Whedon returns to TV with 'Dollhouse'

Joss Whedon's last experience with episodic TV left a bad taste in his mouth, but an old friend has coaxed him back.

Whedon and "Buffy" buddy Eliza Dushku (Faith from the show) will be launching a new series, "Dollhouse," with Fox.  The actress' Boston Diva Production and Whedon's Mutant Enemy will produce the show, which has gotten a seven-episode commitment.  Though a writers' strike could delay production, it's scheduled for fall 2008.

"Massacre is an exceptional phrase," says Whedon of the sudden cancellation and mishandling of his "Firefly" series on Fox.  "But it's a whole new crew now.  There's new blood."

Dushku will be a producer and play Echo, a young woman who is everybody's fantasy. She is one of a group of men and women who can be imprinted with personality packages, including memories, skills, language and even muscle memory, by a company/place called the Dollhouse.

Whedon ranks the character as one of his best, saying "she's absolutely the essence of strength boiled down.  She's at her strongest when she's at her least powerful. She has an extraordinary tenacity. "

As a first-time producer, Dushku was given a lot of freedom to come up with a show. They "really gave me the blessing to go out and bring them the kind of show that I wanted to do and be the character I wanted to be." And Whedon, whom she dubbed "the ultimate feminist male writer," was the first person she called.

"It was like I was fiddling with a Rubik's Cube while watching TV, then looked up and it was done," says Whedon of his lunch date with Dushku in which the two came up with the premise.

With a writers' strike looming, Whedon understands that the show could hit some snags before it gets off the ground.

"My timing is, as usual, great."

-- Jevon Phillips

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

'The Hills': Fake or not? Does it matter?

An "is it scripted or isn't it?" storm is brewing around this season of "The Hills."

Some sloppy editing in recent episodes, reported in several newspapers and blogs, have raised the question, and last week an online expose by series "star" Lauren's onetime date Gavin Beasley sent "Hills" fans into a tizzy trying to figure it out.

MTV has always 'fessed to so-called pickup shots, staged scenes that address issues of continuity and not storylines. But no one at the network will talk about the bomb that dropped Thursday, when an interview surfaced with Beasley that divulged the level of manipulation that goes on in "The Hills." (Interestingly, the interview was conducted with the blog www.BestWeekEver.TV, a product of an MTV sister network. "Et tu, VH1?")

The network declined to comment on the posting, perhaps the most incriminating evidence yet to surface supporting the -- let's face it -- fairly obvious allegation that the show's drama is largely manufactured by its producers. Beasley divulged behind-the-scenes details of his cameo, including how the producers asked him to get Lauren's phone number and listed questions he should ask her during their scene. "They wanted me to ask her about the runway show, how long she had worked that day, when would she get off, stuff like that," Beasley says.

'House': Whole lot of shakin' goin' on!

I just have to say it out loud: "House" just keeps getting better and better. What at first seemed like a pretty silly idea -- to passive-aggressively keep from hiring a new team, House has a group of doctors competing like they're in a reality show -- has turned out to be brilliant. Not only do we get all sorts of great new characters, we also get to see House at his best, trying to figure out, and neutralize, each one. Gone are all the boring concerns about his Vicodin addiction, gone is the irritating model of House declaiming and everyone else denying (even though he's always right), gone is the increasingly dull and unbelievable tension between him and Cuddy. (As subordinate/boss, that is. The sexual tension, one hopes, is still in there somewhere.) Cuddy is done trying to squelch him; now she is just shooting for managed chaos. Which is so much more fun because it revolves more around the medicine and less around all the personal pathos of the staff.

      Last night's case was a screenwriter's dream. A man comes in with no memory but a very strange disorder -- Giovanni's Mirror Syndrome (where do they come up with these things?), which causes him to unconsciously mimic those around them. So all of the characters were subjected to a vision of their own selves, and we got to watch them react to it. How great a dramatic idea is that? Although it must be conceded that while Patient X managed to delve into the psyches of all the contestants, he stayed on the surface when mirroring House, revealing only his lust for doctor 13 and admiration for Cuddy's breasts. Too bad; it would have been interesting to get a peep into House's interior, and even more interesting to see what he thought of the image.

But the quibble is so minor, I'm ashamed to have made it. This season of "House" should be handed out as Christmas gifts to every writers' room in America to serve as a template for really shaking up a show in danger of bogging down in its own conceit. Mercifully, House didn't kick anyone off the island last night; the loss of any of the new characters will lead only to heartbreak for me. I miss the old guy already and don't care that he wasn't a doctor. Indeed, I was just as uneasy when Cuddy announced she had hired Foreman back. I love Omar Epps, but I hope this doesn't mean a return to the old "House." As good as it was, the new "House" is better. 

(Photo courtesy Fox)

'Dancing With the Stars': Out with the new

“Dancing With the Stars” decided to kick it old school last night, meaning, of course, that the episode was completely devoid of any reference to current pop culture. Who more appropriate to have as special guest musical performer than Barry Manilow singing “The Greatest Songs of the Seventies”? Which dance better to have reprised than the “rock ’n’ roll” Sharks and Jets routine? And who best to have eliminated from the show than its youngest contestant, Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan? It was as if the voters of the show said, “This is what we think of hip-hop-infused ballroom!” The episode did feature a bit of break dancing during a preview for Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba’s upcoming show, “Dance Wars,” but the routine, leg warmers and all, seemed more from “Fame” than actual b-boys and girls.

Mel B., as the new youngest contestant on the show, you'd better watch your back.

The networks and diversity: patches of progress

Closely mirroring last year’s findings, a coalition of minority advocacy groups Tuesday concluded that the four major networks had made some progress in increasing ethnic diversity in front of and behind the camera but still fell short in demonstrating an overall commitment to cultural diversity in their prime-time lineups.

The conclusions by the National Latino Media Council, American Indians in Film and Television and the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition were part of their seventh annual report cards measuring strides made by CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox to boost minority representation.  In 1999, those networks forged an agreement with the minority groups, and with the NAACP, to increase diversity.

Esteban Torres, chairman of the National Latino Media Council, said ABC was given excellent grades for placing Latino talent in each of the network’s most popular series, and for its success with the comedy “Ugly Betty.”  The group also gave marks ranging from B+ to B- to CBS, NBC and Fox.

Karen Narasaki, the head of the Asian Pacific Media Coalition, said she was particularly concerned about the lack of commitment to development deals with Asian Pacific Americans writers and talent. The group awarded a C+ to Fox and NBC, and a C to both CBS and ABC.

Leaders for American Indians in Film and Television did not award grades but charged each of the networks with largely ignoring American Indians in front of and behind the camera.  “We are the invisible Americans,” said spokesman Mark Reed, adding that he was encouraged by assurances from the networks that the presence of American Indians would increase.

The NAACP did not participate in the report, but representatives said the organization would issue its own diversity findings in November.

Fox was the only one of the four networks to respond to the report.  Executives at that network said in a statement that they were dedicated to their diversity efforts.

-- Greg Braxton

(Photo courtesy ABC)

'Heroes': Dania and 'The Line'

As the promo says: Everything you thought you knew ... is about to change!

Maybe not, but for the "Heroes" faithful (and video makers), there's finally a glimpse of where Tim Kring and the rest of the gang are going with all of this.  Sylar and Noah (HRG) get to show their bad sides, which is great to behold.  As another review puts it: Give the story a chance.

It's all about influence: Sylar's influence over Maya is growing, and he pushes her to kill despite her brother's objections.  West's influence over Claire grows, and they pull a prank to get her on the cheer squad. (He picked her up and dropped her with no problem. Hmmm... ) The Company's influence over Monica begins as Mohinder brings her into the fold, only to get a new watchdog with Niki brought back into the picture. Hiro lets love influence his decisions, altering the time line and probably creating a powerful enemy. And lastly, we don't know who influences the deadly Noah (HRG), but we're sure that the eight paintings he's finally unearthed will be very, very influential.

Like last year, a dire future that results in millions dead is revealed.  This time Peter, instead of Hiro, views it.  Heck, Hiro may be to blame. Getting a kiss apparently trumps even the preservation of the space-time continuum.

And speaking of Hiro, I think Takezo Kensei is the person murdering the "generations" crew.  There, I said it!  Comments here and elsewhere have pointed fingers at Peter Petrelli, the Invisible guy from last season, future Hiro, Parkman Sr. and more. I don't think it's any of them. I've thought about this for the past couple of episodes, and now events are leading that way. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  When it's proved that I'm wrong (twists are great!), I'll admit it, love it and move on. Or I may change my mind next week!

Once again, uh-oh about Maya.  She's starting to like using her powers, and the actress that portrays her, Dania Ramirez, is all for it.

'The Office': Overtime

The final evening of the "Office" convention kicked off with a VIP cocktail reception that I was not invited to, but that's OK: It gave me a chance to check out Farley's, one of the actual Scranton establishments mentioned on the show. It was a great place to grab a burger -- sort of like Bennigan's if Bennigan's was a knickknack-free independent restaurant and not a national chain. I also popped my head into the Bog, a bar not mentioned on the show but one where the night before cast members had whiled away the evening singing karaoke (not surprisingly, from what I hear, Craig Robinson, a.k.a. Darryl, was one of the main performers.) 

'The Office': Get to know your co-workers

The sun finally came out this afternoon, probably willed out of hiding by the sheer star power of the cast of "The Office." 

I never did get to ask Angela Kinsey (Angela) what hair product she was using to keep her flaxen locks so immune to the humidity, unfortunately, but it was on my mind. 

The citizens of Scranton, Pa., and convention attendees have been deliriously anticipating any sightings of the actors, and were largely rewarded all day today. 

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Oscar Nunez (Oscar), Andy Buckley (David Wallace) and Craig Robinson (Darryl) took part in an improvised Dunder Mifflin stockholders meeting along with local actors. 

The event was held at the Mall at Steamtown; the good news for the cast members was that it was better attended than a Debbie Gibson concert. This wasn't so great for attendees, however, as it was nearly impossible to see and hear.

Oh, well: I got to check out Bon-Ton, which is a department store I'd never heard of that carried a great array of the cute hats that are so "in" this season. 

'FNL': Is it case closed?

Let us take a moment to go in praise of casting. In this, "Friday Night Lights" has rarely goofed. Families -- the Taylors, the Garritys, Matt Saracen and his father, Smash Williams and his mother -- actually look like families, and this season the show has exceeded itself in the casting of Landry's policeman father, played by Glenn Morshower.

Morshower not only looks like Jesse Plemmons' Landry but also exudes the rectitude that lies behind his son's goofball-genius persona.

The Landry kid is the character the producers of "FNL" decided to gamble on this season, changing his persona from sidekick to soul searching after he came to the aid of his high school crush, Tyra, killing her stalker.

The two then dumped the body in the river. Their cover-up seemed to get resolved in this week's episode, after Tyra was called to police headquarters to ID the body found in the river as the guy who'd attempted to rape her.

Is it case closed?  Doubtful.

'The Office': Staff orientation

"I wish Dwight was here," sighed a young lady during "The Office" Olympics. It's unclear whether she meant Dwight Schrute, the character, or Rainn Wilson, the actor who plays him, as the coffee cup races, trash can H-O-R-S-E and other events going on around them would only be enhanced by a stern taskmaster, as there was entirely too much gaiety going on.