I'm Stephen Metcalf, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest Monopoly Edition.

This is also the daily podcast from Slate.com for Thursday, July 31st, 2008.

On today's program, we're going to talk about the end of the 800-pound gorilla, question

mark.

Joss Whedon taking on the major networks, Starbucks

cannibalizing itself to death, and finally perhaps a challenge to Google's omniscience, omnipresence,

omnipotence, the omni status of the Google search engine. Joining me is Slate's deputy editor,

Julia Turner. Hello, Julia. Hi, Steve. And our film critic,

Dana Stevens. Hi. Why don't we start with our, by setting up our first topic by listening

to a clip. This is, I should say, a web only, this is the novelty of it, a web only sort of

television-like mini series produced by Joss Whedon, best known for creating Buffy the Vampire

Slayer,

the show is about someone named Dr. Horrible, a kind of slightly pathetic, schlubby super villain,

who's trying to join something called The Evil League of Evil.

He's played by Neil Patrick Harris, and here he is honing his supervillain persona.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

So that's, you know, coming along.

I'm working with a vocal coach, strengthening me.

Ah! A lot of guys ignored Working with a vocal coach. Strengthening me.

A lot of guys ignore the laugh. And that's about standards.

I mean, if you're going to get into the Evil League of Evil,

you have to have a memorable laugh.

...