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« Ausiello Report
Daisies Pushing for a "More Aggressive" Season 2
Pushing Daisies courtesy Bob D'Amico/ABC
Weren't able to trek out to Hollywood for this year's Paley Fest? No worries, I've got you covered. For the next eight days, I'll be bringing you all the highlights from the annual festival via (almost) daily dispatches here in the Ausiello Report. Our camera crew will also be joining me on select days (Buffy! Friday Night Lights! Gossip Girl!), so keep close tabs on the TVGuide.com video player this week for red-carpet interviews with the likes of Spike, Coach Taylor, S, B, N and D.
Officially speaking, Paley '08 kicked off Friday evening at the Cinerama Dome with what I'm sure was a very educational Elvis retrospective. But as far as this TV junkie is concerned, the tube-apalooza really got started Saturday night with the Pushing Daisies panel. Herewith are the highlights:
Participants: Bryan Fuller (creator), Lee Pace (Ned), Anna Friel (Chuck), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Chi McBride (Emerson), Ellen Greene (Vivian), Peter Ocko (coexecutive producer), Dan Jinks (executive producer), Bruce Cohen (executive producer) and frenemy Kristin Dos Santos (moderator).
MIA: Swoosie Kurtz couldn't attend because she was with her ailing mother.
Popularity contest: During the introductions, Chenoweth garnered the most applause from the 800-plus crowd. McBride came in a close second, followed by Pace and Friel.
Funny guy: McBride kept the audience in stitches with one zinger after another. Among his more memorable cracks:
• "I try to make my choices based on material — except for that one show I did, Killer Instinct. Or as I called it, 'Kill It, It Stinks.'"
• "The Nine was the first show in TV history named after its audience."
• Speaking of The Nine, McBride confirmed that his character, Malcolm, was behind the bank robbery: "He had too many bills.... It's a long story."
Kristin's Choice: Chenoweth chose Daisies over a starring role in Broadway's Young Frankenstein. "You have these decisions that come along in your career and sometimes they're not easy," she said. "But I definitely feel like I made the right one."
FYI: Ellen Greene is fluent in two languages — English and Crazy — and we love her for it. She also laughs like a donkey.
Pushing Back: On rumored backstage tensions with Warner Bros. over the show's budget, Fuller said the studio eventually "came around and got behind us and gave us a budget" they could live with.
Wish List: Fuller wants Carol Burnett on the show.
Child's Play: Asked whether Ned and Chuck are capable of having a child together, Fuller responded, "I think her egg would die when his sperm hit it."
Best Buys: Daisies' first-season DVD streets in early September. A soundtrack is also being discussed.
For PETA's Sake: Although it's never been addressed on the show, Fuller confirmed that Ned is, in fact, a vegetarian. Why? Because once the meat made contact with his insides, it would come back to life "and crawl out of him."
Strike Fallout: "I think in the long run, [the break] was a really good thing for the show," Fuller admitted. "It gave us a chance to look back at the nine episodes and [figure out] what was working and what was not working. The arc of the first nine was a soft, romantic arc. In the second season, we want to do something a little harder and a little more aggressive in the style of storytelling. We learned a lot of lessons."
Spoiler Alert: Chuck will definitely find out who her real mother is in Season 2. "It's going to be interesting to see how she reacts to that information," said Fuller, "and how the Pie Maker tries to control her trajectory and how that will complicate their relationship. There are going to be some nice surprises."
Coming up Tuesday: Chuck!
Use our Online Video Guide to dig up Daisies episodes.
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Mar 16, 2008 2:30 AM
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Chi's Character being behind the bank robbery was revealed in the final episodes that aired on ABC.com.
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Mar 16, 2008 2:48 AM
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Great writeup as always, Michael!
Highlights of the Pushing Daisies event are here.
Everyone else: Paley Fest is still accepting questions for the remaining panels. You can send an email to askpaleyfest@paleycenter.org with the show title in the subject line by 5:00pm PDT on the night before the event. There's also a blog for fans to discuss the shows in question.
The Gossip Girl event will be streamed live on the Paley Center website. For more info, click here.
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Mar 16, 2008 9:48 AM
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Great Report - Love Pushing Daisies, Can't wait for Chuck on Tuesday.
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Mar 16, 2008 3:44 PM
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Great report Mike! I love Pushing Daises..can't wait for Chuck too!
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Mar 16, 2008 3:52 PM
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Yay a soundtrack. Does that mean we get a "Birdhouse in Your Soul" duet? That dvd can't get out fast enough, I'm officially in love with this show. It's great the studio's working with them on the money since it's worth every penny and then some.
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Mar 16, 2008 8:12 PM
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Ausiello -
You do the best write ups. Thank you so much for the info on my favorite show of the season. Chuck is my second favorite and I cannot wait for that report.
For those who miss Chuck, SCIFI is airing repeats in order from the beginning on Friday nights. It is even better viewing the second time around.
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Mar 17, 2008 1:16 AM
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Not my show, but I love Anna Friel from the goofy but endearing movie Irish Jam that she did with Eddie Griffin.
That woman could have me as her boytoy if she affected that Irish accent.
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Mar 17, 2008 12:41 PM
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Definitely my favorite new show by far. I'm actually glad they are waiting until fall and taking extra time to get things right instead of trying to rush out a handful of episodes in the spring that would have no real arc.
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Mar 17, 2008 1:02 PM
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Yes, YES, YES to Carol Burnett of this wonderful show! It would be great to have her on as a recurring character! Also, depending on the fate of Molly Shannon's new show, it would be nice to see her again!
(In my wildest dreams, I'd love to see Kyle McLachlan show up in a cameo, looking like an offbeat FBI agent, to order a cherry pie.)
Michael, as always, stupendous! Thanks!
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Mar 17, 2008 2:01 PM
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Couldn't he just touch the meat twice so it stays dead? Though, now that I think about it, how could he have not discovered his ability until his dog died? I mean, he must have tried meat before that time. Though, I guess it's also possible that he wasn't born with his ability and it developed over time.
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Mar 17, 2008 6:18 PM
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sept cant come fast enough!!! and yay...pleas please let them do a soundtrack. "hopeless devoted to you" was soooo awesome!!
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Mar 17, 2008 10:33 PM
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Hmm...wonder what "harder and more aggressive" means...
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Mar 18, 2008 1:28 AM
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Ok, I read this yesterday and had a bad dream about it last night. I love love love Pushing Daisies as it is, I'm very worried about what they mean by changes to the show; its just so colorful, fun and whimsical. There is no other show out there like this, please don't tell me that they are messing with it.
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Mar 18, 2008 10:45 AM
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> For PETA's Sake: Although it's never been
> addressed on the show, Fuller confirmed that Ned is,
> in fact, a vegetarian. Why? Because once the meat
> made contact with his insides, it would come back to
> life "and crawl out of him."
That's dumb. All he would have to do is touch his steak (or whatever) twice quickly before eating it. You touch meat half a dozen times during prep and cooking, so what's the problem?
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Mar 18, 2008 1:31 PM
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