A lot of bad things came out of the Hollywood writer's strike. I'm thinking specifically about the deluge of reality programming that included American Gladiators and abbreviated seasons of some of my favorite shows. But there were a few silver linings for the folks at home—one of the most recent, Joss Whedon's direct-to-the-web musical, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."

Leave it to the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to pick Neil Patrick Harris to play a geeky villain who goes to crazy lengths to win the heart of his laundry mat crush—according to Whedon, it never occurred to him to cast anyone else in the role. His goal in creating this three-part mini musical, which was shot over six days on a micro-sized budget thanks to a cast and crew of industry friends like Doogie: "Everybody's working from the models they know, either from TV or from the nascent Internet entertainment structures. Throwing some of that out meant we can hopefully broaden people's perceptions about what the Internet represents."

And obviously, to entertain the pants off of the masses. With quotable lyrics, solid performances from Whedon alums Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, and a super villain whose pathetic pining with break your heart, he has done just that. "The things that have hit on the Internet have almost all had that quality, from 'Star Wars' kid, to 'The Landlord,' to 1,500 prisoners doing 'Thriller,'" he has explained. "Not just the I-made-it-myself aesthetic, but the truly, transcendently goofy. The absurd (which is important to me, as an Absurdist) is part of the Internet's identity. Maybe it's just a stage, but it's an awesome one."

To watch the trailer for "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" or to download it from iTunes ($1.99 per Act), please visit drhorrible.com.

- Caroline Stanley

Similar Topics:film, joss whedon, web series

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