I'm feeling really ishy about people taking credit for 'creating' Buffy sing-a-longs. Lord knows the Parkway in Oakland has done it, and you could trace that history back to the night they showed the Buffy series finale and followed it up with Once More, With Feeling.

But then also this isn't the first corp I've seen take credit for it. I just really hope that no one tries to copyright the idea, because it's a natural derivation from RHPS down to the Sound of Music sing-a-longs a few years ago to this.

miss_emelia | March 17, 03:47 CET

I've been saying for years that OMWF should become the next RHPS, and I'm thrilled that someone who had the same idea put the idea into action.

I hope when the tour begins, that Portland Oregon is on the list, since we have a HUGE Buffy fan contigent here.

electricspacegirl | March 17, 04:22 CET

I would imagine the 20th Century Fox lawyers would have something to say about that.

Simon | March 17, 04:30 CET

Right there with you, miss_emelia. Tucson's 2006 Serenity Now screening helped launch the (now regular) Buffy Sing-Along at the Loft Cinema (they'd been wanting to do it for a long while and it seemed the perfect time to try it here), and the charm of the event is that the cities who throw them are free to put their own stamp on it. Any city with a ready and willing theater can join in on the fun. We've been super fortunate that the Loft not only gets the appeal but are big Joss fans themselves. And speaking personally, I love the fact that the Loft is community-run, so their cut of the box office goes right back in to supporting the theater - so they can hold more events like the sing-along.

Of course the only bummer is that the copyright holders have cottoned to the growing popularity and now take a cut of box office rather than charging a flat fee (like they used to), but what can you do? It's their product.

blood runs crazy | March 17, 05:15 CET

I really have mixed feelings about this sing-a-long OMWF thing. Rocky Horror is one thing, since it's really not in any way a serious piece. OMWF is such a crucial/pivotal episode both in that season and in the series overall, that I can't see how "let's put on a show!" quite does it justice.

(And that's setting aside the crush of people who piled into OMWF when it came up at the weekly Buffy screenings at the Mission Theatre here, almost all of whom were NOT regulars at the weekly, and proceeded to hand out lyric sheets and then sing like a bad high school recital in the balcony. So, I might be biased by the rude and disrespectful invaders.)

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2007-03-17 03:12 ]

The One True b!X | March 17, 06:10 CET

From what I heard at the Alamo Village here in Austin the other night, Criterion handles the exhibition rights for the series. They ran 8 episodes spanning the 7 seasons in honor of the 10th anniversary (starting at 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning) and it was mentioned that Criterion collected the fees now. Not sure how that would sort out for a Buffy-oriented "event" (the Alamno has been running Buffy sing-a-longs about as long as anyone as far as I can tell, though).

Wm54 | March 17, 10:25 CET