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1.0 - Charisma Carpenter

1.01 - Who is this 'Charisma' person everyone keeps talking about?
1.02 - Charisma's a weird name.  How did she get it?
1.03 - What other shows/movies has Charisma appeared in?
1.04 - What are Charisma's upcoming projects?
1.05 - I want to know everything about Charisma.  When/where was she born?  Where did she go to school?
1.06 - Does Charisma have a boyfriend?  Is she married?
1.07 - How did Charisma get on Buffy?
1.08 - Where can I write to Charisma?  Does she have an email address?
1.09 - "Charisma, I think you're the greatest..." (disclaimer)

2.01 - Who's Cordelia?
2.02 - What's up with the term 'bitca'?
2.03 - Why is Cordelia so rich?
2.04 - When did Cordelia find out that Buffy was the slayer?
2.05 - Why did Cordelia and Xander go out?  Why did they break up?
2.06 - Who's Harmony?
2.07 - Cordelia and Wesley?  Yuck!  Why did this ever happen?
2.08 - What happened to Cordelia's money?
2.09 - Why is Cordelia moving to LA?
2.10 - What is Cordelia's role in working for Angel?  

3.01 - What's this show about some kind of vampire slayer?  Why do you like a teen show?
3.02 - How can I find out more about the characters and plot of Buffy?
3.03 - I'm desperate to have all the episodes on tape!  Can you send them to me?
3.04 - What's up with Angel?  What's it about?  Who's in it?
3.05 - Cordelia's leaving Buffy??  What's going to happen?
3.06 - Are there going to be any crossovers between Angel and Buffy?
3.07 - When are Buffy and Angelon?  What channel?
3.08 - What are 'Graduation Day, Part II' and 'Earshot'?

4.01 - What is the CCC?  Why did you start it?
4.02 - The Bronze?  What's that?
4.03 - Who's behind CCC?
4.04 - How do I become a member?
4.05 - I have a Buffy website.  Can you link to it please?
4.06 - How come some people have their comments on the episode guides?
4.07 - When's the next Cordy Quiz coming up?
4.08 - When do the episode guides come up?
4.09 - How do I join the CCC mailing list?
4.10 - Are there any rules I should know about for the mailing list?
4.11 - Can I help out with the CCC in any way?
4.11 - Can I use the content on your site?

1.0 - Charisma Carpenter

1.01 - Who is this 'Charisma' person everyone keeps talking about?

Charisma Carpenter is best known for her role as Cordelia Chase on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and can be seen in Angel which premieres this fall.  Before she became an actress, Charisma worked as a waitress, an aerobics instructor, a video store clerk, and property manager.  Her most notable previous profession, though, was as a San Diego Charger Girl cheerleader for a year.  Charisma is an accomplished dancer as well as actress and currently resides in Los Angeles with her two golden retrievers, Sydney and Hobie.

1.02 - Charisma's a weird name.  How did she get it?

This question has got to be the most asked question about Charisma, so here goes.  For three days, Charisma was nameless as her parents argued over what name to give her (her dad wanted to name her Prissy!).  Then, Charisma's grandmother came home with a bottle of "tacky Avon perfume."  Although she didn't like the perfume, Charisma's mother liked its name and decided to name her daughter after it.  The name of the perfume was 'Charisma'.

1.03 - What other shows/movies has Charisma appeared in?

Shortly after moving to LA, Charisma got her first big break with the guest role of Wendie on Baywatch.  Next, Charisma won the role of Ashley Green (major bitca) on the short-lived Aaron Spelling series, Malibu Shores.  She has also appeared in small roles in Boy Meets World, Pacific Blue, and the Josh Kirby...Time Warrior series.  In addition to television shows, Charisma has appeared in over 20 television commercials (the most recent one for Spree candy) and a Secret antiperspirant commercial which ran for two years.  Charisma has not yet appeared in any movies.

1.04 - What are Charisma's upcoming projects?

Charisma's next big project is Angel where she reprises her role of Cordelia Chase. Angel is now showing on the WB.

1.05 - I want to know everything about Charisma.  When/where was she born?  Where did she go to school?

Charisma was born on July 23, 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Charisma wasn't the most well-behaved kid - she said she was grounded a lot for bad grades or misbehaving - but she had a good childhood.  When she was 15, Charisma and her family moved to Mexico.  As she had studied classical ballet since the age of five, Charisma commuted between Mexico and the U.S. to take dance as part of her high school curriculum at the School of Creative and Performing Arts in San Diego.  After she graduated high school, Charisma travelled around Europe and returned to San Diego to live with her brother.

1.06 - Does Charisma have a boyfriend?  Is she married?

At the moment, all we know is that Charisma is engaged to be married.  This was just announced recently.

1.07 - How did Charisma get on Buffy?

While Malibu Shores looked like it had a strong possibility of being cancelled, Charisma auditioned for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  She won the role of Cordelia (it is believed that Bianca Lawson, who later played Kendra, was offered the role first).  Although Charisma was afraid of being typecast as a bitca, she took the role which has made her as famous as she is today.

1.08 - Where can I write to Charisma?  Does she have an email address?

Until now you could write to Charisma at the following address:

Charisma Carpenter
c/o Buffy the Vampire Slayer
c/o The WB Network
PO Box 4000
Burbank, CA 91522, USA

However, now that Charisma is no longer on Buffy, I do not think this address is the best place to send your mail.  I do not yet know the address for Angel, but once I do, I'll post it here.

As far as we know, Charisma does not have a computer nor an email address.

1.09 - "Charisma, I think you're the greatest..."

We here at the CCC have no affiliation with Charisma Carpenter, Joss Whedon, The WB, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Angel.  We are purely a fan-based website and organization that has no better way of contacting Charisma than you do.  While we encourage all praise of Charisma, Charisma does not receive any of the messages sent to this site.

2.0 - Cordelia Chase

2.01 - Who's Cordelia?

Cordelia Chase is the 'bitca' of Sunnydale.  She was first introduced to us as filthy rich and the most popular girl of Sunnydale High.  However, Cordelia slowly starts to realize what's really going on in Sunnydale (Hellmouth=vampires) and learns of the secret activities of the 'Scooby Gang' (Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander).  Cordelia has a talent for getting herself into trouble ('Invisible Girl', 'Reptile Boy') and it is in these circumstances, where Buffy continually saves and protects her, that she slowly becomes a part of her group of friends.  That's in the second season.  In the third season we see Cordelia abandon the gang and all they stand for as well as lose all of her money ("My dad made one little mistake on his taxes...for the last twelve years.").  See below for an explanation.

2.02 - What's up with the term 'bitca'?

Bitca has its origins in the first episode of the second season of Buffycalled 'When She Was Bad'.  Buffy comes back to Sunnydale after spending summer vacation in LA, haunted by her encounter with the Master that got her killed.  But instead of dealing with her pain, Buffy lashes out at everyone around her, alienating her friends and those who care about her.  When Willow, Xander, and Giles are in the library talking about Buffy, Willow insists that Buffy must be possessed by something in order to be acting like such a "B-I-T-C-H".  Right after Giles states that he thinks they're a little bit too old to be spelling things out, Xander chimes in with "a bitca?"

2.03 - Why was Cordelia so rich?

Cordelia was rich due to her father's wealth, although we do not actually know what it is her father did to have made him so wealthy.  We have never actually had an encounter with Cordelia's parents and know very little about them.  We do know, however, that Cordelia's father cheated on his taxes for the last twelve years, causing the Chase family to lose all their money and possessions.  Cordelia, now dirt poor, was forced to work at the dress shop called 'April Fools' to pay for her prom dress (which Xander ended up buying for her).

2.04 - When did Cordelia find out that Buffy was the slayer?

Cordelia officially realized that Buffy was the slayer in the first season's finale called 'Prophecy Girl'.  Cordelia had known that Buffy wasn't normal, in fact she was hoping she was in a gang at one point ('Invisible Girl'), but the events of 'Prophecy Girl', where the Hellmouth tried to open with Cordelia standing right by it, was when Cordelia discovered Buffy's true identity.

2.05 - Why did Cordelia and Xander go out?  Why did they break up?

Cordelia and Xander had a sort of love/hate relationship: we always saw them engage in insult battles that have always provided some good laughs.  However, when Xander and Cordelia become trapped in the basement of Buffy's house, fearing for their lives ('What's My Line, Part II), the heat of the moment brought them together in a passionate kiss.  For awhile they keep their little indiscretions a secret - they sneak into the broom closet while no one's looking - but people start to find out about it.  Although their relationship was purely physical at the beginning, Xander and Cordelia really started to appreciate each other.  Cordelia eventually denounced her popular friends who disapproved of Xander ('Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered') and X/C (Xander/Cordelia) become an established couple in the Scooby Gang.

In the third season, however, Xander starts to see something more in Willow (who's seeing Oz at this point).  Xander and Willow secretly start flirting in class, kissing, and so on, until Cordelia and Oz find out.  Heart-broken, Cordelia rejects Xander and the Scooby Gang and tries to return to the old days ('The Wish').  This marks the return of the bitca Cordy, an image Cordelia constructs of herself to protect herself from pain.

For more information, see the ABOUT BUFFY section.

2.06 - Who's Harmony?

Harmony is a girl who "if she had an original thought, her head would explode" (Anya, 'The Wish').  In the first season, we see Harmony as Cordelia's best friend who Marcie (invisible girl) attacks to get to Cordelia.  Harmony is a shallow and superficial girl who represents the cruel popular girl that everyone hated in high school (as opposed to Cordelia, who is funny and has hidden depth).  In 'Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered', Cordelia succumbs to the peer pressure, mainly from Harmony, to break up with Xander.  However, by the end of the episode, Cordelia calls Harmony a "sheep" and tells her that she can date whoever she wants, "no matter how lame he is."

Cordelia finds that her denouncement of Harmony backfires when she tries to leave the Scooby Gang and re-gain her popular status at Sunnydale High as Harmony constantly humiliates her in front of her friends.  The last we see of Harmony is in 'Graduation Day, Part II' where Harmony gets killed by a vampire in the battle against the Mayor.

2.07 - Cordelia and Wesley?  Yuck!  Why did this every happen?

Well, no one really knows exactly why.  Some say it's to show Cordelia's need to latch on to some sense of security in the lonely days that follow 'The Wish'.  Another theory is that she flirts with Wesley merely to make Xander jealous (although after their reconciliation in 'The Prom', I'm not sure if this really makes sense).  A lot of people say that Cordelia/Wesley was to fill the space between the middle of the season and Angel.  As Joss has not commented on the Cordelia/Wesley relationship yet, we do not know a definite answer.

2.08 - What happened to Cordelia's money?

Cordelia's financial problems first become introduced to us in 'Choices' (where we see her working at the dress shop) and are later explained in 'The Prom'.  Apparently, Cordelia's dad made "one little mistake on his taxes...for the last twelve years", leaving the Chase family without a house or any money at all.

2.09 - Why is Cordelia moving to LA?

As stated above, Cordelia lost all of the money she was used to living with and although she got accepted into several good colleges she cannot no longer afford to go to any.  Instead she is going to move to LA to pursue an acting career and just so happens to run into someone else there....

2.10 - What is Cordelia's role in working for Angel?

In the Angel premiere, City Of, Cordelia started her job at Angel's new detective agency due to her not-so-successful endeavors in acting.  Since then, she has acted as a secretary of sorts: attempting to type, file, answer the phone - that kind of thing.  Most of the time, though, we see her helping Angel out with the many supernatural challenges he faces in LA.  She's still trying to be an actress, however....

3.0 - Buffy/Angel

3.01 - What's this show about some kind of vampire slayer?  Why do you like a teen show?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an extremely intelligent, witty, and dramatic show that follows the quest of a hero, Buffy Summers.  Buffy is definitely not a 'teen show' (that is, the negative stereotype of what a 'teen show' is), in fact, it is one of the most critically acclaimed tv shows of today.  The following are just a few excerpts of praise given to Buffy:

10 Best TV Shows
by Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly
#1: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The WB)
Like people who say they hate hip-hop without listening to it, those who disdain Buffy without watching it are to be pitied for their lack of open-mindedness. What fun they're missing with the only teen show that manages to work on multilevels, nourishing adult viewers as well. Most episodes this year seized on a typical adolescent crisis -- learning to drive, cramming for the SATs, having such an awful fight with your mom that you run away from home -- and turned it with artful ease into the premise for supernatural deviousness and martial-arts horror splatterings. For me, the season was all the better for the low profile kept by the series' most humorless character, Angel (David Boreanaz), during his near-death (near-life?) experience. The dizzying romantic quadrangle involving Xander (Nicholas Brendon), Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Oz (Seth Green), and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) is intricate and witty to the point of Shakespearean comedy. Indeed the show has proved remarkably deft at deepening nearly every character's personality, while maintaining a slapsticky, cartoonish exaggeration that yields much bloody laughter. Not only the year's best, but the most underrated.

Joyce Millman from Salon Magazine:
[on Emmy predictions] It's an even safer bet that the academy will once again ignore WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as best drama. Most voters probably hear that title, look down their noses at its WB pedigree and dismiss it as "teen junk." The media uproar over (nonexistent) similarities to Littleton in the "Buffy" season finale won't help either.  But "Buffy," a dazzlingly original tour de force of drama, comedy, horror and romance is second only to "The Sopranos" on my list. Series creator Joss Whedon gets nominated, too, for his writing and directing....My vote for best actress...goes to Sarah Michelle Gellar for her big, big star turn on "Buffy." The girl can do it all: tender love scenes, smart-mouth sarcasm, body slammin' action, teenage flakiness. Gellar has created a character who is the  very essence of verge-of-adulthood emotional chaos. There isn't a better young actress working on TV today. Gellar rocks. Do you hear that, academy members? She rocks.

USA Today:
Bright, inventive and reliably entertaining, Buffy is a stylishly witty morality play in monster's clothing. Writer/creator Joss Whedon, who also did the big-screen Buffy, understands how to use TV's episodic format to deepen his stories and characters. Here's hoping 1999 finally brings the show and its strong young cast the ratings and Emmy recognition they deserve.

New York Daily News:
People who don't watch this series laugh at my fervent appreciation of it, but the acting, and even the dramatic impact, is way ahead of most of what's on TV these days.  Sarah Michelle Gellar has taken a stereotype and turned her into one of the most conflicted and convincing characters in prime time.  What's more, all her co-stars are keeping pace, handling comedy and drama with equal deftness.

3.02 - How can I find out more about the characters and plot of Buffy?

Buffy has one of the most complex plots of any tv show and to explain everything's that happened so far would be an extremely difficult task.  However, Elora does a pretty good job with the ABOUT BUFFY section, so if you're a new Buffy fan, I highly suggest you read it.

If you're looking for an in-depth, very detailed episode guide, I suggest the Complete Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode Guide.

3.03 - I'm desperate to have all the episodes on tape!  Can you send them to me?

No, I cannot.  This is because
    a.) I live in Australia where there is a different kind of video output and Buffy is far behind where it is in America, and
    b.) I do not keep the episodes on tape as my VCR does not work.
So please don't ask because there is no possible way I can send you all the episodes on tape.

3.04 - What's up with Angel?  What's it about?  Who's in it?

Angel is a new spin-off of Buffy that began this fall.  Although a natural extension of the Buffy-verse, Angel is a bit darker in tone and it deals with more of the challenges of being an adult.  Angel acts as a kind of detective helping people battle the supernatural.  He's accompanied by Doyle (Glenn Quinn), a half-demon half-human hybrid who has visions of who they should be saving.  And of course, Cordelia's (Charisma Carpenter) along for the ride to help out as secretary.

Angel is produced by Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, and Howard Gordon is currently under production.

3.05 - Why did Cordelia leave Buffy?

Although Cordelia's departure from Sunnydale hasn't been discussed all that much, she basically leaves because she is poor and she wants to pursue acting as her way of becoming rich and famous.  This little plan doesn't work out, however, and she is forced to help Angel out partly because she can't seem to avoid the supernatural and partly because she has very little money to live off of.

3.06 - Are there going to be any crossovers between Angel and Buffy?

Yup!  There have already been two - the first one was with Spike and Oz ("The Harsh Light of Day" and "In the Dark" -- episodes 3 of both seasons), and the second one was with Buffy and Angel themselves ("Pangs" and "I Will Remember You" -- episodes 8 of both seasons).  Spike is supposed to cross over two more times this season and possibly even Xander.  There will be more crossovers but the details at this point are vague.

3.07 - When are Buffy and Angel on?  What channel?

Buffy is on at Tuesdays, 8:00 pm ET on the WB and with Angel following right after (both shows last an hour).  Both Buffy and Angel have their season premieres on Tuesday, October 5.

3.08 - What are 'Graduation Day, Part II' and 'Earshot'?

'Graduation Day, Part II' (G2) and 'Earshot' are two Buffy episodes that were not shown at their originally scheduled time in the US due to 'concern' that they were too closely related to the Littleton tragedy.  After much controversy surrounding the pulling of these eps (giving rise to such movements as Stand Up For Buffy), G2 was finally aired on July 13 and 'Earshot' aired for the first time on September 21.

4.0 - The Cordelia Chase Crew

4.01 - What is the CCC?  Why did you start it?

The Cordelia Chase Crew (CCC) is a fan club dedicated to Charisma Carpenter and her unforgettable character, Cordelia Chase.  The CCC was first formed at The Bronze on March 5, 1999 and since then has grown into an established internet fan club and interactive website for those who admire both the actress and the character.  At the time, any fan club for Charisma/Cordelia was almost non-existent at The Bronze and there were barely any established websites devoted entirely to the CCs.

4.02 - The Bronze?  What's that?

The Bronze is the official Buffy posting board which has grown into a great internet community of friendly and thought-provoking people.  Don't be afraid to join in: it may seem a little intimidating at first, but once you find a discussion you want in on then just jump right in!  You'll find that The Bronze is a really fun place for any hopelessly addicted Buffy fan.  It should be noted that VIPs don't post there all the time as many people think they do although we get the occasional drive by from Erika Amato (Velvet Chain), Chris Beck (composer), Jeff Pruit (stunt coordinator), and when we're really lucky, Joss himself.

4.03 - Who's behind the CCC?

Monique is the founder of the CCC and is the webmistress of the amazing Nicholas Brendon Aficionados site.  I, Mesuvius, am the President and webmaster of the CCC.  The CCC wouldn't be the place it is today if it weren't also for the help of LadyJ218, Elora, and NuPhalanx.  If you want to learn more about me, feel free to send me an email!

4.04 - How do I become a member?

There is a very simple process to become a member of the CCC: just go to the SIGN UP page and fill out the form (try not to leave spaces blank).  Anyone can join as long as they admire both Charisma and Cordelia.

4.05 - I have a Buffy website.  Can you link to it please?

Sure!  As long as it doesn't have anything offensive and actually has some good website material, I'll probably put it up on the LINKS page if you ask me.  Of course, as I am doing you a favor with linking to you, I'd ask that you'd do the same for me.  If you are a CCC member and would like to show your CCC pride, feel free to send me an email asking for the image made by Tara M showing that you are a part of the CCC.

4.06 - How come some people have their comments on the episode guides?

The CCC is an interactive, fan-based website.  Therefore, we welcome all comments to be put up on the episode guides so that we can have as many views represented as possible.  If you would like to add your comment to any of the existing episode guides, just go to the EPISODES section and fill out the form.

4.07 - When's the next Cordy Quiz coming up?

The Cordy Quizes, while they are a lot of fun to make, take a long time as I have to go through all the episode transcripts researching for questions.  I've started working a little bit on the second season's CORDY QUIZ, but as I have 14 exams coming up in a month or two, I don't really have much time to do anything else but school work.  Feel free to enjoy the existing Cordy Quiz, though, and if you have any great ideas for the next one be sure to send me an email about it.

4.08 - When do the episode guides come up?

Like the Cordy Quiz, the episode guides take a long time to make.  First, I have to go through the episode, taking detailed notes.  Then I have to think about all the different sections of each episode guide before I can actually make it.  The promptness of an episode guide depends on how busy I am (if, say, I have 5 exams that week, I don't think I will be getting the episode guide up very soon), but usually I try to get it up within a week of its original airdate.  Any help would make the episode guide process much faster.

4.09 - How do I join the CCC mailing list?

The CCC mailing list was set up to keep members up to date on CCC news and events as well as provide an open forum for all Charisma and Cordelia discussion.  If you want to join, just go here.  If you have anything Charisma or Cordelia related that you want to talk about then just go right ahead and bring the topic up!

4.10 - Are there any rules I should know about for the mailing list?

Yes, there are.  First of all, no swearing please.  We don't know the age of our members and some people could be offended by swearing.  Also, no flaming.  If you disagree with someone, send them a calm and polite reply telling them why you disagree.  Shouting and being obnoxious will only get you off the list.  Spoiler warnings are also a must.  The general rule is to use spoiler warnings for any Buffy or Angel episode that has not yet aired up until one week after it has been shown.  An example of a spoiler warning is below:

Angel spoilers!  Do not read below if you don't want to be spoiled!
S
P
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I
L
E
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I heard that Cordelia was going to....

4.11 - Can I help out with the CCC in any way?

You sure can!  Help with the crew (in any shape or form) will be very appreciated.  There are so many ways you can help out it isn't even funny.  You can:
    - send in stills of Cordelia from episodes of Angel
    - send in Charisma pictures that aren't up on the site
    - add your comments to the episode guides
    - send in Cordy quotes
    - send in any sort of Charisma or Buffy/Angel news
    - send in any relevant articles that aren't up on the page
And anything else you can think of!  Don't hesitate to help. :)

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this FAQ and that all your questions have been answered.  If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to send me an email.

4.12 - Can I use the content on your site?

Most of the content on this site is original and took a lot of time to make, such as this FAQ, the episode guides, the About Buffy section, the Cordy Quiz, and several others.  Therefore I ask that you don't use any of the writing or original graphics off this site.  If you would like to use an article or picture that you found at this site, just ask me and chances are I'll let you have it as long as you give credit to the CCC.