Good news, Dollhouse is coming back for a second season. Maybe FOX will let Whedon do his thing for once. I heard they loved his new story arc. When will FOX learn that "stand alone" episodes don't usually work very well for Joss or most Sci-Fi shows if they want to build a loyal audience. We'll see. Here's a cool Whedon fan site.

Bad news, the creators of Reaper have left and signed with a new network so the CW is saying it may not last. It's a consistently smart and funny show so if you want to contact the CW to keep it going, click here.

Jenny Wade was a great addition to the cast as Ben's new Demon girlfriend. The Nick C Blog has more on Reaper.

(Nigel Parry/20th Century Fox, via Associated Press)

We usually save these sad stories for Sunday, but I doubt THIS WEEK will include Andy. He was a fun character on the very good Joss Whedon show called "Angel," and it's too bad that he passed away so young.

Andy Hallett, who made his mark playing the green-skinned, good-guy demon Lorne on the TV series “Angel,” died Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 33. The cause was congestive heart disease, which he had fought for five years, his agent, Pat Brady, said. Mr. Hallett was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after having problems breathing and died there.

And now for something a bit lighter....C&Lers know I'm a huge Buffy fan and Joss Whedon's new series finally begins this Friday the 13th on FOX. Ex-Buffy regular Eliza Dushku (Faith) stars and the reviews aren't great so far, but with Whedon's incredible writing skills, you have to let it develop.

Fans of Whedon know that it took a full season before "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" really found its groove. Heck, "Firefly" didn't seem to really jell until its big-screen adaptation, "Serenity." It should come as no surprise that viewers who watch Friday's debut should reserve judgment on "Dollhouse" until after they've seen the second episode.

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The show is essentially an acting showcase for its leading lady, who also happens to be one of the show's producers. Dushku was terrific on both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," as a tough-as-nails vampire killer, and "Tru Calling," as a tough-as-nails night morgue worker. She hasn't exactly demonstrated Meryl Streep-like acting chops, though. The first two episodes of "Dollhouse," potentially a showcase for her versatility, stray little from the characters she is best known for portraying.

Much like "Buffy" wasn't just about the title character, you can bet that other actors will be the focal point of some of the future episodes, and a bigger story arc seems to be taking shape.

And that's a good thing. Just as a children's dollhouse is pretty boring by itself, the only way we won't get bored playing with this "Dollhouse" is with the addition of new elements and accessories.

TIME writes:

If it weren't for Whedon's pedigree, I'm not sure I'd be dying to see a second episode. But for me, the main draw now is not seeing Dushku become a different person every week, but getting to see Joss Whedon become a different writer every week.

Whedon's writing skills have always been what has made his shows very special. Dollhouse might take half a season to round into shape, but I think I can wait.

Via United Hollywood:

Here's what's being done by fans for the WGA strike: "Now is the time to save ALL our shows. MAIL PENCILS pencils to the AMPTP and to any studios whose shows you enjoy... Maybe we can help the studios see just how much support the WGA has. And maybe, just maybe, we can give them a graceful way out (not because they're buckling under the writers' demands, but because they care so much about their audience. Us. And isn't that supposed to be their job?"

h/t and more from Christy at Firedoglake:

Now this is a great idea — Pencils to Moguls — talk about getting your point across!

The above YouTube is a take off on an idea that started with some fans of Joss Whedon and took on a life of its own. And I think it is a brilliant way to get the point across that fans of various shows not only appreciate what the writers do and value it for what it brings to their lives — but that the studios ought to value quality work as well. Or those fans are likely to stop paying money for all those products the studios want them to buy. Read on...

Joss Whedon's gang supporting the strike:

"We're planning a Mutant Enemy strike day for Friday Dec 7th from 10:00 - 2:00 at Fox."

I'm on season five of Angel now. Amy Acker's transformation from Fred into Illyria was a really interesting choice on Joss Whedon's part..

I just watched the movie "Serenity" on DVD and it's much better than I originally thought. When you look at all the money poured into "The Fantastic Four" and "Star Wars III"-Joss Whedon gets major props for making a low budget, Sc-Fi movie that is significantly better than any of the other major releases.

Serenity

I finally got to see Joss Whedon's "Serenity" today and I have to say I enjoyed it. It helps to know the short-lived series from FOX that’s running on the Sci-Fi channel now. The NY Times liked it better than anything George Lucas has done lately:

"It probably isn't fair to Joss Whedon's "Serenity" to say that this unassuming science-fiction adventure is superior in almost every respect to George Lucas's aggressively more ambitious "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." But who cares about fair when there is fun to be had? Scene for scene, "Serenity" is more engaging and certainly better written and acted than any of Mr. Lucas's recent screen entertainment's...read on"

Gina Torres is always a vision on the screen no matter what the size, but the true star of Serenity is Summer Glau's "River." She reminded me of the eerie character in the Hideo Nakata’s original Japanese thriller "The Ring." Check it out if you have the time.

I need a break from politics

John Cole posted on this yesterday. Yes I am a Buffy and Angel fan. Own all the seasons on DVD. Joss Whedon is a phenomenal writer ( Toy Story oscar nomination ) I've always felt that if the series were called: "The Slayer" it would have attracted a far greater audience. Buffy is being taught in Pop Culture classes now.

What I find is that in the last several years women are much more interesting characters to watch as hero figures on TV or in the movies for that matter. It started for me with Emma Peels , but Buffy took the mantle in the late 90's and w/o the series would Alias have ever been made? Sydney is really Buffy without the mystical aspects built in. Actually two former Buffy and Angel writes were hired for this last season. (Update)-Great article in USA TODAY "Holding out for a heroine"on women as leads in the new action films.

John is on Season Five which I liked. He was asking for "Cool v. Uncool" Anyone care to weigh in? If you do "No spoilers" I will say that "Faith" ( Eliza Dushku ) needs her own series. The choice Eliza made of Tru Calling is a big mistake. Maybe when she stops getting the "bad" girl rolls on B-movies she'll realize that a Faith series would catapult her career. By the time she turns 30, the series would be over and she'd be doing A movies projects like Sarah.

Since I've seen Season V, I won't say much. My favorite Seasons are II and III.

Here's Cole's picks:

Buffy's sister- uncool
Giles's new car- cool
Xander tired of being everyone's 'bitch'- cool
Riley- still uncool
Buffy in pink leather pants- cool
Spike only having cameos- uncool
My still missing the bitchy, whiny, shallow, obnoxious, and insufferable Cordelia (BEST. BUFFY. CHARACTER. EVER. Spike and Drusilla are a close second) even though she has been gone a season- uncool.
Xander's Demonic girlfriend- very cool