Topic: Hollywood

With the start of Dollhouse's season two on FOX we got a chance to sit down with the series' star Eliza Dushku. We caught up with the leading lady to talk about her character's progression through the next season and her continued interest in working on Joss Whedon projects. Be sure catch up and read our interview with Joss Whedon from last week.

Gamesville:  How do you feel the direction of this season is different from the first one?

Eliza: Well, there’s so much being cracked open and explored, especially with Echo having this new place that she’s in. She had all of the personalities downloaded into her in one swift punch and they’re not going away. So every pick up this year she’s still tapping into these personalities. Sometimes it’s not in her control and other times it is.  But overall she’s really absorbing things from her engagements and from the dollhouse. She’s really becoming self-aware, but not necessarily as Caroline, but as Echo. So it’s definitely complicated.

It’s a little darker all around. We’ll explore some things like the origins of some of the other dolls and the other characters. And then bringing in a bunch of guest stars and fabulous people.

How much closer Echo will get to rediscovering her true self this season?

Every single episode it’s been a little bit more. She really is becoming an entirely different character in many ways because she is getting sort of farther away from Caroline, even though Caroline is still her original self.

The development of the character Echo has just been so exciting and so fascinating because the way our writers and the way Joss can pick pieces from each of her experiences and weave them into this new character is just fascinating. So you’ll absolutely see a whole new Echo this season.

Is there a particular role or character that was kind of hard for you to get into, and if so, why?

Playing a mother was certainly something I hadn’t expected. I’m an auntie and I’ve always loved other people’s children and babies. Playing a mother and trying to tap into that maternal instinct was a challenge, but also a thrill and a beautiful thing.

What trouble will Echo run into in her attempts to save everyone?

I’m sure all kinds because it’s a Joss Whedon show. There are so many directions and so many layers, it’s all over the map. Of course a main story line is Agent Ballard, who spent last season trying to get into the dollhouse. Now that he’s in and assisting as Echo’s handler he’s working with her and they may possibly be trying to bring the dollhouse down from the inside out.

Joss mentioned that Echo will be looking for allies and maybe form some kind of a team. Could you give un any details on Echo is looking for?

Yes. Absolutely. She is looking for allies because as she is becoming aware of her surroundings and what’s going on. All of these personalities that are creeping up and out of her put her in an entirely vulnerable place because if wrong person catches on to what she’s experiencing she could be done forever. She’s being very careful with the tools and the knowledge that she has gained to sort of sniff out who she can trust, who she can manipulate, who she can use.

Agent Ballard was trying all last season to get into the dollhouse and now that he’s in it remains to be seen if he can be trusted. But in the beginning of the season it seems like there’s a pretty strong connection there. Then with the introduction of the other dollhouse and some of the other players, it’s just makes more of a maze for Echo to navigate and to find her way through, realizing that one wrong, one bad step and she’s done.

What’s the dynamic like between you and newcomer Summer Glau?

She’s great, I love her! We’ve had such a good time filming these last two episodes. She just has come in with her A game; she’s just a sweet, positive, fun actress. Our characters have some back story that we have to fight out, and so that's a lot of fun. Joss has brought in some of his favorite people to the show so I always can pretty much safely know that we’re going to have the cream of the crop coming in.

What do you like about working with Joss and doing his shows?

I would say, first and foremost, that I just love the guy as a friend. He’s been a friend, a brother, a teacher and a mentor. Obviously he is just incredibly talented. His skill is so beautiful to me and he’s just wildly creative, smart, funny, dark, scary and twisted--he just combines it all into such a sweet little package that he gets me every time.

Dollhouse airs Fridays, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Time on FOX.

We like to think of our Gamesville members as savvy gamers who know a good deal when they see it. Which is why it's no surprise that the last FOUR jackpots in Quick-Draw Poker have been won by members who knew they could DOUBLE up their cash by signing up for a GV Gold Membership. With added benefits such as ad-free gaming and daily Instant Win games, now more than ever it pays to go gold. Congratulations to all four of our Quick-Draw Poker winners from this weekend:

Topic: Weird Wire™

Miyuki Hatoyama, wife of Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister, has stunned the world with her comments about UFO abduction and her past-life relationship with Tom Cruise. Hatoyama, 66, claims that her spirit was whisked away to Venus 20 years ago while she was napping. She stated that this type of astral projection was done via a triangular UFO. In addition to having unexpected tourist visits to Venus, Mrs Hatoyama has also indulged in nostalgic memories of her previous lives. In fact, she believes that she was best buds with Last Samurai actor, Tom Cruise, in another lifetime. Read the full story at Time.com...

Topic: Members
Congratulations to Gamesviller Crowell-ladycats of Crowell, TX, who cashed in a whopping $1,416 jackpot TODAY playing Magic 21. Besides playing Gamesville games (and winning DOUBLE jackpots) this organ-playing mother of three enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Useless Facts!

Crowell-ladycats's hometown of Crowell, TX, is also the home of Dick Todd Field, named after the former football star who went to high school in Crowell before setting long-standing records as a running back for Texas A&M University. Todd later went on to play for, and eventually coach, the Washington Redskins. As a member of the Redskins in 1940 Todd ran in four TDs, caught four TD passes and ran back a punt for a touchdown. Learn more about Crowell, TX...

Topic: News

This month we're giving away the chance to win a new HP Mini Netbook! This netbook's lightweight design makes it simple to surf the Web, email, IM and video chat at home, at work and on the go. Type emails and documents easily using a nearly full-size keyboard, plus watch online videos with its widescreen display. With built-in Wi-Fi this netbook has the performance you need to surf the web and use your standard software apps -- but is light enough to carry everywhere at just 2.57 lbs. Travel light and stay connected with this ultra-portable HP Mini 110 this month at Gamesville.

Last Month's Winner

Congratulations to Waynetippett of Hamilton, Ontario, who won our Apple iPod Touch in last month's monthly GV Rewards sweepstakes.

Topic: Best Pets
This week's Best Pet comes to us from Gamesviller Mamahooter777 of Obrien, OR. Meet her charming Silky Soo!

Distinguishing Personality Traits

Mamahooter777 says, "Our precious Silky Soo was born 4/21/09. We knew she was unique as she was white with unusually silky hair, while her mama Kibbles is jet black with courser hair. Kibbles and Silky bonded deeply and have been inseparable since Silky's birth. But Silky is also quite the quirky kitty. She will sit and watch TV at least once a day for 15 to 20 minutes straight and will snag daddy's socks everyday as he gets ready for work. She insists on sitting on 'shower step' when anyone showers and always waits for me to make the bed so she can take her mouse toy under the covers."

Want to share photos of your own favorite pet with the Gamesville community?

Send photos to: members@gamesville.com

In addition to your pet's picture, please be sure to include:

• Your Gamesville member name
• Your pet's most distinguishing personality trait

If we publish your pet as a "Best Pet," we'll give you 5,000 GV Rewards. Submit your pet today!

Topic: Technical Difficulties

Please note: Gamesville will be offline for approximately 15 minutes beginning at 4:00 AM EST on Thurs. 10/01/09 as we perform routine maintence. The outage should last only about 15 minutes. Thank you for your patience.

Good gaming!

Oh! Ryan Kelley

Community Manager, Gamesville.com

Topic: Cash Competitions

Magic 21 is a game of luck and skill. It takes a true card shark to master all five columns of 21, but there are some not-so-well-known secrets included in the game to help you rack up those bonus GV Rewards. While these tips won't ensure you a jackpot win, they'll be sure to help you nab those bonus GVs and catapult you into the coveted top five! Here are five tips to help increase your chances of scoring higher and revealing more GV Rewards:

• One-Eyed Jacks: Place a Jack as the first card in a game column. Then place a 10 or an Ace on it to get bonus points (and collect GVs).
• Suicide Kings: In Magic 21, the Suicide King is the King of Hearts. You need an Ace and King of Hearts combination to get the Suicide King bonus. (A good hint is to reserve your Ace columns and King of Heart columns to make this combination.)
• 5-Card 21: If you can place five cards in a single column, you can clear it (and reveal GVs) even if the column doesn't total 21. However, you do not earn game points for doing so.
• Lucky 7s: Place three 7s in a single column to make 21 to earn bonus points (and reveal GVs). Hint: Once you start a seven column, do not place any cards but sevens in that column. Try to keep at least two columns of sevens in any game. In addition to winning the Lucky 7 bonus, this will also set you up for a Streak which will earn you even more points.
• Streaks: These can be difficult to set up, but can be very rewarding. A streak is when you are able to clear multiple columns in a row. For example, if you clear one column, and then clear column with the next card to come down, then you will have a streak of 2. The longer you can continue a streak, the higher your bonus points. Streaks trump everything else in terms of gaining points, so if you're on a streak in Magic 21, use your Ace cards to continue the streak even if it is not a One-Eyed Jack or Suicide King combination.

Have a secret to your success in Magic 21 that you're willing to share? Let us know by leaving your hint in the comments section. 

Topic: Hollywood

With the second season premier of FOX's Dollhouse last week (airing Fridays at 9:00 p.m. EST) we got a chance to sit down with the series' creator Joss Whedon. Best known as the creator and head writer of the well-known television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly, we caught up with Joss to discuss the new season of Dollhouse and his thoughts on how the series is progressing.

Gamesville:  There were a lot of people who were worried that you might be cancelled after your first season. What do you think it was that convinced FOX to sign you on for another season?

Joss: I think it’s the nature of the business and the nature of the fan base. The nature of the fan base is they’re in it for the long haul, and they’re nurturing, and they’re intense about it and they will see it through. They will stick with it and that means years after it’s cancelled. Firefly still sells, Buffy still sells, and that’s also a business thing for the studio. They’re in it for the long haul because they know the long haul is how my work pays off. I don’t make hit shows. I make shows that stick around, that people come to long after they would have stopped generating revenue in the old system.

With the advent of DVD and the eventual monetization of Online, there’s a market there that exists beyond your Nielsen numbers, and the fans showing up and DVRing, and buying a DVD, and proving on all my other projects that they don’t do these things lightly, that it runs deep in them, means that the base doesn’t have to be as broad for the studio to think it’s worth it to try and eke out another season.

Could you talk about how you approached the idea of new viewers following the show?

We try and make the premise clear enough so that if you haven’t been watching it, you don’t have to do a huge amount of math, especially in the first episode of the season. There’s a lot of exposition in the first pilot and in the first episode of this season to help that. But at the end of the day, you do have to go, 'Well, if they don’t get the premise,' and we’ve even rejiggered the opening credits to make it clearer, than they’ll either become involved in these peoples’ stories or they won’t. You have to move slow enough so people can grab a hold and jump on with you, but you have to keep moving.

[Dollhouse star] Eliza Dushku had a hand in developing her character for this role. How has she helped shape who Echo has become and will become?

Eliza has specific things she’s interested in, specific things she feels comfortable with. Sometimes I like to go to that place because I know that she can knock it out of the park and sometimes I like to go in the opposite direction to take her out of her comfort zone because that’s the best thing you can do with an actor.

The fact is she shapes it because she is very specific as a person. She’s very specific in the way she presents and even though there are many different aspects to that, the people don’t usually get to see how funny she can be, how elegant. It was a conversation about all of the different things she was supposed to be, or had been, or was trying to be, or trying to get away from that led to the creation of the show.

How will Echo come in to her own this season?

Basically, through force of will. She had all those personalities dumped into her at once and as we pick up we’re going to find out that that’s starting to affect her. Rather than be at sea in between engagements, she’s much more directed and driven, and even in her doll state is growing, learning and starting to try to access these personalities to see what they can help her with. She has a mission that she understands now, which is to get back to her personality and get everybody back to theirs.

Summer Glau is joining the cast this season. What was that casting decision like and what’s in store for her character?

The casting of Summer was based on the knowledge that Summer existed and the character was created with the hopes that she would play it, which she is right on stage right now doing. She’s playing the programmer of another Dollhouse. It’s a somewhat eccentric part but hopefully different than what we’ve seen her do before. The most useful part of that is that the writers work twice as hard to make sure that the character really pops and pays off because they know that it’s going to be played by somebody extraordinary.

Can you talk a little bit about the relationships that are coming up this season – what it’s going to be like with Echo and Paul, and even among the dolls this year?

Victor and Sierra just can’t keep their hands off each other, and they’re like monkeys and it’s something that we’re going to be treating, they’re going to be seeing through for a while. It makes some people very uncomfortable and sometimes it’s just extremely sweet. Sometimes it’s just funny.

But Echo is very much building herself and she sees it as an indication that they’re ready to be pushed to a level like hers. She’s looking for allies and Paul is the first person she’s going to turn to for that. But then a lot of the season is going to be her attempt to put together some kind of team, even though she has trouble articulating it at first. She’s looking for the sense of family that I think the audience was looking for last season. So we’re going to be seeing who’s on her side and who, not so much.

Dollhouse airs Fridays, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Time on FOX.

Topic: Members
Congratulations to Gamesviller Whitetoe08 of Lansing, MI, who swept up a lucky $777 jackpot on Saturday playing Magic 21. He was one of two BIG jackpots over the weekend as Cat34608 of Springhill, FL, took home an even $888 on Friday playing CatchUp CoverAll.

Useless Facts!

Whitetoe08's hometown of Lansing, MI, is host to the annual Old Town Oktoberfest, Mid-Michigan's only German-style event. The Old Town Oktoberfest draws hundreds to the Old Town neighborhood featuring authentic German food, live polka music, dancing and 12 oz. mugs fulled with world renowned German-style beer. This two day event attracts visitors from all over the Midwest and kicks off October 9th & 10th. Learn more about Lansing's Old Town Oktoberfest...