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Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse' w/ Eliza Dushku on FOX - Page 3

post #61 of 2558
5/17/08 at 12:26pm
As posted late Thursday in the Hot Off The Press sticky.....

Fox Plans to Run Fewer Ads in 2 New Prime-Time Dramas
By Bill Carter, The New York Times, May 16, 2008

The Fox network announced a new approach Thursday to keep viewers hooked on shows: give them fewer commercials.

Peter Liguori, president of Fox Entertainment, announced a plan that would allow two of its new dramas, “Fringe” and “Dollhouse,” to run as many as 50 minutes of story each episode. Standard dramas now average program lengths of 42 to 44 minutes.

“The business needed a jolt,” Mr. Liguori said. “Everybody has been talking about these business initiatives that have nothing to do with the audience.”

The goal, he said, is to get advertisers to pay more per commercial in these shows because the commercials will stand out more.

Showing no fear of the star power of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the Fox network also announced Thursday that it would kick off its new television season by going head to head with the Democratic National Convention the week of Aug. 25.

Fox will open the season with two-hour premieres of four of its series that week, led by the return of its action drama “Prison Break” on Monday, Aug. 25. The following night the network will introduce “Fringe,” a science-fiction series from the producer J. J. Abrams, one of the creators of the hit “Lost.”

On Wednesday, when the Democratic candidate is officially nominated, Fox will counter with a two-hour season premiere of its crime series, “Bones.”

And for those not disposed to watch the acceptance speech of the Democratic nominee on Thursday, Fox will offer two hours of children embarrassing adults on the game show “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/bu...gewanted=print
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post #62 of 2558
5/17/08 at 12:27pm
and more.....

Fox Cutting Commercials for New Shows
Fringe, Dollhouse to Have Fewer than Five Minutes of Advertising
By Ben Grossman, Broadcasting & Cable, 5/15/2008

Fox said it will run rookie fall drama Fringe and rookie midseason drama Dollhouse with one-half the commercial interruptions in a test it is calling "Remote Free TV."

The network will air the shows with less than five minutes of national commercial spots and network promos in an attempt to discourage audience churn during the shows.

Fox executives made the announcement during their upfront presentation Thursday afternoon in New York.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6561448.html


Fox Broadcasting announced Thursday that it would drastically reduce the commercial levels of two shows -- "Fringe" and "Dollhouse" -- in an effort to reinvigorate broadcast TV.

The J.J. Abrams-created "Fringe" will kick off with a two-hour premiere in August. Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse," which only wrapped up its pilot Friday, will be the second project and begin in January.

Calling it "remote-free TV," Fox president Peter Liguori told advertisers at its upfront that broadcast TV needed "a jolt" and a focus on the viewers -- and that "the populist network" was just the company to do it.

"We're going to have less commercials, less promotional time and less reason for viewers to use the remote," Liguori said. "We're going to have more character, more content, more value."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...fa2e8d6fa199d3
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post #63 of 2558
7/22/08 at 1:22pm
From TV Week:

Whedon Reshooting ‘Dollhouse’ Pilot
By Josef Adalian

Joss Whedon has decided to shoot a new pilot episode for his Fox drama “Dollhouse.”

In a post to the fan Web site Whedonesque.com, Mr. Whedon said that, while he’s happy with how the original pilot turned out, it wasn’t the perfect template to introduce viewers to his concept.

“I’m very proud of the ep we shot and the series is making me crazy with the excitement,” Mr. Whedon wrote. “But I tend to come at things sideways, and there were a few clarity issues for some viewers. There were also some slight issues with tone. I was in a dark, noir kind of place (where, as many of you know, I make my home), and didn’t bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it, but not sure how to come out of the gate with the ep.”

Because of the changes, Mr. Whedon has decided not to screen scenes from the “Dollhouse” pilot later this week at Comic-Con as originally planned. He still is scheduled to meet with TV critics Tuesday afternoon on the Fox lot.

Mr. Whedon said the decision to shoot a new first episode was entirely his own and said he’s not simply being “a good soldier” by making changes.

“The network truly gets the premise (this is a whole new crew, as you know), loves the cast, is excited about the show,” he wrote. “But they’re also specific about how they want to bring people to the show and I not only respect that, I kinda have to slap my forehead that I didn’t tailor my tone and structure to the network’s needs, since that’s something I pride myself on.”
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post #64 of 2558
7/22/08 at 1:30pm
I hope he's not doing this because he's worried about a repeat of "Firefly".
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post #65 of 2558
7/22/08 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lokilarry View Post

I hope he's not doing this because he's worried about a repeat of "Firefly".

Oh no, of course not. Why would he be worried about that?

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post #66 of 2558
7/22/08 at 3:11pm
meanwhile, those needing a wheedon fix should check out http://drhorrible.com
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post #67 of 2558
7/22/08 at 4:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken H View Post

From TV Week:

Whedon Reshooting Dollhouse' Pilot
By Josef Adalian

Joss Whedon has decided to shoot a new pilot episode for his Fox drama Dollhouse.

In a post to the fan Web site Whedonesque.com, Mr. Whedon said that, while he's happy with how the original pilot turned out, it wasn't the perfect template to introduce viewers to his concept.

I'm very proud of the ep we shot and the series is making me crazy with the excitement, Mr. Whedon wrote. But I tend to come at things sideways, and there were a few clarity issues for some viewers. There were also some slight issues with tone. I was in a dark, noir kind of place (where, as many of you know, I make my home), and didn't bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it, but not sure how to come out of the gate with the ep.

Because of the changes, Mr. Whedon has decided not to screen scenes from the Dollhouse pilot later this week at Comic-Con as originally planned. He still is scheduled to meet with TV critics Tuesday afternoon on the Fox lot.

Mr. Whedon said the decision to shoot a new first episode was entirely his own and said he's not simply being a good soldier by making changes.

The network truly gets the premise (this is a whole new crew, as you know), loves the cast, is excited about the show, he wrote. But they're also specific about how they want to bring people to the show and I not only respect that, I kinda have to slap my forehead that I didn't tailor my tone and structure to the network's needs, since that's something I pride myself on.

Man, they can write whatever puff they want to to explain it away, but it sure sounds like there's trouble in paradise.

__________________________________________________
Palladin

Chance favors the prepared mind
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post #68 of 2558
7/22/08 at 4:39pm
Quote:



So what is the concept, exactly? Explains Whedon: "Dollhouse is a suspense drama about a girl who can have any personality except her own." So it's part Alias and part Quantum Leap, "because Echo is literally changing who she is," he continues. "She gets into people's lives a little bit."

And part Dark Angel and part Pretender. My guess is she'll somehow escape. But how they keep this from becoming clichéd week to week will be interesting.
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post #69 of 2558
7/22/08 at 10:48pm
i would love for this show to make it, but whedonites are a small community..he is a god in the UPN/WB/CW community, but by the sound of things, this show being on fox is destined to die a quick death...no comic con footage is just another nail in the coffin.

If fox can lower expectations and be happy with a cool scifi/fantasy show (like they did with terminator), it might work...i'm wondering if this will even do terminator numbers...if you guys remember, terminator premiered to 18 mill viewers and dropped like a rock (ended at around 8-9 mill if i'm not mistaken).
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post #70 of 2558
7/23/08 at 8:10pm
Off topic comments deleted.
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post #71 of 2558
7/24/08 at 8:18am
http://www.tv.com/story/11508.html?t...m_clk=gumballs
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post #72 of 2558
9/11/08 at 1:49pm
From TV Week

Quote:


Dollhouse’ Halts Production Amid Creative Concerns
By Josef Adalian

Production has halted on the Joss Whedon drama “Dollhouse” amid indications that some executives inside Fox are deeply concerned about the creative direction of the series.

The last day of filming on “Dollhouse” was last Thursday, a spokesman for the show’s studio, 20th Century Fox TV confirmed today. The show will resume production on Sept. 25, he said.

Officially, 20th executives said the shutdown is designed to give Mr. Whedon time to focus on getting the show’s scripts in better shape. According to Zap2It.com, which first reported the shutdown, Mr. Whedon’s decision to direct two of the first three episodes of the series distracted him from focusing on the scripts.

A 20th spokesman indicated that Mr. Whedon simply wanted to make the show better, and that because production on the series is ahead of schedule, there would be no problem with the show premiering as planned in January.

“We have tremendous confidence in Joss and his team, and we wholeheartedly supported his desire to take some time to focus on upcoming scripts before resuming filming,” the 20th spokesman said. “It’s not often in television production that you have the luxury of extra time, but in this instance we did. And this is a show we all believe in and we want to give it every opportunity to succeed.”

However, some executives at the Fox network are worried that Mr. Whedon may not have his “Dollhouse” in order.

A person familiar with the thinking of some Fox executives told TelevisionWeek that there have been concerns raised inside the network about the fundamental underpinnings of the show.

Specifically, because the heroine of the show, played by Eliza Dushku, has no free will or ability to do much beyond what she’s told to do, viewers might find it hard to root for her. In addition, some executives have expressed concerns that early episodes of the series have been confusing and hard to follow.

Mr. Whedon himself confessed to such worries over “clarity” in July, when he announced he was shooting a new pilot for the series and wouldn’t be screening the original pilot at Comic-Con.

But executives who’ve read future scripts said some of those issues remain.

A Fox network spokesman dismissed as “untrue” the notion that Fox Entertainment chiefs Peter Liguori and Kevin Reilly are concerned over the future of the show.

“We believe in Joss, and we support the show,” he said. “It will be on the air midseason.”

It’s worth noting that internal debates over shows are standard operating procedure inside networks, and that different factions within a network—such as marketing or development—might disagree about a show’s potential.

“Dollhouse” is the second Fox show to stop production in as many weeks: Last week the network’s “24” went on a two-week hiatus.
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post #73 of 2558
9/12/08 at 11:53am
Sometimes network concerns are valid and warranted... and I have heard stories of shows in the past where the network stepped in and forced changes that I ultimately believe were positive.

That said... some of those comments seem eerily familiar to what I remember reading that FOX said about Firefly... Too confusing, hard to follow, not liking some characters... frankly, I was surprised FOX would go with Whedon again after that experience and even more surprised Whedon would go with FOX.
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post #74 of 2558
1/2/09 at 3:21pm
So is this show still a go for a Feb. 13th premiere?
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post #75 of 2558
1/2/09 at 3:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeathOpie View Post

So is this show still a go for a Feb. 13th premiere?

I think so. Just saw a preview on Entertainment Tonight. Eliza hasn't aged well.
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post #76 of 2558
1/22/09 at 8:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm145 View Post

I think so. Just saw a preview on Entertainment Tonight. Eliza hasn't aged well.

They were running previews during Bones tonight, she looked like she has aged well to me, yowza, she looked fine in the previews. I hope this Friday SciFi night works out, I'm one of the few people I guess that enjoys unwinding on Friday nights and watching some SciFi.

That's one of the best things about the SciFi channel, seems like all their longer running series have been on Friday nights, with the exception of Eureka.
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post #77 of 2558
1/22/09 at 9:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dm145 View Post

...Eliza hasn't aged well...

Yeah, send her 26 year old bod to the glue factory!



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post #78 of 2558
1/23/09 at 6:36am
Trailer http://www.fox.com/programming/shows...ouse_video.htm
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post #79 of 2558
1/23/09 at 12:24pm
in
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post #80 of 2558
1/26/09 at 7:14am
Saw my first promo. TERRIBLE! Very confusing as to what it is about. Reminds me of Firefly promos, actually. I'm of course on board as a devout Whedon fan, but not sure it will bring in those outside of the fold. Hopefully they get better closer to debut.
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post #81 of 2558
1/26/09 at 8:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tall1 View Post

Yeah, send her 26 year old bod to the glue factory!

Call me "the glue factory."
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post #82 of 2558
2/1/09 at 3:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NetworkTV View Post

I say, she ends up soaking wet in the pilot wearing cloths that cling like Saran Wrap when drenched.

I'm watching.
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post #83 of 2558
2/12/09 at 7:51am
She's (was) on Howard Stern this morning, suggest check out the replay. Talking about the usual- height/weight, virginity, lesbianism, masturbation, dating celebs, spread in Maxim, dollhouse, wheadon... She says shes a tom-boy, ya right!
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post #84 of 2558
2/12/09 at 10:38pm
I'm going to be watching this but to be honest the "Dushku in HD" factor is the only reason. Everything I've seen and read about the premise so for has left me extremely apathetic.
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post #85 of 2558
2/13/09 at 6:41am
it's Joss Wheedon and Olivia Williams is in it. I'm watching no matter what until they cancel it, which may be next week.
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post #86 of 2558
2/13/09 at 6:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by VisionOn View Post

I'm going to be watching this but to be honest the "Dushku in HD" factor is the only reason. Everything I've seen and read about the premise so for has left me extremely apathetic.

Honestly, my problem is that it was announced so far ahead of actually airing. After a while, I was like, "just air the thing already!" At this point, there's been so much talk about it, there's no way it can live up to any of the positive press and the time frame as allowed too much chance to point out all the negatives.

I felt the same about Fringe - and I'm no longer watching that.
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post #87 of 2558
2/13/09 at 7:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NetworkTV View Post

I felt the same about Fringe - and I'm no longer watching that.

That's too bad. The general consensus in the 'Fringe' thread is that this last episode was one of the best, if not the best of the series so far. The overall mystery arc was propelled forward a bit, which always make the fans of the more serialized elements happy, and there was a LOST-like thrill ride aspect to it as well. I still have high hopes for 'Fringe' if it can give us more eps like this one, and less "freak of the week" standalones. As long as they pair it up with The Big Karaoke Show they have no ratings worries, so they can be more creative with the serialized arc.
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post #88 of 2558
2/13/09 at 7:50am
The premise of this show reminds me of the storyline for the anime Ghost in the Shell...anyone else getting this vibe?

So Eliza could be considered in the same mold as Motoko.
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post #89 of 2558
2/13/09 at 8:08am
The sad part is the critics have already condemned the program. For that reason, I must watch. Normally if the critics hate it, I will enjoy it.
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post #90 of 2558
2/13/09 at 8:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mchief99 View Post

The sad part is the critics have already condemned the program. For that reason, I must watch. Normally if the critics hate it, I will enjoy it.

They really are hammering it, I'm wishing this show had started on SciFi, if Sanctuary can get renewed there is hope, I really did end up liking Sanctuary, but it certainly took it 4 or 5 episodes before it started to take off, I suspect the same with Dollhouse, but with network shows, that usually is too late.

Maybe all the negative reviews will pique some curiosity and get a few viewers just to see how bad it is, I've liked everything Whedon has been involved with, so I figure the show will be pretty good before all is said and done.
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