Navigation 001.Index 002.Print 003.Online 004.Film 005.Theater 006.Production Notes Pushing Daisies: Death, life and a piece of pie Português TeleSéries by André Sirangelo, Translated by Marcela April 9, 2008 Imagine this scene. A circular table on the top floor in a luxurious hotel, the light was dim, seven people with the attention focus on this slim man who affirms that he can bring dead people back to life. No, it´s not a spiritual session, a cult. The man is Lee Pace, the main star of Pushing Daisies, and the listeners are the journalists who attended a press junket to promote the premiere of the show in Brazil. Playing the piemaker Ned, with a Golden Globe nomination for the part, Pace tries calmly explain the concept of the one of the most surreal shows ever for the north-American network TV. He says: “It´s a fairy tale about a guy who can bring dead things back to life, and the complications that come with this gift. And it´s funny, it´s a comedy, although it has dramatic elements. It´s hard to define. It´s a very weird show.” No doubt. Besides baking pies and waking the dead, Ned works with a private eye detective (Chi McBride) as a peculiar kind of reward hunter. The actor explains: “I bring back people who were murdered, I ask who killed them and we collect the reward money.” When one of his adventures leads him to bring back his childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Anna Friel), he needs to deal with the collateral effect of his ability: if he touches her again, as he does with the other victims, she dies. Forever. The relationship between Ned and Chuck is the soul and the conductor of the show, created by Bryan Fuller (screenwriter of Heroes and creator of Dead Like Me), and Lee himself admits that those two are soulmates. But doesn´t mean that the situation between them will not create many conflicts. “We won't be stuck in the same formula, ‘I look at Chuck and say: wouldn't it be nice if I could touch you, but I can´t because if I do, you will die’. It will become more complicated accordingly as their relationship grows. For now, they found funny ways to deal with the problem, such as kissing using a plastic wrap”. In the US, the show premiered in September and produced only nine episodes because of the writers strike. ABC decided not shoot new episodes for the first season, but the size of the audience and the success with the critics guarantee that they will comeback for a second season. Pace reveals: “It´s going to be a new premiere. We´ll be able to say that we had three Golden Globe nominations, use the critics recommendations and we hope attract people who didn´t watch the first time”. When we asked about the support of ABC and Warner Bros., the actor confesses that, in comparison with the support of Fox on Wonderfalls (another show he co-starred in and was created by Bryan Fuller, cancelled after four weeks on the air), the difference is the same as “between day and night”: “Pushing Daisies is not like ‘Law and Order’ or ‘CSI’, when if you follow the formula A,B,C and D, you have a one hour show. It´s different, it´s a unique show. Without the support of the studio, I don't think we would have done so well” With the support from the executives, the producers brought Barry Sonnenfeld (from MIB- Men in Black) to direct the first episodes and create an identity that has, visually, the mix of romance, investigative drama and supernatural comedy. The result is what Pace calls “sweet”. He explains: “There are many things on TV that are heavy and full of bad guys. Pushing Daisies is the opposite”. The palette of colors, the costumes and the set, reminds you of movies like ‘Amelie Poulain’ and ‘Big Fish’, this idea is very clear in the show. It´s a fairy tale world – but, at the same time, the idea of a piemaker in contact with dead things sounds strangely close to zombie movies… So, is possible this means that we going to watch more dark episodes in the future? "Yes, we will. Ned killed, by accident, Chuck´s father and when this is reveled she isn´t very happy." Pace, always insists on showing the other side of the apparent morbidness of his character: “Ned has knowledge about life and death that most people haven´t had, because he's very close to those things. He knows how painful is to kill someone, or lose someone that you love. But, he also knows that life is good and how important is to live the way you want”. The pieces of this exotic and successful recipe can be tasted this Thursday, April 10th, at 9 PM, on Warner Channel. Source