Did you get bored watching reruns over the holidays? Well, put all that behind you; good things are coming. This week, in fact, is the start of Season 2 of Damages, which Ms. Snarker will tell you all about on Wednesday. I’ve already bought my popcorn and I expect Glen to melt the butter.

Then next week, on Jan. 16, Battlestar Galactica returns to wrap up its story. Who is the final Cylon? With this cast, who the frak cares?

January is just crazy with season premieres of returning shows. Tonight, Scrubs shows up at its brand new home, ABC, with Chief of Medicine Courtney Cox on hand to give it an energy shot. … continue reading

It's safe to say that the mythical "long and winding road" doesn't lead to your door, it leads to Eliza Dushku's door at Dollhouse.

Since the show's was first announced, we've kept you updated on the considerable production hiccups encountered by series creator Joss Whedon, made some helpful casting suggestions, and even taken you on a vicarious tour of the set.

And now, as the Feb. 13 premiere date draws closer, FOX has made it possible for us to share with you a few new stills from some upcoming episodes.

In the bank vault scene below, you'll be happy to note Dushku's return to her roots (aka clad in black leather pants):

Next, we see Echo (Dushku) running through the woods with a trusty walkie-talkie dangling from her pocket. (I think my mother has the same picture of me at home somewhere, though I was 30 pounds heavier and about 20 years younger than Eliza when it was taken.) … continue reading

With Joss Whedon's Dollhouse finally (hopefully) in order, Fox released a new promo trailer for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator's much-anticipated new science-fiction series. After shutdowns, rewrites and reshoots, the show is set to reintroducing itself and its star, Eliza Dushku.

The new trailer again lays out the show's premise — that living “dolls” are reprogrammed with memories, abilities, emotions to cater to a client's wishes — as well as its central question: Can you wipe away a soul?

… continue reading

In a blog post on Whedonesque earlier this week, television genius Joss Whedon wrote an update about his much-anticipated (and currently delayed) new Fox series Dollhouse.

As anyone who has ever built a house can tell you, it takes twice as long as you thought it would, costs more than you budgeted, and consumes your every waking thought. And when it's done, it might not be what you originally wanted, but that's not necessarily bad thing.

Dollhouse is about a secret house where people known as "dolls" have their memories and personalities erased and replaced with new ones, enabling them to be hired out for various assignments, some of which are probably illegal. Eliza Dushku plays Echo, a doll who inexplicably begins to remember her real identity. … continue reading

Recently, production was halted on Eliza Dushku's upcoming series, Dollhouse. The show is set to beginning airing in Jan. 2009 as part of Fox's mid-season lineup as a lead-in to 24.

For those who may have missed our previous blogs,Dollhouse is the latest collaboration between Dushku and writer/director/general Renaissance man, Joss Whedon. The Dushku/Whedon partnership of yore resulted in the fabulous character Faith on Buffy and its worthy spin-off, Angel. By extension, it is also partially responsible for my own propensity during college for very dark lipstick paired with pleather pants, so make of that what you will.

But back to Dollhouse: For those of you who haven't been drooling over the premise for months, it will follow a group of "actives" or "dolls" — people that have had their memories and personalities erased. This way they can be imprinted with new ones for the purpose of being hired out to perform various jobs — fulfilling fantasies, executing crimes, etc. Dushku will play Echo, a doll who is beginning to remember who she is. … continue reading

Last week on the last day of the TCA press tour, I joined a lucky batch of weary TV critics for a tour of the set of Joss Whedon's new show, Dollhouse. This was, hands down, the coolest part of my entire TCA trip — stepping onto a set is like getting an opportunity to actually enter a fictional world, which is always a trip. And the set of Dollhouse is, in a word, incredible.

The cast of Dollhouse in the dollhouse

Although Fox hasn't released any photos from the set itself, I put together this little tour of the set tour using images from the Dollhouse trailer that was released earlier this year. As you may have heard, Joss Whedon has decided to re-shoot the pilot (more about that further down), but I can't imagine that the impressive (and potentially expensive) set is going to change much. Without further ado, here we go!

When we arrived at the first of two sound stages on the Fox lot in Los Angeles, the interior was dominated by a huge, elevated room that we accessed by going up some stairs. Usually sets are built on the floor level, but this set — which is the office of Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams), the manager of the "Dollhouse" — is elevated so that they can shoot a floor-to-ceiling skyline through the windows. The dollhouse itself, which is a sort of dormitory/office complex for the "actives" — including Eliza Dushku's Echo — is all underground, and Adelle's office is the only part of it that is above the ground.

The office, like the rest of the set, has a vaguely Asian type of design style, with dark reddish woods and smooth, sleek lines. "What we were going for was ultimately sort of the perfect spa, but with just a hint of something a little bit darker, a little more corporate," Joss explained. The set was designed by Stuart Blatt, who was also the production designer on Angel.

Interestingly, Adelle's desk is facing away from the door and toward the windows, so that her back is to the door. "I didn't want to do the standard, come-before-me- and-my-desk thing," Joss said. "I found it interesting that she would be the kind of person who wanted to look at the world rather than into her own space. Also, it means that if you enter the room, she doesn't have to look at you, which is a power play."

Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) at her desk

But though you can see Adelle's computer screen when you enter her office, you cannot see the widescreen monitor in a niche to the left of her desk, on which she can observe everyone in the dollhouse. "Adelle is — she's not ruthless; she's ruth-deficient," Whedon quipped about the character. "She could use a little more ruth. She's pretty tough, but luckily she's British, so … somehow everything she says is nice." … continue reading

Yesterday morning I arrived in Los Angeles for the Television Critics Association summer press tour, an annual rite of passage for TV critics nationwide. Basically, we gather together at the Beverly Hilton for two to three weeks of nonstop press conferences for pretty much every TV show currently on the air. I wasn't able to make it to the first week of press conferences, but I'm here for the next eight days to cover the networks and their affiliated cable channels, and as long as I don't pass out from too much off-the-cuff interviewing of random TV celebs, I'll be reporting my findings here every day. (To catch up on last week's gay-related TCA news, check out Michael Jensen's stellar blog posts at AfterElton.com.)

What happened on Monday? Here's the short version: Mia Michaels, Anna Torv, Lena Headey, Summer Glau, Olivia Wilde, Eliza Dushku and Joss Whedon, oh my! For the long(er) version, read on.

Left to right: Cat Deeley, Mia Michaels, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe

Today was the first of two days devoted to the Fox television network, and the morning kicked off with a press conference for the unscripted dance competition So You Think You Can Dance. Mia "hot damn she looks like a lesbian (too bad she ain't)" Michaels got grilled on why she's "being so mean" on the show these days. Here's what she said:

I don't think I'm being mean. I'm just being very honest, and we're in the fourth season, and I think as we go, we become more — our true selves come out, and we're comfortable. ... I'm not any different if I'm in a rehearsal studio with my dancers, and if they're not pulling up, they're going to know, and it's very much about tough love. ... I'm Mamma Mia, and they look to me for that tough love actually. So when I say it, America might go, "Oh, my God, that's so harsh.” They're cool with it. They know. They know I only want them to be brilliant.

I have always been an on-again, off-again viewer of SYTYCD, because it seems to repeatedly hammer home traditional gender norms through the judges' commentary that typically derides male dancers who are not macho (not to mention only having opposite-sex dance partners). This is particularly the case with judge Nigel Lythgoe, who always puts down men when he senses the least bit of "effeminacy" in them, while (excessively) praising women who are feminine and submissive. AfterElton.com talked with him after the panel, and Lythgoe essentially confirmed that he's stuck in the dark ages in terms of gender norms. Wake up, Nigel! It's 2008! Seriously, the guy kinda gives me the creeps.

Anyway, after SYTYCD was a panel devoted to the new series from creator J. J. Abrams (Alias), which is called Fringe. It stars Australian actor Anna Torv, whom British readers may remember from her stint playing a lesbian on the BBC's Mistresses. Torv unfortunately was in New York and therefore had to join the conference by satellite, so the stage was populated entirely with men — a theme that quickly came to define the day.

Anna Torv as Agent Olivia Dunham in Fringe

Photo credit: Michael Lavine/FOX

I caught a screening of most of the 90-minute pilot during lunch, and though it started off very promisingly with a mysterious plane full of dead people (think Lost meets The X-Files), around the 40-minute mark it started going off onto a seriously sci-fi tangent. Now, I'm a big sci-fi fan, but this just seemed odd. Like, things didn't connect up. I'm hoping that the pilot will be retooled before it hits prime time this fall to smooth out the rough spots.

On the plus side, Torv delivered what might be the best line of the day when asked to elaborate on her ass-kicking role as Agent Dunham: "I came to the kicking ass naturally." … continue reading

Welcome to the Dollhouse. Fox unveiled its new Joss Whedon-helmed, Eliza Dushku-starring series during last week’s network upfront presentations. In addition to releasing cast photos, the ambitious sci-fi series’ trailer was unfurled. The show has been given a mid-season slot and will debut in January.

Miranda Penn Turin/FOX

The trailer looks kind of – oh, what’s that word – awesome. It lays out the premise (the Dollhouse employs a secret group of “actives” who have their personalities and memories erased to be imprinted with new ones for assignments) while giving us a sense of the show’s tone, pacing and humor. But enough talk, give it a look yourself.

Cool, right? Eliza gets a chance to flex all of her acting muscles in this role. Often typecast as the tough girl, as Echo she will get to run the gamut of emotions. And already I think I love the deliciously calculated Adelle DeWitt (played by British actress Olivia Williams). As the head of the Dollhouse, she is exactly as described: “beautiful, sophisticated, cold as an alp.” … continue reading

Eliza Dushku finally has all her new playmates for her Dollhouse. The principals and recurring roles have been cast for Joss Whedon's ambitious return to television. They include a familiar face from the Buffyverse, as well as lots of new additions. As if that wasn't enough, critics have gotten their first look at the pilot script for the identity implanting/erasing sci-fi series, and the reviews are pretty much the definition of glowing.

The series follows the burgeoning awareness of Eliza's character Echo, one of a house full of living dolls who are imprinted with personality packages — from memories to physical abilities and more — for assignments. While we imaged a dream cast when the roles were first revealed back in March, the actual cast looks pretty impressive. First, returning under Whedon's wing is Amy Acker, aka Fred from Angel. Amy will play the recurring role of Dr. Claire Saunders, the woman who looks after the physical well-being of the dolls.

Dr. Saunders is described as having an acid wit and physical scars from a razor attack in her past. Well, we know Amy can play smart, since Fred was the big brainiac of Angel's gang. At 31, she falls on the low end of the casting call's description of a woman who is "30-60, attractive, smart and a little sad." But if Amy can pull off blue skin and tight leather as the demon goddess Illyria, I think sad with a couple scars should be no problem. … continue reading

Who wants to play house — Dollhouse, that is? The ambitious new Joss Whedon/Eliza Dushku sci-fi series is currently casting its principal characters.

Eliza plays Echo, one of the living “Dolls,” a group of men and women who can be imprinted with personality packages — from past memories to physical abilities and language skills — for different assignments. After each assignment, their memories are erased, and they all live together in a dorm/lab dubbed the Dollhouse. The show will follow Echo’s burgeoning self-awareness and how it affects everyone around her. … continue reading

Ever wonder what would happen if Joss Whedon sent out a call to action? The answer appeared in the form of 400 actors, writers and fans walking the WGA picket lines with Whedon this past Friday, including Buffy writing alums Drew Goddard and Jane Espenson.

Sarah Michelle Gellar brought doughnuts. … continue reading

Sometimes a list is so close to the hearts of AfterEllen.com readers that all a blogger has to do is tell you about it and sit back to watch the fun. So, I was tickled to find this list in the Los Angeles Times of the "Women of Whedon." The Times asked Joss Whedon to name his five favorite female creations. I was less tickled once I perused the list, however, thanks to at least one dreadful omission. (Get ready to be indignant.) Where's Willow?

While your ruffled feathers relax a bit, let's look at the women he did name. I certainly can't quarrel with the first. … continue reading