Just Browsing

“From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world’s first moving skyscraper — here are TIME’s picks for the top innovations of 2008.” And weighing in at #15: The direct-to-web supervillian musical, aka Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog - nice recognition for innovative content delivery. (And no, I’m not really sure if I mean innovative content, innovative delivery, or - more likely - both.)

  Joss Whedon’s clever new musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, is once again available for free viewing internationally (this time with commercials), thanks to hulu.com. If you missed it earlier, check it out now - it’s silly, clever, hugely entertaining, and strangely addictive. And as always, the music is wonderful.

And for those who just can’t get enough, io9.com and spout both have reports of the Dr. Horrible panel at Comic-Con this weekend. Or bite the bullet and visit the official fan site, which is chock full of Dr. Horrible goodness.

Sacrilege. For goodness’ sake, has the entertainment industry completely given up on orginality? It’s not as if there isn’t any new, creative, not-riding-on-someone-else’s-coattails talent for creating musicals: witness, for example, Joss Whedon’s recent — and wonderful — Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog. (If you missed that during its free-on-the-internet period, it’s worth the tiny download price.)

Okay, I’ll admit that Joss Whedon is a household word in our home. I got hooked by the wonderful play of language and delightfully flawed characters in Firefly and Serenity, and my daughter by the quirky friendships and repartee in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Whedon’s work is extremely fun, always unique, and highly intelligent and clever. So we’re looking forward to trying out his next TV series, Dollhouse, which is to air on Fox in January 2009.

And understand this: the show is scheduled to air. It has been granted a thirteen-episode production commitment by Fox. It is not threatened. Well, other than the fact that it’s a Joss Whedon creation airing on Fox.

Yes, this is the same Fox that gave us Firefly episodes out of sequence, pre-empted them for sports, and then canceled the series after only eleven episodes, giving rise to a huge “Save Firefly” campaign, internet guerilla marketing, and eventually an award-winning feature film. So it seems that, in anticipation of another huge lapse in judgement by Fox, fans are already rallying to save Whedon’s new series, months before it airs - even as early as November 2007:

Yes, I understand that it hasn’t even begun production yet. That’s besides the point. If we had started campaigning for Firefly’s renewal before they had even cast all the parts, we might still be watch Captain Tight Pants, and Space Whore, and the rest every alternate Friday at 4am and each 3rd Tuesday after the infomercials go off (prime slots for the 18-34 demo).

Even for those that don’t know/like/get Whedon’s work, this should be interesting to follow, as it demonstrates the power and creativity of the internet community. Marketers, especially, should take note.

(Via shadowfirebird)