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*** CoA Awards ***
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 BLAST FROM THE PAST AWARD:
Robia LaMorte:
Who says the dead can't come back to rial? It was a great surprise to see Robia and reminisce about the good ol' days.
 STILL THE NICEST GUY:
Alexis Denisof:
He got our vote last year and he's a repeat 'cause the man is down-to-earth and treats his fans first class all the way.
 BEST SURPRISE OF THE NIGHT:
Common Rotation's Performance:
These guys are great and watching them jump up and down as they sang and played was a great treat! Their CD is definitely worth the mullah.
 MOST SHY:
Tom Lenk:
He never denied any fan an autograph but this boy was so shy - until you got him on stage!
 CUTEST COUPLE:
Alexis & Alyson:
Not only did they dance on stage to Andy Hallett's Lady Marmalade, but when they walked in you knew there was lots of love between them, which made all the difference.
 BEST DRESSED:
J. August Richards:
This man was stylin' in a blue coat with a white dress shirt and a great smile! And he was kickin' it with all the ladies.
 UN-DEAD VIP:
Amelinda Embry:
This was certainly the night to find your favorites popping out of the shadows and it never matters if they've died! Amelinda (aka Warren's girlfriend, Katrina) surprised fans by becoming the third previously dead victim of Buffy to arrive and mingle with the rest of the crowd. We all know, with Joss anything can happen!
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The Troika, Adam Busch, Danny Strong, and Tom Lenk made the rounds for much of the night, and were as gracious here as they were earlier in the day at their signing appearance. At one point following the check presentation, Danny considered a stage dive, but thought better of it.
Buffy Composer, Chris Beck back for the Musical and PBP
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Rob & girlfriend Christi - no monsters, all fun!
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Musical genius Christophe Beck spent a good portion of time just outside the auction room answering a myriad of questions for the fans, including ones regarding his work on the newly released film Big Fat Liar, that he composed the score for. Also in the auction area was a booth promoting the band Velvet Chain that was accompanied by the Diva herself, Erika Amato. According to Erika, they're working on a new album, and she is very excited about having done some recent stage work. It was great to see Special Make-Up and Effects guru Robert Hall again, and he was clearly enjoying his first PBP, with a smile on his face almost every time we saw him.
Talented executive producer Tim Minear and David Greenwalt's assitant Elisabeth James (although David was MIA for the evening) were both in attendance as well, but managed to stay below the radar for much of the evening (or more likely there was so much going on). A nice feature of the evening involved the PBP Committee's video representative, Stephanie Kerns, who spent a great deal of the evening flitting from guest to guest conducting interviews. She captured a lot of the night on video, providing a permanent record as well as allowing the committee to see which portions of the event were the most appreciated. CityofAngel Creator, Virginia Obeius, and recent Council addition, Lilian Holden, were among all those who made it on camera.
Starting at 8:00, the auditorium became a popular place to be. The festivities got underway with Common Rotation taking the stage. We didn't know much about the band prior to the PBP, but whatever the expectations were, they were far surpassed by the performance given. The band had a great sound, Adam was outstanding on the lead vocals, and the crowd really reacted positively. At the end of their set it was regretful to see them leave, although those wanting more were rewarded the following night when the band played at the Hard Rock Cafe. Next on the docket was PBP mainstay Four Star Mary. Always a crowd favorite, they didn't disappoint, delivering a rousing, rocking set that drew loud applause throughout. James Marsters was unable to join them on stage this year (as he wasn't in attendance) but the crowd didn't seem to mind at all. The band mixed in some new material along side some of their older stuff, but as usual, the rendition of the Buffy episode favorite Pain brought out the loudest of the cheers as well as the largest rush to the dance floor.
"Our fans are cooler than
other people's fans!"
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With that came the traditional stage presentation of the check to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. After all the VIPs gathered on stage, and Bryan Bonner offered his thanks and some introductions, creator Joss Whedon was presented the microphone for his speech, which he delivered with his usual wit and charm. "Just wanna say a few words. I want to thank you all for coming to the annual, 'We Love The Grooselugg Party.' (cheers) Thanks for inviting the rest of us, you know it makes us feel included and that's very beautiful. (laughter) You guys raised a shit-load of money. (cheers and applause) You should be very proud of yourselves. Again, every year all we do is come here and be adored, which we love, (laughter) these guys put it together, you guys come in, you make the contributions, you make the effort. You do something that means something, which means that our fans are cooler than other people's fans! (cheers and applause) As usual, you know we have new people, we have people we haven't seen for a while. It's fun to see Robia here again. (cheers and applause) And a new addition for the family like our own Amy Acker, (Biggest cheers and applause) and we finally got a bunch of the
Joss is the
Man of the Evening
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writers up on stage which makes me happy.(cheers and applause) This is their night to be rock stars, so they're all excited and they should be. And you know we got new things coming up but just so we're very clear - what we work on is Buffy and Angel and what we have coming up for you in the coming months and the coming years...(cheers and applause)...it's just gonna f*** you up! (cheers and applause) Thank you so much, every one of you! Have a good time!" to a final bevy of cheers and applause. This year, we finally accomplished a milestone they had previously set by raising an incredible $20,000.Shelley Ginsburg, spokeswoman for the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles was on hand to accept the check presented on stage before 500 fans and the cast and crew of both Buffy and Angel. After a huge round of cheers and applause she took a moment to thank everyone. "All of you, on behalf of the children of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the cast and the crew of Buffy and most of all Peter, Roxanne and those who have put on this amazing party tonight," she stated through cheers from the crowd, "and for the last five years raising over $30,000. You guys have made a lot of wishes come true. Over 10 wishes come true so far for children with life-threatening illnesses and tonight you're doing so many more. So I just want to thank you, all of you, all of you, thank you!"
Andy always 'the Host'
of any Party
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The final act of the night, billed as a 'special guest', was none other than the Host himself, Andy Hallett. Along with a couple of his friends, he warmed up with a couple classics (including great rendition of I Left My Heart in San Francisco) and then capped the night off with his trademark number, Lady Marmalade. It was during this number that he also unveiled some impromptu back-up dancers when Joss Whedon, Alyson Hannigan, and Alexis Denisof took the stage by storm. After a few minutes of whirling and cavorting, to the overwhelming delight of the crowd, the dancers departed, and Andy finished the number with a little sing-along help from the audience. All in all, it was a perfect way to close down the stage and the crowd let him know it, vigorously. As the night wound down, and more importantly as we wore down, the Legion Hall slowly thinned out, and everyone began to search for either their choice of post-party parties or bed. As the older of the CoA duo,Darren sought the latter (or at least the score of the USA/Russia Hockey game) while the younger counterpart Jeff opted for the former. Despite an extremely busy night accompanied by a bit of sensory overload, the overall experience of the night was a good one, and the majority of fans seem to have left feeling the same. Bring on PBP 2003!
Alyson lights
up the room
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In the event's aftermath, Shelley Ginsburg gave us her poignant thoughts on her third BuffyPBP attendance, confirming that it was the biggest event to date for them in terns of the amount of money that it brought in. "It's really great. It's a busy time for us but this is an event that we really do put a lot of priority on. Peter and Roxanne and everyone at the PBP did such a great job in putting this together that we always make sure that we go out there and support them and the event. We're just really happy that the folks over there decided to make us the charity that benefits." Shelley recalled thinking about it after the party, "Someone wasn't sure how Make-a-Wish tied in and I thought, Angel and Buffy, in a way, they have sort of a fantasy element to them, this fantasy story and we make children's fantasies come true. There is sort of that story telling aspect of one and the fantasy aspect of the other that kind of comes together that way. The shows have supported our Wish kids when they've asked to meet the cast or go on the shows so it's really, really, great and everyone is so dedicated."
With the collaboration between the series producers, the PBP committee, CoA and the fans, it's truly a combined effort. "You can just see the turn out that you guys get and the support that's there and obviously there's a mutual admiration society between you. I just couldn't believe it," she admitted, "every time I was walking up and down the stairs when my co-worker trying to wrap things up, Joss was still in the same corner signing and talking and I think I said he was a 'trooper', but you could tell that he was having just as much fun as everybody else! He was very, very nice. I enjoyed meeting him and talking to everybody." Shelley happily stated, "These fans don't just go halfway; they go completely all out, all the way with their loyalty, with their admiration and with the way that they express their love and appreciation of the show. It's very, very cool. We had a really, really great time!"
The PBP2002 was a phenomenal event! We give our ongoing appreciation and gratitude to the creators and fans of these amazing shows, which allow us to come together for a great cause and share our enthusiasm. The inspiration for all we do belongs to them and hopefully we are all better for it. See you all next year!
Check out our other PBP Weekend coverage:
PBP Weekend ~ Creature Creation
I was the Demon of the Party!
PBP Weekend ~ Fashion Emergency!
Chasing Amy ~ Mission of the CoA Women
The Undefeated Champion
An exclusive follow-up interview with Mark Lutz
