Joss Whedon is brilliant.

If you have watched any of Whedon's projects in the past you probably know the above statement to be true. From co-writing (and winning an Academy Award) for Toy Story to creating Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, Dollhouse, & Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, or his work on other's creations such as Marvel's Astonishing X-Men and Runaways, Whedon is always at the top of his game.

He's also the master of taking a failure in one medium and creating a cult classic in another. Witness the life of Buffy, it started out as a failed movie, was turned into a long running, cult classic television series that was a hit with critics, and now it's a several year long Comic book.

Now 2 of Whedon's projects are heading to your home. On October 12 Dollhouse Season 2 hits shelves on DVD and Blu-ray and on January 4th the 8th Season of Buffy does the same.
Dollhouse is Joss Whedon’s take on the ultimate identity theft and follows a cast of Actives, or Dolls, who serve as agents of Dollhouse, an illegal underground organization providing elite clientele with programmable human beings. Personality imprints allow Actives to temporarily become anyone or anything—the perfect burglar, lover, spy or assassin. When the mission is completed, memories are wiped clean. The all-star Dollhouse cast is led by Eliza Dushku as Echo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tru Calling, Angel) and Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard (Battlestar Galactica).

The second season comes with several special features including a retrospective with Joss Whedon and cast roundtable about the series. A gag reel and deleted scenes from top episodes. But probably the coolest, and most anticipated extra is the 28 page exclusive limited edition comic book by Dark Horse Comics.

In the comic, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, joined by longtime Buffy the Vampire Slayer artist Cliff Richards, take us on an intricate trip through the precise moment when the Active technology went global, and how the protagonists from Epitaph One and Two narrowly avoided death, and worse. Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen wrote the Epitaph episodes of Dollhouse Seasons One and Two, and currently write for the Starz series Spartacus. This is their first work in comics. Artist Cliff Richards has drawn more Joss Whedon-related comics than any other artist, including issues of Buffy Season Eight.If you don't follow comics, you might be wondering what Buffy season 8 is, as the television series ended with Season 7. Well for the past several years Buffy, as mentioned above, has lived on in comic book form. This 8th season picks up after the destruction of the Hellmouth in the explosive finale of the television series, Buffy and her trusted friend Xander have relocated to a citadel in Scotland to oversee the thousands of newly activated slayers from across the globe. Using their new home as command-central in their fight against evil, Buffy and her allies lead these new slayers as they take on vamps, zombies and now the U.S. government who declare, in the wake of Sunnydale’s destruction, that slayers are nothing more than international terrorists.

Those comics have been turned into Motion Comics, in which the frames from the comic are animated and voice actors read the lines, instead of their being text bubbles. The very first episode of the motion comic series is available now on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com), with new episodes available every week from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. iTunes episodes are available for $.99/$1.99 HD each, or with a season pass for $14.99/$29.99 HD and can be found at www.iTunes.com/Buffy. All 19 episodes will make their official debut on DVD January 4, 2011 which will include limited edition Jo Chen packaging and a collectible reprint of Dark Horse Comic’s first book in the series.

And if that's not enough Jones Soda has created 6 custom themed “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” Motion Comic labels which can be purchased on their website. You can see them below:

As a big fan of Whedon I can honestly say I'm eagerly awaiting these releases.

Labels: AWESOMENESS, Buffy, Dollhouse, Joss Whedon

So this week I've bombarded you with all things Dr. Horrible, but after Saturday's Act III finale I felt it was time for a proper review of the entire 40 minute saga. But a warning: Here there by spoilers. I'll still keep things vague, but if you don't want to know anything about the show because you still haven't seen it (shame on you) then you should stop reading NOW!

As you should all know by now the plot centers on Dr. Horrible (NPH) as he tries his hardest to get into ELE (the Evil League of Evil), win over the love of his life, Penny (Felicia Day), and avoid being torn apart by his nemesis, the complete lunkhead Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). Act I opens with Horrible sitting in front of his computer blogging about his evil laugh, his attempts at joining ELE and answering a few letters. One of the letters asks about the "her" he always mentions on the blog, which sends Horrible into the first song, "Freeze Ray" about the girl from his laundry mat, and how he'll use his freeze ray to win her over. (This is the catchy-ist song of the bunch and probably my favorite) When his song is interrupted by his pal, Moist, he receives a letter from Bad Horse, the head of the ELE saying they are watching him and considering his entry into the League. Seems this couldn't come at a better time as Horrible is about to pull a big heist (robbing a currier van) that will help complete his freeze ray (It freezes time, not people).

It's at this big heist he runs into both Penny (who he officially mets for the first time, telling her his name "Billy") and Captain Hammer. The latter of which tries to foil the robbery, but gets distracted when he sees Penny. The two sing a duet and are clearly falling for each other. Act I end with Horrible a little bruised and realizing he's just introduced his nemesis to the girl of his dreams.

Act II opens straight into a song "On the Rise" which lets us know that Billy/Horrible has been following Penny & Capt. Hammer and that Penny is falling hard for the "Hero." But at the same time Billy and Penny have become close friends and laundry buddies. But while his relationship with Penny has gotten better, his relationship with the ELE has started to deteriorate.

It seems that Horrible's latest caper, to use his freeze ray at the Mayor's ball has been thwarted. Apparently the LAPD and Capt. Hammer also read his blog and were there to stop him, a performance the ELE saw and were not impressed with. Instead the ELE commands that he assassinate someone in order to join the League. As we've seen thus far Billy is really just a good kid with a great heart, so to him killing is really out of the question. So he's not sure what to do, something he confides in Penny, without giving her the details.

It's during this laundry session that Penny tells Billy that things will be ok. She tells of her own troubles and how happy she is now that she's found "love." But as she sings this to her "Billy Buddy" its apparent that she may not be so happy after all, especially when she and Billy almost kiss. But before they do she remembers that her beau is on his way to met her and her good friend. Billy is clearly not ok with this and tries to leave but Hammer arrives before he can.

Hammer doesn't appear to recognize Horrible when Penny introduces them, but when she walks away it's apparent that he not only recognizes him, but he plans to sleep with Penny simply because Horrible wants her. It's in this moment that we finally see just how much of a self-involved, sleazeball Hammer really is. And this revelation brings about a realization in Horrible, if he has to kill someone it might as well be Hammer. End Act II.

Act III finds the city abuzz with news of Hammer and his new girl, Penny. Hammer has helped Penny get a building donated for the homeless and there's to be a ceremony in his name honoring him for his great work. Meanwhile Horrible is working on something big, in order to kill his nemesis at this ceremony. Also we see Penny alone at the laundry mat waiting for Billy, and wondering is Hammer is really the guy for her.

At the ceremony Hammer gives a big, musical speech about how wonderful he is for helping the homeless and once again shows us how much of a tool he really is. And finally Penny seems to realize it too (and I think she finally realizes her feelings for Billy as well) and she slinks off the stage while Hammer continues to sing.

Enter Horrible and his freeze ray, which works and stops Hammer in his tracks. For the first time we are catching a glimmer of evil in Horrible, not a lot, but some. At this point I'll skip over some of the details and say Horrible finally gets his wish to join the ELE. And the series ends with him singing about finally making it. But as we're shown him gaining power, respect, money, and entrance to the ELE, we also see that the cost of it all might not be worth the gain. In a haunting last shot we cut from an especially evil Horrible entering the ELE to Billy sitting alone in front of his computer and clearly upset.

You see in the end while he got what he wanted he lost the one thing that he REALLY wanted. Before when Billy is in front of his computer he's always in costume as Horrible, but in that last shot he's just Billy in normal street clothes. I read a comment on IMDB which really seems to nail it. Before he was just sweet natured Billy dressing as Dr. Horrible, because he wanted to be something more. But in the end Dr. Horrible has become his life and he really just longs to be Billy once more.

The series really takes a dark turn in Act III, while up until that point it had been funny and whimsical. And while many writers can rip your heart out of your chest, the Whedon Bros. have a unique gift of pumping your heart full of love for their characters so that when they finally rip your heart out it, it's as painful as possible. And I mean that in a good way, for while it hurts to watch something like that it's a testament to their writing that they can make you care so much. In the end the series boils down to one main thing, it's the origin story of a Supervillian, and a dang good one at that.

Labels: Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon, NPH

Do you like Joss Whedon?
Do you enjoy Sci-Fi?
Do you enjoy the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, or Firefly?
Do you Love Musicals?
Do you love the movie Serenity?
Do you have an affinity for Neil Patrick Harris?
Do you like Good Music?
Can you not get enough of Nathan Fillion?
Do you love the Buffy musical episode, Once More With Feeling?
Do you like Superheros and Supervillains?
Do you like Good TV?
Do you like Free Stuff?
Do you enjoy having fun in any way, shape, or form?
OR
Are you human?

If you answered Yes to any of the above questions, then why aren't you watching Act Two of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Right Now?
If the answer is you already watched it, then I approve, otherwise GO THERE NOW!!!
If your answer is I haven't watched Act 1 yet, why would I watch Actt 2? Then Your Killing Me Smalls - Get on over to Act 1 NOW!

Labels: Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon, Musical, Nathan Fillion, NPH

And having just watched Part 1, It's Brilliant!!! The show is quite funny and the singing and songs are great. I can't wait to take a study break later and watch it again. NPH, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day all do an amazing job. Oh, and for you Big Bang Theory fans, the one and only Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) is Dr. Horrible's roomate, Moisture Man (or something along those line, come on I watch this at like 3am, I can't remember everything)
So what are you waiting for, click the banner to the right and watch it while you can.
Part 2 is up Thursday, Part 3 is up Saturday and Sunday it all disappears!

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Labels: Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon, NPH

You may have noticed the new banner on the right. It's for a little thing called Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. DHSAB is a 3 episode web series created by Joss Whedon and his siblings during the writer's strike. It follows supervillain Dr. Horrible (HIMYM's Neil Patrick Harris) as he blogs about life, his nemesis, Captain Hammer (Buffy & Firefly Alum Nathan Fillion), and the girl he longs after at the laundromat (Buffy Alum Felicia Day), oh yeah and it's all a Musical!!!!

Whedon told SFX magazine that "It's a classic talk-then-break-into-song musical, the songs are a pop/show hybrid - that is, the sound is poppy and (hopefully) catchy, but the lyrics progress rather than just repeat. The songs move the story. But ya can't stop hummin' 'em! (Legally. Hum-stoppage will result in up to six months in WoW (World of Warcraft) as some lame healer)."

I've been very excited about the series since it was first mentioned late last year and after seeing the preview I'm even more excited. Joss Whedon himself blogged on his website announcing that the series would hit the internet as follows:

"ACT ONE (Wheee!) will go up Tuesday July 15th.

ACT TWO (OMG!) will go up Thursday July 17th.

ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up Saturday July 19th.

All acts will stay up until midnight Sunday July 20th. Then they will vanish into the night, like a phantom (but not THE Phantom – that’s still playing. Like, everywhere.)"

There's more goodness there about what happens after it vanishes (it will be available to download for a price) and here you can see info about shirts, soundtracks, and Comic Con.
I recommend clicking the links and reading it as Whedon's pretty dang funny.

Also earlier today TV Guide posted an early review/interview with Whedon by Matt Roush. Roush was lucky enough to see an sneak preview with Whedon himself and posts a more thorough synopsis. Whedon also reveals one of the special features for the DVD release that sounds amazing:
"We’re actually going to do, in addition to the commentary, what we refer to as ‘commentary with an exclamation point’! A musical commentary that is a completely original musical, that is all commentary songs, and we’re writing that now."
That's right an all new Musical Commentary on the Musical, Amazing! The rest of the review/interview is full of some great info and worth checking out. I'm getting more and more excited about this every minute!

And for those of you wondering about Joss' ability to write a musical I direct you to find "Once More With Feeling" the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is simply brilliant.

So what are you waiting for Click on the Banner to the right and check out the trailer.

Labels: Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon, NPH

Today brings good news for fans of Joss Whedon as not one but two veterans of the "Whedonverse" have signed up for new series.

Firefly's Alan "Wash" Tudyk (recently of 3:10 to Yuma & Death at a Funeral) has been cast in the as yet untitled Kohan/Mutchnick pilot for ABC. The series is about two lifelong best friends and business partners. The two men--one straight, the other gay--have their relationship tested when they both get significant others. Tudyk will reportedly play the gay half of the duo.

Meanwhile Angel's Amy "Fred/Illyria" Acker has joined a trio of actors who will round out the cast for Whedon's Dollhouse. Along with Acker, Miracle Laurie (Medical Investigation), and 24's Harry Lennix will fill out an already fantastic cast. Whedon himself spilled the beans about the new ladies joining the cast over at Whedonesque.com. Dollhouse finds Eliza Dushku playing Echo, a member of a group of people known as "Actives" or "Dolls" who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas, including memory, muscle memory, skills, and language, for different assignments. They're then hired out for particular jobs, crimes, fantasies, and occasional good deeds. In between tasks, they are mind-wiped into a child-like state and live in a futuristic dormitory/laboratory, a hidden facility nicknamed "The Dollhouse". The story follows Echo, who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware.

Acker has been cast as Dr. Claire Saunders, the dollhouse's medical specialist who cares for the physical well-being of the Dolls. Laurie has been cast as November, another of the Dolls who does not appear in the pilot but has a recurring role throughout the series. And Lennix will play Boyd Langton, Echo's handler and former copWithin the confines of Dollhouse, Boyd seems to offer a (gruff) voice of reason, feeling morally at odds with the treatment of the Actives (or Dolls, as they're sometimes known) yet willing to lay down his own life to protect them.

As if Whedon's Dollhouse wasn't exciting enough now it's got Fred! I can't wait! Fox will begin airing the series in the fall.

Labels: Casting, Dollhouse, Joss Whedon

The official Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along website Blog has the first glimpse of the poster for Joss Whedon's new Indie project. The poster features NPH* as the titular Dr. Horrible, who will apparently be singing about pining for the girl at the local laundry mat and being defeated by his nemesis Captain Hammer.

You can check it out at the official site or see below.

*That's Neil Patrick Harris to You!

Labels: Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon, NPH

Eliza Dushku has gained some new playmates in Joss Whedon's new Fox series Dollhouse, and surprisingly none of them are Buffy Alum. But don't fret, there's still four of the eight main roles up for grabs, so we may get some Buffy Alum yet.

According to The Hollywood Reporter four main characters have been cast so far with Battlestar Galactica's Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Fran Kranz ("Welcome to the Captain"), Australian Dichen Lachman, and Enver Gjokaj tackling the roles.

The series follows a group of young men and women, called "Dolls," who are imprinted with different personalities for different assignments. They have no memories of their previous lives, until Echo (Dushku) begins to try to find out who she was. The dollhouse is the memory-erasing lab where the "dolls" spend their time between missions.

Penikett takes on the role of Paul Smith, "an FBI field agent obsessed with the urban myth of Dollhouse and a twisted romantic foil for Echo."
Kranz will be playing Topher Brink, "a twentysomething genius programer responsible for imprinting the dolls."

Lachman will become Sierra, "a doll like Echo and her friend, who has every personality in the world but her own."
And Gjokaj will play Victor, another doll and "a friend of Echo's, who is childlike when he's inactive, and everything from Errol Flynn to young DeNiro when he's active."

The other four characters remaining to be cast are:
Adelle Dewitt: The fortyish iceberg who runs the Dollhouse where the human Etch-a-Sketches reside.
Boyd Langton: Echo's handler and father figure.
November: The Tracy Turnblad of the Dolls.
Dr. Claire Sanders: The beautiful older woman with whom Topher is smitten.

Can't wait to see who Whedon gets to fill these roles, and I'm still hoping to see some familiar faces.

Labels: Dollhouse, Joss Whedon

It seems like Joss Whedon may have changed his mind. Originally the Mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, & Firefly had not planned to inhabit his new series, Dollhouse, with members of the "Whedonverse." Last fall when the series was announced Whedon had told TVGuide that his "first instinct is to probably [cast] new people because I'm already reuniting with Eliza and I don't want it to seem like a house party."

But last Thursday before the Paley Fest's Buffy tribute Whedon told TVGuide's Michael Ausiello that "I've read a couple of people [from the Buffyverse], but I'm not going to say who." He continued that this didn't contradict his earlier statements because "It's not a hard and fast rule, I just want to make sure I get the right people. And I don't want to give the impression that it's just me and my friends having a party. Some [Buffyverse alums] might work out fine. But I'm not going to just seek out people that I already know are great. That would be lazy."

Personally after being at the Paley event I'd love to see as many of the Buffyverse Alum in the same show as possible. I'd especially like to see Anthony Stewart Head, Seth Green, or Nicholas Brendan join the cast. Which Alum would you like to see?

Labels: Dollhouse, Joss Whedon

So this may be the coolest news of the Month, if not the year.

The God-Among-Men Genius that is Joss Whedon has teamed up with two Whedon-verse alum, Nathan Fillion (Firefly) and Felicia Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and "The Barnicle" himself, Neil Patrick Harris, to create a web musical.

"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" stars NPH as Dr. Horrible, a supervillian who keeps getting beaten up by Fillion's superhero, Captain Hammer. And Felicia Day is the beautiful girl in Horrible's life. The webseries will consist of three 10 min episodes, and filming started last week.

NPH broke the news during an interview over at AICN, and was soon confirmed by Joss Whedon over at Whedonesque.com. In his post Whedon said "During the strike I started writing a musical intended as a limited internet series, 3 episodes of approximately 10 minutes each. Writing with me was my brother Jed, his fiancee Maurissa, and my other brother Zack. To my shock and surprise, we finished it."

Although Whedon wouldn't give much detail on the series he did say "It's the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he's too shy to talk to. And I'm having the time of my life."

Personally I LOVE Whedon and it was one of the great moments of my life to meet him back in December, as he's one of the nicest guys around. And NPH is behind the funniest character currently on TV with How I Met Your Mother's Barney. Throw in Fillion and song and dance and I'm sold. The series' first episode hasn't even hit the net and I'm already hoping for more than the original 3 webisodes.

Thursday I'm heading to Hollywood to the Paley Center for Media's Buffy the Vampire Reunion Panel, and hoping there will be some more details revealed, and if all goes well maybe I'll get the chance to ask Whedon himself for a comment on the project. Keep watch here for more details as they become available.

Labels: Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon, NPH