Nicholas Brendon Dies At 54

Actor Nicholas Brendon at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan, October 2, 2010. Photo by Luigi Novi.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was my favorite television show in the late 1990s. It has been reported by a third actor from the show has passed away. The first was Michelle Trachtenberg and the second was Andy Hallett from the Angel spin-off. Now it has been reported that actor Nicholas Brendon has died.

He reportedly died in his sleep at age 54. He played Xander Harris on the show.

According to Canyon News:

HOLLYWOOD—It was announced on Friday, March 21, that Nicholas Brendon, the star of the hit Warner Bros. series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” died at the age of 54. It was reported that Brendon died of natural causes in his sleep.

The actor appeared on all 7 seasons of the series that ran from 1997 to 2003 alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar, Allyson Hanigan, Charisma Carpenter and Anthony Stewart Head.

Brendon had experienced a series of legal trouble in recent years. In 2017, he was arrested for domestic violence against his girlfriend. In August 2021, he was arrested for allegedly obtaining prescription drugs by fraud in Indiana after he was driving erratically. He provided authorities with California ID that had the name Kelton Schultz, TMZ reported.

To read more, go here.

Remembering Michelle Trachtenberg

Back in the late 1990s, my favorite television show was Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Later in the show's run, the character Dawn Summers, was introduced. She was played by Michelle Trachtenberg. She immediately became a fan favorite. 

In tribute, here's my favorite scene featuring Trachtenberg:

"Buffy" Goes After Mayor Karen Bass

Above, Sarah Michelle Gellar at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 promoting Ringer. Photo by Rach.

Sarah Michelle Gellar and other celebrities who have lost homes in the fires this past week have turned against Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass over their incompetent handling of the disaster.

AOL posted (sourced from the U.K. Independent):

Sarah Michelle Gellar has expressed frustration with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over the city’s response to this week’s devastating wildfires.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star, 47, tagged the official social media accounts of Bass and the City of Los Angeles as she complained in a post on her Instagram Stories: “City of LA you want everyone to evacuate yet you have complete gridlock and not one traffic cop on the roads helping.”

Gellar is just one of many celebrities to have been forced to evacuate by a wave of catastrophic fires sweeping across southern California.

Several have blamed local government for a lack of preparedness. Salvador actor James Woods, who lost his home in the Palisades, wrote on X that the devastation caused by the fire wasn’t due to “climate change” but because of “liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass.”

“One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs,” wrote Woods.

To read more, go here. 

"Buffy" At 18

While perusing my friend Gary's The Federalist blog, I noticed he posted a story of the 18th anniversary of the start of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer television show starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The show premiered in 1997 on the WB Network. 18 years ago.

18 years?! Wow! I used to watch Buffy faithfully every week (also, its spin-off, Angel) as did most of my co-workers. The writing was fantastic with hilarious tongue-in-cheek humor. I also have an autographed photo of Sarah Michelle Gellar on my wall.

The Federalist posted an article on the show's anniversary from The Atlantic. To read The Atlantic's article, go here.

It lost some of its steam (in my opinion) when it switched networks following a dispute over money (of course) with the WB. It lasted to 2003.

Since Buffy and Angel went off the air, television for me has been dull until recently. I have begun following three new shows: Gotham, Sleepy Hollow and The Flash. Although enjoyable, none of these shows have captured my interest (and kept it) as Buffy did. I like Gotham the best.

So, I raise a glass to toast Buffy, The Vampire Slayer's 18th anniversary!