Bolding mine. And here's what I (and, I think Katie) mean about notknowing=livingunderarock. Because, honestly, do you really think that it's that hard to avoid these things? Really? It's not as long as people don't assume that 'everyone' knows.

I think it's hard to avoid if you're at all promiscuous in your netsurfing, or if you have friends or family members who know you're interested in ME shows and are given to saying things like, "Did you see that article about so-and-so leaving/joining the Angel cast next year?"

I guess for me it just seems absurd to have to tiptoe around a topic that Joss himself has talked about in a major media outlet. It makes me avoid the Angel thread altogether, because I'm afraid I'll let it slip, and really it's impossible to discuss possible happenings for next season without talking about the cast changes.

When I didn't notice JL's name in the credits for AtS (or maybe they weren't there) and she showed up to vamp Darla the HSQ was through the roof. If I had known she was going to appear I would have spent the entire episode waiting for it.

Since Dru was not added to the regular cast over the summer, you'd not have been spoiled for her return under the current proposal.

To answer the question ita posed to Sean, I enjoy being spoiled because I think HSQ is waaaaaaaay overrated. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy being surprised, but I don't feel that good HSQ translates into good anything else. So I'd rather not deal with it.

It's such an incredibly subjective response to HSQ, that I think is illuminating, but let's make sure we don't translate too many personal value judgments of spoiledness to the proposal. Sure, I consider everyone both more or less spoiled than me kinda weird, but I guess y'all have some rights too.

"Why is it that everyone driving faster than us is a maniac, and everyone driving slower than us is an idiot?"

One of my favorite Carlin lines. (ita's comment reminded me of this)

But y'all have enlightened me.

Yet Sean reminds us that there are valid and varied opinions here.

Apparently everyone on the planet knew about tragedies that happened to 3 opening credited members of the BtVS cast in s7 that I had no clue about. After the fact I read in the show threads that most everyone knew. Huh. It was major HSQ for me. I am delighted that I didn’t know. However, knowing casting issues does not translate into knowing plot issues. Feh, sorry, still on the fence here.

I don't understand why there is a need for a change to the current policy on posting casting spoilers when there is a both a spoiler thread and a spoiler lite thread where these issues can be discussed.

Because there are people who won't go into Spoilage Lite because there, it's ALL casting spoilers. Whitefonted, of course, but it includes spoilers for recurring as well as the information about which actors will be making up the regular season cast.

Because Spoilage Lite was started for things like the Torez Spoiler, or so and so will guest star; I started it, I know exactly what it was started for. It was never, ever intended to be the bastard child of the main threads, but rather a place where you could possibly mention what TV Guide's blurb said about the episode.

Because, previously, there had been discussion about summer casting changes to regular slots in spaces outside of spoiler zones. (When did VK get his regular status? S3 end or S4 start?).

And mostly, because at this point, the WB has announced the regulars for next season, and there are changes, and we will know about them and start talking about them before the season starts, it's just a matter of when. Regardless of you getting promos or not, we will, and they will be discussed. Before the first episode airs. Period.

If you're in the U.S., at least where I am, all the major casting news (including things that are, and would remain under this proposal spoilers by Buffista definition) takes active work to avoid. Which is why I *stopped* avoiding it. I'm lazy, and I don't want to shield my eyes when I'm in Tower picking up DVDs (between the aisles is where they keep movie and entertainment magazines).

I'm for it.

because at this point, the WB has announced the regulars for next season, and there are changes, and we will know about them and start talking about them before the season starts, it's just a matter of when. Regardless of you getting promos or not, we will, and they will be discussed. Before the first episode airs. Period.

Bears repeating.

What Plei said.

I don't want to have to go into Lite to talk about the 2 things I know, because I know there are casting things I don't know (and don't want to know, not for the HSQ, but because I don't want to be thinking about it until it happens, if that makes sense. I want to re-interpret, rather than project forward).

t Amanda As far as what is covered by this, could we make it a 2/3 thing, like it has to have been talked about on at least 2 of: the WB page, ME people in mainstream press, and ads. Or something like that? t /Amanda

Before the buffistas, I never found it hard to remain unspoiled. I didn't read credits (and found it weird that you all do until I got comfy here). I watch very little television during the summer; I rarely go to other entertainment-driven sites than this board; and I've only recently started reading more LJ stuff. I don't know how I would feel about not knowing, because I read the casting spoilers in spoilers-lite. One doesn't matter to me, the other might have been an interesting HSQ thing for me. I'm kind of on the fence too. I'm wondering how it will improve conversation about these spoilers if the conversation is held in the show threads instead of in the spoiler threads, other than there being more people involved?

Speaking as an avowed Virgin who was spoiled RIGHT HERE on this let me please say the following:

1) It is NOT THAT HARD TO STAY PURE. I skip articles. I don't go on the WB site (which has, if you recall, posted spoilers that annoyed Tim). I don't work in the industry, live in LA or have a husband who writes for TV Guide.

(and back there somewhere Dan, I think, mentioned a casting spoiler 2-- I have NO IDEA what this is and would rather stay that way as long as possible)

2) I feel that the proposed change in policy WOULD be a slippery slope. As it is our currently clear "unless aired on show or promo" is periodically messed up. Can I tell my media hound brethren that the cries of "Hey, that casting spoiler wasn't for an opening credit character! It was released by an unnamed source and not a staff writer! Someone get a Stompy! White font! White font! won't do any good once I've read the darn thing? That the rules are confusing to a non-media hound?

The way I see it, the Virgins will have to pretty much leave the show threads to stay pure whereas the semi-spoiled HAVE a thread. Maybe we should have a Virgin thread? We could have the Spoiled, Semi-Spoiled, Normal (now more spoiled than previously) and Virgin threads.

3) What happens to Natter? Would I need to avoid it too? If David Hasselhoff joining the cast of Angel isn't a spoiler it shouldn't bother the unamericans either, right?