Twentieth Century Fox has announced their line-up of panels for the San Diego Comic Con. It’s an interesting mix of scifi and non-genre shows, though even some of those shows have scifi favorites in the mix, so it’s all good.

FRIDAY, JULY 24:
2:15-3:00 P.M. Coming off its most critically acclaimed season in years, 24 stars Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub and new cast members Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Katee Sackhoff join showrunnner Howard Gordon and the producers of the Emmy-winning series for a special sneak peek at the heart-stopping premiere episode of Season 8. Ballroom 20.

3-3:45 P.M. Bones showrunner Hart Hanson and stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel are on hand for a discussion of what’s on deck for Booth and Brennan, hot on the heels of this year’s much talked-about season finale in which the pair finally wound up between the sheets. Ballroom 20.

4 P.M-6 P.M. Join Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon and star/producer Eliza Dushku for a no-holds-barred Q & A about what they have planned for season 2, after they unveil a special screening of the NEVER BEFORE SEEN “Epitaph One” episode of the Fox hit which releases on DVD just four days later. Ballroom 20. (DOLLHOUSE: Joss Whedon (L) directs Eliza Dushku (R) on the set during production. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Greg Gayne/FOX)

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As Smallville is to the Superman legend, Merlin is to the majestic tale of King Arthur — it’s the story of a boy just learning to use his powers and those that would oppose him. It’s mystical. It’s magical. It’s a UK series that has found its way on the American TV. But is it worth watching. . . .?

If you’re interested in reviews from TV critics, then Merlin is fair to middling. Fan girls, however,  have found enjoyment in the Arthur / Merlin bromance but purists may find the story strays too far from the classic.

Having said all that, it does star Buffy’s Anthony Stewart Head, so how bad can it be? I guess we’ll all find out together this Sunday at 8:00 when Merlin: The Series makes its US debut on NBC.

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Yesterday, the Hollywood Reporter broke a story about a potential Buffy the Vampire Slayer relaunch that wouldn’t include Joss Whedon in the mix. Basically, the original rights holders, Fran Rubel and husband Kaz Kuzui were approached by Vertigo Entertainment (The Grudge) with the idea of producing a new feature film based on the franchise. The article states that the producers hadn’t ruled out Whedon’s involvement but they have not yet “reached out to him.”

As you can imagine, the fans went wild. Buffy without Joss? Sacrilege! I say, baloney. I fully admit that Joss Whedon was 100 % responsible for the phenomena that was Buffy. It was his direction, his wit, his creative genius that made that show the icon that it is today. However, that doesn’t mean the franchise should be put out to pasture just because he’s no longer involved. Have we already forgotten Star Trek? J.J. Abrams admitted that he wasn’t a huge fan of the original series, and yet he did an excellent job of paying homage to the original while still giving us something new and exciting.

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One of the most overlooked but important aspects of our favorite shows is the music that leads into them. Total Scifi Online took a poll asking its readers what their favorite themes were and the otherworldly opening song from Doctor Who emerged as the winner.

Other popular tunes include The X-Files and Star Trek. The complete Top 10 list is after the jump:

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Joss: I don’t get twitter, I think it might be dirty.
Jed: You’re going to twitter tonight.
Joss: Buy me a drink first.

Let’s hear it for the Whedon Brothers! They’re here every night and don’t forget to tip your waitress.

Joss Whedon, brothers Zack and Jed and stars Felicia Day and Nathan Fillion were all on hand for the Paley Festival salute to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog. It all went down on April 14th at the Arclight in Hollywood and I’ve got the pictures to prove it.

Here we have the brothers Grimm followed by the lovely and talent - talented and lovely Felicia and Nathan:

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer and How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan and husband Alexis Denisof (one of the stars of Angel) have a healthy baby daughter. The couple met during the 1999-2000 season of Buffy and this is their first child.

People reports that little Satyana Denisof was born March 24 and how wild is this, that’s Hannigan’s birthday too. Hannigan told people her strange pregnancy craving was ginger ale. She said she also felt a little absent minded during the process. Hannigan told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres she felt like a stoned Koala bear. There’s an image I can’t even completely wrap my head around.

But because it came from Alyson Hannigan, it suddenly sounds like a cool thing to say. I’m going to call someone a stoned Koala bear at the next available opportunity. Seriously though, congrats to one of SFUniverse’s favorite couples!

Image: Bauer-Griffin

In honor of April Fool’s Day, Fox is pulling a few pranks on the casts of their TV shows. An unexpected visit startles Eliza Dushku on the Dollhouse set, the cast of Terminator sits down for an interview they won’t forget and David Boreanez helps freak out his castmates on Bones.

Tune in to watch the fun all night long on FOX.

Cr: Adam Taylor/FOX

Can’t wait? Click the cut to see the prank pulled on Eliza,

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More of your favorite scifi stars have found new gigs this week:

(Number two could be considered a spoiler for Sarah Connor so. . . )

Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer has joined the cast of the Canadian series The Dealership where she’ll play a beautiful sales manager in the world of luxury cars. (Does that sound horribly boring to anyone else?)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles‘ Jesse, aka Stephanie Jacobsen is moving into Melrose Place.  She’ll play a med student who pays her tuition with a job as a high-class call girl.

Ian Somerhalder is joining The CW’s pilot Vampire Diaries.  According to Daily Variety, he will play a “smug vampire named Damon who can have split second mood changes”

Voyager’s Jeri Ryan will have a recurring role as a lawyer on Law & Order beginning with the April 7 episode.

Buffy’s Michelle Trachtenberg will be one of three nurses featured in the NBC series Mercy.

Pictured: Tricia Helfer as Carla on Burn Notice — USA Network Photo: Glenn Watson

Bitten by Books, the online spot for anyone who loves paranormal fiction, is hosting a Q&A with Amber Benson to discuss her new book Death’s Daughter on March 25.

Amber Benson is best known as Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer but she also played Lenore the vampire on Supernatural. Sounds like great training for anyone wanting to write in the genre, huh? Why not ask her about it?

They’ll be taking questions on the Bitten by Books forum and they’re also giving away a couple of copies of Amber’s book. If you’re on Facebook, you can get more details and additional contest entries, just click here for details. You can also visit Amber’s website for more information about book signings and upcoming TV appearances.

Book cover courtesy of Amazon.com

Buffy creator Joss Whedon got on the phone with journalists on Wednesday to talk about his new series Dollhouse and though he spent a good amount of time responding to questions, he didn’t really answer them.

The show, which got off on the wrong foot with the network, hasn’t done much to draw in an audience on Fox. The numbers have increased in recent weeks, particularly when you add in the DVR viewings, but Dollhouse still isn’t the hit anyone thought it would be.

Maybe that’s because it’s not the show we thought it would be, or even the show Joss thought it would be.

“When I pitched, [Dollhouse],” says Joss. “Mine was it’s Alias meets Quantum Leap. I thought of her more than anything as kind of life coach, as a kind of the person you absolutely need in your life at a certain moment who will either change you or comfort you or take your life to the level that you want it to be. And that could be something nice, evil, sexual. It could be any number of things.”

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