Fans of the cult hit Transylvania Television (TVTV) can pledge their “undying” loyalty and money through http://www.kickstarter.com. Funds raised will help produce an hour-long Halloween special on the Twin Cities network CW (formally known as WB23).  Fans can locate the pledge page by visiting http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/transylvaniatv/transylvania-television-halloween-special.  Pledges can be as little as $10 and depending on the level of sponsorships, fans and donors can receive various gifts for their pledges including buttons, character shrinky-dinks, autographed pieces from the set, and personalized video greetings from the Transylvania Television cast.

For over two years, TVTV has been attracting college and Generation X audiences by blending traditional stand up, sitcom television, and pop culture references with their own cutting edge humor.  TVTV continues to gather steam as they launch their third season and the producers and fleece animators of TVTV continue to expand their audience base. Using the Web and guerilla marketing tactics, TVTV has been reaching out to audiences via Facebook (under transylvaniatv), iTunes, and Twitter while creating an army of “zombie minions” for their cult hit.

A while back, Smart Pop Books announced a Dollhouse essay contest. This is my submission, which failed to make the minimum requirement of 3,000 words. The following is a half-joking comparison between Spy in the House of Love, and the 1992 crime film, Reservoir Dogs. Contains spoilers for both properties, of course.

Reservoir Dolls: An Analysis on Spy in the House of Love.
by John Pavlich

In the ninth episode from Dollhouse’s first season, a mole is suspected amidst the big boss’s codenamed crew. While said boss is away, the employees point fingers and accuse each other. Meanwhile, and undercover agent reveals their disguise to someone they care about, a character dies (sort of) and someone gets shot in the stomach. This story is told from the alternating perspectives of a few different characters, complete with title cards announcing their given names.

Sound familiar? It should. It’s more or less the synopsis behind Quentin Tarantino’s cult-classic debut film, Reservoir Dogs. In that independent crime-thriller from 1992, a group of color-titled men hideout in a warehouse after an attempted diamond heist goes awry. While awaiting the return of their employer, the surviving “Dogs” turn on each other in an effort to figure out the identity of the one that tripped them up, someone who they believe walks among them. The narrative back tracks to show us the lives of a few separate characters leading up to the event in question, each with their own namesake chapter heading.

What does one have to do with the other? Why compare Reservoir Dogs with Dollhouse? Why not the Wizard of Oz with Dollhouse? What’s that smell? Why am I still single? Some of these questions will be answered below, as we dig a little deeper into this Dollhouse episode, and take a look at just how far the similarities go, character to character.

Adelle DeWitt:
Essentially the Joe Cabot of the piece. Adelle calls the shots. She refers to the Dolls/Dogs by their pre-selected codenames and sends them out on different assignments, which can sometimes include an actual heist or two. She’s even known to have a number of Actives spread out over separate engagements, concurrently. Just like Joe, Adelle keeps Whiskey near by, ready to hand out to anyone in need. This is not only a reference to Amy Acker’s “Doctor” character, but to the actual alcohol she has in her office. Also, she can be on the mannish side at times, but I’m stretching at this point. We didn’t see Joe’s side-story during his absence in Reservoir Dogs, but unless he too was on a secret play date with a prostitute, the similarities end there. Adelle could also be seen as Mr. Orange, since she operates under her own secret agenda and gets a bullet in the abdomen, but I digress.

Mellie:
This character only mildly fits into this equation, in the Freddy Newandyke/Mr. Orange role, when he reluctantly informs his friend Mr. White that he is not who he claimed to be, upsetting him. Similarly, Mellie reveals herself to be a Doll, a product of the Dollhouse, which is the very institution Special Agent Paul Ballard is fighting against. This news does not go over well.

Paul Ballard:
Which brings us to Paul, naturally. He assumes the Larry Dimmick/Mr. White part. Paul has utter disdain for and fear of Dolls. So, when the woman he’s been caring for and confiding in all this time turns out to be one, he is mortified and upset, feeling the utmost betrayed and manipulated. In Quentin’s film, the fan base likes to hypothesize about potential homosexuality between Freddy and Larry. However, while we do know for a fact that Paul and Mellie have had sex, even after her revelation (albeit rough, angry hate sex), it’s probably safe to assume that the two friends in “Dogs” just shared a cigarette, at most.

Alpha:
Sadly, he’s not in this episode, but Alpha is clearly Mr. Blonde/Vic Vega. Actor, Alan Tudyk even has Blonde hair. Moving on.

Topher Brink:
For all intents and purposes, Topher is not much more here than “Nice Guy” Eddie Cabot. It could be simply argued that Adelle regards him within a similar, Parent-Child relationship but there’s more. In the vein of Nice Guy Eddie, Topher spends much of his time on the phone to his boss, trying to accommodate his associates and assess problems as they occur. Perhaps it would be more fitting (read: funny) to just say he’s the obnoxious, selfish weasel Mr. Pink and be done with it.

Claire Saunders:
In Reservoir Dogs, after Mr. White pleads for Mr. Orange to receive medical care, Nice Guy Eddie finally barks, “Alright, Mr. F***ing Compassion! I will call somebody!”. By the end of the film, he shows back up with a Doctor’s bag, presumably ready to perform any necessary surgery himself. In that rough, thin way, Claire Saunders is totally Nice Guy Eddie. All he needs is a lab coat. And facial scars. And breasts. And a Uterus.

Victor:
Nope. I got nothin’. Crap, and things were going well, too.

Boyd Langton:
See above. Although, Boyd could be seen as a combination of Mr. White and Mr. Orange. On the one hand, he has a friendship with Echo, and Topher (arguably). On the other hand, both he and Freddy have ties to the police force. On the other hand (yes, this freak has multiple appendages and I thank you for not making a thing of it! Okay?!), similar to Mr. White, Boyd also has a shady past that’s less than wholesome.

Sierra:
This Active is mostly regulated to a kind of side plot, what’s known as a “B Story”. However, she does provide valuable information and tools that help the Hero to better complete their task and save the day. In that sense, Sierra is Officer Holdaway from Reservoir Dogs. He coaches Freddy on how to be a more convincing mole (or “rat”, to coin the film), and even provides Freddy with a phony story about a drug deal gone bad. This allows the young cop to endear himself to his fellow criminals, earning their trust and respect.

Lawrence Dominic:
Though the character is a lot like Mr. Orange, in that he is essentially an Officer of the law who is revealed to be a spy, infiltrating the operation he’s in bed with, Dominic is also quite like Marvin Nash. That unfortunate soul was beaten up and killed. The same thing more or less happens to Adelle’s Head of Security here. He gets in a fight with Echo, is interrogated for information and is essentially “killed” by way of a trip to The Attic.

Echo:
Given the very nature of her character and her condition, Echo is harder to pin down in this little exercise. At any given moment, she is all of these characters, and none of them. I suppose she could also be seen as Mr. Orange, but that’s mostly from an obvious, surface-level Protagonist/Main Character standpoint, which doesn’t hold much weight, if any. Basically, this one doesn’t really fit. Skip to the end.

Outside of character-specific parallels, both properties share some of the same themes. The characters in Dollhouse are consistently assuming identities and roles that are not of their original selves. So does Reservoir Dogs. Though we spend roughly 90 minutes with these theiving criminals, we only get to know so much about them, most of it completely fabricated. At least in Dollhouse, we learn some of the Actives’ birth names. Only three of the “Dogs” provide us with such privledged information. Both titles also raise questions of trust and loyalty, some characters unsure of where their allegences may lay.

There are many contrasts to debunk this wild idea, of course. In Reservoir Dogs, save for a couple of extras and day players, the entire cast is comprised of men. While the Dolls do walk around in virtually the same outfits, Tarantino’s story would be hard to take seriously if his cast were all wearing pajamas, not suits and ties. Dollhouse is a television series dealing in mind wipes and brain-mapping. Reservoir Dogs? Not so much. It’s more concerned with vulgar language, Mexican Standoffs, tough guy machismo and paying tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. Not to mention, the film has a great soundtrack album, featuring several classic tracks from the 1970s’ and the great, monotone voice of Comedian, Steven Wright. The day an official soundtrack album is released for Dollhouse, I’ll eat… something edible and made of food.

It’s not a perfect metaphor, but there is enough here, especially within the aesthetics of the piece to suggest that Writer, Andrew Chambliss and Director, David Solomon knew what they were doing. Some of the similarities are too strong for this Dollhouse episode to be just a coincidence, written off as a passing resemblance to what is considered by Empire Magazine to be the “Greatest Independent Film of all Time”.*

I mean, come on! The song “Little Green Bag” is so obviously a reference to the tea packages from Adelle’s mysterious, “Green Tea Pot of Doom!” It practically writes itself, except that it didn’t. I wrote it. Unless it sucked. Maybe if Dollhouse had more Steven Wright and more cow bell, it might still be on the air today.

*http://www.filmsite.org/independentfilms3.html

If you haven’t been catching the amazing marathon over at TCM, you’re missing out. To celebrate the 2010 Oscars they’ve been playing 360 different Oscar-winning movies! The festival of movies started on Feb 1st Kevin Bacon and James Coco in Only When I Laugh (1981). The final movie in the festival, Diner (1982), starring Bacon, will bring the entire month full circle. Apparently TCM can play 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon too!

I’m looking forward to rewatching The Bells are Ringing with Dean Martin. And maybe discovering some new favorite films!

Click here to visit the official site and see the schedule.

The Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented live on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

I wrote this article after receiving a press release from YouCast Corporation. I received a TCM Oscar Party pack including popcorn, coasters and other party items as a thank you.

The “One Day” Remix Contest will launch on Thursday, February 11th –one day before the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. There will be a four-week submission period and a two-week voting period. A public vote will determine the top 10 winners to receive a pair of Skull Candy Agent headphones and be featured on both www.matisyahuworld.com and www.myspace.com/matisyahu. The First Place Winner and two Runners-Up, selected personally by Matisyahu, will also see a link to their mix Tweeted to Matisyahu’s 1.2 million followers and will each receive a year’s Indaba Music Pro Membership and a signed vinyl copy of Light. The First Place Winner will also be awarded the opportunity to participate in a one-on-one collaboration with the singer through Indaba Music.

Matisyahu will play a pair of shows during the Winter Olympics — at The Whistler Village Square on February 14th, and LiveCity Vancouver on February 15th. Indaba Music will integrate news and content from the Winter Olympics throughout the contest period.

Since his very first album, Matisyahu has had a reputation as an artist who transcends boundaries – musical, religious and ethnic – and encourages a united world view through his music. The singer emerged in 2004 with his debut album Shake Off the Dust…Arise, followed by Live At Stubb’s, which reached #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers charts. His sophomore studio album, Youth, debuted at #4 on Billboard, reached #1 on the Reggae Albums charts, and featured the hit single “King Without a Crown.” Appearing on shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Matisyahu is a true global artist and citizen of the world, selling nearly three million records and hundreds of thousands of concert tickets worldwide.

Indaba Music offers the leading suite of online tools that enable artists all over the world to create music together online. Members can connect with an international community of musicians to create online recording sessions, editing and mixing tracks recorded in different parts of the world using its digital audio workstation (DAW). Indaba’s collaboration opportunities have previously featured such diverse artists as Weezer, The Roots, Yo-Yo Ma, Mariah Carey, Crystal Method, John Legend, Alkaline Trio, Har Mar Superstar and more.

http://www.matisyahuworld.com
http://www.indabamusic.com/featured_programs

It’s hard to keep your New Year’s resolutions. Here it is February and you’re already ready to give up the diet and indulge. But Fiber One comes to your rescue! They have deliciously tasting treats in the form of their yogurt. Don’t believe the hype? From now through February 9th, you can stock up on Fiber One Yogurt at the Safeway family of stores (including Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons and Genuardi’s) with two 4-packs for just $4.00!

To celebrate Fiber One Yogurt we’re offering you a $50 grocery gift card to stock up and help you eat right! One lucky reader will win a $50 Safeway Gift Card! (Gift card also valid at Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons and Genuardi’s).

Main Entry: (you must complete this entry in order to participate, otherwise all other entries will be disqualified)

Contest closes February 13th, 2010

Visit Fiber One and come back and leave a comment with which flavor you’re looking forward to trying!

Extra Entries:

1. Tweet this review using the text below and leave a comment with your Twitter handle:

Win a $50 Grocery Card for at the QuadrupleZ  from Fiber One Yogurt: http://bit.ly/1MKPNr #giveaway

2. Leave a comment on another QuadZ post (come back here and leave a comment to say you did so)

3. Subscribe to us via email: Subscribe to Quadruple Z by Email (leave a comment to say you did so)

4. Blog about this giveaway and leave us the link in the comments.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by My Blog Spark on behalf of Safeway and Fiber One. I received a coupon for a free 4-pack of yogurt and a Safeway gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. They also provided the Safeway gift card for giveaway.

Mrs. Fields has officially offered a job to Conan O’Brien should he end up leaving the Tonight Show at NBC. The national cookie company states that O’Brien has his pick of working at any of their over 300 stores nationwide, or at their corporate offices in Salt Lake City, UT. Details of the position as well as salary are pending negotiations and interest from O’Brien.

“At the age of 22 Conan applied for a job at Mrs. Fields, but sadly never received a call back,” explained John Lauck, President of Mrs. Fields. “We want to officially call you back, and make amends for what we now know was a huge oversight in talent recruitment.”

Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, which also owns TCBY, The Country’s Best Yogurt, additionally stated that should O’Brien’s interest in cookies no longer be as strong, he is eagerly invited to enter This Could Be Yours, the Great TCBY Store giveaway. Should he win this national contest, Conan would find himself the owner of a brand new TCBY store in a location of his choosing.

Fans Can Upload Impersonation Videos To CBS.Com For The Chance To Win $5,000

San Francisco – January 11, 2010: CBS.com announced today the launch of a contest searching for the best impersonation of CSI: MIAMI’s lead detective Lieutenant Horatio Caine, portrayed by actor David Caruso. Starting today through February 22nd, fans of CSI: MIAMI can log on to the contest site to upload a 30-second or less video clip of themselves delivering the most memorable Horatio Caine one-liners from the show. The top 10 videos, selected by a combination of votes from the public and CBS.com judges, will be announced on March 1st, followed by the top 5 videos on March 8th, the top 3 videos on March 15th and the winner on March 22nd.

“Ever since we created Horatio, the fans have been passionate about the character, sunglasses and all,” says David Caruso. “For years, everyone from Jim Carrey to Laurence Fishburne has tried to do their best imitation of him but I think the fans are the ones who get it right. Now is the chance for them to showcase their best.”

“Even in his eighth season, the character of Horatio Caine continues to be a major fan favorite on CBS.com,” says Joe Ferreira, SVP, Network and Studio Liaison at CBS Interactive. “We wanted to give Caine’s passionate community of fans the opportunity to show us how well they really know his character and showcase their abilities to re-enact his famous mannerisms.”

For more information about the contest, visit: www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_miami/upload

Doing something good doesn’t have to take a lot of effort, and you’ll be surprised how much this next one will mean to the person you do it for. How many times have you spent time and effort to give someone a gift and never heard thank you? Well, I’m sure you’ve been guilty of not saying thank you either – so today take 10 minutes and write an email or an actual card (gasp!) and say “thank you”. It could be for that fuzzy sweater you got for Christmas or it could be for someone just being your friend.

Today’s task: Write a thank you note (either electronically or an actual note).

Time Commitment: 10-15 minutes.

Extra Credit for Little Effort: Dig up a teacher, professor or mentor from your past and tell them how much they’ve meant to you.

Extra Credit! Write 1 Thank You note every day this week – you’ll be surprised how much your attitude will change by the end of the week.

If you do this, leave a comment! We’d love to hear how you did something good today!

With the recent economic crisis, food donations to soup kitchens, shelters and food banks have been extremely low. So do something good this weekend and clean out your pantry! If you’re like me there’s some great food in the pantry that hasn’t been touched for a couple months. So put all of it in a bag and drive it over to a local charity that can put it to good use! While you’re there, clean up your pantry too! Great way to start out the new year!

Today’s task: Clean out your pantry and give your extra food away!
Find your local food bank first and call them to see if they accept donations.

For example, my local food bank accepts: dry, shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen food items; prepared foods; foodservice items; personal care and cleaning products; office supplies and equipment; mislabeled and unlabeled products; obsolete promotional items; and bulk and damaged products.

Search using these sites:
http://www.secondharvest.org/
http://www.efsp.unitedway.org/EFSP/wc.dll?EFSP~FundedStates

Time Commitment: Depending on your pantry from 20 min to 40 minutes. Make sure to give it a good sweep and wipe down when done!

Extra Credit for Little Effort:
Email friends/family and let them know about this!
Follow http://twitter.com/foodbankmetrodc (a food bank in Washington DC) to keep up to date on news and what you can do to help the hungry.

Extra Credit!
Donate some funds!
US – http://feedingamerica.org/ (Even $1 feeds a lot!)
UK – http://www.foodchain.org.uk/

Plant extra food in your garden and donate (check out http://ampleharvest.org/ to know where to donate fresh foods).

Volunteer at your local food bank! Call them up and ask how you can help.

[Please let us know if you know of some other great websites and resources!]

Today’s task: volunteer! Sign up for a volunteer job in your area (you can search by zipcode/city) and complete a day for a free ticket to a Disney park. Search at: http://bit.ly/8qTbWr

Time Commitment: About 10-25 minutes to search and apply for a position. Volunteer assignments I saw are between 2hrs – 5hrs. Many of them you can schedule around your own time.

Extra Credit for Little Effort: Email friends/family and let them know about this! Do something good and get a great reward.

Extra Credit! Can’t go to a Disneypark? Donate your free ticket to a charity! That’s doubly good!

When I was nine my father handed me a book that would alter my future forever. This book? A hard-cover, red, un-assuming volume of Sherlock Holmes stories. I was hooked and became a devotee of the third order — a true “Sherlockian” (someone from America who is a fan and scholar of Sherlock Holmes). Holmes was my obession for years – I collected more copies of the stories, I read thick analytical books, I learned what a gas-lamp was and spelled color with a “u” because that’s how they did in the Holmes stories.

So when the first news of Robert Downey Jr. taking up Holmes’ role I was excited. There’d be a couple attempts at re-starting the Holmes legacy after the death of Jeremy Brett – but none got too far. Then I saw the first pictures and was confused. I was afraid that my beloved hero had been reduced to a comic book characture. I entered the film on Christmas day equal parts excited and afraid.

I was not disappointed. The Holmes that blazed across the screen was powerful, human, funny and true to form. Many have commented about Holmes’ physicality, but Holmes was always an impressive fighter. In the first novel “A Study in Scarlet” Watson lays out everything he knows about Holmes in an attempt to understand what Holmes might do for a living. The list included: “is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman.” Watson himself is no old, tottering man. He had just returned from war when he meets Holmes. The two were in their prime.

Doyle often left the actual fighting to an off-chance remark from Holmes. Such is the case in The Final Problem where Holmes appears at Dr. Watson’s home with bleeding knuckles.

“I took a cab after that and reached my brother’s rooms in Pall Mall, where I spent the day. Now I have come round to you, and on my way I was attacked by a rough with a bludgeon. I knocked him down, and the police have him in custody..”

That said, the film is also highly enjoyable for non-Holmes fans. The plot is tightly wound (even if the crimes themselves seem haphazard). Even small things (like Holmes & Watson’s dog) are carried through the entire adventure. There’s enough action balanced with humanity to keep the film interesting for all involved. The friendship between Holmes and Watson is a palpable platonic bond that defies logic (must like the stories).

I also loved the set designs. They had the beautiful grungy look that made them realistically Victorian without losing the artistic edge. The action sequences were intense without being vomit-inducing (as many modern films have become). I also loved the editing and shot selection (even the playful shot that starts with a “this side up” box and then moves to realize the box is, in fact, upside down).

Robert Downey Jr. was phenomenal as Holmes. He had enough of the cold, calculating persona trimmed with the anti-social without being unlovable. We can see that Holmes does have feelings, but that he doesn’t allow those to get in the way of his actions. Science/Reason is his main love (though Irene comes a close second).

Another delightful twist on the story is Mary. She is, in fact, in the stories (The Sign of Four), but as a client first. Her performance in the hospital hallway was chillingly awesome and added a strong emotional point without being over the top.

My heart also thrilled with the open story line for the next film — I’m ready Mr. Richie.

(Photo: Lin Pictures/Warner Brothers)

Buy Veronica Mars – The Complete Second Season on Amazon.com

It’s the end of the school day, just before Christmas vacation, and Veronica Mars is severely lacking in holiday cheer. Not even the cafeteria’s Christmas Cake has the power to lift her spirits. Who could blame her? She’s dating Duncan Kane, again. I kid, but seriously, little Miss Mars has good reason to be all “Bah, Humbug!”

Her friend Meg is in the hospital. What’s more, the bed-ridden girl is pregnant with Duncan’s baby. It’s a long story. Meanwhile, Veronica’s gumshoe Dad, Keith has been assigned by the Mayor (Steve Guttenberg. That’s right.) to investigate Neptune’s finest. It seems someone broke into the evidence room and stole some incriminating video footage. The tapes feature a roll in the sheets between Aaron Echolls, the movie star Father of Veronica’s previous boyfriend, and Lilly Kane, Veronica’s dead best friend and Duncan’s Sister. That’s an even longer story.

All of that pertains to the continued, over arching mystery of the season proper. However, the real treat of this episode comes in the form of a subplot involving Veronica getting stuck with Jury Duty. Once she is bestowed the title of Foreman, it’s off to the races. In a smart, delightful tribute to Sidney Lumet’s classic film adaptation of Reginald Rose’s TV play, 12 Angry Men, One Angry Veronica deals with a curious case about two stoners, a hooker and her pimp. This side story takes place in just one room, and is completely dialogue and character driven, making it my favorite episode of the entire second season. In fact, one could almost edit everything else out and safely watch just these scenes in the jury room.

Though Christmas first seems like a simple, inconsequential backdrop, the holiday setting does actually manage to have relevance to the episode, one of two scenes in particular actually directly influences the jury room B-plot. First, in what is my personal favorite scene of the episode (as Father/Daughter scenes in the Mars household usually are), Keith comes home from his investigation at the precinct, having not much luck. He opens the door to a “Winter Wonderland” of colored lights, candy canes and tinsel. At the center of it all, Veronica has prepared a feast fit for a family of two with a middle-class income. The both of them decide to spend this important time together, before they go back to dealing with violence, sex and theft during Christmas. I love it when Keith refers to Veronica as simply, “Elf.”

This scene is crucial in that it not only provides much needed warmth and positivity for the characters and the audience, but it also helps Veronica save the day in the jury room. Her Dad upgrades her computer’s hard drive and processing power as an early Christmas present, but he also conveniently leaves substantial information on the screen that leads Veronica to later solve the case. Mars Investigations strikes again.

The second instance of Christmas magic comes at the end of the episode, when Veronica needs it the most. Though she solves the case, she learns some devastating news about one of her dear friends. Fed up with the recent events of this depressing holiday, Veronica accepts defeat and settles for New Year’s pizza with her Dad. That is, until a Christmas miracle happens and Veronica gets a surprise visit from a long-lost best friend. This finally renews her sense of Christmas spirit, and Veronica looks ahead to the new year with hope.

I bet that Christmas Cake would be much more appreciated now.

(Photo: Warner Brothers)