Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Season 6) DVD Review

The brainchild of writer Joss Whedon, Buffy The Vampire Slayer originally entered American pop culture as a full-length feature film, starring Kristy Swanson, in 1992. But creator Whedon felt that the project never quite did justice to the full scope of his vision, so he managed turn the film into a television series in 1997. The result of Whedon's increased artistic freedom is a series that has enjoyed both critical acclaim and audience notoriety. Nominated for 14 Emmy's during its seven year run, the show managed to win only two (both in 1998 for Outstanding Makeup and Outstanding Music Composition in a television series). Yet, the true success for Buffy The Vampire Slayer is indicated by the massive success of the show's long run, strong DVD sales, and the overwhelming success of the series spin-off Angel

Sarah Michelle Gellar plays the title role of Buffy Anne Summers, a teenage girl who stands alone among her generation as the chosen one able to stand against va mpires, demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer But Buffy is not alone in fulfilling her destiny as a slayer of vampires. She also receives help from the high school librarian, Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), who is a Watcher - the one chosen to train and guide slayers on their developmental path. In addition, new friends Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan - of American Pie fame) and Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) quickly uncover the truth of Buffy's destiny, and they often aid her in defending the world against evil forces

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 6) DVD offers a number of exciting episodes including the season premiere Bargaining: Part 1 in which the Slayerettes continue to chase after vampires in the aftermath of Buffy's death. Despite Willow's attempts to cover up the Slayer's death, a vampire discovers the truth and tells his friends. While Giles prepares to move away, Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya perform a spell with the hope of resurrecting Buffy, but when vampires arrive, they must flee before learning if the spell worked or not Other notable episodes from Season 6 include After Life in which Buffy, now resurrected by the spell, finds herself craving the peace and solitude of the after life, and Wrecked in which a spaced out Willow crashes her car while driving via the use of magic instead of her hands

Below is a list of episodes included on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 6) DVD:

Episode 101 (Bargaining: Part 1) Air Date: 10-02-2001
Episode 102 (Bargaining: Part 2) Air Date: 10-02-2001
Episode 103 (After Life) Air Date: 10-09-2001
Episode 104 (Flooded) Air Date: 10-16-2001
Episode 105 (Life Serial) Air Date: 10-23-2001
Episode 106 (All the Way) Air Date: 10-30-2001
Episode 107 (Once More, With Feeling) Air Date: 11-06-2001
Episode 108 (Tabula Rasa) Air Date: 11-13-2001
Episode 109 (Smashed) Air Date: 11-20-2001
Episode 110 (Wrecked) Air Date: 1 1-27-2001
Episode 111 (Gone) Air Date: 01-08-2002
Episode 112 (Doublemeat Palace) Air Date: 01-29-2002
Episode 113 (Dead Things) Air Date: 02-05-2002
Episode 114 (Older and Far Away) Air Date: 02-12-2002
Episode 115 (As You Were) Air Date: 02-26-2002
Episode 116 (Hell's Bells) Air Date: 03-05-2002
Episode 117 (Normal Again) Air Date: 03-12-2002
Episode 118 (Entropy) Air Date: 04-30-2002
Episode 119 (Seeing Red) Air Date: 05-07-2002
Episode 120 (Villains) Air Date: 05-14-2002
Episode 121 (Two to Go) Air Date: 05-21-2002
Episode 122 (Grave) Air Date: 05-21-2002

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Season 6) DVD.

Author:: Britt Gillette
Keywords:: buffy the vampire slayer season 6 dvd review
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Friends (Season 10) DVD Review

Along with Seinfeld and Frasier, Friends dominated the must-see TV of the 1990's. Winner of innumerable television awards, the show features the lives of six friends in their late-twenties/early-thirties living in New York City - Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry). The six friends spend the majority of their time in a coffee house named Central Perk or in either Monica's apartment or Joey and Chandler's apartment.

The Friends (Season 10) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere The One After Joey and Rachel Kiss in which Joey and Rachel & Ross and Charlie decide to wait until Ross and Joey talk to each other before moving forward with their respective relationships. Joey is reluctant to bring up the subject, and Ross walks in on Joey and Rachel kissing. Meanwhile, Phoebe discovers th at Mike has a girlfriend and Monica gets cornrows Other notable episodes from Season 10 include The One With Ross's Tan in which Joey and Rachel decide to be just friends once again and Ross gets a spray-on tan, and The One Where Joey Speaks French in which Monica and Ross's father suffers a heart attack and Phoebe teaches Joey how to speak French for an audition

Below is a list of episodes included on the Friends (Season 10) DVD:

Episode 219 (The One After Joey and Rachel Kiss) Air Date: 09-25-2003
Episode 220 (The One Where Ross is Fine) Air Date: 10-02-2003
Episode 221 (The One with Ross's Tan) Air Date: 10-09-2003
Episode 222 (The One with the Cake) Air Date: 10-23-2003
Episode 223 (The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits) Air Date: 10-30-2003
Episode 224 (The One with Ross's Grant) Air Date: 11-06-2003
Episode 225 (The One with the Home Study) Air Date: 11-13-2003
Episode 226 (The One with the Late Thanksgiving) Air Date: 11-20-200 3
Episode 227 (The One with the Birth Mother) Air Date: 01-08-2004
Episode 228 (The One Where Chandler Gets Caught) Air Date: 01-15-2004
Episode 229 (The One Where the Stripper Cries) Air Date: 02-05-2004
Episode 230 (The One with Phoebe's Wedding) Air Date: 02-12-2004
Episode 231 (The One Where Joey Speaks French) Air Date: 02-19-2004
Episode 232 (The One with Princess Consuela) Air Date: 02-26-2004
Episode 233 (The One Where Estelle Dies) Air Date: 04-22-2004
Episode 234 (The One with Rachel's Going Away Party) Air Date: 04-29-2004
Episode 235 (The One with All the Other Ones: Part 1) Air Date: 05-06-2004
Episode 236 (The One with All the Other Ones: Part 2) Air Date: 05-06-2004
Episode 237 (The Last One: Part 1) Air Date: 05-06-2004
Episode 238 (The Last One: Part 2) Air Date: 05-06-2004

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Friend s (Season 10) DVD.

Author:: Britt Gillette
Keywords:: friends season 10 dvd review
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Free Movie Trailer Downloads

The Internet has revolutionized the entire concept of entertainment. Watching a Movie no longer requires planning a schedule for taking time out to watch Movie at the theatre, or the bother of renting out a DVD to watch Movies at home. Though, there are people who would still watch Movies in the theater or go in for a Movie rental, but the advances of technology has made it possible to watch Movies on your computer, free of cost and that too at a click of the mouse.

Added to the above is the fact that instead of downloading the entire Movies, you can download just the trailers for free. A trailer not only gives you a sneak preview of the Movie, but also lets you decide whether the Movie is worth downloading or if the better option would be to watch it in a theatre or rent a DVD. Also, you can download these trailers, copy them on a CD, and give them to your friends, who too can go through them and decide which Movie to watch.

Watching Movies or their trailers on the computer requires some basic hardware and software. First of all, you need to have a stable cable connection, whi ch can be a dial up connection using a 64 Kb phone modem or a DSL broadband 256 Kb connection which can start playing the Movie almost instantly. Once you have the connection, you need the QuickTime Movie player. The QuickTime media player is usually installed in any computer system. Otherwise you can easily download it for free from the internet. This software is a multipurpose multi media platform that enables you to watch the video and listen to the audio content of the Movie. This free download software supports varied platforms such as Mac OS X Tiger and Panther, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. This software has many advantages. It doesnt require any connection time and if you happen to lose the connection while watching a Movie, you dont have to reconnect it manually; it reconnects automatically. Also, it has the ability to determine your systems connection speed and then choose the highest quality stream that best fits the available bandwidth.

The software also makes your Movie watching experience all the more worthwhile, because unlike in a theatre, you can adjust the audio controls as per your liking. Us ing the audio controls, you can increase or decrease the volume or change the sound to bass, or treble response, as you like. You can browse to a particular scene or even change the size of the player window.

Free Movie Downloads provides detailed information about free Movie downloads, free DVD Movie downloads, free Movie software downloads, free Movie trailer downloads and more. Free Movie Downloads is the sister site of DVD Rentals Info.

Author:: Kristy Annely
Keywords:: free Movie downloads, free DVD Movie downloads, free Movie software downloads, free Movie trailer do
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Sex And The City (Season 6) DVD Review

Based on the bestselling novel by Candace Bushnell, the HBO original series Sex And The City took the television world by storm following its release in the summer of 1998. Following the exploits of four young and educated female friends living and working in New York City, the show revolves around the various relationships and life problems experienced by each member of the group. Sporting an experienced and talented cast, the show has developed a strong, borderline fanatic following

Sarah Jessica Parker (the de facto lead character of the show) stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a popular sex columnist for a local newspaper who travels in numerous Manhattan social circles. Carrie is engaged in a tempestuous on-again, off-again relationship with a mystery man always referred to as Mr. Big. The young urban professional shares her life with three best friends who have similarly interesting jobs - Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), a lawyer tired of being single given the societal ramifications; Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), a promiscuous publicist who enjoys non-exclusive relationships; and Charlotte McDougal (Kristin Davis), an art museum curator who is relatively less open about her sexuality Together, the women seek each other's advice on the ever-present and varying predicaments in which they find their romantic relationships

The Sex And The City (Season 6) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere To Market, To Market in which Carrie is of the opinion that her personal stock has skyrocketed due to her recent date with Jack Berger, and Samantha is brought to ecstasy by a stockbroker neighbor. Meanwhile, Miranda and Charlotte experience frustrations in their respective relationships Other notable episodes from Season 6 include The Perfect Present in which Carrie discovers Berger's ex-file, and One in which Carrie begins dating internationally renowned artist, Alexander Petrovsky

Below is a list of episo des included on the Sex And The City (Season 6) DVDs:

Season 6, Part 1

Episode 75 (To Market, To Market) Air Date: 06-22-2003
Episode 76 (Great Sexpectations) Air Date: 06-29-2003
Episode 77 (The Perfect Present) Air Date: 07-06-2003
Episode 78 (Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little) Air Date: 07-13-2003
Episode 79 (Lights, Camera, Relationship) Air Date: 07-20-2003
Episode 80 (Hop, Skip, and a Week) Air Date: 07-27-2003
Episode 81 (The Post-It Always Sticks Twice) Air Date: 08-03-2003
Episode 82 (The Catch) Air Date: 08-10-2003
Episode 83 (A Woman's Right to Shoes) Air Date: 08-17-2003
Episode 84 (Boy, Interrupted) Air Date: 08-24-2003
Episode 85 (The Domino Effect) Air Date: 09-07-2003
Episode 86 (One) Air Date: 09-14-2003

Season 6, Part 2

Episode 87 (Let There Be Light) Air Date: 01-04-2004
Episode 88 (The Ick Factor) Air Date: 01-11-2004
Episode 89 (Catch-38) Air Date: 01-18-2004
Episode 90 (Out o f the Frying Pan) Air Date: 01-25-2004
Episode 91 (The Cold War) Air Date: 02-01-2004
Episode 92 (Splat!) Air Date: 02-08-2004
Episode 93 (An American Girl in Paris: Part 1) Air Date: 02-15-2004
Episode 94 (An American Girl in Paris: Part 2) Air Date: 02-22-2004

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Sex And The City (Season 6) DVD.

Author:: Britt Gillette
Keywords:: sex and the city season 6 dvd review
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How Real is Reality TV?

In today's world, reality TV shows are popping up everywhere. Over 70 reality shows have been produced to date according to a popular website. The popularity of these shows and their high ratings have attracted many people's attention and just about every TV network in America now airs some kind of reality show.

A reality TV show has real world people instead of paid actors and actresses. These shows are supposed to portray real life situations and events that affect people's lives. However, participants of reality TV shows are sometimes willing to go outside of their boundaries and do things that they would not necessarily do in their normal lives, without the cameras following their every move.

Some reality TV participants eat really disgusting, horrible strange things and perform potentially life threatening stunts in pursuit of monetary gain. Other participants are put in a house and expected to live in harmony with total strangers. These participants are usually under a lot of pressure when their characters clash.

Thousands upon thousands of Americans are watching reality TV shows every day. For some people, these shows help them realize that their lives are not all that bad after all. It helps them see that they are not the only ones with problems and dysfunctional lives and families.

Reality TV shows have affected society in many different ways. Some audiences get hooked on these shows because they help them escape their own real lives. The shows vary in theme and material and every show is designed to attract the biggest possible audience. The bigger the audience, the more money the shows make.

Some Reality TV may not be quite as real as we may like to think. Take the case of the hated apprentice contender Omarosa for example. According to a Time magazine article, she may have been the victim of reality TV editors. Some reality TV shows are edited to be dramatic and some quotes may actually be manufactured. Clashes and ugly feuds between the reality stars may be constructed and some parts of the shows may also be completely edited and cut out so they don't make the final show that people see on TV. Some critics actually charge that reality TV is not so real and that these shows may be far more manipulative than we think.

According to a poll by CNN, 57% of 1016 adults believe that Reality TV shows provide a distorted picture of events while another 23% say the shows are totally phoney. The amount of pressure for TV ratings pushes people to make the show more interesting.

When all is said and done, some people on the reality shows say that they were unfairly represented and the reality taken out of the show therefore making the show pure entertainment. However, participants of these shows are given warnings and they have to sign extensive and detailed legal waivers that protect the network from any liability if someone gets hurt on the show.

< p>The increase in demand for these reality TV shows is inevitable and the participants will be pushed to their limits for the bottom line. This happens to be ratings and entertainment.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Reality TV.

Author:: Michael Russell
Keywords:: reality TV
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Black Rider (The Casting of the Magic Bullets) Movie Review

What are the deals we all make with the devil and what will they cost us? It sounds strange to ask this question out loud but give it some thought. Examine the pathways and routines of your daily life. What are the bargains we strike, never thinking about when the bill will come? For some it's the bottle. We drink and then construct huge fortresses of reasons why. We gamble and then rearrange the rest of our lives to meet our debuts. Some deals are emotional. A man beats his wife and in the aftermath they whisper lovingly how this will be the last time. A deal with the devil doesn't necessarily involve a horned man with goatee, tail and a pitchfork. The devil, or evil, is implicit in every dark choice we make. At the heart of all of these dealings is a sense of borrowed time. There's no possible sustainability to these scenarios. As William S. Burroughs has made clear in his writings on addiction, there exists a, Geometry of Need. The more one does of whatever the substanc e, emotion or action, the more one needs to do. This exponential relationship has no happy ending. The costs are eventually extracted and won't be denied. These musings form the underlying center of the Robert Wilson, Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs musical, The Black Rider.

The Black Rider is not for the feint of heart. It is, simply put, a scouring. You leave the theatre almost at a loss for words to address the spectacle you've just witnessed. Elements of Kabuki, Balinese theatre, carnival sideshows and German Expressionism swirl, grimace and float into a singular vision of choices and consequences. The story follows the misfortunes of Wilhelm as he seeks to marry Kathchen, the daughter of a forest dwelling hunter. His occupation as a clerk is deemed unworthy and he sets about winning the approval of Kathchen's father by proving himself with a gun. After a miserable failure, he tries again. This time he meets Pegleg (the devil) and strikes a bargain that unfolds for the rest of the play.

Musically, we are treated to a fine sampling of some of Tom Waits' familiar territory. It's a seductive mix of decadent German Jazz and old world balladry. The band (The Magic Bullets) playing at the Ahmanson Theatre was amazing. Their skill and timing worked so well as to make the music become an unseen character, one integral to the on-stage action. Visually the play is both delightful and hypnotic. A good comparison are the sets and scenery used in such classic expressionist cinema as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu. At times it felt as though those films had come to life and were now playing themselves out in full color on the stage. Color and lighting are also key elements in telling the tale. Simple backdrops and small spotlights shift between vivid reds, blues and greens highlighting and commenting on the various scenes. The actor's makeup and costumes go back once again to German Expressionism for inspiration. The actor's fro zen and contorted expressions combined with whole body gestures bring to mind both Kabuki and Balinese theatre. As in both of those styles of performance, actors freeze into poses serving as signifiers of an archetype or mental state. The actor's moves are accented by wonderful clanking percussion and sound effects. The colors, costumes, sounds and staging all combine to great effect. It was an honor to sit for a couple of hours and witness this play.

One of the many functions of art is to pose questions. Some art also provides answers or examples. The Black Rider poses many questions; what will be the cost of this choice? How can we live with the outcomes of our actions? Why do we often choose the easy way out? The play asks many questions and while providing an example of one outcome, leaves us to find our own answers. The devil turns out to be sympathetic, even likable. The hero shows his true cowardly nature. It turns out that the black and white certainties of lif e are overshadowed by the grey area and the ambiguous.

Once again, 'The Black Rider is not for the feint of heart. At the performance I witnessed a handful of the sold-out crowd got up and left. I caught a few of their bewildered and disapproving scowls as they walked down the aisles towards the exits. I suppose that when confronted with the macabre and Grand Guignol tableau playing itself out in front of them, they recoiled. This play strikes awfully close to home. While it might not be for the feint of heart I would put forth that no meaningful art is.

Blog San Diego is an online resource for live music reviews, cd reviews, music news & features.

Author:: Kiva Boyd
Keywords:: black rider,robert wilson,tom waits,william burroughs,Movie review
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ABC's Lost versus Fox's American Idol

What's good on TV these days? Gone are the golden days of half-hour gameshows and soap operas, with the exception of maybe Hollywood Squares and General Hospital. So what's new in the menu? Come the new millenium, the world is slapped with some programs never before seen on Television. Here, I would like to compare two of Television's recent prized possessions.

Lost If given only one word to describe this incomparable piece of fiction, it would be 'unique'. You won't be able to find a similar show anytime soon; it's genre ranges from mystery to suspense and maybe even thriller. Taking place in a faraway jungle-island, Lost is a depiction of several very different characters together, or sometimes separately, facing the dangers the island has to offer. How could one fabricate an intricate, believable story with this setting? The creators of Alias managed to pull it off with impressive results.

Adding to its uniqueness is that every episode focuses on one charac ter, a portion of his/her past (with cleverly placed flashbacks), and how each of them overcomes the difficulties in their hearts. While the plane crash survivors deal with conflicts within themselves, the secrets of the island slowly unfolds. None of them could imagine what lies beyond the sandy beaches and the green jungles. There is even a hint that all of them might be there because of destiny. (I would not call these spoilers, there is so much more to the story)

The first season has earned itself an astounding array of awards, much deserved undoubtedly. If shows like The O.C and Smallville are breaths of fresh air, Lost would be an oxygen tank. Even through half of season 2, the end doesn't look anywhere close. So much of open space for story-telling, a whole island, in fact. Five full stars, hands down.

America currently awaits episode 15 of Season 2 while Malaysia anticipates its third episode on AXN-Asia.

American Idol An ocean-consuming success th at has gained world-wide following even up the fifth season; this is American Idol. Reality TV has no prouder offsprings. This twice-a-week (now thrice) show attracts at least two kinds of people: the aspiring stars and their fans. Every year, thousands of hopefuls went the extra mile to take that one shot at stardom, or to simply make fools of themselves (intentionally or not).

The first section of American Idol sees the process of finding the needle in the haystack to pick the best of rest by three contrasting (though not necessarily contradicting) judges. This is one thing never before conceived, never before televised method of making stars out of singers. The filtering process gives a chance for the people at home to start liking some of the lads and lasses they see on the tube. Once the jaded shows begin, fans can vote for their favourite performers to keep them in the competition week after week. A system like this gives the audience a chance to determine the ou tcome of the show, making this Television show a two-way transaction. Hence the mass appeal.

Everything about this show is absolutely, or relatively new in the face of the world. Singing competitions often don't get televised, viewers only get to sit and watch before this, and they don't have to adore fictional characters anymore. It's the real thing: the winner proves him/herself to be the most likable (nobody said it's a talent show, it's all about America's chosen one). All in good effort to produce albums that people would rush to the stores to buy; a profitable collaboration of Television, record companies, and the phone company.

Comparing these two very different Television shows may not be give you a new outlook on them. But my conclusion is that the realm of TV has expanded its borders tremendously over the past decade. Entertainment through the same medium cannot be generalized anymore; it's a whole new world with different continents.

A communicat ions student at HELP University College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A Chinese urbanite making sense of the world and noting observations. Just a amateur blogger aiming for the sky. http://www.wongkeenhing.com

Author:: Justin Wong
Keywords:: Television,Tv,american idol,Lost,Fox,Abc
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