The TV Addict 

Most Welcome EX of the Week
Here’s a formula even ex-Betty boy-toy Henry Grubstick can figure out. UGLY BETTY - Henry Grubstick + New York City = More Mode, more Marc, more Amanda and most importantly, more fun! Welcome back Betty.

Least Welcome EX of the Week
Elizabeth Reeser’s THE EX LIST attracted less viewers than MOONLIGHT. That sound you just heard, eight million MOONLIGHT fans muttering “I told you so.”

Career Advice of the Week
After sitting through Greg Kinnear’s FLASH OF GENIUS over the weekend, this TV Addict can’t help but wonder… How many non-descript supporting wives and girlfriends is ex-GILMORE GIRL Lauren Graham going to play until she comes to grips with the fact that her star shines brightest on the small screen.

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THE GOOD: DIRTY SEXY MONEY
By arresting Letitia Darling for the murder of Nick’s father Dutchie, last night’s fantastic season opener of DIRTY SEXY MONEY managed to do what very few television shows have the ability to do anymore — surprise. No really. Amidst the hilarity that was Brian holding his baby mama and Brian Jr. captive in New York, the ridiculousness that was Jeremy Darling and the crazy one-two combo of Patrick Darling and his now permanently-ex-wife Ellen, this TV Addict was far too busy grinning from ear to ear to see Letitia’s arrest coming. Which was great news, because until those surprising final moments, this TV Addict was slightly concerned that the show had jettisoned last season’s murder mystery entirely in an effort to start the season anew. Now all that’s left is for someone to explain where on earth Juliet is? I mean is a throw-away line that she’s “studying abroad” really too much to ask?

THE BAD: Amy Brenneman
You know how ABC incessantly ran ads all week long promoting the fact that the new season of PRIVATE PRACTICE would bring fans the Addison “you loved from GREY’S ANATOMY.” Well, maybe next week, creator Shonda Rhimes will bring fans back the Amy Brenneman we loved from JUDGING AMY. Because right now, her character, Dr. Violet Turner is single handedly managing to bring down what was actually a fairly entertaining and emotionally charged season premiere.

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By: Amrie Cunningham

PUSHING DAISIES is one of my top shows on television. The colors! The stories! The actors! Digby! Quite literally, everything about the enchanting world of Coeur d’Coeurs puts a smile on my face. Which is why it was such a thrill to preview tonight’s second season premiere with none other than Swoosie Kurtz [Aunt Lily] herself. Who was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to talk about her love for Aunt Lily, why you all should be tuning in and of course, that tiny little bombshell that she dropped in last season’s finale [Pssstttt, she’s Chuck’s Mom!].

Last season PUSHING DAISIES was one of those shows that I set my life around – I had to get home and watch every week.
Swoosie Kurtz: Oh how great. Oh thank you for that. I think it’s an amazing show!

Can you talk about what originally drew you to Lily and how the character came to you?
It was pilot season, and I was reading a lot of pilots, hours and half hours, and I know I’ve said this a hundred times, but I really, truly, had to check the cover of it. By the bottom of page two, he had me with Digby’s death, and I said, wait a minute, this has to be a film, not a TV pilot. So I looked at the cover, and it said it was a TV pilot. I read a couple more pages and I had to check again because I thought, is this for a network? I just fell in love with the writing, with the piece itself, with the whole situation. The aunts, oh, Lily and Vivian didn’t have a lot to do in the pilot, but I thought, well I don’t really care about the size of it, so much as I do what’s there is killer stuff. I mean, it’s just killer. When you start with great writing, then there are no limits. As an actor, you spend so much of your career trying to pump up, you know, what’s on the page that’s not so great. When it’s great to begin with, you think, “Oh I could just fly on the wings of this.” Bryan Fuller to me is truly the star of the show. He is our Wizard of OZ, our Wizard of Daises in this amazing technicolor world we live in.

Coming from the theater, I love a certain amount of heightened reality and to me this show is not your typical cop or hospital drama or people sitting around talking about their marriage. It’s so astonishing, it just takes my breath away sometimes. I don’t know where it’s going and sometimes I don’t always understand it because it’s just so much smarter than I am. And I love that! [laughs]

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In anticipation of Sunday’s EMMY Awards, theTVaddict.com is proud [or not-so-proud depending on how things turn out] to once again present our GUARANTEED EMMY WINNERS 2008*

Nominees (L to R): Kristin Chenoweth [PUSHING DAISIES], Jean Smart [SAMANTHA WHO?], Amy Poehler [SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE]. Holland Taylor [TWO AND A HALF ME], Vanessa Williams [UGLY BETTY]

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When we last visited The Pie Hole: Chuck was left to deal with the fallout from Ned’s confession that he was responsible for her father’s death [Who exactly says honesty is the best policy?] Emerson revealed that he has a daughter while ‘Aunt’ Lily dropped the biggest bombshell of all — that she’s actually Chuck’s mother!

Coming up on PUSHING DAISIES Season 2: At last month’s San Diego Comic Convention, creator Bryan Fuller promised more exotic locales, more adventure and undoubtedly by popular demand, more singing from Kristen Chenowith’s Olive Snook. Also falling under the category of ‘more’ will be guest stars galore. Including EVERWOOD alum Debra Mooney as Emerson Cod’s mother. David Arquette who’s expected to drop by in episode two as Randy Mann, a socially inept man who holds a “special talent” that will connect him to Ned. And NEWSRADIO’s Stephan Root who EW’s Michael Ausiello revealed will play a mysterious person with links to both Ned and Chuck’s fathers.

And speaking of television’s most romantic ‘G’ rated couple. Fuller promises that Ned and Chuck will find new, creative ways to “get cozy” this season and that the DAISIES writer’s room is feverishly working on all kinds of crazy contraptions to make that happen. Oh to be a fly on that writer’s room wall.

Why You Should Watch: The facts are these. Not only does PUSHING DAISIES deserve some serious kudos for actually thinking outside of the box rather than offering up the usual generic spin on your standard lawyer/cop/doctor procedural. This TV Addict really enjoys getting to start of sentences with “the facts are these…” 

PUSHING DAISIES Returns to ABC [and CTV in Canada] on Wednesday October 1, 2008 at 8PM. For a video recap highlighting ‘all of the facts’ from season one, Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to this crazy thing called the internet, one apparently no longer needs to sell their soul, house or iphone to scrape together the dough to make it this year’s Paley Festival. Simply click on any of these great links below to get all the buzz from Saturday’s fantastic PUSHING DAISIES panel. The only link that’s missing; the support group for those of us who are still utterly depressed that they can’t make it to this year’s fest! Facebook group anyone?

Courtesy of the Official Paley Festival Blog, click here to enjoy this highlight from the Panel. [Warning, it will most definitely add to the bitterness that you weren’t there in person!]

Pushing Daisies at Paley Fest ‘08 [ThePieMaker.com]

The Pushing Daisies LJ Community [The Pie Hole]

Paley Fest “Pushing Daisies” Panel [The Televisionary Blog]

Daisies Pushing For a “More Aggressive” Season 2 [Ausiello Report]

PUSHING DAISIES has gone to the dogs. But this slightly obsessed dog lover [meet MAC] and self-proclaimed TV Addict isn’t complaining. In fact, thanks to some time with TV’s cutest dog [Digby], a surprisingly surprising BIG LOVE inspired mystery and some brilliant one-liners courtesy of Emerson [well really, a WGA writer who’s unfortunately on strike] I’d go as far to say that last night’s helping of PUSHING DAISIES was my favorite serving since the pilot.

Another reason everything’s coming up DAISIES. The show’s final scene. In case you missed it — the awww-shucks scene took place in a fictional town that GILMORE GIRLS fans should be very familiar with. Which bring us to the obvious question. When [if] the WGA strike ever ends, would Lauren Graham not make the best PUSHING DAISIES guest star ever? Are 6 years of firing off lighting fast Amy Sherman-Palladino dialogue not the ideal training ground for The Pie Hole?

Question for GOSSIP GIRL’S Serena. Does being like, the hottest most popular girl in all of the Upper West Side mean you’ve never watched TV? I mean seriously. What are you doing letting Dan hang out with old ‘friend’ Vanessa? Have you not seen even a minute of THE OC? THE HILLS? 90210? Allowing Dan and Vanessa to remain friends will only lead to trouble. Don’t believe me? Just ask Ryan, Marissa and Oliver. Or Brenda, Kelly and Dylan.

I would have been far more invested in last night’s horrific PRIVATE PRACTICE supermarket hold-up if I hadn’t already seen it on every other show on television. ER, 24, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, CHICAGO HOPE. Memo to Shonda Rhimes — I’m this close to changing doctors.

I love weekends if for no other reason that it’s my time to veg on the couch and catch up with the past week’s shows. Today, I started with UGLY BETTY, which I was psyched about because of the whole Wicked tie-in. But truth be told, the scenes involving the Broadway hit were the least successful part of an otherwise pretty great episode. For one thing, I was annoyed on behalf of everyone in the theater when Betty was texting Henry and then arguing with Daniel. Just as when it happens in real life, I wanted someone to boot their butts. And as much as I love the music from Wicked, the only scene in which it really worked for me was the beautiful montage set to “I’m Not That Girl.” But how much to I love Cliff and Marc? They may be my favorite couple since… well, Marc and Wilhelmina. Or maybe Marc and Amanda.

I finally realized why I’m so head over heels for WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB: It’s a weird combination of HART TO HART, MATLOCK, MURDER SHE WROTE and even CHARLIE’S ANGELS. I mean, seriously, when the ladies began investigating the deaths at the senior center and met the horny old guy, it was just silly fun. And in typical 80’s-TV style, the bad guy pulled a gun and started firing indiscriminately as Angie Harmon gave chase and elderly folks shrieked, culminating in Angie tackling the guy - as we knew she would - into a conveniently placed pond. Good times.

I’m happy to report that GREY’S ANATOMY renaissance continues. I’ll admit to never having been a huge Kathrine Heigl fan before this show. I always found her the weak link in the ROSWELL cast. But man, did she rock that fantastic monologue in which Izzy begged off sex with George because she was too tired. It was also another episode filled with great quotes, most of them — as usual — coming from Christina. “Being aware of your crap and actually overcoming your crap are two very different this,” she told Meredith in what may be the truest words ever spoken. And if I didn’t already love Dr. Hahn, I’d have been a goner for sure when she dubbed Derek and Mark “pretty and prettier.”

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I’ve discovered the secret to watching PUSHING DAISIES. Pay attention.

No…. not to me… ‘paying attention’ is the secret.

It’s become apparent that DAISIES isn’t the type of the show that you can watch while making dinner, checking your email and attempting to teach your dog to be more like Digby. Thanks to its brilliant visuals, lighting fast — often double-entendre laden dialogue and a cast so popular likable you can’t help but fall in love with them. DAISIES is most definitely a show that demands your full attention.

Which is exactly what I gave it last night and why I’m proud to say that I’m officially back on the DAISIES bandwagon. The magical moment at the end of the episode, where Chuck went up to her two aunt’s house hidden behind a Halloween Costume. That’s why PVR’s were invented.

The same can’t be said for ABC’s snooze inducing installment of PRIVATE PRACTICE. Let’s just say, that unlike DAISIES, I’ve already emotionally checked myself out of Oceanside Medical. With the one caveat being, I’m physically sticking around until David Sutcliffe makes his first appearance. Hoping that he’ll inject a little Stars Hollow magic into this floundering practice.

And finally. when it comes to DIRTY SEXY MONEY, this TV Addict is curious. Curious as to Simon Elder’s true motivations, who really killed Dutch and most importantly — how I just learned about this fantastic Pancake secret! Who says television doesn’t teach you anything.