Well, I suppose the second entry in that post can’t really be called a poor thing, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Julie Benz agreeing to be nearly tortured to death for our “enjoyment” can only be an evolutionary step backward.

I’m not gonna rail anymore about “torture porn,” “torture chic” or whatever you might want to shout it, but it still amazes me when folks I enjoy watching in movies or on TV agree to take part in that crap.

But I guess I should get to the news of the day before I rant any further. Julie Benz, a k a Darla of “Buffy” and even more so “Angel” fame, has indeed signed on to topline “Saw V,” due out in October (if you had put a gun to my head I probably wouldn’t have been able to guess that there have already been four other “Saw” movies. Sheesh.)

Now, it’s too early yet to tell whether she’ll be a victim or otherwise, but I still can’t imagine what would drive her to agree to that. I don’t think it can be money. She presented in “Rambo” last year and is one of the principal stars of Showtime and Now CBS’ “Dexter,” and is plus set to star in the upcoming flick “Punisher: The War Zone.”

With the exception of

Alyson Hannigan’s (hopefully continuing for quite a while) run on “How I Met Your Mother” and David Boreanaz’s run on “Bones,” it’s been a pretty bleak career landscape for nearly all the stars of “Buffy,” but that is indeed a new low.

Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush?

Like I said at the outset, you could hardly shout that a poor thing career wise, but does any woman really want to take in they look like Laura Bush?

Banks, who recently wrapped shooting Kevin Smith’s “Zack and Miri build a Porno,” is about to sign on to play Laura Bush in “W,” Oliver Stone’s biopic on the life and presidency of, well, W. Josh Brolin already is on board to play Bush in the biopic, which begins shooting in late April in Shreveport, La.

To be serious for a second, I really like Elizabeth Banks, and not just considering she lands squarely on the hot side of the scale, so I hope that turns out to be great. She’s a very funny lady, and for evidence of that you can turn to the very-little-seen “Slither,” in which she co-starred with “Firefly” vet Nathan Fillion.

And besides, it could certainly be worse … at least they didn’t ask her to play Barbara. Peace out.

Original post by Reel Fanatic