoot it in Japan, just like the originals.

But that set up a clash of cultures between the director and crew, who speak limited English, and Gellar and her non-Japanese-speaking castmates, who include Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland, Clea Du Vall, William Mapother and Bill Pullman.

"This will either be the best acting of our lives, or possibly some of the worst that we might ever do," Gellar said with a laugh. "Just because you're very unsure. But I learned so much here just in the sense of, as an actor, it's your job to give yourself up completely to the director. But you never really do that, because you have a lot of control in America or in England or Australia or wherever you are, because you speak the language. ... Well, out here, you can't hear [what they're saying]. You don't understand it. So you really have to give yourself up to the director, to the [cinematographer], to the crew. You just have to trust that they're leading you in the right direction, because you don't know. As an actor, it's sort of a dream experience. We sort of say, 'It's like watching any of your old work with no sound and trying to figure out if you know what that person is saying and you know what's happening.' Because that's kind of what we're doing."

In The Grudge, Gellar plays Karen, an American nurse living in Tokyo who gets assigned to a mysterious and malevolent house where horrific events have taken place in the past. The Grudge is currently wrapping up principal photography at the famed Toho Studios and on location in and around Tokyo for release in the fall. source scifi wires
 

3rd March Bell Previews Angel *Spoilers*
Jeff Bell, co-executive producer of the WB's recently canceled vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that upcoming episodes will focus on Lindsey (Christian Kane) and Connor (Vincent Kartheiser). The episodes, "Underneath" and "Origin," were already in production when the WB made its fateful announcement about Angel's fate.

Bell then revealed that "Origin" will feature the return of Angel's (David Boreanaz) son Connor. "Vincent has agreed to come in and do a new episode for us, and we're going to see the result of the deal that Angel made at the end of last season," Bell said. "It'll be fun to have Connor show up as a really happy, healthy and well-adjusted kid, the kid he could never be in season four. And for Angel there will be the pain of knowing this is his son, but that nobody else can know that." source scifiwire

20th February Angel Doubtful For UPN
Joss Whedon, co-creator of The WB's canceled vampire series Angel, told TV Guide Online that he doubts the series could move to UPN next year, much as its predecessor show Buffy the Vampire Slayer did after the frog network staked it. "We've talked about the possibility, but it's a long shot," Whedon told the site. A UPN spokeswoman had no comment for TV Guide, but an Angel insider told the site that executives at Angel's production studio Twentieth Century Fox are putting together a proposal for UPN.

Whedon, meanwhile, reiterated that he'd love to have Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar make a guest appearance in the Angel series finale, though Gellar has already said she's not interested in appearing on Angel this season. "We'll put out some feelers [again] to see if there's some interest there," Whedon told the site. "We'd certainly love to have her." Gellar is currently in Tokyo shooting The Grudge, a supernatural horror film. source scifiwire

15th February It's Over in Five for 'Angel' - (Angel Has Been Cancelled)
Early Friday (Feb. 13) an announcement was made to the cast and crew at The WB's "Angel" that this season, the show's fifth, will be its last.
"It's official enough to know it's real," David Greenwalt, who co-created the series with Joss Whedon, tells Zap2it.com, "but I haven't talked to anybody at the network or the studio. I can tell you that it's real, that it makes Mr. Whedon and myself very sad, that we wish it had kept going and we thought it was only getting better.

"Joss and [executive producer]Jeff Bell told the cast and crew today. We have no understanding of the inner workings of the corporate world, but we've had a long and fruitful relationship with [producing studio] 20th Century Fox and The WB, for which we are grateful. We just wish it could have gone on forever. Apparently, it's not going to.

"Joss literally called me this morning; so it's very new."
This news comes on the heels of airing the 100th episode of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spin-off, the taping of which was marked by a party on the show's sets last November.

At that time, the WB's entertainment chief, Jordan Levin, said, "The work that you all do, I cannot thank you enough. This is something that will last. You can see it in the DVD sales. You see it in the fans. They give an incredible amount of attention to almost everything.

"You've created a cult here, and it's pretty wonderful to be a part of it. So thank you and congratulations."  It's the network's regard for the show that prompted it to give the producers an early enough heads up for a proper send-off at the end of the season.

"Like some of the great series that are leaving the air this year, including 'Frasier' and 'Friends,' the cast, crew, writers and producers of 'Angel' deserve to be able to wrap up the series in a way befitting a classic television series, and that is why we went to Joss to let him know that this would be the last year of the series on The WB," the network says in a statement. "We have discussed continuing the Angel legacy with special movie events next year, which is still on the table. "

Next week, on Wednesday, Feb. 18, "Angel" airs one of its most innovative episodes, called "Smile Time." Written and directed by Ben Edlund ("The Tick"), and based on an idea by Whedon, it sees the show's title character, a crusading vampire with a soul, forced to fight evil after being transformed into a walking puppet (with voice by series star David Boreanaz).

"It's so brilliant," Greenwalt says. "I just love it. It's one of the finest pieces of filmmaking I've ever seen. It just cracked me up. It's so ridiculous and silly, and yet there's all this heartfelt stuff in it. It's just quintessential Whedon.

"But wait until you see the episode that follows it in terms of abject heartbreak. It's just searing."

Greenwalt stepped away from "Angel" a few years ago but has remained a consulting producer. Since then, he's worked on two short-lived but critically acclaimed series, ABC's "Miracles" and UPN's "Jake 2.0." But he's contemplating a possible return to his old stomping ground.

"I might just go direct episode 20 [of 'Angel']," he says, "so I can say my farewell to everybody. That's something that might happen."

As to the future of the show's star, The WB says, "David Boreanaz continues to be one of the finest, classiest and friendliest actors we have had the pleasure to work with and we hope that the relationship furthers from here.

"The same can be said for all the actors and producers on the show. " source zap2it.

15th February 2004 Casting News *Spoilers*
Angel: The first tidbits of the untitled episode 18 are revealed. Producers are presently casting for the “large guest star” role of Cyvus Vail, a warlock who is the CEO of a powerful demon clan that has enterprises stretching throughout Los Angeles. A former employee of Wolfram & Hart, his special powers made him the go-to warlock when it came to the big magical mojo cases. The character is listed as being in his mid-30s to early 40s and it is revealed that he helped give Angel’s son Connor new memories since the end of the last season— and now he needs Connor back to defeat a certain demon named Sahjahn. Terrence O’Hara directs from a Drew Goddard script.

11th February Gellar Eyed For WW?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar is rumored to be at the top of the list for the title role in a proposed Wonder Woman movie, which would put her in direct competition with former co-star Charisma Carpenter, according to a report in the tabloid Daily Star, as reported by SkyNews. The tabloid cited no sources for the rumor.
Former Buffy and Angel star Carpenter (Cordelia Chase) earlier told TV Guide Online that she was angling for the role herself. "Charisma is a strong contender and she's equally as sexy," a movie insider told the Star.

Gellar is preparing to shoot the lead role in the upcoming supernatural thriller film The Grudge, a remake of a hit Japanese movie. source scifiwire

6th February Carpenter Eyes Wonder Woman
Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia on The WB's Angel, told TV Guide Online that she's actively pursuing the lead role in a proposed Wonder Woman movie. "I am actively putting it out there that I want to do Lynda Carter," Carpenter told the site. "It's my mission to be Wonder Woman!"
Carpenter, who wrapped her Angel character's role in the Feb. 4 episode, added, "My agent hasn't seen a script, but some studio needs to do it. She's beautiful, she fights, and I like the concept of an empowerment role. I've always been so passive on Angel, where they usually wouldn't let Cordelia do martial-arts stunts. Charisma wants to kick ass and bust heads!"
A Wonder Woman movie, based on the DC Comics series, has been in development for some time, with various actresses rumored to be in line for the part.

Carpenter added that she's casting about for family-friendly jobs. "I can tell you what my goals are," she said. "I have a son now, so I want the half-hour sitcom lifestyle, where you can have a family and work. And then, during summer hiatus, I'd like to do a Kill Bill or Wonder Woman or some movie like that." source scifiwire

Monday 21st January Michelle Trachtenberg On 'Six Feet Under'
Episode three of the new season sees character Keith, bodyguarding a Britney Spears-type pop princess, played by Michelle Trachtenberg. In the third episode, the pop star makes a "guest appearance" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It is also unconfirmed that Eric Balfour's (Jesse, BTVS Season 1) character will be returning.

Angel Network Goes Dark
Uberproducer John Wells (The West Wing, ER) is developing a new version of the 1960s vampire soap opera Dark Shadows for The WB, network officials announced. But WB honcho Jordan Levin told reporters that he doesn't believe the supernatural series will conflict with The WB's other vampire show, Angel. "I don't think the two shows will be competing against one another," Levin said at the network's winter press tour in Hollywood.

Levin added, "We haven't seen Dark Shadows yet. What was interesting about that is that anytime John Wells walks in the door and says he's excited about wanting to do something differently—in this case, a gothic soap opera, you know, based on Dark Shadows—I think that's something you're obviously going to pay attention to. I think that two shows could co-exist. One is an action-adventure franchise, and one is a very gothic soap opera franchise."

Angel co-creator Joss Whedon, meanwhile, expressed surprise when informed that another bloodsucker series was in the frog network's docket. "I was not aware of that," he said, with typical tongue in cheek. "I quit." He added seriously, "You know, clearly, I'm the 97th guy to use the vampire metaphor to tell stories. I have no problem with there being a 98th. ... But at least it's not an important, successful producer." source scifi.wire

28th December New Series For Adam Busch
FOX's legal drama "The Jury" has added Billy Burke, Adam Busch, Jeff Hephner and Cote de Pablo to its pilot casting pool. The quartet join Shalom Harlow in the potential series from "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Oz" veterans Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana.
The series will focus on the legal system through the eyes of the jury and the pilot, written by Fontana and James Yoshimura, will be directed by Levinson. The Oscar-winning director ("Rain Man") is also expected to make an acting cameo, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Burke, who has done recent co-starring stints on "24," "Gilmore Girls" and "Karen Sisco," will play supervisor assistant district attorney John Ranguso. Hephner ("Tigerland") plays assistant district attorney John O'Brien.

Busch, the evil Warren on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," is Steve Dixon, while de Pablo plays Maugerite Cisneros. source tvtome

18th September CATCHING A CAB - Christian Kane
That's weird... the other day I started watching my Angel: Season One DVD box set after reading Nick's review, and got to wondering where Wolfrman & Hart lawyer Christian Kane disappeared to after leaving the series behind after the second season. A quick check on IMDB showed that he'll apparently be seen in Secondhand Lions, but I found it very strange that his Angel TV appearances aren't listed. Is he ashamed of his time on the WB or something?

Anyway, he'll also be appearing in the US remake of Taxi. That's not him cupping his bosom over there, of course -- that's the scrumptious supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who'll also be appearing in the film as a bank robber who, I hope, removes her clothing at various intervals.

The decidedly non-French Queen Latifah stars in the remake of the French film, originally and again produced by Luc Besson. Latifah plays a notorious New York cabbie with a ridiculously tricked-out supertaxi who joins forces with an accident-prone NYPD detective (problem-haired SNL news anchor Jimmy Fallon) to take down some drug dealers. source chud

Boreanaz Talks New Angel Babes
David Boreanaz, who returns as the vampire with a soul in The WB's Angel, told SCI FI Wire that two new women will add bite to the show's upcoming fifth season: new office secretary Harmony (Mercedes McNab) and Wolfram & Hart liaison Eve (Sarah Thompson). Boreanaz added in an interview that the women would replace the comatose Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and beheaded Lilah (Stephanie Romanov), both of whom won't be back. "They're similar in nature, but also quite different," Boreanaz said.

Boreanaz added, "Cordelia's character took off in a direction that was different from what anyone probably expected. Things got very dark with the love interest story between Angel and Cordelia and with the whole Cordelia-Connor [Vincent Kartheiser] storyline. Harmony will be a little bit more like Cordelia was at the beginning of Buffy than Cordelia was on Angel. Harmony is there to spice things up a little."

Boreanaz said that McNab's Harmony—by virtue of being a vampire and having a history with Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer—will bring an "edge" to Angel. Eve, by contrast, will be less harsh and abrasive than Lilah, the star said. "I think we'll get to know Eve a little bit more," Boreanaz said. "She's got many more problems behind her eyes. But you can definitely draw similarities between Cordelia and Harmony and Lilah and Eve. And the most important thing is that all four characters will and have brought such great things to the show." source scifiwire

14th September John Ritter Has Died - You'll remember him as Ted in season 2

Actor and comedian John Ritter, who gained stardom in the sitcom "Three's Company," died Thursday night 11 September after collapsing on the set of his current TV series. He was 54. Ritter was rushed from the set of the ABC series "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, after suffering from aortic dissection, an unrecognized and undetected flaw in his heart, according to a statement from his publicist Lisa Kasteler. "Surgeons at the hospital tried to save the Emmy Award-winning actor but, sadly, were unable to do so," the statement said.  read more

Angel Casting News *Spoilers*
According to FilmJerk.com sources, producers for the WB’s “Angel” are looking to cast the role of Wesley’s father, Roger Wyndham-Pryce, for the untitled seventh episode of the season. The elder Wyndham-Pryce, listed as being in his late 50s or early 60s, is described as being “incredibly well-educated and articulate, albeit with a rather stern disposition.” The actor who is given the guest-starring role will film his scenes over 10 days in Los Angeles, beginning October 1.

According to our source, Roger is there to evaluate Wesley (played by Alexis Denisof) for possible reacceptance to the Watcher's Council. The visit is strictly business, as years of distance and unresolved issues make for a great deal tension between the two. Roger also strongly disapproves of Wesley's new workplace (he calls it "a haven of Hell") and the company he keeps, including Angel and Gunn.

According to another source, producers are also trying to cast a central role for the sixth episode, entitled "Night of the Luchadors". Written and directed by Jeffrey Bell, this episode begins shooting on September 19. The role they are seeking to fill is that of “Number 5,” a Latin man in his 70s. As a young man in 1950s Los Angeles, he and his five brothers were known as the "Hermanos Numeros", the greatest Mexican wrestlers who ever lived. More than just Luchadors, they were heroes who protected their community - men of honor who defended the weak against underworld vampires and demons. In their final battle, a mystical Aztec warrior destroyed all the brothers leaving only Number 5 alive. He has become a bit gruff in his solitary life, but ultimately he's sympathetic. source filmjerk.
 

Sunday 24th August Buffy fans' marathon effort
Two fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are watching every episode of the cult show to raise money for charity.   A-level students Sam Stopes and Alex Gregg from Maidstone, in Kent, have nearly completed the two-week stint of watching the hit American programme.

Money raised from the Buffy watching marathon will go to the Cavey Animal Rescue Centre in Rochester.

Greg said: Sometimes we don't even know what day it is.  The cash will help with veterinary bills, bedding and food for animals such as guinea pigs and rats which are helped at the centre.

Sam said: "First of all it was really hard because you got up in the morning after lying on the floor all day and had a really bad back.   "Some days we had a headache from watching television all day."

Alex said: "Sometimes we don't even know what day it is."   The girls are due to complete their task on Saturday.  source bbc.news

Carpenter Speaks About Angel
Charisma Carpenter, who won't be returning as a regular cast member on The WB's Angel, spoke for the first time about her abrupt departure in an interview with the Boston Herald and said she was as shocked as anyone. "I was not prepared," Carpenter told the newspaper. "I don't think you're ever prepared for that kind of situation."

Last spring, Carpenter returned to Angel just 10 days after giving birth to her son, Donovan, and spent two long days on the set, wrapping up the season, the newspaper reported. She said she is absolutely willing to return to the series to provide closure to her character's story arc and bring Cordy out of the coma in which she remained during last season's finale. "I think it would be incomplete if it wasn't addressed but I don't know what's being planned," she said. "I haven't heard anything. As we speak today, there are no plans for me to come back." source scifi wire

13th August 'Scooby Doo 2'
The fearsome foursome from Mystery, Inc. are reunited in "Scooby Doo 2," with that talking dog, of course.

Freddie wants to be more behind the scenes, willing to trade acting for writing. In fact, he's just written an episode of the TV show, "Mutant X."

For right now, this dynamic duo is doing the Doo. source http://extratv.warnerbros.com

'See Jane Date' - Charisma Carpenters New TV Movie
Jane (Charisma Carpenter), a witty, young assistant editor at a publishing company, is thrilled when she is finally given a project that will, hopefully, earn her a much-deserved promotion. When she learns that the crucial project that she's been assigned is editing soap opera star Natasha Nutley’s (Holly Marie Combs) memoirs, she is stunned. The beautiful actress happens to be Jane’s former high school nemesis.

To make matters worse, Jane’s cousin is getting married in a lavish ceremony and her Aunt Ina (Linda Dano), is relentlessly nagging her about who she plans to bring as a date. To satisfy her aunt and impress Natasha, Jane makes up the perfect boyfriend and brags about how great he is. With only a few weeks left before both the nuptials and the deadline for Natasha’s book, Jane searches madly for a date. There is the handsome but somewhat aggressive Hank (Evan Marriott); Kurt (Eddie McClintock), a muscular guy she meets at the gym; Grant (Zachary Levi), who’s boyishly cute but not too bright; the slightly insecure Kevin (Joshua Malina); do-gooder Gary (Cameron Mathison); and even Timothy (Antonio Sabato, Jr.), who is absolutely perfect – almost.

Her wild search for the ideal man and her new insight into Natasha’s life, one that she always assumed was far better than her own, cause Jane to reflect on her own life and realize that sometimes the answers are closer than you think.   Check out more info and pics at here

Calling Is Angelic
Neil Moritz, producer of Fox's upcoming SF series Tru Calling, told SCI FI Wire that production has begun on the first episode, which he characterized as "our version of what Touched by an Angel should be." "It's much hipper," he said in an interview. "It's got a great feel to it."

Moritz added that Fox has ordered 13 episodes, but that he hopes to produce a lot more.  source scifiwire

Woodside To Join '24' Cast
Having faced an apocalypse in the final season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," DB Woodside will stay in crisis mode on the coming season of "24."

Woodside, along with "Blue Car" star Agnes Bruckner and Zachary Quinto, have joined the cast of FOX's thriller in recurring roles, according to The Hollywood Reporter.   The coming season of "24" takes place about three years after the events of last season, network executives say. Woodside, who played Sunnydale High's principal on "Buffy" last season, has the most clearly defined role of the three new cast members. He will play President Palmer's (Dennis Haysbert) chief of staff, the replacement for Mike Novick (Jude Ciccolella), whom Palmer fired at the end of Season 2.  source  Zap2it.com

Why Is Cordelia Off Angel?
Joss Whedon, co-creator of The WB's Angel, confirmed to TV Guide Online that Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) won't be coming back to the vampire series and talked about the reason. "Mainly because we felt like we had taken that story—just like Buffy [the Vampire Slayer] for seven years—about as far as it could go," Whedon told the site. "The Angel/Cordelia [love story] had gone pretty much as far as we wanted to take it. Their romance was definitely not a popular move on our part, and I think with most fans."

Whedon said that the show parted with Carpenter on good terms, but added, "Yeah, but that's also stuff between us and not stuff that I would talk about in an interview." source scifiwire

21st June Summary of Alyson Hannigan on the "Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn"
Alyson was on "Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" on 19 May 2003. She wore an off-the-shoulder dress with different shades of brown and light green. She had matching brown high heels and wore her hair shoulder-length. She was wearing a gold necklace that had a five-pointed star on it; and she also had another necklace on but whatever was on the chain was unseen.

She was introduced as being the one by whom all future TV lesbian witches will be judged She talked about the Buffy finale and that she was happy that it was coming after seven years. She introduced a film clip of Willow talking to Kennedy lying in bed. About being on "Buffy..." she said she "had a blast!"

She mentioned that David Boreanaz...backstage and waiting to go on after her...and his wife had a baby!

Alyson was asked how long she dated Alexis. She said it was three years. She said she and Alexis just got back from holiday in London which she loves and where Alexis lived for a long time. Alyson said that every time someone spoke to her, she answered in an English accent! She said she didn't think her accent was very good. She compared her accent to that of Dick van Dyke in "Mary Poppins"! Alyson said she was sympathetic for Madonna who often spoke in an English accent in England, saying she --- Alyson --- did the same thing! Alyson then said that when she arrived at customs back in the U.S.A., she reverted to her native American accent. "I'm American! Let me in!" she joked.

Alyson was asked how Alexis proposed to her. She said she and he were motoring to Seattle during last Christmas holiday. They picked up some picnic food at Dean & DeLuca and they were in the Napa Valley of California. She was very hungry and eating when he asked "Will you marry me?" Alyson said she thought it was just something that was blurted out, but when he gave her the ring, she knew it was real! She said that when she answered "Yes!" she thought she must have had turkey in her teeth!

Alyson said she and Alexis just bought a house.

Craig Kilborn showed the current issue of FHM Magazine that has Alyson on the cover and a big article with photos of her in bikinis. Above the cover photo, she asked, "Whose boobs are those?!" She said the photo had been doctored; and also said her eyes on the photo were incorrectly coloured brown. She said she photos inside the article were taken in a dungeon setting! There were three photos of her that were shown. Two were in black bikinis and one was in a very light blue nightgown.

Alyson talked about her film "Married in America" and said the script was "brilliant" and that the wedding scene was "hilarious." She said she clowned with Jason Biggs and mentioned a rather bawdy incident involving a spatula that she happened to see nearby and that she tapped a very vulnerable area of the anatomy with it. "That was a good one!" cried Jason.

It's customary on the "Late Late Show..." to ask the guest "Five Questions" at the end of the interview. The questions were:
5. Can you name the championship trophy awarded in hockey? The Stanley Cup. Correct!
4. Can you spell "Boreanaz"? "I pass!" said Alyson. She then spelled it: B O R E A N Z.
3. Alyson was asked to play "Match Game"...fill in the blank with the most likely answer. "HISTORY _________ ?" (Fill in the blank) Alyson answered "Studies", but the most frequent answer the audience gave that was already polled was "Buff."
2. Alyson was asked if Macy's (the U.S.A.'s largest department store headquartered in New York) offered women's capes for sale on its website. She answered "Yes", but the answer is "No".
1. It's believed that Willow is bi-sexual. Can Alyson name five words in 10 seconds that begin with "bi-"? Alyson answered "bicycle", "bifocal", "bisexual", "bilingual" and "buy shoes"! She said that was her favourite hobby!
By Les

19th May Buffy Stars Reflect On The Finale
TV GUIDE" 17-23 May 2003
Sarah:  "It's sort of like the end of high school. You're excited to see what comes next, but you're really sad about it." Gellar admits that on her last day on the set, she cried. "And I don't want to make Joss Whedon look less manly, but I think he did, too."

Alyson: "Joss should be getting residual checks on certain shows." jokes Alyson Hannigan (referring to shows like 'Powerpuff Girls' and 'Alias'). The show's impact, she adds, has "gone beyond anything I can fathom."

Emma: "The level of excellence 'Buffy' has attained is going to be difficult to surpass."

Eliza: "I thought I was going to cry when I read the finale." It is so perfect for what is going on in the world now."

James: " I actually went back the other day to look at the empty sound stages. There was a haunting kind of pride standing there, remembering how many worlds were made in those spaces. And now there's just dust."  Thanks Les

Buffy Wrap Party
From "The Los Angeles Times" Special to the Times by T.L. Stanley 15 May 2003

"For the 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' wrap party, Twentieth Century Fox Television executives threw a bash fit for the glitterati of dedicated demon fighters.

Guests were summoned to the minimalist-chic Miauhaus by invites printed on parchment paper, wrapped around pillar candles and hand-sealed with wax. When guests arrived, their first few steps sent them through a graveyard that had been built on-site.  Inside, walls were airbrushed with 10-foot-tall original pieces of art of the show's heroes and villains; seafood nibbles were served out of an ice-lined sarcophagus, and skull replicas were used as vases for blood-red roses.

Against that goth-fabulous background, some 500 guests partied like the undead."

16th May Who's Watching Where
SARAH MICHELLE GELLER:  Unknown if she'll catch the finale. She's in Canada shooting the "Scooby-Doo" sequel

MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG:  Ditto. She's in Prague shooting the Dream Works movie "Ugly Americans"

JAMES MARSTERS:  Ditto again.  He's touring in Europe with his band.

TONY HEAD:  Watching at home in England with his daughters, who are mega-"Buffy" fans

JOSS WHEDON:  Having a viewing party at his Los Angeles home for the show's writing staff. The menu:  takeout pizza

NICOLAS BRENDAN:  He and his wife are inviting a few friends over to their house for a finale viewing party

MARTI NOXON:  At Whedon's party --- who could resist free pizza?
Source:  "The Los Angeles Times" 15 May 2003 by T.L. Stanley - Special to the Times.  Thanks Les

23rd April Buffy Projects On Hold
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon told SCI FI Wire that most of his related projects are on hold as he regroups in anticipation of the UPN series' imminent end. "Apart from Angel, no spinoff [is] in the works right now," Whedon said in an interview. "I think it's a very likely possibility, but there isn't anything happening right now. We all just kind of want to bask and relax."

For his part, Head said in an interview that he remains game for Ripper. "Yeah, we talked about it," he said. Whedon "came up with a beautiful idea for it the other day, actually."

Angel Gets Buffy Cast?
If and when the vampire TV series Angel returns to the air next year, there may be some familiar faces from nearby Sunnydale, cast and crew told SCI FI Wire at the wrap party for UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Though The WB has yet to announce a fifth-season renewal of Angel, co-creator Joss Whedon said "I'm pretty confident we will be picked up. Let me put it this way. Angel will be around. I just don't know where." It's possible that UPN could pick up the show if The WB doesn't.

Both Alyson Hannigan (Willow) and Anthony Head (Giles) said in interviews that their characters might make guest appearances. But Nicholas Brendon (Xander) won't be moving over, as he's already cast in a new sitcom pilot for the Fox network.

18th April Superman, Batman, Angel & Others
David Boreanaz gave a talk to college students in LA last week and he finally answered some big questions about what's been going on in regards to his film and TV career. Boreanaz said that he had read and done a screen test for "Superman", but there has been no word on that as yet. He did confirm he recently met with Christopher Nolan and the topic of Batman did come up, but there is nothing set in stone as he has yet to see a script. "Angel" is about finished shooting, and if the new season goes ahead there'll be some major changes including several character deaths and the introduction of new characters. Boreanaz will also appear in the last two episodes of "Buffy". Thanks also to 'I Feel Like a Backpacker Tonight'. dark horizons

'Buffy's' Brendon Takes Fox Pilot Dip
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" co-star Nicolas Brendon has been added to Fox's comedy pilot "The Pool at Maddy Breakers," while "Roswell" star Katherine Heigl has been cast in UPN's drama presentation "Vegas Dick."

Meanwhile, Stacy Galina has been tapped as the female lead in NBC's untitled Howie Mandel comedy pilot, Jon Tenney has been cast in the WB Network's comedy pilot "Sixteen to Life" and Tessie Santiago has joined UPN's "Old School."

"Maddy Breakers" revolves around three 28-year-old women who struggle with the reality that they peaked in high school.

Brendon will play the ex-boyfriend from high school and current friend for one of the women, with Eric Nenninger (Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle") and Matt Bushell cast as the exes of the other women. Brendon plays the sardonic Xander on "Buffy," which will bow out next month after seven seasons.

"Vegas Dick" centers on a former con man who becomes a casino detective. Heigl will play the guy's boss, the daughter of the hotel and casino owner who serves as the hotel and casino's manager.

In addition to her starring turn on "Roswell," which ran on the WB and UPN, Heigl's credits include the features "Valentine" and "Bride of Chucky." She next appears in ABC's TV movie/backdoor pilot "Romy and Michele: Behind the Velvet Rope." source reuters

Seth Green Joins Scooby Two
Charles Roven, one of the producers of the upcoming Scooby-Doo sequel film, told SCI FI Wire that filmmakers have cast Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) in a key role. The casting marks a reunion of sorts between Green—who played the werewolf, Oz, on UPN's Buffy—and former castmate Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy), who reprises the role of Daphne in the Scooby sequel.

The sequel reunites Scooby-Doo stars Gellar; her real-life husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. (Fred); Matthew Lillard (Shaggy); and Linda Cardellini (Velma) in a new mystery adventure set for release on March 26, 2004. Raja Gosnell again directs. Source scifiwire

9th April Actor gets the word out on stuttering
Nicholas Brendon is best known for his role as the wisecracking Xander on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." But a speech disorder almost thwarted the actor's rise to stardom -- when he was about 8 years old he realized he stuttered.

Brendon says his career continues to help him keep his stutter at bay. "When I'm acting, it's easier. The lines are on a piece of paper... so it's easier to not stutter. When I'm in life, it's a free fall."

When I spoke with Brendon, I didn't notice a speech impediment and I told him so. His response: "You should be in my head right now... I've had to work on being a slow talker."

But Brendon is not slow to share his experiences with others. He has been a spokesman for the Stuttering Foundation of America for two years in a row. "I would do it every year if they ask me," he says, "because stuttering is a very lonely place to be." source Cnn and Les!
 

 6th April "Alien Alteration"
"Retouching cover shots of stars is all the rage in the magazine world, but 'Seventeen' may have gone overboard when it tied to disguise a stock photo of Sarah Michelle Gellar with digital alterations via Photostop.  Gellar thought she looked other-worldly on the May cover. Her lawyer, Marty Singer, told WWD" 'It looks like an alien foot attached to her arm.'  Then 'Seventeen' compounded its sins by sending Gellar, an animal- rights advocate, a $3,445 green ostrich-skin Prada bag. One insider snickered, 'What they should have gotten was a Birkin bag' --- which is even more expensive.  'If you're going to try to make up with her, at least make it the best.' Singer said the bag is being returned." Page Six" from "The New York Post" 3 April 2003, written by Richard Johnson with Paula Froehlich and Chris Wilson. Thanks to Les

29th March Charisma's Little Angel **Spoilers**
Unencumbered by centuries of bloodlust, blinding visions or demon spawn, Charisma Carpenter successfully gave birth to a baby boy on Monday.

It's a first child for the WB star and hubby Damian Hardy. The newborn made his debut into a vamp-free Hell-Ay late Monday, nearly a week after Carpenter's original due date.

"Baby and mother are doing very well," said a rep for the actress. No other details were released.

Carpenter, 32, and the baby's father, a psychology major at Santa Monica College, wed in a shotgun ceremony in Las Vegas last October attended only by their immediate families. The couple was waiting for baby to make three before throwing a glitzier bash in Tinseltown.

Mom and Dad reportedly met five or six years ago, dated, got engaged, broke up and then got back together (at least nine months ago by our calculations).

Carpenter, 32, is best known for playing head case Cordelia Chase first on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and currently on Angel, where her visions direct the demon-fighting group to Los Angelenos in trouble. Cordelia spent much of this season on a higher plane (i.e., out of sight) because of her real-life pregnancy, until it was revealed that Cordy (or at least her evil double) was preggers with Connor's baby--Connor being Angel's bundle of broodiness who grew up faster than any TV kid in tube history.

Born in Las Vegas, Carpenter kicked her heels up as a San Diego Chargers cheerleader in 1991 before moving to Los Angeles where she caught the attention of TV titan Aaron Spelling, who cast her in the short-lived series Malibu Shores.

The following year, the thespian auditioned for the title role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (news - Y! TV) but wound up being cast as snotty Cordelia instead. The move paid off for Carpenter, who got Buffy's true love all to herself in 1999, when she and David Boreanaz left to star in their own spinoff series, now in its fourth season.

Carpenter is expected to return to work soon, albeit briefly, to wrap up the season. It's possibly the series' last--Angel wasn't among the slate of six shows given an early pick up date by the WB this week.
 

26th March Buffy Fans Pay Tribute To Spike
Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer have bid actor JJames Marsters farewell with a full-page advertisement in Hollywood trade paper Daily Variety.
The longrunning Sarah Michelle Gellar-fronted show is set to come to an end in May and fans of Marsters' character Spike have taken the opportunity to thank the actor for his efforts.

The ad, paid for by the Thank You James Ad Campaign, reads,"Over the course of six years, as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, we watched as you took a monster and made him into a man.  "You delighted us, thrilled us, made us laugh, and broke our hearts, but above all, you made us believe.

"The many fans of James Marsters the world over would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his invaluable contributions to the universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his unflagging generosity towards his fans."  source teenhollywood

Those Batman Rumours
David Boreanaz, who stars in television's "Angel" tried out for the role. The casters quite liked David, and believing that his series mightn't be coming back for another season - was eager to do it. But at the 11th hour, word was through that his series would be continuing and he wouldn't have time to do the film. There are rumours that they liked David though, so are considering him for the next "Batman" movie which "Memento" genius, Chris Nolan is doing. An official announcement should be through on that shortly

19th March Willow Sets Up Angel
David Boreanaz, who stars in The WB's vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that this week's episode, guest starring Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Alyson Hannigan, sets up Boreanaz's upcoming crossover to Buffy. Hannigan's character, Willow, appears in the March 19 episode to help deal with Angelus, Angel's evil alter ego.

As for Hannigan's guest spot on Angel, Boreanaz said it was nice to see her work with real-life fiance Alexis Denisof, who plays Wesley. "It's good to see her and Alexis together, since the two of them are getting married in real life," Boreanaz said. "It was good to see her and have her back into the swing of our story. ... They were loving it. I'm sure that any chance you have an opportunity to work with somebody you're so close to really brings out really fun chemistry and a strong sense of relationship, and that definitely shows." source scifiwire

Surprises Coming For Angel
David Boreanaz, star of The WB's Angel, told SCI FI Wire to expect a Firefly guest star and a few surprises as the season winds up. Gina Torres, who played Zoe on Fox's defunct SF western Firefly, will appear in upcoming episodes, Boreanaz said in an interview.

Boreanaz added to expect the Angel gang once again to be uprooted. "Our living conditions, everything's going to change," he said cryptically. "I think we will probably be finding somewhere else to motivate ourselves." The original Angel Investigations apartment building was blown up in an earlier series finalesource scifiwire

4th March James 'Spike' Marsters as Tarkin?
According to Dark Horizons, James Marsters (Spike on TV's "Buffy") is being rumoured for the role of a young Grand Moff Tarkin (played by Peter Cushing in the 1977 original). Definitely possible, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer coming to a halt this season.

23rd February Torres Guests On Angel  *spoilers*
Longtime genre TV staple Gina Torres (Firefly, Alias) will guest star in three upcoming episodes of The WB's Angel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Torres will reportedly play a "godlike" being who's been the guiding hand behind recent events on the show, the trade paper reported. source scifiwire

Michelle Trachtenberg Summary From 25 Feb. "Caroline Rhea Show"
Michelle Trachtenberg was a guest on "The Caroline Rhea Show" on NBC on 25 February. She was wearing a purple sweater, black pants and black boots. Her hair is rather dark brown and shoulder-length. She's going to be 18 in October.

She's a senior and very much looking forward to her prom and graduation. She's applied to Yale, the University of California and other "Ivy League" (upper end) colleges.  She said her goal is to be a producer and director.

She was asked if there will be a spin-off from "Buffy...and whether she'll be the star, to which she answered "I don't know!"

She said she has a bit of a cold, but in that regard, she said that Sarah Michelle Gellar always watches out for her, brings her tea, etc.

Caroline said she's one of "People Magazine's" "20 Teens Who Will Change the World." In that regard, Michelle said she takes no drugs and doesn't drink...it isn't her...and suggests being "naturally high" is the best thing. Her other advice is to be yourself and go for your goals.

Michelle said she's going to be making a film in Prague this summer about a group of teens and their adventures...no name of the film or any more details were given.

Michelle was asked if she watched any of the reality shows now on. She said yes, but she felt very negatively about the show called "Are You Hot?" She thought it was demeaning that the girls had to be subjected to one of the judges who uses a laser pointer. She said the best advice she can give to girls as far as being hot is to have confidence.  Thanks to Les for the summary!!!

Gellar Will Exit 'Buffy' in May
Concluding months of Internet speculation, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar will indeed be hanging up her wooden stakes come May at the conclusion of the show's seventh season.

While Gellar has given Entertainment Weekly an exclusive regarding her departure for its March 7 issue, sources close to the UPN series confirm to Zap2it.com that the actress will not be part of the cast should "Buffy" return in the fall.

Much about the fate of the show remains up in the air. Core cast members Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon have both said they believe it's the final year for the show, but no official word has come down from "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon, UPN or producer 20th Century Fox.

Rumors of a possible spin-off still run rampant, although the most likely candidate -- based on the character of Buffy's fellow slayer Faith -- now seems iffy at best since actress Eliza Dushku (who plays the recurring role on both "Buffy" and "Angel") has signed on for a drama pilot with FOX. source zap2it

Dushku, Padalecki to Star in Pilots
The good news for fans of Eliza Dushku and Jared Padalecki is that they might have regular roles on TV come fall. They just might not be on the shows where viewers are accustomed to seeing them.

Padalecki, meanwhile, is staying in The WB fold with "MacGyver," an update of the 1980s series. He will play the nephew of the original MacGyver -- played by Richard Dean Anderson on the ABC show -- who's brought into his uncle's Phoenix Foundation, a think tank/crime-fighting organization.  source zap2it

Angel Battles Angelus  *spoilers*
Angel star David Boreanaz told Entertainment Weekly Online that an upcoming episode will feature his eponymous character battling an inner demon in the most literal sense. "There's an episode coming up where I'll be playing Angel and Angelus side by side," Boreanaz told the site. "And they battle each other. It's cool, like Adaptation."

Boreanaz also hinted that the end of the season will contain a surprising twist. "We're coming to a point in the show now where all of the questions about the Big Bad are about to be answered, which is strange for all of us, because there's a big twist happening. And all I can tell you is that it's really weird." source scifiwire

Buffy Goes Blair Witch  *spoilers*
Tom Lenk, who plays the nerdy Andrew in UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that the Feb. 25 episode, "Storyteller," will have his character shooting a video documentary of the Scooby Gang. "The writers call it a Lenk-tastic episode," Lenk said in an interview. "It's all about Andrew documenting everything that happens in the Buffy household. He talks to the camera and whatnot, sort of Blair Witch-style meets Waiting for Guffman."

The episode includes Lenk's first-person segments. "It's a normal Buffy [episode] intercut with lots of video footage," Lenk said. "So you see the footage of the actual documentary that I'm making, in addition to flashbacks and dream sequences." Lenk added that he's concerned that the audience may not be ready for him to star in an episode. "I am a little concerned that perhaps I'm not funny in large doses. We'll see. It will be the test."

Angel To Visit Buffy?
The WB and UPN will apparently allow a crossover between the frog network's Angel and the smackdown network's Buffy the Vampire Slayer if Buffy ends this year, as speculated, sources told TV Guide Online. Angel (David Boreanaz) would appear in the series finale of Buffy in May, should the series end its run then, the sources told the site.

As far as the future of Angel, a WB spokesperson told TV Guide that a decision will come in May. Boreanaz told the site that he is "confident that we'll have another season. I think that the show has done remarkably well for the network, and we've proven to have a [loyal] following."

Gellar getting 'Romantic' for MGM, Gallen
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar is in negotiations to topline MGM's "Romantic Comedy" for director Joel Gallen. Production is aimed to begin in August after Gellar wraps production on the sequel to Warner Bros. Pictures' "Scooby-Doo," which sees Gellar reprise her role of Daphne Blake. "Romantic Comedy" reunites Gellar with Gallen -- Gellar co-hosted last year's MTV Movie Awards, which Gallen produced. "Romantic" puts a spin on romantic comedies as a young man named Max tries to win the affections of the girl he loves (Gellar) by copying romantic movie moments. Gellar plays Kate, Max's best friend who works as a translator at the United Nations. Kate, who has been friends with Max for 15 years, is blind to the fact that he is still stuck on her. Bob Cooper, Chuck Weinstock and Marc Platt are producing the project. Rob Green, Lance Khazei and Laura Lichstein are co-producing. Khazei, Jeff Lowell, Barra Garant and Bob Harting wrote the script. Gellar, repped by ICM, the Firm and attorney Debbie Klein, has starred in such features as "Cruel Intentions," "Scream 2" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer."  source hollywoodreporter

9th February Buffy Faith Spinoff Mulled
Christopher Buchanan—president of Mutant Enemy, the production company behind UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer—told SCI FI Wire that producers are considering a spinoff starring Eliza Dushku as the renegade Slayer Faith, but that no deals have been signed yet. "I believe that's something that's being bounced around, along with other things, too," Buchanan said in an interview.

Though Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar has made no official announcements yet, it's expected that she won't sign up for more Buffy once her contract expires at the end of the current seventh season. Speculation has centered on whether UPN will renew the series without Gellar or seek a spinoff. source scifiwire

Darkness Sequel Mulled
Darkness Falls producer John Hegeman, who is pleased with the supernatural horror film's box office, told SCI FI Wire that the filmmakers are mulling a sequel. "I think everyone ... would love to see Darkness Falls turn into a franchise property," Hegeman said in an interview. "And that's one of the reasons why we tried to really lay out a strong mythology and create a very identifiable core character."

Hegeman added that the main cast members, including Chaney Kley and Emma Caulfield, have expressed interest in returning for a second installment.

Caulfield Expects to Die as Anya Leaves 'Buffy'
The 29-year-old actress has played Anya Emerson, a loyal comrade to Sarah Michelle Gellar's vampire-fighting Buffy on the show since she appeared in 1999. Now, Caulfield is branching into movies, most recently with the gothic horror film "Darkness Falls" where she plays the sister to a boy who has nightmares about a tooth fairy who kills.

As far as she's heard, she says the future of the eighth season is still "up in the air" with the rest of the cast, but she says with a smile, "As for me, I'm definitely Audi 5000."

25th January Willow To Visit Angel
Alyson Hannigan, who plays Willow on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that her character will cross over onto The WB's spinoff series Angel in an upcoming episode. "I’m doing Angel tomorrow," Hannigan said in an interview at the Jan. 22 premiere of Darkness Falls, starring Buffy regular Emma Caulfield. "I don’t think I can actually say [what Willow is doing in L.A.], but a little crossover is happening." It'll mark Hannigan's first appearance on Angel since she became engaged to Angel regular Alexis Denisof over the 2002 holidays.

As for Buffy, Hannigan added that pop singer Ashanti will guest star in a future episode. "She did a guest appearance, and [there will be] just more chaos, hopefully," Hannigan said.

With Buffy possibly coming to an end this season, Hannigan said she was unsure if she would return after May’s season finale. "It completely depends on [creator] Joss [Whedon] and his involvement, because if he walks away, then I’m going to beg him to take me with him. I think this is the last year. It feels like the last year." Would she do a spinoff show centered around Willow? "I don't know," she said.  www.scifi.com

Caulfield Falls For Darkness
Emma Caulfield, who makes her feature-film debut in the upcoming horror film Darkness Falls, told SCI FI Wire that she took the role solely for the chance to work with director Jonathan Liebesman. "I really wanted to work with Jonathan," Caulfield said in an interview while promoting the film. "I had seen a short film that he had done, and even though there wasn't any script or anything at the time, ... I said, 'Wow, I'd go get the guy coffee.' Because I really wanted to work with him. It was just amazing. Visually arresting."

In the film, Caulfield plays the sister of a young boy who is being hunted by the malicious spirit of a woman once known as "The Tooth Fairy." Despite the horrific elements, Caulfield said she would classify the film as more of a psychological thriller. "I didn't see it as a horror film," she said. "I mean, old-school, maybe, horror. But not like a slasher horror film. It's definitely not a Friday the 13th or anything like that. You hear a lot. You think you see a lot, but you don't really see a lot, because it's so quickly cut and it's so dark." Darkness Falls opens Jan. 24. scifiwire

Nicholas Brendon Not Moving To Angel
The manager for Nicholas Brendon (Xander on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) released a statement denying recent rumors that Xander would move over to The WB's spinoff series Angel, according to Dark Horizons. "Nick will absolutely not be going over to Angel. The possibility has never been entertained, nor would Nick be interested if it had been mentioned."

15th January Angel Cast Has Faith *Spoilers*
Amy Acker, who plays Fred in The WB's Angel, told SCI FI Wire that the cast is currently shooting the first of three episodes that will feature the return of the errant Slayer Faith, played once more by Eliza Dushku. "Right now, we have Faith on the show, and she's doing three episodes with us, and then she's going to [UPN's] Buffy [the Vampire Slayer] to do five episodes there," Acker said in an interview. "So that's sort of the closest thing to a crossover we've had. We're in the middle of it."

Denisof added, "I love her character, and she's great to work with. She just gives you so much, and she's spontaneous and fun and dangerous, and it's a blast. I'm always happy when they put our characters together. Because I think exciting things happen when our characters are together." source scifiwire

14th January Buffy Mates Engaged
Angel co-star Alexis Denisof told SCI FI Wire that he became formally engaged to former Buffy the Vampire Slayer castmate Alyson Hannigan (Willow) over the Christmas break. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world right now," a beaming Denisof said in an interview at The WB's winter press preview. "Sorry. She's mine. All mine! Ha ha ha ha!"

The couple have set a tentative September or October date for the nuptials, which will likely take place in California, Denisof said. Meanwhile, he said, "We're both working on our shows, and she's also doing the third American Pie movie, so ... I won't actually see her until March [laughs]. So if we can manage to plan a wedding, then we'll be doing pretty well, yeah. But we're shooting for September or October if possible." source scifi wire

Hallett Upped At Angel
Andy Hallett, who plays green-skinned Lorne on The WB's Angel, told SCI FI Wire that he's becoming a regular cast member, starting with the vampire series' upcoming 14th episode. "They just announced it two days ago," Hallett said in an interview Jan. 11 during the network's winter press preview. "So you'll be seeing more of Lorne, which I never expected, by the way." Hallett, who had only been a recurring player, will also appear in revamped credits opening the show.

Hallett added, "I was originally signed on for, like, two episodes at the very beginning. And yesterday or the day before was my 48th episode. And then I got a wonderful call from [series co-creator] Joss Whedon, ... and I was absolutely stunned. He caught me totally off guard. And he said, 'I want to let you know that we're making you a regular for the back nine episodes of this season.' ... They've been using me a lot anyway, so I kind of anticipated being with them for the duration, but I really wasn't sure. So this just really solidified it." source scifi wire

Buffy Future Uncertain
Executives at both UPN and its parent, CBS, told reporters that no decision has been made on the future of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, currently in its seventh season. Star Sarah Michelle Gellar has hinted she might not come back after her contract expires at the end of the current season, but hasn't definitively said she's out.

Added Leslie Moonves, president and chief executive officer of CBS, "One possibility, she comes back. One possibility, she comes back a couple of times. One possibility is we do a spinoff. Another possibility is we have a brand-new show Tuesday at 8 o'clock, and all of them right now are possible."source scifi wire

Gellar And Prinze Have Second Honeymoon
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. have made up for their post-wedding problems by going on a second honeymoon.

The Scooby-Doo co-stars, who wed in a lavish September 1st ceremony in Mexico, had their first few days as man and wife thwarted when bad weather hit their honeymoon area and Gellar suffered a stomach bug.

The pair made up for it with a romantic 11-day getaway to the ritzy Four Seasons Resort on the idyllic Hawaiian island of Maui starting Christmas Day.
They started in a two-bedroom, ocean-view suite, setting them back $900 a night.

But all honeymoons must come to an end - Gellar headed back to the set of her hit show Buffy on January 6th while Prinze is set to tread the boards of London's West End to star in the play This is Our Youth with American Pie hunk Chris Klein. source teen hollywood

14th December Buffy Wants Bond Role
Halle Berry's bid to become the first female James Bond has been challenged - by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Gellar lightheartedly revealed that she too is fighting for the 007 role once current incumbent Pierce Brosnan gives up the famous part - despite competition from Berry, who impressed as Jinx in current Bond Die Another Day.

The newlywed says, "I want to see more women action stars. I don't see why James Bond has to be a man all the time.  "When Pierce Brosnan retires I'm going to be the next Bond." soruce teentelevision.com


FIREFLY STRIKE - NO END IN SIGHT  (Joke Article)
The Firefly strike has entered its fifth week, with cast and crew refusing to film any more episodes until they secure a 40% rise in their Gingham allowance. Speaking on behalf of Joss Whedon, Andy Gilchrist said: "The executives are threatening the very fabric of this show!"
A spokesperson for FOX remained defiant: "It might sound a little controversial but we want to scale-down the gingham. As a result we have promised to order a further 13 episodes with an increased budget of 11% if - and only if - the show begins a process of rapid modernisation. It's supposed to be the 29th century, for christsake! They need to ditch the gingham for jumpsuits and swap the horses for spaceships. Then we'll talk".

This strike had been brewing long before the first episode had even aired, with Gary Turtleneck, 'man in charge of providing sound effects in space', downing his mouse and walking out on the very first day of post-production. Since then things have just got worse, with some directors finishing episodes in the wrong order, just to piss off the executives at FOX.

Keep-fit guru Diana Moran (formerly of BBC Breakfast Time) is scheduled to fly out to LA later this week in an effort to help break the deadlock. Stay tuned...  source trachyontv

More On Glenn Quinn Death
Glenn Quinn, best known for his recurring role on the sitcom "Roseanne" and a former co-star on "Angel," has died. He was 32.  Quinn was found dead of a possible drug overdose Dec. 3, authorities said Friday. An official cause of death was pending an autopsy and toxicology reports.

Born in Dublin, Quinn joined the cast of "Roseanne" in its third season, playing Becky Connor's boyfriend and later husband, Mark Healy.  He later co-starred as the half-demon Doyle on "Angel," a spinoff of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" that debuted in 1999.

Although most of his roles required him to hide his Irish accent, "Angel" was his first performance in which he could speak naturally.  "When you get to speak Irish, you become more at one with yourself, you kind of have a spark when you use it, and I think it's a great dialect," he said at the time.

Born in 1970, Quinn moved to the United States in 1988 with his mother and two sisters.  He made his feature film debut with a supporting role as a drummer in the 1991 John Travolta movie "Shout," in which he shared an on-screen kiss with Gwyneth Paltrow. He went on to appear in the films "Dr. Giggles," "Live Nude Girls" and "Campfire Tales."

He also appeared in the TV movies "Call Me Anna" and "Silhouette" and co-starred in "Covington Cross," a short-lived, historical-fantasy series, which aired in the United Kingdom and on ABC in 1992. Most recently, he co-starred in "At Any Cost," a 2000 VH1 movie.  He is survived by his mother, Bernadette, and two sisters, Sonya and Louisa. source hearaldtribune

Fox Squashes "Firefly"
Fox's struggling sci-fi series, masterminded by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, just got sucked into the TV equivalent of a black hole.

The official word from a Fox spokesperson is that the series in on hiatus, which is usually network-speak for virtual death but keeps open the possiblity for a return to the schedule. However, sources close the production say the show has indeed been canceled.

Firefly, which chronicled the adventures of a band of space pirates aboard the ship Serenity, never took off. Set 500 years in the future, the series was part sci-fi fantasy, part old-fashioned Western and all dud--it averaged a measly 4.7 million viewers and ranked 98th in the Nielsen season-to-date ratings.

The original two-hour pilot, which never aired, will play December 20. All told, the network has aired 10 hours of the series. Three hour-long episodes remain unaired.   In the meantime, over-the-top undercover series Fastlane will take over Firefly's Friday night spot at 8 p.m.

"Obviously we're very disapointed because we love the show and think it's one of the best TV shows on the air," says Chris Buchanan, president of Mutant Enemy, which produced the series. "We will be exploring every possible way to keep the show on the air, whether it's on Fox or another network."

Series creator Whedon could not be reached for comment.

Fox had been expecting huge things from Firefly, considering Whedon's hit-filled track record. The prolific writer, producer and director had previously scored with Buffy and its spinoff, Angel. The 38-year-old Whedon also created the big-screen version of Buffy and wrote screenplays for Toy Story and Alien Resurrection.   Perhaps sensing the axe was ready to fall, a group of Whedon die-hards calling themselves Firefly: Immediate Assistance purchased an ad in Variety last Monday in support of the now defunct series.

Buchanan said the good will was mutual. "We love our fans. The fans are so important to Joss, and he just wants them to know that we're fighting the good fight to keep the show on the air."   Even though Fox has bailed on Firefly, there's a remote chance it could surface on another network, perhaps the WB (where Angel resides) or UPN (the place Buffy calls home).  source eonline
 

Gellar Offered Big Bucks to stay "Buffy"
Sarah Michelle Gellar is being offered a lucrative deal to stay on as Buffy The Vampire Slayer- despite her intention to quit the hit TV show.
The 25-year-old actress is set to ditch the long-running series in favor of a Hollywood film career when her seven-year contract runs out at the end of the present series. source teentv
 

27th November Angel Vamp Turns Good Girl
So far, Julie Benz has a lousy track record with on-screen motherhood. Hell, as vampiress Darla, she staked herself during childbirth on the WB's Angel! Next up, Benz plays a woman whose husband and son are repeatedly abducted by aliens in Taken (debuting tonight at 9 pm/ET on Sci Fi Channel). Despite the fantastic nature of Steven Spielberg's miniseries, she admits to finding the role of a 1950s housewife refreshingly normal.
"It was nice to play a woman," laughs Benz, who first encountered alien life as a recurring character on Roswell. "It was really nice for me to be part of a sci-fi project where I didn't actually have to be part of the sci-fi aspect. I'm always the vampire or the FBI agent. I'm always the one who's in it."

Even so, she does miss Darla, and the kooky cult following that came with playing her. "She was an amazing character," Benz says. But fans shouldn't get their hopes up for Angel's undead ex to rise from the grave again. "You never know with [Angel producers] David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon," she muses. "They would never use Darla's return as a ratings stunt. It would cheapen everything we've established. So it would have to be a really good plotline and a really good reason to bring her back. I think they've explored her to the hilt."

Fresh from shooting Disney's George of the Jungle 2, Benz has happily traded her fangs for a funny bone. "When I started in the business, I was a comedy girl," she explains. "It was nice after years of tearing out my heart and stomping on it, and dying so many times, to be able to show up at work and make people laugh." source tvguide.com
 

ON THE PERSONAL SIDE
It's a wedding and a pregnancy for Charisma Carpenter, who stars as David Boreanaz's love interest on the WB's "Angel."

Charisma does say that as she enters her sixth month of pregnancy, she's feeling fine and is eager to keep working. "As far as I'm concerned, barring any health restrictions, my water could break on the set." source dailynews.com

Prinze Jr's Diet Hassles From Wife
Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is so determined to ensure her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. eats healthily, she's taken full control of his diet.  The petite beauty has started implementing spot checks to make sure her hunky beau and "Scooby-Doo" co-star's eating habits are just the way she wants them, say sources.

Sources say that it was Sarah asking what he was eating and then scolding him when she found out. When he hung up, 26-year-old Freddie changed his order to a salad.  As he came close to finishing his salad, the phone rang again, this time with Sarah wanting to speak to one of Freddie's dining partners to check that he did eat the salad. source teenhollywood.com

20th November Ripper Still Possible
Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Giles on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that plans are still in the works for a British spinoff series based on his character, despite reports that the show was on hold. "I had lunch with Jane Root, who's head of BBC 2, shortly before I came out [to Los Angeles], and we talked briefly about it," Head said in an interview. "Jane still wants to do it. And still thinks we will do it. But everybody knows, basically, that [Buffy creator] Joss [Whedon] is absolutely strapped at the moment. I mean, bless his heart."

Birds Flags; Firefly Flies
The WB is not expected to order more episodes of its fledgling Birds of Prey series beyond an initial 13, Variety reported. But Fox has ordered two more episodes of its struggling SF series Firefly from creator Joss Whedon (UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer), raising its season total to 15, the trade paper reported. Fox had already ordered up six scripts beyond the initial order of 13 episodes. Meanwhile, Firefly has aired eight original episodes, and the show has averaged a meager 2.2 rating and 8 share among adults 18-49, with 4.8 million viewers, the trade paper reported. Whedon himself is directing an upcoming episode of the series, about a ragtag band of survivors of an intergalactic civil war 500 years in the future. source scifiwire

Head: Buffy Ending Soon
Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Giles on UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that he believes the show will end at the end of the current seventh season. "It's not winding down. It's coming to an end," Head said in a telephone interview. "It's gone its full [course]. ... [Creator Joss Whedon has] brought it really neatly back into a full cycle. It's come back to the high school. And in terms of telling Buffy's story, in terms of saying how she has learned to deal with her gifts, if you like, and how it's affected her life and also the lives of all around her, it's ... reached the end of the story. ... It's not a surprise to anybody who's working on the show that it feels absolutely right."

Head is back in Los Angeles to shoot several episodes in which his character returns to Sunnydale. It's unclear how many more episodes Head will do, though he's believed to have committed to at least 10 this season. "We're in debate at the moment ... because I've got to go back ... to England," he said. "And we're just ... looking at whether they need me to come back before Christmas or not. ... People keep asking me how long I'm here for, and I keep saying, 'I haven't the vaguest idea.' And it's true. ... Sometimes it's useful for me to withdraw and not be here to help out. And sometimes it's useful for me to help out. I do know that my first big scene back, I had all the exposition. Give the English guy the big words."source scifiwire

17th November Charisma Carpenter Pregnant
Charisma Carpenter, star of the WB's Angel, is pregnant, according to Charisma-Carpenter.com.   The baby is due in March and will be the first child for the 32-year-old actress and her husband, Damian Hardy.   The production of Angel continues uninterrupted. Several script changes have been made to incorporate the pregnancy into the current storyline.   Carpenter married Hardy, aspiring actor and model, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two met in acting class and previously dated for several years. source Charisma-Carpenter.com

13th November Buffy Mom Dead Again *Contains Spoilers*
Kristine Sutherland, whose character makes a surprise reappearance in the Nov. 12 episode of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that she wasn't surprised to get the call to come back to the show. Series creator Joss Whedon "is always commenting that death is relatively meaningless in Sunnydale," Sutherland said in an interview. "And I knew that I would be coming back at some point this year. So it wasn't a surprise, but I was certainly delighted."

Life for man in 'Buffy' murder
A Swansea man has been jailed for life after he admitted murdering his neighbour in a row over the TV programme Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Swansea Crown Court heard how Richard Cullen, 44, killed and raped Elizabeth Simms-Rees, 21, in his house in June after they argued over the cult TV show.   Cullen was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court

Cullen had said he liked one of the characters.   But when Miss Simms-Rees criticised his choice, he launched a ferocious attack and killed her. She lived alone in the same street and her body was discovered after Cullen walked into Swansea's main police station to report the death. source bbcnews

Spoilers you can read between seasons without spoiling your appetite:
Firefly: Who cares - it'll be cancelled next week anyway.  source trachtyntv

Benz Swings Into Jungle
Julie Benz (Angel) told SCI FI Wire that she recently finished shooting a role in the upcoming George of the Jungle 2, a sequel to the 1997 comedy-adventure starring Brendan Fraser. "I play George's wife, Ursula," Benz said in an interview. "I was looking for something a little more lighthearted for my next project, so that's what I chose to do."

6 November Casting News *Contains Spoilers*
Tom Lenk, who played one of the evil nerd trio on last season's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that he will return to the UPN series as Andrew in the Nov. 12 episode. "I'm coming back for sweeps," Lenk said in an interview. "I'll be back, and some major, very shocking stuff happens, and then I'll be doing some more episodes after that."

Tuesday 5th November HUFFY STAR
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar is a real slavedriver on the set. The series was filming an airport scene with 70 extras, who reported to work at 6 a.m. At 11, the petite powerhouse strutted in, looked around in disgust and snarled, "I can't BELIEVE we have to deal with these extras. I was ready to roll at 7. It took so long to get them ready that we're starting at 11. It lengthens my day." Can you say "prima donna?" source starmagazine.  Thanks Les!

SMG and Freddie Prinze Bicker
The honeymoon appears to be over for Buffy's Sarah Michelle Gellar and hubby Freddie Prinze Jnr.
The newlyweds - who tied the knot in Mexico in September - bickered non-stop at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York this week.
While Sarah, 25, happily posed for photographers, her 26-year-old hubby, in sombre mood, skulked behind her. He did not smile when she lovingly pulled him towards her for a picture and after a few seconds stormed off the red carpet, leaving her alone.  Our source said: "Freddie looked like the most miserable man on the planet.  "He started bickering with her the moment he arrived. You never would have guessed they have only just tied the knot."
And things got worse at the star-studded party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While Michelle was on a high after scooping an award for her "strength and success", her hubby slumped in a chair and ignored guests, including J-Lo, Sigourney Weaver, Hillary Clinton, Candace Bushnell and Alanis Morissette.  "He was frowning and scowling, with his back to her, and refused to join in any conversations," added our source.
"She was trying her best to cheer him up by stroking his back and repeatedly trying to include him." After less than an hour, he stood up, making it clear he wished to leave. Oh dear.  source The mirror

Glamour Girls Take Manhattan
On Oct. 28, Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick welcomed a baby boy into the world. That meant that duties at Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year awards were left to some of the other glamorous gals of Hollywood. On hand to honor some of their own were Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Lopez, Katie Couric, Ed's Julie Bowen, and Nia Vardalos.  Tough girl Gellar was on hand to pick up her Woman of the Year award and put to bed rumors that her hit show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was being put out to pasture. "I read that this morning in the paper. It was the first I'd read about that as well. There have been absolutely no decisions made. Conversations haven't even begun," Sarah told Access.

Hubby Freddie Prinze Jr. was standing by his bride and gearing up for his own big moment -- guest starring as the new nanny that Ross and Rachel hire on Friends. Freddie was pretty tight-lipped about his storyline, but he did reveal one tidbit. "I'm extremely sensitive and Ross thinks I may be gay."

23rd October Boffins get their teeth into Buffy
Buffy is to be discussed by academics  Academics are set to discuss the success of television's Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The conference at the University of East Anglia in Norwich (UEA) on Saturday and Sunday will give people the chance to discuss and deconstruct the popular cult television series which stars Sarah Michelle Gellar.

According to co-organiser Claire Thomson, of the UEA, the Blood, Text and Fears conference has attracted a huge volume of interest.

"We were astonished to be inundated with submissions from scholars of all ages and degrees of distinction, from all over the world," she said.  We might ask for example how and why TV shows become commercial, multi-media and international phenomena

Experts on film, drama, education, sociology, linguistics experts, law, philosophy and theology, will present their perspectives on Buffy and its successful spin-off series Angel.   Co-organiser Scott MacKenzie said: "One aim is to investigate the cultural significance of the two shows.

Student investigates scary Buffy
A postgraduate student is planning to spend the next six years watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer videos as part of a thesis on screen monsters.

"I will have to watch hours of videos back to back - it's a hard life"  As part of his PhD thesis Ian Stratton, 24, from Bath in the UK will sit through hours of his favourite horror movies and scary TV series.   "I will have to watch hours of videos back to back. It's a hard life," said the part-time arts and humanities student, who is studying at Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education.

"As well as watching lots of videos, I will be reading very thick, dusty books on theoretical psychoanalysis by Freud as you can't really do one without the other," he added.

Stratton has until 2007 to research the psychology behind fictional monsters.   "My main topic of interest will be monsters in film and television over the last decade and researching why civilised 21st century society still needs these creatures," he said.

"I want to find out about different kinds of monsters, from the bug-eyed kind in classic 1950s films to the more human kind like Hannibal Lecter.  "I have also been reading Gothic literature like Frankenstein. It reflects social and cultural issues at the time as Frankenstein was a reaction against science.

"I am particularly interested in Buffy as it has got some good, very real characters who do amazing things for the greater good.  "I like the TV series because the good guys don't always win - and besides anything, it's got great special effects."  Stratton graduated from the Gloucestershire college a year ago with a first in media communications.

He lists his top five scary films and TV shows as:
1. Halloween - "Jamie Lee Curtis can't be beaten."
2. Silence of the Lambs - "The scariest monster is the kind that could be sitting next to you in the cinema."
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - "It looks fantastic."
4. Angel - "The darker spin-off from Buffy."
5. Dr Who - "I remember how much those plastic creatures terrified me as a seven-year-old."
source bbc news and thanks to Les

 

19 October Scooby Doo To Become A Trilogy
It looks like SCOOBY DOO will now become a trilogy. VARIETY has reported that Warner Brothers has hired writers Dan Foreman and Paul Foley to compose a third installment of the SCOOBY DOO franchise.

Foreman and Foley were chosen for the third SCOOBY after completing another franchise-oriented script, THE JETSON’S, also in development at Warners.   The sequel is currently scheduled for release in 2004.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Gets 'Dirrty'
Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar gave fans a thrill on Saturday night, when she performed an even dirtier version of Christina Aguilera's raunchy video "Dirrty." The Scooby-Doo beauty made her third appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend, where she performed a number of wacky sketches. But the segment which really got fans sitting up in their seats was the actress's own rendition of the "Dirrty" video, which Aguilera made with rapper Redman. Dressed in a blonde wig and a raunchy outfit, Gellar, in character as Aguilera, said, "I'm really excited about Redman being in my video because he's so dirty. We had sex a bunch of times but we never met formally. I feel so free with this video because when people see this, they're gonna stop seeing me as a bubblegum music industry 'ho and start seeing me as an actual 'ho!" And Aguilera's many suggestions during the take-off scene included calls for more urine in the fog machine to make the video more 'dirty' before Gellar chimed in: "It just ain't skanky enough. I ain't no director, but I could ride somebody's leg while they f**ted." But Gellar wasn't satisfied with the video's level of 'dirtiness' until the video's director, played by American funnyman Jimmy Fallon suggested that she don a "a large rubber baboon's a**" over her rear, which she cheekily flashed for cameras at the end of the sketch. When asked about why Gellar chose to do a parody of the promo she simply replied, "Have you seen the video?" source imdb

2nd October Joss Whedon Talks About The Future of Buffy and Working On Firefly
It looks like BUFFY creator Joss Whedon is still being mum on whether or not BUFFY will be returning for another season. When asked point blank during an interview promoting the release of the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER “Once More, With Feeling” soundtrack, Whedon had this smoke screen to throw out.

“It’s not true, but I am going to kill off all of the characters,” reveals Whedon. “So next year, it will be like [WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S, only it will be] WEEKEND AT BUFFY’s, people can manipulate them and move their hands around. It’s going to be a good time.”

When asked if Amber Benson’s character, Tara, will be returning this season, Whedon couldn’t officially comment on whether or not Tara would be returning, but expressed his interest in working with actress Amber Benson again.   “I can tell you nothing,” says Whedon. “I hope to see Amber again but [I cannot say] whether or not we [will] see Tara again.”

Whedon’s newest television creation, FIREFLY just completed its second episode. When asked how he was enjoying working on the show, Whedon expressed his love for the show.  “I love it,” says Whedon. “I think it’s brilliant. It’s going really well. [The pilot] was a completely different episode [than what was originally written]. We still have the (origninal) pilot and I really liked it. The cast and the crew are amazing. I am having a great time making it. I have no idea whether or not anybody’s watching it, but I’m loving it.” source cinescape

25th September Filmmaker, star, nervous wreck?
On the big screen at the Alabama Theatre, Amber Benson kissed a girl and cussed like a pirate.
Behind the theater curtain, she cringed.

"I kept thinking, 'I'm going to go to hell. I'm going to go to hell,' " Mountain Brook native Benson said after the world premiere of her movie, "Chance," Sunday afternoon. It was her directorial debut, shown as part of the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

Although she has been in such films as "The Crush" and "Bye Bye Love," Benson, 25, is best known for her role as Willow the witch's girlfriend, Tara, on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She wrote the script to "Chance," a 73-minute independent movie she also directed, produced and starred in. Dark with wicked humor, the movie centers on Benson's character, a 20-something named Chance who is trying to figure out the world, herself and love.

But making the film in Hollywood is one thing and debuting it in her hometown is another. Before the Sunday screening, Benson even apologized to the audience.   "You can rip into me for all the bad language; I apologize ahead of time," she said. "I didn't realize we would be bringing the movie to my hometown."

Benson was raised in Mountain Brook and attended Highland Day School, but moved to Los Angeles 11 years ago with her mother and younger sister. She has high cheekbones and deep-set, large blue eyes. Her hair is tangled and long, auburn in color and parted at the middle of her forehead. Her skin is flawless and she wears no makeup.

And she's amazed at the fans who turned out for the chance to see "Chance."

"Did you see the guy from Denmark or the people from Canada?" she asked backstage at the Alabama after the show was finished and she had signed all the autographs she could manage.   "My fans came from all over to see this premiere," she said, smiling. "They are so awesome."

"She appreciates her fans," said Stefanie Hager of Atlanta. "She doesn't strike me as the type of person who will forget about us as she becomes more famous."   Hager and her roommate, Darie Kidwell, who works as a secretary in the same Atlanta real estate firm as Hager, met Benson Saturday night at a film party and were impressed.

"She was so nice," the 26-year-old Hager said, her face beaming. "I had my picture taken with her."   Benson is not a superstar or even a household name. But she has an incredible fan base. There are oodles of Amber Benson Web sites, in many languages. As of June 12, there were 649 admitted Amberholics in the world, who chat in the Internet universe about how much they love this Alabama girl. You can even buy Amber merchandise, like bags and T-shirts.

When funds were low for "Chance," Benson went to her fans for help, selling glossy photos ($15 unsigned, $50 signed) to make up the difference.

"Chance" was shot over five weekends in the two-bedroom Los Angeles apartment she shares with her mother and younger sister. James Marsters, who plays the vampire Spike in "Buffy," had a major role in the movie.

Although debuting in her hometown rattled her a bit, Benson is hardly afraid to take chances. On "Buffy," Tara has a lesbian relationship with Willow, one of Buffy's friends. After Tara was shot to death last season, Willow went supernaturally ballistic and was bent on destroying the world before she was stopped.   "She's not your next Julia Roberts," Hager said.

"Yeah, she's your next indie goddess," said the 25-year-old Kidwell. "She's really grounded; what you see is what you get with her. She is real. That's what makes you want to be a fan."   Benson said she is not sure where "Chance" will go; it could make its way to large movie theaters or it might just be a quiet calling card for Benson to begin larger projects.

"I got sick of playing the love interest or the buxom girl at a party saying, 'Woo-hoo!' " Benson said. "I wanted to be in control of my own destiny."

Buffy Season 8 Mulled
Marti Noxon, executive producer of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that producers are already mulling options for how to continue the show beyond the upcoming seventh season, with or without star Sarah Michelle Gellar. Among the possibilities: a show centered on Buffy's little sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) or one centered on wayward slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), Noxon said in an interview. Gellar's contract expires at the end of the new season, and she has previously expressed doubts about returning full-time.

Noxon confirmed that Faith will return toward the end of the seventh season. But whether or not she's poised to replace Buffy "depends entirely on [Dushku]," who has an active film career, Noxon said. "But it's definitely a very interesting possibility. I know some fans ... are pretty excited about that. So we'll see. I mean, I can really see that show. I know what that show is. And so that's nice, you know? She's such a good character. And Eliza's very charismatic. So I can see what that show would be. But again, many, many hurdles. And I don't even know if Eliza's interested." Buffy kicks off its new season on Sept. 24 in its regular 8 p.m. ET/PT Tuesday time slot. soucre scifiwire

Noxon Sings About Buffy **contains spoilers**
Marti Noxon, executive producer of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, confirmed a few season-seven spoilers to SCI FI Wire—including one that she will reprise her singing role of the "parking ticket lady" from last season's critically acclaimed all-musical episode. "I actually will," Noxon said in an interview. "I cannot say [when]. The parking ticket lady will be singing. How funny is that? I'm going to make a small career of singing on Buffy and Angel."

Buffy kicks off its seventh season on Sept. 24. The CD soundtrack of last season's musical episode, "Once More With Feeling," hits stores that day as well. source scifiwire

20th September How SMG Paid For Her Wedding
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. didn’t have to dip into their own bank accounts to pay for their lavish wedding in Mexico.  The stars of “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer” and “Scooby Doo” were married earlier this month in Mexico and guests included former “Charmed” star Shannen Doherty and “West Wing”-er Dule Hill. But a source tells The Scoop that the Hollywood couple paid for the nuptials by selling photo rights to the British magazine Hello!

“There were extra costs associated with the wedding because Sarah and Freddie called in extra security to keep away the paparazzi,” says a source. The source says the photos will appear in a 15-page pictorial in the British mag, which is the equivalent of People, and that they were paid “in the six figures.”
A spokeswoman confirms that the couple is selling the photos to Hello!

“US magazine buzzed over a pre-wedding dinner in a helicopter the night before,” the spokeswoman Leslie Sloane tells The Scoop. “We had to move the wedding to another location. We figured after all that, they were going to get photos anyway and we might as well have some control.” Sloane didn’t comment on the amount the magazine paid for the photos, but says that if any money is left over after paying for the wedding, it will be donated to a charity that helps animals. source www.msnbc.com

New Buffy Dawns
Michelle Trachtenberg, who co-stars as Dawn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that it's too early to say whether or not the show's upcoming season will be its last and that it's also premature to assume Dawn would take center stage next year if the series were to forge on without star Sarah Michelle Gellar. "People ask me what do I see as the future of Buffy," the actress said in an interview. "Honestly, I view the future of Buffy as every next episode."

As to the rumors that Buffy might morph into Dawn the Vampire Slayer, Trachtenberg sounded open to the idea. "I'm a fan of Dawn," Trachtenberg said. "I like her as a character. I like playing her. I love the show. So whatever happens, it's up to Joss [Whedon, the series creator and executive producer]. I'd want the original heart of Buffy to be there. If there's one second where someone would doubt Buffy the Vampire Slayer, we probably shouldn't go on. But whatever they decide, I'll be here. I'll be thinking about Dawn and having fun." Buffy the Vampire Slayer begins its new season in the US Sept. 24 on UPN. source scifiwire

14th September Newlyweds Sarah and Freddie Hoping For Babies
Newlywed actors Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. have only been married a week and they're already planning a family. The gorgeous couple met on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer in 1997 and tied the knot in a romantic Mexico wedding earlier this month. Freddie, 26, enthuses, "Now the only thing I want out of life is to be a father. I'll be the best father you've ever seen. I'll win Father of the Year every time and Sarah will be the most fantastic mother." Tragically Freddie lost his own father, television actor Freddie Prinze, who committed suicide in 1977 when Freddie was only 10 months old. source imdb.com

New Movies For Rudolf Martin
Rudolf Martin (Dracula) has been in Germany since August, filming a new movie produced by Tom Tykwer, who directed "Run, Lola, Run".  It is his first German speaking role and will be release in Germany soon.The film is called, "Lautlos", and he plays a young cop in training.  He will then star in an Engilsh speaking role in the movie "Bloodlines"  He will play an American man who goes to Slovakia to find his real family.

7th September Sarah Michelle Gellar Marries!
Sarah Michelle and Freddie Prinze Jr. tied the knot on Sunday 1st September.

The wedding took place in Mexico with family and friends in attendance. Sarah wore a Vera Wang dress and Freddie Prinze wore a custom-made linen suit. According to Us magazine, the wedding party included 60 or so guests, among them Shannen Doherty, "The West Wing" star Dule Hill, Tyler Christopher of "General Hospital" and "All My Children's" Eva Larue.

The entire party stayed at the El Careyes Beach Resort near Jalisco where the couple had reportedly rented out all 51 rooms. Gellar and Prinze said their "I do's" at a nearby private villa and afterwards the guests reportedly dined on filet mignon and lobster tail.

It's been reported the occasion did have one snag. Gellar allegedly spent part of her wedding day at a medical facility getting treated for dehydration. But she recovered and was said to be "all smiles" at the ceremony.

So Sarah is now Sarah Michelle Prinze Jr !

3rd September Season 7 Casting  **Spoiler Warning**
The Hollywood Reporter says Eliza Dushku will appear in the last - yes, the last - five episodes of UPN’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” seventh (and perhaps final) season.  Dushku, who plays the recurring role of the evil slayer Faith, will also appear in three installments of the WB’s “Angel.”

28th August Funny!
Firefly plot rejected for not containing enough fires or flies!  source trachyontv

 17th August Funny!
Anthony Stewart Head has issued Joss Whedon with an ultimatum by demanding more 'stand-alone' stories in the next season, since he’s sick and tired of having to fly back to LA each week just to say “Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer” at the beginning of each episode. source tachyontv

Alyson Hannigan Will Be In "American Pie 3!"
"Universal Pictures is putting together the pieces for the third installment of its successful 'American Pie' franchise, making deals with Jason Biggs, Eugene Levy and Alyson Hannigan to reprise their roles and negotiating with helmer Jesse Dylan to direct. The actors join Seann Williams Scott, who recently struck a deal for him to return to 'Pie 3' as Stifler. If a deal can be made for Dylan, who helmed the Universal/Jersey films release 'How High,' he will direct from a script by Adam Herz, who penned the first two Pie' installments. According to the studio, the story line will find the characters at the next turning point in their lives. That would most likely put them in the post-college real world, as the last movie centered on the last days of their high school careers and the second film saw them reunite during a summer away from college. Although no deals have been made for the other key cast members from the first two films that doesn't mean they won't appear in 'Pie 3', a studio spokesman said. But sources with knowledge of the script said nearly all of those actors will not see their characters returning in the new installment." source the hollywood reporter  Thanks Les

Sarah Michelle Gellar May Kill Off Buffy
Sarah Michelle Gellar says she will consider killing off Buffy The Vampire Slayer when she leaves the show. The actress says she wants to "go out on top."

14th August Caulfield Bites Into Fairy
Emma Caulfield, who stars in the upcoming horror movie The Tooth Fairy, told SCI FI Wire that her character is not the archetypal damsel-in-distress depicted in slasher films of the past. "I think initially they really wanted it like a hard-core slasher pic," she said in an interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego. "I think the original girl is sort of ditzy and wearing tight clothes. And [I said], 'Well, I really want to work with you, ... but I'm not going to be doing that.'"

Although the two projects are distinctly different in tone and subject matter, Caulfield sees one important commonality between the television series and the film. "I'm on a show that surprises people, and then I'm doing a movie called The Tooth Fairy. And so, like Buffy, ... you watch it, and you're like, 'Oh wow, it's not like that at all.' It's sort of the same thing, really. ... It's not a tooth fairy movie. It's a lot more complicated, and there's a lot of layers to the film." source scifiwire

7th August Joss Whedon Gives Buffy Back its Bite **Spoiler Warning**
Since Buffy the Vampire Slayer bummed out even its diehard loyalists worse than a pair of teeth marks to the neck last season, series creator Joss Whedon knows that this year there's a lot, uh, at stake. Luckily, he has a master plan to keep the UPN sleeper out of the TV-show graveyard and in the Sunnydale Cemetery where it belongs: In upcoming episodes, he reveals, "there will be vampires. And we're going to give [the Scoobies] cute catch phrases like 'Eat this' and 'You're dust.'" All kidding aside, the auteur does have a few tricks up his sleeve to turn around the bloody mess that the cult fave became — and no, none of them involve hiring Luke Perry to reprise his role from the anemic 1992 film. Phew! He's off to a good start already. Here are some of his other ideas to keep creatures of the night glued to the tube on Tuesdays. — Michael Ausiello

Buffy will cheer up. Whedon concedes that last season, Buffy "got very dark, and not everybody responded to that." So from here on, the Chosen One won't be playing the victim anymore. "We're going to see Buffy empowered again," he says, "instead of seeing her at the mercy of life."

Sunnydale High School will be rebuilt. "Buffy's going to get involved in the school and Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) will be attending," he says. "It's about getting back to the mission statement of the show, which was, 'Here's a little girl with a lot of power and a lot of people who underestimate it.'"

A lot of familiar faces will be returning. Not only is Amber Benson coming back as a character other than Tara, so might be Eliza Dushku (Faith), Clare Kramer (Glory), Juliet Landau (Drusilla) and George Hertzberg (Adam). "[They're all returning] for a very particular reason that I will not explain to you," Whedon teases.

Anthony Stewart Head will be around more. At least Whedon hopes so. To date, the actor — who's currently appearing on the BBC America series Manchild — is only committed to doing 10 episodes of Buffy. "But we want more," Whedon says. "We missed him [last year]." Meanwhile, Ripper, the in-the-works spinoff revolving around Head's counterpart Giles, has been put on hold.

Willow (Alyson Hannigan) will get a new girlfriend.. Well, maybe. "That's something I'm not going to comment on," Whedon says. "But it's definitely a possibility."

Spike will not turn into a little Angel. Although the blonde blood-sucker got back his soul, Whedon has no intention of turning him into a clone of Buffy's first love. "If you think [that], you don't know me," he asserts. "The trick is to do it differently and have it mean something new."

Buffy will go on — with or without Sarah Michelle Gellar. A decision about an eighth season has yet to be made. However, Whedon certainly isn't eager to dust the franchise. "The show is about growing up, and that process never stops," he says. "I really do feel like it could go on forever" — even if Gellar hangs up Mr. Pointy when her contract expires in May? "I'm game for almost anything," Whedon says. "It's a huge universe we've created and an incredible cast of actors."
 

Dushku takes WRONG TURN into role in Winston horror flick
Eliza Dushku has signed to star in a new independent horror film produced by longtime special effects and make-up maven Stan Winston.

The film, Wrong Turn, will tell the story of a group of newly minted adults who find themselves at the mercy of three creepy, DELIVERENCE-like ‘mountain men.’  Desmond Harrington, Jeremy Sisto and Emmanuelle Chriqui have also signed to star, under the direction of Rob Schmidt and memorizing the script of Alan McElroy.

Winston is set to produce and create the special effects for the flick. According to the Hollywood Reported, the script is a throwback to 1970s horror films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  source cinescape.com
 

29th July Buffy Does Britain
Sarah Michelle Gellar may be ready to pull up stakes. Variety reports that the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' star may be heading to England for ''A Semester Abroad,'' a comedy being developed for her to film in spring 2003 after the next -- and last? -- season of ''Buffy'' wraps. In the fish-out-of-water academic comedy, Gellar would play a tough gal from Queens, New York, who wins a scholarship to an elite university in London, where she knocks some of the stuffing out of the stuffy British scholars. (Think ''Legally Blonde,'' but with a heroine from tough-talkin' Noo Yawk instead of sunny California.) Producing the film is Deep River, the company behind Pierce Brosnan's upcoming romantic comedy, ''Laws of Attraction.''

Gellar already has some experience disrupting elite universities; she stars in the current indie movie ''Harvard Man'' as a mafioso's daughter who entices her undergraduate boyfriend to throw a Harvard basketball game. In any case, the star of ''Scooby-Doo'' has indicated that she's growing restless and may leave ''Buffy'' after the 2002-03 season, so she'll certainly be looking for something else to doo. source ew.com

Buffy OK With Emmy Nods
Producers associated with UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its musical episode, "Once More With Feeling," reacted philosophically to the show's lack of top Emmy nominations. The show's creator, Joss Whedon, told SCI FI Wire that he didn't hold anything against the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the show's omission from the acting, dramatic writing or best music nominations (the show did get nods for technical awards and for best music direction).

Meanwhile, David Greenwalt, executive producer of Buffy spinoff series Angel, told reporters, "Mr. Whedon wrote and directed one of the best pieces of television in the last 10 years. Let me say the last half-dozen years. But, unfortunately, his assistant forgot to put in for the Emmys. He did get nominated once. Those are shows with young people and those are shows that fly under the Emmy radar. And also, genre shows. It's very difficult for a show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer or shows with people in rubber masks, for the people in the Emmys to understand the caliber of writing and directing, etc., going on. ... Don't get me wrong. I would trade an appendage to have one. I want one badly. But it shouldn't be the point of what you're doing." source scifi wire

No Aliens In Firefly
Joss Whedon, whose new SF series Firefly debuts on Fox this fall, told SCI FI Wire that the show is set in outer space, but humans will be the only life forms featured. That means no aliens. "I believe we are the only sentient beings in the universe," he said in an interview on the set. "And I believe that in 500 years from now, we will still be the only sentient beings around."

Instead, Firefly will focus primarily on the human condition, with all its myriad problems, a goal that Whedon believes is best achieved without the inclusion of alien species. "That's a great metaphor to play with, but it's not really what I'm interested in. I'm really interested in 'You are there.' In 'You are part of this.' And I think aliens, no matter what, take you out of that. I also need to spend some time away from latex." source scifi wire

Angel Goes to Vegas  *Slight spoiler*
David Simkins, who replaces departing show runner David Greenwalt on The WB's vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming season will feature an episode filmed on location in Las Vegas. "It's an episode that takes place entirely in Vegas," Simkins said in an interview. "The logistics are challenging, but it's something we're working out. Even though the episode is set in Vegas, obviously, we'll shoot three days there, hitting locations and casino work, and then we'll bring everything back here [to Los Angeles] and finish up."

"What we needed to do in Vegas is [capture] the scope [and] the feeling of it—the world of it. It's a show about destinies and futures and losing those futures and losing destinies." source scifi wire

13th July Whedon Pens New BUFFY!!
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” mastermind Joss Whedon will pen the first episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” seventh season, according to respectable if untested new Coaxial sources.
Whedon, who usually directs the “Buffy” episodes he writes, apparently will not direct the bulk of 7.1 – though he may ghost-direct the scenes being shot in England with series vets Anthony Stewart Head and Alyson Hannigan.
Having written what many agree to be the series’ most beloved installments – including “Hush,” “Restless,” “The Body,” “The Gift,” “Anne,” “Dopplegangland,” “Becoming,” “Graduation Day,” and “Family” – Whedon has not been credited with a “Buffy” teleplay since last November’s musical episode “Once More With Feeling.”
Whedon has been credited with fewer and fewer “Buffy” teleplays as the series has continued. “Once More” was the only Whedon-written episode to air during the series’ 22-episode sixth season. He scripted three hours for season five, four for season four, five for season three, and six for season two. For “Buffy’s” abbreviated first season, Whedon wrote a full third of its 12 hours.
The news also portends the return to an old “Buffy” tradition. Whedon wrote the “Buffy” season openers for the series’ first, second, third and fourth years. (Veteran series scribe Marti Noxon, who has served as “Buffy” showrunner since it moved from the WB to UPN a year ago, was credited with opening-hour teleplays for the show’s fifth and sixth seasons.)
The seventh-season opener is said to center in large part around a rebuilt Sunnydale High School, which was destroyed when its student body combatted a gargantuan snake-demon during Buffy’s graduation ceremony three years ago. Buffy’s sister Dawn will begin attending classes at the school this autumn, while Buffy herself is said to take a job at the facility.
News of Whedon scripting 7.1 was corroborated Thursday morning by a post at the infamous Cross & Stake site, though that post may soon be deleted. “Michelle,” who runs the site under the moniker “AngelX,” has indicated in recent weeks that lawyers for 20th Century Fox, which produces “Buffy,” have for some reason threatened legal action if “Buffy” spoilers appear there. source aint it cool news

10th July The New Gang At Sunnydale High?? **Spoiler Warning**
The following comes essentially from a large number of untested sources, but if it’s a bogus casting notice, it’s a dang convincing one! It’s allegedly for a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episode titled “Lessons,” which we’re guessing would be the seventh-season opener that series creator Joss Whedon penned:
"Story line: Buffy's worried when Dawn starts HS in the new school built on the site of the old one. When Dawn almost immediately starts seeing dead people, she finds that she's not alone - not only is Buffy fighting on her behalf, but two new friends, Kit Holbern and Carlos Trejos, wind up fighting the demons as well. Also, the new principal Robin Wood seems to be looking out for them as well - but only time will tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing... 'Principal Wood' - A hot, well dressed African American man, 30 years old, he is the new principal for the newly-rebuilt Sunnyvale High School. He seems committed, compassionate and on top of things; he is aware of Buffy's "checkered past" and also has apparently read up on some of his other students, like Kit and Carlos. When Principal Wood successfully gets Buffy's commitment to work at the school as part of their outreach program, he behaves just like any devoted public school educator who's just gotten a new parent recruit...

RECURRING (7) 'Kit' - Legal 18, emancipated or G.E.D., to play 15. A Goth girl who looks like trouble, she's discovered by Dawn in the bathroom sobbing after having seen some dead people. Creeped out but still functional, she's happy to find that Dawn believes her, but soon becomes terrified for her life when both girls crash through the floor to the basement. Kit joins Dawn and Carlos in their fight for their lives against the angry, resentful dead people, and it's clear that the three of them are going to be good friends...PROBABLE RECURRING (15) 'Carlos' - Legal 18, emancipated or G.E.D., to play 15. This big high school thug appears menacing at first when he runs into Buffy, but later he's scared to death when he winds up in the basement with Dawn and Kit and a bunch of gross and malevolent dead people. Carlos joins forces with Kit and Dawn as they fight for their lives-probably not for the last time-and eventually become friends, destined for a very interesting high school experience... PROBABLE"  source aint it cool news

CNN reports that Luke Perry will guest star next season, reprising the role of Pyke from the movie.

4th July Vampire bite
Look out, Britney Spears, Sarah Michelle Gellar's got it in for you.   Gellar tells the U.K. Sun that she personally put the old kibosh on talks between Spears and the producers of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" about Spears appearing on the show.   "She was floating a lot of ideas," Gellar tells the British tab. "Our producers were saying she was gonna do it and I was saying, 'I don't think so.'" Easy there, killer.  source salon.com

BBC likes the idea of Buffy star playing Doctor Who
The BBC says it likes the idea of Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Anthony Stewart Head playing Doctor Who.  Buffy producer David Fury claims he is to work as an adviser on a new series of the classic sci-fi show.  But the BBC had denied it is currently making any such plans.

However, the BBC's own website reports the channel's cult team quite likes the idea of Head as the Doctor.  According to the Daily Express, the BBC is planning a new series of Doctor Who to be shown next year, to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary.  Fury said: "They want to do what we do on Buffy, produce 22 episodes a year and sell them internationally.  "I'm helping to take Doctor Who into a new universe."

SMG Visits All My Children Set
The National Enquirer has reported that Sarah Michelle Gellar showed on the set of ''All My Children'' where she used to play  the part of the daughter of Susan Lucci's character. Sarah Michelle brought gifts for all of her old friends but brought nothing for Susan who she barely nodded to while she was therer.

28th June Emmys leave ''Buffy'' off the ballot
Vampires and demons know better than to mess with Buffy, but apparently the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences didn't get the memo. The Academy accidentally omitted ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'''s acclaimed musical episode, ''Once More With Feeling,'' from Emmy nomination ballots in the drama writing category, TV Guide Online reports.

The Academy tells TV Guide that they realized their error almost immediately, and sent out an addition to the ballot. But a source at ''Buffy'''s production company tells the website that most voters will probably ignore the addition, thus dooming the episode's chances of getting nominated in that category (the show wasn't omitted in other applicable categories, such as best drama series). The Emmy nominations will be announced July 18; the ballots department at the Academy will have stakes plunged into their hearts on July 19.  source ew.com

22nd June Buffy Cast Teases New Eps **Spoilers for Season 6 & 7**
Cast members of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer gave SCI FI Wire hints about where their characters will head in the upcoming seventh season, which starts in the fall. James Marsters (Spike), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn) and Alyson Hannigan (Willow) offered the details after a recent panel on the show at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles.

"It will not be easy for Spike to come back," Trachtenberg said in an interview. "Of course there is that relationship, that foundation in there, so there is something there, and I think he is the one that Dawn has connected to the most, because he's never treated her like a child. For once, she'll handle the situation in an adult way, but she won't let him get away with it." Trachtenberg added that Dawn may fight more, as she kicked some butt in the season finale. "I know in the season finale Dawn tried to fight a little more," Trachtenberg said. "If their plan is [to add more fighting], I'm definitely looking forward to it. I've been promised heels next year, because Dawn has been wearing sneakers for the past year. So I'll have to take lessons in fighting in heels, but it's definitely something that will be fun." Dawn will also face teen dating issues. "I've heard a couple of rumors here and there that Dawn will have a couple guys coming in and out, but I don't know what other relationships we'll be building. I think that this is the year that Dawn matures and really comes into her own. She spent last year leveling the ground, and now she's able to conduct herself in a way that she has seen her sister in her more mature days." source scifiwire

Whedon Will Finish Fray
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon told SCI FI Wire he will indeed finish his Dark Horse comic-book series Fray as soon as he and artist Karl Moline can coordinate their schedules. Dark Horse has published six of the promised eight issues of the comic, about a future vampire slayer.

Fray takes place in the distant future of the Buffy universe, where a Slayer continues the duties of saving the world in a post-apocalyptic setting. Issues one through six are available through Dark Horse, with seven and eight at pre-order status. source scifiwire

Angel Vamp: You Said a Mouthful!
Watching badass blood-suckers cavort on Buffy the Vampire Slayer has made heaven knows how many viewers wish that they could let their inner creatures of the night have their day. But it's not all hemoglobin and hair gel for the undead, reveals Mercedes McNab, who plays Spike's dingbat ex-ghoulfriend Harmony.

Of course, losing her teeth would still be a concern if she were to take the advice of the series' fisticuff choreographers. "They always tell me that I missed my calling and I should have been a stuntwoman," she reveals. "I'm like, 'Yeah, thank God it's just fake fighting, or I'd get killed!'" source tvguide.com

21st June Noxon Confirms Buffy Season 8
Despite rumblings that next season will be Buffy the Vampire Slayer's last, executive producer Marti Noxon told SCI FI Wire that she thinks an eighth season of the UPN show is likely, even though its star's contract expires after season seven. "I think that it's very likely there will be [a season eight]," Noxon said in an interview. "I'm not sure if Sarah [Michelle Gellar] will come back or not, but it's really up to UPN and 20th Century Fox if the franchise continues. It would be very hard to continue the show without her, but they might try."

Buffy the Vampire Slayer begins its seventh season in the fall—its second season on UPN, after five years on The WB. Noxon took over as executive producer in 2001, when creator Joss Whedon focused attention on the upcoming SF series Firefly, which debuts on Fox in the fall. souce scifiwire

Scooby 2 On Fast Track
Warner Brothers is fast-tracking a sequel to its hit Scooby-Doo movie, Variety reported. The studio has exercised its sequel options for the cast, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini, and is in talks with Scooby director Raja Gosnell to helm the sequel.

James Gunn will again write the script for the film, which is eyeing an early 2003 production start and a 2004 release date, the trade paper reported. Scooby-Doo, based on the long-running animated TV show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, grossed $54 million in its opening weekend. source scifiwire

'Buffy' Toon Green-Lighted
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon spoke for the first time about the departure of comic artist Jeph Loeb as boss of the proposed Buffy animated series, telling SCI FI Wire that Loeb left because of production delays. Whedon added that the series has finally been given a green light. "The process took so long to put the package together, it just came together on Friday [June 14], and he got an offer, a big deal over at Warner Brothers, and he had to move on," Whedon said in an interview. "He'd been shepherding it for over a year. We'd put together a bunch of great scripts. He's done an amazing job, but there was no light at the end of the tunnel. It was a really difficult process, and Chris Buchanan, the president of my company, finally got it through, but Jeph had to move on."

There are no hard feelings on Whedon's end, and he still hopes to include Loeb on some level, Whedon said. "We love Jeph, and he loves the project, and hopefully we'll be able to find some involvement. But the fact of the matter is, it just took so long." source scifiwire

16th June 'Buffy' Moves To England
When filming gets underway this summer for the seventh season of UPN's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," expect to see a slightly different locale.

"I am going to England in a couple of weeks to shoot some second -unit with Tony (Head, Giles) and Alyson (Hannigan, Willow) for the season premiere of 'Buffy,'" series creator Joss Whedon recently said. "So that'll be fun. Our first production vaslues ever. We're very excited. Usually, it's, 'So, we're in Venice. Hand me that goblet.' So it's a thing."

That won't be the only change noticeable in the season premiere. Whedon also confirmed previous reports that the dark times of "Buffy" are now in the past.
"This is something I've been sort of gearing toward since the very beginning of the show," he said. "It's a question of bringing it onto a much larger scale and at the same time making it much more personal and much more personal to Buffy herself. This year was a chance to let the other characters (shine)."

Whedon noted that allowing the final climatic scene of the sixth series finale between Nicholas Brendon's character of Xander and Willow was something that they earned as characters, and as actors.  "I thought it was right for them to sort of be the spokespeople for what was going on at the end there," Whedon said. "But next year, 'Buffy' will be much less peripeheral to the climax. The climax will be the biggest thing we've ever done."  source syfyportal

 15th June 'Fire' Hazard
Joss Whedon's new series ''Firefly'' will take flight this fall on Fox, though the sci-fi drama won't get exactly the start he had in mind. At the network's behest, the creator of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' made a two-hour, $8.7 million pilot to kick off the retro-futuristic tale, about renegade space cowboys. What Whedon delivered was a drama heavy on character development and light on action -- so light, in fact, that Fox asked him to bring in the booster rockets and quicken the show's pace. More importantly, Whedon was told to shoot a new, one-hour first episode. ''Fox came out of the box saying we're looking for flash, we're looking for comfort. Though I'm very much in love with what we did, there wasn't a lot of either there,'' admits Whedon. (Fox promises to air the original, two-hour pilot later in the season.) Despite the early confusion, Whedon insists fans will find ''Firefly'' easy to follow. ''I make every episode early on like a pilot, so everybody who hasn't seen the first one'' won't be confused, says Whedon. ''The first six episodes are very stand-alone, very expository, and hopefully not boring.'' When it comes to Whedon, that's never a worry.  source ew.com

BTVS Wins At The Saturn Awards
Buffy  took the prize and for Best Network TV Series, giving series creator Joss Whedon an opportunity to speak about everything he has cooking, including the new science fiction series "Firefly" that Fox is looking to air as a replacement for "Dark Angel" this fall.

 8th June Sarah Michelle Gellars Wedding
Sarah will be marrying Freddie Prinze Jnr on December 6th.  They're inviting the media to the wedding, and by doing this the cost of the wedding will be covered.  The wedding is costing 3 million dollars.  Michelle Trachtenberg is a bridesmaid.

Gellar Smooched In Scooby
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays the ever fashionable damsel-in-distress Daphne Blake in the upcoming live-action Scooby-Doo film, told SCI FI Wire that the rumored kiss between her character and Linda Cardellini's Velma was indeed filmed. "We did kiss. It got cut," she said in an interview while promoting the film. "Hopefully they'll add it into the DVD."

Cardellini isn't the only co-star that Gellar kissed during the course of the film. She also shares an on-screen embrace with off-screen fiancée Freddie Prinze Jr., who plays Fred. So was the kiss with her real-life love interest anticlimactic after the controversial same-sex smooch? Gellar joked, "After kissing Linda? Well, you know, Linda is quite a kisser." source scifiwire

22nd May Buffy Star Wants Monster Break 
Demon-killing star Sarah Michelle Gellar wants to have a break from television.  The 25-year-old actress says she needs to "decompress" after years working on her hit show Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Gellar is also intending to broaden her career and break out from her Buffy image.

Her latest appearance is as teenage sleuth Daphne in the film version of the cartoon Scooby-Doo, which is due in cinemas this summer.  The star's fiancee, Freddie Prinze Jr, 27, co-stars in the movie as Fred.

"I could do with a break from television. I need to travel, to decompress," she said in an interview.  "One day I'd love to do a sitcom. I'd love to do big feature films, period pieces, comedy, action drama."

"I want to do it all. And I want to do it tomorrow!"  Gellar also told of how she had been voted the top pin-up for prison inmates in the US. source sky.com

17th May Whedon's 'Firefly' Gets Call for Fall
In a last-minute decision, FOX has reportedly decided to pick up "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon's sci-fi series "Firefly" for fall 2002. The decision means "Dark Angel" is gone from the network's lineup after two seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter. FOX will officially announce its lineup later today (May 16).

The network was apparently less than thrilled with the two-hour pilot for "Firefly." Whedon's drama, which he's described as a Western set in space, will follow the crew of a small spaceship that works at the margins of an interplanetary government.   Whedon offered to write a new pilot script, which FOX will now use as the premiere. The original pilot will be saved for a later time. source zap2it

Gellar Samples Airline Desserts
The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress was upset when she discovered her favourite airline no longer handed out cookies as part of their in-flight treats and demanded the entire dessert menu instead.  She explains, "The airline is cutting back and they cut out the cookies and my friend and I were like, `Where are the cookies?' and the air hostess said, `You've had your ice-cream sundaes, there's no cookies."

10th May Eliza Dushku: She's No Sports Buff
She may play a cheerleader in the movies, but Eliza Dushku had no idea who Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady was when she ran into the NFL's Patriots QB/QT the other night at Whiskey Park.  "I guess I've been away from Boston too long," said Eliza, who was back home last week promoting her rah-rah role in the upcoming flick, "The New Guy." "All my friends were so excited to see him and I was like, 'Who's Tom Brady?'"

3rd May David Boreanaz Has A Baby Girl
David Boreanaz and his wife, Jaime Bergman, welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Jaden Rayne, Wednesday in Los Angeles.   Little Jaden was born at 12:59 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his publicist said.

BOBW Convention - All The Gossip - Season 7, The End Of BTVS & More!!!
I had a fantastic time at the latest BOBW convention. Nicholas Brendon, Robert Leeshock (Earth Final Conflict) and Gigi Edgeley (Farscape) ,all attended!  Nicholas Brendon is lovely!  During the Q & A session he said that Season 7 will be the last season of Buffy.  This is due to Joss Whedon being involved with his new project Firefly so he won't have time to spend it working on BTVS.   He was asked about the Big Bad for next season, apparently there will be huge hints as to what the new Big Bad will be in the Season 6 Finale!!!  The big bad will probably appear from episode one of the new series!!!!  It also seems that Nicholas and his wife are smokers (just in case you wanted to know!!)

1st May Buffy - The Animated Series - Voices Announced!
Buffy - Sarah Michelle Gellar
Willow - Alyson Hannigan
Cordy - Charisma Carpenter
Angel - David Boreanaz
Oz - Robbie Pounds
Giles - Johnathon Knight
Xander - Nicholas Brendon

28 April SMG's Restaurant Plans
Sarah Michelle Gellar and fiance Freddie Prinze Jr. want to open a restaurant - to make use of Freddie's culinary skills.  Gellar, who played a chef with magical abilities in the movie "Simply Irresistible," admits that Freddie's talent always fascinates her, and now she wants to help him realise his cooking dreams.

5th April New Buffy Trading Cards
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Evolution is a new set of trading cards from Inkworks that is due in stores in the US on July 24.   For the first time from Inkworks, Buffy cards will be available with a premium chrome-look. There will be new images, from Season 1 to Season 6.

The product basics include: the 50 card all-chrome-look base set covers Seasons 1 through previews of Season 6; 50 card parallel set features refractor-chrome-look cards (1:1 packs); 6 Foil etched cards (1:11 packs); and 3 box loaders and 1 case loader to complete the collection. Product configuration includes four cards plus one refractor card per pack; 24 packs per box; and 12 boxes (cigar-box style) per case.   source comics continuum

Boreanaz Leery Of Angel Baby
David Boreanaz, star of The WB's vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that he initially had mixed feelings about the Angel-as-daddy storyline, but that he now thinks the unlikely plot device worked well. "My initial reaction was one of excitement, because I knew it would be really strange and bizarre to have this child [on the show], but I wasn't really sold on the fact of how it was going to happen," Boreanaz said in an interview. "I was a bit nervous [about] that aspect."

Boreanaz--whose wife, actress and former Playboy Playmate Jaime Bergman, is pregnant with the couple's first child, due in May--added, "Angel's relationship with Darla [Julie Benz] was really played out in the second season, and I was nervous about that. They told me [the Connor storyline] wouldn't be as lengthy a play-out [as feared]. And, you know, as it progressed, it became [clear] that it would be more of a success than a failure. It could have been a dangerous thing for the character, but it opened up many more doors, and I think [the ongoing effect] is going to be great. And where this child may end up again, I don't know."  source scifiwire

Whedon FIREFLY looks FX heavy
Joss Whedon has decided on the effects house which will be creating the FX shots for his far future space show, FIREFLY. Radium is the lucky FX shop, and it’s got a heavy load for the first episode, titled “Serenity” (that’s also the name of the main ship, a Firefly class space ship).   According to the specs for the job, the first two hours of the show will have 80 digital shots of not only starships but also synthetic people and aliens.   The more we hear about this project, the more we want to hear. Here’s hoping Whedon can do for space adventures what he did for vampires with BUFFY.   source cinescape

TV Gal Talks Buffy  **Spoiler Warning**
What's fabulous? Xander's non-wedding. What "Buffy" always does best is recognize that internal demons are far scarier than external ones. What's not so fabulous? I'm torn up about the last episode of "Buffy." On the one had, it was very cool in that "Twilight Zone" -ish kind of way and it was in keeping with something super-geeky Troika would dream up. They're comic book cliché villains. They've frozen people, put Buffy in a time loop, and made her think she's killed someone. It didn't bother me that the "this world exists only in Buffy's head" is something with seen before on other shows (most notably as the series finale of "St. Elsewhere") I was even okay with the fact that this episode went out of its way to legitimize Buffy's hallucinations and played with the viewer's mind (Example: The doctors told Buffy that she had come out of the coma last summer, but her friends pulled her back in). All of that would have been fine with me except for the final scene which had Buffy back in the mental institution. That left the door way too open and it was, I think, a cheap thing to do to the viewer. We are invested and committed to this world. Why make us doubt ourselves? In a season that has sharply divided fans, I've fallen solidly on the side of "Buffy" is as good as it ever was. But this episode, as awesome as it might be as a stand alone episode, did damage to the over all Buffy mythology.

"Buffy" Expert Clears Up Controversy **Spoiler Warning**
Plus, what's up with this whole idea that Buffy had been in a mental institution before? It doesn't jive with a show that has been way too loose with the details lately. If Buffy had talked about vampires before, why was Joyce so shocked at the end of season two? And why is this the first we've heard about it? And why didn't Joyce try to put Buffy back into a mental institution after Buffy told her she was the slayer? What's really not fabulous? We're in hell dimension known as repeats. There won't be a new episode of "Buffy" until the end of April.

31st March Buffy's Vampire-Proof Lunch
Vampires NEVER eat lunch with Sarah Michelle Gellar! As she snacked with fiance Freddie Prinze Jr. at Barney's in BevHills, the "Buffy" star heard a lady at the next table ask: "What's that she's eating?" Said the waiter: "It's a chopped liver, onion and egg bagel sandwich. You want one?" Snapped the lady loudly, "NO! . . . It looks DISGUSTING!"  source nationalenquirer.com

24th March 2002 Green Still 'Evil' In Austin 3
Seth Green told SCI FI Wire that his Austin Powers character, Scott Evil, will face the same issues in the upcoming third film in the series. "It's really just a continuation of that theme, trying to cultivate a significant relationship with Dr. Evil and trying to get attention, trying to get by," Green said in an interview.

Austin Powers 3 still has no title after the original title, Goldmember, caused the production to face legal issues with MGM. The movie is slated for a July opening.  source scifiwire

Green: Bunny Like Muppets 
Seth Green, star of the upcoming Fox fantasy comedy series Greg the Bunny, told SCI FI Wire that he was drawn to the show because it appealed to a childhood dream. "It's like being on The Muppet Show, which was a fantasy of mine growing up," Green said in an interview.

Greg the Bunny, a sitcom about foul-mouthed living puppets, is Green's first series television role since leaving Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As to why he returned to the medium, Green said, "It was a great, great show. It was a really great script. [Writer] Dan Milano and [producer] Spencer Chinoy did this thing on the Independent Film Channel, and I saw those things, and I just fell for it. You get an opportunity where you say, 'OK, do I want to spend the next potentially five years working with these people?' So that was why. It was such a great thing." Greg the Bunny premieres at 9:30 p.m.  March 27.   source scifiwire

22nd March Buffy sends out for Scooby snacks - Hot dog crisis averted
Vampire-slaying actress Sarah Michelle Gellar and her boyish boyfriend Freddie Prince Jr have made themselves very unpopular among their fellow Scooby Doo cast and crew members after some diva-tastic behaviour. According to US reports, the uppity upstarts refused to stay in the same hotel as their colleagues while filming an MTV promotional special in Mexico. Further bad behaviour – approaching the standards of J.Lo or Mariah Carey – came when they refused to eat meals provided by MTV, and instead sent a chauffeur on a two-hour trip to pick up some nibbles form the nearest Ritz. A spokesperson confirmed the lunch problems, saying, 'They were told that they would be having a catered meal from a hotel.' Instead it transpires the couple were offered – shudder – hot dogs and hamburgers.  source peoplenews.com

Angel Likely To Remain On WB
David Greenwalt, co-creator of The WB's vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that rival network UPN remains contractually obligated to pick up the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff if The WB cancels it--but added that he's confident the frog network will renew the show for a fourth season. "They will," Greenwalt said in an interview. "But UPN would also be a happy home for me in year five or year six. Even post-Buffy, UPN could be a happy home for me." Buffy moved to UPN from The WB this season after a highly publicized contract dispute, and the Smackdown network committed to at least two years of Buffy.

Watch With Wanda
You vented; I listened. Here, in order of popularity, are 10 of your most irksome TV peeves, culled from the thousands of emails sent in over the past week.
Angel's Cordangel: "Dork Angel annoys me. Can't stand him. Especially that awful indication that he might be in love with Cordelia. Oh, gag me now and bury me in the back yard; I can't stand all this goofiness and nonsense. Grrr! Argh!"

Dawn Go Breaking My Heart: "On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, EVERY episode has Dawn whining about something! She's not even a REAL teenager! If I have to hear "You don't care (*sob*)!" one more time, I may just have to tear my arm off and throw it at her--well, at the TV. But you know what I mean." source e-online

20th March The Little Things That Really Get Under Your Skin
Whack Job: Have any of you Angel fans noticed how sporadic Gunn's speech patterns are? One minute, he's talking like a prep-school boy, the next he breaks into a token street phrase like Yo, dog, that's whack. Hey, Joss, how about hiring a cool cat who's down with the street lingo, my man? (Clearly, not me.)

Twisted Sister: Doesn't it bug you that every single time Buffy's little sister Dawn feels the need for attention, she creates chaos that could kill all of her friends and family? Puh-leeze. She should just handle rejection like a normal teenager and hide in bed with a bag of Double-Stuff Oreos. source eonlime

15th March Buffy & Harry Potter Lead Saturn Nominations
BTVS and Harry Potter tops the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films' list of nominees for its 28th Annual Saturn Awards.  Meanwhile "Buffy" stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters and Michelle Trachtenberg all received recognition, while fellow UPN series "Enterprise" earned nods for its actors Scott Bakula, Connor Trinneer and Jolene Blalock.The Saturn awards will be presented in June  source zat2it

6th March Australian Season 6 Premiere Cut To Pieces!!
Like most of you I'm totally pissed off that we got an edited version of the first episode!!!  I just watched a downloaded US version and it looks like we've missed out on some great stuff.  The reason for the editing is because channel 7 received an "International" version of the show that has been chopped by Mutant Enemy / Fox!  For a complete list of what was cut from the episode check out this site.  The wonderful people at www.buffy.com.au have also started a petition about the editing, so head on over and sign it.

27th February Guest Appearance For Anthony
Anthony Stewart Head will be gracing our television screens once again in on the BBC's very own spy series, Spooks, airing later this year.

Watch Out Buffy, Tori's After Your Man
Buffy the Vampire Slayer better sharpen her stakes and buy some more garlic because super vamp Tori Spelling is moving in on her man!  Tori isn’t hiding the fact that she’s Head Over Heels for handsome Freddie Prinze Jr. and couldn’t care less that he’s Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar’s live-in beau.

No Nudes Is Good News For Buffy's Beau
Buffy beauty Sarah Michelle Gellar has a scene in her new movie Scooby-Doo where her character, Daphne Blake, runs through a tunnel naked with her backside clearly displayed. BUTT – it's not really Buffy's bottom you'll be seeing! A butt double was used for the Scooby-Doo nude scene – which is good nudes for her fiance, Freddie Prinze Jr. Freddie, 25, who co-stars as Fred Jones in the film version of the hit '70s animated series, is doggone thrilled that Sarah seems to be following in his no-nudity-clause footsteps. Freddie, 25, insisted on a body double for his two nude scenes in the flick Summer Catch. "No one gets to see my butt except Sarah," he says. "I have a no-nudity clause in my contracts and it's non-negotiable." source starmagazine.com

23rd February TV's Most Livable Small Towns
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Why You'd Want to Live There For those with, um, gothic tastes, small-town life doesn't get any better than Sunnydale. A local club, Willy's Place, always has some rockin' tunes playing -- just watch out for some of the rougher clientele. And there's been great news lately -- all those rumors about a high mortality rate at the local high school are moot now that it's burned to the ground. Plus, there are no fewer than 12 cemeteries in town, so you won't have to leave -- ever.
Drawback Residents mumble something about a ''Hellmouth.''  source ew.com

20th February New Buffy Gimmick Revealed (This article is just a joke))
Following the mute episode 'Hush' and the musical 'Once More With Feeling', Joss Whedon has unveiled his next gimmick: this time the entire cast will be temporarily blinded - and so will the audience watching at home!
"There won't be any subtitles either, so those who are hard of hearing will get an extra special feature to enjoy," said Whedon, proudly. "I toyed with the idea of having them all standing on one leg and yodeling their lines backwards but James Masters threatened to kneecap me if I went through with it."  When quizzed on the reason for all the gimmicks Whedon remained defiant. "Because I am a living God and the Emmy Academy will bow down before me! I'd like to see The Sopranos sing their way through a whole episode, for christsake!"  source www.tachyon-tv.co.uk

17th  February Angel Hiatus
When does it go on hiatus: march 4
What is it being replaced by: "glory days"
When does it come back: april 15
The good news: "glory days" is doing absolutely atrocious in the ratings; overall ratings are on par from last season (up 0.37%) and it has raised the WB's time slot average from last season by 8.13%
The bad news: the wb's new "family and franchise" mantra may leave out the show; that 42.79% average drop from "7th heaven's" lead-in is one of the worst in television
The ugly truth: with ratings the same as last season despite a lack of a "buffy" lead-in a renewal should be guaranteed shouldn't it? sadly the wb might feel differently source comics continum


Buffy Struggles With Olympics
So people actually watch the Olympics? I guess so. But the good thing is, people are still watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."  The UPN series took a 4.0 rating/6 share in Nielsen Metered Market Overnight ratings Tuesday night, losing its hour, but not by much.  The show was just one-tenth of a rating point behind "The Chair" on ABC, which scored a 4.1/6. Besides the Olympics (17.6/27), "Buffy" was beat by a repeat of "JAG" on CBS, "Gilmore Girls" on The WB (4.9/7) and "That '70s Show" on Fox (4.7/7).  source syfyportal.com

14th  February SMG Daphnie Doll
With Scooby-Doo hitting the US theaters in June, Warner Bros. is readying a host of new toys, including a Mystery Machine model kit, a Barbie doll created to look like Daphne (aka Sarah Michelle Gellar...wait, does that mean Freddie Prinze Jr. gets to be Ken?) and a new "mystery-solving Scooby-Doo," replete with Tiki torch.

Sunday 10th  February E-Online Reviews "Music For Elevators"
Record store used-CD bins are littered with crap discs by actors who mistakenly thought they could sing. But it'll probably be a while before you find this album there. A collaboration between Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony "Giles" Stewart Head and L.A. ambient-tech composer George Sarah, Music for Elevators is neither as dull as its name suggests, nor as badly sung as you'd expect from a TV star. While he's no Paul McCartney, Head is no Don Johnson, either. In fact, his dulcet tone--which at times recalls a Roxy Music-era Bryan Ferry--compliments Sarah's atmospheric chill-out tunes quite well. Head further proves his musical meddle by playing sitar, guitar and keyboards on a couple tracks (some of which he wrote). Other Scoobies James Marsters, Amber Benson and Alyson Hannigan also contribute (Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon even wrote a song) to this disc that would keep even the tough crowd at the Bronze satisfied.

SMG & Freddie Prinze Move In Together
Sarah Michelle Gellar and fiance Freddie Prinze Jr have moved into a new house together in Los Angeles. The £3m home has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, as well as a tennis court and a pool. The couple, who got engaged last April, have put their individual houses up for sale.  Freddie's home is on the market for £2m.  It boasts an acre of landscaped grounds and a tennis court.   Sarah's home, worth just under £1m, is a one-storey traditional-style house, with a pool, spa, guest house, sports court, motor court and outdoor kitchen.  source ananova.com

Tuesday 22nd January Buffy / Angel Crossover Maybe Possible Next Year
A crossover show between "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" may still be in the works, even though the two shows air on different networks.
The New York Daily News says the fact that "Buffy" airs on UPN and "Angel" belongs to The WB isn't dissuading series creator Joss Whedon from attempting to convince the networks to bury the hatchet and work out a plot that will criss-cross the networks to both shows.

"It's not something we're pursuing this year, but it's something we might get into next year if things have cooled down between the two networks," Whedon told The Daily News.   "Buffy" first aired in 1997, with "Angel" spinning off two years later, and both initially aired on The WB. "Buffy" jumped to UPN this season after a dispute between Whedon and the network.

"UPN really came out swinging," Whedon told The Daily News. "They really promised and delivered a great deal of support. They put passion in it. Our fan base is not huge, but it is hugely loyal. I knew they would follow us".  source allpop.com

Sunday 20th January Ex Buffy Stars Don't Watch The Show
Apparently, David Boreanaz and Seth Green no longer even tune in for the show that launched their careers. When David was asked how he felt about the Buffy-Spike pairing, he looked shocked: "I didn't even know they're together." Hmmph. You'd think if we can't get Angel's reaction, we could at least get David's.  source eonline.com

20th January - Angel Spoiler **spoilers**
Angels baby is going to grow  into a full-grown adult in just a few short episodes.

Friday 18th January Michelle Trachtenberg Considers Her Future
Michelle Trachtenberg, who plays the kid sister on UPN's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," is growing up and changing her mind a bit about her goals.  She had set her sights set on going to Yale and studying theater and English. But when she turned 16 last month, she says, "I realized I wanted to consider other colleges and decide what subjects I really wanted to study. I know what to do before the cameras. Now I want to learn what to do behind them. I'm even thinking of taking a year off after I graduate high school -- I'm a junior now -- and maybe making a movie in a place like Italy, that would give me a chance to travel and work at the same time. Education is important to me. So is work. But the most important thing in my life is my family - my mother, my sister, my father and my cat, Casey. I'm feeling particularly grateful for them now at Thanksgiving time." source teenhollywood.com

Thursday 17th January Buffy Fans Call For Sky One To Broadcast Uncut Show
Fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer have begun a petition for Sky One to show an uncut repeat of the series after the 9pm watershed. Viewers complained after Sky One cut last Thursday's episode because of its adult content.  Fans say scenes in upcoming episodes will also have to be cut for the show to remain at 8pm.  The network had said the cuts were a "one-off."

A petition calling for Sky to introduce a scheduling change is available for fans to sign on www.petitiononline.com.  It says: "By showing an uncut repeat you will be giving Buffy's subscription-paying, over-18 audience a chance to see the show as creator Joss Whedon intended." source ananova.com

Seth Green Won't Be Returning To Buffy As A Special Guest
Reports claiming Seth Green is returning to Buffy are false. Seth has said that although the UPN network has been hinting at his brief return, he hasn't even been called about possibly making a guest appearance on the show. Seth also told her that he doesn't even watch Buffy anymore.

16th January - New Buffy Episode **spoilers**
The next episode is called "Doublemeat Palace" In order to make ends meet, Buffy takes a new job at a fast food restaurant where there's something fishy about the food and her co-workers.

SMG May Not Voice The Buffy Cartoon
Joss Whedon recently announced that Sarah Michelle Gellar wouldn't be participating in the Buffy animated series. "With the exception of Sarah, I believe that everyone is doing their own voices," he told the Guardian newspaper. "There's zero money to be made. They're just like, 'Ooh, I get to be animated? That sounds like fun.'"

Co-executive Producer Jeph Loeb has said that - "The fact is that everything isn't settled quite as yet. Sarah has been great. She doesn't think her schedule will allow her to do the show - but I'm still hopeful that when we get to the records, we can whimper our way into getting her into the studio."   "Actually, Joss and I have such tremendous respect for the extraordinary hours that Sarah puts in (not only on Buffy, but her movie career, the commercials and still trying to have a private life), that if she opts out, we'll find someone who brings Buffy to animated life with similar zeal.   "The others are all in and what a party it is going to be!"

Sky One Receives Complaints About Cutting Buffy Episodes!
Sky One has come under fire for cutting some scenes from the new series of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  A number of people rang the station to complain about the cuts. But Sky say they were necessary, as the show was broadcast before the 9pm watershed.  The first episode of the new series had scenes of a magic ritual and violence cut because they were not thought suitable for an 8pm audience.  A Sky One spokeswoman as said that the rest of the series does not include such adult storylines and will not require cutting.

What Buffy Will Be Wearing In Season 6
Buffy costume designer Cynthia Bergstrom has revealed what the slayer will be wearing this season. "This season starts out really dark and heavy," she told style web site Katrillion.com. " Buffy's wardrobe is rather reflective of that. It's just jeans and T-shirts, but as each episode progresses she does change somewhat."

Joss Whedon Writes and Directs Angel
For the first time since the series premiere in 1999, co-creator and executive producer Joss Whedon has written and directed an episode of Angel. The episode called, "Waiting in the Wings," is scheduled to air Monday, Feb. 4 at 9 p.m. on the WB

In the episode, Angel takes the gang out for an evening at the ballet, but becomes suspicious when the prima ballerina is one he saw dance more than a century ago. He and Cordelia sneak backstage to investigate and find themselves consumed with an overwhelming passion for one another as the spirits of unrequited lovers take over.

Friday 11th January Sarah Michelle Gellar & Freddie Prinze Jnr Voice An Animation
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Sigourney Weaver will lend their voices to the animated comedy feature 'Happily N'Ever After'. The movie is set for a 2003 release.  'N'Ever' is inspired by classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales and is based on Greenlight's European animated television series 'SimsalaGrimm.'  Set in the fairy tale land of Simsala, the project explores what happens when the balance of good and evil is out of whack. Against this backdrop is an emotional love triangle among Ella (Gellar), her ideal prince and her unknown true love, who turns out to be  Rick, the palace dishwasher (Prinze).  Weaver plays the evil, sexy stepmother Frida."  ...source The Hollywood Reporter

Tuesday 8th January Once More With Feeling -Will We See The Short Or Full Version In Australia and the UK
International airings of the musical episode 'Once More, With Feeling' were to have been the short 43 minute version (because the full length version hadn't been authorised for international viewings) until now. The UK channel Sky One will be airing the cut version when it airs in February 14th, BBC2 did some digging, and found that the uncut version is available. A press release from Sky said that they will try to get the full length version for a special viewing during Easter. It looks like US repeats will be the shorter version. The uncut edition will be on the DVD and Video. 

Maybe all Australians should write to Channel 7 and let them know that they must air the full version!!!!

No Award For Buffy At The AFI Awards :(
Although the show was nominated for Best Drama Series, the winner was The Sopranos!  Bugger!

Michelle Trachtenberg Speaks About The AFI Awards
Michelle Trachtenberg, the 16-year-old BTVS co-star, seems to have a really healthy approach to awards shows.
"Who doesn't like shiny things," she joked. Asked why she was interested in attending this particular awards show, though, Trachtenberg came clean.

"I totally came here to scope out the people," she said. "I just met Ron Howard. I was such a dork. It was along the lines of, 'Hi. I'm sorry, I just wanted to meet you.' He's absolutely amazing. I'm a great fan of his work, and I was such a big dork. I'll be reflecting on it tonight when I actually have my mental stability back -- I'll be like, 'Oh God, what did I do?'  source Zap2it.com

Sunday 6th January New Movie For Leonard Roberts (Forrest)
The movie called "Joe and Max" is the true story of boxers Joe Louis and Max Schmeling and their enduring friendship.

Friday 28th December Buffy Role Playing Game
Eden Studios announced an agreement with Donruss Playoff to design, produce and distribute a role-playing board game based on the UPN series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Donruss, which makes collectible-card games, is a licensee of 20th Century Fox, which produces the show. Currently in development, the Buffy game is slated to hit shelves in summer 2002.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer core rule book is scheduled for release in late summer 2002. C.J. Carella, creator of the WitchCraft and Armageddon role-playing games, will write the Buffy book. The core rule book will be followed by the Slayer's Handbook, Monster Smackdown, Welcome to Sunnydale and other supplements. source sci-fi wire

26th December Buffy Cast Member Returns **spoilers**
Buffy's life is going to get a lot more complicated. Returning in the new year is Marc Blucas, as Riley, Buffy's demon-hunting, soldier ex-boyfriend, last seen heading off on a jungle mission.
"We have him doing an episode for us after Christmas," says Whedon. "We're really excited."
This should answer the question of what happened to Riley in the jungle, whether a demon or something squished him. "Not squished," says Whedon. "Something rather more dramatic happened to him."

19 December Mark Metcalf (The Master) Owns A Restaurant!
The Libby Montana is owned by Mark.  Check out the restaurant website!

Upcoming Movies For Julie Benz
Julie is starring in two new movies.  "A Fate Worse Than Death" She plays Danielle, one of three girls who suffers from premature aging from 18 to 99 in a short period of time, as punishment for their terrible behavior.  "The Brothers" as Jesse Caldwell. Four friends begin to question women and relationships when one of them announces impending nuptials.

17th December Buffy Ring Tone Ban
EMI have reportedly ordered ring tone providers to stop publishing Buffy and other TV ring tones. They will soon be deleted from all the ring tone libraries out there.  But of course you can still program it in manually :)   source bbc.co.uk

14th December Anthony Stewart Head Says His House Is Haunted!!
Anthony Head claims his house is haunted by the spirit of a young girl haunts his 19th century house in Bristol. But he says he's happy to carry on living there because the ghost is so gentle.

He adds: "She got a bit stirred up when we first moved in. She doesn't suffer fools gladly. We've had some builders in who have taken the mickey and she has made life difficult for them by ruining their measurements

David Boreanaz Is Becoming A Dad
Jamie Bergmans agent has confirmed that she is pregnant!  Jamie is due in May 2001.

Buffy And Angel Moving To A Later Timeslot In The US
The increasing adult themes in Buffy's sixth season and Angel's audience pulling power may mean new timeslots for both series next year in the US.  Presently Buffy is shown at 8pm on Tuesdays on the UPN, but could be moved to 9pm when it returns in January.
At The WB, poorly performing comedies on Thursday nights could mean that Angel moves to their slots due to its popularity.

Trouble For Buffy If UPN Merges With CBS
Viacom Inc, which owns both networks, announced this week that it would be merging UPN into the CBS Television unit beginning next month.  This could be bad news for shows like Buffy as they don't fit into the CBS image.

BTVS Cast Will Provide Voices For Animated Series
Marti Noxon has confirmed that the full cast of the show will provide the voices for their characters in the Buffy animated series. This puts to rest the fears that the cast would be unable to provide their voices.

12th December Joss Whedon To Direct Iron Man
Joss Whedon may direct the feature-film adaptation of Marvel Comics' Iron Man series. The project is set up at New Line Cinema for a possible 2004 release.  If Whedon directs, he will also offer his own take on the screenplay. Iron Man tells the story of billionaire Tony Stark, who was gravely injured by an act of industrial sabotage and survives in a shell of hi-tech armor.

8th December UPN Holds Onto Buffy Classics
For those wondering why FX (US Channel) isn't airing classic Buffy episodes in syndication -- especially since the episodes are airing in episodic order -- it's because UPN, plans on airing them itself.

"Hush" will air Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m., followed by "The Body" on Dec. 18 and "Buffy vs. Dracula" on Dec. 25. New episodes will continue airing on New Year's Day.  ....source zap2it.com

5th December See The Host and Gunn Live In Australia
J August Richards (Gunn) and Andy Hallett (Lorne, The Host) will be in Sydney next May 2002 for another great FSF
(Friends of Science Fiction) Convention.  For more details check out their website   http://www.fsf.com.au

Amber Benson Official Website
Not much there at the moment, but she's written a bit about herself which is good to see.  Check it out here.

28th November David Boreanaz Married!
David Boreanaz married Jamie Bergman at Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs, California on 24 November.

25th November **spoilers**
The Nerds Of Doom, Jonathon, Warren and Andrew, may not be around for the long term - the actors have only been signed (so far) for 10 episodes of season 6.

Amy, who was de-ratted in 'Smashed', will be around for the rest of the season at least, and will most likely play an important part in events leading up to the season finale.

21st November Sarah Michelle Gellar Lusts For Nicole Kidman
Sarah Michelle Gellar has stunned fiance Freddie Prinze Jr by revealing she'd leave him for Nichole Kidman. She has been dating Prinze since last year and the couple plan to wed soon. But Sarah - who won an MTV award for her lesbian kiss with Selma Blair in Cruel Intentions - claims she'd leave Freddie in a second if she ever got a chance with Nicole. Gellar explains, "I had to twist his [Freddie's] arm and leg to see Moulin Rouge! Although he enjoyed it once we were there. In fact, there was a moment during the evening when I swear I thought he was going to leave me for Nicole Kidman but then, who could blame him? I'd probably leave him for Nicole if she asked. She's hot!"  source imdb.com

Monday 12th November James Marsters Talks About The Musical
Right before the musical aired, I happened to see the show biz programme "Extra" (that aired 6 November 2001) and brief film clips were shown. James  Marsters, speaking without his "Spike" accent --- but with "Spike" hair and clothes ---  said that when the cast were told they were to appear in a musical, they all said "You've GOT to be kidding!"

He said no one in the cast was hired because of his or her singing abilities.  He said Sarah Michelle Gellar worked especially hard on her assignment, even  to the extent of hiring and working with vocal coaches.  He said, however, "Hold on to your hats!" ...written by Les

Sunday 11th November
Angel Continues To Prosper
The series continues to prosper from its move to Monday on the WB with year-to-year growth for its new time period in adults 18-34 (2.5/6, +9%), men 18-34 (2.1/6, +40%), adults 18-49 (2.2/5, +10%) and men 18-49 (1.8/4, +29%)...source wb.com

Eliza All Dressed Up
Getting down at the Second Annual Cyrano Halloween party. The brunette bombshell was so pimped-out in her curvaceous costume. Black short-short skirt, matching bikini top, white fur coat and top hat made more than an impression on the jaw-dropped dudes in the hip hang. Surrounded by some heavenly hons, the Bring It On babe strutted her ample stuff on the dance floor, making quite the scene with one of her fox-ay friends. Less visible, by far, was Ally McBeal vamp...source e-online

Friday 9th November Buffy Musical Ratings
The musical episode, "Once More with Feeling," scored 5.4 million viewers on it's first screening. While the number was higher than the previous week's Halloween episode (5.2 million viewers), it didn’t come close to the show's UPN premiere last month (7.7 million).

SMG Thinks About Having Kids
The actress felt immense sadness when her estranged father died, but she is determined to look to the future rather than dwell on the past.
She says on the subject of babies, "We'd have to figure out whether or not I'd give up work. One thing I do know is that having a child changes the course of your life completely and things that seemed important beforehand don't seem anywhere near as important afterwards."
She adds, "We've talked about children, obviously, and we both definitely want them. I love children and, although I'm only 24, a lot of my friends are starting to have babies, so it seems it's starting to be that time. source infobeat.com

Buffy Empowers Women
A university student who has specialised in Buffy The Vampire Slayer says it empowers women.  Jaq Bayles has written a dissertation on the Sarah Michelle Gellar show for her MA in English Literature. She says it shows strong female role models. "As a television programme it is fantastic because what it does is empower women," said Jaq. "It throws up great role models, but on the sub-textual level it actually works to return the gender order by punishing the women for being powerful."

Her 17,000 word dissertation is called "Drop-dead monstrous".  Its theme is the way women in the series are more monstrous than the vampires and devils they hunt. source www.ananova.com

12th October Sarah Michelle Gellar's Dad Found Dead! 
Arthur Gellar, the long-estranged father of actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Tuesday morning of an apparent drug overdose.  Police found the 60-year-old Gellar in bed at his home after being called to the scene by a friend who had reported Gellar missing for several days. Investigators suspect drugs may have played a part in his death since medication was discovered near his body

3 October New Things On BTVS 
Joss Whedon told that the show won't try to top itself when it starts its sixth season on UPN. "It's not a question of topping ourselves," Whedon told the site. "It's a question of doing something new. You know, if we try to top ourselves every time, it would get boring."

Whedon added, "That's why in season four we did the finale as a dream show, because we'd done a giant battle the year before, and we knew that we weren't going to top that. So we went a different way. Next year's finale is going to be very, very different in tone from this year's. It's going to have the same kind of urgency, it's going to be just as emotional, but it's going to be a very different kind of sequence."

The move to UPN from The WB does allow Whedon a little more freedom, at least when it comes to the Willow-Tara relationship, he said. "I think UPN will probably be a simpler process, because [the first kiss] already happened," he said. "They know where we are with that, and they have no problem with there being a little bit of physical intimacy between those characters. They basically said if something reads wrong, they'll let us know, and we'll have the same kind of back-and-forth we always do. But I think we're in a good position there."

Buffy Season 6 Premiere Draws In Record Audience
Buffy's premiere on the UPN attracted record audiences for the network. The two-hour season opener 'The Bargaining' attracted 7.65 million viewers - the networks highest ever rating for its Tuesday nights. It was also Buffy's second highest audience ever.

Joss Whedon has revealed that the high ratings had put "a little more bounce in our step today, which is a good thing since we're shooting a musical episode." He added, "I don't usually look at ratings... (but) I'm pretty damn thrilled."  source cinescape.com

A Quote From Marcus Blucas 
"It's been nice having a few months not wearing camoflauge" - Said while filming his new film "Summer Catch"

New Syndication Website For The US
A new website has been set up for the syndication of Buffy.  You can look up to see if Buffy will be showing on a US station near you.  The site also contains pictures and some downloads.  Check out buffyweekends.com

James Talks About Buffy Love 
James Marsters says "The fact that Spike is truly in love can motivate him to great acts of heroism as he tries to become the kind of man that Buffy could love,"  "Or, if spurned, it could drive to him to great acts of villainy."  Marsters added, "I don't know if Buffy will ever reciprocate Spike's feelings. I really think Spike is kind of beneath her. He's evil, he really is. He just happens to be in love with a good person."

21 September Dawn The Slayer? 
Michelle Trachtenberg, who plays little sister Dawn, told that creator Joss Whedon has approached her about starring in another Buffy spinoff series. "I've been asked if a spinoff or a continuation [of the show] would be of interest to me, and pretty much it is," she told the site. "It's quite exciting. I love my character, and I love the fact that Joss lets me exercise any type of acting that I want to and really show what I can do."

Whedon--who is also developing an animated Buffy series and a British spinoff featuring the Giles character--is eyeing Trachtenberg in case Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar ever moves on. Buffy has already spun off the successful WB series Angel.

In the meantime, Trachtenberg said her character will finally get to deal with boys this season. "There were some hints about that in the 'Body' episode," Trachtenberg said. "But all I can say is that, like any teen-ager, Dawn will be going through every type of emotion. Anything you throw at me, I'll try to tackle."  Source Sci-Fi Wire

18 September James Marsters Hints About His Character In Season 6
While talking to Ian Spelling's syndicated Inside Trek & Sci FI column, Marsters spoke of how the new season starts, saying, "Imagine what you would see if word got out into the demon world that Sunnydale, which is the center of evil on Earth, was no longer protected by the Slayer."  The actor also touched on how Spike will be affected by all this saying, "The Scoobies hate Spike - I don't think there's a lot of trust between him and any of them. But he is certainly very much taken with Buffy, so anyone who's important to Buffy will become important to him...Whether they feel that way about Spike is a whole different matter."

16 September New Movie For David Boreanaz and Emma Caulfield 
Emma Caulfield will star in a new movie called "Don't Peek".  The low budget horror movie will start production in November in Australia.  The story centers on a young man who is considered crazy by everyone in town, except for his childhood girlfriend (Emma Caulfield) and her little brother. The young man is the only thing that stands between a legendary evil and the boy.

David Boreanaz will star alongside Anthony LaPaglia in "I'm With Lucy".  The movie tells the story of Lucy who is dumped by the man she thought was perfect for her, and goes on a series of blind dates looking for another man.  The movie will be in cinemas in 2002.

7 September  - Study 'Buffy' At Adelaide University! 
First year English students are taking the gothic literature option to ponder the US teen angst allegory, which has been described as "true myth" -- where fantasy is separate from reality -- as opposed to the faux myth X Files.  Many prefer to study the philosophies behind the world's most famous vampire hunter ahead of some of the greatest poets.

Students can take an elective in gothic literature or in metaphysical and romantic poetry. In the first semester this year, Buffy well and truly slayed Wordsworth and co, with 225 of the 304 students going for the gothic option. Buffy forms the TV component of the English studies in gothic 

Students cast a critical eye on Buffy Anne Summers (actor Sarah Michelle Gellar) and friends for a better understanding of gothic conventions through their portrayal in contemporary popular culture.

Adelaide University English lecturer Catherine Driscoll believes incorporating pop culture into established genres gives relevance to students' learning.  "Prior to Buffy's inclusion in the gothic literature syllabus, The X Files was the contemporary TV study available to first-year students, so bringing popular culture into the study of a genre that is centuries old is nothing new," Driscoll says. "It has in the past been dismissed as not being worth studying.

"However, I think today, if you were to ask academics in English departments around the country, the vast majority would say that teaching contemporary popular culture is a great way of adding to classroom discussion."  She says most criticism comes from outside universities.

Literature departments arose at the beginning of the 20th century, says Driscoll, and one of the aims was the study of contemporary culture.  "So there are long historical reasons why people should support its study."

She believes the character of Buffy is a classic gothic creation and makes for a useful contemporary case study of the genre. "The show meshes contemporary high school dramas with vampires, monsters and a classic gothic heroine."  "For example, in order for a male to be part of Buffy's group, they have to be in some way disempowered," says Driscoll.

"Be it a chip in their head preventing them from harming humans or because they have got a soul, which means they can't kill people ... whatever it is, this disempowerment of the male is really important to the narrative.  "It's a gothic convention that the girl -- and what she knows and doesn't know -- will be at the centre of the text."

The show also cleverly deals with the gothic concept that the line between good and evil is not clearly defined, she says.  "Ethics and philosophy are addressed in a way that you wouldn't expect from a teen drama.

"It doesn't treat good and evil as two totally distinct entities, they're treated with a lot of ambivalence. "Some of Buffy's actions are downright wrong, but that just serves to reinforce the absence of absolute ethical positions.

And that's something that exists in many gothic texts, such as Dracula and Northanger Abbey.  "Last year in my honours class we looked at Buffy as an example of feminine adolescence in popular culture.  "This year we studied the show in terms of its relationship with modernism; next year we'll be comparing Buffy with a Jane Austen text."

First year arts-science student Sarah Flavel liked the idea of taking a more contemporary look at literature.  "Watching Buffy you can see how the ideas pioneered centuries ago in gothic literature have found their way into popular culture," she says.

Seth Green To Star In Another Austin Powers Movie 
The new movie will be called Goldmember and will feature a spoof James Bond villain who goes by the same name. Mike Myers will play Powers, Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard. Producers plan to have Seth Green reprise his role as Dr. Evil's son Scott.

Eliza Dushku Stalked 
According to Eliza Dushku, there is something much scarier than vampires.  "Try Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans,"says Dushku who played Faith in the popular Buffy TV series.  "Buffy fans are known to pop out of bushes. They are real stalkers. It never ceases to amaze me. They bring dozens of photos for you to sign.

"I haven't been on the show for the past two seasons and they still hound me."

Dushku has heard the rumours that Faith will reappear this season when Buffy moves from the WB network to UPN this year.

"I've seen those stories on the Internet but I've also read that I'm supposed to be playing Wonder Woman in the film version and that I'm replacing Shannon Doherty on Charmed.  According to rumours, I'm going to be one very busy actress next year, but I haven't had any formal offers."

In Kevin Smith's raunchy new comedy Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dushku plays one of the trio of sexy burglars who are meant to be a spoof on Charlie's Angels.  She will be seen later this year starring opposite Wes Bentley in the horror thriller Soul Survivor and in the drama City by the Sea which reunites her with Robert De Niro.  In the 1993 drama This Boy's Life, she and Leonardo Di Caprio played the actor's young children.

There was a major difference in her relationship with De Niro this time around.  "For one thing I didn't run around kicking him in the shins. I was 11 years old when I did that film. I was just so thrilled he remembered me."  Source: Allpop

21 August SMG Bans Freddie From Showing His Bum
Sarah Michelle Gellar has banned her boyfriend from stripping in his new film. Freddie Prinze Jnr was asked to bare his bum in his new movie Summer Catch. Sarah forced the director to employ a stunt bottom for the scene. Freddie says, "Nobody is ever going to see my ass besides Sarah."

20 August David Boreanaz May Be The New Batman
Rumor has it that David Boreanaz, may play batman in a proposed new film. David has been approached to play Bruce Wayne in director Darren Aronofsky's proposed Batman: Year One movie. He is reportedly considering the offer.

14 August SMG Takes A Swipe At The Emmy's
Sarah Michelle Gellar accepted an extraordinary achievement award at this weekend's Teen Choice Awards and took a swipe at Emmy voters for snubbing her acclaimed drama this year, "This is better than the Emmys," Gellar told reporters backstage. "And people can say that's a load of phooey or whatever words you can use here."

Gellar added, "The people here--the teens--this is why we make the show. We don't make it for stodgy old Emmy voters. That won't keep our show alive. The fans keep our show alive." Source Sci-Fi Wire

12 August SMG Recieves Death Threats
Sarah Michelle Gellar is living in fear following a string of death threats. The actress has received notes written in blood, prompting her to surround herself with bodyguards. Sarah says, "I won't feel safe until he is behind bars." She has been targeted at the home she shares with fiance Freddie Prinze Jr. A police spokesman says, "The threats are being taken seriously. We're trying to discover where they are coming from. Sarah gets thousands of letters every week from fans who beg her for dates, but recently a couple contained death threats. Their author claims in the letters that Sarah has been ignoring him." Sarah's spokeswoman adds, "We don't want to talk about this - but there are some weird people out there."
Source : IMDB

8 August - Romance On The Way For Michelle Trachtenberg **SPOILERS**
Buffy's little sister could be getting a boyfriend this season.  Michelle Trachtenberg, who plays Dawn on "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", hinted that her character might get some romantic plot lines during the sixth season.

"Dawn will be doing regular teen-age things," she told the site. "I don't know that I'm allowed to say this, but Dawn might be getting some interests in the crush field."  Michelle wouldn't give away any other details, except that shooting on the show began last week.

Another "Buffy" star, Alyson Hannigan, told scifi.com that so far, this "Buffy" season has already proven to be a lot of hard work.  "We've only been working for a week and a half, and so far, it's been a bitch," she said. "I've had to do some stuff that I just really had trouble with."  Source Pop TV

7 August - Anthony Stewart Head At New Zealand Conference!! 
Anthony will be at the Regent theatre, Saint James Complex, Auckland City on December 1st 2001.
For more information and ticket prices check out www.pulpexpo.com

30 July - Buffy Cartoon Given The Go Ahead
Joss Whedon recently announced that the animated version of Buffy has been approved.  "As of yesterday (July 20), the animated series is finally a go."  Several Buffy writers, including Steven S. DeKnight and Jane Espenson, will also write for the new series. "We're about to start drawing," Whedon said.

The series will take the storyline back to Sunnydale High School and will tell the stories that weren't told in the original show. The half-hour show may air in the US in February 2002.

27 July - Emmy Snub  
Joss Whedon is feeling less than happy after Buffy left empty-handed from the Emmy nominations. 

Joss spent some of his own money to pump the show and potentially attract Emmy voters' attention. Now the Whedon's face is about as red as the blood his vampires suck every season, TV Guide reports.  "I feel a certain embarrassment," he told TV Guide Online. "I feel like I just spent a lot of money trolling for a compliment that I didn't get. So I felt stupid having even gone there."

Last year Whedon was nominated for a writing Emmy for the "Buffy" episode titled "Hush". He had high hopes for this year's episode "The Body" which earned critical acclaim from TV writers at many different publications.

Marti Noxon, the executive producer of "Buffy", thinks the group that votes on the Emmys needs some younger members.  "The voting population are not the people who watch our show," she told TV Guide. "And I think the newer people to the [Writers Guild of America] and the [Screen Actors Guild] don't know they can join the Academy."  Meanwhile, the cast of the show is staying strong and ignoring the Emmy snub.  Said series' star Sarah Michelle Gellar, "We don't make the show to win awards."

21 July -  Don't Believe Everything You Read On The Net
Don't believe everything you read on the Web about upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.  Producers have told SCI FI Wire that they've been planting bogus spoilers for a while now. "That's the fun part," Buffy executive producer Martin Noxon said in an interview. "Because we got sort of savvy, and also we're trying to track down where the genuine leaks were, so there's stuff out there that's pure hokum."

Noxon said that portions of Buffy scripts that have appeared on the Ain't It Cool News Web site are pages sent to casting directors, which end up in the hands of actors auditioning for roles on the show. But other spoilers are fabricated--including one last year that James Marsters' character, Spike, would be killed off and that Marsters himself would be working on a feature film for Sixth Sense director M. Night Shyamalan.

Still, Buffy creator Joss Whedon expressed exasperation at the genuine leaks. "There's some accuracy there; luckily, not total accuracy, because that would be annoying," Whedon said in an interview. "But we have a lot of leaks. We've had horrible leaks on Angel, and I resent it, but there's nothing I can do about it at this point. It doesn't affect what we're going to do. And enough of them are wrong that there's a safety factor. I feel so strongly about the concept of surprise being so important. This desire for insider knowledge is so overwhelming with people, and I'm not sure why." 

No More Buffy / Angel Crossovers!
Joss Whedon, the creator and executive producer of both shows says this year will hold some changes for Angel
"It's not something we're planning right away," Whedon said about the idea of crossovers next season. "It was a delicate situation and we definitely put it on hold for awhile. Nobody's said no, we haven't really broached it."

Eventually Whedon does plan to do another crossover, but only when the time is right.  "I don't want to waste them. I don't want to do them just for the sake of doing them," he says

Joss Whedon Suffers Second Degree Burns
Joss Whedon currently has two bandaged hands. He didn't wash his hands after using some limes whilst cooking, and boils sprouted up soon after. Second degree burns while making food, even Whedon couldn't believe it. But Whedon even has the photos to prove it.

Fray TV Show A Possibility!
Joss Whedon, the creator of Dark Horse's Fray comic series, says that he is open to adapting the story to other media, once the comic series is finished.  A television show based on Fray "would be very expensive, on account of all the flying cars and whatnot," Whedon said in an interview. "But I kept the option open to develop it for other media."

Whedon added, "I don't like to think like that when I'm working on a thing. It's just the comic book. And it's eight issues. And beyond that, there are definitely possibilities, but I'm not really thinking about that. I'm trying to concentrate on the eight issues that I don't seem to be able to finish."

Fray is set in the same universe as Whedon's TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but takes place in the future and focuses on a new Slayer character, Melaka Fray. "I'm actually halfway through," Whedon said. "I've written four of them. And I'm really behind, agh. They seem to have been well-received--I mean, they seem to be selling OK, and nobody's come to me and gone, 'Derivative and boring!' I look at them, of course, and say, 'Derivative and boring! They're going to hate me! I gotta hide!' But I'm having so much fun, and Karl [Moline] and Andy [Owens] are such wonderful artists, that I'm excited by it." The third issue of Fray hits stores on Aug. 1.

17 July *Spoilers*
While still remaining vague about how exactly the vampire slayer, who was dead and buried at the end of last season, will return, creator Joss Whedon has promised that the premiere will reiterate the show's basic premise for new viewers, while continuing the existing storyline for loyal viewers.  Like other seasons, the premiere will pick up several months after the point where the finale left off. And to answer the question of whether the second "death" of Buffy will cause yet another slayer to be added to the mix, Whedon says no, the slayer line now runs through Faith.

11 July *Spoilers*
The BBC is currently working on "The Watcher", a "Buffy" related series that will focus on the character of Giles.

The series will revolve around the "Watcher" council that supervises vampire slayers.

Anthony Head, who is British, said the new show will be darker and more adult than "Buffy" and will also be created by "Buffy" mastermind Joss Whedon.

"After Buffy died, I asked him whether there was much more for me to do," said Anthony. "He said 'Look, you know, this show is not called " The Watcher," it is about Buffy, but how would you feel if there was a show called " The Watcher" and we made it in Britain.'"

26 June  *Spoilers*
Marti Noxon said that there are already four completed Buffy scripts for the new season and that Joss Whedon, is currently writing the sixth, which will be an all-musical episode.

"Almost all the cast sings," she says. "Michelle is more of a dancer, so she wanted to dance. Joss himself is writing the music. Like a real musical, it's all going to be tailored to the show."

But what most fans really want to know, is how Buffy  will return from the dead.

Noxon said that Buffy is indeed dead but that: "In the 'Buffy' universe, death can be a complication, but you can overcome it if you try hard enough."

Shannen Doherty Won't Be A Series Regular!
Marti Noxon is trying to calm the rumour that Shannen Doherty, who recently quit "Charmed", is going to become a series regular on the show. Noxon said that Shannen and Sarah are friends and that they have talked about Shannen appearing on the show, but "she's definitely not a series regular".

18 June
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Anthony Stewart Head is reported to be considering whether to appear in a new audio version of Doctor Who playing the Master.

12 June
David Boreanaz has revealed a strange obsession with socks.  He loves colourful socks and often wears a pair with flowers on.

SMG To Star Beside Ewan McGregor?
The UK site Ananova (http://www.ananova.com) reports that Ewan McGregor and Rufus Sewell  will star together in "Mondo Beyondo," an action film set in the future about "two friends who survive a nuclear holocaust that happens during a school re-union." The film is aiming for a spring 2002 production start.  The site also reports that newly engaged "Buffy" star Sarah Michelle Gellar is being considered for the role as the two friends' sidekick.

9th June - James Marsters To Star In Andromeda 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer's James Marsters trades in his vampiric fangs for Nietzschean forearm bone spurs as he films a guest role this week on Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. (Sci-fi Series)

Genre television favorite Marsters is best known as the punk vampire Spike. He has also appeared on Angel, Millennium, and the movie The House on Haunted Hill. On Andromeda, he plays the very different role of Charlemagne Bolivar, the archduke of a royal family of Nietzscheans -- Andromeda's popular race of genetically engineered superhumans. Foppish yet fearsomely intelligent and lethal, Charlemagne may be Captain Hunt and company's deadliest enemy...or most valuable ally.

Marsters appears as Charlemagne in the currently filming episode "Into the Labyrinth," tentatively set to air this November in the US.

Thanks to http://www.andromedatv.com

6 June - Season 6 News - Straight From Joss Whedon  *Spoilers*
The newest season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer should begin in "early October" and will start up "a few months later" [after Buffy's showdown with Glory and her subsequent death].

Some cast shuffles abound as well. We know that Dawn is coming back as Whedon, when asked if the show might ever become Dawn the Vampire Slayer, said, "…that's certainly a show I'd watch. Michelle [Trachtenberg] is a powerhouse….It could happen, but if it did, it wouldn't be for years because Sarah's coming back." Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Giles, is being downgraded from a main character to a recurring character "because [Head] is going to live in England. We're working on a BBC [spinoff] show for [Giles]." Of Giles's act of suffocating Ben, Whedon said that viewers needn't worry about Giles having some emerging dark side: "…that's just the thing he had to do." He added, "…It's a side of Giles you're more likely to see on his [upcoming BBC] show than you are on Buffy. But it's not like he's going to become an evil killer or anything."

One more castworthy note is that even though Tara and Willow are still very much together and she'll be on most eps next season, Amber Benson will remain a recurring cast member.

The mastermind behind Buffy also addressed a few other plot points of the season finale and acknowledged that Ben's death means that Glory is also dead. Also, Anya is still alive, if that wasn't completely obvious.

When pressed by TVGuide Online to explain why, if Buffy could be resurrected, Joyce Summers couldn't also be brought back, Whedon said she could be, but she wouldn't be and "we'll explain why."

3rd June Eliza Dushku To Star As Wonderwoman?  
Eliz Dushku, is the latest name to surface in connection with the "Wonder Woman" film, which is being produced by Joel Silver ("The Matrix") and Leonard Goldberg ("Charlie's Angels").
Dushku, who is 21, would have the teen appeal that would be perfect for the film's likely teenage audience. Other stars in the running for the part include Sandra Bullock, Lucy Lawless, and WWF Amazon Chyna

Television Critics Associtaion Nominates Buffy 

The Television Critics Association nominated Buffy the Vampire Slayer for best drama series and star Sarah Michelle Gellar as best actor. The TCA Awards, which are determined by the votes of more than 220 critics and reporters in the U.S. and Canada, will be handed out July 21.

27 May
Season 6 will open with a two hour season premiere on UPN.

Season 6 Musical Episode   
One of the surprises next year: a musical episode. "It is an all-singing, all-dancing Buffy, with music written completely for the show by Joss," Noxon said. "Because he doesn't have enough to do [laughs], what with seven or eight television shows on the air, or whatever he's got, and the comic books he writes and the movies, ... he decided he wanted to learn how to play the guitar and piano, and now he's composing incredible music."

A Giles Series Spin-Off? 
Marti Noxon the co-executive producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer told SCI FI Wire that creator Joss Whedon is talking with the BBC about a spinoff series centered on the character of Giles. "There is the possibility of a limited series with the BBC, starring Anthony Head," Noxon said in an interview. "It's not a done deal, but this is in discussion. There's an idea of taking the Giles character and doing a limited series in Britain next year, maybe just a limited run ... like a miniseries, perhaps, turning into a series."

The discussion is a reaction in part to Head's previously stated desire to remain closer to the United Kingdom and his family, Noxon confirmed. "It may not come to pass, but it's being discussed," she said. "It would be really awesome if it did happen, and I'm sure there'd be a way that people here would see it too. We'd hope."

8 May - 'The WB, 'Angel' Slayer?'
Questions are being raised about the WB network's interest in keeping 'Angel.' It speculates 'WB officials are expected to decide the future of 'Angel' by mid-May or June,'.  

27 April - LETTER FROM THE WB NETWORK'S ENTERTAINMENT CO-PRESIDENTS ABOUT BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

Dear Buffy Fans,

As you are probably aware, Buffy the Vampire Slayer will be leaving The WB at the end of this summer after five seasons with our network.

Of course we're disappointed that Buffy won't be part of our long-term future, but we couldn't be prouder of what we've accomplished through years of nurturing and believing in the show, and of the achievements to date of the talented cast and crew. It took a lot of time, effort and energy to get this show on the air at a time when there was nothing else out there like it, and to make it a success even when others doubted.

Knowing how much you care about the show, we negotiated strongly to keep it on The WB, but ultimately the price 20th Television wanted was too high for us to pay while continuing to bring you other quality programming six nights a week.

You will definitely want to see what happens in Sunnydale as the current season draws to a close. With the same passion we brought to Buffy, we're also working on some amazing new programs for next season we think you'll be very excited about, and are looking forward to announcing those on TheWB.com in a few weeks.

We'll keep Buffy.com going for as long as the show is still on The WB, and TheWB.com will continue to be your best source for what's happening on the network.

Best regards,

Susanne Daniels
Co-President, Entertainment

29 March 2001 - Buffy The Animated Series

It was revealed that the animated series had been placed on the fast track and may show up on the network schedule as early as February 2002. The network ordered up a full 26 episode season of the series.

The emphasis of the animated series, though, will focus on Buffy and the Scooby Gang in their high school days.

There's no word on if the live-action show's actors will be providing voices or not.

Joss Whedon has weighed in with his comments on the coming animated  series.  According to the NY Daily News, Whedon spoke of the series to come, saying, "The animated series is an opportunity to take our characters back to the beginning of their adulthood and tell the stories we never got to tell about Buffy and her friends."  He adds, "It's a chance to recapture those years of heartache and confusion and do the stories we never could afford to do in live action."

29 March 2001

UPN, the network best known for the "WWF Smackdown" wrestling series, has stepped up its efforts to steal "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from the WB.

UPN is still considered a longshot to land the series. The WB is also still in active talks with 20th, and may have upped its early offer of $1.6 million per episode. 20th could also sell the series to sister network Fox. In any case, insiders say a deal is getting closer.

4 March 2001

The first exclusive pictures of Gellar in Australia caught her in costume for her Scooby Doo role.  Dressed as Daphne in a purple mini-skirt, low-cut sleeveless top and matching headband, Gellar was surrounded by bodyguards during a break in filming at the Warner Bros studios.

She has also gone from blonde to strawberry red to keep the live version of the popular cartoon series as close to the '70s bubblegum theme as possible.  Her boyfriend Freddie Prinze Junior, who has dyed his hair blond to play Fred in the movie, was earlier seen talking to Gellar's bodyguards.

The celebrity couple slipped into town last month and kept a low profile before they were traced to a multi-million dollar waterfront mansion at the exclusive Gold Coast address of Cronin Island.  Last week, fans staked out Brisbane's Tennyson Powerhouse site to catch a glimpse of Gellar on set during a night-time shoot

28 February 2001

In order for the WB to get Buffy the Vampire Slayer beyond this year, Fox is putting the bite on the network for more money per episode. As yet, with the clock ticking, the WB isn't buying.

According to Variety, the official renegotiation period between the two parties is set to expire on Thursday, with word that a deal is not likely to happen this week. In addition, the trade reports that though the WB did make an offer of $1.6M per episode (they previously have paid in the range of $1M), Fox is holding out for more, with unnamed insiders reporting that they're looking for full per-seg production costs plus a premium in the $2.3-2.5M range. It's suggested that the network has a deal in place along those lines for Spelling Television's 7th Heaven TV series.

The Frog is said to be dismissing comparisons between the two shows noting that 7th Heaven is the net's highest rated program.

As it stands, if a deal between the two parties can't be sealed by Thursday (which is sounding very likely to be the case), Fox will be able to offer the show to outside interests for the highest bidder.

The trade reports that though there is the chance that the program could land on the Fox TV network, both ABC and UPN networks are said to be interested in bidding on the series.

4 February 2001

A day after threatening to quit  Buffy the Vampire Slayer if it moves from The WB, Sarah Michelle Gellar backed away from her ultimatum. "I'm not going anywhere, and I can't stress that enough," 

On Jan. 23, she told the E-News that she would leave the show if it switches networks. Fox, which produces the series, has been threatening to pull it from The WB if it can't reach agreement on terms of a new contract, including more money per episode. Both ABC and the Fox broadcasting network have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Buffy.

But on Jan. 24, Sarah said "I just said it in passing, and it was only meant to show my appreciation and support for The WB. But Fox has been very good to me, too. I intend to stay with Buffy, no matter what." Sarah has at least one more year on her contract after the current fifth season and added that she "absolutely" hopes to continue doing the show even after that.

4 February 2001

Joss Whedon the creator of  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has signed a four-year production deal with 20th Century Fox Television. Under the deal, estimated to be worth more than $20 million, Joss Whedon will create and produce new programming for Fox, while continuing as executive producer on Buffy and its spinoff, Angel.

Whedon may have a pilot series to develop for next season. Other networks, including ABC, have also expressed interest in working with Whedon. Fox is currently in contract renewal talks with The WB over Buffy, in which both sides have traded outrageous comments.

5 December 2000

• James Marsters may be signing a big movie deal, and the rumor floating around is that 'Spike' will make his exit from "Buffy" when this goes through.
•  Alyson Hannigan may be returning in "American Pie 2". She says "I heard there was a script somewhere but no one has seen it. I don't know whether I'd go back. I mean if it was funny I would, but I don't know how they'd do my character. She left on such a high note".  Universal has expressed interest in getting this movie in time for a Summer, 2001 release.
• Alyson Hannigan also reveals that 'Beyond City Limits' (which she co-stars with, Alexis Denisof) may never see the light of day due to severe cuts to the film and problems with the producer and director
• Rumor has it that Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. have split up this weekend, just gone. She is now trying to depart the Scooby project, but may be unable to. Freddie Prinze Jr. was spotted on the "Harvard Man" set last night so its likely it was just a brief lovers spat. 

19 November 2000

• Rumors have been going around that Sarah Michelle Gellar shows some skin in her latest movie, Harvard Man. The scene in question  is a steaming sex rompy with costar Adrien Grenier. But reports say that Sarah stays fully clothed and its her costar that gets naked

• Britney Spears was supposed to do a guest spot on Buffy this season as Britney and SMG are close friends. But, now it's been reported that Britney had to back out of the episode due to scheduling conflicts. Producers say it doesn't rule out another appearance in the future, though.

10 November 2000  **SPOILERS**
Rumor has it that Joyce Summers may have a brain tumor!

8 November 2000
Sarah Michelle has decided things between her and beau, Freddie Prinze Jr., are going so well that they're buying a house together. They have been seen looking in the Northern California area.

15 October 2000
New Episodes  **SPOILERS**

"No Place Like Home"
An unseen evil comes to Sunnydale that that helps Buffy discover more about her newly arrived little sister Dawn and the girls are distressed and confused when their mum becomes ill without any explanation.

6 October 2000
New Episodes still to come - **SPOILERS**

"The Replacement"
When a demon out  hunting Buffy accidentally catches Xander  in his sights, a mysterious Xander double  is born. Two Xanders aren't better than one as the evil double quickly takes over Xander's identity, fooling everyone including Buffy, and starts living Xanders life.
**Stars Nicholas Brendons twin brother Kelly***

"Out Of My Mind"
Buffy learns that Initiative experiments left Riley with super strength, a high tolerance for pain and an abnormally fast heartbeat that could lead to a heart attack unless he gets help. But only the Initiative can help him, and they no longer exist.

1 October 2000

New Episode
"The Real Me"
While Buffy and Gils step up the training, Buffy and Dawn’s sibling rivalry gets them into trouble when a new gang of vampires target the slayer. Across town, when the magic shop is ransacked and the owner killed, Giles thinks he may have found a new hub for the Scooby gang

9 August 2000  **SPOILERS**

• Dawn, will appear in the season opener.  All the characters have memories of Dawn being a part of Buffy's life and she's been living in the house with Buffy and her mother all this time.  It will create a bizarre mystery that will leave the audience wondering.

• Dawn Summers will be played by Michelle Trachtenberg.

• Dawn will be tied to the season's main threat.

• We will find out the meaning behind the phrase "Little Miss Muffet counting down from 730" which was said by Faith in a dream sequence.  It is a reference to Dawn.

• Clare Kramer (Bring It On) has signed on to play a major villain in season five.
  
  

26 June 2000  **SPOILERS**

• The relationship between Willow and Tara will continue into season 5.

• Nicholas Brendons twin  brother Kelly will make a guest appearance as a vampire.

• Anya will stay as one of the regular cast members, and will get her powers back early in the season.  She then has to decide whether to become avengeance demon again or stay with Xander and the rest of the Scooby gang in Sunnydale.

• A special 100th episode is planned.

• The next Evil Demon  in the series will be deeply focused on and extremely more evil than anyone before.

• There will be an evil female character.

• Faith wont be returning anytime soon.

• A new character called Dawn, will appear next season.  She will have a gift similar to Cordelia. She will have a special relationship with
  Buffy, and a crush on Xander which will come between him and Anya.

• Joss has said that season four was about freedom and relationships,  season five will be centered more on the Scooby gang and
  Giles in a more active role.

• A character called Christy or with a name similar will appear.

• One of the Scooby gang becomes evil (maybe Tara), and one of the main characters will be leaving the show.

• Glenn Quinn who played Doyle on Angel was coming to work high on cocaine, mucking up his lines, getting nose bleeds and seriously disturbing scene schedules, so they gave him an ultimatum, get cleaned up or get fired.  He got fired.
  

1 March 2000  **SPOILERS**

• A main character will be killed off at the end of season 5, rumor has it that it will be Xander.

• Alyson Hannigan (Willow) and Alexis Denisof (Wesley) are reportedly seeing each other.

• Seth Green will guest star in a few upcoming episodes. This may be his last season on Buffy, as he wants to move to movies.

• Willow explores her sexuality when she starts to get close to another witch, Tara.

• Principal Snyder will be back for a special appearance, looks like he's not dead after all.

• Spike will develop a crush on Willow, after he joins the Scooby Gang

• Drusilla will be back to cause havoc in Sunnydale with her new powers

• Angel and Riley will meet in Episode 20

• Emma Caulfield ( Anya ) has signed for fifteen episodes.