It's a journey back to when no one knew of this guy named "Whedon" or his crazy casts. It's "Before They Were Joss-Verse!" This week's installment focuses on our favorite Watcher turned Rogue Demon Hunter....Alexis Denisof.

Before Alexis became Wesley Wyndam-Pryce on Buffy and Angel, George Harrison requested his services in the popular, yet horribly repetitive 80's hit "I Got My Mind Set On You." In the music video, Alexis woos a girl by apparently lip-synching to George's song, and pumping a lot of change into a toy machine. Will he come up with a cheap, plastic gift for the girl? You could cut the anticipation with a knife!

We here at HMC would like to wish James Marsters a very, very Happy Birthday. The guy just gets better looking with age, doesn't he? Why, he could definitely still play a 25 year old. Just last week, I called Mr. Marsters...

Me: Hello James.

JM: WHAT?!

Me: James, it's Matt.

JM: WHO?! WHERE AM I?!! What's this THING on my EAR?! Some fancy hoozamabob! GET OFF MY LAWN, YOU WHIPPERSNAPPERS!

I then hung up, because honestly, he probably would've thought I was his grandson and tried to get me to come over to tell me about what went on in the steel mill in 1952. And really, you can only hear those stories so much before you decide suicide doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Happy Birthday, you old coot.

Alan Tudyk is coming to Dragon*Con now. This now increases the Whedon-Verse count to 5. The other guests include James Marsters, Nathan Fillion, Jewel Staite and Morena Baccarin.

If you've ever been to Dragon*Con before, you know that it is one of the largest conventions in the country every year, and it's only increased in size. This year looks to be absolutely insane, as I've mentioned previously. The Marsters/Fillion fangirl crowd will be in full force, and it's almost scary to think about it.

Please be careful while walking through the Marriot, 'cause there's a good chance you will be stuck to someone dressed up in a costume that makes them sweat profusely. 

May God keep you safe. Dragon*Con begins August 29th in Atlanta, GA.

Let me get this straight....James Marsters AND Nathan Fillion will be appearing at Dragon*Con?

Oh Jesus....Sweet, Sweet Jesus, please save us from the implosion of the planet. I don't know if we can handle the pure geeky fangirl energy that will be pushed to the breaking point in Atlanta, GA on August 29th.

The Dragon*Con website is reporting that Nathan Fillion has signed on as a guest just 12 days before the convention. If I tabulate all the data, check the weather patterns and drink about 4 and a half cans of Red Bull,  I will have figured out that this means we're doomed in...

...12 days. Shit. Did I really need to do all that?

I have to say, I am now so glad I'm not going this year. Do you REALIZE how CRAZY it's going to be now? James Marsters AND Nathan Fillion....at the same convention that in a bad year holds at least 25,000 people?  Double that last year at least......probably triple it this year. I would be scared to walk anywhere. And the elevators. My God. The Elevators.

The apocalypse begins August 29th in Atlanta. Who would've thought it would all end there?

The MTV Movies Blog talked to Joss Whedon and Summer Glau on the rumors of a Serenity Sequel. According to Joss, "The rumors are there because people really wish it would happen." He also went on to say, "I’d do it in a heartbeat, because I love those people so much.” But that doesn’t change the fact that the rumors are not being circulated “by anyone who owns a studio,” and “nobody’s knocking on our door.”

Summer's response to doing another movie was enthusiastic to say the least. 

So what does this mean? Well, I don't know about you but it sounds like whoever keeps making this stuff up about Serenity Part Deux needs to get a life or something, 'cause it sounds like it's not happening.

Honestly, as much as I'd like to see another film, who would invest in another one? As far as I know, Universal didn't even turn a profit (they may have come close to pulling even after all the DVD and special edition DVD sales were calculated). This was after all the fan screenings, and the viral marketing and everything pumped into getting an audience that simply wasn't there. The fact is there was a lot of wrong choices during the months leading up to Serenity (the aforementioned fan screenings for instance), but the public just didn't come out for it, and it wasn't even a summer movie competing with a lot of other blockbusters. 

If Joss could say he could make it for $20 million instead of $40 million, then there's a chance somebody would swipe it up. But I don't think it'll happen. The fans need to watch the stuff we have and stop begging for something we don't. Would we like a sixth season of Angel? Yes....but it'll never happen. Would we like a Serenity sequel? Yes, but why not enjoy what we got and let things be. If it happens, then it happens. These rumors (i.e - wishes) get old....but that's fandom for you.

Seriously, I try not to be so negative, but it's stories like this one where I find myself hating the fandom I'm involved in.

As most people who check out fan conventions know, Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA is coming up soon, and James Marsters will be there. If you didn't know, the D*C people go absolutely ga-ga for him, and that includes the people in charge. A well-placed source told me that the folks in charge concentrated so much on getting him that they let Adam Baldwin slip through their fingers....again. 

Well, now 60 of you can feel the warm supernatural glow of Mr. Marsters by joining him for a special dinner in Atlanta.  The cost....a measly $150.

$150???!!!! To eat dinner in the same room as an actor? REALLY?! Feel these nipples!

You can't just sit down and have a conversation with him the entire evening either. You have to listen to him sing and play guitar when he gives the room an accoustic performance. It's comparable to paying to go to the circus and watch a monkey do tricks. I mean, come on....isn't this a bit like....I don't know....prostitution? 

For those of you with absolutely no concept of using your money wisely, the information for this "special" evening is here . By the way, there's good chance you'll get to talk to him. Just like a politician at a fund-raiser, he'll come to your table and talk to you as if you matter after he's already put your money in his pocket. But at least think of it this way, you'll get to ask him a question that he's probably already answered 4,000 times before.....so have it!

Dragon*Con starts Friday, August 29th.

I go away for a week or so and all kinds of crap happens while I'm gone. Apparently this includes EW's Michael Ausiello reporting on Seth Green being in negotiations to have a multiple story arc on NBC's HEROES. The negotiations also include Breckin Meyer (or as I like to call him, "the guy who gets Seth's leftover roles"). Yes, you're right...it would probably just be easier to call him by his name.

According to Ausiello, Green and Meyer will play "comic book aficionados who cross paths with (and perhaps serve as advisors to) one of the Heroes." Without really spoiling, you could more than likely guess who that is.

The Heroes season premiere is Monday, September 22nd at 9PM EST.

- There was a lot of stuff coming out of Comic-Con, none of which I'm particularly interested in so I didn't cover anything. It was basically more of the same. There's talk of a 4th installment of Dr. Horrible, but at this point it would have to be completely flipped on it's ear to make me feel the need to cover it.

- Chico Jr. got a job! Good for him, I thought he was done for....well, I guess he is, 'cause his new job is writing storylines for the WWE. Yes, THAT WWE. Earlier in the week it was announced that Vince McMahon gave our favorite SMG tag-along a job writing for the "sports entertainment" company. Have fun with that.

- Mike Myers is writing Austin Powers 4, which will focus on Dr. Evil and Scott Evil (Seth Green). I think I speak for many folks when I say, "Do we really need this?"....Seriously? Anyone remember "Goldmember?"

- On a personal note, I just saw The Dark Knight (finally), and Heath Ledger is as good as everyone says he is...and more. Go see it, if you aren't one of the millions upon millions who haven't yet.

I have to admit....I'm still pretty pissed off with the way Dr. Horrible ended, so I wanted to take time off, even with the recent news that the Dollhouse pilot was being completely re-made by Whedon. But I figured I should say something, even if my mind isn't in the right place with Joss-related stuff.

So Joss is remaking the Dollhouse pilot, and he says it was "his decision" to do it. Okay, I'll buy it. Eric and I had a conversation about it today, and I have to agree with him when he said he's sure it was Joss' decision. Just like he's sure that the FOX execs said, 'let's just run 4 episodes and see where it goes' in a very unenthusiastic way, and Joss got the beeping red light that the show wasn't making them happy in their pants, so he pressed the panic button.

That sounds about right to me. It's honestly the only reason I could see REALLY warranting a complete re-do. Whedon fans can suck up everything he says with a straw and just buy it like it's gospel, but I gotta say there's an underlying panic mode to all of this, and if you don't see it, you may want to get your head out of whatever magical hole it's stuck in.

I'm sure there will be more to this story later on.