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Can we separate the artist from their work? That is a question that people have been asking for years. How can we ignore horrendous actions, alleged or otherwise from creators who’s work has changed so many lives for the better? Sadly this question with new looks behind curtain of beloved works that have revealed disturbing surprises. It sucks this is the case for a TV series that was part of the television renaissance era

I of course am talking about Joss Whedon and the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV show. To deny how important this series was, is to deny that the sky is blue. It was one of the first shows that created a para-social relationship with fans. Many of which would alter their lives forever. Forming friendships, sparking a passion in film making, and even letting them accept who they truly are.

So lets talk about a...

If you paid attention to your Gcse science – unlikely, I know – then you may remember all that jazz about magnets. In particular, the weird way in which two like-for-like magnet poles repel each other rather than attach.

Having just flicked through the Ladybird Guide To Science For Five-Year-Olds (I was always rubbish at science), I'm reminded of this notion when reviewing the Buffy and Angel episodes back to back. While Angel has generally gone all dark and broody, lately, quite a few of the episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer have gone the other way. We've had the brain-dead pointlessness of Beer Bad, the half Thanksgiving tutorial/half Buffy's Kitchen antics of Pangs, and now, along comes Something Blue, an episode that at times threatens to take tweeness to the max.

In a way, Buffy The Vampire Slayer's gradual leaning towards frothy storytelling makes sense. It's still a...

The Dark Horse Comic, Buffy Season 10 was released earlier in March, and that's as good of a reason as any to look back at the start of the heroine's journey. (Also note that James Marsters and Nicholas Brendon are also a part of the Buffy Season 10 team, as writers. Ohmygodsoamazingwhat!)

During its run on television, and after, Buffy the Vampire Slayer inspired the creation of philosophical books, college courses, Joss Whedon's equally profound and fun spin-off series Angel, and countless Buffy-like fictional characters. Buffy herself became an icon of epic proportions. The show also changed the way people viewed television – not just in the experience of watching it, but how it was considered as a medium for telling powerful stories.

Season One is where it all began (well, actually ... it all began with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, but I digress) and it's interesting to see how...

Never mind a broken heart, Xander's in greater danger of all of his limbs getting smashed to pieces. Just your average Sunnydale Valentine's Day then.

If Phases presented Buffy's assertion that men are predatory ghouls, then Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered gleefully shows that women are just as capable of an axe-fuelled, hair-pulling rampage. Thanks to Amy's sketchy spell casting, Xander is finding that breaking Cordelia's heart is a tougher proposition than the token nutty chocolate in the box. As a result, the females of Sunnydale have fallen head over heels in love with Xander. But while this is Xander's ideal fantasy scenario on paper, it's considerably less rosy in reality.

Never let it be said that Buffy The Vampire Slayer ignores a special themed holiday. Christmas. Halloween. Thanksgiving. Valentine's Day is scrawled on the Buffy calendar with this smart little masterpiece from Marti Noxon. In true Buffy style, it's...

Fitting in with the in crowd. That's just as important a part of school as achieving high grades. Some find this easier than others. If you're blessed with good looks, razor sharp cheekbones and buckets of charisma, bordering on arrogance, you've bypassed the queue and entered the inner sanctum of cool. If you're not so lucky, you have to work just that little bit harder. Finding a hidden talent can help - if you're in a band or croon a bit in the bathroom, this will come in useful. Sporty? Again, a useful cool card to be played. And judging by the latest Buffy episode, Witch, shaking balls of shredded paper while chanting at the top of your voice provides the girls with a pass into the trendy clique.

Having already established a reputation as a stake-wielding harbinger of death to all vampires, it's little wonder that Buffy's having...

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The Saltemeir family and the viewer go through a very rough time in "Silent Lies", a dark and uncompromising look at incest and child abuse. The low-budget debut project of director Peter Kiwitt and writer Samuel Bernstein screened this month at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and it's solid enough to achieve moderate success on cable and video.

Set in a small Texas town, "Silent Lies" features Elizabeth Anne Allen as college-bound 17-year-old Shelly, daughter of the monstrous Carl (Michael Harris), a domineering con man with a socially reprehensible attitude toward his own children. These two talented performers lead the viewer through co-producer Bernstein's wrenching scenario of a victim's growing desire for an end to her misery.

The independent production is not without awkward moments and the filmmaking is a bit raw, but the subject matter is guaranteed to arouse the viewer. Apart from the violent ending, the story line is unsettling like a psychological horror film and all too believable.

Bright and pretty, Shelly is an academic wonder but her only close friend is Raymond (Cedrick Terrell), a shy and caring classmate. Her father has been away for two years hiding from the law as the film opens. Shelly and younger sister Tanya (Dana Daurey) live with their trashy stepmother Ruby (Bonnie Burroughs).

One day Carl comes home and the bad dreams haunting Shelly take a concrete form. At first he's on relatively good behavior and gives her a classic Mustang convertible as a gift. Soon, however, the unrepentant misogynist and pedophile has beaten up Ruby and makes Shelly uncomfortable with his presence and blunt talk about sex.

Some of the most difficult material in the film is alluded to in flashbacks, wherein it's clear that Shelly endured unmentionable abuses as a child.

But she has grown since then and can no longer tolerate her father's sexual advances. When she refuses, Carl moves on to 14-year-old Tanya, who is already flirting shamelessly with boys. Unable to tell anyone of her own situation, Shelly panics when she sees Tanya encouraging Carl. Shelly does something drastic and then starts to plan retribution for the evil, manipulative Carl.

The climax in an abandoned ranch house, which involves Raymond, is the film's one major concession to audience expectations, but there are no winners in this sad story, only survivors.

Terrell (ABC's "Dangerous Minds") is a quiet, strong presence and Daurey is vital as the emotionally explosive and heartbreakingly naive Tanya. But the film belongs to Allen ("Crimes of the Heart") and Harris (UPN's "The Burning Zone"). The latter is riveting and repellent as the "monster" of "Silent Lies", while Allen is never less than convincing as the heroine torn apart by her pain and shame.

Motion Picture Feature Films: Sound Editing

"Daylight", Universal Pictures, Richard Anderson and David Whittaker

Motion Picture Feature Films: Music Editing

"The English Patient", Miramax Films, Robert Randles

Motion Picture Feature Films: Automated Dialogue Replacement Editing

"Jerry Maguire", TriStar Pictures, Christopher Jargo

Animated Television Specials: Sound Editing

"The Simpsons" ("Tree House of Horrors VII"), 20th Century Fox Television, Robert Mackston and Travis Powers

Animated Television Series: Sound Editing

"The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa" ("Palm Beached/Jamaica Mistake"), Walt Disney Television Animation, William Griggs and Jennifer Mertens

Animated Television Series: Music Editing

"The Really Mighty Ducks" ("Buzz Blitsman, Duck Ranger"), Buena Vista Television, Nicolas Carr

Television Miniseries: Sound Editing

"Ruby Ridge: An American Tragedy" (Part II), Edgar J. Scherick Associates, G. Michael Graham and Mark Friedgen

Television Miniseries: ADR editing

"Samson and Delilah", Lube Productions, Kristi Johns

Animated Motion Picture Feature Films: Sound Editing

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", Walt Disney Pictures, Laurence Kemp and Lon Bender

Animated Motion Picture Feature Films: Music Editing

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", Walt Disney Pictures, Kathleen Fogarty Bennett

Verna Fields Award for Student Filmmakers in Sound Editing

"Jester", National Film and Television School (United Kingdom), Stuart Hilliker

Television Movies of the Week, Pilots and Specials: Sound Editing

"Gotti", HBO, Dane Davis

Television Movies of the Week, Pilots and Specials: ADR Editing

"Crazy Horse", von Zerneck/Sertner Films, Tally Paulos

Television Movies of the Week, Pilots and Specials: Music Editing

"Crazy Horse", von Zerneck/Sertner Films, Virginia Ellsworth

Lifetime Achievement Award

Jack Donovan Foley

Motion Picture Foreign Feature Films: Sound Editing

"The Horseman on the Roof", Miramax, Jerome Levy

Television One-Hour Series: Sound Editing

"Xena: Warrior Princess" ("Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"), MCA Television, Jason Schmid

Television Series: Music Editing

"The Big Easy" ("Don't Shoot the Piano Player"), USA Network, Fernand Bos.

One -Half-Hour/One-Hour Series: ADR Editing

"America's Dream" ("Long Black Song"), Time Warner Entertainment Co., Mace Matiosian

Television One-Half-Hour Series: Sound Editing

"America's Dream" ("Long Black Song"), Time Warner Entertainment, Mace Matiosian...