Joss Wins Another One - Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog

An Ode To Joss....

I'm obsessed with Joss Whedon. I mean, most of you know I'm obsessed with a lot of things, but Joss Whedon takes the cake. He gave me my three favorite television shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and even Firefly. It's hard to isolate the key component that makes his shows better than others, but here are a few to start with: His witty dialogue is by far the wittiest, he never gives you what you want...never fearing a heart smushing ending, and all the problems the characters face, no matter how bizarre, can easily be related to by the audience. For example: sleeping with a boyfriend and having them turn evil. Yes, it's happened to most of us at some point, thankfully without the trying to rip out my friends' throats part of the story.

And he continues to delight me....

So, last summer when I read Joss was making a 43 minute musical to be posted online I was immediately interested. When I found out it was called Dr. horrible's sing along blog I was mega interested. And when I found out it was starring Niel Patrick Harris (Barney from How I Met Your Mother)....do I really need to throw out any more adjectives?

What's it about?

The project began as a response the the writer's strike. It stars Dr. Evil (played by Harris) in his quest to prove his evilosity and join the Evil League of Evil. Meanwhile, he has his eye on the lovely Penny (played by a Buffy alum, Felicia Day), his Laundromat crush. In his first evil act, he inadvertently puts Penny in danger and she is 'rescued' my Dr. Evil's arch nemesis, Captain Hammer, (played by Firefly and Buffy alum, Nathan Fillion) a character who is hilariously unaware and obsessed with himself. This spontaneous rescue inadvertently puts Hammer and Penny together, spurring more delightful and hilarious (and musical!) schemes from Dr. Evil.

Wait, did you say it was a musical?!

Moreover, all the songs are beautifully well done. My favorite is the light and funny "Freeze Ray" that takes place in a laundromat where Dr. Evil awkwardly tried to summon up the courage to talk to his crush. But the songs range from the romantic (My Eyes) to the funny (So They Say) to the utterly bizarre (Bad Horse) to the captivating and chilling (Brand New Day, Slipping). Preview the songs for free here.

Now go see it!

In summary: funny, emotional, musical, Neil Patrick Harris, and touching. I recommend it with everything I have. Check out the links below and decide for yourself. This is one impulse purchase I definitely recommend. I'm personally holding out for DVD version (right-most link), so I can check out the musical commentary and other special features (I am obsessed after all...). Watch for free at Hula.com.

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