My Take on Emmy Nominations: 2009

Emmy nominations will be announced next week, so I've compiled a list of actors, shows, and personalities that the Emmys would be remiss not to include.

(I have not broken them into categories because I'm often completely befuddled by who is deemed "supporting" and who is "lead" and what is a "comedy" and what is a "drama" and I'm trying to avoid that headache.)

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad: Paul has been flawless at handling everything Breaking Bad has thrown at him. He's been brilliant at comic relief and gut-wrenching with dramatic material. In fact, there's no one I want to see on the Emmy nomination list more.

Adam Baldwin, Chuck: Baldwin is perfect as the gruff Major Casey, giving us little glimpses into the character's humanity but never becoming too much of a softy.

B.J. Novak, The Office: He's just so good at playing such a cocky little jerk (while never losing sight of Ryan's inherent patheticness).

Breaking Bad: I've documented my love for this show before, so should come as no surprise that I'm pegging it not only for a Best Drama nomination, but also for the freaking Emmy itself.

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad: There's a reason he won the Emmy last year, and Cranston continued to excel this season as Walter's morality became even more nuanced.

Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance: Deeley is easily the best reality competition show host around as anyone knows who has watched her interact with contestants, the judges and the audience. And she's a fashion icon to boot. It's insulting that she wasn't nominated last year.

Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies: If McBride's surly and sassy (but secretly sweet) private investigator isn't on the list of Emmy nominations, I'm going to pull an Emerson Cod and yell, "Oh, HELL no!"

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?: Applegate was effortlessly charismatic and hilarious as the lovable amnesiac, and it's a bummer that ABC didn't give her more support.

Chuck: The top-notch quality of the show's sophomore season cannot be ignored. With the possible exception of those episodes with that annoying MI-6 spy who kept getting shot, Chuck was firing on all cylinders this season and capped it all off with a season finale that was easily one of the best hours of television all season.

Gabrielle Anwar, Burn Notice: I realize that Burn Notice is one of those quasi-comedy, quasi-drama type shows that people enjoy watching but the Emmys tend to completely ignore (while being all over stuff that nobody is enjoying anymore like Boston Legal), but nevertheless I think Anwar deserves a nod. You'd be hard pressed to fine anyone on TV who is cooler than Anwar's Fiona, and that's got to count for something.

James Roday, Psych: Roday's been overlooked in the past, but as Shawn, a fast-talking, pop culture-obsessed genius, he has proven time and again that he's got serious acting chops.

January Jones, Mad Men: Jones absolutely stole the show's second season with her depiction of cold-hearted Betty Draper. Jones was masterful at giving us glimpses of the fragile girl behind her character's ice queen facade.

Jennifer Esposito, Samantha Who?: Esposito's Andrea is horrendous, but she's also wickedly funny.

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory: Everyone on this show is funny, but Parsons is consistantly hilarious as Sheldon's scientific, antisocial temperament gets pushed to the limit by his friends and surroundings.

Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies: Pace's turn as the sweet and funny Piemaker ended far too soon, but it was beautiful to watch while it lasted.

Lost: Overall, I probably liked Lost's fourth season better than its fifth season, but this show was undeniable as it ratcheted up the suspense and the stakes ever-higher to lead into its final season.

Pushing Daisies: Sure, the second season was ridiculously abridged, but it was also ridiculously good.

Rose Byrne, Damages: Supporting/lead/whatever, Byrne really held her own during Damages' second season, as her Ellen Parsons went toe-to-toe with Glenn Close's Patty Hewes and didn't back down.

Steve Carell, The Office: I adored the high jinks of the Michael Scott Paper Company, and Carell shone throughout, especially in the conference room scene where he masterfully cut David Wallace down to size.

Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung and Jeremy Davies, Lost: Since so many supporting actors had very strong showings on Lost this season, the Emmy list could very well include any or all of them.

Zachary Levi, Chuck: Perfectly balanced Chuck's humor with his humanity, adding a lot of soul to a very fun show.

(photos: amctv.com, abc.com, usanetwork.com, cbs.com)

Pushing Daisies: Endings Are Where We Begin

Pushing Daisies:

"Kerplunk"

ABC finally got around to airing the last episode of Pushing Daisies, which was filmed months and months ago and then re-edited to make into more of a series finale-esque creature. Undeniably, "Kerplunk" was fantastic. It was super fun to get to spend some time in the high-stakes world of synchronized swimming and underwater circus acts. The Aquacade looked like one heck of a fun show--if it hadn't been for the mid-National Anthem shark attack anyway. Personally, I'm a little peeved that my half birthday came and went a few days ago without anyone presenting me with Aquacade tickets. (Not to mention that Ned gave Chuck two or three additional half birthday gifts throughout the course of the episode...I mean, geez, I got nothing.)

Anyway, the dialog was witty, the guest characters were vivid and entertaining, the emotions were genuine, and Ned (Lee Pace) looked damn cool in his sunglasses/green tie talent agent costume. What's there left to say? The episode was brilliant, the show was fantastic, and ABC sucks for taking it away from us.

While "Kerplunk" was a stellar episode, it just wasn't a satisfying series finale (why do I feel like I was just making this argument about something else?) After all, "Kerplunk" wasn't supposed to be a series finale and after-the-fact editing can only do so much. The show's trusty narrator tried to wrap up loose ends left and right in the final minutes, but I was left wanted to know more about what happens Ned and Chuck, Pushing Daisies' main protagonists (and also what the heck was up with Ned's dad, but that's another matter). I was left wondering: Are Ned and Chuck just going to spend the rest of their lives together without touching? What would that look like? And then I came up with how I would have ended the show:

In the closing montage, the narrator explains that Chuck and Ned decide to get married even though they haven't found a way around the no-touching thing. Some time later, they seek fertility treatments, and utilize in vitro insemination. (Here's where it gets complicated: would Chuck's egg die when touched by Ned's sperm? Let's say that through some television magic, it does not and we all agree not to think about it too hard.) Because no one really wants to find out if putting the fertilized eggs into Chuck would equate to Ned touching her and her re-death, they decide to use a surrogate (Olive, of course) to carry the babies. Yep, babies. In 30 weeks, 4 days, 17 hours, and 34 minutes, Olive gives birth to Chuck and Ned's healthy octuplets and the show becomes Chuck, Ned (and Olive) Plus 8. I'm pretty sure that higher order multiples would fit right into Pushing Daisies' fantastical world of pie shops and Darling Mermaid Darlings and frescorts and sunflower cars. I think it would be a perfect new beginning.

Good bye, Pushing Daisies. You were too good for the world of network TV.

(photo: ABC.com)

Pushing Daisies: Window Display Dangers

Pushing Daisies: "Window Dressed to Kill"


This is bittersweet. Well, Pushing Daisies, let's just make the most of the time we have left, shall we?

The play-by-play:

• Olive's book was called "Double Negative: What You Shouldn't Not Know."
• Oh geez, how I love Lee Pace.
• That's one huge cherry hanging from the Pie Hole's ceiling! (Actually, it looks like there are at least two of them up there.)
• Olive: "And if you could speak in the declarative only, using affirmative or comparative modifiers."
• Pear-way To Heaven pie!
• Emerson: "Well, that's just downright craptastic, Clark."
• Holiday spirit? Winter? Wha? Oh, riiiiight, because this episode was supposed to air five months ago... Darn you, ABC! Darn you!
• Oh no, Olive ran away and these guys got locked up because of her. OMG, Mr. and Mrs. Snook didn't even notice that Olive was missing.
• Ha! Olive told the kidnappers that she and Ned are getting married. And Ned played along! Aww.
• Emerson snoring loudly which Chuck rambles.
• Emerson: "[That's] the kind of bad idea that gives a bad idea the will to live."
• Oh cool! This episode's about department store window decorators. I love department store window displays! I should join the group of "devotees."
• The inside world of window dressing is scary.
• Whoa, Olive got Ned to kiss her! Score! That was an adorable kiss too.
• Why is Olive the only one who gets to have musical interludes? I realize it's because Kristin Chenoweth is a fantastic singer, but it would be great if some other cast members got to join in sometime.
• That's kind of an odd choice of a scene for a "memorial window." And it rather conveniently depicts a way that someone could die.
• I can't believe Vivian saved all of Charles Charles' old clothes either. I mean, the dude totally jilted her and then saddled her with raising his illegitimate daughter.
• Chuck: "Erin and Coco didn't design any of these windows! Chic-As-Hell Denny did."
• How do I get people to preface my name with "Chic as hell" when they talk about me?
• Ned: "Why do you have a wedding veil?! We're still just playing, right?"
• Olive: "You try on your best friend's bra and you smile on the inside because yours are bigger and better." (Ouch, Chuck!)
• Ned: "I don't know what words to choose now."
• Kidnapper: "Take mad and multiply that to a power of pissed."
  Ned: "Don't be mad and certainly not to a power of that degree."
  
• Aww, poor Ned. He was just trying to help!
  
• "Ass-over-tea-kettle crazy things"
  
• Dick Dicker: "I'll need a proper bodyguard. Samson, my driver, would use me as a human shield if there was even the vaguest notion of a threat!"
  
• What's going to die if Ned keeps this rhino alive for more than a minute?
  
• Ha ha, now Ned has to chase an ex-dead rhino down the street. (Looks like he caught him, phew.)
  
• Coco: "after ranting like a size 10 at a sample sale..."
  
• Oh no! Ned's jealous of Randy because he's with Olive now!
  

Next week: Oh no! Emerson's baby mama who took his daughter away from him is Anna Espinosa! Why am I not surprised? No wonder he hasn't had any luck getting the girl back--Anna E. is no joke! They're going to need all of Ned's superpowers if they take her on...

Pilot Watch '07: Pushing Daisies

Basically everyone in the world who has seen an advanced screener of Pushing Daisies has been extolling its virtues as loudly as they can for months. Thus, my expectations for this pilot probably couldn't have been any higher. Fortunately, "Pie Lette" (how cute is that name?) every bit lived up to the hype.

Pushing Daisies was charming almost beyond belief. The storybook feel seemed very unique. The characters were quirky and likable (not just quirky). The story and plot devices were inventive. The dialogue was snappy and wittier than I was expecting. The cinematic value was top-notch, with gorgeous, vibrant colors and a dream-like quality. The whole thing was as sweet as the pies they sell at the Pie Hole.

Pushing Daisies reminded me a lot of a Tim Burton film. It seemed very much along the lines of Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: strange but unexpectedly touching. It's a formula that I warmly welcome to television.

If I had to make one complaint, it would be that the narrated back story seemed to last a while and it might have taken them just a bit too long to get Lee Pace on the screen. But once he appeared, the show was good to go.

Something about Ned and Chuck reminded me of Ed and Carol from Ed. I guess the actors look vaguely similar (in their faces), but I think it was more the purity of the love story. Ned remembering his time with young Chuck was a lot like Ed remembering the time he first saw Carol and she took his breath away.

I also really enjoyed Chi McBride in this episode. The Emerson/Ned banter reminded me of Shawn and Gus from Psych. Emerson and Ned made Pushing Daisies much funnier that I was anticipating.

Other thoughts:

• The dog looked pretty good for having been run over by a tractor trailer. And I do find it unrealistic that Ned managed to keep his dog for 20 years without ever touching it, even by accident.
• Gotta love a show that uses pretty language like, "Chuck came ready-made from the Play Doh Fun Factory of life."
• Ned's accidental responsibility for Chuck's dad's death is reminiscent of Lana Lang's parents being killed in the meteor shower that brought Clark Kent to earth on Smallville.
• What did people make of two seemingly healthy neighbors just keeling over and dying on the exact same day?
• I really, really want Cantaloupe the Chow! Cantaloupe is an adorable name for a dog. It's right up there with Saffron from Damages.
• Logistical questions: Does just one person die for everyone who stays alive or do more people keep dying? And assuming Ned brings them back to life and never touches them again, do the "alive again" people live indefinitely or could they die again?
• For some reason, I really love the name "Boutique Travel Travel Boutique."
• Ned: "I hate to be a bad host, but I'm kind of exhausted from chasing your coffin..."
• Chuck's last name is Charles! Perhaps we're related :-)
• Ned: "It was most definitely on the menu; it was the Special of the Day--can we drop this metaphor?"
• Emerson: "We all have childhood issues--I've got the full subscription."
• Emerson: "Bitch! I was in proximity!" (I was also afraid that keeping Chuck alive would have caused Emerson to die, so thankfully that was not the case.)
• I haven't heard "petard" used since Ed.
• This pilot was showed in the opposite manner of "limited commercial interruptions." It seemed like there was a commercial break every 4 minutes.
• Chuck's aunt: "I can hold my breath for a long time." He he, she was a synchronized swimmer after all.
• Morgue guy: "Aren't you the dog expert?"

Basically flawless.

Premiere Rating: 9.5 / 10
(I deducted 0.5 just because I'm sure there could have been something that would have made me love the episode even more...like a guest appearance by James McAvoy or something.)