January 31, 2003

Many thanks to spider kelly: Kristin at E! Online visited the "Angel" set as they were filming Episode 15 with Eliza, and she talks about a Faith spinoff in her column:

Keeping the Faith: That's apparently what the producers of Buffy are hoping to do, as they have approached Eliza Dushku (aka baddie-turned-goodie Faith) about the possibility of doing a spinoff next fall. Mutant Enemy sources tell me Dushku met with Buffy producers on Wednesday to discuss a Faith show.

Word is that Sarah Michelle Gellar has pretty much decided not to sign on for another season, so Joss Whedon and Co. are heavily weighing spinoff possibilities--and Faith the Vampire Slayer appears to be the front-runner. There's just one issue, though: Does Eliza want to do it?

Last week, I had the pinch-me pleasure of visiting the Angel set, as they taped what looks to be a stunning upcoming episode. (Stay tuned for all the juicy goodness from that visit, including a sitdown with David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter.)

Both Alyson Hannigan and Eliza were on hand as guest stars, and though I wasn't able to ask specifically about a Faith spinoff, they did offer up a bit of insight.

When asked if she still plans on going back to school, Eliza replied: "Each year, I say I'm going to go to school next year. And it's inevitable that I'll end up getting my education. But I love working--I'm a worker bee at heart. I love coming here. It's such a stimulus. When I'm not doing anything, that's when I'm freaking out. I get neurotic and analytical and like, 'I need a shrink!' I'm trying to figure it out. I'm definitely conflicted as to what happens from here."

I also asked Eliza if she wants to stay in TV or do more film. "It's been nice working on Angel, because it shoots here in Los Angeles," she said. "I can drive myself to work, then drive home and visit my friends or my brothers. But it's also kind of cool to shoot off and do a movie for three months. You're in, you're out, boom, you get the final product. I don't necessarily love one more than the other. TV can be a long commitment, but at the same time...you never know."

Ain't that the truth, sister! So, it looks like we'll just have to wait patiently (grrr, argh!) to find out whether the "conflicted" Eliza is here to slay. [ column ]

Kristin also spoke a bit more about the set visit in her online chat. (Caution, spoilers.) [ chat ]

Many thanks to Caroline: the spinoff news was also reported on E! News Live on Wednesday, along with comments that Nicholas Brendon and James Marsters would be in it, but Alyson Hannigan may not. (This might just be conjecture based on various quotes by the actors, and not definite news that a Faith/Xander/Spike show is in the works.)

Many thanks to Agent G. From TV Gal at Zap2It:

The WB made some changes to its schedule, so I want to clarify some dates for you. The Faith episodes of "Angel" will now air March 5, March 12 and March 19. [ article ]

Few personal things... I blew up the power supply on my computer last weekend, and my brother has since wiped out my hard drive (including the site redesign that I finally started working on last week, and didn't back up. Grr.) I've got no idea when I'll be back online, so I've asked spider kelly from the message boards to update the news site in the meanwhile. Many, MANY thanks to her for helping out.

January 24, 2003

Fraz posted on the Fan Forum that 'Angel' won't air on February 19. Instead, the WB are airing the two final 'Birds of Prey' episodes. This means that episode 4.12 ('Salvage', Faith's first episode) will be pushed back until sometime in March. [ post ]

January 23, 2003

Scripps Howard News Service posted an article that mentions Eliza's appearance on both Buffy and Angel, with comments from Marti Noxon and Amy Acker. Just a warning that the article is filled with 'Angel' spoilers for upcoming episodes:

She added Fred admires Faith for her strength.

"I want to be strong and a vampire slayer," Acker says, laughing. [ article ]

Sci Fi Wire has posted an article that definitely confirms the surprise in the spoilers from The Tragic Vixen yesterday. It also states that 'Angel' 4.15 is currently being filmed. Warning, the whole damn article is a spoiler. [ article ]

A Q&A was held with 'Daredevil' director Mark Johnston at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention last weekend. From a report at Comics2Film:

Another fan proclaimed that if Johnson opts to have Black Widow in a sequel, then Eliza Dushku was the ONLY possibility. Johnson agreed, and after all, Kevin Smith has said her costume in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was based off of a Black Widow statue released a couple of years ago. [ report ]

January 22, 2003

Many thanks to The Tragic Vixen: she's posted in-depth spoilers for 'Angel' 4.15 (Eliza's last 'Angel' episode) on the message board. As it is, there's a huge surprise in the episode, so I wouldn't read it if you want to remain unspoiled - but I will say that the whole Faith arc sounds amazing. The first Faith episode airs on Wednesday, February 19. [ spoilers ]

TV Guide Online posted an article that confirms a surprise from The Tragic Vixen's spoilers. (It might also tie into 'Buffy', so anyone remaining unspoiled for one or the other of the shows might not want to read it.) The news from the article is that the last Faith episode on 'Angel' will air on March 26. No definite word yet on when the middle episode will air. [ article ]

Rex Features has posted a thumbnail pic of Eliza with Adrien Brody at a screening of 'The Pianist' on January 18. I've posted the bigger preview version here. [ pic ]

January 20, 2003

WireImage has posted 4 pics of Eliza arriving at the InStyle Golden Globe Party. [ pics ]

And 4 more of Eliza with Adrien Brody at the Golden Globes Focus Features' Party. [ pics ]

The IMDb has added bigger versions of some of the WireImage pics. [ pics ]

Many thanks to st1cky: DailyCeleb.com has posted four more pics of Eliza at the InStyle party. [ pics ]

Many thanks to tHA aNSwER: Stars2Ya.com has also posted a hi-res pic of Eliza from the InStyle party. However, you'll need to register (registration is free) and login to be able to view and download it. [ website ]

January 15, 2003

Chris Buchanan, the president of Mutant Enemy, spoke to the press about the possibility of a Faith spin-off:

The return of vampire slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku) for the last five episodes of the season has fueled rumors of a spin-off.

"Joss has certainly had conversations with her that I'm not privy to, so I couldn't say what they talked about," Buchanan said. "It's something we've talked about internally, how cool it would be to have a Faith show 'cause we love Eliza, but we have no idea if she's interested, no idea if UPN is interested." [ article ]

Also, I added late yesterday that the promo for this week's 'Angel' episode said that it was the first of 6 new episodes, which means that Angel 4.13 (Faith's first episode) will definitely be airing on February 19, in the US.

Many thanks to Charles: Upcoming Movies now lists 'Wrong Turn' as having a wide release for September 10, 2003. [ website ]

Coming Soon! has posted the 20th Century Fox movie preview for 2003, including info that they sent out for 'Wrong Turn.' Confirms the September 10 release date, but nothing really new. [ website ]

January 14, 2003

Sci Fi Wire posted an article with Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof talking about the Faith arc on 'Angel.' (Some parts of the article may contain spoilers.) They also raved about Eliza:

Both Denisof and Acker had nothing but praise for Dushku. "She's great," Acker said. "Fred and Faith haven't had too much interaction. But it's a good, you know, tough energy to have on the set."

Denisof added, "I love her character, and she's great to work with. She just gives you so much, and she's spontaneous and fun and dangerous, and it's a blast. I'm always happy when they put our characters together. Because I think exciting things happen when our characters are together." Angel, now airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT Wednesdays, returns with original episodes on Jan. 15. [ article ]

Of spoilers... many thanks to The Tragic Vixen: she's posted a lot of Faith spoilage for 'Angel' 4.14 on the message boards. [ spoilers ]

Also, casting sides for 4.15 came out yesterday, and there's a summary up on Spoiled Rotten. Again, for the people who prefer not to know what happens, don't click on the links. [ website ]

January 4, 2003

Many thanks to manon: in an article by Steve Sailer of United Press International, he listed Eliza's performance in 'City by the Sea' as one of the best of 2002, in a supporting actress role:

Supporting Actress:
5. Eliza Dushku in "City by the Sea" -- She outperformed Robert De Niro in their scenes together. [ article ]

Chuck the Movieguy from Coming Soon! also put 'City by the Sea' on his top ten list for 2002: "4. City by the Sea - Great ensemble cast. I loved them all. James Franco was incredible and De Niro once again delivered a superb performance as well as Frances McDormand and Eliza Dushku." [ article ]

Gorman Bechard updated his site a few days ago, and he praised Eliza's performance in 'The Kiss'

Looking back on the year that’s just past, there are a number of things of which I am quite proud:

Also, the performance from Eliza Dushku in my film THE KISS. She truly brought one of my favorite characters to life in the way I originally envisioned. (Also the original opening credit sequence for the film, shot by Chris Squires and myself in Paris, and edited by Lori Ball to an amazing Django-ish tune from Eric Bachmann...it was one of the things I’m most proud of in regards to this project...but more on that at some future date.) [ website ]

Elizabeth Elmore of The Reputation (a band that wrote a song for 'The Kiss,' she was the one who first mentioned the news of Eliza appearing in the movie on her mailing list) has also mentioned that the executive producer completely re-edited the movie. [ mailing list ]

According to Fraz on the FanForum, the WB has scheduled a movie on Wednesday, February 26 in Angel's timeslot. This was meant to be when the second Faith episode aired on 'Angel,' in the last week of February sweeps. No word on whether the episode will air the week after, or if they'll push back the Faith episodes altogether, so I'm just gonna stop guessing on an air-date for Eliza's return. [ fanforum ]