Pushing Daisies

Dang it.

Did you happen to swing by this site today? So, you’ve read the news? Might disappointed, huh? It wasn’t what I was expecting, what with all the positive rumors going around about the strike. Accordingly, Bryan Fuller feels they won’t be able to have enough time to do follow up episodes for the abruptly interrupted Season 1, even if the strike is going to be resolved.

As lifted on the E! Site:

What’s more, I’m hearing from a few show-runner types that it may already be (hope you’re sitting down for this) too late for some series to put together more episodes for the current season, including one particular show we fans adore: Pushing Daisies.

“Lots of talk has been going down this past week,” Daisies boss Bryan Fuller told me earlier today. “Essentially, even if the strike is resolved in the next week or two, we wouldn’t be back until next season. There was a preliminary conversation that involved a plan to hit the ground running and try to get episodes on the air as soon as possible, but it no longer seems like that’s going to happen. It seems most likely that we will have a very short first season and then come back in the fall for a proper season two.” | Watch With Kristin

So, that means, this is it? We’ve got Season 1 covered? And we’ll have at least 8 months till we see a new episode? Include the past two months we’ve also been sitting, waiting for news about the strike — now, that’s a really, really long wait.

Pushing Daisies, Bryan Fuller, Pushing Daisies Season 1

Have you heard of The Pie Song?

I was watching the movie, Waitress, on DVD the other day, not knowing anything about it except that it had Keri Russel (who I absolutely loved in Felicty). Her character in the movie (Jenna) was a Pie-Maker! And her pie recipes would always be a reflection of something she is currently feeling. Pie-making for her was therapy. Such as when she found out she was pregnant and didn’t want the baby because she’s not in love with her husband anymore, she made an “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby” pie. That recipe called for quiche of egg, brie cheese and smoked ham in the center. Her other creations include:

• Cinnamon spice custard which she called Kick In The Pants Pie.
• Her I Hate My Husband Pie had bittersweet chocolate and caramel.
• Baby Screaming Its Head Off In The Middle Of The Night And Ruining My Life Pie was basically cheesecake, pecans, nutmeg, brushed with a little brandy.
• Smashed blackberries in chocolate crust was her Earl Murders Me Because I’m Having An Affair Pie
• Vanilla custard with banana was the I Can’t Have No Affair Because It’s Wrong and I Don’t Want Earl To Kill Me Pie
• The Pregnant Miserable Self -Pitying Loser Pie was a mixture of oatmeal and fruitcake, flambe’.

Interesting, no? The movie is something else. And all the while she was preparing her pies, it did remind me of Ned. Something else I have loved about this movie? The Pie Song! It has the same whimsy as Pushing Daisies, if I may say so. Listen to it below while watching clips from Waitress:

Pushing Daisies, Waitress, Pie Song, Pie Maker

First time nominee Barry Sonnenfeld won the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series at the recently concluded Director’s Guild Awards. Also in the present in the awards ceremony was two of his stars in Pushing Daisies, Kristin Chenoweth and Chi McBride. | Photo courtesy of Pushing-Daisies.

Among other recipients of this prestigious honor include the team of Alan Taylor, who won the drama category for the highly acclaimed series, Mad Man. Yves Simoneau for HBO’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, won for the TV Movie category. Bertram Van Munster of The Amazing Race also won for the Reality TV category.

The Directors Guild of America honors and presentation was held last Saturyday at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

If you would like to see the complete list of winners, go to www.dga.org.

Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies wins DGA, Barry Sonnenfeld, Directors Guild Awards

Finally, Anna Friel’s mother country will begin airing Pushing Daisies on UK’s ITV1. What’s more, it is giving the show an all-important time slot, which it hasn’t done since 1996. The plan is to air the show on a Friday evening, in either the 9 PM or 10 PM time slot, beginning March 2008. At its press launching, Bryan Fuller had a few things to stay about the status of the show in the US and about casting Anna Friel.

Speaking at a press launch for the show today, its creator Bryan Fuller said he did not think the rest of the series would be completed. Instead, Fuller predicted the show would go straight into a second run when the strike ends.

“We stopped production in late November,” he said. “We have had lots of talks about strategy - do we come back and do more episodes and complete a season? We were aware of the strike coming and so the last episode that aired in the states was a cliffhanger. The most likely scenario is return and just start a second season, so we will have a short first season and then we will come back in full force with a complete second season. I think it will work out well for everybody.”

Fuller said Friel, who made her name in the Channel 4 soap Brookside, was only cast late on in the process.

“We looked at a lot of actresses,” he added. “We found out very late in the casting process that Anna Friel was coming to the states. She was so light and funny and she enthused the character with heart.” | Source

Pushing Daisies is already airing in South Africa beginning Jan. 21, with other countries following soon.

Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies in the UK, Bryan Fuller, Anna Friel

Today I’m all about exploring fan made Today I’m all about exploring fan made Pushing Daisies Videos at YouTube. There’s a certain amount of joy and satisfaction over finding these videos, because I somehow get an affirmation of how much well-liked and popular the show has become. Bottomline, any show wouldn’t last if not for the fans. Even as some of them may go overboard at times, it’s what keeps a TV series going.

Anyway, here are some of my choices for some well-made fan videos… First one on the charts is a video featuring Olive’s love for Ned. The song choice for this is aptly chosen, I couldn’t have picked a better song. And the clips included in this video are well put together. It easily tells the story of Olive’s unrequited love.

Next, is Can I Have A Kiss, featuring Chuck and Ned and the complicated situation they are in. Again, song choice for this video helped highlight the bind this couple must prevail. The scenes are also properly edited.

This next video is not just a creative idea, but also a funny. I would’ve never imagined using the song for Pushing Daises but the person who created this made it work.

Ahh, this is one of my favorite songs these days…and using it on the video? It just makes me feel love everywhere. And it makes me miss the show a lot more!!!

Lastly, I’m not familiar with the song in this video but I find myself smiling while watching.

I’m sure there are tons more fan vids out there, care to share some of yours?

Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies fan videos

I’ve been looking around for updates on Pushing Daisies and I found myself stumbling upon a few fansites which I think might interest others, too.

Those in Spain or are generally Spanish speaking, may feel very at home at this lovely Spanish run Pushing Daisies fan site, Daisies & Pies. It has comprehensive articles more befitting to Spanish audience, such as bits like this: (As translated using BabelFish): Curisodidad on the title. A literal translation to the title of the series does not exist since this is a game of words with a done expression Anglo-Saxon “pushing up daisies”. This expression has to do with the death and the fact to kill somebody. The equivalent one closest in Castilian would be the one “to be raising malvas”. Judging from the number of discussions in their forum, it looks like the show has a very wide following over there.

On the other hand, Emerson Cod would feel very much in his zone at ThePurlhole, a growing community of knit-lovers who are also fans of the series. Whether they got into knitting because of the show or they found the show because of an interest in knitting, it doesn’t matter. What do they do over here? Why, come up with knitting projects of course! So far, there’s an instruction provided for knitting gun holsters and I think some of them are doing Olive’s Cardigan. Sounds like fun!

Lastly, with the interest generated by what the characters wear (Chuck most especially), someone’s bound to start a fashion website dedicated for it, much like how it is on Gossip Girl. Fashionistas, that site is Dressing Daisies, which has a special section per character. Now all that’s left to do is to build up the section for where these clothes/costumes may be bought.

Do you have any other favorite Pushing Daisies fansite you visit regularly? Please do share, as I’d like to check it out.

Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies fan sites

This would have to be a perfect day to remember Pushing Daisies. And pies…yes, that too. And to celebrate it, here’s what The American Pie Council (Ned must become a bonafide member!) recommends you do the following:

• Share pie. Whether you make or buy pie, share it. By its very nature, pie is meant to be eaten with others.
• Pay it forward. Hand out pie slices to strangers and encourage them to do the same for others. It could spread the peace on earth and goodwill to mankind that we all hope for.
• Be a good Samaritan. Buy an extra pie at your local grocery store and give it to the person behind you in line. You may just change their life!
• Reach out to new neighbors you haven’t met and bring them some pecan pie – it says your thoughtful. Stay awhile to get to know each other over pie and fill them in on the neighborhood.
• Indulge your co-workers. Bring some pie to work – you’ll create a lot of good rapport and maybe even get a raise.
• Surprise your significant other at work and bring him or her a pie to share with their coworkers.
• Say thank you. Know a special someone who deserves some thanks? Maybe it’s a friend who did you a favor, your child’s teacher or your postal worker. What better way to say thanks than with a warm hug wrapped in a delicious crust?
• Got a crush? Invite the “apple pie of your eye” for some pie and get to know each other better. But make it chocolate – most Americans believe it’s the most romantic pie. Before long, you may be calling each other “sweetie pie.”
• Delight your family. Share the love and share your favorite memories together over a warm, fresh pie. Have older family members talk about the history behind the family favorites. Start a new tradition and publish pie memories and recipes, then send them to family members.
• Spend time with your kids and make a pie together. Let them pick their favorite pie and show them how it’s done. They’ll be proud of their creation and have fond memories of you as the best parent ever for years to come!
• Get caught up with friends and invite them over for some afternoon pumpkin pie. You can dish on all their latest news.
• Throw a pie potluck get-together. Have everyone bring their favorite pie and exchange recipes. We’ve heard of events where more than 100 folks come with 100 pies. Have a contest to see who can come up with the most pie songs. The winning prize? A pie!
• Hold a charity pie-throwing or pie-eating contest or a pie auction. You can donate the proceeds to your local community food bank.
• Hold a pie-making contest. Invite the best pie makers in town to compete for prizes in various categories. Ask cooking teachers, pastry chefs and pie lovers to be judges. Be sure the kids are involved – you can include pie poetry and pie art contests for them.
• Eat pie. Whether you make it yourself, buy it at a supermarket or bakery or order it at a restaurant, perform a random act of pieness on yourself and enjoy some pie on National Pie Day – it’s great with lunch, dinner or as a late-night snack.

Pushing Daisies, National Pie Day, Pushing Daisies pies

Not that I’m complaining…but this show hasn’t ran out of nominations! Hopefully, in one of those nominations, they bring home the trophy. To be nominated is an honor (and a safe answer) but I am hoping that these nominees will be going for the win! They all truly deserve it.

So what’s the latest one? I just wrote about the nomination for the costume people last week and this time, it’s a recognition for Production Design in the 12th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards.

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN IN TELEVISION FOR 2007

SINGLE CAMERA TELEVISION SERIES

• HEROES: “Five Years Gone”| Episode 1020 | PD: Ruth Ammon
• LOST: “Through the Looking Glass” | Episode 322 | PD: Zack Grobler
• MAD MEN: “Shoot”| Episode 9 | PD: Dan Bishop
• PUSHING DAISIES: “Pie Lette”| Episode 101 | PD: Michael Wylie
• UGLY BETTY: “East Side Story” | Episode 123 | PD: Mark Worthington

Michael Wylie has also worked for Men In Black 2 and the TV series, Notes From the Underbelly.

The award ceremony will take place February 16th.

Next, Pushing Daisies Insider also reports that the show has been nominated for the 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Awards under the BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY category, alongside the following other series:

• “It’s Alive” - Dexter, Teleplay by Daniel Cerone (Showtime)
• “Yahrzeit” - Waking the Dead, Teleplay by Declan Croghan & Barbara Machin (BBC America)
• “Senseless” - Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Teleplay by Julie Martin & Siobhan Byrne O’Connor (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
• “Pilot” - Burn Notice, Teleplay by Matt Nix (USA Network/Fox Television Studios)

The Edgar Awards recognizes mystery stories in all areas of media whether published or on broadcast. The ceremony will conclude in May 2008.

Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies nominations, Production Design Awards, Edgar Allan Poe Awards

I’ve got very few other TV shows to watch over the weekend, so with my viewing schedule cleared up, I went through some episodes of Pushing Daisies. I would like to say that I “played detective” because playing detective sounds very exciting. But in truth, we all know what that means — I tried to nitpick some of the episodes. Fortunately, my nitpicking wasn’t in vain. For I found a couple of things that I had not noticed before, and maybe it’s the same for some of you. These do not post any doubts to the story nor will it have any effect on whatever happens in succeeding episodes. But finding it is fun and I was most satisfied.

Goof #1 - Typos

In Smell of Success, the book LeNez wrote hadn’t been edited properly. The third line says: Take 10 minutes daily to concentrate on being healthy and belief it.

Goof #2 - Touch

Did Chuck ever touch Ned? That would seem to be the case in in the episode, Dummy. In the cemetery scene, the two sat so very close to each other and perhaps the camera angle or depth also created the illusion, that it seemed like Chuck did touch Ned’s arm. I brightened the image up to illustrate. Look at Chuck’s hand at the bottom of the photo:

Anyway, even if they did accidentally touch each other there, this has already been addressed by Bryan Fuller in one Q & A on E!

Goof #3 - Witness

Somebody else saw Ned kill the undead, did you know? In the pilot episode, when Emerson saw what Ned could do with that criminal he was chasing after, Emerson wasn’t the only person who witnessed Ned’s powers. There were actually two other people there. Try and recall this scene and notice those two in the background:

Have you found any goofs, mistakes or inaccuracies about the series that we should know about? Send us a tip!

Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies goofs, Pushing Daisies mistakes

And so, yay for that!

In an interview with Kristin Dos Santos of E! Bryan Fuller is quoted to have said: “If the strike is resolved in the next three weeks, there is a slim chance that shows could come back and produce four or five additional episodes to wrap up their seasons. ”

And it seems to me, there’s hope for a settlement between the Writers and the AMPTP any day now. So Bryan must be right on the money. Three weeks is what he said, and it sounds like that’s enough time to reach a settlement.

If you’ve been following reports of the strike in the last two days, you must be aware that The Director’s Guild of America is nearly completing an agreement with the AMPTP, as reported in the New York Times. Experts say this could serve as the blueprint for which the WGA would also pattern their demands and settlements from.

A few hours after that news came out, it has been reported that the AMPTP has invited the WGA back into the negotiating table. The same account has also been reported in United Hollywood: AMPTP Asks For Informal Talks

Things are looking gooood!

Eventually, if and when the strike is over, we’ve got to wait a few more weeks before new episodes are ready to air. But even as that may be the case, I’d take those few episodes and enjoy a shorter season than to have everything end so abruptly.

So what do you think, dear readers? Are you optimistic about what the next three weeks will bring? (I am so!) Or is this a premature conclusion?

Pushing Daisies, Bryan Fuller, WGA Strike, DGA Strike, AMPTP, Strike Watch, TV Strike

Yep, that’s right…the costume department of Pushing Daisies has been cited with a nomination from their guild.

Well, I didn’t know the costume designers have their own guild. And also, I didn’t know they give out awards and recognitions. The ceremony has actually been now running for over ten years now.

So, hooray for Pushing Daisies! I have always been in awe of how wonderful the clothes their characters are wearing. And I’m sure many viewers are, too. They always seem to fit their personalities and characteristics. Plus, the color and combinations look very pleasing on TV. So, you know that there is so much effort invested into these costumes. The recognition is well-deserved. I would be more surprised if the costume people are not on the list.

Particularly cited for the award is costume designer Robert Blackman. Before this series, he is mostly credited for doing the costumes on Star Trek, which incidentally, had Bryan Fuller as producer, too (for Star Trek Voyager).

But also listed in IMDb, as part of the design team are the following:

• Mary E. Vogt - She has worked for Men in Black, Batman Returns and Fantastic Four Rise of The Silver Surfer
• Carol Kunz - Like Robert, Carol is a crew member for Star Trek

The Pushing Daisies costume team has earned a nomination under the fantasy/period category, along with other shows like The Tudors and Rome.

Other nominees from the Costume Designer’s Guild in the contemporary TV series category include Big Love, Dancing With the Stars, Entourage, The Sopranos and Ugly Betty.

Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies Costume Design, Mary E. Vogt, Robert Blackman, Carol Kunz

I was going over some episodes of Wonderfalls last weekend and particularly focused on the fifth episode, Crime Dog, where Lee Pace had a major participation in the story. For those who may be wondering, Wonderfalls is a short-lived series which was also created by Bryan Fuller, the man behind Pushing Daisies. And Lee played one of the supporting characters, Aaron, the older brother of Jaye, the story’s lead character. Lee didn’t have too many scenes on the whole of the show except for this particular episodes.

In Crime Dog, the characters, Jaye and Aaron, have to cross the Canadian border so they can bring back the family housekeeper, Yvette. She was someone they grew up with and is considered a part of the family. But due to problems with immigration, Yvette had to be deported. The brother and sister easily found her in Canada but they also discover that she is not what she claimed to be. Yvette, was in fact, Cindy, who comes from a well-to-do family, but she ran away twenty years ago, because her parents didn’t love her enough. When she arrived in America and worked as the housekeeper, she assumed the personality of Yvette, who was her family’s very own help in Canada.

It didn’t dawn on me until I saw that episode again…. that Yvette was played by the same actress who was the killer, Madeline McLean, in Pushing Daisies’ Corpsicle. Among her other works include guest appearances on Big Love and voicing for one of the characters in the cartoons, My Life as A Teenage Robot. Audrey Wasilewski is one talented character actress. If anyone has seen her on Wonderfalls, I’m sure you would agree. Well, here is a clip from that series. Check out Lee’s sideburns, too!

By the way, Wonderfalls DVD is selling for $29.99 at Amazon.

Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Audrey Wasilewski, Lee Pace

Alright, the group from Pushing Daisies didn’t exactly win anything. But in an interviews made with Metro UK, Anna Friel had actually picked out a dress for the Golden Globes already. But when the ceremony had to make do with a press conference instead of the lavish celebration and after-parties, Anna was disappointed. ‘On the day I found out they weren’t going to happen, my stylist was in the car and I had all these dresses in the back of the car. It was like torture.’

Understandably, the Golden Globes is the very first major awards show Anna Friel would get to be featured on. But, Anna, fast becoming the TV fashionista we’ve come to love, has plans of wearing her Globe dress at another time and in another event.

Also in a related news, when asked by USA Today how she will be celebrating their Golden Globes recognition (despite losing to 30Rock), Anna says, “It wouldn’t be respectful to be out on the town celebrating when there are so many people losing their jobs and their homes. We’re going to get together — me, the producers and the cast — at one of the producer’s houses and all have dinner together. Everyone will be together.”

Yesterday, as results of the winners were announced in a toned down, non-event, non-ceremony on television, Hollywood’s brightest stars were mostly sitting at home, doing what they usually do on weekends — lounging in the backyard, cleaning up, knitting, going back to their homeland (as many nominees are from the UK), having dinners and home-cooked meal with friends and family.

Pushing Daisies, Anna Friel, Golden Globes

Ooh, I don’t want to start the week off with the bad news, but the Golden Globes just concluded last night and unfortunately, neither Pushing Daisies (nominated for Best Comedy Series) and first time nominees Lee Pace (for Best Actor Musical or Comedy) nor Anna Friel (for Best Actress Musical or Comedy) won anything.

The whole event was less than stellar and without the presence of big-named celebrities. If you’ve been following the events leading up to the ceremony, stars had to opt out of the Golden Globes in support of the writers. According to reports, the biggest celebrity that got her share of cheers from fans last night was Entertainment Tonight’s Mary Hart. So, that’s how much a non-event it was.

Do you think our bets have been robbed? Let’s look at the list of actual winners and I will highlight the category in which they were nominated:

• BEST DRAMA TV SERIES - Mad Men
• BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES - Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES - Glenn Close, Damages
• BEST MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIES - Extras
• BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIES - David Duchovny, Californication
• BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIES - Tina Fey, 30 Rock
• BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE - Jeremy Piven, Entourage
• BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE - Samantha Morton, Longford

On a personal note, I have enjoyed Extras, believed Duchovny transcended as an actor in Californication and saw Tina Fey come into her own as an actress (and not just a writer). So, I have no complaints about the winners. Still, it would have been something else if Pushing Daisies had won, eh?

Despite this year’s turn around, I can still consider 2007 as one of the best seasons with exceptionally good TV series like Pushing Daisies and those winners listed above.

Congratulations to the winners!

Pushing Daisies, Golden Globe results, Golden Globe winners

Once again, Pushing Daisies has another reason to celebrate. Barry Sonnenfeld, director of Pie-lette, the show’s very first episode, is nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy by the Directors Guild Awards. According to press release, this is his first DGA nomination, can you believe that?

Winners will be awarded during the annual dinner, to be held at the Hyatt Century Plaza in Los Angeles on January 26th.

Barry Sonnenfeld is up against these other directors and their TV series:

MICHAEL ENGLER
30 Rock - “Rosemary’s Baby” (NBC)
Third time nominee, previously cited for his work in Sex and The City.

DAVID GROSSMAN
Desperate Housewives - “Something’s Coming” (ABC)
Second nomination, previously cited for his work in The Smothers Brothers 20th Year Reunion, a musical from 1988.

BETH McCARTHY-MILLER
30 Rock - “Somebody to Love” (NBC)
Five-time nominee, previous winner for America: A Tribute to Heroes and was cited for her work on Saturday Night Live

DAVID NUTTER
Entourage - “The Resurrection” (HBO)
Second nomination, previously cited for the Drama category for his work in The Sopranos.

Meanwhile, at the People’s Choice…

Pushing Daisies lost to Samantha Who? for the Best New TV Show (Comedy) award. While I also enjoy watching Samantha Who? it’s fair to say that this isn’t one of those awards you take with seriousness. It’s a popularity contest generally. So losing it don’t actually matter all that much, yeah? Here’s a complete list of winners for the television category:

FAVORITE FEMALE TV STAR
Katherine Heigl

FAVORITE MALE TV STAR
Patrick Dempsey

FAVORITE TALK SHOW HOST
Ellen DeGeneres

FAVORITE SCENE STEALER
Chandra Wilson

FAVORITE TV DRAMA
House

FAVORITE TV COMEDY
Two and a Half Men

FAVORITE REALITY SHOW
Dancing With the Stars

FAVORITE GAME SHOW
Deal or No Deal

FAVORITE SCI FI SHOW
Stargate Atlantis

FAVORITE ANIMATED TV SHOW
The Simpsons

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
Samantha Who?

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Moonlight

Pushing Daisies, Barry Sonnenfeld, Directors Guild Awards, Peoples Choice Awards