Disclaimer:  I often feel woefully out-of-touch when it comes to post-2002 American pop culture (i.e. everything that's happened since we moved to Amsterdam) -- often find myself "discovering" something that turns out to be currently considered a pillar of American society.  It could well be that most people are already well-aware of the internet phenomenon known as "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" (one of the world's first professionally-done direct-to-web series).  But I just stumbled across it this past weekend.  And just in case there are others out there who haven't enjoyed the experience of Dr. Horrible yet, well, I figured I'd better initiate you!

 

The basic premise is that Dr. Horrible -- a sympathetic aspiring super-villain, played by Neil Patrick Harris (famous for his role as "Doogie Howser M.D." in the early-90s television series) -- is caught in a love-triangle with a girl he regularly admires at the laundromat and his egotistical arch-nemesis Captain Hammer (who Dr. Horrible despises as a "corporate tool").  Meanwhile, he's also in the middle of the application process to join the "Evil League of Evil," led by Bad Horse -- the notorious "Thoroughbread of Sin," who "rules the league with an iron hoof."  All along the way, Dr. Horrible regularly posts to his video blog (this is one of the main story-telling devices in the series).  And -- yes -- a couple of times in each (4-6 minute) episode, the cast breaks into song.  Thus, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" (in case you're curious for more information, Wikipedia has a very good write-up, too).

 

Yes, it may sound a bit unusual.  But it's actually brilliant!  The first episode (7:27) is embedded above.  It may be a bit slow-going in the beginning, but stick with it.  The genius of the show soon becomes apparent. 

 

Episode 2 (6:20) gets even better, with more action, more varied settings, development of some of the other characters, and some great music...

 

 

And then, Episode 3 (6:59) has my favorite song -- right at the beginning.  The music is surprisingly good... See if you agree.

 

 

If you manage to watch that far, you'll probably be hooked enough to settle for links (instead of embedded video) to Episode 4, Episode 5, and Episode 6. :-)  Be warned that the later episodes have some mildly objectionable content (i.e. sexual innuendo).  But they're also very entertaining.

 

Just thought I'd let you know... You can say thank me with a comment or the next time you see me in person.