2 Weeks 'til Slayage.

Well, an updated schedule draft has been posted over at Slayage Online, so I'm going to try to schedule out what, exactly, I'll be up to in two week when SC4 begins in St. Augustine.

I expect to find Friday's keynote by Janet K. Halfyard ("Listening
 to
 Buffy:
 Music,
 Memory,
 Meaning,
 and
 Moping") very interesting since music, specifically score, is an area of interest of mine.  In my very own "Where Are They Now?" aside, Robert Duncan (of Buffy Season 7 fame) can be heard on Castle and Lie to Me.  Prior to this television season, he could be heard on Tru Calling and The Unit.  Christophe Beck (of pretty-much-the-rest-of-Buffy-that-isn't-Thomas-Wanker fame)¹ has been busy lately in the B-comedy circuit, having composed the scores for Hot Tub Time Machine², Date Night, and Death at a Funeral³.  Before this year's crop of comedies, he worked on the likes of The Hangover, I Love You, Beth Cooper, and Saved!⁴

That was a digression.

For the Friday morning session, I'll likely make my way to Dollhouse I to hear about "Identity and Becoming," "A Radical Feminist Reading of Dollhouse," and "The Apocalyptic Bordello."  You had me at Apocalyptic Bordello.  The other two sessions look fantastic too, but Dollhouse is too new to pass up.  In the early afternoon, I'll go to Buffy the Vampire Slayer I.  Who am I to pass on a classic?  I want to hear about "Buffy As Role Model," "Buffy As General," and "Comparing Musical Languages Between the First and Final 150 seconds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer."  This was a tough decision because I'm also very much interested in the Characters I session that's running concurrently to this one. For obviously reasons, I'm sure David will be in the Teaching and Learning in the Whedonverses session.

Late Friday afternoon presents another dilemma for me.  Angel vs. Dollhouse II.  I'm leaning towards Angel on this one because a part of the panel is devoted to my girl Lilah: "His Girl Doomsday."  "Objectification and Power in Season 5" and "...Joss Whedon Directs Angel" also look fun, but it's the Lilah piece that edges this session out over the offering of "The Fairy Tale Delusion of Paul Ballard."  Friday evening will bring me to Memory in Dollhouse, bringing my day full circle and back to our newest bit of Whedon.

I have no choice, really, for my Saturday morning session.  David will be a part of the Narrative panel, presenting "From Beneath You It Foreshadows."  Were this not the case, I'd totally be all over Characters II for the "Cordelia Chase, Finding the Tact in the Tactless Approach" presentation.  Now... what's missing in this agenda?  Firefly.  "Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Death: Exploring the Reasons and Purpose in Wash's Demise" may help me finally find some closure with that issue.  It's necessary.

Unfortunately, the late Saturday ...Other 'Verses III panel is an automatic elimination for me due to my little-to-no-tolerance for anything Twilight-related.⁵ That will find me, happily, in The Laws and "Mind" of Joss Whedon.  Doesn't that sound fascinating all on its own?  The presentations include "The Watchers Council as Lawmakers and Judges," "Exploring Neurological Tampering in Firefly and Dollhouse," and "Joss Whedon's Technology of the Minds."  That sounds amazing!

And now, the end.  Sunday.  There is so much going on in the Sunday panels that looks awesome.  We have "Jane Espenson's Parallel Universes" going up against "Sociopath in a Sweater Vest" going up against "Problematizing the Roles of Black Men in the Whedonverses."  This may be my only unresolved conflict of the conference.  One moment I'm leaning towards the session with the Jane Espenson presentation, and the next I want to know more about what clothing tells us about the Dollhouse.  The next  conflict comes with the afternoon sessions: Do I remain a loyal sidekick and watch the Teaching Buffy panel to support David?  Or do I sneak out and attend Religion and Philosophy?  I don't teach, but I am interested in "Gender and Christian Iconology in Spike and Angel's Visualization."

Clearly, Sunday is still up in the air.



¹: Yes, this is a broad generalization. Yes, I know that BtVS had seven main composers. Yes, I know Thomas Wanker is also Thomas Wander and he scored 2012, 10,000 B.C., and The Day After Tomorrow. Walter Murphy has gone on to work on various Seth MacFarlane shows.

²: Watching the credits of this movie resulted in a very loud "DUDE! Christophe BECK!" in the theatre. Sorry!

³: ...Which is a remake of a film of the same name starring Alan Tudyk.

⁴: And during BtVS's run -- Bring It On. I have no problem admitting that I actually love this movie.

⁵: I try not to judge, but... *shudder*