My 'Can't Stop the Serenity' T-shirt Arrived

They didn't have the one I wanted when Bits and I attended our local NYC CSTS event, so I went ahead and ordered one....and look at how cool it is! What with Buffyfest listed smack dab in the middle on the back. We're so proud to have added to this great cause in our own little way. Again, check CantStopTheSerenity.com to see if there is still a 2009 event in your town - and don't hesitate to donate to CSTS any time of the year in support of Equality Now!

What's the sitch? - The Bitter Sunday edition

Ok, we failed to get the Saturday 'Week in Whedon News' recap up again, but surely will next week. Bitsy also isn't choosing a fanvid sunday today. Crazy weekend. In the lieu of all of that, I give you "What's the Sitch?- Sunday edition." It's a little bitter this time, not sure why...I'm in a good mood I swear!

Whedon.info has a million pics of Smidgie's swagtastic, corporate-sponsored, LA shmoozefest of a baby shower. Michelle Trachtenberg was a guest and it looks like it was a good time...but isn't the point to bring gifts and celebrate mother and child? It seems like these attendees are there to GET a bag full of eye cream, mp3 players and to cozy up to "it girls" to see if you can get a guest spot on their next hit CW show. Oops...sorry Shannen Doherty. I really did like you in Charmed.

James Marsters' pimping schedule. For enough money you too can meet Spoike himself at these and many other local events. He'll be in Cherry Hill, NJ, Birmingham & Cambersands, UK! Check his site to see if he'll be selling photos or peddling autographs in your town! You can even pay $75 to have breakfast with Jimmy-boy or $250 (cash only) to enjoy soft drinks and iced teas at a Dragon Con private party. Sorry, cocktails will be extra though.

Felicia Day and the whole Guild gang do it up in this free-ish xbox live download music video: "Would You Like to Date My Avatar?", previously only seen at SDCC. Too bad you need to own an Xbox to make it happen. Or Zune, but not if you have a Mac (Mac vs. Windows wars and all.) Grr. The rest of us can catch it on Amazon tomorrow. You can also catch a preview on all of those sites, as well.

A new actually-free comic centered around Harmony arrived this week on MySpace Dark Horse Presents entitled Buffy: Harmony Comes to the Nation - written by Jane Espenson and Karl Moline. Short, sweet, to the point.

Despite the internet buzz, the Dollhouse DVD sales are not really all that after all. Some sites have indicated that if the DVD doesn't perform well (like Firefly did), this really could be the nail in the coffin for Dollhouse. Not sure I agree or have an opinion on that either way - but at this point in the game I think it's fair to say that Dollhouse is the clunker in Whedon's TV show legacy. Let's see if season 2 can fix that.

And that's the (bitter) news!

I've Still Got a Theory...on Twilight and Buffy Having a Bun in the Oven

Angel as Twilight
Back in November 2008, I wrote a post called "I've Got a Theory...on Twilight" musing on the idea that Twilight is actually Angel. That was a long time ago and as we fast forward to the latest issue of Buffy Season 8, I still have that same theory. All of the reasons I listed in that post still apply today, including this awesome photo comparison:

In this latest issue, we get another clue as to Twilight's identity, the "Spike?" comments by both Twilight and Riley.

The only glitch here, and admittedly it's a big one, is that Angel is over at IDW and I'm not sure about the legal and canonical issues that would come into play.

A lot of people on the internets have been talking about this theory too and most fans of Angel are scared about the idea that he (not Angelus) would be the villain this season. 'Can he be redeemed?' is the real question at hand. As someone who puts Angel in their top three favorite characters, I say yes. The interesting thing about Twilight is that he's not out to end the world, in fact, he's out to save it. He might be going about it in a "black hat" way, but he still believes in a better future. And if there's any M.O. that fits the character of Angel it's that he's not beyond getting his hands dirty in order to save the world. He's a big-picture-guy to the end. Slayers have died, yes, but they're warriors in a battle. Twilight has yet to kill one innocent, non-magical person. Remember, Buffy was willing to sacrifice 6 billion people to save her sister. Things aren't black and white in the Buffyverse, just like in the real world. Angel will have blood on his hands for sure, but he'll be able to make amends (with snow!).

With that said, all these links to Angel could be a misdirect, but I for one am ready for the Twilight reveal even if I'm dead wrong with my humble predictions. Since when does Buffy have a mystery Big Bad? Let's get on with this already.


Buffy's Bun in the Oven
Crazy as it might sound, I'm starting to think Buffy might be pregos by the end of this comic, if not arc. There's a pretty infamous panel in Issue # 10, "Anywhere but Here" with the vision of Buffy on the floor, beaten and crying. There's a red egg above, cracked and empty. Then comes the line, "Betrayal. The closest, the most unexpected." I gotta say that a future version of Buffy's child coming back to settle some score is a bit (a lot) soap opera-ish to me, so I hope the child isn't Twilight. An egg does symbolize fertility and birth, and the red egg specifically in Chinese culture is given at the birth of a child. We also have the use of the word "Queen" in reference to Buffy and "Saving the Prince", as well.

It's probably a silly theory that proves me all sorts of wrong, but I'm okay with that because I don't much like the idea anyway.

Beard's Vloggy Demise: Only Human Review

After last week's totally bearded takeover there was only one thing left to do: shave that bad boy off and reclaim my authority as vlog reviewer du jour on this site we call Buffyfest. And so I did... on camera! Oh and, also, I reviewed some comic or whatever. Let's go to the videotape!

Between you and me (and I take you in the ultimate confidence here) I think that beard was a little bit of a brown noser. Well never you fear, Buffy peeps, because from here on out it's the straight dope because me and my side burns are all about the horrible truth. We're also about being stupid hot but, let's face, that's almost painfully obvious.

Shiny! Get Crafty for Charity.

The Austin Browncoats are looking for crafty volunteers for charity! Fun! I'm totally making some Kaylee Parasols and I might even get crazy and knit a Jayne hat (much to Michelle's amusement, I'm sure.) See below for the deets:

Call for Knitters

"The Austin Browncoats need some knitting help. Many of you heard about our knit-a-thon at Dragon*Con 2008. Claudia knit 12 hats during the course of booth hours, which is an impressive feat. The hats are so popular that we have pre-orders coming in weekly. We're looking for individuals that are interested in helping us knit hats for charity. For more information about the charities we support, visit: Austin Browncoats Charity .

We will provide you with a starter kit, that will include the pattern or pattern and yarn (according to if you want to donate your knitting time or your knitting time AND yarn). We will provide receipts to all knitters to document time, as well as monetary donations.

We are in need of knit wool and acrylic hats, but are not in need of crocheted Jayne hats currently. We are working on being able to provide acrylic yarn, but as of right now, we can only provide wool yarn.



Parasols

We are also in need of folks to help paint some of those shiny, rainbow colored parasols as seen carried by our favorite mechanic, Kaylee. We'll provide the parasols, but as a volunteer, you will need to provide your own paint and, of course, painting skill! We will need some parasols completed in time for Dragon*Con (September 4-7th), so the sooner you can work your artistic magic, the better!"

If you are interested in any of these positions, please write to volunteer@austinbrowncoats.com

I'm Ready to Help the Helpless...or the Hopeless!

Yes, it's all true - I've trekked across the country and transplanted myself over to the left coast. Doesn't mean I love my East Coast roots any less and definitely doesn't mean I've lost my Buffy addiction. In fact, I'm now about 2 hours from Sunnydale (per Buffy's instructions) and living in the same town as my most favorite vampire with a soul.

Thanks to all for the comments and warm wishes and to my fellow Buffyfest Bloggers, I can't begin to express my gratitude to you for holding down my end of the fort for these past few weeks. You are truly the best.

What's the Sitch?: Last Week's Other News

We try to do a sort of News-that-fell-through-the-cracks-of-the-Hellmouth recap every Saturday. Well, that didn't happen this past weekend, but rest assured that from now on you'll find everything we don't cover during the week in a new segment called "What's the Sitch?" on Saturdays. Until then, here's the Monday After edition.

In this amazing interview, Joss not only says that Angel would "kick the shit" out of Edward Cullen's, he basically says that David Boreanaz would kick Robert Pattinson's ass. Hot.

Joss and Co. have the Dr. Horrible sequel story. He tells MTV "We're really excited about what it is. More, I cannot say." I'm sure their fears are as large as ours so let's just all hope for the best. Faith in Joss, Buffyfest...Faith in Joss.

In related news, Doc Horrible just won a Hugo Award. Next stop, Australia Domination.

After seeing these shiny ass "Fantasy Buffy Movie" posters, Captain Elias wonders why Joss doesn't shut down Dollhouse production and just get on with it already? We tend to agree. Go over there and check 'em out.

Emma Caulfield's new webcomic Contropussy. Enough said.

We got a tip about a cool sounding play that is going on in Washington, DC. It is called Living Dead in Denmark, and apparently has a lot of Buffy references and Whedonish language. If in your in the area, go over here for the deets.

Oh, make sure to listen to the latest episode of the Joss'd podcast. Besides the usual podcasty fun, you'll hear an especially awesome and familiar jingle throughout the ep.