Weep no more: The artist formerly known as Willow is confirmed for the big Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion at PaleyFest next month. Alyson Hannigan will attend the Buffy panel as part of the 25th annual event sponsored by The Paley Center, formerly known as The Museum of Television & Radio. (Thanks for the tip, AfterEllen.com reader lookherecheers!)

Now officially confirmed along with Alyson for the March 20 reunion are series creator Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy), Amber Benson (Tara), Nicholas Brendon (Xander), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia), Seth Green (Oz), James Marsters (Spike) and Michelle Trachtenberg (little Dawnie).

You know what this news means, right? Right? Yes, the Willow and Tara reunion we've been dreaming about for six years could still happen. I feel like lighting an extra flamey candle to celebrate. Anyone else? … continue reading

The Scoobie Gang is getting back together. On March 20, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast will reunite for a panel discussion as part of the annual Paley Center for Media Festival in Los Angeles. Feel free to scream with delight. I’ll wait.

Confirmed to appear so far are series creator Joss Whedon , along with Buffy herself Sarah Michelle Gellar and almost all the past Scoobies: Amber Benson (Tara), Nicholas Brendon (Xander), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Seth Green (Oz), James Marsters (Spike) and Michelle Trachtenberg (little Dawnie). The reunion is part of the 25th annual PaleyFest, an interactive pop culture event that connects fans with the creators and stars of their favorite TV shows. The event is sponsored by The Paley Center (formerly known as The Museum of Television & Radio).

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Sometimes a list is so close to the hearts of AfterEllen.com readers that all a blogger has to do is tell you about it and sit back to watch the fun. So, I was tickled to find this list in the Los Angeles Times of the "Women of Whedon." The Times asked Joss Whedon to name his five favorite female creations. I was less tickled once I perused the list, however, thanks to at least one dreadful omission. (Get ready to be indignant.) Where's Willow?

While your ruffled feathers relax a bit, let's look at the women he did name. I certainly can't quarrel with the first. … continue reading

You know when you're having one of those WLT days? No, not a craving for a wombat, lettuce and tomato sandwich — 'cause, ewww. No, I mean a Wishful Lesbian Thinking day. Well, I had one of those the other day when I read the plot description for the new film The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Robin Wright Penn, Winona Ryder and Julianne Moore have signed on to star in the new drama which, according to Variety, is about Pippa, “a dutiful wife whose husband falls for a younger woman, freeing her to explore her buried sensuality and leading to a very quiet nervous breakdown.” Robin plays Pippa, Winona plays the younger woman, and Julianne plays a place Pippa explores her buried sexuality ... hopefully. See, ain't WLT delicious?

Now, I'm not sure if this case of WLT will pan out. My gay Spidey sense says yes, especially after reading this plot description. But even without a payoff, this is the kind of thinking that has launched a million shippers sites. There are the gold standards (Xena and Gabrielle), the wishful turned wish fulfilled (Willow and Tara) and the just plain awesome (Daria and Jane).

So with that, I thought I'd share a few more of my most recent WLT daydreams, culled from current TV and film. … continue reading

[Warning: Spoilers galore!]

Since March of this year, many Buffy fanatics have been Glory-ing (I couldn't resist) in the season 8 comic book resurrection of Buffy and the Scoobies — both proper and fringe. The last three comics have been devoted to our favorite uber bad girl hero, Faith. And now, three-fourths of the way through the four-issue Faith story arc nihilistically titled "No Future For You," we've got ourselves one heck of a cliffhanger.

Even if Faith's head is not precisely poised on the chopping block, Lady Genevieve Savidge (aka Gigi) is wielding a mean-ass ax and feeling more than a little betrayed. How, oh how, will Faith extricate herself from this pickle? We'll find out when the current Faith story line wraps up in issue No. 9, due out Dec. 5 (with the best. comic. cover. ever.). Until then, let's discuss how she got to this point in the first place, shall we?

Issue No. 6 opened with Faith stationed at the hellmouth in Cleveland — and no, that isn't redundant. Cleveland is actually quite a lovely city, despite how much I hate, loathe and despise their football team. I'm an evolved woman. I can compartmentalize pretty much everything.

Anyway, Faith is tasked with the unenviable nasty cleanup jobs, like staking kiddie vampires, and is entertaining the recriminating voice in her head. Her existence is entirely in the shadows, solitary and stark, mirrored perfectly in how depressingly decrepit her apartment is. No finely appointed Scottish castle teeming with activity for our girl Faith. Her slayer stipend must be paltry. … continue reading

Want to sing and dance with 800 or so like-minded Buffy fans while "Once More With Feeling" plays on a theater screen in front of you? Too bad, show's over. As Sarah and Lori mentioned (or rather, ranted) in their vlog, apparently the Screen Actors Guild sent a request for payment to Fox execs after realizing the midnight Buffy sing-along screenings across the country were a for-profit venture. Seems the actors haven't been getting their residuals.

Now, I'm all for making sure the folks who make things get paid for what they make. So I happen to think that Fox should just pony up and send off the checks. Problem is, Fox apparently is concerned that doing so might bankrupt them. So instead, they pulled the license they granted to put on the shows in the first place. That's right, ladies: the Gentlemen have returned and stolen our voices.

Lucky for us, Joss Whedon happens to think it's a crying shame. He loves the midnight sing-alongs. And really, why wouldn't he? Seriously, doesn't every show creator hope to one day hold a cult status equal to, or perhaps even greater than, Brad and Janet? "Time Warp," anyone? … continue reading

I bought a couple of issues of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic while the show was still on. They were OK, but, with the notable exception of a two-issue story about Willow and Tara (by Amber Benson and Terry Moore), I didn't find the series interesting enough to add to my subscription list. Then came "Season Eight," with Joss Whedon himself at the helm, and by issue No. 2, I was hooked.

What surprised me most about the comic was not that the dialogue and pacing were in keeping with the show — after all, Whedon wrote it — but that the characters had the same look and feel of their live action versions. Pleasing fans of a cult classic isn't an easy task, but that is exactly what artist Georges Jeanty has done.

As you might expect from obsessive Buffy fans, no detail is too small to be noticed. When Jeanty released pencils for the cover of No. 2, for example, it sparked a debate on Whedonesque about the appropriateness of Buffy's sneakers. Maybe it's just me, but when I see that picture, I don't think of footwear. … continue reading

First she shook her fringed mini-dress on Celebrity Duets and made America realize Lucy Lawless wasn’t just the Warrior Princess anymore. Then she won the hearts of lesbians everywhere at her two sold-out concerts at LA’s Roxy Theater and a follow-up set of shows in New York City. This weekend, it was Chicago’s turn.

Although I couldn’t get there, there are those who could, and fortunately for Lucy and Renee fans everywhere, they agreed to spill. KT (the other KT, not the KT who does photography for AfterEllen.com sometimes; the Xenaverse can be very confusing, I know) had this to say about Lucy: … continue reading

It's the end. That volcano towering over your hometown is about to blow, and you only have an hour to get out of town and save assorted important people and innocent children along the way No, wait. A gang of murderous strangers — or army of the undead, take your pick — is on your tail without adequate exposition, and your assorted armory is out of bullets. Or maybe it's that the asteroid approaches on a collision course, threatening the earth with a dinosaur-like extinction.

In any case, one question remains: Who do you call in an apocalypse? Which hero do you want to help you save the world, then take home afterward to celebrate your survival? Those were questions actually asked by a recent study. (OK, not the one about taking her home. That was me. But really, what's the good of saving the world if you can't snuggle with your honey when it's over?) Here's the only woman to make the top ten:

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