Dollhouse, Firefly, Angel, Buffy : news, photos & videos

Zack Whedon - "Dr. Horrible 2" Web Series - Mtv.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-11-12T13:24:13Z

Now that "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" is a bona fide award-winner with a sequel on the way, everyone wants to know what's next for Dr. Horrible, Captain Hammer and the rest of the gang.

I recently spoke to "Dr. Horrible" co-writer Zack Whedon, who scripted the inline musical along with brothers Joss and Jed and Jed's wife, Maurissa Tancharoen, and along with giving Splash Page readers an exclusive preview of the "Dr. Horrible" comic he's writing for Dark Horse, he also offered up an update on the musical's much-anticipated sequel.

"We've been planning it pretty much from the minute we finished the first one," said Whedon of the sequel, which Nathan Fillion recently revealed has both a title and a few songs written already.

As for when they'll really get down to work on it, Whedon said work is underway—but he expects things to start moving along more once shooting is finished on Joss Whedon's television series, "Dollhouse."

"They finish up 'Dollhouse' in the winter—at least what they've scheduled to shoot thus far—so hopefully when that's done, we'll all be able to get together more frequently and grind it out," he explained. "There are a couple of songs written. It's very promising. We're all very excited about where it goes."

While he couldn't reveal many details about where the sequel will take the cast—or exactly which members of the cast will be returning—he did say that Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer would, of course, be back in action.

"Yeah, you have to see them in the sequel," he laughed. "We will expand the world a little bit into other areas you have not seen... and it will be hilarious."

"We're doing it for fun and for ourselves and for the fans," he added. "So doing a sequel is really a no-brainer."

Zack Whedon - "Dr. Horrible" Web Series - Comicsbulletin.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-10-21T19:42:08Z

Recently, Zack Whedon took time out of his busy schedule to sit down and chat with Josh Green about his career, Dr. Horrible, and what's to come.

Enjoy !

Josh Green : You are a third generation television writer, as well as the brother of the famous Joss Whedon. Have you always wanted to continue the Whedon family tradition of television writing ?

Zack Whedon : I always knew that I wanted to be involved in the entertainment industry in some capacity or many different capacities but I didn't become interested in writing for television specifically until I started working for David Milch on Deadwood. That was in 2003 when that show was just getting started and when many interesting things were happening on TV in general. HBO and FX were doing very cool original programming and I saw a place where I would want to work someday. My grandfather, my dad and Joss all worked or started in sitcoms so I sort of fought my comedy inclinations as a very weak and insignificant form of rebellion against my family tradition and I am still in the throes of that “rebellion” today.

JG : Tell me about the origins behind your Emmy-Winning internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

ZW : Jed, Maurissa and I had made some video things when we were living together which Joss saw and laughed at. Then in the middle of the WGA strike he mentioned that he wanted to do something for the internet since we had so much dang free time. He had the title and the characters worked out already. So then we got together at his office and made it happen.

JG : How did you, Joss, Jed, and Maurissa decide who would write certain portions of the script ?

ZW : We outlined the whole story together and figured out where the songs would go and what they'd be about and so on. At that point we all just pointed to things and said, “I want to do this.” I pointed to the parts that weren't songs.

JG : As soon as Dr. Horrible went online, you wrote the first of three online prequel webcomics on MySpace Dark Horse Presents. The first one starred Captain Hammer, and the others starred Moist and Penny. Were those the first comics you had ever written ? Also, do you treat writing comic books differently than screenplays ?

ZW : Those were the first comics I'd ever written and it was very educational and loads of fun too. They differ from screenplays in that I get to be very detailed about everything that is happening in the frame. If I did that in a screenplay I'd get punched in the face by the director. I like writing them for that reason. I like figuring out how to cover an action in a few panels and deciding which moments deserve real estate on the page, what image you want to leave on and so on.

JG : How did you get the Dr. Horrible webcomic gig ? Is it because you've been a long-time comic book reader like your brother, Joss ? If so, what are your favorite comics of all time ? Are you still a regular reader ?

ZW : I got the webcomic gig because Joss and Dark Horse are best buds. They wanted to do something to tie in with Dr. H and Joss suggested I do it. He knew that I was a bit of a comic fan and that I was unemployed so I was perfect for the job. I was never an avid comic reader but I dabbled. Joss exposed me to almost all of the comics I read as a kid. He gave me lots of Frank Miller and some Alan Moore, which I loved. Recently I've been trying to read more and catch up on everything I missed out on because I'm insecure about my limited comic knowledge. Of everything I've read recently Y : The Last Man is my favorite. I loved it so very much.

JG : You have an upcoming one-shot print comic that will hit comic shops on November 18th. Can you briefly explain the story ?

ZW : It the depicts the first of Dr. Horrible's many embarrassing encounters with Captain Hammer. It's a small story but you get a little glimpse into Horrible's origins which is nice.

JG : Will the one-shot be drawn in a visual style representative of the web series ? Also, tell me about your collaboration with artist Joelle Jones.

ZW : I think it is representative of the web series. Obviously we don't have the budget constraints of a filmed show so the action is amped up a little. The collaboration with Joelle has been fantastic. I love her style and her take on the characters. She did a really beautiful job. As detailed as I was in the script Joelle brought a ton of visual elements to the page that never would have occurred to me and which improve it greatly. She's awesome.

JG : Recently there was a new Dr. Horrible segment that aired during the Emmy's. How'd this come together ?

ZW : Neil, as producer and host of the Emmys, told Joss that he wanted to do a Dr. Horrible bit which was very generous of him. So we gathered and threw around ideas eventually settling on what we did. We considered a musical number but the show already had a musical number and we didn't want there to be too many songs in the broadcast. Luckily we were able to work around the astoundingly busy schedules of Neil, Nathan, Felicia and Simon and get them all in it. It was fun to see them all in costume again and it reminded us how much we loved working with all of them.

JG : Joss has let it be known that you all have started throwing around ideas for the Dr. Horrible sequel. Is there hope that it will be released sometime in 2010 ?

ZW : There is hope for that but what is “hope” really ? It's possible but it's also possible it will take us a teensy bit longer than that. Whenever it happens it will be cool. The title alone will set your mind racing. Of course I can't tell you what that is unless you promise not to tell ANYONE else… Okay ? Yeah ? Dr. Horrible 2 : Rise of both the Silver Surfer and the Golden Army.

JG : Are there going to be any more new webcomics or print comics released before the Dr. Horrible sequel ?

ZW : Yes. We will do at least one more web comic and the idea is to have it lead into the sequel in some beautiful fashion but what that is remains a mystery to me.

JG : Thanks for your time, Zack !

Joss Whedon - "Dr. Horrible" Web Series - Npr.org Audio Interview

Webmaster — 2009-09-20T18:57:57Z

Click on the link :

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php ?storyId=112983657&ps=cprs

Joss Whedon - "Dr. Horrible" Web Series - Emmy Nomination - Scifiwire.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-07-17T09:35:31Z

Writer/producer/director Joss Whedon has his hands full : In addition to writing the second-season premiere episode of his Fox sci-fi series Dollhouse, he's prepping it (he'll also direct) and is putting the finishing touches on Cabin in the Woods, the upcoming horror movie that he's producing and co-wrote with director Drew Goddard.

But he wasn't too busy to talk with SCI FI Wire on Thursday about the surprising and well-deserved Emmy nomination he received for the unprecedented Web musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which was announced that morning. Dr. Horrible was one of the nominees in the brand-new Emmy category of short-format live-action entertainment program. (The nominees also included Syfy.com's Battlestar Galactica : The Face of the Enemy, written by Whedon's onetime Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer Jane Espenson.)

"It's] definitely nice to be the only completely original piece on there that is unrelated to any other event, be it brilliant television series or football game," Whedon said with tongue typically in cheek, referring to fellow nominee "Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl Halftime Show."

As for how he felt when he got the news ? "It felt nice," Whedon said with understatement. "I mean, you know, I tend to soften everything. I don't, ... I tend not to get too excited about things. Because otherwise I'd be more bipolar than I already am. And so I sort of went, 'Oh, how pleasant.' And then, also, you know, and let's be perfectly honest, if there's one person who knows it's an honor just to be nominated, it's me. This is probably as good as it's going to get."

Despite creating such acclaimed shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly, Whedon's only previous nomination was for writing the Buffy episode "Hush," which he didn't win.

The new nomination is a vindication for Whedon's risky creative decision to make Dr. Horrible, with the help of his brothers Zack Whedon (a television writer) and Jed Whedon (a composer) and actress Maurissa Tancharoen, who is also Jed's wife. The 43-minute musical centers on the title wannabe supervillain, played by Neil Patrick Harris, who secretly pines for Penny (Felicia Day) while scheming to vanquish the superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion) and gain entry into the Evil League of Evil.

In our exclusive interview with Whedon, he talks about what the nomination means for the nascent creative endeavor of Web programming and what's next for Dr. Horrible. Following is an edited version of our interview.

This is a new category, and it almost feels like this category was created just for Dr. Horrible, doesn't it ?

Whedon : I can't go on record as saying that, but I sure hope you print it [laughs]. I mean, there's definitely, you know, there's definitely good stuff being done that has to be, that's really become more than just an advertising tool for the other shows and stuff. ...

When you started out Dr. Horrible, as I recall, it was kind of a lark, and kind of a thing just for you and your friends to just put on a show.

Whedon : Well, it was and it wasn't. When it first started, it was really about the [writers'] strike. And it was about proving that we could do things on our own. We did prove that. We didn't prove that we could do it during the strike, because by the time we actually got around to production, the strike had ended. And so, at that point, for us, it became a bit of a lark. In the sense that we're still going to do it because it's fun, and it's musical, and we love it. And it always had that sort of joy to it. But the other agenda of, you know, making an impact on the industry just had sort of, you know, fallen into the background. So this does kind of make my head spin a bit. ...

There are several ironies in this. One of them is that you were previously nominated for writing a Buffy episode with the fewest actual words in it ...

Whedon : Um-hum.

And now you're nominated for a program that's not even on television.

Whedon : Yes, it seems the only way I can get in through the door, ... to get into the party, is by way of the dumbwaiter. Not even the back door. I'm thinking the dumbwaiter.

And here's another irony : You're up against your former colleague, Jane Espenson.

Whedon : That's not an irony. That's simple math. It has to be one of them. I have too many awesome writers in my past. However, I do want to go on record as saying that Jane is a hack and she phoned it in, and I think she had a ghost writer, and ... No. I loved those episodes.

Have you spoken with her today ?

Whedon : No, I haven't. Jed and Riss [Maurissa] are in the office with me, and even though their names aren't even on the nomination, it's obviously their baby as much as it's mine. And you know, it's a little funky because the line producers are on the thing, and then the creators aren't, which isn't how it usually works in television. So I feel a little, I'm like, so we can share. But we're all sort of like, "Yay ! That's so cool. What is that ? It's a category too long for us to say. OK, let's get back to work."

You were sort of evolving into this after Dr. Horrible's success, but now that you are the Emmy-nominated co-creator of Dr. Horrible, you are the new guru and visionary for Web-based original entertainment.

Whedon : [With faux grandiosity] I truly am. And I have come to lead my people into the waters of unlimited creativity and wildly limited profit.

But seriously, what do you think this nomination means ? Not just for you, but the fact that the Academy has created this new category and clearly people are looking at Dr. Horrible and other sorts of things like this ? What do you think this does for the prospect of people creating their own work and putting it on the Web with minimal interference from actual suits ?

Whedon : You know, it absolutely is a step. And it absolutely means a great deal that the Academy went ... and recognized that some of the ... entertainment that they're focused on is happening outside of conventional television. And it's my hope that more people, ... that the next time these nominations come up, there will be more than one company listed that is independent.

Because, ultimately, it's still hard. And a lot of people have said, "Well, it's easy for you to say, 'Go and do this.' You have a fan base. Where do we get one of those ?" And the fact of the matter is, it was easier for me in some ways. However, we still had to get it done. And you'll get somebody like Felicia Day, who really is a home brew, who is really getting it done on her own, you know ? And she's proof positive, more than the work I'm doing, that there's not only a market out there, but it's a market for people that aren't necessarily already established.

Are you talking about Day's Web series The Guild there ?

Whedon : I'm talking about The Guild, I'm talking about the way she handles the internet, the way she's monetized The Guild, as well as written it and starred in it. ... That's a complete home brew in a way that ... me and my advantages wouldn't have made. And I'm hoping that more people will be able to pursue that. And that more people who do have the kind of advantages I have will use them for something like this. Who will take that risk.

I mean, ultimately, you know, the profit that this show has generated might not excite News Corp. or Time Warner, but it's not terrible. It's fairly impressive. And we all know that the mediums are shifting and that television is struggling to figure out how the rise of the computer is going to affect it. And the Guilds are struggling, and I really feel the best way to deal with that is just to get out there ... and to make stuff. And to make it in a way that is equitable with all of the [talent] guilds. We dealt with all of them, you know, very specifically. In many cases, without any kind of precedent, where we had to create it as we went along. But making sure that, you know, while creating something very small and independent and on the fly, we weren't bucking the guilds or making things worse when we were trying to make things better. And we were able to do that without incurring prohibitive costs or anything like that. It is a model. I haven't seen a lot of people following it on their own. I've seen the bigger entities sort of sniffing around it, and in some cases, like The Office and Battlestar, doing great work there. But I'm looking for more people to do it. I'd be doing it more, but Fox forgot to cancel my show.

They tried.

Whedon : Very awkward. They looked and said, "Oh, this is our bad. We forgot to cancel your show. You're going to have to make more."

I know you were contemplating some kind of follow-up for Dr. Horrible. But this certainly adds momentum to that effort.

Whedon : Well, it certainly doesn't slow us down, does it ? [laughs] We have been in, and continue actively to contemplate [it]. We're all extremely busy, but we're all really motivated. This is just ... yet another moment of going, "My God." This is the kind of thing, you know, that is, ... just the effect is snowballing. And, in a way, it makes you a little skittish. It's like, we don't want to do a Horrible that's horrible. You know ? We don't want to blow it.

Now the pressure's on.

Whedon : You know, it's like, yeah, it could be great, or it could be Arthur 2. We don't know. But at the same time, it motivates me, not only to do more, not only work in the Horrible realm, and also, just, who doesn't want to play with those guys ? But just generally, I'm very anxious to do more stuff on the Internet, either with other people or just in my own small capacity. You know ? Just to keep testing the models. Just to keep it fresh and keep surprising people, including myself. Because none of what has happened has surprised anyone more than it surprised me.

Joss Whedon - "Dr. Horrible" Web Series - 2009 Streamy Awards - Nonsociety.com Video Interview

Webmaster — 2009-03-31T12:50:10Z

The Whedons Win Big ! from Mary Rambin on Vimeo.

Neil Patrick Harris - "Dr. Horrible" Web Series - 2009 Streamy Awards - Nonsociety.com Video Interview

Webmaster — 2009-03-31T07:36:01Z

Dr. Horrible Makes Me Blush from Mary Rambin on Vimeo.

Felicia Day - "Dr. Horrible" Tv Series - PBS at SXSW Video Interview

Webmaster — 2009-03-20T23:08:52Z

Joss Whedon - "Dr. Horrible" Web Series - Thetvaddict.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-03-07T11:39:39Z

Is television a dying medium ? Will fans get to see more of DR. HORRIBLE's SING-A-LONG BLOG ? What favorite movie of 2008 did Joss Whedon call “wicked bleak !” All these answers and more in part two of theTVaddict.com's exclusive interview with Joss Whedon.

I love the fact that you created DR. HORRIBLE's SING-A-LONG BLOG completely outside of the studio system. Is that something you're planning on returning to anytime soon ? Joss Whedon : Absolutely. Right now I've got DOLLHOUSE going and Cabin in the Woods in March. So it's kind of a crazy year for me. But expanding the idea of what can be done on the internet is something that I have just begun to explore.

I mean DR. HORRIBLE aside, the event itself was so exciting for me. I think it's really important right now, whether it's me or not, but I'd like it to me because I'm fascinated by it and and I don't get any notes.

It's funny because that was my next question. Getting DOLLHOUSE off the ground has seemed like such an enormous endeavor whereas DR. HORRIBLE was your — alongside your creative team's — vision. No notes, no network interference, you just put it out there and see if the audience responds. Without of course going into the financials, DVD and tshirt sales, is the DR. HORRIBLE model a feasible way in which to make a living ?

We are in profit, it's not the kind of profit networks are looking to make. But I'm not a network. The expeirment has been as success for us in that respect as well. It's still a question as to how do you create business models. As I was talking to my brother Jed about it, we were talking about Radiohead. They were first. If they were second they probably would have made half as much money. But being first buys you an enormous amount of goodwill.

But I think there are so many things that still have to be definied about how things can be rolled out on the internet but there are also a lot to define about how you can monetize it and ultimately that is really tough. Monetize it on a level where you can make it viable and that's the part of the exploring that's homework and vegetables. It's not like, “Oh I have this cool idea that we can make with our friends and it goes online and everybody loves it.” The question is, how do you really make this work so that you don't becoming a money pit or promising people something you can't return. Because we need to figure out ways to do it because ultimately the networks you know, this is… It feels like a declining era. Not in quality, because there are some amazing shows and I think people are taking more chances. But…

The way people are watching TV is completely changing.

It's changing and it's changed. Being out there with enough satellites that it might bump into one of them is going to be really important.

As an outside observer, it would seem that you're in the perfect position to be a pioneer in this area thanks to the strength of your fanbase.

I plan to pioneer more territories. Is “pioneer” a verb ? I think i just verbed a grown. I'm sorry.

I'm definitely not the person to be coming to for grammar advice (just ask my readers !) Final question, did you have a favorite movie, book, TV show of the year and what's on your iPod right now ?

On my iPod right now is the new Fall Out Boy, Gina Spector and “Passing Strange” those are things I'm listening to constantly. Movie, probably the last movie that really blew my hair back was “Let the Right One In.” It really asontished me because it's wicked bleak. A TV show, you know what, I haven't watched anything that wasn't THE OFFICE, TERMINATOR, or 30 ROCK in two seasons. So I can't say. You can either make TV or you can watch it.

I suppose I've chosen the latter.

It's more restful !

Joss Whedon - "Dr. Horrible" Web Series - Rollingstone.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-02-07T13:39:59Z

Joss Whedon Goes Where No TV Man Has Gone Before

The genius behind television's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" turns to the Web

In the current issue, Joss Whedon, the George Lucas of television, reveals why working on his triumphant return to the small screen, Dollhouse, has convinced him to abandon TV for good. His alternative medium : Web serials. He began making the sci-fi musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (which stars Neil Patrick Harris) during the writers' strike, streamed a few episodes online for free, and struck it big when they went onsale at iTunes. Here Whedon discusses his early foray into Web shows and reveals his plans for the near future. Plus, check out five must-watch Web series — several of which are Whedon-approved.

What what was it about Internet series first appealed to you ?

I had been very interested in the idea of making things on the cheap with the people that I love and trust — low risk, medium yield kind of stuff where you can just do what you think is right and not have to worry.

Your fans have created so much fiction online. To what degree was that on your radar ? I'm aware of it and but most of the fan stuff is a continuation of something that already exists. The one that really got me was the Star Trek episode, the New Voyages, which was over an hour of film and extraordinarily artfully scripted entertainment that streamed perfectly. I'm not a trekker, and I was riveted. I was sitting on a stool in my kitchen, and I cannot move. I was like, this is amazing.

Amazing in what sense ?

It was probably the best episode of the original Star Trek I'd ever seen. The only [bad] part of it was that the special effects were a little too good. Apart from that they really aped the camera work, the acting, the story structures and the over-quoting of Shakespeare. And it worked tremendously. And I had also been watching The Guild with Felicia [Day, actress in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dr. Horrible] and it was small, it was delightful and it was her. She wrote it, she produced it, it really was her and she is a massive gamer. So here was another really great example from a different mold of just somebody who got tired of not getting the gig, creating the gig. And Felicia and Eliza [Dushku, of Dollhouse] have that in common, both people are taking control of their careers, which for an ingénue is the hardest thing in the world.

So I started going to all these meetings. People were like, "Let's get $200 million from this hedge fund and make TV on the Internet and then sell it back to TV !" And I was like, "I don't think that's my mission statement." And at the end of the day I basically made a deal or agreed to a deal with a company, a Silicon Valley company who shall remain nameless because that deal is still being made.

For Dr. Horrible ?

No, it was for something else. The idea was possibly creating a portal and using this as the first thing. And possibly creating a real relationship. Which, by the way, could still happen. But before Christmas I sat down with this very, very sort of profitable maverick company and said, "Look, I want to do this and I will do it for you cheaper than anybody in this town and make it look good. I don't care." They were talking about doing a genre portal and they talked to me and I said, "I have three ideas." The third was Dr. Horrible, I knew they wouldn't go for that.

Could you tell me what the other ones were ?

No, because I might still do them. In fact, I plan to do them.

Jeremy Dubin - "Dr. Horrible" Web Series - Cincinnati.com Interview

Webmaster — 2009-01-25T20:32:43Z

Sunday's Enquirer features the story of how to Cincinnati Shakespeare actor Jeremy Dubin and friends created a Top 10 entry for Joss Whedon's Evil League of Evil competition, earning a place for Tur-Mohel video on the DVD of Amazon.com's hot-selling “Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog.”

There's lots more of Dubin's thoughtful comments than the excerpts that appear in Sunday's Enquirer.Here's the story :

Enquirer : How is Joss Whedon like Shakespeare ?

Dubin : “Well, first off, I think Joss would be extremely flattered by the comparison. He is a huge Shakespeare fan, and word is during ‘Buffy' and ‘Angel', he would have the casts over to his house periodically to do Shakespeare readings. “I think one of the most apparent similarities is their elastic use of language. Shakespeare, who is credited with the creation of well over 2,000 words, delighted in the innovative use of language. “He would create new forms of existing words, for instance he took the noun ‘assassin' and created the verb ‘assassinate' ; or he would put words together to form new ones, like ‘eyeball' or ‘bedroom'. And then there are the words like ‘whirligig' which were just the sheer coinage of his brain. “Whedon takes a similar delight in linguistic acrobatics. There is in fact an entire book called ‘Slayer Slang' dedicated to his vocabulary. He has used both ‘Keyzser Soze'(‘The Usual Suspects') and Scully (‘The X-Files') as verbs and referred to an attractive woman as ‘mattressable' ; he has thrown words together in new ways- ‘monkey-pants' is one of my favorites. And, like Shakespeare, he has coined completely new ones like ‘flabottonum'. “Shakespeare was also given to the use of foreign languages in his plays, employing phrases in Italian, Latin, or in the case of 'Henry V,' an entire scene in French. Whedon employed a similar multi-lingualism in his brilliant but short lived science-fiction series ‘Firefly'. The characters speak a hybrid of English and Chinese, flowing seamlessly back and forth between the two (usually using the Chinese to express the more vulgar sentiments). And like Shakespeare, the world of Whedon is rife with witticism and wordplay.”

Enquirer : Was Tur-Mohel inspired by Shakespeare ?

Dubin : “While I would love to say that Tur-Mohel was a contemporary interpretation of Shylock or something, the truth is, no, there was no Shakespearean influence for this character. “The idea came from some conversations I had had with friends who were debating whether or not they were going to have their children circumcised. It is apparently becoming more popular to forego this procedure, and (even though I don't think this movement has taken root in the Jewish community). I just envisioned a bunch of ticked-off idle mohels up in arms. “As for creating a winner, a huge amount of credit goes to Ryan Lewis, who directed and edited the piece. Ryan is a local filmmaker who I had worked with a couple of times before on the 48 Hour Film Project and another film of his called ‘Emulsion.' “Once I had the idea, I pitched it to him, and very fortunately he was excited to do it. He and Mike Maney (the director of photography) showed up on the day of the shoot with equipment, know-how and some very deft eyes. The shoot only took about three hours, and Ryan had it edited by the next day.”

Enquirer : What don't people get about the relationship between the classics, Buffy and comic book culture ?

Dubin : “It has often been suggested that comic books are the American mythology. They have become a part of our collective unconscious. “Whether or not one is an avid reader of comic books, everyone knows Superman and Lex Luther, Batman and the Joker. They are undisputedly a part of our cultural vocabulary, just as the pantheons of the gods were for the Greeks, the Romans or the Norse. “The ancient myths have gone through thousands of permutations, reflecting the changing zeitgeists of the cultures of which they were born. A similar phenomenon has occurred in the world of comics. “In the Forties and Fifties, Superman was hands down the most popular comic book hero. His bright primary colors, his unwavering dedication to truth, justice and the American way reflected the country's vision of itself and its place in the world. In the past couple of decades Superman's popularity has faded, taking a backseat to the darker and more psychologically complex Batman. "Look at the luke-warm reception of the last Superman movie compared to rabid excitement generated by ‘The Dark Knight.' Our vision of ourselves has changed, and we've embraced a darker hero for a darker time. “The great classics like Shakespeare, also manage to juxtapose the epic with the personal. For instance, ‘Henry V' tells the story of England's greatest hero leading his army to victory against impossible odds in the famed battle of Agincourt. And yet some of the most moving passages from this play deal with the travails of a rag-tag group of commoners. “The really good comic book writers, like Whedon (be it in the comics or on shows like Buffy and Angel) do the same. We watch the characters engage in mythic struggles of good versus evil, usually with the fate of the world at stake, but also watch them struggle with the personal, trivial challenges of every day life- the things we all have to go through. I think the combination of those two things is what makes great literature."

Enquirer : Tur-Mohel now has potential eternal fame thanks to the Internet, you just did a gangbusters job directing “Twelfth Night.” What was the artistic high point of your year ?

Dubin : “I've been lucky enough to have a couple of artistic high points this year. I've been a huge Joss Whedon fan for many years, so being included on the ‘Dr. Horrible' DVD was an incredible thrill. Then there was the thrill of directing “Twelfth Night,” my mainstage directing debut at CSC), which was a truly amazing experience."

Enquirer : Since it's on the Internet, does it feel like eternal fame ? Or at least till we destroy the planet ?

Dubin : “Well, those 15 minutes do tick by quickly. However, I have been kind of blown away by the response on the net. I'll occasionally google ‘Tur-Mohel' to check out the buzz. I believe this is referred to as ‘ego-surfing.' “It's been viewed in something like 50 countries, which is pretty cool, and has been mentioned in the Time Magazine blog, the Onion, Entertainment Weekly and the Guardian amongst others. I'll enjoy it while it lasts, and in the meantime, I have some exciting theatrical challenges at CSC to look forward to." Enquirer : what's next ?

Dubin : “No plans for a sequel or anything at this point, however, Ryan, who is incredibly techno-savvy, has created a website (tur-mohel.com), as well as a facebook and myspace page.”

Enquirer : When are you directing again ? Soon I hope ?

Dubin : “I'll be assistant directing ‘Comedy of Errors' with Matt Johnson (who also appears in ‘Tur-Mohel') in a couple of months, which I'm really looking forward to. It's always a pleasure working him, and his take on COE is going to be a whole lot of fun. Then next season I hope to return to the big chair again for a show or two.”

Enquirer : Do phenomena like Dr. Horrible, and all the ways the Web can be employed, from Whedon to Obama, need to be factored when considering the next generation of audiences for live theater ? Not just for getting the word out, but artistically ? As you consider these answers, how does it impact you as a director ?

Dubin : “Without question, the web has had a huge impact on marketing, from on-line ticket sales to promotional videos. CSC has begun using sites like Facebook and YouTube to try to connect with more people. “Artistically, while mediums like television, and to a lesser extent movies, have been drastically affected by the onslaught of Web entertainment, I think the effect is much less pronounced in theater. From ancient Greece to the Globe to today, the nature of live theatre has always been a communal one — actors and audience sharing an experience in a physical space. “Is it possible to have that kind of communion in cyberspace ? Perhaps it is — the virtual worlds of online role playing games continue to grow in popularity. And in essence, this is people from all over the world coming together in real time to experience some very visceral storytelling. "What kind of impact this could have on the future of theatre is a question for someone smarter, and most likely much younger, than me.” IN NEW BUSINESS, this is my week of furlough. I'll be back with new Buzzzzz....in early February.