Neil Patrick Harris has a new cult hit: "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long" has taken the internet by storm, adding to the Harris cult-fan machine.
The star of "How I Met Your Mother" and the "Harold and Kumar" films has teamed up with Joss Whedon (producer, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Nathan Fillian ("Firefly," "Serenity") for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (www.drhorrible.com) a 3-act musical miniseries with Harris playing the titular role, Dr. Horrible, an evil mastermind determined to win the woman (!) of his dreams and take over the world.
Fillian is nemesis Captain Hammer, and Felicia Day portrays Laundromat Girl, the redhead with a sweet singing voice who has won both of their hearts.
The first two acts were released this week and can be seen right now. The final third act will be released July 19, and the whole thing will only be available through July 20. Once it's gone, it might not be gone for good, however. Dr. Horrible has been a runaway hit, with reported traffic of up to 1000 visitors to the site per second.
It's also available for $1.99 on iTunes; the success may pave the way for a release to iTunes or DVD, and possibly even future projects for the cast of characters.
All three acts were made in under a week and the entire project cost in the low six figures.
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Mikey Verdugo and The Express on NBC6 News
The story of Mikey Verdugo's dirty-bird past has hit the TV news in South Florida, and although he still won't talk to the press, The Express was contacted as a source:
Go to this link:
http://video.nbc6.net/player/?id=277097
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Florida police officer and 'Design Star' contestant in jeopardy over adult film
photo by Dennis Dean
Poor Mikey Verdugo--the hunky contestant on HGTV's "Design Star" is having a bad week.
First, he got kicked off the show this past Sunday after the judges didn't like the way he designed his kitchen. Now he is under fire after allegations surfaced that he participated in an adult film called "Rope Rituals."
Granted, teality TV stars have made numerous appearances in the porn industry, so this nothing ground-breaking; but Verdugo works as a police officer for the city of Hollywood, Fla., and after the onslaught of negative press, the city police department has placed him on "administrative leave," pending an investigation into the matter.
The Express interviewed Verdugo when his season of "Design Star" premiered. Two things are evident from that interview: 1) He is, by any measure, a really nice guy, and 2) he lives and breathes the life of a police officer. His devotion to the Hollywood police department and the city was unwavering.
The interview printed in the Express is an edited version of an hour-long conversation, and honestly, he spoke more about his work on the police force than he did about being an interior designer.
It's a shame to learn he is in jeopardy of losing his job. The world does not have a surplus of good police officers, who are dedicated to the work they do—and who treat the GLBT community fairly. South Florida has been having a lot of problems in that area lately, actually.
One must question why he would lose his job over this; being in a naughty movie isn't illegal, and it's not like he was doing his scenes in his official police uniform. Although, from the sounds of it, there may have been handcuffs involved? Needless to say, "Rope Rituals" is going to have one heck of a year in rentals.
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Sheldon on 7/19/0811:46 AM:
Administrative leave?!? What departmental rule is he suspected of having broken? You put people on leave when they're involved in a shooting, or are suspected of having broken a rule or law. I'm sure his union rep is all over it. Unless they think he should have disclosed his appearance in the adult video prior to being hired, I can't imagine there are any grounds to fire him, much less place him on administrative leave. Foul!
A new 'West Side'
The 1957 hit musical "West Side Story" will be getting a revamped treatment at the end of this year at the hands of legendary Broadway director and librettist Arthur Laurents.
Washingtonians get first crack at the new production during a pre-Broadway run at the National Theatre, scheduled for Dec. 16, 2008-Jan. 17, 2009. The show got its world premiere at the National in 1957, so this is will be a great opportunity to make history again.
Apparently, there will be some actual Spanish in the script and in the lyrics of the songs, suggesting an attempt to make the Puerto Rican characters a little more real.
The original Jerome Robbins choreography is going to be used despite the updated production, which, in many ways, is really too bad. The moves are great, but kind of played out at this point. Robbins put his mark on a number of shows, but then he made sure that if the shows are to be done at all his choreography needs to be used.
While I, as a once full-time actor, completely understand the blood, sweat and tears that go into any production, live performances are ephemeral — that's part of their magic. Not to mention, keeping the same choreography for "Gypsy," "Fiddler on the Roof," "West Side Story" and others fosters artistic stagnation. What would a brand, spanking new "West Side" look like? Why not let someone find out and allow audiences to experience the story in a brand, new way?
I also have some concerns about Laurents taking it on. I saw his City Center production of "Gypsy," and while I enjoyed it, the show was way too similar to his production of it that starred Tyne Daly. I saw that when I was in middle school. I'm 31 now. I felt like the show needing a radical revisioning, much like the newest Broadway production of "Sweeney Todd."
I hope Laurents is willing to really spice it up, make the show vibrant and new, depite being shackled to Robbins' steps.
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Nando's Peri-Peri
Nando’s Peri-Peri the South African chain that serves up Portuguese-style chicken, finally opened its first restaurant in the U.S. last week, much to my excitement. I first had the spicy chicken in London two years ago, and ever since have attempted to convince friends who were traveling abroad to send me back a bottle of their special Peri-Peri sauce. Now with a Nando’s outpost at 819 7th St., NW, I don’t have to worry about that any more.
The menu consists of Peri-Peri chicken, sandwiches, salads and sides, but not ordering chicken is a wasted trip. You can order a ¼, ½, or whole chicken, and choose from lemon and herb, medium, hot or extra hot Peri-Peri sauces, which are made with fiery chile peppers. The sauces are vitamin-heavy and are considered an aphrodisiac, so there’s extra incentive to make Nando’s a date place.
Peri-Peri sauce really is spicy, so those with sensitive palates should go with the lemon herb sauce, which has just a hint of fire. Four sauces (wild herb, garlic, medium hot and extra hot) are available on the side, and the garlic is so good I wish they would grill it into the chicken.
The chicken comes with a side — fries, spicy rice, mashed potatoes and garlic bread are among the options. The corn is nicely grilled, and the mashed potatoes are made with red potatoes and garlic, and complementing the chicken nicely.
From the salad menu, skip the butternut squash and couscous salad. The cold chunks of roasted squash are combined with red onions, grilled corn and cous cous, and are served atop lettuce. Nothing had any flavor, though I suspect it would have been much improved if served warm.
Nando’s — smartly — offers large bottomless drinks to quench the Peri-Peri heat and there’s a sink in the main dining room, since they encourage using fingers to dig into the chicken.
The restaurant’s interior — large wooden tables, brightly colored artwork on the walls, lots of plants and beautiful lights — isn’t typical for a place where customers order at the counter and have a number on their table for delivery. It may be fast, but Nando’s is a step above other chains, and talks of a second location elsewhere in the District could make it just as popular here as it is abroad.
Dining Notes:
• Squash Blossom Festival Local celeb chef and creative genius José Andrés and his team from Oyamel Cocina Mexicana, led by Chef Joe Raffa, are celebrating delicate squash blossom flowers this week and next with special dishes based around the bloom, known as the "flor de calabaza.” Dishes on the menu include Quesadilla de Flor de Calabaza, (house-made corn tortillas with squash blossoms, tomatoes, onions, garlic, epazote, Chihuahua cheese and a side of serrano salsa) and Flor de Calabaza Caramelizada con Calabaza y Helado de Vainilla, (caramelized squash blossom with squash and vanilla ice cream).
• Baltimore Restaurant Week dates are July 26-August 3. Three
courses cost $30.08, and many of the over 90 participating restaurants
are holding special events. Check the web site for more details.
I don't get up to Baltimore very often, so where would you suggest that other readers check out?
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