Coral Amber

I was watching a rather innocuous commercial for Prudential Real Estate (powered by Yahoo) where Agent 24-7 was being shown the computers and I shouted "Ms. French!" at the television. I'm one of those people who get really excited when they recognize an actor from somewhere else. In this case I recognized Agent 24-7 to be Musetta Vander who played Natalie French (the giant praying mantis disguised as a hot teacher) on a first season episode of Buffy entitled "Teacher's Pet."

I thought it would be fun to make a quiz about actors who had appeared in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" that have popped up in something else recently. They start out easy and get more difficult as you go along. Answers and IMDB links at the bottom. Good Luck!

Level 1: Say my Name!
1) This actress has starred in many movies, most recently Date Movie. She returned to TV with a few episodes of "Veronica Mars" but her new sitcom called "How I Met Your Mother" has gained acclaim. What role did she play on Buffy?
a. Buffy Summers
b. Cordelia Chase
c. Willow Rosenberg

2) This actor got his own show based on his character from "BtvS" and can now be seen as an FBI Agent on Fox's "Bones." Who did he play?
a. Rupert Giles
b. Angel
c. Spike

3) This actor was never British, but his accent fooled many fans. He now has a guest spot as a villain on "Smallville." What was his role on Buffy?
a. Rupert Giles
b. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
c. Spike

Level 2: Hmmm...
4) This sexy actress has posed for Playboy and is now an evil vixen on "Veronica Mars", but who was she on Buffy?
a. Cordelia Chase
b. Darla
c. Drusilla

5) This actress has done a few movies since her days as the sometimes secretive and misunderstood girl on Buffy. More recently she was a patient on "House" and she was in a commercial for Candies clothing. What character did she play?
a. Amy
b. Tara
c. Dawn

6) This actor was quite the villain on Buffy, but has since gone on to become a leading man and star in the new movie Slither. What was his role on Buffy?
a. The Master
b. Mayor Wilkins
c. Caleb

Level 3: The Nerdery
7) My favorite member of the Nerd Troika had the title sequence of one Buffy episode changed to revolve around him. Most recently he played Doyle on "Gilmore Girls." What was his role on Buffy?
a. Jonathan Levinson
b. Warren Meers
c. Andrew Wells

8) His character was the only Troika member to survive Sunnydale. He was a guest star on "House" and most recently was in Date Movie as Frodo Baggins. Who was he on Buffy?
a. Jonathan Levinson
b. Warren Meers
c. Andrew Wells

9) He played the creator of the Buffy Bot was also on "House" and his new movie, American Dreamz, opens this weekend. What was his character named on Buffy?
a. Jonathan Levinson
b. Warren Meers
c. Andrew Wells

Level 4: Buffy Stumpers
10) This actress played a vampire on Buffy but more recently guest starred on "CSI: Miami" and as a terminal patient on "Supernatural." Which vamp was she?
a. Darla
b. Drusilla
c. Harmony

11) This actor was the first to be turned into a vampire on Buffy. Now he sports a pencil thin mustache on "Conviction." What was his character's name on Buffy?
a. Ford
b. Jesse
c. Owen

12) This actor was on the swim team in Buffy. He was a ghost on the pilot of "Ghost Whisperer" (the one and only episode I watched) and now he's covered in tattoos for his show "Prison Break." What role did he play on Buffy?
a. Alexander Harris
b. Gage Petronzi
c. Cameron Walker

Level 5: Uber Fan
13) This actor had the honor of being the first person to die on Buffy, credited as "Darla's Victim". Now (maybe as payback) he catches bad guys as a detective on "CSI: NY." What descriptive phrase referred to him on Buffy?
a. downward mobility
b. extreme
c. like DeBarge

14) This actor is one of only four to appear in all three of Whedon's TV series. His next movie is The Notorious Bettie Page. What was his role on Buffy?
a. Holden Webster
b. Quentin Travers
c. James Stanley

15) This actor was just a little boy when he was on Buffy. He may be unrecognizable now as the complex son of Bre, Andrew Van De Kamp, on "Desperate Housewives." What was his name on Buffy?
a. Billy Palmer
b. Ted Buchanan
c. Hans Strauss

Bonus Question
16) He was uncredited as Basketball Player #10 in the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now he's a much bigger star. What is the actor's real name?
a. Seth Green
b. Ben Affleck
c. Toby Maguire

Answers
1)c Alyson Hannigan
2)b David Boreanaz
3)c James Marsters
4)a Charisma Carpenter
5)c Michelle Trachtenberg
6)c Nathan Fillion
7)a Danny Strong
8)c Tom Lenk
9)b Adam Busch
10)a Julie Benz
11)b Eric Balfour
12)b Wentworth Miller
13)b Carmine Giovinazzo (the "extreme dead guy" in Aura's locker)
14)a Jonathan M. Woodward (from "Conversations with Dead People")
15)c Shawn Pyfrom (from "Gingerbread" Episode)
16)b Ben Affleck

Posted by coral at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I was trying to explain to my mom who Avril Lavigne was, while flipping through a magazine I mentioned her CDs and what she looked like, ending with: "you know, she wears all that black eyeliner." Then I turned the page of my magazine and there was a picture of Avril, but something was wrong. This girl didn't have charcoal rimmed eyes. Her hair was shiny and blonde, neatly pulled into a ponytail with curled ends. And she was smiling!

Avril Lavigne is known for being a pop star with attitude to spare. As a teen sensation, she prided herself on her pseudo-punk image that was all about wearing Dickies and Converse and hanging out with her skater friends. Her songs were about teen life, angsty emotions, and boys. I remember when I had a particularly bad breakup I embraced "My Happy Ending" as a sort of theme song for my bitterness.

While she still has a penchant for black, a lot of other things have changed. Her hair has transformed from strands of brown, black, and bleach to a shining champagne blond ala Hollywood. Avril has traded in her skull covered tank tops for lace trimmed camisoles. The men's ties she once wore with a sarcastic air have been replaced by fitted blazers. Instead of clomping around in combat boots, she is stepping out in pointed toe heels. She used to wear black rubber bracelets and flip off cameramen, but now she is showing off the white diamond on her ring finger.

I would like to think that part of Avril's transformation is due to her engagement to Deryck Whibley, the lead singer of the Canadian band Sum 41. Paparazzi pictures show them shopping together, holding hands, kissing, feeding each other dessert, and whispering in each other's ears. He is probably a big part of why photographers are catching her smiling so much (although I'm sure all the money and fame help too). They live together and have recently decided to call a mansion in Bel Air their home. Avril has even thought about having children some time in the future.

I doubt that twenty-five year old Deryck is the sole cause of her exterior changes. However he may influence her, I believe that Avril is simply growing up. Avril turned twenty-one last year and twenty-one is leaps and bounds more mature than seventeen. The changes seen so easily in photos are really a manifestation of her changing view point as she matures from a teen into a young lady (done without a Britney style 'Not a Girl, Not yet a Woman' number on her last CD). Since she first came onto the scene she has had a chance to explore more and she has started perusing other interests.

Most recently she was seen on the orange carpet with Bruce Willis at Nickelodeon's Annual Kids' Choice Awards. They both provide voices for characters in DreamWorks new animated feature Over the Hedge. Avril is also acting in the think piece Fast Food Nation and a crime thriller called The Flock.

In an article in February's Harper's Bazaar Avril said, "I'm starting to feel more feminine. I'm getting into hair and make-up and image."

To this end, Avril has made efforts to look and dress differently. At the closing ceremony for the Torino Olympics, Avril sang and was sporting her new glam hair and a fitted black ensemble with choice high heeled knee high boots. The Harper's Bazaar photo shoot showed Avril as a graceful beauty. She is wearing designer dresses by Gucci and Chanel. She tells how she received some designer handbags as gifts and fell in love with fashion. Recently, Avril attended the Chanel Haute Couture Show in Paris for Fashion Week.

Her burgeoning interest in fashion led her to join the Ford modeling agency in New York. At 5'2" she probably won't be sauntering down many runways, but she believes that she could do print ads; and after seeing her Harper's photos I tend to agree.

With all of these changes, some fans are bound to feel betrayed. They fell in love with the angry, anti-fashion Avril who uttered the Britney bashing comment, "I won't wear skanky clothes that show my booty, my belly or my boobs." In an interview for Stella she was asked if she stands by that statement.

"'I don't know how far I would go,' she says, adding that the booty comment was made when she was 17. 'I think it would be done in a more classy, sexy way if I was showing more skin, as opposed to a' - she pauses, choosing her words carefully - 'provocative, maybe slutty way.' She starts laughing. 'I'm not saying that about them' - meaning Spears et al - 'I'm just saying.'"

With all these changes going on in her life will her music change too? Avril tells Stella that "the few new songs she's written are more positive than before, but she doesn't anticipate radically changing. 'I believe in expanding and doing different stuff, but I also think it's important to kind of stay familiar to your fans. Your fans like you for what you are.'"

Posted by coral at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The city is bursting with secrets. They echo off steel and glass, swirl around corners, and nestle under sidewalks. To hear these windy whispers you need only show up on May 19-21 at 224 South Michigan Avenue.

Next month the Great Chicago Places and Spaces weekend offers dozens of free, guided tours throughout the city. Tours are conducted by accomplished authors, architects, historians and more. Let these secret keepers open your eyes to all that the city is coveting.

A few select tours require advance registration but the majority are booked on a first come, first serve basis the day that they occur. Hidden Spaces, Secret Places is one of the first tours to fill up because it explores places that are usually off limits in public buildings and private rooftop gardens.

I suggest arriving very early if you have your heart set on a certain tour, at least an hour or more before the doors open. If you can't bear to wake up early, just show up when you're ready (although I still suggest before noon) and see what tours are still open and you will have a surprising and exciting time. Even if you get tickets you must arrive at the designated meeting location on time or the tour will leave without you, as I sadly discovered last year when I was late for a foundry tour (which isn't offered again this year).

Discover neighborhoods based on ethnicity (Chinese, Greek, Arab), geography (Pullman, Pilsen, Bronzeville, Bucktown, Lincoln Park, Gold Coast), or even coffee (East Roger's Park Caffeinated Tour ending at the Heartland Cafe).

Chicago has one of the best skylines in the world and a portion of the tours focus on skyscrapers and downtown. Last year I went on walking tours of Historic Skyscrapers and examples of Downtown Deco. In a fun twist for bi-linguals some tours will be conducted in Italian, German, or French with focus on how each culture has influenced the city.

One of the most popular tours is the Architectural River Cruise, but there are a myriad of fun ways to cruise the city sights. Besides trolley tours there are bike tours, tours on the "El", a tour of a submarine, and Segways on the Lakefront.

Legacy of the Plan of Chicago is a grand tour that shows how the city has evolved from what was planned a century ago. There are other tours with more specific historical significance that tell of the great Chicago fire or study Frank Lloyd Wrights Prairie homes or Frank Ghery's gems.

Ever wonder how the city works? There are tours that go into bridges, train stations, and even under the Millennium Park Crown Fountain that shows how the spitting video sculpture operates.

For pop culture enthusiasts like myself there are multiple tours that show how Chicago is portrayed through the lens of a video camera: Director's Cut: Tour of Landmark Movie Locations, Lights, Camera, Architecture!, Chicago On Screen, and the NBC 5 Studio. If you like to being behind the camera there are two tours that focus on Loop Photography on both Michigan Ave and Wacker Dr.

Chicago is rich with arts and culture and there are tours that go into places like the Oriental Theatre where the musical Wicked is currently playing. One tour will be exploring some of my favorite Sculpture in the Loop. Others explore gardens, cemeteries, churches and there is even a Stained Glass tour.

Finally some tours just sound incredibly fun like Chicago's Haunted Spaces where ghost stories are told. See how cheesecake is made (and grab a free sample) at Eli's Cheesecake Factory. Let improv performers show you their favorite places in the Second City Neighborhood Tour.

Most of these tours are too lengthy and fact filled for small children, but there is a Lego Event led by architects in which everyone can create urbanscapes.

Why should tourists have all the fun? Too many people live around the city and only see Chicago from certain viewpoints: their neighborhood, the building they work in, favorite spots, and tourist traps downtown. Let the Great Chicago Places and Spaces weekend show you the city you never knew.

To find more information and a complete list of tours go to www.cityofchicago.org/specialevents and click on the Great Chicago Places and Spaces icon. If for some reason the weekend of May 19-21 is impossible for you there is a link to a couple of other tours that operate at different times of year, but they aren't free.

Posted by coral at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What do you get when you take the plot of Anchorman, shoot it from the point of view of Christina Applegate, set it in Chicago, and take out everything funny? Pepper Dennis.

Pepper Dennis (Rebecca Romijn) is a career minded reporter gunning for the local anchor position. In a move I've seen too many times already, our intrepid heroine hooks up with a random guy at a bar who turns out to be... her new co-worker and he gets the anchor position. What seemed clever and funny in Grey's Anatomy was rendered bland here. Scooby Doo had fresher plot twists. Not a single compelling thing occurred over the next 50 minutes.

I think they were trying to be funny, but I never laughed, even when they had her clumsily trip or bump into things (at least 4 times during the pilot). I guess I just have a hard time believing that someone who has her life so together could lose it all in about a day and a half.

In that same day and a half she supposedly goes from not wanting a guy in her life, to thinking some guy she slept with might be "the one." And then to being mad at him for taking her anchor spot (but still kind of wanting to sleep with him). And then to being annoyed with him for flirting with her at work. And then to being irate at him for exposing her real name on the air (hint: it's not Pepper). And then to thinking he might not be as egocentric as she though, oh wait she changed her mind. And then thinking he might not be so bad because he did one nice thing for her. And then being depressed because she missed her chance with him. Uh huh, yeah, sure. Strong motivated women are always irrational like that.

Although I love Romijn's megawatt smile I really didn't believe many of the emotions she was supposed to be having. She was saying things that could sound happy or upset or angry, but I didn't believe her.

The cast of two dimensional characters surrounding Pepper didn't really help me believe either. I didn't think her love interest Charlie (played by Josh Hopkins) was very cute or charming. They kept trying to play him off as really caring about Pepper but at the same time I was really turned off by how many times he suggested they sleep together (you know, like right now, in the copy room), but she seemed to like him.

I actually liked Pepper's sister Kathy (played by Brooke Burns), who looks pretty similar to Romijn, better than Pepper. The sister was clueless and naive and really looked up to her sister. It was odd, because they were trying to make the character self involved, but she was actually less so than Pepper.

To cap it all off the production was rather schmaltzy. Everything looked a little to clean and sunny to be Chicago. It was more like they had one block of the Gold coast on a really nice day and shot all the footage there. Oh and the melodramatic music during the "emotional" scenes: how many songs can you lay over character dialogue? Too many, in my opinion.

I think my favorite part of the pilot was Pepper's fabulous apartment. The front door was made of copper and pivoted from an axis in the middle. The floors were hardwood. Both the view and the media setup were fantastic. I wished someone cooler lived there.

Posted by coral at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Now that Dancing with the Stars is over I need to get my vicarious dancing fix elsewhere. I just saw a movie that reminded me again how cool it would be if I could tango. How come all they ever taught at my school was square dancing (the state dance of Illinois, I kid you not) and line dancing?

Last night I enjoyed a sneak preview of Take the Lead starring Antonio Banderas as Pierre Dulaine, a ballroom dance instructor who wants to reach out to inner city kids with dance. Although it's based on a true story the film is solid, fun, and depicts the hardships of both teachers and students realistically, without trying too hard to be gritty.

The core of this movie is the consistent character of Pierre. A genuinely charismatic man, he has set ideas about life and dance and does not waver from them. He knows the value of what he teaches and is willing to take the effort to learn when his experience falls short. When the parent teacher committee (led by a truly repugnant teacher played by John Ortiz) questions the merit of dance lessons he doesn't just tell them that dance teaches respect, trust, and self-esteem, he makes them see it while doing a practical demonstration with the school principal.

Of course, the kids end up showing Pierre a thing or two about their style of dance, but thankfully he leaves all the street dancing to them and just listens when they show him tracks with the same beat can be mixed together.

The highlight of this movie was the cast of relative newcomers and their dancing. The kids were smart and funny and my favorites were Big Girl (played by Shawand Mckenzie) and jokester Eddie (played by Marcus T. Paulk). Probably the best dance (besides the one previewed in the trailer) is a three way tango the top dancers end up doing in competition. Not everyone becomes a great ballroom dancer, but they all try with varying degrees of success.

What I liked most about this film is that it was not overly dramatic. The kids have a lifelike dynamic that involves friendships, crushes, hatred, and awkwardness. There is no burning sexual tension thrown in to grab attention, emotions are played out on the dance floor instead of in the bedroom.

Some of these kids have serious problems, but instead of trumping them up with melodramatic music the movie approaches them with a sort of quiet realism. We see glimpses of troubled home life and how each individual deals with it.

Dancing doesn't solve any of their problems, but it gives them a positive way to learn about themselves and interact with others.

Posted by coral at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)