Yesterday we learned the heartbreaking and infuriating news that Fox has decided to cancel Dollhouse in the wake of sagging ratings and today we learn from TV Guide magazine that Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon saw the axing coming. In a new interview with Whedon that was conducted after Fox put Dollhouse on hiatus for the month of November but before the network decided to kill the series, Joss talks about the “end” of Dollhouse … which came much too soon for so many Dollhouse fans:

On Monday, I said TV Guide Magazine would run Joss Whedon’s recent reveals on the remaining Dollhouse episodes next week, but since the not entirely unexpected news broke of the show’s cancellation yesterday, I wanted to publish the interview from November 4 as soon as possible. Fox will complete Dollhouse’s 13 episode season with three weeks of back to back episodes on December 4, 11 and 18, then single episodes on January 8 and 15 before the series finale airs January 22. Here, Whedon shares scoop about this season’s upcoming episodes before he received the news about the show’s cancellation.

Are you writing episode 13 to be a finale, just in case? Hedging your bets?
You know what, we hedged the last time and we got renewed, so we’re definitely hedging them again. People forget but I did this every year with Buffy. That’s just insurance. I didn’t do it with Firefly and look what happened. I went mad as a March hare and made a movie. So we’re doing that this time. Hopefully we’ll have nine more to do it after. We always wrap everything up and then unravel it again, if we’re told to.

Do you really have hope that you could come back with nine more?
Do I have hope? I do think the December double airings are kind of interesting. I’m not planning a trip to Vegas, but I live in hope. I know how the show would go on. That’s the most important thing. I will pitch that to Fox, if they find that the economics are working out for them, they may say keep it going. If they don’t, which is likely, they’ll say the other thing. But the point is to be ready for both, though there is a sense of resolve at the end of 13.

You have some choice guest stars upcoming. What can you tell us about Summer Glau’s character, Bennett, who shows up on December 4?
She works for the Washington D.C. Dollhouse, along with Ray Wise’s Howard. She’s someone from Caroline’s (Echo’s pre-House name) past. She’s got information about Caroline that will really surprise people, especially Echo (Eliza Dushku). And she has a dead arm, so what’s not to like. One of her arms doesn’t work and it’s in a sling.

Why?
It just felt right for the character, just like it felt right that she should probably dress like a schoolgirl and be very nice and a little odd. I would call her the Topher of the D.C. House.

But she’s actually ethical, unlike the amoral Topher?
Yes, she has morals.

Is Wise basically D.C’s Adelle, the head of the House?
Yes, he would be Adelle’s counterpart. He’s not so big with the morals. It’s a departure for Ray Wise (laughs). Another person in power, Harding, played by Keith Carradine, will be back. What a wonderful actor.

Why do Echo, Adelle (Olivia Williams) and Topher (Fran Kranz) visit the D.C. House?
That involves the D.C. House starting to take action against the Senator, played by Alexis Denisof, who’s targeting them. The corporation [Rossum] sees that there’s a problem there. Why LA gets involved, I can’t tell you.

Mothereffing-Effer!!! Gah … this interview just KILLS me! Hearing from Joss himself how awesome the show will get only to know that it won’t live beyond this half season is … INFURIATING!!! Joss‘s chat with TV Guide goes on from here … and it contains a few spoilers about the upcoming new eps that we have yet to see. For those of you who wish to remain spoiled, I put the rest of the spoilery info behind the cut — but you might want to read on to find out what Joss has planned for Alan Tudyk‘s Alpha character and Amy Acker‘s Dr. Saunders/Whiskey character …

Late yesterday afternoon we learned some pretty amazing news … especially for fans of Glee and/or Joss Whedon. It turns out that Joss, master supreme, has signed on to direct an upcoming episode of Glee. As you may know, Whedon created a little show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is the guy who came up with “the musical episode” in television shows. BtVS‘s musical episode Once More With Feeling set the standard for other TV series to model their musical episodes … considering that every ep of Glee is a musical episode I guess it made sense to get Joss on board … and he happily agreed. Here is the full text of a blog post written by Joss Whedon wherein he discusses his stint as one-off Glee director:

Hey kids and parents of kids and super-old, like ancestor-old-but-not-dead-yet-type people, just poking my oversized head in to say that the rumors are true… unless something very odd happens in the next few months, I will have the privilege of shooting an episode of GLEE. Why GLEE? Because I love cops, serial killers and gritty urban drama (I haven’t seen the show yet). Why me? Because they’re struggling and can’t afford real directors. And to head off a few queries:

No, this doesn’t mean Dollhouse definitely won’t get a back nine. Our numbers mean that! But I kid. Okay, we’re not exactly saving all the good stuff for 14-22, but nobody’s closed the door. If D’House suddenly busts wide, huzzah, we’ll still bring it, and I’ll still go and direct an episode of Glee, because of my love of cops. These realities can co-exist. And possibly cross over, at least in fiction that I have wri – read. About.

What can we expect from a ‘Joss Whedon’ epsiode of Glee? An episode of Glee. God willin’ and the crik don’t rise, a good one. A television director’s job is, on some level, to be anonymous; to find the most compelling way to present a story without calling attention to himself. I had a wonderful time doing just that on The Office, and hope to again. A guest director can bring a huge amount to the party (we’ve had CRAZY talent on Dollhouse), but the party isn’t his. I just want to work with good people on a show that I like enough to have watched every episode several times. (I lied: I HAVE watched the show. And seriously, when do the cops show up?)

Whom will I kill? When will that go away? Is death really the only thing I’m known for? I’d hope not. You know how many people in the world actually die? ALL OF THEM. You know how many I’ve killed? Statistically, somewhat fewer. Can’t we focus on another element of my work? Having said that, probably Principal Figgins. (No! I kid! God.)

Anyway, I hope that clears things up. I’m going to do my best, and more importantly, I’m going to do my best not to gush like a fanboy for eight straight days on set. Don’t worry. I practiced with Bamber. I’m a pro.

Happy Monday. Especially for me. -j.

How exciting!! To be honest, unless Joss has a hand in the writing, I don’t know that the ep of Glee he will direct will be Jossified enough. Nonetheless, I’m excited as hell that Glee and Joss are teaming up to work together. This is great news for any gleek, I think. Woot!!

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Back in July we learned that Buffyverse alum Summer Glau, ex-Firefly and Serenity, would be joining the cast of Dollhouse but we’re already two eps in and we’ve not seen hide nor hair of Ms. Glau on the show or in any of the promotional materials. There have been promo photos of many of the other Dollhouse castmembers but thus far, no Summer … until now. The new issue of Entertainment Weekly features photos from set visits to various movies and TV shows and brings us our FIRST LOOK at Summer Glau in the Dollhouse:

Cult auteur Whedon continues to make Fox’s Dollhouse — starring Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) — a refuge for his former stars: On Oct. 30, Firefly’s Glau joins Dushku as a computer whiz from a rival rent-a-human agency. “They both have that make-your-eyes-pop factor,” says Whedon, adding that watching his past TV worlds collide trips him out. “I just walk around completely confused all the time.”

OMG … rival rent-a-human agencies?? I love it!! If you thought that the Dollhouse is responsible for questionable behavior, my guess is that some of these rival agencies are prolly worse. It sounds like Summer Glau‘s character will be sort of a female version of the Topher character (played by Fran Kranz). Girl geeks are always cooler in my book. I can’t wait to see Summer in action on the show. Woot!!

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The 61st Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards were handed out in an intimate (ie. small) ceremony held at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, CA last night. Nicknamed the Shmemmies, these Emmy awards are presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming and are commonly awarded to behind-the-scenes personnel such as art directors, costume designers, cinematographers, casting directors, and sound editors. The big winner of the night was Tina Fey, who collected an Emmy award for her amazingly brilliant impersonation of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live last year but the surprising winner of the night was Joss Whedon‘s creation Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (which existed online only at DrHorrible.com) which took home the Emmy award for Outstanding Special Class—Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program. Here are a few photos from the press room at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards last night:

The big winner at Saturday’s Creative Arts Emmys? Sarah Palin. Tina Fey. The bespectacled funnylady’s spot-on Saturday Night Live spoofin’ of a certain veep wannabe earned her an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy. You betcha. “This would not be possible without Mrs. Palin…[who is] an inspiration to working mothers everywhere,” Fey sad as she picked up the prize. She also gave a shout-out to “my parents, who are lifelong Republican, for their patience.” “They thought the first four sketches were very funny and the last two, enough already,” said Fey, who can collect more hardware at next weekend’s Primetime Emmys. Meanwhile, all that booty-shaking with Beyoncé and mother-loving with Susan Sarandon paid off for Justin Timberlake. The former ‘N Syncer claimed the Guest Actor, Comedy statuette for his own SNL stint. Timberlake became the first host in the history of the late-night stalwart to claim that honor. This is Timberlake’s second SNL-spawned Emmy. He previously scored the music category for his infamous “D-ck in a Box” showcase with Andy Samberg. But they weren’t all the big-name winners at L.A.’s Nokia Theatre. Michael J. Fox (Guest Actor, Drama), Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn (Guest Actress, Drama) and SNL alums Jimmy Fallon (Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media) and Chris Rock (Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Special) were among those honored. Long-snubbed Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon finally collected some Emmy hardware for his hugely popular online project Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. The wingding was presided over by Kathy Griffin, who saw the two-year Emmy-winning reign of Kathy Griffin: Life on the D List come crashing to a halt, with A&E’s Intervention named Outstanding Reality Program. The awards ceremony honored 81 technical and other achievements for the 2008-09 season. HBO led the way with 16 Emmys, followed by NBC (11) and ABC and Fox (eight apiece). PBS’ Little Dorrit topped all programs with four awards.

Um, I didn’t even know you could win an Emmy Award if your program was not broadcast on television … how awesome is Dr. Horrible‘s win??? Congrats also goes out to Tina Fey because, in all honesty, I am of the mind that her spot-on impersonation of Sarah Palin did a lot to help the greater good and helped expose Palin‘s insipidness more widely to the masses … so on behalf of the American people, we love you and congrats Tina!! I don’t believe that Mary Lynn Rajskub won an award last night but I wanted to include a photo of her and new hubby Matthew Rolph because they look so damn cute together :) Click HERE to see who else took home Creative Emmy Awards last night … and, again, congrats to all the winners!

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

MTV caught up with Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, to get his opinion on who he thinks would win in a fight between Angel/Angelus or Edward Cullen of Twilight. Obvs, Joss is gonna root for his own character but I have to agree with him … Angel really would “kick the shit” out of prettyboy Edward:

Over a decade ago there was another vampire phenomenon taking over the psyche of teens everywhere. And that was “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The story of a slayer, Buffy, falling in love with a vampire, Angel, became an instant sensation when the show made its debut on the now defunct network, The WB in 1997. So, with “Twilight” mania taking over the world these days, how does “Buffy” creator, Joss Whedon, feel about the franchise? Long story short, he’s cool with it. “I don’t get this whole vampire romance thing. I mean that could never happen. Who would believe that? It seems so stupid. I literally thought that when I created the character if Angel,” he told MTV News. “I thought a vampire romance with a slayer … people are going to laugh me out of the room. They’ll never go for it. Clearly I was wrong. There’s something really timeless about it. I saw ‘Twilight’… there’s something primal about that story. You can’t get away from it. It works like gangbusters.” But, the big question is: Who would win in a fight: Edward Cullen or Angel? “I think Robert Pattinson is really cool. Angel would kick the shit out of him. He’s Angelus,” Whedon said without even flinching. “There’s no Edward Cullunus. He just gets shiny in the sun. Boreanaz would have him down in a heartbeat. No offense, cause he’s hot.”

Sorry Twilighters, Joss is right … in a head to head vampire battle, Angelus would mop the floor with Edward. But, to be honest, it’s all a moot point cuz Buffy would stake his ass first. After the jump, check out video of Joss‘s interview with MTV to hear the colorful commentary straight from the horse’s mouth …

More big news coming out of San Diego Comic-Con this weekend … of particular interest to Joss Whedon fans of the Buffyverse. At yesterday’s panel discussion of Dollhouse, Joss dished a bit about what we can expect from season 2 and spilled the beans that two Buffyverse alums will be joining the show next season. As was previously reported, there was word that Summer Glau (ex-Firefly, Serenity) would be joining the cast since her FOX TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been canceled … at yeasterday’s panel, Joss confirmed that Summer will, indeed, be joining the cast in some capacity. BUT, in somewhat surprising news, Joss also revealed that Alexis Denisof (ex-Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) will also be joining the cast in some capacity. The Buffyverse takes care of it’s own, y’all! This is amazingly AMAZING news!!

Proof that it pays to come to Comic-Con: On Friday, rabid Joss Whedon fans got to see an unaired 13th episode of Dollhouse that takes place 10 years into the future. Positioned as a veritable road map for the fledgling series, the episode tries to address the apocalyptic outcome of the Dollhouse world – i.e., what happens when too many memories are wiped and everyone becomes, well, zombies. Shot on video for about $1 million less than what a typical episode costs, according to one source, the episode features mostly new characters discovering a deserted dollhouse, but Eliza Dushku’s beloved Echo makes a cameo appearance. Sound confusing? Well, relax — it’s not going to air and potentially upset the show’s mojo (though it will be included in the Dollhouse DVD). But Whedon did promise this to his fans at Comic-Con:

“We intend to honor what you saw here.” That’s true: Moving forward, Whedon plans to save Fox some cash by only shooting Dollhouse on video (trust us, it still looks good). Here are some other promises for season two: Angel alum Alexis Denisof and The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ Summer Glau will make appearances. And Whedon will “continue to deal with the abuse of power and what it brings out in the characters.” That prompted one fan to inquire about Whedon’s obsession with big corporations. “Have you been in America?” Whedon replied. “I consider myself a great documentarian… There is power and manipulation [everywhere]. That’s why I like this show so much.”

WOOOT! and HOLY SHIZZ!! This really is great news. Because it was a struggle just to get Dollhouse renewed for a second season (as it stand, it only got renewed for a short second season) it makes sense that Whedon would want to pull out all the stops in order to help keep the show going … but he always does things on his terms. I have the utmost confidence that Joss Whedon will take Dollhouse to new heights. The show is just good, it’s really just a matter of getting people to see it. It is my opinion that exiling the show to Friday nights is not the way to get people on board but that decision is on FOX. In any event, I am SO excited to see where season 2 of Dollhouse takes us … with Summer and Alexis making appearances on the show, it’s bound to kick all ass. Where my Buffyverse peeps at?! Isn’t this amazing news??

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Michael Ausiello from Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Summer Glau who recently starred in the just-canceled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles may be getting a part in Joss Whedon‘s Dollhouse when it returns for its second season this Fall. As you Whedonites already know, Glau was a castmember on Whedon‘s ill-fated series Firefly so having her return to the fold makes absolute sense. But, says Joss, don’t count on Summer playing an Active (ie. Doll) on the show … he wants her to take on another part — one he hasn’t come up with just yet:

Question: With Sarah Connor Chronicles canceled, please tell me there is a possibility of Summer Glau making an appearance on Dollhouse! –Jenn

Ausiello: The noise you’re about to hear is the sound of the Whedonverse exploding. Joss confirms to me exclusively that, well, he’s one step head of you. “If anybody thinks [bringing Summer onto Dollhouse] hasn’t occurred to me already then they have not met me,” he says. “I mentioned it to her before [SCC] was canceled. I was like, ‘You know, we should get you in the ‘house.’ But first we have to come up with something that works.” And casting her as a doll would not work, insists Whedon. “Summer would be perfect to play an active, but she’s done that [type of role] a lot,” he says. “I’d rather see her play someone who talks too much. The most fun I have is when I get somebody who’s good and comfortable at doing something, and then I make them do something else. Summer said to me, ‘I would like to play a normal girl before I die of extreme old age.’”

Totally makes sense, I am not surprised by this news at all. I am really glad that Joss is confirming the news so soon tho. With all the craziness going around this week about the bullshizz idea for a new, Joss-less version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, I’m glad that we can enjoy some good news in the Whedonverse. While I am very excited for the return of Dollhouse next season (and this casting news that Summer Glau may join the show), I am really worried about Amy Acker‘s return to the show. She took a role on ABC‘s Happy Town when it looked like Dollhouse would not get renewed … and now they have to figure out how to let her do both shows. Amy Acker was always an integral part of Dollhouse … but the development that came from the season finale totally changed her importance. SHE MUST RETURN TO DOLLHOUSE NEXT SEASON!!! Joss is a genius, he’ll figure it out. But … overall, things are lookin’ good for Dollhouse: Season 2.

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When I heard the blasphemous news that plans are in the works for a redux of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that will not include any input from Buffy creator Joss Whedon nor any of his amazing supporting characters my first thought was, I wonder what the eff Joss has to say about any of this. Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly managed to get a quote from Whedon late Tuesday and brings us Joss‘s response to plans for this new incarnation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Blasphemous. Insane. Moronic. Re-freakin’-diculous. Those are just some of the colorful reactions that greeted today’s announcement that H’wood is planning to make a new Buffy movie without Joss Whedon (a.k.a. the worst idea in the history of civilization). But one person has remained suspiciously silent throughout the escalating controversy: Whedon himself. Until now, that is. In an explosive Q&A conducted over e-mail, Whedon weighed in for the first time about the sure-to-be-hellacious Buffy reboot. What follows is a complete transcript of that interview…

What do you think about this Buffy movie they’re making without you?
JOSS WHEDON: I hope it’s cool.

Alright, so maybe I over-hyped our exchange a little bit. In my defense, it’s all I could get out of him given the time constraints. (Whedon’s crazy busy shooting the horror flick Cabin in the Woods and only had 10 seconds to spare.) But while his words may have been brief, come on, the meaning behind them was anything but. At the very least, his statement is open to all kinds of interpretation. Is he taking the high road? Is he genuinely hopeful it won’t suck? Is “cool” secret code for something else — like “colossal failure,” perhaps?

In my estimation, Joss Whedon is taking the high road (as he always does) and is trying to sound as positive as possible about the most horrendous idea ever unleashed upon the world. As I mentioned before, it is my understanding that Joss does not hold the Kuzuis in high regard and if they are behind the project (and are willing to move forward without Whedon‘s input) then I don’t believe he holds high hopes for this new endeavor. I still contend that without Joss, any “Buffy” project will outright suck balls. I’m sure Joss will comment further when he has the time and inclination. But for now … this is all we get.

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Earlier this month we heard the AMAZING rumor that Sarah Michelle Gellar was reportedly FINALLY ready to take on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie … but about a week later, we learned the even more amazing news that SMG is pregs at last with her first child (meaning that reports that she was ready to do a BtVS movie were prolly greatly exaggerated). Today, tho, Buffy creator Joss Whedon drives the final stake into the heart of this Buffy movie rumor by categorically denying that any BtVS movie is in the works:

Here’s the final word on that rumored Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie from the creator himself, Joss Whedon. “Not gonna happen,” Whedon told reporters in Hollywood on Wednesday. “Not gonna happen. Until I gather the press and make a public announcement myself that it’s going to happen, never believe anything.” So there you have it!

Booooooooooooooooooooo! While this news is a TOTAL bummer, I guess it’s really not that much of a surprise. This Buffy movie rumor rears its head every once-in-a-while and hopeful fans (like me) hope against hope that the rumor is true at last. But, alas, we are left dejected and crestfallen once again. I suppose we should keep this in mind the next time a rumor like this goes around but something tells me that hope and belief will win out in the end … and we (well, I) may fall for it again. So that’s it … no Buffy movie either with or without SMG is in the works. Since Joss has his hands full with the fate of Dollhouse these days, I doubt we’ll be hearing any future Buffy news anytime soon.

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Things are not lookin’ too good for the future of the new Eliza Dushku TV series Dollhouse … according to series creator Joss Whedon. At the Paley Center for Media panel for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog here in SoCal last night, Whedon confessed that chances are “not very good” that FOX will bring the show back for a second season next year. Considering that the show has been pulling in soft TV ratings and the fact that FOX is already thinking ahead to DVD sales of the series rather than airing future new episodes of the show, I tend to agree with Joss that the total 12 eps of Dollhouse that are already scheduled to air will be the last that we’ll see from the show on TV:

Right around episode 6, “Dollhouse” kicked into creative high-gear — but it might have been a little too late. Series creator Joss Whedon, speaking on a “Dr. Horrible” panel Tuesday night at the Paley Festival, said the possibility of the show receiving a second-season pickup was, well, rather grim. The chances are “not very good,” he said, according to SciFiWire.com. “Obviously our numbers are pretty soft … but we live in hope. “I’m really proud of the episodes that are coming out,” Whedon said. “More than that, I can’t really ask.” His comments follow the recent news that Fox would not be airing “Dollhouse’s” 13th episode, a stand-alone episode titled “Epitaph One” that the studio asked to be added on to the first season’s 12 to package for sale on DVD and overseas. Whedon elaborated on the episode’s set-up: “[I agreed to shoot] a post-apocalyptic thriller that’s all on our sets in six days with a cast of four other people … and peppered with different bits from our regular cast. … It’s one of the best episodes we’ve ever made.” The most recent episode of “Dollhouse” delivered a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 and 3.6 million viewers overall. A renewal for its Friday-night lead-in, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” is even less likely. Fox will announce its fall schedule May 18.

Personally, I feel that the reason that the show is underperforming in the ratings has mainly to do with the fact that FOX exiled it (along with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) to Friday night. As much as I am loving Dollhouse over all, I am usually not home on Friday nights to watch it … so it gets recorded on my DVR so that I can watch it later. I’m sure there are LOTS of other folks who do the same. I know the show would do much better if the network featured it on a night when people are actually home to watch television. That being said, tho, I sorta feel that Dollhouse will go the way of that other Joss Whedon show Firefly (which aired only one season and then was axed by FOX due to poor ratings). While I don’t think that Dollhouse will eventually get it’s own movie like Firefly did (2005′s theatrical release Serenity), I think there are a lot of similarities between the two series. If Dollhouse does not survive and the show does get the ax by FOX, it seems to me that the working relationship between Joss Whedon and FOX needs to end — for both of their sakes. Whedon is going to continue making smart, character-driven TV shows and FOX is going to continue treating those shows like unwanted step children. How many times can both sides afford to expend time and money into a relationship that doesn’t seem to work? It’s a damn shame that Whedon‘s work is not given the support and promotion that it deserves because I honestly believe he is one of the most talented TV people out there. I, too, am living “in hope” that Dollhouse will defy the odds and will live to see another season but I’m also very much prepared for the fact that the show might be killed off way before its time. At this point, I’m relishing every ep as much as I can while I still can. I understand the 13th ep is really spectacular … if the show has to end, I’m not surprised they are planning to go out with a bang.

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