Angel

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Article from SciFi Wire about the 100th episode party that includes a little speech by Joss:

"The idea of the show was redemption, and what it takes to win back a life when you've misused yours terribly," Whedon told the gathered crowd on Stage 5 at Paramount Pictures, where the show is filmed. "It's gone through a lot of different permutations. A lot of characters. A lot of different styles. But ultimately that has never left. Angel, to me, is so important, because it's about how an adult faces what they've done with their life, goes forward with it, overcomes it. These are things that have a great deal of meaning to me. Plus, awesome fights. And, you know, if I have any message for Americans, [it's that] you can solve problems through fisticuffs."

[lance]

Did anybody see the past two episodes of Angel?

I was particulary delighted by the day in the life of Harmony episode.



Great fun.

-LanceMan

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Lance, you know I wouldn't miss an episode of Angel! I think it's nice that a lot of the main characters have each had an episode that centered around them this season, and it was nice to see Mercedes McNab have more to do - she was pretty funny on BtVS. I'm waiting for Fred and Gunn to each have their own eps (but please, not Eve - ugh!).

The special 100th episode cover of TV Guide is now available! You can view the picture here (the accompanying article is a little spoilery) and you can enter the TV Guide contest to win autographed scripts, props, and DVDs here.

[K-man]

Yeah, I also loved the last two episodes! Couldn't be happier Angel is back this season. I watch the current episodes on WB on Wed. nights, the old eps. on TNT each weekday afternoon and Sat. Sun. and Tues. nights on UPN, and the Season 1 DVD's in my spare time. This show ROCKS!!!

[Natasha (candygirl)]

I like watching the S4 reruns on Tuesday nights (TNT) because I like seeing the contrast between last season and this season. Well, that and the earlier weekday reruns are over by the time I get home from work.



Pssst, I'm counting the days until the S3 release!

[lance]

Lance, you know I wouldn't miss an episode of Angel! I think it's nice that a lot of the main characters have each had an episode that centered around them this season, and it was nice to see Mercedes McNab have more to do - she was pretty funny on BtVS. I'm waiting for Fred and Gunn to each have their own eps (but please, not Eve - ugh!).

The special 100th episode cover of TV Guide is now available! You can view the picture here (the accompanying article is a little spoilery) and you can enter the TV Guide contest to win autographed scripts, props, and DVDs here.

Thanks for the links. Yeah, a Fred or Gunn centric episode would be nice. Eve....(shudder).

-LanceMan

[lance]

Wow, another good Angel episode. Given how weak the first five episodes were I am glad that I can say this. I really loved what they did with Andrew. He is still Andrew but 82 percent more manly, he hee.

Interesting to see next week's episode with Cordelia returning to see Angel and crew working for Wolfram and Hart. So it does seem that Angel & crew are not working for the good side anymore, so are they evil or simply lost?

-LanceMan

[Natasha (candygirl)]

The cast of Angel will appear on the Ryan Seacrest show to celebrate their 100th episode on Wednesday, February 4. If you are in the Los Angeles area, you can call 323 308-7100 for tickets. You can also register online to request tickets here.

The current issue of the Hollywood Reporter features a special section (and fan sponsored ads) about Angel's 100th episode too.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

You can view screenshots from the R2 S4 menus here.

[lance]

You can view screenshots from the R2 S4 menus here.

Ohhh, ahhhh, pretty.

September can't come quickly enough!

Here:

http://www.cityofangel.com/behindTheSce ... op100.html

You can read the 100 best moments of the Angel series. See if you agree with their picks.

-LanceMan

[Natasha (candygirl)]

tvshowsondvd already has a review of S3:

Daddy!
by Gord Lacey

Angel, the vampire with a soul, wasn't always a good guy. As Angelus he slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands of people until he was cursed by Gypsies and forced to atone for his sins. On Buffy he lost his soul in a moment of pure happiness and wrecked havoc on Sunnydale. When his soul returned he fled to LA and met Doyle, a demon that receives visions from "The Powers That Be." Doyle is gone, but Angel has a great team that stands behind him; Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn, as well as Lorne, who hangs with the gang. In season 2 we met Fred, who was trapped in Pylea. Angel rescued her and now she's part of the team.

Season 3 begins with Angel returning from spending three months in a Tibetan monestary mourning the death of Buffy. He quickly has problems of his own when an old flame returns bearing his child! Yikes, is Angel ready to be a father? Can Cordelia handle the gift of the visions that Doyle passed to her?

Video
Angel's aspect ratio has gone through some interesting changes since the show was first release. Season 1 aired as 1.33:1 and was released that way on DVD; season 2 was aired in 1.33:1 but was released on DVD as 16:9 (it was composed that way), and season 3 aired in widescreen and has been released with an anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer. Like all Fox releases, the video quality is extremely good. Colors are nice and vibrant, and the picture retains the dark look it had on TV. Each episode contains 15 chapters, including one placed after the opening of the show so you can easily skip over it.

Audio
While it doesn't contain the oomph that a DD 5.1 track would have, this is a very nice Dolby Digital Surround track (English, French and Spanish). Most of the audio comes from the center channel speaker and the front speakers are used for sound effects and panning. I liked the use of the rear speakers for the sound effects that happen when there are quick flashes of video, as well as some other ambient effects. Its neither better, nor worse, than when I watched it on TV. English and Spanish subtitles are also included.

Extras
Commentary tracks
There are 3 commentary tracks for season 3:
Disc 2 - "Billy" - Tim Minear and Jeffrey Bell
Disc 3 - "Lullaby" - Tim Minear and Mere Smith
Disc 4 - "Waiting in the Wings" - Josh Whedon

Darla: Deliver Us From Evil (12:37)
Julie Benz talks about her character, Darla. There are lots of clips from both Angel and Buffy. There are also interviews with David Boreanaz, David Greenwalt, Tim Minear, Charisma Carpenter and others.

Angel Series Outtakes (5:01)
Funny flubs from the show.

Deleted scene from "Birthday" with optional commentary (4:11)
Tim Minear & Mere Smith provide optional commmentary on this deleted scene from "Birthday."

Deleted scene from "Waiting in the Wings" with optional commentary (2:17)
Joss Whedon provides optional commentary on this deleted scene from "Waiting in the Wings."

Season 3 Overview (33:42)
Probably the highlite for the set, the cast and crew talks about the third season of Angel. This is a really good look at the entire season of the series, and most of the episodes are touched upon. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into this featurette.

Page to Screen (14:18)
From ideas to the final product, this featurette examines the process of getting an episode made. This features interviews with many of the cast members and a lot of the crew. I was expecting pieces from the script and the finished scene, so this was a pleasant surprise.

Amy Acker's Screentest (2:37)
A scene with Fred, Wesley and Gunn from "Billy." I'm not sure how this is a screentest since she would have already been in quite a few episodes by the time this episode was shot.

Vincent Kartheiser's Screentest (1:49)
Connor and Angel in a scene.

Still Gallery (29 photos)
There are 29 photos in the still gallery, some are promotional, and some are behind-the-scenes.

Summary
There were many twists and turns in season 3 of Angel, and this season set up many events for the fourth season. Two of the featurettes surprised me; "Season 3 Overview" and "Page to Screen." Judging them by their titles I expected them to be much shorter and less interesting, but they're both well-produced looks at different aspects of the show. So much work goes into these episodes in such a short period of time and it's nice to see some of that work captured on these DVDs.

Last October when I was in LA I walked past the Angel stages and saw the cast trailers, and one of the actors sitting on the step outside. Although I didn't get to see them film, it's exciting being that close to the action, and it's also a bit freaky to see an actor standing outside in the sun wearing vampire makeup!

I can't wait to get this set next week! One of the special features I am looking forward to is the deleted scene of Fred and Wesley dancing in the deleted scenes from Waiting in the Wings. I have seen some hilarous screen shots, plus I am curious to see Amy Acker (she trained as a dancer).

[Natasha (candygirl)]

The R2 Project website has posted a list of the R2 S4 special features/disc breakdown and cover art. The release date is now March 1.

Disc 1
Deep Down
Ground State
The House Always Wins
Slouching Toward Bethlehem

Extras:
Commentary for 'The House Always Wins' by David Fury and Andy Hallett

Disc 2
Supersymmetry
Spin The Bottle
Apocalypse, Nowish
Habeas Corpes

Extras:
Commentary for 'Spin The Bottle' by Joss Whedon and Alexis Denisof
Commentary for 'Apocalypse, Nowish' by Vern Gillum and Steven Deknight
Featurette - 'Angel and the apocalypse'

Disc 3
Long Day's Journey
Awakening
Soulless

Extras:
11 Trailers - Buffy S2 DVD - Buffy S3 DVD - Buffy S4 DVD - Buffy S5 DVD - Buffy S6 DVD - Buffy Themed DVD - Buffy The Vampire Feature - Angel S1
DVD - Angel S2 DVD - Angel S3 DVD - Buffy / Angel Great DVD

Disc 4
Calvary
Salvage
Release
Orpheus

Extras:
Commentary for 'Orpheus' by Terrence O'Hara and Jeffrey Bell

Disc 5
Players
Inside Out
Shiny Happy People
The Magic Bullet

Extras:
Commentary for 'Inside Out' by Steven Deknight
Commentary for 'The Magic' Bullet by Jeffrey Bell

Disc 6
Sacrifice
Peace Out
Home

Extras:
Commentary for 'Home' by Tim Minear
Five Featurettes:
Prophecies: Season 4 Overview
Unplugged: Season 4 Outtakes
Last Looks: The Hyperion Hotel
Fatal Beauty and The Beast
Malice In Wonderland: Wolfram & Hart

[JPP13]

SPOILER.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..

.
.
.

For you west coasters anyway, don't read.



I would love to know what happened between CC and Joss. It was something, and it was personal.

I loved the episode, it was so much brighter wih CC back. If she were on the show in place of ANYONE, except Angel and possibly Wes, the show improves 50%. And then to just casually kill her off. That sucked.

I'll give CC credit. She was a big person to agree to come back and do that. She could have told him to shove it. To this day, from what I've read, Joss has never told her straight to her face she was off the show. And Cordy, the last of the original Jossverse characters. Gone.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

I would love to know what happened between CC and Joss. It was something, and it was personal.

You have stated this several times, and as I have said before in my replies, we will never know what happened unless either Charisma or Joss wants to tell us their sides of the story. I disagree with your earlier speculation that Cordelia being written off the show was a result of a romance gone sour between them. His wife Kai gave birth to their son in December 2002 (two months after Charisma married her husband), and it wasn't a shotgun marriage - he came up with the names for the Buffy characters while on his honeymoon with her. True, marriage and kids do not always equal happiness or fidelity, but I think it best not to speculate about any of their personal lives.

In this article (which is a great interview by the way!), Charisma says that she came back for the 100th episode because it was a great story.

In other CC news, her unofficial fansite is reporting that she is considering posing for Playboy. I would guess that if she does it, the pictures won't be much more risque than the ones from her Maxim layout.

[grim4746]

CC is absolutely right, it was a great story. And it didn't seem to me that they they killed her that casually. I really liked the way it was done. I thought it left things open for her to return again (though I'm hardly holding my breath) even though her human body died. Perhaps if there is another Jossverse series she might do an appearance or two to shed light on whatever her destiny is, or maybe she'll be back for the Angel finale. I know it's not likely but she was just so great last night I can't imagine that Joss didn't love her performance as much as I did and have trouble believing anyone could watch that episode and not be left wanting to see more Cordelia, or is that where Playboy comes in?