Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: Web Exclusive
Joss Whedon's Comic Based Musical
Written during the 100 days long Writer’s Strike that stalled late night talk shows and popular primetime programming, the Whedon Brothers and Maurissa Tancharoen teamed up together to produce a low-budget comedy-drama musical quirkily titled, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
Dr. Horrible, Penny and Captain Hammer
In this internet exclusive web series released in three acts, Neil Patrick Harris becomes another kind of doctor from his infamous role as Doogie Howser, M.D. Instead, he stars in the role of Dr. Horrible – a seemingly villainous man trying to get accepted into the “Evil League of Evil”. By the submission standards of the “Bad Horse”, in order to get in, Dr. Horrible must do something truly, incredibly horrible (i.e. kill someone). The problem is however, Dr. Horrible isn’t entirely that evil and horrible.
But this isn’t exactly the only problem that Dr. Horrible faces. Interestingly enough, Dr. Horrible a.k.a. Billy is not without his weakness. It turns out that he has a love-interest in an activist for the homeless, Penny (played by Felicia Day from Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer) who he often meets but never speaks to at the Laundromat. When they are finally able to speak to each other, Dr. Horrible meets his nemesis both in the pursuit of evil and in the pursuit of love. The charming Nathan Fillion, who once was in the short-stinted Whedon-produced TV series, Firefly is the vain and egotistic superhero Captain Hammer that Penny falls in love with. Unfortunately for Dr. Horrible, Captain Hammer becomes his greatest foil that he must overcome in order to get “everything he ever wanted”.
Joss Whedon to Make a Soundtrack and Sequel
In this funny and entertaining 43 minute musical, the three main characters not only sing songs, but showcase a very compelling story that emerges through the cute simplicity of the music and the sometimes emotional and comical dialogue in the lyrics. Subtle humor, double meanings and conflicting emotions make this witty narrative of one man’s plight an intriguing watch that leaves viewers wanting more. So much more that Joss Whedon, after the initial success of Dr. Horrible’s release, has announced a DVD release with musical commentary, a 4th act sequel and a soundtrack. Whedon and company have certainly come up with a brand new medium of entertainment in the internet video revolution, and their fans will certainly be looking forward for more to come.
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog can be viewed on iTunes or Hulu.com and more information about Joss Whedon’s “master plan” can be found at www.drhorrible.com/
