Here’s the sitch- Sofachip.com is giving away a free DVD. How do you win? It’s really very easy - just spin around clockwise 50 times, with a book on your head - while reciting the entire pilot episode of The Office (doing all the voices). Okay, is that too much? Fine! All you really need to do is leave a comment on this post (make sure you fill in your e-mail) with:

Your name: (First name, last initial)

State:

Age:

Which one of the two DVDs you’d like to win:

Your favorite TV show that is no longer on the air (unless it’s reruns):

Here are your two DVD choices:

Amy Adams from The Office and Buffy the Vampire Slayer is in Enchanted. I adore her, she’s fantastic, endearing, and can act like the sweetest girl - or the nastiest. She’s always been memorable in her roles. Ever see the 90’s comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous? And please tell me that you’ve seen her in Junebug!

OR:

James Marsters, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Smallville and Torchwood, is in P.S. I Love You. Who doesn’t have a crush on him? WHO? He’s yummy. And talented. Did you know he sings?

I will use this Custom Random Number Generator to - you guessed it, randomly pick what numbered comment wins a DVD! Since the comments don’t get numbered on their own, I’ll be counting them by hand. Woe.

We will be purchasing this for you from Amazon.com. Deadline: 11:59 a.m. of May 3rd, 2008.

Edited to say: This contest is only for people who live in the US, we’re sorry.

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On March 20th, at the 25th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion occurred. Along with Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon and David Greenwalt, cast members that were there included Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Caulfield, Nicholas Brendon, Amber Benson, Charisma Carpenter, Seth Green, James Marsters, and Michelle Trachetenberg.

So, I did not get to attend the Paley Festival. But that doesn’t mean I won’t cover it. Generous fans and other media outlets are sharing their experiences, pictures, etc. What I thought I would do was analyze the interviews that TV Guide’s Ausiello had with Sarah, Seth, Charisma, Nicholas, and Michelle.

Well, my first instinct is to wonder why Sarah and Seth were interviewed together. Everyone else was interviewed separately. Although Seth isn’t taller than Sarah (and she’s short) he’s protective, and a good friend to Sarah. My guess might be that Sarah was a bit fearful of any reporters who’d dig in to her about this being her first real appearance for the Buffy fandom. If I were her, I would have been nervous of the questions that could be asked. Seth did a lot of joking with Sarah, and he intercepted and fielded some of the harder questions - deflecting them with jokes.

When asked if he was ready for the pandemonium that would erupt, Seth said (jokingly) that he’d been training with weapons, in martial arts, and he recently saw Never Back Down. I’ve never heard of that movie, but maybe I should. I trust Seth’s taste.

Ausiello did us a solid when he asked them why there wasn’t a Buffy movie yet. Seth answered the question with a question, asking why there hadn’t been a sequel for The Italian Job (The Italian Job) yet - and then he said that it was just hard to get a movie made in Hollywood. If Sarah is the one who won’t agree to a movie, who knows. Joss said something about ‘a lot of stars (that) would have to align’ for that to happen.

Sarah said she was open to coming back to TV. I’m pretty positive that’s a different answer then what she was saying a few years ago.

An admission came when Sarah she said had just found out about Buffy’s latest adventure in bed with a woman in the comics. She said she would have assumed it was with Willow. “Shouldn’t it have been Willow if it was anybody?” Ausiello suggested Cordy/Buffy and she just kind of laughed. Sarah, of course, has kissed at least one girl (Selma Blair in Cruel Intentions - Cruel Intentions DVD), although whether or not she’d have played a bisexual or lesbian relationship on the show is something only she knows. Continued

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Hi there, gentle viewers. I was listening to a movie soundtrack today (The Last Kiss for those wondering) while I was deep conditioning my hair (crucial in this dry weather!) and I realized there are a bunch of TV soundtracks that I adore. Being that I’m a generous kind o’ gal - I want to share them with you. You might remember something you used to love, or discover something new. Buying a TV show soundtrack is just another way to be the crazy-loyal-devoted fannish guy or girl that people will look at in awe, someday. You’ll at the very least be known for having a kickass music collection. (Don’t alphabetize CDs though, you don’t want to be that person. Instead, order them by genre, or something.)

Felicity: Senior Year

Oh Felicity, even when you chopped off most of your hair in season two I still loved you. By Senior year a lot had happened, but Felicity had mellowed a bit a lot. This soundtrack has bittersweet songs to listen to when you’re reflecting on life, love, and lizards (or something) like Jude - King of Yesterday, Andy Stochansky - Here Nor There, and Barenaked Ladies - Call and Answer. No need to mope all the time though, be uplifted with Maren Ord’s song Perfect. There are thirteen tracks total, which is an unlucky number but Felicity Porter was lucky. She ended up with her true love. Not the guy I would have picked (oh Noel Crane, I love you) but I have unwaivering devotion to Keri Russel and Felicity - the show and the girl. J.J. Abrams made this show before Alias and Lost. I think it might be my favorite of them all, though I love them all. J.J. Abrams wrote and performed the theme song they used in the last two seasons of Felicity. Wanna hear/see it? Here you go:

Continued

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That’s what James Marsters is doing now. Or at least his new character is. (Or wants to do.)
Marsters played a platinum-haired vampire on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (where he first won me over, I can’t seem to resist sexy vampires*), and now he’s playing a brunette Time Agent (read: thief) on Torchwood.

Torchwood is a spin-off of the BBC show Doctor Who. It airs on BBC America and BBC Two. It is currently in its second season. That means you can catch up. Yay! (Under the jump I’ve put links for the DVDs.)

Marsters plays Captain John Hart. Tvguide.com recently had an interview with James about this role. He told TVguide that Torchwood is, “… a funny, subversive show like Buffy. I feel very much at home.”

There is also this gem of a quote:

“My character is way beyond bisexual. Spike was a romantic; this guy would do anything that moved. I cast a lustful glance at a poodle!”

This leads me to my Continued

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Okay, I’m going to level with you - I’m not a musical theater purist. I don’t know every line to West Side Story. (Although, it might be kind of funny to watch me try, especially since my voice? Not so great.) But I do have a great appreciation for musicals. I remember being in 7th grade, having sleepovers in the dark basement of my best friends house - and seeing A Chorus Line for the first time. I don’t know if it changed my life, but it certainly was an amazing experience, and I’ve since watched that particular musical at least half a dozen times. (Yes, I sing along, and no - no one’s ever called the cops on me for a noise complaint. Yet.)

While there are so many wonderful musicals from the past, and even from the more recent present (I’m talking about Rent, Wicked, and Spring Awakening, people) - my favorite musical, hands down, is one that was made for a TV series.

You can stop re-reading the above sentence, because the words aren’t going to change unless you’ve taken some sort of mood-altering drug, in which case, you’re grounded - go to your room! I have a sneaking suspicion that some musical theater purists might want to start throwing things at me now that I’ve told you where my favorite musical originated. But I stand by my claim. My favorite musical is Once More, With Feeling - the Buffy Musical.

It premiered on November 6th, 2001 - in Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s sixth season. The idea of a musical episode for his hit TV series had been percolating in creator Joss Whedon’s mind since season one, and he was encouraged to follow through on his idea by some of his cast - like Anthony Stewart Head who plays Giles. I think James Marsters (Spike) probably encouraged this too, as he is a singer.

Now, some of the cast was not so enthusiastic about having to sing, but they all stepped up the plate for the fans. When I checked Wikipedia’s page on this musical, I read that they were going to have Jewel dub Sarah Michelle Gellars (Buffy) voice for one of the harder songs to sing. And even though she is not a professional singer and (from what I’ve read) I don’t think she particularly wanted to, Sarah still sang for us. Which was great. Because if you ask most Buffy fans, I think they’d tell you that they’d much prefer the real Buffy singing, than an impostor (even though Jewel’s voice is beyond beautiful).

Plot-wise, you can enjoy this musical whether or not you’re a fan of the show. I personally think that if you see this, and you’re not already a fan, you’ll become a fan. And you’ll be welcomed into the open arms of several Buffyverse fans. This isn’t a show that aired and went away and people are like, “Oh man no more episodes, bummer, oh well - hey, let’s watch that show on the CW about a hill!” To many people, including myself, this show (and others, often including Whedon’s other creations: Angel and Firefly) are more than just TV shows.

Speaking on Buffy, in particular, it was more than just a cultural phenomenon. It was more than a show with a creative and hardworking cast and crew. It was more than a show about vampires. It is an entire world to submerge yourself within, to delve deep and explore. There are so many levels! Layers! Designer shoes! (Okay, lost my L-theme, and veered off course, but I’m a girl, and I appreciate shoes.)

This is a fandom to love, to cherish, and to demand your friends and relatives watch (by force, if necessary). But, I seem to be going on a tangent for my love of the show, and not for my love for the musical. (Neither of which I can fully and adequately express in words, but perhaps in a musical number…)

Back to the musical…

Something that so many critics/viewers/robotic chipmunks have pointed out is how well this episode manages to be a brilliant musical while also advancing the plot of the show/season. Once More, With Feeling showcases not only the talents of the cast and the crew (the writers, the costume designers, etc.), but it showcases the plot - giving the viewer some very tasty moments to savor.

I highly recommend getting the CD, which has liner notes from Joss, pictures from the episode, all the lyrics, the entire score, plus the demo track of Joss’s wife Kai Cole singing Something to Sing About, and some additional score pieces (of other episodes) by Christopher Beck who was the main composer for the show.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - “Once More, With Feeling” CD

You can purchase the script of the musical at Amazon.com. “Once More, With Feeling”: The Script Book To view the episode, you can purchase season six, or just get all seven seasons! The episode is in letterbox format, and it runs approximately eight minutes more than normal episodes, which translates to eight extra minutes of utter awesomeness.

For Buffy fans, this is a great gift to give them for the holiday’s because it is full of juicy stuff, like David Fury (executive producer and writer for the show) singing about mustard stains. For anyone else there’s got to be appeal in angsty romance, kleptomania, and some passionate singing about accusing bunnies of evil (like Anya, I’ve known for quite some time that they’re up to no good).

Some people do live show sing-a-longs (either with just the DVD on a large screen, or with a full cast on a stage) and I suggest you check out Buffy Musical info here at uncoolkids.com

Que le Spectacle Commence! (Let the show begin!)

It may not be Tuesday, but you can enjoy Buffy anytime:

Continued

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