Whedonesque : Comments on 18569 : Joss the Web Slayer.

This site will work and look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

January 06 2009

Joss the Web Slayer. Written By (the magazine of the Writers Guild of America, West) profiles Joss as a "new media guru" in its January issue.

The One True b!X | General | 23:10 CET | 36 comments total | tags: the guy who can’t find the porn, writers guild, new media, interview, joss

Fantastic find, b!X. Two immediate comments:

1. I had read before of this Oliver North musical, but not in such detail. I would KILL to hear it.

2. Who wrote this piece? Am I going blind or was there no byline? Is that part of some elaborate inside joke? The column is entitled "Written By," after all.

phlebotinin | January 06, 23:21 CET

Huh. There is no byline. By it was written by Lisa Rosen, according to the WGA email that alerted me to its existence.

The One True b!X | January 06, 23:31 CET

Well hey, we hadn't gotten that specific a budget for Dr. H before, had we? Just "low six figures." Hooray news. Also, loving this article and the plethora of new Joss quotes that come with it.

ETA: Though this quote semi-concerns me. "I don’t feel like in these, my declining years, I have time for that anymore." Really? Declining years? Hmm.

[ edited by Jobo on 2009-01-06 23:45 ]

Jobo | January 06, 23:40 CET

Did we know that Dr Horrible was already into "pure profit" even before the DVDs came out?

Derf | January 07, 00:00 CET

Not sure if he's counting DVD pre-orders or not, when was he asked the questions ? I mean, considering how well it did on iTunes I wouldn't be amazed if that's true, given the budget, but that'd be great going. Yay JJZM + gang.

These days he goes to Craft, near the Fox lot, to work and eat dinner solo.

Not anymore methinks ;).

Lots of tasty nuggets in there (total budget, Felicia saves the day - eh though, seewhatIdidthere ? ;), the fact that if Dollhouse gets cancelled Joss is going to destroy the machine and create his own anarchist mushortio utopia*) cool artiintercle, ta b!x.

* OK, reading between the lines slightly on that one

Saje | January 07, 00:05 CET

Did we ever see that Variety article, "Scribe Strikes Back?" Probably, but I don't recall the described lone image o' Joss. Cool that he got all choked up when he saw that. You go, Joss! Everyone's a Hero in Their Own Way - in Their Own Extra-Special-inYour-Case Way.

Also, did we know about the no drafts thing? That's extraordinary. Reminds me vaguely - well, not very much at all - of what I've read about David Simon's writing process. I guess Simon is so afflicted with a paralyzing case of OCD that he now writes by speaking the dialogue, having someone else type in his words. He says that if he has direct access to a keyboard he (re)writes compulsively and unendingly. Huh. Zack must have seen that in action in the writers' room for Deadwood. I can relate to Simon. Oh boy.

But I digress. Lucky Lisa Rosen and her interview of and long knowledge of Joss. Except, Bad Lisa Rosen! You've totally ruined this Craft place for him.

phlebotinin | January 07, 00:11 CET

Great find b!X - I really enjoyed this article.

Zannadoo | January 07, 00:21 CET

He talks about the pacing thing in the Write Environment interview (and mentions that he writes about 50/50 longhand and computer) but AFAIK he didn't mention that he basically does drafts in his frikkin' head and then writes it out when it's "done". That really is extraordinary (if I were him my own fear would be that you just get the perfect wording for something and then the phone goes and you lose it - maybe he has his own Rainman style brain ?).

Saje | January 07, 00:21 CET

Love the Firefly bit:

Browncoats were outraged...their fervor did lead Fox to release a DVD set of the entire show, with the episodes in the correct order. Sales were fantastic, reaching 200,000 in its first few months. That was enough for Universal Studios to give Whedon the okay to write and direct a Firefly film called Serenity in 2005.

:) :) :)

Succatash | January 07, 00:24 CET

...except it's incorrect information, Succatash.

gossi | January 07, 00:26 CET

LOL.

Succatash | January 07, 00:30 CET

Did we know that Dr Horrible was already into "pure profit" even before the DVDs came out?

Joss: "We've been able to pay our crew and all our bills, which means a lot." I took that to mean so.

Sunfire | January 07, 00:39 CET

I’m just going to drink my tea and smile and nod and pretend I understand because my God she talks fast.”

Hee. Great article.

Didn't it say Zack was on Dollhouse instead of Jed, though?

hacksaway | January 07, 00:50 CET

I like the story about when Felicia explained the internet to people.

Sunfire | January 07, 01:06 CET

Fantastic article! I had to stop halfway through it to gush on how awesome-y it is. Oops those pesky Y's really do sneak up on ya. Back to reading.

Emmie | January 07, 01:22 CET

I like all of it. Thanks for posting b!X.

the Groosalugg | January 07, 01:26 CET

This was one of the better articles I've read about our Jossir (although Kim Werker's is still one of the best Jossy-interviews ever.)

I also want to hear/see Oliver - what a hoot. I think when they put out the Super-Special-Maxim-y-Reunion-Anniversary-Director's Cut-Blue Ribbon Uber DVD set of Doctor Horrible, a recording - oh, please tell that there is one - should be included in the extras.

And btw, if Joss were just a teensy bit more internet savvy, he would know he could mention what kind of typewriter he has, and someone, somewhere via all our fan connections, could locate him a couple of them, discontinued though they no doubt are.

Someone's gotta have some. If someone can use the internet and find the most obscure crystal for a ham radio, no longer made past 1960 - for instance - then his legion of fans could and would be most happy to find him some old typewriter ribbons.

QuoterGal | January 07, 01:45 CET

Oliver! Oliver! Oliver!

madmolly | January 07, 01:50 CET

I had that same thought, too. If he mentioned a model, he'd probably receive several embarrassing packages filled with fan art, finger puppets, and typewriter ribbons.

Sunfire | January 07, 01:52 CET

Too bad Joss couldn't write a musical about the current economic crisis, or a musicial version of "Wall Street". Anyway, this is a great article.

impalergeneral | January 07, 01:53 CET

Yeah, I'd love to hear his rhymes for "Blagojevich."

Jobo | January 07, 01:58 CET

A good read. And sad that an article that talks about "name recognition that’s rare for a writer" should be published without a byline. If you're own bloody union doesn't give you proper credit how can you expect a studio to?

zz9 | January 07, 02:14 CET

Spagoyavich!

Dana5140 | January 07, 02:36 CET

Nice to see Felicia gets her props. I had no idea that her superlative tech-savviness was so significant to Horrible's success, or that Joss held her sexy supercharged synapses in such high esteem!

(sorry, I still have Steve's Song running through my head)

Spagoyavich?

AlanD | January 07, 03:54 CET

Hacksaway, yes the article did name Zack instead of Jed working on Dollhouse, an easy enough mistake to make. After all they're brothers, and their names are both... spelled with letters.

Very much enjoyed reading this.

bobw1o | January 07, 05:00 CET

I've always had a similar dislike for draft writing. I much prefer to think about it, write it once, and call it complete. Of course my writing doesn't even come close to living on the same planet as the ballpark Joss writes in.

Great article. Thanks b!X.

geekiskhan | January 07, 06:05 CET

"We didn’t feel bright, but we felt cool."

Cool is so much better than bright. I achieve coolness online quite every once in a while but seldom, if ever, brightness. :)

cabri | January 07, 06:12 CET

To conjure a rhyme for Blagojevich
One might just have to employ a witch.

[ edited by Pointy on 2009-01-07 06:18 ]

Pointy | January 07, 06:15 CET

Or demonstrate the joy of kitsch.

cabri | January 07, 06:25 CET

Or call Helen of Troy a snitch

(which is much better than my first draft)

AlanD | January 07, 06:31 CET

Wow, what a great article! Filled with stuff we haven't heard before, beautifully told... That was really wonderful.

embers | January 07, 06:42 CET

Great article.

"“It needs to be small, modular, to pay off in a respectable but not hysterical fashion. I’m interested in being an Internet Roger Corman."

This makes me so very happy, regular Jossy stuff released via some combination of cable and internet funding, where those who needs to write meets an enthusiastic audience, everybody wins.

phlebotinin, sorry to nitpick but in this

"of what I've read about David Simon's writing process. I guess Simon is so afflicted with a paralyzing case of OCD that he now writes by speaking the dialogue, having someone else type in his words. He says that if he has direct access to a keyboard he (re)writes compulsively and unendingly. Huh. Zack must have seen that in action in the writers' room for Deadwood. I can relate to Simon. Oh boy."

Is it possible that you have gotten David Milch - Deadwood mixed up with David Simon - The Wire ?

[ edited by jpr on 2009-01-11 14:16 ]

jpr | January 07, 15:54 CET

My god, jpr. I did indeed mess up. You're right. I meant to say David Milch, not David Simon. Thanks for the correction...

phlebotinin | January 07, 19:01 CET

This was fantastic. Thank you. :)

korkster | January 07, 21:59 CET

Wow, I almost missed this, maybe the best Joss interview/story (story with Joss quotes?) ever. Loved it so much I tried to save it, but it wouldn't let me, so I bookmarked it.
I still can't get past the 1000 hits per second that crashed the original hulu Dr. Horrible stream. And that Joss writes in final drafts. *awesomeness*

Shey | January 11, 08:53 CET

FWIW, it wasn't the Hulu stream that crashed, it was the drhorrible.com site where it was embedded.

The One True b!X | January 11, 09:03 CET

You need to log in to be able to post comments.
About membership.

« Older Lost Angeles bringing heat to '09. | Neil Patrick Harris and Dr. Horrib... Newer »