By the way, Tarrsk and QuizCustodet, I thought you might find this amusing considering the conversation a bit upthread if you can just imagine the guy on the left wearing pointy ears instead of Darth Vader’s helmet.
Yeah, I love that strip. 
Considered buying the shirt as well, but ended up going for one of these, instead.
That’s exactly what I’m doing (and for the same reasons). My husband doesn’t seem to understand why I haven’t watched his gift of Season 2 yet.
Well, I don’t know about the crazy part, but I recently had the same experience with Sports Night. I hadn’t seen it since its original run, and almost hesitated to watch the DVDs for fear it wasn’t as good as I remembered it. It was better. One of these days I’m going to break down and risk watching Homicide again - another show that can’t possibly be as wonderful as my memories would have me believe.
As for Buffy, I’m the most recent of converts and deep in the flush of first love. Took me three and a half weeks to watch all seven seasons of Buffy, and another two weeks for the five seasons of Angel. I’m still not sold on the latter series - I definitely need to rewatch it before I decide - but Buffy has me totally and completely hooked.
I have a strange Buffy Season 7 DVD question that I wouldn’t bother asking at any other board, but as obscure and trivial as the answer may be, I’m sure someone here will know it: what is the music that plays on the disc main menus? Part of me insists it must be an original composition for the show, but somehow it’s so maddenly familiar I feel like it’s something I should know. Can anyone clue me in on what it is, or what it sounds like, so I might slay the resulting earworm once and for all? Pretty please?
LOL.
My now, thankfully, ex accused me of abandoning Buffy when I did this. But seriously, after taking a course in University because the archetype of the western and it’s influence on Buffy was one section of the course, and my prof regulary wore Buffy shirts to class, not to mention the papers I wrote, I needed a hiatus.
I’m finding part of the pleasure is the rediscovering is the appreciation in my roomate’s eyes, even if I’m partially pretending it is there.
Ah, to discover Buffy and Angel again for the first time. To sit down and actually watch a show you’ve heard so much about; to give it a try, since people go on and on about it. Watching it, and yeah, okay, that was a little funny, okay, that was really funny; holy cow, I’m so totally engrossed in this show - it’s so clever and well-written; this is one of the best things I’ve ever watched on television! Does anyone else know about this?
Oh yeah.
I just watched “Once More, With Feeling” for the first (and second, and third) time, and immediately rushed out to buy the soundtrack recording. It was brilliant! Catchy tunes, lyrics both hilarious and emotive, and one of the best one-shot villains ever!
Am I the only one who really liked Sarah Michelle Gellar’s voice (in addition to everyone else’s)? I point her out specifically because it seems to be common consensus on the internet that she’s a terrible singer. I’ve never received voice lessons or anything like that, but as a guitarist in a band, I’ve picked up enough about singing to realize that Gellar doesn’t have a “great voice” (unlike Anthony Stewart Head and Amber Benson), but there’s something about the fragility and lack of precision in her voice that really works for me. Her tonal quality, or lack thereof, fits the context of her character’s state of mind, but even outside that context (i.e. when the darn songs are glued semi-permanently onto my brain- shockingly, I don’t mind!), the imperfection of the singing feels “genuine,” rather than grating, if that makes any sense.
Slayer-singing musings aside, I continue to be amazed at Joss Whedon’s range of talent. He’s got one of the most fertile imaginations in mainstream media today, writes scripts that sparkle with wit and humanity, has proven himself a more-than-capable director, and can apparently write ridiculously catchy pop songs to boot. And if sheer ability weren’t enough, he has earned a great deal of my respect for his constant pushing of his own boundaries. The guy recognizes his weaknesses as a creator of art, and strives to overcome them. Not a professional musician or songwriter? Write a musical! Worried that your writing works only because of ironic jokes and witty repartee? Make a silent episode! Accused of cribbing all your jokes from pop-culture references? Design an entire show set in a far distant future, so that riffing on Star Trek and X-Men is impossible!
I did. Unlike some of the other cast members - I’d buy a recording by Amber Benson, and listen to Anthony Stewart Head sing the Manhattan phone directory for hours - I don’t think I’d be lining up to hear SMG sing in another context, but for the emotion she was conveying in OMWF I think her voice worked perfectly. Her voice had a kind of raw, honest quality that nicely sold the emotions her character was experiencing.
Here’s a fantastic Joss Whedon interview I just read, dealing with his multiple interests and talents:
http://www.infocusmag.com/05augustseptember/whedonuncut.htm
Supposed to be horrible, sadly. However, Charisma Carpenter has signed on for at least seven episodes of Veronica Mars, which makes me more interested in catching it than ever. I was afraid she’d sink into oblivion after Angel.
–Cliffy
The thing that bugs me about trying to watch shows in reruns is that they all seem to play two consecutive episodes per day. That’s too much, and it makes the series go by too quickly.
Two episodes a day is nothing! At this point of Buffy/Angel addiction, I’m firmly in chain-smoker land: three or four episodes a day, if I have the time (and the DVDs). All I can say is, thank God for Netflix or this habit would’ve cleaned me out faster than the worst dreams of crack fiends. 
Yeah, that’s exactly what I meant.
Oh, by the way, listening to the soundtrack album independent of the episode’s imagery, I’ve fallen head over heels for both Anthony Stewart Head and Amber Benson. The Giles/ Tara solo in the reprise of “Under Your Spell” and “Standing” is absolutely, heart-breakingly beautiful.
Owning the complete Buffy might not be as wallet-draining as you think (and there’s lots of specualtion that a similar set for Angel may be in the offing). I would grumble about having just bought all the seasons of both shows before this announcement, but for the difference in price I wouldn’t have traded having this time to watch the DVDs.
Complete agreement here, and I think the beauty of their voices is much more apparent on the soundtrack than it was in the episode itself. (Although that may be the result of my TV’s pathetic sound system). My understanding is that for “Under Your Spell” Joss Whedon deliberately had Amber Benson sing above her natural range, in an effort to “challenge” her. I think her voice does sound more comfortable on the reprise, where she sings it a little lower.
Don’t even get me started on my love for “Where Do We Go From Here.” And to think, the first time I watch OMWF I wasn’t all that wowed by it … bad Selkie, bad!
Have you broken down and bought Radio Sunnydale yet? Not only did I succumb, I went so far as to buy the U.K. version, which for some reason has something like nine more tracks than the U.S. equivalent.
I loved Once More with Feeling – I actually said “Oh wow!” after that bit with the firetrucks.
–Cliffy
Brings tears to my eyes, it does.
Ooh! That’s wonderful news. I’d happily shell out $150 for seven seasons of what has become my favorite show of all time.
I heard Joss did the same thing for Spike’s song, to inject that extra tension needed to match Spike’s tortured state. Again I reiterate: Joss Whedon is a freakin’ GENIUS.
Thought about it, but I’m not particularly enamoured of “soundtracks” that consist of songs from bands “inspired” by the film/show in question. That most of those songs actually appeared in the show, played in the Bronze by the bands themselves, helps, but not quite enough. Now, if they released a soundtrack of Christophe Beck’s beautiful orchestral scores, I’d be all over that!
I adore that moment. It’s just so perfectly timed, and the flashing sirens (and of course, the firetrucks themselves) illustrate the “Burn!” in the lyrics without being either contrived or cheesy. Just a brilliant use of imagery.
Ooh. I love you. I’ve already told my dad to buy me some Buffy for Christmas and now I see this. Awesome.
Kinda annoys me about how much I paid for Angel’s first four seasons for a friend, though. ::grumble::
Oh, and *OMWF *was an okay episode but is highly overrated.
Musicals suck as a rule and as much as I love Whedon, he’s just not going make a musical enjoyable to me.