Buffy The Vampire Slayer

On Nov. 6, 2001, the UPN aired the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episode "Once More With Feeling." The series has since ended and that network no longer even exists. So why are we still talking about the episode? Because audience participation-heavy screenings of that episode are quickly becoming the new "Rocky Horror Picture Show," and Tucson’s own Loft Cinema is leading the way, with its fourth "Buffy" event Saturday. For you nonfans out there, let’s back up a bit.

"Once More With Feeling" wasn’t just any episode of "Buffy." It was a musical episode, thanks to (what else?) a demon that cursed all the characters to reveal their true feelings through song and dance. So the screenings are not just screenings, they’re singalongs, with fans belting out every lyric. These events started at fan conventions and eventually found their way into movie theaters.

"We did our first one back in June of last year," Loft program director Jeff Yanc said. "I think when we started it there were two other theaters that had done it, the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin and the Coolidge in Boston."

There’s a monthly singalong at the IFC Center in New York City that has a permanent cast of Buffy fans act out the episode live. There’s even a Web site keeping track of all these events (Buffysings.com).

The Loft adds its own twists by showing a "warm-up" episode voted on by fans, selling a "Buffy Goodie Bag," holding a "Buffy-Oke Tournament" and giving prizes to folks dressed up as Buffy characters.

The screenings draw bigger audiences each time, proving that there’s something about "Buffy" that keeps fans coming back for more. "The interest never really waned," Yanc said. "It’s always been a cult thing, not a huge mainstream success, so that cult never got tired of it. I think they’re responding to the fact that there’s an interactive kind of component to it now."

The show’s strong female characters - headed up by Buffy herself, as famously portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar - are also a big source of the appeal, said Yanc. Two of the event’s three sponsors (along with local comic-book store Heroes and Villains Comics) are the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona, and the University of Arizona Women’s Studies Department.

"They knew it was a great vehicle of promoting strong female characters to people who may not be thinking about feminism," Yanc said. Or it could be just because it was a good show.

"I know a lot of academics who like it, because it is such a smart show," says Yanc. "A lot of U of A professors have come to the shows; I’ve spotted them. It’s really a diverse audience that loves the show." Some zealous fans have suggested weekly events a la "Rocky Horror Picture Show," but Yanc is wary of doing it to death ("We don’t want to flog it," he said). Plans call for the screenings to continue roughly quarterly; in June (for the second year in a row) the Loft will pair a singalong with a screening of "Serenity," directed by "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon, to benefit the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona and Equality Now, an organization that promotes human rights for women around the world.

Come the fall, Yanc is hoping to land a top-secret former "Buffy" actor to appear as a special guest. So where does it end?

"I think not every show would lend itself to this kind of event," said Yanc.

In other words, live "CSI: Miami" re-enactments probably aren’t in our future.

’The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Singalong!’ Where: The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway.

When: 9 p.m. Saturday.

How much: $5 for screening; $3 goodie bag. Info: 795-0844 or loftcinema.com.

Buffy singalong highlights

• "Going Through the Motions" - This intro song reveals Buffy’s displeasure since returning to Earth after spending time in heaven. Can you blame the gal?

• "Under Your Spell" - Tara’s (Amber Benson) sweet yet surprisingly suggestive love ballad sung to her girlfriend Willow (Alyson Hannigan).

• "I’ll Never Tell" - Duet with Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Anya (Emma Caulfield) in a retro-musical style.

• "Rest in Peace" - By far the most rocking tune in the episode, delivered by bad-boy vampire Spike (James Marsters), and featuring great lines such as "If my heart could beat, it’d break my chest."

• "Something to Sing About" - Another Buffy number, delivered in the climax of the episode, where she again talks about being depressed since she was brought back to life. Get over it, Buff.