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« Ausiello Report
Laughter, Tears and (Yikes!) Tension at Buffy Reunion
Buffy the Vampire Slayer courtesy 20th Century Fox
If there was any doubt that the panel for Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the most eagerly anticipated event at Paley Fest '08, it was erased by the mile-long line of fans that snaked around Hollywood's Cinerama Dome last night. Luckily, the event — which reunited the cast for the first time since the show ended in 2004 — more than lived up to the hype. Of course, that's not to say there weren't a few hiccups....
Participants: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield, Seth Green, Amber Benson, James Marsters, Michelle Trachtenberg, David Greenwalt, Marti Noxon, Joss Whedon and TV Guide's own Matt Roush.
MIA: Alyson Hannigan (?!?), Eliza Dushku, Anthony Stewart Head and David Boreanaz (so much for that taped message).
Applause meter: Whedon, natch, got the most enthusiastic reception from the packed house, followed by Gellar, Marsters and Carpenter.
Party crasher: Less than five minutes in, it was painfully obvious that Brendon had suffered a recurrence of ericbalfourism, an affliction that causes actors to hijack panel discussions with erratic behavior and unfunny banter. (Brendon was first diagnosed with the debilitating disease at the 2005 summer press tour while promoting Kitchen Confidential.) The first sign of the relapse came while Gellar was eloquently discussing the positive influence her alter ego had on young women – including her. Just as she was wrapping up her remarks, Brendon jumped in with this doozy: "You mean it wasn't Susan Lucci?" If Gellar had a stake, I'm pretty sure she would've driven it through his heart.
Music to our ears: Whedon said he's spent "time daydreaming" about bringing Buffy to the Great White Way someday.
Dark Buffy: Gellar admitted that both Whedon and Noxon had to "talk her down off the ledge" a few times during the controversial sixth season, which saw Buffy morph from a butt-kicking heroine into a dark, bitter basketcase. Ultimately, Whedon agreed that the real Buffy had "been gone to long" that season.
Quote of the day: Summing up the appeal of writing for a show like Buffy, Greenwalt said, "There's nothing like taking all your pain and misery and shoving it into good-looking people's mouths."
Nickname game: Unbeknownst to Gellar, Whedon and Greenwalt would refer to her as "Jimmy Stewart" in the writers' room. Whedon leaned over to tell a confused-looking Gellar that the nickname "was a compliment."
Choose or lose: Roush asked Gellar to once and for all choose between Angel and Spike, to which Brendon cracked, "Given the comic book, I think Willow." OK, I'll give him that one. Speaking of Buffy's lesbian tryst in the recently published Season 8 comic book, Whedon said, "It's not a giant life change. It's not Willow. It's someone who is young… with a lot of time on her hands."
Behind the tears: Caulfield at long last revealed what was going through her mind when she delivered that gut-wrenching monologue in the acclaimed "Body" episode: "I had to go to the bathroom!"
Unsung hero: Gellar agreed with Whedon's assessment of Kristine Sutherland (aka Buffy's mom) being one "of the most underrated" actresses working today.
Same-sex hysterics: Greenwalt revealed that shortly after word leaked that Willow was going to be coming out of the closet, he got a call from an unnamed WB exec who said, "Is [Joss] really going to do this gay thing?" Whedon threatened to quit when the network asked him to leave Willow and Tara's first kiss on the cutting-room floor. "It's the one time I pulled that out," he said. "And they were like, 'No, it's OK. Leave it in.'"
The infamous Emmy snub: Whedon reminded everyone that "you don't put a show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the WB and think, 'I'm going to win Emmys!'" Gellar added, "We made the show for the fans." Cue painfully unfunny knee-slapper from Brendon involving an empty trophy case and eBay.
Good taste: Gellar reads TV Guide! She just referred to our list of TV's Top 10 Steamiest Love Scenes, in which Buffy and Spike's inaugural roll in the hay was named No. 1!
Show-killer: The audience Q&A portion of the show got off to a disastrous start when a fan asked the entire panel to reveal both their favorite movie of all time and what they're currently listening to on their iPods. What resulted was the most excruciating 20 minutes in Paley Fest history. Brendon spent three of those minutes inventing fake movie titles and berating Gellar for not adequately answering the iPod portion of the question. (For the record, she did. She's listening to the soundtrack from South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut.)
Um, awkward: Asked to reveal the real reason she refused Whedon's offer to return in Season 7 as a demonic version of Tara, Benson joked that she was too busy "making love to Marlon Brando." All kidding aside, she wanted fans to remember Tara as the sweet, innocent lesbian she was, and not some nasty, evil beast. Judging by Whedon's body language during all this, I'm sensing he may still harbor some hurt feelings over the snub. I could be wrong.
Potty mouth: What does Green miss most about his Buffy days? Arriving to work "to find that David Boreanaz had pooped in my trailer."
More Buffy: Whedon acknowledged that "so many stars would have to align" in order to pull off a Buffy movie. "But," he added, "I think it would be really cool."
You know what else would be really cool? One specific area of TVGuide.com featuring all my video interviews from Paley Fest '08. Oh, lookie here, such an area exists! Videos are being added hourly – the Buffy vids should be up by day's end – so keep checking back for the latest.
More Paley Festival coverage:
• Roush Dispatch: A Salute to Buffy
• Watch video: Red-carpet interviews!
• Friday Night Lights
• Chuck
• Pushing Daisies
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TVGuide Links:
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Mar 21, 2008 3:20 AM
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Not a mention of Anthony Stewart Head to be seen, for shame, sir!
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Mar 21, 2008 4:14 AM
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Wow, that audience Q&A reads like the Onion.
Still jealous I wasn't there though.
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Mar 21, 2008 4:59 AM
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Why were Eliza and Aly not there? They originally wanted to come.
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Mar 21, 2008 5:18 AM
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I wish i could be there. I don't think any show has had the impact on me that Buffy had. I really hopre there will be a DVD released with this panel.
And Gellar likes South Park? Damn that girl is hot
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Mar 21, 2008 7:16 AM
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Ausiello -
Thanks for the panel review. It sounds like Breedon was very nervous or a moron not sure which.
I am so sorry to hear the characters Willow, Wesley and Faith were not there, and I hope they were busy working since the strike kept people out of work for so long.
I just wish someone had asked what each person is up to now, vs. the favorite movie and IPOD question.
I really want to know about the musical webisodes that Whedon is doing.
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Mar 21, 2008 9:31 AM
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Michael - thanks for getting the recap and video up so quickly. You rock! And seriously, SMG has the South Park soundtrack on her iPod? If I didn't love her before I totally do now!! 
That's too bad about Nick but it seems to be the behavior du jour. I recently heard a podcast of a convention that occured in Florida a few weeks back (don't remember the name), but the panel was Nick, Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Rohm. Sadly Nick behaved similarly there too.
It sounds like overall the night went well and some interesting and new tidbits were revealed which makes me very happy. Now fingers crossed for the DVD of the event. (I hope the festival organizers realize they're certifiable if they don't sell one!!)
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Mar 21, 2008 9:37 AM
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Dude, you must be kidding about the movie/iPod question! What true Buffy fan would go to such measures to suck up precious time at a rare reunion?!
It reminds me of the movie junkets I sometimes cover, where one reporter invariably asks, "How did this script come to you?" That question has never in the history of junkets delivered an interesting answer. (It's as if someone is expecting an actor to one day say, "I stooped down to pick up a penny and saw this tattered script lying beneath a park bench....")
So sorry the panel got waylaid by that inanity.
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Mar 21, 2008 9:54 AM
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I am so jealous of everyone who got to go. It sounds amazing.
Why were Eliza and Aly not there? They originally wanted to come.
Posted by Donnie87
Maybe Alyson (and the rest of the panel) didn't want to be overwhelmed with Britney questions.
I really hopre there will be a DVD released with this panel.
Posted by melbye
I hope so too. There are a ton of panels I want on dvd. I emailed someone at the Paley Center and asked if they would be releasing dvds or if there was any way that fans not able to come to them would get to see them. I have not gotten a response. Maybe Michael can get us some news about that.
These are the other panels I want dvds of (copy and paste from the email I sent them):
Pushing Daisies
Comedy World of Judd Apatow
Chuck
Friday Night Lights
The Buffy Reunion (this seems like an amazing feat to me, I'd heard they didn't want to do stuff like this)
X-Files
Kyle XY & Greek (so glad these great shows are getting recognized!)
Bones
Moonlight
Sarah Silverman Program
If they don't put out dvds, they are missing out on a lot of money.
I know it's possible for some of these shows that are still on the air to put the panels on their season dvds. So, maybe someone will do that. I know back when the Paley Center was called The Museum of Television & Radio there was a panel for Freaks and Geeks and that panel is on the dvds. (someone correct me if I'm remembering this wrong)
---Edit---
I'm right, they have a huge list of all their past panels and F&G is in there for 2000.
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Mar 21, 2008 9:55 AM
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Thanks, Michael. I REALLY really really enjoyed reading this. You took me there!
It sounds as though Nic was just being Nic. You invite Nic someplace, you can't be surprised when you get Nic. It kind of reminds me when Roseanne was invited to a ballgame to sing the national anthem, and then she showed up and behaved like Roseanne. You can't expect Whitney Houston's voice to come out of Roseanne's mouth when you invite Roseanne. (I'm sure if I had been there, though, even I would've said "ouch" at that Susan Lucci line! LOL!!!)
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Mar 21, 2008 10:01 AM
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Dude, you must be kidding about the movie/iPod question! What true Buffy fan would go to such measures to suck up precious time at a rare reunion?!
Here's TV Gord's Top Ten List of Other Questions That Could Have Been Asked At The Buffy Panel!
10. If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? (Ironic that Willow wasn't there for that one!)
9. What was it like to work with John Ritter?
8. For SMG: That lesbian scene in the latest comic book??? Was that difficult for you to do?
7. Can each of you tell me which of the current crop of American Idols are your favorites and which songs from Once More With Feeling do you picture each of them singing.
6. Do any of you sit at home watching the old DVDs and drinking heavily, cuz I do, and I would like to know if I'm doing that at the same time you're doing that. What time do you do that? And what are each of you wearing when you do do that?
5. If the show were still on the air today, would you have Barack Obama on as a vamp? That would be awwwwwesssssooome!
4. Joss, could you describe in intricate detail what a Doublemeat Palace spinoff would've been like?
3. Also for Joss, why did you break up Rory and Logan before the series ended?
2. Can Amber read some poetry to the audience that I've written?
1. Wasn't that Kristy Swanson checking my coat at the door???
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Mar 21, 2008 10:30 AM
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Why was it a Buffy rather than a Buffy/Angel reunion? I would have liked to have seen J. August Richards, Amy Acker, Stephanie Romanov, Christian Kane, Julie Benz, and Elisabeth Rohm too. Maybe even Daniel Dae Kim & Sam Anderson if they could get off the island!
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Mar 21, 2008 10:55 AM
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You don't really mention James Marsters. He must have had something interesting to say. FESS UP!!
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Mar 21, 2008 11:08 AM
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Let's set the record straight... David Boreanaz never stated he would do a video. I believe he is a little busy with his current show Bones and being a good Catholic boy; he is spending Holy Thursday and the Easter weekend with his family.
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Mar 21, 2008 11:17 AM
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