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Channel Surfing: Whedon Talks Potential Fate of "Dollhouse," Matthew Perry Shoots Down "Lost" Rumors, Jennifer Jason Leigh Scores "Weeds," and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. Joss Whedon admitted that it's unlikely that Dollhouse will be renewed for a second season by FOX, given the series' low ratings. "[The chances are] not very good but in limbo," Whedon told SCI FI Wire. "Obviously our numbers are pretty soft, and there it is, but we live in hope. I'm really proud of the episodes that are coming out. More than that, I can't really ask." ( SCI FI Wire ) But, at last night's Paley Festival panel for Dollhouse , Whedon seemed to have changed his tune, saying that the series isn't dead just yet. "We also talked about next season, [FOX] called me specifically to say we've been hearing you sound a little despondent, being very clear about this, the show is not cancelled," he said. "The numbers have been soft, but the demographic is wonderful. DVR is great, they [FOX] are big fans of the show and they're waiting to see what happens, so now

An Echo Doesn't Last a Great Deal Longer: FOX to Shrink "Dollhouse" to Twelve Episodes

It looks like FOX won't be airing all thirteen episodes of Dollhouse , after all. (Sort of, anyway.) In a press release issued by the network yesterday, it was stated that Joss Whedon's drama Dollhouse , which stars Eliza Dushku, would end its run on May 8th with the series' twelfth episode, entitled "Omega," rather than run for the full thirteen-episode order. No reason was given for the reduction in Dollhouse 's episodes, although it should be noted that FOX will wrap up Prison Break 's run with a two-hour episode the following week from 8-10 pm ET/PT. Nor has FOX made any announcement that the series has been cancelled. An email to FOX publicity seeking clarification yesterday went unanswered. Actress Felicia Day, who guest starred in the already filmed thirteenth episode of Dollhouse (entitled "Epitaph One"), confirmed that Dollhouse will end its run after the twelfth episode and stated that the thirteenth episode would only appear on Dollh

Valley of the Dolls, Part Two: Joss Whedon Talks "Man on the Street" and "Needs" Episodes of "Dollhouse"

A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to participate in a press call with Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon, who was answering questions about the series beyond the first initial episodes. As Whedon had promised, Dollhouse would kick into gear with the "game-changing" episode "Man on the Street," which featured Patton Oswalt as a Dollhouse client with a specific need for Echo's skills as an Active. While you were able to read the first part of the Dollhouse interview with Whedon here , I had to bank certain elements of his answers until the last three episodes had aired. Below you'll find what wasn't included the first time around as Whedon talks specifically about "Man on the Street" and Friday night's episode of Dollhouse , entitled "Needs." As for why I couldn't include this information the first time around, it's because it's really spoilery. (Or maybe I did include it and just had Topher wipe your memory.) Withou

Channel Surfing: Elizabeth Mitchell, Alan Tudyk, and Laura Vandervoort Spell "V," Mary McDonnell Heads to "The Closer," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Elizabeth Mitchell ( Lost ) has been cast in ABC drama pilot V , a retelling of the cult 1980s sci-fi series. But before we start to mourn the passing of Juliet, it's worth noting that Mitchell will guest star in the sci fi pilot, from Warner Bros. Television, and not star in it, according to Entertainment Weekly 's Michael Ausiello. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Ausiello Files ) Meanwhile, Visitorsite.net has confirmed that Mitchell will play Erica Evans, a single mother and an FBI Counter-Terrorism agent. ( Visitorsite ) Editor's note: Having read the script, I can say with all authority that Erica is far from being a "guest star" in the pilot; in fact she's one of the lead roles and as intrinsic to the plot of the pilot episode as Jacqueline McKenzie's Diana Skouris was to The 4400 . In fact, she's the very first character we meet in the draft of the script I read... What this truly means for Eliz

Valley of the Dolls: Joss Whedon Discusses "Man on the Street" Episode of "Dollhouse"

Tonight's episode of Dollhouse on FOX? It's the Joss Whedon-scripted "Man on the Street," the series' sixth installment and the one episode which many are holding up as the first time the dark drama series really hits its stride. To promote this all-important episode, Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon participated in a conference call with press and answered some questions that were lingering in the minds of both audience members and journalists alike: will we ever see any of the Dollhouse 's employees' personal lives, do some of the engagements (ahem, midwife) that Echo is assigned to make sense, and where's the trademark Whedon sense of humor? Will Whedon really leave television behind for new media? And, yes, Joss addressed all of those questions and more. (You can read Whedon's earlier comments, made prior to Dollhouse 's premiere, here .) Given that tonight's episode, "Man on the Street" better represents Whedon's vision f

Channel Surfing: Mischa Barton Gets "Beautiful" for CW, Joel Grestch Tackles Aliens in "V," NBC Summer Schedule, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Mischa Barton ( The O.C. ) has joined the cast of CW drama pilot A Beautiful Life , where she will play Sonja, a supermodel who is trying to stay on top of the modeling world but who is finding it not so easy as she thought. Barton was originally up for a role on the netlet's revival of Melrose Place but did not land a role on that pilot. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Joel Gretsch ( The 4400 ) will co-star in ABC sci-fi pilot V , from writer/executive producer Scott Peters, co-creator of The 4400 , and Warner Bros. Television. Gretsch will play a Catholic priest who sees a sudden resurgence of faith among the human population following the arrival of The Vistors. Elsewhere, Donald Faison (Scrubs) will star opposite Cedric the Entertainer in ABC comedy pilot The Law , where they will play reserve LAPD officers; Ben Koldyke ( Boldly Going Nowhere ) has scored a lead role in CBS comedy pilot Big D ; and Natalie Martinez ( Saints & Sinn

PaleyFest09 Full Schedule Announced: "Pushing Daisies," "Battlestar Galactica," "Fringe," "Big Love," "Dollhouse," and Many Others to Be Feted

Ending several months of speculation, The Paley Center for Media has today announced the full lineup for PaleyFest09 , the 26th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival. Among the honorees this year are the casts and creators of 90210 , Battlestar Galactica and Caprica , The Big Bang Theory, Big Love, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Fringe, The Hills, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Mentalist, Swingtown, and True Blood . PaleyFest09 will be held from April 10th to April 23rd at the Cinerama Dome at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood; the Paley Center will also present a special closing night presentation honoring Swingtown at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills on April 24. Other festival firsts this year? PaleyFest09 will be the festival event to honor a new media property, in this case Joss Whedon's celebrated web series Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog , and will be the first to premiere the last three unseen episodes of A

Talk Back: Series Premiere of FOX's "Dollhouse" ("Ghost")

"Did I fall asleep?" By now, you've read my advance review of three of the first four episodes of Joss Whedon's new drama Dollhouse on FOX, as well as my interviews with series creator Joss Whedon and Dollhouse 's Eliza Dushku ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer ) , who plays the Dollhouse's operative Echo, who seems to be growing slowly more self-aware. But, now that the series premiere of Dollhouse ("Ghost") has aired, I'm curious to see what you thought of the episode and the series' potential. Were you entranced by Dollhouse 's overarching concepts of identity and self-awareness? What did you think of the series' cast of characters? Did you think that this episode was a good introduction to the world of Dollhouse ... or did its story of Echo negotiating the return of a kidnapped girl leave you feeling empty? (Did you accept why the millionaire would hire a mind-wiped doll rather than actual hostage negotiator?) And most importantly: w

Channel Surfing: Tina Fey Responds to McFlurryGate, "NCIS" Spinoff Nabs Three Leads, Pilot News, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. 30 Rock creator/star/writer/executive producer Tina Fey has set the record straight about the series' alleged product placement in last week's episode, in which Jack and Elisa (Salma Hayek) declared their love for McDonald's McFlurry as "the best dessert in the world." Fey says that the segment was NOT an example of product placement. “It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the references to McDonald's in last night's episode of 30 Rock were in no way product placement. (Nor were they an attempt at product placement that fell through.)" said Fey in a statement. "We received no money from the McDonald's Corporation. We were actually a little worried they might sue us. That's just the kind of revenue-generating masterminds we are. Also, the upcoming story line where Liz Lemon starts dating Grimace is just based on a recurring dream I have. Seriously, though, it's not product

A Doll's House: Eliza Dushku Talks "Dollhouse," Echo, and Tattoos

Eliza Dushku is not exactly known for her shyness. The actress, who stars in Joss Whedon's new drama series Dollhouse (which launches tonight on FOX), is perhaps best known for her role as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and as Tru Davies on Tru Calling . (Not to mention her turn as the less-than-perky cheerleader Missy in Bring It On .) "From the very get-go Joss told me that he intended on taking me out of my comfort zone as much as possible on this show," said Dushku, speaking to press earlier this week. Still don't peg Dushku as someone with a very limited definition of comfort zone: "I have a few," said Dushku saucily, speaking of her tattoos, "but they’re all actually in places that can be covered with just a swimsuit." On Dollhouse , Dushku plays an operative named Echo who is imprinted with various personalities and skills and sent out on a variety of "engagements," ranging from the criminal to the sexual, for well-

Paper (Thin) Dolls: An Advance Review of Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse"

"'The doer' is merely a fiction added to the deed – the deed is everything." - Friedrich Nietzsche Joss Whedon's latest television series, Dollhouse , seeks to explore the shifting nature of identity--how we perceive ourselves and how others do--through a complex story involving a clandestine organization called the Dollhouse, which wipes the personalities of volunteers (or so we're told) and imprints them with various personas specifically selected for an array of missions or "engagements." Clients with money to burn can pay these Actives (or dolls) to engage in a variety of tasks and everything, from the criminal to the sexual, is on offer at a price. The service is expensive, confidential, and highly exclusive (or so we're told). It's also highly illegal. Which is why the the bosses at the Dollhouse--embodied by the icy Adele DeWitt (Olivia Williams) have a particular interest in one of their Actives, Echo (Eliza Dushku), who is allegedly