Wish I could be Ned, the Piemaker, or How with those outfits, who wouldn't?

A new series to keep the blog going. I'm choosing on a weekly basis (Wishing Wednesdays!) someone/thing I wish I could be from whatever popular culture outlet I choose.

And to celebrate Pushing Daisies season two premiere episode, here goes:

Wish I could be... Ned, the Piemaker.

The facts are these: I think I'm infatuated with this show - 30 Rock maybe funnier in that gotcha/ridiculous kind of way and Desperate Housewives might be hilarious in that soap opera kind of way, but if I were to date one Prime TV show, this would be it (Fey's show could be my best friend and D-Hos my gossipy neighbor). Where was I? Oh yes, infatuated/obsessed: Just ask the bf a) how long I've been counting down to the season premiere and b) how long I counted down to the DVDs being released! That's in part due to Lee Pace's charisma (but also to Bryan Fuller's premise, Sonnenfeld's Pie-lette, the Gilmore-Girlian wit, the beautiful art direction, Jim Dale's voiceover... I could keep going, but you can check out my initial thoughts here). And while I was re-watching season one (for what seems like the nth time... and sigh, it's still as saccharine and sugary gooey as I remembered it) something struck me... I don't just like Ned, I want to be Ned.

Now you might think that I'm saying this because I want Ned's magical finger (but really... when put that way, who does?), or maybe I've come to this conclusion because I think pies are the best way to get your daily serving of fruit (which is true!). Or maybe you're thinking I want to be Ned because I want to be surrounded by people who break into song, or who are this talented. Or maybe you're going all Freud on me and thinking I'm just afraid of intimacy so this would be a wonderful way out but no... the main reason I want to be Ned, the Piemaker is, his wardrobe. Ah to live in a world where pie makers wear fitted shirts, skinny ties, designer trench coats and vests!

Seriously - there may be better dressed men in prime time TV (stops and thinks... the Gossip Boys? those 90210ers? that suited-up Barney? those Ad Men?...) but no one quite has that piemaker-chic look going for them - would it be too 'fringe' if I dressed up as him for Halloween? It'd be a good way to weed out who that I know watches and who's clueless about it. It would give me an excuse to start Ned-ifying my closet. No wonder it's award-worthy: Sure, sure Chuck's dresses and the aunt's outfits and Emerson's shirts and Olive's attire were probably also the reason why Robert Blackman won the Costume Designer's Guild Award last year (Period/Fantasy category) but no one can deny that Ned looks amazing in every episode even if it is a Carrie Bradshaw's shoes/Friends' rent situation where there's no way he could afford what he wears with his business income.

Let's see if they continue this in less than 11 hours! (CAN'T.WAIT. -And PS: Damn you Canucks who got the episode last night! The election-craze, the Wall St crisis and the general America-ness of NYC don't make me want to go back to Canada as much as wanting to watch this show one day earlier...)

Pushing Daisies Comic Con Panel, or How I'm jealous!

With Thor as my witness, I swear will make it to Comic Con next year, even if it breaks my budget. I went last year and it was a blast, and from having been there to reading and seeing pictures from third parties... it just don't feel right.

This is the case with the Pushing Daisies Panel. Thanks to The Pie Maker blog for posting pics and uploading the entire panel as a podcast. 

Things I learnt from hearing the podcast and looking at the pics:

- Chi is pronounced "Shay"

- Raul Esparza: we love that you got a gig on Broadway this fall, but why do you have to inconvenience your return to Pushing Daisies?

- There are possibilities for Wonderfalls/Dead Like Me crossovers - am I the only in the world who isn't as interested in that?

- September 16th = DVD/Blu Ray Release!

- Emerson's momma is gonna be coming on the show

- Anna Friel has a beautiful British accent (yes... I too sometimes forget she's British!) - and don't she and Lee look purdy in the pretty?

- Barry Sonnenfeld sounds like Karen Walker's nemesis Beverley Leslie.

- There'll be more singing! Yay! Singing! Yay Musical Episode!

- Kristin is probably one of my favourite showbiz people (and yes, I am also saying that cause I have seen her in person!) Also, doesn't she look purdy in the pic?

- Chi McBride is really funny, and in Sonnenfeld's words he's just 'tall and handsome' as Lee, only black. (Oh, Barry!)

- There's a nunnery involved in the premiere episode! (Yay, Sound of Music moment coming up for Cheno!)

- Fans are really crazy and go ape-shit over anything at Comic Con Panels.

- David Arquette will be joining the cast as a recurring character with the most amazing name in the Pushing Daisies universe: Randy Mann.

- Some of Cheno's "famous friends" (from Broadway we assume?) will be joining the show (for guestage, we assume?) - yay more singing!

- Uh... step away from fangirls who want to know how to knit a gun-coaster.

October 1st - you cannot come soon enough!

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, or How Amy and Lee sparkle!

If you've been reading this blog at all you may or may not have noticed that Amy Adams is one of my fave "new" actresses after watching Enchanted (though Junebug and Buffy's Season 5 Epiode 'Family' might also have added to that obsession).
Also, you faithful (dozen of) readers might also have noticed that I fell head over heels with ABC's Pushing Daisies - my new fave show from the 2007-2008 fall season.
Needless to say, the thought of live-action princess Giselle and piemaker Ned in one film made me too giddy to function, and now too giddy to write a full-on review of the film that got 'em together. Instead, I thought I could offer a couple of moments that stood out for me in the film (Which, despite its fluffy nature, light script and all-too predictable plot, made me fall in love eve more in love with its two leads):

- Shirley Henderson as a bitch but showing emotion (oh how she nailed crying and being a scary bitch at the same time...)
- Michael O'Connor's dresses! (Okay, so it's not a "moment" but I can't help but notice good wardrobe when it happens to good people)
- Gratuitous male nudity (before hitting the half hour mark nonetheless!) Where has Tom Payne been hiding (read: Amy's sheets) and why hadn't Frances woken him up sooner?
- Amy as a ''bathing Venus de Milo" tableau: okay, so just like the rest of the film this is a wee bit too much light fare; but can't we just enjoy it when films wink at us?
- Lee and Amy singing If I Didn't Care: Amy's eyes are just (if not more) expressive as her voice, so it's no surprise she can nail a lovelorn ballad that underscores her broken heart. Add a spice of rugged-Lee, and I was left speechless. (And this is now on loop on my iPod)
Overall, the film is a bit uneven but just as in Amy's latest (this one, not that one) she's able to elevate the material and make one fall in love with Delysia - and what if the name's a pseudonym! she does seem to have picked the aptest name of them all! B+