Lee Pace has been nothing if not the man of the press these past few months. In addition to traveling the world promoting PUSHING DAISIES, Lee has also been on the interview circuit talking about his new movie THE FALL. In this interview with Metromix, Lee touches on the network’s involvement in the show and the type of movie roles he isn’t interested in pursuing.

You mentioned the failure of “Wonderfalls” earlier. Did you feel like it was an uphill battle against the network while making the show?
We were all trying to do our best on it, but everyone knew that there was a fight with Fox, that Fox did not like the lesbian storyline. We were also on the same year “The O.C.” premiered. We would do a whole episode, and then the cast would ask [the network], “Is there anything we can do differently?” And they were like, “No, you’re great!” But you know that there were probably ten executives on the set of “The O.C.” debating whether or not Mischa Barton should wear espadrilles.

So has “Pushing Daisies” been a more positive TV experience?
Look, [the network execs] still have opinions. I think the idea of the show really works, and it makes people feel good, and the executives have got really great ideas. Everyone’s pitching in and trying to let it be as good as it can be, and part of that is making it maybe a little less weird. It doesn’t have to be so bizarre that it turns people off. I mean, it’s a pie maker who touches dead things back to life! It’s a weird idea already, so any way we can make it palatable is good, I think.

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STUNNING Brit actress Anna Friel has Hollywood under her spell.
From SARA NATHAN
TV Editor - The Sun (Reprinted from The Sun)

She is starring in hit US TV comedy Pushing Daisies and is captivating audiences as she did when she was introduced as Beth Jordache on Channel 4 soap Brookside in 1993.

But it took a fair amount of bravery to cross the pond again after failing there on her first trip since leaving Brookie.

Anna had a brilliant turn as a stripper in Broadway play Closer in 1998, later Natalie Portman played her role in the big-screen version. But Anna then slunk home after the harsh realities of Hollywood sank in.
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The divine divas from E!, Kristen Dos Santos and Korbi Ghosh, hit the Pushing Daisies Paley Festival Red Carpet and got the poop, the scoop, the skinny, the haps, the dilly-o and the 411. Chi McBride also reveals that the writing staff is on crack. Mild Spoilers coming your way!

Head on over to Watch With Kristin to see the whole post and a picture from the panel that has both Kath and I visible in the bottom left. Dorks!

If you’ve been following our coverage of the Pushing Daisies Paley Festival panel then you know we’re planning on doing another Piecast Podcast to chat about how incredible the evening was but we couldn’t help get some information up after all the emails we’ve received.

The Piecast will hopefully be ready for Monday night as we’ve decided to hold out until after our visit to the Writers Room in the afternoon in case Bryan Fuller and Co. give us any scoop we can spill to all the fans. Fingers crossed gang!

As we’re really trying to save our thoughts until the Piecast, we decided it would be a good chance to have some of our loyal ThePieMaker.com readers in attendance share their thoughts with you all!

First up is Patricia from San Diego (who oddly enough happens to be the Sister of my friend Jenny, strange but true) who attended the panel with her husband Michael. Patricia’s got a ton of quotes from the panel as well as some fun tidbits that the cast and crew shared. Some of our burning questions are answered as well. Ever wonder if Ned is a Vegetarian or if Ned & Chuck could ever possibly have a baby? Well, read on…

Second will be reader Erika with a quick take on what it was like to be a fan and aspiring TV Writer in attendance of her favorite show.

Take it away ladies…
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CinemaBlend.com recently had a chance to take part in an interview with Lee Pace for his upcoming role as Michael in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Among other things, Lee talked about taking on an English accent for the role, the difference between TV and movies, and why he was at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

It’s a great read and you should really check it out. Here are a few excerpts from the interview.

How did you work on the British accent you have in the film? How hard was it?
I think people are really picky about English accents. When a Brit comes over here and kind of does an OK American accent, everyone’s like “You were great! Fantastic!” But in England, even if you were doing a pretty good accent, they’re like “But where are you from?” “London.” “What part of London?” Accents are really precious over there. Joan Washington did both me and Frances’ dialect work. When I first read it, I saw the script as full of these posh English people. I just wanted to do something a little different with Michael. I did him with a northern accent– Albert Finney was what I had in mind. So he was more blue collar, heart on his sleeve, passionate. I don’t know it if makes much of a difference.

Did they instruct you to look at any old movies to get at the very specific way of speaking in this movie?
Pushing Daisies, is that old-fashioned romance where you’re not going to see the kiss until the very end of the movie, or there’s a good banter between the leads of it. We watch those Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn…. I don’t know if a modern audience would buy people talking the way they did back then. It’s a very specific kind of acting. About three years ago I saw this documentary with out-takes with people like Montgomery Clift. It was so cool to watch them doing their crazy acting talk, and then all of a sudden they would mess up their line, and they would talk like we talk. These are the guys who are supposed to have invented naturalism, and they’re not natural, they’re nowhere near natural. I don’t know if that style would really work now.

What is the difference for you between working in TV and film?
The day is different. The way the day runs if totally different. With TV, you have so much to get done during the day that you don’t really have a lot of time to feel your way through it. I know before I walk on the set exactly what I’m going to do. With film you can kind of find your way in it a little more, play with it some.
(continue reading at CinemaBlend.com)

Related Posts:
Lee Pace in “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day”

CNN via the Associated Press has a great article about Kristin Chenoweth’s preparation for her upcoming performance at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. The PUSHING DAISIES star will be singing a song from the movie “Enchanted”.

“It’s the biggest audience I’ve ever had,” the 4-foot, 11-inch performer with the outsized voice told The Associated Press. “I’ve played many of the famous concert halls in the world but this is something altogether different. I’m just going to try to perform the song and make it about the music and not get too nervous.”

Chenoweth went on to say “I’m trying to think of it like another gig, even though I know it’s not the Met or Carnegie Hall. It’s the Oscars and it’s several billion people,” she said, pretending to gag at the overwhelmingness of it all.

“I’m really excited about my dress and I’m really excited about the whole night. Of course I’m rooting for anything from ‘Enchanted’ to win.”

Kristin will have her PUSHING DAISIES fans rooting her on. Best of luck!!

Read the full article here.

Related Post: Kristin Chenoweth to Sing at the Academy Awards

Women’s Health Magazine recently conducted a wonderful interview with PUSHING DAISIES star Anna Friel where she talks about everything from the show, to adjusting to life in L.A, to the paparazzi and her amazing faux American accent. It’s a wonderful read.

A Conversation with Anna Friel
by Deanna Kizis

[An excerpt from the interview]

Speaking of touch, what has Chuck taught you about physical intimacy?
When you can’t ever touch, it makes you want to do it more. You forget how much it’s a part of communicating. I often think if I could just touch Ned, I could show the audience so much more.

You’ve done so many risqué roles; this must be a huge change.
It’s so clean compared to, say, a play like Closer. Being bubbly, happy, and positive five days a week is more challenging than I expected. I think risky material helps you grow as an actress, which you need if you want longevity. If you’re just the pretty girl, you’re going to have a really short career. A ripe actress like Susan Sarandon or Judi Dench, with lots of layers, is more interesting to me than the young, unripe version.

Your American accent on the show is flawless.
Thanks. In my car on the way to work, I speak with an American accent and keep it the whole day, even during personal phone calls. I have a voice coach who gives me 30 notes [on how to improve] every day! I wanted the character to have a lot of air in her voice and to be very wide-eyed. I based it a lot on my daughter, Gracie. I wanted my character to be childlike.

It must be fun to do a show your 2-year-old can watch!
Those bright visuals really get her. She likes to come to the set because they’ve built a sweet shop that looks like something from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She takes sweets from all the jars. Her new thing is to say to me “Cut, Mummy! Cut!”

…continue reading Women’s Health Magazine

Emmy Magazine went behind the scenes at PUSHING DAISIES the day before the beginning of the WGA strike. Whether it be Anna and Lee dancing around the set in hopes of auditioning for “Dancing with the Stars” or CHUCK star Zachary Levi popping in to say hello, there’s always a lot going on while filming.

An excerpt from the article is below. And if you missed the stunning outtakes from this photoshoot, make sure you check out Lee Pace and Anna Friel are Classics.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
by Amy Dawes

It’s an eerie thing to visit the set of a successful new television show on the last workday before a potentially calamitous writer’s strike.

As twilight set in on Friday, November 2, no one knew for sure what Monday would bring, but all signs pointed to a dreaded walkout.

“It’s hard to foucus,” admits Kristin Chenoweth, who plays Olive, the salty-sweet waitress at the Pie Hole diner on ABC’s Pushing Daisies. “This is probably our last day on set with the writers.”

All appears calm on Stage 19 at the Warner Bros.’ Burbank lot. The crew fiddle with ligts and the call-outs unique to a single-camera show drift over the cavernous space: Picture’s Up…Quiet, please!…Roll Sound!

But anxiety leaks out between takes. Star Anna Friel - in the red jumper and black tights of her character, Chuck - clicks the heels of her ruby shoes like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. “Click three times and the strike goes away!” she ventures, laughing.

The petite blonde Chenoweth, in a lime-green shift and flowered flip-flops, distracts the crew with cheerleading antics. Lanky star Lee Pace, who plays Ned, is notably touchy-feely, laying hugs on everyone who comes close, including the shows executive producer, Bryan Fuller. (continue reading here)

For scans of the images from the magazine, head over the Lee-Pace.org.

Thanks to pu5h1n6_da15135 for the tip

PUSHING DAISIES creator Bryan Fuller recently spoke with the guys behind the Comics Podcast Network, for a fantastic two part interview. The first part can be heard (around the midway mark), and the conclusion will be posted as part of next week’s podcast. Bryan talks about everything from the strike and how it’s impacted the show, to the closeness of the cast, to costumes, and some thoughts on season 2. It’s a must listen for any Daisies fan.
(Warning! There are nods to future storylines, so spoilerphobes beware)

Click here to listen
Here are a few tidbits, but please listen to the podcast for much more…

• …the last episode had to be finished in 12 hours to make the deadline for the WGA strike
• …production could be started in mid-June and Fuller hopes to have an episode to show at Comic Con (YES!!)
• …the cast has grown closer as a result of the strike
• …Ned’s costumes are always black and grey to keep him the calm center of the show
• …more of the Darling Mermaid Darlings in the 2nd season - more of their rivals back in the day
• …Lily and Vivian will open up more in the 2nd season and love interests may be introduced
• …more of Emerson’s pop-up book fascination (ha)

(Stay tuned for P2 of the interview next week)

In a recent interview with SFX, PUSHING DAISIES creator Bryan Fuller expressed interest in perhaps one day not just hearing Jim Dale’s narration but perhaps seeing the narrator as a character on the show.

“I would like him to turn out to be a character on the show,” says Fuller of the unseen orator, whose voice is provided by former Carry On actor Jim Dale, “so that we get to see the point of view from which the stories are coming.” He goes on to say, “Fairytales, I think, are fascinating because usually there is an omniscient narrator. But as this is a modern day fairy tale we can have a spin on that and see who is telling this story, and what their perspective is. And I know who, in my mind, is telling the story, and so I would like to reveal who he is. Maybe not in the second season, but eventually. Hopefully we will know when the show is going end so that we can sort that out clearly.”

So Piemakers, who do you think is telling the story of Ned and Chuck? Who would have that perspective to know everything about their lives and their inner most thoughts? Some kind of deity? Perhaps the very being that gave Ned his special abilities?