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 buffy the vampire slayer Taking a series not averse to using such technology itself, we explore Buffy’s presence on the Net with a selection of fan websites and more... |
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| The Watcher's
Web A British-run site, but hot on the trail of American news. From its cheeky logo downwards, this has higher standards of illustration and journalism than many a professional site. An excellent source of merchandise reviews, original fiction, ratings analysis, off-the-beaten-track interviews with writers and musicians, plus bulletins on mainstream media coverage. I should declare an interest: there's even some material by me buried amongst its riches. Slay Me Stylish (it’s recently been re-designed), comprehensive, frequently maintained: all things you should look for in a worthwhile site. Excellent source of trailers and a vast array of multimedia downloads, plus good news presentation, forums and IRC (Internet Relay Chat). A majorly confident collaborative site in itself, incorporating the long-running and still-healthy area ‘Buffy Unlimited’. Little Willow’s Slayground One of the best content-led personal sites, run by a regular on the official posting boards. A wealth of articles, digressions, plus unique features including 25-moments-per-episode highlights (sorry, HighFrights), and WhoSays?, an archive of VIP board postings, including Joss Whedon’s candid comments. Little Willow is also in-depth on some Bronzed musicians, and has sub-sites for individuals such as Xander and Faith, while running Buffy novelist Christopher Golden and Superstar, sorry, actor Danny (Jonathan) Strong’s official sites. Sometimes erratic in design, but well worth exploring. Buffyworld An interactive multimedia guide to every Buffy and Angel episode, and amazingly detailed and comprehensive it is too: air-dates, trailers, vidcaps, transcripts, even a dictionary of slanguage. Also offers series calendars (current air-dates and cast birthdays get marked in) and the fullest known index of music used in each episode anywhere, with a good cross-section of links to MP3 downloads. Cast Fan Sites Many fans have concentrated on sites devoted to one particular character or actor, which can become the best place to keep updated on their interviews, media appearances and roles outside Sunnydale’s city limits. The best of these unofficial but lovingly maintained shrines might just be: Sarah Michelle Gellar …or just enter any Buffy actor’s name into any respectable search engine. You should find plenty of choices. Mark Wyman |
Official Fox
site Buffy’s broadcasters Newsgroups and mailing lists The major US-dominated
newsgroup (where postings sometimes run into hundreds per day) is: The best variant aimed at
Buffy viewers in the UK (although the technology can’t restrict it to UK
contributors, and spoilers may still intrude) is: The mailing list, on the other hand, is a hybrid service which takes some aspects of the newsgroup and delivers the results to your e-mail inbox. After joining a list – which may be at the list moderators’ discretion – you can raise questions, share information and debate character nuances, all by e-mail and within the relative privacy of that list’s membership. Two leading free list
providers, ONElist and eGroups, recently merged, and there are almost 700
mailing lists matching the series title on their site: Details of the lists’ sizes and regulation are provided: some are tiny and stillborn, some, like the series, in flourishing health. For UK viewers, the BuffyUK list is recommended. Happy hunting! |
For more about the best tv to expect in 2000 and beyond, read Cult Times • Special Issue 13 • £3.50 ($6.99). Can't find it locally? Order it here Photos © Sue Schneider / Moonglow Photos • Feature © Visual Imagination Ltd 2000. Not for reproduction. |
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