The JW Network

Much Ado About Avengers In The Woods..with Buffys

2011-10-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

Being an overnight guy for a Sacramento radio station, I hear a lot about how the Mayans are predicting the end of the world next year because their calendar runs out, or how a comet from millions of miles away somehow set off Occupy Wall Street.

Well, I say 2012 is the Year of the Whedoncalypse, where his mighty hand, and maybe his ears, nose and throat, will shove the Earth into a new state of consciousness, based on the belief that spending millions of dollars on a 3-D movie that blasphemes The Three Musketeers is an embarrassment to our species.

This is really based on that surprise announcement Sunday night that Joss made his version of Much Ado About Nothing at his house with a hefty amount of Whedonverse alumni while no one was looking. We've been too keyed up about The Avengers we didn't know he had this idea in the back of his mind. What's more, he did this on his vacation and his wife was OK with it. That's because it's the beginning of Bellwether Studios, a micro-studio where new technologies and getting around typical studio suits can be the new road to good movies.

Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof as Benedick and Beatrice is a great selling point right there. Wesley and Fred/Illyria together again. Come to think of it, could Illyris, a God to a God, be intrigued by playing Beatrice? Sure, once she realizes blasting demons who sneaked into the play can be dealt with at intermission. I think Amy would add a dash of Illyria playing this role. while Alexis added some Wesley with a trace of the goofy news anchor he played in How I Met Your Mother.

Add Nathan Fillion as Dogberry, Sean Maher as Don John, Fran Kranz as Claudio, Clark Gregg (our favorite SHIELD agent) and Reed Diamond of Dollhouse, and you've got something. The whole press release is here, and it looks like we'll have to wait until March to see it at a film festival near you. Sadly, there isn't one near me, but maybe someone could start one to get this movie to Sacramento.

You should also thank Dr. Horrible for this, too. Making that internet musical for a pittance for the net, leading to massive DVD sales and applause everywhere, showed that you don't need the big studios to get a movie made, or even the usual indie guys like IFC Films. Just do it yourself, get actors who want to make movies for the fun of it and to sharpen their skills, and off you go. Heck, using cable companies and streaming media aside from Netflix can solve distribution problems. Kevin Smith has proven that with Red State.

The best benefit, of course, is seeing our favorite actors fro the Whedonverse more often. Wouldn't you like to see Sean Maher despite the fact The Playboy Club is out of business, or Fran after the Dollhouse is closed, or Amy or Nathan? Course ya do.

Now a flood of links: the website for the movie, followed by the Entertainment Weekly article that includes Amy and Alexis together,and looking all Shakespeare like in a 21st Century world.

Of course, that's only the beginning. The Avengers is coming in May, but before that we FINALLY get to see Cabin in the Woods after the MGM bankrupcy drama. Let's also not forget it's Buffy the Vampire Slayer's 15th anniversary...and 20 years since that movie was shown. I was really disappointed by the blu-ray release of that movie. Why no cast reunion, or even more outtakes? C'mon, guys, she gave the WB a reason to exist. You should have worked harder. Then, again let's have the TV Buffy in blu-ray with new extras. That would be even better. Your move, Fox Home Entertainment.
Oh, and Firefly is ten years old in 2012. Browncoats assemble!

Sorry, SMG, But You Look Better Staking Vampires

2011-10-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

I tried to give Ringer a fair chance, because it is Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to TV. It's an interesting idea: a story of twin sisters reunited after a long estrangement, one apparently disappears, and the other takes her place to hide from a gangster who wants to kill her; the problem is apparently the other twin made a lot of enemies and was also awful to her husband and stepdaughter.

If it was just about that, I might stick around, but it looks like the show is stuck on Bridget (the god twin by comparison) getting surprised by how awful Siobhan (the bad twin) really was. She learns Shiv had an affair with her best friend's husband, and even talked about killing said best friend. She has a strained relationship with her husband, while her stepdaughter points out Siobhan stole hubby from his first wife. We also find out Siobhan made a lot of enemies, including one that may want to kill her.

All the while, Siobhan is scheming somewhere in Paris. She apparently wants to kill Bridget, who everyone thinks is Siobhan, and start a new life. Thing is, she's pregnant, but the show doesn't think that's important because it hasn't been mentioned since episode three. Bridget has the problem of faking Siobhan's pregnancy, and some of us think that Bridget is pregnant..but isn't.

Also, we have the worst FBI agent in the history of moving pictures. One day, Nestor Carbonell has to explain how he could play an FBI agent so inept. He can blame the writing, and he'd be right. Agent Machado not only can't tell the difference between Siobhan and Bridget, but in his search for Bridget to put away Gangster Guy, he never thinks to talk to the husband. See, Andrew, the husband, thinks Siobhan is an only child. Everyone did, until Gemma (the best friend) suddenly noticed "Shiv" didn't have that cooking scar. Moot point, since Gemma is dead or kidnapped, thanks to Siobhan, who is above it all and convinced no one will ever figure it out. That last plot point convinced me that there's no point in sticking around.

I like Sarah Michelle Gellar when she is taking charge, not scared out of her wits tyring to fake being someone else, and finding out awkwardly how awful her sister was. Maybe she figures she's part of a plan where she dies for her sister's sins, while Bad Twin has a new life as Cora Farrell. Add the fact that Siobhan is smarter than everyone else including incompetent law enforcement.

Compare this to ABC Family's The Lying Game, about long-separated twins who trade lives, but one of them doesn't come back because she's looking for their birth mother. At least the Rich Twin gets mistaken for the other twin, and she has to deal with the consequences. The only thing that would get me interested in Ringer is if Siobhan is mistaken for Bridget, and she has to live HER life for a while. Otherwise, waiting for Bridget to be mistakenly killed has lost its charm. There's also a plotline where Juliet the stepdaughter is having problems in a public high school, and a younger teacher played by Jason Dohring is the only one on her side. Since this is the CW, Juliet has to fall in love with her teacher. It's a miracle this doesn't happen on The Secret Circle.
Well, they are guaranteed 22 episodes, and that's enough time to make the show more compelling. Take out "Bridget is targeted for death" and replace it with "Siobhan is trapped in Bridget's world", and that might help. Of course, how long would Bridget force Siobhan to be trapped? Not long, and Shiv will betray Bridget and no one will notice.

There are other shows that have my attention, including Revenge. At least Emily Van Camp is Emily Thorne, or rather Amanda Clark (although I prefer Emanda Clarke-Thorne), a take-charge gal who has every right to destroy a massively rich couple who totally ruined her life a lot more than they can imagine or care (if they could). It's getting to the point, though, that innocent lives will be taken in this long battle, but it can't be helped. I suspect Emanada may face jail time even though Victoria and Conrad Grayson, the targets of her vengeance, committed more crimes against her. They'll get theirs, too, but Emanda will have to face punishment, even if she lists the evidence of their crimes against her. After that, she still wins..and probably expects to cease to exist when it's all over. I still like Emanda because she's a gal of action, instead of someone who has to pretend, and wonders when will she be exposed, and then dead.
You also have to admit Madeline Stowe is scary as Victoria Grayson. Maybe she should be the evil queen on Once Upon A Time instead.

I also like American Horror Story, which is really disturbing drama, and kind of exciting, too. I also think that if the show has a second season, Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton won't be part of it because the creators will kill their characters off, and admit the real star is Jessica Lange. I also have hopes for Grimm, if they can only make the lead character more interesting. When your sidekick outshines the lead actor, you're in trouble. Add that to competing against science in Fringe, and two other demon hunters in Supernatural, and Grimm will have a tough time attracting viewers.

Xander is coming to Sacramento

2011-09-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Nick Brendon, “Xander” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is among the guests at the 2011 Sacramento Sci-Fi Horror Show on Saturday, September 24th at the Scottish Rite Center at 6151 H Street in Sacramento. He’ll be talking to fans and signing autographs as well. Other guests will include Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Tickets are 10 dollars, and more information is available at http://www.sachorror.com/

Should Buffy Go Blu, If It's Not The TV Show?

2011-09-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

I checked out the latest DVD column from Aint It Cool News, and it mentioned that next week, along with the Star Wars Blu-Ray release that everyone hates, we'll get the blu-ray version of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Fans of the TV show have been at a fever pitch about when the blu-ray version of the TV show will be available. Some of Joss Whedon's other shows have gone blu, including Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible. Even Serenity has a blu-ray release. I have that DVD. So why not Buffy, and Angel for that matter? Is it cost, music royalties, deciding on the artwork for the package? Demand for those shows in blu-ray is quite strong. The decision should be obvious.

Now, making a blu-ray of the original Buffy movie would be a good idea, if you added something the regular DVD doesn't have. I checked the specs for the blu-ray release from the Foxconnect.com site. It's exactly the same as the regular DVD. The cover picture may be different, but that's not enough. This movie is more than just regular filler on a couple of cable channels these days, It's the movie that eventually saved the WB, and led to girl power on TV (and, we guess, Twilight)
Next year is the 20th anniversary of the movie. Why not have a cast reunion? Seeing Kristy Swnason, Luke Perry, Paul Reubens, Hillary Swank and David Arquette discuss the movie would be a hoot. Add cameos from Ben Affleck and Seth Green, and you have something even better. Notice I didn't mention Donald Sutherland, who played Merrick. I'm not sure he'd be part of the cast reunion. If you add Joss, though, that would REALLY be something.

Also, AMC had a TV show called "Backstory", where it talked about how certain movies were made. One of those movies was Buffy. It was how I found out Alicia Silverstone and Katies Holmes almost got the title role. Why not add that episode to the blu-ray?
So, Fox is hoping to get a few more bucks by making a blu-ray DVD of the Buffy movie with no additional extras. That, I think, is a waste of time. If you want a blu-ray, it should be updated compared to the original DVD. It should have more features. Otherwise, getting the regular DVD would be just fine.

So, Fox Home Entertainment, make up for the dull blu-ray version of the Buffy movie and approve the blu-ray version of the Buffy TV show...and Angel, too. After all, Buffy's 15th TV anniversary is coming up. A release date of next March should do it.

The Dog Days Aren't Over

2011-08-22T12:34:00.001-07:00

Two weeks until early Fall starts.
It used to be that Sacramento residents had the perfect bridge from summer to Labor Day. It was called Cal Expo, but it hasn't been the same since they moved the State Fair up a month. Now, all we have as a bridge to the fall is the NFL pre-season.

We also have movies, but not as big as the blockbusters between Memorial Day and late July. You know things are winding down when instead of looking forward to Captain America, you have three 3-D movies that are barely 1.5-D in entertainment value.
We got the message when The Help cleaned the clocks of Conan, Spy Kids 4 and Fright Night because its 3-D was in the script. I saw Fright Night, but only in 2-D. I didn't miss much, really. Colin Farrell and David Tennant are the reasons why you should see this movie. Farrell was the most bad-ass vampire this side of Angelus. Buffy would nail this guy, but it would take some time. Tennant was great as Peter Vincent II, this time as a Criss Angel type. Despite the fact it didn't take the movies by storm, even it was a cut above Conan and Spy Kids 4, I'd like to see a follow-up with Peter actually being part of a vampire-hunting group.

I also saw Deadly Sibling Rivalry with Charisma Carpenter doing the "twintrigue" thing. She was scary as the bad twin, hoping to take over the good twin's life. Despite the Good Twin's Daughter figuring out what's going on, Bad twin gets some help from dumb police who never thinks to use DNA to figure out who is who. The story even added a reason why Bad Twin hated her sister. An even nicer twist was how Good Twin came out on top, but only because it was necessary.

Despite that, it got me thinking: how will Ringer keep up its "twintrigue" for longer than 13 episodes? Sure, we'll see a bunch of flashbacks with Sarah Michelle Gellar as Rich (and possibly bad) twin Siobhan and Poor Twin Bridget interacting. However, if FBI agent Nestor Carbolelli doesn't figure out Bridget has a twin sister, and is being forced to impersonate her, then he's too dumb to be an FBI agent. This might drive people away, or remind people of a show in the 1990s where an evil twin frames his good twin for a string of murders, and the cops never figure it out. I think it was actually a plot in In Plain Sight, only the cops did figure it out, and had to deal with it. I figure if Bridget is cleared, but not-dead-after-all Siobhan tries to take over Bridget's life to hide from her enemies, and then Bridget returns the double-cross a couple of times, then we could have something for two seasons. I don't think it can last long after that. Then again, with the option of buying DVDs of shows that even last one season or two (coughFireflycoughDollhouse) maybe you can get away with that. Well, we'll see.

Then there's Doomsday Prophecy, which used to be Doomsday Scrolls except they forgot to make some scrolls. Jewel Staite is great as an archaeologist helping a book editor avert the end of the world, thanks to a videotape from some crackpot author who got his prophecies by holding an ancient rod. Add the fact the government is after the rod, and frames the author and archaeologist for the author's murder as part of a coverup/capture,and it really gets weird. What's more, the book editor used the rod twice to figure out who to trust, and that's cheating. What disappointed me is the ending, where the general behind the search turns out to be nuts, and his insanity is even more disappointing. They also added one twist about the book editor which was unnecessary. The idea that SyFy can make an interesting TV-movie may be more far fetched than having a big mega-shark jump six miles to bite an airplane in flight.

So, at least there is September, where we have a moon landing we never knew about, an epidemic, and a movie about how the Oakland A's got good with little money.

What If Buffy Wrote "Last Friday Night?"

2011-08-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

Katy Perry was hoping that her latest song, "Last Friday Night" would hit #1 in the Billboard Top 100, and apparently set a new record.
I will admit it's the first time I've willingly bought one of her tunes, thanks to getting hooked on it during Comic-Con. I just thought what if you changed the song about a girl who partied a little too hard into one about a Slayer recovering from another typical night where she clobbered vampires to save mankind, or a significant chunk of it.
I came up with something, but before I do that, I did find a LOT of parodies on YouTube. We have "Because I'm White", a Harry Potter version, and a good one devoted to the rioters in Vancouver after the last game of the Stanley Cup.

Of course, I can't make something like that without willing accomplices. So, I just have the lyrics. It's called "Every Damn Night".
Picture this as Buffy waking up from another world-saving battle. So, sing along to the tune of "Last Friday Night". You, too, Sweet.....

I survived this night of doom
Wooden stakes all over the room
There’s a zombie in my bed,
He’s one of the Sleeping Dead
Werewolves passed out in the lawn
All their fur and pants are gone
Vampires cooked in a BBQ
But no bite marks or a bruise

Videos of my fight
Ended up online
I'm screwed
Oh well
Some publicity
Might be good, maybe
I hope
Blerg!

Every Damn Night
From Twilight to Breaking Dawn
I tell the vampires that it’s on
Though they’ll never will be gone
Every Damn Night
I am called the Chosen One
Have a job that’s never done
But I’m still second to none
Every Damn Night
I went slaying in the park
Killed six vampires in the dark
And they never left a mark
Every Damn Night
I’m a Supernatural Cop
And I know I just can’t stop. Whoa!
Every Damn Night
Do it all again
Every Damn Night
Do it all again

The apocalypse’s stopped, I guess
But I ruined my best dress
Had to burn that nightclub down
Where those vampires stayed in town
Watchers won’t like this at all
And they just won’t take my call
Here comes Fox and TMZ
They ask who I’m supposed to be

I’m the Slayer, you see
It’s my destiny,
which sucks, of course
But I prove my worth
And stop Hell on Earth
Or a Bad Horse, you see?

Every Damn Night
I got chosen at 15
My life’s anything but serene
But I’m better than Sam and Dean
Every Damn Night
Don’t ask if I get some nookie
My love life is not like Sookie
But I swear I am no rookie
Every Damn Night
So, be patient, if you please
This ain’t Vampire Diaries
Or that Stephanie Meyer cheese
Every Damn Night
Yeah, the risks I take are real
Should get a medal and book deal
And why not?
Every Damn Night
Do it all again
Every Damn Night
Do it all again

S-L-A-Y
S-L-A-Y
S-L-A-Y
S-L-A-Y
S-L-A-Y
S-L-A-Y
S-L-A-Y
S-L-A-Y

( Chorus )
Every Damn Night
From Twilight to Breaking Dawn
I tell the vampires that it’s on
Though they’ll never will be gone
Every Damn Night
I am called the Chosen One
Have a job that’s never done
But I’m still second to none
Every Damn Night
I went slaying in the park
Killed six vampires in the dark
And they never left a mark
Every Damn Night
I’m a Supernatural Cop
And I know I just can’t stop. Whoa!
Every Damn Night
Do it all....again

Comic-Con: Doctor Horrible Live, Looks Broadway-Ready

2011-07-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

As Comic-Con slowly faded away Sunday night, and people were seeing a Joker or Sailor Moon walking down the street,
some attendees decided to visit the 10th Street Theater to see Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog in a new way: a stage musical
Chinese Pirate Productions put this show together, and had attracted big crowds for more than a week.
Even Zack Whedon, who co-wrote the show, decided to check it out. His brief review on Twitter: "If you are a dr horrible fan the live production is AMAZING. 10th Ave Theater. It runs through the 30th. Go!"

The producers did a wise thing and re-tooled the story to make it a Broadway production. All of the familiar scenes are there, but there are also dancing homeless people, and Captain Hammer groupies. Even his henchman Moist is more
involved, as Dr. H spies on Penny's date with the Captain. They even have "special effects" that show how Dr. H is able to take control of the van with the Wonderflonium. It's used several other times, especially when hey re-create the laundromat where Dr. H and Penny Talk.
In "My Eyes" we see Penny and Dr. H sing on opposite sides of the stage, while the homeless are dancing and Captain Hammer tries to get out of the way. We even have a PSA from the
Captain about how we should be vigilant, especially towards science geeks. The climax where Dr. Horrible finally becomes the super-villain he's wanted to be, including membership to the Evil League of Evil, is chilling, especially when
he dons his new uniform.

Nathan Turner is great as Dr. Horrible. He's evil but he is sincere about wanting to save the world by ruling it. I also liked Michael Minto as Captain Hammer. He comes across as a Big Man on Campus, but you start to root against him when he
confronts Dr. H about his relationship with Penny.
Jane Lui is also wonderful as the love of Dr. Horrible's life. Her voice did remind me of Felicia Day's portrayal, but she made the role her own with her own style of portraying a girl who still had hope for people.

The production will run one more weekend, and there's more information at www.IWantToSingAlong.com

Comic-Con: the TARDIS Has Landed

2011-07-25T09:20:00.001-07:00

Hall H at Comic-Con has been th home for the biggest events from the Avengers to Twilight, Cowboys and Aliens to Amazing Spider-Man.
It was the obvious choice for the Doctor Who panel with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. It's safe to say that was packed very quickly.
Others, however, found another way to see Matt and Karen: all they had to do is pay around 40 bucks, and see some nerd rant about things before the main event.
Since this nerd is Chris Hardwick, and it's his Nerdist podcast, that's OK. He filled 4th and B with hundreds of Whovians very quickly, and even had a second show.

I was in the middle of the audience, and managed to get some good pictures of Matt and Karen...

and even something that never happened to Tom Baker, or Katy Manning...

See, they give out burritos after every Nerdist show, and what you see above will never happen again.

Matt and Karen talked about how they got on the show and settled into their new roles. Karen said she was stunned about how big we Yanks are for the Doctor. Well, it all started with PBS, then DVDs in the years when we had no new Who episodes. That's how...and those Dr. Who cons we used to have in the 1980's. Both were a big hit with the fans. If only I got my burrito cover signed by them.

Before that, it was still really good, especially Chris talking at length with Wil Wheaton. We found out about Wil's experiences at Comic-Con back in the days when it was just about comics, and maybe a movie or two. He had a great story over how he was reluctant to speak to Adam West until a Playboy playmate helped break the ice. We also found out both Wil and Chris are MST3K fans. They truly have taste.

After this, I may consider going to a Dr. Who con in L-A next February. It's not as expensive or crowded, for one thing, and it should be a hit.
Now I found out who was at the second show: Doug Benson, Judah Freidlander (world champion of the world, that is), and the Rifftrax/MT3K crew. Either way, I would have been just happy, but I prefer being with Doctor Who. That doesn't happen too often, and I might bump into Mike a lot sooner.

So, getting back to Doctor Who, they just posted the preview for the rest of the season. First off, it's about four weeks away, and they'll be rerunning the first half like crazy. Second, it's has some trippy visuals, like Hitler, a forest, ans River Song wearing an evil monocle. She better be kidding, or Amy will tell River she's a bad daughter (just remember the last two minutes of the last episode). That being said, that is nothing compared to being threatened by a puppet version of the executive producer, Stephen Moffitt...

There was also a question about whether we will some of the companions from days gone by. Dr. Martha Jones and Donna would be possibilities, but how about Tegan or Nyssa, or Ace? I have a wild idea: we find out Victoria Waterfield wound up marrying a descendant of Jaime McCrimmon. Hey, why not? If they could find Ian Chesterton, and the temptation is too great, that would be the ultimate...and Donna's grandfather would be the one who would arrange it.

If you couldn't be there. here's a link to the article from the Nerdist website. You can download the podcast directly or by iTunes.

Comic-Con, the Day After

2011-07-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Five days of activity, and I wind up with a burrito cove shaped like a TARDIS, two Sonic Screwdrivers (one as eBay bait), some comic books, a picture of me with laser eyes, and some angry ideas on how this place should start being press-friendly!!

One suggestion: every press person should request a spot on which panel one want to see. Then, Comic-Con sets aside spots for the major sites (People, AP, AOL Onine, and the like) and have a drawing for the other smaller sites. It's better than reporters standing in line for three hours only to be turned away. I am very happy the guys took pity, and let me sneak into the Joss Whedon annual address, and later the Guild. A press lottery would be fair, and better than this:

Also, Comic-Con should have a YouTube channel for ALL of the major panels. They tape this stuff for TV, and they should share it with those who did or did not go to the con. It would be a better alternative to amateur videos.

There were some small victories: discovering the Flaming C art movement, being with Alan Tudyk up close, and even talking to Bladezz from The Guild. I was thisclose to talking to Felicia Day, but she had another place to go. She was the hardest working Codex in show biz this weekend. If there is a next time, I'll take it. Also, I took a picture of Nathan Fillion and Molly Quinn as the idea Browncoat family...

Next year, there will be more movies, and attempts to create new franchises that will replace the outgoing sagas like Twilight and Harry Potter. There will also be new TV shows, whether cable, network or web. It'll be the same old Comic-Con, getting bigger all the time.
While I did gripe about the lines, I will come back....for Joss, Felicia, the Whedon alumni, and maybe a chance to meet a real big shot.
Granted, that might even happen elsewhere in the year, including Wondercon in San Francisco (which is still a manageable size), but when it happens at Comic-Con, everyone will notice.

Comic-Con: Behold The Flaming C...Art Museum?

2011-07-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

You know, this was supposed to be a joke.
When Conan O'Bren asked someone with Warner Brothers animation if he could make his own super hero, it was just a joke.
Goggles? Purple spandex? Fishnet stocking, Oxfords? An oven mitt? Jai Alia xistera?
The Flaming C?

Yet, the Flaming C is a new symbol of strength and power, for truth, justice and the Late-Night way. Besides, he's got it all over that Crimson Chin.

Seeing the opening of the Flaming C retrospective at an art museum at 5th and J proves that. Look at these fine comic book specimens..

Now that's art.

It pulled in a big crowd Thursday afternoon, and should bring in even more. Some say that maybe the Flaming C himself may appear, although others say he's already in San Diego cleverly disguised as a zombie who's too pale to be bitten. Stay tuned

Comic-Con: I'm Here, and That's All I Know

2011-07-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

I've had a chance to look around and get registered, but it's still not certain which panels I will get to see. Some are confirmed, like a panel on the evolution of webseries with Felicia Day, the Knights of the Guild Live Podcast, seeing Castle and Merlin, and maybe Sarah Michelle Gellar from a quarter-mile away.

The big news is that people would stay in line for 48 hours or more to see some glimpse of the new Twilight movie. Wisely, everyone who ws on line agreed to keep their places in line while they got their passes.

A nice edition is a Skybridge from the Hilton Bayfront to Petco park. It's quite flashy. Too bad the bottom of the bridge is spoiled by the most bizarre looking Smurf I've ever seen.

Hammer Improv was a gas at 4th and B. Felicia was not there because she has a busy day. Still, the group was great, mocking Game of Thrones, Inception, the Jurassic era and the problems of having an imaginary friend. Greg Aronowitz, propmaster for The Guild, was also there to provide props to the group, which explains...

and why the show ended in a world filled with Jeff Lewises, or Vorks to you Guild fans.

What's next? Well, it will be a while until my next post, but once I have time to type, you'll like what you see. It will include a movie premiere, Buffy in a new form, and a bunch of Firefly cast members talking

Ten years ago, the Bronze closed, but the spirit lives on

2011-07-09T14:34:00.001-07:00

Ten years ago, the WB Bronze, one of the first great fan message boards, closed. Through dumb luck, I found a website in the UK that has the final page of the WB Bronze before it closed on July 10th, 2001. If you want to get nostalgic over how we communicated with each other before Facebook, Twitter and even TV Without Pity, just click here, and read the final farewells, including mine.

My webpage at impalergeneral.com still has a memorial to the Bronze, and what it means to me. Can you imagine if Twitter and Facebook were around in the late 1990's? We would have blown those two sites up every hour on the hour when we find out Angel's a vampire, Buffy dies but only for a couple of minutes, Angel loses his soul because of true love, she kills him to stop the end of the world, Faith shows up, then turns evil, Dawn shows up, Buffy dies, etc. etc. Instead of that, we had a nice sturdy message board that allowed us to express ourselves and our love for the Buffyverse.
I also want to thank @spikmeister and spik.me.uk, because that's where the final Bronze page resides in a piece of internet heaven, plus other things that will make us nostalgic and feel old at the same time.
2012 will be a big Whedon year: 20th anniversary of the Buffy movie, 15th anniversary of the Buffy TV show and 10th anniversary of Firefly. Attention must be paid, and will.

Comic-Con, the Only Event Where I Pack Two Weeks Ahead of Time

2011-07-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

It must be getting close to Comic-Con, because I'm already starting to pack, and looking over what I still need. Shaving cream, for one thing.

I already have a list of panels I'd like to see. Funny that Joss Whedon, who once packed Hall H with JJ Abrams, is now making a "small" appearance at the Hilton Indigo before The Knights of Good theoretically give us a peek at new episodes of their show. On the other hand, Joss won't be so "small" once he talks abut The Avengers, and when and if Cabin in the Woods will be released in October after all.
Buffy season 9 on Dark Horse will be mentioned, too, although I'm not interested because Angel is Twilight, and Buffy will never forgive him for that unless he dies for her. I may be interested if it's obvious it's the last hurrah for the Scooby Gang before the next generation of Slayers show up. Yep, it's been that long, and it's a given it will end in three years Buffy and Angel will die in each other's arms, and they dissolve into dust. That's the happiest ending they'll likely to get...darn it.
Then again, I expected Castle to take a bullet for Kate Bennett at the end of last season, and it turned out she was the one who was shot. That, and people never thinking The Voice would actually make American Idol nervous. So, who knows?

Looking over my schedule, it seems to lean a lot towards Buffy anyway, with SMG and the Ringer panel, another panel which will look at why LGBT fans prefer Buffy, and a lot of Buffy alumni and how they are involved in the wider geekverse, from Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg to Marti Noxon.

However, there's also Doctor Who. Two years ago, someone from the BBC took a picture of me with a Fourth Doctor scarf. I asked why our favorite Time Lord doesn't come to San Diego more often..in our current time, not 100,000 year from now and 150 years ago. If you have the DVD from "The End of Time", I'm in the Comic-Con section, making that dumb remark. I mean, I never thought Matt Smith and Karen Gillan would actually have time to come to San Diego, because they have a season to shoot...but it's in 2013 mostly. Soooooo, we see Matt in a panelo or two, and hopefully Karen too, plus an appearance with Chris Hardwicke, and the Hall H event on the last day. I haven't been this close in more than 25 years, so I'm going for this.

I also notice that when the panel for Breaking Dawn finishes in Thursday July 21st, that does not mean the number of Comic-Con attendees will drop in half,. Taylor Lautner will be around for Abduction, which is basically the Bourne Jr. Identity plus Spymaster Ellen Ripley, and Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman/Thunder God. At least it proves these actors want to be more than just the Twilight gang. It's an example the Hogwarts Alumni also want to realize.

The final schedule, however, is not set in stone yet. Maybe I'll meet Matt and Karen...and even SMG...in the press room. Maybe I'll get into a trade party, aside from a couple I've already scheduled. We shall see. Just check this space and Whedonopolis for all the action.

What if...Queen V Gets Stung?

2011-05-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

As Anna, leader of the Visitors, looked down on Earth, she was even more satisfied with herself than ever.
She and Amy, the hybrid child who just killed her father Ryan, had successfully blissed nearly all of Earth. Now, the humans would do her bidding, worshiping her, all the while heading towards their very extinction.
Then, suddenly, it stopped.
The Bliss had stopped. The humans had woken up to what was happening, and starting attacking the Visitors.
Worse of all, Chad was no longer Anna's best friend in the media.
Anna could not understand what was happening. She had thought she had conquered this world. Why had the Bliss stopped?
Then, it occurred to her. Her ultimate nightmare....being dumped for Charlie's Angels, the Next Generation.
She could only turn to Amy and say, "Well, don't just stand here, put me out of my misery."
"Why?", Amy said, "You're not my mother."
"Dammit!", Anna says, "You've been contaminated by the human DNA. Oh, why didn't I go to Wondercon and bliss that crowd, too?"
"You're kidding yourself, Anna, as you always have."
"MOM?"
"Yes, dear, and I'm using the term ironically," a bloody but recovering Diana said. "Apparently Lisa got out, tore her clone limb from limb, and revived me and Tyler. He'll be up and around in a day or two. They're also working on Ryan."
Anna walked forward, stunned in silence. She looked down at the humans below, and quietly asked, "You forsake me in favor of a show where Snow White lives in Maine? That's even worse than being foolish Humans!!"
"Yes, dear," Diana said, "but maybe being genetic vampires, as we have been all these years, isn't worth it either. We would have been ruined by the human DNA. It's just a pity it won't make better TV than The Event."
"Guards, put my sad excuse for a daughter in my dungeon, where she has a TV that only has ABC on it. Kimmel will temporarily ease the pain, until Good Christian Bitches premieres."
"Uh, actually it's Good Christian Belles," Anna weakly said.
"I know. I just wondered if ABC would actually have a show title like that"
"All right, Anna, hands....did we miss something?" It was Erica, who was with her new boss, Lars Tremont, and their army.
"Mike Donovan?", Diana said.
"No," Lars said. "I knew him, though."
"Oh, cut it out, Mike," Diana said. "What's the difference, now that we're off the air and ABC is offering three different versions of Desperate Housewives? Oh, and Erica...that is who you are, right?...your son was severely wounded by very ugly sex, but he'll be OK soon. A bit gun shy about sex, but Lisa will fix that, I'm sure."

You know, I wasn't surprised that V would not be renewed. When you go to Twitter, and there's not really a lot of buzz to bring it back for another season, then you know the end is near.
The real tragedy of course, is Marc Singer will not help Elizabeth Mitchell blast the Visitors to Kingdom Come. Maybe they can use him in The River, which is all about a search for a missing explorer complicated by evil magic and science.
What also bugs me is that ABC strung along V for so long, and Warner Brothers fell for it. While the main hall was filled for Mitchell and Singer, seeing them have so much enthusiasm for a season that would never come was really heartbreaking. We should have gotten eight more episodes to wrap things up. Instead, V is yet another sci-fi show with no ending, just like Symbiotic Titan.

Guild Director Gives Big Hint About Season 5

2011-04-07T15:09:00.001-07:00

Fans of Felicia Day's hit webcom The Guild also listen to the podcast, Knights of the Guild, made by two guys named Kenny and Jenni. They talk about the show (sometimes), themselves (a lot), the casts, the fans and updates on the show. During last season, they added a bonus podcast about the previous episode for added insight.

It also has a semi-regular feature called "Guild Something" with director Sean Becker and Marketing Boss Brian Kameoka. They get some fan questions and try to answer them. Then the discussion turned to the upcoming season, which is expected to start by July (hopefully just before Comic-Con). Becker says preparations are about to start on the new season, and it looks like The Knights of Good are going on the road. As you recall, last season ended with the gang getting invited to a convention that's connected to their favorite RPG, which is World of Warcraft-ish. It looks like the new season (and this is just my guess, folks) is seeing the gang preparing to go, and all the things that happen on the way. Sort of like one of those teen road pictures, including the one that has Seth Green as an alleged Amish guy.

As Sean says, "We're moving out of that familiar area of the offices and we're going on like a road trip to a convention." He says this could be "The Guild: The Movie", although I would argue season 3 was the Guild movie with the gag breaking up over the threat of a rival guild, then reuniting.
In any case, Becker said a Guild movie could have been recreating the three-part Codex comic book story, but in this case it looks like the story will be a road trip. In my mind, this may appeal to more people because there's been a ton of road trip movies, and people are bound to relate to all the trouble the KoG have trying to get to the convention.

Again, as Becker said in the podcast, "But I feel like being familiar with the Guild, and seeing them kind of go out and into the world even further, and we've seen what happens when they even come out of their rooms, and now they're going to get out of their town, which is great." He predicts things may get underway by April 23rd or so.

You can download the podcast through iTunes or by visiting the Knights of the Guild website, which also has lots of stuff about the podcast and the show.

ETA: The Guild's Facebook page revealed they will film a specific scene at the Long Beach Comic-Con early on April 23rd. For the sake of the KoG, it better not be the scene where they finally get to the con....eight seconds after it ends. Knowing this show, and how it filmed the last scene of season 3 first (yes, the "What have I done with Fawkes...nude?" scene), it might wind up that way. After all, it's supposed to be a road movie this year.

Wondercon: Why did they have a V panel?

2011-04-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

I brought this up in my other Blogger site: why did Wondercon decide to not feature Chuck, Smallville's final episodes or Supernatural on Sunday, but have panels on two shows that may not come back?

This is especially puzzling for V. ABC hasn't said if it will return in the fall or early 2012, just in time for the Mayan prophecy to kill us (and if they incorporate that with the Visitors, I'm out).

Despite this, executive producer Scot Rosenbaum was optimistic. Elizabeth Mitchell and Marc Singer were even more so. Singer, who was in the original 80s version, was added in the season finale a few weeks ago as the head of Project Aries, a group organized to fight Anna and her people after she blissed everyone on Earth. He was especially hopeful the show would return. He talked about joining the show as if he was returning to a place he had never been before. His role as the head of Aries isn't like Mike Donovan in the original, but close to it. He especially liked seeing Jane Badler again, even though this was just before Diana, her character, got killed by Anna.

Mitchell was also very excited about the new season because Erica would finally have more battles with the Visitors. Her character still doesn't know her son, Tyler, was killed by an evil clone of Lisa (Anna's daughter). Mitchell admitted she liked being a female protagonist..and that she once wished she could be Han Solo.

Rosenbaum also gave the clearest example of why the Visitors arrived: they want to kill the humans, of course, and take our DNA to spur their evolution. In fact, they've done this in other worlds. However, they've never had our type of DNA, including how to be human. It would have been better if that was revealed at the start of season 2. Maybe the story would have been easier to follow, and there would be stakes people could identify with. Sure, we have the hybrid who is Ryan's kid, but she seems to have embraced her alien side by killing him. That may show her human side won't affect her, but maybe it will when her body matures.

There also wasn't much mention of Morena Baccarin, whose chilling portrayal of Anna was one of the most popular parts of the show. They did mention that Baccarin developed a killer smile, literally, that is an important part of Anna.

The panel did fill the Esplanade, and the crowd was very enthusiastic. Still, it's not certain if that will convince ABC to give the show once more season. Rosenbaum sure had a lot of ideas he'd like to show, like bringing back Badler to show how Anna deposed her. If they did that, would we see the Visitors as they really are, rather than human form? Add the arrival of Project Aries, a Blissed Human Race willing to worship Anna above all, Lisa now stuck in the dungeon, and those major deaths, and you have enough for another year. Thing is, it would even be better if the 5th Column actually accomplished something.

If there is one more season, ABC will probably approve ten more episodes, with the assurance the humans finally make some headway, and win if they have enough time. It would also be competing against another alien invasion show, Falling Skies. That show also got big exposure at Wondercon, and those who went to that panel probably went to the V panel, too. The edge Falling Skies has is Steven Spielberg as executive producer.

Rosenbaum, Singer and Mitchell will soon see if their enthusiasm will be enough to get a third season, and make sure Anna's killer smile/smirk is wiped right off. Personally, I think it's more likely the network will turn its attention to a Christian version of Desperate Housewives rather than a war of the worlds.
If so, I'd like to see Singer and Mitchell in something. They have a lot to contribute as actors, and they should get something if ABC won't let the humans beat the aliens.

It's Been A While

2011-02-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

It's February, and a few weeks after we celebrated Buffy Summers' 30th birthday...even though she's 23 as of the end of season 8 Dark Horse version. It makes you wonder if in the Buffyverse she will live to be 30.
I hope so. Imagine what she can do with social media and YouTube.

And for the gal who plays her, Sarah Michelle Gellar, it looks like she'll soon be back on TV with that pilot called Ringer. Imagine a girl who hides from the mob by being her rich twin sister...only to find the twin may be crooked and marked for death, too. What's more, the twin may have faked her own death, and could wind up with HER twin's problems. I don't know how long this will last, but CBS better be smart enough to give us an ending to this, no matter what. This will give SMG something to sink her teeth into while Joss is busy with The Avengers. So, for those who pray SMG will be back as Buffy (mini-series, of course), you can still hope.

However, it may be the end of the TV line for Summer Glau...for a while. The Cape is doomed, and it's due to a boring hero, an annoying family storyline, the hero's sidekicks would make a better series, etc. Some also blame Summer because she looks like a blank slate as Orwell, the crime-fighting blogger. Well, blame the writers, I say. I think we're not supposed to know her true identity, either. It's been speculated her dad is the evil Peter Chess Fleming, who is responsible for framing the cop who winds up being The Cape. It's bad enough she was introduced too quickly, and that the stories have been dumb.

Joss, of course, had the perfect model. He prepared for just one season, paced all the storylines including the confrontation with the Master, and made sure everyone turned out to be real people.
With The Cape, he could have done this (or I would have): in the first two hours, Vince develops his new role with the help of the Carnival of Crime, Orwell is seen in the shadows until episode four, Fleming tries to terrorize Palm City into giving more police power to him by episode seven, Vince's wife sees her husband wasn't the Cape by episode 9 but is threatened by Fleming's goons by episode 10, and we have the final confrontation between Vince and Fleming in episodes 12 and 13. It winds up as a draw, but Fleming's bid to own Palm City will be delayed. The good guys hide but they prepare for round two. The writers front-loaded their season with too many facts which wind up as nothing, and that's why the show is cut short.

Despite this, we're gonna wish The Cape is back to find out what the F is The Event, which is also bogged down by too many details which mean nothing. It's also back after a long wait, and I doubt people will give it a second chance if they can't understand it.

As for Morena Baccarin, as the Alien queen with the permanent self-satisfied "Foolish Humans!" smirk, chances for V to continue next season aren't too good, but better than The Cape. I think what is supposed to happen in a few days may boost its chances. Let's just say Diana (not the 1980's version) and her prediction that Anna's daughter will continue the "double-cross your mom for fun" family tradition will come to pass.
Thank goodness. It's been way too easy for Anna, and she's not as fun as the original Visitors.

So far, we know Nathan Fillion's TV career will stay strong as Castle will be around at least through 2012. That's why ABC will keeping giving Fox programming suits Christmas cards.
We also know Felicia Day and her Guild will be back, but what is her #mysteryproject? Could it be Epitaph 3, continuing that Dollhouse saga? Making such a project for the net make a lot of sense, because it can be popular that way.
We shall see.

Call Me Mrs. Miracle: Jewel Was Shiny, The Movie Was Not

2010-11-28T12:24:00.001-08:00

OK, I am not really a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas, but I might be a big Scrooge-ish when it comes to good holiday entertainment.
This past weekend, Jewel Staite became the first Whedon alumnus to be in a holiday movie since 2006 in Call Me Mrs. Miracle, a new Hallmark Channel movie abot a magical lady to saves Christmas by basically being at the right place at the right time. Doris Roberts was charming as Emily Merkle, the gal (who is a blessing from Heaven, let's be clear about this) who made everything better. I just wish she at least broke a sweat fixing everyone's problems. It just seemed to be a bit too easy for her. If that's how the book told the story, then my opinion doesn't count.

I will say Jewel Staite was the best thing about this. She plays Holly, the overworked but underappreciated assistant to Lindy Lo, a crabby fashion designer who thinks she's Anna Wintour. Jewel did a great job as someone who is determined to give her nephew a wonderful Christmas while did dad is deployed overseas. She actually reminded me Jennifer Aniston. Anywho, Holly meets Jake, who manages Finlay's, a New York department store. Mrs. M, of course, thinks they could be good for each other...which they are. Problem is, Jake's dad, who owns the store doesn't like to celebrate Christmas. He prefers to hide in the Virgin Islands until the holidays are over, so he can forget a very bad thing that did happen during the holidays.
So, Jake has a problem of selling out the toy department at the store despite the fact it doesn't sell the toy that every kid wants. His job, and maybe the store's future, are on the line. His hopes for a Merry Christmas look remote...but Mrs. M will make it all better.

What I didn't like was Lauren Holly as Lindy Lo. First off, she acts like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wore Prada. Uh, why? It just distracts from the whole story. It also doesn't help that she doesn't respect her customers, or any potential new ones. It was also too easy for Mrs. M to change Lindy's mind, but if that's what happened in the book....

This was a typical Hallmark Channel movie where a family faces the possibility of an unhappy Christmas until a last-second miracle makes it all better. A cable channel full of cliches is not my cup of tea. Really good classic Christmas movies are made of holiday cheer, but they have a message that stands out if the story was set in July. In It's Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart realizes how important he was to his home town. In A Christmas Carol, an old man learns that he can afford to be kind and get something better than riches.
Call Me Mrs. Miracle may be a candy cane of a Christmas movie, but I prefer movies that can be gingerbread men, too.

Take Holiday Wishes, the Lifetime holiday movie that starred Amber Benson. She was a girl looking for her long-lost sister, while two girls (one rich, one poor) switched bodies to experience each other's lives thanks to a mysterious guy who Amber's character apparently knew. We later find out this guy was an angel. It was a bit more complex and interesting that what Mrs. Miracle could do. I just thought if you took out one of the angles (switched bodies, search for sister, guy was an angel), it would have been better.

So Call Me Mrs. Miracle shows Jewel can handle a nice romantic role, away from Browncoats and Stargates and such. Let's hope she gets a better story in the future. As for Christmas movies in general, I just prefer those where the hero works hard for a White Christmas after he dreams of it. In fact, I think that is what happens in the movie, White Christmas.

Then again, I also like Bad Santa.

Call Me Mrs. Miracle will be shown several times in December on Hallmark Channel

It's Over, Sharktopus! Felicia Day Delivers in SyFy Movie, But...

2010-10-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

When SyFy announced it was making movies based on fairy tales, but with a much darker tone, some had to wonder if it was making MST3K fodder...considering it used to have that show.
The first one, Beauty and the Beast, which included a witch who wanted to take over a kingdom by turning the prince into a beast, and a sexy heroine wearing a dress that was bit too short for that time.
Fodder for the angry bots!

Then we hear Felicia Day is going to do her version of "Little Red Riding Hood", only she battles Big Bad Werewolves.
This try, at least, is much better.
Day is a capable heroine as Virgina "Red" Sullivan, who's part of a family of werewolf hunters. They even had to wipe out a nearby town when it was turned by werewolves.
So, when she bring in a guy named Nathan (Kavan Smith) to meet the family, they're not too sure they can handle welcoming someone new. He's equally skeptical about her claim that they hunt werewolves.
An ill-advised walk in the woods by Nathan that night changes all that. He meets a creepy guy named Gabriel (Stephen McHattie), who turns out to be a new breed of werewolf. He can change whenever he likes, and he's telepathic.
He also bites Nathan. Red and her brothers Jake and Marcus don't notice, but they have to tell him everything.
They mention the rules of werewolf hunting: silver kills them, but someone who has been bitten can escape the curse if he kills the one who bit him, and before the turned one kills anyone else.
Red should know. Her grandfather had that experience.
So what's a werewolf hunter to do when she does find out Nathan has been bitten? Can he be saved?
Meanwhile, Gabriel is playing The Most Dangerous Game, capturing tourists who may get killed or turned by werewolves.

There are very long scenes of Jake and Marcus looking for werewolves. Red kills a couple of werewolves, but doesn't have much to do, until tragedy strikes in a big way.

It's best to approach this movie as if this is a variation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This time, though, it's about a warrior who would like a life that's more normal, and how her destiny won't allow it.
Also, the movie gives out too much information in the first 20 minutes. It would have been better for Nathan to settle in, but also wonder why Red's brothers hunt at night. Then after the second commercial break, he'd get bitten by Gabriel.
Also, the CGI is, well, kind of strange. The "change" from human to wolf is weird, along with how they move from a distance. But this is cable TV.
The story was more interesting than most SyFy movies, and Day does a good job here.
Someone suggested it could become a series. The way it ended, I'm not sure, unless it starts with Red getting new powers and some assistance. You'll see what I mean.

All Felicia hopes is that this will beat Sharktopus in the ratings. Maybe it will, but it's already way ahead of Mega Python vs. Gateroid, the first SyFy movie that sounds more like the main event at Wrestlemania...and that doesn't even include the prospective battle between '80s teen idols in that movie. Does this mean we'll have someting similar in 2020? Yikes!

Some Outtakes From Jewel Staite Visiting Sacramento

2010-09-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

My latest article in Whedonopolis recounts Jewel Staite's visit to the Sacramento Horror-Sci-Fi Show near Sacramento State this past weekend. As usual, she was a million laughs and more, and she should be the Greta of the Week on Chuck soon after Summer Glau has her turn.

Her recommendation of the Browncoats: Redemption DVD convinced me to get it, too. As soon as I get it, I will have my review. Until then, here's the link to get it and a t-shirt. Proceeds go to good folks, guaranteed.

Anyway, aside from the subjects that were part of my article, she also talked about how Nathan Fillion gathered as many props as he could from Firefly and Serenity (maybe he'll bring a crane to the Castle set when the show goes off the air in 2016), and basic things about how she gets into character and why she's glad there's writers. She also revealed that when she was in Space Cases, they made sure she got three hours of school each day, even with a timer. She also recommended a local restaurant called Ella, near the Convention Center.

Enough of that, though. Plenty of people went to the con to see her, and show their love for her. Take these girls who showed the two sides of Kaylee...

I got one of her action figures from Stargate Atlantis signed by her. She may have wished there was a Kaylee figure, but if she went to one of the booths, she would have seen this...

Mal really looks too chunky, and reminds me of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney for some reason. The Kaylee figure looks fine, especially with the parasol.

Overall, the event reminded me of SuperCon in San Jose from a couple of years ago, which had Joel Hodgson and Jorge Garcia, which are big deals. Crowd wasn't big, but it was a great opportunity to get a picture of me with Jewel. Billy Dee Williams also drew a big crowd of Star Wars. He didn't have a panel of his own, but he should have.

So, the next big thing will be the Creation Con at LAX in six weeks, where I REALLY want to see Eliza Dushku up close. Aside from Dollhouse, she may talk about her boyfriend Rick Fox and his chances of winning Dancing With the Stars. It's more than just Sci-Fi.
I also hope to talk to the people who produced Browncoats: Redemption, especially since I will get to see the movie beforehand. If Jewel bought a copy, it must be good.

Whedon Alumni Among the Busiest

2010-09-06T09:40:00.001-07:00

Recently a familiar face just joined Mad Men.
A guy named Danny was just hired by Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, even though all he had was one concept for several products..and he's a cousin of Roger's wife, Jane.
If he looked familiar, he's actually Danny Strong, who was Johnathan on Buffy and also a very good TV screenwriter. He was the guy who wrote Recount, about the 2000 presidential election.

Then I was thinking a lot of the old cast members of the Whedonverse are still quite busy. Look at the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sarah Michelle Gellar is currently enjoying motherhood, as shown in this picture....

Fans, though, hope she will be back soon.
Many cast members are enjoying TV success. Alyson Hannigan is on How I Met Your Mother, David Boreanaz with Bones, Nicholas Brendon makes occasional appearances on Criminal Minds, and James Marsters is poised to be back on Smallville and Caprica (if that gets more episodes. He'll also play a big role in the premiere of Hawaii Five-0, and maybe more after that. Charisma Carpenter has recently been spotted in The Expendables, and has a couple of movies in the works. Amber Benson is a successful author, and co-directed the office/alien invasion movie Drones. Michelle Trachtenberg was a regular on Mercy, but has also been wreaking havoc on Gossip Girl, and will do even more havoc soon.

The crew of Firefly has also done pretty well in the biz. Nathan Fillion, of course, is set to solve crimes and flirt at a cop (even if she has a gun) on Castle for another year. Adam Baldwin is also back as Casey on Chuck, and Morena Baccarin will be back as a very scary alien queen on V. Alan Tudyk has been in movies, including 3:10 to Yuma, but made a heck of an impression as Alpha on Dollhouse (which is one good reason why you should get the season 2 DVD next month). Jewel Staite and Sean Maher recently guest starred on Warehouse 13. She was also on Stargate Atlantis, and I have an action figure of her from that show. Maher just landed a gig on ABC Family's gymnastics show Make It or Break It.
Ron Glass, who played Book, was recently in the U-S version of Death at a Funeral. That's ironic, since Tudyk was in the original as the guy who took one wild drug accidentally. We'll hear more from him when we read The Shepherd's Tale from Dark Horse this fall.
Gina Torres, who played Zoe, is part of the cast of ABC Family's Huge, where she's a counselor at a weight-reduction camp.
Summer Glau has been seen as a Terminator and a wounded computer genius on Dollhouse. Now, she'll be a two-fisted muckraking blogger on The Cape.

As for Angel, Christian Kane is still a big part of the caper drama Leverage. Amy Acker was a regular on Dollhouse and Happy Town. She'll be seen in Cabin in the Woods once MGM fixes its financial problems. Vincent Kartheizer, of course, is enjoying success as Pete Campbell in Mad Men. J. August Richards has been on the TNT show Raising the Bar, and was recently seen on Grey's Anatomy.

The cast of Dollhouse also has a lot of talent, and may are hoping to see more of them soon. Eliza Dushku has been a major part of the Buffyverse as Faith, and Echo in Dollhouse. She's now developing a movie on Robert Mapplethorpe. Olivia Williams was recently seen in The Ghost Writer. Who wouldn't want to see her as a female Giles in a possible Slayer spinoff?
Harry Lennix has an interesting resume. Not only was he Boyd on the show, he was also in State of Play, and even Little Britain USA is the US President. He'll soon be in Mr. Sophistication and McBett, which is Macbeth in the Caribbean.
Enver Gjokaj, if I had my way, would be the new Rollin Hand in Mission Impossible 4. He's been seen recently in Fox's Lie to Me.
Miracle Laurie, who played Maddie/Mellie/November, is part of a ukelele band, but will soon be in a sci-fi drama set in San Francisco about 160 years from now.
Fran Kranz was supposed to be in an NBC romantic comedy, but will also be part of Cabin in the Woods.
Tahmoh Penikett, already a big fan favorite in Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse, will soon be seen in The Hostage.

The Whedonverse is filled with very talented people and actors that we're certain to see again and again.

Comic-Con: Other Visits and Sights, part 2

2010-07-27T17:12:00.001-07:00

People take dozens of pictures during Comic-Con, but trying to organize them is the toughest task of all. These pictures are sort of the best of the rest, with some comments.

First off, when I heard the Westboro Baptist Church was going to picket Comic-Con because they thank worshipping super-heroes just isn't Christian. They probably also hate fans of Superman or Doctor Who, since aliens probably don't know anything about the Bible.
However, these Christians are not with the WBC, which I was told by e-mail. They just want attendees to pick up a Bible once in a while rather than a graphic novel. At this corner, though, they had to compete with girls promoting Jackass 3-D.

Remember the episode in South Park when the missionary teaching African orphans said English was God's language? The WBC protesters may think that way seeing these Klingon trolley signs. After all, what kind of blasphemous language is this?
It's a good language, and I'm sure Klingons had some choice words for the WBC guys as well.

I may never attend another Rifftrax panel at Comic-Con because it gets rooms that are way too small. That's only because Ballroom 20 can't be used. Still, Rifftrax is a big deal in entertainment, and it should get a bigger room. I'm not saying that because I lost out on seeing the panel. These guys, of all people probably didn't get in until most of the panel was done.

I was surprised that Craig Ferguson's evil robot sidekick, Geoff, was at Comic-Con. I thought I'd ask him how he compared himself with Ed McMahon. It said "Ed McWho?"
Figures, since Ed never worked on CBS. Looking back ,this was a natural.

Comic-Con: All the World's a Billboard

2010-07-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

I remember a couple of years ago when the most usual way to promote a show at Comic-Con is to get an airplane that flies a banner than just says "I (heart) Dexter".

This year, there are other ways. This one is big, but not too new if you've been to Hollywood

Pretty big for a movie about an alien invasion, huh? Not to be outdone, the guys promoting Scott Pilgrim vs. the Expendables, I mean World, used the Hilton Bayfront to plug its movie.

Doesn't get bigger than that. As long as I catch the matinees, I'll see both him and Sly and the Knights of Kick-Ass next month.
Other movies, TV shows and networks have found better ways to plug themselves. The latest classic example is the Cafe Diem from Eureka at the Hard Rock Hotel...

It now has competition with Ciro's Pizzeria, which is "borrowed" by the Cartoon Network.

It won't be long before the Adult Swim bar is next.

Fox also got into the act by turning a downtown fish restaurant into "Bob's Burgers" which is a new animated show in the spirit of Family Guy. They gave out hundreds of burgers and even had burger eating contests. Not a bad deal.

Machete gave out tacos, and passes to a special panel that included some bloody action. If not for the fact I had the Serenity screening, I would have checked it out. It's produced new trailers, but I still liked the first one.

As I mentioned, Let Me In had a party at Basic at 10th and J. They had pictures from the movie...

and it was a full crowd. Pizza, 80s music and beer will do that.

and look at this. Matt Reeves with a guy who should have smiled...shouldn't I?

Finally, the simplest kind of "ambush" marketing.

This guy is trying to get the Rifftrax fans with Cinematic Titanic, which features the MST3K crew from the beginning, and the middle, too.

At Comic-Con, all the world's a billboard...some more effective than others.

Comic-Con: Riding the Black Beauty

2010-07-27T12:38:00.001-07:00

A couple of days after Comic-Con, there seems to be doubt that Seth Rogen can be a credible costumed hero as The Green Hornet.
As far as publicizing the movie, though, you have to admit they gave it a good hard try. First, get some gals that rival the Iron-ettes...

Then you get something called Britt Reid's Garage at 10th and J, near Petco Park...

Then add some cool muscle cars that kind of look like the Black Beauty....

Imagine that car on the road...a little smaller...and a hybrid...made by Road Rage Motors. That will save the car industry.

Several fans were lucky enough to take a ride around the block in this car. I was lucky to get a ride during preview night. First, we just walked there...

We left the driving to her...

and looked inside to see all the electronic hardware. Remember, this pre-dates such supercars as Knight Rider.

Thing is, you'd get something like this in an Acura or Lexus...without the remote-controlled machine guns.

I do want to add this picture from inside the garage..

I'm guessing this was the stunt car, or the Black Beauty without bullet-proof anything.

It'll be a few months before The Green Hornet arrives in 3-D. Maybe it will surprise us. Let's hope so.

Comic-Con: Other Visits And Sights, part one

2010-07-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

While most of my reports about Comic-Con are now exclusive to Whedonopolis, there are some stories I can tell here. They include the events that are considered off-site, but have some connection to Joss.

The first one was the San Diego debut of Hammer Improv, also known as the Knights of Good Improv (as far as I am concerned). The group includes Guild members Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh and Jeff Lewis. You can see some of their stuff at this US Stream channel. Instead of doing their thing at a small Los Angeles theater, they performed at a nearly 300-seat theater at the Lyceum, near Horton Plaza.
The jokes centered on Comic-Con, of course, then went further than that. Since they said flash photography was not allowed, this is the only good picture I got...

The sketch takes place in a bus. That's the only part I remember, along with some surprising jokes from Felicia, and robots attacking each other because one of them hated Inception. I think.

I also had to give up a ticket to Patton Oswalt at the House of Blues because I actually got inside a Hollywood party. I was at the shindig for Let Me In, the remake of Let the Right One In. I may never get another chance like this, so I went there instead.
It was good pizza with interesting toppings, wonderful '80s music, and beer.
Oh, and I got this picture...

Richard Jenkins with Kodi Smit-McPhee (who was last seen as The Son in The Road). I did not see Chloe Moretz because it was getting late. Still, I got to talk to Matt Reeves briefly about the movie. I sure hope it can live up to the original.
Here are some other sights from Comic-Con. First, I did get to see Patton Oswalt after all...

I finally got in a Dark Horse signing because they decided to let anyone in. As usual, I lost in the ticketed signing drawings.

There was also a screening of Serenity at the Gaslamp 14. It was nearly a full house of Browncoats...

There was also a sighting by a fan known as "The One True Bix", who helped organize Can't Stop the Serenity charity screenings for Equality Now.

This event raised more than 3000 dollars, which is pretty good.
I'll have more general pictures about Comic-Con soon, includnig my ride in the Black Beauty

At Least My Comic-Con Evenings Are Set

2010-07-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Lately, some enterprising people have discovered that Comic-Con fans may not want to see the latest blockbuster hit that's in town for a sneak preview, or attend a panel of terrible animation. They search for exotic things, or stuff that's cooler than what some call "Cannes for Nerds"

I think this all started when Rifftrax had a live show at the Balboa, tossing venom on Plan 9 From Outer Space. Since then, more people have decided to become the alternative to Comic-Con at night. In my case, the places where I'm going occur after some panel does take place. I still hope to see The Expendables, only if the screening does happen on a Saturday, or the movie ends around 10 PM. Otherwise. I'll be occupied.

Still, my post 7 PM plans are pretty much set for most of the week. I snagged tix for Hammer Improv, also known as the Knights of Good Improv since Felicia, Sandeep and Jeff are in the group. I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the guys dropped by, or even Wil Wheaton. He has to warm up for his w00tstock show.

I'd go to that, but I'm instead going to the Gaslamp 14 on Thursday for the Serenity screening. It's been five years since I was told this movie would screen at Comic-Con...the day after it happened. It was the reason I got a cell phone. This time, I'll go to the 5th anniversary. Who knows if this event will bigger than before? The alumni sure are.

Then there's the Patten Oswalt late show at the House of Blues. I'll bring my Serenity Float Out issue, in the hopes he'll sign it. If that's not possible, that's no problem. At least I will get to see him up close for the first time since the Ratatouille panel at Wondercon.

Saturday's up in the air, aside from Kevin Smith at hall H after the Marvel fans are in shock. In any case, it looks like it may be much better than last year's Laptop Suicide event. I'll use my briefcase to carry everything at all times. It's just good half my stuff will be at a safe place through Monday.

So, here's to what could be the end of the San Diego era, unless Comic-Con decision to add two hotels to the lineup will be enough to keep it away from Anaheim three years from now. We'll actually find out before it begins.

How To Prepare for The Guild Season 4...

2010-07-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Before we get to that, here's why it's been a long time since I updated this blog.

I'll be writing more exclusive content for Whedonopolis. Since Comic-Con is coming in two weeks, I will have a ton of stuff to attend, and my reports will mostly go there. Some other Joss-connected stories will still wind up here, such as comic books, podcasts and such.
My other site, The Notorious IG, is still going strong, especially with stories about how we're watching the World Cup. Other Comic-Con stuff that isn't Joss-related will also be here, too.

So, as some of us wonder if next week's World Cup final will feature a regular finalist, or a newcomer (hola, Spain), others realize it's just one week before the fourth season of The Guild begins. Just like last year, XBox will get first dibs, but it will be worth the wait. The cast will also be there, mostly to explain what happens right at the start. Just think back to the last ten seconds of season three.
YEAH! THAT! Wil Wheaton will be back, and it's certain he'll be a bad influence on Codex...which means she'll have more confidence, and that'll shock her friends. Hopefully, what happens next will stun Fawkes, too. It's only fair.
Of course, that's only my guess. What really happens should be more interesting.

Until then, if you haven't already, get the Dark Horse three-issue series of The Guild, It shows Codex before she joins the world on online gaming because reality is too tough to handle. Her boyfriend, Trevor, is a former cellist who wants to make it big in indie music, and let's just say he uses her a lot. Her sadness leads her to the famous Game where the Knights of Good will be formed. It shows all the characters as they are in real life, and their avatars. Of course, they don't meet each other. That happens in the season one DVD. The comics are basically the origin story.

Felicia Day has built a very good story about Codex, and the drawings reflect it. In reality, the images are stark and cold. In the guild-verse, the images are lush and exciting. Who wouldn't want to hang around in this world?
Also, notice Codex's therapy sessions. They reflect her feelings of frustration (part one), hope (part 2) and despair (part 3). There's also a very interesting back story that comes in a key moment in her relationship with Trevor. Speaking of which, you'll notice how he'll play any part to get ahead in his music.

So far I have all three seasons of the show on DVD, two Guild shirts, the comics, and my voice actually being used in a Knights of the Guild podcast. So, am I a hardcore fan?

Well, I have this, too....from 2008...

and an autographed photo from last year. That's enough....until the next DVD.

Aside from that, I also looked over the Serenity comic, "Float Out", written by Patten Oswalt. It's a really good story about three friends of Wash exchanging their favorite stories about him as they christen a new ship. This takes place, by the way, after what happened in the Serenity movie. The best part is the end, when we get one more guest who has the ultimate tribute to Wash.
I'm taking it to Comic-Con because Oswalt will be at the House of Blues during Comic-Con weekend. If I'm lucky, I hope to get it signed.

Coming This Fall..A Lot Of Whedonverse Alumni

2010-05-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

Now that the TV season is over, and we say goodbye to three TV stales, it's time to look at the future.
Last year at this time, fans of the Whedonverse were happy a lot of the old gang were still on TV from Eliza Dushku on Dollhouse to Julie Benz in Dexter, from Alyson Hannigan in How I Met Your Mother, to Nathan Fillon on Castle. There was also the return of Morena Baccarin as the now very angry Visitor leader in V.

As for next season, many Whedonverse favorites will still be with us, and even a few coming back on movies or TV. Many of them will be coming from Firefly. Fillion and Baccarin will be back in their shows. Summer Glau is poised to return as a crusading blogger helping a vigilante known as The Cape, Sean Maher and Jewel Staite will make an appearance on Warehouse 13, Alan Tudyk will be part of Transformers 3 (but Megan Fox won't be), Adam Baldwin will be a reluctant mentor to a spy-in-training on Chuck. Even Ron Glass, aka Book, will return when we finally learn "The Shepherd's Tale" in a new book from Dark Horse.
We shouldn't forget Gina Torres, who will be a counselor in Huge, about teens at a camp for heavy teens, especially one who refuses to believe being big is bad. That will be on ABC Family later this month.

Alyson Hannigan, of course, is still with How I Met Your Mother (which hopefully will return to getting us closer to that), and David Boreanaz will be back in Bones. James Marsters, who's becoming more well-known for Caprica than he was in Buffy and Angel, may be well-known in a new version of Hawaii Five-0 as the nemesis of McGarrett. Benz, meanwhile, will soon become part of No Ordinary Family, as the mom who suddenly becomes faster than her mini-van...although the rest of the family have new skills, too.

Of course, things may change between now and the fall. Fran Kranz was supposed to be part of a new NBC sitcom but was recast after the pilot. Rest assured, though, these and other actors in the Whedonverse will make their way to our TV and movie screens soon enough.

Serenity Movie Weekend: Did She Kill Him With Her Brain?

2010-04-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

When it comes to murder mysteries on Lifetime, there are two categories: the heroine is accused of murder, and spends the rest of the movie to clear her name; and the heroine is accused of murder, but you're not quite sure if she's innocent.

Summer Glau has played a genius girl who has been damaged by government (Serenity/Firefly) or by an accident (Dollhouse), and also a butt-kicking android protecting the future (Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles). It has been rare for her to play a typical girl. Last night, though, she got her chance in a new Lifetime Movie Network film called Deadly Honeymoon. She played Lindsay, a new bride on her honeymoon with her husband, Trevor (Chris Carmack). It looks like the couple is well-matched, but looks can be deceiving. Typical murder plot for Lifetime.
The couple meets a fellow passenger, Kim, and three Hungarians that Trevor hopes will help out in a new business he and his wife want to start. However, Trevor would rather party than be with Lindsay, and even one of the Hungarians tries to make out with her.
Then, Trevor goes missing while Lindsay is found in a daze in a hallway under the ship. Is Trevor dead? Did Lindsay do it?

Now, if Lindsay were innocent, without a doubt, the movie will center on her efforts to clear her name. Not so here. The attention also centers on a vacationing FBI agent (Zoe McLellan) who gathers the details about the couple, and the Hungarians. Meanwhile Lindsay is trying to deal with all that has happened. A scene where she talks to her parents through a laptop is heartbreaking. Summer really sells this as a girl who goes from being in a daze to total devastation.
The FBI agent starts to wonder if Lindsay is as innocent as she looks. Lindsay admits there are a few things she didn't mention, but mostly because she's scared what Trevor's family would think.
There is a later scene where Lindsay talks to the captain about what happened. I won't describe it, but it is also devastating for a different reason.
As for how everything is resolved, at least one TV critic was hoping for a more surprising ending, but I thought it made sense.
I'm hoping this movie will open up more chances for Summer to be a typical girl in romantic or dramatic situations, rather than a Terminator or wounded computer genius.
Then again, we're also crossing our fingers that NBC will add The Cape to its 2010 fall lineup. If so, she'll become a crime-fighting blogger...and that's pretty good, too.

Serenity Movie Weekend: The Mothman of Justice?

2010-04-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

When I went to Anaheim Wizard World last week, Jewel Staite talked about her new SyFy Movie, Mothman. She said it's one of those guilty pleasure type of movies, that she hopes will get a bigger audience than Mega-Piranha.

We're not sure if that will happen, but the movie turned out to be a weird hybrid between I Know What You Did Last Summer and Charles Bronson's character in Death Wish.

How? Well, let's start with the "I Know What You Did..." part: a bunch of teens, including Katie (played by Jewel), tease the younger brother of one of the group about the Mothman. As a result, they wind up drowning the brother, and Katie is forced in the coverup. Ten years later, she's a feature reporter for a weekly newspaper in Washington D.C. She's assigned to Point Pleasant, West Virginia to visit the annual Mothman Festival. We'll give you one guess where Katie is from.

Of course, the events of ten years ago take a toll on the old gang. It's not long before the dreaded Mothman emerges from mirrors, mobile home surfaces and even TV screens to kill off Katie's friends. The creature itself reminded me one a monster from Scooby-Doo, or a creepy grey ghost with moldy wings. It's a mothman, right?
Also, the movie sets up the whole plot in 20 minutes, as if it's late for an appointment. A little more development would have been nice. These guys may be guilty but they're people, not targets.

Jewel does a good job as the reporter forced to face her past. She does have her moment when she goes all Ellen Ripley on the Mothman, but does she escape its vengeance?

I do have to say that someone else steals this movie, only because he has an extensive history with the Mothman. Jerry Leggio is great at blind Frank Waverly, who knows a lot about the Mothman and how he goes after those who have escaped justice. That's why I suggest the Mohtman may be like Charles Bronson. Too bad they had to make Frank a little too crazy towards the end, even if he did have the backstory to explain it.

Another weird moment is when Derek (Connor Fox) bursts into the local beauty shop, tells everyone to leave, and starts breaking mirrors so the Mothman won't get them.

It's also interesting the movie adds some details of the original Mothman legend in the 1960's, but I wonder why they decided to make it a vigilante, and also the spirit of an Indian chief tortured by settlers in the 19th Century.

Looking at this movie, I wonder how Red with Felicia Day will play out. Will she go from werewolf hunter to werewolf? I hope not. Her character could be a Syfy series all by itself, even if you add a repentant werewolf.
Yeah, that sounds familiar, but what movie on SyFy doesn't?

Juliet Landau Asks How Others Take Flight

2010-04-03T23:05:00.000-07:00

After making a documentary about how Gary Oldman made a music video by a Jewish Hip-Hop group, Juliet Landau has a new project.

She's talking to fellow actors and musicians about what inspires them. She also asks some advice about how she can market her documentary, Take Flight. Her interviews are currently at her documentary's website, and in YouTube, Her line of questions are similar: she asks about how they got into acting or music, what project made them feel like a kid playing, what would they film if they had a cellphone camera that Oldman used, and how would they market her film.

The list is interesting: Michael Rosenbaum (formerly Lex Luthor from Smallville, Sam Anderson from Lost and Angel, Harry Groener (the Mayor from Buffy), Kat Von D, Amy Acker from Angel, Dollhouse and now Happy Town, director Andrea Romano who has played a major part on Warner Brothers animation, and musician David J from Bauhaus.
Their responses are even better. Rosenbaum said he got into acting because he was influenced by Saturday Night Live in the 1980's. Acker and David J has two very interesting ways to promote Take Flight. Think 30-second ad and ringtones. Groener says if someone game him a cellphone camera, he'd be filming a German oom-pah band. Anderson reveals that working on Angel was fun because it's only place where he could hear "flaming vampires on the set, please". Romano also explains why seeing an achor build a character can be a great thing to see.

It's fascinating how Landau gets very interesting comments from these artists. Hopefully, we'll get more very soon.

Wondercon: News From Dark Horse

2010-04-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Dark Horse had been the home for comic books from most of the Whedonverse, except for Angel.
Fans were hoping to get big news from the comic book company about what to expect from Buffy, Dr. Horrible or maybe the Guild.
Spokesman Jeremy Atkins and writer Randy Stradley said they didn't have any big news. However, they did say they were very excited about the future. The latest on Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8 is linked to the shocking news that Angel is Twilight. They did say issue 34 this month will actually surprise a lot of fans who wished Buffy and Angel would be together. Let's just say if such a thing happened, now would not be the right time. It's Xander-and-Willow-kissing-at-the-wrong-time all over again (this was from season three, by the way).

Meanwhile, they did talk about the new Serenity/Firefly projects. One of them is the new Wash story, "Float Out", written by Patten Oswalt. That's coming in June. Atkins revealed that Oswalt was actually unsure if he could do the job after he was "out-geeked" by MTV reporter Rick Marshall. The other big story is the long-awaited "Shepherd's Tale", which reveals the back story of Shepherd Book. It will be released as a hardcover in November. Atkins said that Ron Glass, who played Book, called him and said he story was inspired. He even said it would interesting enough to bring back he role on TV, if that happened.
Atkins says Serenity has been a very popular title in Dark Horse. "While the television world may be done with Firefly", he says, "we're nowhere near it."

Several fans asked questions about the Guild, which just started its three-issue run, and whether Dollhouse could get a second life as a comic book. "Joss got his heartbroken again with another great series that people got behind," he says. "If it does happen, it would be a little while in the future." However, Atkins says Dark Horse would be happy to work with Joss if a Dollhouse comic book was possible.

Dollhouse: A Different Kind Of Toy Story

2010-04-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, Smart Pop Books had a contest recently asking fans to write an essay on the late great Fox show, Dollhouse. The top 15 winners would have their entries published and put in a book that will be released this fall.
About a hundred people submitted entries, including me. The results were finally revealed....and I didn't make it.
Maybe my entry was terrible, or too profound or too weird, or the competition was really that tight. I'm guessing it was one close contest.
All I know is that they got Jane Espenson as a judge. If there's anyone who knows good writing, it is her.

Therefore, here is my entry. Judge for yourself.

Question: what do Dollhouse and Toy Story have in common?

To the hard core Joss Whedon fan, the answer is obvious. Just two years before he turned a little teen horror comedy called Buffy the Vampire Slayer into a classic TV cult hit, he was involved in the screenplay of Toy Story, which revolutionized animated films. It also led to getting an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

Last fall, Toy Story and its sequel were both re-released as a 3-D movie double feature as a prelude to the next movie, also in 3-D, next summer. It turned out to be a big hit, and the planned two-week engagement wound up being extended. A recent article in Entertainment Weekly* revealed that Whedon wanted to use Barbie to help rescue Woody and Buzz Lightyear in the first movie's final act, where they were in danger of benig abandoned by Andy's family. It makes sense for a man who believes in girl power, or in this case doll power. Whedon said in the article he wanted Barbie as "Sarah Connor in a pink convertible." It would have been worth it to hear her say "come with me if you want to live" more than a decade before Summer Glau does on a TV version of the Terminator franchise. Producer Matt Guggenheim said in the article Mattel objected to using Barbie because they thought girls project their own ideas of what Barbie should be. Giving Barbie her own voice, Mattel allegedly thought, wouldn't become a girl's ideal. After Toy Story became successful, Mattel allowed Barbie to be part of Toy Story 2. That led to several Barbie CGI movies which are mostly fairy tales. Maybe it didn't think little girls would be ready for Barbie the Vampire Slayer, although they thought Barbie and Ken could fill Mulder and Scully's shoes in a special X-Files edition of the two dolls.

Mattel's alleged objection, however, stuck with me because it could be the same attitude Rossum has towards its Actives in all its Dollhouses. An Active is there to fulfill a client's fantasy or need. If you give an Active its own voice, it may not become a person's ideal. It would become, well, too human to do the job it's supposed to do. At least too human for Rossum's comfort.

So, could Dollhouse be the dark side of Toy Story, where clients could be like fair and loving like Andy, or evil like Sid, or somewhere in between?
That's not too far out, really, although there are other ways to connect the movie with the TV show.

Let's start with the idea that both Toy Story and Dollhouse involve people treating people like toys. A child defines what a toy should be, just as a client decides what an Active should be. Through the short history of Dollhouse, consider some of the "roles" that Actives have played: a geisha, midwife, backup singer, nerdy fan, birthday party guest, a Topher clone, blind girl, safecracker, wife, mother, solider, lover, doctor...and a few others Barbie never had the chance to do. However, the Actives are treated like what toys are supposed to be: living yet blank objects until someone wants to play with them. They are not supposed to form attachments with each other, like Echo does with Sierra and Victor. They are not supposed to share affection, or have "man reactions" on their own. A Doll is just there to fulfill a fantasy. It's not supposed to have one of its own. That's only allowed in Pixar movies.

Usually, the Dollhouses cater to clients who have a lot of money, and are just like Andy, a person who treats his toys fairly. When the first Toy Story movie starts, he's using his toys to play out a bank robbery, with Woody as the hero who saves the day. Compare that to a client asking to have an Active to play more mature roles, like a romantic date, a mercenary rescuing a kidnapped child or a safecracker. After the client is finished "playing" with his Active, it gets "put back on the shelf" after its imprint is wiped clean. In the Toy Story world, the toys know full well what they are, and just enjoy life being part of a child's world. The Actives just wander around, paint or practice yoga. As far as the Dollhouse is concerned, Actives are toys with no thoughts in their heads. Having thoughts would make them more complicated than a Mr. Potato Head, whether he's a toy or the Pixar version with Don Rickles' voice.

There are clients who are like Sid, the evil kid who likes to break toys, or make them even worse. Remember the Erector set spider with the bald baby doll head? The best example of a "Sid" is Nolan Kinnard, a major player inside Rossum. One day, he meets a girl named Priya at a party, and decides he must possess her, literally. Using a mental health clinic that he owns, he drives Priya insane through the use of drugs. Then he sends her to the Dollhouse, where she is turned into Sierra, an Active who is his own personal plaything. Calling her his girlfriend would be too charitable. In "Needs", Sierra becomes aware of her past as Priya, and confronts Nolan about it. Not only does he admit it, he says she is going to return to him anytime he wants. He's right, because Sierra's sudden self-awareness was really part of a plan by Dr. Claire Saunders to have the Actives resolve unresolved issues, and become obedient again. This didn't quite work with all of them. It's also ironic, since the one who came up with the plan is later revealed to be an Active, too. More on that later.
Then when Nolan demands that he keep Sierra permanently, he uses his position in Rossum, and pressure from fellow company bigwig Matthew Harding, to get what he wants. However, what he winds up getting is Sierra as Priya, her former self. She tells Nolan she never loved him, but loves someone else whose name she can't explain. When Nolan start abusing what was supposed to be his personal toy, she winds up stabbing him to death. Sid should be glad his mutant toys never struck back like that, or that Woody just warned him to take care of his toys.

Another example is Hearn, who was Sierra's handler. Adelle DeWitt figures out that he has been raping Sierra, but he also admits it readily. He says when you see women who are willing to do anything for you, you're bound to take advantage. She gives him a way out by sending him to kill Mellie, who's been helping FBI agent Paul Ballard expose the Dollhouse. When Hearn does attack her, she gets a call from Dewitt, telling her there are three flowers in a vase. The phrase turns Mellie from victim to Hearn's assassin, but it also shows she is a sleeper Active. She takes care of Hearn just as Sierra took care of Nolan. It's quite a lesson to both Nolan and Hearn not to abuse toys, whether they own one or not.

There's also a list of clients who are somewhere between Andy and Sid. That is, they may seem to have the best of intentions at first, but their needs may become too dark or uncomfortable. Richard Connell, the client in "The Target", wanted a companion on a whitewater rafting trip. What he really wanted was a companion for a hunting trip, with Echo as his prey. She's barely able to escape, but the Dollhouse is stunned about how they were fooled by this man, and whether rouge Active Alpha is responsible.

Joel Mynor, internet whiz, is the only client on the show who is able to justify why he needs an Active. In "Man on the Street", he explains that he wanted to capture a moment that never was: surprising his wife with a new house that he bought through his internet creation, "Bouncy the Rat". That moment never happened because she died in a car crash just before she got to the house. Paul still thinks Joel's fantasy is bad because he's using a person who is fulfilling his fantasy because she lost her free will. However, Joel turns it around on Paul, asking him whether his fantasy is saving Echo from her life as an Active, and what he hopes to get out of it. In a way, Paul hopes to find redemption through a toy, in this case Echo.

Later, Paul discovers that he's no better than Mynor or any other Dollhouse client. This happens when he learns that Mellie is a sleeper Active. It's a fact that surprises her because his relationship with Mellie had become intimate. He wonders if her affections towards him are real or programmed. It gets to the point that he doesn't care, and still has sex with her. Afterwards, when she asks when they're going to find Dollhouse clients, Paul finds one...in his own mirror.

He would be surprised if he learned that Adelle DeWitt, who manages the Los Angeles Dollhouse, had been posing as "Miss Lonelyhearts" so she could enjoy her own toy...Victor, or Roger as she calls him. Some may wonder how this is different than what Nolan or Hearn did to Sierra. While these two men abused Sierra to get what they want, all Adelle had to do was have Victor imprinted. She didn't force him to have sex with her. He was just programmed to do that. He is her toy, and he is there to be her ideal. Victor/Roger is a life-sized version of Ken, only better...or at least that's what she tells herself. It's still abuse because she's taking advantage of a man who has no free will. Rather than take her chances at parties or even singles bars, she finds a quick yet empty solution with an Active. It's not as violent as what Nolan and Hearn did, but it's still abuse. She even tries to enjoy one last night of passion with Victor/Roger before his term as an Active ends. He is reluctant because, as Sierra told Nolan, he says there's someone else he loves, but can't explain who she is.
Why did she did she think she could get away with it? Maybe she thinks she's entitled to borrowing a "toy" because she thinks the Dollhouse is her own toy store, if she doesn't get caught. That's what being head of a Dollhouse means, until Matthew Harding tells her she is seen as a toy to those who are really in charge, including himself and Clive Ambrose. That may have been the moment she started having doubts about what the Dollhouse is really doing, well before Ballard did.

The connections between Toy Story and Dollhouse don't stop there. While all the toys in Toy Story are aware of who they are, the exception is Buzz Lightyear, who is convinced he's a real Space Ranger who can fly. This puts him in a rivalry with Woody, who had enjoyed his status as Andy's favorite toy. He finds out the truth by seeing a commercial about himself, and finds out the hard way he can't go to infinity, but can go straight down. Through friendship from Woody and the other toys, he gets over this problem.
In the Dollhouse, there is no rivalry among the Actives. They just know one thing: "I try to do my best". For a while the number one Active was Whiskey, who would later become Dr. Claire Saunders. Whiskey would be the most popular Active, until Alpha decides to make Echo the top Active. He does that by scarring Whisky and killing some Actives. He did this because it was love at first sight for him, He did this to earn her love, but would not get it. Love was not important to her. She didn't get "girl reactions" when she was with Alpha. It was more like fear when she saw what he did. Still, her fear was gone when she was wiped, and prepared for her next role that a person bought her to fulfill.

Dr. Saunders could be considered the Dollhouse version of Buzz. As he always thought he was a real crime-fighting hero, Claire thought she's always been the physician of the Dollhouse because she was programmed that way. When Dr. Saunders discovers her Active past, she isn't interesting in learning who she was. She just knows who she is now.
That would have been the end, until "Vows", when Dr. Saunders is busy taunting Topher. She is still dealing with the fact that her past and present is all a lie, and that Topher made her. She later seduces him, claiming that Topher made her to hate him so that he would eventuallty win her love. He disagrees, because he wanted her to hate him to remind him that it's partially his fault Alpha went mad, which led to Saunders, as Whisky being scarred. He's not the client here. Dr. Saunders' process of discovering her true self is much more complicated that what Buzz had to accept.
It would have been interesting to see how Claire would decide that, even if she was an Active, she can be a real person by just saying that she was. However, that would never happen, as her body would be taken over by Clyde Randolph, one of the co-founders of Rossum, in "The Hollow Men."

However, one Doll did manage to say he was real by saying so. It was none other than Paul Ballard. Throughout the series, he considered Dolls as people who may as well be murdered, even though they didn't know it. He considered those who used them, even for the best of intentions, to be cruel. He had to be turned into a Doll to be saved after Alpha severely damaged his brain in "A Love Supreme". At least he has Mellie, who is also a Doll again when her retirement ended in "The Left Hand." When they infiltrate Rossum headquarters in Tucson in "The Hollow Men", she asks him why is she there with him. She keeps reminding him that they're not real, and their love for each other is a program. In fact, it was just a few days before when he looked at Mellie again, and wondered if she was really all right now that she will never be free from being an Active. Now, he accepts the fact that he is a Doll, but also declares he is still as real as anyone. That includes their love for each other. He may have gotten the inspiration from how Sierra and Victor fell for each other, even as Dolls. It's just as important as Buzz sees that he may be a toy, but can be something special because of what he can do to save his friends.

There could also be a link between Woody in Toy Story 2 and Senator Daniel Perrin, Rossum's man in the U.S. Senate, and how an Active can be considered a commodity rather than a fantasy. In the movie, toy store owner Al McWhiggin finds Woody because he wants to sell him to a museum in Japan. To sweeten the deal, he gets someone to "spruce up" Woody so that he looks like he's in mint condition. That's not too far off from that Rossum did to one Daniel Perrin. He had the pedigree to be someone important in Washington, but not the desire. That changed when Rossum used its Dollhouse in Washington D.C. to "improve" his brain. It had hoped he would give them some clout in Washington, and pass regulations that would favor Rossum. It would lead to him marrying his handler, and starting a campaign to "expose" Rossum's unethical medical experiments, which would eventually exonerate them. The plan almost works, but Rossum winds up changing Perrin again, with more ambition towards a new goal: the White House. Somehow, Rossum is determined to turn the nation, and eventually the world, into its own Dollhouse. They would create toys that are no longer playthings anyone can control. but wind up controlling us.

It's interesting that Joss Whedon would be involved in two projects that would look at humanity and identity. One would be Toy Story, which looks at toys when they're not at play, and how they can be as human as we are. The other would be Dollhouse, which looks at life-sized toys made of flesh and blood, and how they can be used and abused just like any toy. The movie would make millions of dollars for Disney, while the TV show would face a premature end.

The final results are also very different. In a Pixar world, the toys sing and dance, and are happy that they're together. In a Dollhouse world, the world is not so cheery. In about ten years, it becomes a mess filled with Dumbshows and Tech Heads, Butchers attacking Actuals, while the most powerful change bodies as often as they change suits, or exist in multiple bodies. It's the fulfillment of the professor's prediction from "Man on the Street", when he says Mankind will cease to matter if technology robs it of its true self. The only hope for a happy ending arrives when those who invented the tech that ruined the world use it again to fix their mistake, and sacrifice themselves as penance.

While a scene that was never part of Toy Story inspired this comparison with Dollhouse, there's another scene that was almost part of the Dollhouse pilot that's also important. It's where Topher told Boyd in the unaired pilot, "Echo" that everyone who lives in the Dollhouse, even the staff, are toys, and those who play with the Actives little children. That statement becomes very ironic, since it's eventually revealed Boyd was the toymaker all along.
Maybe the lesson here is that we should not treat others like mindless toys. It's a lesson that hopefully corporations, and people of major influence, should learn....or they will find out the average person isn't the same as that old Barbie they used to have.

*http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,299897_3,00.html

Talkin' Serenity and Wondercon

2010-03-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

Wondercon is just a few weeks away, and it looks like Whedonistas will have a lot to talk about, but that's later

First, I wanted to say how HAPPY I am we'll finally get to hear "The Shepherd's Tale" (aka Book, the Mysterious Early Years). Instead of it being told in three comic book issues, we'll get it as one hardcover in November. It will be the perfect Christmas gift, along with the Firefly key chain I should be getting soon. The info about this story was first told at the 2007 Browncoat Cruise,and we've been waiting ever since. I think the only juicy clue we got from Ron Glass is that Shepherd Book is not his real name. The rest will come, thanks to Joss and Zack Whedon.

However, we will get another Serenity comic book thaks to Patton Oswalt. He's writing a story called "Float-Out", which is really a tribute to that dinosaur fan of a pilot, Wash. This is set just after Serenity. Oswalt, a new member of the Whedonverse thanks to his fine roles in Dollhouse, has written a few other stories for comics. This should really get him a lot of attention, aside from being a Pixar icon thanks to Ratatouille. The issue is coming in June

OK, now to Wondercon, or one of two reasons why I am heading to SF in April...James Marsters is still planning to be there, but not on a panel. He's there on behalf of Lightspeed Fine Art for autographs and photos. He should also be there to talk about his current role in Caprica, since there will be a panel. Say, if we asked effectively.......

Meanwhile, there will be panels for three TV shows with Whedon alumni. Fans of Morena Baccarin will be happy to know a fresh episode of V will be part of the first day. No word yet on whether she'll be there, too, but we can hope. On Saturday, we get a preview of Happy Town which is about a perfect small town that has horrible secrets...like they're supposed to. Amy Acker will be there, and it's certain she'll be asked about Dollhouse. She'll also be on Human Target, too.

Day three will be the traditional Chuck panel, with Adam Baldwin, Zachary Levi and the gang.

Dark Horse and IDW will also have their panels, too. With news about Serenity and the big plot twist about Twilight Not The Movie on Buffy Season 8 (really, it would have been better if it were Giles, not who it really is, since he was doing dark things in his younger days), Dark Horse will be the more popular panel. Maybe Patton will be there. If Joss was there, THAT would be big.

Naturally, the closing event is again "Once More With Feeling". While it's becoming a tradition, why not have a double feature with Dr. Horrible done in the Rocky Horror style? That's bound to happen when Comic-Con rolls around.

One thing is for sure: Wondercon will not leave San Francisco. It's still the right size for the Comic-Con's annual dress rehearsal.

SyFy presents "Red": On the other hand....

2010-03-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

@GrrAargh, from Twitter, posted me about my take on the SyFy fairy tale called "Red' with Felicia Day as Red Riding Hood, who'll face a bigger problem than getting through the woods and a Big Bad Wolf.
To repeat, in this version, Red presents her fiance to her family of werewolf hunters. He gets bitten by a werewolf, and now he's one, too. Thus, she has to decide whether to protect her fiance, or kill him.
From the entry in Wikipedia GrrArgh pointed out, the familiar story can be interpreted as a girl's maturity to womanhood, a morality tale about talking to strangers, or even more intimate that that, as in The Company of Wolves.

I still think my idea might work, even if it's apparently been used before in other media. In the end, it will be a version of Red Riding Hood with forbidden love and werewolf hunting thrown in the mix. After seeing this Wiki about the story, it may not be too far out as viewers may think. Still, it's still about love or duty, a decision a certain Slayer had to make in Sunnydale 12 years ago. We'll see how SyFy presents this age-old dilemma next year.

Felicia Day is Red Riding Hood, but about the story...

2010-03-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

As I was looking over the disappointment Oscar viewers were experiencing from last night, and finding out that Comcast wished they hired better crew members to "upgrade" their cable service, I found out about Felicia Day being part of SyFy's series of movies that re-invent classic fairy tales. A couple of weeks ago, we had Beauty and the Beasts, which had a sexy mini-skirted Estella Warren protecting a beast accused of murder actually being orchestrated by an evil prince and his own beast. Naturally, there's a love story.
Anyway, SciFiWire revealed Felicia Day will be in one of those SyFy Fairy Tales. She'll be Red Riding Hood in Red, only it includes werewolves and forbidden love...for the Twilight crowd. The story is Red Riding Hood introduces her fiance to her family of werewolf hunters. He winds up getting bitten by a werewolf, and she has to decide between love and duty.

For one thing, it sounds like Beauty and the Beasts. Not every SyFy fairy tale has to include a love story. Instead, try this idea...

Red Riding Hood is starting her training as a werewolf hunter. She meets a handsome guy who has a dark edge to him. Of course, she attracted to the guy. Just after he arrives, there's a series of murders, and people turning into werewolves. Of course, Handsome Guy is responsible, but he acts like Red's ally. He even helps her kill some werewolves, just to cover his own tracks. However, he makes the mistake of biting Red's grandma. Thus, the famous "Oh, Grandma, what sharp teeth you have" scene takes on a whole new meaning. It's still between love and duty, but at least she gets to be more heroic when she finally defeats the true wolf in sheep's clothing. This really doesn't need a love story, especially a forbidden one.

There's also a question on whether this will affect the future of The Guild. We're still hoping for a fourth season, as Codex has to deal with the Big Bad Wolf she wound up with at the end of season three. Apparently, though, this will be filmed in Canada soon. This may mean a longer wait than usual for more Guild episodes, but as long as there will be more.

Still, it's a great opportunity for Felicia, and we wish her all the best. I still think my plot is better than SyFy's plot.

"Take Flight" Shows New Career Paths For Gary Oldman and Juliet Landau

2010-02-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Gary Oldman and Juliet Landau have a few things in common.
Both are well-known actors. Both have played vampires. Both have also lent their voices for animated features.
Now, there's another title they have in common: director.

He directed a music video for Chutzpah, a Jewish hip-hop group, but made it unique by using only cell-phone cameras (Nokia N93 cellphone, by the way). He then asked Juliet to direct a "behind the scenes" feature on how it was done.
It later developed into a 25-minute documentary called "Take Flight" where we see how the video is done, but also get some insight through Oldman's eyes. How this is illustrated is just as fascinating, thanks to Juliet.

The film has been streaming at http://www.julietlandaustakeflight.com since February 25th. It's more than just a short featurette on how the artist and director discuss the video. It's a unique look at hoe someone comes up with a vision, and brings it to fruition.

The film is in three parts, for each of the three days of the shoot. Part one is meeting the band, and how they discuss the concept of their video, "Red Rover". Like other rap groups, Chutzpah have a feud with someone, in this case Matisyahu. We see Oldman set up the small cameras to get the right angles and the best view, even rolling on a wheelchair or taping a cell camera on a tripod. He talks abut the color of the big speakers, while we see one of the dancers trying to perform in front of a cellphone (which isn't as easy as it looks). When we see him hard at work, we hear the music in his head.

Part two is the second day of shooting. We see the group dancing in speedos, and the girls trying a little rapping of their own. The best part is seeing Oldman really enjoying himself filming the group, while we hear Rossini's "The Thieving Magpie".

The third part is the final day of shooting at the beach. Here, Oldman gets more concept shots, and a lot of footage of seagulls in flight, especially at sundown. While only a few seconds of the seagulls are used for the video, the rest of the footage shows how Oldman is again enjoying what he's doing. It's also great footage of seagulls in flight just before sundown.

This is a wonderful documentary, and a great success for both Oldman and Landau. It also shows that you don't need a lot of cash to produce good online content. As long as you have good equipment, and a good idea, you can go far. That's been proven many times already, but not too many people would like about using cellphones as cameras before.

After the credits we see the final product, and it's pretty good. Chutzpah has been around for four years, and the website is at http://www.chutzpahthegroup.com. George Segal is also part of the group...really. That's not too far out, considering that more than 40 years ago he played the banjo with the Smothers Brothers.

Landau, meanwhile, has a special YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/missjuliet100) where she talks to several people about the acting process, and about "Take Flight". The first two videos are with Armin Shimerman, who suggests an interesting way to market the documentary, and Michael Rosenbaum. More will be coming through March.

The Guild's New DVD...A Big Step Towards Season 4

2010-02-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

It's probably the first successful internet sitcom, about a group of people who play video games a bit too much to deal with reality.
Now, it's led to fame, a fair amount of fortune, a lot of awards, a music video that would rival anything MTV airs, and soon a three-part comic book mini-series.

Season three of The Guild has just been released on DVD. Unlike previous seasons, where the show and story lines were more like a typical sitcom, the third season is structured like a movie called "The Fall and Rise of the Knights of Good." They deal with a rival group of games called the Axis of Anarchy, the dark side of the KoG. The A of A successfully harasses one member, and convinces another to join them. Vork, the leader, quits to go on a quest, leaving the post to Codex, the reluctant heroine. Zaboo and Riley the Stupid Tall Hot Girl take their relationship to scary levels. In fact, Riley (Michele Boyd) is more frightening than Zaboo's mom (and people who saw season one might agree). Clara's marriage is in big trouble because of her video game obsession, and she lets her husband join in. It all culminates in a showdown between the A of A and KoG, and a shocking ending that some people dared not to predict.

It's kind of Lord of the Rings for gamers, but it's another winning season for creator and writer Felicia Day, and her fellow Guildies (Robin Thorsen, Jeff Lewis, Vincent Caso, Amy Okuda and Sandeep Parikh). The show also pulled off a big coup by getting Wil Wheaton as Fawkes, the leader of the A of A.

The DVD has all 12 episodes, including commentary from the cast and crew. The cast, by the way are very funny, too. Their comments about how Riley carries Zaboo over the threshhold in episode 2, or Vork's triple take after Codex chews him out, are especially funny. They even ask why cartoon Vork doesn't cut his hand when he tosses his sword in the opening credits.

There's also the famous "Do You Want to Date My Avatar" video (nearly eight million hits on YouTube since August), some behind the scenes video, gag reels, and the special Halloween video. Also, there's several videos from people who hope to join the KoG, even if it's only part of the story line. Remember the guy with white hair and beard who just stood there and smiled? He talks now, and sounds like a grizzled old prospector.
We also get up close to the Axis of Anarchy, and get some good insight from Wheaton and the other actors who make up the group. There's also good tips on making Vork's sword, and web video in general.

After I saw the DVD, I went back to the DVD from the first season. Back then, The Guild was a smart sitcom that was made on half a shoestring, but proved the internet can be just as entertaining as regular TV. It's also hard to believe the first season was just two years ago. Look at the latest episodes, and you'll see the show has come a long way.
Fans are now waiting for a three-issue mini-series which starts next month, and hoping for a fourth season. Considering how this past season ended, it should be a foregone conclusion. That's why fans should buy more copies of this season, and get their friends to do that same. Also, send a DVD to MTV, and politely tell them to put "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar" on heavy rotation...because it's better than Ke$ha.
MUCH better.

Juliet Landau Faces Fans on Facebook

2010-02-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

For the second time in two weeks Juliet Landau took questions from fans on the internet. She took questions this part February 18th at a Facebook site, mainly about her new documentary, Take Flight, which looks at how actor Gary Oldman made a music video of a Jewish hip-hop group, and only used cell phones to film it.

From Mapi Vera: Hi, Juliet, nice to meet you here! Who had the idea of turning this "making of" into a film?
When I saw the footage I had gotten, I got excited by the rare POV I had and i asked Gary if it could develop into short documentary

My question: After doing this, and if you wanted to direct again, would you do another documentary, or try to direct a feature or TV episode?
I co-directed the Hero music video for the band Godhead and I am co-directing the TAKE FLIGHT viral campaign. I'm looking forward to directing a narrative.

Jayme Vellante: What was your favorite part of working on the film?
I loved coming up with the structure. Since Gary operated one of the cell-cam's we get this rare POV that is like being in his head, seeing through his eyes. I intercut the cell footage with the standard def and high def footage. First we get glimpses, then longer more expansive pieces and by the very end, we are completely released into Gary's view. I also loved choosing the music for Gary's internal creative world.

Lucy Moore of The Grove School: Would you consider working with Gary Oldman or Chutzpah again in the future?
Yes, Absolutely. Gary is sooooo talented!

Charles Norton: What scenes did Gary Oldman direct with you on Take Flight?
Gary directs the music video within the film. The film chronicles his process during that shoot.

Jona Sims: Was it fun working with Gary? Do you have any other projects that you are going to do together?
I loved working with Gary. He is one of the best artists of our time. I'd absolutely love to work with him again

Anthony Ryan: How/where do you find music for a film? How do you get past copywrite?
I cleared all of the music rights. It took a lot of time... Because I self financed the film, I have huge thanks to The Vaughan Williams estate, SourceQ and Universal for working with me and making it possible

More from Charles Norton: So, relying on Gary's cell footage, you were pretty much on your own then? That is you shot all the film other than the music video?
I had 3 cameras and access to all of the cell footage. Yes, I directed everything in the film. Gary gave me free reign. I was really nervous when I went to show him the movie, because he hadn't seen any of it throughout the editing. He loved it and was very excited that it shows a different side of him.
Also: The music credits are at the end of the film.

More from Jayme Vellante: When are we ever going to see you in front of a camera again? Are you still working on the movie you were raising funds for? Do you have any other directorial plans?
Is there going to be a public screening for Take Flight or is it only going to be available online?
Yes, I am still raising funds for It's Raining Cats and Cats. it is an ambitious project. Lots of other projects brewing!
At this point it will be available to purchase for streaming online. I am excited to get it out there. Feb 25th is only 1 week away! Yay!

Mary Emmons: What was the best advice you received when taking on this project?
My producing partner suggested that I make an outline prior to the shoot, of what I wanted to be sure to capture on set. He also told me to watch the footage as many times through until it "spoke to me." I watched all 50 hours 3X through, and indeed I discovered the structure I wanted to use. I passed this advice on to a friend the other day who was going begin editing her first project, as I found it invaluable.

She also said that some of the music in the documentary had bird names in their titles. She said it was "unintentional but pretty magical considering TAKE FLIGHT and all."

Then, a good question from Bryan Curry: Do you think that the ability to reach such a large audience via social media like you are doing right now will allow more projects like Take Flight to reach a larger audience and other non-studio projects to achieve greater success? Or are there still a lot of hurdles in the industry that technology and social media has yet to overcome?
I hope so! There are still some hurdles in terms of it being financially feasible for filmmakers on the internet. But hopefully people will support this and other cutting edge, cool, exciting Indie projects. I love the ability to connect directly with people on forums like this. It is amazing!

More from Anthony Ryan: Can you tell us more about the interviews for the film that you have been talking about on Twitter? When will those be available?
The TAKE FLIGHT viral campaign is a sister project I put together. Since TF is about Gary's creative process, I talked with other artists I admire about their creative process and also asked them how they would market a film about Gary, Jewish Hip Hop and cell phones?! There are so many great answers!! These will be available on Youtube. We will be releasing 1 every other day starting the 25th. I have enjoyed working on them tremendously! :)

Another question from me: When you were directing, did you apply any lessons you may have learned from seeing Joss Whedon at work? That is, how does he affect your work in this documentary?
I have been fortunate to work with great directors like Tim Burton and Joss Whedon. I have learned from them immensely!!

Another from Charles Norton: Are there any plans for a DVD version?
Not as of yet, but there may be...

Lindsey Day of Vista del Lago HS: What inspired you to direct Take Flight?
Gary asked me to direct a behind the scenes making-of and it bloomed from there. I have always been inspired by the depth, range and power of his work.

More from Mary Emmons: Which do you prefer, being in front of the camera or behind it?
Both!

Deverill Weekes: Hey JL, Can you talk about the crew you worked with on TF and how was that as a first time Director.
As a debut director, I was lucky to work with unbelievably skilled and talented people: Not only was I filming one of the most talented movie stars of our time, I worked with two-time Emmy winning sound editor Pembrooke Andrews, who produced TF, was one of the cinematographers and did the sound editing, Jeremy Alter, who produced David Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE, Ingela Ogard who edited with me tirelessly, Jon Vasquez who produced and was the much needed technical advisor, the extremely busy Larry Benjamin who was our amazing re-recording mixer, William Haefeli, who is a cartoonist for The New Yorker and did my credits/titles and FotoKem, who did an amazing job of color-correcting!!!!!!!

Anthony Ryan: Are you planning on submitting Take Flight to any of the film festivals, like Sundance or Toronto Film Festival?
We'll see! I am screening it at the Vineyard Film Festival in Cyprus, where I am serving on the jury. (My film is not in competition, but showing there.) I'd love to show it somewhere like Comic-Con cause I think it would be way cool! Last year was my first CC and it was so much fun!

A third question from me: After your first time as a director, what skills do you hope to improve as you take on future projects?
I have so much to learn. That's one of the things I love about what I do. One can always absorb and learn and grow.

She concluded the chat by saying: Thank you everyone for your great questions! I had a wonderful time hanging out with you! Thank you Jenny Christodal for putting this together! You are fantastic! Meant to thank you on Twitter last night after the Kat Von D shoot, but failed to do so. So, thank you for all your hard work yesterday as well. it is much appreciated!
If you guys like the TF virals... tell Jenny because I may carry on with them when stuff calms down in a month and a half or so... ??

Take Flight will be streaming on February 25th at http://www.julietlandaustakeflight.com

Juliet Landau Takes Flight On Twitter

2010-02-10T18:38:00.001-08:00

Just two weeks before her documentary, "Take Flight", will be released on the internet, Juliet Laudau (aka Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) took questions from fans on Twitter. Most of the fans asked about how Landau got involved in the project, and why she took on the role of a director. The film looks at how actor Gary Oldman filmed and directed a music video by a Jewish hip-hop group called Chutzpah. He also did it by using only Nokia cellphones.

Her website includes a trailer which shows how Oldman was able to take some interesting camera angles, and how Landau approached this project. She said it started as a "making-of video" but wound up as a documentary. There are also interviews with cinematographer Deverill Weekes, and Pembrook Andrews, who had several roles including producer, cinematographer and sound editor.

It was interesting how Juliet's fans tried to ask questions while limited to 140 characters or less, while her answers had to stay within the same limit. It was still a lively exchange of information about the documentary, how directing is different from acting, and even whether she'd play Drusilla again on TV.

Here's a list of many of the questions:

From @starwriterlv: what was one the best things about doing Take Flight?
@starwriterlv It was a labor of love all the way around. Research, shooting, editing, picking the music. Loved getting to work with Gary.

From @octopusgrabbus: How many people worked with you on Take Flight? #takeflight
Producing TAKE FLIGHT took a while because I was working around everyone's schedules @octopusgrabbus. Excited that the 25th is near!
@octopusgrabbus: Gary directed the music video on cell phones to do something inventive under budgetary constraints.
@octopusgrabbus: 3 cameras. 1 was HD. 2 were standard def and had access to all the cell footage. It cuts seamlessly.

From @AmandaSpaceman: howdy. have you got a favorite oldman role?
He's wonderful in everything @AmandaSpaceman. So different in all. I'll list a few: Sid and Nancy, State of Grace, Dracula, True Romance..

From @benjaminkeay: What prompted you to step behind the camera into the producing of this? Has production/direction always been an interest?
I really like having a vision and bringing that vision to fruition @benjaminkeay. I think I got bitten by the bug w/ TAKE FLIGHT.

From @ravenu: Whose idea was it to shoot it with the camera phones?
Got really excited in editing bay @ravenu. Cell footage offers a rare POV that you wouldn't have w/ a traditional camera. (Gary Operates.)
Gary brought me in to direct a making of. But when I saw the footage, I asked if it could be a short doc. He gave me his blessing

from @superactorbrian: HI!!! :) What have you learned/applied for your processes as a director after having seen another director in action?
Hi @superactorbrian!!!! I learned to really explore and investigate, in the same way as I do as an actress.

From @girlalex87: how long did the music video and documentary take to complete?
@girlalex87: It feels like a lifetime!!!! :)

From @CharliePrime: what other projects r u working on?
Shot adorable kids movie, Monster Mutt playing blonde, Russian baddy @CharliePrime. Right now lots of TF promo...

Another from @octopusgrabbus: It seems like shooting with a cell phone would be different than with a traditional camera with a view finder
Yes @octopusgrabbus. The shots are beutiful, especially the sunset beach footage. Looks like 35mm.
The cell cam is so different than reg camera. W/Gary operating, it's like audience is in his head, seeing through his eyes @octopusgrabbus.

I asked her if she would consider making her own movies or documentaries using only Flip or Kodak Vi6 cameras (actually, Zi6 cameras).
Possibly @impalergeneral. I liked working with the Red camera on the Hero music video I co-directed.

From @19Sebastian67: Gary Oldman is an amazing actor and director. What was it like working with him? I'm looking forward to seeing your doc.
Thanks @19Sebastian67! Gary is wonderful to work with!! Such an amazing talent! I was inspired.

From @virtualbri: What other docs, if any, influenced how you approached Take Flight?
Did a lot of research @virtualbri. Loved making-ofs + docs that captured people in throes of their creative process, striving to achieve...

From @leeogrady79: when was the last time u saw james (Marsters) i love u 2 on #buffy
Thanks @leeogrady79! Saw James not too long ago

She also talked about when the documentary may be on DVD or iTunes, aside from streaming on the Take Flight website: At this point it will be available for streaming on the TF website @ravenu. But possibly later. Also have so many cool viral interviews

From @SarahBlanchee: what was the most challenging aspect for you as a debut director working in doc format?
I had 50 hours of footage, which I watched 3X through. Challenge to condense it into 25 min film which includes Gary's video @SarahBlanchee

From @_laurayup15_ : if you were asked to reprise the role of Drusilla, would you?
You bet @_laurayup15_ !

From @kabienvenue: this may be a question for your editor, out of curiosity, even though it killed the cat...What are you editing Take Flight on?
Final Cut Pro @kabienvenue. Color corrected at FotoKem, who did it cause they loved the project.

Then this happened: Typing so fast, I didn't notice @impalergeneral.. :)

I said: @julietlandau Oh, that's OK. I was just happy you answered one of my questions. I'm covering this for #Whedonopolis

Back to the questions:

From @daryldarko: i'll tell you 1 thing Juliet. after seeing what you did with your cell phones, i want to go out and make a short with MINE 2!
You should do it @daryldarko!!!!

From @KriiseHoi: Do u have any new projects? Would LOVE 2 see u on screen again! :)
Kid's movie Monster Mutt @KriiseHoi. Check out The Green Lantern: First Flight if u like animation. I play Labella.

From @EKAdams:How much of the 'Take Flight' documentary was planned versus completely improvised?
Hi @EKAdams!!!! Great to hear from u! Preparation is key. Whether acting, directing or writing it always pays off. Will bring that to all.

From @allisonbh: Why did you decide to do a documentary on Gary Oldman?
@allisonbh: I have always loved Gary's work. It was an opportunity too good to pass up.

Another from @superactorbrien: and how was it having two directors working on similar projects with two POVs? I bet it was awesome to compare notes! :)
Gary gave me free reign, so I was nervous to show him my cut @superactorbrian... I thought he'd have pges of notes, but...

More from @EKAdams: Had you listened to any of Chutzpah's tracks before doing the project?
@EKAdams: yes, I listened to a lot of Chutzpah before beginning.

More from @virtualbri: Did your vision of the doc change while filming or in the editing room, or stay pretty consistent throughout the process?
This was combnied from three entries: My vision stayed consistent, but it grew. I was so excited about the conceit of "looking through Gary's eyes"...that the structure changed. I decided to keep the cell footage 4X3 and everything else 16X19, so that audience...would be clear when we are in Gary's POV. It all cuts seamlessly...

From @marialba: While very hi-tech, the cameras used posed different challenges than usual. Could you discuss some of them
@marialba: Having all the different footage timeline, made the output a bit tricky. But it all worked beautifully after much hair puling

From GATORFAN70: Who would you consider a "dream of yours" to work with? I LOVE your work!
@GATORFAN70: It was a dream to work w/ G.O. I did a reading w/ Sean Penn. Would love to do a film w/ him.. also Meryl Streep... many others.

More from @kabienvenue: Hi! have you always wanted to try to direct, or was this just something sper of the moment?
@kabienvenue: I was interested in directing, but this experience made that interest even stronger.

From @hellmouthcast: I have two boys who are big fans of the cartoon Ben 10. How did you get involved with the show and the video game?
@hellmouthcast: Andrea Romano brought me in to do Justice League 1st and then onto Ben 10. So much fun!

From @buffyboards: hi Juliet, did u find the expierience as fun as acting?
@buffyboards: I did enjoy it as much as acting. Some elements are different and some are very similar.

From @wolfcub76: best of luck with TF, looking forward to seeing it. will you be doing anymore of these POV docs?
Thanks @wolfcub76!!! I'm not sure. Having great time now w/ TAKE FLIGHT virals. People are giving such great answers in the interviews.

From @draya22: do you ever relax?! You are the busiest person I know of!
@draya22: I relaxed in Hawaii. It was wonderful!!

More from @kabienvenue: Have any advice for a want to be director/writer, but willing to act as well?
@kabienvenue: learn your craft, then get on as many sets as you can. Follow what you love to do.

More from @EKAdams: How much of the 'Take Flight' documentary was planned versus completely improvised?
@EKAdams: I had an outline of what I wanted to get, but then also wanted to be free to go with the flow.

From @tholmes86: what gave u the idea to do Take Flight?
@tholmes86: The DP of Gary's music video recommended me.

From @thesadeianwoman: youre great! many of ur tweets seem to be about editing or the gym, etc. how are you so balanced & focused?!
Who says I'm balanced and focused @thesadeianwoman!

To @Raeven7: Hi! Can you explain how Christian Kane and Amy Acker are involved in Take Flight? I'm confused!
@Raeven7: I'm doing a viral campaign to time out w/ the release. I'm interviewing a bunch of cool folks. Amy and Christian are part of it.

She took questions for about one hour and 40 minutes before closing:

Thanks everyone! It was great hanging out! I hope there weren't too many typos.. I was answering fast, trying to keep up!

"Take Flight" will start streaming on julietlandaustakeflight.com on February 25th.

I Wish We Had More Time

2010-02-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

The first anniversary of the first episode of Dollhouse is just a few days away. It was only last week the last episode aired, with the world apparently about to recover after most of humanity was reduced to toys.

Fans and actors alike were convinced the show would have lasted for years if Fox gave it more time to find an audience. Of course, it would have also helped it the network gave it as much attention as 24, House, The Simpsons or American Idol. Remember the "Friday Night Fights" ad?
Given that, there's a lot of questions that have been left unanswered because the show lasted only 26 episodes.

What convinced Caroline to take on Rossum?

From what we can gather from her first meeting with Adelle DeWitt, and that video form college, Caroline must have been inspired from a professor to make her mark on the world as a protester. It did cost her friendships, and maybe love as well, but what made her determined to be a pesky problem for Rossum?

Why was Paul Ballard so obsessed with the Dollhouse?

We now from the first episode, "Echo" that he was assigned to investigate the Dollhouse even if his bosses are convinced it doesn't exist. There was mention of Paul having a confrontation with a senator over the Dollhouse, and how sometimes he doesn't close cases.
My guess was that Paul had a witness that would have sent a very powerful person to prison. Then, the witness denied what he said before, or that he met Paul. Why? Because his memories were removed by the Dollhouse, what else?

What was Adelle's "worst indiscretion"?

Adelle DeWitt enjoys a lot of perks being the head of the Los Angeles Dollhouse. It even includes "borrowing" an Active to fulfill her needs. Of course, that's when she poses as "Miss Lonelyhearts" to have the company of a handsome man...namely Victor, who is called Roger. She eventually breaks it off when it interferes with her job. When she tells Matthew Harding, one of the major bigwigs, she can't let Nolan Kinnard own Sierra (considering he's the one that turned her into an Active after driving her insane with drugs), he tells her he knows about "Miss Lonelyhearts", but that was not her worst sin. It makes you wonder what could be worse than using an Active as, to quote a song from the Dresden Dolls, her "coin-operated boy".
She did work as a scientist in a division that made replacement body parts out of stem cells. Could she have tried to recreate a whole human being that way?

Who was sending those messages to Paul through Echo and November?

Remember the shocking moment in "Man on the Street" when Echo told Paul Ballard the Dollhouse was real? She went on to say he has to find out Rossum's real purpose of providing Actives, and it's not just granting fantasies. Then, in "Spy In The House of Love", Mellie gives Paul another message, revealing the Dollhouse has spied on him, and that she's an Active.
Once Paul joins the Dollhouse as Echo's handler, the question of who is giving Paul these messages through the Actives is dropped. It would have been fun to figure out who it was. It may have been Dominic, who was a mole for the government, or Dr. Saunders, or maybe someone we never met

Whatever happened to Senator Daniel Perrin?

This is also an interesting question since you can still find him at Twitter. One of his more recent tweets talks about how Rossum's headquarters was blown up at the end of "The Hollow Men." It would be interesting to see if he ever reached the White House as Rossum's man, but that his administration didn't turn out as well as it hoped. He would have been the perfect bridge between what happened in the Dollhouse now, and ten years from now.

What happened to Claire Saunders/Whisky?

The last time we saw her was at Rossum, and that Clyde Randolph had taken over her body. Then, she was knocked out just before Echo turned co-founder Boyd Langton into the bomb that would blow up corporate headquarters. However, she was seen at the L.A. Dollhouse a few years later, regaining her identity as Saunders. So, how did she get out, and turned back to normal?

How did the tech wind up destroying the world?

It was thought that the prototype for Topher's Make Anyone An Active Ray was at Rossum's headquarters in Tucson. However, it's not hard to consider there had been extra prototypes safely hidden at other Dollhouses. If Harding and Clive Ambrose made extra versions of themselves by 2010, it makes sense.

Of course, there are lots of other mysteries that may remain unsolved within the 'verse of the Dollhouse, such as whether FBI agent Graham Tanaka, a guy who thinks Paul's insane for thinking the Dollhouse exists, may have been a mole for Rossum. What are the back stories for Dominic, Mag, Zone, and Tony and Priya's break-up?
Well, that's what fan fiction is for, but it shows the complete Dollhouse saga would have lasted a lot longer than 26 episodes.

Recap of Dollhouse "Epitaph Two: Return", or Sequel To A Lost Episode

2010-01-30T11:27:00.000-08:00

Nearly a year, 26 episodes, 25 shown on TV.
Now, Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku's Dollhouse is closed.
The finale had a lot to offer, but some may think there was still something missing. If Epitaph One had aired, and there were more episodes to fill the gaps, it would have been perfect. As Dr. Saunders said, "I wish we had more time."

"Epitaph Two: Return" makes history as the first sequel to a lost episode. Of course, it's "Epitaph One", available only on DVD or iTunes. Fox decided to start the final episode with a quick review of what happened there. Still, some fans may wonder how Dr. Saunders wasn't Clyde Randolph anymore, and how she turned into Whisky...and who are Mag, Zone and a little girl who also calls herself Caroline. That may be the only problem with this episode. Even loyal fans may have missed E-1, and wished they had seen it before the "sequel".

The story starts somewhere in the Sierra Nevada in the year 2020. A man in a suit wanders around, looking lost. He's met by a pack of well-dressed Butchers out to clobber him. Someone wakes from a Jeep after hearing the commotion, It's cynical Zone, while his friends Mag and Ivy/MiniEcho are nearby looking for get water. When they see the Butchers, they leave quickly. Mag wonders if MiniEcho knows the way to SaveHaven. She says she does, and that it's possible to make a true world. Zone doesn't believe that, since half the world's been wiped, and MiniEcho isn't an Actual like he and Mag are. MiniEcho says "We are lost. We are not gone."
It looks like they could be gone. As soon as they return to camp, they are kidnapped and sent to Neuropolis, the City of Minds. It used to be called Tucson, Rossum's home base. It's also next to SaveHaven, but that was out of necessity.
We also see Rossum has turned from a company to a dictatorship, but it's also suffered. Matthew Harding is more interested in committing the Seven Deadly Sins, then change bodies after using it up. That's why people are called "suits", and that Harding looks like Oliver Platt, not Keith Carradine. His assistant is a slimy looking guy who used to be Clive Ambrose. FatHarding looks over several guys who could become him, but looks at a familiar-looking "DumbShow." It's Paul Ballard. As FatHarding leaves the room, SlimyClive wonders what's so special about Paul. One headbutt later, and he knows.
Meanwhile, Echo takes care of the guards, and shoots FatHarding dead. Sure, he says there are "backups" of him, but she'll deal with that. Echo is impressed meeting herself as a nine-year-old girl, while Paul finds a familiar face...Topher Brink.
The years have been tough on him. He's been forced by Rossum to make a pulse bomb that will wipe everyone, or as he says "erase" the world. If he doesn't, he sees someone get shot to death. He relives the nightmare of losing Bennett every day. However, he's also come up with a way to erase the Dolls, and make them people again. He can erase the world, but he can also bring it back.

Meanwhile, a woman and a young boy are admiring the strawberries growing on their farm. The woman is Adelle DeWitt, and the boy is called T. His mom used to be called Sierra. Call her Priya now. She's happy to be away from the tech and the Dollhouse, and prefers this oasis of peace in an insane world.
However, the insane world comes to the farm's doorstep. Echo explains that if they want to take down Rossum, they have to go back to the Dollhouse to find what Topher needs. This doesn't go over too well, but there's no choice. Paul also adds that if Topher is successful, those Actives who want to keep their memories will have to stay underground for more than a year. Since Priya doesn't want to forget her son, this is a choice she has to accept.
Then a nasty group of Tech Heads, or people who plug in abilities in their brains, arrives. They include a bald guy named Romeo, a weapons expert named Kilo (yes, that Kilo, also known as Maurissa Tanchareon), and a tough guy named Victor, also known as Tony. Yes, that Victor. When he adds English to his skill set, he explains he was asked to help in the road trip back to the Dollhouse.

The road trip features some revealing scenes. It starts with Zone getting to know Kilo, and how she has to switch imprints to stay sane. There's Priya and Tony, talking about how the tech pulled them apart. He accepted it to protect her and save the world. She rejected it because of the pain, and decided not to fight. They both have something they care about, and that is their son.
Then there's Paul and Echo. He wonders why she stays so guarded around him. There's a connection but she won't admit it. He thinks that she's scared what may happen when she has to stop fighting and stay in one place. It means having to reach out to someone. "I think you've got a hundred people living inside your head," he says, "and you're the loneliest person I know."

They get to L-A, but are met by the meanest Butchers around. One of them shoots Mag, and Paul chases him off. He tells Mag she'll be OK...just as he's shot to death. Echo sees this, but has no time to cry. She has to get everyone to the Dollhouse.
Paul Ballard's death is a shock, but not a surprise to those familiar with Joss' works. Tragedy is always the payment for triumph, from Wash dying in Firefly to Angel being sent to Hell in order to save the world in "Belonging".

Once they get inside the Dollhouse, they find several Actives wandering around, saying they're trying to do their best.
They also find Alpha....who's a good guy. He also decided to quit the fight to make the Dollhouse his own SafeHaven.
Romeo and Kilo have other ideas. They want to be Super Tech Heads, and will shoot Topher if they have to. Alpha interrupts them, while Tony tries to stop his double-crossing friends. He says that while getting skills as fast as he can download them are great, he wants to rebuild the world with his own two hands. Romeo's upset because it makes Tony a Luddite just like Alpha.
This is a mistake. Alpha says he's no Luddite, and clobbers Romeo. Echo also pins down Kilo, who is impressed by all this.

As for Topher, he suddenly has an idea...naptime! Actually, he heads back to his personal space and comes up with a way to make the pulse bomb they need.
Priya is busy breaking tech, in order to keep Tony away from it. Echo is upset, telling Priya Tony loves her and always did, despite being an Active for so long. Echo tells her Priya should break the tech, shut him out of her life, never tell him that she loves him.
But then, that doesn't describe Priya. It describes Echo. Paul's death finally hits her hard. She realizes she's now alone, and could have had more if she let Paul in.

Thanks to a video lecture from his lost love, Bennett Halverson, Topher has what he needs to make the pulse bomb, and make sure no one becomes a Doll again. Thing is, he has to detonate the bomb himself. It's a small price to pay, since he was one of the reason why the world became a Dollhouse. Adelle offers to help, but he won't hear of it. "I'll fix what they did to their heads," he says, "You fix what we did to the rest of the world. Your job is way harder." It may be, but at least Adelle DeWitt is the only Rossum employee willing to apologize and atone.
Zone decides to take up a tough job, too. He'll look after MiniEcho, when she becomes Ivy again after the blast. Mag will stay in the Dollhouse while she heals. We also find out Zone used to be a landscape architect. Who knew?
We also see Priya introduce T to his dad. We also see T is for Tony, just like his dad. The family is whole again, even in a place they'd rather not be.
So, Echo prepares to dismantle the tech while she guides the Actives out. "Funny that the last fantasy the Dollhouse should fulfill would be yours", Adelle tells Echo. Echo says she doesn't have any fantasies. Some may say she has at least one.

Topher builds the bomb. Just before the blast, he looks at the wall of photos of all the Actives in Adelle's old office. It's the last thing he sees.

After the blast, all the Actives fall asleep for a little while. Then they wake up, and look at the mess. It will be a tough job, considering there's still the chance extra Hardings and Clive Ambroses could be out there, maybe planning to revive Doll-making.

As Echo heads to the imprint chair, she sees an envelope that's addressed to her. She sees there's one more imprint to be done. She imprints Paul into herself. She has finally let him in.
The last shot is Echo preparing to lay in her pod. She's going to fall asleep, for a little while.
The show, meanwhile, will rest in peace.

Considering how quickly they had to wrap up the show, this was a good effort. There were wonderful performances by the Epitaph One Gang, led by Felicia Day, and from Eliza, Enver Gjokai, Dichen Lachman, Fran Kranz(who should be on 24 if Mary Lynn Rasjcub retires) and Olivia Williams.
Still, fans may get the feeling the story is ending too suddenly. We want to know why Alpha has evolved towards a more peaceful state, what other adventures Mag and Zone had, why Priya and Tony split because of the tech, and how Rossum ruined the world, and eventually itself. It really would have helped if Fox decided to show "Epitaph One" first followed by the sequel.
And..there's also the wish we'd see how the survivors rebuild the world, while keeping Dollmaking tech at bay.

Still, Joss Whedon had a lot to say about identity, reality, and relationships. He also had some things to say about how big bad corporations try to influence us for supposedly positive reasons, and how science can destroy as easily as it can improve our world. What Topher did, and how he atones, is proof of that.
It would have been just perfect if there were another 13 or so episodes to fill the gaps between "Hollow Men", "Epitaph One" and "Epitaph Two". We would have had a classic 39-part sci-fi series.
That being said, we still had an impressive 26-episode body of work that will be remembered and discussed for some time to come.
This also means Fridays will be pretty dull again, unless you have cable.

Thanks, Joss, for being your best...again.

Recap of Dollhouse "The Hollow Men" of the Thoughtpocalypse

2010-01-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

We always wondered what was Boyd Langdon's story, and why he wound up in the Dollhouse.
Now we know...he created it with a guy named Clyde Randolph. Now Caroline Farrell has seen them both.
This week, Boyd will call her a savior, and she proves him right in a very different way. However, there are casualties, and the apocalypse came anyway. People who bought the DVD already know that

Before the recap, check out this from Aint It Cool News. It explains why the evil corporation is called Rossum, and how it's linked to the original creation of the word "robot."

We go back two years, just before the story of Echo began. Boyd is talking to her old self, Caroline Farrell. He says Rossum knows all about her, even the fact she had her bone barrow tested to see if she can help her cousin who has leukemia. Rossum is a big company, and she can't escape from it. She has two choices: face life in prison for her terrorist acts, or become an Active. He's doing this because she's special, and he promises he will protect her. She tries to turn down this offer, but we know she can't. Adelle DeWitt waits for her, with her tea and "sympathy."

Advance to "present day", where Sierra and Victor, or actually Priya and Tony, decide to postpone their life together to help the rest of Team Echo in its battle against Rossum. They come back, and find the place a shambles. "Looks like the war started without us," Tony says.
Above ground, Paul breaks the cell phones to keep Rossum from finding them. Mellie complains about the bleeding on her neck, due to removing her GPS chip. Adelle is there, too. Mellie loves Paul, but she knows that's just software, not passion. Paul thinks their love is real to him, even if he's an Active, too.
Topher drives up, and Echo comes out. She says her body is on fire, and she has to be sedated. They suspect she's been imprinted one time too many, especially after they put Caroline in her so she could identify the men who run Rossum. However, Adelle points out they can just go to headquarters in Tucson, and walk right in. Just show them Echo.
At the Dollhouse, Priya sees the security tapes of what happened are gone. She also sees a note that says "press enter" on the imprint chair. She figures out one of them has to be imprinted again. They had sworn never to be imprinted again, but i nthis case, they have no choice. Tony volunteers, and he becomes VicTopher (Topher in Victor's body) again. He is surprised to see Sierra as Priya, and the Dollhouse in shambles.
That's nothing compared to what Team Echo finds in Tucson: Clyde Randolph, version 2010, in Whisky/Claire Saunders' body. She's the corporate version of Illyria, in a fine tailored suit and tie and twice as scary. She says she's looking for people who can evolve, specifically Echo.

VicTopher is still trying to get a handle on things, but remembers he had a hidden camera in the imprint room. He was hoping to catch a thief. What he finds is Boyd drugging Echo just as Caroline's memories were put into her.
Meanwhile, Clyde/Claire share whisky (of course) with Adelle, and compliments her on how she's helped Echo evolve. Clyde/Claire sees Echo as the savior of "the deserving few". If Adelle cooperates, she may be included. She says Echo may not be in any shape to help anyone, but Clyde/Claire says it's Echo's body that she wants.

This will be a pattern. As a few Twitter fans have pointed out, there's a lot of exposition by both sides in this episode. It's possible Joss Whedon and the Dollhouse staff had hoped to have 22 episodes to finish the second season. Once they knew it would be 13, they had to speed up the storyline. The episode, in fact, was made just as Fox decided to cancel the show.

Back to the recap: the rest of the team is locked away, but Boyd gets them out by pretending to rewire the lock. Actually, he has his all access card. He tells Paul and Mellie to find weapons, while Topher goes with him. He tells Boyd that he suspects someone in the Dollhouse may have drugged Echo, as Nolan drugged Priya before making her into Sierra. He also tells Boyd about his plan to get Tony re-imprinted so he could be VicTopher again. Too bad Topher told the wrong guy about this.
VicTopher, though, is upset his "man-friend" betrayed him. Still, he's not sure if he should kill Boyd or get his autograph. Priya wants to help Echo and the staff. So, she brings back Tony, with additional skills to make him SuperVictor. They leave for Tucson.

In Tucson, Echo's on a table. All the memories of what she has been though,and who she has been, come flooding back in. She wakes up and says "Boyd."
Meanwhile, Boyd and Topher see that Rossum has made several prototypes of the Imprint Gun that can turn anyone into a Doll. Topher breaks one of them, because he is sick that his technology is being made into weapons. He's also upset he invented them. Boyd argues they should have one working gun to protect themselves. Of course, there's a darker reason.
Paul and Mellie are able to find guns. She wonders why she's here, in this situation. Paul says he couldn't let her go. She reminds him that their love...and themselves...are all programmed. They're not even real anymore. Paul says what they are and what they feel are real...to him, at least.
Topher's able to make a working Imprint Gun. Boyd says he's very impressed. It's why he "chose" Topher. As he's asking for what, Echo enters the room and clobbers Boyd. However, Clyde/Claire is there, too, with a gun at Echo's head. Topher is stunned by this, even after Echo explains who Boyd really is. Boyd says he wasn't going to kill Topher because he's "family"..as are Echo, Clyde/Claire and Adelle.
He's also impressed how Topher has developed ethics while Adelle has developed conviction. Topher says it best: "I'm the Tin Man, she's the lion, and you're the head of the Lollipop Guild who's a traitor." He's also upset he got Claire to kill Bennett last week, but he says sacrifice is necessary. After all, he says it's all part of evolution. When new technology is made, it can be abused. So, once Topher's imprint gun is released upon the world, certain people have to protect themselves. It's a matter, he says, of being the destroyed or the destroyers.
Yet, it all comes back to Echo. Boyd tells her that her spinal fluid is very special. It can be used as a "vaccine" against being imprinted, and that she literally has to be harvested to protect the deserving few. She balks at this, but Boyd has an imprint gun that quickly disables her.

Paul and Mellie start destroying the mainframe, but Boyd knows about this. He forces Adelle to tell Mellie that there are three flowers in a vase. This, of course, is the code to turn her into a killer. While Adelle refuses, Mellie hears that phrase. Whether it's a recording or Adelle really doing it is unclear, but Mellie starts shooting at Paul and the mainframe. As he tries to get her to stop. she says she can't kill him, but has to stop herself. She shoots herself, and the blood falls on Paul's face. Another love story ends in tragedy.

Echo is laid out on a table, just as how Sierra was prepared to become a Doll. This time, she is not a Doll or a person. She is a vaccine. However, Tony and Priya arrive to get her out.
Topher is stunned over what has happened, and the fact he has created the "thoughtpocalypse". "I figure if I'm responsible for the end of the world," he says, " I get to name it." Priya and Tony pretend to be captured...until they set up a few bombs to get everyone out. As for Echo, she's confronted by Clyde/Claire, who is all Clyde. They get in a big fight, and it looks even.
Boyd is told of Echo's escape, then meets Paul, who tells him about Mellie. Boyd pretends it's really Adelle's fault, and they both confront her.
Echo says she may wind up killing Clyde/Claire and herself, but Clyde/Claire says he's got plenty of spare bodies to use. Come to think of it, who says this Clyde is the only one right now? Still, Echo is able to knock this Clyde/Claire out. She's about to blow up the mainframe. when Paul comes in with Boyd. Before she can explain, Boyd pulls a gun at a stunned Paul.

Paul tells Echo to shoot him, but Boyd thinks she won't because she loves Paul.
Finally, Boyd is wrong. Echo does shoot Paul as a distraction. They both try to overtake Boyd, but he pins Echo down, ready to kill her. After all, all they need is the spinal fluid. They don't need her alive.
Then a shot is fired...from Topher's Imprint Gun. Despite the fact that he said his invention would cause evil, Topher had to use it to save Echo. Boyd, the toymaker, the destroyer...is now a toy. He asks Echo, "did I fall asleep?"
She turns Boyd into a suicide bomber, and he destroys the Rossum mainframe. Everyone is able to get out alive.
Finally, Echo asks Paul is she really did save the world.
It looks that way, but anyone who has seen "Epitaph One" knows the mission didn't succeed after all. Imprinting the masses still happened. The world still spiralled into a thoughtpocalypse. The last thing we see is "ten years later", with Echo and Paul with guns, trying to keep moving.

So, how did the thoughtpocalypse happen?
Well, in E-1, Clyde/Claire apparently was turned back into Whisky. This may mean Clyde/Claire got out, but was defeated later on. Also, Harding's still around. Maybe he made copies of Topher's plans, and that at least one other Dollhouse may have been working on the Imprint Gun. A lot can happen in ten years. Boyd was right, though, about how technology can change the world, and sometimes destroy it.

"The Hollow Men" is more like a bridge between the present day and the series finale, "Epitaph Two: Return", set in 2020. That's why the plot was a bit rushed, and there was a lot of backstory and exposition to be explained. It's to be expected, since this was filmed just after Fox decided to cancel the show after 13 episodes. Joss Whedon had a lot to say about technology and moral choices, but not enough time to say it.
The final episode on January 29th will see if the destroyed can defeat the destroyers, and if Echo winds up as a savior after all.

Recap of Dollhouse "Getting Closer", or Meet Caroline Farrell

2010-01-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

Remember when this show was all about a girl who could be anyone but herself, and the FBI agent who's determined to save her and destroy the evil organization that has imprisoned her?
As Dollhouse prepares to be foreclosed by Fox, it has become a very different place. The girl has become more than just herself, or what she used to be. The agent is now a Doll, and the boss wants to destroy those she works for. That last fact would surprise even her.
This week's episode, "Getting Closer" looks at the connection between Bennett Halverston and Caroline, how the truth is a little different than what Bennett remembers, and the scariest secret about Rossum itself.

We start "three years ago" (let's say 2007), where Caroline has infiltrated an office by using her charms on a security agent. We find out it's Adelle DeWitt's office. While she handcuffs the guy to a pipe, she gets her own file, and that of a brainy girl who apparently could "kill me with your brain" (hello, Firefly fans). The girl, of course, is Bennett, and she seems to be very important to the company. She tells him she's no thief...but she is a terrorist who thinks Rossum is out of control.
Advance to now, or actually where we left off in "The Attic". Team Echo is there, including Paul, Adelle, Boyd, Sierra, Victor, Topher and Ivy. Echo recaps what they have to do: find Caroline's memory wedge, and put it in her. That way, they can find out what Caroline learned about who was the person who betrayed Clyde Randolph and advanced Rossum towards making the whole world a Dollhouse. Finding him or her is what counts. Ivy's not sure about putting a real person's memories into Echo, considering Echo doesn't want to be what she was. She could wind up confused, insane, or Alpha 2.0. Still, they have to do this.
Echo talks to Paul, saying they haven't talked since he was brain dead. He noted she's died in a way, too.
One problem: Caroline's wedge is missing. There's a backup, but it's damaged, thanks to Alpha. Want to bet he took the original, too?

Back to 2007, we see Bennett at Tuscon Tech, on a Rossum scholarship. She's looking for a place to have lunch, but Caroline chases away two obnoxious blonds at a table by pretending to vomit due to bad bisque. That's what those girls get for thinking Bennett was a waitress. Looks like Bennett and Caroline will be pals after this.
Then we see Echo look at Caroline's video yearbook, like the one in "Ghost". Adelle notes Caroline looks so innocent, but she's left a trail of unhappiness and a few bodies. She's worse than evil, Adelle says...Caroline is an idealist.
Interesting point, but what about your ideals, Adelle? Is your ideal being a model employee at Rossum, running a Dollhouse that fulfills the needs of the rich and powerful? Did you do this because Rossum is still doing good things thanks to what they learned about imprinting brains? Is that your ideal, or your excuse, or really your explanation? Caroline is a wrecking crew because she knows Rossum's dark side, which is making anyone a doll that the rich and powerful, or Rossum itself, can play with. Why else would they make a senator? Remember, the events involving Caroline and Bennett take place three years before, about the time Rossum "improved" Daniel Perrin to make him the senator of its dreams.

Well, Echo says she's glad the wedge is gone, and suspects people think she took it because she likes herself as she is now. As for now, Echo and Caroline may have the same body, but they are two distinct people.
At the imprint room, Topher tries to program an Active in the Washington D.C. office. Bennett, in D.C., catches them, but Topher succeeds. The Active grabs Bennett, while Paul arrives with Victor. One gingersnap (the word, that is, to disable the Active) later, they're on their way back to Los Angeles. They do stop to bring November/Mellie back, too. Bennett snipes at Adelle, even at how her Actives roam like free-range chickens. Hey, what's better than organic Actives?

When Topher meets Bennett, it's clear his crush for her is still strong, and it kind of hinders their goal to fix the backup wedge. She flatly refuses, despite Adelle's subtle threats. Once Topher praises her skills, and uses his own geeky charms, she starts to reconsider...for the challenge. Topher and Bennett make a cute romantic couple. They almost kiss, but then he implies the wedge Bennett has to fix has Caroline's personality. Apparently that led to her punching him in the face, because he said so in a later scene. Instead of seeing Bennett's anger, we go back to 2007, where Caroline gives Bennett a treatment, or rather a makeover. Bennett likes the attention, and even wishes she were more like Caroline. It would be a cool college friendship if not for the fact Bennett works for the enemy.
Later, we see Boyd coming home to....Dr. Saunders. Apparently she and Boyd are close, and she has the confidence to return as the doc. Not bad for someone who used to be the top Active.

Just as Dr. Saunders starts to mend Topher, it's back to 2007 when the then-security chief Laurence Dominic tells Adelle (in a hairstyle she should have kept) that some security footage was deleted three months ago, and that two files are missing. Basically, it was Caroline, and Adelle seems to be familiar with her. She also learns Caroline is rooming with Bennett, who seems to be pegged to be a major figure at Rossum. So, it's off to Tucson, where Rossum is headquartered.
Speaking of Bennett, she confronts Caroline with the fact she has her file. What makes Bennett mad is that Caroline wouldn't confide in her. What's more surprising is that Caroline admits she wants to bring Rossum down because they're out of control...and Bennett asks if she can help. This is a surprise because she doesn't ask Caroline for proof Rossum is evil. After all, Rossum's the reason why Bennett's in school.

Back to 2010, Echo looks at Bennett, who's locked up. Echo notes that some people can't believe she's a real person, not even Paul when he tried to help her. That's why she doesn't want Caroline back into her to "reclaim" her body. Boyd notes that won't happen because she built herself from scratch. Not bad for an Active. He even says Caroline may be proud of her, once the two egos meet.
Later, she sends Victor and Sierra away, so they can spend at least one night together. She points out it's going to be a war, and they may lose a lot when it gets bad. Them, Dominic emerges from the Attic, dressed like he's from the cast of Tron. He says that the original Clyde Randolph (former co-founder of Rossum) is dead, and the company is now after them.
Adelle is forced to take action, including "firing" the Actives. She must also send back Dominic to the Attic, and move the battle to Tucson.

Another flashback to Rossum Central in Tucson, They're ready to blow up a building, until Caroline finds a hidden room. Bennett tells her not to go, because if you get curious, you get dead. Ask any cat. Caroline goes in, and sees three people encased behind glass. One opens his eyes and sings opera. She tries to abort the mission, but the bombs go off.

Back in 2010, Paul is surprised that Echo agrees with Adelle that Dominic has to go back to the Attic. Paul says "I don't know you anymore", which is true because forgetting her was the only way to save him. However, he has Mellie back. She's happy to see him, programmed or not. She turns to Echo, thinking she's Caroline, and said Paul never gave up looking for her. She agrees.
Adelle then meets with Clive Ambrose, who's got plenty of people ready to help him take over, and toss her out. Well, a few bullets from Boyd eliminates the problem. As Adelle sees the rug is done for, she also sees Boyd is, too. He's been shot.

Back in Tucson 2007, Caroline sees Bennett is trapped, her left arm pinned by a large tower. Caroline is unable to get her out. She sees Adelle and Dominic are coming. So, according to Bennett, she was deserted. However, the real story is that Caroline decided to give herself up, and save Bennett from Rossum's wrath.
In 2010, both Echo and Bennett meet. Echo diffuses the conflict by pointing out she doesn't want to be Caroline again. She only wants to know what she knows. After that, Bennett can do what she wants with Caroline, such as what she did in "The Left Hand."

Adelle figures Ambrose may have imprinted himself in at least one other body, in case he got killed. So, to give Boyd time to run, she'll tell Ambrose 2.0 what happened. Dr. Saunders, however, has to stay. We then see that tearful farewell they shared in "Epitaph One." What happened in that episode has to happen again, and that includes what's coming next week.

So, Bennett fixes the wedge, and she and Topher share a painful kiss. He's still smarting from her punching him. Their romantic moment looks geeky, but it's still better than all of Leap Year...and All About Steve...and The Ugly Truth...and When In Rome...well, you get the idea.
As Topher goes to find a part, Dr. Saunders suddenly shows up. She admits she is surprised Topher can actually have a crush on someone, even Bennett. She's so surprised....she shoots Bennett in the head, with Topher seeing the bloody tragedy.
Maybe this started the madness.
Paul thinks that maybe Rossum turned Dr. Saunders into a sleeper agent, and programmed her to kill Bennett. I'm not so sure. First, did Rossum have any idea Bennett would betray the company? She virtually had control of the D.C. Dollhouse, which means it were certain she'd be part of their new vision. I think Dr. Saunders killed Bennett because of jealousy. Remember, she tried to seduce Topher in "Vows", thinking that is what he wanted. Maybe seeing Topher with another girl was too much for her to bear. Now that she's killed someone, where will she go next?

Another flashback: Adelle confronts Caroline, saying she is upset her little stunt forced her to go to Tucson. "I loathe Tucson," she hisses. Then she gets a phone call from the head of Rossum, who wants to talk to Caroline. She goes. Adelle does not.

In 2010, the good guys at Rossum are trapped, as the Rossum Army closes in. Topher is still shaken by what he has seen, and wonders if Bennett could be saved. Not this time. Ivy wants to stay, but Topher pulls himself together to tell her to go. He tells her that she has an incredible brain that should stay in her head. His one piece of advice: "Don't become me."

Adelle is also told to go just as she sees the Rossum troops close in, She laments they keep breaking windows she just replaced, but she goes. Now, all that are left are Paul, Mellie, and Topher. He gets the wedge ready to go as one of Rossum's killers show up. He fakes being Bruce Lee long enough for Boyd to come back and kill the assassin.
Now Echo has Caroline's head inside her. She remembers going into the office of the president of Rossum....a quiet and polite guy who looks like Elijah Wood. He calls himself Clyde Randolph the second, and that he uses other bodies. He says he's quite impressed with her. His partner agrees. His partner....Boyd Langton??
Uh, if that's true, maybe Boyd did a little "improvement" on Saunders' brain when she wasn't looking, and made her a sleeper? If so, that must have been recent if he knew what Bennett was up to.
Well, in 2006, Boyd Langton and Clyde Randolph 2 are together, running Rossum, and they offer Caroline a proposition. She won't be harmed. In fact, she can help a lot of people. She's won't be a typical Active. They know that.
She is very skeptical about this. Should she trust these guys?
"With your life," Boyd says.

Leave it to Tim Minear to give us a story that changes the game, field, players, rules, stadium and league. He also did a good job fitting one of the clips from "Epitaph One" into the overall story.

We see that Echo is a real person, made from scratch through experience and technology. She has improved herself from what she used to be. Again, Echo and Caroline are two distinct people. However, can they be the best of both worlds, and merge? If so, would we get something better, or Alpha 2.0, which is even worse. Judging from what we saw of Echo in "Epitaph One", it's a good guess Echo stayed while her old self is still in a wedge. Thus, Echo will meet Caroline again, only she'll be a small girl who used to be Iris. How we'll get there is what happens next week. The point is, Echo is real, and she wants that to be recognized.
We also know that most of the crew will somehow survive, but what about November? We didn't see her in E-1, except in a photo.
The biggest tragedy, though, will be Topher Brink. He started as a snarky know-it-all, but has grown into a mad scientist who grows a conscience. We also see that it won't be guilt that drives him mad. It will be a broken heart.

Next week, it will be the invasion of the Hollow Men. We have to accept they will win, because that's how we got to the world of "Epitaph One". The final victory may have to wait.

Team Echo Is Ready....To Lose

2010-01-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

A new year has started, and it means the beginning of the end for Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.
It looks like the Dollhouse in Los Angeles is going to overthrow its mother company, Rossum, now that it knows the technology it has will lead to world-wide slavery, and an apocalypse that was illustrated in the DVD episode, "Epitaph One."
Too bad Team Echo is meant to lose.
After all, we've been told the events of "Epitaph One" must happen. We're supposed to have a small group of freedom-fighters trying to keep their own voices, now that nearly all of civilization has collapsed.
So, let's look at what is likely to happen:

We know Adelle Dewitt pretended to sell her soul to Rossum to get her job back at the Dollhouse, from giving Matthew Harding Topher's Turn Anyone Into An Active Ray
to sending Echo to the Attic. She's now aware the first decision was a very bad idea and the second will make up for it by discovering the company's deepest secrets. We also know Paul Ballard had to be Active-ized to save his life after Alpha fried his brain, while D.C. Dollhouse programmer Bennett Halverston has turned Madeline Costly/Mellie back into November, and will likely use her to kill Echo because Bennett blames her for losing her left arm.
On top of all this, Echo says she wants too get her old memories back as Caroline Farrell, so we can see who she really was, and whether Bennett may have a point.
The main goal, however, is to find out who or what betrayed co-founder (and now Attic prisoner) Clyde Randolph that led to the imprinting of people, and Rossum's real goal of taking over the government from the inside, thanks to Senator Ken, I mean Daniel Perrin.

Whatever happens, three moments have to happen, all from the DVD-only episode (thank Fox for that), "Epitaph One":

1. Dr. Claire Saunders helping Boyd escape the Dollhouse, apparently after she left the place in "Vows"
2. Clive Ambrose downloading himself into Victor's body, and in the other Dollhouses world-wide, to signal the company's final phase towards world domination
3. Echo and Paul become the new vigilantes for civilization, while Topher is insane because of the guilt of what has been done. The other Actives have gathered, hoping they will keep their true selves, while Adelle may be facing a bullet.

So, it's safe to say the bad guys win at the end of "The Hollow Men". When "Epitaph Two" plays out on the 22nd, though, that victory may not last.
There's also speculation on who will be the Last Actives Standing. I'm hoping our Freedom Fighting group of Mag, Zone and Iris/MiniEcho come out OK, along with Sierra and Victor, or Priya and Anthony. After that, it could go either way.
The beginning of the end is just hours away.

Quick note about "Demons"

2010-01-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

I did see the first episode after seeing David Tennant's last act as Doctor 10.
I think the show should have made one change to get a second season:
turn it into "The Equalizer" because Philip Glenister stole this show big time, even with a terrible American accent. You can still keep the two teens, Luke and Ruby, but make them potentials rather than the "star".
Somebody called this the "poor man's 'Sanctuary'", only because it uses real sets, not CGI. Somehow that's better. I may come back towards the end, but it should have been more about Rupert than the teen demon hunters.
Also, throw in the fact the mom knew from the start, which surprises Rupert, and you may have something here. Also, add more info about the group Rupert works for.
I'll probably come back towards the end of this run, but I liked "Being Human" much better than this, and the sooner that show comes back, the better.

Why I'm Not Using Logo as My Buffy Fix

2010-01-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, only because this hasn't been mentioned a lot by anyone, Logo and MTV will start showing episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer every day. Logo has started a New Year's marathon by looking at most of season 2, where we were introduced to Spike and Drusilla, a new Slayer, and the first major defeat Buffy suffered by losing Angel.
Great start, huh? After that, you'd think they'd start from the beginning once they start daily airings of the show.
Well, no. According to the Logo Online website, this week will feature "Hush", "Once More With Feeling", "Dead Things", and "Dopplegangland".
All great episodes, but wouldn't it be better if we saw them in order?
Hopefully, Logo will do this eventually, but it would have been a better idea to do it that way starting Monday. At least FX did that.
On the other hand, the Logo Online website does allow you to see full episodes online, including "Hush" and "Once More..."
MTV is also supposed to start showing Buffy every day, starting with a marathon next weekend. No word yet on how they'll handle the series, but at least it's a chance for people to see what good teen horror drama can be, especially if it's funny on purpose.
After all, there are still some people allergic to DVD's. Why not have someone on cable keep airing a TV show that a lot of other shows are trying to live up to...such as a British show that features a teenage boy who's suddenly told his family's business is vampire hunting.
I'll get to that Sunday.

Looking Back At 2009

2009-12-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

The decade is about to end.
I remember where I was when it was about to begin...literally staying up all night at KUBA in Yuba City, ringing in the New Year with slightly stale coffee, wondering if all the computers in the world would blow up once the new millennium would arrive.
They didn't. In fact, the computers of 2000 wouldn't be as smart as an iPod Nano today.

When I look back, it was a decent decade because I finally got to a major radio market, and will be sticking around for years to come unless the Super Lotto Plus fairy blesses me...and I'd still stay. I'd just have a retirement date in mind.
If nothing else, this decade brought me closer to the massive Whedon Family of Fans. I met some of the Scooby Gang members, and the original Buffy. I'm still waiting for Eliza, though, and meeting SMG would be great..if it's meant to be. She's the reason I'm hooked on Comic-Con. The other reason being I can go for free as part of the press.
Of course, the highlight was 2005 when I met the Firefly crew, Sunnydale High's Principal and Spike himself..and even saw the premiere of Serenity.

Anyway, here is my top ten moments for 2009:

10. Getting George Lucas and Arnold Schwartzenegger's autographs and photos at CA Museum.

That's part of the Hall of Fame Induction just after Thanksgiving. I had hoped to get Carol Burnett and John Madden as well but they zipped right by. It was the Night the '70s Returned..or at least the '70s I remember

9. The Mentalist Comes To Town

The popular CBS drama decided it was time to have some scenes in Sacramento, since that's where the show is set. Thus, I got some nice photos of Simon Baker, along with a hundred other people taking long lunches to see this piece of Hollywood

8. Nick Brendon in Santaland Diaries

Sometimes, there's a better way than visiting WonderCon or some such thing to see actors you remember from Buffy or Battlestar Galactica. In this case, it was seeing Nick Brendon act as a guy who shows us how making holiday cheer is much tougher than it looks. Throw in seeing "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em" Improv with three members of the Guild, and you know the best live theater isn't necessarily at the Pantages.

7. Paley Festival

I brought a "doll" to the Dollhouse panel, pretending it was Laurence Dominic, but the big blast was seeing the last three episodes of Pushing Daisies at a time where it would be the only place where they'd be shown. It seemed a bit more magical, seeing that show at the Arclight Dome. The event has moved to Beverly Hills now, but at least I have a picture of me next to Vivian Charles.

6. Crowded Comic-Con

While I missed the Dollhouse crew, and two other panels because of long lines, and my laptop died just as I got to my hotel room, I shouldn't even call this a highlight because this was a less-than-perfect event. However, two events did save it for me: being among the first 250 people in the U-S, including Dominic Monaghan, to see Inglorious Basterds, and being part of the press for Whedonopolis. Seeing a Time Lord for the first time in 20 years was a treat, too. No matter how busy Matt Smith, aka Doctor XI, may be, BBC America has got to try to get him to San Diego next summer. They got John Barrowman there, and he better be welcome to L-A come Emmy time, too.

5. WonderCon

While I was not allowed to see a midnight showing of Watchmen because I was dumb enough to admit I was part of the press, it did work out. I got to meet Summer Glau and Shirley Manson up close, and Adam Baldwin, too. I'm worried the 2010 version in April may be flooded with Twilight fans again, but maybe they'll have a sneak preview of Kick-Ass, with Hit Girl dealing with those Team Jacob and Team Edward nerds. On the other hand, it's also close to Iron Man 2, and the new Nightmare on Elm Street.

4. Being part of the Dollhouse Farewell Book

I'd like to thank cointhatphrase.com, because I won a contest where one of my phrases would be made into a mug given to Emmy guests. That gave me a gift certificate that will last me a good year. Before that, I made three Dollhouse shirts, including one that said "We are gone but we are not lost. Save Dollhouse." Too bad that shirt became obsolete a week after I got it, but I wore it at the Serenity Salute, and someone decided that would be a nice picture for the gift to the cast. I'm sure if Fran, Dichen, Enver or even Eliza saw me on the street, they'd never recognize me...since I'd never be on the same street they were. Still, I am glad I was part of something special.

3. Amber Benson in Roseville

She was at Borders for a book signing of Death's Daughter. She had been in Sacramento once before. The crowd wasn't big, but they were happy to see her. It was one of my first celebrity interviews for Whedonopolis

2. Original Buffy at Cal Expo

The closest I've been to Sarah Michelle Gellar was 100 feet away when she was at Comic-Con 2004. I never would have thought I'd be right next to Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy at something called Witchapalooza. Aside from her and Malcolm McDowell, it was just like a farmers' market for Halloween. I made the most of it, and more. I had the feelng ths may have been in the cards. Just a couple of weeks before, I found a copy of the movie's press packet that was made up like the Hemery High School yearbook. Also, two months before, the original movie was part of the annual Horror Film Festival held every summer at the Crest.

1. Seeing My Family in Santa Cruz

Since we're scattered all over the West Coast, it's very tough to get together for holidays and such. Using Facebook helps, but it's not the same. Thankfully, we all met for the Memorial Day Weekend, took pictures, exchanged e-mail addresses, and promised to keep in touch.
Seeing my mom again for the firs ttime in years made it all worth it. That, and the fact that getting from Sacramento to Santa Cruz through the rail and a shuttle is much easier than I remember. I also found out only two parts of my memories of Santa Cruz still stand: the Del Mar theater and the Boardwalk.

For 2010, I'm already set for Cinematic Titanic returning to San Francisco, and WonderCon and Comic-Con. I am also hoping for a trip to Anaheim, maybe going to the Emmys one last time (even if it is in late August), and seeing tapings of Ellen and maybe Bonnie Hunt in May. However, I need reasons aside from the shows themselves to go. I may get an extra one or two depending on who will be at the Paley Festival in March aside from Glee and the Vampire Diaries. If they decide on a panel on web content, including web comedies about gamers, that's a good reason!
One thing I will miss is hoping to see a movie premiere in Westwood. Since the Bruin and Westwood Village are about to close, I'll have to find another way to find and snap pictures of famous guys.

The Education of Adelle DeWitt

2009-12-21T14:36:00.000-08:00

Eliza Dushku may be the star of Dollhouse, the story of a woman who was turned into a Doll to fulfill the needs and fantasies of the rich and power.
It may be the story of how Echo, the Doll, slowly started to become self-aware and grow a new self inside her, much to the disapproval of Rossum, the evil Doll makers.
However, you could argue that it's also the story of another person, who thought she was a loyal employee, on the fast track to success, convinced that what her company is doing is right and proper....mostly.
Then, one day, she became self-aware, and decided to be her own woman, even if Rossum disapproved about that, too.
Of course, that person is Adelle DeWitt, wonderfully played by the woman who should be a female version of Rupert Giles like, yesterday...Olivia Williams. This was especially true this past Friday in "Stop-Loss" and "The Attic", where she really had to take a hard look at Rossum when she realizes it doesn't want to stop at ful filling the needs of the rich. Actually, it has an urge of its own that must be fulfilled with a doll...world domination. She had to ask how she could deny Rossum that urge, and avoid being dead or being stuck in the company's version of Hell, "the Attic."

Adelle started in a division that made replacement organs out of stem cells, and that eventually led to her running the Los Angeles Dollhouse. Somewhere on that road, she did someone especially bad, according to evil bigwig Matthew Harding, but she still wound up being a boss. When we first met her, she was seen as the one who ran the Dollhouse, and the best saleswoman for it. Add a friendly spot of tea, and the client is hooked. She was also busy trying to keep the Dollhouse hidden from a certain FBI agent, and using favors from the rich and powerful to do it. Of course, there was the problem of Alpha, an Active that went insane and escaped.
Eventually, she saw herself as a very important person at Rossum, maybe to the point that she could abuse that power. That's why she invented "Miss Lonelyhearts", and enjoyed an illicit affair with "Roger" who was actually Victor, an Active. She didn't see it as forcing herself on him. She just programmed him to love her, because it's a lot easier than the singles scene.
Some may find that ironic, since she had one of the handlers who raped Sierra killed through Mellie, a "sleeper" Active. However, Adelle wasn't aware of what another major player at Rossum was doing to Sierra...with the company's blessing. Once she was told what Nolan Kinnard was doing to Sierra, and was determined to literally own her, she thought she had no choice. Topher's decision to turn Sierra back into Priya, which led to her killing him in self-defense, would lead to Adelle deciding to turn the other way, as Rossum looked the other way to what Nolan was doing. However, she would not forget.

Then Echo was grabbed by the D.C. Dollhouse after she discovered Senator Daniel Perrin is a Doll. She escapes, which looks bad for DeWitt. It's not long before Harding takes over the Dollhouse, and Adelle is demoted to being his lackey. That sticks in her craw, but not enough to do anything drastic. That happens when Topher reveals his most dangerous invention: a portable ray that can turn anyone into a Doll. She hands it to Harding, and she has her job back. She sees it as a way to protect the Dollhouse, but it was mostly ambition. She thought she had to act like one of the boys to win the company's favor again.

However, that takes a toll on her. "Stop-Loss" shows her drinking a lot of whiskey, while trying to show she is in control. However, she tried to have one last sexual encounter with "Roger", or should we say Victor, before he is released from service. However, he rejects her because he has found someone else, namely Sierra. She is as upset as any client who wanted a Doll as a lover. Eventually, Adelle takes a shower with the Actives. This is a big scene because we wonder whether this shower has provided a point of clarity, or is it just a respite before she resumes being Matthew Harding's Doll, there to serve his wishes and urges.

A few minutes later, it looks like Adelle is still Harding's Doll, when she sends Echo to the Attic. While the staff, and Paul Ballard, are shocked over her decision, she justifies it in many ways. First, she reminds Boyd that once he joined Rossum, he had to obey their orders, or find himself in the Attic or in a grave. She also says "I have seen the future, Mr. Langston, and it is not for the weak." He may argue that is this is true, she wouldn't last, either.

By the end of the episode, we see that Adelle is right: Rossum's future is not for the weak, and she has stopped being weak. Sending Echo to the Attic was really a chance to dig into Rossum's darkest secrets. Once Echo got them, Adelle got an advantage to protect herself, the Actives and the Dollhouse. As someone once said, she aims to misbehave...again, but it is for the right reasons, not for an urge.

So what happens next? Will Team Echo win? Maybe not, or the world of "Epitaph One" would not exist. She will keep fighting for something more important than a corporation whose attitude towards humanity isn't, well, human.

Recap of Dollhouse "The Attic", or Echo the Dream Warrior

2009-12-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

Echo has been a bad doll. She has been a big problem to Rossum, doll makers for the rich and powerful. It decided that Echo must stay in the Attic, and be kept in a permanent nightmare. She'll find out there are others, not all of them Dolls, who have suffered the same fate.
Is this the end of her story...or the beginning?

The episode starts where "Stop-Loss" left off, with Echo being laid out on a table, hooked up to a monitor, while a female voice says "Welcome to the Attic. We're so glad to have you." When her body disengages, she's able to wake up, put down a couple of guards, and escape. She finds Sierra and Victor, and they are about to escape when Echo is tapped when a clear door closes behind her. She sees Sierra and Victor shot and killed in front of her....
and then the nightmare begins again.
Welcome to the Attic, Echo. It's so happy to have you.

Elsewhere in the Dollhouse, Adelle wants Topher to fix Paul's brain, even if it means turning him into an Active. Maybe he can be the new Victor. Boyd is still at the Dollhouse, but reveals he's been at home, dealing with something personal. Some suspect he's keeping Claire Saunders there, but that's not certain.
Boyd then asks him about the Attic. All Topher knows is that it's where Rossum does experimentation, maybe torture. Anyone in the Attic is kept in a fear-inducing nightmare, as a problem they can't solve.
In Echo's case, it's trying to escape when she can't. However, once she realizes it's all a dream, she escapes to another room...where she's under a large snow-covered tree. She also sees Terry's hateful relatives from "Belle Chose" and even the young Margaret Bashford from "Haunted". Echo guesses this isn't real. However, someone in black is real, and is trying to kill her.

Back at the Dollhouse, Topher compares Paul's brain to a football team without a quarterback. Ivy says it's not as if his brain could do the "wildcat formation", where the center snaps the ball to a running back, not a quarterback. Topher, however, suspects it could. So, Paul's brain will become the Miami Dolphins, which likes the wildcat offense. Suddenly, Ivy's called to Adelle's office. He's worried, but tells Ivy Darth Vader kills lieutenants, not stormtroopers.

In Attic Land, Echo finds out someone is following her....none other than Laurence Dominic, the former head of security. He says he is following someone named Arcane, who tried to kill him and is killing others. He thinks he's still in his head, but Echo tells him he's in hers.
As they wander around, she suddenly finds her way to a Japanese restaurant. She meets someone named Matsu, who says he has to stay and enjoy himself. He, of course, is also in the Attic. He says Rossum hired him to find a weakness in the company mainframe. Once he did, he was sent to the Attic to keep his findings secret. As for Victor and Sierra, we learn that sometimes they make love, then find out where they really are. Sierra is locked in a padded cell with undead Rossum bigwig Nolan Kinnard raping her, while Victor is in Afghanistan literally fighting himself. That is, Anthony the solider is attacking Victor the civilian.
How can Enver Gjokaj do both roles well? He gets his twin brother Demir to help out. Enver and Nick Brendon would have a lot in common.

When Ivy gets back from Adelle's office, she is cold to Topher, almost afraid. Adelle got to her, and "advises" Topher not to be disloyal. She also says she knows how he got rid of Nolan Kinnard, the Rossum bigwig who wanted to own Sierra. If Adelle is being sympathetic towards Nolan, to show her loyalty to Rossum, then something is wrong. Actually, she defines it for Boyd: when you work for Rossum, it owns you body and soul. You be a good employee, or it's off to the Attic or the grave. Specifically, "I have seen the future, Mr. Langton, and it is not for the weak."
If that is true, Adelle, you won't last, either.

Back at the Attic Sushi Bar, Echo hears Arcane kill someone. She tries to get Matsu to leave, but he can't. His legs have been cut off, and he's been forced to eat the meat from them. It's not long before Arcane kills Matsu as well, and his world also "dies". He's about to kill Victor before Echo and Dominic get there first. Later, they're able to save Sierra, but soon find themselves in the apocalyptic world that was part of "Epitaph One". We also see Arcane has turned into.....Clyde?

Now Boyd and Topher are passing a flask, discussing how to rewire Paul's brain to bring him back to the land of the living. He'll lose some part of him, but don't say what. Whatever it is, Boyd says anger is all he'll have left. "That woman is going to drag us straight to hell," Topher says. Is that Echo or Adelle?
They do revive Paul, and he's not happy when he's told he had to be turned into a Doll. He winds up pulling a gun at Adelle, while she has a gun aimed at Paul's face. What happens next? We don't know.

Now, who is Clyde, and why are everyone in Los Angeles 2019? Clyde Randolph was a co-founder of Rossum, and helped develop the theory of imprinting people. He says he's also trying to destroy Rossum's mainframe, except it's made of human brains. The Attics of all the Dollhouses are computer rooms. He's been in one of the Attics since he was betrayed by his partner, with help from the first imprinted person, Clyde 2.0, way back in 1993. Since then, he's been forced to determine what the technology would create, In 97 percent of all cases, we'd have the end of the world.
He asks what year it is now, and Echo says 2010, maybe, because "we don't know how long we've been off the air" (hey, too close to the 4th wall, kiddo). Clyde thinks that's good news until he learns about Daniel Perrin.
Then he remembers that a woman accidentally got inside Rossum, and discovered the person who betrayed Clyde.
Yep, it's Caroline Farrell, now known as Echo. She doesn't have Caroline's memories, but can find them.
So, what can be done? Echo makes the sacrifice, allowing herself to be shot so she can cause her monitor to flat-line. Then, she can "rise from the dead" in a Matrix-type of way, escape from her room, and revive the others. Sierra and Victor are willing to sacrifice their dream selves, while Clyde and Dominic stay behind to tell the others to not be afraid.

Eventually, we see Echo tell someone that she has the information that can destroy Rossum's mainframe and its plans for the future. She has escaped the Attic, and is now ready for the final battle against Rossum.
So, what will Adelle DeWitt do to stop Echo?
Nothing. Adelle can't stop Echo...because all this was ADELLE'S IDEA!!!!

Yes, Miss DeWitt pulled off the biggest scam this side of Angel pretending to join the Order of the Black Thorn to uncover pure evil. The shower did clear her head. It reminded her she's a woman, not Matthew Harding's Doll...and she's not weak, either.
Let's go back to where Adelle is about to send Echo to the Attic, describing how it could be the worst type of Hell. She also thinks Rossum's deepest secrets could be located there, especially the "human brain mainframe" part. Adelle actually gambled that Echo, with 40 brains, can make her way through the Attic and get out with the information. Clearly, it worked, because Victor, Sierra, Topher, Ivy, Boyd and Paul are in Adelle's office, too.
They're ready, but they need one more person.
Caroline Farrell.

Dollhouse December has included more plot twists than a year of daytime soap operas, along with betrayals, triumphs and surprises. It's almost a shame to see it go.
Now, Dollhouse fans will be unwrapping their Christmas gifts and ringing in the New Year. On January 8th, the road to the end will start.
The big question is: will Team Echo battle Rossum and lose? It has to, so that the world of Epitaph One can exist. Does that mean final victory will be delayed until 2019? Who will be left, and can the survivors clean up the mess Rossum made?
Not only that, did Caroline really betray Bennett Halverson, costing her an arm? Will Alpha show up again, and where? There's lots left to consider while we wait for eight tiny reindeer.

As for the ratings, both episodes generated an 0.7 rating, or about 2.1 million viewers. Overall, people decided not to stay home on December 18th because they wanted to check out Avatar. For the cost of five minutes of that movie, they could have seen two compelling hours of TV drama, where the dialogue was in
3-D.

Recap of Dollhouse "Stop-Loss", or Life After Wartime

2009-12-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

This week, Sierra and Victor are separated, but not the way you think. We find out it's not easy to leave your Active years behind, and Adelle falls apart, only to recover and make a shocking decision.

What happens when your tour of duty is over? How can you get back to your old life?
It's a problem Anthony Ceccoli has to face twice: once as a veteran of the Afghan War, and again as an Active named Victor.
It's also something Adelle DeWitt has to face, since he was her imaginary lover when she was Miss Lonelyhearts. As the episode begins, we see her hoping to have one last sexual session with Victor, as Roger. However, he winds up dumping her, saying there's someone else. She is upset, revealing that he's really a Doll who's about to leave the Dollhouse. Of course, he doesn't believe it.
She immediately thinks Topher rewired Victor somehow, but he denies it. He is surprised when Adelle admits she was Miss Lonelyhearts. Ivy, his assistant, makes an awkward comment on the matter. Adelle tells Topher to make sure Actives don't reject the people who had them programmed to love them.

As for Paul, he's still brain dead after what Alpha did to him last week. Echo is upset because she's been able to keep his memories while she's losing her friends. She is also sad Victor is leaving, because she was hoping he'd help her. At least, she makes sure he says goodbye to Sierra, without knowing what it really means.

What it means is that Victor is back to being Anthony, a veteran recovering from PTSD, but struggling to get back to civilian life. For now, he'll be a lonely guy at a suite in the Hyperion, newly-renovated after Angel left. However, there is someone who thinks Anthony could be useful.

Echo reluctantly tells Sierra that Victor has left, but Sierra fells bad about Victor because he's not ready to be alone. His first night alone, which winds up with him sleeping in a bathtub that is shaped like his old bed, proves her right.

This episode also traces the development of Adelle DeWitt, brilliantly played by Olivia Williams. Here, she aims to be Rossum's Employee of the Year if it means keeping her job. However, it also means sipping whiskey more often. When Echo confronts Adelle abut Paul, Echo says she has the advantage because "I have a serial killer in my head", while all Adelle has is her job. Adelle also thinks her knowledge of the rebellion forming against her is also giving her an edge. Echo, however, tells Adelle to pick a side, either Rossum or her Actives.

Meanwhile, a special ops team breaks into VicTony's (Victor/Anthony) suite and kidnap him. We find out they're part of a military group called Scytheon, owned by Rossum. They ask VicTony if he wants to join them. He agrees, but there's more than that. He has to wear a gizmo that links his mind to the rest of the Scytheon army. He's now part of the RossumBorg, where the mission is all, and individuality is removed.

Echo comes up with a plan to get Victor back, but it includes turning Sierra back into Priya. Topher and Boyd just hope Adelle can stay in her alcoholic haze long enough for them to finish the job. They also learn that Echo can maintain her self, even as several people and abilities are imprinted into her. Some fans suggested it's improving on The Matrix.

Echo and Priya/Sierra get "caught" in the Scytheon base, but it's only to get close to VicTony. It's not easy, but Priya/Sierra is able to get through to him. However, what he sees the rest of the Scytheon army sees. It also works the other way, and that's how he's able to anticipate their moves.

Adelle wakes up after too much whiskey, thanks to a call from Harding over what Echo is doing. She confronts Boyd. She's mad, but so is he. He wonders what happened to the Adelle who would put the welfare of the Actives and Dollhouse first. She says that Adelle is still there, but he doesn't believe it. She eventually takes a shower with the other Actives, but does the water clear her head, or is she still clouded by ambition and the need to be protected from Rossum?

Echo is able to stop the Scytheon army by injecting a neural radio into herself, and convincing the rest of the Borg, I mean soldiers, to stand down. She, VicTony and Priya/Sierra escape, and make plans for their lives away from the Dollhouse. However, Topher's disruptor ray disables them all.

We see Adelle looking at Echo, who is tied down as Laurence Dominic was tied down when his true mission was revealed. "You leave a wake of destruction wherever you go," Adelle tells Echo, and such a Doll can't be trusted. It's time to go to the Attic.
She won't be lonely. Victor and Sierra will join her...maybe followed by Boyd, Topher, Ivy, Paul.........Dr. Saunders?

It looks like Rossum has won, because Adelle DeWitt chose her job and her company over humanity. It's all for self-preservation. Knowing she has Rossum on her side makes her mighty, while her enemies, which now include Boyd, Topher and Ivy, are in big trouble if they can't stop her. Even if they could, how can they stop the company?

From Slayer Slidekick to Hollywood's Top Christmas Elf: Nick Brendon in Santaland Diaires

2009-12-13T13:52:00.001-08:00

(above picture from broadwayworld.com)

One man's memories of being a Christmas elf at Macy's in New York has turned into a live theater staple that rivals "A Christmas Carol". It's called "The Santaland Diaries", and it's being perormed by regional companies all around the country.
However, to the averge Buffy fan, there's only one version this year: the Blank Theater in Hollywood, where Nicholas Brendon is bringing Christmas cheer as Crumpet.

This version has attracted a lot of attention in Southern California when it was first announced last month. The play is based on an essay by writer and humourist David Sedaris. He talks about how he got the job as a Christmas elf at Macy's,and gives his observations about the costume, the kids, the parents and all the stress of Christmas in general. Brendon, who plays Xander on Buffy, was an inspired choice to play Crumpet. The play was certain to attract fans of both Buffy and Sedaris.
In fact, tickets sold so quickly, extra performances were added. Soon, it became the hottest tcket in town.

Thanks to an air fare sale by Southwest that made going to Los Angeles slightly more expensive that taking a bus to San Francisco, I decided to check out the play. When I came on December 10th, I noticed the stage was very small. There was room for 50 chairs, including a few on stage. This is as intimate as live theater gets.
The stage has very large Christmas presents arranged as if it could be part of "Santaland". What I noticed is that there were three garish fake trees on a shelf at the top of the stage, and some stockings hung on a wall....behind some chicken wire.

Brendon starts the play standing on the stage, explaining how his character, a 31 year old man, wound up applying for a job as an elf at Macy's. We learn the inside story about elf training, employee manuals, the different styles of being jolly, the different types of Santas, and the occasional mishaps and tantrums (and that's just from the parents).
He makes full use of the stage, and even interacts with a couple of the guests. The highlight is when we see Brendon put on the Crumpet costume for the first time. It is quite a hoot.

This play could have been done as a bigger venue, like maybe the Steve Allen Theater, and it could have sold more tickets. Still, using the Blank Theater's 2nd Stage, where only 50 people can be seated at a time, really makes the play work. It's as if we're sitting in a strange version of "Santaland". Instead of waiting for Santa, we're waiting to see Crumpet, who reveals what really happens "behind closed doors", the inside story the kids or their parents never learn about.

Aside from this, Brendon also appeared in a new Chistmas movie called "One Golden Christmas." It was on ION TV this past Sunday, and will be shown again before Christmas. He plays a single dad who's about to buy a home from a family whose daughter also wants to buy the house. What they don't know, but the viewer may figure out after 20 minutes, is that they spent a summer together in the woods when both were nine. They called themselves Han and Leia for some reason, which is why a stray dog pulls out all the stops to reunite them. The only thing I didn't like is how the female lead, Andrea Roth from "Rescue Me", was so selfish at first. We later find out she's still hurting from losing her husband, and feeling guilty she hasn't kept touch with her family. Of course, there is the happy ending that's typical of holiday movies usually seen on Lifetime or the Hallmark Channel. It was great to see Nick again, and it's something we should see more often.

But seeing him up close as an elf was also unforgettable. In fact, I'm sending him a Christmas card, care of the Blank Theater, of course. It's the least I can do.

Recap of Dollhouse "A Love Supreme", or Alpha Wants His Beta

2009-12-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

While Adelle DeWitt was occupied with finding Echo and Paul Ballard, there's one Active she may have forgotten. He caused a little trouble, like killing several Actives and severely injuring another, all to get the love of a certain girl...named Echo.
Now, Alpha is back, and he'll win Echo's love by eliminating the competition.

He'll start in Riverside County, where a guy named Clay who lives in a run-down trailer. He talks about how he's blown his money on the Dollhouse. While he may be in love with a girl who doesn't exist, that love sustains him. Alpha, looking very fashionable in a three-piece suit, agrees with Clay, and points out the saddest part about love is the ending...right before he cuts Clay's neck with a hunting knife.

At the Dollhouse, Echo is in a straightjacket, interviewed by a shrink who looks a lot like Victor...because it is. It's part of Adelle's efforts to get Echo to say what she did during her three-month walkabout. Adelle claims she's sorry she has to do this, but I suspect she also resents Echo for running away. It was the reason Adelle lost control of the Dollhouse. It's also a way to get Paul Ballard to admit he was helping Echo. It's starting to work until Boyd tells him to "man up".
As Adelle asks Dr. Victor his opinion on whether Echo is really in pain, he winds up analyzing Adelle, especially about how reserved she is. He even accuses Adelle of being jealous of Echo because she's both the "virgin and whore" and is being celebrated for both. Of course, he gets treated after this. Topher also pretends to side with Victor's opinion that Echo's pain is all in her mind.

Later, we see Topher knows how active her Doll state has become. He's told by Paul and Boyd about how she's 37 people in one, and is just about self-aware. So, what is Echo, he asks? Is she Eleanor Penn, Taffy, Bree, Rebecca, Terry the serial killer (even a little bit)? Yes, and more. Soon, she'll become Susan, for a romantic engagement with a guy named Frank Pierce. She does that even without an imprint. Topher can only think this is what old people feel like...or Blockbuster. Well, more like Tower Records, Topher.
On their way, Paul tells Echo he was hoping that when she came back on the field, they'd run. Echo disagrees, because they'd probably be Attic-bound. They get to Pierce's house, and she notices a trail of rose petals. It leads to Pierce's dead body. They also find some flowers, with a card that says "You're My Number One." Alpha the romantic.

They also figure out Alpha's been killing Echo's past romantic engagements that have given her love, including a woman that married her.
Later, Sierra comes back as a film noir doll, maybe Elizabeth Scott or Barbara Stanwyck, complaining about a guy who did her wrong. She hopes she never hears that guy's name again...Alpha. She also has a message, "the next one ages well." They also figure the next victim is a guy named Cargill, who reserves Echo on his birthday.
While all the Actives are re-wiped, Paul and Boyd find Alpha, with Cargill wearing a vest loaded with TNT. Alpha is disappointed his fashion sense is better than anyone else there. He says the men Echo had only loved pieces of her, while he alone can love all of her, and those inside her. He winds up blowing Cargill to smithereens and leaving the scene.

Who's left? None other than Joel Mynor, who we last saw in "Man on the Street." He was the internet genius who wanted Echo as his dead wife to recreate a moment that never came. He's leery about hiding out at the Dollhouse, especially since Alpha once broke in. After he sees Echo as Rebecca, he might as well try. He also talks shop with Topher, saying that once a program is deleted, it becomes alive somewhere. Maybe the same with personas?
Adelle prefers that Mynor be sent somewhere else. However, Alpha is already inside her office. She claims she's scared out of her mind, but he doesn't have that problem. He can just go to the next mind. She's willing to give him Echo not because she is chivalrous, but because of self-preservation (which the previous episode has proved). Echo's locked up, and she can be sent to him. Instead, he shows Adelle his "vacation photos", including a lot with Echo and Paul. He drags her to the executive elevator, where they get to the lobby. However, it's not because she's his human shield. It's to allow him to use his own remote wipe gizmo, which causes the Actives to turn against their handlers. Adelle gets away, and runs into her panic room.
Echo is able to get out by breaking a two-way window. Paul finds Alpha with Mynor, but it's bait and switch. Victor drugs Paul, while Alpha has plans for him. He wants to know why Echo loves Paul, and will drill right into his brain to find out. Paul keeps saying he doesn't love Echo even if she might love him. Alpha is certain Paul loves her because he didn't have sex with her. So. he zaps Paul's brain to get the answer.

Echo finds Adelle, and they later figure out Alpha used a computer virus to take control of the Actives, but it didn't work on Echo. Topher also figures he can use his Remote Wipe Ray to subdue the Actives.

Alpha, meanwhile, hasn't found the answer in Paul's brain...because it's been fried. So, he decides to imprint Paul into himself. Echo is shocked and angry at Alpha for making Paul brain-dead. While she clobbers Alpha, and says that Paul is ten times Alpha is (and he's 40 guys), he keeps telling her that to love him is to love herself. Then he speaks in Paul's voice, and the "Paul" inside Alpha begs Echo to kill him. She just can't, and Alpha leaves. It's almost a callback to when Buffy was torn over fighting Angel because she had to kill the man she loved...when he had a soul. Here, Echo can't kill Alpha because it also means killing Paul.

Mynor soon leaves, but not before Echo shifts into her Rebecca persona to give him a chance to say goodbye. He admits to "Rebecca" she lives on in him. Echo then turns to Paul's brain-dead body, and says he lives on in her.
The last scene is Adelle DeWitt over looking the damage in her Dollhouse. We wonder what she is thinking. Does she regret selling her soul to Harding to regain her place at the Dollhouse? Does she blame Echo for all her problems, and believe Echo should be shipped to the Attic?
Next week, we'll see if Paul can be saved somehow, and we'll also see what the Attic is all about, thanks to someone who we remember from last season.
Even though Dollhouse will end its run in a little more than a month, both episodes actually gained a tenth of a point over last week, attracting more than 2.4 million people.

Recap of Dollhouse "Meet Jane Doe" or The Last Temptation of Adelle DeWitt

2009-12-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

There's nothing more troubling than a missing Active.
Adelle DeWitt has been busy trying to find Echo, who has gone off the grid thanks to removing her GPS chip in "The Left Hand".
Her bosses are not happy. They decide to make some changes, while Echo is busy with another MIA employee trying to battle prison abuse in Texas.
In the end, Adelle DeWitt will make a choice that will not be popular, but keeps her alive...which is all that matters to her.

The episode opens with Topher complaining about how Bennett Halversom tricked him in "The Left Hand", but he's not willing to tell Ivy, his assistant, all the details. Not at first. He does call Bennett "ice cold, truly wicked, with a shriveled-up raisin for a heart." He'll later discover that describes someone else.

Adelle asks Boyd if they have any idea where Echo and Ballard are. She's worried that Echo can't possibly survive in her doll state, even with 36 people inside her. She's also worried what Rossum will do to her and her house if she doesn't find them.
She winds up in Medina, Texas, dumpster-diving and looking for food. She's unclear on how to get money, asking an ATM for cash. She also sees Galena, an illegal immigrant trying to use food stamps but the clerk won't accept them. Echo steals some cookies and given them to Galena, but they are approached by two deputies who don't know Spanish. This is important. Galena is caught, but Echo gets away when she clobbers a deputy by remembering how to do that.

Advance three months, and we see Adelle is demoted to tea lady while Matthew Harding has taken over the L.A. Dollhouse. She sees how the main company now prefers to send Actives to any job, no matter whether they'll survive it or not. She used to care about that because she could. Boyd wonders if Adelle is upset she's not the boss, or the changes Rossum has made. It's both.
Topher, though, is happy, because he's got more resources, even as much as what Bennett has in her DC Dollhouse. He even uses Sierra and Victor as his assistants.
We also see Echo is now Nurse Jane, who volunteers to give flu shots to the local jail after the usual nurse got sick. We later learn it's part of a plan to spring Galena out of jail, because she's getting beaten up by the guards. Echo/Jane also takes advantage of the fact the deputies don't speak Spanish, and tells Galena what to do while the guards have no idea.

So how has Echo stabilized into Nurse Jane? She has help...from Paul Ballard. We learn she's able to pick and choose from the people inside her. For example, we found out Rebecca, Joel Mynor's wife, was a nurse. The other skills come from other people. It's kind of like one part Matrix, one part Johnny Mnemonic. We also see they're getting cozy in their small apartment, and it looks like she's falling for him. She insists it's real love from her real self. He's not so sure. Even if that's the case, he can't love a girl with 36 people inside, her. Besides, he's still smarting from his affair with Mellie/November.
Echo does say she's disturbed about the memory of her old self, Caroline, that Bennett showed her last week. "I've been saving this body for her," she says, "and I'm not her." She is Echo, and Echo loves Paul.
But business is business, and what starts as sex soon goes into training and planning for Galena's escape. It does look sexy, though.
Back at the Dollhouse, Topher brags of what he's been able to do thanks to more R&D money. She asks what he's doing, but Harding is also there wondering why Adelle is wondering. That's bad, at least according to Bennett. It's also clear Topher is Harding's favorite. She does get good news: Echo's been found...because Paul Ballard just called. He's not giving the whole story to her, but will to Boyd. Paul tells Boyd that while Echo is getting smarter, her body is deteriorating. There's some question how long she'll last.

The plan is that Galena takes verapamil to fake her death, and Echo/Jane gets her out. She also learns from Sheriff Rand, who's played by Glenn Morshower (aka Aaron on 24), that sometimes the guards get out of control, but it's all part of everyday life in the jail. Anyway, Echo/Jane's plan almost works, and they're brought back into the jail.

Back at the Dollhouse, Clive Ambrose (Mr. Rossum) and Harding tell Adelle they're opening a house in Dubai, and should decide which Actives to transfer there. Let's just say Sierra may be headed to the Middle East. Afterwards, she asks Boyd how she can get her job back. He says the Adelle he knows wouldn't ask that question. This is really eatnig at her. She'll do anything to be Queen Bee in L-A, and that is very unfortunate.

At the jail, Rand wants Galena and Echo to explain themselves, or else. After he leaves, Galena asks Echo what they should do. Echo tries to think of something, but the headaches stop her. Then, she goes into Taffy mode, as in Miss "Blue Skies" back in "Gray Hour." They get out thanks to her bra as a lockpick. Eventually they get away, and Paul hands the Sheriff proof of abuse in his jail. Seems Echo was wearing a wire to get the proof.

Then the Dollhouse reveals some new toys that will send mankind on an express trip to the apocalypse in 2019. Topher demonstrates a new gun that remotely wipes an Active. He uses Kilo, who talks like Missy Eliot until he zaps her. She's again played by Maurissa Tanchareon, one of the writers of this episode. However, he also tells Adelle about another device that will imprint anyone with a new personality, whether converted into an Active or not. She's upset, and suggests Topher keep it well-hidden.

Back in Texas, Echo and Ballard send Galena on her way with cash and a new identity, No imprint needed here. It also means they have to go back to the Dollhouse.
Speaking of which, we find out Adelle handed the Super Imprint Gun to Harding to get her job back. She'll claim it's to protect the L-A Dollhouse, but this is the real reason: "In the end, power is always used to get more power; and if Rossum has this much, I've little interest in being with the other team".
Topher, in the "other team", calls her the coldest bitch he's ever met. She slaps, him, because she doesn't care. She's in charge again, and it will stay that way, no matter what. Just ask Laurence Dominic, if we can find him in the Attic.
Paul and Boyd get that message, too, after Adelle decides to keep Echo in isolation to see what else she can do. In other words, she's been put in a very special Attic, where she won't be a threat.

Now, looking at the responses from Whedonesque, some are disappointed by Adelle's decision. Some are hoping Adelle is only doing this to get deeper into the Rossum inner circle, and that's when she'll double-cross Harding, Ambrose and everyone else.
However, since when has she ever thought Rossum had to be taken down? That's what Paul believes, and maybe Boyd and Topher, too. To quote a thing known as the First, "It's not about right, it's not about wrong. It's about Power." Power, and avoiding a life sentence in the Attic. This is all that Adelle DeWitt wants. The hell with people. Since when have they given her what she wants?
This has got to backfire, but let's hope she'll at least have time to partially atone.

Recap of Dollhouse "The Left Hand", or A Pair of Tophers on the River

2009-12-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

It's ironic that CSI's theme song is "Who Are You" by The Who, because that would be a more appropriate theme song for this episode, "The Left Hand". Here, two Dolls try to asset their true selves, a woman will get betrayed, Satan shows up, and two computer geniuses make small talk while planning betrayals. We also see more proof that Enver Gjokaj is the best unknown acting genius in Hollywood who should be well-known as soon as possible.

We return to Bennett Halverson's lab at the DC Dollhouse. She's still torturing Echo, but we don't know why. Bennett also wonders why Echo doesn't cry out for God because she's in pain. She sees Echo as a shell, in a feeble, simple world where there's "just pain, over and over." Oh, and when we get to "why", then it gets worse. She'll see to that.
Cindy, meanwhile, spills everything about Rossum's plan to disassociate itself with the Dollhouses. She points out that Perrin was a nobody until Rossum "improved him" to become the rising star of the Senate, meant for better things (for Rossum, mainly). She also says being his wife was awful, but he'll forget what she just said.
As for Adelle and Topher, they're in DC to talk some sense into the Dollhouse there and get Echo back. They also hope to scan Daniel's brain and stop Maddie from testifying. Topher's all excited by the car and the booze, but Adelle tells him to calm down.
Back to Bennett, she shows Echo a cartridge that has her memory of the last time she saw Echo. Whatever happened, it ended badly,and cost Bennett her left hand. She then imprints it into Echo's head. Now, recalling Joss Whedon's claim that the memories in the cartridges that were uncovered in "Epitaph One" may not be the whole story, maybe that goes for what Bennett shows Echo. We'll see.

Adelle meets with the head of the DC Dollhouse, Stewart Lipman. He's played by Ray Wise, well known as Leland in Twin Peaks and Satan in Reaper. As Lipman, he says he'd like to give back Echo, but there are protocols to follow, She interfered with Rossum's plan for Perrin, and it takes time. He also asks why Topher is there. He says he has his "best man" filling in for him. It's Victor as Topher 2.0, or rather, VicTopher.
How good is he? It's like Topher has a younger and geekier brother, and it's very uncanny.
Meanwhile, Bennett is told Topher is there, and she suddenly acts like...well...a girl. She fixes her hair, and prepares to meet him. Seeing these two exchange pleasantries and small talk is cute, yet disturbing. He compliments her accomplishments while she says his skin is like a pig. After they calm down, she tells Topher he won't get Echo back but is welcome to look her over.

At the office, Lipman suggests Adelle leave town without Echo. Adelle then tries to use her seductive charms to convince him to compromise. They consist of grabbing his reproductive system, then calmly telling him she gets Echo back or he'll be killed horribly and get castrated...maybe in that order. In fact, she says this in such a sensual manner, it's also quite arousing. Now, how come she couldn't do that to Matthew Harding?

Topher looks over Echo and notices she's been drugged. Bennett plays dumb, but not about his disruptor ray. She even suggests how it can be made into a taser. He then tries it on her, sort of, just to check if Bennett has always been Bennett. He's able to start getting a download of Daniel's brain scan, whch is needed to stop the hearing. As he's doing this, he talks to VicTopher, and they chat about what Bennett's like.
Meanwhile, Daniel wakes up, and finds Echo. She gets a flash of that memory Bennett gave her, and suddenly her left arm hurts. They leave, and Bennett sees this, Instead of stopping them, she slams her head into a monitor. That way, she can say Echo did this, and keep Topher on her side.

As we see Daniel and Echo in their "Doll state", we see they're two simple people who can figure things out. That's not in the brochures, but it is now. They're smart enough to remove the GPS chips from their necks.
Then, Topher and Bennett come up with a plan to disable the two Dolls from a distance, thanks to Topher's ray. Of course, he'll need Daniel's brain scan to do it, and hopefully this is where he remembers to double-cross her.
Still, he is quite taken by her, and her technology in her lab. He's also surprised that she claims a brain can hold many imprints. In Daniel's case, they retain his true self while making him "better". Well, we may not hold to that, as Mal Reynolds would say, but maybe Echo's proving Bennett's point with three dozen or so selves inside her. It's also pretty ironic that Summer Glau is portraying the type of "computer technician" who abused and scarred River Tam's brain to make her a weapon in the name of Blue Sun and the Alliance. Maybe Bennett is what River Tam could have been after they finished using her as a soldier.

Daniel returns to the family compound, but he wonders which of his memories he can trust. Echo asks "does it matter?", and we switch to a memory where he's talking to Cindy. She tells him that despite his past, "all that matters is who you decide to be." Considering that's been pre-programmed, it's ironic. Still, he figures as the DollSenator Perrin, he can still do damage to Rossum. Echo's worried, though. She wants to stay as Echo, and not turn back into Caroline. That may be due to Bennett "reminding" Caroline how she left Bennett behind in an accident, which led to her losing her left hand. As long as these Dolls assert their true humanity, they can decide who they can be.
Then Topher uses his disruptor ray on Daniel and Echo. It does nothing to Echo, but turns Daniel into an assassin. Bennett explains Echo deserves this. She says Echo was her friend before she deserted her in that accident. She also notices Echo has a hold over people, or Topher wouldn't consider the Doll as his friend. Well, that's enough to end this love story, and Topher knocks Bennett out.

While Echo tries to run away, Daniel is determined to kill her. Echo's pleas to Daniel, especially saying that "you can belong to you" don't work. Cindy arrives, but doesn't understand what's going on...until he strangles her to death. Topher re-zaps Daniel just in time to realize what he's done. What will he do? What will Echo do?

Daniel gets to the hearing and reveals his wife is dead. He's also come across a shocking discovery: a group of companies is trying to destroy Rossum because of its medical advances. This group is responsible for planting a bomb in his car...which Cindy happened to be inside when it blew up. Maddie, meanwhile, was actually in a mental institution in Canada for three years, much to her surprise. In short, there is no Dollhouse, and Maddie's insane.
You can trust him. He's Senator Daniel Perrin, a man with a vision of the future who has given up everything. He loses a wife, but gains respect and credibility. Brought to you by Rossum, because Your Mind is Our Business..and key to global domination. Eat your hearts out(or whatever internal organs you have), Visitors!

So what can Adelle do? Nothing, except find Echo and hope that will stop Rossum somehow. Maddie, meanwhile, will be thrown to the wolves. She really winds up in Bennett's clutches, and becomes a Doll again. She'll be a handy tool in her plans to kill Echo, or worse.
In the end, Dollhouse as we know it is over, and a new era begins with Echo on the run...but where will she go?
One thing is for sure: she is much more capable in deadling with the outside world than Adelle thinks, but is that enough?
And where's Paul Ballard? Now that Maddie/Mellie/November's a Doll again, his agreement with Adelle is over. What will be his role in all this?

We have a sci-fi show that makes profound statements about identity, self, and manipulation, and it's been given a death sentence even before it gets a chance to prove itself. That's why Fridays on Fox will be known for Gordon Ramsey and his intimidation of would-be chefs, and leftover reruns. If only Fridays could be known for drama that can be considered a gourmet treat.

Fans of Dollhouse can still feast on double-headers on the 11th and 18th, which promise the return of some familiar faces.

This week's doubleheader pulled in slightly more than two million people, with a .82 rating. That's much less than reruns of House and Bones.

Recap of Dollhouse "The Public Eye", or Worse Than Palin

2009-12-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

Daniel Perrin is too good to be true.
He's got good looks, a distinguished pedigree, a beautiful wife, and dreams of a better future.
Now he's going to take on a major corporation, who he says is guilty of unspeakable things that include human trafficking, prostitution, or maybe murder.
Daniel Perrin...a new hope for America.
He's just too good to be true, because he is....in the worst way you can imagine.
Welcome back, Dollhouse. You may be in the middle of a "going out of business sale", but it is leaving in a blaze of glory.

The first of the December doubleheaders started with "The Public Eye", where ex-Active Madeline Costly, aka MadMellieVember, is about to testify before the Senate about how Rossum stole three years of her life by putting her in the Dollhouse. In fact, he'll give the word "Dollhouse" a more sinister definition. Before that, we see Perrin and his wife Cindy make small talk. She asks him to remind her how much she loves her. He says "I'm Your White Knight", and she says she's his "damsel".

Matthew Harding, one of the bigwigs at Rossum, isn't happy. She asks Adelle why she was dumb enough to let Madeline out of her contract early. Well, the good news is that Rossum has a backup plan, and Adelle should let her bosses execute it.
Adelle's worried that may mean Madeline will be silenced, as in dead, if she testifies. It's not that she's going soft. She thinks Maddie's being used as a pawn against her...but why?
They look over Perrin's background, mainly that he's been investigating medical research for three years. Topher just thinks he's a demagogue. Echo just thinks Maddie is said, but someone else "doesn't look right". She's talking about Cindy Perrin, who Daniel claims is so perfect it's like she was made for him. Could she be a sleeper?
Her background, and lack of accurate info, suggests that. If so, Paul Ballard should see that scene in "Man on the Street" where Maddie/November killed Hearn after she was told about flowers in a vase. That will let him know what Cindy could do.
Speaking of which, she is comforting Maddie as she is looking at pictures of some of the things she did as Active Mellie, including sex with Ballard. Then Daniel calls, and we see the "remind me why I love you" exchange again.

Back at the Dollhouse, Topher demonstrates his new Disruptor Ray designed to disable Actives. He brings in test subject Kilo, played by Maurissa Tanchareon, one of the writers who's also married to the brother of....some guy. Well, we see that with his new ray he can stop...any Active, but it will cause headaches, nosebleeds and fainting. It will also work on Maddie because she still has some of that reprogramming in her. Paul sees that even ex-Actives don't leave the Dollhouse. It's kind of like the Stop-Loss program.
What about Echo? Well, she will have a role to play. She'll pretend to be Senator Perrin's one-night stand he doesn't remember because he wad drugged beforehand. He quickly figures Rossum's behind this, and decides to keep Echo, aka Bree, as evidence. First, he decides to see Cindy, which Echo/Bree suspects could be a threesome in the making.
As he's driving, Perrin tries to convince Bree/Echo she's a Doll, but she thinks it's some weird fantasy he has. They get to a safe house just as Paul finds Maddie. Paul uses the Disruptor, and it knocks out Echo, Maddie...and Perrin!
Behold Senator Pinocchio,and Cindy/Geppetto, his wife and handler!
This comes as a big surprise for the Dollhouse, along with the fact that Bree/Echo drives away with Perrin. As she's looking for a "big aspirin", she gets flashes of her past lives on the show. This convinces her she's a Doll.
As for Mrs. Perrin, she takes the Disruptor, and leaves her guards to take care of Ballard. After his bribe offer is rejected, he takes care of the guards.

So who is Daniel Perrin, exactly, or was he? He thinks he is Perrin, not a Doll, even as his past "memories" are flashing before him as he's driving. Topher discovers Daniel was actually a screw-up despite his family's past accomplishments. Somehow, he became the rising junior senator by being "improved". That's not being a Doll or Sleeper.
Cindy Perrin does find Daniel and Bree/Echo. She tries to calm him down with the "remind me why you love me" code, but it isn't working. Echo has a tussle with Cindy, and subdues her by just remembering what her past selves did before. Echo does come up with a great line to Cindy before they leave: "You just woke up a lot of people (inside Echo), and they all think you're a bitch."
Maddie confronts Paul at LAX just as she's headed to DC. She just asks what was she before. He tells her she was Mellie, a neighbor who wanted to help his investigation...and it was all real. She asks him that if she is really Maddie, she should be free to make her own mistakes. "Am I free?" she asks. She walks away, and he doesn't stop her. That's the last we see of Paul this week.

So, what is Cindy Perrin's plan, and how come it looks like only the Dollhouse in L-A is against it? Adelle figures that Rossum wants a Senator it can control, namely Perrin, so he can pass laws that help the company. He'll also clear Rossum of any connection with the Dollhouse, leaving Adelle and the other houses out to dry. It's a metaphor of Fox's decision to cancel the show without giving it a chance in sweeps. Otherwise, we would have seen this during the first two weeks in November, then get a break until December 4th. That would have generated interest.

Switch to Washington, where a woman is busy typing on a very strange keyboard. It urns out to be...River Tam?
Actually, her name is Bennett Halverson, a programming genius just like Topher. She's just more twitchy, driven, and insane. She also has a dead left hand. Three minutes with her, and we get the whole picture. She wants her secretary not to wonder about what the bosses want, or they'll wonder about her. She says that since they work in the center of the human heart, they give up everything. She already has a plan of how to reprogram Daniel so he'll forget what he just did. Something about a movie with a dog is involved. Soon, Cindy arrives with her husband, who's confused about where he is, and who Bennett is. Cindy says "That's God, dear, and you have heartily offended her."
Bennett, however, is more interested in Echo. It seems they've met before, and that she had promised to come back. So, Bennett welcomes her "old friend"...with searing pain.
Now what? Well, we'll find out soon.

Serenity Salute: I'm Not Obama..or Rappaport

2009-11-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

That is one of the things Morena Baccarin made clear when she met with fans at the Serenity Salute at the Marriott LAX last weekend. I could have done this sooner, but I wanted to see all of the four V shows before commenting on that as well.
For the record, she's right...the Visitors are truly terrorists from outer space who will give us the modern equivalent of blankets loaded with smallpox, or poisoned lollipops, to take over out world. It also helps that she's completely trustworthy and will use less-than-honest ways even to her own people. That "Bliss" speech at the end of season four is pure verbal Xanax. As Morena pointed out at the event, Anna is a political figure who has a mission to protect her people, and make sure they survive. She'll be friends with the Foolish Humans until it's no longer necessary. Having a Ph. D in Predictable Human Behavior sure helps. Then it's Hamster on a Stick with Soylent Green (made from people) for everyone. As long as no one objects, even if a lot of them are Visitors, no problem. Of course, that possibility has to happen, or we have no show.

The show is also playing into fears we have about foreigners, and now the H1N1 virus. In the last episode, the Visitors planned to spread a plague disguised as flu virus. With the Visitors' injections we'll be healthy right up to the point it kills us. Clever. The writers must listen to Coast to Coast AM. I'm just guessing Anna has a boss, who prefers blowing up humans good rather than sweet talking. What will happen then? In the end, and there better be one, an FBI agent will lose a lot, especially her son, to save her world.

But back to Morena....she gave some good advice for budding actors by trusting your gut and sticking to what feels right. It has worked for her. As for her look as Anna, she says she wanted this character to look clean and perfect, but admits Inara would never have short hair.
She also talked about how she often sees her old pals from Firefly, including Jewel Staite, and how she really liked that kimono robe from "Shindig."
Then, a little speculation...why did Inara leave the Companions' Training House? She hints that Inara may have wanted to be part of a family, and that is what Serenity provided.
Back to V, they asked about how Anna would blink, and whether that was calculated. She said it was, because Anna is an alien who's hiding her lizard side for the mission. She also said it's interesting that she is now a lead character in a TV show. She tries not to think about it, but admits it's been fun. She also had great things to say about Elizabeth Mitchell (who was actually in Santa Clause 2, believe it or not). Morena also revealed that her sets are CGI. She's actually in one green screen. She also admits some of her younger relatives may be stunned by her performance, but she assures them that it's just TV.

She also talked her appearance on The View, and how she was worried. In the end, she compared it to visiting someone's living room. She also complimented Whoopi Goldberg.

Among other things, she says she's concerned about how HD is showing the actors in a more realistic light, or as she put it she'd rather be "fuzzy and beautiful". She also revealed she was in the first version of the pilot for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She played a woman who, well, wasn't quite was she seemed. Think trans-gender. She also admitted to a little resume-padding, claiming she can do a French accent, but can't. There was also a question about Inara as a "power courtesan", such as a geisha. She says that such a role is possible in some cultures but not ours.

So, 2010 will be a great year for sci-fi fans. Lost will be back and so will V, with Morena Baccarin as the most trustworthy alien terrorist ever. Again, she's doing this to save her people. We Earthlings aren't her people. Just that simple.

Serenity Salute: Alan Tudyk and the $375 Bean Dip

2009-11-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

It's been a week since I went to Los Angeles to use up a free Southwest ticket and see some old friends I haven't seen since the late great Flanvention. I only wish I spent more for autographs so I could talk to them. Oh well....

I also wanted to wait until I saw all the episodes of the first chapter of V, but after episode three, I thought it was time to praise Alan Tudyk, nice-guy pilot with a dark side.
After he was impressed by the types of cameras the crowd used to take pictures of him, he explained that Natahn Fillion would not make a surprise visit after he had to cancel at the last second due to his TV show, Castle. So, he brought a special guest...

Nathan's seven-layer bean dip, which would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. It would be for a good cause, "Kids Need To Read". There was some concern Nathan would find out about this, like maybe through Twitter. Whether he did or not was never revealed. Alan also had some swag that was in his apartment, and gave it away to people who could answer his brain-twisting trivia questions. They were so challenging, even he had a tough time coming up with some. Some of the swag included hats from Knocked Up, and really cool stuff from Firefly and Dollhouse. I wanted to ask him about whether Alpha will be back on Dollhouse, or what it was like to be part of the Monty Python-verse by being in Spamalot. Never got close.

He did say that he did like being on stage better than in film or TV. he also talked about how he learned Wash's fate in Serenity. He understood why it had to happen that way, but still hoped for a sequel. he also talked about his time filming A Knight's Tale, and how he enjoyed beer in Prague.
Then someone asked him what it was like being Alpha. He said it was like having 40 people inside you, and trying to keep the thoughts of most of them at bay. If you saw "Omega", that describes it quite well.
Alan also admitted he was skeptical about attending cons after Nathan and Morena did so. He was at the Flan (has it really been four years?), and he saw how big the love is for this show. he also said he wasn't able to keep any of the toy dinosaurs from the show, but someone who had worked on the show did send him one.
Then Nathan called....asking about his bean dip. What bean dip?

Oh, that bean dip.
He was complimented about how buff he looked in "Omega", while he recounted a very funny story about how he played a pedophile on CSI. The crowd got a big laugh when he recalled how the child actor who was in the scene reacted after the scene was done. Let's just say the kid was OK.

And how did the bean dip do on the auction block, when several other items were added?
$375! Not bad.
Actually, I bet in Beverly Hills, a restaurant is selling a bean dip worth 375 bucks, made from very expensive pinto beans and guacamole from Paraguay. Here, this was bean dip made with love, and for a good cause.

Serenity Salute: The New Jack Cassidy

2009-11-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

That's what Mark Sheppard, the guy who's in every TV show these days, called himself at the Serenity Salute.
In fact, he had a tough time trying to think of which shows he never worked in. Well, there's Cold Case, but I came up with that after the weekend was over.
Still, you have to admit he's "better than", being in shows from Firefly to Medium, Leverage to White Collar and Supernatural, and even The Middleman. He really liked being in that show, especially being in the table read for the episode ABC Family never made. That happened last Summer during Comic-Con.

He also talked about how difficult kissing an old man can be. He did that in Supernatural where he played a demon, and that he'll be reprising that role soon. Still, kissing a guy...that took six hours. He also revealed he "broke" the Colt that the Winchester boys use to kill demons. It was apparently tough to fix, too.

He was also part of Battlestar Galactica, and revealed he got the job because he was able to fix a computer problem that Ron Moore had. This was also great because Mark was a big BSG fan.
He also talked about being in a first-season episode of X-Files where he played a firestarter. He even revealed that he was stunned to learn he had to actually be on fire at one point. Talk about hazard pay. Still, it was the first time a show gained viewers in reruns, and a sign that the show was on its way.

Of course, he also talk about being on Firefly, as the guy who's "better than", Badger. He hinted that maybe Badger liked River, and if the show had lasted longer we could have seen more.

Serenity Salute: Fun With Tim and Jane

2009-11-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my inexperience with handling LAX, I wound up missing Adam Baldwin. I am sure he was very entertaining. However, I did come just in time for two of the best known writers who didn't write a musical about a mad scientist and a gal who slays.

Tim Minear and Jane Espenson are well-known for the scripts they make, especially for Joss Whedon. They both recently write for Dollhouse, and revealed their writing secrets to the crowd at the Marriott LAX.

For example, Jane said that she likes to write a script in order, building to the scenes that matter. Tim prefers to start with the main scenes. Both agree that writing the first scene is always the hardest. Also, she said that when she write dialogue, she sometimes makes grammatical errors, but keep them in the script. She thinks it's better to have a character speak more naturally, rather than profound speeches.
Also, when you want to write for a show, they said you should really look at how a script is put together before you put forth a spec script. They also suggest that budding writers don't write scripts that are really fan fiction.

Then the fans had their questions. One fan asked if it was easier to write "Briar Rose" and "Omega" when they knew Alan Tudyk would be the main villain. Tim said yes and that "we all have Alan Tudyk living in the castle of our minds." Jayne would have preferred Nathan Fillion, since he is Castle.

Jane was also asked what it's like to create a show, then not write for it. The show, of course, is Warehouse 13, and she only wrote the pilot. She still got the credit for creating the Syfy hit, which means a little cash her way. Tim, though, wishes he were Dick Wolf, Mr. Law and Order.

Getting back to scripts, Jane says that while she prefers character to speak even with bad grammar, she is sometimes reminded she write characters that aren't supposed to speak less-than-perfect English, like Roslin from BSG.
They also agree that cable TV is the real place to see TV shows are are good and different from the very stale network fare. They even wish Joss would give it a try. After Fox was a bit too eager to say Dollhouse wouldn't get a third season, maybe he could.

As for the future, Jane Espenson is involved in the new BSG prequel called Caprica, while Tim Minear hopes to revive the Alien Nation series. Since "V' is starting to catch on, why not a "rebuttal" to the idea of aliens coming here pretending to be friendly when they aren't?

However, if you prefer to see the whole thing, QmX has taped it for you. It's at
http://bit.ly/7GAl0T

Serenity Salute: Jewel Staite

2009-11-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

Now that I finally have enough time to talk about how the Serenity Salute last weekend was like, I will start with this shiny gal named Jewel Staite. While she's known as Kaylee, she's been spending a lot of time at Stargate: Atlantis, and will soon be in a movie called Mothman.
First off, she actually admitted she didn't like that classic dress from "Shindig" because it was tough to get around it. We fans sure liked it, though.
She also had an update about a new house she and her husband just bought. It's the one that she claimed in Twitter that it was luring her inside. Well, it worked. Now she and her husband are making new furniture inside the place because it's too tough to movie the old stuff inside. She mentioned it had an odd staircase.
She also revealed something juicy about Morena Baccarin: she has quite the foul mouth although she looks so elegant on the show. Actually, Morena already proved that the night before. We'll get to that later. She also revealed they're planning to watch the winter finale of "V" together. Despite the way they kid each other, it's clear she and Morena are very close.

Jewel also admitted that she is not quite like Kaylee, and the character became a little more like Jewel as the show went on.
She also talked about trying to act to a "green screen". In the scene in Serenity when the crew is passing through a sea of Reaver ships, and they all had to react, she said Adam Baldwin actually breathed heavily, like a grizzly. Since Jayne is spooked by Reavers on the show, that would make sense...even if it sounds strange.

As for TV shows, and people, Jewel likes Christina Hendricks and her show, Mad Men. Jewel's also a big fan of So You Think You Can Dance, even going to tapings, Castle (for Nathan, of course), Lost, Chuck...but didn't mention Dollhouse. But she's a fan of TV!

Jewel has been on Twitter for a while, and she gets some interesting responses. Some have including comments about what she eats. She likes food, guys!
She as also asked if she could "swap bodies", she'd swap with Zoe because she's a tough character. She also had a funny story about meeting Matthew Fox from Lost, and how the big moment wasn't as big as she had hoped. Oh, and there are pictures.
On the other hand, David Hewlett from SGA was thrilled when he learned Jewel was on the show because he's a Firefly fan.

Also, she says being Kaylee has led to be being defined as a "type", but she likes to do all types of roles. Remember, she was that mean girlfriend that kept Jaye away from the guy she liked in Wonderfalls.
She also talked about having "Vegas shows", and so many shoes in general they could be found under her bed.

Finally, she hopes she'll be able to work with Joss again, as do we.

Singing the Praises of Firefly

2009-11-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

One thing you can say about Joss Whedon shows is that they inspire a lot of music.
This is especially true of Firefly and Serenity. The Big Damn Heroes have been immortalized in song by several musicians, from the Bedlam Bards to Marian Call.
The latest group to add to the Browncoats Hit Parade is a band out of St. Louis called he Browncoats. Three of its members, and a crew member, visited the Serenity Salute recently in Los Angeles. They allowed people to sample its first CD, Space Age Loser. It also includes a DVD of its first video, a cover of "Hero of Canton" that has been popular on YouTube and MySpace. The video won an award at the Serenity Salute.

Co-Pilot Gary Miller and Air Marshall Buckley Roberts had been in an industrial rock band for years before they decided to perform songs based on Firefly. Their version of "Hero of Canton" was the first song. "We just gave the mp3 away, and just spread it to as many people as we knew," Miller said. "Later, we decided, hey, let's just do a whole album out of this and create an entire band."
They were joined by lead singer and Captain Paul Moerke, and bass player Dominic Anthony. Moerke was also a pilot, and played a big part in the music video. It premiered last September during DragonCon in Atlanta. Amy Jordan also appeared in the video, but is also a lighting engineer, and helps promote the CD.

Both Miller and Roberts admitted they were late bloomers as Firefly fans, but they were hooked when they first saw the show. "When I saw Firefly," Miller says, "I was like 'oh, my God, how could I have not seen this? How could I not know this existed?' I come to realize when we started selling this record that the majority of the people that at least know Firefly that are buying the record are also late bloomers. Bought the DVDs later on"

The band is also influenced by people close to them. "Trans-Siberian Railroad," for example, was written for Gary's wife, while "Amelia" was written for Paul's daughter.

They have done some gigs in the St. Louis area, and plan more in the next few months. Their shows are different from typical rock concerts. Their opening acts are actually comedy groups like "Clown-vis", which is Elvis as a clown, and an improv group led by Bill Cott, who appeared on Saturday Night Live.

They've also been able to give their CDs to Adam Baldwin, and Rafael and Yan Feldman. They've also using social media websites including Facebook and Twitter.
"We just want to keep the train rolling and the keep the variety up," Miller says. "We want to give people a package that doesn't just give them a rock album, gives them a lot to soak in."

They also want to do another CD next year. Before that, they plan an EP that includes bluegass versions of their songs and new songs. They also hope to make more videos, including a planned spoof of Star Wars. t will also produce a song for the "Browncoats: Redemption" fan film.

More information about the band is available at thebrowncoats.org, including links to MySpace, Twitter and iTunes.

Dollhouse In December, Then Going Out Of Business

2009-11-11T12:47:00.000-08:00

I feel so bored not having to write about cool television, especially Dollhouse, which will re-open on December.....
What? The Hollywood Reporter says the show is cancelled?
Why now? The show is supposed to come back in three weeks with Summer Glau, the return of Senator Wesley, er, Perrin, and the guy who used to be Satan on Reaper.
You mean the fact reruns of Bones and House on November 6th got a 1.2 rating shows that people would rather see that than a sci-fi show about life-sized dolls struggling with their own identity, especially a girl named Echo?
If that is what Fox thinks....then it explains why Breaking Bad and Mad Men are on AMC, not ABC.

This is cruel. That's what I am saying. It's like Fox programmers are killing off shows the way Joss kills off beloved characters. Because they are.
This is worse than ABC letting Pushing Daisies wilt and die because of neglect last year. I had dreamed of tossing a 200 foot pie at the ABC offices for this. Thankfully, the Emmys beat me to it, thanks to four Emmys for the show.

Fox goes through all the trouble of telling people it will be back on the fourth, and emphasizes the return of fan favorite Summer Glau (especially for fans of Firefly, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles and maybe Big Bang Theory). We see two cool viral web sites from Rossum and a neo-Luddite group who claims we should mistrust technology. Fans are promoting the heck out of the show, basically doing Fox's job to keep the buzz going.
Now, after two weeks of House and Bones reruns, Fox decides that people prefer leftovers on Fridays, not freshly made drama?
Look, that may work for weekend on NBC or the CW anytime, but not on Fox, guys.

Well, as I'm typing this, I am happy to learn the show will be back in three weeks, but at the end of January, that will be the end.
Also, Joss is making episode eleven. Can you partially wrap up a show in two weeks?
Well, he had said he's ready for this possibility. Hopefully we'll go back to Los Angeles 2019, and see how Mag, Zone and MiniEcho are doing in their search for SafeHaven(tm).
One person is proposing maybe a movie to close out the show, as Serenity partially did.
You know, the ironic thing is that AMC is airing a six-hour version of the classic 1960's show The Prisoner. It won't be like the old version. It will have the same themes about freedom, individuality and security. I'd like to think it's the same idea "improved" after 42 years by the unknown group who made the old version. Little cable networks are willing to pay to make TV shows that are not spinoffs of existing shows, dance contests, or reality shows. The networks would rather make something they know will be popular, even if it starts out moldy and stale...and then they wonder why people turn to Netflix or HBO for their TV needs.
Fox had that chance to air a show about identity and freedom, with a dig to massive companies who are trying to define what we are and what we're supposed to like. Taking a risk can pay off sometimes. Try it sometime....like when you brought back Family Guy and it became bigger than ever!!!!

Well, I have two t-shirts protesting what Fox is doing to Dollhouse. They may have something to do with Firefly, and I'll try that at the costume contest at next week's con in LAX. I may not win over another guy who's dressed as a Reaver, but if I make my point loud and clear, then that's good.

Just one more thing....
is that book of essays about Dollhouse still going to be published by Smart Pop Books? I have a great idea for an essay, and I should still write it.

ETA: Joss responds to our response, in his usual way..

Hmm. Apparently my news is not news.

I don't have a lot to say. I'm extremely proud of the people I've worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you'll agree in the coming months. I'm grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again.

I'm off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I've read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you'll know what my next project is. But for now there's a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear.

Thank you all for your support, your patience, your excellent adverts. See you again. -j.

Recap of Dollhouse "Belonging", or The Wake-Up Call

2009-10-24T11:57:00.001-07:00

We got a long look at the dark side of the Dollhouse's mission in "Belonging".
Our tour guide is a girl named Priya, who meets a man on a beach, and winds up being his personal plaything. She also shows us two staff members who take a good hard look at what they really do, and can no longer turn away. She also shows us an Active who is determined to be a wake-up call when the storm arrives. It's too bad the wake-up call doesn't apply to viewers, because they are missing one very interesting season.
Those who do know are also upset. They have to wait five weeks to see what happens next.

It begins with a blurry picture of someone saying "I was just trying to help her". It's Topher, but what is he talking about?
One year ago, we see an Australian girl named Priya selling trinkets at Venice Beach with another girl. We learn she's there without a work visa (quick, call Lou Dobbs!). They see a guy named Nolan who is very interested in her. He likes her paintings, and her. So, he arranges a show for her. It's great, but she doesn't like who's there. Then she meets...Echo? What kind of art show is this?
Actually, it's a seduction arranged by Rossum, makers of Dollhouses. Nolan is an important man in Rossum because of his medical skills. He talks to Harding, who's even more important. Aside from being there to enjoy Echo, he talks about Priya, and mostly about how Nolan wants her all to himself. Meanwhile, Echo tells Priya there may be money in this room, but she says art, like Priya's, is power because these guys can't make it. That's why they like girls like her. "Let them think they have the power," she says. "Our time will come." Let's hope so.
Nolan then introduces Priya to Luca, who's really Victor. He and Priya hit it off, a lot more than with Nolan. When Nolan tries to grad Priya back, she leaves. She says there's no way she'll ever love Nolan.
One year later, he's found a way...by making her an Active. Actually, we've seen Nolan before in "Needs". He put her in the Dollhouse because she said "no" to him...and he admits it. He also says he's certain she'll come back to him with love and affection because she'll be programmed that way. In fact, he can make her anything he wants. He's got money, and a willing accomplice in the company he works for...Rossum.

Back at the Dollhouse, Echo sees Sierra painting a bird, and a big black splotch. She says she uses black because it's always there. Echo gives the painting to Topher, who's busy trying to perfect a remote wipe as Alpha did. She says "Sierra hates the bad man", but he dismisses her. After all, Actives are pets. "You're not looking hard enough. You never do," Echo says as she leaves.
This gets Topher thinking. He asks about Nolan, who we learn from Boyd that he's a big wig at Rossum, and has made advances in investigating mental illnesses. We also find out Sierra was a paranoid schizophrenic when she first came. Checking Dr. Saunders' files, Topher finds out Sierra has made a lot of paintings with black splotches. Her report says that may be due to her mental state before she came here, or rage aimed towards...Topher. But he says he's not the bad man.
As Victor and Echo get rid of the bad paints, and she says he's taking charge, Topher finds out other things. For one, Priya/Sierra's mental state was really caused by drugs given to her at the mental facility...owned by Nolan. Also, Adelle didn't pick this up, but she has now.
However, Nolan is not worried. Even if Adelle does call him "a raping scumbag, one tick shy of a murderer" while also asking him if he takes sugar in his tea, he reminds her she works for Rossum...HE outranks her. So, he'll just take Sierra home with him, thank you. He also thanks her for the tea, although she wishes she gave him a more appropriate liquid.

Later, Harding tells Adelle to give Sierra to Nolan. Although the Actives are there to fulfill the needs of clients, she says they are not slave merchants. He says Sierra will have a great life as Nolan's wife. Besides, he knows about her and Victor from last April, but that's not the worst of her indiscretions. "If feeling you're somehow decent and moral helps you get through your day, that's your business," he says. "This house, however, is our business." So, Nolan gets Sierra or Adelle's going into "early retirement." The one Dominic got, we're thinking.
Sierra finds Victor in the shower, getting rid of the evil black paints. She has a better use, painting his face, and then her own. She says he looks like an Indian chief...but it sets off a bad memory of war. It was something that got him to the Dollhouse. He collapses and says he doesn't want to take charge.
Neither does Adelle, considering the choice she has to make. Topher, now with Ethics (tm), also doesn't want to turn Sierra over to Nolan. He says Dr. Saunders wouldn't allow it. Which one, Adelle asks? The avuncular doctor that Alpha killed, or the one formerly known as Whiskey? Well, both would say no, but Adelle can't. The staff is there because their morals have been compromised, except for Topher because he has no morals. "You have always thought of people as playthings," she says (while looking at him as the son she never had). However, that is changing. Just as Angelus and Spike changed when souls were shoved into them, Topher has more than a soul in him. He has ethics. What will he do with them?

Meanwhile, Boyd has been shadowing Echo ever since the painting. He sees her read a book with big words, and that it's hidden in her bed. He doesn't notice the "notes" she's etched on the cover. He is told by Adelle to take sure Topher does what he's told, and keep the Dolls in their place.

Flash back again to a year ago, because Adelle's there with a much better hairdo. This takes place after the previous Sierra had her last engagement. As Topher complains about Hearn (another man who took advantage of the next Sierra), she tells him about a woman who is a paranoid schizophrenic. It's, of course, Priya, loaded up with drugs thanks to Nolan. She tries to tell Topher but he doesn't notice. We see scenes of her happily leaving the Dollhouse to be with Nolan, interspersed with scenes of her dragged into the Dollhouse. According to Johnathan Frakes, former Star Fleet Commander and director of this episode, it's the same thing. How true, Number One.
There is a great exchange when she says she's in Hell. "You're in Los Angeles," Topher says. "I can understand the mix-up." That may be true in so many levels.
Topher tells Adelle it's done. She says if he's developing pangs of conscience, remember that he didn't have a choice. He agrees, and we soon see why.
Sierra is all set to be whatever Nolan wants to be. She asks if she should be aggressive, or innocent, or a mute. She grabs him by the neck...and angrily asks which one?
Nolan sees he didn't get Sierra. He got Priya....drug-free.
Topher, you are a man.

Back at the Dollhouse, Boyd confronts Echo over her actions. She plays dumb, but he's not fooled. He warns her that "some people are not ready to wake up". Echo disagrees. "Something bad is coming, like a storm," she says, "and I want everyone to survive it." He says she may bring the storm upon herself, but maybe she's looking for a steel-belted umbrella for that.
Priya then confronts Nolan for how she made her his Doll, then says she does love someone wh thrills her, and makes her happy. She doesn't remember meeting him, but she knows she loves him. It's Victor, of course. This makes Nolan angry, and she beats her up. In fact, he's getting a thrill out of it. As he's about to stab her, she grabs the knife and kills him. It's classic self-defense, but it will ruin Adelle at the next Rossum employee evaluation.
Topher arrives, probably after Priya calls him. He finds her covered in blood, and suggests they leave quickly. Boyd arrives, and he has a plan. In fact, we get the feeling he's done this before. He gets Topher to cut up Nolan's body and dunk it in sulphuric acid, while coming up with a story about how Nolan planned to leave the country with Sierra, but left her behind. Topher is shocked by Boyd's efficiency, and disgusted by the smells of what he has to do. "I was just trying to help her," Topher says, "Now she's ruined."
"You had a moral dilemma, your first," Boyd says, and it didn't go well."
"She does not belong in the Dollhouse," Topher says. Boyd says she does now.
For the record, Adelle seems to believe part of Boyd's story, but knows Rossum will believe all of it....maybe.

The final scene between Priya and Topher is tragic, but important in the development for both characters. People should see this stuff rather than waste their time with dancing celebrities. Anyway, Priya reflects on what she has done, and wonders why Topher didn't help her. He says he was fooled. He does offer her a beer. She asks if he and she are happy here. After some stammering, he says, "I have no idea."
"This secret we have," she asks. "Can you keep it?'
"I can keep it," he says, "but I don't know if I can live with it."
"I know I can't," she says, "but then I don't have to." She's the lucky one.
She then recognize Victor, and says she loves him...right? Topher says her love is real, and so is Victor's.
One treatment later, and she's back to normal. She's forgotten what she has done.
Topher wishes he could also forget. So does Adelle. Boyd is fine, though.
Finally, we see Echo receive something "for the storm": a get out of Dollhouse free card. Better than a steel-belted umbrella.
We also see Victor and Sierra, together in the same pod.

Is this the best Dollhouse episode, period? It may be, but it is also the most important. The "certainty" of the mission, to help people and give them what they need, expressed by Topher and Adelle so many times, is starting to crumble. They see the dark side of what they are doing, and the company they work for. Adelle knows that what happened to Dominic could happen to her if she doesn't look out. Topher now sees that people aren't playthings, and that he could be someone else's plaything, too. Ironically, he mentioned this possibility at the end of the original pilot: "We live in the Dollhouse, which makes us dolls, and the people playing with us little children. Children break their toys, Boyd."
Nearly a year later, he understands this even more.
Despite all this, would they be strong enough to rebel, and join Echo's wish to give Rossum a wake-up call? Probably not, judging from "Epitaph One," because they can't handle the consequences. Let's hope they at least try.

Let's also notice who wasn't there...Paul Ballard. Tahmoh Pentikett took the night off while Adelle and Topher were having their moral struggles. You have to wonder what Paul would be thinking about all this if he were there. Maybe he'll suspect he doesn't have to take down the Dollhouse because it will crumble before he finishes the job.

Because Fox wants to win November sweeps thanks to some help from the World Series, and reruns that seem to attract a bigger audience, Dollhouse is taking a five-week break. The show pulled in a 0.9/3 rating, and pulled in 2.1 million viewers. This was well ahead of the CW, and higher than Fox's Friday night sitcoms, but half of the audience of Ugly Betty. Actually, Friday's not a popular night for network TV shows. Fox hopes absence, and back-to-back episodes, will make the heart grow fonder. Until then, spread the word by getting people to catch up through Hulu or Fox on Demand. Also go to www.activatedollhouse.com, www.whyIwatch.com or on Twitter at @whyIwatch, @echoalert or @LADollhouse.
We are lost, but we are not gone...and we're not gonna get ignored like ABC ignored the Pie Hole, either. Spend November telling people about Dollhouse December.

Here's one more reason...

This is the Dollhouse, Mr. Langton, Not The Pie Hole!

2009-10-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

It figures.
Two weeks ago, Fox tells viewers that Summer Glau is coming to the Dollhouse on October 30h.
Oops, make that December 4th. It suddenly decides you'd rather see reruns of House and Bones because it admits it airs these shows as much as possible.
Dollhouse, not so much....since affiliates apparently prefer to plug their local news rather than show promos for that show.
No wonder Fox decided to close the Dollhouse for November.
I'm getting flashbacks of ABC last year, and what they did to Pushing Daisies. It only aired the last three episodes because the Paley Center beat them to it by three months.
However, Joss isn't worried about this. He posted on Whedonesque after a column by the TV Addict suggested he should take the Felicia Day approach: make a show and use the internet as your network. Makes sense, since DSL and broadband knows nothing about sweeps months, and web hits are the true measure of an audience. Besides, it sure worked for Dr. Horrible.

Well, Joss is a traditional man, and realistic, actually...

Hi guys. Lot going on.

First off, TV addict not dumb. (But you gotta get clean, man. We love you and you HAVE A PROBLEM. I'm just saying, try a book. A book about TV! Not cold turkey.)

Directing Glee. This is not a diabolical Fox scheme. This is me going "can I can I?" Did you see last night? Best cut-to-opening-credits moment since the halcyon days of BSG.

Howzabout that schedule? Well, I'm not as depressed as everyone else. We weren't about to rock sweeps anyway, and though there's a chilly November, December is CRAZY. It's like an Advent calendar of episodes! We get November to try to spread the word (which I'll be leaning on Fox to do, though it's hard to imagine them doing as good a job as the WhyIWatch guy) and then December is pure gluttony. Plus the episodes line up extremely well in these pairs, and we'll have an absurdly appropriate lead-in.

Back to breaking Tim's episode. Keep the faith, peeps. I'll bring you news (and hopefully a little humor, I mean would it kill me to punch these up a little?) when I can. -j

He's got a point, but the Dollhouse should not be treated like a pie shop, especially one run by a guy and his no-longer-dead girlfriend. Fans have been waiting MONTHS (or seems that way) for more Summer Glau, and wondering if the future of "Epitaph One" is inevitable, avoidable or really existed. After "Belle Chose", "inevitable" is taking an early lead. Fox ordered this show, hoping to make Friday night a must-see night, as ABC is trying to do with Ugly Betty, and CBS with Ghost Whisperer and Medium. The difference is you can see promos for those shows. Dollhouse is a different matter. Need we remind you of "Friday Night Fights"?
OK, Fox, we'll give "Dollhouse Night at the Movies" a chance. Just tell people, PLEASE? We certainly will, at least.

That being said, some fans think charging a buck or two to watch a Dollhouse episode sounds possible. Some people watch pro wrestling or off-market sports that way now, rent movies or buy episodes for iPod after the first airing. It may be three to five years before we pay for original dramas that way, if it's good enough. If anyone's going that route, Joss could be the first....unless Felicia beats him to it.

Until then, support Dollhouse through Why I Watch at http://www.whyiwatch.com , activatedollhouse.com or on Twitter at @whyIwatch

Who needs Ziegfeld? Here Comes Joss!

2009-10-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

He's made a musical version of Buffy about the most demonic song and dance man ever, followed by a small internet musical that enjoyed slight success...AND AN EMMY!!!

We should have known it wouldn't be too long before Joss Whedon would get back in the musical game. This time, he'll be directing an episode of Glee, also known as the real High School Musical. It's about Will, a guy who wants to bring the glee club of his old high school back to greatness. He's got some unlikely, but good, talent, but also has to deal with a wife who's faking a pregnancy to keep him, an evil cheerleading teacher who thinks ruining the glee club will eventually get her a hovercraft, and a counselor who thinks she has to marry the school coach but hopes to avoid touching him.
Try that, Ashley Tisdale.
If you want a better explanation, like seeing the show, go here, then watch the show Wednesdays at 9 PM Pacific, 8 PM for you Central or Mountain guys.

But let's hear from the man himself, who told Whedonesque why he's doing it...

Hey kids and parents of kids and super-old, like ancestor-old-but-not-dead-yet-type people, just poking my oversized head in to say that the rumors are true... unless something very odd happens in the next few months, I will have the privilege of shooting an episode of GLEE. Why GLEE? Because I love cops, serial killers and gritty urban drama (I haven't seen the show yet). Why me? Because they're struggling and can't afford real directors. And to head off a few queries:

No, this doesn't mean Dollhouse definitely won't get a back nine. Our numbers mean that! But I kid. Okay, we're not exactly saving all the good stuff for 14-22, but nobody's closed the door. If D'House suddenly busts wide, huzzah, we'll still bring it, and I'll still go and direct an episode of Glee, because of my love of cops. These realities can co-exist. And possibly cross over, at least in fiction that I have wri - read. About.

What can we expect from a 'Joss Whedon' epsiode of Glee? An episode of Glee. God willin' and the crik don't rise, a good one. A television director's job is, on some level, to be anonymous; to find the most compelling way to present a story without calling attention to himself. I had a wonderful time doing just that on The Office, and hope to again. A guest director can bring a huge amount to the party (we've had CRAZY talent on Dollhouse), but the party isn't his. I just want to work with good people on a show that I like enough to have watched every episode several times. (I lied: I HAVE watched the show. And seriously, when do the cops show up?)

Whom will I kill? When will that go away? Is death really the only thing I'm known for? I'd hope not. You know how many people in the world actually die? ALL OF THEM. You know how many I've killed? Statistically, somewhat fewer. Can't we focus on another element of my work? Having said that, probably Principal Figgins. (No! I kid! God.)

Anyway, I hope that clears things up. I'm going to do my best, and more importantly, I'm going to do my best not to gush like a fanboy for eight straight days on set. Don't worry. I practiced with Bamber. I'm a pro.

Happy Monday. Especially for me. -j.

Of course, this leads to many possibilities, like Sweet hoping to do to Lima, Ohio what he did to Sunnydale....until he meets Sue Sylvester, the evil cheerleading coach. He may find himself trapped in a love duet that makes him wish he could burst into flames. Then he could be saved by Rachel, the Singing Slayer.
Or not. At least the "singing Slayer" idea could work. It woudn't take much to turn the Glee Club into a proto-Scooby Gang for Ohio.

This will happen when Glee has the second half of season one, probably April. By then, maybe Will's wife will be out of the way once her pregnancy scam is exposed. The sooner, the better. The other plot lines can stay.

Relief and Concern

2009-10-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

Summer is clearly over, but winter has arrived early in Sacramento...just like Christmas decorations.
The wind and rain knocked the power out for a couple of hours, but I did amuse myself with my iPod. Still, I would have preferred TV so I can catch up on the shows I haven't see since Thursday. I also have to see a PBS special as part of a poll, but I can squeeze in that before Countdown.

Response to 3-07 of The Guild has been strong, especially the ending where we see the police are involved in the Axis of Anarchy's torturing of Bladezz so the Knights of Guild will be slain, and such. Since Zaboo is Riley's pet (she walks him down the neighborhood, coming next week? Hope his mom stops that!), and Codex is begging Vork to come back (she is not finding her inner strength, no matter what people say, unless she guilts Tink to come back), the A of A is invincible..but also a bunch of geeks who are lucky not to be seriously challenged. The tide better turn by next week, or Riley could take over the show...and maybe marry Fawkes of the A of A. Yikes!

Fans of Dollhouse are relieved to know we'll get 13 episodes in season two, but that's all. This mean Joss and company have to condense 18 episodes of plot into nine, which means to "comedy relief" episodes. It's full throttle to the end, especially when it looks like we'll see plenty of familiar faces.
However, does this mean we won't go back to Los Angeles 2019, to see how Mag, Zone and MiniEcho are doing in their search for SafeHaven(tm). We should at least see Adelle DeWitt in total disarray, and MiniEcho says, "well, that's what happens when the company you trust f's you over in the end." Adelle, of course, would say, "Now I know what your original self didn't shoot me. You knew I'd wish you did."
Well, from the decisions Adelle made last week, she could have it coming. I just hope we have a direct-to-DVD episode where we'd have something like that.

Also, the fact that we may only get 13 episodes in season two means the t-shirts I made from cointhatphrase.com may not be obsolete anymore. Click this link to see the slogans I made for a "Save Dollhouse" campaign, plus one for an Oscar bid involving a Nazi who could outscare anyone. Think Inglorious Basterds.

The Original Slayer Comes To Sacramento

2009-10-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

When it's not summer, Cal Expo in Sacramento plays host to many events from concerts to small fairs. This past Sunday, it hosted Witchapalooza, a Halloween-themed outdoor market and carnival. Kids had bungee rides and games, while their parents either dressed up in costume, or got some ideas for costumes. One of the more interesting ones was a Steampunk shop with goggles that Dr. Horrible's great-grandfather may have worn.

However, it did have something outdoor fairs don't usually have...special guest stars. A friend of mine from work dressed like Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange, and met the guy who played him, Malcom McDowell. He also met many who remember him from Heroes three years ago.

The other guest, though, made me glad I skipped what would have been a depressing NFL weekend.

Kristy Swanson, who first brought Buffy the Vampire Slayer to life on the movie screen, was there all day Sunday, signing pictures and even stakes. I was also lucky to ask her a few questions about the role and what she's doing now.
As you can see, she hasn't changed much since the movie was first shown in 1992, and could probably take down a few Hellspawn today, or teach a Potential how. I showed her my "Hemery High School yearbook" from the movie press packet, and she was surprised when she saw it.

Swanson said she was asked to come to Witchapalooza, and she agreed to do that. "They thought that Buffy would be a really good fit for Witchapalooza," she says. "Some of the fans would enjoy me being there, so I said 'sure, I'll come up.'" She said she has been in Sacramento a few times because she's friends with the Maloofs, who own the Sacramento Kings.
She also says she's "a big Halloween freak. I love Halloween. We would decorate the house, and we really get into it. If they had a Witchapalooza in L.A., near me, then I would go for sure and bring my son."

She was first seen as Buffy in August of 1992, and she said she got the part with the help of her co-star. "I auditioned for it, but I also had Luke Perry, who was in my corner, rooting for me," she recalled, "and letting them know that he really wanted me to play the part. They seemed to like me, just thought I was perfect for it, and I got the part."
She's recognized for her many roles in movies like Flowers in the Attic, Dude, Where's My Car?, The Phantom, and Deadly Friend, and in several TV roles, but she's often recognized as the Slayer. "It happens a lot. A lot of people say, "you're my favorite Buffy'," she says. "It's kind of funny. It's very sweet and flattering, and it makes me feel good."
What interested Swanson about the role was Buffy's sense of humor. "I just thought it was something that I could do and do well and be funny and have a good time," she says, "I like how she was such a teenager, but yet had all this responsibility, and had to be sort of a kick-ass kind of grown-up."

While many recognize Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy, Swanson says the show and the movie are different in many ways. "Buffy the movie is very lightweight and bubbly, and bubble-gummy and kind of fluffy" she says. "The TV series is much darker and different. So, it's like two different worlds."
She also wanted the right accent to reall bring her character to life. "It was written on the page," she says, "but I also sort of, I based it off my sister-in-law Jill and my friend Julie, ans the way they talk is very Valley."

Swanson recently visited DragonCon in Atlanta, where she was part of two panels that included Charisma Carpenter, Felicia Day, Julie Benz and James Marsters. She says she attends a couple of cons a year. "It's nice to come out, and there's really a lot of Buffy fans", she said...as she also noticed a few fans waiting to get her autograph.
At Dragoncon, Swanson was asked about the rumors of a possible remake of the original movie. If it does come to pass, she says she'd like to be part of it. "I think that would be a lot of fun," she says. "I think a lot of the Buffy fans out there would be upset if I didn't participate. Whatever they're doing, they probably should ask me to do something, even if it's a cameo, just for fun."

Note: I have said on another blog that a Buffy remake can work if you include Swanson and Perry as parents of a 17 year old girl who's suddenly staying out late at night....and finding out why. Then Swanson's character says, "I told you she had the Mark of the Coven (the birthmark that identified the next Slayer)". I also mentioned the Slayer-in-training should not be called Buffy, which would allow SMG to get involved in future sequels. It's an idea would unite the movie with the TV show.

Swanson has another title these days: Warrior Ambassador for Iraq Star, Inc., an organization that helps provide reconstructive surgery for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. She says one of the surgeries was filmed for American Chopper, and will be shown next month.

Swanson will soon be seen in the movie What if... which will feature two other familiar faces, Kevin Sorbo of Hercules and John Ratzenberger of Cheers.

Finally, here's another photo....

Recap of Dollhouse "Belle Chose" or Control Is Often A Mirage

2009-10-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

A serial killer who kidnaps women so he can create the family he wishes he had.
A lonely college professor who wanted the perfect Penthouse Forum fantasy.
What do these two men have in common? Too much, but it's mainly that they want their fantasies to come true, and will do anything to do that.
The solution, of course, is the Dollhouse. However, it is also the problem, because it promises fantasies that come true, for a price. One other man will want the fantasy of a nephew who is perfect. All three wishes will lead to tragedy, and maybe the first step towards the world of "Epitaph One."

We begin with someone apparently fixing some mannequins, preparing for an Old Navy commercial. We also notice how this man is talking to these mannequins, like he's playing croquet with his mom, sisters and Aunt Sheila during brunch...and how the mannequins look life-like.
Actually, Terry Karrens is a very disturbed man. These are real people, who he's paralyzed so that they can be his toys to enjoy a past he never had. One of them, who is "Aunt Sheila", tries to crawl away, but he kills her with a mallet. After he does this, he feels nothing. He only knows he's got to find another Aunt Sheila.
He goes out to find a new aunt, but doesn't see a car coming towards him.

At the Dollhouse, Paul looks for Echo in the showers. He finds her, all wet and nude. Adelle also talks to Boyd over Dr. Saunders' escape. It's worrisome, and really puts a dent in the medical department. Victor seems to agree, as he points out that there's someone who's not at his best. It's Terry, in a coma. Adelle says it's important to revive Terry because his uncle is a major shareholder in Rossum, and they want, they get (sorry, Senator Perrin). She also seriously downplays the trouble Terry's in, and asks Boyd not to translate her remarks to reality. Topher thinks he can revive Terry if he sneaks up to his reticular activating system. It could also give him a man reaction.
However, looking at Terry's brain says otherwise. Seems there's a part of his brain that doesn't work: the part that includes empathy, compassion and the need to not disembowel puppies. It's so bad Topher suddenly has ethics against awakening dangerously crazy people.

As for Echo, she has an engagement with a college professor who apparently wants a sex fantasy with a student, and throw in some Chaucer in the deal. What we get is Kiki, who's way too peppy, and wonders if she can do some yoga disco. Paul's not looking forward to this.

Meanwhile, Adele talks to Terry's uncle, Bradley. He admits he's not been completely truthful about the unpleasant things Terry has done. He is worried about bodies and survivors, and what Terry's father will think. He wants to talk to Terry, and Adelle will do that....on her terms. This means putting Terry's personality in Victor, and using Paul to interview him. Boyd will have to deal with Echo/Kiki.

At this point, the episode compares Victor/Terry with Professor Gossen, how they see women, and what desires they have. Victor/Terry has very dark desires. He demands that he be set free, or speak to a lawyer. Paul tells him he won't get either, but he will explain why he wanted those women. Just who are they to Terry?
Switch to a lecture by Gossen on the Canterbury Tales, with Echo/Kiki in the audience. She gets her fake exam with a fake "F". It's supposed to start his engagement. As Kiki, Echo is a party girl, who begs the professor to change her grade. Of course, we know he will....and how he'll be persuaded.
Back to Terry, Paul asks him if he's been doing dentistry on big cats. It may explain the paralyzing agent he has on him. Of course, Terry's actually been doing some doll making. Terry denies he's kidnapped anyone, but Paul presses him. Bradley, seeing this in Adelle's room, says this is wrong. Paul should be on Terry's side, but Adelle says he isn't. She suggests Bradley visit real Terry in his hospital room.

She then sees Paul has figured out Terry has kidnapped people who look like his mom, sisters and Aunt Sheila for some sick reason. He then explains Terry's motivation which would also apply to Gossen...and Adelle.

At some point, you decided real people weren't worth it. You pushed them away, alienated everyone in your life, so you could surround yourself with the fakes...It made you feel like you had some control.

Then Paul proves Terry has no control by showing him his own body. "Goodness gracious," he says. He even sees Bradley in there, too. Then Terry starts ranting about how it's "Aunt Sheila's" fault, they're never nice, they don't pay attention to him, and that they're whores.

Compare this to how Gossen explains to Echo/Kiki that Alison from "The Miller's Tale" isn't a whore. She's more bawdy and self-aware, and that she doesn't let men define her. This is ironic because the professor is defining her in this engagement. He also says has her own power with sex, using the quote, "Meself have been the whippe." If he is sincere, why did he want this Penthouse Forum fantasy? If he's paying for this, isn't he making Echo/Kiki a whore anyway? The fact we see this while Terry is calling women "whores" implies they're two sides of the same coin.

As Adelle and Paul discuss what they've learned, an alarm sounds that says Terry has suffered cardiac arrest. Actually, someone tampered with his bed. It was a ruse by Bradley to get Victor/Terry out of there. He thinks he can get through to him, and of course he's wrong. Victor/Terry knocks Bradley out, hits another car, and calmly leaves, searching for a new Aunt Sheila

Adelle isn't worried. They'll just follow Victor/Terry with the GPS strip on his body...which he doesn't have because it was removed when his face was fixed. D'oh! They do trace the location of Bradley's car with its GPS, and Paul is certain Victor/Terry will go back to his victims. They also suspect they could be in Beverly Hills, where the original accident took place.
The victims, meanwhile, finally recover from the paralyzing agent. One girl, Robin, tells another, Megan, "We're human, not his toys." They are determined to escape.
Adelle now suggests wiping Victor/Terry via remote control, as Alpha did with Echo in "Grey Hour." Well, he can't call him with the tone with no phone number, but he has to try. You know, this sounds like the "imprinting people via telephone" he ranted about in "Epitaph One". Is this how he started trying it? Thanks, Adelle.

Topher hits the tone, and Victor/Terry hears it in a disco. It seems to work, until the system blacks out twice. The tone instead moves Terry's self...to Echo, just as Gossen is about to make his move in Echo/not-Kiki. He winds up getting stabbed in the neck, and she says "goodness gracious". Well, this is more like "Holy Excrement" or something like that. Echo/Terry makes the attack look like a robbery, and goes off to get a new Aunt Sheila..or worse.

So where's Kiki? Well, did you ever see The Hot Chick?
Yep, Kiki's in Victor's body, and he's turned into Disco Numfar, chatting up the guys while quoting Chaucer. When Victor/Kiki propositions one of the guys, he gets him, abut he slugs him right back. "You suck," he says, "Trying to hit a girl?" Boyd also finds Gossen, and hopefully he will survive.

Echo/Terry finds the missing girls, and threatens to kill them, but she stops when she gets flashes of what Terry has done. She says the only way to stop him is to kill her. At least one girl is reluctant, until Echo gives in detail how he stalked all of them. Echo would have sacrificed herself if not for the Dollhouse minions coming in time. Paul asks Echo if she's all right. "I don't think so," she says.

Echo is wiped, and seems to be normal. Adelle sees Terry's body, and hopes he doesn't wake up. Echo also sees Terry, and sees him die. Her only reaction.."goodness gracious."

Does this mean a part of Terry will live on in Echo, and that would affect future engagements, including the hidden one where she takes down the Dollhouse? That final scene, I think, is the start of the road that will lead to the post-apocalyptic world in "Epitaph One." Remember, in that episode, we saw Ambrose download his personality into Victor and several other Actives to announce Rossum is taking over the world through this new style of body snatching. If a piece of a serial killer is sleeping inside an Active, why not a whole person in more than one body?

This episode, written by Tim Minear, is the darkest episode yet, but also generates a lot of discussion about sexual fantasies, and how some men see women. Comparing the motivations of Terry and Professor Gossen really reflects that. Again, though, we see clues to how we may be headed to "Epitaph One," all because one big company wanted to to fulfill the fantasies of those would pay for it.

The show takes a week off next week for baseball, but this will happen only once. Episode four, "Belonging," is said it be another excellent episode. It's coming on the 23rd.

As for the ratings, they went up to 1.0, and 2.25 million viewers. The fan campaigns are working, and Fox seems to be reminded of that. Making promos of the show would also help. After all, some very special guest stars will be coming to the Dollhouse...including someone who may start reprogramming brains about seven years after the Academy did it to her.

Echo's Not Ready To Be Pushing Daisies

2009-10-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Last year, I saw one of my favorite shows die a slow death.
Pushing Daisies was an ABC comedy about a baker who could bring people back from the dead for a minute, and he uses it to help a detective solve crimes. The baker wound up reviving his dead girlfriend, but if he touched her again, she would be dead for keeps. Add two odd sisters and a short yet sexy lovelorn waitress...and maybe a promotions department who knew what it was doing...it's the recipe for fine TV.

Well, after the season premiere a year ago didn't meet expectations, ABC shifted its attention to those shows that still did well, from Desperate Housewives to Dancing With the Stars. It totally forgot about Pushing Daisies, and stopped airing the show in early December. The final three episodes were shown at the Paley Festival in Los Angeles three months before they were finally shown on TV...and that was done just to promote the DVD set.

The point is that once ABC seemed to forget Pushing Daisies' existence, its ratings went down, and the show never got the second chance it deserved.

Now let's look at what happened with Dollhouse's second episode, "Instinct". Its rating for 18-49 was 0.8, or less than two point one million viewers. That's a disappointing result, considering this is the only promo it got, and it was shown likely once.

Compare that to Stargate Universe, which was promoted to the hit by Syfy for weeks. It got two point three million viewers which is great for cable, but not if you're on Fox. Having two sitcoms as a lead-in doesn't work either.

However, gossi with Dollverse, and many other fans, are not taking this lying down. They are getting Dollhouse fans to demand Fox air all the 13 episodes they asked for. Besides, the best is yet to come. We know Summer Glau is coming, along with Ray Wise from Reaper. We still don't know how close Senator Perrin (Alexis Denisof) will be getting to the Dollhouse, and how it could affect him. Hey, we don't know if there will be an "Epitaph Two".

This is no time for Fox programming to be a "death panel" when Dollhouse is healthier than Dr. House's success stories. Give Dollhouse better promos, and no fair combining it with less-than-funny sitcoms.

If you'd like to help, do to dollverse.com or @gossi or @echoalert at Twitter.
As Echo would say, "We are lost, but we are not gone."
We will not lose. We will not be gone, and neither will the Dollhouse. Not now. Not when the real story is about to be told.

After all, ABC must regret letting Pushing Daisies die a slow death due to neglect, especially after it earned four Emmys two weeks ago.

UPDATE: Final numbers went up slightly, 0.9/3 but total viewers went down.

Recap of Dollhouse "Instinct", or What If Mommy Was The Doll?

2009-10-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

Everyone has seen a little girl play house, pretending to be a mom by taking care of a baby doll. It's all pretend, but the child looks so serious about it.
What if the roles were reversed, and you got a Doll to take care of a baby?
That's what we have this week in "Instinct", where Echo becomes a mother with very deep maternal instincts. We also hear more from Senator Daniel Perrin, and a familiar face is back.

The episode starts with Paul Ballard looking at the chair that turns Actives into anyone. He even sits in the chair, which may give Adelle DeWitt some ideas if she saw him like that. Instead, it's Topher, who chides Paul not to touch the chair. He also raves about how he's now able to program an Active at a glandular level. He says he could make someone's brain fight cancer or be telekinetic. Paul asks if Topher could do it to him, but Topher says no. "The human mind if like Van Halen," he explains. "If you just pull out one piece and keep replacing it, it just degenerates." That's proof Topher preferred David Lee Roth.

Then we see Echo in her new role, new mom Emily Jordan, in bed with her "husband" (and client), Nate. She wakes up to check on her baby boy, Jack. We even see her breast-feed. Topher may have done some tweaking to make it easier for Echo/Emily to lactate. Keep this in mind.
Next morning, we see Nate ready to go to work, For some reason, he doesn't want to bond with his son. Echo/Emily talks about this to her friend, Kelly...who's really Sierra. Echo/Emily says he works late, and has these strange phone calls. There's also a black van parked outside the house, waiting for something. That's really Paul, doing his job as a Handler. Sierra/Kelly suggests her friend relax for a night. Instead, Echo/Emily breaks into Nate's desk, and finds some photos of another woman. Nate reveals it was Karen, a woman he used to know. He apologizes for not saying anything, and suggests she rest while he takes care of little Jack.
Later that night, she hears one of his strange phone calls. He says he's calling it off, and he's going to get rid of the baby. We suspect he was talking to Adelle DeWitt, but Echo/Emily thinks it's more sinister.

Meanwhile, Senator Wes--Daniel Perrin (Alexis Denisof, by any other name) wonders to his wife Cindy if he jumped the gun after last week's press conference accusing Rossum of questionable dealings and medical experiments. He'd hoped someone would step forward, but no one has. All they have, Cindy says, is a guy who claims Rossum mailed his liver to Saturn. At least Perrin has financial records, and anecdotal proof. He did have a contact in the NSA (Lawrence Dominic, probably) but nothing solid...until someone leaves an interesting green file outside his door.

Back in Los Angeles, Adelle decides to chat with the former Miss November, now Madeline Costly. Why? EVIL!
Maddie wouldn't be surprised. She admits if she says the wrong thing, like the Dollhouse is real, guys in suits will toss her in a van and take her away. While there is no van (right now), Adelle suggests Madeline do a post-Active diagnostic. After all, the Dollhouse doesn't cast aside former Actives to the wolves. I suspected this was really a plan to turn Maddie into an Active again, sort of like the Army's stop-loss program. This wasn't the case, but I bet if there was an emergency...

Meanwhile, Echo/Emily tries to leave the house, but Nate suggests a family breakfast. She shies away from that, and calls Sierra/Kelly to help her escape. She arrives, but so does the van. She gets in, because it's time for a treatment. Paul comes in the house, and offers Echo/Emily a treatment. He hears voices, but finds a baby monitor in the crib. She and the kid have split.
Nate's upset Adelle is just sitting there with her tea. She assures him they are looking for Echo/Emily and Jack. She also points out that he asked for a mother who would bond with Jack in every way, as if she were the real mom. She even understands why he wanted this, and reveals he may give Jack up for adoption.

Echo/Emily manages to get some protection from the police, saying that she doesn't understand why Nate would change. "It's like the person I knew wasn't there anymore," she says.
Nate does arrive, and gets Jack. Paul's there to take Echo/Emily away while she demands she get her baby back.

Madeline gets her diagnostic, and she passes. Topher offers some enhancements, like maybe ventriloquism, but no dice. She's happy with her hula and ukulele...which is what Miracle Laurie does off the set (and quite well).
Paul then comes in with Echo. They try to giver her the treatment, but she gets away. She's soon knocked out, which upsets Topher because he can only wipe an Active when she's awake. Maddie is surprised that Echo really through she was Jack's mom, even though Paul said it's all make believe. Well, Maddie says, not to Echo. She wonders if she was ever like that when she was an Active. Paul plays dumb about this, but we know. It was love between them, because both wanted to believe it was real. He's also surprised to learn Maddie had a child that died from terminal cancer. She said she couldn't function after losing the child. That's when Adelle came in with a way to escape her grief, which also surprises Paul. He asks if Maddie is happy. She says she's not sad. Still, shouldn't she have some grief for her child, because it was part of her?
At the chair, Echo begs Topher to help her get Jack back. He promises he'll make her worries go away, and he does. He does the treatment, and she asks "did I fall asleep?" Topher says "for a little while."
Then Topher falls asleep....thanks to the uppercut Echo gives him. She asks if she can go, but that's a moot point.

Senator Perrin, meanwhile, is stunned to learn what the file reveals about the Dollhouse. He says the original issue is that Rossum wouldn't help his mom when she was fading from Alzheimer's. Now it's a bigger issue. His wife is worried what could happen to them, but it's a risk worth taking. They are coming close to the truth, because they have a name. We just don't know if it begins with a C, M or even A.

At the Dollhouse, Adelle asks what went wrong this time. Paul figures that because Topher changed Echo in a glandular level, "her body is stronger than her brain." Her maternal instinct, which can't be taken away, is driving her to Jack. Topher figures tweaking Echo to lactate more may have caused the problem. Well, it's more than that. She's at Nate's house with the baby, and a knife.
She won't give up Jack, and threatens to stab Nate. He then admits he needed an Active to be a mom to Jack, because Karen, the real mom and his wife, died in childbirth. He actually blamed his son at one point. That's why he did all this. Now, he's telling Echo he's not his mom, and can't be anymore. She's devastated, but gives up the child. We don't know if he decides to raise Jack, but he should.

Afterwards, Paul sees Echo in shock. "All of these things that happen to me," she says, "I feel them", rather than remember them. She can't believe they'd make her think she was Jack's mom, then take him away. Paul says maybe it's too tough for Echo to help him bring down the Dollhouse. Maybe he can help her forget these feelings she's having after the engagements.
"Feeling nothing would be worse," she says. "I'm awake now."
That last line is telling. Madeline says that she wasn't sad anymore she lost a child to cancer, thanks to being an Active. But is she still, in a way, asleep?
Echo would rather be wide awake, and be a real live girl...pain and all.

While people raved about Eliza Dushku's performance as Echo and Emily, I was a bit put off at the end. The episode made Emily a little too paranoid, only because she didn't know what was happening. That's the idea when you hire an Active, but it didn't work very well. I also didn't like the thunder in Echo/Emily's confrontation with Nate. It was over-the-top.

"Instinct" was written by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, the creators of Reaper, which was about a guy whose dad may have been Satan. We just know Ray Wise, who played Satan, will be on Dollhouse soon, likely complete with three-piece suits that are fashionable and evil. Maybe.

The show returns next week, then takes a break for baseball that may last one to three weeks.
Judging from the ratings, however, it could be longer than that. "Instinct" pulled in less than 2.1 million viewers, although it was a terrible Friday for Fox. The premiere of Stargate Universe had 200,000 more viewers, but that is big news that cable bested Fox and the CW. It's also sad news for the Dollhouse, now that at least one obituary has popped up on the internets.
Well, let's take some other factors into consideration: they didn't show any promos for Dollhouse until the night before. What promo they did show was basically this...

Combine comedy with sci-fi? Can't do it, unless you're Red Dwarf.
Eliza Dushku will spread the word about the show next week on Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman. Let's hope it helps for episode 3, "Belle Chose". If not, it may another slow death, just like what ABC did to Pushing Daisies last season.
Then again, whose idea was it to think stale sitcoms could draw sci-fi fans like honey? Human Target, which is coming early next year, could have been a better idea for Friday nights.

From the Land Beyond, a Gentleman

2009-09-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Sacramento recently hosted a horror movie convention. It's part flea market and part mini-Comic-Con, as people get to talk to actors from their favorite movies and TV shows.
In my case, it's another chance to see a real Gentleman...about a year after I met the other one.
As you can see, it's Camden Toy, who attended the three-day event meeting with Buffy fans who known him for that role, but not usually for his two other roles, Gnarl and one of the Turok-Ham Uber-Vampires.
"Some of them come up to me and go 'wait a minute, I know you did that and that, but you did that character, too?'" he says. "It's always fun to be able to surprise people that are fans but still don't even know there were certain characters that you did.
"The dyed-in-wool fans will recognize me," he continued, "but it's interesting how, if you're under this much makeup, which is five hours of makeup, you don't get recognized, It's kind of a funny double-edged sword in a way."
Still, he also noticed that visiting Sacramento gave him a chance to visit his sister.

Last Sunday, he was part of a panel on movie villains with Tony Todd, known for Candyman and most recently on 24, and Bill Moseley, known for Repo! and The Devil's Rejects. Toy said that Gnarl was one of his favorite roles. "That was such a fun character", she said, "because he was incredibly multi-faceted and so well-written." He also praised the make-up work for bringing him to life.
Toy also recounted how he was cast as a Gentleman in "Hush." He said his agent called him about the role, and had to meet Joss later that night. Todd and Moseley helped Toy "recreate" his meeting with Joss Whedon and casting director Lonnie Hamerman. He recalled how they described the role, that his character floats to people's rooms, steals their hearts and smiles a lot. He did his audition and, according to him, this was Joss' reaction...

Toy may have been exaggerating, but he admitted "I thought either I got the role, or he thinks I'm a total psycho." Of course, Toy got the role, and he and Doug Jones made TV history as the scariest Gentlemen TV has ever seen. He also revealed the episode was originally named "The Laughing Man."

Toy later came back in season seven as one of the Turok-Han Vampires Buffy had to battle. "It was such a physical role," he said. "I think they were talking about probably having a stunt man do the role." However, then-showrunner Marti Noxon wanted someone who could put more feeling in the role, someone like Camden Toy. Thanks to a little help from makeup and special effects artist Rob Hall. Toy got his third role on the show. He also said it was the first role he didn't audition for, and the first time had to have a physical. He admitted he was surprised about that.

Toy can currently be seen in Mansfield Path, a horror picture that he describes as similar to The Crucible, but with a creature stealing souls. Toy is one of the elders in the village. He also did a short film for Jason Connery that he described as an English farce.

Aside from meeting Toy again, I found this very rare piece of Buffy lore...

This is from the press kit of the original 1992 movie, and I'd say I got this at a good price. Many people have the Sunnydale High School Yearbook, but this is harder to get.
There was one other thing...

I don't recall anyone making Halloween masks turning the faces of presidents into monsters, like a werewolf version of Bill Clinton. I guess this may be popular during Halloween. I just hope we don't see this after that time.

Recap of Dollhouse "Vows", or It's More Than Just Echo

2009-09-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

When Dollhouse first premiered last February, we saw the picture of a woman surrounded by mannequins, and the slogan, "She can be anyone, except herself."
Season two has arrived, with the slogan, "Anyone can happen." Those words sum up what Echo has become, and what she wants to do.

"Vows" is written and directed by Joss Whedon, the first time since "Ghost". He made a wise choice to give equal weight to Echo's Mission of the Week, Dr. Saunders dealing with what she really is, and how Paul Ballard changes the mix inside the Dollhouse.
It begins about three months after "Alpha" and 9.75 years before "Epitaph One." Echo is getting ready for her latest mission, with her handler and Topher looking on...and Paul Ballard? Yes, he has joined the Dollhouse under his terms, and Topher considers him a "frenemy." He also sees a scene from "Bride of Frankenstein" suddenly show up on the monitor. For some reason, he thinks Dr. Saunders is to blame.
Then we see Adelle DeWitt (with less hair) debate Echo's latest mission with Boyd Langton, head of security. He wonders if she's ready for this, while Adelle says they have to let Paul in under his terms. It's a lot better than taking an "extreme" solution, and she still has plans for him. She also sees Victor, whose face is healing nicely after being cut by Alpha. She even touches it, although there was a time she would touch more than just his face. Anyway, Adelle also notices Paul is obsessed with Echo, and is probably looking for a darker purpose or weakness within the Dollhouse. Still, Boyd thinks the plan Paul has proposed is a little sick.
The plan: Echo marries a man who could be an arms dealer. It's a mixture of The Bourne Identity and Madame Butterfly.

At the Dollhouse, Topher wakes up from a nap. Ivy says she's been dealing with a serious backup of clients. He calls it the autumn rush. Sierra suddenly shows up, again dressed up in something from Mad Men and talking like Mary Poppins. Ivy goes to give Sierra a treatment, but she prefers Topher because she's not comfortable with Orientals.
Moving on, Topher and Ivy discuss the Jonas Brothers when he suddenly finds the cupboard filled with big white mice. Dr. Saunders, again? Yeah, it's her. She was doing a prank that Topher would find funny, although he claims she is being crazy all by herself. "I know what I know," he explains. Sound familiar?

Boyd comes into her office, and she suddenly gets serious. He asks why Saunders doesn't get her face fixed (which will happen eventually, according to "Epitaph One"). "Without my scars," she says, "I might as well be one of them." The truth is, Saunders is an Active who replaced the original Dr. Saunders. She also doesn't like the fact she was created by a "sociopath in a sweater vest." Boyd suggests she should escape the office or have dinner with him. She says she's too afraid of people, pets, sunlight and everything else. He says he knows a lot of imperfect people who are filled with excuses. She asks him, why is he here? Hopefully, we'll find that out.

Back to Echo's wedding, or rather Roma's wedding, her new husband, Martin Klar, can't wait to start his honeymoon with his bride. They do just that, with Paul watching. You have to wonder if he misses Mellie/November. The next morning, we see Echo/Roma meeting with Paul. What's more she knew he was listening to the wedding night. Still, it's all part of the mission to find out Klar's next deal and bring him down. "I think you might be a demon," Paul says. "I'm justice," Echo/Roma says, "I'm blind when I need to be blind." Then Echo's handler shows up to say she needs a treatment.
Actually, it's Dr. Saunders doing a mid-mission checkup. During this time, Echo has a flash or memory. She's at a party when Saunders shows up, dressed almost identically to Echo. They approach each other, and seem to kiss when Echo calls Saunders "Whisky". She even remembers that Saunders/Whisky used to be the top Active, but Saunders asks if she remembers Alpha cutting her face. As Echo leaves, Saunders says she should go be her best. "No one is their best in here," Echo cryptically says.

3000 miles away, Senator Daniel Perrin, who looks a little like Wesley Wyndham-Price, asks several people, "What is more precious to a human being than their mind?" He talks about how he lost his mom to Alzheimer's Disease. He accuses Rossum of holding back medical advances that he says could help everyone. Of course, Adelle and Boyd are seeing this, and wonder if Perrin could be a threat. Boyd says Perrin has money and connections, and now a cause. He might bump into the Dollhouse if he gets too close to Rossum. They even wonder if Paul may have thrown Perrin a couple of hints. Paul isn't saying much, but he tells Adelle she should watch out for Boyd because Paul knows why he's in the Dollhouse. This leads to a bout of one-upmanship about motives and such. She asks why he's not asking about Mellie/November, and suspects he's more interested in Echo. So, why not be her new handler? He won't get what he wants from her, Adelle adds. She can still send Echo in the Attic, if necessary. Paul is sure that won't happen too soon because he knows Echo is evolving, and "you want to study the rat before you slice it up." Adelle sees his point, but also notes what they learn from Echo adds to Rossum's research and bank account. She even admits she wants someone in Echo's corner that cares about her. Well, that is Paul, no matter why he's there. He still says Adelle's working an angle, but so is he. Why else would he suggest Echo marry an evil arms dealer to arrest him?
At that moment, one of Klar's henchmen has found a very damaging photo of Echo with Ballard. The honeymoon's over.

Now comes the best scene in the episode, featuring Fran Kranz and Amy Acker in a drama that riffs on Taming of the Shrew and Pygmalion. Topher is snoozing when Saunders snuggles up to him wearing a very short slip. He's surprised she's "being her best" all over him. She insists this is the endgame: "You design someone to hate you so you can convince them to love you." Topher says he could whip up his own love slave, but that's not how he rolls. "But winning over your enemy," Saunders continues, "the one person guaranteed to reject everything you are, that's real love." Well, actually, it's Taming of the Shrew, and the default ending of nearly every romcom movie in the past 100 years. You're not Katherine, Claire, or Sandra Bullock or Katherine Heigl.

"Because you're better than that," Topher says. He wanted to design a doctor to replace the old Dr. Saunders who was killed by Alpha. This act is important because it also shows Topher has guilt over how Alpha went mad. That's why he wanted Whiskey/Dr. Saunders to be more than "just a Roomba."
This confuses Saunders even more: "How do I go through my day knowing everything I think comes from something I can't abide?" She also admits she doesn't want to change, either: "I'm not even real. I'm in someone else's body, and I'm afraid to give it up...I'm just a series of excuses."
Topher just says, "You're human." "Don't flatter yourself," she responds.
He wasn't.

So how is Echo doing? She's trying to find any clues to what Martin has planned. He catches her trying to break into his desk, and warns her it's an heirloom. Then he slams her head against the desk. This causes her to start losing control over her imprint. Klar accuses her of playing him for a fool. She insists she loves him, and that all she wants is to be Mrs. Eleanor Penn.
Oops.

She's soon taken to his plane, and Klar tells her of his deal to make some dirty bombs. Paul has to step in, and we see he's met Klar before. While Klar tells Echo/Roma how Paul's never caught anyone while in the FBI, including him, Paul notices Echo's jumping through several imprints. He hits her, trying to wake up the girl he "met" at the Chinese restaurant in "Man on the Street" (and told him the Dollhouse was real). That girl comes back to clobber Paul, and everyone else. She winds up capturing Klar which officially ends the honeymoon.

Back at the Dollhouse, Boyd goes to Dr. Saunders' office. All he finds is a note that says "I am running out of excuses." We see her drive away, and we can hope she can find her own "Happy Town". If not, or the show gets cancelled faster than The Beautiful Life, she'll be back. At least we saw her in "Epitaph One."
We also see Sierra with Victor. She touches his face, and he holds her hand. We have to root for these guys, right?

As for Echo, Paul tries his best to thank her, even if she doesn't remember.
"I remember everything," she says. "Sometimes I'm someone else. And then I come back, but I still feel them, all of them. I've been many people. I can hear them. Sometimes suddenly. I'm all of them, but none of them is me? Do you know what's real?"
"Caroline," he answers. We see now he'll take that handler job now.
"I want to find her," she says. "I want to find all of them...We are lost, but we are not gone."

Has Echo become the heroine we have always wanted to root for? It seems so. She knows what she is, but she also wants her identity back, and know who else she has been. Again, we know from "Epitaph One" she made some progress in that department, even at the cost of her health.

So what happens now? How will the Dollhouse deal with an Active suddenly on the loose, or another Active who is no longer an empty shell until you fill her with someone? Is Topher more redeemable than we think? What is Boyd's backstory? And if Senator Perrin finds the Dollhouse, would he consider it an abomination or a godsend?
This season, the Dollhouse is more than Echo and her search of self. It's how the Dollhouse affects those inside it, and eventually the world. We'll see how what happens today may lead to the nightmare of "Epitaph One"..or maybe how to avoid it.
The original plan was to include another glimpse of Los Angeles 2019 in the season premiere, but that was changed. We may revisit that world in the future.
All I am saying is if we see Ray Wise as a guy named Ambrose, panic!

As far as the ratings are concerned, it's not a good start. Friday night hasn't been the new "appointment TV" as some had hoped. The show pulled in 2.57 million viewers, a little less than the lead-in, the sitcom Brothers. DVR numbers have kept the show alive. Let's hope that still matters now.

Dr. Horrible Stops the World With Emmy Win

2009-09-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

When it was announced last July that Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was up for an Emmy Award last July, I said this was history in the making. It would be the first time that internet-only content would compete with webisodes made for established shows, and a Super Bowl halftime show.
On September 12th, 2009, Dr. Horrible stopped the world, not with his freeze-ray but with a song. The musical won the Emmy for Special Class, Short-Form, Live-Action Entertainment Program. This also marks the day Joss Whedon won his first Emmy Award.

So what happens now?

Will the Emmys add more categories for internet shows, including Felicia Day's The Guild? Her show started season three with a bang thanks to a popular video that became an instant hit on YouTube and iTunes. From there, thousands of fans are embedding episodes into their blogs, as they worry about how the Knights of Good will defeat their latest enemy, the Axis of Anarchy.

However, it doesn't stop there. Lisa Kudrow, who won an Emmy for Friends, is making her mark on the net thanks to a sitcom called Web Therapy. Jon Heder, best known for Napoleon Dynamite, will be part of a zombie comedy called Woke Up Dead for Crackle.com in October. Along with classic shows, theWB.com has a number of original shows for the net including Children's Hospital, Rockville, CA and The Lake (directed by 90210's Jason Priestley).

There's a growing number of people who are weary of reality shows, too many spinoffs, and shows that all look the same. They are turning to the internet for original programming that may be edgier or quirkier than what HBO, Showtime or basic cable may provide. Once the internet gets a loyal audience, the Emmys will have to recognize that form of entertainment. It took years to allow cable TV shows to compete for Emmys, and it may not be long before internet programs will be welcome, too. While it may be years away before an internet drama may compete against Mad Men or 24, giving web-only shows their own categories is a start, and something the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences should consider in the near future.

As Dr. Horrible would say, "it's a brand new day," and he's the one who brought it to the Emmys.
Or to recycle an old show biz quote, we can all relax, because Joss has got his Emmy. There better be more where that came from, Emmy!
Too bad the songs from the musical weren't nominated. They were a lot better than what has won in the past two years, and he and Jed could have picked one up, too.