FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	AUGUST 16, 2002

'ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING' ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK TO EMMY-NOMINATED MUSICAL EPISODE OF 'BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER' TO BE RELEASED BY MUTANT ENEMY MUSIC/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX MUSIC/ROUNDER RECORDS SEPTEMBER 24, 2002

CD FEATURES SONGS WRITTEN BY SERIES CREATOR JOSS WHEDON AND PERFORMED BY SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR AND OTHER CAST MEMBERS.

On September 24, 2002, Mutant Enemy Music/Twentieth Century Fox Music/Rounder Records will release 'Once More, With Feeling,' the original soundtrack to the landmark episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" originally broadcast November 6, 2001. The episode, which found Buffy and her undead nemeses expressing their thoughts in song, features lyrics and music written by series creator Joss Whedon and performed by the show's cast, including star Sarah Michelle Gellar.

"This is the first album for Mutant Enemy Records, my first soundtrack and my first musical. I couldn't be more excited about it," said Whedon. "It's about five dreams come true.  It represents the hardest work I've ever done and more importantly, fully embodies my constant motto:  surround yourself with talent and you can get away with having a lot less.  No, no excuses:  I'm proud of this work.  I'm glad people will get a chance to hear it."

The CD release features ten tracks — the entire original soundtrack to the show, as well as an unreleased demo version of "Something To Sing About," sung by Whedon and his wife Kai Cole, and score segments from three other  "Buffy" episodes, "Restless," "Hush" and "The Gift." The album's artwork was designed by comic book artist Adam Hughes, known for his work on X-Men, Justice League, Wonder Woman and other collectible titles.

In 'Once More, With Feeling,' the residents of Sunnydale, CA, including Vampire Slayer Buffy Summers and her friends, find themselves unable to resist breaking into song at inopportune moments. Mundane events, from the issuing of a parking ticket to the successful removal of a mustard stain from a shirt, spawn big-budget Broadway numbers in the streets. Stricken by this musical curse, Buffy, her mentor Giles and her friends, must root out its nether-worldly cause.

Over the course of the episode and the CD, the cast pushes the envelope of pop culture with a series of songs that parody Broadway cliches and rock opera bombast, while equally effectively tugging at the audience's heartstrings. The opener "Going Through the Motions" features singing demons whose chorus line is interrupted by Buffy's wooden stake thrusts, and "I'll Never Tell" is a hilarious twist on an Astaire/Rogers song and dance. At the same time, the vampire Spike's kiss-off to Buffy (with whom he'd become romantically entwined) "Rest In Peace," conveys the character's anger with expressive hard rock punch. Giles' "Standing," in which he considers letting go as a father figure to the young Buffy, provides an unexpectedly touching moment.

Called "Wildly ambitious, sensationally entertaining and unexpectedly moving," by TV Guide critic Matt Roush, "Once More, With Feeling" is nominated for the Outstanding Music Direction Emmy Award. The Emmy ceremony will be held September 22 in Los Angeles.

Entertainment Weekly called the episode, "Classic Buffy," while the San Francisco Chronicle raved, "Impossibly great work... They're all wonderful songs... damn entertaining."

Set to debut its seventh season on September 24, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has gone from cult favorite to one of the most popular, celebrated shows on television. VHS and DVD releases of early episodes have sold more than two million copies worldwide, and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The TV Soundtrack' was a worldwide hit in 1999. Esquire's Tom Carson wrote, "'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' is the best show on the air — brainy, good-hearted, gloriously expressive TV poetry."

For more information, please contact Nick Baily [[email protected]] at Shore Fire Media, 718-522-7171

###