Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 3:04 pm

Pushing Daisies... the best hour on television!

Finally, there's a show on television worth watching! And it comes from someone who's known for phenomenal shows... hopefully this one will enjoy a significant run!

Most people who know me, know that I've been a bit jaded towards TV since the cancellation of a little show called Wonderfalls. It was quirky, fun, and had a "fairy tale" feel to it without giving us those saccharin-sweet fairy tale characters. In fact, the characters were quite dysfunctional. The cast had a great chemistry from the start, and it was an all-around great experience.

The Nielsen families didn't think so... the ratings tanked and the show was cancelled after four episodes. However, this isn't going to be my forum against the pathetically antiquated method of recording viewership. I'll save that for later... today's a day to be thankful!

The next show to hit my radar was Dead Like Me, which was also quirky, fun, with a "fairy tale" feel with those less-than-fairy-tale characters. Showtime gave that one two seasons before killing it.

Now, Bryan Fuller brings us a wonderful romp called Pushing Daisies, which is easily the best show on television. It again breaks the traditional televion sitcom formula (dumb guy, hot wife, kids smarter than the adults), by giving us a quirky, fun, fairy tale... complete with narration from Jim Dale (from the Harry Potter audiobooks), and a wonderful cast of characters who's dysfunctions aren't immediately apparent.

Supposedly, this show's a hit! About time!

If you haven't seen it, give it a chance. There is a time line, but as long as you know the origin of the story (which is still run at the beginning of each episode), you can jump right in like you haven't missed a beat! Lee Pace plays a pie maker with a gift. With one touch, he can bring the dead back to life. However, a second touch results in immediate death... that he cannot resurrect. Also, to allow the deceased to live for more than one minute results in the sacrifice of another life.

He chooses to keep his childhood love (played brilliantly by the beautiful, charming Anna Friel) among the living, even though someone else (who turned out to be a bad man anyway) dies... and he can never "touch" the woman he loves. Quite a bit different from those unrequited love stories that create sexual tension... because she's very much in love with him as well.

There's this scene where they kiss through a sheet of saran wrap that's surprisingly pretty hot... even as innocent as the scene is.

It's on tonight... watch it! There's a lot more to the story...

I just hope the networks figure out something to appease the writers... the writers are justivied in their cause, but the bean counters are afraid of giving too much away of a pie that they are completely uncertain how it will turn out. The Internet is still a very young method of delivering entertainment! However, they need to do something, because the writers deserve a cut!

Another former favorite show of mine, as I recall, had three major stumbling blocks: production issues, infighting, and the writer's strike. Ok, four... if you count that after the strike the writing absolutely sucked.

Moonlighting was that series. I'd hate to see a significant work stoppage threaten another fantastic show!

What i'm listening to:
Angelfish Sleep With Me
Angelfish
Angelfish

Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 6:30 am

As if I needed another reason to hate the Chili Peppers...

Or, why are music artists such assholes?

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime and the creator and producers of the new hit show "Californication" for stealing the name that "identifies" their band.

At least they don't want much... just EVERY CENT that the show has made and an injunction on the name.1

What a crock of shit.

Oh, and just an FYI, Californication is NOT an original term coined by the group. In the 1940s, it was used in a derogatory way against unchecked population growth.

Similar groups [to the fictitious James G. Blaine Society]–such as The Miller Society–jokingly promoted measures like building a 16-foot high fence all along Interstate 5 to prevent exiting between California and Washington, expelling non-native Oregon born residents, and instituting a $5000 immigration fee.2

In 1972 (it was a good year...), the term appeared in Time magazine to describe the crazy development taking place in California. It appears the states of Oregon and Colorado did not want to go through the same urban growth issues. At that time anyway...

What's next? Microsoft suing over the use of Windows? That these lawsuits can even get filed just blows my mind! What is this world coming to? How do these people expect complete and exclusive rights to a play on words?

Hmmm... I wonder if there is anything they mentioned in any of their songs that can be used against them?

Sad thing is, the show title was chosen in homage to the album. Way to show support for your fans!

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