Fall Schmall… The Winter 2010 TV schedule is cuckoo-bananas! Ducky and GMMR sat down, screeners in hand, mapped out all the premiere dates and dished the dirt on all the new and returning shows.

What did we think of the first 5 episodes of CHUCK Season 3? What about the new season of 24 featuring Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff)? What about new shows like LIFE UNEXPECTED, THE DEEP END, CAPRICA, HAPPY TOWN and HUMAN TARGET?

Want to know when DAMAGES, LOST, SOUTHLAND, GLEE and NURSE JACKIE return? Want to know how long you have to wait for Lauren Graham to shine in PARENTHOOD? How many more weeks until the return of TV Talk’s recurring listener fave “2 Idiots Talk LOST”?

Find all this out and more as we pour over everything Winter 2010 has to offer us TV fanatics! Click here to listen to the latest TV Talk Podcast!

Here is a sneak peek at FOX’s 2009/2010 new show HUMAN TARGET starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley. Looks like the pilot also features BATTLESTAR’s Tricia Helfer! Hey now…

HUMAN TARGET premieres January 2010 and will air Wednesday’s at 9pm on FOX

HUMAN TARGET Preview:

HUMAN TARGET Synopsis:
It takes a brave, selfless man to make himself a “human target” in order to save the lives of those in danger.

Based on the popular DC Comics comic book and graphic novel, HUMAN TARGET is a full-throttle action drama centered on CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Mark Valley, FRINGE), a unique private contractor/security guard hired to protect.

Call him what you like, because for Chance, it’s about one thing only: saving his clients’ lives. When there is an unusual or imminent threat that can’t be solved through “normal” means of protection, Chance is hired to completely integrate himself into his clients’ lives – to become the human target. If you’re a corporate manager whose disgruntled employee has gone violently off the deep end, Chance is your new auditor. If you’re the president of a bank who’s been tipped off to a potential heist, Chance is your unassuming bank teller.

During each job, Chance, assisted by his business partner WINSTON (Chi McBride, “Pushing Daisies”) and hired gun GUERRERO (Jackie Earle Haley, “Watchmen”), puts himself directly in the line of fire as he races against time to save his client, while unraveling the truth behind the mission. With every new danger, Chance’s dark history will also unravel. Does anyone know who Christopher Chance really is, or what secrets lay buried in his past? What would make a man willingly become a HUMAN TARGET?

HUMAN TARGET is a production of Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Television. Jon Steinberg (“Jericho”), McG (“Terminator Salvation”), Simon West (“Con Air,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”) and Brad Kern (“Charmed”) serve as executive producers. Peter Johnson (“Chuck”) is a co-executive producer. West directed the pilot.

I am begging you, please watch PUSHING DAISIES tonight. It would be a personal favor to both GMMR and I if you could just tune in. Just have it on in the background while your knitting, doing your homework or whatever else you do to amuse yourself at 8pm on a Wednesday. Pretty please?!

(Oh and if you know a Nielsen family you have my permission to use brute force if necessary to get them to watch.)

Pushing Daisies is on at 8pm on ABC!

If you are already a fan, please join us over at ThePieMaker.com tonight at 8pm to discuss the show!!

If you’re sitting here wondering why the frak I don’t have any PUSHING DAISIES stuff from Comic-Con then you obviously don’t know me very well. Of course all of the Pushing Daisies Comic-Con action is over at my other site, ThePieMaker.com

Plus there’s more on the way. We’ll have video of the entire Q&A session, video of Kristin Chenoweth singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and exclusive one on one time with Bryan Fuller so keep checking back!

Hey everyone, it’s been 24 hours since the Pushing Daisies Paley Festival panel took place and we’ve been bat-shit crazy updating ThePieMaker.com with as much information as our brains could possibly muster given the little sleep we’ve had since coming to Los Angeles.

Monday afternoon we’re heading over to Warner Bros. and meeting up with the Pushing Daisies writing staff and we’ll be sure to post more information tomorrow night (including a new Pushing Daisies Piecast Podcast).

Thanks for checking in all weekend and following our crazy weekend with Pushing Daisies.

Time to rally Pie Makers!! Word from deep inside the PUSHING DAISIES camp tells ThePieMaker.com that votes for the Favorite New Comedy category at the Tuesday’s Peoples Choice Awards are VERY close. It’s anyone’s category to take but it’s a must win for PUSHING DAISIES.

Stop what you are doing and vote right now - you can vote once a day so please set a reminder to remember to vote daily until Tuesday. If you have more than one email address, then see if you can’t register and vote more than once.

This is an important award for PUSHING DAISIES as it will really help to bring attention to the show.
VOTE FOR PUSHING DAISIES AS FAVORITE NEW COMEDY

Everyone’s sick of end of year lists but how can I not do one on my favorite TV shows of 2007? I always find these lists hard to do because 12 months is a really long time and we watch a LOT of TV. I wish I could prepare enough ahead of time to write up some great “moments” that stand out but let’s be honest… I don’t get paid to do this so that’s not gonna happen.

Regardless, the end of the 2006-2007 season provided lots of thrills and even a few tears. The 2007-2008 season started off so promising but as we all know, many shows just didn’t live up to the hype and the WGA Strike has kind of killed any hope of making this a banner year for television. So what did I choose? Did I pick a previous favorite that ended last May? Did I give a sophmore series about superheroes another nod? Did those Housewives make a showing after being off the list for so many years? Here goes.

Ducky’s Favorite TV of 2007:

30 ROCK I was late jumping on the 30 Rock train but once I gave it a chance late last winter, I instantly fell in love. 30 Rock is the successor to Arrested Development and I actually may love it even more. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin together are impossibly brilliant and the supporting cast only add to the mayhem and madness. Highlights: Season 1’s “I love NY in springtime” moment, Season 2’s return of Will Arnett, “Me Want Food” and “Gay for Jamie“.

CHUCK Chuck Bartowski, how I love you! The funniest thing about Chuck is that GMMR and I had seen the pilot probably 10 times before we hit Comic-Con where Zac Levi and crew got a superheroes reception from the geek gala. I don’t know that the show has lived up to my expectations but I can’t say that I don’t love watching it every week. There’s an inherent sweetness to this action-comedy that makes me squee. Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski are magnificent together and anytime Adam Baldwin gets to be a smartass, I’m on board. So sad that the WGA Strike put an end to our enjoyment of the Nerd Herd! Highlights: The Pilot, Chuck and Lou, Captain Awesome’s many skin shots, and the return of Bryce Larkin.

DAMAGES Week after week this intense drama built to a shockingly graphic climax and it kept me guessing every step of the way. Glenn Close, Rose Byrne and Ted Danson delivered crazy intense performances for 13 weeks, proving that summer is not for the lazy brainless reality shows any longer. It was great interviewing most of the cast this summer, it really made me realize how brilliant the writing of the show really is. Kudos to FX for sticking with Damages and granting us 2 more seasons. Highlights: The endless time shifting and the seemless togetheness of it all, Glenn Close’s reaction to Ray Fiske blowing his brains out, the closing moments on the dock.

DOCTOR WHO/TORCHWOOD The one-two punch of Doctor Who and Torchwood coupled with my going to Comic-Con made 2007 my geekiest year to date. Season 3 of Doctor Who was probably the best of the new series. While I loved and miss Rose, Martha was a great companion. Capt. Jack may have ended up on Who at the end of Season 3 but more importantly he kicked some demon ass all season on his own show, Torchwood. Harkness, Gwen, Ianto, Owen, and Tosh made their show so much more than a spin-off. Torchwood delivered thrills, chills, and tears and I cannot wait for it’s return early in 2008. Highlights: Who’s Donna the Runaway Bride, “Human Nature” and the scary intense weeping angels of “Blink”. Torchwood’s gayness, “Random Shoes” with Eugene, Billis the scariest wrinkled creepy since the Preacher Kane from Poltergeist.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS The Dillon Panthers won State, the audience won another season and all seemed great down there in Texas. Then poor Tyra and Landry had to dump a body in a river leading to the most interesting coupling the show could ever have concocted. Some balked at the stunt plotline but I welcomed it once I saw how unbelievable both Adrianne Palicki and Jessie Plemons would make their roles. The Taylors continued to bring one of the most realistic and beautiful families to television not to mention Connie Britton’s acting her ass off. Highlights: Winning State, Plemons acting, Santiago’s first moment in the game during “The Confession”… breathtaking.

LOST Say what you will about Season 3 of LOST but the addition of Juliet and the jump forward solidified the show as greatness in my book. While it took a bit to flesh out Ben’s backstory, Juliet’s arrival on the island, Mr. Friendly’s allegiance, and the involvement of the Whidmore’s it was all worth the wait. We got some great answers this season, some scary twists and turns, some great revelations, some wonderful death’s, and HELLO, the chaos surrounding who’s coming to the island in Season 4? Matthew Fox continued to bring anxiety and sadness to the role of Jack and it’s a damn shame he wasn’t nominated for something this year. I’m psyched for it’s return on January 31st! Highlights: The story of how Juliet came to the island, the death of Charlie, the flash-forward, and Patch!

MAD MEN Seriously, do I even need to explain why Mad Men is on the list? The acting, the writing, the art direction, the costuming, the genius? Another summer sleeper that rocked my socks! Highlights: Jon Hamm as Don Draper, any scene with Joan, the sadness of the era, Don Draper’s carousel pitch.

PUSHING DAISIES The facts are these: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Kristin Chenoweth and Chi McBride are my favorite finds of 2007. Bryan Fuller created a vivid, magical world I didn’t realize was missing from making my life complete until it slapped me in the face. My favorite pilot of 2007 led to stalking Fuller and Co. at Comic-Con, creating a fansite called ThePieMaker.com, and landed me on the Red Carpet interviewing these great talents. What a summer and fall leading up to the premiere of Pushing Daisies. This show makes me beyond happy and I cannot wait for its return in 2008. Highlights: The pilot, Ellen Greene, the musical numbers, Ned & Chuck, Bryan Fuller and Lee Pace recognizing me on the red carpet with hugs all around. Swoon…

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE I have to include SYTYCD because seriously could there have been a bigger obsession all summer long? Sure I loved Damages and Mad Men but sweet lord did it not compare to my lunacy over Neil Haskell and the rest of the dancers on SYTYCD. Highlights: Neil and Sabra’s boardroom brawl, Cat Deeley’s flawless hosting, Mary Murphy’s continued screaming, Wade Robson’s increased involvement, Debbi Allen and Shankman, backstage on tour.

SUPERNATURAL Love those Winchester’s. In a year that saw Sammy go real dark, the demise of YED, and a soul searching Dean, how can I not love Supernatural? The end of Season 2 was a wild wild ride but the beginning of Season 3 proved that this show is not and will not be stereotyped. Broadening the horizons of the demon world has suited the show nicely. Sure the addition of Ruby and Bela has been problematic for some but I can overlook that because the suspense and the gore has increased! Highlights: Visiting the set last May, blood and more blood, Supernatural:Origins comics, the return of Gordon.

The rest of the best: Battlestar Galactica, Big Bang Theory, Brothers & Sisters, Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Project Runway, Psych, The Closer, The Office, Top Chef and the end of Veronica Mars.

Should be on the list but isn’t for one reason or another: Dexter (never finished Season 2 because we got rid of Showtime but I’m dying to see the rest), Bones (just got addicted so I felt it couldn’t be added just yet - though let it be known that I’m obsessed), Dirty Sexy Money (something just isn’t right just yet, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it).

Have a safe and Happy New Year! Looking forward to a wonderful and hopefully television filled 2008.

If anyone is wondering why I’ve not had many posts over the last couple days its because I’ve been dead sick, like get Ned The Pie Maker on standby because he may just need to touch me and touch me and touch me… sorry.

After finally getting a new DVR that looks like it may have fixed my cable issues of the last 2 weeks, I forced myself to stay up late and watch PUSHING DAISIES “Corpsicle.”

Thankfully the Pie Maker, that Dead Girl, and a heavy dose of stage snow lulled my aches and pains away, sweeping me into the fabulously decadent world of Pushing Daisies where I could forget I was about to throw up from all the phlegm in my body.

The Winter Finale if you will was superb. There was mopping, some tears, lots of snow, a couple gruesome snowmen, a sassy invalid in need of a heart, hallucinations (not mine though really with all the cough medicine I’m on I could be seeing little dancing crabs), confessions, ass shavings, tension, and one really really long scarf for our lanky lead.

“Corpsicle” gave us quite possibly the most darkly humorous murdering of them all. There was no malice, no hatred, no heat of the moment to it at all. The murdering was done in the name of Charity, the best kind of murder when the Holidays are coming around if truth be told. You know how they say “Kill em with kindness”? Well, last night the wishing wishy wish-giver did just that… in the form of a bat with “Kindness” etched into it.

The reveal that Madeline was killing the insurance claimsmen that denied the jaded Abner a heart was genius. That she was willing to do this evil deed in the name of wish fulfillment was simply one of the darkest and most humorous things Pushing Daisies has come up with yet. Genius.

We learned last night that Emerson Cod has a daughter whom he’s estranged from and that its a itch Ned need not scratch. We also learned that Chuck is indeed the daughter of Aunt Lily (long rumored). I loved learning this tidbit about Emerson. He’s still pretty much an enigma. We know he likes to knit and he likes him some pie. About damn time we got to his backstory some. Chi McBride nailed that scene too. It was touching. As for the reveal that Aunt Lily is Chuck’s Mother… eh. I’m fine with it but I figured that there would be something more outlandish and creative to the reveal. I’ll survive.
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ThePieMaker.com Presents Kathie and Dan’s first Pushing Daisies PieCast! From the town of Coeur d’Coeur these two Pie Hos talk about the genius of Pushing Daisies first 8 episodes. Which episode was their favorite? Which episode disappointed them most? Which guest star had the best death? Which Ned and Chuck moment made them squee?

It’s all here as Ducky and GMMR don their aprons and roll out some delicious Pushing Daisies chatter as their alter ego’s ThePieMaker.com hosts Ned and Chuck.

Listen Online: PieCast #1

Subscribe and Listen via iTunes

This podcast has been posted as a special edition of the Ducky Does TV & Give Me My Remote TV Podcast. If this becomes a popular post we may make this is a permanent fixture at ThePieMaker.com

If there is a direct opposite of anything on PUSHING DAISIES it’s that while Young Ned lost his ability to imagine, series creator Bryan Fuller continues to allow his to grow and flourish in a technicolor dreamcoat of greatness. There is such imagination and joy in each episode of Daisies that as a hopeful writer, it blows my mind and gives me goosebumps.

This week, THE SOUP’s Joel McHale was poisoned by one of his four wives but actually died by accidentally falling on the sharp handle of a metal dog brush 7 times. Whoops. If you hadn’t guessed it, this week’s theme was polygamy, desire and need.

Yet another gang of TV Scoobies was created this week when Ned, Chuck and Emerson brought Olive into the loop, each taking a wife and a shot at going undercover with Digby to find out which one poisoned my man McHale. I know what you’re thinking… “Bitches“ refers to the dogs that the deceased and his wives bred and you’d be correct but in some cases it also applied to the wives. Greedy, selfish, delusional, and depressed each had motive to kill the husband but which one did it?

The doggie shop keeper, the doggie therapist, the doggie trainer, or the seeing eye dog expert? The clue was in the coffee with almond creamer that masked the arsenic. Or so we thought. The real answer lie in the secret the deceased almost took to the grave, that he sold their special 4 breed hybrid to a competitor named Snuppy who planned on cloning their precious Bubblegum for every family on every corner and on every block.

Polygamy seems tricky and thankfully it appears that Ned The Pie Maker refuses to have anyone but his beloved Chuck. Gotta hand it to Olive Snook for trying, that Halloween night smooch was something but sadly it wasn’t enough and she knows it. Chuck questions Ned’s desire to only be with her, resisting the human need for the physical but Ned’s holding out for his untouchable. Does this mean that a girl named Chuck is the one we need to look out for? Is that cold bitch going to ruin my Ned’s heart? Oh she better not. I know a legion of girls out there ready to pounce on some Ned if need be. Could I be more fickle? I question Chuck’s true desire based on speculation and then call her a bitch. God I’m heartless. Love me some Chuck and you all know it. Girl’s fierce.

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It’s been two long agonizing, grueling, dark weeks since the last PUSHING DAISIES episode but tonight, The Bitch Is Back! Sorry, but the episode tonight is called “Bitches” so I felt the Elton John reference was apropos.

To watch a clip from “Bitches” and to find out some (probable) Season Finale Spoilers, head on over to ThePieMaker.com

PUSHING DAISIES let me count the ways in which I love you. The writing, the acting, the narration, the set design, the cinematography, the camp, the relationship, and more. Last week America fell in love with Ned The Pie Maker and a Girl Named Chuck, much like I had months earlier. This week, my love affair deepened and I found myself aching for more drama, more Ned and Chuck, more Olive, more Emerson, more angst, and just more Pushing Daisies.

The show opened with young Ned arriving at boarding school, Longburrow School for Boys in the town of North Rush. He said goodbye to his Father for the last time and embarked on a painful existence as a different boy unable to fit in. His gift of being able to touch dead things and bring them back to life proved difficult for young Ned in science class. Vivisection was not the easiest task when you’ve touch each dead frog, reanimating them and allowing them to run free. In the frog’s wake, a whole trees worth of birds died… dems the rules!

One of my favorite artistic aspects to Pushing Daisies is the fantastical storybook like world they’ve created for Ned’s backstory. The castle like school in which young Ned attends looked more like a pop-up book creation than a real school and in this case, it so works.

I also hearted how young Ned morphed into a smiling adult sized Ned who’s now happily sleeping in the same room with his childhood sweetheart Charlotte Charles. Lee Pace, I just want to kiss that damn face of yours… too cute. Again, the chemistry between Ned and Chuck/Lee and Anna is sickening. It’s so dead on, hopeful and romantic that it makes me want to vomit… in a good way! Did you notice how Lee’s eyes were all wet while he stared at her in the bed next to him? Simply breathtaking performances.

I laughed out loud with their directional warnings while in the same room. Calling out their next move to ensure no touching occurs was a nice touch, and so perfect for their quirky characters. Making dinner turns into a real chore when you can’t touch or even bump into the other person. There was so much dialogue in that kitchen scene that I think I might need to watch it a good 3 more times to really grasp all that was said. I remember Chuck calling Ned out for his eye twitching which as we all know means he was lying. In this case he was lying about not having a secret or not wanting to get to know more about her. I was dying that Chuck only knew of a fridge as a “Cheesebox” because of the Aunts obsession with fine cheeses.

Kristin Chenoweth hanging out her window with some makeshift mirror, spying on the two reunited lovebirds next door had me rolling. Slamming into the side of the building was expected but exactly what I wanted out of that moment. She’s a wonderful comedic actress and her timing is impeccable.

Emerson Cod’s little tidbit of backstory was to die for. I couldn’t believe that he knits in his spare time and that he made a sweater vest and two handgun cozies… such a fun character detail and a development that would prove helpful later in the episode.

The Coroner was back with his “um-hum”s and blank stare again. I hope they bother him each week and with different identities because I find it not only hilarious but down right essential. This week the case involved a dead auto worker named Bernard Sleighbeck who was supposedly run over. Yeah, his 60 second confession said otherwise, well when he had the chance to speak with Chuck all up in his last comments business. With only a second to spare, Bernard mentioned that a crash test dummy killed him. Funny yet surprisingly creepy.

After the coroners office, it was back to The Pie Hole where once again Olive got to get all extistential on Emerson’s ass and he once again was not having it! I love that she has a philosophy on pie, that they’re not just any multi-national pie corporation like Pies R Us, Pies City, or 1000 Pies in 1 Place. She prides herself on their product and her enjoyment of them. It’s a wonderful character trait for our lonely and sad Olive Snook. Could Emerson be more of a douche? He’s so mad about Chuck.
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PUSHING DAISIES
Premieres: Wednesday, October 3rd at 8pm
Network: ABC

Cast: Lee Pace as Ned The Pie Maker, Anna Friel as Charlotte “Chuck” Charles, Chi McBride as Emerson Cod, Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook, Swoosie Kurtz as Aunt Lily, Ellen Greene as Aunt Vivian, and Jim Dale as The Narrator.

Photos:

*more pictures and videos from PUSHING DAISIES including my obsession with it after the jump…
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We end our COMIC-CON adventure with the PUSHING DAISIES panel discussion with Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, Bryan Fuller, Barry Sonnenfeld, and Bruce Cohen. We also let you in on some of the post-panel chaos as we go mobile within the Con. It’s a quick and wacky podcast with Ducky, GMMR and some TV Blogging Friends! Podcast #13: Pushing Daisies Panel Discussion and Post-Panel Chaos.

TV Podcast 13: There are 19 minutes of Pushing Daisies Panel audio and then another 10 of post-panel highs and lows as we navigate our way through the convention floor. It’s quick and funny, stick with it!

We’ll cover a ton of shows so thanks for coming back and listening to the joint TV Podcast between www.givememyremote.com and www.duckydoestv.com

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Listen Online: Podcast #13

Interested in catching up on our past podcasts? Head on over to the podcast page where you can listen to all of our previous episodes.

Have a question for Ducky and GMMR? There are a couple ways to contact us:

Free Voice Mail (Comments/Questions):
This is Dan and Kathie’s favorite method of contact because it allows us to hear from you and we use these messages live on our podcast to answer your burning television questions. It’s FREE and you don’t have to do anything but click RECORD BY PHONE on the box below and it will walk you through how to contact us!

It’s super easy and free to leave us a message:

iTunes Comments:
This is a great way to spread the word about our podcast and it really helps new listeners determine if they want to subscribe to us or not based on YOUR COMMENTS. Subscribing to the joint podcast between duckyxdale.com and givememyremote.com is the best way to listen to us.Please comment on duckyxdale and givememyremote’s TV Podcast at iTunes.

Listen to the Pushing Daisies Comic-Con Panel

The Pushing Daisies Comic-Con panel was so much fun and seriously the best way to start a Saturday morning. I figured I’d pass the audio along in hopes of endearing you all to this show. Below is the audio featuring Creator Bryan Fuller, Director/Producer Barry Sonnenfeld, and stars Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride and Kristin Chenoweth. Enjoy!

If Pushing Daisies doesn’t automatically play, click the arrow for the next audio until you see the listing for it. Also in this player is Chuck’s Comic-Con panel discussion.

*I will warn you now, it is very loud and there’s some crazy screaming in the beginning of this audio but I’ve tried to adjust it volume wise, just bear with it and you’ll get to the great stuff.

Can’t get enough Pushing Daisies? Check out the Ultimate Pushing Daisies Fansite, ThePieMaker.com and join the forums to chat with other PD fans.