FRIDAY, May 28th, 8:15—10:00 OPENING CEREMONIES
KEYNOTE 1: DAVID BIANCULLI: Confessions of a TV Critic: My Name is David, and I'm a Buffyholic
Before anyone else saw the first episode of WB's
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, David Bianculli, like other TV critics, was sent a
preview tape in advance. What was it like, watching that first Whedon TV hour without any expectations or positive advance buzz? How long did
it take before he realized he was watching something unusually clever and entertaining?
According to Bianculli, it took one minute. He'll show that minute, and about a dozen others (including some fairly obscure ones) from throughout the run of the series, that persuaded him to preach the gospel of Buffy, despite its dismissive title and fantasy premise. To TV critics as well as academics, taking Buffy seriously has its risks, as well as its rewards. Come and share both.
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David Bianculli has been a TV critic for twenty-five years. His articles and reviews can be read in the New York Daily News and heard on National Public Radio's Fresh Air. He is the author of the Dictionary of Teleliteracy: Television's 500 Biggest Hits, Misses, and Events and Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously (both available in the Television Series from Syracuse University Press). He watches up to eleven televisions simultaneously in his home in Cherry Hill, NJ. His interview with Joss Whedon on Fresh Air can be found here. |
Bianculli, David. Dictionary of Teleliteracy. The Television Series. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1997.
___. Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously. The Television Series. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2000.