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It's funny. Laugh. Sci-Fi Entertainment

Joss Whedon's "Doctor Horrible" Set To Launch 245

Posted by kdawson from the we-all-need-a-hobby dept.
Ololiuhqui writes "During the writer's strike, Joss Whedon came up with a musical idea. Now his diabolical plan is about to be unleashed in the form of a streaming-only release, with a DVD shortly to follow. The three-part Doctor Horrible series stars Neil Patrick Harris as the eponymous doctor, Felicia Day as the woman of his dreams, and Nathan Fillion as the doctor's nemesis, Captain Hammer. Reportedly made for 'less than six figures,' the series has already received rave reviews and will no doubt showcase Whedon's musical facility, as well as his proven ability to squeeze the most out of a budget."
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Joss Whedon's "Doctor Horrible" Set To Launch More

Joss Whedon's "Doctor Horrible" Set To Launch

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  • Not Surprising (Score:5, Informative)

    by gbulmash ( 688770 ) * <semi_famousNO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Monday July 14, 2008 @11:04PM (#24191555) Homepage Journal
    Not surprising, really, if you remember Once [wikipedia.org] More [imdb.com], with [youtube.com] Feeling [amazon.com] .

    - Greg

  • Ugliness Man calling... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 14, 2008 @11:05PM (#24191559)

    What's the premise? Someone keeps moving his chair?

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by tekrat ( 242117 )

      I wish I had mod points. A "They Might Be Giants" reference. How many of the current Slashdot crowd are going to get that? Bravo Sir.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Something unpleasant must have spilled on your brain, because that's MISTER Horrible.

      Unless he got a PhD in the time since the song? I suppose it's possible.

    • I don't care about his chair. I just want a prosthetic forehead to wear on my real head.

      Well, that and a rock to wind my piece of string around. =]

    • I was whistling in the dark for a while but seeing a TMBG reference on /. makes me want to flood Istanbul's (not Constantinople) women and men with sapphire bullets of pure love and then go see Road Movie to Berlin.

  • Does anyone else feel this is a little bit like a professional baseball player showing up to pitch at a little league game? Sure, he gets a lot of outs, but what did you expect?

  • It must be bunnies! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 14, 2008 @11:12PM (#24191613)

    bunnies...
    bunnies...
    BUNNIES!
    (or maybe midgets)

  • Inside the US only? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Audent ( 35893 ) <audent.ilovebiscuits@com> on Monday July 14, 2008 @11:20PM (#24191693) Homepage

    WTF? US viewers only?

    It's called the WORLD wide web, not the fucking US-wide web.

    What possible reason could there be for not showing it elsewhere? What evil could I possibly get up to with a (free to watch) movie clip?

    Ridiculous.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by SurturZ ( 54334 )

      They did this with the BSG webisodes too :-(

    • A fix for us foreigners (Score:5, Informative)

      by Dzimas ( 547818 ) on Tuesday July 15, 2008 @12:13AM (#24192047)
      Grab a copy of Hotspot Shield and enjoy the same streaming media that red blooded Americans enjoy - hotspotshield.com

      • Re:A fix for us foreigners (Score:5, Funny)

        by moderatorrater ( 1095745 ) on Tuesday July 15, 2008 @12:53AM (#24192257)
        You could just come to America.

        Unless, that is, you hate freedom. *accusing stare*

        Disclaimer: the above comment was made in jest; in no way, shape, or form should it be taken as the true opinion of the author. America is not inherently superior to other countries, but the premise can make for a good joke.

        This comment is known to the State of California to be a cancer causing agent.

        • I am in America and I still can't view it despite having broadband internet :(

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by KGIII ( 973947 )
            Count yourself as lucky. I am absolutely hammered and still didn't find it enjoyable though I did watch the entire thing, yes, while hammered. I am going to either drink myself stupider or just count myself stupider for having seen it. (It is just the first part and, really, it is NOT good by any means.)

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by Coraon ( 1080675 )

          You could just come to America. Unless, that is, you like freedom. *accusing stare*

          There, fixed it for you.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by spoco2 ( 322835 )

      Indeed, I was SURE with Joss's nerdy credentials he would NEVER do a region locked distribution.

      But he did.

      I am sad

      Quite, quite sad :(

      Stupid US centric view of the damn world.

    • The issue is being addressed (Score:5, Informative)

      by Chuck Chunder ( 21021 ) on Tuesday July 15, 2008 @12:48AM (#24192225) Journal

      apparantly [doctorhorrible.net]

    • ... although the iTunes download link is U.S only.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by chrish ( 4714 )

      I guess the rest of the world will be using a torrent or something to see this.

    • It's not about what trouble you could cause by seeing it --

      it's just to remind you that we are, in fact, better than you.

      That's just how we roll.

  • Only in the US (Score:5, Funny)

    by gehrehmee ( 16338 ) on Monday July 14, 2008 @11:25PM (#24191723) Homepage
    Since it's hosted by Hulu, they won't stream to a computer outside the U.S. I never thought I'd have a motive to pirate a free internet video.

    • Re:Only in the US (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Audent ( 35893 ) <audent.ilovebiscuits@com> on Monday July 14, 2008 @11:28PM (#24191743) Homepage

      I'm stunned. I thought the era of evil foreigners was long over (well, online evil foreigners that is).

      oh well. I'll wait for a pirate to break the law to let me watch a free internet video. What a strange world.

    • WTF are you talking about, did you click the link?

      Time Zone Notes:

      Doctor Horrible is set to launch Act 1 at 12:01am EST - that means that the time zones in other parts of the world are:
      US/Eastern Mon 14th 10:01 PM
      US/Central Tue 15th 12:01 AM
      US/Pacific Tue 15th 2:01 AM
      Europe/London Tue 15th 6:01 AM
      Europe/Paris Tue 15th 7:01 AM
      Australia/Perth Tue 15th 1:01 PM
      Australia/Sydney Tue 15th 3:01 PM
      New Zealand Tue 15th 5:01 PM

      Is he quoting worldwide timezones as a cruel joke? I believe what you are referencing is the note in the FAQ which most likely pertains to the DVD release.

        1. Those time zones are completely wrong, as it's earlier on the west coast than on the east coast at any given time.
        2. Did you click the link? Doing so right now indicates that Act I is available now. Trying to open it (at least here in Canada) results in Hulu's standard boiler-plate about not streaming anything outside the US.

        • Well then maybe try downloading from iTunes by using that HUGE button right beneath the streaming video.

          http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewTVSeason?id=284353399 [apple.com]

          • Re:Only in the US (Score:4, Insightful)

            by Merlynnus ( 209292 ) on Monday July 14, 2008 @11:46PM (#24191863)

            Yeah, that doesn't work either. It calls up the Dr. Horrible page where you can 'download all episodes' for 'free' but when you select that, it fails with an unspecified error. It does (helpfully) give you the option of downloading it for $1.99.

            Um, I don't think so. Everyone in the states gets it for free and fuck the rest of the world? I don't think so.

            Fail.

            • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

              by lantastik ( 877247 )

              Well damn then, I guess it was a cruel joke. In light of my snarky comment, I invite you to come to my house and watch it on my big screen. When you leave, you may take George W. back with you.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by Audent ( 35893 )

                Well damn then, I guess it was a cruel joke. In light of my snarky comment, I invite you to come to my house and watch it on my big screen. When you leave, you may take George W. back with you.

                I'll be right over. Put the popcorn on, I'll bring the beer.

                George... well, you can keep him. But thanks for the offer! I appreciate it ;-)

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Tragek ( 772040 )

              It does (helpfully) give you the option of downloading it for $1.99.>

              Which fails with an availability error.

          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by Audent ( 35893 )

            Yeah, the big button that then says "I'm sorry but this isn't available in [your country] iTunes store yet".

          • I use Linux -- no iTunes. How can I watch? Please answer quickly, knowing other people are watching new Joss Whedon stuff while I'm locked out may cause me to go TOTALLY FREAKING POSTAL.

    • Just found this: http://twitter.com/drhorrible [twitter.com]

      Working on international. Give this a try in the meantime http://tinyurl.com/3n5xys [tinyurl.com]

      • Ah, and it turns out HotSpot Shield doesn't work with 64-bit Windows... Guess I'm just going to have to wait for them to fix the international feed.

    • I chose to redistribute something that was free because the person, despite many attempts, couldn't access the file and the website admin didn't feel the need to fix it in a timely manner.

    • Re:Only in the US (Score:5, Informative)

      by jamie ( 78724 ) * Works for Slashdot <jamie@slashdot.org> on Tuesday July 15, 2008 @05:41AM (#24193631) Journal

      Since it's hosted by Hulu, they won't stream to a computer outside the U.S

      Looks like it's fixed now. The homepage reads:

      All those outside the USA who have been eagerly awaiting Doctor Horrible's Act 1 should now be able to view it via the Official Web Site. If it doesn't load, try clearing your browser cache and doing a forced refresh of the page (Hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the F5 key).

  • I just finished the first installment(No Spoilers) (Score:5, Informative)

    by sleeping123 ( 1109587 ) on Monday July 14, 2008 @11:33PM (#24191779)
    I just finished watching it and I've gotta' say, extremely well written. The whole cast turns out to be fantastic singers, which is a hilarious change of pace for those of you who know Nathan Fillion from Firefly. You'll love his "A Man's Gotta' Do! Next installments are on Thursday and Saturday. I'll be watchin' at midnight!

  • And he is... DOCTOR WHO!

    • Which doctor?

      • Which doctor?

        Ooo-eee-ooo-ah-ah? I sure hope Whedon's musical show has better than that to offer!

  • IP address discrimination. Irksome. Yes, I know, licensing, yada yada yada....

    All these problems would go away if the internet was declared its own country.

  • Again with earlier comments on not being able to view it, being from the vast wasteland that is not-America.

    I suppose this means we have to pirate something which Joss has made to distribute for free...not a common situation. Still, it shouldn't be long until it pops up as a torrent...
  • Neil Patrick Harris vs Captain Hammer?
    In a musical?
    JW fanboys in da house, snap.

  • I couldn't get the actual download to work yet, but you can buy a season pass [apple.com] (iTunes link) for all three acts - just $4!

  • Its becoming a standing point with me to not even bother to look at anything produced in the US anymore. Not because I don't think I'll like it. Not because I have anything against the US. This was special though, this was Joss and I love his stuff. But... because the US won't share with the rest of the world, I can't see it. I see all the CSI on TV, I hear all the latest songs on the radio.... but on the Internet I look elsewhere for content, too many times I get "only avalaible in the US". Wake up befo

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sancho ( 17056 ) *

      Seems that it's an unfortunate oversight, and they'll have it fixed soon. At least in this case.

    • you have a medium expanding daily in the 100's of million eyeballs and your audience is shrinking daily because of outdated, and frankly stupid rules regarding distribution

      It's more likely they're holding off distributing in other countries because the advertising dollars need to be targetted properly for other countries. I'm not saying I approve, but there's not many people in Europe need to see US commercials for products they don't want and can't buy.

    • I know that in some cases it's because of copyright issues - the website might not have redistribution rights for all countries, which could put them or their visitors in legal trouble if someone from the wrong country downloaded something. Given how ludicrously rabid the content industry is at the moment I'd sure as hell lock out 50% of my visitors to avoid a potential lawsuit.

      Of course in this case it appears that the "no streaming outside the US" is a blanket policy of the streaming service and they ar
  • I watched the first episode. It was mildly amusing, especially for free, but the long-term goal is to make you buy it on DVD or paid download - it's only free for a week, and there's no way this is worth money.
  • So, he was writing during the writers' strike...and nobody in the writers' guild is pissed?
    • It's hard to legislate creativity. You can't say "oh, now is an inconvenient time to be inspires; I'll have that idea next week instead". When inspiration hits you you immediately sit down and work with it or you lose it. Whedon most likely got hit by an inspiration during the strike and he sat down and worked it into a concept.

      Yes, I get hit by inspiration often. If my ideas weren't so random and I had a bit more perseverance I'd have published at least three books by now.

  • Available outside the US now as well (Score:5, Informative)

    by the_other_chewey ( 1119125 ) on Tuesday July 15, 2008 @05:06AM (#24193485)
    It can be watched from outside the US now as well: http://doctorhorrible.net/now-available-outisde-usa/105/ [doctorhorrible.net]

    The free world saves the day again (or something).
  • I'll be interested in seeing (after previewing the sing-along-blog) - but it feels like he watched the first 2 seasons of Venture Brothers and decided to try that too.
  • Evil minions are interfering with the reporting of the saga. In English, the site is slashdotted already. Sigh.

  • Budget (Score:4, Interesting)

    by fm6 ( 162816 ) on Tuesday July 15, 2008 @10:01AM (#24196507) Homepage Journal

    his proven ability to squeeze the most out of a budget.

    If you read the scripts Whedon wrote for Buffy, they're full of in jokes about his budget woes. One constant complaint: Buffy's house supposedly had three bedrooms, but he didn't have the budget to show all three of them in one episode. Another one has a long description of the hell-factory in the third-season premiere; he talks about huge vats of boiling stuff and strutting hordes of evil demons, and winds up by mentioning (by name) one of his producers, who's standing in a corner tearing his hair out, because Whedon has just blown the season's entire effects budget in one episode.

  • Slashdotted. . . And manipluative. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Fantastic Lad ( 198284 ) on Tuesday July 15, 2008 @11:18AM (#24197879)

    The Masterplan website is dead.

    I was wondering how he planned to serve up a video to a million people in one evening when he already said he had no budget.

    Though, being Joss, (ie, a genius), he certainly recognized this would happen and that it would create ground-swell interest. (That which you want but can't have, you REALLY REALLY want.)

    I love the man's work, but I must say that I do NOT like being manipulated outside of the story. It's impolite. Buffy didn't need marketing. It sold itself because it was good. Firefly was the same way, (it's problem wasn't a lack of viewer support but a lack of executive support. Market to those goons). The fans didn't need selling, and they don't need it here either.

    But I do tend to take a strong position against being psychologically manipulated. I dislike it more, it seems, than the average websurfer. But whatever the case, I'm sure this will be a big hit and I look forward to downloading it from some fan-driven initiative, (like Pirate Bay), in a few days time. Good luck, Joss!

    -FL

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