It's a very attractive and professional-looking site, though is that really the "official" site for the show? I'm aware that there's
several fansites already up and running!
Also, did you read the May 17th entry?? Even though it's still early, the show has only gotten two international pickups so far: Canada and Australia.
Watching the trailer one of the first things that leapt to mind was
Joe 90. A Gerry "Thunderbird" Anderson series from the late 70s that involved a young boy that had memory implants to help him with missions. A bit like the girl on Heroes that could learn a skill by watching someone perform it.
I was thinking that the premise for the show doesn't seem much different than River and "Blue Sun" from "Firefly" either. In fact, some people were joking that this show could actually be a sort of "Old Earth" prequel to the Firefly 'verse. Kinda like a Whedon/Minear slap at the FOX pinheads that screwed up "Firefly".
That Dollhouse is a massive set!! It must've cost them MILLIONS of dollars to construct and furnish! We have some incredibly plush, modernist restaurants here in Philly with similar architecture, but nothing along the scale of these rooms.
My personal criticism is that I'm not a huge fan of those translucent backlit walls for television shows. In real life, they're beautiful, but I feel on television they fill the room with too much soft and ambient light. One of the reasons I love watching "Cold Case" (from a visual artistic standpoint) is that they do pretty much the opposite. The interrogation room, for example, is filled with very little ambient lighting and a lot of direct light.
ETA: I think you're correct about it being the 'official' site. And if it's not the official site, then it's definitely put together by show insiders.
One link I liked was to
this article. There's going to be about 50 minutes of showtime for "Dollhouse", versus the current industry norm of 42 minutes:
Fox yells 'cut' on commercialsTwo new shows will have reduced ad time
By Paul J. Gough and James HibberdMay 15, 2008, 04:50 PM
Updated: May 15, 2008, 09:19 PM
Fox Broadcasting Co. is shaking up the commercial TV model with "Remote-Free TV."
At its upfront presentation Thursday, the network announced it will air two new drama series, J.J. Abrams' "Fringe" and Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse," with dramatically reduced commercial breaks.
"It's a simple concept and potentially revolutionary," Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori said. "We're going to have less commercials, less promotional time, and less reason for viewers to use the remote. We're going to redefine the viewing experience."
Both "Fringe" and "Dollhouse" would have network commercial loads of about five minutes per hour, about half the usual. The commercial pods would also be shorter and they would have about half the promo load as well.
In an interview after the presentation, Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly acknowledged that "Remote-Free TV" was a risk but there needed to be a "paradigm shift" in network TV.
Cutting down commercials will make the two already pricey sci-fi series even more expensive as they have to produce longer episodes. To offset that and the reduced commercial inventory, the network is planning to charge advertisers a premium.
Ad buyers were generally upbeat about the idea, and said they liked the two shows picked.
"We're always clamoring for an uncluttered environment," said Carat Media's Andy Donchin. But he said that wanted to see how much of a premium would be placed on it.
[Full article at link above.]
