AfterEllen.com tends to shy away from writing about women who get more publicity from their real-life escapades than their talent. But I have to admit, I have kind of a soft spot for Britney Spears. Probably because I still remember her like this.

As Dorothy Snarker reported last week, Spears is guest starring on How I Met Your Mother Monday evening. Cast regulars Alyson Hannigan (Lily) and Jason Segal (Marshall) praised her comic timing, and Cobie Smulders (Robin) called Spears a "true professional." Wait — I almost missed a chance to post a new picture of Alyson.

Britney plays Abby, the nerdy receptionist for Ted's dermatologist (played by Sarah Chalke). CBS released some clips over the weekend, and Britney actually does a pretty good job with the role. … continue reading

Ratings are God. OK, let me rephrase that before someone chucks a Bible/Koran/Torah/Vedas/dog-eared copy of Atlas Shrugged at my head (what, no radical individualists here?). In the world of television, ratings are God. Sure, good writing and strong acting are minor gods. But the Big Kahuna is, and always will be, ratings. In the quest for more and bigger ones, television has a long and sordid history of sacrificial offerings stunt casting. Though, sometimes when you consider who they’re offering up, you wonder if we the audience aren’t the ones being sacrificed instead. Case in point:

Oy. Two well-regarded (if not on my must-see list) shows, How I Met Your Mother and My Name Is Earl, are bringing on guest starlets Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, respectively. Both shows are no doubt relying on the high-profile cameos to help them build buzz for their new episodes as they return post–writers' strike. And, dagnabbit, if it hasn’t worked. Still, as the doomed character in any sci-fi film would say, “Dear God, what have we done?!”

Brit-Brit, who will appear on How I Met Your Mother March 24, is no doubt using her one-episode appearance as yet another comeback launching pad. She will play “Abby,” a receptionist for Ted’s dermatologist who becomes smitten with him. Scrubs star Sarah Chalke will play the dermatologist. Not like anyone noticed with all the “Oh, my God, that Britney’s shameless” hoopla going around. In fact, Alicia Silverstone dropped out from the dermatologist role precisely for that reason. … continue reading

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).

  … continue reading

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 are about to learn a precious secret. No, not The Secret, or whatever self-help magic is making somebody else rich today. This secret will help you get to know a woman quickly, accurately and without pretense. It will give you the insight of a dozen deep conversations at a glance. And it's as easy as one, two, tee.

Yes, the only thing more revealing than a woman's T-shirt is, well, a woman without a T-shirt. But that's a different post. Alyson Hannigan's rubber ducky tee was a gift from John Ritter after he guest-starred on Buffy. Needless to say, Hannigan treasures it.

Hannigan is one of 15 celebrities pictured in EW.com's "15 Stars In Their Favorite T-shirts." You can see Portia de Rossi in her prophetic Iggy shirt in the latest Best Lesbian Week Ever. … 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:

… continue reading

Isn't fall great? There's always something for the stars to promote, and occasionally the right stars do the promoting. By "right," I mean foxy. And by "foxy," I mean these two.

Alyson Hannigan graces the sometimes graceless stages of Late Night With Conan O'Brien tonight at 12:35/11:35c on NBC. But first, Jodie Foster stops by to chat with David Letterman at 11:30 on CBS.

Hear that? It's the sound of American lesbians setting their DVRs. Ah, autumnal bliss.

Ever wondered what Tara and Willow’s love child would look like?

Or imagined a kick-butt combination of Buffy Summers and Sydney Bristow?

Just in time for the weekend, hours of entertainment, courtesy of Whitney at Pop Candy. MorphThing.com lets you combine two faces into one, using a library of famous people on the site or your own pics. The results are, well, interesting. Here are some combinations of our favorite females. … continue reading

Now that Lord Voldemort has returned, I've been thinking about villains lately. In particular, sure, He Who Must Not Be Named is scary, but why is it that male villains are usually so unattractive? What is it about evilness that makes male villains turn into hairless, unicorn blood-drinking tyrants with no fashion sense? (See Darth Vader for another option: still hairless, but that helmet clearly makes him fashion-challenged.)

Female villains, on the other hand, tend to be uniformly hot (and sometimes uniformed). Maybe it's because the female villain partly emerges from the long (and, dare I say it, glorious) tradition of the dominatrix: She'll whip your ass, and she'll look fantastic while doing it. And no, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Without further ado, here are my top 10 female villains:

10. Jordana Brewster as Lucy Diamond in D.E.B.S.

Clad all in black and bent on world domination, Lucy Diamond doesn't let her previously foiled plots (including an attempt to sink Australia) get her down. In D.E.B.S., she sets her sights on D.E.B.S. agent Amy (Sara Foster), and she quickly succeeds in seducing her.

Here's a (mysteriously silent) video of Lucy smooching Amy: … continue reading

Where have I been? Apparently IMDb now has user-edited FAQs (think wiki). And the "FAQ of the week" for this week is a very impressive compendium of Buffy the Vampire Slayer facts and trivia. It even includes information about the new comic book series. And the collection of links is so very helpful — all your Buffy needs, from music to video clips to transcripts to recaps, all one click away.

Here are a few choice questions and answers:

Q. Faith has a last name now? What's up with that?
A: Yes, Faith has a last name now, Lehane. Long story short, Joss had to come up with a last name for her to put in an official RPG book, and chose to emphasis her Boston roots by giving her a Boston-Irish surname (it means "grey," apparently). You can take it or leave it as you choose for the moment, since the show isn't running any more, but since it's her 'official' last name now, it'll more than likely be the one used in any future books, comics or spin-offs. … continue reading

Q: What were the hints that Willow was gay before season 4?

About a month ago, Dorothy Snarker gave you the news about Amber Benson's new film, Race You to the Bottom. Well, the reviews are in, and it should be no surprise to Benson fans that she's pretty much the only good thing about the movie.

The New York Times said, "Ms. Benson is a lovely actress with a vulnerability that can be extremely touching, but she enjoyed more chemistry with Alyson Hannigan on Buffy the Vampire Slayer than she does with Mr. [Cole] Williams."

Duh. And that's why the Times is my favorite newspaper. … continue reading

It's hard to believe, but it's been 10 years since Buffy the Vampire Slayer first premiered on television. At first I just didn't buy that a show set at a high school about a vampire slayer named Buffy could possibly be any good, but once I started watching the show (thank God I did!), I totally ate my words. Buffy, in my opinion, is close to perfect.

Not only did creator Joss Whedon and his talented writing team put together an emotionally complex, sometimes laugh-out-loud series, they also delivered network television's best (as far as I'm concerned) portrayal of a lesbian character, Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan).

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, here are 10 of my favorite episodes from the series. These are just listed chronologically in order of air date — I don't know if I could bring myself to rank them in any kind of order. Without further ado: … continue reading