Hey Geeks, Scott here.

Just wanted to let you all know that I had the pleasure of recording another co-hosting stint on Couch Surfing for John Pavlich’s Sofa Dogs a while back, and the first part of that episode has been posted. So what are you waiting for? Go check it out HERE!

Sofa Dogs Podcast #167 – Couch Surfing Ep. 33a: Critical Mass (Part 1 of 2)

Part one of this two-part episode finds John and Scott ranting and raving about everything from geek culture, to obsessive behavior, to the joys of Netflix Streaming.

00:03:35 – John feels that Whedonesque is not being realized to its fullest potential, and worries that he’s missing out on several news items, at the discretion of some questionable moderation. (UPDATE: The concerns of this issue have since died down considerably, making much of this rant more obsolete than before.)

00:24:11 – Yes, the rant was that long. This leads to another rant, one that’s been discussed before. The Cult of Whedon, and how in some cases, the more overzealous contributors can ruin it for other fans. There is also more talk about the ups and downs of Dollhouse.

00:37:24 – Scott and John share their thoughts on Seasons 1 and 2 of Felicia Day’s award-winning web series, The Guild. Spoilers abound, so beware. The idea of online gaming and the fantasy genre are also discussed.

00:50:57 – When writing creepy, stalker humor, how far is too far?

01:00:52 – Felicia Day has a Celebrity Music Playlist on Canadian iTunes, proving once again that Canada rocks!

01:04:24 – Scott checked out Big Fan through Netflix Watch Instantly. The Wrestler and Patton Oswalt’s star power are also mentioned.

01:15:32 – Scott also watched the off-the-wall “comedy”, Good Dick.

01:23:02 – Finally, Scott closes out the show by discussing the film, World’s Greatest Dad.

The following artists can be heard in this episode:

Kevin Smith, Vampire Weekend, The Submarines, L7, Black Sabbath, Air, Cassettes Won’t Listen, Stereophonics, Headlights, Joshua Radin, Paul Minor, David Guetta & Akon, Metric, The Smiths, Why?, FC Kahuna, Stars, U2, The Weepies, Hem, Belle & Sebastian, Grandaddy and Regina Spektor.

I joke, I joke, I kid, I kid. During the Dollhouse panel, Alien Ressurection and Titan A.E. screenwriter Joss Whedon hinted that two of his frequent collaberators may be joining the cast of his newest-series. That’s a “maybe” by the way, but it does make sense. Denisof was a cast member of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, while Summer Glau won serious geek cred as the blank-stared, super-powered River Tan on Firefly and Serniety and a similar charecter, Cameron on The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Now, I stopped watching Dollhouse after Man on the Street, but I am looking forward to checking out the series on DVD and have no qualms about jumping on baord the bandwagon come Season 2 time. But I really hope Glau isn’t playing the same, emotionless, little-girl-lost charecter she played on Firefly and SSC. Come on Joss, let the girl stretch! Remember how much fun you used to let Sarah Michelle Geller have?

Speaking of Buffy, how fun is it gonna be to see Denisof and Dollhouse star Eliza Dusku reunite?

Dollhouse Finale (SPOILER WARNING!!!)

Chuck Finale (SPOILER WARNING!!!)

Cupid

News

Harold and Kumar bring some holiday cheer

Tetsuo 3

Is Bradley Cooper going Green?

Green Lantern shines its light a little later

Deadpool movie is a GO

Trailers

District 9

Gamer

The Princess and the Frog

Battlestar Galacita Finale

Party Down

Dollhouse Update

Email

News

Marvel To Launch Writers Program

Sean Penn, Jim Carrey and Benicio Del Toro are The Three Stooges

Trailers

Where the Wild Things Are

Year One

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Reviews

I Love You, Man

Monsters vs. Aliens

In this episode Will has returned and Nick announces the true identity of Rick By Night. After discussing a lost episode of Geekeasy soon to air, Nick and Will talk about Dollhouse. Then after discussing the gender of the show, Will mourns the conclusion of Battlestar and confesses his newfound love of How I Met Your Mother. Nick brings up a new show named Eastbound and Down and Will loves Milo Ventimiglia in Pathology. Insight is provided into the daily lives of Nick and Will via a lunchtime story and Nick finds a movie worse than Delgo, Miss March. After talking about whether or not forums are a good thing, Will wonders why he becomes addicted to simple games and recommends a new comic site zeroes2heroes.com. Finally, the guys drop the big news and end by answering an e-mail. Also included in this episode: the redemption of the Saw franchise, Heroes, the various faces of Robin Williams, Season 3 and 4 of Buffy, Epic Fail, and Viral Videos of the Week.

Check out our youtube page!

The latest Supernatural episode, “On the Head of a Pin,” is arguably the best episode of the series. This episode did more to further the season and the characters than any episode that readily comes to mind. We learned just how Sam has become so strong, how Dean had to learn to survive in Hell, how the Apocolypse began, how it must end, and just how tough Castiel and Anna can be. That’s a hell of a lot to ask from one episode, and this one did it beautifully. Ben Edlund, the writer of such classic Whedon episodes like Angel’s “Sacrifice” and Firefly’s “Jaynestown,” wrote this penultimate episode. Even the stunt casting of Christopher Heyerdahl in the role of Alastair added such darkness and dimension to the show that the viewer is left cringing.  Kripke and Co. showed exactly how to come back from a hiatus, and how to do it with a bang, both literally and emotionally.

Speaking of Joss Whedon, this week’s episode of Dollhouse was advertised as the best yet – the one to make you grab hold and not let go. And as expected, he did not disappoint. The latest episode, “Man on the Street,” added more intrigue, suspense, and action to the show than the previous six episodes combined. Dushku continued to amaze with her versatility from frightened housewife to deadly assassin. And we learn that Alpha is not the only one after the Dollhouse. This episode cemented my devotion to the show, and I strongly urge anyone who had given up on the show to treat yourself to a mini-marathon. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

As for disappointed, I’ve heard many say that they felt the Battlestar Galactica series finale was amazing, but overall, disappointing, even lazy. While I can understand that some might feel that way, I thoroughly enjoyed the culmination of four seasons of Ron Moore’s amazing vision for BSG. The show has always been steeped in mysticism and mythology, and I would have been surprised if they had ignored that heritage in the finale, especially since they had not addressed it much this back half of the season. I liked the ambiguity of it all. It made me cheer, it made my cry, it broke my heart and it inspired me – everything this series has always done. And one thing’s for sure: I will never hear “All Along the Watchtower” in the same way.

Legend of the Seeker has continued to impress each week. Every episode draws a little more from the original books, but does so in a new and refreshing way. And they always do it in such a way as to never undermine the integrity of the characters. Bridget Regan continues to impress with her portrayal of Kahlan. I  have to say that of all the actors, she is the most perfectly cast. The latest episodes, “Conversion” and “Bloodline” have masterfully incorporated such elements from the book as Kahlan’s Blood Rage and Richard’s Pristinely Ungifted sister, Jensen. Even the incorporation of the Mord Sith, though done slightly differently from the novels, is thoroughly engaging and true to the core essence of the characters.

And most recently, Heroes. This episode, titled “Cold Snap,” marked the return of Bryan Fuller to the series. Fuller worked on what is probably the best of Season One episodes, “Company Man.” So, did his return make for amazing television? He definitely made some major changes. From the reveal of who Rebel is to Angela being saved by an unlikely source, Heroes was undeniably compelling. And tragic. While I understand the need for whittling down characters, I am not entirely happy with who they keep knocking off. But I will continue to watch to see if these payoffs continue. Heroes is definitely heading in the right direction for greatness again, and I am definitely glad to see Fuller’s touch return to the show. He adds a poignancy that has been lacking for far too long.

So there, my fellow TV addicts, some thoughts on what has been some amazing television over the past few days. We’ve said farewell to an epic favorite, found a new Friday night addiction, and are encouraged by what is possibly shaping up to be some great Monday night storytelling, again. One thing is for sure, I haven’t enjoyed television this much in a long time.

And here’s to its continued success.

Ratings for both shows saw an increase in ratings for their most recent episodes. T:SCC saw a 20 percent increase, while Dollhouse (who already had more viewers) saw growth of 7 percent.

Let’s hope the trend continues with what Joss Whedon has been calling the ground-breaking episode of Dollhouse this Friday.

Source: Slice of Sci Fi

Discussed This Week:

• Dollhouse so far (Hitting its groove by episode 6?)
• Forums live on Geekshow
• Coraline in 3d
• Stargate: Universe Cast
• Gossip Girl Spin-off casting
• Rockband drums in Garage Band

Box Office Report:

February 20–22, 2009

Geek Jerk Reaction:

Discussion:

Heroes Volume IV: Fugitives

Chuck vs. The Third Dimension

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse

News:

Ratner to direct Youngblood

Nolan to direct Inception

Samuel Bayer to direct Elm Street

Dev Patel to play Zuko

Martin Campbell to direct Green Lantern

Powers headed to FX

Kevin Williamson bringing Vampire Diaries to CW

Marvel Motion Comics

Wachowski Bros and Superman

Trailers:

Observe and Report

The Education of Charlie Banks

Land of the Lost

Inglorious Basterds

Email us or Comment:

What makes a Geek a Geek?

Discussed This Week:

• Dollhouse premiers, Terminator returns
• Moving on to Blu-Ray
• First episode of Game Night with Geekshow is up
• Having fun with games recently
• Randy is getting back into Battlestar Galactica
• Wayne finished Doctor Who

Box Office Report:

Geek Jerk Reaction:

If you’re a Whedonite, you’ve been anticipating Friday the 13th, 2009 for some time now. And now it has finally come: Dollhouse and Joss Whedon’s return to television.

Let me preface by saying I have done everything I could to remain spoiler-free for the premiere. I refused to read reviews, stopped visiting Whedonesque.com, and did my best to skim over Tweets from those who got an advanced look at the episode. I wanted to go in with a clean slate. And as Echo says in the first few minutes of the episode, “You ever actually try to clean a slate? You always see what was on it before.”

That being said, I am not going to compare Dollhouse’s first episode, “Ghost” to any of Joss’ other works. It’s too early to do that, and I honestly don’t think it is fair. Echo is not Faith, The Dollhouse is not Wolfram & Hart, and Topher is definitely no Wash, regardless to their outward traits.

“Ghost” gives the viewer a lot of information in one hour of television (which is helped immensely by Fox’s “More Tv. Less Commercials.” push – Thank you Fox!). On the surface we see The Dollhouse, an illegal private organization that imprints personalities on their “actives” to suit their wealthy client’s needs. The actives are volunteers who have signed on to get a new start at life. They have a 5 year contract, which after they fulfill, they are supposedly free to go, we can assume, wiped clean of all memories of the Dollhouse. Which on the surface, is a relatively simple premise that could give the show a decent season or two of television. But of course, this is Joss Whedon: nothing is ever simple.

In the beginning we see Caroline (Eliza Dushku), who hardly seems  a volunteer. Rather, she seems coerced into signing her 5 year contract. She is transformed into Echo, an almost innocent and child-like soul. When she happens to witness a new active, Sierra (Dichen Lachman), being wiped clean of her former “self,” she almost confusingly looks to Topher (Fran Kranz), the chief mind-wiping tech of the Dollhouse, and says, “She hurts.” The way Topher responds to her is almost as he would a child.

We learn through Agent Paul Ballard (Tamoh Penikett), who has been assigned to the mysterious Dollhouse case for 14 months, that the clientele of the organization include princes and senators, and that the Dollhouse has ties to a Russian human trafficking ring.  His supervisors try to get him under control on a case they think is a “fairytale.” But we also learn that he doesn’t back down very easily.

There is also a rogue active, Alpha, who is threatening to bring down the Dollhouse and its incredibly questionable activities which include not only imprinting people with personalities from real people right for the mission, but the physical limitations that can inevitably come with “real people” (near-sightedness, asthma, etc.).

So there is definitely a great set up for much intrigue and drama amidst the weekly assignments Echo will be sent on.

My biggest concern going into the show was Eliza Dushku. I was never a huge fan of Faith, and the other movies I’ve seen her in, her characters have never seemed to have much depth. So I wondered, can she really pull off being that many different people?

After the first episode: I am hopeful. Dushku transitions from desperate Caroline, to a fun-loving party girl, to the kidnap expert with a troubled past Eleanor Penn, and to innocent Echo very believably. The most haunting scene of the episode is as Miss Penn carries the kidnapped child, Devina, away from her hostages telling her over and over, “You’re free.” The scene changes and fades to Echo peacefully walking away from the mind-wiping chair, once again innocent and free from the burdens she had just faced.

I have heard overall mixed reviews of the show so far and of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. My biggest hope is that viewers will stay tuned to see where the show will lead, because one thing is for certain: Joss will never leave things on the surface. He’ll dig deep into the emotions of the characters and of the themes of the show and leave the viewers with more questions than answers – as good television should do. So long as we start getting answers before too long, this show has the potential for greatness. And that is what I always look for in the shows that I watch: not only what the episode itself said, but what the potential for the upcoming episodes could offer. Like Battlestar Galactica, the fun in watching is the speculation. This show could very well fill that looming gap.

Because in the Dollhouse, as its owner says in the very first line of the series, “Nothing is what it appears to be.”

Discussed This Week:

• Chuck in 3d
• Heroes has people talking again
• Movies we watched this week (Grand Torino,  Push, Inkheart)
• Superbowl Trailers (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, GI Joe, Year One, Up, Star Trek, Land of the Lost)
• Dollhouse Premiere this week
• Update on Game Night with Geekshow

Box Office Report:

January 30–February 1, 2009

Geek Jerk Reaction:

Dollhouse premieres February 13 on FOX.

Apparently the pilot for Dollhouse may not make television history, but there is still hope, I mean come on its Joss. Time Magazine posted a review online for the new show and had more than a few things to say about the pilot…

“If it weren’t for Whedon’s pedigree, I’m not sure I’d be dying to see a second episode. But for me, the main draw now is not seeing Dushku become a different person every week, but getting to see Joss Whedon become a different writer every week.”

(TIME via AiCN)

See you back here next week…

Originally sceduled to debut midseason on Monday Nights with hit show 24, Dollhouse has now been given a Friday night slot, which is notoriously bad for television shows. In fact, the last sci-fi series FOX has launched successfully in that time slot was 1993’s The X-Files.

Also moving to Fridays is FOX’s Terminator: The Sarah Conor Chronicles, whose ratings have plummeted since last season.

Terminator: The Sarah Conor Chronicles gets the 8pm slot, followed by Dollhouse at 9pm. Dollhouse premieres Friday, February 13th at 9pm.

Watch out at about the 23 minute mark, Scott and I were visited by some ghosts that brought along some white noise…

Here’s what he had to say:

I thought it was time to check in with you once again, gentle viewers. Or readers. Or pictures-looker-ats (that might be viewers). Also listeners, sniffers, haberdashers, Olympic hopefuls, the elderly, the youngerdly, and the mighty state of Oregon (go Oregon-based sports franchise!) Welcome all. Welcome… to me.

What’s me up to? I’m glad me asked. Me’ve (I’m not doing that any more) been working on a little show called Dollhouse. Yes, perhaps you’ve read about how it’s blazing an untrammeled path to surefire success, with nary a hitch or a hiccup, just pure blazing blazery, comet-like and meteoresque. What’s that, you say? You’ve read other things? Dark, Yog-Sothothy rumors about shutdowns and delays? Poppycock! They’re true. But I never pass up a chance to say “poppycock”. (”Balderdash” is so ‘07. Let it go.) I know there’s been a lot of concern, various fabulous hues of panic alert readiness. So here’s the skinny. Some of the names have been changed.

The show was ruined by Flim Flinear. Okay, that’s another lie, and you’re probably close to giving up on this blog, so here we go. Yes, we’ve had to make adjustments. Yes, it’s been hard and I’ve been depressing to be around for awhile. Basically, the Network and I had different ideas about what the tone of the show would be. They bought something somewhat different than what I was selling them, which is not that uncommon in this business. Their desires were not surprising: up the stakes, make the episodes more stand-alone, stop talking about relationships and cut to the chase. Oh, and add a chase. That you can cut to. Nothing I hadn’t heard before on my other shows (apparently my learning curve has no bendy part) but frustrating as hell given our circumstances – a pilot shot, scripts written, everybody marching together/gainfully employed… and then a shutdown. Glad I was for the breathing room, but it’s hardly auspicious. So back into the writer cave I went, wondering why I put up with this when I can make literally dozens of dollars making internet movies. Why I do put up with this is divided into three parts.

One: They’re not wrong. Oh, we don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, but wanting the first episodes to be exciting and accessible is not exactly Satanic. Being Satan is, but that’s in their free time and hey, there’s no judging in the Dollhouse. This kind of back and forth has happened on every show I’ve done, so if you liked those, chances are that was a part of why. And the need to focus on the essentials of what makes this universe tick – and which wire to cut to make it stop – really does bring up our game. So we as a staff have gone from blinking like unhoused moles to delving in with the same relish we had when we started. The show is really coming together now, in a way that I believe excites us and satisfies the Network. Of course, I have no idea if anybody else will like it, but I have the same faith in the staff, the crew and the remarkable cast that I always did. More, in fact. And what’s more crucial:

Two: Nothing essential has changed about the universe. The ideas and relationships that intrigued me from the start are all there (though some have shifted, more on that), and the progression of the first thirteen eps has me massively excited. The episode we’re shooting now I wrote as fast as anything I have before, not because I had to (although, funny side-note: I had to) but because I couldn’t stop the words from coming. Because I can feel the show talking to me; delighting, scaring and occasionally even offending me. It’s alive. Alive! Which is a far cry from how I felt a month ago. It’s been hilarious trying to keep up with what’s in, what’s out, who’s met whom and when – we’ve shot all of the first seven episodes out of airing order – but it’s come together in a pretty thrilling way. My huge gratitude to our cast for their precision and patience. Which also includes…

Three: Eliza. Watching her on the monitors at two o’clock this morning I was reminded forcibly how much I wished I were in bed – but also how strong, radiant and unmistakable her presence is. She’s someone who could coast on talent and never ever does. I love to watch her work. In fact, I think I got myself into this mess for that very reason, and though I have this fall occasionally sworn never to eat lunch with an actor I like again, I’m pretty pleased and crazy proud.

So here’s me, slogging away on a show like days of old and not hating life. Again, you guys will be the judge, jury and execu… lawyer, but we do have something to show you. Something, I’m chuffed to say, still pretty damn strange.

As for what’s been changed, well, some things I obviously can’t tell you. Some I can, for the record: The original pilot was in fact thrown out. Again, at my behest. Once it became clear what paradigm the Network was shooting for, it just didn’t fit at all, even after I’d reshot more than half of it (see above re: despair). To get a sense of how completely turned around I was during this process, you should know there was a scene with Eliza and the astonishing Ashley Johnson that I wrote and shot completely differently three different times, with different characters in different places (actually I wrote it closer to eight times), and none of it will ever see air. Which is as it should be (though I’m determined to get Ms. Johnson back in the future). The scene just didn’t belong anymore. Similarly, the character of November has fallen out of the mix, because the show simply moves too fast now for me to do what I wanted with her. Season three, anyone…? Happily, Miracle Laurie is still with us in a new role, playing against (and pining for) Tahmoh’s character, Paul Ballard. Their chemistry is deeply nifty. The only other major cast shift is that the Dollhouse head of security, Laurence Dominic (played by Reed Diamond), who was written just for the now-defunct first ep, has stuck like fly-paper, and Reed is very much in the family for the present. (Most of my problems seem to involve my actors making themselves indispensable. This is the good problem kind.)

Apart from that, it’s all hush-hush: some things I’d intended to hold back are laid out much sooner, and some are rolling out more slowly. We’re still heading toward Tim’s intense two-part mind-blower – right before a thirteenth ep that may actually just be insane.

And finally, young Steve DeKnight, after writing and shooting an ep so cool it helped not only define the show but save its ass, is ending his consulting duties, the f#%&er. I will be crying on the shoulder of Jane Espenson come Monday, so congratudolences are in order. Excited for the Jane Flava.

And there you have it. I’ll be writing more bulletins about “Cabin” and a certain DVD in the very near future, but I wanted to get you all some actual information for a change. I can count on you guys not to tell anyone, right? What’s a blog?

Faithfully, -joss.

Dollhouse premieres January 5, 2009 on FOX

However, apparently someone at Fox has seen fit to smile on the fans of the show, giving it a full season pickup for the remainder of the year. We can only hope that executives will have enough foresight to give the show a try in a different slot. If it continues to go against Chuck, I unfortunately see one or both suffering for it in the end.

However, the article which can be found over at IGN, also offers up some possible bad news. Apparently, the original schedule release showed 24 returning to be paired with Dollhouse on Monday nights. Terminator being suddenly renewed may indicate that Dollhouse has been delayed to the point that it won’t be ready to go when it is supposed to. This is a bit of a good news bad news scenario. Hopefully, we will get to see both Summer and Joss shine on Fox this year. Is that too much to ask?

Whedon was granted the extra time because the show is a mid-season replacement and there are a few months before it will be airing.  It makes you wonder, however, if maybe this has something to do with the executives at Fox wanting a different direction or if it’s really his will to re-work the scripts.  Could this be some consipracy like what we saw with Firefly?

We can only hope Whedon is polishing an already wonderful, witty script.  This is the view I plan on keeping.  When January comes around, we will see if the extra time was worth it.