VIDEO: Doctor Who Opening Credits, Buffy Style

Buffy the Vampire Slayer might be long gone (sadly) and Doctor Who doesn't return for a few more weeks (darn!), but that doesn't mean that you can't smush the two together into something as fun as a jaunty bow-tie.

In this case, this means mashing the familiar opening credit sequence of Buffy with the visuals of the Matt Smith-era Doctor and his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), with a special appearance by Alex Kingston as River Song, of course.

You can watch this lovingly crafted homage to both Buffy and Doctor Who below.



Season Six of Doctor Who kicks off on April 23rd on BBC America.

Top 10 Nontraditional Holiday TV Episodes

Happy Festivus, everyone!

To celebrate today (in addition to the feats of strength and airing of grievances), I rounded up the top 10 nontraditional Holiday television episodes over at The Daily Beast, from Community and Seinfeld to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Doctor Who. (And, yes, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's direct-to-DVD special--which just aired on FX for the first time this month--made the list, naturally.)

An aside, I could have filled the entire list with just British television shows, from The Vicar of Dibley and Doctor Who (which both made the list) to Gavin & Stacey, Blackadder, Catherine Tate, Absolutely Fabulous, and about a zillion others.

But I am curious to know: what is your favorite nontraditional holiday episode/special? Putting aside the traditional Rudolph and Charlie Brown Christmas, what are some of the more out there holiday episodes or specials that add that extra spike to the eggnog?

Or make that Festivus aluminum pole shine a little more, anyway?

Pendragon Aflight: Anthony Head Talks "Ripper," "Buffy," "Merlin"

Wonder just what ever happened to Joss Whedon's Buffy prequel Ripper?

Speaking on a press call last week to promote his new series Merlin (which launches later this month on NBC), former Buffy star Anthony Head addressed some questions about that long-stalled Ripper project, plans which Head says were "sideswiped by Dollhouse."

Head, who plays Uther Pendragon on the NBC/BBC series, was candid about the likelihood of donning Rupert Giles' specs for another go-around as the much-beloved Watcher, created by Joss Whedon.

"Ripper is a kind of a - it's a funny old thing," said Head. "Whether it ever gets made or not... if it does ever get made, I'll probably be an octogenarian by the time it does. But it is something I actually introduced Joss to [Doctor Who producer] Julie Gardner, who was a producer with the BBC. She has long wanted to do something with the project. There are obviously complications with Ripper because there are lots of tie ins. There's FOX, there's the Kazuis. There's all sorts of stuff that, basically it isn't just a simple question of Joss making a series that he wants to make as far as anything concerned with Buffy. There are a lot of people down the line that would have a say. And that's part of the equation."

"We've had conversations about working together again," said Head about future collaboration with Whedon. "It's, I don't know, something that may happen again in the future. I hope so. [...] He came up with an idea, pitched it at lunch with Eliza and from that moment on it was a done deal. I don't think, I may be wrong, but I don't think any of the Buffy crew could really, well not crew because there's a lot of Buffy crew working on Dollhouse, but actors would really fit comfortably in Dollhouse because you'd automatically be, you know, you'd be taken to Faith."

"And Eliza is not Faith in Dollhouse," he continued. "She's a fascinating character that, you know, lives a totally different life from Faith and it came out through the life of Faith that, you know, she'd like to - she'd like to play something different than what Eliza is usually asked to play. And he came up with the idea that she could play something different every week. And from there Dollhouse was born. But I would love to work with him again. I think he's a fascinating writer, fascinating director. He's a lovely, lovely guy. I'm very, very fond of him and I would - I'd, you know, I don't use the word genius lightly but I think he is one."

"I think [Joss] really is a great writer," said Head. "I would like to see him make more movies. I think, you know, I thought Serenity was a funny film and actually it was hugely well received by critics and at the same time was not possibly marketed as well as it might have been. It was a great film. He makes writing really count. It's not just writing for writing sake. He gives everything a life and a reason. With Dollhouse, I think he had problems initially with Fox because they wanted one show and he was sticking readily with his guns. And I think they've gone with it now because they realized that ultimately it's wonderfully complex and i all the characters have got all sorts of neuroses and problems. I mean it's a fascinating world that he's created with Dollhouse."

"And it's what they've done with Merlin; by creating a world in which magic is forbidden on pain of death, they've created a very, very interesting world for a young Merlin to exist or not to, you know, basically fight for his life," said Head. "A good drama is about conflict. And if like Joss Whedon you can allow comedy to come through to support your drama, it makes the thrills and spills that much more pertinent and that much more poignant when you do get it. When you get the shop horror it gives you a bed to feed it in. You know, and then ultimately that's what makes its appeal so wide."

So, given how much time has passed since Whedon first approached Head about Ripper, have their plans changed significantly?

"Originally when he pitched [Ripper] to me, he didn't have to pitch it very fast, I was like yes," remembered Head. "It was a series. And it was Giles as this sad lonely man in England without a real reason to be. And it was pretty much ghost stories. Week-by-week, some ghost story would somehow affect him."

"And then he said that he didn't [feel]--I mean he by that time I think he had been affected by Angel--the need to write a weekly story," he went on. "I think he found at that point the drive was different. And so he suggested this one film he was going to make. And he told me the story that he'd written and it's absolutely beautiful. And I hope that one day it gets made whether it's the guise of Ripper or whether we just sell it as a story, a one-off TV movie. It's a lovely, lovely story. It's kind of a ghost story. It's also about a man investigating his own soul and it's fascinating and lovely and sad and it's classic ghost reading. I hope we get to make it one day. And from there on in he was going to, you know, if it was successful maybe he could have been convinced to do a series. And as I say he's back in the seat of doing a weekly series with Dollhouse. Maybe he can be convinced otherwise. But never say never but at the same time, I think it's on the shelf for a while."

"I don't think we'll every really know [what Ripper means]," said Head. "I think Ripper just means it's the darker side of someone that suddenly see that you never every knew existed. And it's a very dark side. And we got to see some of it in Buffy. You know, he's the only guy who killed an innocent man in Buffy. Well Faith did. But Faith is bad. But he smothered somebody who ultimately was a innocent bystander. And so [had] some darkness. That's Ripper."

So is Head still surprised by all the attention he gets from Buffy fans years after its cancellation?

"It wasn't cancelled. It was never cancelled," said Head, chidingly. "Just we took a bow and decided to basically that he had said enough. Although having said that and I haven't seen it all, but Season Eight is alive and kicking in comic book form."

"No, I'm not surprised [by the continued support of Buffy fans] inasmuch as ultimately Buffy was an extraordinary piece of writing," he continued. "And because of that, the fact that it was used by universities as an example of modern writing. I'm amazed when I got to LA and I go and meet producers who came up as writers and Buffy was almost their bible and they almost genuflect. So it's always very flattering but it's nothing to do with me. It's because I worked with Joss Whedon. What does amaze me, and the fact that I love, is that I'm constantly met by young people and I think that they've seen something else I'm in, Little Britain or Merlin and Buffy goes - I don't know what it does in the States but it goes round and round. It's cyclical here and it keeps garnering young audiences. And long may that be so because it is great TV."

"But one of the things that appeals about Buffy was the fact that it was so multi generational," Head reflected. "It was - even though FOX didn't market it this way, FOX marketed it for 15-year-olds to 25-year-olds. [...] It is truly universal appeal and that is the secret of Merlin as well. It has this extraordinary general, multi-generational appeal that people come up to me in the street and say thank you. I go it's nothing to do with me. I didn't write it. But they say this is truly a show that we can sit down with our kids and everybody loves it. Everybody - it's a truly family show. And there's not that many shows that parents and grandparents and brothers and sisters, teens, 25-year-olds down to the age of six can actually enjoy a show together. There's something in it for everybody. And it's once every few years a show like it comes along... It's kind of very simple, very basic premise but it's a very clever premise. And as I say, it somehow appeals to everyone."

Has Head been typecast then since he first played Rupert Giles on Buffy?

"Actors generally, you get a recurring role in this and a recurring role in that," said Head. "I mean I've been very, very fortunate to play leads in a number of series; and very different types of things. And to a certain extent I've worked quite hard not to be typecast. You know, when initially when I came back from Buffy there were quite of offers of professors and the occasional librarian but they were largely professors. There was an episode of Doctor Who that I did. And initially I balked at it because it was headmaster and then I read that it was a headmaster who ate children and ultimately was actually a demon who flew. I kind of - I went one round and it was a great episode and it was great fun to do."

"But it's more than that," he continued. "You know, trying to find something, which will develop your career, will take you on to something new and will open people's minds up. I mean Giles for me was a huge, huge turning point because it was the first character role that I had played. And up to that point in England I was playing romantic leads. You know, that to a certain extent was not limiting but it basically it was just going in one direction. And the thing that Buffy gave me was an opportunity to show people that I did other stuff and it was the first time I'd really been - even though Giles wasn't necessarily a comic role, there was a lot of comedy in it."

"And so it gave the producers of Little Britain the idea that I could play a straight man in a comedy and he plays it absolutely straight down the line. But there has to be some comedy. Do you know what I mean? So Matt and David, I think, basically saw something in me that they thought would work in a comedy. So since then I've done quite a lot of comedy, per se. And it's great fun to be allowed to go from one genre to another. And go, you know, to do musicals the same as well. I'm very, very fortunate."

Merlin premieres Sunday, June 21st at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.

Channel Surfing: Westfeldt and Boyd Clock in for "24," Grillo-Marxuach Bound for "Day One," "Doctor Who" Feature in Development, "Buffy," and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Jennifer Westfeldt (Grey's Anatomy) and John Boyd (The Notorious Bettie Page) have been cast in Day Eight of FOX drama series 24. Westfeldt will recur as journalist Meredith Reed, an ambitious writer who has ties to Middle East leader Arman Hashemi (Anil Kapoor), who arrives in the U.S. on a peacemaking mission. Boyd, meanwhile, will be a series regular and will play CTU analyst Jonah Schwartz. (Hollywood Reporter)

The Middleman creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach has joined the writing staff of NBC's upcoming sci-fi series Day One, where he will serve as writer/co-executive producer. Also joining the writing staff, according to series creator Jesse Alexander (who broke the news via Twitter): Kings' Erik Oleson, and Angela Kang. (io9)

BBC Films has confirmed that a big screen version of Doctor Who is being developed and that development of a script is currently underway. It's unclear whether inbound showrunner Steven Moffat or executive producer Russell T. Davies will write the feature film or if David Tennant or his replacement, Matt Smith, would play the Doctor. (Digital Spy)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has contacted Joss Whedon for a reaction to the news that director/producer Fran Rubel Kuzui is planning a feature film reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss' noncommittal reply? "I hope it's cool," wrote Whedon via email. Ahem. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

HBO will launch comedy series Hung, starring Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, and Anne Heche, on June 28th at 10 pm ET/PT, following an episode of True Blood. The first episode of Hung runs a lengthy 45 minutes while the subsequent installments will each run 30 minutes. (Variety)

The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed has a hysterical cartoon jokingly depicting FOX executives deciding the fate of on-the-bubble sci-fi series Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles at gunpoint. (The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

BBC America will launch supernatural drama Being Human, about a werewolf, vampire, and ghost who live together, on Saturday, July 25th at 9 pm ET/PT. (Televisionary)

Bravo is developing reality spinoff The Real Housewives of Washington, D.C. and is said to be looking for "personalities who are among Washington, D.C.'s influential players, cultural connoisseurs, fashion sophisticates and philanthropic leaders -- the people who rub elbows with the most prominent people in the country," according to Bravo EVP/general manager Frances Berwick. Series, to be developed by Half Yard Productions, is expected to launch sometime in 2010. (via press release)

Al Pacino will star in an untitled HBO telepic about Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Set in the early 1990s, the film will follow Kevorkian (Pacino) as he creates the first assisted suicide machine and the resulting media frenzy. Project, written by Adam Mazer and based on Harry Wilie and Neal Nicol's biography "Between the Dying and the Dead," will be directed by Barry Levinson. (Variety)

ABC is following through on its plans to merge ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios into a single unit under president Steve McPherson. While the network is said to still be finalizing its "development chain of command," it's widely thought that Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs--who currently serves as EVP of drama development--would be promoted to become McPherson's second-in-command, leaving Channing Dungey to take over as the network's head of drama and Josh Barry to replace Dungey on the studio side. (Hollywood Reporter)

Carol Kane will reprise her Homicide: Life on the Street role as Gwen Munch, the ex-wife of Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) in the June 2nd season finale of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The episode will also feature Nick Stahl (Carnivale), who will play Peter Harrison, an artist turned killer who has set his sights on one of the SVU team after he succumbs to mental illness and Kane's Gwen will have to help her ex-husband track him down. (via press release)

RelativityReal, the reality/alternative arm of Relativity Media, has signed a three-year overall deal with Wilmer Valderrama, under which he will create, develop, and executive produce series for both broadcast and cable networks. Valderrama is currently developing a half-hour telenovela Brooklyn Sound at MTV. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "Buffy" Feature Sans Whedon, Tennant to Appear on "Sarah Jane Adventures," Sarah Chalke Uncertain about "Scrubs" Return, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

Could Buffy be heading back to the big screen... sans Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, or any of the supporting talents that made the franchise a success? Sadly, yes, in what appears to be shaping up as one of the worst ideas of the year. Executive producers Fran and Kaz Kuzui, along with Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee and Doug Davison are said to be developing a reboot of the Buffy franchise. (Fran Rubel Kuzui directed the original Buffy feature.) However, said project would not involve characters like Willow, Xander, Angel, or Spike (or, indeed any of the above elements) and would instead focus on a new slayer and would kick off a new franchise. The producers are currently meeting with writers and have not reached out to Joss Whedon about any involvement with the project. (Hollywood Reporter)

David Tennant will star opposite Elisabeth Sladen in two upcoming episodes of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures's third season. Reprising his role as the Doctor, Tennant will not just cameo but will play a leading role in a two-part episode when the series returns for its third season in September. "Viewers thought they may have to wait until November for the next full episode of Doctor Who, but this is an extra special treat," said executive producer Russell T. Davies. "And it's not just a cameo from David – this is a full-on appearance for The Doctor as he and Sarah Jane face their biggest threat ever." (BBC)

Sarah Chalke still hasn't made up her mind about whether she will reprise her role as Elliot on Season Nine of Scrubs, recently ordered by ABC. "I actually don't know yet what I'm going to do, but I will very soon. You guys will be the first to know. Regardless, I'm excited that the show got picked up again and it's going to go another year," Chalke, who stars in Lifetime's upcoming mini-series Maneater, told E! Online. ""I think the setup on Maneater kinds of lends itself to [an ongoing series] because you've got the close group of girlfriends, sort of a Sex and the City." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment have partnered to develop an unscripted series based on Twitter. Details are scarce but the project--to be executive produced by Amy Ephron, Kevin Foxe, Steve Latham, Mark Koops, Howard Owens, Jon Liebman, and Lee Kernis--is described as "putting ordinary people on the trail of celebrities in a revolutionary competitive format." (Variety)

Now that the dust has cleared after the network upfronts, it's clear who the real winner is this development season: studio Warner Bros. Television, who managed to sell a new series or have one renewed on every single broadcast network. Besides for NBC's Chuck, which got an eleventh hour renewal, the studio is behind such series as ABC’s Eastwick, Hank, The Forgotten, The Middle and V, Miami Trauma, Cold Case, and There Goes the Neighborhood at CBS, FOX’s Human Target and Past Life, and The CW’s Vampire Diaries, The Beautiful Life and Parental Discretion Advised, which will be co-produced with CBS Television Studios. "This season, it’s been very challenging," said WBTV President Peter Roth about the struggles the studio faced this year. "One network has five fewer hours of shelf space. The changing economic environment challenged every company. We are facing, most especially, the imperative to put on undeniable, can’t-miss, have-to-watch TV. It’s been a challenging year, perhaps more so than other years. I feel satisfied at least in terms of having been given our opportunities, a chance to get on the air with product I really believe in. The real test will be how many of these can be true long-term hits." (Broadcasting & Cable)

Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed takes a look at some of the timeslot competition this fall, rating such competitors as ABC's Desperate Housewives and CBS' Three Rivers, Fringe against Grey's Anatomy and CSI, Southland against Medium, Dollhouse, and Ugly Betty, and Flash Forward vs. Survivor, Bones, and NBC's comedies. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Season Two of Merlin, which is set to air on BBC One this fall, will feature guest stars such as Mackenzie Crook (The Office), Sarah Parish (Mistresses), Adrian Lester (Hustle), Charles Dance (Bleak House), and Santiago Cabrera (Heroes). The series, which will air its first season Stateside on NBC this summer, stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Anthony Head, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson, and John Hurt. (BBC)

Former USA executive Lindsay Sloane has been named FOX's co-head of drama programming, where she will oversee the department with Terence Carter and report to Matt Cherniss. Sloane replaces Rachel Bendavid, who is leaving the network. "We've established the ideal team to lead the next generation of drama development at FOX," said Matt Cherniss, who called Sloane a "gifted scripted series development executive." (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Death Becomes Them: The Role of Character Deaths in Television

With so many high-profile series like Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Heroes proving themselves willing to kill off main characters over the last few seasons (and rumors swirling about many a death on upcoming series by the end of the season), it got me thinking about the role of death on television and whether it's still an important tool in the television writer's arsenal of plot devices or an over-hyped gimmick to force viewers to tune in.

The most recent death on television was, of course, the shocking demise of Kal Penn's Dr. Lawrence Kutner on FOX's House earlier this week. In the April 6th episode, entitled "Simple Explanation," Penn's typically levelheaded character commits suicide very unexpectedly and his absence from work prompts two of the series' characters to investigate his whereabouts; they discover his body in his apartment with a gun by his side.

Reactions to the episode have divided both critics and audience alike, with some praising the realism and grace with which it was handled, while others, such as The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan, decried Kutner's suicide as a sort of emotional blackmail. Comparing his death to that of former House character Amber Volakis (Anne Dudek), killed off last season, Ryan wrote, "Everything about the death of Kutner [...] smelled of manipulation. And how about that online "memorial" to Kutner that was advertised at the end of the show? Sigh. It just struck me as cheesy. I have been dissatisfied with House all season, but the death of Lawrence Kutner might just be the coup de grace for this once-great show." (Ouch.)

I turned to some industry insiders about their views on the subject of death on television and asked former Battlestar Galactica and Buffy writer/producer and current Caprica showrunner Jane Espenson about her thoughts on the death of Kutner on House, along with a cable network development executive and a studio current series executive (both of whom asked to remain anonymous for this story).

I asked Espenson about whether writers have overused death as plot device. "Of course the death of a character can be meaningful!" she told me. "Death is a part of life and is perfectly legitimate fodder for drama. It can also be a cheap plot twist. Like almost everything, it's about the execution."

"I loved the House storyline, and thought it was really well done," she continued. "Usually we talk about "earning" a plot development as big as a character death. As a writer, you try to make the death feel surprising, but, in retrospect, unavoidable or logical or necessary. On both Buffy and BSG, we wrote episodes in which characters (Joyce, Dualla) seemed to be recovering from dangerous situations and then succumbed--in the one case to disease, in the other, to despair. Both deaths were chilling and--I believe--earned."

"What House managed to dramatize was the much more difficult unearned-death-because-that-was-the-whole-point," Espenson explained. "It happens--deaths that are impossible to explain happen. And the writers didn't swerve off the road, either--Gregory House's reaction to the death was front and center, as it should be in this kind of show. The episode would still have been legitimate if it had involved a character the audience had never met before, actually. But making it about someone the audience was invested in gave it extra impact--helped us understand the characters' reactions more viscerally. That's what good drama does."

But would the current series executive agree with Espenson? I asked her the same questions about the House suicide and about death on television in general.

"I think it was a really interesting way to do a character death," she said of Kutner's suicide on House. "It wasn't promoted, and its purpose was more about House and his ability to not figure everything out than about the character that died."

"For me, it's not that I'm against killing off characters; I'm against killing off characters as a promotional strategy," continued our forthright studio executive. "It seems that so many series these days use character deaths as a way to pick up viewers or bring back old viewers. I would prefer that network showrunners concentrate on making the best show they can instead of picking which character will die during sweeps. I've seen so many commercials and read so many magazine articles that tout the death of a character before it's going to happen. The most recent example of this is Nicolette Sheridan's character on Desperate Housewives. When you promote a death so much, it completely loses all of the dramatic weight behind it."

So have character deaths lost all emotional impact these days? "I firmly believe that it is still possible to have a character's death mean something," admitted the studio exec. "The element of surprise is always good, but it's the execution that really makes it work for me. I think The Sopranos is a great example. That's a show where the viewer was always expecting a character to die strictly because of the world in which it took place, but it constantly provided jaw-dropping (Ralphie) and gut-wrenching (Big Pussy, Adriana) deaths. They were always done in a way that would result in a very visceral reaction from the audience and that is what makes a character death meaningful."

Our cable development executive was less kind about the subject matter.

"I think it is overused," he said of the use of death as a plot device today. "The networks and advertisers want attention. The easiest way to get everyone's attention is to kill someone off. It quickly becomes cliched. From a development perspective, it is incredibly unsettling towards everything else you are working towards."

"The networks are constantly scrambling to keep audience attention and especially today when network viewership at an all time low," he said. "More people than ever are watching TV but they aren't watching network TV. There's a massive disconnect. Why are there such huge plot twists? Why, in 24, is there going to be a nuclear disaster every season? To keep up audience attention. From a network development perspective, there's a need to keep pushing the envelope in order to keep audience interest there... When you're doing a 24-type show, or even House to a certain extent, each episode asks, 'What is this person going to die of?' It speaks to a frustrating model that [action, medical, etc.] shows like these are so similar that you have to find a way to do it differently each time because the characters aren't evolving. Why aren't they changing? Because they don't want to alienate viewers. Why can't you alienate viewers? Because you don't want to alienate any advertisers."

"We've also reached saturation levels as far as media goes," he went on to say. "Everyone is extremely aware of characters, actors, etc. Remember when Cynthia Watros was on Lost and she got a pilot and then we all knew something was going to happen to Libby on the show? Everyone knew it was going to happen because it was in the trades. And the trades aren't limited to industry readers anymore because everyone can go on to the Variety website and see what's happening with their favorite actors. People are becoming hyper-aware of who is being utilized or not utilized. We are no longer making TV shows in a bubble, for other little bubbles around the country; we're making TV shows for a mass audience that is aware and following all of your footsteps."

And yet that does speak a great deal towards what showrunners David Shore and Katie Jacobs were looking to do with Lawrence Kutner's suicide on show. It was unexpected, it hadn't been announced in the trades or in, say, TV Guide or on the cover of Entertainment Weekly (like Edie's death on Desperate Housewives), and it was shocking.

But, while the storyline may yield some character development down the road, its impetus wasn't story-based but rather that actor Kal Penn wanted to leave the FOX series in order to take a position in the Obama Administration. One can't argue that it was a promotional tool, because it wasn't promoted ahead of time, but was the death strictly for shock value or does it open up the series to explore new themes and stories?

I agree with Espenson that, when a death is "earned," it can be a fantastic storytelling device that potentially offers viewers an emotional wallop to the gut. And I am hopeful that writers can use the unexpected death of a character to further the overall story rather than just sell it as promotional, tune-in gimmick... so long as the media and network promo departments don't spoil it in advance, as they have in the past. (ABC's promos for Lost come to mind.)

Ultimately, death is a huge part of life and shouldn't be abandoned from the writer's toolbox any time soon. But creators and networks need to be aware that character deaths have to be earned above all else and not used as a throwaway storyline to trim the cast or "shock" the audience. Or they run the risk of truly de-sensitizing the audience at large.

What are your thoughts about Lawrence Kutner's death? Are too many series seemingly using character deaths as a promotional tool more than a story-based one? Discuss.

Paley Center to Offer "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Reunion DVD

Buffy fans looking to add one more DVD collectible to their burgeoning collection are in luck.

The Paley Center for Media has announced today that it has released a DVD of PaleyFest: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reunion, which captures last year's Paley Festival event that reunited creator Joss Whedon and the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer a decade after it launched. (Missed the event last year? You can read all about it here.)

The panel, shot last March at the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, featured cast members Sarah Michelle Geller, Seth Green, Amber Benson, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield, James Marsters, and Michelle Trachtenberg along with creator Joss Whedon and producers David Greenwalt and Marti Noxon. (Sadly, no Anthony Stewart Head, I'm afraid.)

The single-disc DVD will feature an introduction by Whedon, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, the full video of the PaleyFest08 Buffy Reunion panel, and backstage photos and videos.

Priced at $19.95 each, PaleyFest: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reunion is available for purchase exclusively online at the Paley Center and will also be made available at next month’s PaleyFest09 (April 10-23). All proceeds benefit the Paley Center for Media.

What Ever Happened to Joss Whedon's "Ripper"?

I woke up this morning with a singular thought: what ever happened to that planned Buffy spinoff Ripper?

If you remember back nearly a year ago, the internet was abuzz with the news coming out of San Diego Comic-Con: Joss Whedon had announced plans to go ahead with Ripper, the proposed Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff centering on Watcher Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head).

Fanboys (and girls) everywhere were proclaiming it to be a very happy day indeed, what with Whedon returning to the franchise with Ripper and the then-upcoming Buffy Season Eight comic book. (Shame on you, if you're not reading it!)

Since then, a lot has happened, both here in Hollywood and specifically to Whedon himself. Joss ended up selling a seven-episode drama series called Dollhouse--starring former Buffy staple Eliza Dushku and BSG's Tahmoh Penikett--to FOX; pre-production is currently underway for a spring shoot and Dollhouse has been slated to air this fall. (I, meanwhile, have been hard at work trying to get my grubby hands on the script.)

Additionally, the writers strike had a hand in shelving or delaying many projects in the meantime. (Joss himself is also currently writing the tail ends of his sadly much-delayed stints on Astonishing X-Men and Runaways.)

When Whedon announced the Ripper project--then incarnated as a possible 90-minute television movie at the BBC (with no US broadcaster mentioned)--he said he was thisclose to signing a deal with the BBC.

But a few months later, Whedon gave an interview to TV Week's James Hibberd (who has since moved onto The Hollywood Reporter) and was surprisingly non-committal about Ripper:

TVWeek: Is there anything new with "Buffy" spinoff "Ripper"? [Whedon previously announced he’s trying to set up that show at the BBC.]

Whedon: There isn’t anything new. It might become too problematic. The rights issue with "Ripper" becomes complicated. There are other characters in the woods. We may have to do some fancy footwork. Obviously I’m committed to ["Dollhouse"], but that does not mean I’m not doing "Ripper."

Which means it's still possible that Ripper might work out... but not all that probable, especially given Whedon's involvement in Dollhouse, especially if the project is picked up to a full season.

And sadly, Buffy spin-off projects--Buffy the Animated Series, Faith the Vampire Slayer, the Spike telefilm, Slayer School--have a tendency to, well, not see the light of day, which perhaps is only fitting for a franchise that lurks in the shadows.

Stay tuned.

Paley Festival: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Reunites Once More with Feeling

If you attended the massively hyped Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion event last night at the Arclight (courtesy of the 25th anniversary installment of the Paley Festival) and didn't leave humming Joss Whedon's tunes from the musical episode "Once More With Feeling," there's something dead inside you.

The mood was positively euphoric as the cast and crew of seminal television series Buffy reunited for the first time in four years (has it really been that long since the Scoobies last saved the world?) and waxed nostalgic about the aforementioned musical episode (which was screened in its entirety before the panel), that silent-film inspired episode ("Hush"), and recalling the difficult, funny, and memorable moments that go into making a television series as powerful and oft overlooked as this one.

So who was there? Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield (attired in a sexy outfit dubbed "a 40s gumshoe" by Whedon), Michelle Trachtenberg (looking as sleek and sophisticated as her soon-to-be costars on Gossip Girl), Martin Noxon, Charisma Carpenter, Seth Green, Amber Benson, and David Greenwalt. Whew.

No sign of Alyson Hannigan in the end (sadly) and her absence wasn't noted by moderator Matt Roush (of TV Guide) for some reason. And while I was hoping that David Boreanaz would turn up in some form or another (video greeting perhaps?), the former Angel star was noticeably missing as well, though Green recounted how Boreanaz would leave him a surprise in his trailer every single morning.

All eyes were on the cast as they recounted some of their experiences making Buffy. Me, I was wondering about certain rumors about tensions between Gellar and Whedon (and, hell, Noxon) that allegedly came out during the filming of the controversial Season Six, the series' bleakest chapter... and about which audience member would be the first to ask Benson why she didn't return for Season Seven following a much buzzed-about contract negotiation. (Answer: she avoided the question and, after joking about being at Marlon Brando's bedside during his death, gave a non-committal answer about "availability.")

What did we learn? Don't hold your breath for a film/television reunion of these characters or Buffy: Season Eight in anything other than comic-book form (though still a damn good yarn on its own). "So many stars would have to align," said Whedon. "But there's a reason I worked with these people for so long. Clearly from the comic, it's a story that I can't let go. I think it would be cool."

Surprisingly, there was no further mention of the in-development Ripper spin-off project that Whedon announced at San Diego Comic-Con, but that project may have hit the skids in the wake of the writer's strike. Whedon did hint that he often mulled over taking Buffy to Broadway as a musical though he'd sooner start from scratch than use the musical episode as a basis.

Joss Whedon and Marti Noxon often referred to Gellar as "Jimmy Stewart, the greatest American in pain in the history of film." Gellar admitted she never knew that.

Emma Caulfield lerves Battlestar Galactica. (So too does Green, who didn't chime in.)

Whedon told Carpenter that if Angel didn't work out, she would always have a net at Buffy.

We also learned that the cast clearly isn't picking up Whedon's Buffy: Season Eight comic-book (other than the hilarious Green, whose gleeful wit was one of the evening's highlights). Gellar only learned of the recent comic-book twist that Buffy, er, getting friendly with female slayer Satsu. ("A totally hot, totally steamy scenario," said Green.) Whedon said of his decision to give Buffy a same-sex encounter wasn't a life-changing event for the slayer. "It's not like Willow," he said. "Just somebody who's young with somebody who they really like a lot and they have a lot of time on their hands." Garnering some chuckles from the audience, Whedon shot back, "Oh, like anybody didn't go to college!"

Speaking of the comic-book, look for Green's Oz to definitely make an appearance in the Season Eight comic. As for why the lycanthropic Oz never made a return to the television series itself, I'm still not sure what happened.

And we learned what the WB's initial reaction was to the Willow/Tara romance. Whedon received a call from the network advising him that the WB had already "got a lot of gays here." Whedon then threatened to pack up his office when the network questioned the need for the kiss between the two Wiccan lovers (the only time he did so during the series' seven-year run) until they relented. And still, there was no advertiser backlash whatsoever about Willow's lesbianism, though the episode in which Buffy worked in a fast food restaurant ("Doublemeat Palace") caused one advertiser to drop out.

As much as I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I'll be honest: it's been a little while since I went back and cracked open my DVDs and watched the entire series from start to finish so to see "Once More with Feeling" on the big screen at the Cinerama Dome was an emotional, nostalgic experience for me and brought back all sorts of memories. Seeing Buffy and Co. engage in their truth-baring songs (and in Trachtenberg's case truth-baring, er, dance number) was a magical thing, even after all this time. (And, yes, I still remembered all of the lyrics to Whedon's addictive songs.)

So was "Once More with Feeling" the most difficult episode to make for Whedon? "I'm going to go with fun," said Whedon. "It wasn't the hardest. It wasn't really harder than "Hush" Because every day there was music." For some, this wasn't exactly the case. Marsters described it as "total terror," despite him and Tony Head (also sadly not in sight) having experience as recording artists. Trachtenberg came down with "psychosomatic laryngitis" when she learned that she was going to be required to sing. Gellar joked that she wished Buffy would be turned into a rat again so she could sit the musical episode out.

Still, it paled in comparison to the emotional depths the actors had to reach while filming the series' most gripping installment, "The Body," where Buffy discovers the body of her mother, who didn't die from a mystical ailment or vampire attack but by something more mundane and therefore horrific: natural causes. "It was tough," said Gellar. "I had a little bit more knowledge of what was coming than Michelle [Trachtenberg] did and I think in your head you get kind of prepared, you say good-bye to Christine [Sutherland], you know it's coming. But you have to understand that both Michelle and I come from families of single, strong mothers where.... our mothers are everything. So you try to separate it as best you can. At the same time, it adds that extra layer."

Gellar recounted filming the harrowing first act of "The Body," which Whedon had devised as a single, long shot as Buffy and her friends learn of Joyce's death. The result is a somber, emotional scene that took nearly a day to shoot (and, according to Gellar, broke the body of their Steadicam operator). "It was so amazing to be a part of something that was constantly breaking the rules," said Gellar about her experience. "We were constantly doing things that had never been done and we're constantly challenging both the audeince and ourselves."

So what is the Buffy gang up to these days?

• Joss Whedon: Just wrapped his short musical film, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. (And look for Noxon to turn up there as well.) And, oh, something about a return to television with the series Dollhouse.
  
• Sarah Michelle Gellar: Just returned from Africa where she did charity work for CARE and is prepping a new film, Veronika Decides to Die.
• Nicholas Brendon: Currently recurring on CBS drama Criminal Minds.
• Emma Caulfield: Also just returned from Africa (for a different charity) and has two films releasing this year. She also got married.
• James Marsters: Just wrapped the feature adaptation of Dragonball and is working on a number of television projects including Torchwood, Without a Trace, and Smallville.
• Michelle Trachtenberg: Wrapped film 17 Again opposite Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, and Leslie Mann and Kids in America (where she plays a crazy Goth chick) with Topher Grace. She's about to start a multiple-episode arc on Gossip Girl.
• Marti Noxon: Hard at work on Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, which returns this fall on ABC.
• Seth Green & Charisma Carpenter: Releasing a series of fitness videos that incorporate tae bo and cardio strip. (Kidding!) Charisma looks fabulous after having a kid and Green is hard at work on the latest season of Robot Chicken.
• Amber Benson: Recently sold a series of fantasy chick lit novels to Penguin.
• David Greenwalt: After a series of "well-timed mental breakdowns," has left the business would return if Whedon called him back for a project.

All in all, a truly magical evening that brought back all sorts of memories of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how much of a cultural influence this little series that could ended up being. It was truly a wonderful sight to behold the cast gathered together on stage again and it was clear that, despite the passage of time, that these people truly loved and appreciated not only the work they did but the time they spent together.

Just the right note of kumbaya-yas, as Spike might say.

The WB to Return as Online Site

Feeling nostalgic for a time when Lorelai and Luke sparred over a morning cup of coffee, Felicity Porter had not yet cut her trademark locks, or Buffy was still an only child, a mini-skirted naif whose destiny was thrust onto her?

Such nostalgia has gotten a little easier with the news that Warner Bros is relaunching The WB, home to such series as Gilmore Girls, Felicity, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer... not as a linear television network, but as a web site.

The ad-supported site, which has wb.com as its working title, will serve as an online home for all Warners-produced WB series that ran on the network during its brief lifespan from 1995 to 2006, including Gilmore Girls, Everwood, and What I Like About You. (It's still, sadly, unclear whether that will eventually include non-Warners produced titles like the aforementioned Buffy or Felicity, but fingers crossed.)

It will also include original short-form series, all targeted at the WB's signature demographic of women 12-34.

While I certainly don't fit into that demographic, I am slightly overjoyed by the fact that these series are coming back together under the WB banner, which for a while was on a real hot streak. After all, they were the first to embrace the genius that was Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams.

And, if you need your fix of some 90s era teen angst like you need an afternoon Snickers, there are far worse places to go to achieve those ends. Especially when they afford you a trip down memory lane as WB.com is likely to do.

The Hollywood Reporter indicates that a beta launch will take place beginning next month, with a rollout planned for autumn.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad (NBC); Gossip Girl (CW); The Bachelor: Where Are They Now? (ABC); Canterbury's Law (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious (CW); October Road (ABC; 9-11 pm); New Amsterdam (FOX)

10 pm: CSI Miami (CBS); Medium (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gossip Girl.

It's another chance to catch up on the teen soap. On tonight's repeat episode ("Victor/Victrola"): Nate confronts his father about his drug problem; Jenny uncovers a secret her parents had hoped to conceal; Chuck wants to invest in a burlesque club; Dan and Serena contemplate taking their relationship to the next level; and Blair finds comfort with an unexpected suitor.

9:30 pm: Old Christine.

On tonight's episode ("House"), Christine attempts to be happy for Richard and new Christine when they buy a house she has always dreamed of living in. Ouch.

10 pm: No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on Travel Channel.

It's a brand new season of No Reservations on the Travel Channel; follow enfant terrible chef Anthony Bourdain as he returns to the kitchen of Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan as we attempts to work a double shift. Seriously, I cannot wait for this episode.

PaleyWatch: SMG Confirmed for "Buffy" Reunion, Tickets

The big news yesterday was, of course, that Sarah Michelle Gellar would join creator Joss Whedon and the cast for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion at this year's William S. Paley Festival, to be held at the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight in Hollywood.

I'm hoping that Gellar's presence on the guest list spurs hold-outs Anthony Head and Alyson Hannigan to join up with the rest of the crew, which currently includes Amber Benson, Nicholas Brendan, Emma Caulfield, Eliza Dushku, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seth Green, James Marsters, and Michelle Trachtenberg. (I'm also hoping they lure former writers Jane Espenson, David Fury, and Doug Petry to the event.)

As for me, I've already gotten my tickets so I'll be there (as well as at a bunch of other panels) with bells on. Great big, vampire-repellent bells on. Let's just hope they do something fun and make the pre-panel screening interesting and intriguing: the pilot perhaps? Or "Once More with Feeling"?

But I am curious: who among you is planning to go? Who has tickets already and who is planning to do whatever it takes in order to make it to this landmark event? Discuss.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: CBS News Coverage of Primaries (CBS; 8-10 pm); Biggest Loser (NBC; 8-10 pm); Reaper (CW); Super Tuesday--Showdown: Coast to Coast (ABC; 8-10 pm); American Idol (FOX)

9 pm: One Tree Hill (CW); House (FOX)

10 pm: NCIS (CBS); NBC News--Super Tuesday Special (NBC); Election Coverage (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

10 pm: Doctor Who on BBC America.

Missed Season Three of Brit import Doctor Who or itching for another go-around with the Doctor and new companion Martha Jones? You're in luck as BBC America is airing the series' third season. Tonight's episode: "The Shakespeare Code," in which the Doctor and his new traveling companion, Martha Jones, are the victims of some witches' spell and end up face to face with the Bard himself.

PaleyWatch: Details About the 2008 Lineup Emerge

The PR machine is in overdrive for the 2008 William S. Paley Television Festival, the fest's 25th anniversary installment, which moves its location this year from its cramped quarters at the DGA to the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight. (Wahoo!)

While the festival's organizers are being pretty coy about the full lineup and schedule this year, what with teasing us about a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion, they have quietly nailed down some dates for some of the panels:

March 14th: Elvis '68 Comeback Special (Opening Night Selection)

March 15th: Pushing Daisies

March 17th: The Comedy World of Judd Apatow & Friends

March 18th: Chuck

March 20th: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion

March 21st: Dancing with the Stars

March 25th: Dirty Sexy Money

March 27th: Mad Men (Closing Night Selection)

The full lineup and schedule, including the date for the previously announced panel for Gossip Girl, is slated to be revealed on February 4th.

Individual tickets for members of the Paley Center for Media go on sale on February 7th, while Joe Public can buy tickets beginning on February 10th.

Me, I'm already trying to figure out how much a hit my wallet can take in order to determine just how many of these events I can attend.

What's On Tonight*

*Note: The State of the Union Address will wreak havoc with tonight's lineup. Check local listings.

8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/Two and a Half Men (CBS); Gossip Girl Revealed (CW; 8-9:30 pm); Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (ABC); Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX)

9 pm: Rules of Engagement/CBS Special Report: CES (CBS); The Office/30 Rock (NBC); Aliens in America (CW; 9:30-10 pm); Samantha Who (ABC; 9:30-10 pm)

10 pm: American Gladiators (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8-9:30 pm: Gossip Girl Revealed.

It's yet another chance to catch the pilot episode of the teen soap, this time with added features including interviews, commentary, deleted scenes, and character profiles.

10 pm: No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on Travel Channel.

It's a brand new season of No Reservations on the Travel Channel; follow enfant terrible chef Anthony Bourdain as he travels the world in search of good food. In tonight's installment, Tony heads to the Greek Islands, where he swings by Crete and Ithaca and tries to determine whether or not the Greek really do have the world's healthiest fare.

PaleyWatch: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Reunion

It pays to be a member... of the Paley Center, that is.

As with most years since I moved out to Los Angeles (five years ago, for those keeping score), I'm planning on attending as many William S. Paley Television Festival events as I can (and as many as my wallet will allow).

The festival's organizers--from the Paley Center for Media--have been particularly canny this year, teasing the audience with little glimpses into this year's lineup (March 14-27 at the Arclight, in the Cinerama Dome, no less), which so far includes panels for Pushing Daisies and Gossip Girl and a special evening with Judd Apatow.

If that wasn't enough, they then made me drool with sweet, sweet anticipation with their latest tantalizing unveiling of the schedule, which features panels for Chuck, Dirty Sexy Money, Dancing with the Stars, and Mad Men.

And, oh, a reunion of the cast from a little show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Yes, that's right, ladies and gents, the cast of the cult show that spawned a creative genius, a television franchise, comic books, and more ancillary items that you can shake a stick at will come together for one night only.

I plan to be there for this momentous occasion.

In the meantime, the full lineup for the event--the festival's 25th--will be announced on February 4th. Mark your calendars and sharpen your stakes.

Holiday Gift Help: Own A Piece of "Buffy" History

Confession time: in my living room, above my entertainment center is a framed Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling poster. It is, even after the years since this brutally smart cult series wrapped, one of my prized possessions.

A Televisionary reader send in this link to a current eBay auction for another hard-to-find piece of Buffy history: a matted and framed original limited edition piece of artwork created for the final wrap party on Buffy. It features the regular cast at the time, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Marsters, Nicholas Brendon, Emma Caulfield, Alyson Hannigan, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Anthony Stewart Head in a sort of hand-drawn pre-Jo Chen piece that any fan would love to have.

Auction ends December 3rd at 10 pm PT and the Buy It Now function is available at a cool $750.

And with the holiday season swifty approaching, the perfect gift for any Buffy fan looking to add to their collection.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Kid Nation (CBS); Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC); America's Next Top Model (CW); Shrek the Halls/How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC); 'Til Death (FOX)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Bionic Woman (NBC); Gossip Girl (CW); Pushing Daisies (ABC); Kitchen Nightmares

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Life (NBC); Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: America's Next Top Model.

On tonight's episode ("The Girls Go on Go-See Adventures"), the five remaining contestants (thankfully including Heather!) visit designers in Shanghai; later, Nigel Barker shoots the girls in an amazing photo shoot that includes Chinese costume dragons and lions. It's getting down to the final few model wannabes and for many of these girls the claws are out.

9 pm: Pushing Daisies.

Catch Televisionary obsession Pushing Daisies at a special time tonight. On tonight's installment ("Bitter Sweets"), Ned and the Pie Hole crew find themselves embroiled in a turf war with a pair of taffy-shop owner siblings (guest stars Molly Shannon and Mike White) hell-bent on pushing them out of business.

10 pm: Dirty Sexy Money.

On tonight's episode of the highly addictive screwball soap ("The Watch"): it's flashback time as we learn about Letitia's affair with Dutch (that would be Nick's daddy); Karen flirts with Simon while at the hospital visiting Patrick (recovering from last week's gunshot wound at the hands of his wife); Brian is arrested after trying to bribe the arbitrator; and Jeremy turns to Lisa for help in keeping his identity secret from Sofia.

10 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.

Season Four of Bravo's Project Runway continues. On tonight's episode, the designers try to come out on top while working for a very different client. Hmmm.

Joss Whedon Confirms "Ripper" Happening

Better sharpen those stakes.

In a surprise Comic-Con announcement, Joss Whedon has confirmed that the long-gestating Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off, entitled Ripper, finally looks like it's going forward.

Whedon says that he's thisclose to signing a deal with the BBC to finance a 90-minute telepic that will star Buffy's Anthony Stewart Head as former Watcher Rupert Giles as he combats the things that go bump in the night sans Slayer.

The deal hasn't been signed yet, so anything can happen, but Whedon was quick to say that no US distribution has been decided. Meaning that it's still a bit soon to circle a launch date on your calendar or break open the bubbly.

Meanwhile, Whedon has launched a non-Buffy-related online comic called Sugar Shock with Dark Horse (the publishers of the Buffy Season Eight comic). It's free, it's online, and it might just tide you over until Ripper... or the next issue of the Buffy comic.

Channel Surfing: 7.19.06

Covering "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Season Eight

Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch column managed to score a first look at an image that many Buffy fans have been waiting an eternity for.

Dark Horse Comics has released the cover image of the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book, which will envision what might have been had there been an eighth season of the supernatural drama.

Like the series, which slayed its last vampire in 2003, the comic book will be written by Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon. Joss currently writes a little comic you may have heard of -- Astonishing X-Men -- and previously wrote a fantastic (if terminally delayed) Buffy comic spin-off called Fray and a three-issue mini-series that bridged the gap between his Firefly series and the Serenity feature. Pencils will be provided by Georges Jeanty, though I have to agree with Blog@Newsarama and say that the cover art looks suspiciously like the work of the talented Jo Chen (just check out the covers of Runaways).

Where did things leave off when Buffy left the airwaves? PopWatch offered the following precis:

"Well, you may recall the show ended with the creation of an army of Slayers. Now they're organized, and the tide has turned in favor of the good guys. Ah, but you know how much Whedon hates winners: Soon an 'old enemy' surfaces (Dark Horse is cagey on Big Bad's identity), and Dawn starts 'experiencing serious growing pains.'"

While the new Buffy series isn't slated for release until October, attendees at this weekend's Comic Con in San Diego (myself included) can pick up a copy of the first issue now.

Netflix Subscribers to Catch Sneak Peeks of NBC's "Kidnapped" and "Studio 60"

NBC announced today that it would offer a preview of the pilots of two of its fall drama pilots, Kidnapped (reviewed here) and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip to Netflix's 5 million subscribers.

The Peacock hopes to fan the flames of, er, fandom by getting a leap on their competitors and allowing the general public to catch a sneak peek of their series, in advance of the scheduled fall premiere dates.

Netflix subscribers will be able to view the pilot episodes to Kidnapped and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as well as sample trailers from some of other NBC's fall offerings, on August 5th.

"Aquaman" to Sleep with the Fishes; Its Star to Take Aim at Green Arrow

The CW has confirmed once and for all that it will not be ordering its Aquaman pilot to series, either for the fall or midseason or... ever. The failed pilot (reviewed here), produced by the creators of Smallville, starred Justin Hartley and Ving Rhames. (What's most surprising to me is that I learned about two weeks ago that the network actually paid for the entire project to be completed in the last few weeks, including instrumental score, even though it had no intentions of ordering the series.)

But this isn't the last that Aquaman's Justin Harley has seen of the televised DC Universe, as Dark Horizons is reporting that the actor has been cast as Oliver Queen (a.k.a. Green Arrow) for a multiple-episode arc on Smallville. Hartley is expected to appear in more than seven episodes next season and joins new cast addition Aaron Ashmore (Veronica Mars) as The Daily Planet's Jimmy Olsen.

In an interview with the July 24th issue of TV Guide, Smallville and Aquaman co-creator Alfred Gough discusses the next season of Smallville and the character of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow:

"He will start to form the nascent Justice League. He's trying to find like-minded people with special powers and put a more formal structure in place. Ultimately Clark will see the value of what he is trying to do but as he's gotten older, Clark has become more cautious. He will always be there to help out, but he doesn't want to be part of a formalized organization."

Smallville will premiere on the new CW network on September 28th at 8 pm ET/PT.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Rock Star: Supernova (CBS; 8-9:30 pm); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-10 pm); Blue Collar TV/Blue Collar TV (WB); The One: Making a Music Star (ABC; 8-10 pm); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX; 8-10 pm); America's Next Top Model (UPN)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); One Tree Hill (WB); Eve/Cuts (UPN)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); The One: Making a Music Star (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

10 pm: Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America (9 pm ET).

If you missed your Monday night fix of Gordon Ramsay, here's your chance to catch him again before this British import departs the U.S. airwaves (for now, anyway). On the season finale of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares ("La Gondola"), Gordon finds himself at the dreadful La Gondola restaurant, an Italian eatery trapped in the 1970s where the chef is one of the worst that Gordon has ever encountered. Seriously, after Hell's Kitchen, that's saying a lot.

10 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.

It might only be the second episode, but I am already obsessed with this reality show, hosted by Heidi Klum, the former object of desire of inbound Gilmore Girls showrunner David Rosenthal. I'm a little perturbed from what I heard about alleged fraud committed by one of the contestants but I'm dying to see what happens on tonight's episode.