s there anyone left out there who doesn't know who Joss Whedon is? The multitalented creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is deservedly well known—even revered—within SF fandom. He is also the subject of Whedonesque, a first-rate weblog on all things Joss-related.
Bloggers at Whedonesque must provide a link with every entry, as well as a summary of what Web surfers will find when they click: articles, interviews, reviews of the latest issue of Whedon's outstanding new comic, Astonishing X-Men, or information about Buffy-themed books and other tie-ins. Only members can post or submit comments to the site (oddly, would-be members can join only on weekends), but even a casual visitor can read the entries.
Whedonesque exudes a calm-but-busy tone. It averages about 200 posted links per month, and these entries generate 10 times that many comments. Older posts are archived by month, and for visitors less interested in general browsing, they are also categorized using a number of handy labels. This allows for easy sifting by anyone looking for information on specific shows, print publications, fan activities, cast and crew news, or data on collectibles.
This site has very clearly laid-out guidelines for posting and a solid policy on how to label spoilers. This makes it a good stop for spoiler-phobic fans, whether they are seeking information on the Firefly movie, the fate of Eliza Dushku's presumed-dead series Tru Calling or any snippet of gossip about what Joss is working on now that television is tragically Whedon-free for the first time since Buffy premiered.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—November 15, 2004
ilm blunders of every description are the domain of Wallywood, a site that seeks out the silliest moments, factual errors and continuity goofs of SF and other movies. The goal is to breathe new life—and new fun—into beloved and often-watched films. The site provides a quick recap of each picture, along with a list of factual errors and other flaws. These are all indexed by the exact time the mistake occurs. The time index makes it easy for fans to catch previously unseen details and tiny technical glitches the creators meant to keep hidden ... all without having to comb through the movie frame by frame.
Half the fun of Wallywood is playing along. Visitors are encouraged to join the site (membership is free) and to begin seeking out and submitting their own mistakes. Easy-to-follow flash animations tour a new member through the submission process, and the site awards "Oscars" to its best mistake-spotters. Earning an Oscar can take time; some veteran members have posted more than 400 mistakes, so new visitors will have to work hard to catch up. Despite the obvious fannish enthusiasm that drives this site, the community section on Wallywood is not very active. Few members are posting messages to its rudimentary film discussion boards.
Wallywood offers links to DVD e-commerce sites, as well as web downloads for cell phones, a movie poster shop, e-postcards that parody well-known films and a handful of simple flash games, one of which is modeled on the classic final battle sequence from Star Wars. This site also has a large links page, pointing websurfers to official sites for most current
movies as well as to other film-related Web pages.
Fans visiting this site for the first time may want to maximize the fun by looking up recent SF blockbusters with long mistake lists, like The Matrix, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. These are the best pictures to watch with a Wallywood goof list in hand, though lesser-known films are likely to have fewer listed mistakes, making them better candidates for new site members looking to earn a coveted Oscar.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—November 8, 2004
rom coverage of old cult howlers like Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park to advance gossip on purely theoretical projects like a fifth Aliens movie starring Sigorney Weaver, SciFi2K thrives on SF history, the faint promise of future TV and movie projects, and a healthy enjoyment of the offerings currently available to fans both at home and in theaters.
SciFi2K's television coverage is utterly solid, with reviews of new shows and lots of late-breaking news about DVD releases, series renewals and cancellations, celebrity gossip and films in development. Its "Small Screen to Big Screen" section tracks the activity of TV series creators who've attempted to interest the film industry in spinoffs of their popular—but nevertheless canceled—show franchises. The site's profile pages on SF TV series dates back to the days of Buck Rogers and the original Battlestar Galactica, but also includes obscure, quick-to-disappear experiments like the 1994 Fox series M.A.N.T.I.S.
This site has a fondness not only for big-name actors and directors, but also for the artists who work behind the scenes. For example, it has an interview with makeup artist David Mosher (whose credits include Starship Troopers and Star Trek: First Contact) and also promises more such content in the future. The site's links page also has an entire section devoted to special effects and digital art.
Despite its name, this web site's focus on SF is at times fuzzy—it follows a few cop and action-adventure shows, and also has a page of links to webcams around the world, most of them with little SF relevance. Unlike most media fan sites, Scifi2K has no discussion forums for fans. On the plus side, it does have regular contests and giveaways to go with its frequent news updates and its archive of TV and movie-themed articles.
— A.M. Dellamonica
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