There will be a second Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon said in a Thursday conference call with reporters to promote Dollhouse. The main question, he says, is whether he does it “on a shoe string again” or goes bigger budget and “invites other people into the process.” Either way, he promises that it won’t affect the storyline.

We all knew it was coming, but how long do we have to wait? My first reaction was “No! Don’t go bigger!”. But, after thinking about it a minute, that would probably be the best thing to do.

Allowing it to grow would help to bring in a wider audience. More exposure. There are still those who don’t realize that there are great net-only entertainment options out there that surpass the quality of much of the mainstream.

Who will return for the sequel? NPH is very hot right now, but he would, or course, be a necessary component of a Horrible sequel. Nathan Fillion’s new show Castle is keeping him quite busy; but we all want Captain Hammer to return. Does Moist step up and become a super-henchman? Will the Doctor resurrect Penny? Or build a Penny-bot? (come on, you have to get Felicia back).

What are your thoughts?

Of course, Joss winning an Emmy is a long time coming, but I bet this one is extra sweet for him. Not just for being his first, but Doctor Horrible belongs completely to them, not to any studio. I really hope that he returns to the web again. A crossover talent like him can really legitimize online video, and get the word out that there is real quality on the net. We need another Horrible-esque show from the Wheadons. They say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but I get Joss can come close.

It would have really been nice to see this on the Primetime Emmy Awards. There are still people who haven’t seen, or even heard of Dr. Horrible. Maybe with NPH hosting, we’ll get some allusion to his alter ego. Congratulations to everyone involved.

(images in this post used without permission from @nathanfillion and @ motancharoen …hope they don’t mind)

If you’re like me, you’ve already made your own version of this via AudioHiJack Pro or similar application. These songs are so incredibly catchy and entertaining that my 7 year old daughter walks around singing them (and she’s only seen the show twice). If anyone every thought that “Once More, With Feeling” was a lucky shot for Joss, Dr. Horrible should put those nay-sayers in their place.

The track listing is:

• 01. Horrible Theme
• 02. My Freeze Ray
• 03. Bad Horse Chorus
• 04. Caring Hands
• 05. A Man’s Gotta Do
• 06. My Eyes
• 07. Bad Horse Chorus (reprise)
• 08. Penny’s Song
• 09. Brand New Day
• 10. So They Say
• 11. Everyone’s A Hero
• 12. Slipping
• 13. Everything You Ever
• 14. Horrible Credits

Also, Joss has posted liner notes and lyrics over at the Dr. Horrible site. Now you can “sing-along”.

I already have “Bad Horse” as my ringtone.

I’ve been busying myself with a little something I like to call DOLLHOUSE. Finishing a new episode. Finishing a new… here’s the headline… FIRST episode. What’s that, you say? A second first? How can such a thing be? Does it defy the laws of all physics?

Well, the idea to do a new first episode wasn’t the network’s. It was mine. I understood their consternation, and saw the gap between my style and their expectations, and I suggested I shoot a new ep and make the one I’d shot the second. It isn’t going to be buried, like the pilot of Firefly. It’s simply coming after another, slightly cleaner ep. And because unlike Firefly, it isn’t a two hour epic which introduces everyone to each other, the onus isn’t on the new ep to explain a million things.

Yes, this seems all to familiar. Is Joss getting screwed by Fox again? He goes on to explain that unlike “Buffy” and “Angel”, “Dollhouse” the network makes tweaks to the show after it is shot, not prior (as the production was greenlit and production started before ANYTHING was shot).

I have faith in Joss Whendon; Doctor Horrible renewed it. I believe “Dollhouse” will be a smart, funny, action-filled, mythos-rich drama that will surprise most. Am I off? Is there anything to be worried about here?

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Dark Horse Comics has released the comic at MySpace.

The comic does a great job at setting the tone for the upcoming 3 part series. It’s funny, as definitely has the ol’ Joss Whedon wit. My excitement increases every day!

Also on the site is news from Joss outlining his plans for world domination release. Included in this plan is:

ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT!

“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” will be streamed, LIVE (that part’s not true), FREE (sadly, that part is) right on Drhorrible.com, in mid-July. Specifically:

ACT ONE (Wheee!) will go up Tuesday July 15th.

ACT TWO (OMG!) will go up Thursday July 17th.

ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up Saturday July 19th.

All acts will stay up until midnight Sunday July 20th. Then they will vanish into the night, like a phantom (but not THE Phantom – that’s still playing. Like, everywhere.)

I’ve been excited about this production since the first mention of it. Grass-roots, online entertainment needs to be recognized, and someone like Joss can bring it to the forefront. He didn’t do anything that anyone else couldn’t (or have in the past), but I think he will make it popular, and bring mainstream attention to the venue.

The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap – but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience. And to make a lot of silly jokes. Actually, that sentence probably should have come first.

Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day, and Neil Patrick Harris are wonderful entertainers, and I believe will bring us a wonderful and entertaining week. What do you think?

This morning, Felicia Day posted the trailer on her Flog.

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

This looks incredibly awesome, and I can’t wait. I can’t remember when so many of my favorite people have been involved in a single project. This is going to be great.

How do you like the trailer? Does it get your excitement up?

Dr. Horrible we’re just finishing. We’re going to finishing posting it, and then we’re going to have a whole conversation about how to put it out there. I’m going to put it on the Internet first. Whether or not I can monetize it that way … I’d like to be able to. I’d like to be able to make the money back, pay the crew, because Dr. Horrible, apart from being hilarious and fun, is also a product of the strike. I want to show that there’s a way to make things yourself, but then I also want to show that there’s a way to make that viable for people. So even if I don’t accomplish the second part, I want to do the first part. So we’ll put it on the Internet, hopefully with a sponsor of some kind. We’ll work that out. And then iTunes, DVD … we’re doing amazing DVD extras. It’s going to be the finest 40-minute musical since the last one I made.

I will support Doctor Horrible any way I can, because I want Whedon to do more of this in the future. Much of my information and entertainment come from independently produced internet shows, and with a guy like Joss involved, it can only get better.

DOLLHOUSE (Mondays, 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT): Joss Whedon, creator of groundbreaking cult favorites “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly,” returns to television and reunites with fellow “Buffy” alumna Eliza Dushku for a thrilling new drama, DOLLHOUSE. ECHO (Dushku) is an “Active,” a member of a highly illegal and underground group who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined to a secret facility known as the “Dollhouse,” Echo and the other Actives including SIERRA (Dichen Lachman, “Neighbours”) and VICTOR (Enver Gjokaj, “The Unit”) carry out engagements assigned by ADELLE (Olivia Williams, “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Rushmore”), one of the Dollhouse leaders.

The trailer company, Storm Studios, has it posted on their website pulled it from their website, but it is now on YouTube and IO9. The trailer and sneak peeks are available on Brightcove. Go watch it and come back and leave your thoughts.

Update: IO9 has an updated, better trailer.

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I couldn’t agree with you more. And I haven’t even told you yet what Joss told me about Eliza’s leading man. Yep, a male character will be involved with her Echo alter ego, but, Whedon noted, “not in a buddy way. Their relationship will take some time to come together and will be constantly evolving.” If you’re thinking Buffy and Angel, Part Deux, think again. “Echo is not capable of having a true love,” he insists, since she becomes someone new, body and soul, every week. On the other hand, he contradicts, because of that, in a way, “She’ll have a true love every week. It’s part of her plight that when she feels something strongly, it gets taken away from her. And the person she’s closest to in the show, her relationship with him will not in any way be simple. Nobody in this piece comes away clean.” Man, I’m confused already — and I love it!

Ausiello also hints that Spike‘s James Marsters is rumored to fill the role of Echo’s leading man. The more I hear about this show the more I get excited. It appears that Joss and Eliza have good creative control, which in my opinion is great news.