arkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand. The Senior Partners crawl in search of minion blood and to terrorize Red Bank's neighborhood. And whosoever shall be found without the soul for getting down must stand and face The Mad Russian from Hell and rot inside a dungeon cell. The foulest stench is in the air, the seeping evilness of The Immortal Mayor and grizzly minions from every tomb are closing in to seal their doom. And though they fight to stay alive, their bodies start to shiver for no mere minion can resist the evil of the 13th Floor Thriller!

Sadly ever since Angel had been taken off the air, all those connected to CityofAngel.com, both past and present, knew that a time would come when the City may have to do the unthinkable and Check the Gate. Since its inception in the millennium year as the brainchild of web designer Virginia Obeius and architect Kristy Bratton, CityofAngel.com became exactly what it boasted to be, "the definitive source for the WB television series Angel" and as such earned the respect and admiration from all those connected with the show as well as of course the fans themselves. If the City had to bow out then it wanted to bow out in style and so friends and allies of the site plus those who had spilt sacrificial blood in its honor were invited to The 13th Floor Wrap Party held at The Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Red Bank, New Jersey over Memorial Day weekend of May 27th-29th, 2005. It was a chance for Virginia and Kristy to personally thank their staff for all the hard work over the years, recall fond moments and memories, plus raise money for a wonderful organization, Canine Companions for Independence. And what a party it turned out to be! As hosts Virginia, (aka DK or The Mayor) and Kristy, (aka Swoop or The Mad Russian) welcomed the familiar faces of their US minions...er...staff Lilian Holden (aka Kryana), Rachel Barerra (aka Raciella), Darren Danforth (aka Seeker) and Susan Haig (aka Mouse) along with US based friends of the site Bridgette Wampler and Renae Armeau. Of course where there is a party, The Brits have to make their presence felt and UK staff writer Sue Grimshaw (aka SueAngel) brought friends Amanda Malt, Annette Malt and Buffie Higgins across the water to make sure that the responsibility of upholding this reputation was kept in tact.

WHAT HAPPENS ON THE 13th FLOOR...

If CityofAngel.com's minions thought that for one minute that their gilded invitation to the 13th Floor Event meant freedom from their usual view of the City's dungeon walls, then they were very much mistaken. As the Wrap party pilgrims began to descend upon The Marriott Courtyard, The Senior Partners had made every effort to make sure their staff felt at home by decorating the hotel's conference room with prison walls, chains, implements of torture and blood spatters. The weekend's festivities started with registration and then the Friday night reception. At registration each attendee was given a registration pack that included their official badge for the weekend as a well as a specially created booklet giving amusing bios on the CityofAngel.com staff. As VIPs for the event the CoA staff and the other invited guests were offered some very special treats. Swoop had put on display her very own collection of Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer memorabilia. Those in attendance salivated over some of the items temptingly displayed but that were not to be auctioned or raffled. Luckily, Swoop's protection spell kept the items safe and none were transported into a demon alternate universe despite SueAngel's efforts to sneak off with the life-size David Boreanaz cut-out. There were autographed scripts from Angel episodes, autographed trading cards, and exclusive photos. Guests mingled and chatted with cups o' blood from earlier sacrifices while swapping stories of previous CoA conquests, "and after that interview and ritual bathing...we went out for beer!", "No, I don't think that will leave a mark, but who knows for sure nowadays!", "The Mayor likes her blood nice and fresh from male virgins." The reception included a pasta dinner with salad and dessert and tables were decorated with name cards of Angel characters so attendees could take on an alternate persona if so desired. CoA stickers, promotional trading cards from Inkworks, and specially designed memorabilia were available for the swiping of all who attended.

Autographs w/ CoA Staff

Amanda, Lil & Angel

Angel Props on display

Once the banter had waned, the entertainment for the evening began and as the lights dimmed and the eerie feeling of anticipation dissipated into the air, The Mayor and Swoop welcomed everyone to the weekend to end all weekends in a very amusing manner. The sultry tone of the Darling Violetta Angel theme tune gave way to the more upbeat tempo of a very familiar song and from behind the dungeon wall came the awkward, gangling dancing moves of DK and Swoop. If you hadn't have known better you could have sworn that you had been transported to the house-warming party of Cordelia Chase and that the two forms in front of you were that of the rhythm-less Angel and the bumbling Wesley Wyndham Price from the Season 1 episode She. In reality it was DK and Swoop 'spaz dancing' displaying just one of their many hidden talents. A number of exclusive and special visual presentations followed starting with the compilation of clips put together by Jeff Bell as his tribute to five seasons of Angel. This was followed by two independent short films sent by Jenny Mollen, a music horror piece called What Was That? and a short 'house-scam' flick called Influence. It was then the turn of CityofAngel.com's own thespian to entertain. Lilian Holden as well as being CoA's public relations spokesperson is also an actress in her own right. Videos of her performances in a mattress commercial, a short indy flick called Disillusional and another independent film where she played a lustful vampiress preying on her husband's nephew were aired to an appreciative crowd. The alluring dancing of the first film and the seductive behavior of the latter earned our lovely Lilian the nickname of 'Vampire-Ho' for the duration of the weekend. Much to her amused dismay.

CARITAS IS NOW OPEN

Virginia & Kristy's LA

Lilian finds her Dead End

The UK Champions

A musical showcase followed and this was an opportunity for a couple more talents to be revealed as Swoop picked up an acoustic guitar to accompany the three songs of this impressively chilling set. Who knew Swoop could play guitar! Renae Armeau opened by singing a wonderful rendition of Back in the Blue written by David Greenwalt and featured in the Season 3 episode Sleep Tight. She was then joined by none other than The Mayor for a fun performance of Baby Stay Awhile, the Cordy theme tune from Season 3 episode Birthday. Who knew The Mayor could sing! The acoustic set was completed with a beautiful adaptation of LA, another piece written by David Greenwalt and originally sung by Christian Kane in the Season 2 episode Dead End. The Mayor however voiced this version and it was so haunting that it left chills at the back of your neck. Two scene re-enactments ended the evening's first half of events. A scene from Angel episode Dead End was performed with Swoop playing the role of Lindsey McDonald as he vehemently disapproves of arch nemesis Angel, (played by The Mayor), choking his lead, a private investigator named Scott (played in this instance by Lilian), as he tries to discover more about the owner of his new hand. It was an impressive performance to say the least and The Mayor became so in tune with her role that she actually left marks on poor Lilian's throat from where she held her captive with a rope. There was a change of plan for the final scene re-enactment. The British contingency had been due to perform the 'wake-up' scene from Spin The Bottle but unfortunately found themselves a couple of actors short. The replacement scene instead came from Redefinition as Wesley (played by SueAngel), Cordelia (played by Amanda) and Gunn (played by Buffie) sit in the bar owned by Lorne (played by Annette) trying to figure out why they were fired and who exactly was to blame. The non-too tuneful version of We Are The Champions ended this part of the evening.

IT'S A DEMON HOLD UP

The Turn & the River

The chips are high

Rachel wins w/ an Ace

It was then off into The Mayor's Suite for a game of Demon Hold'em. Chains on the wall, huge vats filled with blood for the thirsty and in the center, a large table piled with poker chips and cards. The game started innocent enough, laughter, libations, another sacrifice and some spirit channeling but three and a half hours later, well past midnight, the room filled with smoke, the walls spattered with blood from the unfortunates who had lost everything, there sat only two - Raciella & Swoop. Chips were piled high in front of these two adversaries. Raciella, a Texas Native, couldn't lose face. She came from a land where the flip of the card decided fates, destiny and who paid for the next round of margaritas! Swoop came from the vast primordial goop of an alternate demon universe. This card game was not her forte - give her an ancient spell or curse any day but cards? Swoop's empathic skills could not tear through Raciella's psychic force field. It was decided by a single flip of a card with all the chips on the table. Raciella won with an ace high! The winner walked away with an Angel Season 5 DVD box set and Friday's night events were now a moment in history.

SURREAL BE THY NAME

Anyone familiar with the layout of a convention event will know that the event is made up of guest talks as well as autograph and photo sessions and this weekend was to be no exception. The CityofAngel.com staff found themselves in the spotlight as Saturday's events began to unravel starting with enlightening Q&A sessions. Each staff member was paired up with another and brought to the front to stave off questions from the inquisitive minds of the others in the room. To further inflate their VIP status, a director's chair with their names on it no less greeted them and was just one of many personal touches arranged by the CoA hierarchy to enhance the weekend. The West Coast staff members started the ball rolling and were given the following introduction "Welcome the West Coast Staff Members - Rachel Barrera, a.k.a. Raciella, soul reader, spellbinder, and flesh eater. Race is bound by no rules of this plane. Darren Danforth a.k.a. Seeker the Wordman, after escaping the water cooler demon, scribes Latin in his sleep and deepest dreams...". Questions were asked about how they became involved with the site and of any experiences they wished to share. When prompted, Seeker did recall a moment that he chose to call, something we still can't print, which involved Seeker asking an unsuspecting Buffy cast member for a lot of information in a very short period of time. Raciella shared her deep devotion for all things Alexis Denisof and who can blame her.

Rachel & Darren

Lilian & Sue

Next up "Please welcome the UK Staff Members. Sue Grimshaw a.k.a. SueAngel. Overseer of the Crow's Nest, this evil minion was promoted to Hyperion caretaker and voodoo priestess and Nicola Jones a.k.a. Bluebear. Protecting the lower dungeons, picking clean the carnal remains of her victims, she walks alone." Which became the catch-phrase for the weekend. The Brit pairing actually turned out to be a solo effort as unfortunately due to illness, Nicola Jones had been forced to cancel her attendance at the event at late notice. In tribute however, SueAngel made sure her partner in crime still made an appearance by placing a digital camera on the chair beside her showing a picture of Nicola as she answered questions relating to the difference between US and UK cons, memorable moments and those moments that she'd wished she could take back! Another lone wolf graced the session next with Lilian entering to the impressive intro "Lilian Aranda Holden a.k.a. Kryana. Flesh presser, keeper of the keys, and mindbender extraordinaire. All will bend to her whisper..." Most were interested to find out by her interest in acting and whether this choice of career meant she watched films and television in a different and more professional perspective. Unfortunately while she was speaking, the evil entity that is Swoop decided to parade Lilian's new vampire ho identity for all to see on the screen above her head.

Kristy, Phantom Nic and Virginia

Last but by no means least came The Senior partners themselves. "Virginia Obeius a.k.a. The Mayor. Sitting in her leather chair, overlooking the City, she muses dark spells and evil plans. Kristy Bratton a.k.a. The Mad Russian. Leather cape, black boots, and an eerie mist follows her wherever she goes". The origins of the site and the forming of this formidable partnership came under scrutiny along with their continuing aspirations and plans for the future. By the end, this dastardly duo received a standing ovation in appreciation for the opportunities presented to all who have been involved with CityofAngel.com and for their tireless inspiration. CoA's Senior Partners were the true VIP's of the weekend. For the following autograph sessions, The Mayor had put together for the staff members a special Yearbook that contained photos from events held all over the world over the past five years of Angel being on the air. It was a lovely memento and kick-started a lot of very happy memories. Also available for signature were copies of articles or features written by staff as well as photos taken by staff members to accompany these features. Trying to think of something different to write on everyone's personal item certainly gave incite into how the actors and writers must feel when faced with 800+ attendees at an event. The photo session followed as Swoop became photographer extraordinaire capturing on digital image the faces and smiles of everyone in various combinations all happily posing with each other and the David Boreanaz cut-out.

YOU ARE THE ANGEL WEAKEST LINK... GOODBYE

Sue, our Angelink Miss Anne

Unfortunately Nicola Jones was not the only attendee unable to join the festivities of the weekend. Tara DiLullo (aka Phoenix) and Jeff Ritchie (aka LA-Angel) had been scheduled to join the CityofAngel.com rabble for Saturday's hive of events but due to an unforeseen incident had been unable to make it. Also missing from action was former UK staff member Hollie Edmonds (aka Hobs) who had been forced to miss out on the 13th Floor due to a little thing known as a Law degree exam. Anyone who has had the misfortunate....er....luck to meet with Hobs will know that she is a woman of few words and it is not in her nature to try and take the limelight or steal anyone's thunder. As she could not make it Hobs sent a humble, 'Sorry I couldn't be there message,' that involved her plans to take over the world starting with her bid to take control over CityofAngel.com. Fortunately, The Senior Partners managed to sneak part of her checklist.

Capt. Hollie's Plans to Take Over CoA

1. Get on Council -- Done... SUCKERS!
2. Become Beastmaster -- Check
3. Drug Sue Angel -- Done, though can't tell difference
4. Bribe Phoenix -- Unexpectedly easy
5. Blackmail Seeker -- Done, expect assassination attempts
6. Kill all below 13th Floor -- Plan awaiting execution
7. Kill Mayor -- Going to be tricky
8. Kill Swoop -- Going to be trickier
9. Make self Mayor and bask smugly in new power

CityofAngel.com are happy to report that not only were her plans thwarted but that Hobs passed her Law degree and has now been recruited as our implant at Wolfram & Hart.

Who of the CoA staff knows their Angel?

Kristy takes the walk of shame

Buffie Higgins IS the strongest link

"Ditch the demon, Nix the night-crawler, it's time to play, the Weakest Angelink!" Now back to the 13th Floor Event and if anyone should be experts of Angel trivia then it should be the crack, elite team members of an Angel dedicated website right? Well, SueAngel decided to test that theory by taking on the persona of Anne Robinson and by putting together her own version of The Weakest Link quiz. Eight volunteers lined up to answer questions such as, "Apart from David Boreanaz, who is the only other actor to have appeared in the first and last episode of Angel?" or "Who's CoA promo tagline is 'Angel, 70% more interesting than soap?'". Much to her own relief, Lilian was the first to be voted off and then it was a close call as one by one the other members were voted off until only three remained, Swoop, Seeker and Buffie Higgins. Who would be the last person to do the walk of shame? Would these three have the guts to take on the strongest link or would they take the easy route and vote off their biggest rival? In the end it was Swoop who got the brunt of the final cut leaving Buffie versus Seeker in the finale. Buffie simply annihilated the poor hapless guy to become the strongest link and get the bragging rights for the rest of her time in the States and beyond.