Pushing Daisies

Up next for Pushing Daisies this Wednesday is the second episode called Circus Circus. And here is the official description and promo video from ABC.

NED, CHUCK AND EMERSON GO LOOKING FOR A GIRL WHO’S RUN OFF TO THE CIRCUS, AND LILY TURNS UP AT THE NUNNERY, ON ABC’S “PUSHING DAISIES”

“Circus Circus” Ned, Chuck and Emerson search for a missing teen (guest star Hayley McFarland as Nikki Heaps) who’s run off to the circus . . . a circus where people keep turning up dead. Meanwhile, overcome with guilt, Lily pays Olive a visit at the nunnery, on “Pushing Daisies,” WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Pushing Daisies” stars Lee Pace as Ned, Anna Friel as Chuck, Chi McBride as Emerson Cod, Ellen Greene as Vivian, with Swoosie Kurtz as Lily and Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook. Jim Dale is the narrator.

Guest starring in “Circus Circus” are Diana Scarwid as the Mother Superior, Nicole Greenwood as Ms. Moss, Rachael Harris as Georgeann Heaps, Casey Weiant as Randi Jean, Michael C. Alexander as customer no. 1, Theodore Zoumpoulidis as Pierre, Lee Arenberg as Bailey, Jackie Harris as Bailey’s assistant/De Jong, Mark Povinelli as the small person, Googy Gress as Von Deenis and Hayley McFarland as Nikki Heaps.

“Circus Circus” was written by Peter Ocko. Lawrence Trilling directed the episode.

Warning: I’m keeping the guides right after the cut, in case some of this blog’s visitors don’t want to be spoiled of the story…

(more…)

Lee Pace was promoting in Brazil recently and the press had a chance to talk to him. Here’s an audio video of what Lee has apparently divulged about what should be happening in Season 2.

The audio isn’t quite clear but here’s a written transcript of that interview (which I got off this Portugese website, translated and edited to English).

What are the changes the network wants to make in the second season of Pushing Daisies?

My hair finished being horrible [ during the first season ], then we’ve got to make this right. This is one of the things that they go to arrange itself: my haircut is really bad.

There were a lot of things the network did not like, but that I find very good. The [ Alfred ] Hitchcock references, Tippi Hedren…and they had found that extreme. I think it’s perfect. Only it was a little expensive to do.

Olive must be a bigger threat in the next season. It’s hard to really believe in Ned not finding Olive attractive. The actress playing Olive is a beautiful girl and really, really funny. It is important to have him come to his senses on that

That’s not to say that Ned and Chuck….that’s the absolutely primary love story.

Another thing that the Bryan [ Fuller, creator of the series ] wants to make is to create longer arcs of histories. In the first episodes I felt that many possibilities were set up and expect pay-offs down the line and this pay-off never came (pertains to the strike) and was just sitting there…for three episode archs.

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ABC has come up with another teaser to tonight’s final episode, Corpsicle. Watching it made me suddenly feel that Christmas is definitely just around the corner; and also, it made me wish ours is a Christmas that is as lovely as the set of Pushing Daisies! Isn’t it just magical? It brings such a festive mood!

But at the same time, we all know this will be the last episode. *sniff*. Based on the teasers, it looks like we’re in for some of that….sniffling, as a hurting Chuck tells an apologetic Ned “I can’t look at you…” Aww, shucks.

Sad, sad, sad…:(

After this episode, ABC is planning on airing repeats of Pushing Daisies, beginning Dec. 26. Plus, sometime today, ABC will announce its latest schedule for January to April 2008.

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Well, this Wednesday is it….the final episode to what isn’t hopefully a very short season for Pushing Daisies.  (Bummed!) :( 

The episode this week, airing December 12th, is a follow up to what happened after Ned told Chuck about the circumstances of her father’s death.  The teaser below will show that Chuck avoids Ned and rans away from him but a fresh spoiler from E! is telling us, it will not be such a devastating news to Chuck as we would have imagined.

According to E! reporter Kristin Dos Santos (who once had a cameo appearance on the show and who has confessed to being a great fan of this series) —- “the dead father might not be so dead after all”…. Huh?? How could that be? The only way Chuck’s dad is still alive is if the one who is actually pushing daisies six feet under is not Chuck’s biological father.

Kristin also mentions another big twist in relation to Chuck’s mother, who could still be very much alive. The coming episodes, sans WGA Strike, would have to deal with major parental issues.

In the meantime, here’s what we have to look forward to this week, in the episode, Corpsicle. The episode is written by Bryan Fuller and Lisa Joy and directed by Brian Dannelly, who has also directed a couple of episode for the TV show, Weeds  —

Episode Summary: After a shocking turn of events, Ned tries to make peace with Chuck. Meanwhile, Emerson tries to get him to concentrate on their latest case, an insurance adjustor found frozen solid. And scent expert Oscar Vibenius (guest star Paul Reubens) returns, trying to figure out what’s so different about Chuck and Digby.

And here’s the teaser:

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Just some scheduling reminder for this Wednesday’s episode of Pushing Daisies — Bitter Sweets will be delayed by at least an hour this week, following two holiday specials that will air on its regular time slot. And then for next week, the show will be pre-empted by another Christmas Special. I have yet to confirm if all of December’s schedules are repeats or pre-empted.

So, this week’s episode would have to be one we should all embrace and savor like a very special tasty piece of pie…because we might see the final episode during this self-imposed strike hiatus by January next year.

Anyway, Bitter Sweets will feature special guest star, Molly Shannon, who, like Paul Reubens, is someone I have been waiting to see in this series. I happen to have caught an appearance of hers on Saturday Night Live the other day (thank god for reruns!) and I’m thrilled no less about her three episode arc for Pushing Daisies.

They do cast some amazingly talented people in this series, don’t they? (props to the casting director!).

Molly Shannon will play Dilly Balsam, a business owner that will rival Ned’s Pie Hole. In one scene, we should expect her character to supposedly be defacing The Pie Hole’s signage, knocking down the L and E from it (so that it reads Pie Ho, ha-ha!).

Episode Summary: A vindictive taffy shop owner (guest star Molly Shannon as Dilly Balsam) sets up shop down the street from The Pie Hole, determined to drive Ned out of business by any means necessary.

Here’s the preview as shown on TV:

Also in this episode is Mike White, who will play Dilly’s brother Billy. (How charming is that — Dilly and Billy!!!)

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From previous episodes, it was quite evident that Ned became obsessed with pies because of his mother. And as last night’s show puts it, pies made Ned remember her. Its smell was his safe sanctuary. So, when Chuck suggested that they make additions to his traditional menu for the Pie Hole, it became an issue with Ned. It was a big step — to moving on. Anyway, more on that later….The episode Smell of Success had two storylines this week.

The Olfactory Experts

Story A is about Napoleon LeNey (French for “the nose”), an olfactory expert who’s had near brushes with death. There were a couple of attempts on his life and all of it suspiciously taking place at a time when he was about to relase a book on scents that was supposed to be his money machine.

LeNey thinks its his nemesis Oscar Vibenius (Paul Reubens) is behind all the attempts to murder him, citing that Oscar was jealous of his work and that their views often collided. But as Emerson and Ned dug deeper, they have learned that the victim was in fact the suspect.

The facts are these: The release of LeNey’s book was bumped to a different release date. This was not in his favor because the week his book was supposed to come out was not a “prime holiday spot” where sales are sure to rise. Learning that his publisher was gonna bury his work, he decided to create buzz around it. LeNey thought it would help sales if there was controversy behind the release of his new book. When the first attempt resulted in an accident, with one of his students dying, instead of feeling remorseful, LeNey wanted more because news of the first accident caused pre-orders of his book to increase. So he sets another plan, another attempt on his life, by framing his enemy, Oscar Vibenius, and capitalized on the publicity the book was generating.

The outcome of this was attempted murder case was actually predictable. With LeNey’s plans discovered, the case was easily solved.

The Darling Mermaids

The other running storyline this week involved Chuck, Olive and her Aunts.

Olive has become better friends with Chuck and for this week, they sought to move to phase 2 of Chuck’s plan to help her aunts move on. The plan was to have them back in the water, with Olive trying her best to make the aunts enthusiastic of the idea. Except Aunt Lily was harder to convince. Not even the smell of chlorine, which she calls a “bottle of sunshine”, could bring her back to the to swimming. But then, it was Vivian who eventually motivated her sister. And on cue, Vivian lets out a sweet, beautiful and moving rendition of Cat Steven’s “Morning Has Broken” (watch video), as they swam and did their routines as the Darling Mermaid Darlings in the pool. And with that, Chuck’s Phase 2 was complete.

And then there is Oscar…

Oscar Vibenius returns for one last scene towards the end of the episode. Meeting Chuck earlier, he smelled something very peculiar about her and it intrigued him enough to steal Chuck’s sweaters. This, of course, will not be the last we’ll see of him. Could he one day discover Chuck’s secret?

Other things to note:

• Emerson is consistently funny and consistently in pink shirt! We learn that aside from knitting, Emerson is very fond of pop-up books.
• Olive looks smashing in a Darling Mermaid Darling outfit that it was almost too sexy for this show. And I had a child watching with me!
• As for Chuck convincing Ned to add a new menu, her cup-pie idea, with its honeybaked crust is actually a good one. And Ned relented in the end. Would you like to see the new menu of The Pie Hole?

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I have just finished watching this week’s episode, Smell of Success. In a word, I’d have to describe it as peachy. Although, it wasn’t the strongest episode to date, it’s delightful, nonetheless. Parts of it were also tugging my heart, especially some of Chuck and the aunt’s scenes (not together). I’ll provide a more detailed recap of this by tomorrow.

Also in this episode is another anticipated musical number, a Cat Stevens number. Composer James Dooley, who creates the music for Pushing Daisies, mentions this in an interview a while back. He said, “I did an arrangement of Hopelessly Devoted for Kristin and Ellen sings Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might Be Giants. I’ve already done a Cat Stevens song and there are rumors about doing more. We have so much musical talent on this show!”

So what was that big Cat Stevens song Aunt Vivian was supposed to have sang in this episode? I don’t wanna say it yet, since the actual episode runs tonight in the US. But let me just say that Vivian absolutely sang it with gusto and heart. It was like listening to a lullaby, an ode, and a lovesong combined. I was in tears listening to her rendition.

And while the song was playing, visuals like this played on TV, making the moment more magical:

I’ve spoiled you just a little bit, sorry about that.

So, what was this song again? I’m not saying anything more except that it was originally a children’s hymn Cat Stevens adapted from and today you would often hear this being sang in Unitarian Churches.

Don’t forget to watch Smell of Success tonight!

———

Update: Now that the episode has been shown on TV, here is the video of Vivian singing Cat Steven’s Morning Has Broken:

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Wednesday’s episode marks the anticipated guest appearance of Paul Ruebens, who was earlier invited to portray the role of a traveling salesman but was eventually re-cast in the episode Smell of Success. His new character Oscar Vibenius is an olfactory expert who sniffs something very peculiar with our favorite girl, Chuck.

In an interview with Journal News, Paul Ruebens was said to have been given a hand at developing his character. So, he fashioned his hairstyle after Tim Burton. Fans of the show note that much of Pushing Daisies has this certain Burtonesque charm to it.

Of the re-cast in the show Ruebens says this: “I don’t think there’s some big ultra-secret behind it or anything. I think they just wanted to go a different way once they had already discussed it with me. And for me, the good news was there was another part that has turned out to be better.”

Oscar Vibenius will appear on a few more episodes.

Smell of Success is written by Scott Nimerfro with Lawrence Trilling as director. Guest stars include, Christopher Sieber as Napoleon LeNez, Tim Conlon as Chas Spielman and Sarah Jayne Jensen as Juanita Gray.

Episode Summary: When the assistant to renowned scent expert Napoleon LeNez (guest star Christopher Sieber) is found dead after a scratch ‘n’ sniff book explodes, Ned, Chuck and Emerson investigate whom the deadly missive was intended for. Meanwhile, Olive continues her campaign to get Aunts Lily and Vivian back in the swim of things.

And the preview promo below….

Hearing Chuck say the last line in the end is making me wish I can watch the episode already! It looks like another good one.

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I got home rather exhausted last night and thankfully I found Bitches waiting for me. And by bitches, I mean the episode of Pushing Daisies airing tonight. (USA Audience)

Watching it was the perfect way to unwind, after a rather very busy schedule. Because two minutes into the episode and guess what? Something very unexpected happens between Ned and Chuck! And I wish to contain my excitement so as not to spoil those who will still be viewing it later, but can I just tease you with it a bit?

What the producers were telling us viewers earlier, about Ned and Chuck finding ways to kiss and touch each other? Well, it’s true. And they did:

Ta-dah!!!! This scene will also explain what we’ve seen from the teasers with Ned and Olive.

There were wet kisses and dry kisses and kisses with little moisture.

And the episode as a whole, is as usual, on top form. Better not miss it! I’ll provide the full recaps tomorrow.

Meantime, here’s a spoiler alert from the guy who, I think, coined the phase “spoiler alert!” — TV Guide’s Ausiello. He writes that Bryan Fuller has promised the remaining episodes left to air are “amped with many balls in the air as possible” (Whoohee, great!) and that a secret Ned has been keeping from Chuck will most likely be the cliffhanger to the “finale”. So, this could be finally the time Chuck learns the event of her father’s death, right? In addition to that is another shattering revelation that will link Chuck and one other character. Whatever that is, Ausiello hints it’s jaw-dropping.

And then we’d have to wait months for it to be resolved! Ahh, the agony!

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Well, the show must go on….at least for three more episodes.

This week, Pushing Daisies is airing their sixth episode, and a highly anticipated one, if I may add. Bitch is written Chad Gomez Creasey & Dara Resnik Creasey and carries an interesting story line concerning dog breeders.

Episode summary: Ned, Chuck, Emerson, and Olive team up to solve a case in the murder of Harold Hundin (played by guest star Joel McHale), a well respected dog breeder whose prized dog, a bitch named Bubblegum, becomes the worlds first Coll-A-Dor-Russell-A-Poo. They learn from the momentarily revived Harold that his wife killed him. It’s only later they find that prime suspect Hallie (played by Jenny Wade) was not his only wife; Harold was a polygamist with four wives! Ned finds himself in an uncomfortable situation after his kiss with Olive is revealed to Chuck.

The promo video released last week sparked controversy since there is a scene with Olive and Ned naked (gasped!) together:

If this was one ploy to keep viewers anticipating with excitement, especially at a time when the show was on its one week break, then it worked. I, myself would like to know what that’s about!

And then here’s a minute’s worth of sneak peek, where everyone uses good old Digby as a way to get to the four wives and solve the mystery to this story:

Over the last few episodes, I’ve come to the realization that Pushing Daisies is sort of like the live-action version of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Scooby Doo, don’t you think so, too?

Digby is gonna win Best Dog Actor Award, with this episode, if there exist such one award giving body for pets!

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Tonight, you will all notice the absence of Pushing Daisies on television, as it is pre-empted by the annual Country Music Awards night on ABC.  And if that, as well as the news regarding the strike, is not enough to dampen your Pushing Daisies fix, I just learned that there are only three more episodes to look forward to for the remainder of the year. Yep, that’s right… just three!

First, Season 1 Episode 6 entitled Bitches, will air November 14th. It will followed by the 7th episode, Smell of Success, on November 21st.  There will be another break on the last week of November and after which, Episode 8, Bitter Sweet, will air on December 5th.  What happens after this? Well, the show will go on its Christmas hiatus, like many other series. And the last of the scripts for the episode, Corpsicle, penned before the strike took place is eyed for airing in January.  Incidentally, you can check the script for Corpsicle on this site.  (Thanks to SpoilerTV!)

While the show goes on hiatus, I’ve got a few suggestions of other productions you can watch, featuring our favorite cast. Rent or buy this on DVD, do whatever you can to get hold of copies. (And here’s wishing the strike should be over when the show returns for Episode 9 in January, too!)

• Lee Pace was part of the supporting cast on Wonderfalls. He wasn’t in on a lot of the episodes, which, by the way, rounds up to only about a dozen or so. If you’re looking for a show that has the same whimsy as Pushing Daisies, this one’s it. Lee was also in the film The Good Shepherd. I fell asleep watching this movie, so I probably won’t recommend it on a holiday break…it’s easier to fall asleep from all that celebration and eating, that’s why!
• This might be a good time to catch up on The Nine, which stars Chi McBride. Like Wonderfalls, The Nine also had a short-lived season but it will be perfect for a three-week-hiatus viewing. Or you could watch Season 2 of House, since he had about 5-6 guest appearances in it, playing House’s nemesis.
• The character of Harriet Hayes on Studio 60 was said to be inspired by Kristin Chenowith, so you might want to watch that, too. But if you want the actual actress, rent Stranger Than Fiction DVD and enjoy the extras with Kristin.
• Me Without You is a movie about bestfriends starring Anna Friel. It’s a pretty obscure find so start looking for a copy now. While you’re at it, try looking for a copy of Watermelon, too. I hear it’s a pretty good film.

Would that be enough to fill up the three week break? Do you have any other suggestions? Chime-in!

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Tomorrow night is Pushing Daisies’ Halloween special, as Emerson partners with Olive to track down a ghost in a horse race arena. It used to be a place familiar to Olive, as she was once a jockey.

The episode is written by Bryan Fuller and directed by Peter O’Fallon who has also directed episodes of Ghost Whisperer, Prison Break and House.

Below are a few previews for the episode, Girth. By this account, Emerson is really getting funnier! Watch for his reaction when Olive reveals a past career. I’m actually beginning to appreciate Emerson and Olive more than Ned and Chuck. And while the two (Ned and Chuck) have amazing chemistry, the supporting cast in this show is equally amazing. I find myself looking forward to more of Emerson and Olive than any other character in the series.

Girth kind of reminds you of Sleepy Hollow, doesn’t it? And if you head to the the official site, other scenes from this episode may be previewed, as well.  Plus if you are looking for some promo photos for this episode, you can head to this site where there is almost a dozen of those.

Episode Title: Girth
Episode Summary: When jockeys start turning up trampled to death, supposedly by the ghost of a long dead rider (guest star Hamish Linklater, “The New Adventures of Old Christine”) and his spooky horse. Olive — a jockey in her life before the Pie Hole — hires Ned and the team to investigate. Meanwhile, Ned finds himself haunted by the ghosts of his own past as Halloween nears.

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Jayma Mays appears in tomorrow’s episode of Pushing Daisies, playing the character Elsa or Elsita, who lives in a windmill…which I’m guessing is located somewhere in Ned’s hometown, gathering from the photo previews. The actress is, of course, more familiar to TV viewers as “Charlie” in both the first seasons of Heroes and Ugly Betty (same name, different characters).

Based on her previous work and having seen her charm and charisma on TV myself, I would have to say that Jayma is, once again, another perfect choice for this show, along with an already amazing cast and guest appearances by Ruebens and  Esperza.

The people behind Pushing Daisies absolutely know how to make it work!

Tomorrow’s episode synopsis is as follows —
Episode Title: Pigeon
Episode Summary: A plane crash into an apartment building leaves the trio with a case - did the pilot commit suicide? - while Chuck finds herself drawn to the man who appears to be the sole survivor (guest star Dash Mihok), much to Ned’s distress. Meanwhile, Olive takes a wounded messenger pigeon to the Aunts for help.

Pigeon will be directed by Adam Kane, who has worked as cinematographer for Grey’s Anatomy.  (Source IMDb)

And here’s the preview of the Pigeons, as aired on ABC Television:

Close call for Chuck and Ned! Nyiikes!

Is it just me or do you also happen to hold your breath when you watch them in a scene together, for fear that they might accidentally brush each other? And that’s partly of the experience with watching this show….you almost feel the tension yourself. It sometimes kills me!

And here’s another preview, a scene from the cemetery and it’s amazing how this show has managed to make the place less scary:

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Tomorrow’s third episode is written by Bryan Fuller and has a special guest star — it’s Kristin Dos Santos of Watch with Kristin, from E! She is, of course, a big, big fan of the show.

Episode Title: The Fun In The Funeral
Episode Summary: Another strange death at the Schatz Funeral Home leads Ned back to the scene where he brought Chuck back to life. Meanwhile, Olive unwittingly becomes the messenger in Chuck’s plan to bring a little sunshine into the lives of Aunts Lily and Vivian via some anti-depressant laced pies, on Pushing Daisies.

It would appear that Chuck still doesn’t know about the third rule to Ned’s powers, in that, when he fails to bring the dead person back to, well, being dead…another life is claimed to replace it. There goes the secret Ned is so afraid Chuck might find out. Eventually, Chuck could learn the truth about her father.

Here’s the video teaser for tomorrow night’s show:

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