Pushing Daisies and Judging Smother

Welcome to the suburbs of Coeur de Coeur's where years ago, a young boy named Ned discovered a life-defying talent: he could revive the dead by just a touch. Turns out that there are some really insane conditions though. For one thing, when a revived person lives for more than a minute, another person dies. And if Ned touches the revived person, that person dies forever. He learned this the hard way when his mother's brain vessel popped.

This is where a girl named Charlotte comes in. So Ned's mother died from a popped brain vessel, right? Well, a minute after that, her father died. And at that night when Ned receives a good night kiss from his mother, well it was the last.

So at both parents' funerals, the two had their first kiss, and that was the last time they ever made contact with each other.

That is, if you don't include Ned reviving Charlotte from death 20 or so years later.

Now Ned is a piemaker who is also the helper of a detective called Emerson Cod. This particular guy found out about Ned's ability during a roof chase with a criminal, and now they're working together mainly to get cash.

Of course it's a bit different when Charlotte, or Chuck, gets into the action.

And then there's Olive, and she's hopelessly devoted to Ned. She may look like an airhead, but she's smarter than you'd think. She'd scheme against Chuck and find a way to declare her love, but to no avail.

So maybe I've watched only 4 to 5 of the episodes of this really quirky show with sets I swear was inspired by Tim Burton. This is by far the most unique comedy-espionage show on TV today, and Ned's ability just makes room for a lot of comedic and dramatic opportunities. Obviously, he's madly in love with the only girl he ever kissed- Charlotte- but of course, the temptation would only lead to death. Of course, they find a way through this limitation through plastic and cloth, so one of the nagging questions on my mind is this: "Why not wear gloves so you can hold hands?"

Anyway, the show makes full use of the potential of this interesting pitch and runs away with people laughing and at times, thrilled. Heck, the Pooh-inspired scenario that happens will probably be one of the show's enduring symbols or moments, much like how Mulder's poster ("I want to believe") has become an icon of the X-Files series.

The really tall actor playing Ned suits his persona. His eye twitches, his smile awkward, his actions... nerdy. The same can be said for its supporting cast of characters. I mean, the show may not be a casting coup like Damages, but who cares? The Ned character is instantly likeable, and at some point relatable, as he reflects the choices people make in a life or death scenario- only that he endures them episode after episode.

It's actually not for everybody, but you wouldn't know if you didn't try watching this charming series.

SMOTHER
Let's judge a book by its cover again! Let's judge the new movie Smother!

So I haven't watched the trailer, but why watch it if it's already written on the poster? "The real monster mom" is its tagline... Hmm, not exactly my cup of tea if the words "Diane Keaton" are written there.

Let's rewind a bit back in time to when another Diane Keaton chick flick movie, Because I Said So, was released. Did anyone like it? No. It was by far the worst movie of that year, and it made you hate the veteran actress. Now it seems that she really wants to become obscure and be on the brink of retirement because she us essetially playing the same persona as last time! That is, sans Mandy Moore this time.

Do you really want to make a Steven Speilberg whose work seems to be deteriorating in quality every year- only much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much (I can go on for ages) faster?

Posted with LifeCast