Well, I've covered Buffy the Vampire Slayer here on Jane After Dark, and my nephew, who loaned me his Buffy DVDs, also got me into Angel. Nearly everyone I talked to about Angel said they just couldn't get into it. After Buffy, maybe everything else pales in comparison.

I have to say, I really only started watching Angel out of respect for Buffy and Joss Whedon, and because I really loved the character of Angel (and David Boreanaz is not hard to look at). I was alternately watching Buffy and Angel at the same time (one disc of Buffy, one of Angel, and so on); it was a good way to do it, because there were a few crossover episodes that made a lot more sense watching them that way.

Last week, I devoted my first Jane After Dark column to my top five Buffy moments. I was thrilled to read all the responses, both here on TV Squad and at Whedonesque, where the post was picked up. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are a passionate bunch!

This week, I thought it would be fun to delve into my favorite Buffy hookups. One that didn't make the list but holds a special place in my heart is Giles and Joyce. It was a fleeting moment, but one that was fun and would have made for great storytelling had it continued.

But who to pair Buffy up with -- Spike, Angel or Riley? What about Spike and Drusilla? And while Willow and Tara had a special love affair, there's a lot to be said for Willow and Oz. And what of Xander? Sure, he and Anya had a fun romance, but his hookups with Cordelia and even Faith were intense in their own way.

Oh the choices! Read on for my thoughts, and please add your own in the comments below.

I'm starting a new column here on TV Squad called "Jane After Dark." Some of you know I work the "night shift" here at the Squad, editing and scheduling posts into the wee hours. I'm a big multi-tasker, so I also use those hours to get caught up on all the great shows I've missed along the way.

Over the past year, I've watched some really cool shows, including Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Moonlight, Weeds, Entourage, Gossip Girl, and many others. So I thought it would be fun to write about my After Dark musings, and I hope you'll chime in with your own thoughts about whatever I'm watching.

I just finished Joss Whedon's magnificent Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I loved so many things about the show. No one could look as stylish as Buffy as she slayed those vampires. Angel and Spike were both hot in their own way. The love between Willow and Tara was sweet and gentle, but also powerful. And the characters continued to grow and evolve throughout the series. By the last episode, you really felt like you knew these characters and had grown right along with them.

Amber Benson has certainly kept herself busy since her Buffy days. Most recently, she's been promoting her book Death's Daughter. And now, in a desperate promotional maneuver, Amber has promised that if she gets at least 85 reviews of her book on Amazon, whether they are praising or cursing the book, she will post a video of herself on YouTube dancing the Macarena.

Granted, I have no plans to read her book, but I would quite happily watch a video of Amber dancing the Macarena. I encourage you folks to post a review, and it would be helpful, but not required, if you actually read the book beforehand.

By the way, I have seen other works by Amber Benson (the writer, not the actress). I enjoyed her Ghosts of Albion series for the BBC that she did with Christopher Golden. With that in mind, perhaps I will try to read her novel.

[via Comicmix]

Do they cook? Not sure. Are they Jedi Knights? Errrrr, maybe? So what's the deal with Celebrity Jedi Chefs? We wish we knew. In their own words, they're [mostly] TV actors who "do the same sorts of things that 'normal' Jedi do, but [they] also cook." There are 216 of them, and most have appeared on buzzy sci-fi shows, including Heroes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Battlestar Galactica.

We're not talking background players, either. Yeah, we're still stuck trying to figure out what Celebrity Jedi Chefs...is exactly (and if the pictures, as suggested by the fashion, were all magically taken in 1993), but we needn't hear any more if it means we get to see pictures of Joan Holloway (among others, after the jump) weilding a saber.

I'm neck-deep in the midst of a vampire obsession. I'm one of the Twi-hards eagerly awaiting the Nov. 20 release of Stephenie Meyer's next vamp-flick, New Moon. I was immediately sucked into HBO's True Blood, and can't wait for its return in May.

I recently sped through the short-lived Moonlight and fell in love with Mick St. John. And its taken me all of about a week to get to season three of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (though I don't know if I can take much more of the on again-off again romance of Buffy and Angel - don't tell me how it plays out).

I'm sure I'll be equally enthralled with The CW pilot, Vampire Diaries. It doesn't hurt that Steven R. McQueen, grandson of the legendary Steve McQueen has landed a lead role. I bet even those not as enamored with vamps will tune in just to see him: Does he look like his grandfather? Act like him? Have the same "something"?

In an attempt to do something a little different this year, I'm going to list the television shows past and present (and even future) that I am most thankful for at this time. Some I review for TV Squad and some I don't. Some I used to and some I would if I were asked. Some I will never review because government agents have come to my house and pretty much told me forthright that if I reviewed them, they would have me detained. So, here goes:

South Park - The most insightful show on television. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are willing to take issues that the rest of the more liberal Hollywood view as simple and show their complexity by taking other sides. I don't think they're invited to a lot of Hollywood parties as a result, but it makes for great television.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles - it's been hit and miss story-wise, but the overall arc has been satisfying. Hopefully, the series will develop a reasonable ending to satisfy the fans once it is canceled due to poor ratings as a result of Fox moving it to the Friday Night Death Slot.

No doubt about it, the TV viewing world loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In fact, there are some of us ... ahem ... who just can't seem to let it go.

Yeah, I just called the kettle black, as I mourn for Buffy like no other show in the history of television. However, now that a massive mulitiplayer online Buffy game has been announced, I am wondering if all the Buffy love has gone just a bit too far.

I could stomach the previous video games, mostly because they weren't purchased by anyone in my household, and I have even been known to read the season eight comic books (which may or may not have something to do with the storyline of the MMO game). Maybe, just maybe, I am wondering if it is time for all of us to just let Buffy rest in peace.

Remember when rock 'n roll was to blame for teenagers being out of control? What about when John Lennon's quote about The Beatles being as big as Jesus drew the ire of the church and resulted in deejays advocating the destruction of LPs and singles?

Well, here's another missive from an "authority figure" about how pop culture is ruining today's youth. Sociologist Kristin Aune claims that Buffy, the Vampire Slayer is responsible for young women not attending church.

Dr. Aune, who's written Women and Religion in the West, and is a teacher at the University of Derby (that's in the U.K.), doesn't know if Buffy has also affected young men. Her research doesn't address if boys are abandoning the church, too, so I guess they're safe.

This is no joke, although it does sound like a good way to promote a book that would otherwise be ignored. Mentioning Buffy is a good way to let the world know that Dr. Aune wrote it.

Picture this: back-to-back episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel for over twelve hours; raffles, games and prizes; a miniature diorama of The Magic Box, authentically detailed and ready to be auctioned off.

Sound like an outrageously fun event? To me, too, but it gets even better. All of the money raised at the Slay-a-thon, an annual event in Chicago, goes to the Make a Wish Foundation, to help sick kids live their dreams while they still can.

You know what I say about it, but what would the Scooby Gang say about the painstakingly detailed diorama of The Magic Box?

One of the highlights of the Sci Fi / EW party at Comic-Con was being able to talk to and shake the hand of Joss Whedon. It's no secret that I'm a fan of his work, and with the incredible presence of Dr. Horrible and Dollhouse at this year's Comic-Con, it's no mystery why he was at the 'Con.

Unfortunately for me, I had no idea he was going to be heading down that red carpet, so in hindsight I of course have a ton of questions I would have liked to have thought of at the time. Since my time was limited with everyone anyway, I kept it relevant to what was going on at the 'Con as best I could.

I've got more to add later about the discussion regarding the digital medium, but that will be a different post down the road. As for Joss, he's very easy to talk to and my transcription doesn't really show how good-natured the conversation was. At one point Eliza Dushku stepped in to say hello to us -- you don't see that every day.

OK, now that was just plain fun. What was, you ask? I just got finished watching the less-than-four-minute clip of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series.

Four years ago, it looked like this series was a go, but somehow, it just went. Our friend Jane Espenson penned some of the scripts, and tells us she's in if the project ever takes off again. And rumors abound that the Buffy animated series may just be revived.

Whew! After several days of sore feet (and sore booties from sitting on the hard floor waiting for the next panel), dwindling funds, and tons of TV-related panels, San Diego Comic-Con comes to an end. That doesn't mean that all of the television folks have packed up an left in order to catch the Silver Bullet train to Los Angeles (does a train even run between San Diego and Los Angeles?) or an aeroplane to Vancouver. There are still some panels waiting for your utmost attention.

It's Kids' Day at the convention, so there are panels on a Mr. SquarePants, Phineas and Ferb, The Backyardigans, and those wacky Muppets from Fraggle Rock. For the more adult crowd there are Q&As for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Supernatural, Smallville, and another panel on cartoon voices. The final TV-related event is a rousing sing-a-long with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Once More With Feeling." After that, you can climb into your hotel bed, train berth, car seat, or nearby street corner resplendent with the fact that you had taken in everything television at the Comic-Con.

So, if you are staying just one more day, here are the television-related events for Sunday, July 27th. For a full schedule of events you can check out the official schedule on the Comic-Con website. And, for old times sake, remember that times, panelists and events can change at a moment's notice. That, and the panels are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

I would even hesitate to call Buffy The Vampire Slayer a superhero. Yeah, she has incredible fighting powers and goes up against various monsters and evildoers, but it's really odd to see her name next to superheroes such as Batman, The Flash, Superman, and Captain America.

But according to readers of Redeye, she's a better superhero than The Dark Knight. (Yup, it's another character showdown over at Redeye.)

OK, technically this first bit is more movie news than TV news, but it does involve two pretty big TV names, so go with me here. Joss Whedon is reuniting with Drew Goddard for a new movie called Cabin In The Woods. Buffy fans will recognize Goddard as one of the writers from Buffy and Angel. He followed that up with stints on Alias and Lost. The pair wrote the new script together and it will mark the directorial debut of Goddard. Whedon is set to produce.

As is so often the case, there are not a lot of details about the script. When asked, Goddard said, "It's got a harder and darker edge, but it's also got classic Whedon qualities." He went on to add, "There's a reason the title is so straightforward. It's its own sub-genre, the cabin in the woods, and this is sort of our take on it." The cabin in the woods is its own sub genre and, for me, calls to mind Eliza Dushku in Wrong Turn. A handy recollection, because they also talked a little TV. More on that, after the jump.