"Gay Marriages Will Save The Economy!"

Holy friggin' crap! Allison Janney and Neil Patrick Harris?! And a nonannoying Jack Black as a shellfish eating Jesus?! Could life get any better? I submit that it cannot!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

And I think it is funny that Allison Janney is playing another uptight Christian after playing Penny's mother in the new Hairspray.

Dr. Horrible's Soundtrack

For all of those who are not yet aware, the Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Soundtrack is now available from iTunes. Download early. Download often. Well, do it once and then listen to it a bunch of times. I'm planning on burning it to a CD right away so I can listen to it both to and from my mind-numbing, soul-crushing job!

Dr. Horrible's End

So, some of the shock of Act III of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog has worn off. Some, not all. And since my last post wasn't much in the way of a review, here we go:

Act III is more operatic than the last two acts. It is mostly singing, and here is where the familiar faces start showing up. Marti Noxon and David Fury (known as the Parking Ticket Woman and Mustard Man in the BtVS musical; and, oh yeah, for being two of the show's producers) are the newscasters. Doug Petrie and Drew Goddard show up as part of the EoLE (both having been writers and story editors for BtVS & Angel). And it is more scathing, more angsty, and more philosophical. The first two acts were fluff and cotton candy, sweet and sugary and feel-good fun. But that isn't Joss; no, Joss is the death and destruction man, and anyone who expected differently this time (me) was horribly mistaken.

So, when we left off last time, Dr. Horrible had to kill someone or be killed. He decided on Captain Hammer, for obvious reasons, such as the guy was a tremendous tool and was sleeping with the Evil Dr.'s crush just to hurt him. And this episode is heartbreaking in that both Penny and Dr. Horrible don't get what they want. There are two perfectly heartbreaking scenes here; the first is Penny sitting by herself at the laundromat alone with two frozen yogurts. The second is Dr. Horrible's face at the end, when he is looking at the camera as Billy. Because Penny isn't happy in her relationship with Captain Hammer, and then dies. Which is kind of a downer, for both us and Dr. Horrible.

And here's where the Philosophy of Joss comes through loud and clear. Joss has demonstrated time and time again through his works that doing evil in order to perpetrate good -like Billy was with his decree that "the world is a mess and I just need to... ...rule it"- just doesn't work. Joss doesn't do bad guys. Bad guys are generally bad. Which is why it was surprising to me that he would do a musical where the villain of the piece was in fact that protagonist of it. That goes against most of his rules and regulations, but seemed cool. And it makes the final act that much more heartbreaking, because Joss does it. He makes us empathetic and sympathetic to Dr. Horrible. We love him; we embrace him; we want him to succeed. But he can't, not really. Because he's still doing it wrong. He's still following the wrong moral code. And even though Joss allows us to empathize with him and love him, that alone doesn't make Dr. Horrible right. He's just as wrong as if the story had been told from Captain Hammer's viewpoint.

From Willow's arc in the 6th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Angel's arc in the 2nd season of Angel to the Operative's actions in Serenity, Joss states quite clearly that there is a good way and a bad way to exact change. And the good guys can still lose; the good guys will still lose. Not always and not permanently, but people will die, battles will be lost, and the world will generally kick the crap out of them on their journey to doing good. But they have something that Dr. Horrible doesn't have once Penny is dead. They have a reason to continue on; they live for the individuals in their lives as well as the world at large. And Dr. Horrible doesn't. His tale is a nihilistic one, and if this is the only production of Joss Whedon's works anyone has seen, they may come away from it thinking Joss' overall message is a nihilistic one. But time and time again, he tells us what is worth fighting for, and how we should proceed. 

Angel fails in his efforts to rid Los Angeles of evil in the second season of his eponymous show because he embraces a nihilistic principle that nothing matters; and he mistakenly believes since nothing matters, he can do what he wants to in order "for redemption, for a reward, finally just to beat the other guy". And he after he loses, he is left with an epiphany. It is one that his ex-girlfriend in Sunnydale seemed to already know implicitly, and one she demonstrated time and time again. But for Angel -and those in the viewing audience- Joss lays it out on the table; as an atheist, "in the grand scheme or the big picture, nothing we do matters. There's no grand plan, no big win". So, what is the point then? The point is, "If there is no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do, now, today... ...Because, if there is no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world".

Dr. Horrible -and Captain Hammer- were out for the reward, out to just beat the other guy. And sweet Penny, the only person in the thing that held Joss' own philosophy close to her heart, got caught in the middle and died because of it. And in that act, we see the destructive force of Captain Hammer's arrogance and Dr. Horrible's hatred and anger. And that is a tragedy, and a moving one.

God Damn It, Joss!

The title pretty much says it all. God damn it, Joss. I was surprised by the ending of Dr. Horrible. And then realized I shouldn't be surprised because it's f-ing Joss Whedon. Anyway, I'm still kind of in shock over the third act. Kind of nihilistic, more than definitely pessimistic, and the music is still superb. Penny singing about how she got the guy but feeling like something was missing, and Captain Hammer's song about how everyone is a hero (though less than he is) were the highlights; which is good since Dr. Horrible pretty much owned the last two episodes. And Dr. Horrible and Neil Patrick Harris are still heart achingly wonderful. Oh, Joss. I wish you didn't love to rip my heart out of my chest as often as you do!

"'The Hammer' Is My Penis"

The second act of Dr. Horrible is almost, I have to say, better than the first. More quotable lines, more angst in musical form, more hilarity, and more insightful ponderings from our blogtastic almost-not-quite-there super villain. My favorite part is probably when Dr. Horrible comes back to his lair after a failed heist, ruminating on the idea that he may not want to be so specific in his blog as "apparently, the LAPD and Captain Hammer are among our viewers". For anyone who caught the Emily Gould scandal (or, for that matter, any blogging scandal in the media or among friends), it seemed particularly apropos.

Captain Hammer is terribly, wonderfully cheesy -and kind of an ass. And Nathan Fillion plays him beautifully, from brushing off a homeless person's touch to deciding to take Penny because Dr. Horrible/Billy wants her. The Captain represents the very worst in superheroes, guys who save the world mostly because it gives them fame and adulation.

And poor Billy is still sympathetic, still lovable, and still in love with his laundry girl. Turning more toward evil. I pretty much think his exchange with Penny works well for both himself and Captain Hammer:

PENNY: Sometimes people are layered like that. There's something totally different underneath than what's on the surface.

BILLY/DR. HORRIBLE: And sometimes there's a third, even deeper level and that one is the same as the top surface one... ...Like with pie.

And then there's Penny herself. I didn't really see the attraction in Act 1. I'm blaming this partially on my being incredibly hetero but also partially because I expect a hell of a lot out of my Whedon women. And Penny really didn't touch much of that, until now. Sweet, self-deprecating, and following her own philosophy -one that competes with both Dr. Horrible's and Captain Hammer's (that is, if Captain Hammer had a philosophy)- Penny comes off much more realized in this episode than the first. And she's fun and funny, and the viewer wants more for her than Captain Hammer; or even, sad as it is to say, Dr. Horrible. But if she's got to end up with one of them, I -at least- am rooting for Dr. Horrible.

And on that note, "Oh goodness, look at my wrist. I gotta go" -watch Act 2 of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog... ...again. 

"I'm Just a Few Weeks Away From Real, Audible Connection."

I watched the first act as soon as it premiered at 12:01. Yes, I do realize that this is the third entry on the same thing in less than 12 hours. This would be a symptom of the pandemonium I referenced earlier. Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog is funny, witty, cute, and I already love the songs. Or, at least the ones I've heard so far. Nathan Fillion's voice is a surprise -a good one- though his lip syncing needs a little work.

And Dr. Horrible? Billy? Is adorable. Sweet, shy, in love, and utterly into doing vaguely evil things. Willing to steal a whole bunch of gold bars, but scoffs at the idea of fighting in a park populated by kids. It soon becomes apparent how far off his ideas of evil are from the Evil League of Evil, as Bad Horse advocates murder as a way to really push one's application to the top of the pile and Dr. Horrible uses his iPhone to remotely control a vehicle without hurting anyone at all. And he sells his love for the girl he semi-stalks at the laundromat, a girl who is concerned with the plight of the homeless.

The writing is like a gust of fresh and fun air. There are other writers I have begun to admire, whose work makes me happy. Bryan Fuller's Pushing Daisies leaves me with a smile. Aaron Sorkin is a love of my viewing life. Amy Sherman-Palladino is someone else whose creations I enjoy watching. But Joss Whedon, his writing style, his enthusiasm, his weird philosophies that come through his works, is the only writer of any media that consistently gives me an actual high -and a long lasting one at that. It has been 30 minutes since I last watched that 13 minute Act 1, and I'm still grinning. "My application is strong this year. A letter of condemnation from the deputy mayor. That's gotta have some weight so... Fingers' crossed."

Songs about laundry day and longing and building a freeze ray to stop time and find the words to describe his feelings? How could anyone not be charmed by that? Especially with Neil Patrick Harris' gleeful and soulful performance of someone who just isn't really villainy enough, who is just too sensitive and too smart. I'm willing to bet that Bad Horse is villainous and bad to boot, but Dr. Horrible and Moist -his evil moisture buddy, who is a good enough friend and roommate to grab the Dr.'s mail- just seem like ordinary schmoes who don't quite fit in and who want to be... ...better. Who want to be someone worth something, and worth noting.

I also want to point out that this may be the first thing ever Joss Whedon has written where the male character is the focal point of the thing. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, of course, wasn't going to do that. Buffy was supposed to be the lead, and she was. But Firefly, a show mostly about Mal's journey, soon turned into the story of River Tam with Mal growing along side her -Mal finding his purpose by helping her fulfill her own. Which is beyond awesome in that he continually creates dynamic and metamorphic characters, men and women. Characters who change each other and who change the world and are changed by it. That is something I'll rant about another day, why that particular trait in regard to women characters is so astounding. But right now, I have to say that Dr. Horrible is my new fictional boyfriend. And I don't think the focus is going to shift off of him. I could be wrong; there's another half an hour to go. But I'm going to put my money on Joss creating a male character that could hold his full interest -for at least 40 or so minutes.

Can You Lurk in Plain Sight?

Or is that just walking? Check out the handy on-line comic that exists in conjunction with Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog.

And I swear this is my last post -on this or any other subject- today.

OMG!!!

So, yeah. Totally psyched for tomorrow; tomorrow being the day of the Great Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog premieres. Act 1, anyway.

So, to get you all (all 2-3 of you who read this frequently) in the spirit of things, some treats. First a trailer:

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

I'm 99.9% certain that's Joss Whedon himself doing the voiceover. But don't quote me on that. Unless I'm right, in which you heard it hear first (I'm slightly caffeinated right now, so yeah).

Secondly, an interview with the man himself. As per usual, he is charming and geekily witty.

My highlights may very well be:

"I have a life-sized Sean Maher made of human flesh that keeps screaming that it's the real Sean Maher and I should unchain it." Of course, that could explain where the hell Sean Maher has been since 2006...

And this one:

"Movies are from the Devil. Also, it's only recently women got to be action heroes on TV. Progress is slow, and often non-existent. There's plenty of cool comics with female characters... But all it takes is one Catwoman to set the cause back a decade."

Too true.

Why I Love Joss Whedon

So, as many people know, I love Joss Whedon. Mastermind and writer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, and writer of Toy Story (betcha didn't know that), Joss has had my eternal devotion for as long as I can remember. Actually, only since 6th grade. But still. That is a long time. So why am I blathering on and on about it now? Well, that would be because my love has blossomed anew. After years (years) of nothing from the man himself, we are suddenly being gifted with not one but TWO projects in the next year. And one of them is of an internet-premiere variety: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. *GASP* It is another musical! And it is about a guy who wants to be a supervillain. How much cooler could it get, I ask you? Well, being the geek I am, I immediately added the project to my friends on Myspace, and also became a fan on Facebook. And through myspace, I (and countless other fans) got a message from the man himself, which I will now reproduce in its entirety to share the hilarity and the enthusiasm for the Dr. Horrible project:

"Dear Friends,

At last the time has come to reveal to you our Master Plan. BEWARE! Those with weak hearts should log off lest they be terrified by the twisted genius of our schemes! Also pregnant women and the elderly should consider reading only certain sentences. Do not mix with other blogs (BLOGGER'S NOTE: OOPS). Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this blog. You must be this tall to read.

'Kay?

It is time for us to change the face of Show Business as we know it. You know the old adage, "It's Show Business - not Show Friends"? Well now it's Show Friends. We did that. To Show Business. To show Show Business we mean business. (Also, there are now other businesses like it.)

ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT!

"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" will be streamed, LIVE (that part's not true), FREE (sadly, that part is), right on drhorrible.com, in mid-July.

Specifically:

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

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

ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up on 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.)

And now to answer a few Frequently (soon to be) Asked Questions:

1) Why, Joss? Why? Why now, why free, why us?

Once upon a time, all the writers in the forest got very mad with the Forest Kinds and declared a work-stoppage. The forest creatures were all sad; the mushrooms did not dance, the elderberries gave no juice for the festival wines, and the Teamsters were kinda pissed. (They were very polite about it, though.) During this work-stoppage, many writers tried to form partnerships for outside funding to create new work that circumvented the Forest King system.

Frustrated with the lack of movement on that front, I finally decided to do something very ambitious, very exciting, very mid-life-crisisy. Aided only by everyone I had worked with, was related to or had ever met, I single-handedly created this unique little epic. A supervillain musical, of which, we all know, there are far too few.

The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap -but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience. And to make a lot of silly jokes. Actually, that sentence probably should have come first.

2) What happens when it goes away? Does it go to a happy farm for always like Fluffy did when mommy was crying and the neighbor kept washing his fender?

No, Dr horrible will live on. We intend to make it available for download soon after it's published. This would be for a nominal fee, which we're hoping people will embrace instead of getting all piratey. We have big dreams, people, and one of them is paying our crew.

And somewhat later, we will put the complete short epic out on DVD -with the finest and bravest extras in all the land. We'll go into greater detail about that at Comiccon, but we're changing the face of Show Friendliness a second time with that crazy DVD.

3) Joss, you are so kind, and generous, and your forehead is like, huge, like SCARY, like I think I can see Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint hanging off it... what can WE do to help this musical extravaganza?

What you always do peeps! What you're already doing. Spread the word. Rock some banners, widgets, diggs... let people know who wouldn't ordinarily know. It wouldn't hurt if this really was an event. Good for the business, good for the community- comunitIES: Hollywood, internet, artists around the world, comic-book fans, musical fans (and even the rather vocal community of people who hate both but will still dig on this). Proving that we can turn Dr Horrible into a viable economic proposition as well as an awesome good will only inspire more people to lay themselves out in the same way. It's time for dissemination of the artistic process. Create more for less. You are the ones that can make that happen.

Wow. I had no idea how important you guys were. I'm a little afraid of you.

4) Joss, do you ever answer a question simply or coherently?

Shledzguohn?

There'll be more questions, and more long, long answer, but for now I'm just excited that we're actually making this happen. We (and a lot of other people -- gushing to comence soon) worked very hard on the show and we hope/think you guys will be pleased. Until July 15, I remain, your truly -j. of the firm j, j, m & z."

Is it any wonder that I love this man? So yeah, this blog entry is to fulfill my obligation to #3 on the (soon to be) FAQ. There will probably be pandemonium and more entries -reviews of the thing and the like- as July 15th comes nearer. And in case you think my gushing about this is simply due to a Joss-induced fever, here's a Matt Roush review for you to read.

Joss is back! Woot!

And don't forget to check out Dollhouse, coming to FOX... ...at some point in time. Until then, watch the trailer.