Dr. Horribles Sing-Along Blog

So the marvel of nu-media (I'm using the nu-metal nomenclature on the assumption that the 'nu,' is short for new; that might well prove to be misguided) is that it isn't very nu at all.  It's been around for at least a decade now, which in internet years means decades (the internet advances in dog years by the way).  Fortunately, this particular type of content won't go the way of Fido (do English people have generic dog names?  I can only think of Fido or Rex, both strike me as particularly american) because the internet is deeply entrenched.  It's so deeply entrenched that we no longer make jokes about internet enabled fridges, or wifi capable toilets.  Sure, they still seem frivolous, but they're commonplace enough that eccentricity isn't the only reason to have one.

I find myself wondering what the weather is like when I'm reaching for my orange juice, the same as any other human.  Who can claim not to be intrigued by the idea of news in the loo's?  That's marketing jargon, news and loo don't rhyme so I intentionally stretched your interpretation of the scenario by making loo plural.  See what I did there?

Anyway, with nu media comes a nu responsibility to advertisers and other parasitic entities - something that can never be escaped it seems, is the requirement for vast sums of money to make things.  The result is that none of your big TV shows have found the internet a viable medium for airing, well anything really.  The internet is great for movie trailers, which is a short cinematic piece designed to sell you something.  So the advertisers win without actually providing you anything.

What this lack of money does mean, aside from creating a space devoid of 'big names,' is that those who work well within tight budgets can create unrivalled masterpieces.  They can be considered masterpieces because there is no competition, TV being isolated enough that most people find the two mediums incomparable.

I've watched series like Red vs Blue or The Guild for years and years, with their shoestring budgets and lack of technical nous.  They're some of the simplest, bare bones creations anyone could ever conceive.  I think they're great.  They're stupid, pointless things I'll admit, but I derive pleasure from watching these creations that doesn't occur when I sit in front of a TV.  I honestly don't know how these kinds of nu-media (I finally took it full-circle) create such positive reactions.  Objectively, they're terrible.  Maybe I'm just rooting for the underdog, the internet and associated media still being seen as far less important than traditional broadcasting.  Who knows.

Anyway, the point of this post, as indicated by the title, is to communicate my love for Dr. Horribles Sing-Along Blog.  It's a fantastic piece of work, and in my opinion, the first to bridge the quality divide between nu-media (I'm going to continue using that term until it sticks) and olde-media.

It's a forty minute musical.  If you know me, you know I am tone-deaf, and that I cannot stand musicals, or anything where the music plays a more central role than simply 'mood building,' or 'setting.'  Before I continue, a confession, it was created by a professional, an industry specialist who has worked on feature films and television shows so I don't know whether it's a completely legitimate internet first; but damn it's good.

It's kind of like the makeup of the England rugby team.  Half the players aren't English, but they're good, and they're helping England to mediocrity as we speak, so I can root for them right?  There are no adverts within the product, it's not broadcast on any station, it's purely internet.  It's a home-team creation, so I feel comfortable in saying that it's an internet job.

To quantify how good it is, I'll compare it to my favourite TV show ever, House.  Despite the vast differences between House and Dr Horrible, for pure enjoyment, I would have to say that it would probably win my vaunted favourite show of any medium and whenever award.  If you're stuck for thirty minutes with an internet connection, watch Dr Horrible.  It really is fantastic.  Unfortunately it was essentially a one-off, meaning that the ending will remain forever.  That ending.  Damn you internet!





This post was brought to you by generic perfume brand number five.

House

I've put off watching the latest releases of House, because watching them in a row, only to find that you're at the end of a series with no more to watch - sucks.

At least a year has passed, and to that end I'm now watching a full series and a half in order.

It seems to me that House is one of the few series going that doesn't wane over time.  It has good episodes and bad episodes, but each one has enough differentiating it to create a whole new image for itself.

Of course analysing each episode individually you quickly see that this isn't the case; but watching them back to back in a string of seven shows or so, there will always be one or two that break up the typical flow of the show, creating something that breaks from the mundane.  This is one of the reasons that watching them back to back is a joy.

The other joy of the show is the subtle comedy in addition to typical drama.  There are certainly moments that are contrived purely for comedic purposes, but the additional touches, the small elements make it stand out from the crowd.  That's certainly what Hugh Laurie brings to the table.

Series six, halfway complete, eight out of ten.