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Buffy Could Come Back to the Big Screen - Sans Joss

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:30:00 -0700

With vampires all the rage these days, I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone started talking about bringing Buffy the Vampire Slayer back to the big screen. But I'm still surprised at the thought that this movie-turned-TV show could get a total reboot with all-new characters and no Joss Whedon.

Here's the deal: Original Buffy movie director Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband, Kaz Kuzui, have owned the rights to the Buffy story and characters since the beginning. They developed Whedon's movie script and helped him make the Buffy and Angel TV series. And now, they and Vertigo Entertainment are talking about a potential reboot or remake (but not prequel or sequel), as The Hollywood Reporter writes:

The new Buffy film, however, would have no connection to the TV series, nor would it use popular supporting characters like Angel, Willow, Xander or Spike. Vertigo and Kuzui are looking to restart the story line without trampling on the beloved existing universe created by Whedon. . . . One of the underlying ideas of Buffy allows Vertigo and Kuzui to do just that: that each generation has its own vampire slayer to protect it. The goal would be to make a darker, event-sized movie that would, of course, have franchise potential.

The article notes that while the producers haven't ruled out Whedon's involvement, they also haven't approached him yet.

So, what'll it be, Buffy fans? Is a Buffy story without Xander and the rest really a Buffy worth seeing? Or do you believe there's potential for an entirely new Buffy world that could take on a life of its own?

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Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:30:04 -0800

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music, and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, what is the name of Oz and Devon's band?

The WB is Back - Online

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:31:54 -0700

Who didn't love at least one show on The WB? Back in the day, it was the one network that spoke to my generation, with shows like Dawson's Creek, Felicity, and Gilmore Girls all reaching the ranks of must-see TV. But ratings dropped over the years, and in 2006, The WB and and UPN merged into the new CW; The WB was no more.

Until today, that is. As of now, the network is back as The WB.com, with full episodes and full seasons of favorite WB shows (and Warner Bros.-produced shows that aired on other networks). At its launch, the lineup includes the whole first season of Veronica Mars, 10 episodes of The OC, and a sampling of episodes from Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gilmore Girls, among others.

The site's also loaded with special features for folks who like to make their own videos, including a clip maker called the "Wblender," and a bunch of quizzes and games (I'm a little embarrassed to admit I just killed some time playing The OC Memory Match, which is just an online version of the childhood game Memory but with pictures of those pretty, pretty Orange County kids). The site will also be rolling out a bunch of original shows in the coming months, so to hear about those and watch a trailer, just read more.

TheWB.com has recruited Josh Schwartz, McG, and other big-name producers to create original online series for the site. Among the shows lined up:

Sorority Forever - from McG, this show is a mystery/drama set in a sorority house. It'll premiere Sept. 8.
Blue Water High - Up now, it's about an Australian surf academy.
Whatever, Hollywood - Up now, this show's about three best friends making online videos (how meta!).
Untitled Josh Schwartz Project - Schwartz and music supervisor extraordinaire Alexandra Patsavas are teaming up for a show set in the LA music world.

Here's a video taste of what it's all about. Do you think you'll check out the The WB.com?

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What Do You Make of Buffy: The Animated Series?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:30:17 -0700

This little clip of an animated version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been making the rounds on the Internet, and for good reason: It's completely fascinating to see what a cartoon Sunnydale, filled with two-dimensional Buffy, Willow, Giles, and friends, might have looked like had it ever been made into a series.

Alas, the project - which counted among its writers Buffy's Jane Espenson - never came to be, so this little three-minute clip may be all we'll ever see. But at least it's something, right? And no, your ears don't deceive you: That's Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendan, and Anthony Head voicing their animated counterparts. (Buffy, on the other hand, is Giselle Loren, who also did Buffy's voice for the video games.)

The clip is filled (and I mean filled) with snappy one-liners, as well as a glowing vampire and a giant dragon. Does it work for you? To check it out, just read more.

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HBO Hands Over Saturday to '80s and '90s Comedy

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:30:17 -0700

Calling all Coneheads fans and folks who thought Buffy was funny even before she got a regular TV series: HBO has a movie lineup just for you. Starting bright and early tomorrow, the network is declaring a Classic Comedy Day, airing a half-dozen movies from the late '80s and early '90s back-to-back.

The day kicks off with Coneheads at 6:30 a.m. EDT and PDT then stops through the likes of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and Weekend at Bernie's before finally wrapping up with Mrs. Doubtfire at 5:45 p.m.

Of the six, I think I'm most excited about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which airs at 10:30 a.m. and which I haven't seen since some junior high-era sleepover. Don't worry, I have no illusions that it's good - I just can't wait to see if I still remember any of the best lines (and cheers). Any of these hold a special place in your heart? To see the full schedule, just read more.

6:30 a.m. - Coneheads
10:30 a.m. - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Noon - The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
2 p.m. - Parenthood
4 p.m. - Weekend at Bernie's
5:45 p.m. - Mrs. Doubtfire

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Buzz News Roundup, 6/6

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:45:20 -0700

Hayden Panettiere has signed a deal with Candie's in which the fashion brand will help promote the Heroes star's first single "Wake Up Call", Billboard reports.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Adam Sandler's production company Happy Madison will produce a thriller called Shortcut under the name Scary Madison.
The Associated Press has a report about this weekend's academic conference studying Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Variety has the news that Tucker Max's bestselling book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell will be adapted for the big screen.
Zap2it has Fox's updated Fall premiere dates, with shows now starting in September, not August.
Brittany Murphy and Thora Birch will star in an indie psychological thriller titled Deadline, ComingSoon reports.
Variety writes that F. Gary Gray will direct a biopic of Marvin Gaye called Marvin.
Van Halen brought in more than $93 million touring with David Lee Roth, Reuters reports.

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First Look: Joss Whedon's Dollhouse on Fox

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:34:20 -0700

How many of you caught the ad for JJ Abrams' Fall show Fringe during American Idol last night? I think it looks pretty good, so I'm excited Fox is preparing for a potentially one-two punch when they roll out a sci-fi thriller from Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) come mid-season. This means that if both Fringe and Dollhouse are as good as they look I'm going to be spending a lot of time over at Fox this year.

Dollhouse stars Eliza Dushku as Echo, an "Active" who is part of an illegal, underground group of people who have had their former lives wiped from their memories so that they can, as the show's description states, "fulfill any number of scenarios for anyone including romantic, criminal, uplifting, dangerous, comical and the occasional pro bono good deed." It's like the Bourne story but instead of turning people into killing machines, they can do just about anything for anyone. And just like another show this series reminds me of, Alias, Echo has a handler named Boyd (played by Harry Lennix). The drama unravels as Echo begins to remember her past personality at the same time as an FBI agent starts to figure out the existence of the "Dollhouse."

I think this has loads of potential and will cross my fingers it's a good one. To see a preview trailer and a short scene from Dollhouse, read more.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Fox Fall Schedule: Two New Shows This Fall

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:57:33 -0700

Fox revealed its Fall TV schedule at the 2008 upfronts this morning, announcing two new shows and the two-hour "telefilm" 24 prequel that will air in November before the regular (much delayed) new season of the show starts up again in January 2009.

The Fox show getting the most buzz this upfront season (and the basket in which Fox is placing all its eggs) is the J.J. Abrams drama Fringe (featuring Joshua Jackson - yay, Pacey!) which will follow House (in a new spot) on Tuesday nights. The other new addition to the schedule is the scripted comedy Do Not Disturb (formerly known as The Inn) which is directed by Jason Bateman.

Coming up mid-season? More sci-fi including Dollhouse from Joss Whedon and two new animated comedies: The Cleveland Show (the Family Guy spinoff) and Sit Down, Shut Up from Arrested Development's Mitchell Hurwitz.

Here's Fox's official press release, and to check out the full schedule and descriptions of the new shows, just read more.

All caps = new show
** = new timeslot

MONDAY
8:00 p.m. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
9 p.m. Prison Break

TUESDAY
8 p.m. House**
9 p.m. FRINGE

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Bones
9 p.m. 'Til Death
9:30 p.m. DO NOT DISTURB

THURSDAY
8 p.m. The Moment of Truth
9 p.m. Kitchen Nightmares

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader
9 p.m. Don't Forget the Lyrics!

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Cops
8:30 p.m. Cops
9 p.m. America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back
11 p.m. MADtv
Midnight Talkshow

SUNDAY
8 p.m. The Simpsons
8:30 p.m. King of the Hill
9 p.m. Family Guy
9:30 p.m. American Dad

Mid-season: SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, DOLLHOUSE, 24, American Idol, Hell's Kitchen, SECRET MILLIONAIRE, HE CLEVELAND SHOW

Here's how Fox describes the new shows:

Fringe
From J.J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind Star Trek,Mission: Impossible III and Alias comes a new drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. When an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (newcomer Anna Torv) is called in to investigate. After her partner, Special Agent JOHN SCOTT (Mark Valley, Boston Legal), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. WALTER BISHOP (John Noble, Lord of the Rings), our generation's Einstein. There's only one catch: he's been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son PETER (Joshua Jackson, Dawson's Creek) in to help. When Olivia's investigation leads her to manipulative corporate executive NINA SHARP our unlikely trio along with fellow FBI Agents PHILLIP BROYLES, CHARLIE FRANCIS and ASTRID FARNSWORTH will discover that what happened on Flight 627 is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth.

Do Not Disturb
Do Not Disturb (working title) is a hilarious workplace comedy set at one of New York City's hottest and hippest hotels: The Inn. Named one of the Big Apple's "10 Best Places to Stay," The Inn is just that the "in" place to be, with its chic dcor, stylish staff and celebrity clientele. Behind the scenes, however, the upstairs/downstairs dynamic tells quite a different story. The hotel's top-notch reputation and sophisticated look is due in large part to NEAL (Jerry O'Connell) at least in his opinion. Although The Inn's charismatic owner R.J. (guest star Robert Wagner) takes all the credit, Neal is the egotistical, hyper-stylish, detail-oriented general manager who will do whatever it takes to keep the hotel and its employees up to his standards. RHONDA (Niecy Nash, Reno 911!) is the head of Human Resources who also keeps Neal's demands in check. She's brash, fabulous and brutally honest and runs the HR department from her bullpen downstairs with a set of rules that are all her own. Rhonda does her best to keep the back of the house in line and the front of the house out of trouble. At the front desk handling check-in while wearing 6-inch Manolos is NICOLE (Molly Stanton), an aging model who is svelte, cynical and slightly starving. Fresh from Nebraska is JASON (Brando Eaton), the nave bellman who would prefer to work behind-the-scenes, but was hired to show off his chiseled face and perfect pecs at the front of the hotel. The downstairs staff includes MOLLY (Jolene Purdy), a reservations clerk who dreams of pop-singer stardom as much as she craves to be part of the action upstairs; and LARRY (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), the head of housekeeping who spends more time on the phone cleaning up his messes at home than he does cleaning up after the guests upstairs.

Dollhouse
Joss Whedon, creator of groundbreaking cult favorites Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly returns to television and reunites with fellow Buffy alumna Eliza Dushku for a thrilling new drama, DOLLHOUSE. ECHO (Dushku) is an "Active," a member of a highly illegal and underground group who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined to a secret facility known as the "Dollhouse," Echo and the other Actives including SIERRA (Dichen Lachman) and VICTOR (Enver Gjokaj) carry out engagements assigned by ADELLE (Olivia Williams), one of the Dollhouse leaders. The engagements cater to the wealthy, powerful and connected, and require the Actives to immerse themselves in all manner of scenarios romantic, criminal, uplifting, dangerous, comical and the occasional "pro bono" good deed. After each scenario, Echo, always under the watchful eye of her handler BOYD (Harry Lennix), returns to the mysterious Dollhouse where her thoughts, feelings and experiences are erased by TOPHER (Fran Kranz), the Dollhouse's genius programmer. Echo enters the next scenario with no memory of before. Or does she? As the series progresses, FBI Agent PAUL SMITH (Tahmoh Penikett) pieces together clues that lead him closer to the Dollhouse, while Echo stops forgetting, her memories begin to return and she slowly pieces together her mysterious past. Dollhouse revolves around Echo's blossoming self-awareness and her desire to discover her true identity. But with each new engagement, comes a new memory and increased danger inside and outside the Dollhouse.

Secret Millionaire
Secret Millionaire is a dramatic unscripted series that takes America's wealthiest individuals away from their lavish lifestyles, sprawling mansions and private planes and places them undercover into some of the most impoverished neighborhoods in America. Shot under the guise of a documentary, the series reveals the dramatic personal return that millionaires will get when they leave their fortunes to invest in those less fortunate. Challenged with living on minimum wage, the millionaires will immerse themselves in situations beyond their comprehension. They will work side-by-side with community members and befriend those in need to decide who should ultimately receive their gifts of a lifetime. The millionaires will be touched by the people they meet. Some will inspire with their dedication to helping others, while others will relay stories of overcoming tremendous odds. On the final day, the Secret Millionaires meet with the chosen recipients and reveal their true identity and intention: to give them at least $100,000 oftentimes more of their own money and to change their lives forever. Secret Millionaire will engage viewers in important social issues, extol the virtues of volunteerism and change the lives of disadvantaged people and the philanthropists who helped them in unexpected ways.

The Cleveland Show
Many years ago, CLEVELAND BROWN (voiced by Mike Henry) was a high school student madly in love with a beautiful girl named DONNA. Much to his dismay, his love went unrequited, and Donna wound up marrying another man. Cleveland once told Donna he would always love her, and if this man ever done her wrong, he'd be there when she called. Well, this man done her wrong. Donna's husband skipped town with another woman, leaving Donna with a daughter and a baby. Now she's come to Cleveland and offered him another chance at love. Unattached after the Loretta-Quagmire debacle and true to his word, Cleveland joyously accepts and he and CLEVELAND JR. move to Stoolbend, VA, to join their new family. Once in Stoolbend, Cleveland has a few surprises in store for him, including a flirtatious new stepdaughter, a 5-year-old stepson who loves the ladies, as well as a collection of neighbors that includes a loudmouth redneck couple, a British family seemingly stuck in the Victorian era and a family of bears living at the end of the block. Family Guy was only the beginning. Get ready for The Cleveland Show (working title)!

Sit Down, Shut Up
From Emmy Award-winning writer Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested Development) and Eric and Kim Tannenbaum (Two and a Half Men) comes Sit Down, Shut Up (working title), an animated comedy that focuses on the lives of eight staff members at a high school in a small northeastern fishing town (Go Baiters!) who never lose sight of the fact that the children must ALWAYS come second. We watch them grapple with their own egos, needs and personal agendas, their petty insecurities and prejudices, unrequited loves, and ruthless battles for power and that's just at the staff meeting. SUE SEZNO (Kenan Thompson), a woman who frequently says "no," is the acting principal of the school (the actual principal is recovering from a series of unfortunate accidents that might be seen as escape attempts). Then there's Vice Principal STUART PROZACKIAN (Will Forte) who has a terrifically positive and upbeat attitude... possibly from the performance-enhancing medication he's been secretly put on by the other teachers. There is one educator who feels the focus should be on academics, but despite the old adage, at this school, those who can teach, teach gym and that's where LARRY SLIMP (Jason Bateman) has been exiled to. Immensely frustrated, Larry nurses a crush on science teacher MIRACLE GROHE (Maria Bamford), a woman whose superficial grasp on science is balanced by her superficial grasp on spirituality. Rounding out the staff is the aging German teacher WILLARD DEUTSCHEBOG (Henry Winkler), a deeply defeated man whose yearbook quotation reads "If I believed in reincarnation, I'd kill myself tonight." Uptight HELEN KLENCH (Cheri Oteri) is a librarian whose life's work in research and archiving can now be surpassed by the average Google search from the average cell phone. Proud ANDREW SAPIEN (Nick Kroll) is the flamboyant drama teacher. ENNIS HOFFTARD (Will Arnett) is a fellow teacher and a self-obsessed body builder who yearns to be thought of as a "cool dude" by his students. And finally there's HAPPY (Tom Kenny), the plotting secretive custodian who's assumed to be Hispanic despite the fact that his real name is Muhannad Sabeeh Fa'ach Nuaba. With a distinctive new look a combination of animation against a live-action backdrop Sit Down, Shut Up is a series for the young and old at heart. It lampoons modern society while exposing the dreams, flaws and struggling humanity of our first and most formative authority figures: teachers.

Photos courtesy of Fox

PaleyFest: More Goodies from the Buffy Reunion

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:30:08 -0700

Earlier today, I told you about some of the greatest moments from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion at the Paley Festival in Los Angeles. There were so many good moments (and a few awkward ones) that they couldn't fit in one post, so here are a few more of the highlights:

Please, everyone, do me a favor. If ever you get a chance to ask a question at a panel like this, don't make it "Could you all tell me your favorite movies and what's on your iPod?" That's how the Q&A started, and it definitely sucked some energy out of the room. The panel played along gamely (Sarah Michelle Gellar's favorite: South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut), but at some point, moderator Matt Roush interrupted to ask if we could please have a question that was actually about Buffy.
One of the most awkward moments came when a fan asked Amber Benson to explain why she'd decided to leave the show. She initially tried getting out of it with a joke ("I was having sex with Marlon Brando . . . "), then fumbled around and blamed it on scheduling and availability, and finally turned it around to say that the important thing was the Tara and Willow relationship.
Speaking of which, the only time Joss Whedon ever threatened to quit was when his bosses asked him if he could maybe not show the Tara/Willow kiss.
Also, Whedon apparently liked to take people for walks and tell them they were fired, and then say "ha, just kidding!"

Some more - including the chances of a Buffy movie or Broadway show - plus a video clip from the panel if you read more.

Emma Caulfield hd one of the night's funniest moments when she told the story of a fan asking her what she was thinking about during Anya's monologue from "The Body." She said she'd told the fan the truth - that she was really hungry and had to pee - and then realized she'd pulled an Anya, talking without thinking.
Whedon said he's spent time daydreaming about taking a Buffy musical - not "Once More, With Feeling" but a different Buffy musical story - to Broadway, but at the moment those are just dreams. When asked for a show of hands for who would join him, almost everyone on stage volunteered - except Gellar, who emphatically shook her head no.
Gellar admitted that season six, which made Buffy less kick-ass and more mopey, was hard for her because she'd always looked up to her character and wanted her to be strong. Whedon said he once said to Marti Noxon, "Buffy's been gone for too long," and they started to pull her out of the rabbit hole.
In terms of a movie someday, Whedon didn't dismiss the possibility but said the stars would all have to align for the right people to be available for the right project. That said, he said working with the cast again would be "really cool."
Random fun fact: Noxon's brother is the music supervisor of Weeds and is married to that show's creator, Jenji Kohan. Fun family!
Whedon was actually a little late to the panel because he was filming his Web musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Gellar is getting ready to start filming the indie film Veronika Decides to Die, James Marsters is filming Dragonball and is still appearing on Smallville and Torchwood, and Benson is writing a series of young-adult fantasy novels.

Here are some of the goodies in video form:

PaleyFest: The Buffy Cast Reunites!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:30:14 -0700

Buffy, Tara, Spike, and Xander, together again! A large part of the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer took the stage Thursday night at the PaleyFest in Los Angeles, revealing some secrets from their eight years of working on the series and taking questions from appreciative fans who often credited Buffy with shaping their whole lives.

And when I say appreciative, there really should be a capital A. This crowd of more than 800 cheered at everything - from the opening clip of one of Sarah Michelle Gellar's 1994 scenes on All My Children to the introduction of the panel's moderator. (In terms of cast members, James Marsters seemed to get the most applause, but show creator Joss Whedon was the only person to get a standing ovation.)

In attendance: Whedon, writer/producers Marti Noxon and David Greenwalt, and cast members Gellar, Marsters, Amber Benson (Tara), Nicholas Brendon (Xander), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia), Seth Green (Oz), and Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn). Both Eliza Dushku and Alyson Hannigan were listed in the program, but neither showed - bummer. But the others kept the conversation lively - especially Green, who had a one-liner for everything, for better or worse.

The night really got going with a screening of the musical episode "Once More with Feeling" (not a sing-along, sadly). The episode proved to be a perfect starting point for talking about what's made Buffy so enduring, so for the scoop (update: here's part two of my report), just read more.

Noxon introduced the episode screening by saying that, frankly, the writers had some doubts about whether Whedon could actually pull off a musical: "We were - not nervous, we just hadn't ever seen him write a song before," she explained. For his part, Whedon said he was actually more terrified to put together "Hush," the mostly silent episode.
One theme that kept coming up was the way Buffy consistently pushed the envelope, whether by shifting the formats of its episodes, killing off beloved characters, or even taking Buffy herself into a deep, dark hole during the sixth season. Gellar cited the opening shot of "The Body," which was done in one long take, as another example. "We were constantly doing things that had never been done," she said. "We were constantly doing things that challenged both the audience and ourselves.
This is probably not news to anyone who's ever been to a Buffy event, but Nicholas Brendan talks so much like Xander, it's creepy.
Gellar on the initial reaction to getting the role of Buffy: "All of my friends felt sorry for me because I'm on a midseason replacement on a network nobody had heard of, based on a movie that wasn't all that."
Marsters had a great description of what went into the writing of Buffy, saying the writers took the worst things that happened to them in high school and "put fangs on it." Whedon said he and Greenwalt used to call Gellar "Jimmy Stewart" because she picked up his baton of having to deal with tremendous pain on film.
One of the biggest bursts of applause in the entire evening was when the moderator (TV Guide's Matt Roush) mentioned that the Spike/Buffy sex scene had recently been named the steamiest TV scene of all time by his magazine. Gellar noted that the way Buffy shows up on those lists, and the way the fan community has reacted to the show over the years, means way more to her than any Emmys the show could have won.
Gellar said she had no idea until five minutes before the panel took the stage that Buffy had gotten it on with slayer Satsu in the latest comic book. Trachtenberg also had no idea what had happened to Dawn in the comic series. "If these guys were real nerds," Whedon said, "we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Click here for more, including video highlights.

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