By Lesley Goldberg
It was a case of deja vu for Joss Whedon on Saturday afternoon as he returned to Ballroom 20 for the second time in as many days -- but this time with Fox's "Dollhouse."
Unfortunately, a clip reel intended to be unveiled at Comic-Con was not ready and the panel instead opened with an old promo. But that didn't matter to the jam-packed room -- it was still greeted enthusiastically.
Joined onstage by Eliza Dushku (Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Tahmoh Penikett ("Battlestar Galactica"), the trio let attendees run the show, discussing everything from the midseason drama's birth to Whedon's "bromance" with Penikett.
"I've had a man-crush on Tahmoh since the first season (of 'Battlestar')," Whedon joked. "I needed him to be the FBI agent who keeps getting closer to Echo (Dushku)."
After a "Firefly" fan asked Whedon what he thought of Web sites currently popping up with "Save 'Dollhouse' " campaigns well before "Dollhouse's" January premiere date, Whedon said that fans' wariness of a repeat Fox cancellation was "earned," and that the "Dollhouse" "prequel" was his idea.
"We're not seeing 'Train Job' here. This isn't a two-hour pilot; the story's already in progress," he said of difference between "Dollhouse" and Episode 2 of "Firefly," which Fox wound up airing as the pilot. "It was an exciting challenge to go backwards. It felt organic and it felt right. I shifted around things. The network hasn't asked to change anything about the show. It's more of how do we get people into (the "Dollhouse") world."
"This belongs where it is, on TV and specifically on Fox," he added.
As for which members of the Whedon family can be expected to pop in to the Dollhouse, Whedon said fans "can expect to see Amy Acker ("Angel") a great deal on 'Dollhouse.' ... You will see some old familiar faces filter in."
Added a very flirty Dushku: "Bring in that Nathan Fillion! How about a Nathan-Tahmoh sandwich with me in the middle!"
Joked Whedon: "I said no spoilers!"
One thing is for sure when attending any panel with Whedon: It's always a lovefest.
"Joss is like a career brassiere," Dushku said in a nod to Whedon creating the series as a starring vehicle for her. "I knew he was the guy to write it. He effing rocks. He makes the words party on the page. He puts me at ease and challenges me at the same time."
Dushku described "Dollhouse" as a "personality playground" and said she'll be bringing elements from her days as Faith on "Buffy" including "feisty, fury and funny."
"I basically go on these little adventures (in her own life) and bring them back to Joss," said Dushku after sharing a story about recently "being attacked by Persian rugs" while in Iran.
Joked Whedon: "I basically didn't make anything up; this is basically a documentary."
One thing that Dushku is open to doing on "Dollhouse": a musical. "I think it would be neat and fun. ... I do a mean 'Suddenly Seymour.'"
Could Whedon's musical stylings make an appearance on "Dollhouse"?
"If she's everyone's fantasy, some are going to be geeks like me and want to see her sing," Whedon said.
Adding that doing a (new) "Buffy" movie "has crossed my mind" but that he's getting his "Buffy" fix with the Season 8 comics, the always-busy Whedon joked, "I'm gonna start working on the 'Dollhouse' movie now ... then the opera."
Whedon's "Buffy" musical, "Once More, With Feeling," closes the Con on Sunday with the always-popular sing-along.
Photos from Getty Images
I find the show to be extremely sexist and offensive. If you want to compound that issue by calling me narrowminded, go right ahead. It’s what’s been done to women basically forever, after all. It won’t change my opinion, and it won’t make me stop smiling every time this hateful show crashes and burns with horrible ratings, poor DVD sales, and rampant cancellation rumors that will (hopefully VERY soon) come true.
Posted by: Vitamin C | December 02, 2009 at 02:04 AM