Speaking of Buffy, I bastardized various resurrection speculation theories, made them conform to my redemptionista and S/B 'shipper hopes, and put them in a fanfic. It's sappy, but it's sweet.

TV Guide Online - "It's about what it's like to live in a musical world," [Joss Whedon] previews, "because all our guys are gonna start singing and dancing, and they're gonna be like, 'Did anybody notice that we were just singing and dancing? What's that all about?' It's basically the repercussions of living in that kind of world."

I'm suddenly really looking forward to the Musical Buffy Extravaganza. Yes, really.

Last night in a rant about how to write fanfic that doesn't suck, I went on to extoll the virtues of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. Immediately afterwards I noticed that my own copy has mysteriously disappeared right off of my desk. I can't find it anywhere, and I feel like I've lost my blankie. How am I supposed to double check myself to make sure I'm doing it correctly? Oh, sure, I've still got my Brief English Handbook left over from my freshman comp class, but it's just not the same. There is something very comforting about S&W's little style manual. I fear I won't rest easy until it turns up. Meanwhile, I suppose I can make do with the rules of grammar according to Sars.

Closer to Heaven - Hey look, the Pet Shop Boys wrote a musical.

Damn. Just when I thought I was over it, Sara Kuhn's Buffy review reduced me to tears yet again. It's gonna be a long, long summer at the House o' Jean.

I've actually been somewhat productive today. I called my old temp angency to see about getting back on their payroll (got voicemail, though, and they've yet to return my call), and I applied for some cheap and very basic health insurance, which is better than no health insurance at all. Of course, once I've worked for CDI for 6 months, I'll be eligible for their benefits, then I can get myself some half-way decent coverage once again. This probably means that once my current Ritalin supply runs out, I'll have to go unmedicated for the next six months because I have no prescription coverage, and that's some expensive stuff. That's a rather scary thought, considering that last time I tried to go a prolonged period of time sans Ritalin, I got myself in such a deep financial hole that I ended up losing my apartment and had to move back into my mom's house. But considering I have yet to move back out of her house and, even unemployed, I'm in the best financial standing I've been in ever in my entire life, I'm not too worried. What with paying my bills and doing my banking online and all, I've got a pretty ADD-friendly set-up, so I think I can deal.

But enough about me. Let's get to the important stuff, that being last night's Buffy, which I've had a chance to mull over. Requisite spoiler space ahead...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

First of all, James Marsters: Sure, he's unbelievably pretty, especially now that they've given him good hair. Sure, he's incredibly snarky and cool and charismatic. But the important thing is that, boy, can he ever act! I don't understand why he doesn't have an emmy, or any other of the awards. I don't understand why he never even gets nominated. I defy you to tell me that he is not one of the most capable actors in all of series television. So then why, WHY doesn't he get the recognition that he deserves?

Anyway. Spike made me cry. Buffy and Dawn had me sniffling a little, but the waterworks didn't turn on until Spike broke down. JM managed to convey pure, unadulterated grief, and to cry in a perfectly manly way that didn't make me cringe. Poor, poor Spike. I've never wanted so badly to hug a TV character. And I can't help but be touched by the irony that the one character who spent so long plotting and hoping for Buffy's death turned out to be the one who was the most devastated when it finally happened. And the re-invite. How beautiful was that? The look of pure joy on his face, even though he didn't make a big deal out of it. "Poof, no more barrier." Aww! I love Spike.

But anyway, of course Buffy's not really dead. Or if she is, she'll be brought back somehow. SMG signed a 2 year contract, so Buffy's not down for the count. So, let the speculation begin:

I'm still fairly convinced that she's not dead, that when the new season starts up we'll see that she did survive, she just dreamed the bit about the headstone. Maybe they'll start out the first hour with a flashback sequence of Buffy's life flashing before her eyes, which will serve the purpose of bringing new viewers up to speed, and then they'll reveal that she actually survived the fall.

But if not, then I have absolutely no idea how they'll resurrect her without making it all cheesy, but I've learned to have faith in Joss & Co. when it comes to this sort of thing. One theory I've read is that they're going to do some sort of Dark Pheonix homage, and what with Doc and his Mr. Sinister-esque fascination with Dawn's DNA and the big deal made about Dawn and Buffy being made up of the same stuff. Not too far fetched, since we don't know that Doc didn't survive his fall, and we still have absolutely no clue as to what his motivations were in all of this. I wouldn't be surprised if we haven't seen the last of Doc. I hope not, at least, because he's the creepiest villain since the Gentlemen, and Joel Grey just rocks.

Another one making the rounds is that they'll do an Orpheus & Euridyce sort of story, with Spike (or possibly Angel, but most likely (and hopefully) Spike, since cross-overs between the two networks are doubtful) bargaining with the PTB to restore Buffy's life. That could be cool. And Jane Espenson was quoted as saying that they've got some really cool things planned for Spike next season.

At any rate, we can rest assured that they "killed off" the one character who is guaranteed not to stay dead. So, worries about the future of Buffy aside, I thought it was a great episode. It started out with the best teaser ever, it had an emotionally touching ending, and it had lots of good moments in between, especially for Spike, which for me is the most important thing. I loved Xander's proposal to Anya, I loved Willow kicking some ass with her witch fu, I was totally and embarassingly surprised by the BuffyBot, I sat with my eyes bugged out and my hand over my mouth while Giles killed Ben, and the Giles & Spike Shakespeare quotage warmed my heart. So there you have it.

By the by, to help get us all through re-run season, we're going to do a sequel to Dancing Lessons, beginning the week immediately following the end of the current arc. For you non-shippers out there, it will focus somewhat less on the 'shippiness and more on the action and familial relationships between the characters. If you want a sneak preview, check out the new splash page. That pretty much says it all.

Joss Whedon is a total rat bastard.

Spoilers ahoy...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

He's also a liar. He said it would be a happy ending. Is that really your idea of a happy ending, Joss, you twisted fuck?

So. I forced myself to sit through Angel, even though I wasn't really in the mood for it any more. By the end, I had myself pretty cheered up. Not because it was a riotously funny episode, because it wasn't (although it wasn't bad, and maybe once I watch it again when I hadn't just spent five minutes bawling my eyes out I'll enjoy it more), but because I came up with this theory. She didn't actually die, you see, she was just unconcious, and that headstone shot was a dream. Because a Slayer ought to be able to handle a fall like that, right? Spike could, and she's stronger than he is. So in the UPN series premiere, we'll see, she was fine. It was just a big fake out.

And then Angel and the troops had to come home to find Willow sitting there with her sad face, and I started up all over again.

Bastards.

So. Anyway. Hi. Buffy's dead. Have a nice summer.

Oh my God, they killed Krychek! Those bastards!

Seriously. They killed off their last good bad guy. Mulder & Scully smoochies and the hint that they've been getting it on off screen all this time notwithstanding, there is now officially no good reason to watch this show next season, especially if they go and completely replace M&S with Doggett and Moronica (tm somebody at MBTV).

That said, it was a good episode, but damn. Why'd they have to go and kill off Rat Boy?

I'm mostly better now. Still a bit more mucus-y than I'd prefer (was that TMI?), but the aches and pains and sore throat are gone and my energy level's back up to normal. So now that I'm out of excuses, and almost out of money, it's about time for me to get my unemployed rear in gear and find myself a job. Actually, I've got enough in the bank for one more month's worth of bills, so I'm not in panic mode yet, but if any sort of emergency comes up, I'm pretty much screwed. Plus I don't have any health insurance, so that's no good. Still planning on temping, but I'm also considering applying for part time work at the new Java Dave's that's getting ready to open up in Claremore. What with the gas prices so high, a minimum wage job close by would actually probably be more profitable than anything that requires a commute to Tulsa. The only thing is, working in town I'm more likely to run into (and have to wait on) people I know and vehemently dislike. So that's a definite con. I suppose I could check the local want ads and see if there's someplace local that I could put my secretarial skills to use; but, damn, I hated being a secretary. At any rate, must seek employment soon. And doesn't that just suck?

Zap2it.com - UPN says that they will start its [sic!] season in August in order to get a jump on the other networks who typically duke it out amongst themselves towards the end of September.

Only two months till new Buffy! Can I get a Woo? And how 'bout a Hoo?

(link snatched from Terrence. Go Terrence! It's your birthday! Well not really, but have fun anyway!)

By the by, I'm still sick, but I have better drugs now than I did yesterday, so at least I'm functional. We got the nephew all graduated, and I got to meet his band, Last Exit, an enormously cute bunch of little boys, whom I still have yet to hear play. I'm told they're very good. I'm also told I'll be informed of the location and date of their next gig, but I think I was lied to. Anyway. My little baby nephew is a high school graduate. Hi. I'm old.

During the ceremony I couldn't help thinking how cool it would be if the speaker turned into a giant snake and the kids all busted out with weapons they'd kept hidden beneath their robes. Then I decided that perhaps it would be best if that sort of thing remained within the confines of the Buffy-verse, and I went back to reading my book. Yes, I took a book to my nephew's graduation. Don't give me that look. I'd have taken a book to my own graduation if I could have gotten away with it. 1984, if you must know. It was both more educational and more entertaining than the speech.

Since I was at my nephew's graduation, I did not watch Voyager last night. I'll watch it when it re-airs this Sunday. So please don't e-mail me to ask me if I watched it and then spoil it for me. Thank you.

Filk-alicious! Christmas Bells - a BtVS/RENT Redemptionista Remix

Uh, guh. Throat hurts. Muscles ache, weak, tired, dizzy when I stand or even sit upright for too long. Want to go crawl back into bed and stay there. Can't, though, because Nephew #1 is graduating from high school tonight, and I have to go watch. Then we're all going out to eat. And before that I have to go buy him a present (hey, I got my dates confused, I thought I had another week, okay?). I should warn the family, I'm apt to be pissy tonight. I hope I'm not contagious. At least when I'm out buying the present I can pick myself up some drugs.

B/A spoilers ahoy.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It was the Spike & Xander show! Except for when it tried to be the Glory & Ben show. I have to admit, I thought the Glen/Bory argument scene was pretty cool, it reminded me of the confrontation scene in "Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical." Just imagine how good it would have been with decent actors. The Spike & Xander show, though, is something I've been wanting to see ever since Spike moved out of Xander's basement, and it didn't disappoint. "This is going to be worth it." ha HA! I really hope those two get to be buds next season.

Willow was kicking butt and taking names with her witch fu. That was cool. Even Spike's a little scared of her. And Spike was calling everyone by their actual names instead of the nicknames he's made up for them all, so that's progress. Xander was all manly when he belted Spike (even if it was kind of like whooping up on a cripple) and then again when he sorta killed Doc. Go Xander! It's your birthday! Joyce looked so young and pretty and alive. Manly Wilder looked, well, pretty useless, actually. Which was appropriate I guess, since Hank Summers is about as useless as it gets in the father department. And Spike got to sit at the Scooby table! Yay on Spike!

As for Angel...

No sooner do the words "Executive Producers Joss Whedon & David Greewalt" fade off of my tv screen than the phone rings.

Me: Hello?

Terrence: Did you know that was going to happen?!

Me: wha?

Terrence: Did you know that was going to happen!!!

Me: What? You mean the Host?

Terrence: YES!

Me: No, I don't get spoiled for Angel. Are you going to be okay?

Terrence: I, I don't know. No.

Me. I'm sure it'll be okay. You saw that interview with Andy Hallett, where he talked about being on the show next year.

Terrence: Yeah...

Me: They'll find a way to fix him. They wouldn't let such a beloved character go out like that.

Terrence: Yeah, I guess he would get a better send-off if it was permanent.

Me: Yeah, look what they did for Doyle.

Terrence: Yeah.

Me: Feel better?

Terrence: A little.

Me: Good. Now I'm gonna go watch Buffy again.

Terrence: Okay. Bye.

David Boreanaz is in negotiations to play the lead role in a future "Batman" movie.

...

Yeah, I think I could live with that. Wouldn't be much of a stretch for the actor, though. Except, Steve DeKnight has been known to lie.

Oh, and there's some Buffy stuff in there, too.

I had lots of things to blog about today, but Blogger decided to suck again, and now I've forgotten what they were. I'm sure at least one of my posts was Buffy related. And there was going to be something about mourning Douglas Adams. But most of it has receded back into the nether regions of my brain. It's all Blogger's fault.

A Knight's Tale - How do I love thee, movie? Let me count the ways. Ah, heck. There are too many ways to count. You know, it's been quite a long time since I fell head over heels in love with a movie. It's a great feeling, that. The nervous anticipation when you go in, hoping you at least get your money's worth in entertainment, or something to talk about with your friends and/or co-workers, and a short while into it, you just know you're not going to be disappointed, and a short time after that, you realize that your expectations were set way too low, and by the end you're sporting a huge, goofy grin on your face, fighting the urge to jump up and shout, "I love you, movie!" Well, guess what? I love you, A Knight's Tale!

Oh, and speaking of "Batman" casting, have I argued my case yet for why James Marsters should play the Joker? No? I'll have to do that one of these days, then. It's a very good argument.

Dude, that's not even something to joke about.

That almost makes the earlier Keanu Reeves rumors look appealing. At least then it would be the actual Keanu and not some second-rate Keanu knock-off.

Oy. And here I was hoping that "Year One" could actually fix the damage done by Joel Schumaker. Note to self: Stop hoping. Stop it right now. Stop having any decent expectations for anything "Batman" that doesn't come directly from DC or the animation studios. That line of thinking will only get you hurt in the end.

Link first freaked out about over at tolkhan.

Oh, and on Angel, I thought Gunn's comments about Xena would have been ten times funnier if Angel or Wes had followed it up with, "Eh, I bet Buffy could kick her ass." But that's probably just me.

In the spirit of laziness I'm just going to share the comments I made at MBTV about last night's Buffy. Spoilers ahoy...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Can I get a big WOO HOO for Spike & Xander 'shippage? Okay, how 'bout just a little woo sans the hoo? At any rate, it made me happy.

I liked this episode. It's kind of nice going into these things wildfeed free, even if it is being forced upon me.

Things I liked:

"Truck." BWA! Except, it reminded me of that scene in Final Destination where that girl with the pretty hair gets hit by a bus, which was disturbing, and yet I was kind of disappointed that Glory didn't get obliterated the way that girl did. Anyway, it was to laugh.

Buffy standing up for Spike. Hee.

S/X bonding. See above.

Spike's mockery of Ben.

Spike grabbing the sword.

Spike calling Dawn "Sweetpea."

"I should have pinched that Porche I had my eye on. Then there would have been just enough room for me, you and Big Sis." Aw. Sort of.*

I guess you could say I pretty much loved all of the Spikeage.

Dawn bragging to the SG about how Buffy got her away from Glory, like Buffy was the coolest person in the universe. *SIGH* I'd love it if my little sister talked about me with that kind of enthusiasm.

Giles: "Yes, and then perhaps we can paint a clever picture of a tunnel on the side of a mountain." Heh.

The fact that Anya packed a skillet and Spam.

Anya's enthusiasm about getting to go on an RV ride. Screw the coming Apocalypse. This was her first road trip, and by God, she was going to enjoy it!*

The RV fight scene. What can I say? There was action, I was happy.

What I didn't like:

Ben.

Tara.

Willow's bedazzled shirt, and her so-not-necessary creepy black eyes. Are her eyes going to go black every time she does the witch-fu now?*

Spike's goggles. They frightened me.

The Chick!Not!Dreg. She frightened me, too.

I laughed at the Buffy carrying Dawn across campus scene. And not in a good way.

Giles' near death speech did not move me at all, and I tend to get pretty weepy at that sort of thing.

I was bugged by how every time something happened Willow and Dawn would call out to Buffy. I know it was supposed to add to her being overwhelmed and set up her catatonia, but there were a few times I thought, "What the hell is Buffy supposed to do for you? Just shut up and deal with it!" Case in point: when a knight was chopping through the gas station wall with an axe near Dawn's head. Instead of getting up and moving the hell away from the axe, she just sat there and hollered for Buffy. I was pissed, until I realized that the poor little girl obviously can't even run across grass without falling down, so, whatever. Put her on the short bus with Tara.

Anyway, poor Buffy. You know, sitting on the ground and going catatonic probably would have been my exact reaction the first time somebody put a stake in my hand and told me to go kill vampires (which is probably why I'll never be the Chosen One), so I have to give her props for coming this far before having that sort of meltdown.*

*comments that didn't make it into the MBTV post

As for Angel, cute episode, they had me going there for a few minutes, worrying that Gunn was going to leave, wondering if J. August Richards didn't renew his contract, and whining to my TV, "Come back, J! Don't leave us! Go save Cordy!" But it was just a big fakeout, so whatever. I'm glad. I love the Gunn & Wesley 'ship.

I loved the scene in the dungeon when Angel told G&W to be quiet so they both shuffled over to him, rattling their chains and making big noise as they went. Cracked me up.

Poor Cordy. I wonder what kind of tests they did to her. But it looks like it all worked out okay for her.

Does anybody else get the impression that Angel's feelings for Cordelia no longer fall under the category of platonic? Which is okay by me, if Angel falls for Cordy then maybe people will finally stop going on about Buffy/Angel love being a beautiful love that will last forever, blah blah blah soulmates. Because apparantly the obvious fact that Buffy is clearly meant to be with Spike isn't enough to convince them.

And I must say, I was rather peeved at how my boy got sunburned (not to mention cut, knocked around and chip-zapped) left and right (and maintained a pretty good attitude about it all, I might add), but Angel got to prance around in the sun with his nancy-boy self. Stupid Joss's pet. I was totally with Wesley there. "Yes, Angel, we're all heartily aware that you're not on fire." So shut up.

Next week: Angel vs. Angelus--literally. Looks good.

And another thing, I got ahold of that Oingo Boingo tune I was looking for. Big, big thanks to everybody who helped me with that.

Yay on me! I just got an e-mail from my math professor saying that I got an A in the class and that I don't need to take the final. So I'm done. For the summer, anyway.

Also, remember those short stories I'd planned to have finished by a couple of weeks ago? I finally finished one of them today, and I'm pretty pleased with it. So again I say, yay on me!

...the hell?

Well, it looks like Angel will be following Buffy to UPN after all, thus preserving my weekly two hours of happy. Here's hoping they keep the package on Tuesdays. I can only handle so much change all at once.

I cannot tell you people how disappointed I am that I was forced to neglect Survivor Finale Haiku in order to study math. I may still work up a batch if the mood strikes me.

Now, though, I need a favor. I'm desperately seeking an mp3 of "Just Another Day" by Oingo Boingo for the DL soundtrack. Napster's turning up jack. I'm not sure which album it's off of, but I know there are at least a couple of Boingo fans in my teeny little audience. Please e-mail me if you're able to hook me up.

Pop-out Buffy!

I went out yesterday to have lunch at St. Louis Bread with Tess and the rest of our old lunch crew. While we were there this old man was sketching characatures of the other patrons on napkins. He did ours, and they were actually some pretty good likenesses. Tess kept it, but she's supposed to run me off a copy. When I get it I'll scan it in and post it up here.

After lunch I went to Borders to study. Before I left I bought a collection of Lovecraft stories. Confession: I've never read any H.P. Lovecraft before. For a horror aficionado like me, that's an embarrassing statement. So while waiting at Drug Warehouse for my scrip to be refilled, I read my first ever Lovecraft story, The Other. Neat. Of course, I won't feel truly initiated until I read something about Cthulhu, or Innsmouth; but I feel a bit better about being able to call myself a horror fan.

Between Borders and the drug store, I stopped at Wal-Mart to buy blank disks and office supplies. I don't know what it is about new office supplies that gives me such a happy. The promise of organization, I guess. Even though with me the promise goes unfulfilled 99% of the time, it's still nice to think for a little while that these sorters and folders and labels and such are going to straighten out my workspace, and subsequently my whole life. Ooh, I bought blank CDs, too, so I can finally try out my new CD burner. Yay!

Not today, though, because I've got two assignments, a quiz, and a test, all due by tomorrow, and next week I've got a final. Then I get to take a break until Fall, when, happy happy joy joy, I get to enroll in school full time. And take psychology classes and stuff. Then I'll be one of those obnoxious psych students who go around analyzing everybody and getting carried away with the DSM-IV, diagnosing everybody they meet. I bet you can't wait! I sure can't!

Why yes, in fact, this blog is all about Buffy. Well, not all, but mostly, and it will probably continue as such for at least the next three weeks. Then I'll have to find other things to talk about to get us through the summer.

Anyway. Buffy spoilers ahoy.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I love Spike. How ever much it's possible to be in love with a fictional character without being, you know, mental, that's how much I love Spike.

"Dawn's safe with Spike." Followed by, nobody bats an eye. Oh no. They're not making Spike a good guy. Not at all. Because he's a vampire and vampires are irredeemably EEEvil. Bah to that attitude! Bah, I say!

You know, the other day I remembered that my very first ever attempt at writing a novel right after high school was a story about whether it was possible for a vampire to be fully redeemed, in the Christian sense of the word. Leaving out the Christian part (because the Buffyverse never goes there, something for which I'm actually pretty glad), I think this would explain why I'm so fascinated by what they're doing with Spike. Plus, you know, James Marsters. 'Nuff said.

Buffy really likes poetry. Gee, can anybody think of anybody else on the show who digs poetry? Who in fact was once a poet? Who just happens to be in love with her? Nah. I'm sure that scene wasn't setting us up to go there. 'Cause Joss said no more vampire love. And Joss has never been known to tell us bald face lies to throw us off the trail.

Excuse me whilst I get up and perform my Happy 'Shipper Dance of Spike & Buffy Lurv.

Okay. Moving on. How freakin' wicked awesome scary was Willow? Quite a lot. And how menacing and creepy was Glory? Very much so. It's nice when the villains are actually scary. And how sad was the Tara brain suckage? Not very. Although I did feel bad for Willow. And Amber Benson's acting seemed to improve after the brain suck. I hope she gets better soon, because I don't want to have to watch too many episodes of Matronly Nursemaid Willow.

Next week: Road trip! I'll pack the CDs, you bring the Funyuns!

At any rate, except for the "Oh shit!" cliffhanger ending, the episode was kind of a downer. Thank God Angel was mostly funny. Except it frightens me when Angel smiles. It's just wrong. David Boreanaz was hired to be mysterious, brooding and cool. Why are they now trying to make him do comedy? He's the straight man, people! He's not supposed to be the one making the jokes!

Although, Lorn Green. HA!

Poor Wesley. I'm assuming that, like Giles, he comes from a long line of Watcher folk, so I guess his getting fired from the Council would be a pretty big burden to bear.

Does anybody else get the sense that they're trying to set us up to be pro Cordy & Angel? Because if so, they're doing a pretty decent job of it.

And it too was a cliffhanger, but more of the "Oh crap!" variety, as Cordelia so helpfully pointed out. Next week's looks fun, except we've got more Happy!Angel, which, as I said, frightens me. Angelus wasn't as frightening. At least with him, Hey! Leather pants!

Xander got a hair cut!

I'm almost ashamed of how happy this makes me. On the other hand, I think I'll rather miss the weekly pastime that mocking his hair had become.

Also, Spike gets to keep his curly hair! It's a week for hair improvement, yes indeed. And I'm thrilled. Yes, I do realize I'm shallow. Sometimes, you just have to take your thrills wherever you can get them. Now leave me alone and let me have my happy.

I saw "The Forsaken" over the weekend. It was eh. The most lasting impression it left me with was that damn, I wish Brendan Fehr would get a haircut, an impression that was reinforced by last night's viewing of Roswell. He's making Xander's hair look good.

I think Buffy has ruined me for all other vampire stories. In "The Forsaken," when they were talking about the origin of vampires, I sat there going "That's not right. What really happened was that the last demon to depart from the earth infected a human and--oh, wait. This isn't Buffy. Carry on."

Speaking of Buffy, since it's New Episode Day, I come bearing links. Still no spoilers, sorry. All I've got are interviews with James and Joss.

I just finished reading On Writing : A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. It may be a bit of an overstatement (not to mention still too premature) to say that this book changed my life, but damn, people! The man's got some great advice, about both the mechanics and the business of writing. If you're a writer, I'd make this book mandatory reading. I recommend it even if you're not a writer, but just a King fan, as it's got a lot of entertaining autobiographical stuff, including a full account of getting knocked down by that van a couple of years ago. But if you are a writer, professional, aspiring or otherwise, read this book! I can't stress this enough. Don't make me come over there...

Big love and thanks to Terrence who bought me this life affecting tome for Christmas. Quoth Cordy to Angel, "I love you!"