Guys, fess up. You dream of a date with...

[Speck Tater]

Poll question: Guys, fess up. You dream of a date with...

(Sorry, no room for Dru, Jenny, Kendra, Darla, Maggie, Lilah, and "the first slayer".)

[Commendatori]

1. Whichever one Eliza Dushku plays. I don't watch the show.

Tell me which one she is, and I'll vote for her.

[Speck Tater]

2. She plays Faith. (nt)

[Commendatori]

29. Thanks. Voting now. (n/t)

[Mr. McD]

3. Fred

[Screaming Lord Byron]

4. Who are any of these people? These names mean nothing to me.

[GOPisEvil]

5. I was beginning to think it was only me.

I thought I was turning into some sort of fuddy-duddy.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

9. Ah. It's people from some children's show.

There you go.

[Speck Tater]

11. Definitely NOT a show for children!!!

Unquestionably one of the most literate and well-written pair of series in television history, but not for children. It should probably be considered "R" for sexual content and violence.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

13. Really? An 'R' rated show for kids?

What is the world coming to?

[Speck Tater]

14. NOOOOO!!!!! NOT for kids!!! Defintiely!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

15. A kids show that isn't for kids?

I don't understand.

[Khephra]

18. Not a kids show...closer to modern heir of Dark Shadows than anything

It's one of those shows that people mistake for being just for kids, but, in fact, it isn't.

Major Character death, lots of sex (some touching on S&M/B&D, along with B/G/L issues), and heavy witchcraft/magick themes.

People were fooled into thinking it was a kids show, and a lot of teenagers got away with watching it because of that, thank goodness.

:evilgrin:

Now they are trying (been trying) to do an animated version of the show. That I expect will be more aimed at a teen audience.

[Speck Tater]

6. From the Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel universe. (nt)

[slutticus]

7. Who????

Can I vote for Salma Hayek?

[Khephra]

8. Fred...Willow...Fred...Willow

:soundofbrainexplodingwhiletryingtomakeachoice:

[Khephra]

12. I even came close to visiting the set of Buffy

The step-mother of Marster's real-life g-f (at that time) had an open invite to visit the set. She got to go, but then the g-f broke up (so we were told) with Marsters.

Pissed me off royally, I must say. If they had stayed together for just another year I would have gotten to eat dinner with Spike.

Sigh....

[Magrittes Pipe]

10. Faith. Just enough evil to make it interesting.

Tara is a real trip, but I doubt she'd be much interested in my penis; and Glory, being a god, could make things interesting.

Fred is fun and intelligent, not to mention devastatingly beautiful -- but she seems too clingy. Maybe that thing that took over her body toward the end.

Dawn's cute (now that she's legal ;)), but who wants to date someone who keeps yelling "get out get out get OUT!" :shrug:

[Q3JR4]

16. Um....

I'm a "guy" who doesn't like girls.

Maybe this doesn't apply to me?

Okay... Move along now, there's nothing to see here.

[Speck Tater]

17. So you are allowed to...

have a platonic date with someone of the opposite persuasion, right? Like just because you admire their mind and would like to spend some time chatting with them?

[Khephra]

22. Lorne would have to be your guy

I think he's the only major gay character, although several of the women above were bi or l.

But he's probably a bit green for your tastes.

[Paragon]

19. Faith/Cordy/Dawn tie

This is like asking me who my favorite child is...if I had children, that is.

[tigerbeat]

20. normally i go for allyson hannigan....

....but, i dunno, i'm in more of a dark, kick-my-ass kind of mood lately. so i vote for faith.

[Cybergata]

21. Spike

Unfair poll! What about straight women and gay men. Unfair, unfair! ;-) If my husband voted, it would be for Willow. :hippie:

[eyesroll]

23. Not a guy, but I'd date Willow

Not Alyson Hannigan, based on the, how do I put this, lack of intellectual depth I've seen in her interviews (I know -- she could be a MENSA candidate in person, but she comes off as not-too-bright on TV) and I'm using "date" to mean there's an actual going-somewhere-involving-conversation date involved...but Willow.

I like nerds, and she could relate to me -- I mean, I've only dated/been in relationships with/slept with men (as she had been prior to Tara) but I'm not necessarily opposed to a little magic-as-metaphor...

[RandomKoolzip]

24. What are these? Porn Star names?

Who in the fuck are these people?

Lemme guess, they're characters from some TV show, right? How sad.

[Speck Tater]

25. Sad indeed. I truly feel sorry for those unfortunates who've not seen

this amazing series.

[RandomKoolzip]

26. I haven't seen ANY series on TV in about seven years.

And I'm as happy as a clam.

Turn off that TV; that shit's poison to a thinking brain.

[Khephra]

28. That's like saying you should stop reading because

O'retched and Rush write books.

There's crap in every medium. You just have to learn to watch what you enjoy and forget the rest.

[RandomKoolzip]

30. Books don't have advertisements or product placements in them.

(For the most part.) Nobody gets their "style" cues from books. Books don't promote shopping as the cure for all ills. Books aren't systematically eroding the innate code of context which is ingrained in humans. (Good) books don't insult your intelligence.

TV is shit. The whole vile fucking medium, except for occasional PBS stuff and Mystery Science Theatre (and maybe the Simpsons.) Television viewing is an addiction, just like religion and cigarettes.

[Speck Tater]

32. We all bow to your obvious superiority

;)

Don't take yourself so seriously, dude!

There's good and bad to found in every medium. And fun to be had by all. Laugh and enjoy the trip.

[Magrittes Pipe]

33. Just so you know...

Buffy was WAY better than The Simpsons.

The latter was good for three years. The former was good for seven. QED.

Most television IS crap. Most music is also crap. That doesn't keep me from listening to good music. ;)

[Khephra]

35. I think I've heard that somewhere before

It's called Sturgeon's Law.

Sturgeon's Law

Sturgeon's Law prov. "Ninety percent of everything is crap". Derived from a quote by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, who once said, "Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud. That's because 90% of everything is crud." Oddly, when Sturgeon's Law is cited, the final word is almost invariably changed to `crap'. Compare Hanlon's Razor, Ninety-Ninety Rule. Though this maxim originated in SF fandom, most hackers recognize it and are all too aware of its truth.

http://info.astrian.net/jargon/terms/s/Sturgeon_s_Law.html

Although stated by a science-fiction author, I first heard about the law on TV. ;-)

[RandomKoolzip]

36. Me neither. I watch good TV...when it's on.

About every six years or so.

Anyways, everybody get back to what they were talking about. Sorry to butt in.


On edit: BTW, Al, you're looking at why I never make it over to the Lounge anymore. I end up getting in dust-ups over insignificant bullshit. Ironically, I do okay over at GD, where most DUers get into dustups about significant bullshit.....

[Magrittes Pipe]

37. Butt in all you want.

But how do you know if something is good unless you watch it?

[RandomKoolzip]

39. I saw about ten minutes of an episode of "Buffy" a few years ago.

At first, I laughed at the unintentional hilarity, then sighed at how unappealing and unpleasant and shallow the characters were, then started yelling at the TV, then angrily left the room and went to play guitar.... It was horrible.

Only now do I realize it was "Buffy," now that I recognize the names. Back then I called it, "The Show That Made Me Turn Off Television Altogether."

[Magrittes Pipe]

40. Ha ha ha.

Ten minutes do not a viewing experience make. I could pick ten minutes of Citizen Kane that would make you think it sucks.

Hell, I could pick ten minutes of Grateful Dead music that would make you think they suck.

Oh, wait... they do. :P

[RandomKoolzip]

43. Ha!

That's good. Hell, I could give you a BOX SET of burned CD's of the "Worst of Guided by Voices," and they'd still be my favorite band. I'm well aware of the concept of 95% of evreything being shit. I totally agree with that. What my problem with TV is comes down to this:

TV is a medium specifically designed TO SELL PRODUCTS. Even the corporate honchos don't give a shit about the quality of the programming, as long as the characters are wearing the latest fashions, endorsing the latest trends, and not upstaging the commercials (which is why TV writing is so poor, so lowest common denominator). TiVO is a step in the right direction, I suppose, but still, even in the TV shows and movies, you are constantly being SOLD something.

At least with CDs and books, you don't have to wade through advertisements. That's the bug up my ass. There's no "indie TV," but there's "indie music," "independent press," etc. Everything on TV is tainted by corporate influence, except for cable access TV, which is about as amusing as having the fattest, greasiest geek in your high school shit in your nose.

I simply don't want some box in my house constantly sending spam to me via a supposed "art form."

[Magrittes Pipe]

48. Radio.

Same damn thing.

Sure, it's a medium to sell music. It is also a means of conveyance of art.

[RandomKoolzip]

49. And precisely the reason why I don't listen to radio either.

Well, that and Clear Channel's politics and the absurdly restrictive playlists (even on college radio.)

Even NPR shils for Wal-Mart.

[Magrittes Pipe]

51. Ah, but you cannot deny that art is sometimes conveyed via radio....

For instance, THIN FUCKING LIZZY!!!!

[RandomKoolzip]

52. Read my post again, re: "Absurdly restrictive playlists."

ONE (O N E !!!!!!!) FUCKING SONG BY THIN GODDAMN LIZZY, THE GREATEST FUCKING BAND TO EVER WORK THE LAND?!?!?!


Jesus, it's like there's some conspiracy to keep Lizzy off the airwaves.....Yes, "Boysarebackintown" is a great tune, but "Soldier of Fortune?" "Chinatown?" "She Knows?!" NOT on the radio? Who among us can deny the majesty that is Phil Lynott? Well, Clear Channel for one......

[Magrittes Pipe]

53. I've also heard "Jailbreak" and "Whiskey in the Jar" on the radio.

Although, I never heard the latter until Metallica covered it. x(

[Speck Tater]

41. I read about ten sentences of a Mark Twain book once and...

what would you say if I claimed to have passed judgement on Mark Twain on that basis?

Ten minutes of anything taken out of context is meaningless. Besides, the humor is very intentional, but you have to understand the context to see that, and you have to watch at least a couple of episodes, in their proper order, to understand that context.

Like any deep literature, it cannot be understood by a quick, superficial sample, but requires commiment to a more thoughtful approach.

I can't think of another TV show that has had so many scholarly papers and books written about it. There is even a widely respected international journal of Buffy studies which has a list contributors that reads like a who's who of PhDs in literature, philosophy and comparative religion. http://www.slayage.tv/ (Click on the "contributors" link)

If you are anywhere near the Middle Tennesee State University check out "ENGL 4860-5860-1 Special Topics in Film Studies; Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Call Number: 02423 MTWThF 100 p.m.-400 p.m., PH 321 Dr. David Lavery, Professor, English Department

No, my friend, this series is NOT kid stuff. For anyone willing to invest the time to study it and understand it, it is very deep and profound.

[RandomKoolzip]

44. Anybody remember "Misfits of Science?"

How 'bout "Manimal?"

[Speck Tater]

42. Take two minutes to look at this...

http://www.slayage.tv/EBS/buffy_studies/buffy_studies_by_discipline.htm

[RandomKoolzip]

45. Jacques Derrida would have such a boner right now......

n/t

[Khephra]

34. Almost everything you say in your first paragraph could be proved

wrong, but I'm not going to bother. I notice you even had to add "(good) books" in there to qualify your argument. Good TV doesn't do any of those things either.

You're willing to comment on a show that you haven't even seen, so I can tell it won't be worth my time to pursue this any further.

[tigereye]

47. aw RKZ, Gilmore Girls is pretty witty

and there are periodic obscure band references. And the first couple of West Wing seasons mirrored the snappy, smart dialogue of those great His Girl Friday films from the 40s. Front Page? Forget the director. I used to rewind the tape of West Wing to catch the dialogue - it was that fast and that good. Granted most stuff on TV isn't that good.

[RandomKoolzip]

50. My wife likes "Gilmore Girls."

I have to leave the room when it's on. Rapid-fire repartee, snappy, annoying dialogue, etc. I just find it really irritaing, like a mosquito in my ear that won't go away. All the characters talk like scriptwriters. (I actually saw a WHOLE EPISODE of "Gilmore Girls" once!)

Look, I'm sorry I'm such a churl. Like I said, this is why I almost never venture into the Lounge these days; I just can't agree with most people about cultural things anymore.

[tigereye]

55. actually I was teasing you a bit

my husband likes it. He has to leave the room so he won't get sucked it, since he is not a big fan of TV.

[Speck Tater]

31. I don't watch TV either, BUT

I do watch a lot of DVDs, including series on DVD that have proven their worth like the Buffy/Angel pair.

[Cybergata]

27. Buffy was one of the few shows I'd turn the T.V. on for.

:hippie:

[sangh0]

38. Where is NSMA?

I don't see her on the list

:shrug:

[RFKHumphreyObama]

46. Never was a big Buffy fan -only saw a few shows

But I would definitely have to go for Joyce -I found her very appealing and I tend to prefer older women anyway. None of the other characters appealed to me

[Screaming Lord Byron]

54. Wait a minute. This sounds like a really bad movie from about a decade ago

Had that blonde girl, whatserface. Kristy Swanson? Wasn't Donald Sutherland in it?
Is it something to do with that?