Well I'm much more sanguine about the January 2009 premier of Dollhouse now that I know they are writing, and planning future episodes (if you know who is directing the 8th episode then that seems like a good sign to me!). And I think we can expect Dr. Horrible to be linked all over the interweb as soon as it is available, in fact if they want to put the DVD up for pre-order then I am ready w/cash in hand!
No Dollhouse presentation? Well, I'm going to go and eat about 14 hats now, and bash some people. Edit: on an actual serious note, sorry. 'cos I said there would be, 'cos I was told a while ago there would be.
Hmm. There's a reference in there to "the midseason two-parter, namely episodes seven and eight". Does that mean there's more than a 7-episode order now, or does this mean they're just planning it that way (which would also mean if it doesn't get more than 7 episodes, we'll end in the middle of a story)?
I'd pay to see the hat thing gossi, it'd be like the egg eating contest in 'Cool Hand Luke' except arguably better for your heart.
And Doctor Whatnow ? Has Joss made some kind of sensational internet based musical dramedy or something ? Trying to think of a way to spread the news of an internet based short ... Maybe a direct mail campaign or flyers ? Or going door-to-door ?
(i'd guess the "midseason" episodes are about preparation rather than definite commitment but it'd be nice to be wrong)
This is my first Whedonesque post.. Finally after like 5 years reading about the news I can finally comment (yay! for me, and sorry about the "not so good english". I'm from Finland so english is kind of a challenge.. I actually learnd my english from Buffy :D).
Anyhow.. Super excited about Dollhouse and the mid-season premier isn't looking so bad after all. If DH gets a good timeslot there might be hope. I'm hoping that FOX will pair it up with 24. And stay away from fridays..
Dr.Horrible is also getting my giddy intrests :D. Need some Joss stuff PRONTO!
(i'd guess the "midseason" episodes are about preparation rather than definite commitment but it'd be nice to be wrong)
However if ep 7 is part one of a two-parter, I would hope that this implies that they expect it to be aired. Otherwise its a pretty jerky thing to do ;)
I'm thinking that getting the word out about Dr. Horrible isn't going to be terribly difficult for the large, worldwide, internet based, fanbase that Joss has. One post here by His Purpleness should be enough to get the ball rolling. From there, well, we fans should be able to take it from there.
Can't Stop the Signal.
Showrunners run day to day operations. Given Joss's past we all know nothing flies by without his involvement.
As for 13 episodes. I could have sworn I read that on one of the posts on this site that linked to a confirmation of Midseason debut for Dollhouse. I think there's a commitment here from FOX and they may not want it squashed come September when people are trying to get back into the swing of things after a cut short TV season this past year.
I don't really know if this counts as self linking or not, but there's an IRC channel for Dollhouse nobody uses. If anybody does IRC. It's #dollhouse on irc.blitzed.org.
"Sarah Fain and Elizabeth Craft are the show runners."
....What?
Joss not being show-runner is pretty bad news. That, paired up with the whole "it's going to air in January instead" news that we got this week has put a considerable damper on my anticipation for this. How is Joss *not* the show-runner? (And wasn't he "co-show-runner" with David Greenwalt on Angel for the first four seasons and show-runner for the fifth?) But now he's just what, occasional writer and director? I hate to complain because I'm incredibly excited for all the up-coming Joss projects as well as the current comic projects, but this is not at all how Joss made it seem when he first announced Dollhouse. I know I'm not alone in not even imagining that Joss wouldn't be show-runner for "Dollhouse."
I'm thinking that getting the word out about Dr. Horrible isn't going to be terribly difficult for the large, worldwide, internet based, fanbase that Joss has.
I don't underestimate our might, and especially the might of a few particular people who excel in the whole web fan presence arena, but we are but a drop in these interwebbian seas. More importantly, I do think with the three stars' names and Joss's attached, plus fans efforts, it's going to rather literally be the quote people here are getting tired of, and not in the jokey tv-quoting way. This is a new method of promotion and distribution for a tv-quality short film with rather identifiable industry names attached to it.
I just hope they make sure the server can handle the traffic, if they're hosting it on their own site and not going the youtube route.
God, finally some news on Dollhouse, I've been crazy with the not-knowing! Craft and Fain were never my favorite Angel writers, but I think they can do a good job. And with Joss and Tim, it'll be a pretty nice group of people working on this. I'm very excited Joss is directing the first two episodes :)
As for Joss not being showrunner, I wouldn't worry too much. We all know how much he invests in his own work, he doesn't seem the sort to just come up with a concept he loves and then just hand it off to someone else (post-Buffy movie anyway). This isn't going to be a case of him saying 'OK guys, get on with, I'll pop my head round the door every month or so.'
Yes, I think he did rewrites on every Buffy an Angel script, or at least most of them. Well, since this came up, I was little disappointed with the writing on Buffy's last season. There are some amazing episodes (Selfless, CwDP, Showtime), but mostly I found them a little off, specially for a last season. Sleeper, Potential, First Date, Touched and a few others didn't really work for me as well as Buffy used to do. But still, some of the best TV ever.
Joss not the showrunner? Seems a bit strange considering its his and Dushku's project. Even though he wasn't the showrunner on Angel, that was probably because he had Buffy to do as well. What else is he doing at the moment that it taking him away from Dollhouse? Dr. Horrible is done isn't it? Goners is no go as far as I'm aware and Ripper is completely stalled. Is there some secret project he's not told us about?
Well, he is working on the comics. But saying he isn't the showrunner doesn't mean he won't be involved in breaking stories with the other writers. I think he's said before he already had the layout for the first seven, anyway.
I do think it's odd that he won't be the showrunner - but i don't feel like it's the end of the world. My only concern is that Sarah Fain and Elizabeth Craft wrote like four episodes of Buffy? I have no idea how good they would be at running a show. Could be awesome - could suck.
Also - different people and shows have different definitions of what a showrunner does.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Joss has always been the Executive Producer/Creator and probably too much of a control freak (in a good way) to not be in charge.
They never wrote for Buffy, they were on the Angel staff. Actually, they're great writers, I just have a tiny little problem with one of their episodes in early season four, which I can't remember the name (I'm a little rusty in my fandom, sorry). It's one of the memory-less Cordelia, I kinda hate that whole thing with amnesiac Cordelia, not necessarily Fain and Craft's fault. But if I'm right they did write Underneath, one of my favorite episodes from season 5.
He wasn't technically showrunner for Buffy for the last two seasons (Marti Noxon), all of Angel (David Greenwalt, Tim Minear, and Jeffrey Bell), and Firefly (Minear was the official showrunner if I recall correctly). But everyone involved with those shows said that Joss was very involved in all of them. I remember Boreanaz telling off someone who implied that Joss didn't give 110% to Angel, just like he did to all of his shows.
Nobody mentioned Steve DeKnight's involvement. I'm glad, because his talent was being squandered after "Angel" ended - and he was far too good for "Smallville."
As for Sarah & Elizabeth being show runners, I don't see a problem. Joss is delegating responsibility, most likely so he can use more of his energy on the creative end than on the day-to-day stuff.
Let's hope FOX will come up with the money to get Jane Espenson on board. All those writers put together will be more powerful than a tsunami on skates!
is anybody else a little bit nervous about this? with the cancellation of new amsterdam...i'm getting a little bit scared. i'm afraid they're setting us up and and we might be headed to the firefly fiasco all over again.
Yes, I think Joss was always very involved, it's just that when Buffy was starting season 7 and Angel season 4, he was a little bit more invested in Firefly. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's pretty understandable, considering he was still stablishing the show, while Buffy and Angel already had their tones set for years. I remember Marti Noxon said once that she didn't write more episodes of Buffy in the last season because people who didn't like season 6 blamed her for the things they didn't like. I think it was a shame, Marti is an amazing writer, and I dare say... season 6 was kind of my favorite... you can roll your eyes, I get that a lot :)
whiterabbit, I saw a few episodes of Moonlight, it was a decent show, but I really didn't get into it. Before I ever saw it I kinda hated it for one reason: The Warner Channel here in Brazil made this TV spot to advertise the show, and there was this cheesy guy on voice over saying "A vampire who's also a detective! You've never seen anything like it". Come on... seriously?!
If I'm not mistaken, David Fury was the showrunner for season 5 of 'Angel', but in the event of a tie (which means, in case they disagreed on a subject) Joss' was the word that mattered. Calm down, it's nothing to worry about.
Craft & Fain actually have a pretty good record, with them being producers on 'The Shield' after 'Angel' ended. They're pretty good writers, I think. So now I have to watch 'Women's Murder Club', which is the only other show they've ran.
I'm not rolling my eyes. I also like S6 and think Marti rocks. But then I'm biased, being a slug and all.
Other than that, y'all seem to be doing some serious obsessing today. Weren't Elizabeth and Sarah involved in the production side of Angel S5? Seems to me that went well. There really isn't anything like Dollhouse at the moment and once BSG is over, those fans are going to have to go somewhere. I see a certain sense in the waiting here, but I know bunk about how all this really works.
That's right, they were on The Shield! I really like that show, there's some pretty good stuff in it.
Did Steve DeKnight leave Smallville?? If he did, good for him, they didn't deserve him there.
Is someone going to kill me for posting sooooo much? I'm getting out of the lurking on Whedonesque and I'm very excited about discussing our little fandom, you people here are cool :D
Maybe Joss is not the showrunner, because he wants to spend more time with his kid(s)...I mean, running a TV show is a hell of a job, so sharing responsibility with a writing duo seems like a good way to be involved, but yet assures him time for more important things than a TV show...
Honestly, I'm fine with it. Joss usually knows what he's doing and he's so passionate about his projects that I don't think that he'll ever walk away from his projects. He'll always be involved. You always see on screen how much passion is behind his shows. That's what I liked about his other shows and I think DOLLHOUSE won't be an exception.
I'm still sad about the midseason start, but if we're lucky it leaks on to the internet before it premieres (yeah, I know that's against the rules, but everyone of us is such a hardcore fan that we watch it on TV and buy the DVDs anyway, so I can say that!). I'm also sad that it seems like there won't be a trailer this week. :(
Here's me hoping that there will be at least some pictures.
They were also Executive Story Editors on Angel and producers/supervising producers/writers on The Shield. I don't see any reason to flip out. Joss picks great people. Period. Not being showrunner will give him an extra couple hours with the family during the week. Isn't it about time his family got to experience the joy of being Joss'd? ;)
Right there with you, zeitgeist. I'm sure he'll be all over Dollhouse, and the other writers have worked with him before, they know his style very well, and they are all great. I hope Jane Espenson comes in for season 2... assuming there will be one... [EDIT: I'm now doing crazy babbling about Dollhouse season 2... and also, I think we can trust Joss, he's always managed to create things of goodiness. Even when I was this close to give up on Angel (re: amnesiac Cordelia, blegh!), it eventually went back to its form.
I remember my son, 15 minutes into the first episode, saying, "Does Joss know about this? Can he sue?" He watched it for a couple of more episodes and then claimed he had too much homework thereafter. Pretty telling critique from a teen.
Anyhoo, gee zeitgeist. Joss'd? I now have this well, somewhat inappropriate picture that I can't seem to get out of my head. :D
First, I'm not worried about the Joss-not-showrunner thing, because I have way, way too much faith in him than is healthy for me to have in anyone who's not, say, related to me. And also, it's so far all Buffy/Angel/Firefly people involved in the major stuff (Minear, Faincraft, etc.) so I'm pretty confident about the quality issue.
Second, two parter! Two parter!! In the middle of the season! When was the last time we had one of those? Because I'm thinking it was season two of Buffy, and while it's a stupid thing to be excited about, really really stupid, I was just thinking lately how much I liked What's My Line and how I wished they'd kept doing mid-season two-parters.
Anyway, I'm done being a loser.
Also, trailer? Might?! Today?!? I want to squeal in a manly fashion.
Jeff Bell was showrunner on "Angel" for seasons four and five. Am I the only person who remembers David -- was it Simkins -- as showrunner for one month on season four of "Angel"? -- then he was gone owing to creative differences. For about two seconds, it was going to be Tim Minear, but Joss Whedon felt he needed Tim Minear on "Firefly" more than on "Angel," and then TM did "The Inside," so when TM went over to "Firefly," Jeff Bell became the day-to-day showrunner on "Angel." David Fury was a writer/producer when he came aboard, but JB remained as showrunner. Joss Whedon was involved with "Angel" throughout. I am not sure Joss saying Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain are the showrunners means *anything* about Joss' involvement -- I think someone other than Joss has always nominally been the showrunner on his shows, which has not interfered in any way with the shows' ultimate Whedonness.
Angel wasn't the first vampire that was also a detective either (even just on US TV) so if that particular criticism is to be levelled at 'Moonlight' it has to be levelled at 'Angel' too.
However if ep 7 is part one of a two-parter, I would hope that this implies that they expect it to be aired. Otherwise its a pretty jerky thing to do ;)
True but i'd suppose that by the time they start shooting episode 7 they're gonna know whether there's an episode 8 - maybe Tim's mastered the cliff-hanger-semi-resolution (not like he hasn't had enough experience at the sharp end ;).
Yeah, I don't see Joss picking his first-choice gals to showrun as being anything but indicative of 1) his trust in them and 2) his desire to maintain sanity as he enters back into the Mad-Crazy-Insane-Soul-and-Time-Sucking World of TV production.
Good for him - glad he's taking care of himself. I'm sure his involvement is and will be much-gusto-plentiful - but family, sanity and all-around health gotta walk hand-in-hand with this project, or ya know what? - at the very least, ultimately less genuine 100-proof finest-kind Joss for all.
And Steve DeKnight added to Tim Minearness? Some of the dialogue in BtVS's "Dead Things" is seriously prime - very dark and very layered. I'm a happy camper lady.
Does anyone else really want to see the Dollhouse poster Joss mentioned months ago that he made when first picturing the show? Gods, that would hold me through the lack of clips at the upfronts, if that is the case.
(And I love that Joss gives Kristin the scoops now - it's a good reward for being such a staunch supporter all these years. Joss is loyal.)
Maybe we should do a little reminiscing about midseason shows that didn't tank. I'll start.
1. Buffy
2. Medium
Anyone else want to help themselves feel better? Failing this, there's always tequila, or belching, or both in combination, as a friend of mine always says.
maxsummers, how nice to find a fellow brazillian whedonite.
FOX will definetly air Dollhouse in Brazil, but I think it'll take a long time after it premieres in the US. FOX is now showing all of its programming dubbed in portuguese. The process of dubbing usually takes a long time.
The Warner Channel is only like two weeks behind the US on most shows. Tonight they will show the first Gossip Girl with little Michelle :)
EDIT: MysticSlug, Grey's Anatomy is a great example.
A thought does occur to me though. I have noticed that even though it takes a while for shows to get to us in the frozen north, it seems to be taking less longer. I wonder if the moving it to midseason (*sound of nails on chalkboard*) has anything to do with international marketing, ie. when other countries plan and buy their season line up.
max, midseason startups alway worry people. Supposedly, it's the...will stop now for fear of jinxing and the possibility of trajectile fruit.
ETA: Sorry about all the editing. Have been having trouble with my shoulder. It literally hurts to type.
If we have to wait until January for the premiere, I wonder how much we'll get at Comic Con. Would they have the whole pilot? or just a teaser? What did they do for Terminator: TSCC?
MysticSlug, mid-season isn't connected to international markets. The production companies are the ones responsible for distributing their content. For instance, all shows produced by FOX are shown by FOX in Latin America. Network decisions are only linked to their own market. The cancelation or renewal of a show depends entirely on the original US airings.
Well, according to Kristin now, Fox has ordered 13 episodes of Dollhouse: source
Gomtuu: Does "midseason two-parter, namely episodes seven and eight" mean Fox ordered six more episodes of Dollhouse?
According to Joss Whedon, Fox has ordered 13 episodes of Dollhouse.
Edit: ricetxpeaches we posted the same info at the same time, hehe
13 episodes. Well, that settles that then. Also, means it will most likely get picked up by one of the channels here, seeing as how we don't get FOX without sattelite and it isn't on broadband either.
I don't think Joss not being the showrunner determines the amount of involvement he'll have with the series. He has a finished movie script (Cabin in the Woods w/ Goddard), an unfinished movie script (Goners), as well as Buffy Season 8 on his plate. If I had a TV show, that would be my priority, but if the Man wants to have some wiggle room to be able to work on more projects than that's okay with me.
In the end, Joss is the Boss on any TV show that has his name on it. I have faith that he will be as hands-on as he has in the past. Either that, or lots of Naked Spike.
He has a finished movie script (Cabin in the Woods w/ Goddard), an unfinished movie script (Goners)
Not sure that's the way to describe this. The only reason Goners might be considered "unfinished" is because the studio kept giving him notes. Cabin, were it to be picked up, would likely have the same thing happen. So if Goners is considered "unfinished", Cabin probably should be too, on that basis. ;)
13, awesome, not trying to sound like a downer but, why would FOX order 6 more episodes without seeing how the first 7 do in the ratings?
Perhaps they love what what they've seen so far (shrug)? Wishful thinking.
13, awesome, not trying to sound like a downer but, why would FOX order 6 more episodes without seeing how the first 7 do in the ratings?
Well, if they've ordered it for midseason, they probably just want to make use of the extra six months the team's got now. If they waited until it aired to order more, then they wouldn't have the new episodes in time to put on without some sort of hiatus.
And just saying the word hiatus makes me feel nervous about this.
Phew. Glad to see that the episode number is now up to thirteen. I don't know what I would've done if the show ended on part one of a two-parter, y'know? Anyways, that just got me pumped up.
I never would've thought Ms. Fain and Ms. Craft as being the showrunners, not that I'm complaining. I enjoyed their episodes on Angel and I'm sure they'll do a great job on Dollhouse as well. Good luck to 'em.
If we have to wait until January for the premiere, I wonder how much we'll get at Comic Con
If there is anything happening at Comic-Con for Dollhouse, you can expect the California Browncoats to be helping out. Plus, you can expect Dr. Horrible promotion type stuff to be happening as well. We meant it when we put "to promote Firefly and Serenity and their fandom, cast and crew through charitable works" in our mission statement.
Patience for a fandom is a bit like a mother's love right zeitgeist? I'm glad that there's a 13 ep order, yay. And as far as the mid-season news goes: we all know this is going to be the most awesome hour of TV ever so the details really don't matter. Anyone who views it will become enthralled and be blissed-out for days after consumption. It will be like TV crack, televrack, so we have no need to worry about anything. That's my story anyways and I refuse to unstick from it. ;)
I'm still glad its midseason even though that means we have to wait longer. It will have less competition and less chance of getting lost in the shuffle.
FOX has ordered 13 episodes and there might be photos and/or a teaser today? Life is good. Don't care if I have to wait till January to see Eliza back on my TV. :-D
13 episodes That is great news, I am hoping the January start will get many new faces watching, I too hope they pair it with 24. Even though Moonlight was definately no Angel I am sad they have cancelled it but it leaves Jason Dohring open to come on over to Dollhouse. Wouldn't that be a treat if Joss got JD and Michael M :)
I just can't wait til January, and I sooooo hope Fox does not screw this up.
Yay, 13 episodes! At least I know I'll have more to watch in hospital after I've chewed off my own arms while waiting. I can't even think about the possibility of a trailer or promo stuff appearing or I'll start doing some real life squeeing and freaking people out.
Truebix, when you become dictator, will you be banning the use of converse on less than young people and late night popcorn attacks? I was just wondering because I have this thing...
I was also thinking that choclate fudge frosting on graham crackers would make a great national food.
And obviously, Joss' works should be a mandatory part of the national curriculum.
Joss wasn't the showrunner for the majority of Angel's run and that show ended up being better than Buffy. So, I'm not concerned. David Eick is Battlestar Galactica's showrunner, with Moore functioning as more of the head writer, correct? On Dexter Clyde Phillips was the showrunner with Daniel Cerone being the head writer. That might change now that Eglee (a former Shield writer/producer, like Fain and Craft) has taken over, but still. That has worked out pretty well for those shows.
Provided Joss is in the room (and, given that he's directing the first two episodes, he'll be on set), I feel pretty safe in the creative direction of the show.
Personally, while I hate having to wait, I'm viewing the midseason start as a good thing. Plus... 13 episode order! Frankly, I was preparing to only ever have 7 episodes of the show. Being a midseason show means that 13 episodes will be filmed and ready for a DVD release regardless of ratings / network interference. I'm hoping for a nice Wonderfalls-esque season where we'll get a good mini-series with a beginning, middle, and end even if we never get our season 2.
Wow... I believe I'm being optimistic in my pessimism. But I'm sorry, after you're burned enough times (Firefly, Wonderfalls, The Inside, Drive) you become a bit more cautious about using the stove.
But here's crossing our fingers for another brilliant long living Joss series. I am beyond thrilled to have the master back in television. New Joss every week instead of every few years (movies) is the way I like it.
Please Fox. Don't screw this one up. Support a Joss show and you will discover that you have a keeper.
If this becomes a Wonderfalls kind of thing it'll be ok, at least we'll get closure.
But I do believe Dollhouse will achieve more. I think FOX wants to make it a big hit. They want to make Eliza Dushku the next big star. It definetly looks that way, and it seems we'll be getting a lot of advertisement, it seems like it's being really well-planned. I'm totally in for the ride!!!
EDIT: To me, of all the actresses in the Buffyverse, Eliza is the one with the most star potential.
Well, I'm just smiling ear-to-ear that Joss is happy working in the television element once again, I know it was a hard road getting back to this point. The past few years have been very bleak without Joss. Gosh, how we missed him!
Now, we must figure a way to pry Jane away from Ron Moore. Won't be easy, he knows talent when he sees it and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Ron keeps her on with "Caprica".
Two men, a boy, a pry bar, and a small nuclear device? ;)
As much as I would love to see Jane write some Dollhouse, I've read the premiss for "Caprica" and it looks pretty interesting. It's probably the show I'm most excited about seeing in the not too distant future, behind "Dollhouse". It might make me a bad Joss fan but, I wouldn't mind Jane writing for either series.
Right-ho. There's a two minute trailer pending for Dollhouse, titled 'Who Are You?'. I'm not sure exactly when it'll go online, but we've got a page up for it when it does.
Buffy episode Who Are You has been on my mind a lot with the concept for Dollhouse, and of course it's star so that seems like a great name for the trailer. Oh, and, eeee!
Right-ho. There's a two minute trailer pending for Dollhouse, titled 'Who Are You?'. I'm not sure exactly when it'll go online, but we've got a page up for it when it does.
If I remember correctly, it wasn't too long ago that episode 8 was being written by Joss's brother and his fiancee, even though there was only a seven-episode order. I wonder if they've been moved to another ep?
Also, what does consulting producer mean? Are they on staff?
Seeing Red? Fie! Jane, though, yes. :-) And Sandy Llama, got disagree with ya there that Angel was better than Buffy, though of course ymmv for all of us. ;-)
I do worry here. I take the tack that a midseason show faces problems because by that time viewers have built interest and loyalty in shows and are not always willing to switch to something new. And 13 eps is great, but they had 13 eps for Firefly, too, and look how that turned out. And I would prefer Joss being daily involved as showrunner more than "guiding light" but that's his call.
Right-ho. There's a two minute trailer pending for Dollhouse, titled 'Who Are You?'. I'm not sure exactly when it'll go online, but we've got a page up for it when it does.
I do worry here. I take the tack that a midseason show faces problems because by that time viewers have built interest and loyalty in shows and are not always willing to switch to something new.
Yes, but then again, Dana: less competition when it starts. And if it gets a good lead-in, it won't really matter that much either way. There have been midseason shows before, which have been succesfull, like people have cited in this thread. Am I worried Dollhouse might be cancelled? Yes, because that's always a possibility, with any show on any network. Am I worried more because it's a midseason starter? Nope, don't think it'd matter much either way, chance-wise. There's too much other (some of them random) factors to predict how it'll play anyway, untill it actually starts.
Now, if they put Dollhouse in a bad timeslot, and/or mess up the airing order or break up the schedule, then we can worry. But so far, I have faith in the new FOX-guy running things. His trackrecord seems very good. Also: I'm tired of being cynical about this whole process. I'm ready to fall for a new television show and geek out and maybe regret that later, but really... this should be the fun period. So I'm determined to let it be fun[1].
[1]I'm like on of those party-"nazi's": "have fun, or I'll kick your ass". I hate people like me.
While I am disappointed to hear Joss won't be the front-and-center showrunner, I suppose when actually reflecting back on all of his TV work he never really had that label attached to him despite being the guiding light and force behind everything.
So, hopefully it actually is not a negative even that is how I'm feeling at the moment for some odd reason (... must just be because there hasn't been a Jossverse on television for so many gaping seasons).
"But despite Sarah's reservations, Dead Things rates as the one for which Steve is most proud and his personal favorite of any episode he's written for either series. But he's quick to share his reasons why it's dear to him. 'Hats off to the amazing [director] Jim Contner for that episode. I thought he did an amazing job. And Lisa Lassek, the editor on that did just phenomenal work. Sometimes, you have an episode where everybody ''shows up''. The actors are spot on. The direction is great, the editing, the music, etc... That was just one of those episodes where everything just came together.'" (City of Angel, 2003)
My expectations are set pretty low, so saying look how Firefly turned out doesn't freak me. I was worried that we could get a Drive situation, with only four or five eps filmed and then cancellation. It looks at least possible that all 13 episodes may be filmed, which means a DVD release, even if it's cancelled. That's nine or ten hours of Jossy goodness, the equivalent of four movies. As a worst-case scenario, that's not that bad.
"It looks at least possible that all 13 episodes may be filmed, which means a DVD release, even if it's cancelled. That's nine or ten hours of Jossy goodness, the equivalent of four movies. As a worst-case scenario, that's not that bad."
Really good point, nine or ten hours, thats more than we have gotten from Joss in years. From an optimistic standpoint, there is no bad here, we get 13 episodes or we get 5 seasons, but we know we are getting enough to sink are teeth into.
HI guys. Now I've read the whole long, long, long thread (burning eyes, auwwee). And lots and lots of discussion of dollhouse staff, BUT has anybody adressed the overwhelming question of what WE can do for Doctor Horrible? Look away from the pretty dolls, people and concentrate on helping the poor supervillain,... eh wait, his poor overworked creator, I mean. Really, the superficiality of you people. And you people call yourselves fans. Sheesch!
;)
Actually I find it a fascinating question. How do you promote stuff on the interweb? It's namely not selfevident. The web basically is already so overwrought with information and ads and whatever, that the users stay in their own rut mostly. So how do you win NEW viewers without resorting to criminally annoying spam and pop-up tricks? The mouth-by mouth thingy is slow and may not be enough. (Too the mouth-by-mouth thingy I also count fanpage and MySpace page, because to find it you have to know about it beforehand)
I mean: us here viewing Dr. Horrible is pretty much a given. But what are Joss' further plans for that blog? How about a poster contest, like for the Sarah-Connor chronicles. Gossi, you still awake?
OK, It probably was a Joss' joke (I don't think he's in need of help at all, as he's a crtified genius), but I'm still convinced that the usual methods of promotion don't take in this instance. Could be fun to hash this out. Shouldn't there be a thread on the fanpage somewhere, we can talk about this in some more detail?
To those kvetching over Joss not show-running... honestly I have only faith in Joss. He knows what he's doing, and if he's delegating, it's only to people that he trusts will do the job to his standards. He hasn't let us down before. There's no need to doubt; we haven't even seen a single episode (or that trailer... hurry up and post it!)
And as pessimistic as I sounded in my earlier post, I really am excited for this series. I'm merely saying - worst case scenario we get another Wonderfalls. Not a Drive, where we just get unceremoniously dumped and left hanging. Oh, and Drive was recent, is this new Fox-head before or after the Drive mis-handling? (Seriously, the show was only on for two weeks! Why not even show all 6 filmed eps before deciding whether to make more?)
Re: Dr. Horrible... I'd say tell everyone without being spammy about it. Social news sites like Slashdot and Digg would also be good places to submit it. And I'm pretty darn excited for Dr. Horrible too, especially after seeing how good Felicia Day was in The Guild (which I was late to the party for checking out, but glad that I did.) It's pretty cool that Joss is on the front-lines pioneering the direct-to-internet skip-the-network-middle-man model. I trust that Dr. Horrible will be amazing.
In summary: Yay Dollhouse. Yay Dr. Horrible. This is a good time to be a Whedon-ite.
No, but you can leave a message after the *BEEP*... and he will get it when he wakes up.
As far as promoting Dr. Horrible, you post it here and then people share it organically with their friends. Post reviews of it on your blogs, mention it (casually, not creepily) to people in conversation. Pitch it as something fun/funny that they might enjoy not something THEY MUST WATCH NOW OR YOU WILL TIE THEM UP AND MAKE THEM!!! Really. And pitch it to people you think would truly enjoy it; its not for everyone, nothing is. If they aren't interested, let it be or beware the backlash (and the backslash! and the slashdot as well, oh and Rick Astley and or Natalie Portman/hot grits).
"But despite Sarah's reservations, Dead Things rates as the one for which Steve is most proud and his personal favorite of any episode he's written for either series. But he's quick to share his reasons why it's dear to him. 'Hats off to the amazing [director] Jim Contner for that episode. I thought he did an amazing job. And Lisa Lassek, the editor on that did just phenomenal work. Sometimes, you have an episode where everybody ''shows up''. The actors are spot on. The direction is great, the editing, the music, etc... That was just one of those episodes where everything just came together.'" (City of Angel, 2003)
Haaa, learned how to quote neatly!
I remember Steve saying that. "Dead Things" took not only Buffy as a character to a much darker place, but also the entire hero figure. I loveeeee it. And I love the song Out of This World too, it fit in perfectly with the episode.
As for how to go about promoting Dr. Horrible, AnotherFireflyfan mentioned the Slashdot and Digg, both of which are great ideas. Mentions on Myspace and Facebook pages and post on blogs will help get more of the word out. Does anyone know how to submit a new show on tv.com? It's not the most well respected place, but they have a section for Quarterlife and had it up before it went to television (and then disappeared). I would think that Dr. Horrible would qualify in the same way. If we could get Dr. Horrible reviewed/mentioned on places like Television Without Pity and Ain't It Cool and similar tv sites that would get it on the radar screen of a lot more people. Emailing questions/requests for information to Ausiello at TV Guide and Kristen at E! might get a mention and some links.
Then there's the print media (okay, they've got a web presence too, but who doesn't?), Entertainment Weekly and Wired have both been good about mentioning Joss' work in the past. And with Dr. Horrible being seen as something that's exploring the New Media Frontier, these types of publications might be interested. And some of the newspapers with larger entertainment sections might pick up on Dr. Horrible, if the buzz gets big enough or if someone knows someone who works at USA Today, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, etc. Anyone have any contacts?
Posts on various forums, any forums, where an appropriate thread can be started (most forums have off-topic boards...or is it most boards have off-topic forums? It's getting on near bedtime.) will be another way. I know people have the skills to create avatars and banners that can be used in forums and on blogs that people already post to. Someone's bound to write and post fan fiction (it's not for everyone, but it's for some) and that will help get the word out too.
And then there's the standard gorilla marketing: posters and flyers tacked up around college campuses, city centers, comic book stores, stuck into books in the sci-fi section of local bookstores and the like; caps and t-shirts so that we can wear the mesage around town; stickers and magnets for cars and such.
For other ideas, resurrecting the threads from when we were all geeked about promoting Serenity or getting the word out about the Writers' Strike wouldn't be a bad place to start.
And, to the person/people who run the Dollverse site, I love the fact that you've created a web page for a trailer that's not even public for a web series that we have no idea when (or where) it will come out.
resurrecting the threads from when we were all geeked about promoting Serenity or getting the word out about the Writers' Strike wouldn't be a bad place to start
Um, yes that would be a bad place to start, because people were not following those threads in order to later be spammed with unrelated promotional messages.
See, that's exactly the sort of thing that gets this fandom in trouble.
AnotherFireflyFan, Reilly joined after Drive. He hasn't even been with Fox for a year and this is his first development/upfronts and scheduling at Fox.
Umm, Whitney Matheson at USA Today's Pop Candy blog (always a great read, btw) is a big Joss fan, so I imagine it'll make its way out to a wider audience there and through Kristin and other outlets (yes, Ausiello, I'm looking at you ;P). The most recent Pop Candy links to a Lost/BSG opening credits mashup! Doesn't get much better than that.
"...because people were not following those threads in order to later be spammed with unrelated promotional messages. See, that's exactly the sort of thing that gets this fandom in trouble."
What trouble? I think it's a fine idea and not unrelated at all. Dr. Horrible: From the guy who made Serenity, created during the writer's strike...
Actually, I never confirmed a 13 episode order. But I will tomorrow. (which is in one minute -- oh. It's now.) I've spoken with the Fox brass and it's all going to be pretty exciting. As you shall read...
As for running the show, yes of course I'm running it, it's my baby, but one needs co-runners, cohorts, cohabitants, a Sundance (or two) to my Butch, a Tango to my Cash, A the-guy-with-the-nose-in-Weekend-at-Bernie's to my the-guy-from-Pretty-in-Pink-in-Weekend-at-Bernies. And those of you who underestimate Liz and Sarah remind me of the demons of the week who laughed at tiny Buffy.
The only thing that excites me as much as our staff is our cast. Seeing them work just makes ideas blossom from our writer minds (SPOILER ALERT for The Fountain) like little clovery flowers out of conquistadors (END Of SPOILER ALERT and seriously, you should see that movie. It rocks.) And Eliza can't turn off the awesome. I mean it. The army is sending in tanks.
See you on the internet. Then on TV, in theaters, and of couse in the funny papers. It's a good year. Bye-ee! -j.
I'm just saying don't go apesh*t. It inevitably pisses people off, as the more excitable portions of this fandom have been known to do. There are general rules of thumb online, and one of them is "a place for everything and everything in its place". It's generally frowned upon if everywhere you turn you're running into people pimping PR for the same damned thing at you.
(ETA a quote of who I was responding to, lest someone wig out thinking I was replying to Joss with this.)
YAY! This announcement just made my entire day (and it's just 6:26am over here) Am totally giddy, and the prospect of having a trailer anytime soon?? Bring on the awesomeness of awesome!
I'm soo going to inform my peeps to let other peeps know to watch Dr. Horrible and Dollhouse, they just don't have an option :D
AFf, hold onto your hat. Since it's almost sleepy time in LA, I don't think you'll be getting a trailer quite yet. Soon. I promise. Unless I've been told lies again, in which case you get to go all Doomsday on my arse. (Neil Marshall's Doomsday = a live action Reaver movie near enough, by the way).
I've also heard the paired-with-24-thing on Mondays.
Good God! I already can't wait for Dollhouse to be on my TV, and then Joss comes in and tells me that Eliza can't turn off the awesome.... I don't think I'll stop squee-ing. Ever.
I'm willing to bet they do a big launch on a Sunday (I'm just guessing here) paired with AI or sports, then launch ep 2 on the regular slot. It draws people into the serial nature, hooks em in and gives you a big initial push. It also tells you very quickly if it's going to sink or swim, which limits financial risk.
There is always that, b!X - and don't think there isn't already a heading for them pasted into my "Best of Whedonesque" quote file, along with Pie Spoilers and my large family of imaginary children all named Jazz Whildren.
And I meantersay, it is so satisfying to hear that it's a good year for Joss. I'm remembering some other threads over the past few years when not so much, and even though he always sounds like a brave - and of course, funny - toaster, there was a tone, a flavor that usedta concern me.
Or maybe I just shoulda had kids so I could stop mama-henning grown-up type people.
13 episode confirmation and Joss telling us it's awesome (and reassuring the hyper among us that he's the Boss) - likely better than sex, even quote-y sex. (Which is what exactly bix?) Also the 24 time slot sounds good, at least it's not on a night where television goes to die. The only downer in all this is having to wait until January. I'll have to figure out how long exactly that is...
Loved season one of The Wire. I'm a little late to the game since I just finished it. (I also discovered that new vocab from The Wire does not seamlessly meld with my current lexicon - I just could not fit re-up into my normal life.;)
I sincerely hope they don't do that thing where they show one or two episodes on Sunday with the next episode on Monday. I know more than one person who missed episodes of both Drive and TSCC because they had no idea when the regular night was. Or knew when the regular night was, but had no idea they had already missed the first two episodes. :( I don't know when that has ever worked, but seems like it doesn't work nearly as well as they think it does.
At the beginning of this thread I was just sanguine (based on the imagined additional episodes for 'Dollhouse') but now, after a Joss post, I am jumping for joy! Considering that the strike was still in effect at the beginning of this year, we now have all kinds of happy to look forward to (in fact without the strike there might have been no 'Dr. Horrible'). I hope the brilliance of the show runners for 'Dollhouse' will help to insure that Joss will have time to film Goners and/or Cabin in the Woods if and when they are eventually green lit (Joss did say we would see his work in the theaters as well as on line and on TV!). It is all good.... (please God protect me from major disappointments).
And funnily enough it isn't even 11:30pm here in the Bay area (I didn't know that LA was later...).
Yeah, well, the conquistador turned into plants because he tried to concentrate the tree sap life force too much. He drank it, and poured it on his wound. That was too much. So he turned into plants. To not turn into plants, you want to spread the wealth. For example, you might want to help promote a project your fans are trying to do to build or rehab houses for those that need one with the catchy name "Mission Echo" so it can also promote your new series. Just a suggestion.
I don't know when that has ever worked, but seems like it doesn't work nearly as well as they think it does.
Cabri, T:SCC premiered to record ratings for Fox on it's Sunday slot and went on to get renewed for a second season. I'd say that's a success.
Drive, on the other hand...
I disagree with you on Dr Horrible, Simon. I think the hardcore Whedonites will find it and buy it, but if he and his friends want to reach a really wide audience they need to be smart about it.
embers | May 14, 19:52 CET
On the plus side, a mention of episode 8. Squee.
[ edited by gossi on 2008-05-14 16:54 ]
gossi | May 14, 19:53 CET
Does that mean the show is locked for 13 episodes?
Simon | May 14, 19:56 CET
ETA: Simon beat me.
[ edited by theonetruebix on 2008-05-14 16:58 ]
theonetruebix | May 14, 19:57 CET
By the way, if Joss is serious about wanting help for Doctor Horrible, can somebody involved please email me? I gots many ideas on that one.
gossi | May 14, 19:59 CET
And as for helping promote Dr Horrible, I'm ready and waiting....
The Do That Girl | May 14, 20:00 CET
And Doctor Whatnow ? Has Joss made some kind of sensational internet based musical dramedy or something ? Trying to think of a way to spread the news of an internet based short ... Maybe a direct mail campaign or flyers ? Or going door-to-door ?
(i'd guess the "midseason" episodes are about preparation rather than definite commitment but it'd be nice to be wrong)
Saje | May 14, 20:02 CET
Anyhow.. Super excited about Dollhouse and the mid-season premier isn't looking so bad after all. If DH gets a good timeslot there might be hope. I'm hoping that FOX will pair it up with 24. And stay away from fridays..
Dr.Horrible is also getting my giddy intrests :D. Need some Joss stuff PRONTO!
Basff | May 14, 20:03 CET
Sunfire | May 14, 20:05 CET
shambleau | May 14, 20:08 CET
Difference being, Craft and Fain ain't nowhere near as good as Darlton.
Vaughn | May 14, 20:22 CET
However if ep 7 is part one of a two-parter, I would hope that this implies that they expect it to be aired. Otherwise its a pretty jerky thing to do ;)
zeitgeist | May 14, 20:23 CET
He wasn't the showrunner on Angel and that turned out ok.
Simon | May 14, 20:24 CET
Can't Stop the Signal.
gt0163c | May 14, 20:24 CET
Numfar PTB | May 14, 20:26 CET
As if he needed to ask...
...
Joss not the showrunner?? =/
maxsummers | May 14, 20:27 CET
As for 13 episodes. I could have sworn I read that on one of the posts on this site that linked to a confirmation of Midseason debut for Dollhouse. I think there's a commitment here from FOX and they may not want it squashed come September when people are trying to get back into the swing of things after a cut short TV season this past year.
We'll see. I can't wait for this!
ChosenOne5376 | May 14, 20:28 CET
My point was more to do with who IS showrunner, not who isn't.
[ edited by Vaughn on 2008-05-14 17:30 ]
Vaughn | May 14, 20:29 CET
fromthecrypt | May 14, 20:30 CET
I figure that is Joss isn't the showrunner then that frees him up for other projects as well. Maybe. That is all good.
TamaraC | May 14, 20:32 CET
still... I was hoping this'd be a full-Joss-force thing.
ok, that's a good point... I'll just concentrate on this then.
...
why, oh why, january is so fricking far away???
maxsummers | May 14, 20:37 CET
dulce_serenidad | May 14, 20:37 CET
gossi | May 14, 20:44 CET
....What?
Joss not being show-runner is pretty bad news. That, paired up with the whole "it's going to air in January instead" news that we got this week has put a considerable damper on my anticipation for this. How is Joss *not* the show-runner? (And wasn't he "co-show-runner" with David Greenwalt on Angel for the first four seasons and show-runner for the fifth?) But now he's just what, occasional writer and director? I hate to complain because I'm incredibly excited for all the up-coming Joss projects as well as the current comic projects, but this is not at all how Joss made it seem when he first announced Dollhouse. I know I'm not alone in not even imagining that Joss wouldn't be show-runner for "Dollhouse."
patxshand | May 14, 20:44 CET
I don't underestimate our might, and especially the might of a few particular people who excel in the whole web fan presence arena, but we are but a drop in these interwebbian seas. More importantly, I do think with the three stars' names and Joss's attached, plus fans efforts, it's going to rather literally be the quote people here are getting tired of, and not in the jokey tv-quoting way. This is a new method of promotion and distribution for a tv-quality short film with rather identifiable industry names attached to it.
I just hope they make sure the server can handle the traffic, if they're hosting it on their own site and not going the youtube route.
Sunfire | May 14, 20:45 CET
Seriously.
I'm more concerned about how the show will get treated by the network, if I'm honest.
gossi | May 14, 20:49 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 20:51 CET
Nope, no shame. None.
dreamlogic | May 14, 20:54 CET
As for Joss not being showrunner, I wouldn't worry too much. We all know how much he invests in his own work, he doesn't seem the sort to just come up with a concept he loves and then just hand it off to someone else (post-Buffy movie anyway). This isn't going to be a case of him saying 'OK guys, get on with, I'll pop my head round the door every month or so.'
Jona | May 14, 20:56 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 21:03 CET
Dave B | May 14, 21:07 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 21:09 CET
Also - different people and shows have different definitions of what a showrunner does.
missmuffet | May 14, 21:14 CET
hacksaway | May 14, 21:18 CET
[ edited by danielgm86 on 2008-05-14 18:22 ]
danielgm86 | May 14, 21:21 CET
cfeuille | May 14, 21:24 CET
As for Sarah & Elizabeth being show runners, I don't see a problem. Joss is delegating responsibility, most likely so he can use more of his energy on the creative end than on the day-to-day stuff.
Let's hope FOX will come up with the money to get Jane Espenson on board. All those writers put together will be more powerful than a tsunami on skates!
Nebula1400 | May 14, 21:26 CET
must remain hopeful!
also...anyone else sad about moonlight?
whiterabbit | May 14, 21:27 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 21:30 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 21:35 CET
Craft & Fain actually have a pretty good record, with them being producers on 'The Shield' after 'Angel' ended. They're pretty good writers, I think. So now I have to watch 'Women's Murder Club', which is the only other show they've ran.
[ edited by dark_tyler on 2008-05-14 18:37 ]
dark_tyler | May 14, 21:36 CET
Other than that, y'all seem to be doing some serious obsessing today. Weren't Elizabeth and Sarah involved in the production side of Angel S5? Seems to me that went well. There really isn't anything like Dollhouse at the moment and once BSG is over, those fans are going to have to go somewhere. I see a certain sense in the waiting here, but I know bunk about how all this really works.
MysticSlug | May 14, 21:40 CET
Did Steve DeKnight leave Smallville?? If he did, good for him, they didn't deserve him there.
Is someone going to kill me for posting sooooo much? I'm getting out of the lurking on Whedonesque and I'm very excited about discussing our little fandom, you people here are cool :D
danielgm86 | May 14, 21:40 CET
Honestly, I'm fine with it. Joss usually knows what he's doing and he's so passionate about his projects that I don't think that he'll ever walk away from his projects. He'll always be involved. You always see on screen how much passion is behind his shows. That's what I liked about his other shows and I think DOLLHOUSE won't be an exception.
I'm still sad about the midseason start, but if we're lucky it leaks on to the internet before it premieres (yeah, I know that's against the rules, but everyone of us is such a hardcore fan that we watch it on TV and buy the DVDs anyway, so I can say that!). I'm also sad that it seems like there won't be a trailer this week. :(
Here's me hoping that there will be at least some pictures.
Donnie | May 14, 21:41 CET
zeitgeist | May 14, 21:42 CET
gossi | May 14, 21:49 CET
[ edited by danielgm86 on 2008-05-14 18:53 ]
danielgm86 | May 14, 21:49 CET
zeitgeist | May 14, 21:49 CET
I remember my son, 15 minutes into the first episode, saying, "Does Joss know about this? Can he sue?" He watched it for a couple of more episodes and then claimed he had too much homework thereafter. Pretty telling critique from a teen.
Anyhoo, gee zeitgeist. Joss'd? I now have this well, somewhat inappropriate picture that I can't seem to get out of my head. :D
MysticSlug | May 14, 21:53 CET
First, I'm not worried about the Joss-not-showrunner thing, because I have way, way too much faith in him than is healthy for me to have in anyone who's not, say, related to me. And also, it's so far all Buffy/Angel/Firefly people involved in the major stuff (Minear, Faincraft, etc.) so I'm pretty confident about the quality issue.
Second, two parter! Two parter!! In the middle of the season! When was the last time we had one of those? Because I'm thinking it was season two of Buffy, and while it's a stupid thing to be excited about, really really stupid, I was just thinking lately how much I liked What's My Line and how I wished they'd kept doing mid-season two-parters.
Anyway, I'm done being a loser.
Also, trailer? Might?! Today?!? I want to squeal in a manly fashion.
Jobo | May 14, 21:55 CET
Edited to fix verb tense.
[ edited by Shapenew on 2008-05-14 18:59 ]
Shapenew | May 14, 21:57 CET
Buffy the Slayer Layer | May 14, 21:58 CET
Angel wasn't the first vampire that was also a detective either (even just on US TV) so if that particular criticism is to be levelled at 'Moonlight' it has to be levelled at 'Angel' too.
However if ep 7 is part one of a two-parter, I would hope that this implies that they expect it to be aired. Otherwise its a pretty jerky thing to do ;)
True but i'd suppose that by the time they start shooting episode 7 they're gonna know whether there's an episode 8 - maybe Tim's mastered the cliff-hanger-semi-resolution (not like he hasn't had enough experience at the sharp end ;).
Saje | May 14, 21:58 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 22:00 CET
Sounds like an unofficial motto for many of our threads :)
zeitgeist | May 14, 22:03 CET
MysticSlug | May 14, 22:03 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 22:07 CET
Good for him - glad he's taking care of himself. I'm sure his involvement is and will be much-gusto-plentiful - but family, sanity and all-around health gotta walk hand-in-hand with this project, or ya know what? - at the very least, ultimately less genuine 100-proof finest-kind Joss for all.
And Steve DeKnight added to Tim Minearness? Some of the dialogue in BtVS's "Dead Things" is seriously prime - very dark and very layered. I'm a happy camper lady.
Does anyone else really want to see the Dollhouse poster Joss mentioned months ago that he made when first picturing the show? Gods, that would hold me through the lack of clips at the upfronts, if that is the case.
(And I love that Joss gives Kristin the scoops now - it's a good reward for being such a staunch supporter all these years. Joss is loyal.)
QuoterGal | May 14, 22:07 CET
I think it's just the midseason thing putting me down.
lol I remember this...
all the promos from Warner Brasil are awful. And they have always way too much spoilers...
I'm guessing FOX Brasil will buy Dollhouse, and being midseason on the US, they might show here with only a few weeks delay...
maxsummers | May 14, 22:12 CET
Sunfire | May 14, 22:13 CET
1. Buffy
2. Medium
Anyone else want to help themselves feel better? Failing this, there's always tequila, or belching, or both in combination, as a friend of mine always says.
MysticSlug | May 14, 22:16 CET
FOX will definetly air Dollhouse in Brazil, but I think it'll take a long time after it premieres in the US. FOX is now showing all of its programming dubbed in portuguese. The process of dubbing usually takes a long time.
The Warner Channel is only like two weeks behind the US on most shows. Tonight they will show the first Gossip Girl with little Michelle :)
EDIT: MysticSlug, Grey's Anatomy is a great example.
[ edited by danielgm86 on 2008-05-14 19:21 ]
danielgm86 | May 14, 22:20 CET
1. Buffy
2. Medium
I think the 'problem' everyone's having with the midseason is that it's just too damn far...
But I don't think it'll be an issue on the 'will it or won't it succeed' matter.
maxsummers | May 14, 22:24 CET
max, midseason startups alway worry people. Supposedly, it's the...will stop now for fear of jinxing and the possibility of trajectile fruit.
ETA: Sorry about all the editing. Have been having trouble with my shoulder. It literally hurts to type.
[ edited by MysticSlug on 2008-05-14 19:33 ]
[ edited by MysticSlug on 2008-05-14 19:36 ]
MysticSlug | May 14, 22:32 CET
cabri | May 14, 22:35 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 22:36 CET
GREAT NEWS!!!
ricetxpeaches | May 14, 22:38 CET
Edit: ricetxpeaches we posted the same info at the same time, hehe
[ edited by lovespyke on 2008-05-14 19:39 ]
lovespyke | May 14, 22:38 CET
Me, me. I want to see the poster. Something for my desktop while I wait.
jcs | May 14, 22:39 CET
danielgm86 | May 14, 22:40 CET
[ edited by Sunfire on 2008-05-14 19:40 ]
Sunfire | May 14, 22:40 CET
ricetxpeaches | May 14, 22:43 CET
MysticSlug | May 14, 22:53 CET
4. The Office (US)
I don't think Joss not being the showrunner determines the amount of involvement he'll have with the series. He has a finished movie script (Cabin in the Woods w/ Goddard), an unfinished movie script (Goners), as well as Buffy Season 8 on his plate. If I had a TV show, that would be my priority, but if the Man wants to have some wiggle room to be able to work on more projects than that's okay with me.
In the end, Joss is the Boss on any TV show that has his name on it. I have faith that he will be as hands-on as he has in the past. Either that, or lots of Naked Spike.
Arabchick | May 14, 23:00 CET
Not sure that's the way to describe this. The only reason Goners might be considered "unfinished" is because the studio kept giving him notes. Cabin, were it to be picked up, would likely have the same thing happen. So if Goners is considered "unfinished", Cabin probably should be too, on that basis. ;)
theonetruebix | May 14, 23:03 CET
[ edited by gossi on 2008-05-14 20:04 ]
gossi | May 14, 23:04 CET
Perhaps they love what what they've seen so far (shrug)? Wishful thinking.
RCM | May 14, 23:04 CET
Also Fain+Craft wrote amazing episodes -Souless,Release,Underneath etc.
Gonna be in good hands...
angeliclestat | May 14, 23:08 CET
Well, if they've ordered it for midseason, they probably just want to make use of the extra six months the team's got now. If they waited until it aired to order more, then they wouldn't have the new episodes in time to put on without some sort of hiatus.
And just saying the word hiatus makes me feel nervous about this.
Jobo | May 14, 23:14 CET
I never would've thought Ms. Fain and Ms. Craft as being the showrunners, not that I'm complaining. I enjoyed their episodes on Angel and I'm sure they'll do a great job on Dollhouse as well. Good luck to 'em.
Supersymmetrical | May 14, 23:16 CET
Nope, no shame. None.
dreamlogic
You mean the fan organized effort to build a house has a name? Mission Echo? That sounds pretty dang cool!
Yes, I have no shame either.
danregal | May 14, 23:18 CET
zeitgeist | May 14, 23:19 CET
gossi | May 14, 23:21 CET
!!!Pie Spoiler!!!
...IS Britney?
zeitgeist | May 14, 23:22 CET
If there is anything happening at Comic-Con for Dollhouse, you can expect the California Browncoats to be helping out. Plus, you can expect Dr. Horrible promotion type stuff to be happening as well. We meant it when we put "to promote Firefly and Serenity and their fandom, cast and crew through charitable works" in our mission statement.
danregal | May 14, 23:22 CET
onthedrift | May 14, 23:26 CET
zeitgeist | May 14, 23:29 CET
kasadilla | May 14, 23:30 CET
She also will be banned when I am dictator. That list seems to be getting longer every day.
theonetruebix | May 14, 23:32 CET
Upfront Buzz: All Your Burning Q's Answered
It's about 1/2 way down the page.
[ edited by Nebula1400 on 2008-05-14 20:35 ]
Nebula1400 | May 14, 23:34 CET
And linked at least twice in this thread already. Heh.
theonetruebix | May 14, 23:37 CET
patxshand | May 14, 23:37 CET
Nebula1400 | May 14, 23:48 CET
Those of us who read the thread? ;)
theonetruebix | May 14, 23:52 CET
I just can't wait til January, and I sooooo hope Fox does not screw this up.
Teacherdarling | May 14, 23:57 CET
cabri | May 14, 23:57 CET
Leaf | May 15, 00:01 CET
I was also thinking that choclate fudge frosting on graham crackers would make a great national food.
And obviously, Joss' works should be a mandatory part of the national curriculum.
[ edited by MysticSlug on 2008-05-14 21:05 ]
MysticSlug | May 15, 00:04 CET
gossi | May 15, 00:05 CET
MysticSlug | May 15, 00:07 CET
I'd vote for him ... Wait a minute ...
Saje | May 15, 00:10 CET
zeitgeist | May 15, 00:14 CET
Provided Joss is in the room (and, given that he's directing the first two episodes, he'll be on set), I feel pretty safe in the creative direction of the show.
He's going to be in the writers room, right?
[ edited by The Sandy Llama on 2008-05-14 21:59 ]
Dirk | May 15, 00:58 CET
Wow... I believe I'm being optimistic in my pessimism. But I'm sorry, after you're burned enough times (Firefly, Wonderfalls, The Inside, Drive) you become a bit more cautious about using the stove.
But here's crossing our fingers for another brilliant long living Joss series. I am beyond thrilled to have the master back in television. New Joss every week instead of every few years (movies) is the way I like it.
Please Fox. Don't screw this one up. Support a Joss show and you will discover that you have a keeper.
AnotherFireflyfan | May 15, 01:45 CET
If this becomes a Wonderfalls kind of thing it'll be ok, at least we'll get closure.
But I do believe Dollhouse will achieve more. I think FOX wants to make it a big hit. They want to make Eliza Dushku the next big star. It definetly looks that way, and it seems we'll be getting a lot of advertisement, it seems like it's being really well-planned. I'm totally in for the ride!!!
EDIT: To me, of all the actresses in the Buffyverse, Eliza is the one with the most star potential.
[ edited by danielgm86 on 2008-05-14 22:57 ]
danielgm86 | May 15, 01:54 CET
Now, we must figure a way to pry Jane away from Ron Moore. Won't be easy, he knows talent when he sees it and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Ron keeps her on with "Caprica".
Two men, a boy, a pry bar, and a small nuclear device? ;)
Madhatter | May 15, 01:55 CET
Although, last I heard, it was still an open question as to just how much Ron himself would be around for Caprica.
theonetruebix | May 15, 01:59 CET
Reading a thread? Pish posh. You'll need to add that to The Rules.
He's going to be in the writers room, right?
I assume it would be extremely difficult, if not downright impossible, to remove him from it.
Sunfire | May 15, 02:02 CET
RCM | May 15, 02:14 CET
How soon can I start having it beamed directly into my brain?
barboo | May 15, 02:14 CET
theonetruebix | May 15, 02:34 CET
gossi | May 15, 02:42 CET
Leaf | May 15, 03:03 CET
It's like Christmas. Except better.
MattK | May 15, 03:13 CET
Damn, I'm really looking forward to "Dollhouse"!
Madhatter | May 15, 03:20 CET
Love the addition of Steven DeKnight, too. Easily one of my favourite Buffy and Angel writers, with episodes like Dead Things, Seeing Red and Destiny.
Enisy | May 15, 03:50 CET
Also, what does consulting producer mean? Are they on staff?
shambleau | May 15, 03:59 CET
I do worry here. I take the tack that a midseason show faces problems because by that time viewers have built interest and loyalty in shows and are not always willing to switch to something new. And 13 eps is great, but they had 13 eps for Firefly, too, and look how that turned out. And I would prefer Joss being daily involved as showrunner more than "guiding light" but that's his call.
Dana5140 | May 15, 04:05 CET
SMG hates it. I love it.
:D
danielgm86 | May 15, 04:07 CET
Right-ho. There's a two minute trailer pending for Dollhouse, titled 'Who Are You?'. I'm not sure exactly when it'll go online, but we've got a page up for it when it does.
Oooouuh...
Eloquence is overrated :-p
GVH | May 15, 04:10 CET
Yes, but then again, Dana: less competition when it starts. And if it gets a good lead-in, it won't really matter that much either way. There have been midseason shows before, which have been succesfull, like people have cited in this thread. Am I worried Dollhouse might be cancelled? Yes, because that's always a possibility, with any show on any network. Am I worried more because it's a midseason starter? Nope, don't think it'd matter much either way, chance-wise. There's too much other (some of them random) factors to predict how it'll play anyway, untill it actually starts.
Now, if they put Dollhouse in a bad timeslot, and/or mess up the airing order or break up the schedule, then we can worry. But so far, I have faith in the new FOX-guy running things. His trackrecord seems very good. Also: I'm tired of being cynical about this whole process. I'm ready to fall for a new television show and geek out and maybe regret that later, but really... this should be the fun period. So I'm determined to let it be fun[1].
[1]I'm like on of those party-"nazi's": "have fun, or I'll kick your ass". I hate people like me.
GVH | May 15, 04:21 CET
So, hopefully it actually is not a negative even that is how I'm feeling at the moment for some odd reason (... must just be because there hasn't been a Jossverse on television for so many gaping seasons).
J Linc | May 15, 04:22 CET
SMG hates it. I love it.
:D
Yus!
"But despite Sarah's reservations, Dead Things rates as the one for which Steve is most proud and his personal favorite of any episode he's written for either series. But he's quick to share his reasons why it's dear to him. 'Hats off to the amazing [director] Jim Contner for that episode. I thought he did an amazing job. And Lisa Lassek, the editor on that did just phenomenal work. Sometimes, you have an episode where everybody ''shows up''. The actors are spot on. The direction is great, the editing, the music, etc... That was just one of those episodes where everything just came together.'" (City of Angel, 2003)
Enisy | May 15, 04:26 CET
Try those of you who have the luxury of time to read every word in this thread, b!x! The rest of us have lives... ;)
Nebula1400 | May 15, 04:27 CET
shambleau | May 15, 04:32 CET
Really good point, nine or ten hours, thats more than we have gotten from Joss in years. From an optimistic standpoint, there is no bad here, we get 13 episodes or we get 5 seasons, but we know we are getting enough to sink are teeth into.
[ edited by RCM on 2008-05-15 10:59 ]
RCM | May 15, 04:48 CET
hitnrun017 | May 15, 04:51 CET
;)
Actually I find it a fascinating question. How do you promote stuff on the interweb? It's namely not selfevident. The web basically is already so overwrought with information and ads and whatever, that the users stay in their own rut mostly. So how do you win NEW viewers without resorting to criminally annoying spam and pop-up tricks? The mouth-by mouth thingy is slow and may not be enough. (Too the mouth-by-mouth thingy I also count fanpage and MySpace page, because to find it you have to know about it beforehand)
I mean: us here viewing Dr. Horrible is pretty much a given. But what are Joss' further plans for that blog? How about a poster contest, like for the Sarah-Connor chronicles. Gossi, you still awake?
OK, It probably was a Joss' joke (I don't think he's in need of help at all, as he's a crtified genius), but I'm still convinced that the usual methods of promotion don't take in this instance. Could be fun to hash this out. Shouldn't there be a thread on the fanpage somewhere, we can talk about this in some more detail?
Harpy | May 15, 05:05 CET
It's a fair cop.
theonetruebix | May 15, 05:33 CET
-- USA Today
theonetruebix | May 15, 05:49 CET
And as pessimistic as I sounded in my earlier post, I really am excited for this series. I'm merely saying - worst case scenario we get another Wonderfalls. Not a Drive, where we just get unceremoniously dumped and left hanging. Oh, and Drive was recent, is this new Fox-head before or after the Drive mis-handling? (Seriously, the show was only on for two weeks! Why not even show all 6 filmed eps before deciding whether to make more?)
Re: Dr. Horrible... I'd say tell everyone without being spammy about it. Social news sites like Slashdot and Digg would also be good places to submit it. And I'm pretty darn excited for Dr. Horrible too, especially after seeing how good Felicia Day was in The Guild (which I was late to the party for checking out, but glad that I did.) It's pretty cool that Joss is on the front-lines pioneering the direct-to-internet skip-the-network-middle-man model. I trust that Dr. Horrible will be amazing.
In summary: Yay Dollhouse. Yay Dr. Horrible. This is a good time to be a Whedon-ite.
[ edited by AnotherFireflyfan on 2008-05-15 02:52 ]
AnotherFireflyfan | May 15, 05:50 CET
Which is not to say no one should lift a finger, it's just to say that it's spread is pretty much inevitable.
I've got some notions about how to spread it offline, however.
theonetruebix | May 15, 05:56 CET
No, but you can leave a message after the *BEEP*... and he will get it when he wakes up.
As far as promoting Dr. Horrible, you post it here and then people share it organically with their friends. Post reviews of it on your blogs, mention it (casually, not creepily) to people in conversation. Pitch it as something fun/funny that they might enjoy not something THEY MUST WATCH NOW OR YOU WILL TIE THEM UP AND MAKE THEM!!! Really. And pitch it to people you think would truly enjoy it; its not for everyone, nothing is. If they aren't interested, let it be or beware the backlash (and the backslash! and the slashdot as well, oh and Rick Astley and or Natalie Portman/hot grits).
zeitgeist | May 15, 06:00 CET
Haaa, learned how to quote neatly!
I remember Steve saying that. "Dead Things" took not only Buffy as a character to a much darker place, but also the entire hero figure. I loveeeee it. And I love the song Out of This World too, it fit in perfectly with the episode.
danielgm86 | May 15, 06:00 CET
Then there's the print media (okay, they've got a web presence too, but who doesn't?), Entertainment Weekly and Wired have both been good about mentioning Joss' work in the past. And with Dr. Horrible being seen as something that's exploring the New Media Frontier, these types of publications might be interested. And some of the newspapers with larger entertainment sections might pick up on Dr. Horrible, if the buzz gets big enough or if someone knows someone who works at USA Today, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, etc. Anyone have any contacts?
Posts on various forums, any forums, where an appropriate thread can be started (most forums have off-topic boards...or is it most boards have off-topic forums? It's getting on near bedtime.) will be another way. I know people have the skills to create avatars and banners that can be used in forums and on blogs that people already post to. Someone's bound to write and post fan fiction (it's not for everyone, but it's for some) and that will help get the word out too.
And then there's the standard gorilla marketing: posters and flyers tacked up around college campuses, city centers, comic book stores, stuck into books in the sci-fi section of local bookstores and the like; caps and t-shirts so that we can wear the mesage around town; stickers and magnets for cars and such.
For other ideas, resurrecting the threads from when we were all geeked about promoting Serenity or getting the word out about the Writers' Strike wouldn't be a bad place to start.
And, to the person/people who run the Dollverse site, I love the fact that you've created a web page for a trailer that's not even public for a web series that we have no idea when (or where) it will come out.
gt0163c | May 15, 06:17 CET
Um, yes that would be a bad place to start, because people were not following those threads in order to later be spammed with unrelated promotional messages.
See, that's exactly the sort of thing that gets this fandom in trouble.
theonetruebix | May 15, 06:26 CET
TamaraC | May 15, 06:29 CET
Umm, Whitney Matheson at USA Today's Pop Candy blog (always a great read, btw) is a big Joss fan, so I imagine it'll make its way out to a wider audience there and through Kristin and other outlets (yes, Ausiello, I'm looking at you ;P). The most recent Pop Candy links to a Lost/BSG opening credits mashup! Doesn't get much better than that.
zeitgeist | May 15, 06:34 CET
But before we do these things we have to know the when, the where and the how, right??
danielgm86 | May 15, 07:10 CET
What trouble? I think it's a fine idea and not unrelated at all. Dr. Horrible: From the guy who made Serenity, created during the writer's strike...
What's the big deal?
Succatash | May 15, 07:38 CET
As for running the show, yes of course I'm running it, it's my baby, but one needs co-runners, cohorts, cohabitants, a Sundance (or two) to my Butch, a Tango to my Cash, A the-guy-with-the-nose-in-Weekend-at-Bernie's to my the-guy-from-Pretty-in-Pink-in-Weekend-at-Bernies. And those of you who underestimate Liz and Sarah remind me of the demons of the week who laughed at tiny Buffy.
The only thing that excites me as much as our staff is our cast. Seeing them work just makes ideas blossom from our writer minds (SPOILER ALERT for The Fountain) like little clovery flowers out of conquistadors (END Of SPOILER ALERT and seriously, you should see that movie. It rocks.) And Eliza can't turn off the awesome. I mean it. The army is sending in tanks.
See you on the internet. Then on TV, in theaters, and of couse in the funny papers. It's a good year. Bye-ee! -j.
joss | May 15, 08:10 CET
Dear FOX, please order enough episodes to last into January. Love, Kevin.
[ edited by gossi on 2008-05-15 05:14 ]
gossi | May 15, 08:13 CET
I'm just saying don't go apesh*t. It inevitably pisses people off, as the more excitable portions of this fandom have been known to do. There are general rules of thumb online, and one of them is "a place for everything and everything in its place". It's generally frowned upon if everywhere you turn you're running into people pimping PR for the same damned thing at you.
(ETA a quote of who I was responding to, lest someone wig out thinking I was replying to Joss with this.)
[ edited by theonetruebix on 2008-05-15 05:27 ]
theonetruebix | May 15, 08:13 CET
Joss, I am certain I speak for all of us when I say we are very much excited about Dollhouse. Bring on the awesome!
[ edited by AnotherFireflyfan on 2008-05-15 05:18 ]
AnotherFireflyfan | May 15, 08:15 CET
I've also just realised it's not that late in LA. Another thing to add to the list of things I suck at: maths. Yes, it's a plural.
gossi | May 15, 08:22 CET
I'd do anything to protect Joss, Dollhouse and Eliza, even using my tank.
That came out all wrong.
Yay on the confirm-y.
[ edited by crazygolfa on 2008-05-15 05:24 ]
crazygolfa | May 15, 08:22 CET
AnotherFireflyfan | May 15, 08:25 CET
I'm soo going to inform my peeps to let other peeps know to watch Dr. Horrible and Dollhouse, they just don't have an option :D
Krusher | May 15, 08:28 CET
It's not that late a lot of places. You just live in the future. (Do they have the trailer yet, there, in the future?)
theonetruebix | May 15, 08:28 CET
I've also heard the paired-with-24-thing on Mondays.
[ edited by gossi on 2008-05-15 05:31 ]
gossi | May 15, 08:30 CET
As opposed to the cartoon Reavers in Serenity?
theonetruebix | May 15, 08:35 CET
kasadilla | May 15, 08:36 CET
-- USA Today
Oh noes! With a lead-in like that, they'll never get anyone to watch!
ManEnoughToAdmitIt | May 15, 08:37 CET
gossi | May 15, 08:39 CET
crazygolfa | May 15, 08:40 CET
I'm clearly not having sex right now.
gossi | May 15, 08:43 CET
And I be confused - do we expect the Dollhouse clip to come out of L.A., or out of the upfronts in Manhattan?
(And if anyone is having sex while they're posting in here, I don't wanna know about it so much as you might think.)
QuoterGal | May 15, 08:55 CET
jcs | May 15, 08:57 CET
Even if it made for an awesome quote?
theonetruebix | May 15, 09:00 CET
And I meantersay, it is so satisfying to hear that it's a good year for Joss. I'm remembering some other threads over the past few years when not so much, and even though he always sounds like a brave - and of course, funny - toaster, there was a tone, a flavor that usedta concern me.
Or maybe I just shoulda had kids so I could stop mama-henning grown-up type people.
[ edited by QuoterGal on 2008-05-15 06:53 ]
QuoterGal | May 15, 09:25 CET
TamaraC | May 15, 09:28 CET
onthedrift | May 15, 09:49 CET
Season two of The Wire here. Which, at times, is difficult since it keeps making me want to smoke, except I quit.
theonetruebix | May 15, 09:50 CET
onthedrift | May 15, 10:06 CET
TamaraC | May 15, 10:15 CET
cabri | May 15, 10:17 CET
As far as promoting Dr. Horrible,
We don't need to. The media will pick up on it very quickly. It'll be one of the times when Joss won't need the fandom to help him.
Simon | May 15, 10:22 CET
But first, the trailer.
UnpluggedCrazy | May 15, 10:23 CET
And funnily enough it isn't even 11:30pm here in the Bay area (I didn't know that LA was later...).
embers | May 15, 10:24 CET
Yeah, well, the conquistador turned into plants because he tried to concentrate the tree sap life force too much. He drank it, and poured it on his wound. That was too much. So he turned into plants. To not turn into plants, you want to spread the wealth. For example, you might want to help promote a project your fans are trying to do to build or rehab houses for those that need one with the catchy name "Mission Echo" so it can also promote your new series. Just a suggestion.
No shame. Yet I do want to turn into plants.
dreamlogic | May 15, 11:04 CET
Garim | May 15, 11:09 CET
Cabri, T:SCC premiered to record ratings for Fox on it's Sunday slot and went on to get renewed for a second season. I'd say that's a success.
Drive, on the other hand...
I disagree with you on Dr Horrible, Simon. I think the hardcore Whedonites will find it and buy it, but if he and his friends want to reach a really wide audience they need to be smart about it.
gossi | May 15, 12:07 CET