Pushing Daisies

Per Entertainment Weekly’s Ausiello, Gina Torres from Firefly and 24 has been cast to play Emerson’s wife. Yep, the very wife who left him and took his daughter. I can actually see this! Kinda was anticipating it… So happy they picked Gina Torres to play her.

TV Squad has a quick chat with Chi McBride and asked what fans have to look forward to this upcoming season:

What’s happening with Emerson Cod this season?
Emerson is looking for his daughter — a lot’s going to be revealed this season about Emerson and what his story is, why he is the way he is. You’re going to see why Emerson seemingly only cares about his own ass and his wallet. There’s a reason for that: finding his daughter is his mission in life.

Full interview here.

I wasn’t sure he was at the Emmy’s. But thanks to Lauren for this video:

This is a fact that was only known to me a few minutes ago, after watching this video from the Comic Con panel. Barry Sonnenfeld, the moderator of for Pushing Daisies (and director of the show), introduced Chi McBride as a sneaker designer.

So, guess what I did? I googled it up and went through the results. And here’s what I learned: Chi McBride owns at least 700 pairs of one of a kind sneakers! He even designed one for Nike.

Photo from Kix and The City

(more…)

With school starting in a couple of days, I thought it would be great to look at our favorite TV star’s educational background and see how they are as students. Are they geniuses in school? Slackers? Nerds? Popular guys? School bullies? Where did their interest lie and was it originally related to their jobs as actors now?

Kids look up to celebrities for many reasons, but seldom do fans like us take inspiration from these stars when it comes to school work. And why should we not? Maybe after reading this, we’d see these actors in a refreshingly  different light.

Lee Pace actually dropped out of high school for awhile in order to pursue acting at a local theater. But when he did finish his studies, he went on to study at Jilliard with a degree in Fine Arts.

Anna Friel had wanted a career as a barrister (lawyer) when she was younger and went to a local college where she eventually discovered a love for acting. She eventually landed a role on television in the UK and became a household name.

Kristin Chenoweth graduated magna cum laude in Musical Theater and also has an MBA degree in Opera from Oklahoma University. She was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Her voice is also said to be near perfect pitch.

Chi McBride graduated high school at the age of 16 years old and then pursued music. He didn’t become an actor until he was about 30 years old.

Here’s a fresh scoop from Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello!

“The O.C.’s Taylor Townsend herself, Autumn Reeser, will guest star in the season premiere as a Southern Belle named Kentucky Fritz who has a deadly run-in with some killer bees. “She’s the number one girl at Betty’s Bees, who may or may not have been up to some mischief when she was stung to death by a swarm of bees,” teases Daisies creator Bryan Fuller. The gig reunites Reeser with actress Missi Pyle (aka Betty Bee); the two appeared in an episode of Fox’s short-lived Wedding Bells that, unfortunately, no one ever saw. “I walked down the aisle to ‘Maria’ from Sound of Music,” Reeser recalls. “But the show was canceled before it aired.” Ironically, sounds like an episode I would’ve actually watched.”

Ausiello also adds — “Daisies is casting the role of Emerson’s no-nonsense, chain-smoking and, get this, Caucasian mom.”

There was a video of Chi McBride at the Paley Fest…totally funny in real life! Click on the photo to download the video:

Pushing Daisies, Chi McBride, Paley Festival

Admittedly, we barely have features on Chi McBride, who plays Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies. The actor is a lot less visible in the media, compared to his co-stars but that doesn’t mean his character, a wise-cracking private detective on the show, isn’t essential to the series. He definitely provides the balance in it. While the characters of Ned, Chuck, the aunts and Olive bring on the whimsy, Emerson is the more pragmatic one. And I know no one will oppose when I say Chi McBride does a great job letting Emerson to shine, without overshadowing the rest of the characters. His timing and knack for comedy is impressive.

Towards the middle of the season, we see Emerson becoming more than just a comic relief. Some facets to his character are slowly taking place, allowing us to see a deeper side of it. We know that Emerson is a compulsive knitter and an artist who has a passion for comic books. From the series, we also learned a bit about his past —1) the childhood trauma of being locked inside a washing machine and 2) his relationship with his estranged daughter. Obviously, there is so much more to look forward to for Emerson’s stories in the next season. And with that kind of material, I’m sure the writers of the show will have plenty of interesting stuff about who Emerson really is.

In the meantime and while shooting of Season 2 is yet to begin in June, Chi McBride is keeping busy with movie commitments. He has two films for release this year. One is a comedy about petty criminals who rob the neighborhood church called First Sunday. It was in theaters last January and Chi McBride played the pastor. And the other is a family drama called American Son which is a Sundance Film Festival entry. We have the trailer for First Sunday, but I found none for American Son. Anyway…

Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies, Emerson Cod, First Sunday, American Son

I’m sure you have already heard it. The strongest buzz in TV land before weekend came a few days ago was that the writers and the AMPTP are very close to signing a deal. I know I have heard and reported this the weeks prior, too. Everyday, it’s getting closer and closer. But more hopeful signs are slowly coming into play, as news of new production schedules from ABC’s roster of shows is being mapped on a yet to be confirmed calendar.

But, there is some bad news. As reported earlier, it really is looking more likely that the cast and crew will be back to shoot new episodes in the summer and not anytime soon. Which means that unofficially, the show will be shooting for Season 2 after the strike is lifted. Officially? Pushing Daisies did just have nine episodes for season 1.

What that means for us, Pushing Daisies fans?

A wait of around 32 weeks or so!

So, what you are going to do during these times? Where will our favorite stars be? I did a quick check on what the actores of the show are up to in the next couple of months…Let’s see:

• Anna Friel has the third installment of Goal! coming to the UK sometime this year. And she is filming Land of the Lost.
• Kristin is going to London for the West-End production of Candide.
• Chi McBride has a film at the Sundance Festival, American Son.
• Lee Pace will perhaps be the most visible among them all with these following movies up for release:

Possession
USA – 29 February 2008

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
USA - 7 March 2008
Netherlands - 8 May 2008
Belgium - 21 May 2008

So, that’s all there is for now. Slim choices, huh?

Oh, by the way, if you’re seeing that really cute photo of Kristin and Chi above, it was taken fromthe recently concluded DGA Awards. There are lots more of those where they came from.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, Lee Pace, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Possession, Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies Season 2, Writers Strike

Pushing Daisies is in itself, a strange television series; there is clearly nothing like it. And as the episodes unfold, we learn that there are even more delightful and not so delightful surprises along the way. What would those be? Listed below are our choices:

CHARACTERIZATION

• A knit-loving Emerson Cod. Who knew that behind this man’s burly built and bearish attitude is a man who loves to knit as much as someone’s grandmother ? He has also expressed fondness for pop-up books and lights up like a child upon seeing one. The contradiction is so unexpected. And perhaps that is why despite Emerson’s grumpy behavior, one can’t help but still love his character.
• Digby the Amazing Dog. It’s no wonder why this site has chosen Digby as one of the most underrated TV Characters of 2007. What’s not to love about Ned’s best friend? He’s loyal, sympathetic, and a better actor than other humans in other television shows.
• Olive, formerly a race horse jockey. When I first learned of it, I couldn’t help but be amused, in the same manner that Emerson was laughing when Olive told him her past. Whoever thought of that is a genius! Like Emerson’s love for knitting, it’s an unlikely characterization. I mean, who would expect someone like Olive to be into this sport?
• Guest Stars providing more color. Jayma Mays, Raul Esperza, Paul Reubens, Molly Shannon, Patrick Fabian, Jessica Lundy, among others, give life to the characters they portrayed in boob tube fairy tale.

(more…)

Ratings Update: It has been a good week. Pushing Daisies wins some viewers around its time-slot with the episode, Bitches. It still remains in top fighting form for Wednesday nights! Below is the show ranking from last week’s offerings:

1. “Criminal Minds” (CBS) 15.71m
2. “CSI: NY” (CBS) 13.04m
3. “Private Practice” (ABC) 11.45m
4. “Pushing Daisies” (ABC) 8.88m
5. “Dirty Sexy Money” (ABC) 8.10m
6. “Kid Nation” (CBS) 7.53m
7. “Til Death” (FOX) 7.36m
8. “Back to You” (FOX) 7.30m
9. “Kitchen Nightmares” (FOX) 6.98m
10. “Life” (NBC) 6.94m
11. “Bionic Woman” (NBC) 6.30m
12. “Phenomenon” (NBC) 6.16m
13. “America’s Next Top Model” (CW) 5.34m
14. “Gossip Girl” (CW) 2.90m

Characters in the Media: What’s up with our favorite characters of late? I’ve rounded up a few media mentions, the most notable and interesting of which was Ellen Greene’s interview:

• Aunt Vivian (Ellen Greene) was recently talks with Playbill and says this is the very first series she’s done for television. Why has it taken her this long to be on TV? Greene says, “I’ve never done one because if you want [the show] to live a long time, you have to love your character. . . It’s such a wonderful, multi-layered [character], and I fell in love with Vivian.” There are some very exciting spoiler alert in that article and it’s about the episode for this week…so thread lightly when reading it. Needless to say, I’m already looking forward to this Wednesday!
• Star Pulse has recognized Ned and Chuck as one of TV’s Top 10 Couples, saying the actors have some great chemistry.
• Here’s a brief mention of Emerson (Chi McBride) on the Faye Observer
• Guest star Molly Shannon, who will appear on the show as Ned’s business competitior, talks with Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer . She mentions having done two episodes, out of the intended six, for the show already. The set back has something to do with the ongoing strike, of course.

Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies ratings, Pushing Daises Aunt Vivian, Ellen Greene, Pushing Daisies Ned and Chuck, Pushing Daisies Emerson, Chi McBride, Molly Shannon

With less than a week to go before the big TV premiere (six days to be exact), the cast of Pushing Daisies is doing the talk show rounds. Grab a list and jot down these schedules so that you won’t forget. Or better yet, check this site from time to time for updates.

• First stop is on Late Night with David Letterman. Barry Sonnenfeld, who directs the shows’ first episode, will be chatting with Dave on October 1st, Monday.
• Tune to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on the 2nd of October as Kristin Chenoweth, playing Olive, the pie-maker’s assistant and neighbor, is guest.  Chi McBride, who plays private detective Emerson, is dropping by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
• On Wednesday, October the 3rd, the show’s premiere, Lee Pace, who plays the pie-maker with the extra-ordinary ability, Ned, is visiting the women of The View.
• And days following the premiere, Kristin Chenoweth will be visiting Jimmy Kimmel Live on October 16th.

This particular fan of the series is so eager to watch them all, if I only could. It’s always great to see the actors outside of their own TV show or see them out of character and know how they really are as people. Thankfully, in case you missed these shows, videos captures should be up in a day or two. So I’m keeping watch of those or hopefully upload one myself.

I just noticed though that Anna Friel seems to be out of circulation. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the girl isn’t local (Anna Friel is British), therefore not always within reach. I wonder which talk show is going to grab her very first interview?

Pushing Daisies, Late Night with David Letterman, Barry Sonnenfeld, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Kristin Chenoweth, Late Night with Conan O’ Brien, Chi McBride, The View, Lee Pace, Anna Friel

More familiar to TV viewers as high school principal Steven Harper in the series Boston Public, Chi McBride was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and first started showbiz as a musician with a blues band called Convert. Eventually, he landed roles and guest appearances on TV but it wasn’t until the movie Mercury Rising, did McBride, almost in his 40’s at that time, finally got the biggest break as a serious actor. After this, he appeared in the hit series House and became one of the primary characters in the canceled 2006 series, The Nine.

In Pushing Daisies, McBride plays Emerson Cod, a private investigator, who saw what Ned can do with his abilities and convinces him to be his business partner by solving murders and cashing in on the rewards.

Of Pushing Daisies, Chi McBride has this to say:

I really love the cast; I couldn’t pick a favorite. I have great chemistry with Lee [Pace] and love the chemistry we share. Emerson is a guy with questionable morals. His main goals are to make money and go home. Lee’s character is more empathetic but distant due to his power to bring the dead back to life; he’s damaged and looks to Emerson as a father figure. I really like the way [Bryan Fuller] juxtaposes the way Emerson looks at life with the way Ned does. I knew what this series could be when I read the script and, as soon as I saw Barry [Sonnenfeld] in the room, I knew what it would become. It turned out even better than I imagined.

Chi McBride’s IMDb Profile

Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies