Charisma Carpenter by Bob D'Amico/ABC

Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz by John Shearer/WireImage.com

Charisma Carpenter by Scott Garfield/UPN

by Matt Webb Mitovich

With the long-awaited next new episode of UPN's Veronica Mars now just a day away (airing Wednesday at 9 pm/ET), TVGuide.com grabbed a (figurative) hold of Charisma Carpenter, who this season has been appearing as Dick and Beaver's head-turner of a stepmother, Kendall Casablancas. Here is what the Buffy/Angel alumna had to share about her present in Neptune, her possible future on Paradise Island and the thing she cannot believe she revealed to Playboy.

TVGuide.com: You next appear on Veronica Mars in "The Quick and the Wed," airing March 22. I hear that Kendall makes some sort of offer to Aaron Echolls?
Charisma Carpenter: Yes, I do have a nice offer for Aaron — a piece. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: A what?
Carpenter: A piece.

TVGuide.com: Meaning a gun? Or of a--? Or of the action?
Carpenter: That's the big question. Maybe a piece of the pie, maybe a piece of me....

TVGuide.com: On the topic of whether Duncan actually ever succumbed to Kendall's charms, Mars creator Rob Thomas said here at TVGuide.com, "Duncan's not built that way." Is that ego-deflating for you to hear or — and this is my theory — is Duncan simply built the wrong way?
Carpenter: The latter! [Laughs] I guess Kendall is just not very discerning about to whom she gives her body. But, given some new insights I've been given from Rob, apparently everything has a purpose and a meaning. My character's IQ is about to jump up about 50 points, did he tell you that? Things are about to become very clear.

TVGuide.com: What, has Kendall been putting on some sort of act?
Carpenter: [Coyly] I guess.... Rob likened her to Annette Bening in The Grifters, which as you know is an amazing role. I was like, "Really? That's goooood!" I just love those people [at Veronica Mars]. They're awesome.

TVGuide.com: So you're happy with your role? It's different enough from Angel's Cordelia? I know that has been an issue for you, always playing a bitch.
Carpenter: You know what? That used to be an issue, but to be honest, I'm not trying to play the heroine chick anymore. I grew out of that. Now it's just about having fun.

TVGuide.com: After all, let's be frank — God didn't really design you to play the nice girl.
Carpenter: Not on television, anyway.

TVGuide.com: Has Kendall had her fun and is she now all done with Logan?
Carpenter: I don't know.... She's not very nice and Logan is the bad boy. Duncan was the sweet-as-pie boy.

TVGuide.com: Who would Charisma pick? What type do you gravitate toward?
Carpenter: [Sighs] Well, in high school it was the a--hole, and then as I got older I knew how to pick them better.

TVGuide.com: Your son, Donovan, is about to turn 3. What sort of "tricks" is he doing these days?
Carpenter: His tricks are "kicking the ball," "discovering insects" and talking about the "big giant monkey that's upstairs, sleeping" — and being careful not to wake him up....

TVGuide.com: I assume the "monkey" is Dad?
Carpenter: [Chuckles] If I said yes, my husband would die because that would give the impression that he is hairy, and he can't have that. [On a tangent] My husband has decided he wants to take up motocross, which is really pissing me off. I'm like, "What, are you going through a midlife crisis?!"

TVGuide.com: Better motocross than some chirpy 20-year-old.
Carpenter: What?! That didn't even enter my mind.

TVGuide.com: I know. How could it possibly?
Carpenter: How could it?

TVGuide.com: Hey, are you going to star in Wonder Woman? [Buffy creator Joss Whedon is writing and will direct a big-screen take on the superheroine, to be produced by Joel Silver.] What a great fit that would be.
Carpenter: I know! From your lips to God's ears... or Joss'... or Joel's....

TVGuide.com: Speaking of Joss, you're sort of known as the Buffy-verse alum who doesn't charge for autographs at conventions....
Carpenter: I just think it's wrong to charge — it feels sleazy and desperate. The only reason I would charge now is because there are [disadvantaged] kids who need assistance. I'm doing a convention [Wizard World Los Angeles] on March 18, and in this case I am charging, but everything is going to charity. So my fans will be helping out a very special kid, a 9-year-old quadriplegic who needs a specially equipped van. If I can exploit myself in a way that helps others, I'll do that.

TVGuide.com: So to everyone reading this: Go to the convention, get an autograph from Charisma and help that kid get a van.
Carpenter: Yeah!

TVGuide.com: I missed your recent Lifetime movie, Flirting with Danger. What was that about?
Carpenter: [In little girl voice] I was naughty... again. I'm such a hussy! I guess Veronica Mars warmed me up to be naughty.

TVGuide.com: What about Voodoo Moon [a feature in which a psychic woman and her brother hunt down a demonic being]? Will we ever get to see that?
Carpenter: I wish I knew what was going on with that. Eric Mabius (The O.C.) plays my brother, and I really loved working on it. It was a fun thing to do and it should appeal to the people who watched Buffy and Angel. It's got fighting and zombies....

TVGuide.com: What TV do you like?
Carpenter: I just started the Season 1 DVD for 24, because I have never seen any of it, and we just finished Season 1 of Lost. I tend not to watch shows while they're airing. I'll just wait for the DVD and watch 13 hours or so in one shot. That's the best payoff — you can just go to the next episode without waiting a week. I love Nip/Tuck, and I'm a huge fan of The Sopranos....

TVGuide.com: Someone sneaked me the first four episodes of this season's Sopranos. If you're nice to me, I'll share.
Carpenter: Are you in L.A.? No, you're in New York. That's not going to work. I would have come over! We could have hung out and shared popcorn.

TVGuide.com: Don't tease an old man. What else do you have going on?
Carpenter: I have three more episodes of Veronica Mars to shoot and it's pilot season, so I'm working my ass off to get a regular job. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll find out if I have one or not. If not, I'll have another baby or...

TVGuide.com: Another baby?
Carpenter: I'd like to eventually, but I want Wonder Woman right now. I'm not holding my breath but I'm crossing my fingers and toes and praying.

TVGuide.com: Well, I think that just about covers everything.
Carpenter: You think?

TVGuide.com: Well, save for a Q&A excerpt I stumbled across during research. You told Playboy that you once had sex at an Oscars party?
Carpenter: I said that?! Oh my god, I can't believe I said that on a public level.

TVGuide.com: Does the outside prospect of doing "that" become a factor when choosing a dress for the Oscars?
Carpenter: That's a very witty question, but the answer is no — you just make it work!

2.7.06 - Alexis Denisof will finally be joining his wife, Alyson Hannigan, on her CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. "He actually just did an episode of our show. It was so much fun," Hannigan told reporters last week during interviews for her film "Date Movie." She won't reveal who Denisof is playing on the show, but does allow that "it's very funny and actually, he's coming back for the next episode as well."

1.23.06 - Kristin at E!Online reports that she talked with Amy Acker last night... "[Joss and I] had dinner last night," Amy told me, "and he was still talking about doing the Spike movie." When I asked if she'd want to be a part of it, she said, "If it's Joss, of course I'll do whatever. I'll, like, be the costume designer! I don't care!" But for the time being, James Marsters is tied up with Smallville, so we shall see.

12.30.05 - The January 2nd isse of TV Guide magazine asked David Boreanaz what he's watching:
What are you watching? I watch lots of sports and classic films. And I'm a big home guy—I like to watch the Food Network and see people cook.
What's on your TiVo? I don't have TiVo. I don't udnerstand it! TV, for me, is a box. I turn it on and whatever is on, I watch.
What's the last DVD you watched? "Three Amigos." I have it in my trailer. It's a great, great movie. I'm an old-school kind of guy when it comes to comedy.
Who's your favorite TV character of all time? Sam Malone (Ted Danson) from Cheers is my favorite. He was such a charming and funny character. Cheers was a great show—they just don't make shows like that anymore. —Anna David

12.7.05 - From Michael Ausiello at TV Guide Online: Julie Benz (Darla) will be guest starring in the January 17th episode of Supernatural as Layla, a woman with a brain tumor who seeks out a definitely evil reverend known for curing the incurable.

11.28.05 - We may be seeing more of Amy Acker on Alias. The Angel alum has been replaced on CBS's mid-season series, The Unit, with Audrey Marie Anderson (Once and Again). Guess Acker won't get a chance to co-star with both Jennifer Garner and her ex, Scott Foley, all in one year.

11.21.05 - From Michael Ausiello at TV Guide Online: Rumor has it that James Marsters is taking a few weeks off from Smallville to shoot the straight-to-DVD spooker "Shadow Puppets." The Saw-esque thriller costars Jolene Blalock (Enterprise) and revolves around four people who wake up in an abandoned asylum without any previous memories or knowledge of their whereabouts.

Hass MS&L Swiffer CarpetFlick/FOX

Buffy the Vampire Slayer by James Sorenson/WB

by Michael Ausiello and Damian J. Holbrook

Think of the trend as "once more, with feeling." This TV season Buffy the Vampire Slayer alums are proving there's more to life than slaying vamps. Here, their old boss, creator Joss Whedon, weighs in on his old gang's brand-new gigs.

Alyson Hannigan
Past life: Bookworm-turned-Sapphic witch Willow Rosenberg. "[Buffy] led me to find my husband [actor Alexis Denisof, who played Wesley Wyndam-Pryce], and Joss Whedon is one of our best friends," Hannigan says. "But I'm happy to move on to the next chapter."
Post-Buffy: The decidedly hetero — and hysterical — Lily on CBS' How I Met Your Mother.
Joss says: "She's as breezy and funny as anybody I know. She's got this light sweetness about her that means she works beautifully in [a sitcom]."

David Boreanaz
Past life: Angel, the hottest vampire in the underworld, who stole Buffy's heart before scoring his equally sharp spin-off.
Post-Buffy: Seeley Booth, the hottest FBI agent in the world, on Fox's Bones. "He walks to his own beat," Boreanaz says. "Sometimes he gets slapped in the face, but he always ends up on top."
Joss says: "He would do subtle things, comedic things [on Buffy]. It's been gratifying to hear people say, 'Oh, he's really charming and he's got this different kind of chemistry and it's not just Angel at the FBI.'"

Charisma Carpenter
Past life: Cordelia Chase, the cheerleader who sidekicked it with Angel after he moved to L.A.
Post-Buffy: As seductive stepmom Kendall Casablancas on UPN's Veronica Mars, she's sexy and hilarious. "When I got the script about sleeping [with high-schooler Logan], I was like, 'This is juicy!'" Carpenter says. (Whedon himself shows up in the Nov. 9 episode as a rental-car manager.)
Joss says: "She's a stunner and can hit it out of the park."

Nicholas Brendon
Past life: Everyman Xander Harris, the quick-witted Chandler of the bunch.
Post-Buffy: Trading demon-hunting and Slayers for skirt-chasing and skillets as chef Seth on Fox's Kitchen Confidential. "The food is the most dangerous aspect of it," Brendon jokes.
Joss says: "It's a good place for him to be the funny guy. But I think part of what makes Nick great as the funny guy is that there's an edge to him. There's a lot of leading man in Nick."

James Marsters
Past life: Bad-boy vamp Spike, who went from offing to boffing Slayers during an affair with Buffy.
Post-Buffy: Going soulless again as Professor Fine, aka Brainiac, on WB's Smallville. "He is not concerned with a human version of morality," Marsters says. "He's Clark Kent's worst nightmare."
Joss says: "Much of his intensity comes from his relentless thinking, and for him to tap into that is very cool.... All of my alumni are taking over the world!"

10.24.05 - From the October 24th issue of TV Guide: Buffy Master Orbits Mars As if Veronica Mars didn't have enough nods to Buffy the Vampire Slayer—Charisma Carpenter and Alyson Hannigan both have appeared on UPN's cult hit—Buffy creator Joss Whedon pops in as a testy rental car manager in the November 9 episode. "I did [the scene] with Kristen Bell, who helped me get through my inability to act," says Whedon, a self-proclaimed Mars junkie. "Apart from that, it was somewhat unremarkable to anybody who wasn't me." Genuine modesty is so unbecoming.

10.17.05 - Zap2It.com: 'Angel's' Acker Dons an 'Alias' - The "Angel/Alias" connection continued on Thursday, Oct. 13, with the debut of former "Angel" regular Amy Acker on ABC's "Alias," playing Kelly Preston, a member of a rogue spy organization headed by the nefarious Gordon Dean (Tyrees Allen). More...

10.6.05 - Dateline Hollywood: Joss Whedon Grocery List Garnering Huge Internet Buzz a spoof news item on how a bunch of people want to turn Joss's grocery list into a television series.

9.23.05 - Joss Whedon has inked a seven-figure deal with Universal to write and direct the fantasy thriller Goner. "It's the story of a young woman's journey that involves a great deal of horror and some heroics," he told Variety. "It's certainly darker than Serenity, and there are a lot of left turns along the way. It is something I had in mind for a while, and it just poured out of me when I finished my film."

9.21.05 - Joss Whedon will be doing a cameo in the sixth episode of Veronica Mars on UPN this season. He will apparently be playing a rental car company manager.

9.19.05 - Kristin at E!Online reports that Amy Acker will be guest starring in two episodes of Alias this season.

9.14.05 - Fox's new Tuesday lineup got off to a smashing start last night. At 8pm, roughly 10.5 million Angel fanatics followed David Boreanaz to Bones, making it Fox's best drama-series debut on the night in four years. -TV Guide Online

David Boreanaz by Frank Ockenfels/Fox

by Angel Cohn

Cult fans may be disappointed that their favorite vampire, Angel, is cleaning up crime scenes on his new show instead of dusting evildoers, but David Boreanaz is happy to see the light of day. On Bones (premiering tonight at 8 pm/ET on FOX), he plays a gun-slinging FBI agent who is teamed with a forensic anthropologist to solve crimes involving damaged corpses. While the show is a bit more mainstream than Boreanaz' fantasy-infused past, the very sweet actor, who is reluctant to discuss his "other show," nonetheless hopes his fans will be willing to take a bite out of his new, nonblood sucking gig. (And trust us, Bones doesn't suck.)

TVGuide.com: You have a very loyal fan base. Do you think they'll get hooked on a forensics show?
David Boreanaz: All I can do is do my work. I don't think about that, I just think about the work. For those who don't like the show and were my fans in the past, I think they'll continue to be my fans because they are such loyal fans and they've supported me and I love them to death. One of the best things about the show that I was involved with [Angel] is that it was a very cult audience, but it also enabled me to fly a little bit under the radar in the mainstream.... But I can't please everybody. For every one person who doesn't like it there are probably going to be 10 people who will, so it is a whole new spectrum for me.

TVGuide.com: I think Bones should have a broader audience than that um, other show.
Boreanaz: I do, too. The forensics and the guns and the cars... it is has got a bit of everything. It's a bit of a throwback to Moonlighting, with a little of The X-Files thrown in. We're good to go.

TVGuide.com: What makes Bones stand out from the other procedurals?
Boreanaz: One of the things that appealed to me about this particular show was that Booth, the character I play, is a bit of a maverick — you are going to see that after the first episode. He's in his own world, and he goes by his own rules. I think the combination of him and Temperance (played by Emily Deschanel) makes for a real character-driven piece rather than just a forensic piece.

TVGuide.com: You and Emily Deschanel seem to have very good chemistry.
Boreanaz: That's what I hear. When we shot the pilot back in March, we were just starting to get to know each other, and she's such a sweetheart and such a humble person. She's the type of stock that is like the good slice of pizza I just had.

TVGuide.com: Well, you are in New York City; it is mandatory to have pizza.
Boreanaz: I had to have a slice. I'm off to Toronto, where we have a premiere of this movie I did called These Girls.

TVGuide.com: What is that about?
Boreanaz: I play a guy who is married and has a kid and lives in a small town and smokes a lot of pot. He befriends a 17-year-old girl and he has sex with her, and her two friends are jealous and they get in on the action. I deflower one of them — it is very funny — and they put me through this whole love triangle. It is very funny and very dark humor.

TVGuide.com: Are you excited to be back on TV with Bones?
Boreanaz: Doing an hour drama is like doing a sentence in [jail] in the middle of July with a bull in the cell with you — it is hard and it is long hours. But people are going to see a different side of me, which is good. I was happy that it got picked up.

TVGuide.com: Well at least your character's name isn't in the title. That's a bit less pressure.
Boreanaz: Yeah! I don't have to shoulder that burden. It is not on me this time, it is on "Bones" [aka Temperance]. I'll put it on her, and I'll just be on the outside talking smack.

TVGuide.com: Will we get to see a relationship between Booth and Bones?
Boreanaz: I think that will develop. The chemistry is there, and they have such high respect for each other's professions that they both need each other in a crazy way. It brings out this tension and kind of heat and conflict. It is an exciting thing for both of them. He looks at her and values her in a lot of ways — but she drives him crazy, and he knows how to push her buttons.

TVGuide.com: You are very funny on this show. Do you get to improvise at all?
Boreanaz: I do, and they kind of have to pull me back. I'm just one of those guys who is dying to be funny. They caught me at the right time in my life. They allow me to do that, but the words are great and the writers are fantastic. I do like to ad-lib around what is being said.

TVGuide.com: You seem like a pretty laid-back guy. How is it to go to work and put on a suit every day?
Boreanaz: It is pretty nice. I was very particular about the wardrobe he was wearing; it is not the regular garb. He's got the sniper belt buckle, he's got the thin '50s tie. It is a little homage to my man Steve McQueen.

Bones by Frank Ockenfels/Fox

by Ethan Alte

After a year away from the small screen, Angel star David Boreanaz returns to series television in Bones, a procedural drama that debuts this fall on Fox. Boreanaz plays Seeley Booth, a straight-shooting special agent who reluctantly becomes partnered with forensic anthropologist/novelist Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) to solve crimes. The biggest difference between Seeley and Angel? The Fed actually gets to go out into the sunlight on occasion. Boreanaz and Deschanel spoke with TVGuide.com about the show, their on-screen relationship and... salad.

TVGuide.com: What attracted you both to Bones?
David Boreanaz: I just kind of fell into this role. I was fortunate to read a script and like it, but I was hesitant to get back into [episodic television] coming off a show that ran for so long. I met with [executive producers] Barry Josephson and Hart Hanson, but it was a horrible meeting and I kind of walked out of it feeling bad. I was just having a bad day in general. But the role was there for me [to take], and I really liked the character. I'm really excited about all these characters, every one of them. My sister made an observation: You want to know more about each one of the characters just by looking at them.
Emily Deschanel: It's an incredibly intelligent show and it's character-driven. The script was very ambitious, trying to do so many different things, and I believe it really accomplished all of those things. It crosses genres and it's exciting when you read something different like that.

TVGuide.com: Obviously, prime time these days is filled with procedurals. What will set Bones apart?
Deschanel: I've always been fascinated by the whole forensics thing, but this show doesn't have a cold feeling to it. It's more about the characters, and I love that.
Boreanaz: There are crimes to be solved in every episode, and there will be personal attachments to them. There is a lot of conflict and, down the road, I think there will be some story arcs. Early on, with any startup, show you're really building credibility and making it stand on its own. You want to give viewers what they want at first.

TVGuide.com: Emily, your character is based on a real person, forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs. Did you get the chance to meet her before filming the pilot?
Deschanel: She was there on the first day of filming, and I was so excited to meet her that I gave her a hug! I don't think she was used to that kind of casual openness. She's an amazing woman, so smart, and incredible at what she does. She was very sweet to talk with me and answer questions about herself. It's a great resource to have someone there who has the same job as your character. I asked her questions like, "Does being around dead bodies bother you?" and she said no. I think I would have a problem! As much as I'm fascinated by forensics, if I were really doing it, I think I'd get sick every time.

TVGuide.com: Actors in procedurals often complain about having to memorize all the technical jargon. Has that proven difficult for you as well? 
Boreanaz: Oh, I hate it. [Laughs] It takes me a while to sit down and memorize the lines. But the good thing about this show is that there's another person there for you, which is so important. You're going to get through it one way or another  but sometimes you do it and you don't know what the hell you've done; you feel like it's horrible. But then it comes out really great. 
Deschanel: We have an amazing group of people working on the show. We're all good at what we do and we get along very well. I've been reading different books on forensic anthropology and trying to retain that knowledge. The more you read up on it, the more it becomes part of your vocabulary. It's like learning a foreign language.
Boreanaz: See, it's the exact opposite for me, because all [Seeley is] concerned about is getting his coffee. [Laughs] My character is very streetwise, and I kind of butt heads with [Emily's]. So the less I know about her language, the better I can react to that.

TVGuide.com: You seem to get along really well. What's the best part about working with each other?
Boreanaz: It's ever-changing; there's something new every day. From my perspective, you respect everyone no matter who they are. There are going to be times when we butt heads, and that's normal. 
Deschanel: What are you are trying to say? Are you going to fight with me? [Laughs] 
Boreanaz: Emily's cool. She has a similar background to mine; we've been around some great people and we both understand that people are people. We adapted to each other very quickly. We respect each other as people, not characters. I knew that I liked her right away when we did a read. She came in and took command of the room and made me get up and we went for it. Outside afterward, we were talking and she talked about the process and she said it in a way that was intriguing. I was like, "This woman has got some moxie behind her."  
Deschanel: David always makes me laugh, that's the best thing about him. When I met David, I thought he'd be so intimidating, but I walked in and he was smiling and so friendly. He makes me feel so comfortable, it's really easy to work with him. I feel we can talk about things and work things through... I feel like I had something else I was going to say...?
Boreanaz: "Salad."
Deschanel: Salad?
Boreanaz: Just say salad.
Deschanel: OK, salad. I like salad. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Finally, David, the obligatory Angel question: Do you think you'll be returning to the character anytime soon?
Boreanaz: The only way it would work for me is if it was a full-length feature film directed by Joss Whedon or Tim Minear or David Greenwalt. It would have to be on an upper-scale level, not a TV thing. Maybe Broadway, but not a musical. More like a Sam Shepard play. [Laughs]

7.25.05 - James Marsters will be on Smallville next season in the recurring role of Brainiac.

7.21.05 - Zap2It.com: Press Tour Tidbits: Willow vs. Xander vs. Angel - The fall TV schedule will have a distinct Sunnydale feel to it. Alyson Hannigan (CBS' "How I Met Your Mother"), Nicholas Brendon (FOX's "Kitchen Confidential") and David Boreanaz (FOX's "Bones") are all starring in new shows, while Charisma Carpenter has landed a recurring part on UPN's "Veronica Mars." More...

7.15.05 - Charisma Carpenter is joining Veronica Mars this fall as a sexy trophy wife and stepmother to brothers Dick and Beaver Casablancas. She'll appear in at least six episodes.

7.14.05 - Amy Acker has been dropped from the cast of The Unit, which will air on CBS this fall.

7.8.05 - Kristin at E!Online writes about fall shows starring some of your old favorites from Buffy and Angel.

5.19.05 - David Boreanaz's new show, Bones, will premiere on FOX this fall.

5.4.05 - From TV Guide Online: Buffy's James Marsters: Rock Star?

by Ben Katner

If your fantasies involve being serenaded by a vampire, you're in luck. James Marsters — beloved as toothsome Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel — has just released his first solo CD, Civilized Man. If only he could have produced the album without leaving a trail of carnage in his wake....

You see, before entering the studio on his own, the actor went on a highly successful tour of Europe with his band, Ghost of the Robot. "I believe it was our third time over there, and we'd gone from playing houses of hundreds of people to playing for thousands of people. Not tens of thousands," he clarifies quickly for TVGuide.com, "but you know, three, four, five."

Nonetheless, the lead vocalist saw the blood... er, the writing on the wall. "The chemistry of the band changed," he says. "I think we started taking ourselves too seriously, frankly, and it stopped being fun for me." What's more, he adds, "The songwriting coming from the other members of the band was way too high for my voice. So I broke up the band after a very successful tour!"

Marsters laughs at the irony, but he's dead serious. "We were just about to finish up our second album, which was sounding really good compared to our first, but I pulled the plug."

Afterward, the frontman who no longer had anyone behind him returned to Europe. "Just me and a guitar, man, which was terrifying!" he exclaims. "I'm not Woody Guthrie! I didn't believe that I could stand up in front of 500 to 1000 people with one instrument and bring enough different kinds of sounds to pretend that I was really entertaining people for a whole hour.

"But it went really well," he adds, relieved. "People responded that they liked that set better than the band's. I'm sure not everybody felt that way...."

Yeah, his ex-bandmates from Ghost of the Robot, for instance. "Probably not," he admits with a laugh. "But they're all good people, and we're on good terms. It's just, stuff for [the band], I was a little reluctant to let people hear, because a lot of it was beyond my range [vocally], and I didn't feel as if it was good enough to be called professional. But now [with my new material], I do. Some of it you'll probably like, some if it you won't.

"I guess at the end of the day," he concludes, "the best thing about the whole process is that I feel more confident about myself as a musician, which is probably what you're looking for when you do something like this in the first place."

To order Civilized Man, visit James Marsters' website.

4.1.05 - Christian Kane has joined the cast of Jennifer Finnigan's CBS drama pilot, American Crime. No details about his character have been made available.

3.14.05 - The Unit, a pilot for CBS, has added Amy Acker to the cast. The Unit is about the lives of the people and families in a Special Ops unit. Other cast members include Robert Patrick, who joins Scott Foley, Regina King, Dennis Haysbert, and Michael Irby.

12.29.04 - The MSN Entertainment staff wrote about the best and worst television of 2004, and called Angel one of the best dramas. The "Buffy" spin-off carved out its own, increasingly audacious and even whimsical universe before taking its final bow in season five.

11.1.04 - The Hollywood Reporter reports that David Boreanaz has been cast in a new ABC drama project based on the life and times of Jack Ballantine, undercover cop in the world of hired assassins (Warner Bros. TV/Tannenbaum Co.).

10.26.04 - Charisma Carpenter is going to play Heather Locklear's sister in the Thanksgiving episode of NBC's LAX. She's playing Julie Random (Harley's sister). Harley left home when she was a kid, so this is a reunion. Naturally, as this is TV drama, there will be plenty of it when Julie invites their parents to come for Christmas. The show's NBC rep says Carpenter will be on for just one episode, but it's possible she may return (since she is family).

10.25.04 - Joss Whedon, is getting out of the TV business — at least for the time being. According to Variety, Whedon has shuttered his Mutant Enemy production company because he says he has run out of ideas. "I spent a lot of time trying to think what my next series would be," Whedon said. "I couldn't think of anything. When that happens, it generally means something is just not working." For now, Whedon will continue to focus on features — including the forthcoming Firefly flick, "Serenity." What does all this mean for the proposed Buffy cartoon? Apparently that remains on the drawing board.

10.11.04 - James Marsters will be appearing on the November 3rd episode of The Mountain (oh, no, now I might actually have to watch that show). He will play the father of a character named Penn Badgley, and the WB says there is a chance he could be a recurring guest star.

9.17.04 - Reuters reports that David Boreanaz and Henry Thomas are heading to "The Hard Easy," an indie film shooting in Los Angeles. The story centers on two men who attempt to rob a jewelry store on the same day. Boreanaz plays Roger, an unlucky, unethical stock trader and Princeton graduate who agrees to rob the jewelry store with a team in order to cover losses that could put him in jail. Thomas ("E.T. - the Extraterrestrial") plays Paul, a lowlife gambler who is attempting to do the same thing in an effort to pay off his gambling debts. Vera Farmiga ("The Manchurian Candidate") will play an attractive, worldy woman who is trying to get revenge on Paul for her father's death. Bruce Dern ("Coming Home") will play a former military man who is part of the robbery team. The project marks the feature directorial debut of Ari Ryan.

9.16.04 - A rumor from TV Guide Online: there's increasing chatter that Joss Whedon is in talks to replace Bryan Singer at the helm of "X-Men 3." Singer recently signed on to direct the new "Superman" flick, leaving the fate of the next X-Men installment up in the air. Whedon's camp isn't commenting on the buzz.

9.14.04 - The latest news on Angel movies from Kristin at E!Online: "Charisma and David both don't want to do it, from what I hear. James Marsters is definitely on board, however. And this just in from moviehole.net: 'The last few weeks there's been a rumor floating about David Boreanaz doing something with a Four in the title. Everyone assumed people were talking about Jurassic Park 4. Not so. The role Boreanaz was actually referring to was in The Fantastic Four. Apparently the Angel star came close to snagging the role of Ben Grimm/The Thing in the film, but Michael Chiklis was the winner at the end of the day.'"

8.26.04 - TV Guide Online: Charmed Gets Charisma

Charisma Carpenter is best known from her popular stints as Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel. What's she been doing since both vampire shows bit the dust? Last year, she gave birth to son Donovan Charles (who's now 16 months old). Then this June, the 34-year-old Hollywood mom reclaimed her va-va-voom by posing nearly nude in Playboy. She'll continue her hot streak by guest-starring as a sexy seer on Charmed in at least two episodes. (Her first appearance airs Sept. 26.) Last week, TV Guide Online visited the Charmed set to watch Carpenter torment costar Brian Krause (Leo) with her spooky predictions. We also stole some time to dish between scenes.

TV Guide Online: David Boreanaz recently told TV Guide he'd be willing to do Angel feature films, but not TV-movies. Could Cordy make a return from the dead someday?
Charisma Carpenter: I read that snippet about David in TV Guide! You know, I'm not interested. Not because of David or anyone I worked with. I think we're all just done. I don't think my fans should be offended because they're not Angel or Buffy specific. They've proven over time that they'll follow me no matter what I do, so I'm not afraid of taking anything away from them and I hope they wouldn't feel that way.

TVGO: Cordy was psychic on Angel. Now you're a seer. What's up with these ESP roles?
Carpenter: Another psychic! At least I'm not in a coma on this show. They're both sassy girls, but this character is more of a temptress than a smartass. She's toying with Leo.

TVGO: Does your character have a name?
Carpenter: She's just "Seer." We'll see if we see more of her before she gets a name!

TVGO: Might you do more than two episodes?
Carpenter: I'm happy to do more. It would depend on whether my pilot is picked up. I'm thrilled to be here because I have a relationship with Holly Marie Combs (Piper). We did my ABC Family movie See Jane Date together and we're both new moms. It's also interesting to be back doing this supernatural genre. I know it and it's familiar.

TVGO: How about this pilot of yours?
Carpenter: It's a possible midseason replacement sitcom for UPN. It was called Play Nice, but now it's called Like Cats and Dogs. I'm the girl on the show, and it's about my life with my fun-loving brother [played by Canadian actor Tyler Labine]. I'm an uptight lawyer and he comes to live with me and my houseful of dogs.

TVGO: If the sitcom didn't happen, wouldn't it be fun to join Charmed as a regular?
Carpenter: I think working with girls would be great, especially since Holly's a mom and a producer. The only reason I would hesitate is that the shooting schedule of a one-hour drama is a lot for a new mom. It'd be great to work with her, 'cause she gets it. So yeah, I'd definitely be open to talking about it.

TVGO: By the way, many mothers might be envious of your having a baby and then doing Playboy!
Carpenter: That came about because I had a baby and got so bloody fat. I gained 50 pounds. I needed something to motivate me to get my butt in shape. It's vanity, really. Right after I signed the deal with Playboy, I did hard-core training for 20 days.

TVGO: Any hesitation about posing for the lad mag?
Carpenter: It was all very agreeable and they allowed my husband to be on set to make sure everything was cool, and it was. I'm really pleased with the photos and I don't have any regrets. I expect there are people out there who would hope that I would. They may judge me, but I'm not feeling regret right now. I guess I'll cross that bridge with my son when I come to it....

TVGO: You appeared topless, but the photos weren't raunchy.
Carpenter: I felt good about it. I figured if I did films, I'd have to show my breasts at some point. Why not take beautiful pictures for posterity while I'm young?

TVGO: Your midriff-baring outfit on Charmed will be memorable, too!
Carpenter: The Seer's like a jezebel. Women on Charmed have to look hot. That's the sense I'm getting. Every single one of [the witches] are notoriously sexy women!

by Daniel R. Coleridge

8.23.04 - Charisma Carpenter will be appearing in two episodes of Charmed this season, airing on September 26th and October 10th, as The Seer.

8.23.04 - Kristin at E!Online says that according to sources at the Frog net, WB boss Garth Ancier is still pushing for the WB to do at least one Angel TV movie this season, possibly a few, focusing on individual characters. Since David Boreanaz is not expected to sign on, I'm told James Marsters (Spike) is getting "the most buzz."

8.18.04 - TV Guide Online: Boreanaz Keeps Angel Alive

Rumors that David Boreanaz is not up for an Angel movie are utterly bloodless. The ex-vamp is willing to take another turn at bat, but not on the tube. "It would have to be a theatrical release," he tells TV Guide Online. "I'm not into the movie-of-the-week [idea]."

Last month at the Television Critics Association press tour, WB execs remained hopeful that Angel would someday be reborn into a series of small-screen flicks. But network chairman Garth Ancier conceded that it would take "a little coaxing" to get Boreanaz interested. "I know they wanted to do, like, six films," Boreanaz says, "It's not that I'm against it; it just needs to be a bigger challenge. When you do something for five seasons, you want to continue to challenge yourself... go to another level with it rather than just doing the same thing you've been doing."

With that in mind, Boreanaz recently shot the title role in the big-screen comedy Mr. Fix It. "It has a very '80s romantic theme to it," he says. "I'm going to be doing some dancing, singing... it's going to be a lot of fun." He's also in talks to co-star in a high-profile franchise flick that he insists is not Superman. "It's better," he teases, adding, "'Four' would be the magic number — that's all I'm going to say." (Our guess? It's the in-the-works fourth Indiana Jones pic.)

In the meantime, "I'm really having fun with leaving the show and doing roles that are, for me, expressing what I love to do," Boreanaz says. "[It's great] not being tied down to a series for nine months out of the year. It really is refreshing to see myself going into another arena."

by Michael Ausiello

8.5.04 - Angel magazine, by Titan Publishing in the UK, is out as of August 5th. Included in this issue is the second part of an exclusive interview with Eliza Dushku, a feature on the filming of the final episode, the latest word on the possibility of Buffy/Angel TV movies, an episode guide for the 4th season, and Angel Eye, which is what would happen if all of the characters were locked in the Big Brother house. To subscribe, call 01536 764 646 (yeah, in the UK), or email angeluk@titanemail.com.

8.3.04 - Kristin at E!Online reports that Joss may be doing some Buffy-related movies of the week for the WB, but Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz have both said that they're not interested in participating.

7.15.04 - At the Television Critics Assoc. press tour yesterday, WB chairman Garth Ancier said that special Angel movies remain a possibility, although it'll probably take some "coaxing" to get David Boreanaz interested. In addition, Ancier hinted that Angel might still be with us today, had producer 20th Century Fox given the network until May to make a final decision. "We [were forced] to make the decision early based on their request." (Thanks to Michael Ausiello of TVGuide.com for this info.)

6.30.04 - From the July 4th issue of TV Guide: Dog's Best Friend
Since Angel was canceled, David Boreanaz's career has gone to the dogs–literally. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of animals) has recruited the actor to appear in a new public-service campaign urging pet owners not to chain their four-legged family members in the yard. The ad will break in September, after sunset.

6.23.04 - Elisabeth Rohm, who used to be on Angel as Detective Kate Lockley, is leaving her role as ADA Serena Southerlyn after the first 13 episodes of Law & Order next season.

6.18.04 - TV Guide Online reports that David Boreanaz has landed the title role in the big-screen romantic comedy Mr. Fix-It. Directed by Darin Ferriola (Soulkeeper), the film -- which starts production today -- revolves around a lovelorn bachelor who runs an agency that helps guys repair their broken relationships. While working on a case, he ends up falling in love himself (with Alana De La Garza, soon to be seen on WB's new fall soap The Mountain). "It has a very '80s romantic theme to it," Boreanaz says. "I'm going to be doing some dancing, singing... It's going to be a lot of fun."

6.7.04 - Andy Hallett (Lorne) recently had a viral infection, collapsed and was rushed to the ICU, where he stayed for five days. The infection affected his heart, giving the 28-year-old a mild heart attack. Andy is now back home and resting. You can see a message from Andy at his web site, andyhallett.com, and you can send him a get-well message at: getwell@andyhallett.com. Please, keep him in your thoughts. He truly is one of the good ones.

5.26.04 - David Boreanaz chats to Dreamwatch Magazine about the end of the heroic vampire's crusade against evil, while executive producers Jeffrey Bell and David Fury reveal the truth behind the show's controversial finale. Plus, Dreamwatch visits the Angel set during the making of the show's last-ever episode, Not Fade Away! All this and much, much more in dreamwatch Issue #118! ON SALE 27 MAY (UK) 15 JUNE (US)

5.20.04 - From TV Guide Online: Angel Creator's Finale Post-Mortem

There are many ways to describe last night's series finale of Angel. Heart-wrenching (Wes kicked the bucket! And died in Illyria/Fred's arms!), action-packed (that Angel vs. Hamilton throwdown), hilarious (Spike reading his terrible love poem — which all die-hard fans know we first heard in the fifth season of Buffy — to a rapt audience of tough guys) and thrilling (the final charge before the closing credits) all fit the bill. But whatever you do, don't call it a cliffhanger, even if Angel and his surviving crew were still fighting as the episode ended.

"The word 'cliffhanger' is really a misnomer here," series co-creator Joss Whedon stresses to TV Guide Online. "This was not the final grace note after a symphony, the way the Buffy finale was. We are definitely still in the thick of it [at the end]. But the point of the show is that you're never done; no matter who goes down, the fight goes on.

"Did I end it this way so that it could lead into an exciting sixth season? Yes, but this is still a final statement, if that's what it needs to be."

Ah, but was this episode actually the "final statement" for the beloved Buffy and Angel universe? Rumors have been rampant about a spinoff show or a series of made-for-TV movies popping up within the next year. According to Whedon, however, nothing will happen anytime soon. "The TV-movie idea was suggested," he says. "And the studio said they'd be interested in that, but I haven't heard bupkes since then."

It's not as if Whedon has the time to devote to another Angel-related project right now, anyway. In June, he starts production on Serenity, the feature-film version of his short-lived Fox series, Firefly. It's due out in 2005. He's also penning 12 issues of the new Marvel Comics title Astonishing X-Men, the first of which hits comic-book stores next Wednesday.

Still, Whedon says he's not closing the door entirely on the Buffyverse. For one thing, he's been talking with Dark Horse Comics about reviving the canceled Buffy comic book and possibly making it a permanent part of the Buffy canon. He also says he had many more stories to tell about the Angel crew ÷ citing the sexy character of Illyria, in particular, as someone he wished to spend more time with. "The cancellation was a horrible blow," he admits. "Basically, we were told that we were old and in the way, [even though] ratings were higher than what they'd been."

Whedon takes some comfort in knowing Angel aficionados feel the same way. "I was enormously touched by the fan response," he says. "For them to react that strongly to what had always been perceived as the bastard child of the Buffy franchise was really important to me.

"I think the show was cut down in its prime," Whedon laments. "I do feel like we finished the series off saying what I wanted to say in a grand fashion. But I don't have the feeling I had with Buffy, which is, 'We are done. Thank you, goodnight.' It's more, 'Okay, the lights are off, I'd better leave.'"

For Whedon, what makes the end even harder is that he'd already conceived a terrific premise for Angel's sixth year. "When you buck the system, and do your best to make it collapse," he teases, "what if it does? The next season would have been some serious chaos." Now, that sounds like a story that deserves to be told someday.

5.19.04 - Moviehole: Moviehole says Goodbye to TV's Angel - Sniffle. Sniffle. Boo Hoo. Wolfram and Hart is only hours away from closing its doors. How about just one last cup of Joe before you push us out the laundry shute? No?....

5.19.04 - CNN: 'Angel' fans, time to let go - There are some things I wouldn't wish on anybody. And being an undead person approaching 300, doomed to spend eternity ruing past evils, nearly getting vanquished daily, never getting to enjoy certain pleasures, and being prone to sprouting fangs is one of them....

5.18.04 - Zap2It.com: Whedon's 'Angel' Goes Down Fighting - Here's a one-line summary for Season 6 of "Angel," courtesy of series co-creator Joss Whedon: "If you buck the system and do your best to make it collapse, what if it does?" Unfortunately for fans of the show, Whedon's question will remain a rhetorical one. "Angel" ends its five-season run on The WB Wednesday (May 19) as the vampire hero (David Boreanaz) and his cohorts, after a season of trying to do good from the inside of demonic law firm Wolfram & Hart, make one final stand against evil....

5.13.04 - From TV Guide Online: A Comeback for Spike?

In next week's Angel series finale, Spike wonders how to spend what could potentially be the last day of his undead life. So the platinum-topped vamp Spike chooses to spout poetry at a seedy bar. For his portrayer, James Marsters, playing live music would more likely top the final to-do list. The California-bred actor moonlights as lead singer of his rock band, Ghost of the Robot. On the final night of his Angel duties, he happily previewed two new tracks for us in his trailer. "I think this is the best song I've written so far," he said proudly of one acoustic ballad. Soon, he'll embark on a European tour with the group, but don't fret, Spike fans: Unlike co-star David Boreanaz, he's not ready to stake his signature role just yet.

TV Guide Online: How does it feel to shoot the last day on a series?
James Marsters: Good. Television often is an exercise in frustration, just because time and money are forcing you to work faster and make more compromises than you want to. You go into your trailer and punch the wall a lot. There are some [dents] over there, though my Buffy [trailer] was even worse. But I find that all the frustration has sort of fallen away the past couple of days, and we're just left with the fact that there are some really good people working here and some really good scripts to work on. It's been a good job.

TVGO: This is the second show you've said good-bye to in a year. That's got to be weird.
Marsters: Yeah, but I'm used to endings. I'm from theater and we're used to things being wonderful or horrible and then, inevitably, over. You get to the point where you come to peace with that. I kinda like when everything goes away and the space is empty again.

TVGO: Which was easier &$151; the end of Buffy or Angel?
Marsters: This one's easier, less intense. I haven't been here as long. I just have a real sense that it's the end of a really great ride, and possibly not the end. There's talk of other stuff going on.

TVGO: So you'd be open to playing Spike again?
Marsters: I would love to come back to the character. I'm hopefully gonna start to play more human beings. I wanna play a doctor or someone who was never set on fire, who was never stabbed. That would be nice. But it would also always be cool to come back and be the bad-ass for awhile. But I do think there's a clock ticking. Spike's a vampire. He's not supposed to age! So I think there's about a five-year moratorium. I don't want [creator Joss Whedon] to have to come up with something like, "Oh, if you don't drink human blood, you do age."

TVGO: How often have you had to dye your hair? Bet you look forward to laying off the peroxide for awhile.
Marsters: Oh yeah. We touch it up every episode. I can audition my head off, and I only ever get called back for drug addicts and rock stars, and I'm tired of it. It'd be nice to just look like me again. My own self-image is with brown hair. It'd be nice to have that looking back at me again. [Editor's Note: On April 27, he shaved his head live on On Air with Ryan Seacrest. Proceeds raised from fans who bid money for a lock of the bleached-out hair were donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.]

TVGO: I see you have an empty "Save Angel" candy-bar wrapper lying around.
Marsters: Yeah, I ate the chocolate!

TVGO: What do you think of fan outrage over the cancellation?
Marsters: It's felt really good. I always joke that I spend so much time making the show that I'm surprised to find out people watch it, but that's really true. The thing I love about theater is the interaction between the audience and the actor. I've missed that. This outpouring feels like a little of that response. And it's not wasted effort. If it doesn't save the show, it [still] means that any project that comes from this universe will be paid more attention to. If there's a movie, it may get a bigger budget.

TVGO: Are you happy with how the show is ending?
Marsters: Oh yeah. This was [going to be] the ending of the season, prior to us getting canceled. It was gonna be a great lead-in to next season. Now, it's serving as the end of the series. It doesn't have the big computer visual pop that Buffy did because frankly, Buffy had a much bigger budget. But it's a good ride, and it's really thematically satisfying. Heroes in Joss' world stumble and make mistakes, but they keep trying.

TVGO: That's a good message to go out on.
Marsters: Yeah, man. We're having a good end of the season. Let 'em cancel us! But we're gonna be so good that you will secretly in your heart be sorry! [Laughs] But hey, man, no sour grapes to the WB. Seriously. They've paid for my car, you know?

by Shawna Malcom

5.12.04 - From TV Guide Online: Boreanaz Bids Angel Adieu

Angel may be a tortured 245-year-old vampire with a soul, but his portrayer, David Boreanaz, is about as angst-free as actors come. As series creator Joss Whedon once told TV Guide, "David takes things in stride, and those of us who don't know how to stride are confused." During a break in shooting Angel's series finale (airing May 19 at 9 pm/ET), the ever-cool 33-year-old actor discussed why he's relieved to see his 5-year-old WB drama bite it, how he feels about star-crossed love Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) absence, and the chance he'll resurrect Angel for those rumored TV or DVD movies.

TV Guide Online: How did you get the cancellation news?
David Boreanaz: Joss came to set and told me. I said, "OK, fine." There were no tears. There was just a moment of congratulating him on a successful run of five seasons.

TVGO: You weren't at all upset?
Boreanaz: I don't wanna sound like I was cheering, but when Joss broke the news, it was almost more like the burden of pressure came off me after five years. I mean, it's a lot of responsibility [carrying a show], and you don't realize how much that is until they say it's done and then you can breathe. So there's some really nice light that came into my life. I'm in a really great place about it.

TVGO: Most actors would be stressing about being out of work.
Boreanaz: It's not worth it to get too stressed. [Laughs] What can I do, man? Look, it's a f---in' show, and it was a great experience. I think we can be very proud of what we've accomplished. Now, you just move forward.

TVGO: Your fans are having a harder time doing that.
Boreanaz: Yeah, it's a disappointment for them. They've been so into the show this year. For them, I think it's a really bad thing. But this kind of stuff happens everyday, and I think you have to realize that.

TVGO: What did you think of their "Save Angel" campaign?
Boreanaz: I think it's very cool. It's a really good testimony to how strong the show is and how committed they are [to] the universe Joss created.

TVGO: A lot of us were disappointed to hear Sarah won't pop up in the finale. How do you feel about it?
Boreanaz: You know, I went over to her finale and she said she would come over to mine. It would've been nice to have her over here. I guess it was Joss's decision. He wrapped it up the way he wanted to. I'll just leave it at that.

TVGO: What do you think of how the show's wrapped up?
Boreanaz: I'm comfortable with the way they're ending it. It's very open-ended. The title of the episode is "Not Fade Away," which I dig [because] that's a Grateful Dead tune. It goes out fighting, which I think is great.

TVGO: There are rumors we haven't seen the last of Angel, that there might be some TV or DVD movies in the future. Would you come back to the character?
Boreanaz: [Laughs] I don't think I will, no.

TVGO: Seriously?
Boreanaz: Yeah. The only way I would do any kind of loose-end wrapping up would be if the pieces were right, and if they decided to do it on a different, higher level, like a film. Joss is doing Serenity [the feature based on his 2002 short-lived Fox series Firefly], and we'll see how that goes for him. If they decided to do that with Angel and if the pieces were right, fine. But you never know where everyone is in their lives at that moment.

by Shawna Malcom

5.7.04 - Zap2It.com: 'Angel's' Kane Rocks Chicago - The bands play on in the "Buffy"-verse. Adam Busch, who played the evil nerd Warren on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," has a pop/folk band called Common Rotation. James Marsters, who has played the vampire Spike on both "Buffy" and its spin-off, The WB's "Angel," has a rock band called Ghost of the Robot. And Christian Kane, who has a recurring role as conflicted lawyer Lindsey McDonald on "Angel," has a country-rock band called Kane....

4.28.04 - Kristin at E!Online reports that the WB has approached Joss Whedon about doing movies, but so far, nothing has been decided. He has a lot going on with the Firefly movie, and the network execs are putting together the fall schedule, so it may take some time to iron out any sort of deal.

4.27.04 - Zap2It.com: 'Angel's' Spike Makes a New Friend by Kate O'Hare

There was love (of the professional, not romantic, kind) blooming on the set of The WB's "Angel" during production for its 20th episode this season, "The Girl in Question," airing Wednesday, May 5.

After co-creating the drama about a crusading vampire with a soul with Joss Whedon and being an executive producer for its early seasons, David Greenwalt -- who also worked with Whedon on "Angel's" predecessor, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- returned to direct "The Girl in Question."

Although he and James Marsters, who plays Spike, the other vampire with a soul, had technically been on "Buffy" at the same time (Spike moved to "Angel" this season after the "Buffy" finale), the two had never met.

"He was writing when I was there in my first season," Marsters recalls, "but I was just a guest star, and I had no reason to go up to the writers' offices. I didn't go to the gods at that point."

The long-delayed meeting didn't appear to have been a disappointment for either man.

"He's so fabulous," Marsters says. "Greenwalt is just an exceptional director. I can imagine it's the same for him producing, too. He knows how to inspire people and get the best out of them. He's very decisive about what he wants to do, but up until that point, he's very open to people talking."

Greenwalt returns the compliment, saying, "He's really good. He's really gifted. He's an actor's actor. He sinks so deep into the stuff. It makes him a good guy, a good human. He's working hard on his stuff. Just watching him inspired me to two series ideas."

Of course, as "Angel" is ending this year, Marsters might be available for another series, and apparently it's something he's thinking about.

"We started talking about ideas that would be interesting for a series," Marsters says. "In about three days, we came up with something that was really fairly interesting. I don't know if it would fly, but it was just wonderful to feel the interest.

"Also, there were a couple of phone calls where I had a bunch of ideas the night before -- some of which he hated and some of which he really liked -- that we were talking about. It was wonderful to be in that kind of collaboration. I haven't had that since I was an artistic director of a theater. I like doing that."

In "The Girl in Question" (those in fear of spoilers should stop now), Spike and Angel (David Boreanaz) head to Rome, believing they must rescue Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) -- their mutual ex-girlfriend -- from their old nemesis, The Immortal.

"It's sort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go to Rome, two idiots," Greenwalt says. "Angel is going to send Spike to Rome to pick up the head of this demon. At the same time, we learn that Angel has had people watching Buffy and watching her apartment. He gets a call that she's in trouble. She's been seen in the company of this character called The Immortal.

"You learn, in the course of the show, that the Immortal has bested them down through the last several hundred years. He's cooler than a vampire."

All this information is revealed in flashbacks, which feature guest appearances by the two other women from Angel and Spike's past, the vampires Darla (Julie Benz) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau).

The one woman not seen is Buffy. Although hopes were high that Gellar could make a guest appearance, it couldn't be worked out in the end, so Buffy is only seen at a distance.

"Way across the dance floor," Greenwalt says, "you see this blond girl dancing .. this blond hair moving in slow motion."

Also making a guest appearance is former Buffy cohort Andrew (Tom Lenk), now an apprentice Watcher.

"What a funny, funny guy," Greenwalt says, "his little twists and turns he does. He walks in wearing a fabulous James Bond tuxedo in the middle of all this. It's so great.

"I was happy to do that episode. I felt I went out with a bang there."

4.23.04 - TNT Drama Lounge: James Marsters on Buffy: How Spike buffed his ego - A funny thing happened to James Marsters on his way to television stardom. The actor, who's well known to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel viewers as Spike, trekked to Los Angeles in the '90s with one goal in mind. "I came to make good money," he admits. "The idea was to make a quarter of a million and get out." Financial gain was the only reward he believed he'd reap -- and he was fine with that. "I'd done my artistic thing in the theater. I had already found out who I was as an actor. But you reach a stage in life where you say, 'I don't want to be poor any more....'"

4.21.04 - On April 27th, James Marsters will shave his head live on On Air with Ryan Seacrest in order to raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

4.16.04 - Kristin at E!Online: Fan Fervor Runneth Over to Save Angel--See What Good Has Come of It - I used to consider myself the most die-hard TV fan on the planet. It was a badge I wore with pride, sorta like my "I heart Bo & Luke Duke" T-shirt back in the good ol' days of the good ol' boys. (Sigh.) But you "Save Angel" folks put me to shame....

4.12.04 - UPN has ordered a sitcom project that will star Charisma Carpenter and Tyler Labine as siblings, from Paramount Network TV, Littlefield Co., and Nervous Properties.

4.5.04 - From TV Guide: Touched by Angel Fans - A Worldwide Outcry Over a Show's Demise by Matt Roush

Thanks to WB's cancellation of Angel, I now have an amazing postcard collection: at last count, 1100 from unhappy fans in nearly every state, all over Canada and England, plus 20 other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Brazil, Poland, Italy and Germany.

I'm not sure if any are written in blood, but they certainly show a lot of heart. As cult followings go, Angel's is pretty awesome.

Several Internet-driven fan campaigns, hoping to persuade WB (against the odds) to cancel the cancellation, have raised money to buy ads in trade papers and hire a billboard truck to canvass Hollywood with the message "We'll follow Angel to hell... or another network." There have been rallies, even — appropriate for a show about a noble vampire — blood drives.

These creative protests come at a time when creativity is an endangered TV commodity, with contrived reality trumping the most inspired fantasies.

Much of the mail I've received expresses fear that the networks have given up on shows that stimulate the imagination. That's why these people are so forcefully mourning the end of Joss Whedon's wild world of apocalypse and redemption that began with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

On April 14, Angel returns with the first of its final six episodes. The story is full of action, humor and surprise, while also confronting big themes of humanity and heroism. As I watched, I was entertained, moved — but saddened. Like any fan, I'll miss Angel, too.

3.25.04 - TV Guide Online: Bloody hell! This bites! This sucks! Whichever vampire pun you choose to express your feelings on the subject, the sad fact remains: Sarah Michelle Gellar will not be resurrecting Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Angel's swan song after all. As foreshadowed in this week's issue of TV Guide magazine (on sale now), the in-demand actress' busy schedule was a deal-breaker. But that's only half of the story.

You see, Gellar wasn't asked to appear in the series finale, she was invited to return for the third-to-last episode (airing May 5). Unfortunately, when that hour was being shot, she was in Tokyo working on the supernatural horror film The Grudge and, obviously, quite unavailable. However, she was free to pick up stakes in the spin-off's capper (airing May 19). So why isn't she doing that installment? Executive producer Joss Whedon didn't want Angel's send-off to "revolve around a guest star," he says simply. "We will deal with the issue of Buffy and how much she means to Angel and Spike, but I want to end the show with the people who've been in the trenches together, the characters who have lived — and occasionally died — together... the regulars."

Whedon's Angel partner, Jeffrey Bell, adds that the idea of building the finale around the long-running Angel/Buffy/Spike love triangle "seemed to undermine the bigger picture. [So Gellar was left off the roster] in the same way that David Boreanaz wasn't involved in the series finale of Buffy." (Editor's Note: Boreanaz did in fact appear in Buffy's last episode; his penultimate cameo carried over into the first five minutes of the finale.)

Before you start sharpening Mr. Pointy and aiming it at the execs' hearts, you should know that, despite their well-thought-out rationale, at the point when they learned Gellar was free to participate in Angel's last hurrah, it was too late for her to do so. "We had already written and shot the episode [for which we originally wanted her] which emotionally dealt with [the romantic rivalry]," Bell says. "So, to go [back] and force her into the very last episode to retread stuff that we already dealt with didn't make any sense.

"By the time it became a possibility," he goes on, "the ship had sort of sailed."

Fine. So, how then will this much-ballyhooed (by us) May 5 episode give closure to Angel, Spike and Buffy — not to mention Angel/Buffy and Spike/Buffy proponents — when the superheroine in the middle of the muddle will be nowhere to be seen? "Angel and Spike arrive at an understanding — that's all I'll say about that," Bell teases. "And without her being involved, Buffy's character has come to some sort of understanding, too."

After that, the vamp-dusting ghostbusters will forge forward toward their final showdown (a two-parter airing May 12 and 19). "We're gonna get to the bottom of why we've been in Wolfman & Hart this whole time and what we're gonna do about it," hints Bell. And, though he refuses to drop any clues as to who will be "left standing at the end," he does promise this: "It's gonna be big!" As Buffy might have replied, "Well, duh!"

3.25.04 - E!Online: Angel-Buffy Reunion Spiked - Don't expect Buffy to show when the end comes for Angel.

Set storylines and scheduling conflicts mean onetime vampire slayer Sarah Michelle Gellar won't be reunited with her undead love when the WB's Buffy spinoff takes its final stab this May.

In an interview with TV Guide Online, creator Joss Whedon said he didn't invite Gellar to appear in the Angel series finale because he didn't want the sendoff to "revolve around a guest star."

"We will deal with the issue of Buffy and how much she means to Angel and Spike, but I want to end the show with the people who've been in the trenches together, the characters who have lived--and occasionally died--together...the regulars."

Gellar was invited to return for the second-to-last episode--the same way David Boreanaz appeared in Buffy's penultimate episode--but the blonde babe couldn't make it because she was in Tokyo shooting the horror film The Grudge.

And by the time producers learned she'd be available for Angel's final episode, it was too late. "We had already written and shot the episode [for which we originally wanted her] which emotionally dealt with [the romantic rivalry]," Whedon's partner, Jeffrey Bell said. "So, to go [back] and force her into the very last episode to retread stuff that we already dealt with didn't make any sense.

"By the time it became a possibility," he goes on, "the ship had sort of sailed."

Instead, the Buffy-Angel-Spike love triangle will be resolved sans the Slayer's participation. "Angel and Spike arrive at an understanding--that's all I'll say about that," Bell said. "And without her being involved, Buffy's character has come to some sort of understanding too."

Less understanding about the show's two-part finale airing May 12 and 19 are the diehard fans, who are hoping for an eleventh-hour miracle. Devoted viewers have mobilized a "Saving Angel" campaign, blitzing the network and media targets with pleas to spare the show, now in its fifth season. A rally is planned March 31 at the Warner Brothers production offices in Burbank.

They might as well try tapping the legal services of Wolfram and Hart. According to E! Online's TV guru Kristin Veitch, Boreanaz is already "looking forward to new challenges." He feels for the fans "because they have been so supportive," but "it's time to start a whole new journey."

3.25.04 - From the March 27th issue of TV Guide: Undying Love - The final battle to capture Buffy's heart
Sarah Michelle Gellar's deal to resurrect Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the May 19 series finale of Angel is all but signed in blood: "If she's available, she'll do it," her manager promises. As a result, viewers may finally learn who is the Chosen One's...um, chosen one. "Definitely, the question of Angel versus Spike looms large in Buffy's mind and in the minds of fans," says Joss Whedon, who created both shows. "But I'm not saying whether or not I have decided to answer it."

What Whedon may mean is that he hasn't yet decided how he will answer it–regardless of Gellar's involvement or how neatly the loose ends are tied up. "Angel and Spike will ultimately feel some kind of resolve about their conflict over Buffy," he insists, adding quickly that the tug-of-war over Sunnydale's stake-driving superheroine will not rule the episode. "It won't be all about that."

We'll bite: If the long-running love triangle won't be the focus, what will the episode be about? "The whole point of Angel is the idea of the fight and how it never stops," Whedon hints. "The finale was always meant to be open-ended in some respect. That doesn't mean I won't kill everybody, but I might not [explain] why."

In the meantime, Whedon will be welcoming back some other familiar faces. Michelle Trachtenberg is in talks to reprise her role as Buffy's kid sis, Dawn, for an early May episode that will also feature the toothsome tag team of Julie Benz (Darla) and Juliet Landau (Dru). But let's face it, Gellar is the "get" that any apocalypse has got to have. "Look, she either wants to do it or she doesn't," shrugs Whedon. "I'm counting on the ensemble I have now. It'd be swell to have her join them." –Michael Ausiello

3.22.04 - CNN: Save 'Angel' campaign takes flight - Fans of Joss Whedon's soon-to-be-canceled WB Network drama series sprung into action last month once it became official that the spawn of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" would get the big spike in May. The "Save Angel" postcards and full-page ads have been flowing into The Hollywood Reporter and other publications for weeks, but "Angel" fans distinguished themselves from past fan-fueled salvage initiatives last week by hiring (at $700 a day) a billboard truck to drive around Los Angeles and park at strategic locations...

3.8.04 - In dreamwatch issue #115, the British magazine for sci-fi and fantasy entertainment, Angel star David Boreanaz, series creator/executive producer Joss Whedon and co-executive producer David Fury update dreamwatch on life currently on Angel. Joss Whedon talks to dreamwatch about the past, present and future of Angel, including how he would like Angel and Buffy to be remembered. David Boreanaz talks to dreamwatch about the show’s revamped fifth season and tells us about his directorial debut on the Angel episode "Soul Purpose," including the bizarre experience of directing himself! David Fury chats to dreamwatch about writing and directing the 100th episode of Angel, "You're Welcome." To get dreamwatch delivered to your door in the UK, call 01536 764646 or email dreamwatchsubs@titanemail.com. To get dreamwatch delivered to your door in the US, call 1-877-363-1310 or eamil expressmag@expressmag.com. Please quote reference number P103.

3.7.04 - Roush Riff from the March 6th issue of TV Guide: WB's cancellation of Angel after this season marks the end of a rich era in smart, scary fantasy that began in the spring of 1997, when Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer (from which Angel was spun) helped put the small network on the map. I hope Whedon's crew will have time to deliver a memorable finale, with the prospect of TV-movie adventures to follow-maybe a reunion with Buffy someday? But I foresee a long period of vamp withdrawal, and all I can say is that WB's proposed remake of Dark Shadows for next season had better be good. Trading angel and Spike for a reincarnation of Barnabas Collins? I don't know what to think.

3.6.04 - Zap2It.com: 'Angel,' 'Firefly' Veteran Dives Over 'Wonderfalls' - Tim Minear ("Strange World," "Angel") is right back where he started from -- almost. He was executive producer, with creator Joss Whedon, of the highly anticipated FOX outer-space Western "Firefly," which premiered on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET in the fall of 2002. It didn't last long. "We like to think of it as the night that we promote 13-episode DVD sets," Minear quips about the quickly axed series, which will return as a just-greenlit $35 million feature film from Universal called "Serenity," with Whedon writing and directing....

3.3.04 - TV Guide reports that Joss Whedon's long-rumored Firefly feature film is finally airborne. Universal has officially green-lighted the project, which will be released under the title Serenity and pick up six months after the short-lived Fox series left off. The show's original crew -- headed by Nathan Fillion -- all will be back for the flick. Filming begins in June for a 2005 release.

2.24.04 - Zap2It.com: Fans Bid Farewell to 'Angel' - One would like to think the hordes of limousines and folks in evening dress dodging raindrops outside the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles the night of Saturday, Feb. 21, were all there to mourn the end of The WB's recently axed "Angel" -- but, not so much....

2.20.04 - Angel may be dead, but the show's fans sure aren't. Less than a week after the WB drove a stake through the Buffy spin-off, more than 45,000 Angel addicts have signed an online petition at PetitionOnline.com to keep the toothy drama alive. Campaigns to save the show are also being organized at numerous fan sites, including SupportAngel.org. But does any of this really matter? "It [helped] Roswell," says a WB rep. "It was as good as gone and the big fan campaign brought it back." In other words, the ball's in your court UPN.

2.18.04 - Joss Whedon wants Sarah Michelle Gellar back. "We'll put out some feelers [again] to see if there's some interest there," he told TV Guide Online last night. "We'd certainly love to have her." But Gellar nixed an earlier offer to guest-star on Angel this season and Whedon says he isn't "banking" on her changing her mind. Still, we had to ask: If the Chosen One were to reappear in the Buffyverse, which of her undead loves would she be returning for -- Spike or Angel? "You think I'm going to tell you that? I'm not going to tell you that," Whedon says. "If she were to come back it would be to answer that question."

2.18.04 - Rumors that Angel could follow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's footsteps and put down stakes at rival network UPN are just that -- rumors. "We've talked about the possibility," Whedon says, "but it's a long shot." A UPN spokeswoman had no comment, but an Angel insider confirms that execs at Twentieth Century Fox (Angel's producer) are putting together a proposal for UPN.

2.17.04 - Matt Roush's Dispatch: I go away for a week to escape the winter chill, and look what happens. WB cans Angel midway through its fifth season, leaving fans of cool, dark fantasy bereft. Some of us are still dealing with the demise of Buffy the Vampire Slayer last spring, and that one was long planned! This unfortunate dusting of Angel confirms rumors that had been circulating since before the 100th-episode celebration, but it still comes as something of a shock. If there's an upside, it's that Joss Whedon and his crew appear to have been able to muster up some sort of suitable season/series finale, so we won't be left hanging.

But we will be left wanting.

Buffy, and to some extent its spin-off Angel, helped put WB on the map ô much as The X-Files was key in establishing Fox's network identity. I still remember my shock when I first put in the tape of the Buffy pilot, with expectations that couldn't be lower ô after all, I'd seen the movie. I wasn't counting on much from the series or from the mini-network that up until then had little to recommend itself. (This was before Felicity, Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls, mind you.) Sarah Michelle Gellar's delightful performance as the spunky slayer, the warm wit and wisdom of Whedon's worldview, and the dynamic presence of David Boreanaz's soulful Angel (who would prove himself to be a leading man capable of carrying a series of his own), all were revelations to me.

Over the years, I have come to expect a certain level of quality from WB, and I have also become accustomed to the network not making that many regrettable programming decisions. Losing Buffy to UPN was one, letting Angel go before its creative team was ready is another. I will miss this world terribly. I think WB will come to miss it as well.

It's yet another body blow in a discouraging season for fans of offbeat TV. How many more reluctant goodbyes will we be forced to make to our favorite series before this year is over?

2.17.04 - TV Guide Online reports that there are still no plans for Sarah Michelle Gellar to guest-star on Angel, despite the WB's announcement Friday that this would be the show's final season.

2.13.04 - Zap2It.com: It's Over in Five for 'Angel' - Early Friday (Feb. 13) an announcement was made to the cast and crew at The WB's "Angel" that this season, the show's fifth, will be its last....

2.6.04 - Don't miss the one-on-one interviews and video clips from the 100th-episode celebration at E!Online.

Charisma Carpenter by Justin Lubin/WB

At the end of last night's Angel, viewers learned big news: Cordelia Chase is dead. That's a dreary development for fans of her portrayer, Charisma Carpenter, who are mourning her big time today. But is she gone forever? Could she rise again, like Spike? Here, TV Guide Online sits down with the 33-year-old actress for a candid conversation about Cordy's farewell and her future plans.

TV Guide Online: What a trip it's been. From spoiled rich girl to psychic friend to evil cradle robber! And by that I mean the Cordy and Connor coupling was wrong!
Carpenter: I was a dirty bird! Ugh. That wasn't Cordelia; she was possessed. [Laughs] I'm in denial about that whole story line. It was creepy. Connor was Angel's son and half my age.

TVGO: Why did Cordy have to die?
Carpenter: I'm not on the show anymore and we didn't want to just leave Cordelia in a coma. [Angel creator] Joss Whedon probably feels like this may be the last year — or not — but this would be a very big story left untold. It was necessary for me to at least come back and set her straight.

TVGO: Could you still come back?
Carpenter: Whatever happens after this, I'm open. But it's just best this story be [resolved] now. Otherwise, it's a disservice to the fans of our show. They pay attention, if you haven't noticed, and they're really rather fanatical about getting the full, complete story. They care about the story lines. The Connor/Cordelia thing was, like, major upheaval. They didn't like it and so they responded!

TVGO: It's great that they care enough to watch and complain.
Carpenter: Yeah, my fans are amazing. I didn't even realize that I had such a big following until I left. Whatever it took to discover that, I'm very lucky.

TVGO: So they'll want you back as Cordy...
Carpenter: I don't think it'll be necessary. You never say never. However, at this point in time, I don't see a future for her. Even if I didn't [have other acting work], I feel like Joss feels — the Cordelia stories have been told. There were no other directions to go with her. I mean, they made her a higher being! First she was bitchy, then she was nice. She's matured, she's evolved, what's left to tell? Not a lot. And that's fine.

TVGO: What are your plans?
Carpenter: Well, I can tell you what my goals are. I have a son now, so I want the half-hour sitcom lifestyle, where you can have a family and work. And then, during summer hiatus, I'd like to do a Kill Bill or Wonder Woman or some movie like that.

TVGO: Wait, you want to do the long-rumored Wonder Woman movie?
Carpenter: I am actively putting it out there that I want to do Lynda Carter. It's my mission to be Wonder Woman! My agent hasn't seen a script, but some studio needs to do it. She's beautiful, she fights, and I like the concept of an empowerment role. I've always been so passive on Angel, where they usually wouldn't let Cordelia do martial arts stunts. Charisma wants to kick ass and bust heads!

David Boreanaz with his wife, Jaime Bergman

This weekend, TV Guide threw a party for WB's Angel to toast the Buffy spin-off's 100th episode. The cast and crew all celebrated at Hollywood's trendy Club Ivar, including four-time cover boy David Boreanaz and his lovely wife, actress Jaime Bergman. Natch, Party Boy was there — risking his neck in a roomful of TV vamps, I might add — to bleed some scoop out of Angel's insiders.

Among the festive guests were Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon and cast mates Alexis Denisof (Wesley), J. August Richards (Gunn), Amy Acker (Fred), Andy Hallett (Lorne) and, of course, James Marsters (Spike). Ever the instigator, I was just dying to know what folks think of Sarah Michelle Gellar canceling her May sweeps Angel guest spot?

We already know Boreanaz was grumpy, but he still wants her back for Angel's series finale (whenever that is). How did the others feel about Gellar's decision? "She seemed very committed to do it," Marsters told Party Boy. "I don't know what changed. I suppose she doesn't owe it to anyone, but it would've been nice. Frankly, the real star of this show and Buffy is Joss Whedon. If she wants to come and play in this wonderful universe, I would love to have her, because she's a marvelous actor. But we're having a lot of fun, anyway. If she doesn't want to come aboard, that's cool, too."

"I'll be surprised if it happens," Denisof said. "People tried to get that talk going when Buffy was finishing, and she was smiling and not saying yes or no, because it was the right thing to do politically. But I think Sarah's moved on. In this town, anything can happen."

Notably absent was Denisof's real-life wife, Alyson Hannigan, who played lesbian witch Willow on Buffy. But we forgive her. Hannigan's in London rehearsing for the West End stage version of When Harry Met Sally — costarring Luke Perry! — which opens later this month. (Word is, she beat out Reese Witherspoon for the role. Buffy's very big across the pond.)

One fun surprise guest was actress Juliet Landau — Spike's sublime bloodsucking ex, Drusilla. When Party Boy spotted her, she was sipping non-sanguinary cocktails with her partner-in-crime, Julie Benz, who plays Darla. Last seen in November sweeps, Dru's been sorely missed. Landau told me she wants to come back, but is unaware of any plans in the works. Still, she's chummy with Whedon — the two shared a nice Hollywood hug later on in the evening — so it's only a matter of time...

Former Angel regular Charisma Carpenter couldn't make the bash — her rep says she was out of town visiting family — but she previewed the 100th episode during my recent visit to the set. "I come out of my coma because The Powers That Be owe me a favor," she teased. "Cordelia needs to set Angel back on his path. Angel is confused and in doubt about what his destiny is, because Spike has returned from another dimension and he is working for redemption and he has a soul, too. It leaves Angel in a lot of self doubt. So I set Angel straight and then I leave. I'm in, I'm out!"

Angel's 100th episode — entitled "You're Welcome" — airs tonight at 9 pm/ET on WB. For even more scoop on the supernatural series, read the Jan. 31 issue of TV Guide magazine. For a preview of tonight's episode, click here. And for more from Carpenter about Cordy's future, come back here and read tomorrow's Insider!

2.3.04 - David Boreanaz and the cast of Angel will celebrate their 100th episode on On Air with Ryan Seacrest on Wednesday, February 4th.

1.21.04 - Zap2It.com: 'Angel' Seeks Redemption with Episode 100 - This past November, in the vast, echoing expanse of the Wolfram & Hart lobby, The WB Network's "Angel" proved that any death knells sounded for it were entirely premature. The Wednesday-night drama with the undead title character is very much alive, and executives from both The WB and studio 20th Century Fox showed up to cut a big cake (dripping with blood-red icing, of course) and sing its praises on the occasion of its 100th episode, airing Feb. 4....

1.20.04 - Zap2It.com: Hannigan and Denisof Find Love in the Whedonverse - All in all, life in Joss Whedon's imaginary universe has been pretty good to Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof, both of whom landed roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Hannigan co-starred as Buffy's best pal, witch Willow Rosenberg. Denisof guest-starred as stuffy British Watcher Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. That on-set meeting sparked a friendship that led to dating and eventually ended up with a wedding....

1.5.04 - From TV Guide Online: Angel's James Marsters Rocks On

After Buffy the Vampire Slayer bit the dust, creator Joss Whedon hired James Marsters to join Buffy's spin-off, Angel. How does he like playing Spike, the semi-reformed British bloodsucker, on a whole other series?

"I'm really pleased they have a TV show to put me on, baby!" Marsters tells TV Guide Online. "I like acting. I'm so happy I don't have to go look for projects like all my friends from Buffy do. I'm sure they'll find them, but I've got my plate full right here and I love it."

When he's not on Angel's set, the actor performs with his band, Ghost of the Robot. His appearance on stage — leather jacket and slicked-back platinum hair — isn't much different from Spike's look. Does his easy recognition as a TV star help Marsters lure rock and roll aficionados to concerts?

"We were afraid of a double-edged sword, which is that people will come listen to you, but no one will take you seriously if you're a celebrity band," he says with a smirk. "But we've toured all over the U.S. and Europe, and everywhere we go, people say, 'Right on, dudes! Your music actually is good!'"

Life as an almost rock star isn't all a joyride. It takes work. "I'm the lead singer," Marsters says. "I write about 40 percent of the material. In the beginning, I played rhythm guitar, too, but to play and front a band is hard. Because the frontman has to connect with an audience. You have to give them permission to release and exalt, even though they're standing in the middle of a crowd of sweaty strangers.

"I also have new respect for bands who sound good live on tour," he says with a grin. "I didn't realize that, singing for rock, you have to sing loud. My singing has improved enormously because it's a physical effort. I've got to stand a certain way, spread my ribs and really let it out!"

Ghost of the Robot are currently at work on their second album. More info is available on the band's Web site.

12.31.03 - From Zap2It.com: 'Angel's' Sarah Thompson Just Wants to Sing - Although he did a musical episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," writer/producer Joss Whedon has shown no interest in doing the same on its spin-off, The WB's "Angel," which stars David Boreanaz as a vampire with a soul seeking redemption by doing good. One cast member that wishes Whedon would reconsider is Sarah Thompson, who joined "Angel" this season in the recurring role of Eve, a young woman with mysterious links to dark forces....

12.24.03 - From Zap2It.com: Gellar Reportedly Nixes 'Angel' Visit - It used to be that when the forces of evil needed staking, you could count on Buffy the Vampire Slayer to save the day, but it's possible that she's not that reliable when it comes to supporting her former friends. Despite some speculation that she might drop by The WB's "Angel" this spring, Sarah Michelle Gellar may have already completed her run as Buffy. "I don't know that we'll see her on the show," Whedon tells Sci Fi Wire at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention. "I don't know that she'll ever pick up a stake again. I don't know. But that's really something you'd have to ask her...."

12.18.03 - TV Guide Online: Ange to Buffy: Come Back!

As reported in the current issue of TV Guide magazine, Sarah Michelle Gellar will not be back as Buffy this season, after all. The former star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was in talks to do a two-episode arc on Buffy spinoff Angel. However, says Joss Whedon, creator of both supernatural series: "She feels it's not the right time." Asked about Gellar's decision to bail, Angel vamp David Boreanaz bares his fangs...

"I honestly don't know what happened," he grumpily tells TV Guide Online. "Why don't you ask her about it? I'm sure she'll come up with a good answer."

After simmering down &$151; good thing his face doesn't contort monstrously, like it does on TV! — the actor looks to the future. Should Angel's fifth season turn out to be its last, Boreanaz hopes Gellar will at least do the final episode, if only to help him bite the dust in style. "If Sarah wants to come back for a final farewell — like I did for her on her series finale — that would be fantastic," he says. "Now, that's something for her to decide. That would be great, to have her. I think it would be great for the fans to see that.

"I think it's a responsibility to do those [farewell] shows and give the appreciation for the fans that are watching this," Boreanaz adds. "Those are the people that tune in and have made us who were are today. It's not like you do 50 or 100 episodes of a show and say, 'Screw you.' You have a responsibility to your fans, and that's important. You give as much as you can responsibly, as long as you're having fun with it."

Are you listening, Ms. Gellar? Buffy's fans are staking their hopes on it.

12.15.03 - Read Kristin at E!Online's account of visiting the set of Angel.

12.15.03 - From TV Guide Online: Sarah Michelle Gellar won't be back as Buffy this season after all. The erstwhile Slayer -- who was in talks to do a two-episode arc on Buffy spinoff Angel during May sweeps -- has opted against picking up stakes again. Says Joss Whedon, creator of both series: "She feels it's not the right time." Gellar's rep declined to comment. In related news, the Scooby-Doo thesp has signed on to star in the horror film The Grudge, an English-language remake of the Japanese thriller Ju-On.

12.9.03 - From TV Guide Online: Will Angel Unite This Duo?

Fans of Angel are wondering if Wesley and Fred will ever couple up. The British bookworm and the mousy lab rat — as played by Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker — definitely have a geek love thang goin' on, don't they? It's not all about the vampires on this show, after all. But like everything on this Buffy spin-off, it's, well, complicated.

Wesley's always had a thing for Fred, but she keeps breaking his heart by being interested in other people," Denisof tells TV Guide Online. "So who knows where that will go."

"I'm bound to hook up with one of these guys that I've been flirting with soon," Acker teases, speaking in character. "I've been flirting with Spike a little. I have a lab assistant guy named Knox that I hook up with now and then. You haven't seen anything, but we always go off and get beers together, so..."

But what about Wes? "Wesley thinks that something's happening with him," Acker giggles. "I'm still leading Wesley on a little bit. I'm trying to keep my options open. I think that whole thing when he messed around with Lilah hurt Fred's feelings. I felt betrayed by that because he went off and had sex with this bad girl and made her dress up like me. That was weird!"

Yet TV teaches us there's always hope for star-crossed lovers. "I think that I'll end up with Wesley," Acker says. "It's destined. They've kept this going on for three and a half years now, so it seems like there's got to be a payoff there, right? Then again, [Angel creator] Joss Whedon likes to make people suffer, so there's a good chance it'll never happen! But if I had my way, I'd like to do lots of scenes with Alexis Denisof, because he's so fun to work with."

12.8.03 - From TV Guide Online: Last month on Angel, Eve freaked us out by crawling into bed with none other than Lindsey McDonald! The evil Wolfram & Hart lawyer was MIA until the "Destiny" episode, which revealed him as her secret lover. Who knew Christian Kane, who plays Lindsey, was so tattooed and muscular? "I've been off the show for two and a half years, man," he tells TV Guide Online. "I had some time to hit the gym."

By the way, although Kane does have tattoos of his own, the tats we've seen onscreen are fake. According to a setside source, they represent a code which Angel's gang will decipher in the show's 100th episode, "You're Welcome," airing Feb. 4. Damn! Can't we get a hint of their mysterious meaning before then? C'mon, Christian, hook us up...

"I know what the tats mean," Kane admits. "I just can't tell you! 'Cause then, I'd have to kill you. And if I did tell, then [Angel creator] Joss Whedon would probably kill me. It will all be revealed in that big episode."

Well, besides buffing up, what's Kane been up to during his time away from Angel? "I've done six movies," he proudly points out. These include Secondhand Lions, Angelina Jolie's Life Or Something Like It and Just Married with Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy. He's currently filming Taxi, a comedy co-starring Queen Latifah.

And as if all that's not enough to keep him busy, the 29-year-old actor's band, Kane, has just signed a record deal with EMI Nashville. They're currently recording their second album, but the first one — also entitled Kane — still is available through their website. "We're a little country rock," he grins. "It's like Lynyrd Skynyrd meets the Allman Brothers meets George Strait."

12.5.03 - Zap2It.com: Boreanaz Goes Behind Camera on 'Angel' - "Angel" star David Boreanaz will pull double duty on a January episode of the series. In addition to his usual leading role as the vampire-with-a-soul title character, Boreanaz also makes his directorial debut with the episode, titled "Soul Purpose." "It was a really fantastic journey for me," Boreanaz tells Zap2it.com about stepping behind the camera. "I had a great time...."

12.1.03 - MSN Entertainment: 'Angel' Re-Vamped - Like many survivors of near-death experiences, the supernatural TV thriller "Angel" has started a new life....

11.18.03 - Zap2It.com: Landau Is 'Angel's' Queen of Flashbacks - In "Destiny," the Wednesday, Nov. 19, episode of The WB's "Angel," the love story of Spike and Drusilla (James Marsters, Juliet Landau) continues ... more or less....

11.11.03 - Kristin at E!Online assures us that Angel has already been renewed for a sixth season.

10.22.03 - Zap2It.com: Merdeces McNab Brings Harmony to 'Angel' - Bringing the opposite of everything her name implies, Harmony (Mercedes McNab), the Valley-girl vamp from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," has found a new home on The WB's "Angel," airing Wednesdays. She's just "a single, undead gal trying to make it in the big city," says McNab, who previously guest-starred as Harmony in a second-season episode of "Angel," currently in its fifth year....

10.21.03 - Zap2It.com: The 'Wicked Prayer' of 'Angel's' Boreanaz - Fans who've tuned in to the fifth season of The WB's Wednesday-night drama "Angel" may have noticed a new look for star David Boreanaz, who plays the title character, a do-gooding vampire with a soul. After many years with a short, spiky, gelled 'do, Angel now sports a smooth, combed-back style. "Just a little slicker look for him," Boreanaz says....

10.21.03 - Zap2It.com: Spike TV: Marsters Routs Boreanaz to Win Showdown of the Network Stars - Spike may be fading in and out of Wolfram & Hart on "Angel," but he's front and center in the minds of Zap2it readers. James Marsters, who plays the not-all-physically-there vampire on The WB series, easily won Zap2it's third annual Showdown of the Network Stars over his "Angel" co-star, David Boreanaz. He joins past winners Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files," 2001) and Jennifer Garner ("Alias," 2002) as the person anointed the top star in the TV universe....

10.16.03 - Zap2It.com: Whedon Wants Cordy Back on 'Angel' - "Angel" creator Joss Whedon says he'd like to bring Charisma Carpenter back to the show sometime this season, even if it's just to achieve an end to her character's story. Carpenter left the show at the end of last season, with her character, Cordelia Chase, lying in a coma after giving birth to an evil being that nearly took over the world. Cordy has remained off-screen and has barely been mentioned in the opening episodes of this season....

10.13.03 - Zap2It.com: Vampires Suck the Blood out of Showdown's Final Four - Then there were two. While "Alias'" Jennifer Garner and "Tru Calling's" Eliza Dushku fought the brave fight, they just weren't women enough to resist the fatal charms of "Angel's" resident vampires. David Boreanaz and James Marsters will face-off in the final round of Zap2it's Showdown of the Network Stars, proving once and for all (or at least on this site), who exactly is the baddest member of the undead on the block....

Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof by Joe Buissink/WireImage.com

10.11.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Angel' Unleashes a Werewolf - On Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 9 p.m. ET, in an episode called "Unleashed," The WB's "Angel" pits its titular character, a vampire with a soul, played by David Boreanaz, against a classic movie monster -- the werewolf....

10.9.03 - From TV Guide Online: The WB has given the green light to a full season of Angel, which has performed well on Wednesdays. According to Variety, the Frog network had an option to cut back to 13 episodes if the show tanked. In related news, ex-Buffy the Vampire Slayer scribe Doug Petrie is developing a contemporary take on Lost in Space for the WB.

10.7.03 - Matt Roush reviews Angel from TV Guide Online: New Digs, Same Bite - With Spike Aboard, Angel is Twice the Fun

A do-gooding vampire who now runs a sinister law firm? Weird, yes. But as Angel's bloodsucker of an office assistant says of the benefits, "Who needs dental more than us?"

Buffy the Vampire Slayer may be cult-TV history, but its spin-off, Angel (WB, Wednesdays, 9 pm/ET), wonderfully preserves creator Joss Whedon's cheeky-spooky tradition of mayhem. Adding allure this season is the posh new setting, as Angel and his posse settle uneasily into the offices they've inherited from Wolfram & Hart, "the law firm that represents most of the evil in the world."

Angel's crusaders, accustomed to fighting demons in the back alleys of Los Angeles, wonder if they can still do good from within the corridors of corruption. Complicating matters is the arrival of Buffy's reformed fiend Spike, who, like Angel, is a vampire with a soul.

Violently resurrected from his fiery sacrifice in Buffy's grand finale, Spike is trapped in a mysterious limbo. Even by the end of the second episode, no one knows whether he can be trusted or should be feared.<