Combating "Pushing Daisies" withdrawal

Sure, I got a little of my "Pushing Daisies" fix when Kristin Chenoweth performed "That's How You Know" at this year's Oscars.

But it's been months since I've seen Ned. Or Emerson Cod. Or Digby. Or Paul Reubens playing a crazy olfactory expert.

So it was pretty cool to learn that the Paley Center For Media kicked it with the "Daisies" cast earlier this month for a roundtable discussion of the show, one that's incredibly touching even though star-crossed Ned and Chuck can't make physical contact.

Anyway, some intriguing and funny revelations from the Zap2It review include:

* Series creator Bryan Fuller told the crowd that even some form of artificial insemination between Ned and Chuck would probably have negative consequences: "I think her egg would die when the sperm hit it."

* Anna Friel (Chuck) and Lee Pace (Ned) try to stay in character, but often accidentally bump into each other on set: "I always do it," Friel admits. "He's real good." "I sit on my hands," Pace explains, later adding that it gives him motivation. "If I touch her, she's dead. Dead. No more show."

To which Chi McBride, the show's beloved Emerson Cod, chipped in, "And then my son'll have to go to DeVry. Not that there's anything wrong with DeVry, but we had our heart set on Dartmouth. So don't touch."

* Fuller wasn't displeased that the writers' strike forced the show to wrap up Season One, with more storylines getting fleshed out for the fall return. Upcoming episodes "will deal with Chuck's mother and Emerson's daughter and (Fuller) wants to have Raul Esparza return as the potential love interest for Kristin Chenoweth's Olive and, if possible, they'd love to have the Tony-nominated actor sing."

* Fuller confirms that "the resurrected dead don't age like normal folks, meaning that Chuck, like Digby, may remain youthful for years. He also confirms that Ned is a vegetarian and that they wanted to include a scene dealing with that choice -- bringing a lobster back to life in your mouth can't be pleasant."

* A surprise hit, the cast is glad that "Daisies" has a fan base and network that cares about the show's quirky direction: "Normally when the network says they're behind you, don't lean back," McBride said. "I think that what went right is that we had the right show on the right network."

* The Season One DVD will probably be out in fall, and a soundtrack is being discussed.

* To watch a video clip from the panel, click here.

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com