Change of topic: Television

Keeping in mind that the name of this blog is "Jeremy and the Movies" I just wanted to sidetrack away from the big screen for a tad and talk about television for a moment. Now I don't watch much of the new shows out there, and maybe that's a bad thing, I used to watch "24" all the time till I was deemed a recluse and decided to join the rest of society again.

I haven't sworn off telelvision all together but it just seems like every show out there have these cliffhanger all-season story lines that last forever I just get tired of paying attention. I like shows that don't demand my undivided attention for its full season. I'm happy with just watching "The Simpsons" most weeks since I believe despite it losing a bit of lustre over the years it's still consistent and hilarious.

However despite my best attempts I have found myself falling under the spell of one new show. "Pushing Daisies" was getting so many great reviews at the beginning of the year that I decided to watch the the premier episode. This was my first mistake because I've found myself ever since having to be home every Wednesday night by 9:00 to catch the next episode. "Pushing Daisies" is as if Tim Burton just took a bunch of happy pills and decided to make a bright and colorful set design piece with characters that are as sweet as sugar. The basic premise involves a pie maker (Lee Pace) who has a magic gift of bringing dead things back to life but the only draw back is if he touches them again they go back to being dead. This comes in handy when solving mysterious murders, the pie maker along with a private investigator (Chi McBride) make a business in which every time a murder takes place he just has to touch the murder victim in the morgue and asks them who the murderer was.

Things get complicated when the pie maker finds out his childhood sweetheart (Anna Friel) is killed and he selfishly brings her back to life, they can be together but he can never touch her.

So begins a very creative and entertaining premise. After having reality TV, police procedural dramas, and hospital shows jammed down our throats, it was nice to see something very different and sweet come my way. "Pushing Daisies" still has to prove itself as a classic television show but so far I am enjoying it. One of the main creative forces behind it happens to be Barry Sonnenfeld the director behind "Men in Black" and who was also the D.O.P. of many of the Coen Brother's best early films. Sonnenfeld directed the first couple of episodes and has set the tone for what is a very entertaining fantasy show

The show is bright and colorful with out of this world sets. Kristen Chenoweth who plays the love sick Olive is I think my favorite character in the show. She sometimes has the habit of breaking into some kind of Broadway showtune which no doubt is a wink at her stage success. It's a charming show and a nice way to escape reality for an hour and apparently I'm not the only one who agrees so unlike the last show that I fell in love with ("Arrested Development") this one may stick around for awhile.