1000 Posts

I know, people prolly think, "What's 1000 posts to these people? It's nothing, it's 1000. Big whoop, 1000 is a blink. Whatever, no big deal."

Meanwhile, what we're feeling is, 100 posts: "Man, we really love the Buffyverse, imagine we could...?" 200 posts: "What if others could connect with...?" 300 posts:  "Dr. Horrible-what? Joss is silly." 400 posts: "Do you think the creators would agree to an interview?" 500 posts: "When Buffy was still on the air, Did Joss finish it the way he wanted to?"

600 posts: "Should we go to Comic Con this year?"

700 posts: "Is Brian Lynch going to keep writing for Spike?"

800 posts: : "Why do we care about this? Oh yeah, because Scott Allie announced something amazing today."

900 posts, "Wow, this blog has become a part of our family. It's the family dog."

1000 posts....

1000 posts. Yes, that's where we are today. We started this blog because we needed a homebase. We already had a community...we already had the party. But how can you keep the party going without a venue? We just needed a place to break bread, it's as simple as that. It could've been a Livejournal page, if I knew what that was at the time. Or a locked private forum. But what it ended up being was a weblog. A blog chronicling a few crazy days in the lives of a few crazy people.

This is what it is....and we call it Buffyfest. Thanks so much for stopping by. Why not hang out for a spell? :)

'High Stakes' Buffyfest 2010 Recap

With this year's Buffyfest not too far away, it occurred to me that we never recapped last year's festivities!

Our 5th annual Buffyfest was held over 4th of July weekend last year. Aptly named "High Stakes Buffyfest 2010", we were very happy to be reunited with our West Coast people for this special Kitten Poker themed event. We had been planning for months, figuring out the themed foods and all the usual tasks. A few weeks prior to the event, we put the following categories to a vote:

"Best Season Premier Episode" - Winner: Buffy S.3 episode "Anne"
"Best Spell Gone Wrong" episode - Winner: "Doppelgangland"
"Best Giles Episode" - Winner: "A New Man"

So after everyone arrived, we ate, drank Fangtastic Frozen Dacquiris (garnished with fang ice cubes!) and mingled. We then passed out the gifts. This year's Swag Bag was actually a collectible Casino Coin Cup filled with: a deck of now-vintage Buffy Series 1, 2, or Angel licensed playing cards, a personalized visor in "Buffy" font and of course, enough kittens for the poker playing.

After gift disbursement, we watched the episodes, but decided to eliminate "Doppelgangland" for a multitude of reasons. We then moved on to a Kitten Poker tournament which lasted at least 5 hours, due to the sheer amount of players. Strangely, but fittingly, the 3 of us who run this site ended up facing off as the final 3 players. Bitsy ended up cheating winning the entire tourney and a Barnes & Noble gift card for his victory!

Click the collage below for all of the photos from this event:

'Twas a great Buffyfest and no one got too drunk or ate any real kittens! Clem would've been proud. Next up, The Buffyfest Brunch...

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

May this year be abundant in fun, health, money, friendship and joy! Everyone, join us in celebrating Michelle's birthday with this little ditty below!

Buffy Jones Soda: A Tasteless Tasting

Some time back, the fine folks at Fox (yes, that's what I said) sent us a box full of carbonated beverages designed with the young slayer in mind.  Since Tara and I are clearly chosen ones (sorry, Michelle!), we knew what had to be done.  For the curious in the audience, the event was captured on film.  The moment was so profound, that it knocked the audio out of sync.  Our apologies for being that awesome.  Without further ado, please for to be enjoying the Buffy Jones Soda tasting.

Tara's review list in order of preference:
#1 - Xander's Strawberry/Lime
#2 - Dawn's a Centaur! Root Beer
#3 - Willow's Green Apple Witch's Brew
#4 - Twilight's Old Moon Orange & Cream
#5 - Buffy's Blue Bubblegum
#6 - Giles's Grape Potion

Bitsy's review list in order of preference:

#1 - Giles's Grape Potion

#2 - Dawn's a Centaur! Root Beer

#3 - Willow's Green Apple Witch's Brew

#4 - Xander's Strawberry/Lime

#5 - Twilight's Old Moon Orange & Cream

#6 - Buffy's Blue Bubblegum

As you can see, our opinions/favorites differed quite a bit but eh, to each his own. Have you sampled the ye olde Jones?  What did you think?

www.myjones.com/limited/buffy

Winner of the Buffy Birthday Bash Costume Contest!

Congratulations are in order for our Cosplay-ing Willow who dressed circa Season 2's "Halloween" episode (sans slutty outfit underneath....or was it?) She is the proud winner of a Jo Chen signed print. Make sure to email us at Buffyfest@aim.com to get your prize!

Costume Contest from Buffy's Birthday Bash

So when we celebrated Buffy's Birthday a few weeks ago, Forbidden Planet offered a discount to anyone who dressed in a Whedonverse costume for the event. To sweeten the pot, we decided to throw a little contest with a big, fat prize. Who wins is up to you! Please vote on who you think dressed best for the occasion. The winner will receive a fabulous print of Buffy #1 signed by the artist herself, Jo Chen.

Contest ends on Friday night at midnight! Click the photos to enlarge:

Buffy's Birthday Bash Recap

Jeff Ayers, General Manager at Forbidden Planet was approached by a shopper wondering "What's happening tonight?" All around her, people stood, some in costume, some talking, some singing, interviews were being held but what was happening?

"It's Buffy's Birthday", Jeff replied.

"Oh", the comic shop denizen replied. "Is she here?"

Only in a comic book store, ladies and gentlemen.

Yes, we held us a shindig at the much beloved and ballyhooed Forbidden Planet and, for once, nothing bad happened on the day of our young Miss Summers' birth. There were cookies, there were giveaways, people wore silly costumes and sang along to both Doctor Horrible and Once More with Feeling. It was, in short, a delight.

Dark Horse did us a sweet solid by supplying a number of signed comics to give away and so, with great frequency, we held drawings based on a myriad of Buffy trivia and, lo, many a Buffy fan walked away a victor.

Bitsy on the Mic:

Buffyfest's Tara and Bitsy (channeling his inner Spike) with friend-of-Buffyfest Ian Klein.

Some fab photos from the event taken by Lawrence Brenner.

More photos

Check out Buffyfest tomorrow where we'll be holding a costume contest from the event. You'll get to vote and choose the winner! The prize is a fabulous Jo Chen Buffy cover print signed by the artist herself.

Reminder: Buffyfest's Buffy Birthday Bash at Forbidden Planet Tonight!

If you're in the New York area, come down to Forbidden Planet where we'll be celebrating Buffy's birthday and the release of Season 8's Finale Issue. Dark Horse sent us a box of fun prizes, there will be a Buffyfest Booth, a Costume Contest and more! Click hree for the deets. or here for the Facebook event page.

If you're not around these neck of the woods, check around because there are Buffy Birthday events happening all around the country tonight! Here are some resources:

Dark Horse Facebook Announcement

GeekGirlCon

Happy Birthday Buffy!

Buffyfest Presents: Buffy's Birthday Bash at Forbidden Planet NYC

To celebrate Buffy's birthday and the release of Season 8's Finale Issue, we've teamed up with long time friends, the legendary Forbidden Planet, in New York City for a Paaarrty! Dark Horse sent us a box of fun prizes, there will be a Buffyfest Booth, a Costume Contest and more! See below for the deets:

The Where:
Forbidden Planet NYC
13th Street and Broadway

The When:
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
6 pm to 10 pm

The Fun:
6 pm - Buffy's Birthday Party begins!

Forbidden Planet will be having amazing sales all day. All back issues of Buffy Season 8 will be $1. If you come in Whedonverse Costume, they'll be 50 cents! Additional sales to be announced!

7 pm - Costume contest! Winner to be announced on Buffyfest the following day.

8 pm - Trivia, Prizes & Fanterviews: read the issue, get the final word on Season 8

9 - 10 - "Once More, With Feeling" Sing-Along

Swing by, eat some cookies, buy some comics, do the wacky. It'll be a time. More details as they come.

You can RSVP here.



See you there!

Happy (Belated) Anniversary, Buffyfest!

I was online all day yesterday and we all spoke so not sure what happened, but we missed our Anniversary! 3 years this place has been our home...it feels like both 3 months and 3 decades at the same time. I don't think any of us had any clue the fun that was in store when we created this place and we're so happy to share it with you all. Happy Anniversary to Michelle, Bits, Ivan, Ryan, Michael, Jen and anyone who has ever contributed to this blog and our events. Thanks for being part of Buffyfest!

Fun fact: we had our very first Buffyfest party in 2006. It was a bit crazy and we watched way too many episodes for one group to handle, but it some ways it's my favorite event of them all. Here's the original invitation the attendees received:

The Top Ten Whedonverse Moments of 2010

Majors spoilers for Season 8 if you're not completely caught up...

Time really flies when you're having a Whedon-filled year and this one was no exception! Over the course of the year, we conducted 35 interviews and published tons of exclusive content and images. But well beyond this place we call our home, the fandom was hit with a slew of information and news this year, both good and bad.

Here's a look back at our Top Ten Whedonverse Moments of the year. Happy New Year to all!

#1 - The Death of Rupert Giles
The wounds are still fresh, but we couldn't leave 2010 behind without acknowledging our favorite Watcher. Giles is a beloved character here at Buffyfest and he will be sorely missed.

#2 - San Diego Comic Con
Seriously, no words can express this experience. There was laughing and excitement one minute and then something akin to four deers caught in the headlights another. No matter what, the hard work paid off because we got to mix and mingle with the "who's who" of the Whedonverse.

#3 - Twilight-Gate
The spoiler heard round the world. That is all.

#4 - Jane Espenson Interview
We were humbled when Ms. Espenson talked with us about all things Buffy and to be honest, we're still feeling a little gitty in the after-glow of that interview.

#5 - Buffyfest 2010
This year we gambled it up with kittens, of course! The annual Buffyfest celebration was "high stakes" with all the usual fun, food and a dash of debauchery for good measure.

#6 - Other Cons without Michelle (NYCC, Big Apple Con, and Philly Comic Con)
It was a busy year for us as we navigated the Convention scene all along the northeastern sea board. With Michelle living in Sunny Los Angeles, these had to be handled East Coast style by Tara and Bits.

#7 - License-Gate IDW has treated Angel well, but with the news of the move to Dark Horse next year, Angel's unlife will be in the hands of 2011's Season 9 umbrella. It was another one of those "-gates" that rocked the fandom hard.

#8 - Joss and The Avengers
The demise of Dollhouse opened the door for Joss's huge directorial debut on The Avengers. We broke the news in San Diego and can't wait to see what Joss has in store for this elite super hero bunch. We still think Buffy could kick all their asses. 

#9 - Space Sex
It was certainly something to talk about. Well, it was porn on paper. Buffy and Angel porn on paper. In space.

#10 - Buffy Movie Reboot
It's possible that by this time next year, the reboot release will be a rumor of the past, but no matter how you feel about this news, shocked or awed, a big screen Buffy movie has to make it on this list. Funny thing is that a year and a half before this news broke, we did our very own recast of a Whedonless Buffy movie.

Sexy Santa Smidge has a Snuggie in the Box.

A very warm and Merry Christmas to all of our fabulous readers and Whedonites everywhere. Thanks for your company these past years. May 2011 be your best year yet!

With love, from everyone at Buffyfest.