Last Friday, I was invited to a press screening for Pushing Daisies. This new US drama from Bryan Fuller (Heroes) and Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) has been snapped up by ITV. It stars our very own Anna Friel (lately seen in footy movie Goal, but infamous for that Brookside lesbian kiss) and has been dubbed a 'forensic fairytale'. Having viewed it, I can see why. Quirky, offering a winning blend of romance, crime and high-concept fantasy, this is a show to set the video for (or Sky+, V+ whatever people, you get my drift). US critics are falling over themselves to praise it and Anna Friel, showcasing a perfect American accent, won herself a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress (30 Rock's Tina Fey took home the award).

Golden Globe nominee Lee Pace (The Good Shepherd) is Ned, a young man with a very special gift; he can bring dead things back to life by touching them. However, another touch from him will kill said thing again permanently. Ned puts his gift to work in his pie shop (The Pie Hole) and by collaborating with private investigator Emerson Cod (played by Chi McBride) to crack murder cases.

It all gets complicated when childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel) gets the Ned treatment. As he cannot bring himself to touch her again, the motley crew of Ned, Emerson and Chuck run around solving crimes. Now it wouldn't be a TV drama without a romantic entanglement or two, would it? Ned longs for Chuck but can't have her because he can't touch her and Ned's nutty waitress Olive Snook (played by Kristin Chenoweth) pines for him, but he's not interested. The whole shebang is narrated by none other than Carry On stalwart Jim Dale (Ned's dog is called Digby, a nice inside joke as Jim Dale starred in the 1973 movie Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World).

Pushing Daisies is a lovely, offbeat series wrapped up in an intriguing premise, witty script, gorgeous visuals and perfect casting. Anna Friel shines in it; she's simply adorably kooky. Check out the trailer.

Creator Bryan Fuller and the two lead stars were in London to publicise their show. As affable and warm as Pushing Daisies itself, I'm sure they were all relieved when applause rang out at the end. Have to say, some of the journalists there asked the most banal questions I've heard in a long time ("what could you live without and what couldn't you live without in a relationship?") and a young lady from The Sun obviously hadn't done her homework, beginning her question to Anna with: "You're a wife and mother..." only for the actress to respond, "When did I get married?"

Yours truly asked the fab actress a sensible question about the challenge of speaking with an American accent. She revealed that she stays in character all day on the set in order to hone said accent. In addition, as far as she's concerned, this linguistic skill is a must-have for Brit thesps if they want to crack America. I also quizzed Bryan and Lee for their views on the proliferation of British actors in US series. In short, they're for it. Look out for Pushing Daisies on ITV1 and ITV2 soon. However, I must admit, I can't help feeling that this show's UK success may be curtailed by the channel that's bought it. It just doesn't feel like an ITV1 series (more BBC2, Channel 4 or E4). I really hope I'm wrong...

Related links:
Pushing Daisies website
Anna Friel's MSN Movies biog
Wikipedia's Bryan Fuller entry 

Today I am mostly lovin' - Damages. Hardcore drama of the highest order.

Today I am mostly hatin' - I'm sorry, but GMTV's Fiona Phillips gets on my last nerve.

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So there I was flicking through The Sun when I came across this:

It's a sneaky look behind the scenes of the Britain's Got Talent auditions in Manchester.

There's a picture of a guy balanced on a ball, twirling a hula hoop; there's a performing dog, two women dressed as nuns and finally, the one staple no 'talent' show can do without: the Elvis impersonator (jumpsuit Elvis). Britain's Got Talent returns in the spring. Personally, I'm more of a Gong Show girl. Hugely popular in the 1970s, the US show's most infamous amateur act was two teenagers licking popsicles - I kid you not. Anyway, here's a taster of the series (no popsicles though):

Bizarre isn't it? Beats anything Simon Cowell's come up with.

Today I am mostly lovin' - Bravo's Starsky and Hutch repeats. David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser's chemistry is to die for.

Today I am mostly hatin' - WAGs on my TV. 

I'm a child of the 80s. I remember Rubik's cube (I never ever completed the soddin' thing); I had a pair of leg warmers; I thought the Brixton riots would travel up the road to my manor; I was into The Jam, New Romantics, jazz funk and electro. And 80s TV? Ah, 1980s TV. I mention all of this because I attended a screening of Life On Mars sequel, Ashes To Ashes. A mixture of press and cast (yes, Philip Glenister was there) were shown the premiere episode, set in 1981, just before Charles and Di's wedding.

It's goodbye to DI Sam Tyler (brilliantly played by John Simm) and the 1970s and hello to single mother DI Alex Drake (Spooks' Keeley Hawes) and the 1980s. However, two things remain constant: the David Bowie connection (both shows are named after classic Bowie songs) and DCI Gene Hunt (a superb Philip Glenister).

He may have swapped the Ford Cortina for an Audi Quattro and Manchester for London, but he's still the uncompromising, loud-mouthed, politically incorrect geezer we all know and love. Gene Hunt meets his (mis)match in the shapely form of trained psychologist DI Alex Drake. Like Sam Tyler, an incident sends her back in time. She wakes up in 1981 dressed as a prostitute with the sound of Ultravox classic Vienna ringing in her ears. Alex has to contend with her obnoxious partner, whose policing ideas clash violently with her own (naturally), and somehow find her way out of 1981.

The few reviews I've seen so far are mixed; some loved what they saw (The Sun) and others were distinctly unimpressed (The Times). The truth is somewhere in between. Ashes To Ashes is a different beast from Life On Mars in terms of tone and premise. A hot woman negates that whole 'buddy' thing Sam and Gene had going on (a la The Sweeney's Regan and Carter, The Professionals' Bodie and Doyle and, of course, Starsky and Hutch). Instead, the dynamic is firmly fixed on matters of the heart. Or, in Gene Hunt's case, the place directly south. If the camera lingering on Alex Drake's boobs and legs isn't enough of a clue, the dialogue and scenarios clearly spell it out; sexual tension is going to be one of the key hooks of this series. Apropos really, as this was the very element that drove popular 1980s cop series Dempsey and Makepeace.

In addition to the sex factor, the humour is significantly upped, but with mixed results. When DCI Gene Hunt is informed that a suspect has used a BT Phonecard (RIP), there's a pause before he disgustingly growls, "Flash git!" Hahahaha! Genius. However, when the tongue-in-cheek approach is also extended to the action scenes, the outcome is less successful. "You're the B team - we're the A team!" Gene tells some coppers before a whopping shoot-out with the baddies which is largely played for laughs...just as The A-Team was. It jars sharply with the darker sequences and, in my opinion, has no place on this series. I hope that was a one-off. In Life On Mars, DCI Gene Hunt naturally grew into an unlikely cult figure; here he's a figure of fun. Albeit with a mouth filthier than a Victorian sewer. In essence, he's a parody of his 1970s incarnation which was in turn a parody (geddit?). If the most compelling character is reduced to a two-dimensional cartoon, that's really bad news.

However, Kudos to Kudos (the makers of this series) for tapping into things that freak us out: Life On Mars used the BBC's Test Card Girl as a creepy spiritual guide, Ashes To Ashes employs the scary clown Bowie played in the video to his 1980 No 1 hit - creepy. This opening episode isn't bad, but it has huge hype and high expectations to live up to. Inevitably, it doesn't quite meet them. Watch out for the new series sometime in February on BBC1.

Useful Links:
The BBC's Life On Mars site
IMdb info about Philip Glenister
Download David Bowie tracks

Today I am mostly lovin' - The return of Torchwood. What a hot kiss between Captains Jack and John!

Today I am mostly hatin' - The promos for Coleen's 'Real Women'. Enough already!

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My mum adored the late Leslie Crowther, which explains why I remember him as the very first host of Stars In Their Eyes. A guilty pleasure of mine and a television institution, it started way back in 1990. Camp (especially during the legendary Matthew Kelly era), glittery and glossy, it's a simple idea so well executed. Maybe that's why the BBC has blatantly duplicated it lock, stock and two smoking performances for new Graham Norton vehicle, The One And Only.

Charles Caleb Colton coined the phrase about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery and it has never seemed more apt. I thought Auntie Beeb had reached a light entertainment nadir with Just The Two Of Us but they've outdone themselves with this hilariously inferior Stars In Their Eyes doppelganger. I was invited to the live Saturday night taping by the fab BBC publicity team and to my absolute amazement, against all the odds, I actually enjoyed the night! It's akin to snooker; awful to watch on TV, but really fun if you're participating.

OK you do have to put up with annoying directions by the floor manager to stand up for a song or sway in your chair or cheer the contestants and clap for Graham, but there's no way I would've sat in front of this had I been home; life's too short.

Elton and Dusty Springfield did their thing and they were OK (if a little too tall in the case of the Elton imitator), but it took a ginger Lionel Richie to really get the party started. There was the picture of white supermarket employee Moni Tivony (great name!) before us and in that instance, a studio audience was thinking as one...how?

And would he be any good? Kudos to the BBC make-up team for attention to detail; they even gave him a peppercorn-looking hairy chest (if you saw John Barnes' rug on Strictly Come Dancing and you'll know exactly what I mean). It had me in stitches! Our ginger Lionel Ritchie could've stepped into any blaxploitation flick - ya dig? Right on brother! Gimme some skin! He had the audience firmly on his side the minute the transformation was revealed.
Here's the video of his performance.

At the top, I mentioned two smoking performances - Moni's was one of them; Graham Norton's was the other. Even if the BBC are giving him a load of pap to front, the former Father Ted star is utterly professional and extremely likeable. He came down to meet members of the press gathered in one of the BBC green rooms (thanks for the Champers and canapés Auntie; I'll take that as a personal apology for Davina McCall's turgid chat show) and chatted with us all for ages.

What's more, he displayed great enthusiasm about the show (and refreshing honesty about some of the contestants....and no. I'm not telling). Lovely guy.

Showbusiness may be cruel, but if a crueller mechanic exists for booting participants off shows than this one, I've yet to see it. The contestants vote for the act they want to save but instead of stopping when Madonna (Evelyne Brink) had clearly won, it carried on. Were it not for Tom Jones (Simon Abbotts), poor Rod Stewart (Greg Dorrell) would've been Billy-no-mates, all on his lonesome. His Terrahawks wig and ill-fitting leopard skin was bad enough (borrowed from Corrie's Bet Lynch perchance?), did the poor bloke really need that additional humiliation?

Can I also say, I see no point in Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue winning a residency in Las Vegas. They may be adored here, but they're virtually unknown in certain parts of the US.

Today I am mostly lovin' - Mad Men's success at the Golden Globes. Can't wait to see it on BBC Four.

Today I am mostly hatin' - OK I don't hate it - but who came up with the name 'Mandle Candle'? I just can't take that advert seriously! It's the naughties equivalent of Ferrero Rocher's Ambassador's party ad. Funny!

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Where would the beginning of a new month be without responding to your comments? December was a quiet month for feedback (you all clearly had turkey and tinsel on your minds). However, I did receive one e-mail from a user complaining about Leon Jackson beating Rhydian to The X Factor crown. Personally, I'm more concerned about that show hijacking the Christmas No 1 every year. In addition, I thought the 2007 series extremely poor entertainment. I can't even remember half the contestants. For anyone with no regard for their ears, here's Leon's current (and last?) single - When You Believe.

I have received more negative comments about our new TV Listings service. Complaints centre around the speed, the look and feel and results returned from searches. I feel your pain - believe me. However, we are determined to iron out the teething problems and ask that you bear with us while we do so.

Thanks for all your comments and messages guys. Keep them coming in. That's it for this month as far as the mailbag is concerned.

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Goodbye 2007. How was it for you? I had a lousy end to it; struck down with the lergies, all my plans vanished quicker than Cashley Cole's disastrous autobiography (has anyone bought that book? Apart from his mum and missus that is). So a new year has begun and as I start to think yet again about detoxes and gym memberships and growing my nails, it's time to look ahead to what 2008 has in store for us telly addicts.

ITV is promising a new look and, as if signalling intent, Coronation Street and Emmerdale will no longer be on Sundays as the channel plans to keep the weekends soap-free. In addition, their infernal premium-rate quiz shows have been dumped. Hooray! Two interlinking shows from the makers of Life On Mars, Spooks and Hustle will definitely be worth setting the video/DVD etc for if the hype is to be believed. Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon return to their soap roots to play the parts of ex-lovers in Echo Beach. Ben Miller plays the hapless producer desperate to make the soap a success in the behind-the-scenes comedy Moving Wallpaper. Very intriguing...

Another soapster, ex-EastEnder Michelle Ryan, stars in an update of classic 1970s show The Bionic Woman. Not sure how well this series will eventually do. Will it last beyond two seasons? The US networks are pretty ruthless when it comes to pulling shows that don't perform (Joey, anyone?). Still, ITV2 will be airing the show and I'm curious to see how it will do.

More US imports in the shape of Mad Men due in February on BBC4. It's from Sopranos writer Matthew Weiner and is set in a 1960s New York advertising agency. But the show I really can't wait for is House season 4 - I'm chomping at the bit for it. I feel like an addict who needs a fix. Hugh Laurie is just breathtakingly brilliant in this show.

Spring will see a brand new Doctor Who and Torchwood moves to BBC2. There's also the Life On Mars spin-off entitled Ashes To Ashes which sees the action move up to the 1980s.

If you like your TV shows dark, League of Gentlemen members Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith are collaborating on a new comic-mystery TV series titled Psychoville for the BBC. Oooh-er! The BBC scored a massive TV success with Heroes - an unmissable drama about people with special powers. The first season was great, but show creator Tim Kring apologised to fans for the drama's slow second season start. At least we know what to expect...Question is - what are you looking forward to watching in 2008? Let me know here. 

Today I am mostly lovin' - Hearing The Jam on last night's episode of EastEnders. For those that want to know - the song is Ghosts and it was taken from their 1982 album The Gift. 

Today I am mostly hatin' - Daytime TV. Waaaay too many property programmes. 

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