S-T-U
S is for.... Sarah Michelle Geller
Sarah Michelle Geller is probably my favorite actress of all time, and this is entirely down to her stunning but critically overlooked performance as Buffy Summers, vampire slayer (though she was once nominated for a golden globe which is a big deal for a science fiction show). Many people overlook her performance and tend to favor the performances of some of the the other cast members but Sarah had a much more difficult task than the others. She had to hold the show together... she arguably was the show (it was named after her character after all). The role called for a lot of melodrama, a lot of comic timing and a lot of serious action scenes... not many actors have to do this all in one project and not many actors can, but Sarah Michelle Geller was incredible. If you don't believe me see the episodes The Body, Becoming Part 2, The Gift and particularly Who Are You where Sarah has to play Faith in Buffy's body. The performance is so convincing, occasionally I actually thought it was Eliza Dushku in a Buffy skin. It is sad that she hasn't found a role to showcase her extraordinary abilities since leaving the show, however maybe Joss could cast her in The Avengers- her recent show Ringer has just been canceled and she was never better than when directed by Joss. Joss Whedon did make her famous after all.
T is for... The Avengers
Yes this counts... "the" is still a word. The Avengers is the third highest grossing movie of all time, and that is a big deal for a writer most famously known for creating cult TV shows. How Joss Whedon so quickly became one of the most powerful people in Hollywood is beyond me, but he certainly deserves it, and if it wasn't for his direction and guidance, The Avengers wouldn't have been nearly the success it was. Any director could have probably made an alright superhero movie, but The Avengers is a better movie than all those that came before it (at least those connected to The Avengers universe) and considering the success the film Iron Man was, this is really saying something. Marvel loved the guy so much, especially considering they took quite a big risk with him in the first place that they have hired him as the overseer of the creative side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from now on, and have given him the role of not only writer and director of The Avengers 2 (and probably 3 if he wants it) but also his own TV series set in the universe. For a life long comic fan who loves to work in the TV medium (and probably likes lots and lots of money too) this has to be a dream come true for Whedon.
U is for... The United Kingdom
Whedon loves the UK. A little known fact about Whedon is that he actually lived in the UK for two years and attended Winchester College in England. This, added to his love on Shakespeare and Monty Python explains a lot of his casting and character decisions. The Watchers council, a big part of the Buffy universe is based in England. Giles comes for England, and so too does Spike... two very important Buffy characters. Wesley, another central character both in Buffy and Angel is also British and the sort-of but not really villain in Dollhouse, played by Olivia Williams is also from England. To also not exclude other countries in the UK, in Season 8 of Buffy, Buffy's slayer operation and home is in a castle in Scotland. Thanks for the love Whedon.