Pop Vultures

I’ve been saving up a bunch of YouTube videos with the intention of posting them, but then keep forgetting. The fact that I finally acquired a Wii this week might have something to do with my forgetfulness, I fear. Still, in the interest of helping you waste time on a Friday afternoon, this week’s Friday 5 helpfully compiles them all into one handy, procrastination-friendly post!

5. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog keeps singing. You’ve seen it, you say? Of course you have. However, the official site is no longer streaming, and perhaps it was taken down before you had a chance to memorize every line. For you, there is WhedonTube, where you can still view all three acts, or pass the link along to those sad souls who somehow missed it the first time around. Disclaimer: this is posted purely in the interest of spreading the Dr. Horrible love, and everyone should still download the eps from iTunes and/or buy the DVD when it comes out. We all want a sequel, after all, and that’s only going to happen if this first episode makes real money. Magical downloading pirate money doesn’t quite have the same effect.

4. Vampires need love, too. Have you heard that vampires are hot right now? Apparently, we’re in the middle of a bloodsuckers revival, with the upcoming film Twilight (based on the ridiculously successful books by Stephenie Meyer) and the new Alan Ball series True Blood. The fact that Moonlight didn’t make it past the first season is no reason to doubt that vampires will be the new black in 2009. HBO is taking their first steps toward being relevant again with its promotional campaign for True Blood, which features a piss-take of the Chemistry dating site ads. I haven’t actually registered on the dating site myself, but if anyone wants to do so, please report back and let us know if you manage to find the bloodsucker of your dreams.

3. Heroes keeps trying. Have you been thinking about Heroes ever since its cliffhanger ending back in January? Yeah, me neither. However, NBC is trying to restart the buzz with a series of webisodes. The first one, “Going Postal,” embedded below, introduces us to yet more new characters we don’t actually care about. I really want Heroes to be good again, but this isn’t doing much to convince me. First, the production values are roughly equivalent to YouTube videos of frat boys lip syncing to Blink 182. Secondly, the new characters prove that the show is rapidly running out of ideas for cool new powers. Meet The Constrictor! He will…hug you to death. Still, watch part one below and, if so inclined, part two as well, and tell me if it rekindles your Heroes love.

2. BSG goes back to Caprica. Unlike Heroes, I actually have been thinking about Battlestar Galactica since its cliffhanger (not constantly, of course; there have been breaks for food, sleep and Guitar Hero). Sci-Fi is clearly counting on that love to lead the prequel series, Caprica, to the same level of fannish devotion. I have a hard time getting as excited about a prequel — after all, we already know how it’s going to end — but I’ll certainly give it a try. Based on the trailer, the show is going to be intense. Possibly even Very Intense. Expect lots of furrowed brows and raised voices. Although I know the trailer is supposed to get me excited about the series, the presence of Eric Stoltz makes me want to pop Some Kind of Wonderful into the DVD player. I bet he won’t tell anyone in the new show that his future looks good on them, and that’s a damn shame.

1. Neil Patrick Harris continues to be awesome. Has this been the summer of Neil Patrick Harris, or what? First, he scores with Dr. Horrible, then earns an Emmy nomination for HIMYM. He has been a singing, acting, shoe-fairy machine! Yes, shoe fairy. NPH adds himself to the list of excellent Sesame Street performances with this little ditty about shoes. Rarely do YouTube commenters exhibit a tremendous amount of sense, but in this case, the frequent declarations that NPH is “made of awesome” do not lie. The man is singing about shoes while wearing a white suit and wings and somehow manages to rock it. Sesame Street has disabled embedding for this clip, but you can — and should — watch it here.