Dollhouse Makes Second Season!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Fox just announced the Joss Whedon's Dollhouse has been renewed for a 2nd season!!!!!

I'd like to think it was with the help of this online campaign, but whatever the reason, consider me a happy gal!

Now to go write some music like a good composer...

5 TV shows that would make me a better nerd

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of seeing the new Star Trek movie.

WOW! I have not seen such a great movie in all aspects in a really long time! I was thoroughly entertained, fell in love with all the characters, and LOVED the space battles! I already want to go see it for a second time! Plus the music by Michael Giacchino, a J.J. Abrams regular, was fantastic! I walked out of the theater wanting not only to see this movie again, but to go back and watch the original series! In fact, my BF and I made a pact to watch at least one season from each of the Star Trek series, if for no other reason to boost my nerd cred.

As I contemplated this challenge, I felt a small twinge of guilt because Star Trek is not the only TV series that as a self proclaimed "nerd" or "geek" I should know more about. Sure, I have a ton of nerdy TV shows under my belt including Buffy, Dollhouse, Firefly, Heroes, Lois & Clark, Wonder Woman, Alias, X-Files, Veronica Mars, to name a few. But my collection has some glaring holes.

So I came up with the following list. 5 TV series that I should watch to become a better nerd:

5. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

This is a show I almost started watching when it first premiered last year simply because I am a Summer Glau fan. But the truth is I hadn't seen any of the Terminator movies, had no idea what the premise was, and frankly couldn't remember despite the plethora of subway and bus ads when the show came on! But this past winter I watched T2 and was instantly hooked! How could I have missed a franchise based on robots from the future attempting to destroy all humanity? That's right up my Isaac Asimov-reading alley! I have since caught 1 SCC ep, thanks to Fox programing it right before Dollhouse, was shocked to see Brian Austin Green doing a great job, and am really bummed the fall renewal looks so bleak. I have mad plans to watch T1 and T3 this weekend to prepare for Terminator Salvation out in few weeks, and then I want to jump right into the TV show!

4. Lost

Ok, I admit, I have a bit of grudge against this show. I boycotted it from the beginning because I am one of those Alias fans that blames Lost for the demise of Alias! And to be honest, since then, I've abhorred J.J. Abrams and all his work. In fact, until seeing Star Trek, I hadn't forgiven Abrams for ruining what I deemed one of the best shows on television! (apparently I am still a little bitter!) Needless to say, when Lost started the fall after Alias's third season, which was the beginning of Alias's decline, I was too mad at J.J. to try out his new show which I considered the distraction that kept him from fixing Alias. After some persuasion, I gave the show a try, but instantly recognized the same frustrating tactics Abrams used in Alias to create intrigue but never providing the needed release and quit the show, prophesying that like Alias, it would start to suck in its 3rd season, and be done by its 5th. Well, Lost should celebrated it's 5th season finale and is on board for a 6th season so I guess I was wrong! Now that Abrams is almost back on my good side, perhaps I will give Lost a second try.

3. Dr. Who

IMDB plot summary states "The adventures of an eccentric renegade time traveling alien and his companions." How could I NOT be watching this show? With the original show from 1963 lasting TWENTY-SIX seasons (!!!) and the current relaunch slated to enter its 5th season in 2010, that's a lot of catching up to do! But Dr. Who is such a part of sci-fi and British culture that I am remiss for having never seen a single episode! That soon will change!

2. Battlestar Gallactica

This is the show I probably feel the most nerd-guilt for not watching! I absolutely love space travel (I would totally go into space right now if I had the opportunity!) and I eat up Asimov and Orson Scott Card novels that take place in the far future, so it really makes no sense that I not be into a show that is based on that very concept. Now that the current run is over, I feel the need to quickly catch up before a movie or relaunch happens. I think I'll start with the 2004 relaunch first, then work my way back to the 1978 original series. Thoughts?

1. Star Trek


Again, I reiterate: Futuristic Space Travel??? How could I NOT have watched these shows! Really, I think I need to turn in my nerd badge. But thank goodness for Blockbuster online- my deus ex machina! It will also take some time to make my way through all four of these Star Trek series, but if the show lives up to the hype, which I'm sure it will, it should be a pleasurable experience!

Honorable Mention: Angel

I say Honorable Mention because I am currently making my way through the box set I bought for my BF's birthday, who is a huge Angel fan. We just finished the first season and I can't believe I shied away from this show for so long, especially being the die-hard Joss Whedon fan that I am. So far I love how it gives us just enough Buffy references without being completely reliant on the Buffyverse for its survival. Definitely a show worth seeing, and I'm glad I am finally catching up on it!

So... now that I have my summer watching listpreapared and ready to be executed, hopefully I will return back in the fall a geekier, more well-rounded nerd. Any thoughts, comments, or revisions to my Summer Nerd Fest? Post 'em in the comments!

Cautiously Optimistic

This is not the type of writing I'm supposed to be doing right now (where's that cup of coffee?). Damn you, tangents! But I was so cautiously optimistic after recent episodes of the only two shows I watch regularly that I can't begin to write a note of music until I've taken a second (and hopefully it will truly only be a second) to opine about this past week's Dollhouse and Heroes viewings.

***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***

Dollhouse

In it's third episode, I can say I'm still only watching this show out of my innate Cancer loyalty to Joss Whedon. After hearing Joss speak about "strong, female characters" at an Equality Now benefit and then meeting him after the speech were he graciously signed a first issue of "Astonishing X-Men," I can say I will be loyal to Joss for life and will give any creation of his as many chances as needed. And while I must admit to disappointment regarding the first two episodes of his latest show, last week's third episode, "Stage Fright," gave me to pause to hope.

Here's what I liked:

1. A more interesting plot line. Having Echo as a protector of a pop singer without being conscious of her bodyguard role was more engaging than the previous psycho date and kidnapping stories.

2. The emergence of male doll. We've seen men wandering aimlessly around the dollhouse in various wide angle shots, but now we have a main character as one as revealed in a nice little twist. This should quell the criticism that the dollhouse concept is misogynist. Now both women and men are being pimped out. Equality now!

3. Finally seeing Eliza kick a little ass! Prior to the first episode, I had misunderstood the show's concept. For some reason I had expected the doll's mind wiping and reprogramming as part of a government operation with the intent of using the dolls for spying, assassinations, etc. a la Alias. So I was disappointed with the distinct lack of action of the Buffy/Sydney Bristow vein. But this episode gave me that little bit of kick ass that I wanted from the show.

4. Echo's thinking outside of her programed mind. If I buy the idea that minds and personalities can be programmed, then it make more sense to me that if a doll was going to break the programming it would be through unintentional use of the personality given to her, as was Echo's unorthodox solution to the problem given to her. This sits better with me than the occasional memory resurfacing as a hallucination as in "The Target."

Overall, I still do not rate this show very high... yet. I could expand upon the things I dislike in the show but I will refrain as I am trying to be optimistic (and really need to get back to composing). I will say that I am taking this past episode as a sign of good things to come. If this episode had been the pilot, I think the show would have more support. While each episode is basically a one off, I understand that a larger arc will emerge showing Echo becoming aware of the mind wiping situation. This could get very interesting and I hope Fox and it's viewers will give Whedon enough time to see his genius ripen in this show.

Heroes

Again with the loyalty. I started watching Heroes after giving into peer pressure half-way through the first season, caught up quickly thanks to NBC keeping all episodes online, and while I originally abhorred the idea of a "superhero TV show sans capes," I was converted and have been a faithful fan since. I rode out the overly dramatic 2nd season and allowed the writer's strike to be the excuse for a less than stellar season. This past third season I've felt there was improvement, but it was not until last night's episode "Exposed" that I felt we finally had a show of the caliber of the first season.

Here's what I liked:

1. Multiple plot lines. I know many criticize that there are too many subplot lines happening and that may be, but I really hate not seeing at least a little snip bit of each character in each episode. Last night we saw all story lines except Hiro and Ando, which satisfied my need to know what was going on (I'll just assume Hiro and Ando spent the day in plane flying back from India!). While we didn't see Suresh, Daphne, or Tracy, we at least know where they are so there's nothing to wonder about.

2. Mommy/Daughterness. I've liked Sandra Bennet so much more since they stopped wiping her memory and was glad to see her in a proactive role. Plus its nice to see non-heroes in on the action. I'm hoping this new bond will allow Claire to mature and thus be a little less annoying.

3. The annoying characters were less annoying. Not only was Claire less whiny, but the Petrelli brothers kept their self-righteous savior complexes in cheque. I also liked Peter going in for the hug but stealing back Nathan's flying ability before taking off.

4. Peter and Matt's tag team mind reading. Yes, it was incredibly cheesy to see first one then the other turn their head to the side and give intense looks but I have to think the creators knew this and decided to embrace the inevitable Velveeta effect and just role with it. It made me laugh and so I liked it.

5. Rebel's continuing interaction. PLEASE let Rebel be Micah! PLEASE let Rebel be Micah! PLEASE let Rebel be Micah!

I know there are more things (I shoulda taken notes!) but I walked away from the episode thinking Hallelujah! The Heroes I know and love it back! Lets hope they don't f*ck it up again!

And on that note, I shall spellcheck, post, and return to Sibelius, happy with the hope that if these creative ventures can improve, then maybe so can mine! ;)

One Week from Tonight!

One week from tonight, Joss Whedon's new show for Fox, The Dollhouse premieres! I'm excited about the new series and am hoping for the best, despite the bad time slot, and despite the Whedon's tumultuous past with Fox Studios.

Never did get the call to write the music for the show though, hmmm....

"Strong, female characters"

This weekend I had a massive copy job to finish- over 50 pages of music to input into Sibelius by Sunday. Since the Hungarian Pastry Shop was still closed for renovation, I decided to just stay at home to do the work- I’m faster on my desktop anyway. Plus it would give me to a chance to watch (listen) to my newly acquired Wonder Woman Season 2 DVDs.

I was a bit apprehensive about Season 2; I didn’t want my childhood favorite to be tainted by watching through grown up eyes. That is what happened when I eagerly bought Season 1 a couple years ago when it was first released to DVD. I remember popping in that first disc, and 5 minutes into the pilot thinking, Who are these boring WWII military dudes, and when are they going to show Paradise Island?!? I’m sorry, but that first season is BORING. How did I love this show as a kid? I don’t even have the attention span for it as an adult! And what’s more, Diana is annoying! Will she ever stop swooning over Steve Trevor and doesn’t she find his swooning over Wonder Woman a bit demeaning? To be honest, I found that season to be a bit sexist! (and that is a word I use sparingly; as a female jazz musician, I have experienced too much testosterone to cry “sexist” at every small offense).


Nonetheless, I hoped that with the revamping of the show out of the 40’s and into the 70’s, there would be improvement. And after watching (listening to) almost the entire season on Saturday, I was not only pleasantly surprised, but greatly relieved. THERE was the Diana Prince and Wonder Woman that inspired me as a child. Sure, WW’s costume was a bit skimpier, but Diana Prince was just as bad ass as WW! For starters, she was no longer Steve’s assistant, but his associate (love that Themyscirian hypnosis!). She no longer bat puppy dog eyes at Steve, and while he still held an infatuation for WW it is balanced by his respect for Diana. I appreciate how Diana/WW was the same character from the first season and this story just literally toke place 30 years later. And while I feel like the comic’s version of Wonder Woman is more serious, down to business, and even a tiny bit jaded, I love that the TV series portrays Diana and Wonder Woman as very optimistic and eager to find the good in every person or villain (which were constantly getting no more than hand slaps!). It’s just refreshing.

Watching this season brought a wave of nostalgia and realization of how strongly this show influenced me and is at least partially responsible for my current career path. Like many whose childhood was spent in the 80s, I grew up on those WW reruns. I idolized Diana Prince and thought Wonder Woman was the most beautiful woman in the world. I wasn’t really into TV, but I have distinct memories of running next door to my neighbor’s house to get my friend Jay because “Wonder Woman was coming on.” I remember forcing Jay to play “Wonder Woman” with me. I would make him be Steve Trevor (I was a very bossy little girl) and I would be Wonder Woman and would save him from whatever bad thing our 5 year old minds could think of (as we lived on a military base, I’m sure we were able to think of many “bad” things). At the time, Wonder Woman was just a fun game, but looking back as an adult, I see how strongly the show and more over, the character of Wonder Woman influenced me.

To begin with, she was someone I felt I could relate too. I remember fretting that because I had brown hair, I could never be as pretty as those with blond hair (lets blame Barbie for that!). But here was this woman with brown hair and blue eyes, just like me, and she was beautiful! And not only beautiful, but strong, kind, and a hero. The daughter of a Marine, and living on a Marine Base at the time, I was very aware of “heroes” and the concept of saving lives. But, the majority of the Marines I knew were men. To see a female hero, and at a such a young age where I didn’t completely recognize the difference between fiction and reality, taught me a sense of equality between men and women that I never bothered to question thereafter. Of course, I would be remised if I didn’t point out that my mother was also a very strong, independent woman and growing up, it never occurred to me that women could be viewed as lesser beings than men.

That crucial exposure as a child set a precedence: I still today find myself being influenced by strong, female characters. Any given day, I may gain motivation from characters such as Buffy, Sydney Bristow, Veronica Mars, and Lara Croft as well as Black Canary, Oracle, and Donna Troy (whose history of having to restart her life repeatedly I could relate to the most, as I was constantly restarting my life every 2 years as a military brat, and whose story inspired the partially autobiographical song “Serenade for Donna Troy”).

It’s not that I feel oppressed or heavily discriminated against, in fact, most men I know and associate with are very comfortable with women and our role in society. But as someone who loves finding reality in art, I can’t help but be inspired when I read about Oracle out-smarting the Calculator, complete the Bolivia level of Tomb Raider, or watch River Tam beat down the Reavers and Diana Prince spin into Wonder Woman.

It used to be that I only had those fictional characters to look up to, but now my world has been opened to the genius of Maria Schneider, Asne Seierstad, Gail Simone, Joan Stiles, Ingrid Jensen, Paula Radcliff, Deena Kastor, Twyla Tharp, and Pam Pietro, to name a few.

A few years ago I had the privilege of attending a benefit for Equality Now. The organization was honoring men who made an impact on women’s equality. Joss Whedon, among others, was being recognized. Joss’s speech on “strong female characters” brought chills to my arms and tears to my eyes (as did the incredible stories of the ordinary men who were also being honored). Afterwards, I sheepishly introduced myself to Joss, got a photo with him (below), an autograph on Astonishing X-Men #1, and slipped him a CD of my Infinite Crisis inspired Master’s Recital (hear it here). He was a super nice guy whose sincerity in his beliefs were clear by his willingness to meet and greet all of his female fans.

If you have a few minutes, watch this video of his speech:

Living life, male or female, and pursuing art, can be extremely challenging. I feel lucky that I have such a large bag of inspiration to pull from when it is needed. I will always feel grateful that I was exposed to a strong, female character at such a young, impressionable age, whose influence continues to assist me down this sometimes cold, NY, coffee driven path.

The Dollhouse

Joss Whedon finally returns to TV!!! Okay, I know I'm slow to report this, but I'm super excited! The news broke over two weeks ago that Joss Whedon has been given the go ahead by Fox to pen seven issues of a new series entitled "The Dollhouse."

The Hollywood Reporter reports:

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon is returning to television with Dollhouse," a new sci-fi project starring "Buffy" alumna Eliza Dushku that has received a seven-episode commitment from Fox.

"Dollhouse," from 20th Century Fox TV, is Whedon's first TV project since his 2002 Fox drama "Firefly."

The drama, whose license fee is said to be in the $1.5 million-$2 million-per-episode range, stars Dushku as Echo, a member of a group of men and women who are imprinted with different personalities for different assignments. In between tasks they are mind-wiped, living like children in Dollhouse, a futuristic dorm/lab. They have no memories of their previous lives, until Echo begins to try to find out who she was.

"Dollhouse" came out of a lunch between Whedon and Dushku in September, shortly after the actress had signed a development deal with 20th TV and Fox. Whedon was giving her advice about writers and types of shows that might be good for her but wasn't interested in venturing into TV himself because he was trying to get a couple of movie projects off the ground at the time.

Continue reading...

There's also a great interview with Joss here and more info here.

Hopefully, negotiations with the WGA will be settled soon and this project will not be delayed. I don't think I could take another Joss disappointment.

I have to wonder, if I can convince Joss to have lunch withe me to discuss my career path, perhaps I can fulfill my favorite long run daydream of writing the scores to a Joss Whedon show?