Eliza Dushku speaks to EW.com's Ausiello - Dollhouse

She's so lovely.

But with more and more news coming out about the show, I'm getting less PANICKY!! about the show. I think it will thrive. I don't think it's going to be a smash-hit, but I can envision it being a steady performer for Fox for a few years.

crazygolfa | January 14, 13:36 CET

Personally, I would keep some of the kinks, kinks can be good ... I've said too much.

I don't know what it's gonna do but i'm pretty much done worrying about it now. Very worst case scenario, we get 13 "hours" of Jossian telly (even if we have to wait for the DVD to get all 13) and if that's the worst that can happen then colour me happy and don't worry if you go over the lines a little bit ;).

Saje | January 14, 13:58 CET

Saje has a coloring kink!
;-p

lordsketch | January 14, 14:13 CET

I wonder if a climate of negative vibes early on means they go all out and make edgier choices. Sort of like eff it, if it fails it's not because we didn't make kick ass television.

Sunfire | January 14, 14:15 CET

What a stunning woman. I wish I had more to add, but I need to pick my jaw up.

Eric_Curtis | January 14, 14:21 CET

I concur, Eric. She looks positively stunning here.

ShanshuBugaboo | January 14, 14:24 CET

I think it is, probably, smart to start the series with "six pilots"--that way you don't alienate a growing audience who miss the first few eps until they catch up with the word of mouth. Of course, making them all self-contained also gives people less reason to return week-to-week, so there's a trade-off.

Also: it must be really weird for the non-actors in the biz to be surrounded by people like Eliza Dushku all the time, don't you think? I mean, she is just so ridiculously beautiful, she looks like an idealization more than a real person. Even doing a boring meet-the-press thing and answering all the same damn questions she's already answered a thousand times, every time she smiles or opens her eyes wide some part of your rational mind melts a little and you want to kneel down and say "I am your devoted servant, set me some task so I may prove myself worthy." You must walk out from a day on the set of a TV show if you're a writer or a cameraman or some such and think that the whole world's been beaten with the ugly stick. I wonder if it has any impact on people's real-world relationships?

snot monster from outer space | January 14, 14:24 CET

In other EW News, lots of people hate us.

Perhaps not the article's author, but plenty of the commenters.

Swiftly | January 14, 14:40 CET

Yeah I'd rather we didn't comment on negative comments made at other sites. It's a waste of time really.

Simon | January 14, 14:47 CET

Yeah, its pointless to argue with the internet, which is mostly full of people who have the false sense of power imparted by the illusion that they are anonymous. Which they aren't. And they'll know it when I knock on their door and spoil them for their favorite shows and/or pies.

zeitgeist | January 14, 14:57 CET

*locks door*

Sunfire | January 14, 15:00 CET

zeitgeist: Hee! Well said.

phlebotinin | January 14, 15:02 CET

Great tingling zeitgeist!

I've just been wanting to say that. And to link to my probably-lame-if-I-knew-anything-about-promotions idea, which I can, because Ms. D mentioned her multiple costumes (which fit in nicely therewith). (And that is the little black dress to end all.)

Pointy | January 14, 15:03 CET

Reading down, there was this:

I'm a LOST fan and I annoy the hell out of myself. Nuff said.
BTW, Jack Bauer is TOO real!<

It ain't the real Joss, but hey, it could be! :-)

Dana5140 | January 14, 15:11 CET

*shakes fist at Internet rather than arguing with it*

@theonetruebix | January 14, 15:14 CET

Hey it's even in the rules "Do not discuss (fans on) other weblogs, forums, boards and sites."

Simon | January 14, 15:14 CET

I've always thought they weren't really marketing enough using the, ya know, doll-and-dollhouse-imagery aspect of the whole thing - unless there's some specific reason they're not hitting that note, I would think the dollness positively screams out to be used in a toy-doll-and-dollhouse way, or paperdoll way, or some other way demonstrative of "dollness."

Given that the Dollhouse interior is built on different levels, and given that Eliza has already had mega-wardrobe changes, I honestly can't think why that's been (basically) bypassed. That seems much more compelling than the white mannequins or the wooden artist's figure - though I get that Eliza appears even more vital and colorful next to them... (as if she needed the contrast.)

I dunno - can't imagine calling a show Dollhouse and then not employing that imagery bigtime to promote the show... nor do I think they should be hitting the one Eliza-doll image only - why not a little more with the multiple dolls that live in the Dollhouse(s)?

I'm sure there's a strategy behind it all, but it's completely opaque to me.

[ edited by QuoterGal on 2009-01-15 00:20 ]

QuoterGal | January 14, 15:19 CET

I suspect they'd perceive conflicts between doll imagery and the badass action/thriller vibe FOX seems to have wanted punched up.

Sunfire | January 14, 15:25 CET

And yet the billboards are of Eliza standing around with a bunch of mannequins.

@theonetruebix | January 14, 15:28 CET

Maybe she should be punching the mannequins.

hacksaway | January 14, 15:32 CET

There's fishnets-and-leather Barbie. That's sort of badass.

ETA Biker Barbie.

ETA Ooh, Top Model Resort Barbie (with challenging hair!).

ETA Hello, Monte Carlo Barbie . . .

ETA What promotional department could resist
Milan Barbie?

ET Warn Against
Carmen Miranda Barbie!

[ edited by Pointy on 2009-01-15 00:53 ]

Pointy | January 14, 15:38 CET

To be more blunt I'm conjecturing that they're trying hard to not alienate potential male viewers by emphasizing the doll theme. They're using very adult-looking mannequins of both sexes, not dolls reminiscent of what girls play with. It's not a real substantial distinction so much as it is two different versions of the same idea that will likely get interpreted very differently by a group of people they really want to reach. Doll images + female lead seems like it could potentially translate as "chick tv."

I'm not agreeing that dolls are inherently a girly thing, or that the distinction would necessarily make ads less successful at drawing male viewers, but I expect this existing social construct and this assumption are strongly influencing their decisions about how to incorporate the doll theme into ads.

I am not a marketing person, so this is all speculation on my part. It did catch my attention when they used those very undolllike mannequins, though. To me that image of Echo amongst the mannequins says to me that its themes are very scifi, futuristic, and adult. Which is the opposite of what most people associate with dolls or dollhouses, which are generally more nostalgic and associated with children, and even in 2009, especially young girls.

ETA: In other words, I think the issue is that the stuff you probably already associate with dolls is NOT what FOX wants you to associate with this new show.

[ edited by Sunfire on 2009-01-15 00:54 ]

Sunfire | January 14, 15:52 CET

I was thinking the same thing about the marketing folks' thinking, Sunfire. But I was also thinking that putting Eliza in Barbie's dream outfits would transform the concept into adult/appealing to males/fantasy/sci fi. Not that I'm necessarily right.

And you should see the recommendations Amazon is making to me now!

Pointy | January 14, 15:57 CET

Oktoberfest.

Pointy | January 14, 16:00 CET

You're probably right, Sunfire, about what they have in their heads - though they may be missing out on the timeless appeal of the doll that cuts through both sexes and is present in different age groups. (My sister has an arts-and-crafts gift store/gallery and she says everybody picks up the dolls - everyone almost invariably - though folks that go into a pottery-wood carving-painting-and-jewelry, etc. kindof gift store in the first place may already be way self-selected down from the general population Fox wants to reach. (Oh, and yeah, what Pointy said, too.)

Here's one of my favorite action dolls.

QuoterGal | January 14, 16:02 CET

You see? A total action figure.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat . . .

[ edited by Pointy on 2009-01-15 02:04 ]

Pointy | January 14, 16:45 CET

You could do a nice creepy "doll" themed promo set to the song "Paper Doll." Some sample lyrics show how well it could be made to fit with the themes of the show:

I'm gonna buy a Paper Doll that I can call my own
A doll that other fellows cannot steal
And then the flirty, flirty guys with their flirty, flirty eyes
Will have to flirt with dollies that are real

When I come home at night she will be waiting
She'll be the truest doll in all this world
I'd rather have a Paper Doll to call my own
Than have a fickle-minded real live girl.

"Living Doll" would be another possibility--but there's less in the way of thematic suggestiveness in the lyrics.

snot monster from outer space | January 14, 17:37 CET

Ooh, chilling!

Pointy | January 14, 18:02 CET

YAY! Just saw preview with American Idol! (only reason why I watched) Holy crap! My excitement for this show just went through the roof, for those 30 seconds I forgot all about the negative press and pure adreneline kicked in. Eliza riding a motercycle! Come on!

hitnrun017 | January 14, 18:13 CET

I was just about to post that, hitrun017. I screamed!!! It was the first Dollhouse promo I saw on TV.

ricetxpeaches | January 14, 18:15 CET

Dammit. From now on, my TV is perpetually on the FOX network.

sumogrip | January 14, 18:27 CET

For west coasters, the ad apparently is very early in American Idol's second hour. (Twitter is buzzing.) So for us that will be slightly after 9PM.

@theonetruebix | January 14, 18:27 CET

Yeah, it came on around 9:10. I'm just glad I finally saw it. I've been watching FOX during primetime since Saturday just to see the damn thing... and it was 100% worth it.

hitnrun017 | January 14, 18:30 CET

Thanks, you guys, for being the intrepid explorers and boldly going on ahead - and taking hits for the team so we can simply flick the TV on and off again at the appropriate time to see the Dollhouse promo.

Because I would rather spork my own eyes out than sit through one second more than absolutely necessary of American Idol.

I've been around West Hollywood and downtown L.A. and bits of Hollywood here and there and have yet to see a DH billboard, though I'm keeping my eyes (and iPhone-camera) peeled for all y'all. You'd think there'd be one up on Sunset...

QuoterGal | January 14, 18:51 CET

Did anybody record it, by any chance, with the intention of uploading it to YouTube?

Unrelatedly, I spent tonight gathering the various Dollhouse-related videos to burn onto a DVD. My list: Sinner Promo, Joss & Eliza, Joss Sexy Walk, Dollhouse on Extra, Topher/Boyd Preview Clip, Original Trailer (both with Serenity font and with new font), and Paul/Echo clip.

Am I missing anything?

sumogrip | January 14, 19:07 CET

I haven't seen it pop up yet, but I'll be grabbing it in case no one else manages to.

@theonetruebix | January 14, 19:07 CET

Yep. Just fast-forwarded to see the commercial. Sweet! And now I don't have to watch Idol. Thanks guys!

Emmie | January 14, 19:09 CET

FYI, sounds like they ran it again just before the end of Idol. No idea if it was the same ad or a different one.

@theonetruebix | January 14, 19:32 CET

I watched all of Idol, but I didn't see it a second time. :-(
(Central time)

ricetxpeaches | January 14, 19:34 CET

Hmm. Well, I'm going by Twitter reports. It could have been someone who waited a very long time before tweeting that they had "just" seen one, and were in fact referring to the other one. Heh.

@theonetruebix | January 14, 19:36 CET

Only one more hour left! Thanks for taking the punch for the rest of us!

korkster | January 14, 19:58 CET

I love Machine-Gun Barbie!

jcs | January 14, 20:35 CET

Thanks for the head's up about the ad during 'American Idol,' everybody! Just caught it over here in California, and it was AWESOME! I cannot wait for this show to start!

kasadilla | January 14, 21:17 CET

In crappy quality, at least for now, here is the ad.

@theonetruebix | January 14, 21:37 CET

Thanks a lot, bix. Saving now...

Nice title, too.

sumogrip | January 14, 22:05 CET

Watched it on TV pre-cisely on time, and caught it at your link, too - thanks, b!X and also hitnrun017 for your superb timekeeping.

I think the commercial works, too, although I'm sure I haven't got any distance about it anymore and can't judge if it would work for someone not as immersed as I am...

QuoterGal | January 14, 22:17 CET

I think it works well. I also have no distance, especially after having spent the night compiling and watching all the Dollhouse media I can find. But it feels like it's very action-y, which tends to appeal, has an attractive star who's shown off a lot in the trailer, and also, Joe frickin' Swedon made it. I hope this gets a lot more airplay in the coming weeks.

And the fact that it aired (twice?) during AI certainly helps.

sumogrip | January 14, 22:25 CET

It aired once. I think that other report was a time fart. Meanwhile, my second upload wasn't, in fact, any better, so this one will have to do until Fox puts it up themselves.

@theonetruebix | January 14, 22:27 CET

So, that was seen by 30 Million people? Nice.

wiesengrund | January 15, 00:22 CET

32.51 Million to be overly and unnecessarily exact.

IrrationaliTV | January 15, 09:21 CET

January 14 2009