PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST NY 2015: DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG REUNION {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's PaleyFest New York 2015. This evening celebrates "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," the 2008 made-for-the-Internet musical comedy-drama that centers on the battle between an arch-villain and a superhero for the love of a young woman. Host Arthur Smith (assistant curator, The Paley Center for Media) brings creator/writer/director/composer Joss Whedon to the stage, and Whedon briefly introduces the film, which is screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 100211.)
After the screening, Dave Itzkoff (culture reporter, The New York Times) moderates the following panelists: Whedon; and cast members Nathan Fillion (Captain Hammer), Felicia Day (Penny) and Neil Patrick Harris (Billy/Dr. Horrible).
The conversation touches on such topics as: the show's enduring fanbase, seven years after its debut, and the actors' early awareness of its great success; Whedon's sense of the film as his "midlife crisis" project, which took a mere five months from conception to premiere; their varying past experiences with musical theatre, including Harris' appearances on Broadway; Day's great excitement at learning of the project from Whedon while participating in the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike; Whedon's interest in casting Day because of her comedy web series "The Guild"; Day's very early fondness for Twitter; Harris' memories of hearing positive "Joss stories" from friends who had worked with Whedon, and Whedon's sense of intimidation of the popular TV star; their experience reading real-time Internet comments from fans as they watched the series and reacted to its shocking tragic ending; Billy as a "relatable" villain with sympathetic goals; the "inevitable" nature of Penny's death, thanks to Billy's poor handling of their budding relationship; Fillion's views of Hammer's overblown ego, and Whedon's speculation that Fillion's Canadian heritage keeps him dissimilarly humble; Fillion's insecurity about his singing talents next to the Tony Award-winning Harris; the challenges of shooting the musical numbers with a small crew and a limited timetable; Billy's idiosyncratic mannerisms and vulnerable "poker tell"; Day's memories of finding an unusual bakery in Silver Lake, Los Angeles while filming; how "Horrible" led directly to "Much Ado About Nothing" (2012), filmed at Whedon's home and starring various friends and family members; Whedon's sense of inspiration from his "community," including frequent collaborators and "Horrible" co-creators Zack Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon; the "purity" of the film's success, as it was released for free online and not for profit; acknowledgement of several costumed fans in the audience; their ideas and as-yet undeveloped plans for a sequel; and the surprising revelation that Whedon ultimately made more money from "Horrible" than from his blockbuster hit "The Avengers" (2012), due to soundtrack and DVD sales.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: their favorite songs, all of which were written quickly with "no second-guessing"; Dr. Horrible as an unreliable narrator desperate for validation; Whedon's "dorky fan letter" to Broadway composer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda, himself a fan of "Horrible"; Fillion's funny "list of demands" on set; the "grueling" process of creating "Commentary! The Musical," a DVD/Blu-Ray track featuring several all-new self-referential songs; details about the film's prop and costumes, some of which already belonged to the actors; and their picks for additional skills that they would like to learn.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:42:22
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 124162
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Arthur Smith … Host
- Dave Itzkoff … Moderator
- Joss Whedon … Panelist
- Nathan Fillion … Panelist
- Felicia Day … Panelist
- Neil Patrick Harris … Panelist
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Maurissa Tancharoen
- Jed Whedon
- Zack Whedon