The New abNormal

If you've read my blog more than, say, twice, you're already well aware of my unashamedly gushing fandom for Joss Whedon - - though admittedly it really started and ended with Firefly, I'll still watch and struggle to enjoy pretty much anything the man does.

I gave Dollhouse a chance. Several chances, really. And I enjoyed it. I was completely swept up by the "missing 13th episode" - only found on the Season 1 dvd set - and thought, "damn, this man knows how to spin a yarn!"

Season 2 was pretty impressive - once I found it on line and was able to watch it up until it was taken BACK OFF THE AIR for November.

Dollhouse had the makings of being a really good show, in spite of its early struggles. I enjoyed it. It had a really good cast, and, lets be honest, had Eliza Dushku, who I'm inexplicably a fan of. Yes, she's no Meryl Streep, but she's got a good presence when she's in her zone (go back and watch the Bank Job episode. She just needs to be angry or professionally focused and then I can't stop watching her.), and she's fun. She makes a better antiheroine than a standard one - - she'll always be better as Faith than as a Buffy.

But of course, Fox has cancelled the show. Of course they would! What else would they DO with shows I like? I'm trying not to enjoy Glee, because clearly my setting a DVR for a show becomes Fox's kiss of death.

I struggle to figure out what it is that Fox has against Joss. What, seriously, is it? They don't just hate him, though - they hate a lot of people. Mostly the people who want to watch the shows they put on. I don't get it. It escapes me.

I do, however, think I've stumbled upon why Joss keeps going back to Fox.

Fox is Joss Whedon's insane ex girlfriend.

No, think about that a moment. You've all had one of those relationships, haven't you? Where the sex was unbelievable, but they were just a little bit...umm... crazy? And maybe the crazy played into it. Maybe it was the crazy that made the physical parts so skull-shatteringly impressive. And you'd break up with them - because some insurance companies will threaten to drop your coverage if you don't - and, like a year later, you find yourself standing behind her in the grocery store, and she looks great and you talk, and she seems so much less dangerous than you remember her being, so you go out again, and six months later she's set fire to your DVD collection, deliberately threw your cell phone into the hot oil vat at McDonald's and told your friends that you've joined a cult and never want to speak to them ever again.

That's happened to everyone, hasn't it? Totally.

But everytime you think you've gotten away, she just randomly shows up again in your life and all the previous crazy has been forgotten - or at least doesn't seem so bad in hindsight.

See, Joss, you just need a better girlfriend. Fox - - oh, she may be lovely, and she might be great in the sack. But how many times do you need to wake up in the morning to see that she carved her name in your back to see that she's just not good for you?

You just need a good relationship. Like with ABC or NBC. They're good people, from decent families. Or maybe HBO or Showtime. They have more money to throw around and are a bit more concerned about their actual viewers than Fox.

Just - - - don't say no, yet, Joss. Think about it. Look at the new wounds scratched across your skin and the spray paint on your car. And just rethink it. Maybe it's just time you moved on.

So, some day, Joss Whedon needs to do a movie - ANY MOVIE - and have Yoko Kanno do the music for it.

Those of you who don't know who either or both of these people are, I'm very sorry. Learning what you're missing will cause you to mourn the many years you have been without them.

Alas, I don't know if Yoko does live action stuff yet, I've only heard the music she's done for anime.

For references: Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Escaflowne, Earth Girl Arjuna, Macross Plus. Just close your eyes and listen.

I swear to God, I've really got to start betting the lotto.

http://www.jsoule-webdesign.com/posters/

Serenity posters. Done like western wanted posters.

Well, I guess if it's a good idea, it just means someone else was already gonna've thought of it.

okay, the geek in me rears its ugly head again to pass this along. It looks like Kevin Smith has confirmed that he's gonna make at least 3 episodes for the forthcoming Star Wars tv series.

I wonder if Lucas is gonna talk to Whedon about doing some episodes too? I suppose it'll likely depend on how much an impact Serenity makes later in the year.

Alright, back to less hollywoody topics...

So okay, yeah. I'm looking forward to the movie "Serenity" which is coming out this September.

The trailer just came out, and, being a pretty avid fan of the short-lived series, really enjoyed it. It really tipped its hat at the fans whose love of the show led to its evolution onto the big screen.

I mean, it's kind of amazing, when you think about it. A show lasts for not even one season, sells out three printings of the DVD in record time and gets made into a movie?

That's pretty cool.

Since I can't help but wanna laugh at Fox TV (cos they're really not as good at picking the good shows as they'd like to believe), I just enjoy taking a secret giggle at knowing I was one of the folks the trailer nods to.

I just hope it's still an accessible movie for people who never really saw the show. Apparently, some Universal execs sat in on a preview of the movie with a theater full of browncoats and got REALLY shocked by the level of enthusiasm from the fans.

I'm guessing their thoughts were a cross between "wow, we really bet on the right horse" and "OH dear god, what madness have we unwittingly unleashed upon the world???"

For me, the whole thing just makes me happy because it's an intelligent show, written for purposes of intelligent entertainment. It's not shakespeare, but it's also a far cry from so much of the absolute rubbish that hollywierd's cranking out of late.

I guess we'll see, huh?

so here's the update:

Firefly? Own it. Seen it. Love it. Gave it to all my relatives.

Buffy? Just finished watching the last dvd through Netflix this past weekend. Great ending, even picked up the graphic novels Fray and "Tales of the Vampire Slayer."

Angel? Season 5 comes out tomorrow, and that's it.

Serenity comes out in September.

But now what?

I'm not much for TV, honestly. There's a whole bunch of crap on there, and it doesn't look to be getting any better.

But for me, I've enjoyed the epic sense of storytelling that Whedon has seemed to master, so effortlessly.

He needs to clone himself and have new shows and movies and books coming out non-stop.

Stupid Joss Whedon.